February 2025
New Semester, Who Dis?
Highlights
Changes on Board
As we settle into a new semester, here’s a little recap for you. You might recall that towards the end of last semester, long-term Board of Trustees member Jeff Flessner left his Trustee role to spend more time with his family. That left a spot for a new face. Right before the holidays, that new face took his place on the Board. We’re excited to welcome John Kilgore to the Heartland Family. Kilgore is the current Superintendent of Pontiac Township High School District #90 and we’re glad to have him “on Board.” But don’t get too used to this new face. Kilgore has indicated that while he’s happy to fill the remainder of Flessner’s seat, he isn't running in the April election. So, get ready to welcome another new face in April!
Enrollment By the Numbers
We could all use some good news right now, couldn’t we? Well, at Hawkfeed we got you. There is something to smile about related to spring enrollment numbers. Credit enrollment is in the positive! Total enrollment is up 0.7% in headcount and 2% in credit hours. But the really impressive news comes out of the Adult Education area, where GED, ESL and Academic English Language courses are up a whopping 25%! Not to be outdone, Heartland Lincoln and Heartland Pontiac both saw enrollment increases of 34% and 37% respectively. Another piece of good news is that we saw a 12% increase in new students compared to last spring. Way to go everyone – this was indeed a team effort.
Soccer Leadership Change
Heartland will have a new face on the soccer pitch next season. Luke Babson has been hired as the new men’s and women’s head soccer coach. Babson is no stranger to Heartland though - he was previously the recruiting coordinator for the Hawks. Prior to arriving in Normal, he coached in Oregon. Welcome Coach Babson!
Multiculture Mural
What are you doing right now? Well, reading Hawkfeed, duh. But after this? It would be a great time to take a little midday break and walk over to the Multicultural Lounge in WDC 1001. There you’ll find the brand-new, and stunningly beautiful, multicultural mural. Created by Heartland alum and part-time employee, Amari Akins, this piece of artwork was produced after hours and hours of research, including focus groups with Heartland students. It’s exciting to have this new piece that represents the diverse identities of our students. Now get going and take a look!
Quality Matters at Heartland
If there’s one thing that Heartland strives for, it’s definitely a quality student experience, whether a student attends in person or online. So it should come as no surprise that another one of our faculty has achieved the Quality Matter (QM) Certification Mark for one of their courses. Breezy Watkins recently received the QM Certification Mark for her online ACCT 201 course: Managerial Accounting. She had previously received the QM Certification Mark for her online BUSN 108 course: Personal Finance. Congratulations Breezy!
Say Cheese
Have you found yourself in need of a new headshot for an award (congrats!) or a conference (learn a lot!) but don’t know how to get one? You’re in luck. The Marketing Department has drop-in photo hours for just this purpose. Simply stop by CCB 2400 on Tuesdays any time between 2:00 and 5:00 pm or Thursdays any time between 8:30 and 11:30 am. One of the campus photographers will take care of you. And don’t worry – they'll get your good side.
Engaged Again
In what has become somewhat of a common occurrence here at HCC, the College has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN). This fall we were named as a Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. We earned this designation for our engagement during the 2024 election season. It’s not the first time Heartland has caught the eye of the ALL IN organization. Heartland was previously named the Illinois community college with the highest student voting rate and highest student registration rate in the 2022 midterm election.
New Student Spaces
After a year of a lot of construction and moves, two new spaces are open and ready to serve students. The Heartland Bookstore moved to its new location on the first floor of the WDC Student Center. Grab some Heartland gear and other school necessities here. Also settling into its new space is the reinvigorated Hawk Nest Game Room. The game room can be found in WDC 1004 and offers a space for students to relax and connect with friends.
We Need You!
What’s the best day of the Heartland year? No – it's not the first Friday of summer hours... but that’s a close runner-up. The best day of the Heartland year is commencement day – the day we get to celebrate our students accomplishing their goals. But that day can’t happen without your help. Consider volunteering to assist with the ceremony taking place on May 16. If you’d like to participate by walking in the ceremony, make sure to order your regalia by February 28.
Still to come...
True Blue Ribbon Bakeoff
February 14, 1:30-2:30 pm in CCB 1406/1407
Scholarship Priority Deadline
March 1
Random Knowledge to Make You Just a Little Smarter
In the US, the typical school year is 180 days. In China, it’s 251. *
*source: OMG Facts Calendar
Let's Get Social
That's all for now. In the meantime, check out our Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for the latest happenings. Spread the love and share our stuff on your own pages.