Whether your plan is to take classes and transfer to a four-year university or enter one of our career programs designed to get you into the workforce right away, Rock Valley College has what you are looking for. Select from one of our more than 60 transfer areas or more than 30 career programs.
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At Rock Valley College, you're not just a number. Our highly respected faculty have master's degrees, doctorates and real-world experience. You won't be competing for attention in a huge lecture hall. Our average class size is 21, so you'll get a chance to interact, challenge and be challenged by your instructors.
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RVC competes in NJCAA Division III in men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, golf, baseball, softball, and men's and women's tennis. Not to brag, but we're pretty good at it. Our teams have won seven national championships and we have had more than 100 All-Americans.
Golf Outing Play in the RVC Golf Classic on June 14! Click to learn more...
The Estelle M. Black Library at Rock Valley College features nearly 75,000 volumes and more than 650 periodicals, and access to the interlibrary loan system. It also features spaces for individual and group study, and if you get thirsty, there's a coffee shop in the lobby!
Chief of Police Joe Drought
Chief Joe Drought began his career in law enforcement in 1981 with the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. His primary specialty during his nine years of service was as an Explosive Detector Dog Handler. Upon separation from the Army, he served as a part-time police officer with the Rock Valley College Police Department (RVCPD) before being hired as a deputy for the Ogle County Sheriff's Office. He served Ogle County as a deputy, detective, SWAT team member, and K-9 handler for three years prior to being hired as a full-time police officer with RVCPD. In July 1996, he was appointed to the position of Chief of Police at the Rock Valley College Police Department. He continues to serve in this position.
Chief Drought holds instructor certifications in firearms, defensive tactics, self-defense, and Rapid Response to Active Shooter. He is proud to serve the RVC community, and particularly enjoys addressing the needs of and interacting with students, faculty, staff, and visitors of Rock Valley College.
Sergeant Tom Coe
Sergeant Coe has been involved in law enforcement for over 34 years. He is a veteran of the United states Marine Corps where he was a Military Police Officer and was recruited onto Embassy Duty. He was assigned to the Embassy in Prague Czechoslovakia for over 15 months and Brussels Belgium for 13 months with temporary duty at the Embassies at Bonn Germany, Den Hague Netherlands, Vienna Austria. He attended college at Craven Community College in North Carolina and Rock Valley College.
He retired from the Rockford Police Department after 28 years of service. While with the Rockford Police he served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Patrol Sergeant, and as a Lieutenant in charge of nearly 50 officers and supervisors. He was a SWAT officer for eight years, served as a firearms instructor, and as a supervisor in charge of the "night cover shift" (high crime hours). He also served eight years in charge of the Police Bicycle unit as well as the K-9 unit and spent a year in charge of the Community Policing unit.
For seven years, Sgt. Coe had the additional duty of being the Field Commander for the Regional 2 ILEAS multi jurisdictional crowd /riot control unit. While serving in this capacity he and his team were deployed to the RNC convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the G-20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania He has developed and taught tactics that are presently being used by many regional crowd control teams throughout Illinois. He is a graduate of the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command as well as the Western Illinois Police Executive Development program.
Sgt. Coe has been with Rock valley College since 2008 and acts as a patrol supervisor. He has been married for over 25 years and has two sons. He enjoys spending time with his family, is an avid bicyclist, (both road and Mountain bikes), and is a certified Dive Master and Master Scuba Diver who enjoys underwater photography.
Brad serves as police Sergeant for the Rock Valley College Police Department. He is responsible for the 2nd and 3rd shift officers. He is also responsible for the department's evidence/property. He is the supervisor for the Field Training Officer (FTO) program, serves on the BIT (Behavioral Intervention Team), the Events/Logistics Team, and the Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT).
He brings training in the following areas: SWAT, K-9, Bicycle Patrol, Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, Hazardous Materials Technician, and Community Oriented Policing Strategies (COPS). Prior to joining RVC in 2006, he served on the Northern Illinois University Police Department (full-time) and the Rockford Park District Police Department (part-time) from 2000 to 2006. He is a graduate of RVC and NIU with a teaching degree. He truly enjoys his job as a police officer at RVC. He likes engaging with the public and considers it an honor to serve the Rockford community; where he currently lives and went to school.
Sergeant Rick Jenks
Sergeant Rick Jenks has served with the Rock Valley College Police Department since March of 1999. He has received his Associate's degree from Rock Valley College, Bachelor's degree from Judson University, and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University. Sgt. Jenks worked as a Sheriff's Deputy for the Boone County Sheriff's Department and with the Illinois State Police as an undercover narcotics officer. He is a certified traffic accident reconstructionist with the Northwestern Traffic Institute and has investigated over 100 serious or fatal accidents.
Sgt. Jenks is responsible for the Emergency Preparedness coordination for Rock Valley College, state and federal compliance, security systems, and crime prevention. He works closely with other agencies and organizations in the area in developing plans should an emergency occur at RVC or in the surrounding communities. He is certified through FEMA in Incident Command Systems (ICS) and National Incident Management Systems (NIMS).
In his spare time, Sgt. Jenks enjoys spending time with his family. He also enjoys spending time on his boat and is an avid fisherman.
Officer Woodson Fuller
Senior Officer Woodson Fuller graduated from RVC in 1993 with honors, and began his career at Rock Valley College as a part time security officer in 1995. Woodson completed testing, moved to full time police officer in 1996, and obtained state certification as an Emergency Medical Technician- Basic (EMT-B) in 1998.
Officer Adrienne Horn
Officer Horn's career in law enforcement began in 2006 and she has been an officer with the RVC PD since 2008. She has been a Field Training Officer (FTO), Juvenile Officer, and is a RVC FOP Adopt-A-Road leader as well as a member of the FOP Labor Council Negotiations Bargaining Team for the 2012-2016 CBA. Officer Horn is a C-CERT Instructor, C-CERT committee member, American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED instructor, and IL Department of Public Health Certified First Responder Defibrillator (FRD).
Officer John Hoshaw
Officer Hoshaw's family moved to the Rockford area in 1965 when his father, Lloyd Hoshaw, took a teaching position with Rock Valley College. He is an RVC alumnus with an AAS Degree In Police Science, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University.
He was hired by the Rockford Police Department in 1981 where he worked in many different areas over the next 32 years. He has been a firearms instructor and armorer, a member of the SWAT team, an accident investigator, a member of the PBPA union board, Patrol Sergeant and Field Force supervisor. Officer HoshawI retired from the Rockford Police Department as a Sergeant in 2012 and took a position as a Patrol Officer with the Rock Valley College Police Department.
His hobbies include outdoor sports, hunting, fishing, and target shooting. As a police Master Firearms Instructor, he has had opportunities, to study at a number of marksmanship academies including The University of Illinois PTI, Gunsite academy, Smith and Wesson Academy, and Sigarms Academy. He is an avid competition shooter, and has shot in a number of rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines at the local, state, and national level.
Officer Joab Irwin
Officer Irwin has served with the Rock Valley College Police Department since January of 1998. He graduated from Rock Valley College in 2009, earning an Associate of Arts degree with high honors. He was also an active member of Rock Valley College's honor society, the Omicron Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). Officer Irwin's Illinois State certifications include: Emergency Medical Service – First Responder D, REID Interrogation, and Field Training Officer (FTO). He is also an instructor for training in: Segway Patrol, Stryker Evacuation Chair, and Registered Sex Offenders. In addition to his patrol duties, Officer Irwin is assigned to administrative duties, which includes: sex offender registration, Clery Act compliance, and emergency management/planning.
During his time at RVC, Officer Irwin has served as staff advisor to several student clubs including: Japanese Multimedia Club (JMC), College Republicans, and Geocacher's Club. He currently serves as the staff advisor to the Table Top Gaming Club.
In his spare time, Officer Irwin enjoys spending time with his family. He is also an avid runner.
Officer Todd Johnson
Sr. Officer Todd Johnson began his police career at Rock Valley College in 2007. Officer Johnson is a certified bike patrol officer and has had advanced training in computer crime investigations. He served in the United States Marine Corps as a section leader in an Amphibious Assault Platoon, and has been deployed on missions to 13 different countries.
Officer Vincent Lara
Vincent Lara has been with the Rock Valley College Police Department since 2012 and looks forward to be part of a community he cares about.
Officer Marc Rubert
Officer Rubert has worked at Rock Valley College since 2008 and has worked in law enforcement since 1998. Officer Rubert is a Field Training Officer (FTO), Fraternal Order Police (FOP) Labor Council Negotiations Team member (2012-2016) CBA, C-Cert instructor, and a First Responder D.
Officer Rubert grew up in Rockford and attended Rock Valley College (1989-1991) and graduated in 1991.
Officer Michael Schoening
Sr. Officer Michael Schoening graduated from Loras College in 2006 with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. Michael began his career in Law Enforcement as a police officer for the Rock Valley College Police Department in 2009. Michael is the Rock Valley College Police Department's Quartermaster, and is a Certified Glock Armorer.
Officer Stahl is a former student at Rock Valley College and later attended Western Illinois University where he majored in Law Enforcement. He previously worked for the Belvidere Police Department (2008-2009) and the Park District Police Department (2009-2010) before joining the Rock Valley College Police Department in 2010.
Officer William Watson
Officer Watson is a U.S. Army Veteran, and former Military Police/Mine and Tunnel Dog Handler & Trainer (1970-1973), and Police Officer/Detective Sergeant (1973-2000) for the Northbrook Illinois Police Department where he also served as Union President and Trustee of the Police Pension Fund. He has coordinated Federal and State Asset Forfeitures for PD and Federal Bureau of Investigation Organized Crime and Drug Task Force.
He served as a Police Officer for Rock Valley College (part-time 2001-2005) and was recruited as an airport task force security advisor by Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration after 9-11-2001 (2002-2003) and then later returned to the RVC PD (full time 2005-present).
Officer Watson also serves as a member of the Winnebago County Integrity Task Force (State Certified Lead Homicide Investigator) and is an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED instructor. He is a nationally registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT-B). He also has in excess of 2800 hours of advanced police training including: Investigations (Criminal, Internal Affairs, and Employee Backgrounds); Supervision of Police Personnel; Police Staff and Command; Executive Management for Police; Advanced Criminal Law; Interviews and Interrogations; Arrest, Search and Seizure; Field Training Officer; Firearms and Firearms Instructor; Chemical Agents and Administration; and Police Driving Instructor.
He currently serves as the Steward for the Rock Valley College Fraternal Order of Police and is a certified pension Trustee for the Village of Northbrook Illinois Police Pension Fund.
His hobbies included being a licensed pilot, restoring WWII and later military fighter aircraft, and volunteering at the world's largest aviation gathering (EAA AirVenture), assisting with the ground handling and safety of "Warbird" aircraft, their crews, and the public.
Marcia Houston: Telecommunicator
Marcia Houston received her associate's degree from Rock Valley College in 1994 before being hired by the Adult Education Department in 1999. Marcia moved to the Rock Valley College Police Department in 2000. As a telecommunicator, Marcia is certified in CPR, First Aid, emergency medical dispatching procedures, and the Illinois law Enforcement Data System. In her spare time, (not that any mother of five children has any free time), she enjoys reading and spending time with her family and friends.