March 2015 Board Report

The Illinois Valley Community College board recognized a pair of faculty members Thursday for teaching excellence.

Trustees will nominate 24-year criminal justice and forensics program coordinator Rebecca Donna for the 2015 Illinois Community College Trustees Association Outstanding Faculty Award and developmental math instructor Dan Serafini for the ICCTA’s part-time faculty award.

Donna recently won IVCC’s Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence after being nominated by four colleagues and two students. Nominators said Donna provides students’ real-world criminal justice experiences and exposes them to employment opportunities in the courts and in policing, probation, social work and security.

Colleague Sue Caley Opsal said Donna challenges students to design a prison from the ground up.

“If a project such as this fails to get a student to think beyond the curriculum, I cannot imagine anything that would,” said Caley Opsal.

Current President of the American Federation of Teachers Union Local 1810 and past Vice-President, Donna was credited for playing a critical role in negotiations on the current faculty contract.

Prior to coming to IVCC, Donna taught at Murray State University, Illinois State University, Rend Lake Community College and Lincoln College. She holds an AAS in forensics, a BS in corrections and a master’s in criminal justice from ISU and a Ph.D. in sociology from Southern Illinois University. A lifelong learner, she recently completed training to become a police officer.

Serafini earned the Outstanding Part-time Faculty Member Award for helping lead the successful “Fast Track Math” program that enables students to take a four-week review course to prepare for credit-level math.

Serafini’s ability to make complex concepts understandable has led to high completion rates in the program, nominators said. He is also a math discussion leader for IVCC’s “Bridging the Gap” initiative with district high school math teachers and is credited with creating “a culture of mutual respect and understanding” between college and high school faculty.

Serafini has also volunteered to reach out to middle schools to promote college readiness and has proposed regional teacher’s meetings to allow junior high teachers to identify specific areas they may need assistance.

Thursday’s meeting began with a moment of silence for Connie Skerston, assistant director of admissions and records, who died last week at age 45. Skerston began working at IVCC in 1998.

“She was loved by all and will be missed by everyone,” said IVCC President Jerry Corcoran.

In other business, the board approved:

  • The retirement of world languages instructor Anna Pietrolonardo and the resignation of math instructor Cynthia Schultz; both are effective Aug. 7.
  • A $356,286 contract with Seamless Cellular for installation of a cell phone distributed antenna system (DAS) for high-quality voice and data service for multiple carriers. Building-to-building roaming will allow first responders and administrators to stay connected during emergencies.
  • Support for a regional 911 dispatch center to be located south of the college barn. The Illinois Valley Regional Dispatch Center Planning Board, which includes police and fire representatives from La Salle, Peru and Oglesby, has secured a $1.5 million grant for construction of a 5,000-square-foot facility. Other entities are being encouraged to join the initiative.

The board also learned:

  • Tina Hardy has been hired as full-time disability services coordinator. Hardy has worked 14 years in the program.
  • Lyle Guenther of Ottawa, a volunteer tennis coach the past two years under Julie Milota, has resigned. While attending IVCC predecessor LPO Junior College, Guenther played on the school’s first tennis team.
  • Ottawa is considering donating a used ambulance to IVCC for the Emergency Medical Services program. Corcoran credited Andy Borkowsky, Sue Isermann, Bonnie Campbell, Cheryl Roelfsema and Reed Wilson for working closely with the city on the potential donation. “We are grateful for their thoughtfulness and commitment to our EMS program being the best it can be,” Corcoran said.
  • IVCC received the certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 21st straight year and the GFOA distinguished budget award for the seventh straight year. In addition, the college was one of only five community colleges in Illinois to receive the Tree Campus Award.
  • Former Lt. Gov. Shelia Simon will deliver the May 16 commencement address. “She was a very active Lt. Governor and a huge supporter of community colleges,” said Corcoran. “In fact, she visited all of Illinois’ 48 community colleges and is married to a community college professor.”