Foundation Contribution Should Preserve Lake Land Adult Ed Classes; Foundation Honors Wright

(CRYSTAL SWAN AWARD RECIPIENT TOM WRIGHT OF DIETERICH IS FLANKED BY LAKE LAND COLLEGE PRESIDENT JOSH BULLOCK AT RIGHT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE ADVANCEMENT JACKIE JOINES AT LEFT)

The Lake Land College Board of Trustees had voted at its October meeting to suspend Adult Education programs, effective December 31, due to the state budget impasse.

The college's Foundation Board, though, has voted to fund some of the Adult Ed programs, including GED and English as a Second Language classes.

Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said, "It is the generosity of our donors who support the mission of organizations like the college and the foundation that will allow us to continue to offer educational opportunities for the most vulnerable students, even in the face of a very serious state financial crisis. Simply put, we could not offer our Adult Basic Education classes next semester without the support of the Lake Land College Foundation."

An investment of $32,000 from the Foundation will allow the College to offer 20 Adult Education courses throughout the District providing access to approximately 180 students.

The majority of the funding to support the Adult Education programs will be provided by gifts made through the estate of the late Burnham Neal. The College and Foundation were beneficiaries of a unitrust upon Neal's death in 2012 that allowed the Foundation to support the College's programmatic request.

Additionally at the meeting, Tom Wright of Dieterich received the annual Crystal Swan Award for his contributions to the College Foundation. The Crystal Swan Award was created in 1993 as a way to recognize Foundation Board members who have gone above and beyond in their leadership and service to the Foundation during their tenure. 

The following people were recommended to serve as Foundation officers for the 2015-16 year during the annual meeting: Nanci Huels of Altamont will serve as president, Meg Yargus of Marshall will serve as vice president, and Michael Bohannon of Charleston will be the board's secretary.

Three outgoing board members were honored, including Paul Glenney of Mattoon, Ann Deters of Effingham who is now a member of the college's board of trustees, and Linda McCabe of Bethany. Garth Jones of Mattoon, Glenney and McCabe were also honored as honorary directors for this year.