The Crawford County Recreation Center is pleased to announce that project plans and specifications are now available for local vendors who wish to bid on the construction of the new recreation center being built on the campus of Lincoln Trail College.  

The renovation project to the Rowland-Nicholas Natatorium continues.  “We’re very eager to see the project completed,” said Lincoln Trail College Director of Marketing Chris Forde. “Unfortunately, we’ve experienced supply chain issues that have caused delays to the project.” Forde said there are still several things that need to be completed, including some plumbing work and finishing work in the new rooms, before a final walkthrough can be completed.

Lincoln Trail College, in conjunction with Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Business and Industry and the Crawford County Airport, is giving people a chance to get started in aviation. The College is offering a ground school course beginning March 14. Ground school is one of the first steps people can take to earn a private pilot’s license. The eight-week course is designed to give students the information they need to prepare to take the private pilot written test. Howard Hunt, who has more than 30 years of experience as a pilot, will teach the course.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares individuals for high-skill, in-demand employment that furthers Illinois’ global competitiveness. Last year, about half of all Illinois community college graduates earned a CTE degree or certificate. CTE programs offer flexible scheduling, work-based learning, and stackable credentials that provide a pathway from education to employment not only for recent high school graduates, but also for returning adults, veterans, and workers wanting to update their skills.

Lincoln Trail College has released its academic honor lists for the Fall 2021 Semester. Three lists have been established by Illinois Eastern Community Colleges to indicate students who have achieved academic excellence. They are the Chancellor’s Honors List, the President’s Academic Honors List and the Dean’s Academic Honors List. To qualify for any of the honor lists, a student must be enrolled full-time (12 hours or more) and must be taking college-level classes.

Businesses that want to get started on Facebook or sharpen their strategies on social media will have a chance to learn more at Lincoln Trail College. The College is offering a one-day workshop called Getting Started with Facebook for Business on March 4. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges and Lincoln Trail College Director of Marketing Chris Forde will lead the class. Forde holds certifications for his expertise in social media marketing and has managed or advised on more than two dozen social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Lincoln Trail College student-athletes combined for a GPA above 3.0 for the 16th consecutive semester. In the Fall 2021 Semester, the Athletic Department had a combined GPA of 3.25. Additionally, 28 student-athletes had 4.0 GPA’s. “I’m really proud of our student-athletes,” said Athletic Director and Baseball Coach Kevin Bowers. “We want them to succeed here, and our coaches make it a priority for them to perform not only in their sports, but also in the classroom.”

Interlude Trio will hold the first public performance in Lackey Music Hall on February 11. Lackey Music Hall is the newest addition to Lincoln Trail College. The program will feature chamber music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Niccolò Paganini, Joseph Küffner, and Johann Kaspar Mertz. Interlude Trio members are Sophie Kershaw-Patilla (flute), Tanya Reed (viola), and Michael Patilla (guitar).

Auditions for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Trail College’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be January 17 and 18 at 6:30 at the Zwermann Arts Center Theater. Callbacks, if necessary, are scheduled for January 19 at 6:30. The first read-through for the musical is January 20 at 6:30 and rehearsals begin January 24.

Lincoln Trail College’s new Technology Center will open in 2025. The State of Illinois awarded the contract to the architectural firm Graham & Hyde, Inc. for the building.