Stewart McLaurin

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Study finding ways to hike ICC enrollment

Adapting to potential students’ lifestyles may help increase enrollment Illinois Central College, according to a new enrollment analysis. More night programs for adults, more occupational programs to attract recent high school graduates and expanded use of cellphone technology, are some of the suggested solutions to stem Illinois Central College’s enrollment decline. The suggestions, presented recently to board members, are the result of a study conducted by a Nebraska-based company that specializes in marketing and managing enrollment for community colleges.

The study dissected trends and age demographics specific to ICC’s slide, and found opportunities to increase enrollment, particularly by targeting young adults and students who graduated from low-achieving high schools within ICC’s 10-county boundaries.

Based on credit hours, total enrollment declined 14.5 percent from 2012 to 2015. Attendance by high school graduates 21 and younger declined 9 percent, while enrollment in both the 22-to-34- and 35-to-49-age ranges declined about 25 percent each.

The enrollment management project is part of broader strategic-planning process. Final recommendations will be presented to the board later in the year.

Sheriff to award $500 scholarship

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association will award more than 100 college scholarships throughout the state to students pursuing higher education during the 2017-18 academic year. The scholarships are intended to assist with the cost of tuition, books and fees during the regular school year. Criteria and eligibility is detailed on the application.

Sheriff Matt Smith will award one $500 scholarship to a Woodford County student attending a college or university in Illinois. The scholarship program is funded through the various programs of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Associate Membership Program.

Applications are available at the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office, 111 E. Court St., Eureka 61530, and online at www.ilsheriff.org. Applications must be postmarked by March 15.

They will be reviewed and evaluated by a Citizens’ Committee selected by Sheriff Smith. The committee will select the winner and two alternates from Woodford County.

Submit completed applications by dropping them off or mailing them to the sheriff’s office. All applicants will be notified by May 1. Call (309) 467-2375 for more information.

EUREKA

Expert to speak about White House history

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin will be the guest speaker at a dinner in honor of the 106th anniversary of the birth of President Ronald W. Reagan, a 1932 Eureka College graduate.

McLaurin will speak at the Donald B. Cerf Center on the campus of the college on Feb. 3. A cocktail hour is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. 

McLaurin has been president of The White House Historical Association since May 2014. The association is a private non-profit organization founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with a mission to protect, preserve and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion. 

Mr. McLaurin has more than three decades of professional experience including executive positions with George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the Motion Picture Association, Georgetown University, American Red Cross and the federal government.

The dinner will be hosted by Eureka College President Jamel Santa Cruze Wright and is sponsored by The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College with additional support by PNC. Members of the public are invited for $50 per person. Tickets are limited. Reservations can be made by calling (309) 467-6319.

STATE

Soda pop tax pushed as state looks for more money

A new bill in the Illinois Senate is taking aim at soda drinkers.

Senate Bill 9, proposed as the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Act, would place a penny-per-ounce tax on bottled sugar-sweetened beverages, syrups or powders sold or offered for sale to a retailer for sale to a consumer.

If passed, the new tax would supposedly raise an estimated $560 million annually for Illinois. If passed, the tax would go into effect May 2017. Under the current wording of the bill, revenue from the soda tax would be split, with 98 percent going into the state’s general fund and the other 2 percent going toward the Tax Compliance and Administration Fund for the administrative costs of the Department of Revenue.

–Woodford County News Briefs–