2019 Education magazine

Page 40 2019 “Education making a difference” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 that there is currently a large home on Union Street that has been opened exclusively to LC students. He said more of that will be needed in the future. Gerlach noted again, that is the college having a positive economic impact on the community. Community involvement At Lincoln College a part of the educational process is to teach and encourage good neighbor attitudes with the students. The college’s “Champions of Character” projects are designed to help students engage in the community through community service. Dr. Gerlach said that the college works to assist students to understand the need to make a positive impact on the community. He said this is working well as students are volunteering to be a part of community events and assist local organizations. He noted that students are volunteering to work at local festivals, are contributing to the Third Friday events in Lincoln and are volunteering at local not-for-profits such as the Humane Society of Logan County. They also volunteer at the local food pantry and spend time at St. Clara’s Manor. He said that the students in the music programs are doing performances downtown in a variety of the local businesses. Being out in the community gives the students a sense of home and at the same time gives the general public the opportunity to see and get to know the students. Economic impact President Gerlach said that an important component of growing Lincoln College is the economic impact it will have in Lincoln and Logan County. He noted that currently the college adds $43,000,000 per year into the main stream of cash flow in the community through jobs, housing opportunities, food, and much more. The 700-plus students do shop locally. They visit Lincoln stores buying food, clothing, and daily needs items. They visit the restaurants and coffee shops, they go to movies at the local theater, and much more. In addition, the school employs 350 people full time and offers some part time positions. He said that LC had added the bus service for students, and he was happy to see the bus making the rounds in the downtown area because it means that students were out in the community, shopping and spending money locally. President Gerlach noted that when the Lincoln Developmental Center closed in 2002 that it had a devastating impact on the local CONTINUED