September 2019 Board Report

Illinois Valley Community College’s new mobile friendly website was the topic of Thursday evening’s “campus update” at the monthly board meeting.

Director of Admissions, Records and Transfer Services Quintin Overocker and educational technologist Dawn Lockwood provided a general overview of the new website launched this summer.

Overocker said the entire site is now mobile-responsive, meaning it can be viewed on any device – smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.

“The site’s design is first and foremost to recruit and retain students,” he said. “The clean, contemporary look helps define IVCC’s brand. And the user-friendly design focuses on the needs of students and community members.”

Lockwood and Overocker also showed a student testimonial created by student trustee Matthew Klein and one- and three-minute films produced by Chicago Productions of Peru. Video will be a vital element of the new site, Overocker said.

In other business, the board approved a “letter of agreement” regarding overload pay for union faculty.

Full-time faculty overload pay will increase from $680 to $700 per credit hour this academic year and from $690 to $720 per hour in 2020-21. The change will be made to the current three-year collective bargaining agreement between the board and Union Local 1810 of the American Federation of Teachers.

Under the accord, the union voluntarily agreed to withdraw all Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges currently filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. 

The agreement also addresses the “the scope and processes” of IVCC’s labor-management team, the Educational Excellence Council (EEC).

The board also approved:

  • Purchase of 139 replacement PCs for Rooms E214 and E216, faculty offices and smart rooms for $82,724 from CDW and renewal of the Microsoft software maintenance and support agreement with CDW for $25,454.
  • The $13,159 bid of Midland Paper of Wheeling for multipurpose paper for copy and fax machines and printers.
  • Purchase of a 3D printer from JBH Technologies for $18,770.
  • Pepsi Beverage Company’s five-year proposal for beverage services.
  • Course schedule consulting from RSM US LLP not to exceed $50,000. “It has been several years since our Master Course Schedule has been updated,” said Vice President for Business Services Cheryl Roelfsema.

The board also learned:

  • A record 470 people attended the 23rd annual IVCC Foundation Scholarship Recognition Reception Aug. 29 in the gym. The event allows donors to meet recipients of their scholarships. Bud Matthews of Brookfield, Wis., a 1977 IVCC graduate, was the featured speaker. A total of 268 students received scholarships this year.  
  • Farm Bureau members from Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties visited campus Sept. 3 for an event hosted by the agriculture department.
  • The annual Discover Manufacturing Career Expo Oct. 29 will begin with 350 to 400 district high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors visiting local manufacturing sites. Students will then be bussed to IVCC for activities showcasing the college’s facilities, faculty, and relationships with area manufacturers.
  • IVCC is still being considered a potential site for Oglesby’s emergency call center, IVCC President Jerry Corcoran said. A possible location is the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (CETLA) on the third floor of E Building. CETLA would move into Building D as part of a plan to transform the Learning Commons into a “Technology Commons.”
  • There were 165 summer graduates earning 175 degrees or certificates compared to 158 graduates earning 183 degrees or certificates in summer 2018.
  • Received a written report of electronics instructor Jim Gibson’s spring semester sabbatical to Germany to learn about the industrial culture and manufacturing practices as used by Siemens Company. Gibson also visited a salt mine in Bertestgarten that has been in continuous operation for 500 years.
  • Wednesday’s annual Spirit Day celebration was a success, Corcoran said. The gathering in IVCC’s courtyard allows student clubs and organizations to recruit new members through hands-on activities and games.