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Blackburn: 'Rumors of layoffs at Lincoln College are exaggerated'
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[October 03, 2013]
"I want you to understand,
we don't take this lightly," said Lincoln College President John
Blackburn on Wednesday afternoon. He then went on to say that the
rumor that there is a large layoff of staff looming in the future at
Lincoln College is being exaggerated.
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 Blackburn said that indeed there are going to be a few layoffs at
the two campuses in Lincoln and Normal, but altogether it would
involve five full-time jobs and two part-time jobs.Blackburn
explained that enrollment is down this year, and because of that,
the college needed to look at the budget and determine what needed
to be done to keep the college in good financial health in the
future.
"We looked at a few positions that, while they were important,
were not critical," Blackburn said. He added that he understood and
sympathized that for those who were laid off, they had lost their
income, and that was a serious matter for them. But he said the
college had to be frugal with its finances and make adjustments when
and where needed. "We don't want to end up like the state, unable to
pay our bills," Blackburn concluded.
About the college
Lincoln College was founded in 1865, with the groundbreaking
ceremony for the first building, University Hall, taking place on
Abraham Lincoln's birthday. In November of 1866 the school began
teaching classes, and in 1868 the first graduating class consisted
of three individuals.
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Since that time the college has continued to grow and expand its
Lincoln campus. The college expanded several years ago and now
offers a second campus in Normal and also has a satellite on the
campus of Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby for its
Accelerated Bridge to Education program.
In recent years, the college erected the Lincoln Center, which is
now the home of Lynx basketball and will soon be the new location
for the Lincoln Heritage Museum.
This year the college also opened Creekside, an Outdoor Center
for Environmental Education. Creekside is located just north of
Lincoln.
[By NILA SMITH]
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