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 College
is something that is discussed by many, but have you ever thought
about how difficult it could be to start that journey? The
application fees, the lengthy process of applying, and the fact that
once you get in, depending on the size of the college, you may get
lost in the crowd. None of these are problems one would have when
applying to and attending Heartland Community College (HCC) Lincoln.
The Tuesday night attendants had the opportunity to learn more about
this local campus and all it offers before classes begin in the
fall.
The evening began with a tour of the HHC’s Lincoln
campus, given by Deanne Mott, the college’s Academic Advisor,
Success Coach, and Associate Director. Mott showed off many
interesting facilities, including classrooms, specialized computer
rooms for testing, a classroom for nursing students, and a computer
lab.
Rebekah Greenslaugh, another HCC staff member who is
involved in Admissions, shared the college would put on “stress less
fest” events in the computer lab to help students de-stress during
and toward the end of the semester, including movie nights. The
college also created a coffee cart for the students, but Greenslaugh
shared the students this last semester preferred hot chocolate, so
it became a hot chocolate cart instead. The tour also showed off
HCC’s student/community lounge. This room, accessible to both
students of HCC and members of the community not affiliated with HCC,
is a space to relax and has access to computers. HCC Lincoln does
have plans to move the student lounge to another room with some
upgrades, including bean bag chairs and a refrigerator. The current
student/community lounge would become a designated community lounge
space.
Greenslaugh also shared the students this last year
would have puzzle competitions, turning the simple activity of
putting together a puzzle into a team building activity. While the
facility is smaller than some community colleges, the attendants
were left with the impression that this provided HCC with the
ability to have a more close-knit community of staff and students.
One attendee stated they liked this aspect of the campus and
described it as “homey.”
Once the tour was over, the staff began a presentation including
general information about what HCC’s Lincoln campus, as well as
their other two campuses, have to offer, these being their campuses
in Normal and Pontiac.
The presentation began with a list of “straight to
the workforce” skills HCC educates people in to get them quickly
into the workforce. These skills include nursing, welding, early
childhood education, and many more. HCC also offers a new electric
vehicle program to teach students how to work on these new types of
vehicles.
Jennifer Kirby, Director of HCC Lincoln, shared that
tuition costs at HCC are affordable for in district students when
compared to other private or public institutions. For two years at
15 credit hours per semester, Kirby stated the estimated cost for
someone in district would be approximately $10,920.
Greenslaugh then continued the presentation with how
enrollment works at HCC. The application can be accessed online
here
and is completely free. An applicant would then want to fill out the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which provides
students with the chance to receive government financial aid to
attend college. After this, transcripts would need to be sent to HCC,
followed by taking a placement test. The presenters did share that,
depending on your high school transcripts, the placement test could
potentially be waved. Finally, the applicant would need to meet with
their advisor, who at HCC Lincoln would be Deanne Mott. HCC Lincoln
provides assistance with the completion of all these steps, and they
can also be used if applying to either of their sister campuses.
Greenslaugh then shared some of the community activities HCC Lincoln
has put on, including parades, food days, crafts (a popular one of
which was tie dying t-shirts), and volunteer opportunities.
After the community events, Kelli Gibbons got up and
talked to the audience about financial aid. Gibbons explained the
importance of filling out the FAFSA and the types of financial aid
students potentially have access to. She explained that, while some
financial aid is based on income, there are many that are not. Two
examples she gave included grants for students raised by a single
parent, and students whose parents are involved in a union.
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Lynn Tacket was the next to speak. Tacket oversees
tutoring at all of HCC’s campuses. Tacket informed the audience of
the importance of seeking tutoring assistance even before a student
is failing. She also discussed that tutoring services are available
online and in-person. The audience was also informed that there are
tutors who are willing to drive from the Normal campus down to the
Lincoln campus to help students in-person.
Christina Steider spoke to the audience next. Steider
oversees student accommodations, making sure that students have
everything they need to succeed in an academic setting. She informed
the audience that students could apply for accommodation online
through the Student Access and Accommodation Services (SAAS)
website. HCC has also started providing their students with access
to accommodation for physical/mental health reasons.
Jessica Jackson spoke next, talking to the audience
about the counseling services provided by HCC to their students.
Jackson stated two new counselors had been hired recently, bringing
the total number of counselors at HCC to four. These services are
also provided both in-person and online and are free for HCC
students. HCC has also created a “Campus Well” website with helpful
articles on the topics of health, relationships, academics, money,
and mindfulness.
Before the presentation was wrapped up, a current
student and current Adjunct Instructor II were brought up to talk
about their experiences at HCC. The student, Elizabeth Hurley,
discussed that she was currently working toward getting a Certified
Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification. Overall, Hurley talked very
highly of the campus, describing her favorite part of the community
at HCC being their sharing of values and respect for one another.
Hurley also shared a story that stuck out to her during her time at
HCC. She shared that on one occasion she was late to class, saying,
“I was surprised that my teacher and my classmates were waiting for
me. They didn’t start without me.”
The Adjunct Instructor II, Loyd Kirby, discussed his
perspective as an educator at HCC. Kirby shared one of his favorite
parts about teaching at HCC is the small class sizes. He said a
larger class at HCC would range between 12-15 students. This allows
him and HCC’s other instructors the opportunity to get to know their
students better. Kirby shared that since he gets to know his
students better, he gets to see when they grow, and that it is very
rewarding getting to see them learn new skills and get better at
them.
The presentation was closed out with information
about early college opportunities and continuing education courses.
The early college opportunities take the form of dual credit classes
that are offered at Lincoln Community High School and their
career/tech center, as well as Hartsburg Jr-Sr High School. HCC does
not charge any tuition or fees for these courses. HCC also allows
high school students the opportunity to take college level classes
before they graduate to get a head start on college, but regular
tuition/fees do apply for these courses. Greenslaugh also shared
information about the content of the continuing education courses.
Some of these classes include STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) courses for kids, beekeeping, and soap
making. Some of these classes will take trips as well, including an
upcoming trip to a botanical garden in St. Louis.
[Matt Boutcher]
Visit:
https://www.heartland.edu
https://www.heartland.edu/application/index.html
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