Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees approves new student Wellness Club and faculty reappointments

The Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees held its monthly meeting on Monday, December 16, 2024, at Kaskaskia College. Attendees included Bill Hawley (Odin), Linda Stover (Centralia), Louis Kalert (Centralia), Craig Finke (Nashville), Bryan Holthaus (Carlyle), and Connor Wademan (Student Trustee). Jim Beasley (Centralia) and Laura Wedekemper (Shattuc) were absent.

Upon feedback from students and the support of faculty sponsor Fran Windler, the request to form a new club, The Wellness Club, was approved as a student community support group that will help promote self-care and general wellness on campus. The club's mission is to promote holistic well-being on the KC campus by fostering a supportive community focused on physical health, mental resilience, and emotional balance. The club will be open to all students, with a targeted outreach to students with a focus on Psychology.

The board of trustees reviewed and approved the proposal regarding the purchase of Ellucian CRM Advice, which is student retention software to be utilized by Student Service departments from Ellucian Company, LLC, of Reston, VA, for $416,682. Title III funds have been identified to help with purchase to enable a student advising module that seamlessly integrates components of the entire student experience, whether it be academic, social, financial, well-being, etc.

Trustees also approved the purchase of new access points and switches for campus connectivity, security, and network stability from ITSavvy of Oak Park, IL, for $55,294.

In preparation for 2025, the Board of Trustees meeting scheduled was reviewed and approved, with meetings continuing to be held on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the college's main campus. The May BOT meeting will be held at the Vandalia Education Center, and the September meeting will be held at the Crisp Technology Center in Centralia. Regarding personnel, Kevin Wheeler has been reclassified from Automotive Work-based Learning Facilitator to Assistant Professor of Automotive Technology, effective January 2025.

Additionally, the following faculty were approved for reappointment:

First-Year Probationary Faculty to Second Year: Stephanie Burgher (Arts and Sciences) and Kendra Mueller (Health Sciences)

Second-Year Probationary Faculty to Third-Year Status: Sarah Foley (Arts and Sciences) and Shelby Guthrie (Health Sciences)

Third-Year Probationary Faculty to Tenured Status: Aryashree Kharel (Arts and Sciences), Connor Pollmann (Career and Technical Education), and Whitney Wadkins (Health Sciences)

Continued Tenured Employment Status:
Arts and Sciences
Michael Geiger
Peter Vig
Brandi Wilkins

Health Sciences
Marsha Baro
Sharon Elwood
Nichole Macon
Tessa Opfer
Cheryl Rushing
Lori Schmidt

Career and Technical Education
Charles DeBernardi
Aaron Heinzmann
Robert Jervis
Kerri Richards

Industrial Trades
Mark Litteken