Board Fronts $30,000 to Keep TRIO Talent Search Staffed During Federal Delay

Lake Land College | August 17, 2026

Article Summary: With federal grant notifications delayed and current funding expiring at the end of August, Lake Land College trustees on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, approved using up to $30,000 of the college’s fund balance to cover TRIO Talent Search salaries and fringe benefits from Sept. 1 through Oct. 11, 2026.

TRIO Talent Search Funding Key Points:

• Up to $30,000 from fund balance for salary and fringe benefits, Sept. 1 – Oct. 11, 2026.
• The college is at the conclusion of a five-year federal TRIO Talent Search grant cycle and has submitted a new five-year application.
• The U.S. Department of Education has notified institutions of delays in completing grant award notifications.
• If a new award is received, the College will be reimbursed for personnel and fringe benefit expenses.

MATTOON — Rather than let a federal funding gap interrupt college-readiness services for area middle and high school students, Lake Land College trustees on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, agreed to advance up to $30,000 from the college’s fund balance to keep TRIO Talent Search staff on the payroll for six weeks.

Vice President for Student Services Heather Nohren presented the request with a supporting Aug. 10 memo to President Dr. Josh Bullock. The board approved it 8-0 on a motion by Trustee Gary Cadwell, seconded by Trustee Scott Montgomery.

Nohren’s memo states the college “is currently at the conclusion of its five-year federal TRIO Talent Search grant cycle and has submitted a new five-year grant application for continued federal funding.” The U.S. Department of Education has notified institutions that it is experiencing delays in completing grant award notifications for the upcoming cycle, and as a result the college “may not receive notification regarding funding for the next Talent Search grant cycle before the current grant funding expires at the end of August 2026.”

The memo describes the program as providing college and career readiness services to middle and high school students throughout the district, with an emphasis on low-income and potential first-generation college students. Temporary institutional support “would allow the College to maintain program operations and retain staff during this period of uncertainty rather than disrupting services while a federal decision is pending,” Nohren wrote. If the college receives a new award, it will be reimbursed for personnel and fringe benefit expenses.

The college’s organizational charts for FY 2027, approved the same evening, show a Director of TRIO Programs reporting to the vice president for student services, with an administrative assistant, an assistant director, two TRIO Destination College Outreach Advisors, a TRIO Outreach & Retention Specialist, a TRIO STEM Advisor and a TRIO Student Support Services Advisor beneath.

The FY 2027 budget anticipates $13,054,566 in federal Department of Education revenue within the Restricted Purposes Fund, which totals $53,511,265 in both revenue and expenditure.