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The Lincoln Trail College Foundation is making a major investment in the future of career and technical education at LTC, providing funding for the college’s new Career and Technical Training Center, specialized training equipment and future program growth.
The Foundation has provided $250,000 toward the new facility and another $250,000 close the gap on the cost of a Hands-on Trainer Model 1, or HOT 1, process technology training unit. It also provided $90,000 for equipment upgrades in the Broadband Telecommunications program and has committed an additional $660,000 to support future CTE program growth.
LTC Foundation Executive Director Bill Sandiford said two substantial gifts received by the Foundation during the past year helped make the investments possible.
“The LTC Foundation received two substantial gifts in the last year that allowed us to commit $1 million over the next three years,” Sandiford said.
He said the investment is closely connected to the Foundation’s purpose. While helping make education affordable remains an important part of its work, the Foundation’s mission also calls for it to assist in developing and augmenting LTC’s facilities and carrying out the college’s educational functions.
For students, Sandiford said the investments are ultimately about creating an improved learning opportunity.
“Updated equipment and technology should equate to a better experience for both students and faculty alike,” he said.
One of the most significant equipment investments is the $250,000 for the HOT 1 process technology trainer, a modular, self-contained unit that allows students to gain practical experience with industrial equipment, instrumentation and process operations in a controlled environment. The IECC Board of Trustees approved spending $500,000 for the HOT 1, but the cost rose to $750,000 when it came time to order it.
Sandiford said Foundation board members believe the trainer can have a significant impact on LTC’s Process Technology program.
“The Foundation board believes this is a game changer for our process tech program,” he said.
LTC representatives first saw the training unit while in Houston for a process technology troubleshooting skills competition. President Tona Ambrose, Process Technology Instructor Tina Lindley and two LTC Foundation representatives received a demonstration of the unit, which is designed to replicate industrial process operations while allowing students to develop real-world skills in a safe learning environment.
“Our students learn best when they have opportunities to apply what they are learning in an environment that reflects what they will encounter in the workplace,” Ambrose said. “The HOT 1 trainer will give our Process Technology students another level of hands-on experience and help us prepare them to enter the workforce with confidence.”
The Foundation’s investment also extends to the Broadband Telecommunications program. Its $90,000 contribution is being used to purchase new equipment and upgrade existing equipment. Some of the money will be used to cover things like a new trencher, mini excavator, bucket truck hydraulic updates, and an optical time domain reflectometer.
“It is the hope of the Foundation that these investments will improve the quality of our current classroom learning experiences,” Sandiford said. “Our staff does a great job of instructing but are limited by cutting-edge teaching tools.”
The Foundation is also looking beyond the immediate equipment needs of the programs. It has committed an additional $660,000 for future CTE program growth, including funding designed to help LTC reach prospective students beyond its traditional service area.
Sandiford said the Foundation believes the investment can improve instruction while also helping attract students from both inside and outside the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges District. The Foundation has also committed funding to help market the programs to a larger audience.
That growth, he said, could have an impact beyond the college campus.
“The loss of skilled trade workers is being felt throughout the country,” Sandiford said. He said LTC has an opportunity to prepare local students for careers that allow them to remain in the region while also attracting people who could eventually live and work in area communities.
“We believe LTC will not only offer training for our local students wanting to maintain their home in this area, but also attract new residents to our companies and communities through an education at LTC,” he said.
“There are people who believe deeply in Lincoln Trail College and what this college means to our communities,” Ambrose said. “When they choose to support the Foundation, that generosity ultimately reaches our students. We are incredibly grateful for people who are willing to invest in their education and in the future of this college.”
For Sandiford, the Foundation’s investment also connects the current expansion of career and technical education at LTC with a vision expressed more than four decades ago.
In his 1983 book, “A History of Lincoln Trail College and Lincoln Trail College Foundation,” Ivan Miller wrote about the role community colleges would need to play in responding to changing workforce demands. He said community colleges were uniquely positioned to play a leading role but that doing so would require both philosophical and financial commitments from college leaders and the public.
“Planning must be immediate and continuing,” Miller wrote.
Sandiford said that message continues to resonate with the Foundation today.
“Mr. Miller’s vision then is still clear today,” Sandiford said. “And the Foundation will continue to seek and identify new sources to fund that growth.”
