INA, Ill. (April 22, 2025) — Terry Wilkerson, the outgoing president of Rend Lake College, hosted his final President’s Dinner on Thursday. Held on the Ina campus, the event brought together colleagues, friends, and supporters to celebrate Wilkerson’s contributions during his tenure.
Rend Lake College President Terry Wilkerson (right) with RLC Foundation Board Chair Tony Wielt at the 2025 President's Dinner
Being the President's Dinner, Wilkerson had the honor of choosing the menu, which featured a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with loaded baked potato and green beans. As good as that was, the dinner’s most significant moment came with an announcement by Tony Wielt, Chair of the Board of Directors for the RLC Foundation. It was revealed that $51,000 had been raised by Wilkerson’s friends, colleagues, and supporters to establish an endowed scholarship in his name. This fund will provide scholarships to RLC students in perpetuity, ensuring a lasting legacy of support for education.
During the evening, Wilkerson expressed his gratitude to those in attendance and said, "I truly do appreciate this. I've got a lot of friends and partners in this room who have advocated for the institution. It's always good to see friends out here who have helped me both personally - I mean that - and professionally."
Culinary Arts students and chef instructors served dinner for the 2025 President's Dinner
"[This event] gives us an opportunity to interact and fellowship with other members of the community that love Rend Lake College as much as you do Terry," said Wielt. "... Being that this is one of the last opportunities to publicly ... thank you and wish you well, we wanted to take a couple of minutes and do just that. You know, someone that spends ... over 30 years in a place, they leave a legacy."
Wilkerson's leadership and impact on the RLC community indeed has left a meaningful legacy that will continue to benefit students for years to come. The Terry Wilkerson Endowment Scholarship is open for additional contributions from the public.
To contribute
Online
- Visit rlc.edu/foundation
- Click on GIVE NOW.
- Under MAKE A DONATION scroll down to CUSTOM AMOUNT and enter the amount you would like to give
- Under that there is an option to DEDICATE THE DONATION. By clicking on that button, you can then click on IN HONOR OF and then fill in the DEDICATEE’S NAME – Terry Wilkerson Scholarship.
- Finish your donation by clicking on DONATE $.
In-Person
You can also turn in a donation in the RLC Foundation office, located on the 2nd floor of the Student Center Room 202. Make checks payable to RLC Foundation and put on the memo: Terry Wilkerson Scholarship.
