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Parkland College is a community college located in Champaign, Illinois. This fully accredited, public community college delivers vocational-technical and academic instruction to District 505, the third largest community college district in Illinois. Parkland is a center for educational opportunity and community enrichment in east central Illinois and has earned a national reputation for excellent academic standards, innovative programs, and quality instruction.[2] In 2008, the college was selected by the U.S. Department of Education's "Community Colleges Can!" project as one of the initiative's 12 initial mentor colleges.[3] Built on 233 acres of landscaped grounds in Champaign, Illinois, Parkland is centrally located and accessible to all 54 communities in its district. The beautiful, quiet campus is situated near the intersection of interstate highways 57, 72, and 74 and is a seven- to 10-minute drive from the University of Illinois campus. It takes about 2-1/2 hours to reach Parkland from downtown Chicago and Indianapolis and 3-1/2 hours from St. Louis. The commuter college facilities include more than 85 classrooms, 60 specialized labs, an FM radio station, a public access educational TV station, an experimental agricultural land laboratory and greenhouse, a community-supported art gallery, and excellent physical education and recreation facilities, including a fitness center. Its cultural center contains a 320-seat performing arts theater and a 50-foot dome planetarium, the second largest in Illinois. Parkland also has a child development center to serve the needs of faculty, staff, students, and families in its district. When classes are in session, students select from a variety of food choices from on-campus cafeterias. Students at the college appreciate the safety of the Parkland campus, the access to free parking, and the convenience of its food-service operations. Parkland’s Public Safety officers are state-licensed emergency medical technicians who respond to on-campus police, medical, and safety emergencies in less than two minutes.[2]
[edit] HistoryParkland College developed from a series of formal discussions that began in December 1963 between the Champaign and Urbana (Ill.) boards of education. The original intent of the discussion was to develop a technical institute. Word of the project spread, with other area school districts joining in the effort. This group of educators and community leaders soon became known as the East Central Illinois Steering Committee (ECISC). The goal of the initial project, a technical institute, changed when the steering committee heard in 1964 of the proposed Master Plan for Higher Education in Illinois. The Master Plan persuaded the ECISC to think in terms of a comprehensive junior college. After a broad series of informational talks the ECISC held with business clubs, churches, school PTAs, and other groups, voters approved the establishment of Illinois Junior College District 505 in March 1966, electing its first Board of Trustees the following month. The board established temporary offices for the college and began a national search for a college president. William M. Staerkel was selected as president in October 1966. During the spring of 1967, the Board of Trustees began leasing buildings in downtown Champaign to be used as the temporary Parkland campus. Meanwhile, the architectural firm of Ernest J. Kump & Associates of Palo Alto, California, was selected to design the permanent campus. Numerous sites were considered for the permanent campus, resulting in the purchase of the Ehler Farm in northwest Champaign. Combined with adjoining tracts, the campus would cover 233 acres. In September 1967, Parkland Community College opened its doors with a total enrollment of 1,338 students. The tuition at the time was $4.50 per credit hour.[4] [edit] College Presidents
[edit] Theater, Planetarium, and Art GalleryThe Parkland Theatre and Planetarium are two spectacular points of interest in Parkland, and house many shows each year. Additionally, the college houses the Parkland Art Gallery, founded in 1981. The Gallery's exhibitions and educational programs are offered free of charge to the public. Each year through its programs of exhibitions, the Gallery seeks to promote the development of artists talent and aesthetic awareness while at the same time expanding the audience's appreciation of various art forms. Exhibits are selected to illustrate a wide range of traditional and innovative work, recognized and new talent, proven forms and fresh ones. The Gallery displays work by contemporary artists of regional and national status. [edit] Student organizationsParkland College has many student organizations to meet the extracurricular needs of the college, including several national organizations and fraternities.
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Coordinates: 40°07′55″N 88°17′25″W / 40.131857°N 88.290217°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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