Elgin Community College notes

Nursing program: Those interested in enrolling in Elgin Community College's professional nursing program are encouraged to attend an upcoming information session detailing the program's requirements and more.

ECC has scheduled a group information meeting for prospective nursing majors in January.

The session is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. today in the Advanced Technology Center auditorium, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

ECC representatives will outline the entrance requirements and admission process, describe the nursing program, and explore employment options in the nursing field. The session is free, but reservations are strongly encouraged.

To make a reservation for the nursing information meeting, contact the Admissions Office at (847) 214-7385. For information about the nursing program, call (847) 214-7350 or visit the Web site at www.elgin.edu/healthcare.

Nursing pre-admission exams: The Elgin Community College professional nursing program has scheduled five opportunities in January to take the pre-admission exam for entry into the spring or fall 2009 classes.

The first opportunity to take the exam is from 8:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 19 in room 183 of the Health and Business Technology building.

The other four opportunities are 9 a.m. or noon Jan. 24 or 31 in the Testing Center located in room 108 of the Student Resource Center.

The registration deadlines are Jan. 15, 20 and 27, respectively, and all seats are on a first come/first served basis. Both buildings are located on the ECC main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

The exam, sponsored by the National League for Nursing, is required prior to entering the nursing program. The nonrefundable fee for the test is $85, payable by cash, check or charge. Students must register and pay at nlnonlinetesting.org/pax.

Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

For information about the exam, call (847) 214-7219. For information about the nursing program, call (847) 214-7350 or visit the Web site at www.elgin.edu/nursing.

The Club on CenterStage: Old School Freight Train will bring an innovative blend of jazz, Latin, Celtic, bluegrass and pop music when Elgin Community College's The Club on CenterStage series hosts this band of five at 8 p.m. Jan. 18-19 in the intimate cabaret setting of SecondSpace Theatre at ECC's Visual and Performing Arts Center.

Old School Freight Train creates acoustic music that spans a broad spectrum of contemporary styles and highlights its instrumental virtuosity, smooth soulful vocals and captivating melodies.

The band is comprised of the vocals and songwriting talent of guitarist Jesse Harper, the mandolin stylings of Pete Frostic, Ben Krakauer's five-string banjo finesse, the fiddling of Nate Leath and backbone upright bass of Darrell Muller.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. in the SecondSpace Theatre at ECC's Arts Center on the Main Campus, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. Concert tickets cost $17. For an additional $17, patrons can purchase the dinner and concert package, which includes a three-course meal, prepared by students of the award-winning Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute of Elgin at ECC.

Tickets for all performances in ECC's Arts Center are now available online at www.elgin.edu/arts or at the ECC box office located in the Arts Center. Box office hours are 12 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted. For more information about the ECC Arts Center's season, visit www.elgin.edu/arts.

Founders' Brunch:ŒThe Elgin Community College Foundation will host its annual Founders' Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. The champagne reception begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the brunch at noon.

This annual event, held the first or second Sunday in January, commemorates the founding of the college in 1949. It is a mid-day brunch with an upscale menu that begins with a champagne reception and includes entertainment and raffles for gifts and prizes. Time is also set aside to bestow special awards and recognitions. Funds raised provide financial support to the students and instructional programs of ECC.

Tickets cost $75 per person. For details, call (847) 214-7377.

NxLevel for Entrepreneurs: Elgin Community College's Illinois Small Business Development Center is offering NxLevel for Entrepreneurs, a 12-week comprehensive course that will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 20 through May 14.

The intensive training program includes workshops with experienced business educators, guest lectures by prominent business leaders, networking opportunities with local business leaders, and one-on-one business counseling.

The course focuses on teaching sound and proven business practices while producing a comprehensive business plan to guide business expansion decisions and activities.

The course will be held at ECC in the Fox Valley University and Business Center, 1700 Spartan Drive in Elgin.

The course enrollment fee is $475, which includes a comprehensive reference book, workbook and all class handouts.

Class size is limited to 20 students. The registration deadline is Feb. 15. For information on the program or to register, call the Illinois SBDC at (847) 214-7488.

Outstanding Musician Awards: Five student musicians at Elgin Community College won Outstanding Musician Awards at the recent Skyway Jazz Festival held at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.

The musicians performed with the ECC Youth Jazz Band under the direction of Mark Bettcher.

The winning students were: Omar Garcia, Algonquin, on drums; Andrew Soderstrom, East Dundee, on drums; Connor Bernhard, Crystal Lake, on guitar; Brendyn Dobbeck, Elgin, tenor saxophone; and Ryan Palmer, Sleepy Hollow, piano.

The Skyway Conference is comprised of eight member colleges: College of Lake County, Grayslake; Elgin Community College, McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills; Morton College, Cicero; Oakton Community College, Des Plaines; Prairie State College and Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove.

In addition to its intercollegiate athletic conference, Skyway sponsors four annual co-curricular events: the Jazz Festival, College Bowl Tournament, Writers Festival and Art Competition.

Massage therapy: The massage therapy program of Elgin Community College has been accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation until winter 2012.

Accreditation for the massage therapy program is a voluntary process that identifies and acknowledges educational programs and/or institutions for achieving and maintaining a level of quality, performance and integrity that meets meaningful standards.

"It has been a 32-month process to accreditation," said Deb Keisler, ECC professional program manager. "Not all schools seek accreditation as it is a long process involving self-study, curriculum review and creating exhibits highlighting our standards in everything from adequate physical facilities and accessibility to well thought out curriculum that connects learning outcomes with testing standards, all the time looking to the profession and the skills a therapist must have in the marketplace."

Massage therapy is a licensed profession in Illinois. ECC prepares students to sit for the national certification exam and upon successful completion of it, apply for their license.

Currently, an evening and weekend program, with over 700 hours of classroom study and an additional 50 hours of optional learning, ECC provides students with an education that addresses a multidimensional massage practice and provides therapists with the skills to work in a spa setting, chiropractic office, health club or to start a business of their own.

"One of the things we do differently is to have a prerequisite course that serves as a discernment period for the students," Keisler said. "This four-week course is both academically and personally challenging."

During the course, massage therapy students do bodywork as both the client and the practitioner and learn the Latin names for muscles and bones for a test in the final week. If a student earns a passing grade of 75 percent or better, they generally have a solid chance of making it through the program.

The program has three supervised semesters of clinics, totaling more than 100 hours of contact with the public, simulating a professional clinic. The clinics begin in the first semester to aid students in growing into a level of comfort and confidence in working with the public as they learn more each week about massage techniques, body mechanics and anatomy and physiology.

Students are also responsible for completing a 25-hour externship in the community doing massage at nursing homes, social service agencies, the Open Door Clinic in Elgin or site of their own choosing that meets the program standards.

In this module students demonstrate their knowledge of writing a case study, researching topics, working therapeutically with client populations with special needs and putting everything into a coherent report for their supervisor.

The massage program also incorporates yoga as a way for students to warm and stretch their muscles. This practice and knowledge assists students in preventing work related injuries to their own bodies.

Students from the program also serve as the massage therapy team for Elgin's annual Fox Trot 10-mile run/walk and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life on ECC's main campus. Students learn pre- and post- event massage in class and then work with the walkers and runners on the site of the events.

For information about the ECC massage therapy program, call the massage therapy office at (847) 214-7773. For information about a daytime program in massage therapy, call Lurana Bain, program coordinator, at (847) 214-7353. For details, visit www.elgin.edu/massage.

Business counseling: The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Elgin Community College now offers business counseling services via the phone and e-mail for small business owners.

By completing a request for counseling form, small business owners are entitled to unlimited, free, confidential business counseling in person, over the phone or through e-mail.

Center business coaches are professionally trained with backgrounds in small business issues. They work with small business owners overseeing, assisting and guiding them in developing, starting and growing their business. A business coach can help clarify business goals and objectives and give the resources needed to operate a successful business.

Business counseling services are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

For more information on the program or to register, contact the Illinois SBDC at (847) 214-7488 or send e-mail to sbdc@elgin.edu.