January 2023 Newsletter

Message from Dr. Overstreet

Colleagues, 

Spring semester is in full swing, and the College is charging ahead too! Last year was busy with construction and refurbishing continuing through the campus, the installation of permeant sculpture in the waterfall courtyard, and plans for another piece to be placed in the spring; our campus continues to get the upgrades it needs to reignite students and community to enjoy and learn here. 

Looking back saw our enrollment numbers begin to climb back to pre-covid levels, and while we still have a great deal of work to do going forward, it is great to celebrate the work and efforts that many have espoused to make this so. 

Our Leadership Academy is now in its second year, and by all accounts, the professional development sessions are going very well. A theme for next year will be to continue our collective journey of professional development and learning, and many will be attending conferences such as AACC (American Association of Community Colleges), the League of Innovation, where our Associate Dean of Liberal arts and Assistant Vice-President of Construction, Grounds, and Maintenance will be presenting. Others will attend the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) to prepare for our upcoming site visits and re-accreditation. We will continue our affiliation and attend the AFIT (Alliance for Innovation and Transformation) conference and workshops. Those who attend will be charged with transferring the knowledge they gain through brown bag sessions and forums. 

Speaking of forums, we will continue to host forums with areas of interest presenting and, as always, leaving time for Q and A. Our new Shared Governance Council is fully operational thanks to the hard work of Rachel Sveda-Webb and other members of the Council. 

We have reorganized many areas to streamline processes and procedures, and our Business office, IT, and Maintenance Departments continue to improve and adjust to the changing needs of students, faculty, and staff. 

Yes, it has been a busy year, and I haven’t even touched on all the events athletic events and special programs that have occurred. I know we are all looking forward to seeing what excitement we will have for this new 2023; graduation here on campus, construction projects getting off the ground, new programs, and new students. We are becoming more agile, providing more opportunities, growing, and learning as a community. 

I am excited to start my third year at Logan as we Charge into the Future! Go Vols! 

Regards, 
Kirk Overstreet, PhD. 

President, John A. Logan College

John A. Logan College Looks to Build on Momentum in New Year

John A. Logan College staff started their New Year’s resolutions early. This past July, JALC President Dr. Kirk Overstreet held a retreat for his senior administrators. The two-day meeting resulted in the developing the College’s five-year strategic plan.  Cabinet members developed strategies and tactics for their departments that are reported quarterly.

“We sat down and discussed where we are, where we are headed, and where we need to be,” said Overstreet. “This resulted in a long-range strategic plan and clear goals and objectives to achieve now.  I am proud of what we have accomplished with some difficult obstacles, and I believe this plan keeps us moving in the right direction.”

Overstreet added that 2022 saw the reversal of a downward trend in enrollment that had affected higher education across the country.

“A perfect storm of the pandemic and the economy has resulted in lower enrollment at community and 4-year colleges, but now we are seeing a reverse in that trend,” said Overstreet. “Our staff has worked hard to remind people what a difference John A. Logan College can make in their lives. We just had a student graduate who was homeless and living in his car a year ago. Thanks to the opportunities he took advantage of here at JALC, he is on his feet and has a bright future ahead of him.”

Fall Enrollment increased by 10.8 percent from the fall of 2021, and credit hours increased by 6.2 percent over the same period. The College initiated several tactics to help increase enrollment, including Saturday sign-ups and extending Student Services hours on Tuesday evenings to accommodate students that work during regular business hours. The office of College Readiness and Student Recruitment developed new opportunities to bring students to campus, including a STEM Day and High School Orientation Days for all eleven in-district high schools that were held on campus for the first time since 2019.

In addition to increased enrollment, the John A. Logan College Foundation awarded 513 scholarships during the fall semester totaling more than $850,000.

“We have been blessed that continued giving and sound money management have allowed us to continue supporting our students in pursuing their degrees,” said Staci Shafer, Assistant Vice President for Advancement and the Executive Director of the Foundation. “Despite fluctuations in the stock market, we have been able to provide scholarships and continue to place the needs of our students first.”

To help students facing food insecurities, the College converted a former office, in the Student Services Wing, into a new Food Locker. The Food Locker is a free service to students that provides nutritious on-the-go snacks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with no questions asked.

In July, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced a $4.2 million grant to the College. The grant will be used to construct the John A. Logan College Career and Technical Center at the College’s main campus in Carterville. The College has the matching funds for the project, and he hopes to begin construction over the next year.

“This facility will completely transform and modernize Career and Technical teaching and training abilities,” said Overstreet. “The new facility will bring state-of-the-art tools and training opportunities providing a well-trained and well-educated community. Fostering new economic growth for the College’s industry partners in southern Illinois.”

In November, the College completed a pedestrian pathway project linking the College’s main entrance to the College’s Health Education Facility, Logan Fitness. Part of the project included moving the McCabe Bell Tower from the College’s main entrance to the center of the parking lot visible from Illinois Rt. 13, thus making it the focal point of the campus. The relocation of the Belltower was in advance of a future project expanding the College’s West Entrance. The project has been approved by the Capital Development Board and is expected to break ground sometime in the next two years.

The construction of the pathway, coupled with mandates in place due to COVID, resulted in events like graduation and Hunting and Fishing Days being moved off campus. Both events are scheduled to return to the Carterville campus in 2023.

“We are extremely thankful to our community partners that stepped in and hosted graduation and Hunting and Fishing Days when we could not have them on campus. With the parking lot completed, we are excited to announce that graduation and the nurse pinning ceremonies will return to campus this May and that Hunting and Fishing Days will again be on campus in September.”

John A. Logan College’s academic and athletic teams saw continued success in 2022.  The Cyber Security Team, The Logan Defenders, advanced to the Mid-West Wildcard Tournament. The team competes regularly against and defeats four-year colleges and universities. The Men’s Basketball Team advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the third straight year. In addition to going to the National Tournament, the team won a third consecutive Region 24 Tournament. For the second time in three years, the National Player of the Year was from John A. Logan College. The Vols are off to a fast start this season and are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally.

According to Overstreet, the College still faces challenges and uncertainty, but the planning and hard work that took place in 2022 now become the momentum for 2023.

“We have plans to do more to reach out to our students. We plan to modernize our image and branding and continue offering innovative programs that reach students where they are.”

Upcoming Events

Top News Stories of 2022

Based on analytics, likes and shares, these are our top news stories of 2022.

The Year In Photos

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October 2022 Newsletter

Message from Dr. Overstreet

Colleagues, 

It has been a very busy and successful fall semester! It is hard to believe that we are already six weeks into fall 2022. As I mentioned at our convocation days, our teams did an excellent job of working with students and getting them registered and on campus. On the tenth day, we reported a headcount of 3,272 students, full and part-time. Including dual credit, we were 10.8% over fall 2021. Great work on everyone’s part! As we look to the future, our SEM Taskforce will be charged with finding new tactics to help us continue our upward track. This will be an exciting time for us here at JALC! 

Our five-year strategic plan has been launched, Cabinet members have developed their strategies and tactics, we are well on our way to collecting, and everyone has been busy developing their department and tactics. These will help guide us through the rest of the 2022-2023 academic year. As soon as we have all the department’s tactics, we will post them on our Planning documents page of the website. I want to thank everyone for working so hard to develop your plans. This will be an essential step in our reporting to the ICCB and HLC, as well as helping guide us to success. 

There has been a plethora of events here on campus and off. Recently, the student ambassadors and student senate, along with their sponsors April Martinez and Adrienne Barkley Giffin, my volunteered wife, and I helped to pick up trash on Route 13. The event is part of the Clean SOIL program developed by Board of Trustee member Glenn Poshard. It was great to see our students completing service for our community! So proud of their efforts! We have hosted several significant events since the bringing of school. Governor Pritzker and Lt. Governor Stratton visited, and we conducted a round table discussion on students’ barriers. Students from JALC, Shawnee, Kaskaskia, and SIU were represented and did a great job conveying their concerns. It was great to collaborate with our regional partners and help the Governor see the many issues our students face daily. Director Fox helped to bring Connect360 to campus for a very informative panel on interacting with police and featured an interactive session led by our Criminal Justice professor Brennan Stover. The session featured leaders from our surrounding communities and our own Chief of Campus Police, Allan Willmore, and our student body well attended it. 

As many of you know, we have been awarded an exceptional grant from the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. The grant will allow the College to renovate and expand our HVAC and Automotive programs and build a whole new structure to house our Welding and Manufacturing programs. This will significantly add to the College’s educational and career training portfolio. My heartiest congratulations to everyone who worked on bringing this grant to the College! 

We have a lot of events coming this fall: Professional Development Day, Employee Appreciation Day, and our Wellness Expo are just some! Look for dates and invites to these and other events. I hope everyone is enjoying this fantastic fall weather, thanks for all you do for students and our community.

Regards, 
Kirk Overstreet, PhD. 

President, John A. Logan College

Staff Spotlight

Manager of Human Resources Megan Mosley Receives Human Resource Certification

Megan Mosley, Manager of Human Resources has received certification as a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), from the Society of Human Resource Managers. Earners of the SHRM Certified Professional credential have demonstrated their mastery of HR proficiency standards as defined by The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Earners of the credential are recognized for their ability to effectively perform HR duties and responsibilities in an operational capacity. 

“I am so proud of Megan for achieving this certification. It is a big commitment with number of online videos and sample exams required before you can take the exam,” said Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Johnna Herren.  “Dr. Clay Brewer was really the one that encouraged Megan to do this, and I know how much it meant to her when she sent him a picture of her registration form when she began studying.” 

  According to Herren, the certification exam is extremely difficult and requires an ongoing commitment.  

“Megan studied for at least 6 months, and that’s not easy to do with 2 small boys at home,” said Herren. “SHRM credential holders are required to recertify every 3 years by earning professional development credit or by retaking the exam.  Megan continues to advance her HR knowledge with webinars available through SHRM.  The exam itself was timed and contains a lot of situational judgment questions.” 

Megan Moseley has been employed at JALC since 2014. She graduated from both Southeastern Illinois College and the University of Southern Indiana.

English Instructor Publishes New Book

Long-time Instructor of English, Ken “Fog” Gilbert, has published a new book of Poetry titled 3 a.m. under his pen name, jacob erin-cilberto. Gilbert has written and published poetry since 1970, and his work has appeared in hundreds of magazines and journals. He has published 18 volumes of his work.  

According to the former VP of the Illinois State Poetry Society, Jim Lambert, this is Gilbert’s best work. 

“This collection is his best. He reaches into our hearts and tugs at so many things, and it is a symphony of poetry,” said Lambert. 

3 a.m. and other works by jacob erin-ciblerto are available at the JALC Bookstore.

Upcoming Events

• October 10 and 11 Registration Drive
• October 12 Second half 8-week classes begin
• October 16 Men’s Basketball Jamboree at SIU Rec Center
• October 17 Spring Registration Begins, Home Volleyball vs. Wabash
• October 22 Logan Fitness Pumpkin Plunge
• October 30 Fall Band and Orchestra Concert

Recent News

JALC Facts

Special Section: Recent Photos

Coming Soon!

New Faces New Places

Logan Connection will be adding a new section that will highlight new employees and current employees that have moved into a new position. If you are a new employee or in position at the College please contact the Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications Department at steveokeefe@jalc.edu to arrange a photo.

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June 2022 Newsletter

Message from Dr. Overstreet

Three things to know

Summer has begun, and I hope that everyone is enjoying the four-day work week when possible. We have quite a lot going on throughout the summer, even with the reduced work schedules, and I hope everyone will be able to take some well-deserved time off and rest. 

1. On June 9th and 10th, I will be in Chicago for the Illinois Community College President’s Council Annual Meeting and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association Awards banquet. The banquet will be honoring several John A. Logan community members and students. Including our outstanding HVAC student Ashlyn Jackson, the winner of ICCTA’s 2022 Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship, and Alexis Parchman, who is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree, recipient of the 2022 Paul Simon Student Essay Scholarship. Our Faculty and Adjunct Faculty of the year recipients, Joe Dethrow (full-time faculty Mathematics) and Gretchen Hilliard-Cudworth (adjunct-faculty, Art), will be recognized for their outstanding work. Finally, ICCTA will recognize Trustee Jake Rendleman with a special Trustee Award for 25 Years of exceptional board service.  
2. I want to invite everyone to join us for our Juneteenth Celebration in the Waterfall Courtyard on Saturday, June 18. The event will include live entertainment, music, arts, food, vendors and games, a dance competition, storytelling, poetry, and other family fun activities. The celebration is from noon to 3 pm; I hope to see you there! Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans; its origin began in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed General Order No. 3, which declared freedom for enslaved people in Texas. (https://www.juneteenth.com/history) 
3. Many of you know that we have been making organizational changes here at Logan, and I have heard that there have been some rumors and questions regarding the changes. In July, I will set aside several dates for open sessions with professional staff (all are welcome) to meet with myself and cabinet members to discuss these changes and why they are taking place. We will focus on several topics, including the new professional staff levels, organizational changes, and our revised administrative procedures. I encourage everyone to come to the meetings; they will be brown bag sessions, so bring your lunch and questions.  Again, I hope you enjoy your summer, and all that southern Illinois affords us.

Regards, 
Kirk Overstreet, PhD. 

President, John A. Logan College

Upcoming Events

• June 12 – Last day to Withdraw at 100% for Summer
• June 18 –  Juneteenth Celebration in the Waterfall Courtyard
• June 20 – Juneteenth Holiday Observed College Closed
• June 22 – Blood Drive
• June 28 – Board of Trustees Meeting

Recent News

JALC Facts

Special Section: Recent Photos

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April 2022 Newsletter

Message from Dr. Overstreet

I hope that you will find this informative and interesting. By replacing my emails with a monthly published newsletter, I hope to keep everyone informed of what is happening at Logan concisely and purposefully. Thanks to Dr. Steve O’Keefe and Phillip Lane for developing and launching this project. It has been a very productive year, and many things are happening around campus. Thanks again for your efforts. I hope you have a great summer and enjoy the Fridays!

Three things to know

1. As I mentioned at our Faculty & Staff Engagement Day, we have begun to develop our Strategic Long-Range Plan (SLRP). This plan will contain our four guiding pillars and will be a five-year road map to assist us in developing yearly goals and action plans that we can measure and report quarterly. The SLRP steering committee of internal and external constituents met late in March, and our SLRP task force met on April 18. Assistant Vice-President of Institutional Effectiveness and Research has sent out surveys to the entire College community to elicit feedback on the proposed pillars, our mission statement, vision, and core values. The SLRP task force is charged with analyzing all of the data collected and refining these guiding statements and the pillars. Our overall plan is to have these ready for public comment at the June board meeting with an aim at the adoption of the SLRP and newly minted statements officially adopted at the July Board meeting. Goals will be developed and presented at our Fall Convocation Days (previously known as in-service). Thanks to our Task Force, Steering Committee, the IE&R office, and all of you for working on this vital endeavor.
2. About a year before I arrived here at Logan, the College went through a Facilities Master Plan (FMP) process; several projects were developed as a result of the FMP process, including the new Pedestrian Pathway, the C-Wing Extension, and the C-Wing Elevator and mezzanine projects. Since then, many incidents have happened, including the fire and COVID, but we are still on track to complete these projects in the next couple of years. The first project that looks to be moving closer to starting will be the Pedestrian Pathway, linking the Logan Fitness Center with the main campus; if all goes well, we should be breaking ground in early September. The C-wing elevator and mezzanine would follow soon after, and we hope to start the C-wing Extension in September 2023. FMPs, like a strategic long-range plan, are meant to be reviewed and adjusted, and we will begin that process in the upcoming academic year. We will review what has been completed and what needs to be addressed and adapt the plans accordingly. We will be looking to invite members of the College community to be a part of the review process next year; this won’t be a full-fledged FMP but will be a deep look at our progress to make sure we are still on the right path. If you are interested in serving next year, let Jeremy Sargent know we will build a task force sometime in October for the review.
3. In July of this year, a group of staff will accompany me to Nashville, TN, for a summer institute developed by the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (AFIT). The theme of the summer institute is “Talent & the Future of Work: Leading With Happiness and Humanity.” Our goal in attending will be to bring back concepts and learning activities that will assist all of us in creating actionable solutions that fit our community’s needs. Those who attend will be a mix of leaders from across the College. In addition to attending the summer institute, those individuals will also participate in the College’s Leadership Academy this year. They will assist in leading the Academy on its continuous learning plan for the year, helping others teach what they learned at the institute.

 

Regards, 
Kirk Overstreet, PhD. 

President, John A. Logan College

Upcoming Events

• JALC Choral Ensemble Presents a Tour of Broadway on April 29 at 7 PM Conference Center with a Pre-Concert Reception at 5:30 PM
• Finish Strong Tuition Drawing Completed Entry Forms Accepted May 3-13
• Final Exam Study Session May 9 from 2 PM to 5 PM in the Cafeteria
• Honors Night May 9 at 6 PM
• LPN Nurse Pinning Ceremony May 11 at 3 PM at the Pavilion of the City of Marion
• Final Exams Begin on May 11
• ADN Pinning Ceremony May 10 at 6 PM at the Pavilion of the City of Marion
• Commencement May 11 at 7 PM at the Pavilion of the City of Marion
• Memorial Day May 30 College Closed

Recent News

JALC Facts

Special Section: Student Recruitment and Retention

New Student Orientation Returns to Campus

In March of 2020, Student Services staff were gearing up for the annual New Student Orientation visits from the College’s in-district high schools. Everything was in place to welcome the next wave of JALC students to the campus. There was excitement and anticipation about the planned activities, and then the world shut down. While 2021 brought some return to normalcy, it did not bring the new students to campus. Instead, the staff took the show on the road.

“Last year, we made the best out of a bad situation,” said Assistant Provost for Student Affairs Christy Stewart. “We visited our high schools and held the orientations, but it wasn’t the same as bringing them on our campus.”

As COVID restrictions lifted, staff began planning to bring the high school seniors back on campus. Early on, the decision was made that if they got the students back on campus, they would make the New Student Orientation better than ever.

According to the Coordinator of Student Recruitment, April Martinez, organizers wanted the sessions to feel more collegiate.

“We wanted the students to have more autonomy and for their day to feel more like a normal college day,” said Martinez. “So this year, we let the students decide what sessions they would attend after they registered for classes. We also added more fun games and activities that went over very well.”

Each morning Student Services staff welcomed the new students in the O’Neil Auditorium. The welcome doubled as a pep session highlighted by a drawing for a $500 tuition waiver and awarding of two Student Ambassador Scholarships to each school.

“Normally, the Student Ambassador Scholarships are awarded at each school’s scholarship nights, but we thought it would be more exciting to announce it to the students during orientation,” said Martinez. “Each spring, we select two students from each of our in-district high schools to serve as Ambassadors. These students go through a selection process, and the scholarship is for two years and is valued at $7,200 for the two years.”

Martinez added that the tuition waiver drawing had one criterion: the student had to be in attendance.

“We put the names of everyone in attendance in a hat and drew out a name to receive the waiver. We gave out 17 totaling $8,500.”The College will offer additional orientations during the summer months for students who did not attend the current sessions with their high school. Those dates will be announced at a later date. Individuals interested should contact their high school counselor. Registration for Summer and Fall is currently underway. For more information, contact the advisement office at registration@jalc.edu.