JJC Blog

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month. And as we continue to navigate through this pandemic, it's a great time to take stock of your emotional wellness. JJC’s Student Wellness Program – Mental Health can help!

It is easy to forget to take care of not only our physical self but our emotional self. Often during periods of change and adjustment, many will put themselves on the backburner and sometimes even forget to take care of their basic needs of nutrition, sleep, and activity. Here are five basic ways to take care of your emotional wellness, courtesy of JJC’s Student Wellness Program – Mental Health.

We’ve seen a lot of unique ways to connect with people safely during this pandemic. That creativity has been on full display within the arts community, from local theatre to Hollywood cinema. The Joliet Junior College Fine Arts Department has maintained its commitment to educate students and entertain the community through a series of virtual offerings, with plenty still to come.

There’s no doubt 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of hardship, and that’s not lost on Joliet Junior College. Yet through all we’ve had to overcome, time and again our students, employees and local community reminded us that there’s much to be thankful for.

We dedicated a section of JJC’s Fall 2020 Connections Magazine to the heroes in and outside the classroom, and encourage you to follow their stories this month on social media through #JJCHeroes2020. Here’s how these groups and individuals have played a vital role in how we’ve managed 2020, and why their efforts will continue to offer hope into 2021.

We’d love nothing more than to provide an in-person guide to Joliet Junior College’s academic programs and student life. But in alignment with COVID-19 safety protocols, we’re offering the next best thing: A virtual exploration of JJC’s services, and an opportunity for our prospective students and their families to hear and speak directly – from the comfort of your home computer or smartphone – with our admissions experts and current students!

Whether you’re a high school senior or ready to start a new career, join us for Explore JJC. This 45-minute virtual fair will be conducted via Zoom on Monday, Oct. 19 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Here’s why you should register to attend.

It’s not too late to begin or resume your journey at Joliet Junior College this fall! With over 180 degree and certificate programs you’ll be sure to find the perfect career path.  

While Joliet Junior College classes are primarily online for the fall 2020 semester, student service offices will be available on campus beginning Aug. 3. The changes, which come five months after JJC closed its campuses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, occur as employees begin staggered schedules to support social distancing requirements. Remote student services will remain available during the fall and are encouraged. If you need to visit an office on campus, please schedule an appointment so we can prepare for your visit.

These safety measures, along with several others recently implemented at JJC, are in accordance with CDC guidelines and Phase 4 of the state’s Restore Illinois plan. As students, employees and visitors come onto JJC’s campuses, it’s important you understand the new safety procedures in place, and what will be expected of you upon arrival. For starters, watch our video introducing you to JJC’s on-campus safety features and best practices. Then check out the additional information below for a comprehensive look at how JJC is committed to your safety during this time.

Check out additional guidelines below. For answers to common questions on JJC operations, visit our COVID-19 FAQ page.

Joliet Junior College faculty and staff are committed to ensuring students have the right resources to succeed. In the months since JJC switched to online learning and remote services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot has been learned on how to best work and learn from home. We shared many of our professor’s unique remote teaching methods in a previous blog.

Fall classes at JJC begin Aug. 17, with lecture classes online and face-to-face labs if the state remains in Phase 4 of its Restore Illinois plan. Whether you’re already enrolled for the fall semester or still considering your options, know that remote learning will continue to be common for some time. Consider these tips from JJC faculty and students to get the most out of the online learning experience.

Sure, the stores are now stocked with a variety of face masks that help protect us amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That doesn’t mean you can’t still create your own, especially if you’re looking to fill any free time this summer with some new projects.

Need a blueprint to follow? Students in JJC’s costume class, under the direction of Fine Arts Professor Julie Giampaolo, not only sewed their own masks from home this spring as part of remote course work, but donated them to community members! Over 500 masks were distributed to eight different medical facilities, as well as to JJC employees and students.

Whether you’re sewing by hand or using a machine, you can create your own mask with some fabric, thread, and by following these steps.

Joliet Junior College launches its fall semester on Monday, Aug. 17. While we’d love to have returned to normal operations by this time, the college will continue to provide most of its services remotely amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That includes offering all fall lecture courses online. However, students taking lab courses may be able to do these in person on our campus should conditions be safe for doing so.

Below, we answer many of the common questions the college is receiving at this time, including how to navigate the registration process, steps to complete once you’ve registered, and what to expect when classes start.

At JJC, it’s Your College. Your Journey.

Over 1,400 classes. That’s how many were transferred online in just two weeks as Joliet Junior College quickly moved to provide a safe environment for learning and teaching as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact Illinois in mid-March. The process brought with it a lot of adaptation among JJC professors and creative modifications in order to provide the best learning methods possible for their students.

Many of these processes will continue this summer, as JJC continues online only learning. In the fall, all lecture courses will be held online, while in-person labs may be possible should conditions be safe for doing so. Let’s look back on how our professors modified their courses for online, methods that will only improve as the college continues remote course work.