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Central Illinois students have a new option to obtain advanced degrees without going too far from home.
Beginning this fall, Benedictine University will offer a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Master of Business Administration programs at Illinois Central College’s East Peoria campus.
Margaret Yates, assistant dean for the community college program at Benedictine University, said ICC was chosen to host the programs because the university’s provost was “moved by the community.”
“He saw the large population and how it’s growing and just thought that it was important to do an extension program with community college,” Yates said. “He felt that Peoria and ICC was the strongest one.”
Yates added that the partnership is important because it will offer another option to a variety of students in an ever-changing economy.
“Whether you’re a traditional or an adult student, going to a four-year university is sometimes out of the question,” she said. “Many are starting at two-year community colleges, but from there, they still come across a challenge as to where they can go. What we’re trying to do is ensure that everybody is receiving a proper quality education. We understand that there are many universities in the region, we just want to be sure that there’s another option available.”
Benedictine, an independent Roman Catholic college, is based in Lisle, with a second campus in Springfield. Programs similar to those that will be available at ICC are currently offered at the other campuses in the traditional format and in the cohort adult format, an intense program where students complete one class at a time, one night a week. Each cohort class, Yates said, lasts five to six weeks and is followed by another five-to-six-week class until requirements for the degree are completed.
“The first class will be a cohort and hopefully in January, depending on enrollment, we’ll start traditional classes,” she said.
Each program takes about 18 months to complete.
“It’s just kind of nice that they can continue to go on at the same campus,” Yates said. “It’s not a forced thing to go on to the next program.”
New instructors will be brought in to teach the courses to help give Benedictine University in Peoria a separation from ICC.
“The new teachers will be industry leaders from the community,” she said. “We’re not looking to be a fly-by-night school. We’re looking to have roots in the community, working with the churches, working with the chamber of commerce and the Heartland Partnership.”
Central Illinois students have a new option to obtain advanced degrees without going too far from home.
Beginning this fall, Benedictine University will offer a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Master of Business Administration programs at Illinois Central College’s East Peoria campus.
Margaret Yates, assistant dean for the community college program at Benedictine University, said ICC was chosen to host the programs because the university’s provost was “moved by the community.”
“He saw the large population and how it’s growing and just thought that it was important to do an extension program with community college,” Yates said. “He felt that Peoria and ICC was the strongest one.”
Yates added that the partnership is important because it will offer another option to a variety of students in an ever-changing economy.
“Whether you’re a traditional or an adult student, going to a four-year university is sometimes out of the question,” she said. “Many are starting at two-year community colleges, but from there, they still come across a challenge as to where they can go. What we’re trying to do is ensure that everybody is receiving a proper quality education. We understand that there are many universities in the region, we just want to be sure that there’s another option available.”
Benedictine, an independent Roman Catholic college, is based in Lisle, with a second campus in Springfield. Programs similar to those that will be available at ICC are currently offered at the other campuses in the traditional format and in the cohort adult format, an intense program where students complete one class at a time, one night a week. Each cohort class, Yates said, lasts five to six weeks and is followed by another five-to-six-week class until requirements for the degree are completed.
“The first class will be a cohort and hopefully in January, depending on enrollment, we’ll start traditional classes,” she said.
Each program takes about 18 months to complete.
“It’s just kind of nice that they can continue to go on at the same campus,” Yates said. “It’s not a forced thing to go on to the next program.”
New instructors will be brought in to teach the courses to help give Benedictine University in Peoria a separation from ICC.
“The new teachers will be industry leaders from the community,” she said. “We’re not looking to be a fly-by-night school. We’re looking to have roots in the community, working with the churches, working with the chamber of commerce and the Heartland Partnership.”
To participate in the program, Yates said, a student does not have to be an ICC student, however any transfer class necessary for a program must be taken at ICC.
“It’s kind of to assure that we’re not competing with ICC at the same time we’re working with them,” she said. “It’s making sure that students are successfully fulfilling those classes that are needed.”
After obtaining an associate degree, students transfer in to Benedictine University in Peoria. Students can also do early admission and begin taking classes while completing their associates.
“We’re hoping to expand, but we’re only going to expand to what is needed in the community,” Yates said. “We’re not going to bring programs in that residents in the communities that feed into ICC wouldn’t find useful.”
Yates said she is working with the Criminal Justice department to possibly bring a similar program, as well as offering similar applied science degrees.
“We’re hoping that as time goes on and we start filling up our classes for our bachelor’s and our master’s, we will be bringing in a Ph.D. program,” she added.
For more information visit ben.edu/peoria, or call Yates at 427-1800.
