A new Lincoln Trail College dean and a new Illinois Eastern Community Colleges trustee were announced at Tuesday’s board meeting at Olney Central College.
Cyndi Boyce was hired by the board as LTC’s new dean of instruction, effective Monday. Boyce, who has been an instructor at LTC since 2006, has been the college’s interim dean since the summer.
Boyce said serving as the dean will help LTC students, faculty and staff.
“Serving as the dean of instruction gives me the opportunity to better the educational experience for our students while also providing the support that our faculty and staff need to excel in their positions,” she explained.
She added her experience in the classroom will help better serve as dean because she has a true understanding of the concerns of faculty, classroom needs and of today’s students. 
“Cyndi will be an excellent addition to our leadership team,” said IECC Chancellor Ryan Gower. “As a district, we are taking a step back to look at how we can best serve our students at all four colleges.
“Having worked with her for seven years, I have found her to be someone who embraces change personally and inspires others to do the same. She is a student-centered leader and that is precisely what IECC needs more of right now,” Gower added.
While at LTC, Boyce has taken on statewide leadership roles. She serves on the Faculty Advisory Council to the Illinois Board of Higher Education and is the Chair of the Community College Caucus. She’s served on the Dual-Credit, Mental Health, Equity and Inclusion and Student Debt and Affordability working groups. Additionally, she was appointed to serve on the College Course Materials Affordability and Equitable Access Task Force.
Boyce’s work at LTC includes serving as Student Senate advisor and organizing and overseeing the LTCares Food Pantry. She’s developed 20 online courses across six disciplines, two courses for transfer curriculum and seven courses for career and technical curriculum. She’s served on numerous committees and has been the Discipline Chair of Assessment, Social Sciences.
She earned the college’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and both the Excellence in Online Education Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2021.
Boyce said she wants to help make LTC’s strong reputation for academics even stronger.
“I am extremely proud of our institution and the quality of education that we provide for our students and our community,” she said. “As we move forward, it is important to grow and adapt with student populations, provide our faculty with professional development opportunities and continue to offer robust and high quality courses and programs.”
She also wants to see LTC grow. “It is important to partner with business and industry in our communities and to keep in mind that the community is broader than Crawford County and Illinois,” Boyce said.
“Which occupations is there a demand for? What skills are employers looking for? Answering these questions will help us know what types of programs we should be offering at LTC and IECC,” she explained.
“In addition, I feel it important for community colleges to engage in community-based education. Learning and preparing for a career must go beyond the classroom. Active, engaged learning is essential to equipping students with the skills that employers want to see and the practical knowledge that students need to be successful.”
Also during the meeting, Susan Batchelor, Clay City, took the oath of office as the newest IECC trustee. Batchelor will serve the next two years of a six-year term left vacant by Brady Waldrop in December. Waldrop stepped down as a trustee following his appointment as Lawrence County state’s attorney.
“My motivation to seek appointment to this position is based on my strong belief that community colleges fill an essential role in providing higher education to our public and are vital in providing a trained workforce to local employers,” said Batchelor. “If there is anything I can do to assure the strength and viability of my local community college, I want to do just that.”
Batchelor is no stranger to IECC. She is a former instructor at Frontier Community College and Olney Central College. Her husband and three children are also IECC graduates.
She retired from Kaskaskia College as their vice president of Student Services in 2022 and served as their dean of nursing for three years before her role as vice president. She served as the chief operating officer and then president of the Clay County Hospital.
Additionally, Batchelor served eight years on the Flora school board. Her other board experience includes the Flora Academic Foundation, the Illinois Rural Health Association, the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators and the Sexual Assault and Family Emergencies Agency.
“I am very pleased to have Dr. Susan Batchelor join the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Board of Trustees,” said Chairman Gary Carter. “Her background in education and her business experience will be a great asset to our board and colleges. We look forward to serving with her for the betterment of the IECC community.”
Since retiring, Batchelor has been looking to give back to the community. “I have a desire to be of service to others and a genuine passion for the work of community colleges,” she said. “I’m looking forward to serving in this new role.”
The board of trustees is charged with establishing policy for the financing, governance, operation and administration of the district’s four colleges. Seven voting members are elected from the district at large, each serving a six-year term.
Sonja Music was elected as the board secretary. Music was also appointed as IECC’s ethics officer.
Changes were made to the current policy regarding the placement assessment process and will include English as a Second Language course. Revisions were also made to the Bereavement Policy to reflect a recent amendment to legislation that expanded who is considered a “covered family member.”
 The 2022 IECC Fact Book, which contains basic information about the district, was adopted. The book gathers information from various sources into one central document regarding students, enrollment history, degrees and certificates granted, financial aid received and distributed and the district’s annual budgets and operation.
The next regular board meeting will be 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Wabash Valley College.