THE FOLLOWING IS PROVIDED BY DANVILLE AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
As Danville Area Community College celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2026, I am proud and grateful for the vibrant community we serve in District 507. For eight decades, DACC has anchored East Central Illinois by connecting local talent to careers, advancing economic mobility, and transforming lives. Today, our college is stronger, more agile, and more focused than ever on educational excellence and student success.
We have launched our five-year Strategic Plan (2026–2031), A Future Written in Success. Developed with input from local residents, students, faculty, and industry partners, this plan guides our work through four pillars: Our Students, Our Teaching and Learning, Our Community, and Our Institution. The DACC community is defined by four core values: Diverse (Strength in Difference), Adaptable (Thriving through Change), Committed (All in, Always), and Community-focused (United for Impact).
Our dedicated faculty are essential to our success. I am pleased to announce that DACC and the faculty this week ratified a four-year collective bargaining agreement through June 30, 2030. The agreement provides a 20% salary increase over four years, raises overload pay to $800 per credit hour, and expands personal leave. It also sets a goal to increase in-person instruction to 60% over four years and establish joint committees to mentor new tenure-track faculty and to create a fair and accountable process for instructional stipends.
Later this month, we will post three dean positions for our academic divisions: Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture & Mathematics; Liberal Arts, Business & Social Sciences; and Career, Technical & Workforce Education. Renaming these divisions strengthens our focus on transfer and general education, supporting coursework that leads to baccalaureate majors and transfer agreements with regional universities. After the loss of funding for adult education due to past grant mismanagement, we have established a new transition services center to provide GED and high school completion preparation, as well as bridge programs that help GED students enroll in college credit courses, especially short-term training in our new Workforce Education department.
Our workforce development and Career & Technical Education (CTE) initiatives continue to grow. The restructured College Express program welcomed 300 high school students across 10 CTE tracks in fall 2026, operating under a sustainable financial model projected to generate over $150,000 in positive returns for FY 2027. In one program in particular, Culinary Arts remains popular for high school students. Even with the retirement of Culinary Arts Professor Dana Wheeler, the program continues to have healthy enrollment with some high school students matriculating to our certificate program. The certificate program will offer a new schedule of courses in the spring semester which will allow many of the matriculated and non-traditional students to complete the program.
With support from the $660,000 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) grant and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity – Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship program, DACC students are gaining hands-on training and earning industry-recognized credentials in green energy HVAC systems and wind technologies, construction, electronics, and high-demand trades, such as plumbing and pipefitting, welding and carpentry. Several pre-apprenticeship cohort completers have been hired by local and regional trade unions and have begun their formal industry apprenticeships.
We remain committed to academic quality and campus revitalization. We support our faculty through the Quality Matters online instructional framework and new Teaching & Learning Center which will be housed in the Clock Tower’s Library and Learning Resources Center. Our campus cultural life is thriving, highlighted by a $500,000 gift from John and Kay Shaner to refurbish Bremer Theater, now rededicated as the John and Kay Shaner Theater. Fall and spring theatrical and musical productions for the students and the community are being scheduled, bringing cultural appreciation and artistic expression front and center for students at DACC.
Whether supporting traditional students seeking a pathway to a baccalaureate degree in transfer, dual-enrollment high school students, adult learners seeking workforce retraining, or trade apprentices, DACC remains committed to its vision: “Every student, every story, a future written in success.” Thank you to our faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, business partners, and community members for your ongoing dedication to our students and region.
Sincerely,
Dr. Randall P. Fletcher,
President, Danville Area Community College
