Trustees Approve Tuition Increase, Course Fee Adjustments
Trustees voted Wednesday to approve a 4.2 percent tuition and fee increase
The Parkland College Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to approve a 4.2 percent tuition and fee increase beginning with the Summer 2025 term.
Under the new increase, District 505 students will pay a total of $186 per credit hour in tuition and fees, a $7.50 rate increase for Parkland's Tier One programs, which comprise most of the college's program offerings. Out-of-state and international students' base tuition rates will remain unchanged, but these students will see the 50-cent increase in the student activity fee. There will also be an addition of book fees to select courses on the approved 2025–2026 course fee schedule.
During the board meeting, trustees also listened as Kristin Smigielski, Parkland's dean of enrollment management, reported on the college's Fall 2024 semester-end and Spring 2025 census date enrollments.
Additionally, trustees joined the resolution to adopt a Douglas County property assessment agreement. The agreement establishes a value on a brownfield property in Douglas County that would attract a company considering the property for a new $750 million corn wet milling and biofermentation manufacturing plant. The company, a global leader in biofermentation, would employ about 240 people to process locally grown corn and produce amino acids for livestock feed at the plant.
In other business, the board approved the following:
- the replacement of the flat rubber roof above the third floor of X-Wing by Advanced Commercial Roofing, Champaign, $50,785
- Amendments to lease agreement with the State of Illinois CMS to extend the term of the lease through February 28, 2030
- the purchase of:
- a 2008 Ford F450 from Trav’s Automotive, Gifford, Ill., $25,000
- ALEKS PPL testing units from McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings LLC of Blacklick, Ohio, $60,000
- services from DBI DataLynk of Atlanta, $150,000
- annual license/maintenance of the DNN web CMS and online software from DNN Corp. of San Mateo, Calif., $48,274 (3 years)
- Accommodate software from Symplicity of Arlington, Va., $51,288 (3 years)
- the filing of grant applications:
- Illinois Community College Board (ICCB): FY2025 Access and Equity in Dual Credit Project
- Jobs for the Future (JFF): Project ACCESS—Accelerating Career Connections and Employment Success Strategies
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Idaho Operations Office: Nuclear Reactor Safety Training and Workforce Development Program
- funds awarded to Parkland from external sources:
- Fabricators and Manufacturers Association/Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs: Summer Manufacturing Camps
- personnel appointments and modifications:
- Holly Laurent, Spec, Functional SA and Project Support, Student Services
- Muskan Thapa, Telecommunicator, Public Safety
- Ulanda Hunter, Program Manager, SWFT CEJA, Workforce Development
- Bear Ramirez, IT Service Desk Specialist, Technical Support Services