The Rend Lake College Board of Trustees will seek bids for a Communications Tower.

During its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 8, the board learned that the current communications signal is not adequate enough to reach the entire campus, which could pose a security threat. The purchase and installation of this new system will improve internal communications for the Security and Physical Plant Departments.

Range Hood System purchased for RL Café
The board ratified the award for the purchase and installation of the Range Hood System for the RL Café. The winning bid was Heartland Mechanical Contractors in Murphysboro for $64,978.

Odum named Coordinator of Industry & Apprenticeships
Permission was granted to ratify the transfer of Academic Advisor Tonya Odum to Coordinator of Industry Training & Apprenticeships, effective June 1. In light of the recent transfer of Angelina Mabrey, who served as the Apprenticeship Coordinator, the transfer is in the best interest of the college, according to administrative rationale.

Fitts promoted to Director of Apprenticeships & CTE Support
Permission was granted to expand the duties and revise the job description of Joy Fitts from CTE Support Specialist to Director of Apprenticeships & CTE Support, effective June 1. To better fit the needs of the college, this position is being created to build upon current duties and to efficiently use college resources, according to administrative rationale.

Confer promoted to Director of RLCF Children’s Center
Permission was granted to transfer Chrissy Confer from Lead Childcare Provider to Director of RLC Foundation Children’s Center, effective June 16. In light of the recent resignation of Brooke May, the transfer is in the best interest of the college, according to administrative rationale.

Braden promoted to Assistant Director of Student Records
Permission was granted to expand the duties and revise the job description of Summer Braden from Student Records Specialist to Assistant Director of Student Records, effective July 1. To better fit the needs of the college, this position is being created to build upon current duties and to efficiently use college resources, according to administrative rationale.

Phillips moves to Director of Auxiliary Services
Permission was granted to expand the duties and revise the job description of Corey Phillips from Director of Rend Lake College MarketPlace to Director of Auxiliary Services, effective July 1. To better fit the needs of the college, this position is being created to build upon current duties and to efficiently use college resources, according to administrative rationale.

New Curriculum coming
The college will add five new online courses — Restaurant Management, Principles of Cost Control, Principles of Effective Speaking, Accelerated Learning Program and Stress Management.

Fund transfers
The board approved the transfer of $2,481,000 from the Education Fund to the Working Cash fund. The transfer makes whole an earlier transfer that the college had made previously and was to have been repaid within the fiscal year.

The board also agreed to transfer up to $3.4 million from the Working Cash Fund to the Education Fund. The transaction is necessary due to the timing of receipts expected from the State of Illinois for various grant payments that may be delayed. The amount will be transferred back to the Working Cash Fund upon receipt of the expected state monies.

In other business, the board
· Approved a second reading revising policies in regards to background checks for potential and current employees.
· Approved an engagement letter for Kemper CPA Group, LLP, to provide audit and tax return preparation for the 2021 fiscal year, effective July 1.
· Approved the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement for the Mary and George Slankard Learning Resource Center, effective June 8.
· Approved revisions to increase hourly pay for some part-time positions, effective July 1.
· Created stipend positions for a College Bowl Coach and a Debate & Speech Team Coach and increased other stipends, effective July 1.
· Accepted the resignation of Brooke May, director of the RLC Foundation Children’s Center, effective May 20.
· Accepted the resignation of Jamie Cambron, lead childcare provider at the RLCF Children’s Center, effective June 30.
· Approved the Resource Allocation Management Plan for fiscal year 2023. The RAMP will soon be available online at rlc.edu/achieves.
· Approved the salaries for fiscal year 2022.

Mark Your Calendars
Mental Health 101 with Lindsey Adams, Tuesday, June 15, virtual, TBD.
RLC Sponsored Family Night, Wednesday, June 30, Aquatic Zoo, Mt. Vernon, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Paramedic Program Accreditation Site Visit, Thursday through Friday, July 8-9, virtual.
Warrior Days Workshop, Wednesday, July 28, Rend Lake College campus, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Warrior Days Workshop, Wednesday, August 4, Rend Lake College campus, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
RLC Sponsored Back-to-School Night for High School Students, Wednesday, August 4, Aquatic Zoo, Mt. Vernon, TBD.
Warrior Days Workshop, Saturday, August 14, Rend Lake College campus, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Annual RLC Foundation Golf Outing, Thursday, September 9, Rend Lake Golf Course, noon shotgun start.
Fun Fest, Wednesday, September 15, Rend Lake College Ina campus, noon to 3 p.m.
Auto Show, Rend Lake College Ina campus.
RLCF Annual Scholarship Dinner, Thursday, October 21, Benton Civic Center, 6 to 8 p.m.

SESSER, Ill. — Rend Lake College Culinary Arts alumna Hannah Hill has set up her own shop, the Milk & Honey Bakehouse in Sesser, where she runs a one-woman dessert operation that is satisfying sweet-tooth cravings throughout southern Illinois.

Hill graduated with an Occupational Certificate of Baking and Pastry Arts in 2017. She said her time at the college was her first in a professional kitchen. The small class size with Chefs Robert Wilson and Jeff Fairbanks was the perfect recipe for success. It was an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream.

“I’ve loved baking and cooking my whole life,” Hill said. “It’s what I have enjoyed. I got to just drink in all the information that I could. It was one of the most fun years of my life.”
Hill knew she wanted to own her own business, and she knew she wanted to give back to the southern Illinois community that helped shape who she is today. The opportunity to open her own bake shop came six months ago, after the kitchen job she had was put on hold because of COVID. A couple of weeks later, Hill was able to find an available kitchen to rent and start up her dream business.

The Milk & Honey Bakehouse has an array of made-from-scratch treats, but pie is the specialty. Customers can pre-order their desserts 24 hours in advance through her website [LINK “her website”] so that she is able to serve as many as possible.

Hill said her signature pie is the Honey Pie, a salted pretzel crust custard creation that includes a dollop of the sweet stuff that she tries to put in every one of her recipes.
The Sesser community has been very welcoming, and the buzz about her business has been spreading.

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” she said.

Hill said pie is the kind of dessert that brings up joy and also conjures up their own memories.

“I’ve always liked pie,” Hill said. “People around here love pie, and everyone around here has eaten pie at some point. And everyone thinks about their grandma’s pie. They know what they expect a pie to be, and I try to make that standard but everyone’s a little bit different.”

On the weekends, Hill has busied herself, setting up shop at various events and growing her clientele. Her booths have been set up at the Route 51 Farmhouse Market in DuQuoin, the Locust Street Historical Fair in Centralia, and the Magpie Market Days in Marion. Her future plans are to increase her business-to-business sales, and summer events like these help her make those connections.

“Events are my favorite part about doing this,” she said. “I get to meet other business owners, broaden my outreach and meet new customers. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone, for sure, but they are always fun.”

Hill, who grew up in DuQuoin, said southern Illinois has a unique food culture and she feels honored to be a part of it.

“I think the food culture here is vastly underrated,” she said. “That is something they taught us in culinary school, how much of a diversity in food there is around here, but it is also high quality. So I think you could find some really great stuff here and I wanted to be a part of that food culture.”

Hill said hard work is important in the restaurant business, and those who are willing to put in the time will be rewarded.

“That’s where you have to start,” she said. “If you are willing to put in the work, be dedicated and be reliable. If you are good under pressure, you are not going to have any problem. You are going to be valuable.”

Check out all of Hill’s sweet specialties online at milk-honey-bakehouse.myshopify.com.

Face-to-face classroom options will return to Rend Lake College this summer and fall, as Covid-19 vaccines continue to roll out and our area’s outlook improves.

While some classes have had face-to-face learning experiences for their labs up to this point, this shift will now allow for face-to-face lecture as appropriate.

“This is an important step forward as we see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said RLC President Terry Wilkerson. “Our students have been good about helping us keep our Covid numbers down, and it is time to begin offering face-to-face class sections for those who prefer them over online or hybrid options. While we should not let our guard down entirely, returning to face-to-face learning when possible is the right move at this point.”

The past year has been a challenge for students and employees, with the shift a year ago to online learning and remote work. Through the efforts of all involved, the college and its students have been able to keep the learning process moving forward. The silver lining is that the past year has prompted the development of several new online classes and services, including advisement and admission functions, which will remain a benefit to our students for years to come.

Options for summer and fall classes will include the following formats. Not all formats will be available for every class.

Face-to-Face — In-person, in-class learning.
Online — Classes conducted online through Canvas. Students will work through course material independently with communication and direction of RLC faculty.
Remote — Class meetings are held synchronously via Zoom on the day and time indicated on the student’s schedule. The percentage of time spent online vs. remote will vary by course.
Hybrid — Classes meet partially on RLC’s campus and partially online/remote. The percentage of time spent on campus will vary by course. If needed, classes will be transitioned to fully online/remote.
HyFlex — Class meetings will be a combination of traditional, online, and remote. Students are not required to attend traditional or remote class meetings. Students have the option to select how to receive instruction and may choose different modes throughout the semester.
Blended Flex — Class meetings are a combination of instructional modalities and vary by course. Students are provided some flexibility in selecting how they receive instruction, but all three modes of instruction are not available throughout the semester like the hyflex model. Students are not required to attend traditional class meetings on campus but may be required to attend remotely using Zoom.

Rend Lake College is enrolling now for more than 100 degree and certificate programs. In addition to low tuition, we are continuing to waive online course fees this summer and fall. Get started at www.rlc.edu, or call us at 618.437.5321. Keep an eye on our website for continuing developments.