Brayden Curtis caught the attention of his business professor when he wrote an essay on the advantages of attending LLCC. The 2020 Springfield High School graduate says he wants to “spread the word” that LLCC is a great place to start. 

“My main message to anyone considering college is you have two choices: go to a four-year college or university, have fun, drown in debt or go to LLCC, get out on your own, work and have no debt. LLCC has great transfer agreements in place so you can go to a four-year school for the last two years of your bachelor’s degree.”

Below are excerpts from Brayden’s class essay.  

The college’s current vision statement is "Lincoln Land Community College aspires to provide high quality learning experiences for all seeking to improve their knowledge and skills while serving as a catalyst for economic growth that enriches our communities.”  This statement reflects the idea of education for all, rich or poor, academically inclined or not. As a student at the college, I firmly believe the school's vision is carried out extremely well both in academic operation and community preservation. 

Completing an associate degree program or earning a trade certification from LLCC are significantly more cost effective than other institutions. Notice how I did not say cheaper? That’s because the education you receive is not lacking in any despite the cost difference. 

If there was a way to quantify the value of a dollar spent for the quality of education received, LLCC would be a champion. This is a massive part of the "serving as a catalyst for economic growth" part of their vision statement. The fact that an education can be achieved at a reasonable cost greatly helps the community in multiple ways. The first is that more adults are able to go to school and work at the same time, thus helping the local economy. The second is furthering the number of college-educated citizens in our community. 

The school also backs up its vision of a "high quality learning experience" by having faculty who are well-equipped to serve students. There are the professors who teach multiple classes per day, both in-person and online. There are support staff:  deans, student success coaches, IT, admissions, registration, maintenance, police and more. 
These staff make sure every student has access to any resource needed to further their educational experience. 
The deans and success coaches ensure students stay on track and take the right courses for their goals. IT handles the systems administration for the organization which includes thousands of email addresses, the website, LoggerCentral and online learning. 

Admissions and registration handle the onboarding of thousands of students every year and ensure that everyone is settled on their educational journey. The maintenance crew ensures a clean and functioning campus so that every student can learn in a sanitary and safe environment. The police ensure a safe and secure campus so students can have peace of mind while furthering their knowledge.

With a well-equipped faculty and staff and low financial cost to students in comparison to the high quality of education received, LLCC effectively carries out its vision statement every day, through every decision it makes and every student it helps graduate.