Published: April 01, 2009 08:47 am      

Eight vying for positions on RLC Board

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Four candidates are running for two full term positions on the Rend Lake College Board, and four candidates are contending for one unexpired two-year term on April 7.

Incumbents for the two four-year positions are Franklin County resident Randall Crocker and Jefferson County resident Ed Cunningham. Hamilton County resident Donald E. Mitchell and Franklin County resident William “Bill” Dill are also in the running for the seat.

The four candidates running for the unexpired two-year term are incumbent Hunt Bonan of Mt. Vernon, Mary M. Roe of Pinckneyville, Fran Lentz of Ewing and Rick Marlow of Mt. Vernon.

Crocker, who also serves as chairman of the Franklin County Board and is a self-employed insurance agent, said he has watched the college grow and would like to continue to be involved in promoting growth.

“My main strength as a trustee is the awareness of Rend Lake College’s history,” Crocker stated. “I am familiar with the many projects and changes that have occurred over the past several years at the college and can relate that history to new ways to positively affect Rend Lake College’s future.”

Crocker said he would like to see an increase in technical programs, especially in mining with a link to the program offered at Southern Illinois University. On-line studies and continued progress in offering a four-year degree through cooperation with other colleges are also priorities for Crocker.

“I see my role as a member of the board no different than that of any other interested and concerned member of the community,” Crocker stated. “I would use my voice to let the governor’s office and state legislature is aware of the needs and concerns of RLC. Even though our district has a high unemployment rate, we must realize that without adequate taxations, RLC will not continue to grow.”

Crocker said he believes collective bargaining is an important tool that should be used to work out differences.

“I would like to thank the faculty and staff of Rend Lake College for taking a part in the trustee election,” Crocker stated. “It is time that more people get involved in the election process.”

Cunningham was appointed to the RLC Board following the retirement of Norma O’Daniel in February 2008. He is the CEO of Crossroads Community Hospital; is Vice President of Internal Affairs for the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and holds a position on the JCCC board; a member of the Mt. Vernon Rotary West Club, and is an active member of the Benton Church of Christ.

Cunningham and his wife Jill live in Mt. Vernon with their daughter, Alisha, who was born in the King City when the couple lived in Mt. Vernon during the 1980s and 1990s. They are also the parents of two other children, Heather and Nick.

“In tough economic times it is crucial that we have a strong community college that offers educational opportunities at an affordable price for families in our area,” Cunningham stated. “I want Rend Lake College to be the backbone of this area ... As a business leader, I understand the need of our local businesses and their desire to have qualified, trained staff and will make it a priority to meet their needs. The strong medical program at Rend Lake College is also important, and I believe I can be an asset to the program with more than 26 years of experience in healthcare.”

Mitchell is a retired physician who served Hamilton County and Southern Illinois for more than 40 years. He is the chairman of the Hamilton County Board; and a member of the Hamilton Memorial Hospital Foundation, Hamilton County Public Health Department, Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning Commission and the Evansville Komen Race for the Cure. He also has farming interests in Hamilton and Franklin counties.

“I have dedicated my entire adult life to improving the quality of life in Southern Illinois,” Mitchell stated. “As a physician, I understand the challenges facing health care and the importance of retaining top students to remain in the region. ... I understand the importance of bringing good jobs to the region and how education can provide a foundation for those industries.

“Community colleges currently have challenges as well as opportunities,” Mitchell continued. “In the present faltering economy, the role of community colleges is even more important. New high school graduates as well as the newly unemployed need to utilize the advantages of community colleges close to home with lower costs.”

Mitchell says he is concerned the college is “wavering” in meeting challenges and alleges a lack of cooperation and communication between the board, faculty, staff and students is the cause.

“I will use my past experience in medical practice and business to help rejuvenate the college. ... I will be fair and objective in all board matters, and I will make it my mission to direct every dollar of taxpayer money toward providing the best possible education to every district student that enters a classroom at Rend Lake College.”

Dill has lived in the college district since returning from military service in 1972, and he and his wife Marcia are the parents of two sons, Nic and Nathaniel. He is a retired member of the RLC faculty and currently serves as executive director of the Franklin County Regional Economic Development Corporation and has a computer related business as well.

“I have a unique perspective that neither past or current board members, nor any current candidates have to offer,” Dill states. “I am proud to say that I am a graduate, a faculty member and an administrator at Rend Lake College. Since I retired from the district with 30 years of experience, I understand the college and its associated operations.”

The economy and societal issues will ultimately affect the college, Dill said.

“The current financial crisis is and will affect many decisions made by district residents and local businesses,” Dill stated. “To assist these groups, the board must position the school in a manner that will provide the best cost effective method for furthering learning. ... As a member of the board, we must continually balance the needs of the district residents and students with the finances that are available via the various revenue streams. As a board member, we need to lobby our state and federal legislators for additional funds, and direct that the college apply for additional grant funds. In order to best utilize funds, the board must guarantee that effective and inclusive strategic planning is undertaken to assure that decisions will produce the greatest benefits for the maximum number of students.”

Roe is also a retired member of the RLC staff, serving as the vice president of Student Services. She and her husband, Dr. Charles W. “Bill” Roe, are the parents of three children and have seven grandchildren. Roe has served on the Pinckneyville high school board, is a past member of Five Star Industries, a former member of Shagbark Girl Scout Council, chair and member of the Southern Illinois Workforce Investment Board, Man-Tra-Con Corporation Board, the SIU-C Alumni Association Board, RLC Murphy-Wall Campus Advisory Board; a church trustee and she and her husband were Co- Pinckneyville Chamber of Commerce citizens of the year.

“With a change in leadership due to retirement, the college has the pleasant prospect of many opportunities ahead as well as challenges,” Roe stated. “Educational opportunity is the college’s key role. The college is a reflection of the district’s needs and preferences in the programs offered, outreach activities sponsored and cultural programs scheduled. ... It is a leader in providing affordable and transferable education, quality and job ready skills as well as fun classes for health and pleasure. I would want these endeavors to continue.”

Roe said issues and challenges facing the board is fiscal responsibility, ongoing curricular and co-curricular development and stabilization of staff.

“There are key positions at the college that need to be filled,” Roe said. “The vacancies can affect the morale of the staff and the continued quality of instruction. This is an opportunity for the board to establish the tenor and atmosphere desired for the working environment at the college for future years to come.”

Lentz is a retired RLC auto technology teacher, who taught at the college from 1975 to 1990. He and his wife, Rita, have six children and he has been living in Southern Illinois since 1969, and moved to the Ewing area in 1980.

“First of all I would like to say I am extremely proud of the students, facility and staff at the college,” Lentz stated. “However, I think there needs to be a change in the representation of the taxpayers on the board. It is my belief that the importation of athletes from out of the college district, not only from other states, but from as far away as Africa and the Dominican Republic is wrong. The college should not be giving away tax dollars to these students as long as there are in-district students needing scholarships.

Lentz said although a new college president will likely be hired before a new board is seated, there was “not one faculty or staff person on the search committee for the new president.”

“I think there should be a nepotism policy at the college,” Lentz said. “It is high time they quit hiring the wives and children of board members and administrators. It is my belief there should be term limits for members of the board. It is quite apparent that board members who are there for 15, 20, 30 years just become puppets for the administration.

“I am also a firm believer that the college should not be in competition with private businesses that pay taxes. The college absolutely should not be in the business of building rental and the ownership of a golf store like they have in Mt. Vernon. They are just using tax dollars to compete against tax payers.”

Marlow, a licensed architect who retired from the faculty at Rend Lake College in 2006, is now the program manager for YouthBuild, a program of the United Methodist Children’s Home.

“As a resident of Rend Lake College District, I have become tired of watching taxpayer money wasted defending lawsuits against Rend Lake College and have become concerned about board policies that invite potential conflicts of interest,” Marlow stated. “As a result, I decided to run for election to the Rend Lake College Board of Trustees with a commitment to make good decisions for the district. ... As we move into difficult and uncertain economic times, the college must acknowledge and build upon its many past accomplishments while moving away from past questionable actions. We should all learn from those mistakes and move on for the good of Rend Lake College, its students and the taxpayers of District 521.”

Marlow and his wife Jewel are the parent of two children, Kari Marlow Docherty and Kelli Marlow Frerichs and have four grandchildren, Shannon Docherty, Brennan Docherty, Hayden Frerichs and Carson Frerichs.

“RLC has an excellent faculty and staff of which I was proud to be a part,” Marlow said. “I understand well the educational process, having served in the classroom and other college leadership capacities.”