President Anthony, VP Bingham, and VP Little traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the National Coalition of Predominantly Black Institutions, joining leaders from Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) across the country for a PBI Fly-in. PSC joined Chicago State University, Malcolm X College, Olive Harvey College, and other colleges from New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.

PSC met with key legislators during the visit, including U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson. Additionally, they engaged with the legislative aides for U.S. Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Representative Michael Quigley, and others. On the second day, the PBI Coalition met with U.S. Department of Education leaders.

On Friday, November 10, Prairie State College held its annual Veterans Day Ceremony, organized by the Office of Military Student Affairs, to honor local and student veterans. The event began with the Presenting of the Colors by Bloom Township High School NJROTC. Dr. Bernard Little delivered a welcoming speech, followed by Georges Sanon, Military Student Affairs Office Coordinator. The ceremony focused on expressing gratitude to the veterans who have courageously defended our democracy, values, and freedom around the world. Special guests CWO Melissa Farmer Hill and keynote speaker Col. Damon Arnold highlighted the 75th anniversary of the full integration of women in the Armed Forces. Dr. Desirée Anderson presented the Outstanding Supporter of the Office of Military Student Affairs award to the City of Chicago Heights, and special recognition was given to World War II Navy Veteran James "Judge" Williams. 

VP Bernard Little, VP Jeri Bingham, CIO Jerrold Martin, and Executive Director Deb Havighorst attended the Will County CED Annual Meeting on Friday, December 1, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. VP Little and VP Bingham are pictured here with colleagues from Governor State University, Executive Director of Continuing Education Craig Schmidt, and Acting President Corey Bradford.

VP Dr. Charmaine Sevier and VP Jeri Bingham showed support for Dr. Theresa McCoy-Carpenter, PSC Board of Trustees and Member of the DuSable Museum Women's Board at the organization's annual gala at the Tinley Park Convention Center on Sunday, December 3. VP Sevier and VP Bingham are pictured here with Trustee McCoy-Carpenter (middle) and other guests from her table. 

Prairie State College hosted a hybrid mini-conference on November 17 to strengthen ties with local high schools. PSC faculty members met with educators from Bloom, Bloom Trail, Crete-Monee, Homewood-Flossmoor, and Rich Township. The event featured presentations by PSC Library faculty members Diane Anderson, Thane Montaner, and Valerie Moore on information literacy and revising students' research approaches. English Professor Jessica Gravely showcased new student writing evaluation tools, while Adjunct Professor Cherise Stone-Thompson discussed peer feedback strategies. Lastly, English Professor Jason Evans discussed ChatGPT-related policies at PSC and the participating high schools.

PSC students participated in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, hosted by Moraine Valley Community College. The event featured writing competitions, workshops, and opportunities to connect with professional writers. This year, PSC stood out, with three of our students emerging as winners, the most among all the colleges in the conference.

Daniel Carbaugh claimed the top spot in the fiction category with his story "The Call," which impressed the judges to the extent that they expressed interest in publishing it in The Write City Review, a publication by the Chicago Writers Association. Tegan Baez secured first place in the poetry competition with her prose poem "Meal Prep." Rodolpho Meza achieved second place in the drama/screenplay category with his play "Love, Melody.”

We are excited to announce that the Marketing and Communications Team is on the verge of launching the new PSC website. 

As we prepare for this transition, it is important to note that we will no longer be making updates to the current site, unless required by law or accrediting agency compliance.

Moving forward, all website requests will be subject to an approval process to ensure alignment with our brand standards and the overarching goal of transforming the PSC website into an updated tool and resource for both internal and external audiences. Please note: all internal information, including request forms and ITR ticket links, will be accessible through the intranet.

We understand that this change may raise questions and require some adjustment, and we are fully prepared to address them and make updates as needed. 

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this period of transition and look forward to unveiling the new website in the coming days.

Associate Professor, Communication Briana Abate invited the PSCreative leadership team to join her Public Relations class, COMM116, to provide students with valuable insights into the integrated practices of marketing communications. 

The Marketing and Communications team recently received two Medallion Awards at the 2023 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 3 Conference in St. Charles, Missouri, in the following categories: 

E-Newsletter - Silver 

Television/Video Paid Advertisement Series - Bronze

The award-winning e-newsletter, designed and managed by PSC’s marketing department (PSCreative), is an internal monthly publication distributed to all PSC employees. It features college updates, events, accomplishments, and other relevant information. 

The PSC video advertisement series features three 30-second commercials showcasing various students and programs at the College. The videos can be viewed on the PSC YouTube channel and through the links provided.

Pioneers Spring 2023 Commercial 

Possibility Spring 2023 Commercial 

One Step Closer 2023 Commercial

Each month, the Institutional Research office will be sharing interesting facts about PSC and our students. These facts will be gathered from the internal and external data reporting that we work on. We hope these monthly tidbits get you excited and curious about how data can help us know and serve our students better! Reach out to Annette Dolph with any data-related questions.

Men's Soccer Finishes 18-3 while Basketball is in Full Swing

Men's Soccer: PSC Men's Soccer started strong at the NJCAA National Tournament, defeating Patrick Henry 1-0 and fighting a tough match against top-seeded Northeast despite an early red card. 

Men's Basketball: The basketball teams are just getting started and the men's squad sits at 3-5 during the early portion of the year. Freshman Antonio Phillips leads the way scoring 21.2 points per game while Dion Alexander is averaging a lofty 17.8 for the Pioneers.

Women's Basketball: The women's team, under new coach Tanner Kuehn, is off to a 5-4 start. The Pioneers have wins over Governors State (JV), Kishwaukee College and Olive-Harvey College. Miracle Thomas leads all scorers with a robust 20.8 points per game average.

For schedule information, please visit the Prairie State College Athletics website.

Due to the expense and limited staff, the Foundation has not produced an annual report. At the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Community College Advancement Conference in October, another community college shared they produced an annual “report card” to send to their supporters each year. The Foundation’s fiscal year 2023 Annual Report Card will be featured as the back of the self mailer the Foundation will be sending for the end of year campaign.