Mission, Vision, and Values
Growing Together
Mission
Lake Land College creates and continuously improves an affordable, accessible, and effective learning environment for the lifelong educational needs of the diverse communities we serve.
Our College fulfills this mission through:
- University transfer education
- General education
- Technical & career education
- Workforce development
- Community and continuing education
- Intellectual and cultural programs
- Support services
Vision & Values
Engaging minds, changing lives, through the power of learning. Our College fulfills this vision through its values.
Caring
Showing respect and compassion for others
- I treat others as equals.
- I hear and recognize the ideas/beliefs of others.
- I recognize a job well-done.
- I respect my own and others’ work-life balance.
- I bring a positive attitude to each situation.
Communication
Creating an environment that values the open exchange of ideas
- I follow through by returning phone calls and acknowledging correspondence with others, in a timely manner.
- I listen to feedback to help me grow.
- I speak directly with those involved.
- I use the open door policy.
- I withhold judgment until the entire idea is expressed.
- I share all appropriate information that can be shared.
Teamship
Working together and with others to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts
- I work for the good of the group.
- I hold myself and others accountable.
- I celebrate individual and team success.
- I identify, utilize, and challenge strengths in myself and others.
- I regularly support team members.
Innovation
Taking risks to create new opportunities
- I evaluate current processes and constantly look for new and better ways to improve.
- I solve problems with old and new ideas.
- I openly voice new ideas.
- I integrate my experiences into my daily work. I constantly improve!
- I share with others what I have learned from my past experiences.
Excellence
Consistently achieving the highest level of quality
- I support and encourage personal and professional growth.
- I practice high ethical standards.
- I exhibit passion and enthusiasm in my daily tasks.
- I accept no less than the highest levels of integrity in myself and others.
- I go above and beyond.
Lakers Living Out Our Values
In August 2023, the Employee Engagement, Communication and Inclusion (EECI) Task Force launched a “Leave Your Mark” Campaign for academic year 2023-2024 to showcase employees who have displayed the College’s values. This program will continue for academic year 2024-2025. Please read here for more details and check back soon to view those employees who are “Leaving Their Mark”.
2024-2025 Leave Your Mark Winners/Nominees
| Employee | Value | Award Date |
| Jeanine Helmink | Excellence | May 2024 |
| Jeanine exemplifies Lake Land College’s mission, vision, and values in her daily work. Jeanine is a shining example of kindness and professionalism, consistently going above and beyond to create a welcoming and supportive environment for every staff member, student, and visitor she encounters. Her dedication and commitment to excellence are truly inspiring. Jeanine approaches her responsibilities with unmatched care and attention, ensuring that every task is completed with the highest level of quality. Her contributions have a significant impact in the Career Services and Counseling department . Career Services is incredibly fortunate to have someone as talented, compassionate, and hardworking as Jeanine. Her positive energy and unwavering dedication make her an invaluable part of Career Services and the broader Lake Land College community. | ||
| Bonnie Moore | Teamship | May 2024 |
| Despite it being a College Closed day, Bonnie did not hesitate to work to provide timely information about the value of apprenticeships to the President's Office for inclusion in a legislative presentation in Springfield. Thank you for your dedication and teamship, Bonnie! | ||
| Stephanie Anderson | Excellence | May 2024 |
| I nominate Stephanie Anderson as an exemplary staff member who embodies Excellence, one of the core values of Lake Land College. Stephanie’s dedication, innovation, and commitment to student success are evident in her outstanding leadership of the Lakers Work Internship Program. Stephanie has taken on the responsibility of coordinating Lakers Work with an unwavering commitment to building a valuable and sustainable program that truly supports students in gaining hands-on, real-world work experience. She ensures that each intern benefits from an authentic and enriching opportunity by providing coaching and mentorship throughout the entire process—from the initial application to project completion. Her approach not only enhances professional development for students but also fosters confidence and career readiness. A testament to Stephanie’s excellence is her proactive effort to bring organization and structure to the Lakers Work program. She has spearheaded the development of an intern guidebook, ensuring clear expectations and a consistent experience for all participants. Additionally, she has implemented a designated orientation to better prepare interns for success. By streamlining communication processes and collaborating with multiple departments, Stephanie has significantly improved the program’s efficiency and overall impact. Her ability to balance programmatic structure with a student-centered approach highlights her commitment to fostering an environment where students thrive. Through her dedication, Stephanie is not only strengthening the Lakers Work Internship Program but also reinforcing Lake Land College’s dedication to empower students with meaningful, experiential learning opportunities. For these reasons and so many more, I wholeheartedly nominate Stephanie Anderson as a deserving recipient of recognition for Excellence at Lake Land College. | ||
| Tina Moore | Communication | May 2024 |
| Tina went above and beyond to prepare and provide an excellent presentation during the March 19 "all employee" meetings, focusing on effective communication by assuming positive intent. She created a useful one-page flyer that is now posted in the shared drive (communication tools sub-folder) as a great reference. Thanks so much, Tina! | ||
| Cassandra Porter | Excellence | May 2024 |
| Cassie is a well-respected director who embodies all the core values of Lake Land College, so I had to choose the value of Excellence to nominate her for! Over the last year, I have been navigating this new role for myself as well as this new and updated position for our department. Because of this, there have been lots of questions, a need for direction, and guidance and support on many different levels. Cassie has stepped up (probably even above and beyond what her "director" role calls for) and been a wonderful, caring mentor for me as I've established my position in the department and at LLC. She has never not been available when I've needed her. She continually searches for new ways to improve our processes, not only in my new position but in the department and for the students. Cassie is open to all ideas, suggestions, concerns, etc. She leads by example which I feel only strengthens the team. Her door is always open and I feel comfortable going to her with any issues I have. Cassie truly creates a culture of excellence in our department (and the college) and I wanted to take a moment to bring attention to that. Thank you! | ||
| Alexandria Perkins | Communication | April 2024 |
| Alexandria answered the main phone line for Lake Land College. She is fantastic at this job! She was very friendly, very knowledgeable about the upcoming events at the college, gave great instructions and directed me as to my next steps to take. I want her to know that she made a difference in my outlook and overall satisfaction with Lake Land College! | ||
| Elizabeth Hartrich | Excellence | April 2024 |
| Beth is the cornerstone of the Dental Hygiene program. She dedicates an incredible amount of extra time to ensure the program thrives and reaches its full potential. She leads with grace and maintains a positive morale among the team. Without her, the program would not be experiencing the positive trajectory it enjoys today! | ||
| Dylan Cole | Teamship | April 2024 |
| Despite it being a College Closed day, Dylan did not hesitate to work to provide timely information about the College's efforts for the Business Enterprise legislation to the President's Office for inclusion in a legislative presentation in Springfield. Thank you for your dedication and teamship, Dylan! | ||
| Joy Kaurin | Teamship | April 2024 |
| Joy has been a critical partner in the Workforce Development Building but she has recently stepped up to embrace a new hire. Not only did she go above and beyond to welcome our new team member, she has stepped in to introduce her to others on campus, invited her to external partner meetings, and helped share information that will set her up for success. Joy did all of this because she embodies the statement, "Perkins is a Partner". While we often joke about this statement in our building, Joy truly is an incredible partner and supports programming across campus with grace and leadership. | ||
| Paul Brewer | Excellence | April 2024 |
| Paul always has a smile on his face and care in his work. It makes a big difference to everyone when things are running smoothly and Paul demonstrates excellence to make sure that they are! Thank you for all you do!! | ||
| Scott Rawlings | Excellence | March 2024 |
| Whenever we need something in the Workforce Development Lab, Scott and the all the maintenance people do a great job keeping us up and going. Scott and crew are always responsive, and their work is always top notch. Scott has some experience and skills that I don't see often anymore. Thank you to Scott and crew for what you all do for the Workforce Lab and LLC. | ||
| Constance Rickey | Teamship | March 2024 |
| Constance went above and beyond to orient a new faculty member. She spent her personal time assisting the faculty member at an off campus location. Thank you for making the nursing team stronger Constance! | ||
| Beulah Uphoff | Excellence | March 2024 |
| The state of Illinois Certified Nurse Assistant Exam pass rate for calendar year 2024 was 100%, representative of 69 students. This information is strong evidence to the core value of Excellence among BNA instructors: Beulah Uphoff, Constance Rickey, Lara Lash, Maria Nohren, Karla Hardiek, Kerry Fisher, Jennifer Claybaugh | ||
| Bailey Sigrist | Caring | March 2024 |
| Bailey answered the Lake Land College main phone line with the most friendly and sweet voice. She has terrific customer service skills and represented the college very well with her knowledge, understanding and she truly listened to my concerns. | ||
| Ashley Bigard | Excellence | March 2024 |
| Ashley showed excellence in her hard work and diligence in leading the TRIO DC team to meet grant objectives and assisting with documentation and data to submit the Annual Performance Report to the US Department of Education. Ashley is always willing to work hard to meet goals and help make a difference in students' lives. Due to Ashley's efforts with working with students and tracking grant objectives with the team, gathering documentation, and preparing data this has been the smoothest APR submission ever. | ||
| Cade Lawless | Innovation | February 2024 |
| When I asked for ISS help to create some type of platform for employees to nominate another employee for living out any of the College values and to provide a platform for employees to submit suggestions, Cade was terrific in creating or innovating to develop these new platforms – the "Leave Your Mark" and "Leave Your Voice" programs. They are both very easy to use and have been very well received by the College community. Cade has been incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, and I appreciate his great work. Thank you, Cade! ~Jean Anne Highland, Chief of Staff. | ||
| Natashia Carter | Excellence | February 2024 |
| As part of the College's TRIO SSS program, Natashia helped this team to meet all of their Department of Ed's 2023-24 annual grant objectives. The TRIO SSS team works year-round to support students in completing each semester, and eventually their certificate, degree, and/or transfer; and they are dedicated to providing a welcoming, supportive environment for students. Way to go, TRIO SSS team! | ||
| Rachel Ervin | Caring | February 2024 |
| Rachel worked extremely hard to update our virtual campus tour during the Fall 2024 semester. This project involved helping coordinate numerous pictures at various locations for the new tour, and plan out how each picture would look in advance. This required many meetings with other members on campus. I am grateful for the updated virtual tour, and feel it will impact prospective student engagement. | ||
| James Crowder | Caring | February 2024 |
| James actually displays all of our core values. He often goes out of his way to help students and employees. He has taken a program that was dying and tripled enrollment and also added evening welding classes and dual credit classes so everyone can participate that chooses to. He walked into a disaster in the welding area and worked tirelessly to clean it up and also spent hours building new welding booths to improve his program. James does this without fan fair. He never asks for additional pay or any accolades whatsoever. Actually when he is given accolades for something he is done he is quick to say it is a team effort even when that is not completely true. We need more James Crowder's in the world!! | ||
| Brian Madlem | Communication | February 2024 |
| As a new DC, I have observed Brian making a deliberate effort to enhance communication with his team while adapting to his role. He consistently engages with his reports, not only in managing daily tasks but also in long-term planning. Brian ensures that impacted individuals are included early in discussions, fostering an open and collaborative environment. His proactive approach to communication is a vital leadership skill—often overlooked but immensely valuable. I am nominating him to recognize the significant impact of his commitment to inclusive communication. | ||
| Jana Kelly | Teamship | January 2024 |
| For numerous web page change requests or web development program requests that I have submitted, Jana Kelly has always been a true team player to see what can be done and how she can help. I greatly appreciate her dedication to timely responses and accurate information. Thanks for all that you do, Jana! ~Jean Anne Highland, Chief of Staff. | ||
| Lori Ohnesorge | Excellence | January 2024 |
| Thru Lori's leadership and as part of her caring team, the College's TRIO SSS program recently completed their Department of Ed's 2023-24 Annual Performance Report and they met all grant objectives. The TRIO SSS team works year-round to support students in completing each semester, and eventually their certificate, degree, and/or transfer; and they are dedicated to providing a welcoming, supportive environment for students. Way to go, TRIO SSS team! | ||
| Gavin Shawver | Excellence | January 2024 |
| As part of the College's TRIO SSS program, Gavin helped to recently complete their Department of Ed's 2023-24 Annual Performance Report and they met all grant objectives. The TRIO SSS team works year-round to support students in completing each semester, and eventually their certificate, degree, and/or transfer; and they are dedicated to providing a welcoming, supportive environment for students. Way to go, TRIO SSS team! | ||
| Christina Donsbach | Caring | January 2024 |
| During the first half of this school year, we started to realize how many GED students did not have the means to pay for the four sections of the GED. I went to Christi, shared this news and she went right to work. Not only did she work on expanding some current foundation scholarship dollars to assist with GED testing, she also worked with a donor to secure additional dollars to assist. That is what I call true caring for our community members that need us the most. Thank you, Christi, we truly appreciate your help and your caring spirit! | ||
| William Jackson | Excellence | January 2024 |
| Mr. Jackson displayed excellent customer service with a quick response that I was not expecting when I reached out to the college. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable and followed through with a quick update and a return phone call. I have been very impressed with the communication I've had with him and others at this college and wish to pass this along! Keep up the good work!! | ||
| Tessa Wiles | Teamship | December 2024 |
| Tessa's role has continued to grow as new legislation surrounding dual credit takes effect and she works with district high schools and colleagues to meet the ever changing needs of our students and schools . Despite all she has going on in her day to day role, she still finds time to collaborate and work together to find new and innovative ways to showcase the College's programs. When I asked about how Perkins could work with dual credit in a new way to support career exploration, Tessa immediately had several ideas to share. This led to a meeting where she invited other colleagues to the table to brainstorm and plan a new event. I appreciated her organized approach to scheduling time with other colleagues and getting their input as we moved forward to plan. Whether it's asking her to look forward 4 years to help me write a 4 year Perkins plan, or looking ahead to this academic year to try something new, Tessa makes time to support her colleagues and work together towards their goals. | ||
| Heather Nohren | Communication | December 2024 |
| Heather recently attended our team meeting. She spent time listening to our team and the variety of projects and tasks they are working on . Before she left, she was able to start connecting the dots on how we can be more deliberate with some of our initiative to increase enrollment. Heather is open to new ideas and I truly appreciate her efforts and her inclusivity of all! | ||
| Ellie Haskett | Teamship | December 2024 |
| When we were suddenly without a coordinator for mental health services at the College this past fall, Ellie stepped up to ensure mental health services and support for our students continued seamlessly during a transition period to hire a replacement. Through her collaborations with Heather Nohren, Ellie has greatly displayed teamship for multiple people to pull together in support of all of our students. Thank you, Ellie! | ||
| Brittany Aitken | Excellence | December 2024 |
| Brittany spends many hours and days out of the office representing the College at the Department of Corrections facilities. She's often on the road before the sunrises and returning home after the sunsets. While she's most likely tired from a long day of travel, she diligently checks her emails and responds to prospective students. We recently had three former inmates return to Lake Land to finish pursuing their education, and that is because of Brittany's hard work and dedication that these students are here. Thank you, Brittany, for your dedication to the College! | ||
| Bethany Craig | Teamship | November 2024 |
| Beth displays great teamship in her role leading grants. She often changes her own personal schedule to ensure a grant is submitted on time, and she works diligently to ensure information submitted with grants is accurate and well-written. Thank you, Beth, for your dedication to the College! | ||
| Amanda Arena | Teamship | November 2024 |
| Amanda is always a great team player, often stepping up on committees to take on additional tasks. She is a key reason the Leave Your Mark campaign runs smoothly each month, with her assistance to handle some of the administrative tasks that are behind the scenes. Thank you, Amanda. Your dedication is greatly appreciated! | ||
| Justin Onigkeit | Innovation | November 2024 |
| This is Justin's first semester teaching dual credit CDL. As he has been working with the students and learning more about their career goals, he found out over half of the class would be transporting livestock. When he found this out he acted! He found a way to provide the students with the training they would need to transport livestock. Justin is a true team player and I am proud to have him on my team! | ||
| Ikemefuna Nwosu | Caring | November 2024 |
| Ike's schedule is like playing a game of Jenga, near the end, not the beginning! He is busy every day, all day, with any number of different projects. Ike takes time out to make phone calls while driving and even just a quick conversation between meetings to talk through situations. I appreciate his time and efforts! | ||
| Lisa Bennett | Caring | November 2024 |
| Lisa is new to the adult education team, but has just slide right into the role. She works diligently to find ways to help students meet their personal and educational goals. Lisa when above and beyond last week, just demonstrating her commitment to the students. One of Teresa Plummer's former students was being recognized at the Non-Traditional Student of the Year Ceremony. Lisa stayed after the traditional work day to sub with Teresa's current class so she could attend the ceremony. Just another way that Lisa shows her care and compassion for the adult education students! | ||
| Kelli Pope | Caring | October 2024 |
| I received an email from a non-traditional student expressing great appreciation for how kind and caring Kelli Pope was to help her with some financial aid paperwork issues. The student stated of Kelli: "She was very helpful, kind, understanding, personable, and empathetic to our situation." Well done, Kelli! | ||
| Lindsay Winkleblack | Caring | October 2024 |
| Lindsay returned to campus after a clinical orientation to help students practice for a check off. She did this on her own time, I just happened to catch her in the lab with a few students giving them special instruction and attention. They were very nervous and appreciated her attention. I appreciate Lindsay going the extra mile to help the students! | ||
| Seirra Laughhunn | Communication | October 2024 |
| Seirra works hard to improve communication at the College – always seeking ways to enhance the College's internal e-newsletter, the Laker Low Down. She finds creative ways to add graphics, and she has taken initiative to make it more accessible. She also actively seeks information from others at the College for informative content. Thank you, Seirra, for your dedication in preparing and providing the Laker Low Down! | ||
| Aaron Tardy | Teamship | October 2024 |
| Aaron assists nursing out with our technological needs all the time! We have his number on speed dial and he always rushes over to help be in the classroom, when we have speakers that need assistance, or with pinning ceremonies. Aaron always has a smile on his face and greets you with us with his big personality. We appreciate Aaron! | ||
| Faisal Tariq | Excellence | October 2024 |
| Faisal takes the initiative to plan TRIO SSS trips, paying great attention to detail. He organizes all aspects of the trip well and communicates them to students. Faisal provides quality college visit opportunities for students to prepare to continue their education beyond LLC. | ||
| Holly Ferren | Excellence | September 2024 |
| Holly went above and beyond in her planning and execution of Welcome Week. She was given the task with little guidelines and was creative in making it a fun and inviting experience for all Lake Land students. She truly did more for this project than she needed to out of kindness and consideration for students. She single-handedly organized informative sessions, food trucks, a Bingo activity, prizes, and more. Her excellence in this project was truly unmatched. | ||
| Lynn Breer | Innovation | September 2024 |
| Lynn has been a valuable team member in supporting the execution of awarded grants. And she has provided innovative ideas for the optimal use of awarded grant funds to benefit our students and enhance various College programs. Thanks so much, Lynn! | ||
| Lisa Cole | Excellence | September 2024 |
| Lisa embodies our value of excellence with her commitment to data accuracy. She often self-sacrifices getting her own work done first to prioritize helping other areas of the College accomplish necessary workloads are completed, but completed in an accurate manner. Thank you, Lisa, for your expertise and immense dedication to the College! | ||
| Nermine Tawdros | Caring | September 2024 |
| As soon as Nermine began her employment at the College, she immediately began displaying the core value of caring, with both her students and with colleagues. She goes out of her way to make others feel welcomed, included and informed. Thank you, Nermine. You are a valued team member at Lake Land College! | ||
| Ryan Batman | Excellence | September 2024 |
| Ryan has been extremely helpful to me and the Nursing Simulation Lab since I arrived in April! And from what I understand, it began well before then. He has helped set up the IT needs in the newly renovated lab, assist in establishing our new computer and simulation-based programs, develop solutions to some of our technical issues as we've continued building and fine tuning this simulation lab. He is obviously very knowledgeable about the IT world. He always answers my emails/concerns promptly and with easy to understand solutions. He makes sure I am comfortable with what he has done or explained to me before he leaves. As a new employee to the college, but with experience in other places of employment, I can say that Ryan is a valuable asset here and we are lucky to have him. | ||