Lake Land College is a community college in Mattoon in Coles County, Illinois. The college was founded in 1966. It serves 7,400 students, mainly from the east-central Illinois region, in various two-year programs. Lake Land students can earn a degree for immediate employment or use the training to prepare for further university education, often at Eastern Illinois University. The average age of the students is 25.75 years; 54% of the students are male, and 46% are female.The 308 acre (1.2 km²) campus has seven major buildings plus eight supportive buildings, two campus ponds and a 160 acre (0.6 km²) agriculture land laboratory. There is also a child care lab, a cosmetology clinic, and a library. The campus is designed as a large circle; the major buildings are also circular. They are clustered in the center, with park areas and parking lots surrounding them.Lake Land's creation was first approved in 1966 by a referendum in 13 public school districts centered on Mattoon. The first classes were held the following year in various buildings throughout the town. The first president of the college was Virgil H. Judge. Construction on the college began in 1971 and continued in phases throughout the 1970s.Academic programs at Lake Land College include Agriculture; Allied Health; Business; Humanities; Math & Science; Technology and Social Science & Education. Other coursework programs include the Cisco Networking Academy, Computer Troubleshooting, Physical Therapist Assistant, Desktop Publishing Graphic Design, Radio-TV Broadcasting, Raster Geographic Information Systems, and Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Lake Land College also recently started an ROTC program. Over 150 courses are offered online.
