Southwestern Illinois College

Infobox_University
name = Southwestern Illinois College


motto =
established = 1946
type = Community / Junior College
endowment =
staff =
faculty = 139 full-time, 700 part-time
president = Dr. Elmer Kirchoff
dean =
head_label =
head =
students = 16,245 (Fall 04)
city = Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud
state = Illinois
country = United States
campus = Suburban/Urban
free_label =
free =
colors = Blue and White
mascot =
athletics =
nickname = SWIC
affiliations =
website = http://www.swic.edu/
publictransit = [http://www.metrostlouis.org/ MetroLink College Station, MetroBus]
logo =

Southwestern Illinois College is a community college and the sixth largest in Illinois, with campuses located in Belleville, Granite City, and Red Bud, plus 26 off-campus sites located throughout the district. With more than 100 diverse programs and over 1,000 classes that lead directly to degrees or employment, Southwestern's mission is to serve the diverse needs of citizens and businesses in the region.

Started out as Belleville Junior College, which opened in 1946. In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Junior College Act, which created community college districts throughout the state. Area residents voted to establish a Class I junior college, Belleville Area College, which opened July 1, 1967. In 1999, a vote to change the name of Belleville Area College was passed. Starting January 1, 2000, the new name would be Southwestern Illinois College.

Transportation

Southwestern Illinois College's Belleville Campus is one of only four college campuses in the Bi-State region to offer direct MetroLink service, accessed from College Station. The other colleges currently offering direct MetroLink service are UMSL (2 stations), Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis City. The Sam Wolf Granite City Campus has a MetroBus service with a stop on campus; the Belleville Campus also has a MetroBus connection in addition to its MetroLink station. The Red Bud Campus is accessed by road only.

Southwestern Illinois College offers student IDs which include a semester-long MetroBus and MetroLink free pass for any Metro vehicle. The passes are available to Southwestern Illinois College students that are currently enrolled and to employees. Because of this program, the college has received high remarks for its use of green transportation.

Campuses

* Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville)
* Southwestern Illinois College (Granite City)
* Southwestern Illinois College (Red Bud)

External links

* [http://www.swic.edu Official Website]