Parkland Trustees Approve Space Utilization Study

Parkland College trustees have approved an in-depth evaluation of campus to plan for effective space usage.

At their regular meeting Wednesday, trustees accepted a proposal by IDG+ Architects of Peoria, Illinois, to conduct a comprehensive study/review of campus teaching and learning spaces. The evaluation aims to address efficient and effective use of the campus for curricular and future needs. Although Parkland's present space distribution meets current in-person classroom requirements, lab-space capacity in some health professions and career and technical education programs limit enrollment in those areas. The cost for the study will be $250,000 and will result in recommendations for campus learning facilities, offices, common spaces, and other areas. 

In other business, trustees approved:

• purchasing course materials for Early Childhood Education classes from Cengage Learning of Boston, Mass., $21,000
• hiring a temporary project manager via CDW for the Colleague system migration, $130,000
• athletic training services from Carle Hospital, $26,720
• the filing of grant applications to the Illinois Community College Board for:
  • Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program, $28,434
  • 2024 Youth Providers Grant, $121,624
  • Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub, $7,271,087
• the acceptance of funds for:
  • FY24 Innovative Bridge and Transitions Program from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB)
  • Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
• the following personnel appointments and modifications:
  • David Donsbach, Chief Accounting Officer, Business Office
  • Christopher Foster, PCTV Director/Communications Tenure Track, Arts, Media, and Social Sciences
  • Jonathan Moore, Senior Flight Instructor, Aviation
  • Mark Sellers, Enterprise Applications Analyst, Campus Technologies
  • Debora Newsome, Administrative Assistant, Student Life