SHAWNEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE MARKS 25TH YEAR

The old "rustic" campus of Shawnee Community College, which opened 25 hears ago near Ullin., Ill.

ULLIN, Ill. A milestone in Shawnee Community College passed quietly last week, but will be observed this weekend.

"Twenty-five years of fulfilling dreams" is the theme for the 25th Anniversary Celebration planned at the college Saturday and Sunday.

"We are planning a special ceremony and open house at 2 p.m. Sunday," said Tom Riechman of the college's public information office. "Several other activities are on schedule for the entire weekend."

Shawnee Community College opened for classes in September 1969, with about 600 students in what is now described as the old "rustic" campus, a complex of seven buildings that were constructed as a temporary campus.

Today, the college boasts about 2,500 students and a main campus that includes three inter-connecting buildings 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.

More than 2,000 of the 1973-74 students are enrolled at the main campus, situated about seven miles east of Interstate 57 between Ullin and Karnak. The remaining enrollments are at four outreach centers at Anna, Cairo, West Vienna and Metropolis.

Old photographs, publications and other artifacts that pertain to the college during the years 1968-1993 will be on display during the weekend.

"Our enrollment has really grown the past three or four years," said Jack Hill, only the third president in the 25-year-history of the facility. "It's up 8.8 percent throughout the system compared to last year, and on-campus enrollment is up 21 percent."

Hill, who has announced his retirement following the 1993-94 school year, said the number of traditional college-age students on campus seems to be the fastest-growing category.

"All the vocational programs have had substantial increases in numbers," said Hill. "The increases in enrollment reflect the increasingly positive image of the college within the community. We feel the increases will continue."

Recent increases have forced the college to utilize one of the "old campus" buildings this fall.

Most of the buildings on the old campus are utilized 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.

"The photography and journalism staff of the college's newspaper, "Tempo," share one of the old buildings with the Cypress Creek Agency," said Riechman.

Shawnee provides two unique transportation-orientated training programs truck driving and deck-hand training.

"We're proud of the emphasis we put on transportation," said Hill.

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.

"We usually have good response to the driving program," said Riechman. "We usually have 12 to 16 people in the class."

In the deck-hand program, "we take students on board a boat where they receive hands-on training," said Hill. "The students attend eight weeks of classroom training and five weeks of internship."

The classes are conducted along the Ohio River at Metropolis.

A refurbished boat is provided by the college for training purposes. It is fleeted by Mid-South Towing.

Classroom sessions of the deck-hand training also include instruction in mathematics, CPR, health and English. The English course is specially designed to enhance skills in speaking and resume writing, said St. Arbor.

Following the first eight weeks, students join a regular barge line for five weeks.

Hill said the college was working on a program to establish inter-active networking in communications. "We feel that tele-communications is the wave of the future," he said. The college also offers medical technology programs, including an EMT (emergency medical technician) and nursing programs.

The Shawnee Community College story started during fall 1965, when a group of public-school administrators, boards of education and the county superintendent of schools started discussions concerning the possible founding of a public junior college in Southern Illinois.

More than 100 people were in attendance at the special meeting, held at Century High School, where it was agreed to conduct a feasibility study.

The study indicated a need for a junior college, and on Sept. 16, 1967, a special election was held for voters in Union, Massac, Johnson, Pulaski, Alexander and Jackson counties, who overwhelming approved formation of Shawnee Junior College District 531.

An initial seven-member Board of Trustees was elected in December 1967, and Loren Klaus was selected president of the college in May 1968.

Seven temporary building were constructed and the college officially opened for classes on Sept. 24, 1969, on a 163-acre site in the center of the district.

The first main campus building was completed in 1976, followed by construction of the multi-purpose building. Another 21,000-square-foot expansion was completed in 1989.

"Current plans call for the construction of an arts building and auditorium," said Hill.

Klaus served almost 20 years before announcing his resignation in 1987, and Barry Gowin served as president of the college almost three years. Hill, who was at John A. Logan Community College 23 years 15 in administration was named third president when Gowin resigned to accept a position at River Grove, Ill.

Along the quarter-century, two interim presidents were named: Loren Eddleman following Klaus and Alan Schaffer following Gowin.