The start of fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do we eagerly await the impending color changes in fall foliage, or the cool evenings and brisk mornings, but it also signals a time of transformation at Lake Land College. We anxiously await for your return and the life you bring to Lake Land’s campus. The first days of the semester are charged with the energy and excitement of our anxious new students navigating campus for the first time and our veteran students chomping at the bit to get the semester underway. There is no greater delight for an educator than the site of thousands of enthusiastic minds engaging in the learning process. It darn near beats Christmas!

And while you were away for the summer spending time with loved ones, tending to your summer jobs, or taking an online course, the Lake Land family was hard at work ensuring the campus was ready for your return. Over the summer months the campus’s physical and technology infrastructure have undergone a makeover.

The Vo-Tech building has received a thorough, ground-up remodeling with the addition of new geothermal heating and cooling, bright LED lighting and fresh ceilings and paint. New classroom space has been wired for the latest technology, while the welding, machining and automotive labs have experienced a thoughtful renovation. Stepping inside the inviting new space it is hard to believe the building was originally constructed nearly 50 years ago.

As you visit the Lake Land College website you will be greeted by a vibrant new look and feel. The site has been retooled to ease navigation and be more mobile friendly. Intuitive dropdown menus and helpful quick links nicely balance the rolling visual content. We hope you will find it a useful tool during your studies at Lake Land.

The technology infrastructure in the classrooms has also seen marked improvements. We are nearly finished with upgrading the classroom technology in each building on campus with crisp high definition projectors, document cameras and speakers. This change will allow faculty to utilize the latest high definition teaching tools to enhance the student learning experience. And, a recent doubling of bandwidth speeds on the college’s open Wi-Fi ensures you will have uninterrupted access to needed classroom materials via your laptop or tablet, and a more mobile friendly campus experience.

But one of the most significant improvements you will notice is the new single source virtual machine login for campus computers. Lake Land is one of a few colleges nationwide to offer this technology to its students. Beginning with the fall term you will be able to log into your personalized virtual desktop from any machine on campus, or from any connected device anywhere in the world, using VMWare. As part of your virtual machine, you will have access to the applications needed for your courses of study, in addition to having a personal U: drive space available to store your documents and work throughout the semester. Gone are the days of trying to find time in your busy schedule to visit a campus computer lab to complete an assignment. Virtual desktop technology will bring the computer lab to you at a time and place convenient for you.

We truly believe that an investment in Lake Land’s physical and technological infrastructure is an investment in our students. We are honored and proud to serve as your community college and we hope you feel a sense of pride in being part of the Lake Land family. Wishing you a productive and successful semester!