Published on July 31, 2025 6:24 am
Last Updated on July 31, 2025 8:22 am
(MEMBERS OF THE LAKE LAND COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND LLC PRESIDENT JOSH BULLOCK GATHER AT THE E-T-C WEDNESDAY)
Lake Land College commemorated the Grand Opening of its new Effingham Technology Center with a community-wide celebration on Wednesday.
During the event, hundreds of guests received their first look at the Effingham Technology Center that will revolutionize higher education and workforce preparedness in the local region.
The Grand Opening of the Effingham Technology Center comes 30 years after Lake Land first established a physical presence in Effingham with the opening of the Kluthe Center. Now, with nearly four times the space for classrooms, labs, offices, student resources and other facilities, the Effingham Technology Center is set to lead the way for educational expansion, regional growth and economic development for decades to come.
“The Effingham Technology Center will serve as a local hub of innovation, offering new educational opportunities and community partnerships that will impact the success and growth of the area,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “We’re thrilled to take the next step in our partnership with the Effingham community and expand our presence in the area with this new facility.”
During the event, Bullock also offered insight into the programs and opportunities that will be available to students at the Effingham Technology Center beginning with the fall 2025 semester. The new building will hold all Lake Land operations previously held at the Kluthe Center, including general education courses in a variety of subjects as well as full college programs in Nursing, Massage Therapy and Physical Therapist Assistant. The building will also feature a brand-new Innovation Center, which consists of a virtual reality lab, an augmented reality lab and a makerspace lab. Guests in attendance at the grand opening celebration were able to tour all the classrooms and view lab demonstrations from Lake Land College faculty.
Lake Land has also taken advantage of the abundance of available space in the Effingham Technology Center to create brand-new partnerships that will support the local community. As a part of the building’s initial purchase agreement, Lake Land is leasing back a portion of the space to Patterson Technologies, the building’s previous owners, to allow the company to maintain a strong presence in Effingham. The Effingham Technology Center will also serve as the first-ever home for Creating Opportunities for Regional Employment (CORE), which provides classes for local high school students to build skills and explore future careers. Lake Land also established a partnership with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Eastern Illinois University Lumpkin College of Business, which supports local start-ups and entrepreneurs. Under this partnership, the Effingham Technology Center will serve as a satellite location for the SBDC to offer free advising and affordable training for small business owners throughout the region.
Guests in attendance at the grand opening event also had the chance to meet with representatives from the partner organizations and explore their facilities within the Effingham Technology Center. During a brief dedication ceremony, Cecile Schauer, Vice President of Planning and Management at Patterson Companies, and Norma Lansing, CORE Effingham Regional Career Foundation Treasurer, both shared remarks and expressed the value the Effingham Technology Center will bring to their organizations and to the broader Effingham community.
“Patterson Companies has been a part of the Effingham community for many years, and we’re proud to be part of this new chapter for Lake Land College and the Effingham Technology Center,” said Schauer. “As we have transitioned to a workforce of the future with a significant remote work population, we are invested in maintaining our presence in Effingham, both physically and economically. We look forward to the opportunities this arrangement will provide our community.”
“The grand opening of the Effingham Technology Center was an exciting culmination of many years of planning to provide our area high school students with an innovative space for career-focused education to take place,” said Lansing. “CORE Academy Board members are excited to be working alongside Lake Land College’s administrators and faculty to showcase the many ways that CORE provides opportunities for students in our region to explore career opportunities and hone their skills to develop successful careers and contribute positively to our communities. The opening of the ETC marks a significant milestone in CORE Academy’s efforts to create a collaborative environment where students, job creators and the community come together to create connections and grow the regional economy.”
Lake Land College students, faculty and staff will officially begin utilizing the Effingham Technology Center with their August 25 start date for the Fall 2025 semester. To help students register for classes and prepare for the upcoming semester, Lake Land will host a Fast Track to Fall event at the Effingham Technology Center on Wednesday, August 6 from 2-6 p.m. Participants of the Fast Track event will have a chance to meet and ask questions with representatives from Admissions, Counseling Services, TRIO, Perkins and Financial Aid and familiarize themselves with the new Effingham Technology Center.
“The Effingham Technology Center has been a significant project for the College and a long process from purchase to completion of this incredible educational facility,” Bullock said. “It’s truly been a campus-wide effort, and I want to thank everyone who played a part in making this vision possible. We’re eager to finally see students filling the classrooms, utilizing the resources and enjoying the new space when the fall semester begins August 25.”
