Two articulation agreements with four-year universities were approved Tuesday. The board approved an agreement allowing students in RLC's Health Information Technology Associate in Applied Science Degree program to transfer to Saint Joseph's College Online Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program. Additionally, the board approved ratification of an agreement with Southern Illinois University Carbondale to allow graduates of RLC's Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic Associate in Applied Science Degree program to transfer to SIUC's Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Management program.
The board approved two new curricula, IT Database Specialist and IT Security Specialist, and authorized their submission to the Illinois Community College Board for action. Additionally, changes were approved to the Cyber Security Specialist and Computer Networking certificates and to the Manufacturing Employment Skills class. A new course was approved in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems program. The Cyber Forensics Specialist certificate was withdrawn, as were the degree and certificate in the Oil and Natural Gas Technician. Several courses also were withdrawn.
The board granted permission to advertise for bids and award for pavement sealing and striping on the RLC Ina campus and the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon. Estimated costs are $42,000 for the Ina campus and $17,000 for the MarketPlace. This is a deferred maintenance project.
The board accepted with regret the retirement resignation of Dave Smith, Professor Emeritus, effective June 30, 2018. Smith has been with RLC for nearly 40 years. He first joined the ranks at RLC as a welding instructor in January of 1981. In 2009, he officially retired as a professor and returned as a full-time emeritus professor. As such, he sits atop the unofficial RLC seniority list of active, full-time employees.
Smith also served as head coach of the Warrior Men's Golf Team for the better part of 30 years. Among the honors during his coaching tenure are seven consecutive Region XXIV D-II Championships, 13 All-Americans and an individual National Champion. "It has been both a pleasure and an honor to work at Rend Lake College for these nearly forty years," Smith wrote in his retirement letter.
Danielle Kaufman was appointed Student Success Coordinator effective April 20. She previously was manager of the RLC Golf Outlet in Mt. Vernon and head coach of the Warrior Women's Golf Team. In a related action, the job description was revised to include head coaching duties for women's golf. Kaufman holds both Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees from RLC and a Bachelor of Science Degree in University Studies / Community Health from SIUC.
Three resignations were accepted with regret Tuesday.
The board heard a report on the college's reaffirmation of accreditation activities. The college is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is due for a comprehensive evaluation visit by the HLC Sept. 24-25, 2018.