Parkland College: New features galore

CHAMPAIGN – A look at some of the news at Parkland College, where new President Robert Exley started a few weeks ago:

New top ranking: Parkland ranks No. 1 among Illinois community colleges in transferring students to other state colleges and universities. Its transfer rate, 33.9 percent, is 5 points better than its nearest competitor.

New career programs: Earn a degree to be a dietetic technician. Or try a digital media degree, combining 3-D computer animation, 3-D graphics programming and Web technology.

New courses: Digital photography; introduction to Mexican culture; cultural values of South Asia; Native American Cultures of North America; fundamentals of science; science in modern society.

New greenhouse: On the west side of the Tony Noel Center, it's open for classes this fall.

New Planetarium show: "Skywatchers of Africa," a celebration of African cultures.

New advanced degree partnership: The Adult Reentry Center has added Regis University Online to the list of schools that help adults make the move from Parkland into a degree program.

New scholarships: The Peter McLaughlin Memorial Scholarship and Champaign County Sheriff's Office Scholarship for criminal justice students; the Women in Computer Science and Technology Scholarship for women in computer studies; and the Part-Time Faculty Organization Scholarship for children of part-time faculty members.

New global connections: Two short-term study-abroad programs – transcultural nursing in Ecuador and international perspectives in agriculture in Denmark.

New mascot: Sports teams now have a green-and-gold cobra.