The donation from the Kiwanis Club of Dixon encourages students to participate in the Impact Program, gain valuable work experience, and graduate without the financial burden of tuition. 

Sauk Valley rolled to a 25-15, 25-16, 25-16 win over Kishwaukee on Sophomore Night, remaining undefeated on its home court for the second straight season and finishing off a second consecutive 10-0 record in Arrowhead Conference play.

Sauk Valley Community College’s Student Activities & Student Government Association invites the public to a free performance by hypnotist/mentalist Brian Imbus on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.

Sauk Valley Community College’s Student Government Association invites the public to give the gift of life during their fall blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Hands-on activities and career chats gave local middle schoolers a glimpse into their futures Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, during the annual Pathways Playground career exploration event at Sauk Valley Community College, Dixon.

An estimated 1,300 eighth graders from the region toured 62 business booths Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at Sauk Valley Community College. Sponsored by the Regional Office of Education, the Pathways Playground program opened up career options for the students.

Les Allen's show is on display at Sauk Valley Community College, in the second-floor, east-end art gallery, until Nov. 20. Viewing is free to the public.

Local artist Les Allen has a show on display at Sauk Valley Community College's art gallery.

The TALK-LINE interview for Oct. 2 featured Sauk Valley Community College Marketing Director Jim Grot, current SVCC President Dr. David Hellmich, and incoming Sauk President Dr. Jon Mandrell.

After graduation, Kayla Hackbarth plans to attend Sauk Valley Community College to major in Early Childhood Education and continue her track and field career. She hopes to transfer to a university such as Illinois State to finish her degree.

For the past two years, the Sterling, Dixon City, Dixon Rural, and Rock Falls fire departments have worked to align their command structures, allowing leaders to take over seamlessly during major calls.

Sauk Valley Community College hosts local artist Les Allen for a new exhibit titled “The Shape of Light”. The exhibit runs to Thursday, Nov. 20, and takes place in the Sauk Art Gallery. The gallery is open during campus hours and is free to the public.

The Blackhawk Firefighter Association will host a Sept. 11 memorial ceremony Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at Sauk Valley Community College.

The Board of Trustees unanimously selected Jon Mandrell, vice president of academics and student services, as the college’s seventh president. He will officially begin his presidential duties June 1, 2026.

Sauk Valley Community College will dedicate its basketball court to longtime athletic director and men’s basketball coach Russ Damhoff during a special ceremony.

The city of Morrison has donated $5,000 to SVCC's Impact Program as part of the ongoing Mustang Endowment Challenge, an initiative to fully fund the Impact Program for Morrison Schools through community contributions.

The program gives students hands-on experience in welding, machining, and computer-aided design.

Babson Farms and the H.B.B. Foundation will support the 54 registered and future AFC students who will earn their tuition and fees at Sauk Valley Community College through the Impact Program.

The TALK-LINE interview for Sept. 4 featured Sauk Valley Community College Marketing Director Jim Grot discussing the recent deadline for the new “Impact” program students to register for free tuition at SVCC in exchange for community service hours.

While their classmates head to math or English, students at the Whiteside Area Career Center are taking part in mock trials and learning how to deescalate suspects – all as part of real-world law enforcement training.

Sauk Valley Community College is seeking volunteer tutors for a free program in Dixon helping non-native English speakers improve their language skills and prepare for the U.S. naturalization process.

The TALK-LINE interview for Aug. 27 featured Shaw Local News representatives Charlene Bielema and Brandon Clark discussing the newspaper acquisitions by Shaw Media in Rochelle and Ogle County, plus stories on Sauk Valley Community College’s Project Vital program.

The event will be at Dillon Mall at Sauk Valley Community College, 173 Illinois 2 in Dixon. 

The award honors individuals committed to the success of public education and the mission of the Illinois Education Association.

The Sauk Valley Community College greenhouse and JL Acres LLC organic crops are among sites that will be toured.

The TALK-LINE interview for Aug. 13 featured Shaw Local News representatives Charlene Bielema and Brandon Clark discussing featured local news coverage in the Sauk Valley area.

Vice President of Academics and Student Services Jon Mandrell said the number of students has been climbing for the past three years – from 1,507 two years ago, to 1,586 last year, and now 1,686 this fall.

As community colleges take on an evolving role in recent years, Shaw Local News Network is providing details on the compensation of presidents who lead 10 of these publicly funded schools in northern Illinois.

The TALK-LINE interview for August 7 featured Sauk Valley Community College Marketing Director Jim Grot and Adult Education Literacy Coordinator Ana Lara.

As Sauk Valley Community College President Dave Hellmich prepares to retire in spring 2026, today we are publishing his first of several columns in which he will "examine the Sauk Valley’s many opportunities to improve itself so it can be a beacon of everything good."

The session will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Sauk Valley Community College, Dixon.

The Licensed Educator Accelerator Pathway initiative, which will be offered at Sauk Valley Community College beginning in August, will help local schools grow their talent by investing in current employees.

Sauk Valley Community College President David Hellmich announced Thursday, July 31, 2025, that he will retire in May 2026.

As Sauk Valley Community College marks its 60th anniversary in 2025, its founders, leaders and supporters are reflecting on how a grassroots movement built a thriving institution from the ground up while continuing to shape futures across northwest Illinois.

The TALK-LINE interview featured Sauk Valley Community College Marketing Director Jim Grot discussing some upcoming trips planned through the college, open to the public.

Bailey Schneiderbauer will oversee market operations, community partnerships and customer service initiatives for the Sterling area, according to a news release.

The college named 263 full- and part-time students to the president’s list for high academic achievement. The dean’s list includes 130 students.

Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact program has received a $25,000 gift from Dixon Rotary, which will help provide Dixon High School students with access to the Impact program.

Summer Solstice Gathering is June 21 in Franklin Grove, Touch-A-Truck is June 28 in Rock Falls.

"I play guitar. Haphazardly – the best I can. I taught myself just playing on my parents’ porch in Princeton," Todd Volker writes in a Write Team column.

The event will be presented by Ryan Gleason, senior manager of Government Affairs of the Great Lakes Region at the United States Chamber of Commerce, and Andrew Cunningham, executive director of Infrastructure and director of Legislative Relations, Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

The Illinois Community College Trustees Association has selected Sauk Valley Community College President David Hellmich as the 2025 recipient of the Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award.

Read the transcript from our TALK-LINE interview for June 5 which featured the Director of Community Education and Alumni Engagement at Sauk Valley Community College, Brenda Helms.

The TALK-LINE interview for June 5 featured the Director of Community Education and Alumni Engagement at Sauk Valley Community College, Brenda Helms.

The Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.

The drive, sponsored by the SVCC Student Activities and Student Government Association, invites students, faculty, staff and the community to help save lives through blood donation.

Ryan Bivins will officially assume his new role during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, June 2, 2025. Bivins’ selection was announced Tuesday, May 27.

A program supporting some of the Sauk Valley’s most vulnerable college students for more than 25 years is facing uncertainty amid looming federal funding cuts.

The TALK-LINE interview for May 14 featured Brandon Clark from Shaw Local News with stories on a possible shutdown of an important area of Sauk Valley Community College due to federal cutbacks

Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon held its commencement ceremony Friday, May 9, 2025, at the school.