Speaking of Success
JALC Center for Business and Industry:
Ranked number one in the State
The John A. Logan College Center for Business and Industry was recognized nationally for its economic development efforts, and other colleges throughout the country are wanting to learn more about its success.
“It takes leadership followed by expertise and teamwork,” said Phil Minnis, dean for workforce development and community education. “The kind of leadership we’ve had from our board of trustees helped our business and industry staff address the economic development needs of southern Illinois.”
Along with assisting in the creation and retention of hundreds of area jobs last year, the Center for Business and Industry also got settled into its new Workforce Development and Construction Management Facility.
“Our Center for Business and Industry is ranked number one in the State of Illinois for the number of incumbent workers trained – more than 13,000 – and for the number of courses offered,” Minnis said. “We also rank near the top in many other areas associated with economic development.”
Because of this economic impact, a contingent from the Center for Business and Industry and the board of trustees was asked to speak in New Orleans during the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress.
The college received a Best Practice in Community Economic Development Award. The award recognizes exceptional programs and services that encourage economic development in a given community college district.
The ACCT, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States, Canada, and England.
“We’ve made economic development an important function of the College,” said Jacob “Jake” Rendleman, a member of the College’s board of trustees. “We work together with many entities, understanding how important it is to our College, and everyone in our region, for job creation in southern Illinois.”
Rendleman added, “The community colleges are and will continue to be the engine for economic recovery in Illinois. In order to get and keep jobs, our communities have to have a well-trained workforce. Industry looks to community colleges to do this.”