ICC’s “Go West!” Offers Classes in Brimfield

EAST PEORIA — Illinois Central College is implementing a new program this semester to offer accessible college classes to the western part of its district by making two general education courses available at a local high school.

This program, “Go West!”, offers the courses Psychology 110 and English 110 at Brimfield High School, which is roughly 25 miles northwest of ICC in East Peoria. These classes, taught by ICC faculty, are available to anyone who can regularly apply to ICC.

According to Dr. William Tammone, Provost of ICC, these classes are meant to extend ICC’s accessibility to the western part of the district.

“Coming all the way from Brimfield or Elmwood can sometimes take 45 minutes or more,” explained Tammone. “These classes bring convenience for those who want a face-to-face educational experience”.

Tammone hinted that the Go West! program isn’t stopping there, “We are currently in the talks of offering a welding course [both] at Princeville High School and in Brimfield through Kress Manufacturing, but no word on when we can offer those classes.”

ICC may be going even farther in their outreach to these western communities. At the August 2013 ICC Board of Trustees meeting, an idea was raised to hold a Board of Trustees meeting in Brimfield or Elmwood, bringing the direction of ICC to these communities.

For years, students had to come to East Peoria to attend ICC. More recently, ICC offers classes at the Downtown and North campuses in Peoria and South Campus in Pekin, expanding the educational possibilities for students in Central Illinois. Now, the “Go West!” program is ICC’s next step to becoming totally accessible to the population of its district.

The “Go West!” classes will continue on into the spring semester as well, and ICC has high hopes that the enrollment for these classes will rise as more students learn of their availability. For more information on these classes, students can contact Enrollment Services at (309) 694-5600.