Transition zone challenges: Blackburn College meets them head on

摘要

Adapting to meet challenges isn't anything new at Blackburn College, located in Carlinville, Ill. Carlinville lies about all hour northeast of St. Louis, a few miles off Interstate 55, where flatland prairie begins to give way to Mississippi River hill country. Blackburn was established before the Civil War, primarily to train young men for the ministry. A full academic curriculum was added, and although the school later functioned as a two-year college, it resumed a four-year, liberal arts format in 1947. Sports are an important element at the school, where 600 students arc enrolled. The campus has a long history of soccer excellence, dating back more than 30 years. Within the past decade, football has gained importance at the school, and baseballand softball are also included. With sports comes the need for Tush, green turf and bluegrass heads the list for deep green color and a thick carpet of protection on sports fields.