December 2019 Board Report

IT professional Nancy McDonnell will lead Illinois Valley Community College’s new cybersecurity program.

Trustees approved McDonnell’s hiring at Thursday’s meeting. She serves as Chief Information Officer at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru and previously taught cybersecurity and computer science courses part-time at IVCC.

She also teaches online information security courses for Purdue Global University and served as Vice President of Information Security and Technology for Old Second Bancorp in Aurora.

“Nancy has 20-plus years of industry experience, 14 years directly relevant to cybersecurity,” said IVCC President Jerry Corcoran.

McDonnell has an MBA in IT Management and a bachelor’s in IT from Western Governors University and a certificate in computer networking from IVCC.

The board also met the leader of another new program Thursday. Medical assistant instructor Kathryn “Kaity” Griswold attended the meeting with Director of Nursing Division Julie Hogue.

In other business, trustees approved a $12.5 million tax levy request for 2019, up less than five percent over the actual 2018 levy extension of $11.9 million.

“The estimated tax rate is .3642, a decrease of slightly less than one percent,” said IVCC Vice President for Business Services and Finance Cheryl Roelfsema. “Though our tax rate is estimated to drop, for homeowners this is less than a one percent decrease in IVCC’s portion of their tax bill and in almost all cases will be less than a $5 decrease.”

The estimated equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of $3.4 billion is 4.99 percent over 2018. IVCC levies taxes in all or parts of eight counties: La Salle, Bureau, Putnam, Marshall, Lee, Livingston, Grundy and DeKalb.

The meeting began with a moment of silence for IVCC alumnus and benefactor Ralph Scriba who died Dec. 4 in his California home.

Scriba grew up on a Troy Grove farm in the 1920s and 30s, served on destroyers in the U.S. Navy and graduated from La Salle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College in 1951. He moved to California and founded Swift-Cor, an aerospace engineering and manufacturing company that grew to over 300 employees by the time he sold it in 2000.

Over the past seven years, Scriba has donated $350,000 to IVCC.

“Despite his incredible success after leaving the Illinois Valley for the West Coast, Ralph never forgot the role his community college played in preparing him for what would lie ahead. He and his family were generous supporters of IVCC, especially our capital campaign, and academic programs such as agriculture, Medical Assistant and nursing,” said chair Jane Goetz.

In other action, the board approved:

  • Purchase of 10 Amatrol portable PLC Troubleshooting Learning Systems for electrical, electronics and renewable energy programs from Moss Enterprises of Cedar Rapids for $168,300 – a cost covered by the IVCC Foundation. 
  • Renewal of Ferrilli Higher Education Technology Consultants contract for support, maintenance and patch installation of the Ellucian Colleague ERP system for $69,600 paid out monthly over 36 months.
  • Submission of deferred maintenance projects to the Illinois Community College Board including $1.875 million for air/moisture infiltration work on the six original buildings, $550,000 for utility extensions at the south end of campus for the new ag complex, $50,000 to improve accessibility in the Fireplace Lounge and $2.4 million in upgrades for a proposed Technology Commons in Building D.
  • Set 2020 board meetings for 6:30 p.m. Thursdays Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 12, April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10 in Room C307.
  • Reimbursement of expenses for board members Amy Boyles and Goetz for $75.40 each for attending an ICCTA seminar and meeting in November.

The board learned:

  • Ellen Evancheck was hired as an IT systems specialist, Kimberly Herout as administrative assistant in Workforce Development, and Manessa Trench as copy center assistant.
  • Part-time phlebotomy instructor Sue Wasmer retired this month and Valorie Smith resigned from the Disability Services office.
  • IVCC’s Project Success program earned the highest scores possible for its students’ persistence, academic standing, degrees and certificates earned, transfer rates and number served (183) in the U.S. Dept. of Education’s annual performance report. The program serves low-income, first generation and students with disabilities.
  • The Dec. 4 Support Staff Holiday Craft Fair organized by Gerilynn Smith raised over $1,500 for an Earth Day 2020 program.
  • Twelve students became journeymen electricians and were honored for earning AAS degrees in electrical construction technology at the NECA-IBEW Local 176 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) graduation Nov. 15 in Joliet.
  • The new Rotaract Club’s Nov. 18 chartering attracted 45 club members and Rotarians from 16 district clubs. IVCC’s 17-member club is already working to help the homeless by raising money and supplies for Illinois Valley PADS.
  • A newly-formed hospitality program advisory committee met recently and learned IVCC will offer its first hospitality course beginning March 17.
  • The theatre department led by Dr. David Kuester and Don Grant Zellmer recently completed a successful run of the Christmas musical Elf.

Board vice chair Everett Solon will be inducted into the Streator Township High School Worthy Hall of Fame Saturday night. “I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of this honor than Everett Solon,” Corcoran said.