May 27 (Memorial Day) - No ClassesJun 19 (Juneteenth) -No ClassesJul 4 (4th of July) - No ClassesSep 2 (Labor Day) - No ClassesNov 11 (Veteran's Day) - No Classes
In The Know
In The Know is published each month on the Wednesday following the Board of Trustees Meeting. In each issue, we will update you on the Board of Trustees meeting, happenings in HR, Institutional Research updates including survey results, Construction updates, Athletics, Academic Affairs, Student Services, Business Services, upcoming events and announcements, and recap of news around campus.
Message From the President
I hope each of you had an opportunity for some downtime during Spring Break. March has been very busy with performances, competitions, and mid-terms. The spring semester is halfway over, and we have begun registering students for the summer and fall semesters. March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the contributions and achievements of women throughout history. The College has dedicated the week of March 25 through the 29 to celebrate Women’s History. The Diversity and Inclusion Office will have Thank You note cards available at the E, G, and C Wing Entrances or at the library, where you can send a thank you note to women leaders in our lives.
In addition to the thank-you cards, Carbondale Mayor Carolyn Harvey was the keynote speaker at an event on campus. Thank you to Toyin Fox for organizing the event and Robyn Stevens for moderating. April is Community College Month. Be sure to check the website and calendar for events and announcements. We will also welcome our in-district high school seniors on campus for New Student Orientation Days in April. It is exciting as we welcome our new students to John A. Logan College, and I look forward to the buzz around campus that the orientations generate.
This month, I visited our in-district high schools to award two-year scholarships to our newest Student Ambassadors and talk to students who plan to attend JALC in the fall. For the students and their families, this was indeed a life-changing event. I enjoyed participating in their celebration and talking to the students about all the opportunities at JALC.
Congratulations to Dr. Heather Hampson and Corneilus Fair on being named the 2024 Outstanding Faculty and Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Awards. The ICCTA sponsors the awards, and both will be recognized at graduation and at the ICCTA Annual Meeting in June.
I want to congratulate Chris Thornton, and the 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee cast on an outstanding production. Thanks to Matt Garrison and the Humanities Faculty for an outstanding Humanities Day event. I also want to congratulate the Forensics Team on their tremendous success in their first year of competition.
The basketball season concluded at the Region 24 Tournaments for our Women’s and Men’s teams. I want to congratulate Coach Jones and Coach Smithpeters on their outstanding seasons. Baseball, softball, and women’s and men’s golf seasons are underway, and conference play has recently begun. Seeing the teams practice and play on campus reminds me that spring is here. Another reminder of spring is the hard work that our building and grounds team does to make the campus beautiful.
This past weekend, our campus and hearts were full as hundreds of children and their families participated in Dr. Patchett’s Eggstravaganza. The event is held annually by the Nursing Department and the Nursing Club. It celebrates neurodiversity, and I want to applaud the efforts of the department and the students who made it memorable for everyone involved.
I want to close with an update on Insurance. First, I would like to thank the Insurance Committee, Stephanie Harner, and Dr. Susan LaPanne for their hard work. At the March board meeting, the Board approved the request not to continue with Team Care as our Insurance Broker. We are continuing talks with the two brokers selected from the survey with the intent to provide a recommendation to the Board in April. The committee will provide updates when available.
Regards, Kirk Overstreet, PhD. President, John A. Logan College
Welcome and Congratulations
We want to welcome our new JALC Faculty and Staff and congratulate current staff on their new positions. The following appointments were approved at the March Board of Trustees meeting. Colleen McLaughlin, CCR&R Infant Toddler Specialist; Keisha Rafe, Athletic Services Coordinator; Jacee Woodward, Full-Time Faculty, Biology; Angela Lampley, Full-Time Faculty, Medical Lab Technology; Jennifer Jordan, Full-Time Faculty, Surgical Technology; Jimmy Dodd, Building Maintenance; Daneila Brooks, Executive Assistant II, Business Services.
We also want to congratulate Christy Marrs on her retirement and thank her for her many years of dedicated service to the College.
News Around Campus
JALC to Host Historian Mike Matejka and Musical Artist Bucky Halker to Discuss Dark as a Dungeon Illinois Coal Mining in Story and Song
John A. Logan College will host Illinois Labor History Society Vice President Mike Matejka and songwriter, performer and historian Bucky Halker on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the John A. Logan College Conference Center as they present Dark as a Dungeon Illinois Col Mining in Story and Song.
According to his bio on the Illinois Humanities website, Mike Matejka is an author, historian, community activist, and retired union representative. He served as the Governmental Affairs Director for the Great Plains Laborers District Council, edited the Grand Prairie Union News for 40 years, and was also elected for 18 years to the Bloomington City Council. As an Illinois Labor History Society vice-president, he knows Illinois’ nationally significant labor history. He is a past president and current board member of the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, where he was guest curator for five different exhibits, including two on railroad topics. He has written for multiple publications and is completing an overview book on Illinois labor history.
Bucky Halker is a songwriter, performer, and historian with 15 albums, including Anywhere But Utah: songs of Joe Hill (2015), a musical tribute to martyred labor songwriter Joe Hill and the Ghost of Woody Gutherie (2012), an original music tribute to the legendary folksinger.
According to John A. Logan College Professor of History Dr. David Cochran, the event will tell the story of Illinois Coal mines from the perspective of the coal miner.
“Coal has provided the fuel for Illinois history, both literally and figuratively. Corporations and towns have been built on it while miners have endured horrific safety conditions, and Illinois has suffered more than its share of mining disasters, Cochran said. “Through Illinois coal fields run multiple themes of American history, including immigration, ethnic and racial divisions, and numerous bloody labor confrontations as miners struggled to establish their right to organize for a living wage and a decent life.”
The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the John A. Logan College Department of Communications, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar Program.
JALC Speech Team Captures National Award
The John A. Logan College Speech team continues to have success in the program’s first year of competition. Earlier in March, the team competed in the Illinois Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Finals and ranked in several events. At the competition, Pat Idzik received the Dennis Ross Award, which was voted on by student competitors and awarded to the coach who is dedicated to forensics excellence and service. Students placing at the competition included: Kellen Colson, sixth in dramatic interpretation, and fifth in poetry; Marissa Bogdansky, sixth in impromptu; Alberta Grinston, third in poetry; and Mischa O’Connell, second in IPDA debate.
The team also competed at the National Speech Championship, an open tournament for qualifying schools at the University of Illinois Chicago. The team placed in seven events and captured the National Two-Year College title in Sweeps. Team members placing at the tournament included: Kellen Colson and Mia Bogdansky, tenth place in duo; Kellen Colson, eighth place in poetry, Alberta Grinstron, sixth place in poetry; Kazia Taylor, fifth place in impromptu; Mia Bogdansky, fifth place in poetry and Mia Bogdansky, Alberta Grinstron, Kazia Taylor, and Emily Nelson, second place in group improv.
“I am extremely proud of this group of hardworking students and coaches,” JALC President Dr. Kirk Overstreet said. “To find the success that they have while navigating their first year of competition is truly remarkable.”
New Marketing Department Website
The Office of Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications has a new website to assist individuals and departments with publication needs and publicity requests. The website includes a style guide, downloadable logos, and information on media relations. Event promotion and website update request forms are also available. The site is located on the President’s Page at https://www.jalc.edu/marketing-public-relations-and-communications/media-relations/.
Around Campus
In The Know Links and Updated Information
Institutional Effectiveness and Research
IER SharePoint The office of institutional effectiveness and research has a newly updated SharePoint site. This new site is broken into the following areas: Dashboards, Enrollment Data, Survey Results, and Student Assessment. Additional information will be updated on this new site over the coming months. The easiest way to access the new SharePoint site is clicking on the “IER SharePoint” link on the left-hand side of the JALC website for Institutional Effectiveness and Research. Or click this link to access the page directly: https://jalcollege.sharepoint.com/sites/InstitutionalEffectivenessandResearch
