Message from the President
A better career ... a fresh start ... preparation for a university. You might be considering Rend Lake College for these or other reasons. Whatever your motivation, RLC is a great place to start.
The last few years have been interesting and challenging. We've emerged from a pandemic and as of this writing are faced with the rising cost of living, whether it's groceries or gasoline. It's our charge to help you better equip yourself for the future.
On this website, you'll find our degree and certificate offerings plus information about the services we provide and the resources you can use to help you along the way.
Rend Lake College has continued moving forward despite the challenges of the times. We have created the Agronomy Innovation Center to offer education and training on the latest tech in the field. We're developing the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy at the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon, which will provide current and future industry workers with real-world experience in the various pieces of the manufacturing process. Plans also are in the works for a new Allied Health building to house nursing, radiologic technology, and related programs.
That's all on top of expanded options for course delivery, new ways to connect with student services, and a growing slate of student activities.
As always, our goal is to help you reach yours. Call, write, visit, connect virtually. We're glad to have you.
Welcome to Rend Lake College.
Terry Wilkerson
President
We sat down with past and current leaders of Rend Lake College. They talked about their experiences, looking back over 50 years since RLC was established in 1967.
We Are Nationally Accredited
Rend Lake College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1969. Accreditation is extremely important because it ensures that RLC programs are effective and that we are delivering on our guarantees of educational quality. It also helps us identify things we do well, things upon which we can improve and how to go about making those improvements. Accreditation is critical for participation in many state and federal programs which benefit higher education.
RLC Mission Statement
RLC History
Rend Lake College has been the place “where learning never ends” for many years, serving thousands of in-district residents annually.
The college was founded in 1955 as Mt. Vernon Community College and officially became Rend Lake College when it was organized December 20, 1966, under the Illinois Junior College Act (Illinois Revised Statutes, 1967; Chapter 122, Sections 101-1 to 108-2).
Mt. Vernon Community College initially was approved by an overwhelming 25-to-1 vote and was under the supervision of the local high school board, with boundaries the same as those for High School District No. 201. The purpose of this two-year college was to provide postsecondary educational experiences, primarily university-parallel curricula, for the graduates of Mt. Vernon Township High School. Faculty and facilities were provided by the high school.
The first classes of Mt. Vernon Community College began in September 1956, with an enrollment of 124 day and 79 evening students. Expanded curricula offerings in both the baccalaureate and vocational areas, plus the establishment of a School of Practical Nursing in 1961, eventually attracted students from surrounding communities, and by 1966 the college’s enrollment stood at 721 students.
Rend Lake College became a reality shortly after the announcement of the Master Plan for Higher Education in Illinois. Dramatic changes in educational purpose and curricula accompanied the name change.
Voters of the eight-county district approved the establishment of Rend Lake College by nearly an 8-to-1 margin on October 22, 1966, a new governing board was elected from the district in December of that same year and on July 1, 1967, Rend Lake College assumed the assets, liabilities and responsibilities of Mt. Vernon Community College. The purpose of the new college was to provide university-parallel, occupational and general and adult education for the citizens of this new district. District 521 includes the majority of Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson and Perry counties, parts of Wayne and White and even reaches into Washington and Williamson. Included are 13 high school districts – Benton, Christopher, Hamilton County, Mt. Vernon, Norris City-Omaha-Enfield, Pinckneyville, Sesser-Valier, Thompsonville, Waltonville, Wayne City, Webber, Woodlawn and Zeigler-Royalton.
In its early stages, Rend Lake College was located on the campus of Mt. Vernon Township High School. When it began operation on July 1, 1967, the college had a staff of 29 full-time and eight part-time faculty members, two full-time administrators and a librarian.
The Board of Trustees of the new college later selected a 350-acre site near Ina and employed architects to begin planning a new campus. The campus was located between Interstate 57 and Rend Lake. On November 18, 1967, voters approved a bond issue of $3.1 million, which represented the local share of the $9.5 million total. The Illinois Community College Board allocated $2,230,000 for construction of the initial phase.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for Phase I construction were held March 27, 1969 ... the same day the college received word of its first North Central accreditation. Phase I consisted of five buildings – Academic, Science, Gymnasium, South Oasis and Maintenance – and was ready for occupancy by August 1970, with classes on the new campus beginning that fall. Agriculture, Automotive, Cosmetology (Beauty Culture) and Practical Nursing programs were still housed in off-campus facilities in Benton, Bonnie and Mt. Vernon. Permission was then obtained from the Capital Development Board and the ICCB to incorporate Phase III construction with Phase II. Construction of five more buildings – Administration, Vocational, North Oasis, Student Center and Learning Resource Center – began in Spring 1971. Administration and Vocational buildings were finished in September 1973, and by 1975 Phase II and III construction was complete. Rend Lake College thus became the first community college in the state to complete its entire facilities master plan.
A Stran-Steel building also was erected in 1974, next to the Maintenance Building, and was equipped for the Mining Technology program; three separate expansions of this facility later occurred, along with construction of a new Maintenance Building. In 1989, a new automotive wing was added to the Vocational Building and the technology building was renovated.
An Aquatics Center adjoining James (Hummer) Waugh Gymnasium opened on campus in February 1998. The Aquatics Center is available for public use and is equipped to fill rehabilitative needs of area residents. It includes a six-lane, 75-foot by 45-foot pool which features a ramp for the physically challenged and ranges from 3 feet 6 inches in depth to 7 feet 6 inches. A 10-foot by 20-foot therapy pool and a whirlpool 10 feet in diameter add to the usefulness of the facility. In addition to classes, the pool is open during certain time periods daily for recreational use, and memberships are available to the public.
A Children’s Center to serve the child care needs of RLC students and staff, as well as the educational laboratory needs of the Early Childhood Education program, opened in Fall 1998. Funding for the Children’s Center was provided entirely by the RLC Foundation.
Major remodeling of the Administration Building took place during 1999-2000 and nearly doubled its size. This new “Intake Center” centralizes almost all Student Service functions in one building. In 2014-2015, the entryway to the Administration Building was renovated and upgraded by the RLC Foundation’s Pathways to Success project.
In 2002, major off-campus changes occurred with the addition of the Rend Lake College MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon and the Rend Lake College Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus. In 2003, The Hitting Zone, a baseball / softball training facility, began operations, and was renamed in 2014 as the RLC Recreational Center and repurposed.
In Fall 2005, the Mark S. Kern Applied Science Center opened on the southwest corner of campus. This 22,300-square-feet facility houses the Agricultural Business, Agricultural Production, Agricultural Mechanics, Heavy Equipment and Diesel Technology programs.
Opened in Fall 2009 was the the 20,000-square-feet Coal Mine Training Center. It includes operational coal mining equipment and a mock mine with movable walls and other components. The following year, the adjacent Mine Rescue and Fire Training Facility was completed.
In Fall 2011, the Science & Computer Center was added to the Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, allowing students to earn a complete associate degree in many disciplines there without the need to travel to the Ina campus.
A new shooting range, built for concealed carry and other firearms training, was constructed in 2013. In 2014, an addition to the Art program facility, located in the Theatre building, was completed. In 2015, the Fire Rescue training facility was established.
Historical Texts
DOWNLOAD NOW!
Howard Rawlinson’s “The First Fifteen Years” spans 1956 - 1971. It chronicles the establishment of Mt. Vernon Community College and how it grew into Rend Lake College on the Ina campus.
The History of RLC
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Bob Kelley’s compilation, "The History of Rend Lake College," picks up where Rawlinson left off. This unabridged collection of our college's history goes into great detail about leadership, accomplishments, concerns, athletics, students and much more.
Fifty
“Fifty” is rich with photos and historic information covering our first 50 years. Buy your copy today and have it shipped to your door. A portion of the purchase price goes to support our efforts at RLC.
Making A Mark
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The official Rend Lake College seal was designed in 1967-68 by Architectural Technology student Ross John Wakefield, a sophomore from Shelbyville, for a contest among students of Art Instructor Jim McGhee. The seal was favored in a vote by both students and faculty. Wakefield’s rendering features a lamp of learning and compass - representing vocational programs - imposed over an outline of Rend Lake. Used as the college's main mark for years, Wakefield's seal is now RLC's ceremonious symbol.
In 1980, a new college logo -- depicting a sun, waves and the initials RLC in block lettering -- was developed to replace the traditional college seal when a more modern, less official approach was appropriate. Whenever possible, the RLC lettering would remain solid gold, with a second color coordinated but varied — blue, orange, green, etc.
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In 2009, the college comissioned Arthur Agency to design a new logo. An RLC Branding Committee, made up of a cross section of the college, worked with Arthur on the project. The iconic RLC Clocktower was ultimately chosen as the central image in the new logo. The logo was unveiled in February of 2010. Read more.
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RLC's 50th Anniversary logo was created in 2017 by the college's marketing department. The logo combines the Ina campus skyline with elements of Rend Lake. The 13 stars represent the 13 in-district high schools that feed into the college. The 7 lines depicting water represent the 7 presidents who have led RLC from 1967 to 2017.
Administration
Terry Wilkerson
President
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 126
Phone Ext. 1242
President's Executive Leadership Team
Lori Ragland
Vice President of Instruction and Student Affairs
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 136
Phone Ext: 1200
Chad Copple
Associate VP of Institutional Outreach
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 137
Phone Ext: 1237
Cathy DeJarnette
Executive Director - Administrative Services
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 126
Phone Ext: 1243
Henry "Buster" Leeck
Associate VP of Academic & Student Services
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 110
Phone Ext: 1790
Kim Wilkerson
Associate Vice President of CTE and Student Support
[email protected]
Learning Resource Center Room 129
Phone Ext: 1775
John Gulley
Chief Financial Officer
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 164
Phone Ext: 1216
President's Cabinet
Andrea Banach
Dean of Arts & Sciences Division
[email protected]
North Oasis Room 145
Phone Ext: 1258
Amy Epplin
Director of Instutional Compliance and Research
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 121
Phone Ext: 1386
Dr. Gabriele Farner
Dean of Applied Science & Technology
[email protected]
Advanced Technology Center Room 138
Phone Ext: 1292
Jena Jensik
Dean of Enrollment Services
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 108
Phone Ext: 1293
Kent McKown
Coordinator of Network Operations and Security
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 146
Phone Ext: 1215
Donnie Millenbine
Dean of Facilities & Campus Operations
[email protected]
Physical Plant
Phone Ext: 1319
Amy Newell
RLC Foundation Assistant Director of Development
[email protected]
Student Center Room 210
Phone Ext: 1214
Bria Robinson
Dean of Allied Health
[email protected]
South Oasis Room 116
Phone Ext: 1777
Vickie Schulte
Dean of Student Success & Development
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 139
Phone Ext: 1331
Nathan Wheeler
Director of Marketing and Public Information
[email protected]
Administration Building Room 125
Phone Ext: 1234
Smoke-Free Policy
Rend Lake College campuses are smoke-free as of July 1, 2015.
The Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act, signed in 2014 by former Gov. Pat Quinn, does not allow smoking on any public college or university campus, whether that is indoors, outdoors, or in parking lots. Staff, students, and visitors are prohibited from carrying, smoking, burning, inhaling, or exhaling any kind of cigarette, cigar, e-cigarette, or other smoking equipment. The one exception is for those who wish to smoke inside a privately owned vehicle.