Laker Nation News

Three Lake Land College Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honors students were recognized at a banquet in Springfield for their inclusion on the All-Illinois Community College Academic Team.

Kyra Hazelton, Effingham, was one of two transfer student nominees recognized at the banquet. Kyra is an active member of both the Lake Land College Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). She will graduate in Spring 2025 with a degree in Environmental Science. With a strong interest in conservation and sustainability, she hopes to make a meaningful impact in the Environmental Science field. She also gives back to her community by volunteering at the Effingham County Humane Society.

Aubrey Hebenstreit, Vandalia, was also recognized as a transfer student nominee. She graduated from Lake Land College in December 2024 and transferred to the University of Illinois Springfield, where she serves as the President of the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). While at Lake Land, she served as Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa, Treasurer of the Student Government Association (SGA) and student representative for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).

Angela Shaw, Greenup, was recognized as a career and technical education (CTE) student nominee. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Alpha Theta Psi chapter of PTK and will be the acting President next academic year. She is pursuing a degree in nursing from Lake Land College and plans to transfer and continue her education at Eastern Illinois University.

“I am so proud of these students for their exemplary work both within the classroom and beyond,” said Tessa Wiles, Director of Dual Credit and Honors Experience. “As they move forward in their education and careers, they will serve as tremendous representatives of our College.”

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society and one of many opportunities available for students through the Lake Land College Honors Experience. To learn more, contact Wiles at 217-234-5044 or twiles@lakelandcollege.edu or visit the Honors Experience webpage at LakeLandCollege.edu/Honors-Program/.

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Lake Land College student Allison Meese, Robinson, was named the 2025-2026 member of the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).

Meese’s election as the ICCB student member marks the second consecutive year a Lake Land College student has held the position. Lake Land alumna Aubrey Hebenstreit, Vandalia, was previously named the ICCB student member during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Meese is in the Lake Land College Ag Transfer Program and is studying Ag Education. She is a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), the Student Activity Board (SAB), the Professional Agriculture Student (PAS) club, the Collegiate Farm Bureau and was named the 2025-2026 Ag Transfer Treasurer.

“I am looking forward to serving and representing my fellow community college students all over the state of Illinois,” Meese said.

Hebenstreit graduated from Lake Land College in December 2024 with an associate degree. During her time at Lake Land, she served as Treasurer of the SGA and Vice President of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She currently studies communication at the University of Illinois Springfield, where she serves as the President of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).

“With the internship at the ICCB, I have learned how to network and build connections with people across Illinois,” Hebenstreit said. “I am learning how to be a leader along with how to navigate bills. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities the ICCB has given me.”

The ICCB represents Illinois’ 48 public community colleges, overseeing state and federal funding, setting curriculum standards and maintaining a high-quality, accessible community college system. One current community college student is elected to the board each year as the student member.

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Earthrise Energy has awarded a $15,000 grant to the Lake Land College Foundation to support the Lake Land College Student Emergency Fund. This funding will provide financial assistance to students facing unexpected challenges, ensuring they can remain enrolled and continue their education without disruption.

“Unexpected financial hardships can be a major barrier to student success, especially for those in rural and low-income communities,” said Christi Donsbach, Executive Director for College Advancement. “With this grant from Earthrise Energy, we can offer critical support to students facing emergencies, allowing them to focus on their education instead of worrying about financial instability.”

The Student Emergency Fund assists students in covering urgent expenses such as medical bills, car repairs, or housing costs—expenses that, without support, could force them to pause or abandon their education. By reducing these barriers, the fund helps students stay on track academically and successfully complete their coursework, even during difficult times.

“Earthrise Energy is proud to support Lake Land College’s efforts to help students stay in school despite financial setbacks,” said Nicole Vaughn, Senior Project Development Manager at Earthrise Energy. “This program empowers students to focus on their education and future success.”

Earthrise Energy is an independent power producer which owns five natural gas plants in Illinois, including the Shelby Energy Center in Neoga and is developing more than 1.5 gigawatts of solar power in the state. The Shelby Energy Center itself is operated by several Lake Land College alumni, who recently reunited to lead a special tour of the plant for the Lake Land College President and staff.

Through its RISE Grant program, Earthrise Energy has committed over $235,000 in funding to support education, financial resilience, and community development in the Coles, Cumberland, and Shelby counties.

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The Lake Land College Board of Trustees recently nominated Sarah Bush Lincoln for the 2025 Illinois Community College Trustee Association (ICCTA) Business Partnership Award.

Lake Land College and Sarah Bush Lincoln have partnered together for more than 30 years, collaborating to build curriculum, enhance student support and develop the local workforce. These initiatives have resulted in the growth of the local, rural health industry and have empowered students to secure valuable employment within the community.

“Lake Land College and Sarah Bush Lincoln have a long-standing transformative partnership rooted in improving the lives of community members,” Vice President of Academic Services Ikemefuna Nwosu said. “This steadfast partnership is a powerful force that will promote lifelong learning and a healthier community for many years.”

In 2024, Sarah Bush Lincoln provided a generous donation that allowed Lake Land to create a high-fidelity nursing simulation lab. The lab includes state-of-the-art simulation technology that transforms nursing class sessions into hyper-realistic healthcare experiences. With the new lab, students are able to practice their skills in a risk-free setting and prepare for immediate success in their clinical placements and future careers.

“It’s impossible to overstate the impact this simulation lab has had on the confidence of our nursing students as they study to serve their communities,” Nwosu said. “We’re thankful for Sarah Bush Lincoln for their generosity to support our students and their devotion to the future of local healthcare.”

Lake Land will forward Sarah Bush Lincoln’s nomination for consideration for the statewide ICCTA Business Partnership Award recipient. The award is presented annually to an Illinois business that has built a successful workforce-training alliance with an ICCTA member college. The recipient will be announced at the ICCTA awards banquet on June 6.

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Lake Land College dedicated its new nursing simulation lab in recognition of Sarah Bush Lincoln on Tuesday, April 22. Located on campus in Neal Hall, the lab was officially named the Sarah Bush Lincoln High Fidelity Nursing Simulation Lab during the event.

The lab was created in 2024 with a generous donation from Sarah Bush Lincoln. As a Lake Land College Community Partner, Sarah Bush Lincoln worked with the Lake Land College Foundation to make a significant gift that both allowed for the creation of the new lab and established scholarships to support students on an annual basis.

“The Foundation is thrilled to work with incredible Community Partners like Sarah Bush Lincoln to help them maximize the impact of their donation,” Executive Director of College Advancement Christi Donsbach said. “In addition to directly benefitting students and faculty, their donation positively impacts the entire region by partnering with Lake Land to build a highly skilled nursing workforce.”

The nursing simulation lab provides students with hyper-realistic educational experiences to prepare them for the workforce. The lab includes two replica hospital rooms, each equipped with state-of-the-art patient simulators and one-way windows for instructors to observe students. With this setup, students are able to practice their skills and develop their confidence in a realistic but risk-free setting.

“We are so grateful for Sarah Bush Lincoln for donating this crucial equipment for our nursing programs,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “It’s been a tremendous honor to partner with an organization that recognizes the value of investing in the education of our area’s future healthcare professionals.”

“We know that nurses are the heart of patient care, and we’re proud to help prepare students to enter their careers with confidence, experience and compassion. We’re grateful to Lake Land College for this collaboration and for their vision to advance healthcare education in such a meaningful way,’ said Sarah Bush Lincoln President and CEO Kim Uphoff.

By creating elaborate simulations in the lab, Lake Land College nursing instructors ensure all students are exposed to a wide range of patient care scenarios they may not encounter during clinical hours. As a result, nursing graduates are better prepared to manage real-world healthcare scenarios and make an immediate difference in the workforce.

The simulation lab is the latest addition to Lake Land’s long-running tradition of nursing excellence. Over the last six decades Lake Land’s programs have prepared future nurses to care for their communities with proficiency, professionalism and compassion, as the College’s nursing graduates consistently outperform national averages on board exams. Most recently, graduates of Lake Land’s associate degree nurse and licensed practical nursing programs had passage rates 97% and 100% respectively, significantly higher than the national averages of 91% and 88%.

More information about Lake Land College nursing and other healthcare programs is available on the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Guided-Pathways/.

To learn more or to become a Lake Land College Community Partner, visit the Lake Land College Foundation webpage at LakeLandCollege.edu/Foundation/CommunityPartners/.

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Lake Land College District 517, located in Mattoon, Illinois, serves the second largest community college district in the state, with a total population of 189,869. The Lake Land College district comprises all or part of 15 counties and 31 public school districts in rural east central Illinois. Counties served by Lake Land College include: Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Macon, Montgomery, Moultrie and Shelby.

The Lake Land College community fondly remembered Mike Sullivan following news of his passing.

Sullivan served on the Lake Land College Board of Trustees from 1987 to 2024, the longest tenure by a board member in the College’s history. During that time, Sullivan was a visionary leader, a champion for innovation and an advocate for student support.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Lake Land faculty and staff, we extend our deepest condolences to Mike’s wife, Linda, his children and extended family,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “As the longest-serving trustee in Lake Land history, Mike Sullivan devoted many years to advancing Lake Land College’s mission of accessible, high-quality education for our region. Mike’s student-first approach, devotion to campus enrichment and commitment to innovation were instrumental in advancing the College over the years while maintaining our high standards of academic excellence. We will deeply miss Trustee Sullivan’s visionary leadership that led the College’s growth and success in countless ways.”

Sullivan’s influence at Lake Land extends beyond his service as a trustee and dates back to his time as a student. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Sullivan returned to his hometown of Mattoon in 1968 and became one of the earliest students to attend the College. He witnessed the groundbreaking of Lake Land’s campus and served on the first ever Illinois Community College Board Student Advisory Committee. He was elected Student Government president in 1968 and led the creation of the annual Spring Carnival, one of Lake Land’s most cherished traditions. Sullivan graduated from Lake Land College in 1970 before earning a bachelor’s degree in Ag Industries from the University of Illinois.

In 1987, Sullivan returned to Lake Land College when he was elected to the board of trustees. Over his 37-year tenure, he was a devoted advocate for the needs of Lake Land College, its students and the entire community college system. He frequently collaborated with state legislators to increase community college funding, student financial aid support and university transfer opportunities.

Sullivan was also a champion for innovation throughout his service on the board of trustees. Most notably, he spearheaded a campus-wide energy-saving initiative that leverages solar panel technology and daylight harvesting techniques. Sullivan’s commitment to these campus improvements have helped the College become a national leader in energy conservation and save approximately $500,000 per year.

Sullivan was also instrumental in the development of Alumni Park and the Veteran’s Memorial Wall on campus. As both a Lake Land College alumnus and a U.S. Navy veteran, Sullivan considered these projects to be among his most cherished and personal accomplishments during his time on the board of trustees.

In 2005, Sullivan and his wife established a scholarship endowment with the Lake Land College Foundation to help local students access their education goals. Each year, the Mike and Linda Sullivan Endowed Scholarship provides tuition support for a student in financial need.

Lake Land College has presented several awards and honors to Sullivan over the years in recognition of his outstanding service and generosity. In 2004, he received the Golden Apple Award for his contributions to the Lake Land College Alumni Association. In 2014, Sullivan was named to the Distinguished Alumni Society in recognition of his community imprint as a former Lake Land College student. He was also recognized as one of the most influential individuals in Lake Land history in 2018 when he was named to the Foundation’s Top 50 VIP List.

In February 2024, Sullivan announced his resignation from the board of trustees, stating, “I’m immensely proud of Lake Land College and all that we have accomplished during my tenure. I have no doubt the College will continue to flourish and provide our district residents with the highest quality education for years to come.” Sullivan was honored for his service at the following board meeting in March.

At the time of Sullivan’s resignation, Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said, “We are extremely grateful for the many years of dedicated service Trustee Sullivan has given to Lake Land College. We thank him for his visionary leadership and guidance. His exemplary service and his passion for helping students is immeasurable.”

Beyond his service to Lake Land College, Sullivan was a source of leadership and support throughout the community. He served on the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) for more than 30 years, which included terms as treasurer from 1997-1998, vice president from 1998-1999 and president from 1999-2000. Sullivan was a six-time recipient of the ICCTA Education Award and received the Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding service as an ICCTA member.

A lifelong native of Mattoon, Sullivan was an active member of his community, serving on the Mattoon Planning and Zoning Committee and the Mattoon Community Foundation Board, the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation Advisory Board, the Saint Mary School Board and the Mattoon Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) committee.

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Lake Land College is partnering with area high schools to launch Laker Connect, a redesigned and enhanced dual credit program aimed at increasing access to college-level course work for high school students.

With the new Laker Connect Dual Credit program, students can simultaneously earn high school and college credit for free by enrolling in college courses in an academic pathway taught by qualified high school instructors. The program also aligns Lake Land and high school course curriculum to create a seamless educational experience between high school and college.

“Lake Land College is excited to work with our high school partners to help students and their families access a quality, highly affordable college education through the new Laker Connect program,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “We took feedback from educators, students and parents and developed the new program that focuses on affordability, intentional course selection, career exploration and assistance with steps following graduation.”

A dedicated Laker Connect academic counselor will help students choose dual credit courses that align with their personal goals. The Laker Connect counselor is available to meet with students and their families to help maximize the dual credit experience and ensure students begin college with a head start toward their career plans.

Laker Connect students are also eligible for exclusive rewards to support their future education. High school graduates who participate in the Laker Connect program will receive graduation recognition and can earn tuition and fee waivers of up to $500 toward the next semester at Lake Land College.

“Laker Connect is a supportive framework that empowers students to see college not just as a possibility, but as an achievable and accessible reality,” said Tessa Wiles, Director of Dual Credit and Honors Experience. “By removing barriers with free college-level classes and tuition waivers, Laker Connect supports students in taking bold steps toward their futures.”

A wide range of dual credit courses are available under Laker Connect, from career and technical courses that prepare students for rapid employment to transfer courses accepted by universities.

Dual Credit courses prepare students for college and career success. In 2023, 75% of Illinois high school dual credit graduates enrolled in college, according to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). In addition, graduation rates among Illinois community college students are higher among those who previously enrolled in dual credit.

For more information about Laker Connect, contact Wiles at 217-234-5044 or twiles@lakelandcollege.edu.

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The Lake Land College Business & Technology Division recently hosted 15 local high schools for the annual Business and Computer Contest.

During the event, students competed in a series of contests covering Accounting, Computer Concepts, General Business and Current Events, MOS Excel, MOS PowerPoint and MOS Word. First place winners of each contest received a 3-credit-hour tuition waiver from Lake Land College.

Each high school also competed in a team event, with Dieterich High School placing first.

The full list of high schools that participated in the event were Altamont High School, Centralia High School, Champaign Central High School, Charleston High School, Dieterich High School, Fairfield High School, Flora High School, Mt. Zion High School, Oblong High School, Richland County High School, Robinson High School, Shelbyville High School, Shiloh High School, Stewardson-Strasburg High School and Windsor High School.

“It’s always great to welcome so many talented students and local business instructors to campus,” said Marcy Satterwhite, Business Instructor and Coordinator of Graphic Design Programs. “This event is a great way for students to demonstrate their individual business and computer skills as well as their teamwork.”

The individual winners are as follows:

To learn more about Lake Land College Business and Technology programs, contact the department at 217-234-5348 or by email at BusinessProgram@LakeLandCollege.Edu

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Lake Land College Honors students, presidential scholars and members of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honors Society were recently recognized at a banquet on campus.

During the event, Deanna Clark, Bethany, was named Honors Student of the Year.

Ila Richter, Lerna, and Matthias Hacker, Westfield, were also recognized during the event as nominees for the Honors Student of the Year Award.

Several PTK members were also recognized as Distinguished Officers, including President Deanna Clark, Bethany; Vice President Angi Shaw, Greenup; Treasurer Ron Mason, Bethany; Secretary Eric Stanley, Charleston and Public Relations Jasmine Gast, Charleston.

The following students were recognized during the event as this year’s PTK graduates:

The following students were recognized during the event as this year’s Lake Land College Honors graduates:

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Lake Land College is offering a new, flexible program format for all Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC-R) classes.

Under the new format, HVAC-R classes start every three to four weeks, allowing students to begin at nearly any time rather than having to wait for a new semester. All classes are also held in the evening to account for students’ work schedules.

“HVAC technicians possess a crucial skillset that homeowners and businesses throughout our community rely on,” HVAC Instructor Joe Hoenes said. “The new program format will maximize flexibility and remove barriers for students interested in earning this high-demand credential.”

Lake Land College HVAC-R courses prepare students for entry-level employment as an HVAC technician. The program covers installation, troubleshooting, maintenance and repair of residential and light commercial equipment.

For more information, visit the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/trades or contact Hoenes at 217-234-5372 or jhoenes2@lakelandcollege.edu.

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