by Reece Rutland, Rend Lake College Public Information 

INA, IL  – The dedication to education by the next entry on the 50 Influencer list cannot be questioned.  With teaching careers at both Benton Consolidated High School and Rend Lake College, Mary Ellen Aiken has spent much of her life dedicated to cultivation of young minds.

Aiken spent 29 years teaching in mathematics at BCHS, plus three years in other locations. In the post-secondary world, she worked for RLC as a part-time instructor, and was an instrumental force for BCHS students receiving dual enrollment math credit while they were still in high school.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to help students go on with their careers,” she said when the dual credit program was first launched. “High school students are very excited about dual credit, particularly the Calculus and Pre-Calculus classes. Those are big draws because, in most cases, they transfer to four-year universities. I’ve seen how advantageous it is to get that dual credit.”

Aiken graduated from the University of Illinois, taught in the Chicago area for a short time, and then “came back to where my heart is.” She now resides in Benton with her husband John.

In addition to classroom education, Aiken has been a strong proponent of the arts, acting as one of the driving forces behind the RLC Theatre renovation. Her participation in the “Friends of the Theatre” Campaign ensured that future students, and community members, were afforded a quality facility to take in concerts, plays and speakers.

Joining the Rend Lake College Foundation Board of Directors in 2006, Aiken used the platform to get involved with the theatre project, something she had passion for after both of her daughters performed in plays there. Aiken also plays piano and has provided accompaniment for RLC productions before.

“This is not only good for the college, it is good for the surrounding area,” Aiken said of the renovation.

Former Rend Lake College Foundation CEO Pat Kern, along with Aiken, set out to initially raise $50,000 – one-quarter of the projected $200,000 needed to make the renovation a reality.

By August of 2007, the “Friends of the Theatre” campaign had generated more than $63,000.

But, they didn’t stop there.

With preliminary designs not accounting for much-needed lighting and sound upgrades, the theatre’s “Friends” pitched in more support. Total campaign contributions as of mid-March of that year were $72,700.

The renovation was underway by November and the rest, as they say, is history.

A gala was held in February 2008 to unveil the new look and pay tribute to supporters of the cause.

For her efforts, Aiken was presented with the 2008 RLCF President’s Award.

“She is known for her enthusiasm and positive attitude,” Kern said when presenting Aiken the honor.

Aiken made many personal phone calls on behalf of fundraising efforts to restore the Theatre and served on its Decorating Committee to help ensure the final product portrayed the intended traditional theatre appearance.

But, her generosity and passion for the arts didn’t stop there. In 2012 RLC was looking at renovating several of the band rooms utilized by the college’s music students. The goal of the campaign was to raise $50,000 for the renovations. The project was spearheaded by the RLC Foundation, and through the generosity of donors, the effort ultimately netted more than $100,000.

Aiken and her husband John were among some of the most generous contributors. For their donation, they were honored with the “Mary Ellen and John D. Aiken Classroom” in the college’s Learning Resource Center.

The couple is also the recipient of the RLCF Silver Seal Award for their continued dedication to the college and its students.

 

by Reece Rutland Rend Lake College Public Information 

INA, IL 

The longest serving president in Rend Lake College’s history also happened to be the first local product in the head office.

Ewing native Mark S. Kern was an instrumental part of RLC almost from the beginning, but it was his 17 years as president (1991-2008) of the institution that cement his legacy and earn him a spot on the 50 Influencers list.

Mark Kern, left, teaches two Agriculture students during the first years of Rend Lake College.

In total, Kern spent 40 years of his working life in the Illinois Community College System – longer than any employee in the history of the system, according to the Illinois Community College Trustees Association at the time.

He was hired in to help start the RLC Agriculture program and, played a major part in enrollment growth – from 765 students in 1968-69 to a fall 2003 record enrollment of 5,283. The Ag program even had to survive a tornado which destroyed its original facilities in Bonnie Grade School.

Joining RLC as an Agriculture Instructor in 1968, Kern moved up to Agriculture, Automotive and Architecture Department Chair two years later and became Dean of Community Services in 1974 and Dean of Instruction in August 1978. He was named RLC’s fifth President in 1991.

Kern, a Benton Consolidated High School graduate, left the family farm in Snowflake to pursue his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Industries at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (1966). He continued his education at the University of Illinois, with a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics (1968). When he went to college, he did so with the intentions of going into agricultural banking.

But, when the Wabash job came up, a young Kern thought he might like to try his hand at teaching.

He was appointed Interim President from March to June of 1989, filling the gap between the service of Dr. Harry Braun and Dr. Jonathan Astroth. Astroth submitted his resignation after two years to become the founding President of Heartland Community College in Bloomington, opening the way for Kern to vie for the leadership role.

He officially took the president’s office effective Sept. 3, 1991.

“I am very excited and pleased about the opportunity ahead,” Kern told media shortly after he was voted into the top administrative position.

“I grew up in this area and that makes it even more special. I really believe this college has been a wonderful asset for this area. To be in a leadership role at the college is a great opportunity. Probably the biggest thing the college does for this area is provide a quality college education within driving distance of home for most of our students. Some people, if they weren’t able to attend college here, would not be able to go (to college) otherwise.”

Kern admitted he was eager when he began his new job.

“There are a lot of good people here to work with. I am looking forward to working with them and the challenges ahead,” he said following the vote.

During Kern’s tenure, several major projects were undertaken and executed. Some of the major highlights include:

• The RLC Foundation Children’s Center, the totally renovated Dr. Allen Y. Baker Administrative Building which doubled in size and a Staff Clock Tower which serves as the campus centerpiece were all added at no expense to the district’s tax-paying citizens.
•  There were also the renovations of the RLC Theatre, the addition of a North Road, which was in original campus plans, and the renovation of all roofs, parking lots and heating and plumbing systems.
• The Rend Lake College Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, which became a reality because two politicians of opposite parties were willing to combine forces for the good of the Perry County community, with plenty of extra help from Murphy-Wall banking friends, the City of Pinckneyville and many others.
• Studio RLC, the Paul Mitchell Partner School which was the first in the nation affiliated with a public community college.
•  The one-of-a-kind RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon, which transformed a dying outdoor mall into a workable mix of retail stores (including the cornerstone RLC Golf Outlet) and a popular restaurant; educational training facilities for such programs as Cosmetology, Therapeutic Massage and Nurse Assistant; classrooms and computer labs; the former Kumon Center; rental space for the Child Care Resource and Referral Center, the statewide Project: CHILD grant program and the One-Stop Center for a variety of related state agencies, and meeting facilities.
• Dual credit opportunities which have become overwhelmingly popular with high school students desiring to get a head start on college credits and save in-district parents millions of dollars.
• Innovative programs, including Title III Grant-funded Wireless Communications, Radiologic Technology, Heavy Equipment Technology and expanded Culinary Arts Management facilities.
• The Hitting Zone, Sports Center and state-of-the art Track and Field complex to support a National Championship program.
• The two latest additions to the Ina layout, the 22,300-square-foot Mark S. Kern Applied Science Center, and a 20,000-square-foot Coal Mining Training Building, which opened in Fall 2009 thanks to $2.7 million in federal and state aid to design and construct the facility, equip it and provide training in anticipation of a resurgence in coal mining in Southern Illinois.

“Thank you very much,” Kern said when it was revealed that the Applied Science Center would carry his name. “This comes as quite a surprise. It is greatly appreciated. I did not expect to have a building named after me . . . I am very humbled and very appreciative.”

Kern is one of only three individuals to have a college building dedicated to him.

The others are the Dr. Allen Y. Baker Administration Building after the founding Board of Trustees member, Pinckneyville optometrist and pillar of community service; and the James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium after the longtime coach, instructor and supporter of everything Rend Lake College.

Kern also played a major part in such accomplishments the various successful reaccreditation visits from the Higher Learning Commission, formerly the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; recognition from the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges as one of the first three institutions honored nationally for Outstanding Service to Industry; establishment of a Community Coordinator system; the cooperative efforts between Franklin and Jefferson County 4-H programs and the Rend Lake Conservancy District in building shared facilities on campus, and the addition of many educational programs.

He was responsible for initiating the first Advisory Council – comprised of community leaders actively involved in various fields of agriculture who provided valuable input for college staff and programs – and Cooperative Education (on-job training) programs, both of which are still in existence for almost all career-technical programs, and introduced the Community Service / Community Education concept as Dean of Community Services.

As president, he was also instrumental in acquiring three different Federal Title III “Strengthening Institutions” Grants which netted the college approximately $5 million and brought drastic improvements in many areas, including fund-raising through the RLC Foundation, campus-wide computerization and the Wireless Communications program.

In May 2004, Kern became the first person to be recognized for 35 years of full-time service to Rend Lake College. The RLC Foundation Board of Directors also named Kern an Emeritus Member for his support to the organization over the years.

“There has been no one more instrumental in the growth of the Foundation than Mark Kern,” former RLC Foundation Chair Hunt Bonan said at Kern’s retirement. “When he became President, I think the Foundation had approximately $100,000 in assets. Today, we are proud to say, the Foundation has over $5 million in assets. That is a big number. But, more important is that last year the Foundation gave out over $300,000 in scholarships. That assists students in the district with coming to Rend Lake College; however in some cases, it meant the difference in whether a student would go to college or not. I think that is an amazing statement and the work Mark has done with the Foundation – his dedication and absolute tenacity in demanding the very best – has been so important for our growth . . . We hope he keeps promoting the Foundation because he is our best promoter in the community.”

He was inducted into the RLC Sports Hall of Fame class of 2008; Warrior/Lady Warrior athletics increased threefold while Kern was president.

“I have had a very rewarding career. You have to be fortunate to become a community college President, and becoming one in the area in which you grew up is even more special. I have been able to watch the college benefit people and the children of people I have known all my life,” Kern said during his final president’s address before his retirement on June 30, 2008.

“I really believe the community college system has been the most exciting and most productive area of education during the last 40-plus years. I have been fortunate to have spent 40 years in that system. I won’t miss the night meetings or the trips to Springfield or Chicago. I have made friends with many fine people, including staff, Board members, Foundation Board members and other key people in the community. I will miss spending time with these people.”

“Thank you very much for the support you have given me, my family and Rend Lake College. Please keep providing that support to one of the finest educational institutions in the State of Illinois.”

Current RLC President and product of the Agriculture Program Kern helped build, Terry Wilkerson said of his predecessor, “It’s difficult to say enough about Mark. He always was and still is dedicated to Rend Lake College, and I believe the good of this place was first in his thoughts in the decisions he made here. He’s been a huge advocate for not only the college, but for college education in this area.”

Kern has been honored previously as the Franklin County 4-H “Outstanding Alumnus” and Franklin County Soil Conservation “Farmer of the Year” and was one of three Illinoisans selected for the Cooperative Extension Cow Tour in 1987. The Southern Illinois farmer-turned-RLC President was recipient of the 2001 Statewide Commercial Producers Award.

He also is a past Vice President and Secretary of the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators, a past member of the Benton Consolidated High School Board of Education and a past member of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee and Administrative Board at First United Methodist Church in Benton.

Kern farmed in partnership with his father, Frank, for many years and presently owns and operates a 660-acre farm with 100 head of beef cows.

“Rend Lake College has met every challenge it has faced since 1967, and I am sure we will continue to do likewise in the future.”

 

Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Public Information

INA, IL – Two Olympians, five NJCAA Coach of the Year Awards, seven NJCAA National Championships and more regional championships that you can shake a baton at, former Cross-Country and Track and Field Coach Brent McLain put RLC on the map.

The success started quickly. In just his second season, McLain’s Men’s Cross-Country team was the No. 1 team in the country in Division II. The “Winged Warriors” became the first team in college history to capture an NJCAA National Championship.

“Unbelievable,” McLain said following the team’s championship. “I was so happy for the team. They wanted it. And they worked hard to achieve it. It is a great day for us . . . an outstanding accomplishment for our school and our program.”

Not content with a single national championship. McLain’s team repeated the next year and again captured Coach of the Year accolades. The same team that became the first Southern Illinois Juco team in any sport to win a national title in fall 2001 likewise became the first to repeat.

He also gave an inside look at what strategy they used to bring home a second national championship: “… this year (2002) provided even more of a sense of accomplishment. I really believe it was a lot more satisfying. Our strategy was to run as a pack the first two miles, so we could be stronger the last three miles, and that is exactly what they did. We were getting beat pretty bad at the two-mile point, but by the three-mile point I was starting to get excited the way they were making up ground. By the fourth mile, I probably had a smile from ear to ear. By the fifth mile I was getting pretty emotional.”

But, the emotion didn’t end there. The “Winged Warriors” cemented their legacy by three-peating  in 2003, again earning McLain National Coach of the Year and a third NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross-Country National Championships.

McLain had yet another national championship in him, after finishing third in 2004 and 05, the “Winged Warriors” team went the distance in 2006 to earn title number four, this time in NJCAA Division I.

The dominating Men’s Cross-Country reign at the turn of the century was headed by Brent McLain and the likes of two-time Division II National front-runner Ian Hornabrook from Australia and Kenyans Elkanah Kibet, Ben Cheruiyot and Stephen Sambu. The triumphant D-II Championships in fall 2001, 2002 and 2003 were magnified when the program also captured combined Division I crowns in 2006 and 2009.

McLain also coached some of the most decorated and successful athletes to compete under the Warrior banner.

Kenyan native Boaz Lalang “put Ina in China” when he became the first Warrior to compete at the highest level in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Lalang fell just short of making the finals, but the experience left an imprint on not only Lalang, but also his coach. It also showed a coming together of groups in and around RLC to make dreams come true.

Donations from Rend Lake College faculty and staff, as well as other boosters in Southern Illinois, enabled Lalang to return home toEldoret, Kenya, for the attempt to qualify.

A generous, surprise gift from the RLC Foundation made it possible for the McLains to enjoy the thrill of the Olympic experience withLalang.

The McLains said after the competition: “We’re not disappointed, but so happy to know an Olympian and have the joy of knowing we get to spend one more year with him . . . Thanks, Boaz, for giving us all a once-in-a lifetime experience. We are so proud of you and feel so thankful and lucky that we had the chance to represent you and Rend Lake College in Beijing.”

Lalang says of his Juco mentor, “I like Coach McLain. Sometimes he gets mad, but I understand him. He is the right coach for the right runner.”

Much like Lalang, fellow Kenyan Steven Sambu found not only success, but a home at RLC.

Sambu set himself apart by becoming the most decorated Warrior in team history. During his time at Ina, Sambu claimed 10 NJCAA crowns and 13 All-America distinctions before departing in 2010 for University of Arizona, where he was NCAA Cross-Country runner-up in the fall.

“Coach McLain did a lot of things for me. He helped me a lot. I will not forget,” Sambu said.

Four years after Lalang carried Warrior dreams to the Olympics, another Ina athlete not only carried on that tradition but this time, he brought home some hardware.

Ryan Bailey represented the USA when he became the fifth-fastest man in the world at the 2012 London Olympics. Bailey surprised nearly everyone but himself by earning the third spot on the USA 100M squad behind two veterans.

During his year at RLC, Bailey won the Indoor 55M in 6.20 and the Outdoor 100M in 10.07 at the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Division I Track and Field Championships.

At the 2012 London Games, Bailey came in 5^th in the finals of the men’s 100 meter behind some of the biggest names to ever compete in the iconic race, missing a medal by 0.09 seconds. He became the first Warrior to win an Olympic medal when he anchored the USA 4 x 100-Meter Relay Team to Silver. He ran the final stretch of the relay against iconic Jamaican Usain Bolt.

In the nine years as head of the Cross Country program (2000-2009) and the eight years as the head track coach (2001-2009), here are the accomplishments of the programs.

2008-2009

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships), Anthony Acklin / NJCAA “Assistant Coach of the Year”

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

Men’s Cross-Country ~ Region XXIV Champion (4th, NJCAA Championships)

NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year ~ Men’s Cross-Country (3.29 GPA, 1st-tie / 6)

2007-2008

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~ NJCAA Division I National Champion (1st, Region XXIV),  Brent McLain / Men’s Indoor Track and Field “Coach of the Meet”

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

Women’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

Men’s Cross-Country ~ Region XXIV Champion (4th, NJCAA Championships)

NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year ~ Men’s Track and Field (3.26 GPA, 4th ~ Coaches Association)

2006-2007

Men’s Cross-Country ~ NJCAA Division I National Champion (1st, Region XXIV)

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~ NJCAA Championship Runner-Up (1st, Region XXIV)

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ Region XXIV Champion (4th-tie, NJCAA Championships)

2005-2006

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~

NJCAA Championship Runner-Up (1st, Region XXIV Division), Brent McLain / NJCAA “Coach of the Year”

Men’s Cross-Country ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year ~ Cross-Country (3.11 GPA, 5th / 9)

2004-2005

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~

NJCAA Championship Runner-Up (1st, Region XXIV Division), Brent McLain / NJCAA “Coach of the Year”

Men’s Cross-Country ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ 5th, NJCAA National Championships

2003-2004

Men’s Cross-Country ~

NJCAA Division II National Champion (1st, Region XXIV D-II), Brent McLain / NJCAA D-II “Coach of the Year”

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~ Region XXIV Champion (3rd, NJCAA Championships)

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ 6th, NJCAA National Championships

2002-2003

Men’s Cross-Country ~ NJCAA Division II National Champion (1st, Region XXIV D-II),  Brent McLain / NJCAA D-II “Coach of the Year”

Men’s Indoor Track and Field ~ NJCAA Championship National Runner-Up (1st, Region XXIV)

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field ~ 7th, NJCAA National Championships