2014 Summer AlumNews

AlumNews PU B L I SH E D F OR GRA DUAT ES OF T H E C OL L EGE OF LAKE COUNTY

How Far Has CLC Come on Sustainability?

S U MMER 2 0 1 4

IN SIDE T H IS ISSUE

To Our Readers: This is the final edition of the alumni magazine in its current form. You will access your next alumni publication online at www.clcroundtable.org, where you’ll also see increasing video features as well.

The initiative is part of a college effort to assess its mix of print and online communications. We will be reviewing which publications should remain in print and which are better served online, as well as how we can best use both media to reinforce each other. (We are, in fact, considering creating a new college-focused publication of interest to community members and alumni.)

Online or in print, we will continue to keep you in touch with CLC. And, if you have a story to share with us, we are still interested in hearing about your successes and how CLC made a difference in your life. Feel free to contact us at julieshroka@clcillinois.edu.

Contents FEATU R ES 3

A new sustainability manager, hoop houses and a career certificate are among the college’s latest additions.

6

Yours for CLC,

How Far Has CLC Come on Sustainability?

CLC Foundation Profile Melissa Jurik (‘12) went back to college at age 33, and she has successfully juggled school, work and parenting en route to a paralegal career.

Julie B. Shroka Director of Alumni Relations and Special Events

DEPAR TM EN TS 7

News Roundup

7

Class Notes

8

Upcoming Events

AlumNews AlumNews is published by the College of Lake County’s Office of Alumni Relations and Special Events.

Director of Alumni Relations and Special Events JULIE SHROKA Administrative Secretary DORAE BLOCK To submit story ideas, email Dave Fink, AlumNews editor, at dfink@clcillinois.edu or call him at (847) 543-2243.

Address change? Call (847) 543-2400.

Share memories, ideas and comments at the CLC alumni website, at www.clcroundtable.org.

2 | COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY

Cover photo: Gianna Fazioli, the college’s

local foods coordinator, tills the ground inside the hoop houses next to the Grayslake campus’ ornamental horticulture building.

COVE R S TORY

How Far Far Has HasCLC CLCCome Come on Sustainability?

Sustainability?

CAFETERIA - 1

When Dr. Jerry Weber became the College of Lake County When Dr. Jerry Weber became thehim College of that LakeCLC County president in 2009, he brought with a dream would president in 2009, he brought with him a dream that CLC join with other community colleges to become a major grassroots would joinsustainability. with other community colleges to become a major force for

grassroots force for sustainability.

continued on page 4 continued on page 4

A soaring skylit corridor space leading to a new cafeteria is part of a new Master Plan concept.

CAF ETERIA

3 I A&B CO RE I BO O KALUMNEWS STORE I ST|UDENT ACT IVI

C OV ER ST ORY Sustainability continued from page 3

“We need to focus on building a sustainable ethic among today’s students, and emphasize how sustainable practices will benefit them and their children,” said Dr. Weber, who has chaired the sustainability task force of the American Association of Community Colleges. “If we do that well, going ‘green’ won’t appear idealistic or unrealistic. It will just seem perfectly natural.”

While Weber’s vision remains a dream in progress, some major successes have been achieved, both statewide and in the greening of the College of Lake County.

The college has become a leader in the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), a consortium of community colleges providing green job training, and has sought funding to develop green training programs. At CLC, new educational options have been created to prepare graduates for green jobs in technology and sustainable agriculture. And this year, the college will begin construction of a $148 million Sustainable Campus Master Plan that will modernize and expand campus buildings while greatly increasing energy efficiency.

Green Job Training In 2011, The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a grant for $19.37 million to develop green job training programs to CLC and 16 other partner community colleges who are members of the Illinois Green Economy Network.

Statewide, the community college partners have developed or enhanced 30 certificate and degree training options so far, including three programs at CLC: Sustainable Agriculture and two options in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning—energy audit and stationary engineer.

Through another U.S. Department of Labor grant, the college also developed and launched a new 10-course certificate program in environmental health and safety. The environmental health and safety certificate is designed to meet a growing need for biological and environmental technicians, especially in water resources and water quality industries.

4 | COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY

In addition to these programs, the college has added two transfer degrees in sustainability—one focused on policy and social aspects, and another focused on science and technical aspects. A sustainable design and construction certificate also has been added.

The environmental health and safety certificate is designed to meet a growing need for biological and environmental technicians, especially in water resources and water quality industries.

Sustainable agriculture, culinary program thrive on partnership CLC’s sustainability focus is also encouraging collaboration among academic departments.

Prairie, CLC’s student-run restaurant, is serving dishes prepared with produce grown on campus by students in the sustainable agriculture program. The effort is teaching students in the agriculture program that there is a market for locally grown food, and it is enhancing the quality of the food prepared by the culinary students.

The partnership received an added boost in June when the college expanded the growing season available on campus by opening two “hoop houses” next to the greenhouse on the Grayslake campus. Each hoop house, which functions like a greenhouse, measures 35 feet wide, 96 feet long and 16 feet high and consists of metal hoops or frames that support transparent plastic.

Gianna Fazioli, the college’s local food coordinator, supervised sustainable agriculture students in planting carrots, beets, radishes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and

other vegetables in one of the hoop houses.

Eventually, the other hoop house also will be planted.

“We can plant crops in succession, with various sowings each week until October so that we can, potentially, harvest them December through March,” Fazioli said. “We can extend many cold-hardy crops—such as spinach, kale and mixed salad greens— into the winter.”

The harvest will be rich for students in both programs—mastery of new growing techniques for the sustainable agriculture students and access to flavor-enhancing ingredients well beyond the summer months for the culinary students.

And environmentally, everyone will benefit.

By increasing the amount of locally grown food, hoop houses help reduce the fuel consumption and greenhouse gases associated with trucking produce, Fazioli said.

College-wide commitment To heighten the focus on sustainability across college operations, CLC hired a new sustainability manager, David Husemoller, in February.

Husemoller recently worked on repairs to the green roofs at the Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills.

Two green roofs were installed in at Southlake in 2007 as part of a campus expansion project. However, drainage problems plagued the 500-square-foot green roofs, impeding the growth of vegetation.

The college’s new sustainability manager, David Husemoller with a dashboard that records energy usage and offers conservation tips.

This spring the problem was fixed by vacuuming out old vegetation, installing new roof barriers and depositing a new, lighter-than-soil growing medium. Following that, Husemoller, who also is an adjunct horticulture instructor, led six students in re-planting one of the roofs. (The other roof will be re-planted at a later date.) A student worker, supervised by the CLC facilities staff, will weed and water the roof once a week during the summer.

By the mid-summer, the roof will bloom with several plant species, including the orange orpine stonecrop (Sedum telephium), gold Weihenstephaner (Sedum floriferum) and pink John Creech stonecrop. Plants will grow from 2 to 12 inches high.

According to Hussemoller, green roofs have several environmental benefits, including absorbing rain water runoff, reducing the temperature of the roof surface and extending the life of a roof by shielding it from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Horticulture students enjoyed the chance to work on the design and the planting of the roof. “It was pretty cool,” said student Diana Willing (’14), who graduated May 17 with associate degrees in horticulture production and

sustainable agriculture and a certificate in floral design. “We designed it to have a meandering flow that’s neat to see.”

The college is trying to model sustainability practices through the $148 million Sustainable Campus Master Plan, which will expand and modernize CLC’s buildings.

Master Plan to cut energy use, feature LEED buildings In addition to preparing students for green jobs, the college is trying to model sustainability practices through the $148 million Sustainable Campus Master Plan, which will expand and modernize CLC’s buildings.

On the Grayslake campus, the improvements will include construction of a new science building, renovation of the B and C Wings to create a student services center, classroom technology upgrades and a geothermal plant and loop to save on energy costs. On the Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan, a major new building will

be constructed as well as renovations to existing buildings. And on the Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills, a new chemistry lab will be added.

In planning and designing the buildings, CLC will aim for LEED platinum status— the highest rating offered by the U.S. Green Building Council, according to David Agazzi, vice president for administrative affairs.

(LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)

A final schedule for construction of the Master Plan is now being developed, Agazzi said. Construction of the geothermal loop could begin as early as this fall.

A geothermal system uses the Earth’s constant temperatures to heat and cool buildings.

The energy savings from the geothermal loop and other sustainability features of the Master Plan could be up to 40 percent over the current heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, according to Agazzi.

“Studies show that nearly 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings, not cars,” he said, citing a 2008 U.S. EPA study. “The inefficient lighting, heating or air conditioning systems within buildings consume additional energy, much of which comes from coal-fired power plants.”

ALUMNEWS | 5

C OL L EGE F OUN DAT ION

Paralegal grad makes strong case for juggling work, school and family Melissa Jurik (’12) admits to “being addicted” to TV legal dramas in her younger years, having watched shows ranging from “Ally McBeal” to old “Perry Mason” reruns. “I thought it was neat how they (the attorneys) made everything fit into place,” said the Fox Lake resident.

Indeed, making things fit into place is a fitting way to describe Jurik’s busy adult life. Though she got married and had three children in her 20s, Jurik never abandoned her fascination with the legal world. In 2010 at age 33, Jurik enrolled in CLC’s paralegal studies program.

Jurik appreciated the college’s welcoming atmosphere and the instructors’ real-world experience. “The paralegal teachers were very demanding, but that’s what attorneys are like,” she said. “CLC is great—it’s not like a regular college. At first, you think everyone in class is going to be 18 to 22 years old, but there’s such a variety of ages that it makes a good group.”

Outside of class, Jurik juggled not only family roles but also two part-time jobs (bartending and being a student ambassador) while serving as president of Pupils Of Paralegal Studies, a campus club. She also was membership officer of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for community college students.

Receiving three CLC Foundation scholarships—Lake County Women’s Coalition, Career and Academic Achievement—helped lighten her load, she said. “As a returning adult student,

6 | COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY

I struggled with the decision of going back to school because juggling work, school and family can be a daunting task,” she said. “The scholarships helped me pay for tuition and book costs, and that allowed me to not worry as much about the financial strain that can come with going back to school. Receiving these scholarships was reinforcement that I had made the right decision.”

Gayle Miller, instructor and co-chair of the college’s paralegal studies department, recalled Jurik’s self-motivation and leadership skills. “She maximized her opportunity to network with the Illinois Paralegal Association and encouraged her peers to do so as well,” Miller said. “I think her greatest strength is her love of learning.

She truly enjoyed learning the law and very much appreciates having the opportunity to return to school and show her children that dreams can come true.”

After earning her A.A.S. degree in December 2012, she participated in the May 2013 commencement ceremony. “It gave me goose bumps to walk across the stage, hear that clapping and see your kids in the audience,” she recalled. “It was a culmination and the perfect topping.”

Today, Jurik is a paralegal at a downtown Chicago law firm that specializes in employment law, discrimination and wrongful termination, such as defending a whistleblower who was fired. “I’m usually the first person the client talks to,” she said. “We get the client’s perspective and I draft documents

and put together timelines. It’s rewarding to defend the ‘little guy.’”

Now juggling her full-time work with courses at Roosevelt University, Jurik plans to graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies.

“The bigger firms that pay more want a four-year degree,” she said. “My CLC instructors encouraged me to consider a baccalaureate degree.”

Jurik, who studies during her Metra train commutes, sees her own life an example of good time management for her children, ages 17, 12 and 9. “My kids will never have an excuse for not finishing their schoolwork,” she said with a laugh.

NE WS ROUNDUP

Alumni Association elects new president Val Munchez-van der Wagt (’05) was elected in February as the new president of the College of Lake County Alumni Association. She will serve a two-year term. Munchez-van der Wagt is a chief underwriter at Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate Corporation. She addressed the Class of 2014 at commencement on May 17 at the Grayslake campus, emphasizing the importance of giving back to one’s community. The keynote speaker for both commencement ceremonies was Dr. K. Michael Welch, president and CEO of North Chicago-based Rosalind Franklin University.

Class Notes Jane Cvetkovic (’76) is a nurse at Waukegan, Ill.based Vista Health System.

Leonard W. Sachs (’83) has been named managing attorney of Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC’s Peoria, Ill. office. The business law firm has offices in Michigan, Illinois and Nevada. Sachs will continue to maintain offices in Chicago and Peoria.

Merry (Dickman) Quinn (’83) is assistant superintendent of Community High School District 117 in Lake Villa, Ill. Shelly (Gibson) Strong (’01) is an advanced practice nurse in the Fantus Clinic at Chicagobased John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital.

Brandon Gaylor (’03) is an IT systems analyst at Sandvik CTT in Crystal Lake, Ill. John Marcus (’10) is a registered nurse supervisor at the Libertyville, Ill. facility of HCR ManorCare, a provider of short-term, post-hospital services and long-term care.

Keep in touch online Instructor Allen Smith, Jr. with student Charita Martin in the new HVAC trailer, which can accommodate up to 12 students.

New mobile classroom to offer fast-track HVAC training The college’s HVAC engineering technology program has unveiled a new, semitrailer-sized unit known officially as the Mobile Lab and Classroom.

Measuring 53 feet long and 8.5 feet wide, the trailer is equipped with furnaces, air conditioners, a boiler and control equipment.

Don’t forget to log on to www.clcroundtable.org to learn the latest alumni news, share your story and network with others. Also learn the latest alumni benefits, such as MetLife, Inc.’s group discounts on prescription drugs. You also can network with more than 300 CLC alumni using the “College of Lake County Alumni” group within the LinkedIn social media site.

Beginning in the fall 2014 session, the trailer will house courses that can lead to an HVAC installation certificate in 16 weeks, said Allen Smith, Jr., chair of the HVAC engineering technology department.

Membership fee increases $5; new benefits offered The Alumni Association’s annual membership fee has been increased from $20 to $25 per year. One new membership benefit is access to a MetLife prescription savings card and group discounting for a new identity protection program. For more benefits information, visit www.clcroundtable.org/membership.

ALUMNEWS | 7

AlumNews

Non-Profit Organization US Postage

College of Lake County 19351 West Washington Street Grayslake, IL 60030-1198

PAID Grayslake, IL Permit No. 53

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

www.clcillinois.edu

U P COM I N G E V EN T S

Save the Date: Black & White Ball Saturday, Sept. 27, Chicago

It’s Alive! CLC Summer Musical: Mel Brooks’ New Musical: ‘Young Frankenstein’ July 18, 19, 25, 26 at 7:30 p.m.

July 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.

A wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend based on Mel Brooks’ 1974 comic film, the story follows young Dr. Frankenstein as he attempts to complete his grandfather’s masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper, Igor, his curvaceous lab assistant, Inga and in spite of his madcap fiancé, Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster—but not without hilarious complications. With such memorable tunes as “The Transylvania Mania,” “He Vas My Boyfriend” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” “Young Frankenstein” is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment featuring talented lead actors and a full chorus of singers and dancers.

For tickets, visit www.clcillinois.edu/tickets or call (847) 543-2300.

The famed Palmer House is this year’s venue for the annual CLC Foundation Scholarship Gala. Relish the excitement of experiencing a glamorous event at a legendary hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago. Highlights include reception with open bar, live/silent auctions, gourmet dinner, live music and European river cruise raffle. All proceeds from the gala support the Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. For more information, call (847) 543-2400.

CLC Alumni Fall Foliage Tour Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, Galena, Ill. Tour and shop historic Galena. Cruise the Mississippi River, learn photo tips from a professional and stay overnight at Chestnut Mountain Resort. Rates, including chartered bus, range from $344 for a single to $244 for a quad. To register, call the Alumni Office at (847) 543-2400.

Black and White Ball

TOAST OF THE TOWN

SAVE THE DATE Saturday, September 27, 2014

College of Lake County Foundation 2014 Scholarship Gala