COVID-19 Updates for Fall 2022:

Following consultation with a number of stakeholders who have your best interests in mind, the College has decided to continue the existing COVID mitigations into the fall semester. Please read carefully the following information.

• Masking is required in all instructional spaces, including classrooms, labs, clinical areas, and the library. These are places students must sit for extended periods, and social distancing may be harder to achieve.

• Masking and social distancing are still encouraged wherever people gather for extended periods, including large meetings or indoor events. Event organizers should remind and encourage participants to mask when appropriate.

• PPE is still available for departments to request.

• While mandatory testing is no longer required, as a convenience, Loop Medical will continue to offer COVID-19 testing on Mondays and Thursdays in the PSC Conference Center, room 1315. This is FREE for students. Employees should bring their insurance card.

• Enhanced cleaning is still in effect through our custodial staff.

• Self-reporting and quarantine guidance can be found on the PSC COVID-19 Webpage.

An email from the President’s Office was sent to the college community on August 15, followed by a student targeted message on August 19 about COVID mitigations for fall 2022. Please refer back to that message for more information.

Strategic planning underway:

Earlier this year, we began our strategic planning process by surveying our stakeholders, gathering data, and revising our mission, vision and values -- the language we use to convey who we are. This month, a diverse, 30-member, Strategic Planning Team was launched to undertake the process of developing our new Strategic Plan. This Team is participating in four half-day workshops this semester. The first step involves taking a deep dive into our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Check your email for the survey that was sent today to provide your input on the priorities we need to address.

Personal Counseling Services:

Counselor Shannon Word, a member of the community's Cottage Grove Health Center Advisory Council, was asked by council members to attend a preliminary budget hearing presided by Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on July 11, 2022. Counselor Word was able to describe the on-campus mental health services PSC students receive along with a testimony of the comprehensive healthcare services provided to students from the Ford Heights Cottage Grove Center.

Speech Camp 2022:

The 2022 Summer Speech Camp was another great success! Thirty-five students from area high schools were on campus from July 11-21, 2021 in the afternoons to learn about competitive speech and to begin to prepare for their Fall competition season. Professors Joshua Green and Dana Trunnell work with area high school coaches from Marian Catholic, Homewood-Flossmoor, Munster (Munster, IN), Stagg, and Eisenhower to provide high school students with an experience they’ll never forget.

The event could not come together without the help of the PSC Speech Team and the support of Dean Hebert-Johnson, Kathryn Hanrahan, VP Wilson, Carmen Davis, and President Anthony, and the Foundation. It’s really important to us that we also profusely thank Cristina Lazard and her wonderful Support Services team. We rely on them heavily during camp and they often stop what they’re doing to make sure we have what we need. Also, we need to thank Esther Pacheco for whom no emergency Conference Center need is too big a request or a headache…even though they’d be too big or a headache for anyone else! The camp has served as a great service to our community as well as a fantastic way to market Prairie State College as a potential school choice.

Fall Campaign: Comcast Commercials

The fall commercial airs in the South Suburban and South Lake zones from Aug. 1 through Sept. 4, a five-week campaign. The campaign targets an audience called “Singles and Starters,” which comprises young adults either entering college or starting their career or a family. The campaign includes the commercial airing over 14 networks, including some MLB games on ESPN and a couple of NFL preseason games. We will also reach the targeted zones during streamed content with 100,000 impressions with Effectv Streaming.

The kitchen in the staff lounge on the second floor of the main building has received a facelift! Thanks to our outstanding facilities team for making that happen. We look forward to many more updates to come. We also want to recognize the work done on our landscaping -- sometimes, we may not realize that things like manicured grass, plants, and mulch make a difference for look and feel of the campus. Thanks to those working hard to help improve PSC!

Fall 2022 Scholarship Update:

The scholarship application for the fall 2022 semester opened to registered students on Monday, July 16.

As of August 24, 250 scholarship applications have been submitted, with a total of 401 applications attempted. Susan Sebastian, Manager of Scholarships and Alumni Relations, and the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee are working diligently to review applications and make awards as quickly as possible. So far, the committee has awarded $45,997.87 in scholarships and an additional $6,752.97 in BookSHARE loans to students.

PSC Foundation FY2023 Budget Update

The Foundation’s Investment & Finance Committee met last week to discuss the budget for fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023), including the scholarship budget. The committee has approved a scholarship budget of $193,660, $5,000 of which will be offered as Special Funding Request opportunities for faculty and staff.

Available scholarship funds are based on the net fundraising income for the previous fiscal year and up to 5% of a five-year rolling average of the Foundation’s investment fund’s year-end market value. This number will go down next year because of the market performance in FY22, so it is imperative the Foundation has successful fundraising for FY22. The Foundation’s year ends on September 30, 2022, so it is essential that the Reach for the Stars Gala is very successful to fund scholarships in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Reach for the Stars Scholarship Gala

On Friday, September 15, the Foundation will host a huge fundraiser that is not to be missed! This is the first gala that has been held in person since 2019. It will be an opportunity to celebrate everyone being back together as well as the investiture, Homecoming Week, student scholarship recipients, and the Reach for the Stars Award recipient, Dr. Marie Hansel. Contact the Foundation office now to make plans to attend this grand celebration at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Brass From The Past will provide live music, bringing you back to the 60s, 70s, and 80s with the music of Motown, R&B, funk, soul, and rock. Purchase employee-priced tickets for the event online at https://give.classy.org/employeegala2022.

More Information on the Faculty Symposium

Join us in the Barnes & Noble College Auditorium on Tuesday, September 13, to hear faculty present on various topics between 10 a.m. – 2:20 p.m. You can stay for all the presentations or come and go as your schedule allows. The following faculty will be presenting:

Craig Mulling and Dana Trunnell

Sarah Hein

Christine Brooms and Students

Melanie Eddins Spencer, Natalie McGathey, and Students

Erica Lannan and Student

Medhat Shaibat and Student

Tony Gumushian

Thomas Nicholas

Valerie Moore

Heather Pevion & Monique Campbell

Devon Lindsay

Chad Vliestra

Laura Guill

A full schedule of presentation titles and times will be sent to all employees before the event.

PSC Dental Clinic Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting:

Join us at the dental clinic in the Health Tech Building on Tuesday, September 13, at 5:30 p.m. for the ceremony and reception. Attendees must RSVP by August 30 at give.classy.org/PSCDentalClinic. There is no charge to attend the event, but donations will be accepted.

Summer 2022 Scholarship Update:

In total, 154 students applied for scholarships, and 131 were awarded for summer 2022. All applications were reviewed, and $27,615.05 was offered in tuition awards. The Foundation spent $440.05 at the PSC Barnes & Noble Bookstore for 4 lab books, and 19 textbooks valued at $3,060.42 were loaned to students as part of the BookSHARE program.

Scholarship Classic Golf Outing:

Although it was technically a rainout, the Foundation held a successful golf outing on Monday, June 7. Not all was lost, however, as Idlewild Country Club gave golfers vouchers so they could golf at another time. Special thanks to PSC employees who attended the outing as golfers and/or reception attendees, donated to the event, or volunteered at the event and helped us to raise a net income of $13,000.

Congratulations to the winners of the Helicopter Golf Ball Drop:

First Place: Dana Lahart, Green Promoting, $300

Second Place: Mary Fitzpatrick, iPad donated by CWD and procured by Fred Ziems

Third Place: Dennis Bautista, HUB International, foursome at Idlewild Country Club

WDCE: Wheels on the Ground

WDCE announces re-entry into the TDL industry with its CDL training partnership with 160 Driving Academy. Registration is open now, with new cohorts beginning each Monday. Visit prairiestate.edu/cdl for additional information. With industry interests from Bremen High School, the Bimba Corporation, and other industry partners, the WDCE MTCs are road-ready for welding, manufacturing, and industrial technology training partnerships. Visit prairiestate.edu/mtc for additional information.

New PSC Employees:

Professor Biology Erica Lannan was published over the summer.

Porter, S., Hilgert, U., Lannan, E., Stieber, M. (2022). Evaluating the potential for immune escape: how likely is an antibody to protect against a specific SARS-CoV-2 variant?. Antibody Engineering, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/82D0-AT65

https://qubeshub.org/publications/2913/1.

This publication is an educational resource on using bioinformatics in biology labs/classrooms to have students analyze interactions between virus proteins and commercial antibodies.

The Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. To view information from the Board of Trustees, including meeting agendas, minutes and audio/video recordings, visit Board Meetings.