December 2011 Board Report

Illinois Valley Community Hospital will soon open an on-site health clinic at Illinois Valley Community College following IVCC board action Tuesday night.

“IVCH CampusCare” will be open 12 to16 hours a week in Room C105B near the cafeteria, said IVCH public relations director Gene Vogelgesang.

“We will open as soon as we find a nurse practitioner for the site,” said Vogelgesang.

The other proposal submitted to the board by InHouse Physicians of St. Charles asked for a $30,000 set up fee and a one-year guarantee of $15,000 per month. IVCH did not ask for any fees.

The clinic will provide lab services such as urinalysis, free blood pressure checks, immunizations and screenings and treatments for ailments ranging from allergies to upper respiratory infections.

In other business, the board formally adopted a 2011 levy that should result in a slightly lower tax rate than 2010.

The tax rate, projected to be 34.63 cents per $100 of EAV, is .49 cents, or 1.4 percent below last year’s actual rate of 35.12 cents. IVCC’s administration predicts a one percent increase in EAV for tax year 2011.

Trustees began the meeting with a moment of silence for a gentleman who led the board 40 years ago as plans were drawn for the $20 million permanent campus. Christ Troupis of Mendota, a board member from 1966 to 1971 (and chair from 1968-71), died Monday at 88.

In other action, the board approved:

  • Purchase of a Polaris Ranger 800 XP utility vehicle with accessories from German Bliss Equipment of Peoria at a cost of $12,600 (with trade-in of a Bobcat). The vehicle will be used to spread salt in winter and for maintenance and clean-up in the summer.
  • Purchase of Automation Studio training software from Aidex in the amount of $12,901 for use in the basic and advanced renewable wind energy technician programs.
  • Purchase of a server and View 5 VMware software from Dell for the Virtual Desktop Initiative for $13,851. The small scale project will extend the life of 50 older desk-tops (for the cost of 20 new computers) by enabling them to run the latest operating systems from one server, rather than the actual computer.
  • The appointment of Mary Black as a laboratory instructor in developmental math.
  • The resignation of Dr. Kathryn Kott, director of nursing, effective Jan. 6. Kott plans to return to clinical practice full-time. She was appointed director in July 2010.
  • Setting its 2012 meetings for 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month.

Board members learned:

  • Dean of Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences Jeff Anderson recently had an essay published in the online journal “Minding the Campus” and an article published in the journal “Teaching History: A Journal of Methods” entitled, “Speak that I may see thee, or, the elements of effective teaching.” Dr. Anderson recently published his book, “The Skinny on Teaching: What You Don’t Learn in Graduate School.
  • Ida Brown has been appointed financial aid and veteran’s benefits advisor.
  • Darrel Roberts, a 20-year maintenance worker, has submitted his resignation effective Dec. 28. Resignations were also received from Learning Ladder instructor Brandi Hilmes and part-time EMS instructor Jonathan Krengel.
  • Part-time developmental mathematics instructor Andy Strickler and peer tutor coordinator Cathi Nelson were guests of Landmark College of Putney, Vt., for a professional visit program Dec. 1 and 2.  Landmark is a two-year liberal arts college serving students with disabilities and attention deficit disorders.  Nelson and Strickler will share their findings with other developmental math instructors and use it in the Peer Tutoring Center.
  • Three Honors program students presented capstone projects and 12 presented their orientation plans Dec. 7 as part of the annual Honorspalooza. There are 20 students in the program.
  • Political science instructor Amanda Cook-Fesperman has completed requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies at Northern Illinois University. 
  • IVCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Rho Omega Chapter registered approximately 40 organ tissue donors Dec. 1 in its first attempt at such a drive.
  • This year’s IVCC Christmas card was created by Francie Skoflanc’s graphic design students Amy Decker of Ottawa and Joseph Daniel of Mendota.
  • IVCC instructors Sue Caley-Opsal, Dorene Perez, Jim Gibson and Rose Marie Lynch have contributed a chapter entitled “Gender stereotypes persist in middle school students engaged in technical activity” in the soon-to-be-published text “Advancing the STEM Agenda: Quality Improvement Supports STEM.”