The College continued to set records, make national rankings and innovate with the help of generous donors around the world. During the fiscal year, gifts to the IC Fund exceeded $1 million, with total giving putting the College within reach of its $50 million Campaign goal. Inspiring Achievement: The Campaign for Illinois College has now reached 88% of its goal, having raised $44 million.

Thank you for continuing the Illinois College tradition. Each name listed in the IC Impact Report is the name of a person who believes in the special qualities of Illinois College graduates. Your support is a testament that the world needs these qualities more than ever. You have had a meaningful impact on the lives of IC students and helped to make the world a better place. 

Extraordinary academic year

The academic year concluded with celebrations of the Class of 2021 and plans for an in-person fall semester.

The 187th Commencement and Baccalaureate were held virtually in May, as the Illinois College campus remained closed to guests to help protect the health and safety of the community. Each graduate was recognized in-person at a Senior Celebration ceremony that was broadcast so families and supporters could tune in around the world. Close to 250 bachelor’s degrees were awarded to members of the Class of 2021.

The College then looked ahead to the coming academic year, with plans for in-person learning in the fall of 2021 after more than a year of remote and hybrid learning due to the pandemic.

President Barbara A. Farley said the fall plans focused on returning to the College’s traditional model of small, in-person classes — a format that students and faculty expressed a strong preference for because of its overwhelming effectiveness to prepare students for success — and prioritized steps to protect the health and wellbeing of the community.

“This transformative year has strengthened our commitment toward one another,” Farley said. “We are ready to move forward together, and we will do so in the safest manner possible.”

Record enrollment

Illinois College welcomed a record 419 new students to campus in the fall of 2020, resulting in the largest total student body in IC history — 1,150 students.

The previous year had also seen a record student body with 1,048 students. The College has seen a 33% increase in overall enrollment over the past 10 years. 

Vice President of External Relations Stephanie Elpers Chipman, who oversees enrollment, said the increased number of students choosing IC was particularly notable given the challenges being faced due to the pandemic.

Several factors that have helped IC thrive in recent years include expanded academic programs like IC’s new nursing and agribusiness majors, investments in College facilities, increased donor and alumni engagement, launching online degrees, expanding opportunities for internships, hands-on learning, student-faculty research, and Division III athletics. 

While IC has grown, its small size remains an advantage, Chipman added: “Where you go to college matters. With so much uncertainty in the world, students are seeking IC’s personalized education more than ever.” 

National rankings

Illinois College was again named a top college in the country and in the region by several rankings in 2020-21.

U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings put IC is among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation among the approximately 1,500 ranked colleges and universities located across the U.S. IC received strong marks for its graduation rate, high ratio of professors to students and small average class size. IC ranked #34 for social mobility — or a college’s ability to help students, especially those who are disadvantaged, improve their social and economic status.

Washington Monthly’s 2020 Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking placed IC at #56 in its rankings, which are based on each school’s “contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.”

Money named IC one of “The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value” for 2020. IC received strong scores for value, affordability and quality. Money weighed more than 20,000 data points, including tuition fees, family borrowing and career earnings to determine its list. 

IC was also named one of the best colleges in the Midwest in The Princeton Review’s 2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region. Only about 23% of America’s 2,800 four-year colleges were profiled among the best colleges by region. 

Nursing program accreditation

The Illinois College nursing program received accreditation and a major grant investment in its first full year. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, an independent commission ensuring the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing. Illinois College Director of Nursing Angela Pierson said the accreditation is an indicator of the strength and quality of IC’s growing nursing program. 

“Holding CCNE accreditation demonstrates our ability to educate students using nationally recommended curricular components that create a framework based on the needs of today’s diverse patient population,” she said. 

The program was also strengthened by a $237,750 U.S. Economic Development Administration CARES grant awarded to the College to support the program and its future economic impact on the region. 

The grant will support the placement of more than 1,000 nursing professionals into future jobs in the region by helping to fund a state-of-the-art nursing lab on IC’s campus. It will provide critical training to nurses in the region for years to come, including registered nurses through IC’s program and other nursing professionals through a partnership between the College and LLCC. 

In addition to the on-campus baccalaureate degree program, Illinois College offers a fully-online RN to BSN program that takes about 12 months to complete. The College is also developing an online master of science in nursing.

Neuroscience program expands

Illinois College continued to expand academic offerings with growth in its cutting-edge neuroscience program, which now offers a major in the field, several new advanced courses, and cutting-edge research and teaching equipment.

The program launched in 2018 as a minor and has been successful so far, thanks to several factors. As one of the world’s fastest growing fields, demand for professionals with a background in neuroscience has steadily grown in recent years. IC’s program has been popular with students and interest continues to increase, spurred in part by the expertise of the program’s director, Jeremy Turner ’95. 

$1.3M TRIO grant 

The U.S. Department of Education awarded Illinois College a TRIO Student Support Services program grant that will provide up to $1.3 million in support for first-generation college students, income-eligible students and students with disabilities. 

President Barbara A. Farley said the grant will allow the College to continue serving the unique needs of hundreds of IC students each year. Over the next five years, the funding will strengthen services for historically disadvantaged students to improve academic success, retention and graduation. Some areas of focus include tutoring, mentoring, career counseling, graduate school preparation, cultural programming and financial assistance. 

New dean of students

Jessica Edonick was named the new dean of students, a role responsible for creating a supportive, transformational, welcoming, safe and inclusive community for all students. 

As dean of students, Edonick will work closely with individual students and student organizations, while advocating for students and providing strategic leadership. She will oversee several areas that serve and support students in their lives beyond the classroom, including residential life, career readiness and experiential learning, community engagement, global programs, health and wellness, psychological counseling, and campus safety. 

Bradbury collection

A collection documenting the life and work of the late playwright Ken Bradbury ’71 H’98 was generously donated to the Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives by the Bradbury family. The collection includes awards, correspondence, documents, ephemera, newspapers, photographs, publications and textiles, as well as production advertisements, playbills, posters, programs, scripts, stage directions and sheet music from over the course of Bradbury’s life and the more than 300 plays he penned.

Keith Bradbury ’73 said that future generations and scholars will find his brother’s faith, humor and wisdom stand out as themes throughout his body of work — some of which was never written down. Since his death in 2018, Ken Bradbury’s family has continued to discover his work. He was an educator of 35 years, directed and performed in theatres across the region, and remained active in his local community throughout his life.