Heartland Community College is recognizing the contributions of late board chair Gregg Chadwick by naming the newly-remodeled Gregg Chadwick Community Board Room in his honor.
According to the HCC website, the room in the Community Commons Building “is one of the primary large conference spaces at the college” and is the primary meeting place for the board of trustees, which Chadwick chaired before his passing in 2020. The room was formally named for Chadwick at an event last week.
“He believed very much ... that having affordable and accessible college education for all individuals was critical for a community to move forward,” Heartland president Keith Cornille told WGLT, speaking of Chadwick. “He put his passions behind that, and he tried to make sure that this college was really a leader in making sure that we’re providing things that met community need as well as transforming the lives of individuals.”
In an interview, Cornille also spoke about the new and expanding professional programs in agriculture, welding, EV manufacturing, and more at the community college in Normal.
Heartland’s career technical education enrollment projections already are looking to exceed their average over the past two years of 1,079 students. Enrollment in these programs is up 12% from last year, and overall enrollment of students over the age of 25 is up 24%.
Cornille said Heartland’s focus is not just on traditional students looking to complete an associate’s degree straight out of high school, but on providing important continuing education and professional development programs to a wide variety of community members.
Heartland is actively joining businesses in the area for this purpose. It's also partnering with local businesses for a growing apprenticeship program it's looking to expand. Cornille said he is in contact with two additional large employers to potentially expand these offerings.
Cornille also briefly spoke to the impending enrollment cliff at colleges and universities nationwide.
“We have not been stable for a number of years,” said Cornille, noting HCC has "actually been growing ever since the pandemic.” He said many of the programs Heartland is currently pursuing, including in technical education, certificates, and apprenticeships, position HCC well to weather the coming enrollment storm.
Cornille said through these programs, Heartland is “preparing for meeting the needs of the workforce and our community needs overall.”
Dual credit debate
Cornille also addressed questions about the proposed dual credit debate in the Illinois House.
House Bill 5020 would allow high schools to shop outside their districts for a dual credit partner. Courses are taught by high school teachers unless the school cannot produce a qualified teacher, in which case the community college partner may supply one.
Heartland faculty have expressed concerns about how the expanded use of high school teachers could affect the quality of the education provided, and the number of teaching opportunities available for college-level adjunct and permanent faculty members. After listening to these concerns, state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, voted against the bill.
“We’re working alongside our faculty to make sure that we’re meeting some of their needs and demands, and really trying to position our dual credit program… to provide experience, using our faculty who are exceptional and leveraging the exceptional teaching that goes on in the high schools,” Cornille said. “It’s not one or the other,” he added, saying he thinks both can be utilized appropriately.
Cornille did not specify exactly how he hopes to bring faculty, administration, and the high school teachers together on the issue.
“I have some ideas, but… letting the faculty come through and work through doing some things I think is what really needs to happen here.”
Cornille added he is particularly concerned about balancing both the academic quality of Heartland’s dual credit program and the specific college experience that students are having in these classes.
