May 13, 2016 Dec. 16, 2016

College of DuPage HVACR students Mike Pagliuco (second from right) and Matt Clemons (second from left) earned first and third place, respectively, in the third annual Vocational/Junior College HVACR competition hosted by the Chicago Pipe Fitters Local Union 597. They were joined by (left to right) HVACR instructor Terry Buckley, Program Coordinator Bob Clark and instructor Chris Lexow at the competition that included a general industry knowledge test, a wiring project and practical piping/ soldering test. “In a little over a year I’ve learned so much and feel I have the knowledge to start my career now if I wanted,” Pagliuco said. “I owe it all to COD’s HVACR instructors. They go far beyond teaching the curriculum. They turn you into an asset that employers will fight over.” Read More

Mighty Chaps Capture Overtime Win at Red Grange Bowl In an exciting overtime win, the Chaparrals defeated Central Lakes College Raiders 25-22 at the inaugural Red Grange Bowl held at COD on Dec. 3. The win shattered what had been a perfect 11-0 record by the nationally ranked Raiders. The Red Grange Bowl was the first bowl game hosted by COD in 20 years. The contest was the culminating event of a weekend-long celebration of the legacy of Harold Edward “Red” Grange, a Wheaton resident who lived a life of perseverance and integrity both on and off the field. A banquet Friday evening included guest speaker Patrick McCaskey, grandson of George “Pappa Bear” Halas. Click here to view Patrick McKaskey’s comments and click here to view COD President Dr. Ann Rondeau’s remarks at the banquet. Click here for a documentary that captures the life and legacy of Red Grange. Read More

The Phi Theta Kappa chapter at COD recently hosted State Representative Patti Bellock (above) who discussed human trafficking in Illinois. As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Week, Rep. Bellock shared details about her sponsored legislation House Bill 2822 that put into place the Human Trafficking Task Force that will conduct research on this issue and subsequently develop a plan for dealing with it. This legislation was approved unanimously by the General Assembly last spring and signed into law by Gov. Rauner Aug. 22. The findings of this taskforce will be submitted in a report June 30, 2017. Read More

College of DuPage student Kiley Inskeep of Aurora (above) displayed and discussed her research on Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic disease affecting the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement, at the 15th annual Pathophysiology Panorama. During this program, nearly 60 students from the College of DuPage Diagnostic Medical Imaging programs in Mammography, Nuclear Medicine, Radiography and Sonography displayed and discussed their work featuring a variety of diseases and pathologies that have been detected using imaging procedures. Click here to view photos from this event.

The Spring 2017 I Am COD Group/Team Award winners have been announced! Please visit www.cod.edu/iamcod for the list of nominees and their complete entry forms. In addition, mark your calendar for Wednesday, Jan. 11, to attend the Meet and Greet where you can chat with the nominees and enjoy a cupcake and coffee. We’ll see you there!

New Coaching Staff Readies Track and Field for 2017 Season The College of DuPage Track and Field program is readying for the 2017 season with a new coaching staff lineup and official indoor registration with the National Junior College Athletic Association. While the team roster has yet to be finalized, newly appointed Head Coach Bob Cervenka said he’s eager to raise the program’s profile, reestablishing the College as a national contender. “Our goal is to build a top-performing program,” he said. “This program has a strong history and we want to get College of DuPage back among the top collegiate teams in the area.” Read More

College of DuPage Board Chairman and Elmhurst resident Deanne Mazzochi (top left) was joined by COD students (clockwise) Daisy Martinez, Danielle Tibwell, Lindsay Flinker and Dawn Yackley Dec. 8 at the Elmhurst Park District’s annual tree lighting in Wilder Park. The College sponsored one of the dozens of trees on display to commemorate COD’s 50th anniversary year. Chartered in 1965 and opening its doors in 1967, COD was originally formed from 10 high school districts. Since that time, it has evolved and grown into a modern, state-of-the-art institution that has provided high-quality instruction to more than one million students over the past 50 years. Read More

The new Sustainable Urban Agriculture degree and certificate program at COD uses a hands-on approach to help students become professionals in urban farming. “Urban agriculture is a large movement across the country and it continues to grow,” said Horticulture instructor Brian Clement, above, with Greenhouse Supervisor Amy Hull. “Restaurants are installing rooftop gardens in order to grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. Cities and municipalities now have green roofs and expanding urban farms, and Chicago has been a leader in this area for more than a decade.” Read More

College of DuPage President Dr. Ann Rondeau and Northern Illinois University President Doug Baker recently signed a new agreement that provides guaranteed admission for COD students to complete a bachelor’s degree in a wide range of study areas at NIU. Read More

The Surgical Technology program at COD recently received a merit award from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for having its student achieve at least a 90 percent pass rate on the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination. “The faculty in the program are dedicated to student success and work very hard with all of the students to help them learn in the best way possible,” said Karen Solt, Dean of Health and Biological Sciences.” The CST is widely recognized in the field as the foremost credential for surgical technologists in the nation and is required for employment within many local, state and national health care organizations. Read More

Accounting students (front row, left to right) Aidan Borre, Vandana Sharma, Priyanka Tenneti, Micheli Venky, Emily Keith and (back row, left to right) Mark Skager, Dean Kozora, Brian Sechrist, Matt Pedraza, Saud Ali, Nick Larson, Curtis Gulloro and Nate Narofsky recently tied Northern Illinois University for first place at a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Challenge case competition. “We were thrilled to see our students step up and demonstrate their analytical and communication skills which resulted in a first place tie with an NIU team,” said Professor Maureen McBeth. Read More

December Service Anniversaries Five Years: Melissa Fanella, Continuing Education; Marilyn Ortiz, Testing; Jennifer Schubert; Learning Commons 10 Years: Chuck Currier, Information Technology; Barbara Lipe, Learning Commons 15 Years: Micaela Arellano, Facilities Operations; Marty Franklin, Information Systems; Celina Labut, Facilities Operations; Joe Llereza, Conference and Events Services 25 Years: David Gorski, Multimedia Services

Kudos to…History Professor Dr. William Benton Whisenhunt who recently provided a “COD at 50” presentation at the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. Click here to view more photos and read more.

More Kudos to…Associate Speech Professor Chris Miller who was selected again this year to serve as emcee of the sold-out Fermilab Physics Slam. Click here to read an article and watch a video from the event in the Beacon News. More Kudos to…COD President Dr. Ann Rondeau whose column, “Service Learning at COD a Win-Win” ran in the Dec. 9 issue of Spotlight on Schools in the Daily Herald. Click here to read. More Kudos to…Multimedia Services Producer/Director Kevin Willman who recently shared information on serving veterans in the Honors Flight Program with WDCB News/Public Affairs Coordinator Brian O’Keefe. Click here to listen to the interview.

And More Kudos to…members of Multimedia Services who were honored at the annual Telly Awards, which recognize excellence in television, film, video and multimedia production. Click here to read about and watch the winning videos.

More Kudos to…Sue Black, Campus Central; Ellen Roberts, Business Affairs; and Yvonne Bello, Counseling and Advising who earned November I Am COD Individual Awards letters in recognition for their outstanding service. More Kudos to…Facilities Director Bruce Schmiedl and his team for earning LEED certification for the Homeland Security Training Center (HTC). Click here to read an article about the designation.

Judges Needed for Frank-ly Speaking Tournament On Saturday, Jan. 21, the COD Forensics team will host its annual Frank-ly Speaking Individual Events Tournament featuring public speaking and oral interpretation events from students attending colleges and universities throughout the nation. COD employees are needed to judge one (or more!) rounds. Here is a brief guide for writing an effective ballot as well as an information sheet on tournament events and criteria for judging. Please RSVP by Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 5 p.m. by clicking here. Thank you!

Volunteers Needed for Welcome Tables Please sign up for one or more opportunities to welcome our spring students and answer their questions. Volunteers are needed Jan. 17 to 24. To register, just click here. Thank you in advance!

NOTES: Please make sure to view new 50th anniversary videos that are updated weekly. Also, the COD Entrepreneurship Club has two new CODEC segments airing on YouTube. Please also tune in to view the latest award-winning CNTV news broadcast. Visit www.cod.edu/calendar for a complete list of upcoming academic, social and cultural events at College of DuPage.

Purchasing Dates Please contact the College of DuPage Purchasing Department at ext. 2217 for questions about dates required for purchasing approval for upcoming Board of Trustees meetings. Job Opportunities To view and apply for any posted job opportunity, go to: https://cod.hiretouch.com. Current employees should designate themselves as such on the application to be considered for positions prior to external applicants. For questions, please call ext. 2639.

COD Phi Theta Kappa President Kristina Clancy (white sweater) marked the official opening of the College’s “Fuel Pantry” during a ribbon cutting ceremony. Following an examination of campus-wide food insecurity, Phi Theta Kappa organized the pantry, which is available to students, staff and faculty with COD identification. For more information, visit www.cod.edu/pantry.

Holiday Cheer! More than 150 COD Cares Action Heroes wrapped more than 1,000 gifts for children, teens and seniors through the Giving Garland program. In addition, more than $500 in Jewel gift cards, 400 bags of cookies, 400 bags of “Reindeer food,” nearly 150 holiday signed holiday cards and 100 candy cane reindeer were delivered to those in need. Last week, COD Cares received an urgent request from DCFS asking for help to host a holiday party to celebrate newly joined foster families in DuPage County. Every item in the attached list was collected from COD employees and promptly delivered. In addition, the WDCB 90.9 FM annual Food/Pledge drive resulted in more than 7,000 meals donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Click here to read more. The spirit of the holidays lives on at COD!

And More Kudos to…former College of DuPage engineering student Samantha Dando (above) who earned a scholarship to Bradley University to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a recent internship at John Deere at Waterloo Works. Congrats also to Admissions Assistant Anne Marie Dando who is the proud mom of Samantha.