Each year, the IECC TRIO Student Support Services program awards the Student Support Services Participation Grant to eligible students. For students to receive said grant, they must fulfill several requirements. The students must attend the “Learning to Succeed” seminars which are held two days at the beginning of each academic year. The seminars are comprised of several sessions each day giving the students valuable information to help them be successful during the school year.

A Fairfield team won the title at the first annual high school bass invitational, sponsored by the new Wabash Valley College bass fishing team, held on Saturday, June 20, at East Fork Lake in Olney. Anglers Austin Holtgrave and Nate Kiefer topped the scales at 13.94 pounds for their maximum-allowed catch of five bass. They elected to share the individual honor for the single biggest catch of the day, weighing in at 4.25 pounds.

Wabash Valley College Athletic Director Mike Carpenter announced the resignation of WVC women’s basketball Head Coach Lacey Shalenko on Wednesday morning. Shalenko is pursuing a position in Florida.   Shalenko was the head coach of the Lady Warriors for just one season and guided WVC to a 30-2 record and a perfect 18-0 GRAC record. The 2020 Lady Warriors won the Region 24 women’s basketball championship and advanced to the NJCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Olney Central College will offer a beginning machine piecing/quilting class starting Aug. 25. During the eight-week course, students will learn step-by-step how to create their own quilts using the beautiful Tradewinds and Addison’s Star patterns. The non-credit class will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays in Room 201 with instructor Laurie Rist. The cost is $100. To register or for more information, contact OCC Student Services at 618-395-7777.

The GED program at Lincoln Trail College donated books to the Crawford County Jail to help inmates prepare to earn a GED. “There’s a significant positive impact on the community when someone earns their high school equivalency,” says LTC Academic Success Center Director Rena Gower. “The donation of these books will help give inmates without a high school diploma a chance to start preparing to earn a GED.”

Lincoln Trail College Assistant Professor of History Cyndi Boyce has been elected as the Chair of the Community College Caucus of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Faculty Advisory Council. 

Olney Central College has named Casey Wyllie as interim Men’s Basketball Coach following the departure of Mike Burris, who accepted an assistant’s position at the University of Indianapolis. “I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Wyllie said. “It has always been a goal of mine to become a head coach one day. We have a great group of guys coming back and I am excited to build on the foundation Coach Burris has laid over the last 15 years.” Wyllie is looking forward to the upcoming season as he has eight returning players from last year’s 24-win campaign.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Wabash Valley College’s summer enrollment numbers are up nearly 20 percent! As the summer semester reaches the halfway mark, WVC anticipates this upward trend in enrollment to continue into the fall semester. Assistant Dean of Student Services Steve Patberg reported the increased enrollment was most notable in the math, science and communications classes.

Olney Central College has been named the No. 1 Online Community College in Illinois by Optimal’s Guide to Online Schools. The state’s community colleges were ranked using several criteria, including retention rate, graduation rates, percentage of online enrollment data, and the number of online associate degrees offered. Data was based on information collected by the National Center of Education Statistics. In order to be considered for ranking, community colleges must be regionally accredited and offer at least one fully online associate degree.

Lincoln Trail College student-athletes have combined for a GPA above 3.0 for the 13th consecutive semester. In the Spring 2020 Semester, the department had a combined GPA of 3.08.  “I’m very proud of the work of the administration at LTC, the coaches, and our student-athletes,” says Baseball Coach and Athletic Director Kevin Bowers. “In light of this spring’s events, to stay consistent with effort and outcome is very commendable.”