EFFINGHAM — Thirty years after Lake Land College opened its first facility in Effingham, the college celebrated the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility Wednesday and its growing partnership with the community.
During the grand opening, hundreds of visitors came to tour the Effingham Technology Center. With 100,000 square feet, the multi-level facility has four times the space of the Effingham Kluthe Center.
The college was exploring ways to expand its presence in Effingham when the opportunity to purchase the building from Patterson Companies became available two years ago.
Since acquiring the building, LLC has equipped it with state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, including new nursing, massage therapy, physical therapy assistant labs and full biology and chemistry labs with prep rooms to allow for biology and chemistry classes that the college would not have been able to offer at the Kluthe Center. HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital has committed to a gift that will elevate the nursing simulation lab with state-of-the-art training and simulation resources at the center.
Besides offering general education courses previously held at the Kluthe Center, the building features a brand-new Innovation Center with a virtual reality lab, an augmented reality lab and a makerspace lab.
Greg Harper and his wife, Donna, were among those touring the Innovation Center, which treated guests to lab demonstrations Wednesday. Donning a goggle headset and hand controllers, Greg tried an augmented reality game in which he shot little digital “puff balls” around the room, similar to Pokémon Go. The AR room will be used to test different augmented reality programs students will be making, something LLC hasn’t had enough room for at its Mattoon campus.
“They have a small space, but it’s nowhere near as expansive. It’s a lot harder to test any kind of AR or VR. Here they have a lot bigger space. So, it’s not as cramped,” said LLC Digital Media Specialist Jason Trigg.
Next door featured computers with 3-D technology that Trigg said don’t require goggles.
“You get an amazing view of the heart to where you can actually take pieces of the heart out and get a clear view. As you’re watching, the heart is beating, so you can see how the heart works in real time. There’s also a blueprint of a house if you want to build a house, go through the house, whether it’s the blueprint, the framing or the completed house. You can build a watch,” he said, naming some of its capabilities.
Donna Harper found the renovated building “really impressive.” Greg was amazed by the transformation of the main level from the open layout filled with office cubicles that had inhabited it before.
LLC President Josh Bullock said the Effingham Technology Center will serve as a local hub for innovation, offering educational programs, opportunities and partnerships that will continue to impact the region, many of which he highlighted during a dedication ceremony Wednesday.
Among the long list of entities and individuals he thanked was Effingham leadership for their instrumental role in embarking on the project.
“When we had the vision to purchase this facility in 2022, they stepped up to the plate and helped make sure that this facility would remain vital to us and vital to the community in a very important way,” he said.
Bullock also commended the college’s board of trustees for recognizing the facility’s potential to benefit not only Lake Land College in the community but also to foster a strong partnership with Patterson.
As part of the building’s initial purchase agreement, Lake Land is leasing back a portion of it to Patterson, which employs over 300 in the Effingham area, primarily through remote work.
Cecile Schauer, vice president and general manager of Dental Software Business at Patterson Companies, noted the company not only employs people for the call center, which answers calls from over a million customers in dental practices who need technology support, but also IT software development, marketing, sales, supply chain and customer training.
“One of the things we’re really looking forward to on our future partnership with Lake Land College is the ability to hire really talented people from the Lake Land College programs,” she said during the dedication ceremony.
The new facility has created pathways for the college to build new partnerships with local organizations, including the Illinois Small Business Development Center through Eastern Illinois University’s Lumpkin College of Business. The ETC will serve as the satellite location for the organization.
“The Small Business Development Center is so vital to the work we do in economic development. It supports local start-ups, small business owners and entrepreneurs by providing free or affordable training,” said Bullock. “We’ll be able to serve through that partnership entities who are coming in who are looking to grow and prosper right here in the community, and it’s going to help strengthen the small business culture in Effingham.”
Another partnership is the Effingham-based CORE (Creating Opportunities for Regional Employment) Academy. The ETC will be the first permanent home of CORE, which serves the region with hands-on career development courses to help high school students discover career pathways in the Effingham community.
“It helps ideally to create a local pipeline of talent for the future workforce,” said Bullock.
Norma Lansing, CORE Effingham Regional Career Foundation treasurer and one of its founding members, called the opening of the ETC “monumental,” adding it provides so many opportunities for the area.
“Effingham Technology Center can benefit not only educational opportunities at many levels but also for the economic boost it gives to the Effingham area as a showcase of the community’s commitment to the future growth and development of our citizens,” she said during the ceremony.
This fall, CORE will welcome 80 students from nine schools who will be taking classes in the facility, ranging from advanced manufacturing to health care, information technology, agriculture and transportation.
The academy is a collaboration of educators, businesses, business owners, business managers, employees and community leaders that Lansing said is not the norm.
“Many of our friends and associates from other communities tell us that. It’s not just us saying that,” she said. “They tell us all the time, ‘this doesn’t happen elsewhere.’ Working together does not happen naturally everywhere, but it happens here in Effingham County, and we’re so proud of that.”
Lansing said ETC will not only provide countless opportunities for high school students, but also adult learners and incumbent workers who desire real-world opportunities, hands-on learning, and a relevant curriculum that can be put to immediate use.
“We are looking at future opportunities for CORE to provide connections for incumbent workers and job seekers to thrive in the ever-changing workforce and to advance their careers,” she said.
“Together, we are creating a brighter future for our students and for the region as a whole,” she added.
Lake Land College students, faculty and staff will officially begin utilizing the Effingham Technology Center with their Aug. 25 start date for the fall semester. To help students register for classes and prepare for the upcoming semester, Lake Land will host a Fast Track to Fall event at the Effingham Technology Center on Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 2 to 6 p.m. Participants of the Fast Track event will have a chance to meet and ask questions with representatives from Admissions, Counseling Services, TRIO, Perkins and Financial Aid and familiarize themselves with the new Effingham Technology Center.