Frontier Community College 2023-24 Annual Report

Serving Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (IECC) as the Vice Chancellor of Institutional Outreach, while fulfill- ing the responsibilities as the Lincoln Trail College (LTC) President, has proven to be a meaningful and advan- tageous element within the new IECC organizational leadership structure. As the LTC President, I can focus on working together with our dedicated faculty and staff to fulfill the IECC mission on our campus, while also simultaneously investing in the success of our institutional outreach efforts

The Business Operations Division consists of the Vice Chancellor of Business Operations (VCBO), the busi- ness officer on each campus and his/ her staff, and the auxiliary units on each campus made up of campus bookstores and food service staff. As part of the IECC Strategic Engagement Plan, there are three prior- ity topics that the Business Operations Division will address. The first prior- ity is to simplify the IECC tuition and fee structure. Some of this work has already been accomplished as certain

across the district. The Institutional Outreach Division includes Adult Education, Dual Credit, Enrollment Management, Marketing, TRIO Upward Bound, and Community Education. Furthermore, with the IECC District being one of only two community college districts in Illinois comprised of a multi-campus system, we are fortunate in that we have four colleges within our “family” to look to for collaboration and we are uniquely positioned to leverage our collective strengths, best practices, and resources in these institutional outreach areas. This intentional intercampus structure now ensures better efficiencies, natural connections, and a shared vision across the district. Aligning this organizational structure with the IECC Strategic Engagement Plan is challenging, yet rewarding, and we are poised to achieve even greater success in fulfilling our mission, advancing our strategic initiatives, and moving Forward Together .

student fees have been eliminated and adjustments have been made to clarify what the fees are used for. A second priority is to conduct an in-depth review of the auxiliary units on each campus. The two primary auxiliary units are bookstores and food service. Both of these auxiliary units provide a valuable service to students, but they need to become more efficient in their operations so that they can continue to serve students’ needs. A third priority is to develop a uniform textbook adoption process. As the IECC moves into its new organizational structure and there is an increased sharing of resources among the four campuses, it is important that certain procedures become more consistent. The method by which textbooks are adopted and then distributed to students is a prime example. The end goal is for the Business Operations Division to increase efficiency, strengthen auxiliary units, and support the IECC mission to deliver exceptional education and services to improve the lives of our students and strengthen our communities. Chris Simpson Meta-Majors and Guided Pathway s: Five meta-majors and 18 departments were identified to arrange and cate- gorize our career and technical and transfer pathways. To help our students have clear direction when planning their academic plans, academic advi- sors have developed individual transfer pathways and are in the process of finalizing their recommendations for further vetting and approval. Scheduling : IECC has transitioned from campus-based scheduling to a District-based scheduling model. This involves a collaborative effort by the meta-major deans to look at course needs, scheduling efficiencies, delivery modalities, and class assignments which will all improve access to classes and the overall student experience. Major Equipment Rotation : Dr. Edgren and I met with CTE faculty and toured programs on all four campuses this spring. As a result of these visits, we are in the process of developing a major equipment needs list and a rotation plan for replacing existing equipment. New Offering: In the summer of 2025, IECC will launch a new certif- icate program: Gas Utility Construction and Service. This program will prepare students to install, maintain, and operate natural gas distribution systems used to supply residential, commercial, and industrial companies – stay tuned! Dr. Paul Bruinsma I am very excited to serve as the Chief Academic Officer of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. Since starting my role on July 1, 2023, my team has worked on a number of exciting initia- tives projects:

Tona Ambrose

The Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) was formed over the course of the 2023-24 academic year. Dr. Gower set forth a year for people to meet throughout the IECC District and begin the process of forming divisions. The process of determining which depart- ments and individuals were part of the Student Affairs Division underwent several iterations during the first six months of this fiscal year. There were many white board exercises at each college trying to figure out how our structure could best serve students.

The Student Affairs Division understands the call to provide “wrap- around” services that help transform the lives of our students. We are excited about the opportunity we have each day to impact the lives of our students and to build a robust student experience. It takes a team to build this experience for our students and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Student Affairs Leadership Team. Matt Fowler currently serves as the President and Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs. Amber Malone currently serves as the Associate Dean of Admissions and Records. Libby McVicker currently serves as the Program Director of Grants and Compliance. Cassandra Goldman currently serves as the Dean of Students at IECC. Chad Groves serves as the Director of Learning Commons at Olney Central College. Wain Davis currently serves as the Director of the TRIO Student Support Services program. Dr. Matt Fowler

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