Trustees Approve New Gen Ed Certificate

GECC Certificate incorporates state's basic gen ed requirements

Future Parkland College graduates will be able to place an additional credential on their college resumes before leaving with their degrees, without spending more to earn it.  

The Parkland College Board of Trustees Wednesday approved the school's new General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) Certificate, incorporating into the credential the state's basic general education requirements for college freshmen and sophomores.

Since 1998, Parkland College has participated in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide agreement allowing students to transfer their completed Illinois General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) course package between participating institutions. By completing the courses, distributed across five academic discipline areas, students can be assured that they have satisfied the lower-division general education requirements for their transfer institution's associate in arts or bachelor's degrees, without having to take additional lower-level gen eds.

Illinois Community College Board rules now allow colleges to award an official certificate to a student who completes the GECC. This GECC certificate is not a workforce certificate or an industry-recognized credential. It is, however, a powerful tool to aid in transfer and completion.

In other business Wednesday, trustees administered the oath of office to Matthew R. Monferdini, a graduate of the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center. Prior to being hired by Parkland College Public Safety, Monferdini served as a security officer with Riverside Medical Center, in Kankakee. He has attended Kankakee Community College and the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Trustees also approved the following:

• disposal of two pistols no longer needed by the Public Safety department

• resolution identifying work contracts to the Installment Purchase Agreement entered into in connection with the issuance of Series 2008 and 2009 debt certificates

• personnel appointments:

  • Holly Laurent, Administrative Assistant to VPSS, Administration Office

  • Le Hoang Nguyen, Environmental Safety & Sustainability, Physical Plant

  • Thomas Murray, Police Officer, Public Safety