SHAWNEE COLLEGE PLANS NEW BUILDINGS

ULLIN, Ill. -- Shawnee Community College will receive $7.4 million for a building project.

Funding for the project, which will include construction of four new classrooms, a wet lab and a 500-seat educational center on the campus near Ullin, was contained in a capital-development spending bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly.

The $8.95 million building program also includes improvements to some buildings on campus.

The state's share of funding is $7.4 million plus a $310,000 grant for planning that was approved last year. Local costs are $1.5 million.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has approved use of the college's proposed life, health, safety projects fund as part of the local matching funds required for the improvements. That will satisfy the state's requirement for the local funds and allow the college to go ahead with much-needed roof and soffit repairs on the main building of the college, said Shawnee president Dr. Terry Ludwig.

Ludwig said: "This project fits into an overall concept plan that hopefully can be achieved in the near future. I encourage input form the community, faculty, staff and students.

Work on the new projects should be completed in three years after a year of planning and two years of construction.

Many of the main campus buildings are 21 years old and require major repairs and renovations to remain safe and usable, said Ludwig.

"The money for the large and modern new classrooms, lab and multi-purpose facility and roof replacements for other buildings will be a great addition to the physical plant at Shawnee College," said Illinois Rep. David Phelps, D-Eldorado, who pushed for the funds to be included in the capital funding bill."

The building plan was developed by a college committee in conjunction with the Shawnee Campus Beautification Committee. The plan includes long-range goals such as a landscaped commons area for students and visitors and entrance and exit changes.

The educational center will be used for instruction, economic development and conferences. Also planned is a 325-space parking lot in the rear of the main building. The new classroom and wet lab facilities are planned for in front of the administrative offices.

The improvements will make the campus more visible to passersby, said Tom Riechman of the college's public information office.

Shawnee College was established in 1969 with 600 students. More than 2,000 students are enrolled at the main campus. The school also has outreach centers at Anna, Cairo, West Vienna and Metropolis. More than half of the students are enrolled on a full-time basis.

During the past two years, enrollment increases have forced the college to use one of the buildings on the original campus. Most of the buildings on the old campus are used by service agencies.

Shawnee College, established in 1969 with 600 students and a complex of seven buildings constructed as temporary classes, currently has three inter-connecting buildings: an administrative building; multipurpose building; and the latest addition, a 21,000-square-foot building that houses a biology laboratory, 14 classrooms, offices and space for the nursing program.

The main campus is situated about seven miles east of Interstate 57 between Ullin and Karnak. Remaining enrollments are at four outreach centers at Anna, Cairo, West Vienna and Metropolis. More than half of the students are enrolled on a full-time basis.

Ludwig is only the fourth president in the 27-year-history of the facility. He replaced Jack Hill, who retired following in spring 1996.

During the past two years, enrollment increases have forced the college to use one of the old campus buildings. Most of the buildings on the old campus are used by area service agencies: University of Illinois Extension; Southern Five Regional Planning; Regional Superintendent of Schools Resource Center, Illinois Department of Rehabilitation; and the Cypress Creek Refuge Agency.

Shawnee provides two unique transportation-orientated training programs: truck driving and deck-hand training. The truck-driving program is a 16-credit-hour certificate program. Students passing the truck-driving program are also required to pass Illinois Department of Transportation tests to receive a commercial driver's license.

In the deck-hand program, students are taken aboard a boat at Metropolis, where they receive hands-on training. The students attend eight weeks of classroom training and five weeks of internship. The classes are conducted along the Ohio River at Metropolis.