Meeting Summary and Briefs: Lake Land College Board of Trustees for May 11, 2026

Lake Land College Board of Trustees Meeting | May 11, 2026

The Lake Land College Board of Trustees covered a full agenda at its regular meeting Monday, May 11, 2026, approving a performance contract for a planned $4 million library HVAC replacement and remodel, renewing the college’s Canvas learning management system for $137,967.36, and — after closed session — terminating the employment of the Dean of Enrollment and Student Success (see standalone coverage of each). Trustees also accepted corrected March financial statements showing the college $363,869 favorable to budget, awarded a $38,628.47 equipment bid for the John Deere Tech program, and heard a presentation on a first-time high school welding competition hosted on campus.

All roll-call votes at the meeting carried 7-0, with Chair Tom Wright, Vice Chair Denise Walk, Secretary Larry Lilly, and Trustees Chuck Deters, Doris Reynolds, Scott Montgomery and Gary Cadwell present and Student Trustee Wyatt Draper absent. The remaining actions and reports follow.

Board Committee Appointments Announced

Chair Tom Wright announced board committee appointments made in consultation with President Josh Bullock under Board Policy 02.08. Larry Lilly chairs the Finance Committee, with Wright as ex-officio and members Scott Montgomery, Doris Reynolds and Student Trustee Wyatt Draper. Doris Reynolds chairs Resource and Development, with Chuck Deters and Denise Walk. Gary Cadwell chairs Buildings and Site, with Deters, Lilly and Montgomery. Walk serves as Legislative Liaison to ICCTA, and Lilly as liaison to the Lake Land College Foundation. Wright’s memo sets the appointments effective May 20, 2026.

College-Wide Standing Committees Approved

The board approved the five-page listing of proposed standing college committees for 2026-27, presented by Chief of Staff Jean Anne Highland. Committees are listed by position rather than name; the faculty association requests approval each May so association presidents can determine member representation over the summer, allowing committees to begin work at the start of fall semester. The cabinet reviews committee work annually to ensure it is ongoing, needed and non-overlapping.

Annual ICCB Program Review Discussed

Dr. Ike Nwosu presented the Illinois Community College Board program review report based on a memo from Director of Institutional Research and Reporting Lynn Breer. For FY2026 the college reviewed seven AAS degrees, six certificate programs and two non-degree programs across four divisions, plus the CDL non-degree program, all four Department of Corrections automotive programs, the Social Science and Education discipline’s 92 courses, and vocational skills reviews in three departments. Program directors now work on reports annually rather than every fifth year, an approach the board praised for enabling continuous improvement. Programs overall indicated continuation with minor modifications.

$5,000 Stihl Equipment Gift Accepted

Trustees accepted a gift-in-kind of Stihl outdoor battery handheld equipment valued at $5,000, donated by Graber Building Supply & Hardware of Arcola through the Lake Land College Foundation for use by the facilities and grounds team. The Foundation had already accepted the gift; per the gift certification, Facilities Coordinator Kimberly Wellbaum notified the Foundation of the donation.

Surplus Equipment Declared

The board declared surplus a range of items as part of ongoing campus cleanup: old grounds equipment replaced by the Graber donation; nursing program equipment from the Pana location — three hospital beds and a scrub sink to be donated to EIEFES (identified elsewhere in the record as Eastern Illinois Education for Employment Systems) and the Health Occupations Program at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center; furniture from the Paris location, which the college is vacating at the end of June; and various laptops and print shop equipment. The college will dispose of items in the manner most beneficial to Lake Land, potentially including donation, sale, auction consignment or wholesale purchase.

TRIO Students Headed to Chicago

Trustees approved $28,400 for an educational trip to Chicago July 28-30, 2026, for approximately 30 high school participants in the TRIO Talent Search Program, through WorldStrides Educational Travel and Experiences of Charlottesville, Virginia. The trip — funded through the TRIO Talent Search Grant and covering transportation, lodging and meals — includes requested campus tours at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Chicago along with cultural awareness activities. Four college staff members will chaperone.

Incomplete Grade Policy Gets Final Reading

The board approved on second and final reading revisions to Board Policy 07.17.01, effective fall 2026. The revision requires students to submit incomplete-grade requests on or before the final withdrawal date of the course, rather than up to the grades-due date, which had created workflow bottlenecks for instructors and division chairs. Procedural steps such as routing sequences move from the policy into Academic Services procedures. No additional feedback had been received since the April presentation.

InfoTech IT Advisory Renewal Approved

Trustees approved a $51,000, one-year agreement with Info-Tech Research Group Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada, for IT research and advisory services from July 1, 2026, through July 1, 2027. The subscription includes a Counselor Membership with a designated executive advisor, unlimited contract reviews, software selection support and campus-wide research access. IT staff logged more than 300 interactions with the service in the last 12 months; the previous contract was approximately $48,000, and the vendor’s quote reflects $50,200 in bundled discounts.

Rave Emergency Alert System Renewed for Three Years

The board approved a three-year renewal of Rave Alert and Rave Notifier for $36,349.34 with Rave Mobile Safety of Framingham, Massachusetts, for Aug. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029. The platform is the college’s primary emergency communication tool for students and staff, combining email and text in one system. Staff confirmed no reason to consider replacement; the three-year term provides cost savings of $1,049, with payment made annually rather than upfront.

Student Accident Insurance Renewed at Flat Premium

Trustees approved student accident insurance for $62,000 with Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of Lincoln, Nebraska, and student catastrophic coverage for $7,504 through Risk Strategies, for Aug. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2027. The accident coverage — secondary to parents’ insurance — provides up to a $35,000 lifetime benefit per covered injury, with catastrophic coverage for injuries above that limit; the catastrophic enrollment form identifies Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company as underwriter. Claims declined comparing policy years 2023-24 and 2024-25, resulting in no premium increase, and the college maintained a zero deductible.

Foundation Marks 60th Anniversary

Reporting on behalf of Executive Director for College Advancement Christi Donsbach, Trustee Larry Lilly said more than 30 high school award nights are taking place over the next month, with thanks extended to trustees, Foundation board members, employees and volunteers presenting scholarships. The Foundation’s spring appeal celebrating the college’s 60th anniversary was mailed, featuring retiree and former board member Marianne Morgan. The first alumni social of the year was held April 20 in partnership with Career Services; the next is June 11 at Pinky’s in Effingham.

Upcoming Dates

Commencement is Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m. The annual board retreat begins at noon Wednesday, May 20, at the Foundation and Alumni Center, with guest ICCTA facilitator Jim Reed. Vice Chair Denise Walk will attend the ICCTA annual convention in June in Chicago. The August board meeting moves to the Effingham Technology Center on Aug. 17.

Consent Agenda

On consent, the board approved minutes of the April 13 regular meeting and closed session, the May 11 agenda, bills for payment and travel expenses, and destruction of the tape recording of the Nov. 11, 2024, closed session. The Resource and Development and Buildings and Site committees did not meet and had no reports; the Finance Committee met earlier in the week.