Newsroom

The following is being posted as a public service on behalf of the Kankakee County Health Department/Catholic Charities. All content was provided by the health department.

According to the Citizens Utility Board, electricity and home heating costs are expected to rise as the temperatures drop this holiday season. Many of our fellow community members will need to turn down their thermostats to offset these rising energy costs.

Kankakee County Health Department has partnered with Catholic Charities serving Kankakee and Kankakee County Community Services, Inc. to bring the gift of warmth to older adults on fixed incomes and struggling families in our community with a blanket drive. Participants can make their new blanket selection through the Blanket Drive Wish List at Amazon.com and click on the Kankakee County Health Department shipping address provided at the online checkout.

The blankets will be sent to the Kankakee County Health Department and then distributed through Catholic Charities services to homebound older adults and through the Kankakee County Community Services, Inc food pantry.

There are a variety of blankets on the Wish List ranging in cost from $10 to $25 with many colors and sizes to choose from. This Blanket Drive will remain open until Feb. 15, 2023 for those who may still like to contribute after the holidays are over.  The website to purchase the blankets is https://tinyurl.com/yc2zknbv.

Forty-four Kankakee Community College students were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society in November 2022.

Phi Theta Kappa is an international academic honor society for community college students. KCC students who recently joined are:

Forty-four Kankakee Community College students were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society in November 2022.

Phi Theta Kappa is an international academic honor society for community college students. KCC students who recently joined are:

• Ashkum: Kalyn Alberts and Heather Doris.
• Beecher: Brianna Villareal.
• Bourbonnais: John Baud, Austin Bender, Reygan Carlile, Logan Mallard, Meghan Morr, Kylie Orvis, and Paul Williams.
• Bradley: Andrew Chmielewski, Danyel Keller, Shelby Meadows, Carlos Moreles.
• Chebanse: Bryce Walters.
• Donovan: Laura Lopez.
• Frankfort: Julie Anco.
• Grant Park: Liberty Ilg, Jessica Schmitt and Lillian Segert.
• Kankakee: June Osborn, Natalie Seaton and Yecenia Serna-Flores.
• Manteno: Edward Horath, Sophia Iaconi, Rebecca Pijus, Brooke Savoie, Lucas Schmidt, Andrew Snider and Davis Testerman.
• Minooka: Nicole White.
• Momence: Mason Duran, Crystal Johnson, Ariel Lopez and Kaliegh Yohnka.
• Sheldon: Kristi Yamaoka.
• St. Anne: Thomas Daily.
• Watseka: Mark Cross, Katelyn Kissack and Ashlee Major.
• Wilmington: Erik Ambrose.
• Fair Oaks, Ind.: Anna Carlson.
• Houston, Texas: Summer Hill.
• Merrillville, Ind.: Jaylen Jennings.

KCC holds induction ceremonies for new Phi Theta Kappa members each fall and spring semester. This fall’s event was Nov. 4.

Phi Theta Kappa has recognized academic achievement at associate degree-granting colleges since 1918. It also is the largest honor society in American higher education, with more than 3.5 million members and 1,283 chapters in 10 nations.

The society offers opportunities for scholarships, intellectual enrichment, and personal development through programs based on the society’s hallmarks of scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. To be eligible for membership, students must have a 3.5 grade point average or better on a 4.0 scale.

For more information on the Alpha Delta Eta chapter at KCC, contact a chapter adviser, Jaclyn Montemayer or Frances Hebert, at jmontemayer@kcc.edu or fhebert@kcc.edu.

Photos, from top to bottom: June Osborn, Yecenia Serna-Flores, Lucas Schmidt, Paul Williams and Nicole White.

Chris Gibson, the dean of health careers at Kankakee Community College, was elected as secretary of the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators at its annual conference last week. 

There were 230 administrators and faculty who attended the two-day conference in Champaign. This is Gibson’s second term as secretary of this state-wide organization. He is one of five ICCCA officers.

“I wanted to be involved with an organization that focuses on leadership development,” Gibson said.

ICCCA began in 1973, and currently provides leadership across Illinois’ 48 community colleges. Its mission is to build effective alliances which will act on behalf of the common interests of community colleges, to collaborate with political and educational organizations throughout the state to advance the legislative and fiscal needs of community colleges, and to provide a collegial support network for professional growth and development.

Gibson joined KCC’s faculty in 2018 and became dean of the Health Careers Division in August 2022. He has an associate degree from KCC as well as a bachelor's degree and master’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. 

For the spring 2023 semester, Kankakee Community College will offer a range of short-term classes – including six transferrable classes that are just four weeks long. 

"The addition of four-week classes in Liberal Arts and Sciences will allow students to design schedules that respect their life-school balance," said Jennifer Hays Huggins, KCC's dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "Taking one class every four weeks in the 16-week semester equates to full-time enrollment, which gets students that much closer to reaching their academic goals, particularly students who only had the time previously to attend part-time."

Spring 2023 classes are offered between Jan. 9 and May 5. The four-week courses being offered are all online, and can be taken back-to-back. They are:

• English I - Jan. 9 to Feb. 3, course number ENGL 1613.W06
• English II - Feb. 6 to March 3, course number ENGL 1623.W06
• Introductory Speech - Feb. 6 to March 3, course number COMM 1553.W06
• American Government - March 13 to April 7, course number PLSC 1513.W06
• Lifespan Developmental Psychology - March 13 to April 7, course number PSYC 2553.W06
• Introduction to Humanities - April 10 to May 5, course number HUMS 1513.W06

In addition to the four-week online classes, KCC is also offering a variety of other short-term options, including classes that meet for 8-weeks and 12-weeks. 

New students can start by submitting an application online at apply.kcc.edu. After applying, registration for new students takes place during an advisement appointment.

Returning students can use the My KCC portal at my.kcc.edu and go to the “Self-Service” link to register. In addition, registration and advising appointments for returning students are available at kcc.edu/student-resources/advising/.

All students are encouraged to register early for the best selection of classes. 

College offices will be closed for Thanksgiving Break from 5 p.m. Nov. 23 until Nov. 27. KCC's winter break is from noon Dec. 21 until Jan. 2.

KCC’s Riverfront Campus in Kankakee is located at 100 College Drive, south of downtown Kankakee. Directions to KCC are at www.kcc.edu/about/#riverfront-campus.

Students also can register and meet with advisers at the KCC South Extension Center, 1488 E. Walnut St. in Watseka, next to the Watseka Riverside Medical Center facility. Extension center advising hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and other times by appointment. The phone number is 815-432-4670.

For further information, make a request at register.kcc.edu or phone 815-802-8500.