Spoon River College

Spoon River College

Canton, Illinoiscampus
Former names	Canton Community College[1]
Type	Publiccommunity college[2]
Established	1959[1]
Parent institution	Illinois Community College System[3]
President	Curtis Oldfield
Students	1,212 (Fall 2022)[4]
Location	Canton, Illinois, large extension campus in Macomb, Illinois , U.S. 40°31′40″N90°4′21″W / 40.52778°N 90.07250°W /40.52778; -90.07250
Colours	Navy blue & green
Sporting affiliations	Mid-West Athletic Conference NCJAADivision II
Mascot	Snappers
Website	www.src.edu

Spoon River College(SRC) is apubliccommunity collegeinCanton, Illinois. It is part of theIllinois Community College System.^[2]Spoon River College's district comprises parts ofSchuyler County,McDonough County,Mason County, andKnox CountyinWest-Central Illinois.^[5]

Spoon River College was founded on October 17, 1959, asCanton Community College,^[5]after the Canton Union School District passed areferendumto establish a junior college,^[6]to allow students from the local high school district the opportunity to receive post-secondary education similar to university curriculum. It held its first classes in 1960, using space in the Canton Senior High School building.^[6]

Authorized by theIllinois General Assemblyand signed byIllinois GovernorOtto Kerner Jr.in 1961, legislation was later enacted that created theIllinois Board of Higher Education(IBHE). The IBHE was tasked by statute with formulating a master plan forhigher educationin the state of Illinois.^[7][8]In July 1964 the higher education master plan was published by the IBHE, which led to the Junior College Act of 1965.^[7][8]Under the Junior College Act, Canton was classified as a Class II Junior College.^[6]

In the mid-1960s, the college moved its operations out of the high school building and into leased space in Canton.^[6]In 1968 the formation of Junior College District 534 completed the college's separation from the Canton publicschool district, and the institution was officially renamed Spoon River College and reclassified as a Class I institution.^[5][6]

The Spoon River College main campus is on 160 acres (0.65 km²) of land four miles from the city ofCanton, Illinois. In 1984, a second location, known as the Macomb Campus, was opened inMacomb, Illinois, and occupies the old Macomb High School building. Since that time, over $3 million has been invested in renovating the building.

In addition to these two campuses, the college holds for-credit classes at learning centers inHavana, IllinoisandRushville, Illinois. Spoon River College also holds non-credit and career development classes at two Community Outreach Centers in Macomb and Canton, Illinois.^[9]

High demand for both credit and non-classes and training at the Macomb Campus has led to the building of an expansion center. The $2.2 million phase one portion of the project was completed in August 2009. An $18 million expansion is planned for the extension center in the near future.^[10]

Spoon River College isaccreditedby theHigher Learning Commission.^[4]

Spoon River College has transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities such asWestern Illinois University,Southern Illinois University Carbondale, andUniversity of Illinois Springfield, as a part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement which ensures general education credits are transferable among more than 100 participating college or universities in Illinois.^[11]SRC has a specific dual-enrollment compact with Western Illinois University that began in 1998. The agreement between the schools permits students at SRC to transition into WIU through a pre-defined curriculum and automatic transfer protocol between institutions.^[12][13]In addition to the IAI, SRC offers students abachelor's degreecompletion programthat allows students to enroll in one of nine participating institutions and take classes at local SRC campuses or online.^[14]There are two primary educational tracks at SRC: Transfer Programs, and Career Educational Programs.^[15][16]Transfer students at SRC can earn an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) with over 30 different areas of concentration. Career program students at SRC can earn an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree in eight areas, an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or Certificates in over 30 areas.^[4]

As of April 28, 2011, spring enrollment at SRC was 1,906, of which 943 were enrolled full-time, and 936 were enrolled part-time. In addition, 94 non-credit enrollees were reported by SRC for the same period. In addition, dual credit enrollees obtaining college credit while attending high school stood at 312.^[4]

Spoon River College provides a library within its Learning Resources Center at its main Canton, Illinois Campus. It has facilities for study, research, leisure reading, class preparation, and Internet access for students.^[17]

Although the Illinois Public Community College Act prevents community colleges from buildingstudent housing,^[18][19]SRC offers campus housing for its students through a special arrangement withWestern Illinois University(WIU). Under a November 1994 agreement between SRC and WIU, SRC students have the opportunity to live in WIU campus housing.^[12][20]The agreement allows a smoother transition for SRC students seeking to transfer to WIU, while allowing the university to utilize unused housing. Spoon River College students who live on the WIU campus also can access WIU's Beu Health Center.^[21][22]

SRC hosts several registered student clubs involved in academic, competitive, and cultural based activities.^[23]In addition, the campus has an active chapter ofPhi Theta Kappa(ΦΘΚ), the internationalhonor societyfor two-year colleges and academic programs.^[24]

SRC also publishes the journalKaleidoscope, of student produced artwork. It is published each spring and offered to the residents of the college district.^[25]

• Official website