Southwestern Illinois College

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Southwestern Illinois College

Former name	Belleville Junior College (1946-1967) Belleville Area College (1967-2000)
Motto	Think it. Be it.
Type	Publiccommunity college
Established	1946
President	Nick Mance
Academic staff	139 full-time, 700 part-time
Students	7,188 (Fall 2022)
Location	Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud, Illinois , U.S.
Campus	Suburban/urban
Colors	Blue and white
Nickname	Blue Storm
Sporting affiliations	NJCAA-Great Rivers Athletic Conference
Mascot	Kashmir the Snow Leopard[1]
Website	www.swic.edu

Southwestern Illinois Collegeis apubliccommunity collegeinIllinoiswith campuses inBelleville,Granite City, andRed Bud. It also has off-campus sites throughout the district, includingScott Air Force Baseand theEast St. Louis Community College Center.

The college was founded in 1946 asBelleville 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 semester 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 Belleville 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 ofBelleville Area Collegewas passed. On January 1, 2000, the college name changed to Southwestern Illinois College.^[2]

The college has three campuses, on Carlyle Avenue inBellevilleand inGranite CityandRed Bud.

The college offers associate degrees and certificates. SWIC also serves the community through Community Education, Programs and Services for Older Persons (PSOP), and Selsius™ Corporate and Career Training.^[3]

From 2020 through at least 2022, SWIC has offered one-year long special vocational training inEast St. Louis, Illinoisusing state grants varying in size from $1.2 to $1.4 million. Local residents (in a city with a 97.4% African-American population) are offered training in Welding, Nurse Assistant, Food Service, Forklift Training, and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Phlebotomy, Practical Nursing. Since 2019, 130 students have received credentials in this program.^[4]

As of December 6, 2021, SWIC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.^[5]

There are no dorms on campus. Southwestern Illinois College has many clubs on all three campuses, includingCollege DemocratsandPhi Theta Kappa, as well as other college activities.

Every year the students elect someone to represent them on the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Illinois College.

College athletics teams are called the Blue Storm.

TheWilliam and Florence Schmidt ArtCenter is located on the Belleville campus of the college.

The campuses of Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville and Granite City are both served by public transit. The Belleville campus is served bySt. Clair County Transit District. Route 16 providesMetrobusservice from the campus to downtown Belleville, downtownCollinsvilleand other destinations.MetroLinkservice atCollege stationis also available.^[6]At the Granite City campus, Route 4 ofMadison County Transitprovides service toMadison, Granite City andEdwardsville.^[7]

• Lawrence Blackledge– Professional basketball player
• Justin Hampson–New York Metsplayer
• Josh Harrellson– Professional basketball player
• Matt Hughes– retiredmixed martial artist, formerUltimate Fighting ChampionshipWelterweight Champion,UFC Hall of Famemember^[8]
• Sandra Magnus–NASAastronaut
• Zeke Moore (basketball)– Professional basketball player
• Scott E. Penny- police chief and politician
• Randy Wells–Chicago Cubs/Texas Rangersplayer

• Otis L. Miller, Jr.– professor and politician
• Scott E. Penny- police chief and politician
• Van Allen Plexico– author

• List of community colleges in Illinois

• Official website

38°30′59.7″N89°55′24.7″W / 38.516583°N 89.923528°W /38.516583; -89.923528