SWIC board approves fee, contract

The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a fee increase for all new Running Start Program students effective for the 2016-18 class.

According to school spokesman Mike Fleming, the cost of the program, which allows highly-qualified high school students to simultaneously complete their high school diploma while getting an associates degree from the college will increase 2.8 percent to $3,325.

The Running Start program fee, since its inception, has been adjusted with college tuition increases,” Fleming said of the hike. He added that the price tag is for two years of school, not just one.

In the fall semester of 2014, 114 students were in the program, Fleming said.

In other business, the board approved a contract with Sitton Consulting Group at a cost of $40,750.

Money for the contract came from the Illinois Green Energy network, not college funds. SWIC

Under the terms of the proposed deal, Sitton Consulting would help SWIC complete a pair of projects. The first project is to develop “goals and deliverables” in connection with a $125,000 grant the school received as part of a U.S. Department of Energy Sunshot Initiative Grant and to help “deliver consumer education in smart grid and smart meter technology.”

The second project is funded by a $250,000 grant from the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation.

SWIC trustees also approved Wednesday a $71,680 contract with Cavallo Bus Lines of Gillespie for fiscal year 2016 travel for the school’s athletic teams.

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "SWIC board approves fee, contract."