Human Services Program History
Introduction to Human Services
During the early 70’s the Human Services program existed but not under the name of “Human Services”. Prior to the 1972-1973 academic years the social science department offered an Associates in Science Degree in teachers aide. The program was composed of transfer courses taught by Sauk Valley Community College faculty members in a variety of disciplines with a major emphasis in psychology and sociology.
Enrollment in the program was weak. In the summer of 1972 the students services division assumed responsibility for the program and revamped it as a series of Associates in Applied Science (A.A.S) program options. The new program was introduced under the relatively new name for such programs as “Human Services”. Responsibility for teaching the courses was shared by the Dean of Students Services, the Director of Student Activities, Admissions, Financial aid and Counselors.
The redesigned program provided a core of general courses in the first year, which were to provide an academic base and career information to aid students to select an area of specialization in the second year. Areas of Specialization include, Educational Aide, Bilingual Aide, Care and Guidance of Children and Mental Health Technicians. The courses provided a greater emphasis on applied knowledge because the program also included a rather general one-year certification that provided a core of knowledge and skills, which served as a stepping-stone to the degree or an entry level Aide position.
The revised program attracted students with a wide range of abilities and interests. Enrollment burgeoned, and a sizable portion of Human Service (HSV) students entered Sauk Valley Community College with the Associates in Applied Science (A.A.S) as a goal. After achieving success in their Human Service (HSV) classes and finding the subject matter interesting, they often enrolled in transfer programs in education and psychology.
In the mid 1970’s the Human Service (HSV) program became part of the academic division of the college that specialized in vocational-technical programs that were designed to transfer. Transactional analysis became a major theoretical foundation of the program. Classes were taught by the Director of Human Services and several part-time teachers who taught children courses. Within a few years the Human Service (HSV) program joined with the Criminal Justice program to form The Department of Public Services. This expansion included continued growth in enrollment with a faculty of three full-time instructors and eight part-time instructors.
1981 saw another reorganization of the instructional program. Human Services was moved into Arts and Social Science where it was viewed as Applied Social Science (A.S.). Transfer options were added to the program and the theoretical foundation was dropped in 1984 because regional school systems were no longer hiring Teachers Aides.
During the late 1980’s the Mental Health Technician option was dropped because the Dixon State School for the retarded was converted into a Prison so demand for the Mental Health Technicians graduates dried up.
During the 1990’s students for Transfer Programs developed a transfer program in Early Childhood Education in response to demands. In 1996 the college employed a full-time Human Service (HSV) faculty member for the first time since 1981. Judy Hill, the current Human Service (HSV) teacher, joined the faculty. Within a year the department developed a transfer program in Social Work, which articulated with Western Illinois University (WIU) and the University of Illinois-Springfield. Ms. Hill also updated the Early Childhood Program and recruited and oriented a variety of new part-time instructors who bring to their classes a combination of academic knowledge and current experiences in the field.
For close to thirty years the Human Service (HSV) program has evolved and improved, adapting to the needs of students and labor market. For most of these thirty years the Human Service (HSV) program has been one of the top four or five Associates in Applied Science (A.A.S) programs in terms of enrollment. Student job placement continues at a desirable rate.