The Rend Lake College Board of Trustees met Tuesday night and they approved the Oil and Natural Gas Technician Associate in Applied Science Degree, an accompanying occupational certificate and 10 associated courses and authorized their submission to the Illinois Community College Board for action.  Plans for this degree began last summer in response to new legislation.  RLC and Southeastern Illinois College signed a cooperative agreement to provide an array of training opportunities for the emerging oil and natural gas industry.  Combined, the two districts have more acreage under lease to the industry than anywhere else in the state.  In the same action item, the board also approved the Windows certificate under the IT Systems Specialist curriculum and a change in the total credit hours required for the Associate in Engineering Science Degree from 65 hours to 68 hours.  These too will be sent to the ICCB for action.  The Board approved an in-district tuition rate of $95 per credit hour beginning with the Summer 2014 term, which is not an increase over the current rate.  This decision was made in light of the fact that the technology fee was increase from $3 per credit hour to $5 per credit hour.  Out-of-district tuition will be set at a later date.  Out-of-state and out-of-country tuition was set at $150 per credit hour.  Permission was granted to advertise for bids for the Rend Lake College Foundation’s “Pathway to Success” entryway project on the Ina campus.  The estimated cost of the project is $225,000, and it will focus on the walkway to the Dr. Allen Y. Baker Administration Building, which is visited by virtually every student.  The area will be renovated to make it more inviting and identifiable, and to provide a testament of the commitment made by supporters of the college and its mission.  The project will be funded through a fund-raising effort by the RLC Foundation.  The Foundation will match each dollar raised to establish an endowed scholarship for future RLC students.