Ƶ

State Training Leaders Recognize RLC & SIC Partnership With Annual Innovation Award
RLC News
1 Minute Read

State Training Leaders Recognize RLC & SIC Partnership With Annual Innovation Award

November 15, 2022

INA, Ill. (November 15, 2022) — Ƶ and Southeastern Illinois College have been named co-winners of the Innovation Award from the Illinois Council for Community Colleges Administration (ICCCA) in coordination with the Illinois Community College Training and Resource and Information Network (weTRaIN).

The innovation project to be awarded is “Forming An Alliance Between Two Rural Community Colleges.” The ICCCA noted that the project stood out as a great example of one way that colleges are leveraging collaboration and resources to address some of the instructional and enrollment challenges facing many rural colleges today.

Ƶ and Southeastern Illinois College have built a valuable relationship for over a decade. This partnership serves students by recognizing the need for collaboration among rural community colleges and offering programs and resources that would otherwise be unavailable.

The boards of the colleges made the arrangement official in 2021 with an Alliance Agreement that outlines clear and regular communication channels and goals to continue their agreement well into the next decade.

The colleges have worked together to offer coursework in Spanish, sociology, history, physics, music and more, and work together at the program level for Early Childhood Education and Veterinary Assistant. The colleges also have collaborated on maintenance, information technology, and audiovisual services.

“Alliances like what SIC and RLC have created take time and teamwork as well as an overabundance of trust,” said Dr. Jonah Rice, SIC President. “There’s a give and take in any relationship, so neither of us could come to discussions drawing lines in the sand, making demands, or not willing to have meaningful negotiations.”

“Collaborating with Southeastern Illinois College has offered incredible opportunities allowing both institutions to reach new heights,” said Ƶ President Terry Wilkerson. “We look forward to learning as we maneuver through this promising relationship and offer a brighter vision for our students and the communities we serve.”

College leaders will accept the award at the ICCCA/ICCFA conference in Champaign, Illinois, on November 17-18.

Recent RLC News

View recent, similar Ƶ articles below

Rlc News

RLC Celebrates the first Graduating Class from SIMA for Apprenticeship Day

INA, Ill. (April 30, 2025) — For National Apprenticeship Day, Ƶ proudly celebrates a groundbreaking milestone with the graduation of the inaugural class from...

Rlc News

New Scholarship Endowment honors Wilkerson at final President's Dinner

INA, Ill. (April 22, 2025) — Terry Wilkerson, the outgoing president of Ƶ, hosted his final President’s Dinner on Thursday. Held on the Ina campus, the event...

Rlc News

RLC Apprenticeships prepare students for success

INA, Ill. (April 21, 2025) — Ƶ's Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy (SIMA) has been thriving with students in the apprenticeship program since its...