Parkland College Trustees Approve Construction Bid for New AGCO Training Center
Board of Trustees Approve Construction Bid for New AGCO Training Center
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Parkland College trustees approved a multi-million dollar construction bid for the new AGCO Training Center at Parkland College, adopted the college's 2024 budget, approved a lease agreement for the Institute of Aviation, and recognized faculty and staff excellence during their regular meeting Wednesday.
The board approved the bid to build the new AGCO Training Center at Parkland College at a cost of $5,433,500 from Petry-Kuhne Company of Champaign, Illinois. This is made possible by a $5 million donation by AGCO Corporation, a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of agriculture machinery and precision agriculture technology. This new training center will have three classrooms, faculty offices, and 18,000 square feet of equipment laboratory space.
Trustees also approved a five-year lease agreement with the University of Illinois-Willard Airport regarding the Institute of Aviation Administration buildings and Intergovernmental and Bailment through July 31, 2028.
Both Dr. Pamela Lau, president, and Stephanie Stuart, vice president for strategic partnerships and workforce innovation gave brief updates. Jim Bustard, director of the physical plant, presented the trustees with an update on the campus master plan, followed by the approval of the Protection, Health, and Safety (PHS) Fund projects to reconstruct access areas and improve drainage.
The board also heard from Joshua Birky, director of grants and sponsored programs, regarding the annual grants report. The trustees approved the funds awarded to the college from external sources and the college's budget for fiscal year 2024.
During Wednesday's meeting Krishna Thomas, director of the center for excellence in teaching and learning, presented the following awards:
- Britt Carlson, Teaching Excellence Award
- Julie Weishar, Leadership Award for Outstanding Full-Time Faculty
- Virginia Lehmann, Leadership Award for Outstanding Adjunct Faculty
- Sara Stone, Outstanding Staff Gold Award (5+ Years)
- HeatherAnn Layman, Outstanding Staff Green Award (<5 Years)
In other business, trustees approved:
- bid for sixteen multi-process welders and bottle carts from SJ Smith, $197,685.00
- construction bid for AGCO Training Center at Parkland College from Petry-Kuhne Company of Champaign, Illinois, $5,443,500
- office furniture for Human Resources from Knoll Inc. of Greenville, Pennsylvania, $27,462.99
- professional support services for CROA upgrade from Ferrilli of East Haddonfield, New Jersey, $40,000
- professional support services and consulting services for Financial Aid and Business Office from Ferrilli of East Haddonfield, New Jersey, $45,000
- Learning Commons classroom furniture from Krueger International of Green Bay, Wisconsin, $60,000
- Parkland College Community Education travel services from Club Europa of Urbana, Illinois, $134,000
- renewal of Adobe Enterprise Term License Agreement (ETLA) from CDW of Vernon Hills, Illinois, $354,000
personnel appointments and modifications:
- Joshua Birky, Director, Grants and Sponsored Programs
- Virginia Buler, Payroll Accountant, Business Office
- Hans Carmien, Faculty Agribusiness Tenure Track, Agricultural Technologies
- Michael Ciffarelli, Systems Analyst, Campus Technologies
- Heather Chalk, Advisor, Admissions and Records
- John Dimit III, Technical Support Specialist, Campus Technologies
- John Dunlap, Faculty, AGCO, Agricultural Technology and Sciences
- Staci Frantz, Faculty Vet Tech, Allied Health
- Nikki O'Brien, Coordinator, FYE and Inclusive Learning, Learning Commons
- Kiefer Owens, Advisor/Academic Coordinator, TRiO
- Zachary Pych, Director, Athletic Facilities, Athletics
- Morgann Quilty, Dean, Learning Commons
- Maliya Smith, Counselor, Counseling Services
- Titus Young, Director, Student Life