College of Lake County notes

For information, call (847) 223-6601 or visit www.clcillinois.edu

CLC gift cards: The Business Services and Finance Office at the College of Lake County is offering gift cards that can be redeemed for tuition, books, fees or food services to feed the minds and bodies of CLC students.

To purchase a CLC gift card, come to one of the windows at the cashier's office, located in room A101 on the Grayslake Campus. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through this Friday. Cash, credit and debit cards and checks are accepted, and purchasers may choose the gift card amount they desire. For information, call (847) 543-2085.

Paralegal information: Learn what it takes to begin a paralegal career at information sessions sponsored by the College of Lake County Paralegal Studies Program. Potential students will learn about the paralegal profession, the job outlook and CLC's paralegal certificate and the Associate in Applied Science degree. They will also meet the faculty and other students.

Information sessions will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Jan. 12 and from 7 to 8 p.m. Jan. 15 in room T 117 on the Grayslake Campus.

Art gallery exhibit schedule: Several new art exhibits are planned for 2007-08 at the College of Lake County Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art. All events are free and open to the public. The gallery will present the following exhibits in the coming year, and opening receptions are planned for each exhibit:

• Jan. 18 to Feb. 24, 2008: Members Exhibition. A diverse group show of all fine art media by 100 Lake County artists. Funds from artist memberships support the endowment of the Robert T. Wright Gallery. A reception will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 18.

Spring semester: Spring semester credit courses begin Jan. 22. To apply for admission to CLC, call (847) 543-2061 or log on to www.clcillinois.edu/applic.htm. To register for classes by phone (after completing CLC's admission process), call (847) 223-1111. To register online, log on to www.clcillinois.edu/selfserv.htm. For information, call (847) 265-5343.

Career Exploration Course: Designed for students of all ages who are unsure of what college major or career to pursue, this one credit course includes assessments, research and activities to help students better understand themselves and their interests, values, personality traits, skills and experiences as they relate to finding the right career field.

Five sections of Career Exploration (PDS 122) will be offered during the CLC spring semester, with two sections starting in late January and three sections beginning in March. One section (200), taught by Counselor Nancy DeMuro, will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Jan. 23 through March 19 at the Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills.

Classes for Microsoft users: Microsoft has completely redesigned its latest version of Office, with menus and toolbars being replaced by new applications such as Ribbons, the Office Button and the Quick Access Toolbar.

The College of Lake County can help computer users ease the transition to a new version this spring with an array of credit courses and non-credit workshops covering the 2007 versions of Microsoft Office Suite products, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access.

During spring semester, which begins Jan. 22, the CLC Business Division is offering the following in-depth credit courses that teach Microsoft Office 2007 software packages:

Comprehensive Word Processing (AOS 113) covers Word 2007; Advanced Word Processing/Desktop Publishing (AOS 118) now uses Office 2007; Presentation Software (AOS 215) covers PowerPoint 2007; Comprehensive Spreadsheets (CIT 111) covers Excel 2007; Comprehensive Databases (CIT 112) covers Access 2007 and Introduction to Office Software (CIT 119) covers all the 2007 Microsoft Office packages. A new course, Project Management Software (CIT 211), covers Microsoft Project 2007, a powerful project management tool.

Introduction to Computers (CIT 120) and Automated Office Technologies (AOS 112) will convert to the new version of Microsoft Office, offering several classroom and online sections.

Upgrading to Microsoft Office 2007 (AOS 299) is a new one-credit hour course designed to help experienced Office users quickly reach productivity on Office 2007. Daytime and evening sections are available from Feb. 21 to March 21. Programming for Office Applications (CIT 210) will also upgrade to Office 2007, covering macros, Visual Basic for Applications and XML data interfacing.

Short-term non-credit workshops covering the 2007 versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint and ranging from four to eight hours in length are being offered by the CLC Workforce and Professional Development Institute's (WPDI) Continuing Professional Development department. These classes will get business people and computer users quickly up to speed on the new versions. WPDI workshops of Office 2007 products begin in February on the Grayslake campus.

Experienced users of the 2003 version of the Microsoft Office Suite can enroll in a series of four-hour workshops that cover the new features of Office 2007. Students can also combine two software programs in one day: Word and Excel on Feb. 21, Word and PowerPoint on April 8 and Excel and Access on April 15 or May 8.

The Workforce and Professional Development Institute also offers workshops that employ the 2003 versions of Microsoft Office software. These workshops are offered at the Southlake Campus, 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, and at the Lakeshore Campus, 111 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. For more information on these professional development workshops, call (847) 543-2615 or visit wpdi.clcillinois.edu.

2007-08 Concert Season: The College of Lake County Music department has planned announce its 2007-08 season. Concerts will be held in the Mainstage Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts on the CLC Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $4 for CLC/seniors/children unless noted (price includes $1 JLC restoration fee). Tickets are available in person, by calling the Box Office at (847) 543-2300 or online at www.clcillinois.edu/tickets.

• Jazz Sunday, with a tribute to Buddy Rich and His Orchestra: 4 p.m. Feb. 24

• Wind Ensemble with guest conductor Steve Eggleston: 4 p.m. March 16

• Gospel Choir: 4 p.m. March 23

Theater season: The College of Lake County theater department's 2007-08 season has been announced:

• "The Importance of Being Earnest" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 23, 28, 29 and Mar. 1 and 2 p.m. Feb. 24 in the Studio Theatre.

Oscar Wilde's brilliant comedy of manners follows the antics of two bachelors as they pursue true love and the perfect cucumber sandwich.

Tickets are $10 each for the general public and $8 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65 and older and JLC season subscribers.

• "How I Learned to Drive" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. April 13.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this play is a tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. Co-presented with the CLC Women's Center in the Studio Theatre with a guest director.

Auditions will be at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 and 29.

Tickets are $10 each for the general public and $8 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65 and older and JLC season subscribers.

CLC Honors Program: High-achieving students looking for scholarship assistance are invited to apply for the College of Lake County Honors Program. For spring semester 2007, CLC will offer four class sections that are open only to students admitted to the Honors Program, and participants are eligible to receive in-district tuition scholarships to cover the cost of honors courses.

The honors option will be offered in the following credit courses for spring semester: English Composition II "Chicago Voices"; "American Decades"; "Introduction to Sociology"; and "Environmental Biology."

An Honors Program application may be downloaded at www.clcillinois.edu/credit/academics/honors.asp. Information about how to enroll at CLC while still in high school is available at www.clcillinois.edu/earlycollege. High school students must apply to the college as well as the Honors Program.

To apply for the Honors Program or for more information, contact Dr. Nick Schevera at (847) 543-2959 or com409@clcillinois.edu.

Veterans Monument: A new veterans memorial monument at the College of Lake County Grayslake campus is being planned, and the CLC Veterans Memorial Task Force is offering the opportunity for community members to purchase engraved bricks to honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The engraved bricks will form the circular base of the monument, which will be built next to Willow Lake, in the grassy area between the C Wing and Library/Learning Resource Center. The monument will feature a life-sized bronze sculpture that depicts a member of the Armed Forces paying his respects at the grave marker of a fallen hero. Artist Cindy Seng of Libertyville will create the statue. The monument will also feature the seals of all five branches of the U.S. military, three flagpoles and up to 3,000 engraved bricks. Donations received from the fundraising drive will be used for the 2008 construction and ongoing maintenance of the monument.

For a contribution of $50 for one or $125 for three, 4-by-8-inch paver bricks will be engraved to honor a service member, and can include the name, rank, branch of service and dates of service. To order a brick or make a tax deductible contribution, contact the College of Lake County Foundation at (847) 543-2091. Checks can be made payable to the CLC Foundation for the Veterans Memorial Brick account and sent to 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake, IL 60030-1198.

More information is also available by calling Wayne J. Maczko at (847) 224-6013 or at www.clcillinois.edu/vets.