Waubonsee Jazz Band receives musical excellence awards
Three Waubonsee Community College students and members of the college's Jazz Band received outstanding musicianship awards for their participation at the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Jazz Festival, which took place Nov. 7 at Elgin Community College. Tim Cooper of Batavia, who plays trumpet; Dan Hidalgo of Yorkville, who plays piano; and Matt Erion of Batavia, who plays bass and arranges music, received the awards.
Adjunct music instructor Jeff Ford conducted the band at the festival. John Wojciechowski of Aurora, who plays tenor saxophone, also participated.
Top award: Waubonsee Community College recently won the top award in the Professional and Organizational Change category in the 2009 Exemplary Initiatives Competition sponsored by the National Council of Instructional Administrators. The college was recognized for its role in starting the Health Care Interpreting Educational Network, which provides resources, networking opportunities and continuing education to local health care interpreters.
Growing out of the college's health care interpreting degree and certificate programs, the professional network held its initial meeting as part of the college's first health care interpreting conference in August 2008. Since that time, the organization, which has about 35 active members, has created a mission statement, hosted a second conference, participated in a pilot test for national certification and helped Waubonsee create a legal interpreting certificate.
Health care interpreters are bilingual individuals who facilitate communication in hospitals, clinics and other health care settings. Waubonsee's associate degree in health care interpreting focuses on English/Spanish interpreting and was the first of its kind in Illinois when it debuted in 2006.
Winning 10 awards: Waubonsee Community College recently won 10 MarCom Awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals and one Pride of CASE V award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Four projects received the MarCom competition's highest platinum award: 2008 Report to the Community, 2009-10 viewbook, fall 2009 Community Education mailer and the Student Center grand opening invitation. Winning gold were the college's new Aurora Campus fence signage, 2008 holiday card, Parent's Night brochure and the photography for the 2008 Report to the Community. Honorable Mentions went to the Brighter Futures brochure and the writing for the 2008 Report to the Community.
The MarCom Awards international competition receives more than 5,000 entries each year from marketing and communications departments, advertising agencies, public relations firms, design shops, production companies, and freelancers.
Waubonsee's Aurora Campus ceremonial groundbreaking event received a bronze award in the annual Pride of CASE V Awards. Waubonsee was one of only two community colleges to receive an award in CASE's District V, which includes more than 400 colleges and universities in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
CASE is an international association of professionals who advance educational institutions through work in the fields of alumni relations, communications and development.