Southwestern Illinois College
| Motto | Think it. Be it. |
|---|---|
| Type | Community |
| Established | 1946 |
| President | Dr. Georgia Costello |
Academic staff | 139 full-time, 700 part-time |
| Students | 16,245 (Fall 04) |
| Location | Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud, Illinois, United States |
| Campus | Suburban/Urban |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Nickname | SWIC |
| Mascot | a snow leopard named Kashmir [1] |
| Website | http://www.swic.edu/ |
Southwestern Illinois College is the fifth largest community college in Illinois with campuses in Belleville, Granite City, and Red Bud, plus 20 off-campus sites throughout the district, including Scott Air Force Base and the East St. Louis Community College Center.
History
The college was founded in 1946 as Belleville Junior College, operating under the jurisdiction of Belleville Township High School District 201. More than 60 percent of the 169 students enrolled for its first semester were World War II veterans who had just returned from service.
In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Junior College Act, which created community college districts throughout the state. The following year, area residents voted to establish the Class I Belleveille Junior College District 522. Belleville Junior College became Belleville Area College July 1, 1967.
Construction of the Belleville Campus on Carlyle Avenue was completed in 1971. In 1983, the college opened the Granite City Center, followed by the Red Bud Center two years later. Both sites received approval for campus status from the Illinois Community College Board in July 1985. In 1999, a vote to change the name of Belleville Area College was passed. On January 1, 2000, the college name changed to Southwestern Illinois College.[2]
Campuses
The college has three campuses, on Carlyle Avenue in Belleville, in Granite City and in Red Bud.
Organization and administration
The college president is Dr. Georgia Costello.
Academic profile
The college offers more than 150 diverse programs that lead to a bachelor's degree or directly to employment.[3] SWIC also serves the community through Community Education, Programs and Services for Older Persons (PSOP) and Selsius™ Corporate and Career Training.[4]
- Community Education offers something for everyone regardless of age or interests. Noncredit classes are available online, at one of our campuses or at a variety of local schools.[5]
- PSOP offers senior citizens educational, volunteer and social activities, as well as counseling, wellness, transportation and other programs.[6]
- Selsius™ is the business and industry center for Southwestern Illinois helping organizations improve operations through employee training, assessment, education, testing, focus groups, and other resources specific to the needs of businesses and their industries.[7]
Student life
There are no dorms on campus. Southwestern Illinois College has many clubs on all three campuses, including College Democrats and Phi Theta Kappa, as well as other college activities.
Every year the students elect someone to represent them on the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Illinois College. In April 2014 the students elected Nick Raftopoulos from the Granite City campus to be their voice on the board.
Sports
College athletics teams are called the Blue Storm.
Noted people
Alumni
- Justin Hampson – New York Mets player
- Josh Harrellson – Professional basketball player
- Matt Hughes – retired mixed martial artist, former Ultimate Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion, UFC Hall of Fame member[8]
- Sandra Magnus – NASA astronaut
- Randy Wells – Chicago Cubs/Texas Rangers player
Faculty
- Otis L. Miller, Jr. – professor and politician
- Van Allen Plexico – author