Homegrown leader to remain on the job through June 2025
President-designee Ragland becomes Executive VP
INA, Ill. (Dec. 12, 2023) — After more than 30 years working with Rend Lake College, President Terry Wilkerson will soon be calling it a career. He will retire effective June 30, 2025; Executive Vice President Lori Ragland will transition to assume the presidency at that time.
Wilkerson’s retirement resignation was accepted with regret by the RLC Board of Trustees at the Dec. 12 meeting.
RLC President Terry Wilkerson
“I look forward to facilitating a smooth transition in leadership, and intend to be a constant supporter of the institution the rest of my days,” said Wilkerson in his retirement letter. He credits the people in his life with helping him reach this point, starting with his parents, Marvin and Donna, and his wife Kim and their daughters. The people, Wilkerson is fond of saying, are the best part of the job, and in his letter, he mentioned many of the various friendships he has forged over his presidency.
“Terry’s been a great leader for Rend Lake College,” said Board Chair Larry Manning. “He’s always carved the best path forward with the interest of the college first in mind. As a board, having a president who brings you that level of confidence is a good feeling.”
Wilkerson noted that he doesn’t necessarily believe that all good things come to an end. “All my good things revolve around family, friends, colleagues, the memories made, and those to come. I’ve always said, ‘The Place has been good to me’ … and it has. I hope my leaving finds it in better shape than when I got here,” Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson, a national finalist for the Outstanding Young Farmer Award in 2009, is owner / operator of Wilkerson Farms. It would be a misnomer to say farming will be his next full-time job … an owner / operator is always on full-time. However, the farm is where he’ll be after retirement, spending well-deserved quality time in the tractor cab.
Wilkerson became Rend Lake College’s seventh full-time President in April 2012, but his connection to RLC goes back much farther. The Dahlgren native earned an Associate in Applied Science Degree from RLC in 1992, and followed that with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Plant and Soil Science in 1994 and a Master of Science Degree in Agronomy in 1995, both from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Wilkerson was soon back at his alma mater, teaching agriculture classes at RLC as an adjunct starting in 1995. He became full-time agriculture faculty in August 1997, and continued teaching until being named interim chair of the Applied Science and Technology Division in 2008; that position soon became permanent.
Four years later, in April 2012, Wilkerson was selected by the board as Rend Lake College’ seventh president following an extensive search.
During Wilkerson’s tenure, RLC has been recognized as a state and national leader by CNN Money, WalletHub, Aspen Institute, Huffington Post, SmartAsset and the Chronicle of Higher Education in areas such as student-to-faculty ratio, return on investment, and student performance. He has been involved in multiple accreditation evaluations from the Higher Learning Commission (1998, 2008 and 2018), and has served as a peer reviewer for that group.
In his leadership tenure, there have been many notable achievements and developments. These include renovations that resulted in the Agronomy Innovation Center and the RLC Event Center, the ongoing construction of the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy in Mt. Vernon, and the pending construction of a new Allied Health Building. Tens of millions of dollars in grant funding have been awarded during his time, resulting in new educational programming in career-technical education and other areas, new student support services, additional staff, and more.
RLC Event Center Ribbon Cutting in February 2023
The college is working on its first competency-based education program, focused on welding technology, and is actively exploring microcredentials and badging.
Wilkerson navigated RLC through no small share of state- and nation-wide crises. The Illinois budget impasse of 2015-2017 meant the college went without about $5.5 million in state funding due to legislative gridlock. The COVID-19 pandemic sent almost everyone – students and employees – to learn and work from home, and the resulting economic downturn and regulatory requirements made Wilkerson’s leadership even more critical. All this in light of nationwide trends of declining enrollment in higher education.
“None of this stuff is in the brochure when you take this job,” Wilkerson quipped.
Despite these challenges, the college’s fund balance – the funding which allows RLC to operate, make payroll, and pay expenses – has increased by nearly $20 million since Wilkerson became president. This has been in large part due to restructuring and paying off long-term bonds, issuing new bonds, and keeping an eye on expenses.
Never one to stick to tradition for its own sake, Wilkerson – noted for coming to work in jeans and cowboy boots – has made it a point to change what it means to be a college president. Understanding that community colleges today can do more together than alone, Wilkerson has made strong alliances by reaching out to other colleges and working together to offer programming and services that a single institution could not sustain. This effort started with an early acquaintance with his counterpart at Southeastern Illinois College, Dr. Jonah Rice … an acquaintance which since has turned into a true friendship and has resulted in an official alliance agreement between RLC and SIC.
Wilkerson talks to a group of students a the Student Center
As Wilkerson likes to say, it’s all about the people. During his presidency, there has been attention paid to finding and developing the next level of leadership, wherever it is found on campus. From programs like RLC’s Emerging Leaders Institute to working with Inspired Engagement for campus-wide and individual leadership development and coaching, Wilkerson has compiled a strong group of leaders around him. This of course includes Ragland, his successor, and many more.
“I have been lucky … to have people who supported me when it would have been easier to not,” said Wilkerson.
His efforts to support RLC have extended beyond its district. He served as chair of the Illinois Community College Council of Presidents for the 2022-2023 academic year and founded the Illinois Community College Caucus this year. He has worked closely for several years with Illinois Community College Board staff, including Executive Director Brian Durham. He also took part in the Illinois Governor’s Trade Mission to Europe in 2018. Wilkerson has been heavily involved as a member of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, and sits on the International Advisory Board for the Chair Academy, an organization devoted to higher education leadership development.
Ag Professor Wilkerson is surrounded by a group of curious students at an agricultural summer camp, years ago, on campus.
However, it’s not goodbye just yet. Wilkerson will remain as President through June 30, 2025, and says he looks forward to working for the board and the college over the next 18 months.
At which time, he says, “I hope you will excuse me … I have a family and a farm to tend to.”
