New Grant to Help SIC Promote Dual Credit Business Education

Southeastern Illinois College has been awarded a Dual Credit Enhancement Grant for Fiscal Year 2014 by the Illinois Community College Board.  The grant will support the development, delivery and evaluation of the dual credit program, which aims to expand student access to higher education while maintaining high academic standards.

Southeastern currently has dual credit arrangements with all nine of its district high schools, which allow students to receive college credit – and therefore, a head start on their college careers – while still in high school.

Now that the college offers an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Business Management available 100 percent online, high school juniors and seniors who qualify for the Early College Program could take these online business courses as a dual-enrolled student. This would allow students who are on the business career path an opportunity to get a head start on their college degree, while saving money using the Early College tuition waiver.  Business transfer courses are also available online.

Additionally, the $7,749 grant allows SIC to form a team that includes both high school and SIC faculty and staff to create a plan for high school business and computer courses – taught by high school instructors – that can be taken during high school freshman and sophomore years, to further prepare students for dual credit and dual enrollment courses to be taken during junior and senior years. Students will then graduate high school with accumulated coursework toward either an A.A.S. degree in Business Management or toward an Associate in Science degree which can transfer to a four-year institution.

SIC will share information about this opportunity at the annual high school Business Skills Competition, which is scheduled for Feb. 27 on the SIC campus.

“Southeastern was very pleased to receive this grant,” said Dr. Dana Keating, SIC’s Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “It will allow us to work more closely with our district high schools to align their business classes, some of which may be offered as dual credit, with SIC’s business degrees.  We will also be able to show students how they can utilize SIC’s online business and general education courses through the Early College Program to get a head start on their business degree at SIC while still in high school.”

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