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September, 2026

Message From the President

As we continue the fall semester, I am excited to share the momentum building across º£½ÇÉçÇø. Our campus community continues to demonstrate remarkable dedication to student success, workforce development, operational excellence, and meaningful engagement throughout Southern Illinois.

This semester, we are advancing several strategic priorities designed to strengthen the College’s future. Our ongoing strategic planning efforts are creating a clear roadmap that connects institutional goals with budgeting, assessment, innovation, and continuous improvement. As this work progresses, employees and campus stakeholders will have opportunities to help shape a plan that reflects our shared vision.

Across campus, more than 100 projects and initiatives are moving forward, supporting areas such as enrollment, retention, student services, communications, and community partnerships. From expanding workforce education opportunities and improving operational processes to enhancing student success initiatives, these efforts reflect our commitment to serving students and meeting regional needs.

Student success remains at the heart of our mission. New career pathways, apprenticeship opportunities, dual-credit initiatives, retention strategies, and workforce partnerships are helping students reach their goals while strengthening connections with employers and communities.

We are also continuing to invest in our campus environment through facility improvements, operational enhancements, sustainability efforts, and safety initiatives. Projects such as Logan Hall and West Lobby repairs represent our ongoing commitment to maintaining a welcoming, effective, and supportive campus.

Beyond our campus, º£½ÇÉçÇø remains actively engaged with regional and statewide partners to advance workforce development, educational opportunities, and community collaboration. These partnerships help us respond to changing needs and expand opportunities for our students and the communities we serve.

Thank you to our faculty, staff, students, Board of Trustees, and community partners for your continued dedication and support. The progress we are making together reflects the strength of our College community and our shared commitment to student achievement.

I look forward to celebrating our continued accomplishments throughout the academic year.

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Kirk Overstreet, PhD. 

President, º£½ÇÉçÇø

Things You Need to Know from the Cabinet

Welcome to this edition of Things You Need to Know from Cabinet, where we share important updates, accomplishments, and upcoming activities from across º£½ÇÉçÇø. Cabinet members continue to work together to support our students, employees, and campus community. Here are the latest updates from around campus.

Police and Public Safety

The º£½ÇÉçÇø Police Department is now officially the º£½ÇÉçÇø Department of Public Safety (DPS). This name change does not affect the department’s day-to-day operations. Instead, the new name better reflects the full scope of the department’s duties and responsibilities, including both the Police and Campus Safety Divisions.

º£½ÇÉçÇø Police Officers continue to conduct regular patrols of college properties to support the safety and security of students, faculty, employees, and visitors. Campus Safety Officers and Interns continue their important work by inspecting and maintaining emergency equipment, including AEDs, fire extinguishers, emergency fire blankets, and emergency eyewash stations.

To assist employees, students, and visitors who need to park farther away due to parking lot closures in preparation for Hunting and Fishing Days, DPS personnel are using golf carts to provide transportation support around campus. º£½ÇÉçÇø DPS would like to thank Black Diamond Harley-Davidson for generously loaning the golf carts for this effort.

DPS will also staff the Williamson County Emergency Management Mobile Command Center again during Hunting and Fishing Days. The command center will provide basic first aid, lost-and-found services, and emergency response support as needed. The mobile command center will be located on the northwest corner of the Blue Lot, Section One.

Academic Affairs

Academic Affairs continues to provide opportunities for students to engage, explore career pathways, and connect with the college community.

The Nursing Department will host its annual Not-So-Scary Trick-or-Treat event on Saturday, October 10, from 12–2 p.m. in the Gold Parking Lot outside of the F Conference entrance. This year’s event has been scaled down to a trunk-or-treat format featuring games, activities, and treats. Nursing students will facilitate a variety of fall-themed stations for attendees.

The Nursing Office is accepting donations of large bags of candy, fall trinkets, and stickers to distribute at the event. Donations may be dropped off in G Building, Room G220, prior to the event.

Foundation

The º£½ÇÉçÇø Foundation’s 49th Annual Golf Classic is coming up on Friday, October 2, and this year’s tournament will be held at Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion.

Employees are invited to join us for a great day of golf while supporting scholarships for º£½ÇÉçÇø students. If you golf, gather a team and come enjoy the day with colleagues and community supporters.

Not a golfer? You can still make an impact. The Foundation is currently seeking sponsors and additional teams and would appreciate employees sharing Golf Classic information with businesses, friends, family members, and community partners who may be interested in participating.

Every team, sponsorship, and shared opportunity helps the Foundation expand support for º£½ÇÉçÇø students. Sponsorship opportunities and team registration are available through the Golf Classic – º£½ÇÉçÇø. Logan Foundation information page.

Thank you for your continued support of the º£½ÇÉçÇø Foundation and our students. We look forward to seeing everyone at Kokopelli on October 2.

Student Affairs

Student Affairs continues to create opportunities for student engagement, connection, and success.

Recruitment hosted the Health and Public Service Pathway Day on September 17, welcoming 190 students from area high schools. Students explored º£½ÇÉçÇø programs through interactive experiences highlighting educational and career opportunities.

Student Senate hosted the Fall Clean Southern IL Highway Clean-Up on September 19, with 19 students participating in efforts to beautify Route 13 and support the local community.

Student Development hosted Loganpalooza on September 16, bringing 120 students together for campus engagement and activities.

Retention Alert updates since the beginning of the semester include:

• 277 total alerts submitted
• 93 closed as not resolved
• 71 closed as not retained
• 93 closed as retained
• 20 still open

Construction

Several campus improvement projects continue to move forward.

Career & Technical Center (CTC) Expansion

• The new HVAC facility is nearing completion and will begin receiving equipment soon.
• Construction continues on the new Welding/CNC Manufacturing and Automotive facilities, with exterior finishes progressing over the coming weeks.

Logan Hall West Lobby Expansion

• Structural repairs are progressing well. Please note that access to the gymnasium will be limited next Wednesday through Friday while work is completed in the athletics area.
• Concrete work continues, with major structural elements now in place.

Roof Replacement Projects

• The D Wing roof replacement is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
• The F Wing roof replacement is scheduled to begin soon and continue through the fall. Work has been coordinated to minimize disruptions during major campus events.

Annex Building Improvements

• Exterior painting of the Annex Building is expected to begin within the next month and be completed before colder weather arrives.

Business Services

External auditors for the College and the º£½ÇÉçÇø Foundation were on campus September 14–25 to test FY 2026 financial records for both entities, along with three federal grant programs, to ensure compliance with accounting standards and federal grant requirements.

The auditors’ primary role is to provide an independent, objective opinion that helps give our community confidence in how public funds are recorded and presented each year. The auditors’ opinions and the Annual Financial Report, including documentation of any findings, will be available in the coming months.

Human Resources

Human Resources continues to focus on employee support, compliance, and engagement.

Supervisors are encouraged to ensure employees complete the compliance training assigned during August and September. Completion of these required trainings remains a priority.

The college is nearing completion of the process to automate the employee directory. Once implemented, the directory will no longer require manual updates and will refresh daily.

Campus Compass resumes for the semester on September 22, 2026. We look forward to continuing to support employee development and engagement through this program.

Friday, September 25, is Dolly Parton Day at º£½ÇÉçÇø! Employees are invited to participate in this fun campus-wide event featuring activities and opportunities to celebrate together.

Legislative Affairs

Legislative Affairs continues to support º£½ÇÉçÇø’s relationships with community partners, state and federal leaders, and higher education organizations.

On August 28, º£½ÇÉçÇø hosted the 2026 Regional Legislative Lunch, bringing together federal and state lawmakers, higher education leaders, and community partners from across Southern Illinois to discuss workforce development, healthcare training, student affordability, and regional economic growth.

º£½ÇÉçÇø continues its leadership role within the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents by helping develop statewide legislative priorities and coordinating planning efforts for the Fall 2026 Presidents Retreat and upcoming legislative agenda discussions.

Work also continues on the campus-wide review of º£½ÇÉçÇø’s Administrative Procedure Manual. The goal is to complete the initial review by December. Employees with procedures requiring revision, clarification, or development should contact Jennifer Fuller as soon as possible to ensure they are included in the current review cycle. After December 1, procedure review responsibilities will transition to the College’s new Shared Governance model.

Employees are also reminded that the º£½ÇÉçÇø Campus Project Form is available on the Executive Leadership Intranet site and should be used when submitting new institutional project requests. The form helps ensure projects are reviewed, prioritized, and tracked appropriately across the College.

Thank you to all employees for your continued dedication and contributions to º£½ÇÉçÇø’s success. Your work makes a difference every day for our students and our community.

Marketing

All flyers posted or disseminated on campus or to the public must be approved by the marketing department. Please email all flyers to steveokeefe@jalc.edu for approval. With multiple events taking place on campus, please complete the Event Promotion Request located on the Marketing, Public Relations and Communications page.

News Around Campus

Southern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days Draws Crowds and Community Together

Perfect weather, strong attendance, and overwhelmingly positive feedback helped make this year’s Southern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days a major success.

Held on the º£½ÇÉçÇø campus, the annual event once again brought together outdoor enthusiasts, vendors, visitors, and members of the Southern Illinois community for a weekend celebrating hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.

From the crowds that filled campus to the enthusiastic response from vendors and attendees, this year’s event demonstrated the continued importance of Hunting & Fishing Days to the region.

Pulling off an event this size takes the work of an entire campus community. Behind the scenes, º£½ÇÉçÇø employees worked throughout the weeks leading up to the event and throughout the weekend to prepare facilities, coordinate logistics, support vendors and visitors, and keep everything running smoothly.

The college’s Facilities team, including Grounds, Maintenance, and Custodial, played a key role, along with the º£½ÇÉçÇø Police Department, IT Support, Marketing, Printing Services, and employees from departments across campus.

The event also required temporary changes to the normal flow of campus, including using and closing parking areas and moving equipment and event materials. Those adjustments, along with ongoing construction on campus, presented additional challenges, but the college community worked together to ensure the weekend could move forward successfully.

That spirit of collaboration was one of this year’s event highlights.

Departments stepped in to help one another, employees took on new responsibilities, and people across campus worked toward a shared goal: creating a successful experience for visitors, vendors, and the Southern Illinois community.

Next year will mark the 40th Southern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days, providing an opportunity to celebrate the event’s history while looking toward its future.

Planning is already underway to build on this year’s success and continue growing the event in the years ahead. Each year brings an opportunity to improve, expand, and create an even stronger experience for the campus and community.

This year’s Hunting & Fishing Days was more than a successful weekend. It reflected what can happen when an entire college community works together.

The result was an event º£½ÇÉçÇø can be proud of—and a strong foundation for an exciting 40th anniversary celebration next year.

Images Around Campus and Beyond