Carbondale Reporter

A glowing report from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has affirmed John A. Logan College’s (JALC) accreditation status, an important achievement for the Carterville community college, according to a release from the school.

“Everything in the HLC report speaks of academic excellence at the college,” JALC board member Glenn Poshard said at a recent meeting, according to the release. “I read the report completely and this was an exceptional report. Everyone should be congratulated. That is a fine, fine report.”

The school must go through the review process every 10 years to ensure accreditation. According to JALC’s release, the review process took several months and included a team of college personnel.

JALC President Ron House | www.jalc.edu

“Collectively, we’d have no idea how many thousands of man hours went into the HLC process,” JALC President Ron House said, according to the release. “And all of this took place with no extra pay, just an incredible commitment from everyone who took part in it.”

The Southern Illinoisan said accreditation is vital to JALC students as it allows them to access federal aid like Pell grants and veterans programs, as well as transfer to other institutions.

This accreditation comes at a trying time for the college, with its budget hurt by the two-year state budget impasse that finally ended recently. The Southern Illinoisan also reported some leadership turnover at JALC just before the review.

Despite these challenges, the school’s accreditation was reaffirmed with two conditions.

The first relates to institutional assessment, an issue the school has been working to address. The second is related to finances, which is something all state schools have had to deal with because of a loss of funding from the state.

At a recent board meeting, Brad McCormick, JALC's vice president of business services and college facilities, said the college is in a much better place thanks to the new state budget. JALC’s finances are not where they were at the height of state funding in 2010, but receiving funding in 2018 will significantly help, according to JALC’s release.

The board voted to recall three faculty members who had been laid off while the school tried to make ends meet without funding. The move led to applause from those present at the meeting.

The board also established that the college’s focus now needs to turn to boosting student enrollment and credit hours. It also learned of several fundraising events.

The school’s athletic department recently benefitted from a significant contribution from the Harrison-Bruce Foundation, which donated more than $435,000 that will allow JALC to improve its baseball and softball facilities. Following the meeting, the school’s softball team raised more funds through a tournament at Kellar’s Crossing at Stone Creek.

The college foundation also recently raised $18,500 with help from Marion’s Black Diamond Harley-Davidson, which hosted a Toby Keith concert.

“Black Diamond is a great supporter of the college,” board member Jacob Rendleman said in a statement. “They allowed the foundation to sell sponsorships for the concert that netted this money. This was a great success.”