Lake Land College history

JUNE 30, 1967– President’s First Annual Report released: Documenting the school’s first-year achievements and outlining ten important long/short range goals were a few of the important sections in President Judge’s report.

AUG. 18, 1968– First Commencement held at Mattoon’s First Baptist Church: Seventy-nine graduates, mostly in the practical nursing and associate of science areas, earned the first degrees bestowed by the college.

MAR. 23, 1969– Ground-breaking for First Phase of the Campus Master Plan: The ground-breaking ceremony formally marked the beginning of construction on four campus buildings: the Northwest and Northeast classrooms, the library, and the power house.

APR. 13, 1970– Tenure policy adopted by the LLC Board.: The policy governing tenure followed a year of committee work that examined how best to evaluate student performance.

MAR. 11, 1971– Ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase I: There were nearly 100 people at the official opening of the permanent campus to students.

SEPT. 1, 1972– Virgil H. Judge formally retires and Doctor Robert Webb is named President-elect: After five years as Lake Land College’s first president, Virgil H. Judge retires.

MAY 1, 1973– Nature trail being developed: Spearheaded by faculty members Denny Gathman and Doctor Donald Garren, a nature trail that surrounds the college is being planned.

MAR. 18, 1975– Lake Land College men’s basketball team wins first-ever Illinois state title: In a win over Belleville junior college at the State Regional tournament, the Lakers secured their first state title.

JULY 26, 1976– Leland Glazebrook named to first term on Board of Trustees: Glazebrook was a Sullivan resident who was known in the area for his ties to education and his farm radio programs.

DEC. 4, 1977– Virgil H. Judge, LLC’s first president, died: A few months after the 10th anniversary of the college’s opening, its first president died unexpectedly.

In 1978, Lakeland launched the state’s first degree-completion program for working adults by offering evening classes designed to fit around their busy schedules.

DEC. 15, 1979– Referendum passes: A special election called by the Board of Trustees resulted in a 15.5 cent tax rate that went into the school’s general educational fund.

JAN. 14, 1980– Lake Land College Center for Business and Industry is established through funding from the college and local businesses.

NOV. 29, 1981– Founders’ Day celebrates the college’s 15 years of service.

SEPT. 15, 1984– Consolidated Communications’s holds the 1st Special Olympics Family Festival (SOFF) on College grounds: More than 225 Special Olympians joined over 750 volunteers on this day.

AUG. 22, 1986– New College Fitness Center opens: Described as a “super-circuit physical fitness center,” the Field House’s newest edition included two “aerobicycles” and more than 20 pieces of Universal cross-training equipment.

Using projection figures to 1987, the firms’ plan determined 312,500 gross square feet would be required to adequately serve the educational needs of current and future Lake Land students.

JAN. 12, 1989– The new Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program is introduced: The program was coordinated and directed by Marilyn Thompson, and possessed more rigorous admission standards than other college curriculum.

In 1990, Lakeland formed its two-year campus in Tokyo, Japan, a sign of the institution’s strong commitment to a global education, which continues today.

NOV. 5, 1991– Tax referendum fails: The late fall tax referendum that requested a 12.5 cent increase to the College’s Educational Purposes Fund was soundly defeated.

Before his administrative duties as a vice president, Lensink taught in the Business Division (1992) where he served, in addition to his teaching duties, as the director of management and business, as well as serving as its Division Chair after the departure of Max Jaeger.

However, it required the funding and support of many groups, like State officials in Springfield, local K-12 superintendents, community college and four-year university presidents, and area businesses, like Consolidated Communications, which donated $440,000 to the initiative in July of 1993.

OCT. 15, 1994– First group of Student Ambassadors were chosen to serve as official representatives of the college: Student Ambassadors quickly became a meaningful part of Student Services’ effort to recruit and retain students.

AUG. 17 1995– The grand opening of Lake Land College Kluthe Center: An estimated 1,000 students were expected to take classes at the new extension center, and thousands more have utilized the Kluthe Center since that time.

JULY 30, 1998– East Classroom Building ground-breaking ceremony: Overcrowding, continued increase in student enrollment, and need to prepare graduates for jobs were cited as the reasoning behind the first new building in 25 years.

OCT 30, 2000- College hires first Master Gardner: Lake Land College hired Curt Devore as the first Master Gardner for the campus and Devore’s work reflected the school’s commitment to the beautification initiative.

2001– Lake Land College named as the fastest growing community college in Illinois by Illinois Community College Board.

OCT. 4, 2005– East Classroom Building is renamed and rededicated in honor of Burnham E. and Nancy Neal: Burnham Neal donated his business’ corporate office (Neal Tire) in Toledo to the Lake Land College Foundation.

JUNE 30, 2006– Doctor Robert K. Luther formally retires: Doctor Luther, described by the editorial board of a local newspaper as a “courtly, dedicated, and principled man,” retired after 18 years as LLC’s 4th president.

2008– International enrollment reaches largest in Lake Land College history with 91 students from 32 countries.

SEPT. 30, 2009– West Building Open House: Lake Land College formally opens the doors to the West Building that would become the permanent home for agriculture, cosmetology and technology programs.

2010– Leland Glazebrook was honored by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association with posthumous honorary membership; which is the ICCTA’s highest award.

The Holden University Center of Lakeland Community College opened in the fall of 2011 to offer convenient access to complete a bachelor's or graduate degree from a variety of leading colleges and universities.

2012– Lake Land College is again named as one of the nations 120 best community colleges by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Dual Credit Program ranked in top 10 percent in Illinois, according to the Illinois Community College Board.

2013- Lake Land College launches Career Services Management Software: The new Career Services Management software was implemented to assist students in finding employment as a student and long after they graduate.

2014– Laker softball team participated in the National Tournament after winning first place in the NJCAA Region 24 Championship.

MAR. 20, 2015– Lake Land College radio station WLKL celebrates its 40th anniversary with a luncheon and open house.

SEPT. 2016– The newly redesigned Lake Land College website went live!

MAY 2017– The Lake Land College softball team won the Region 24 championship and won 4th place at the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.

MAY 2018– Lake Land College celebrates 50 years of graduates with spring commencement.

July 2019- The organization, Nursing Explorer, ranks Lake Land College’s RN and LPN programs third out of 63 programs in the state of Illinois.

JUNE 2020– Lake Land College is pleased to announce it will be honoring graduates at the first-ever Lake Land College Virtual Commencement Ceremony on June 18, 2020 at 6 p.m. due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

FEBRUARY 2021- Counseling Services-The Virtual Transfer Expo was developed in Canvas and held on November 18th.