Illinois Valley Community College is expanding hands-on training in electric vehicle technology and advanced manufacturing. The IVCC Board approved the purchase of a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid and a 2025 Ford Lightning electric pickup, funded through the Rev Up EV! Community College Initiative. Grant dollars will also buy 15 electrical trainer systems for automotive students to practice diagnosing and repairing vehicle electrical systems. Robotics students will gain five more zSpace Learning Stations, creating a 10-station lab for robotics, mechatronics, and automation programs. The Board also approved nearly $981,000 in parking and roadway improvements and noted IVCC athletes posted a combined 3.16 GPA.
The Illinois Valley Community College Board purchased two additional electric vehicles and interactive simulators that will connect automotive and manufacturing students to workforce-ready skills and training.
The Board on Tuesday expanded the automotive program’s electric vehicle fleet by purchasing a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid at $39,280 and a 2025 Ford Lightning electric pickup truck at $39,962. Both were purchased with funds through the Rev Up EV! Community College Initiative, a statewide workforce development grant program.
Grant funds were also used to purchase 15 electrical trainer systems that automotive students will use to build, test, diagnose and repair vehicle electrical systems as the instructor monitors their progress. The equipment was purchased at $40,504 from ATech Training Inc. of Walton, Kentucky. In addition, robotics students will soon be working with five additional zSpace Learning Stations, an immersive and interactive technology that simulates workplace equipment and processes. The new stations will create a full lab of 10 stations for the Beginning and Intermediate Robotics, Mechatronics, and Automation certificate programs. The $72,631 cost will be paid with Advanced Training Opportunities in Manufacturing and Technology (ATOMAT) funds.
During her monthly report, President Dr. Tracy Morris:
Updated the Board on the latest enrollment figures. Summer enrollment headcount increased slightly, while credit hours decreased slightly compared to Summer 2025. Preliminary fall enrollment figures point to increases in both headcount and credit hours compared to Fall 2025. Commended student athletes for their strength in the classroom. IVCC’s athletes maintained an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.16 (on a 4.0 scale) with an overall 3.00 among the men and an overall 3.39 among the women athletes.
In other action, the Board:
- Accepted a bid of $981,400 from SKI Seal Coating of La Salle for parking lot and roadway improvements.
- Authorized the appointments of Dr. Wendy Lamboley, anatomy and physiology instructor, Jenna Straughn, dental instructor, and Dr. Natalie Romano, physical sciences lab instructor.
- Renewed software subscriptions for administrative, web hosting, virtual meeting, and learning management systems.
- Authorized the purchase of equipment for fire alarm device replacement at a cost of $34,250 from K-COM Technologies.