Latest news with #HeartlandCommunityCollege
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Heartland College hosts Workforce Equity Initiative open house
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — On Thursday, an open house was hosted at Heartland Community College for the Workforce Equity Initiative. Prospective students met with staff to learn about the admissions process and certificate programs. Former students including a mom and formerly incarcerated man shared testimonials about how the program has helped them create a better life. Workforce Equity Initiative open house at Heartland Garrett Ahlfield graduated last week after completing the shielded metal arc welding certification. He's already loving his job. He said people considering the program should not hesitate to apply. 'To anybody considering the program, I'd say, just do it. Stop waiting. And everything's under a year. Years go by quick, you know, go ahead and put one of them to use and let the rest of your years of your life be good,' he said. 'If you're thinking about it, stop thinking about it. Just do it.' Students eligible for the WEI grant will receive funding for tuition, career navigation and success coaching. To learn more about the program, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millikin University pens partnership with Heartland Community College
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Two Central Illinois colleges are partnering up to allow an automatic pathway to get a bachelor's degree. Millikin University and Heartland Community College announced a partnership Wednesday. With the partnership, most graduates from Heartland will be able to enroll full time to complete a bachelor's degree at Millikin University. Decatur lawmaker urges Trump to relocate USDA from D.C. to the Midwest 'This partnership with Heartland Community College reflects Millikin's continued commitment to providing accessible, high-quality education for students across Illinois,' said Millikin Acting President Mary Black. 'By offering Heartland graduates a clear path to a Millikin degree and a seamless transfer experience, we're empowering students to reach their academic and professional goals with greater ease and confidence. We look forward to welcoming these talented students into our campus community.' Students need at least a 2.0 culmulative GPA in order to qualify. All University Studies requirements will be completed with the program. Millikin officials said around 40 programs can be completed by students in two years after the completion of an AA, AS or other relevant coursework from Heartland. 'This partnership minimizes credit loss, smooths out the transfer process, and helps keep college affordable for students seeking to continue their education at a premier university,' said Dr. Keith Cornille, President of Heartland Community College. 'We are continually looking to build upon the relationships we have to improve the transfer process for our students. We are fortunate to have university partners like Millikin who share our goal of moving students toward their academic and career goals.' Forsyth Park hosting inaugural Officer Chris Oberheim Baseball Memorial Tournament Additionally, any graduate of the Heartland Honors Program will get accepted into the James Millikin Honors Program. Graduates from Heartland Community College will also be able to receive financial aid with the Millikin Tuition Promise and Big Blue Pledge: Illinois Free Tuition Programs to partially and fully cover the cost of tuition. More information on program and course articulation can be found on Millikin's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Heartland Community College students engage in poverty simulation
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Students at Heartland Community College took part in a Community Action Poverty Simulation to give some insight into complexities and challenges of poverty. It was a classroom exercise where students were assigned a family and had to deal with life issues like paying bills, childcare and how to deal with other issues. Every 15 minutes was considered a week within the simulation. 'With the increase in poverty in our community, we feel this simulation is an opportunity for our students to learn about and better understand those currently experiencing poverty,' said Martha Stearns, an associate professor within the college's Health Sciences department. She also served as the simulation's facilitator. 'Health Sciences students in particular benefit from the exercise to understand what barriers patients could potentially be going through, and how that could impact their care,' she said. Each 'week,' the students had to navigate limited resources, interact with essential community services, and experience the difficult choices that many face daily. Within the state, 1.5 million people currently live in poverty, which impacts not only their health but also the way they utilize the healthcare system. This story will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Impact on Central Illinois schools following Gov. Pritzker's State of the State address
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Education was a main talking point in Gov. JB Pritzker's State of the State address Wednesday. While the speech covered many aspects of the governor's wish list for the coming year, it also discussed educational proposals that could affect schools here in Central Illinois Illinois' budget must reflect reality, Pritzker says in his State of the State address One item Pritzker mentioned was Evidence Based Funding (EBF) for public schools, which gives money to schools that are under-resourced. He also proposed allowing community colleges in Illinois, traditionally a two-year program, to offer four-year bachelor's degrees. Keith Cornille, the president of Heartland Community College, explained how this would help colleges like Heartland create more opportunities for their students and for employers looking to find qualified candidates. 'We will continue to be a part of growing the workforce and meeting those workforce needs,' he said. 'When we talk about manufacturing and health care and other industries, there is a deficit or a gap, often times, when trying to find those qualified employees, many of them require a bachelor's degree.' Another major talking point was Pritzker's proposal to ban phones in classrooms statewide. Schools in the state have already implemented this before. One of those is Peoria Public Schools, which has required middle and high school students to put their phones in a secure pouch during the school day. PPS Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat shared the ban's impact on her district. 'I've gotten several emails,' she said. 'It's changed the teaching landscape, and you're able to look kids in their eyes, and they're more attentive. Those are some of the things that we've shared. It's definitely, I would say, very, very positive.' The district is currently experiencing a spike in kids not following the phone ban, but Desmoulin-Kherat says they are encouraging teachers to keep enforcing the phone ban in classrooms. Also proposed was the Public University Direct Admission Act, which would allow students to see if they qualify for an in-state university before they pay to apply. Desmoulin-Kherat said this would benefit students, as she was once a graduating senior looking at colleges. 'It's a benefit for the children, especially children like me, who came from low income families with not a lot of discretionary funds after all the bills were paid,' she said. Cornille said it's a good idea for students at Heartland, as many use the two-year school to get basic requirements out of the way before they apply to a four-year institution. 'A large number of those individuals that are right here in our local communities, in our community colleges, are in favor of this,' he said. 'About 70% of those individuals, they actually live and they work, and making the challenge of relocating to a university for some would be difficult.' Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said in a news release of his disappointment with what was presented at the address and says 'we must do more.' 'Even a lower-than-expected deficit doesn't mask the harsh reality: Our schools are starved for funds,' he wrote. 'We appreciate that the Governor is meeting the required $350 million increase for Pre K–12 during challenging times, but it's not enough.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prairie Pride Coalition touts traveling exhibit tells of the Harlem Renaissance
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — An exhibit at Heartland Community College honors the Harlem Renaissance movement that occurred 100 years ago, which was equally important for Queer rights. The Prairie Pride Coalition displayed the traveling exhibit 'The Harlem Renaissance: As Gay as it was Black.' There were about 20 posters set up at the school's Workforce Development Center. The namesake of the exhibit came from African-American historian Henry Louis Gates, who said the Renaissance was 'surely as gay as it was black, not that it was exclusively either of these.' Panels in the exhibit chronicle the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, a time frame full of rich history known as the Harlem Renaissance. The era was fed by artists from both the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities; their intersectionality combined to produce a historic time that continues to influence artists and reverberates in communities today. In a room off of the exhibit, a session was held to educate participants on the contributions of Black transgender individuals in pop culture, addressing barriers to inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community and discussing ways to advocate for change. Mentioned in the session was the removal of 'transgender' and 'queer' from the National Park Service's page for the Stonewall National Monument, a civil rights marker. Admission is free at the exhibit which will travel throughout McLean County during February. Here are the dates and the locations. Feb. 17-18: Heartland Community College Workforce Development Center Feb. 19: ISU Multicultural Center Feb. 20-28: Bloomington Public Library Community Room 3 Feb. 20: Harlem Renaissance Salon at Bloomington Public Library Feb. 22: Harlem Renaissance Salon at Bloomington Public Library For more information, please go to the Prairie Pride Coalition's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
