SHAWNEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: DIVERSITY LEADS TO CONTINUED GROWTH

ULLIN, Ill. -- Tom Hill of Anna lost his job in 1993 when the Florsheim shoe factory in Anna closed. He only had a high-school degree and a few skills he learned at the factory.

Jodi George of Olmsted graduated from Meridian High School in May. She planned to get an early start on her college education.

The two have one thing in common: They both have invested their future in an education at Shawnee Community College near Ullin.

Hill realized that he had to go back to school after a decade of factory work. He is pursuing a degree in wildlife engineering.

George, like many of her classmates, wanted to stay close to home for a few years before going to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She decided Shawnee was convenient and economical.

"Shawnee attracts all sorts of people," said Tom Reichman, public relations director for the college. "We offer a wide variety of academic and vocational programs that cater to a wide variety of people."

Shawnee offers basic college education courses like biology and history for students who plan to later attend a four-year university. It also offers several degree programs such as nursing and cosmetology. The school even has two programs with 100 percent placement rates -- ship deck-hand training and truck driving.

"It makes a lot of sense to go to a community college before going to a four-year institution," Reichman said. "Everything here transfers at a fraction of the cost. And those in the vocational programs get to stay near their families while learning a marketable skill."

The older or non-traditional student seems to be the tradition at Shawnee. More than half of its 2,500 full-time students have been out of high school for two or more years.

But the school still has a variety of extracurricular activities for the student who wants to get involved in traditional college life. Students have the opportunity to be members of social, service and professional organizations. The school also offers men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, women's volleyball, golf and tennis.

"There are lots of things to do here," said William Mills of Goreville, who recently received his nursing degree from Shawnee. "It's very personal. Every teacher knows you by name within the first two weeks of class. At some schools, teachers never even know you were in their class."

In 1969, the first classes were held in temporary buildings across the street from the existing Shawnee campus.

A permanent structure was built in 1976. Since then, enrollment has quadrupled and the temporary buildings house the overflow of students. The school plans to build another general classroom, laboratory building and a humanities theater.

"We have grown over 40 percent in just the past three years," said Jack Hill, president of the college since 1991. "We are growing out of our current space; we have got to have more room."

Hill has outlined a three-phase building proposal for Shawnee. Cost of the proposal is estimated at almost $5 million. The college's board of trustees voted unanimously in April to start grant applications for the project.

Reichman said part of the reason Shawnee has become so popular in the past several years is that it is inexpensive and close to home.

"In addition, we are increasing the quality of our educational programs and are doing some recruiting of bright high-school students," Reichman said. "The economic condition of Southern Illinois has forced some people out of jobs and they have come back to school. That's also part of the reason for the increase."

The college serves Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Union and Johnson counties in Southern Illinois. Because some of its service area is 100 miles from the main campus, the college has extension centers in Anna, Vienna, Cairo and Metropolis. Some of the more popular classes are taught at extension centers.

Hill hopes to increase the quality of education students get at Shawnee. "I have one goal," he said. "My goal is to try to keep the foremost technology and highest standard of education for this school."

In the fall, part of that goal will be realized when the school offers its first interactive television course. Shawnee students will have the opportunity to sit in a classroom and watch an instructor on television give a lecture in another part of the state. Students will have microphones so they can participate in class discussions.

"The interactive TV is a neat concept for rural areas," said Reichman. "It's really the only cost-effective way to offer a variety of classes."

The school offers several programs designed to help communities. One such program is the Small Business Development Center, which offers assistance to people who are trying to start their own business. The center holds in-plant training and business seminars.

There is also a special program to train people for jobs as corrections officers at the maximum security prison being built in Tamms.

"This prison could be a real boost to the Southern Illinois economy," Reichman said. "And we wanted to help the people of this area get the jobs that will be available."