Eddy Named LTC Interim President

Roger Eddy will assume the role as the Interim President at Lincoln Trail College on October 1. He takes over for Dr. Ryan Gower who was selected as the Chancellor for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges in May.
 

Eddy has spent his career in education as a teacher, administrator, and public servant, but this will be his first time working in higher education. “I think it’s a continuum of the foundation work that I’ve done in education, obviously at a different level. But the community college level especially kind of combines all of the educational institutions that exist in an area and lead it to a fruition, a conclusion. Whether you’re a traditional student who’s looking to transfer to a four-year or you’re a community member who is looking to improve their status, maybe for job purposes, whatever the reason a community college offers something for everyone. I’m really excited about the little nuances from the high school level where I spent the primary part of my career.”
 
Eddy was the Superintendent of the Hutsonville Unit 1 School District from 1996 to 2012. From 2003 to 2012 he served as State Representative for the 109th Legislative District. After that, Eddy was the Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards from 2012 to 2018. Most recently, Eddy was the developer and facilitator of Mentoring and Induction for New Teachers for the Regional Office of Education.
 
He says there’s a lot that excites him about his new position. “I know how high-quality Lincoln Trail is for this community and it excites me. There are also two building projects coming up. The theater project will obviously be an enhancement to a high quality long-standing excellent department and then the technology grant offers a tremendous opportunity. So those things alone would excite someone about this position. Add to that the faculty and staff and the fact that Dr. Gower is beginning his tenure at IECC as Chancellor and that leadership may bring about some exciting things for all four campuses.”
 
“I’m very pleased that Mr. Eddy has agreed to serve in this capacity” says Gower. “We are fortunate to have someone with such a passion for Lincoln Trail College, much less someone with his impressive administrative background, come to campus to help us in this time of transition.”  
 
With the future additions of the Theater Renaissance project, the Technology Center, the Crawford County Recreation Center and Statesmen Park, Lincoln Trail College is growing. LTC is also one of only four community colleges in Illinois that saw positive enrollment growth this fall. 
 
“The role of most interims is simply to serve as a bridge between one administration and the next.  Because of Mr. Eddy’s vast experience in K-12 administration, I know he will be able to do more than that for Lincoln Trail College over the next 8-9 months,” says Gower.  “As you know, we are in the middle of very interesting times – at Lincoln Trail College and in Higher Education in general.  Because of the work we have done together, LTC is poised to grow and increase our scope of influence at a time when many other colleges across the country are heading in a different direction.  We cannot afford to slow – even temporarily – and I have full confidence that Mr. Eddy will move the college forward over the next few months.”
 
Eddy says continuing the foundation of excellence laid down by Dr. Gower is his top priority. He also wants to make sure that the new construction projects are handled properly and in a way that will make the community proud. Eddy says LTC has a reputation of quality not just locally, but also statewide and nationally and he wants to continue to see that LTC remains a prestigious community college.
 
The search for a permanent President for LTC will begin in October. Gower says the next full-time president should be named in March.