Governor Quinn Announces $1.46 Million Investment in Southeastern Illinois College's Carmi Campus

HARRISBURG - Governor Pat Quinn today announced a $1.46 million investment to construct a new vocational addition to the Southeastern Illinois College's Carmi facility. The funding comes from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to improve educational opportunities and job training for all Illinoisans.

"This work at Southeastern Illinois College will allow the school to continue offering programs that benefit students and the White County area," Governor Quinn said. "The project will also employ a number of construction workers, which will drive the local economy forward."

The Carmi/White County Vocational Building will be a 5,000 square-foot addition adjacent to the current David L. Stanley Center. This new career and technical education facility is expected to meet the needs of the communities of White County, local business and industry, as well as the public K-12 school districts in White County. It will enable Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) to house heavy vocational programs in a state-of-the-art training facility in the northern portion of the district, providing access to students in this region without the 80-mile round trip to the main campus in Harrisburg, which is a barrier to many area residents of White County. The building will accommodate instructional areas and labs in welding and other vocational programs.

The SIC Board of Trustees has already committed $465,000, its 25 percent match portion of the project. Land was donated by the City of Carmi in 1997 to be the future site of a vocational addition.

"Southeastern Illinois College is elated by the news from Governor Quinn about funding this long-planned vocational expansion at our White County extension center," SIC President Dr. Jonah Rice said. "This project was planned nearly 20 years ago by the college, the SIC Foundation and state officials. The Governor's news today will fulfill that plan and bring valuable training opportunities for students through added career and technical education. Without this funding, the project could not happen."

Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, with an extension center in Carmi, was founded in 1960 and serves more than 10,000 district residents in the counties of Gallatin, Hardin, Pope and Saline, as well as portions of Hamilton, Johnson, Williamson and White Counties. The college sustains accountability, ranking sixth in the state for degree and certificate completion, and offers nearly 120 certificate and degree programs, as well as specialized training in a multitude of interest areas. SIC maintains affordability with some of the lowest tuition rates in the state at $92 per credit hour. Southeastern provides accessibility as the area's leader in online classes, successful high school dual credit programs, accelerated courses and night classes.

With approximately 5,000 full or part-time students throughout the course of a year and nearly 300 employees, SIC is a top employer for the area, and is committed to the economic growth of the communities it serves. Through community education offerings to all ages, cultural events and commitment to workforce and small business development, SIC endeavors to fulfill its mission to enhance lifelong learning by providing quality educational programs, cultural enrichment opportunities and support for economic development. For more information, visit www.sic.edu or call 618-252-5400.

The Southeastern Illinois College project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.