Prospectus

Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Gavin Dow Parkland student and proud father Ben Chesher shows off son Logan in a cell phone picture. Chesher, a former Marine and current Army soldier, has served abroad in Iraq, and is earning his degree at Parkland in hopes of being commissioned as an officer. His story as a father is different from many, but his hopes are pinned on not only his son and family, but in his quest for more education.

Aerika Hutton graduated from Urbana High School in 1994, when most Parkland students were still learning how to read. She enrolled at Parkland College, but, like many students, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life. She left after one year, married, and had her first son, Nathan. She has worked for State Farm, Solo Cup Company, and now has three children: Nathan (12), Zach (8), and Hanna (3). Two years ago, she decided that she wanted to return to school, and she is now one of the many parents who attend Parkland College.

Parkland students are a diverse group. The vast majority of them come straight out of high school, planning on either earning a two-year degree before entering the workforce, or transferring to another school to earn a Bachelor's degree. Some are students from the University of Illinois taking general education courses, and some are taking a second (or third) crack at college. Some are young, and some are old. And many students of all ages are, like Aerika, parents.

Parkland is, in many ways, an ideal place for busy mothers and fathers to invest in their education. To take a fifteen-hour course load costs only $1,230, as opposed to almost $4000 at Eastern Illinois University, or over $5600 at the University of Illinois, according to CollegeZone.com, but Parkland offers several other benefits for parents beside its low cost.

This semester, there are roughly five thousand students enrolled in at least one online course at Parkland College, a number that is still growing. More and more busy parents are taking advantage of the flexibility granted by online classes, which allow them to fit school around their jobs and families. Parkland's own President Ramage earned a master's degree in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University through online classes while working full time and caring for his family.

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