Mission, Vision & Values
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 and 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 has continued since then and will continue again in academic year 2026-2027. Please read here for more details and check back soon to view those employees who are “Leaving Their Mark”.
On-Campus Winners/Nominees
| Employee | Value | Award Date |
| Cassandra Porter | Caring | September 2026 |
| She is always asking how she can help! She's such a caring person with the biggest heart! | ||
| Stephanie Anderson | Innovation | September 2026 |
| Stephanie's leadership on the strategic project team devoted to ensuring that every student has access to essential tech skills training has been invaluable. Her energy and innovative ideas have propelled the launch of numerous and valuable initiatives, especially the "How to College" tech skills training sessions. Thank you, Stephanie! | ||
| Kelly Allee | Teamship | September 2026 |
| Despite hectic schedules when a new fall semester launches, Kelly Allee made time and put significant effort into ensuring the College was represented at the state fairs. Thanks for your coordination and for putting up with the outdoor heat at the event on behalf of Lake Land College. Thank you, Kelly! | ||
| Jeffrey Suckow | Caring | September 2026 |
| Jeff took it upon himself to wash the windows outside ETC near the entrance. He noticed they were dirty and knew that it reflected poorly on Lake Land College, so he took the initiative to wash the windows himself. | ||
| Bethany Workman | Teamship | September 2026 |
| Bethany puts in hours of behind the scenes work for the practical nursing program. She creates schedules, does student follow up and revises powerpoints and exams in addition to her usual course load. As her coworker, this impresses me and makes my life easier! She is definitely a team player and gives the extra effort to do what is best for our students! I just want to give her the recognition she deserves but does not expect! | ||
| Katelyn Bloemer | Teamship | October 2026 |
| She's always willing to help others, even when it has no benefit to her! She is such a team player! | ||
| Kimberly Hunter | Caring | October 2026 |
| I could have chosen multiple core values for Kim. She has been such a blessing for me in my office when helping students with extra special needs. She has answered every call, every need, and stepped in to help when students needed her most. 🙂 | ||
| Jay Hopper | Teamship | October 2026 |
| Jay's joyful enthusiasm and efforts to support strategic project teams through the project management best-practices model have helped propel numerous impactful initiatives at the College. His embrace of teamwork and his interpersonal skills for communicating with everyone involved have been invaluable as we all work together for our strategic direction, Education that Fits Your Life. Thank you, Jay! | ||
| Bethany Craig | Teamship | October 2026 |
| Beth is an incredibly important part of our college community and plays a vital role in supporting student success. She has a remarkable ability to take a variety of thoughts, ideas, and concepts and turn them into well-developed plans that can become successful grant proposals. She consistently works to submit multiple grant applications each month, helping bring much-needed resources to our students and programs. Beth is always open to new ideas and approaches. She has a unique talent for finding ways to shape those ideas so they can align with multiple grant opportunities, maximizing the support available to our students. Her creativity, knowledge, expertise, and dedication have made an immeasurable difference. Although Beth's position began as a part-time role, her expertise and ability to bring our words and ideas to life have demonstrated just how valuable she is to the college. The impact of her work has grown far beyond the original scope of her position. Thank you, Beth, for everything you do to make student success possible. Your hard work helps secure the resources that allow our college to provide opportunities and support for our students—because, as we all know, making student success possible takes resources, and Beth works tirelessly to help make those resources available. | ||
| Joshua Ramage | Innovation | October 2026 |
| Summary Josh took my idea for a web application and brought it to life, turning it into a working tool that CDL instructors and students can now use. The app streamlines the CDL training process and gives the program a central, secure place to store the documents required for record-keeping and retention. The Problem Before this app, the CDL process relied on paper forms, spreadsheets, and scattered files. Keeping student records complete and organized was a constant challenge, and finding a document during an audit or compliance review could mean digging through several places. Students also had no easy way to see where they stood in the program. Josh's Contribution I had the concept for a single platform, but it was only an idea. Josh took on the work of making it real. He worked out how the app needed to function, designed the layout and user experience, and built it into a finished product. The web app: Gives instructors and students a single platform to manage the CDL training process Tracks student progress from enrollment through completion Stores required documents digitally so they can be found and retrieved quickly Supports the program's record-keeping and retention requirements, including Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) documentation Gives instructors a way to document student scores offline and upload them when they return to Wi-Fi Impact Improves compliance: Records are organized, complete, and easy to produce for audits or reviews. Improves the student experience: Students have clearer visibility into their progress and requirements. Reduces risk: Digital storage lowers the chance of lost or incomplete records. Scales with the program: The system can support enrollment growth as the program expands. Why Josh Deserves Recognition Plenty of good ideas never get past the talking stage. Josh took an early concept and did the hard work of designing, building, and delivering a tool the program actually uses. His web design skills made the difference: he created an app that is clean, easy to navigate, and simple for both instructors and students to use, regardless of their comfort level with technology. His work has made the program more organized, more compliant, and better prepared for the future. | ||
| Nathan Westendorf | Teamship | February 2026 |
| Nate recently worked with Angela Parr and I on a communication project between the ETC and the President's Office. He was willing to get together, listen to our concerns and needs and then he and his team quickly found a solution and fixed the issues. Thank you Nate! | ||
| Rachael Walker | Teamship | February 2026 |
| Rachael has been very busy working with nursing students to help them be successful in check offs. Students have been lined up outside the simulation lab to get practice time and to repeat check offs with her. All of the faculty appreciate the extra work she is putting in to help our students succeed! | ||
| Taylor Orris | Teamship | February 2026 |
| This year’s Principals, Deans, and Counselors (PDC) event was a true reflection of teamwork, dedication, and professionalism within the Recruiting & Enrollment team. Despite the unique challenge of their unit leader being away at a national conference, Peighton Hinote, Nicole Ethridge, Kate Bond, and Taylor Orris came together with remarkable coordination and commitment to ensure the event’s success. From extensive hours of preparation, setup, and cleanup, to almost seamless day-of execution, their efforts created an exceptional experience for our guests. This year, we were proud to host 29 counselors from 17 area high schools. Event evaluations reflect the team’s success and the value they provide to our partners; participants consistently noted that the experience increased their knowledge and strengthened their ability to collaborate with others. This year’s program was also more dynamic than in previous years, featuring last-minute additions such as the announcement of Bryan Burrel’s upcoming retirement and the premiere of Ed Thomas’ EdTalks video. The team’s ability to adapt with grace and professionalism ensured the event remained engaging and meaningful for all attendees. The teamwork demonstrated during cleanup was particularly noteworthy; each member leaned into their strengths, worked efficiently, and supported one another to bring the day to a smooth close. I am proud to have been a small part of this special day and deeply proud of the exceptional efforts and dedication shown by the Recruiting & Enrollment team. Their collaboration truly exemplifies the spirit of Lake Land College. | ||
| Tanishia Fulk | Teamship | February 2026 |
| It is my pleasure to nominate Tanishia and the whole Admissions & Records team for recognition for their exemplary display of teamship over the past several weeks. During a period marked by multiple scheduled vacations and unexpected illnesses, the team often operated with minimal staffing. Despite these challenges, they continued to provide high-quality service to our students without interruption, complaint, or hesitation. The team demonstrated remarkable adaptability and commitment, stepping in for one another to ensure daily operations remained seamless. Their willingness to support each other, redistribute workloads, and maintain a positive, student-centered approach reflects the highest standards of professionalism. Even while navigating reduced staffing, the team found creative ways to keep the office welcoming and maintain a sense of holiday spirit, lifting the morale of both colleagues and students. Their actions exemplify one of Lake Land College’s core values: teamship. By embodying this value so authentically, the Admissions & Records team has not only sustained essential services but also modeled the collaborative culture our institution strives to uphold. Their dedication has represented the college with integrity, care, and unity. | ||
| Christina Welch | Excellence | February 2026 |
| She does her job and goes above and beyond | ||