Southwestern Illinois College

Southwestern Illinois College
Motto	Think it. Be it.
Established	1946
Type	Community
President	Dr. Georgia Costello
Academic staff	139 full-time, 700 part-time
Students	16,245 (Fall 04)
Location	Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud, Illinois, United States
Campus	Suburban/Urban
Colors	Blue and White
Nickname	SWIC
Mascot	a snow leopard named Kashmir
Website	http://www.swic.edu/

Southwestern Illinois College is the sixth largest community college in Illinois with campuses in Belleville, Granite City, and Red Bud, plus 20 off-campus sites throughout the district, including Scott Air Force Base and East St. Louis Community College Center. The college offers more than 150 diverse programs that lead to a bachelor's degree or directly to employment.

SWIC also serves the community through Community Education, Programs and Services for Older Persons (PSOP) and Selsius™ Corporate and Career Training.

• Community Education offers something for everyone regardless of age or interests. Noncredit classes are available online, at one of our campuses or at a variety of local schools.
• PSOP offers senior citizens educational, volunteer and social activities, as well as counseling, wellness, transportation and other programs.
• Selsius™ is the business and industry center for Southwestern Illinois helping organizations improve operations through employee training, assessment, education, testing, focus groups, and other resources specific to the needs of businesses and their industries.

History

The college was founded in 1946 as Belleville Junior College, operating under the jurisdiction of Belleville Township High School District 201. More than 60 percent of the 169 students enrolled for its first semseter were World War II veterans who had just returned from service.

In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Junior College Act, which created community college districts throughout the state. The following year, area residents voted to establish the Class I Belleveille Junior College District 522. Belleville Junior College became Belleville Area College July 1, 1967.

Construction of the Belleville Campus on Carlyle Avenue was completed in 1971. In 1983, the college opened the Granite City Center, followed by the Red Bud Center two years later. Both sites received approval for campus status from the Illinois Community College Board in July 1985. In 1999, a vote to change the name of Belleville Area College was passed. On Jan. 1, 2000, the college name changed to Southwestern Illinois College.

Transportation

Southwestern Illinois College's Belleville Campus is one of only four college campuses in the Bi-State region to offer direct MetroLink service, accessed from College Station. The other colleges currently offering direct MetroLink service are UMSL (2 stations), Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis (3 stations). The Sam Wolf Granite City Campus has MetroBus service with a stop on campus; the Belleville Campus also has a MetroBus connection in addition to its MetroLink station. The Red Bud Campus is accessed by road only.

Southwestern Illinois College offers a semester-long MetroBus and MetroLink pass for any Metro vehicle. The passes must be used with a SWIC ID card and are available to college employees and currently enrolled SWIC students. Because of this program, the college has received praise for its use of green transportation.

Campuses

• Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville)
• Southwestern Illinois College (Granite City)
• Southwestern Illinois College (Red Bud)

See also

• List of community colleges in Illimois

External links

• Official Website