A Jacksonville educator is the newest member of the Lincoln Land Community College Board of Directors following the retirement of another long-serving Jacksonville resident.
The Lincoln Land Community College Board of Trustees welcomed new member Mark Holaway of Jacksonville at its March meeting last night.
Holaway is a 6th-grade social studies teacher at Jacksonville Middle School and fills a vacancy on the Board created by the retirement of longtime trustee Craig Findley. Holaway, who also lives in Jacksonville, says he and his wife are always looking to give back to the community.
Holaway feels very strongly about community colleges and says he has seen community colleges from both sides and knows the value they provide to the community.
“Community colleges play a really important role, and going forward we need flexibility and we need to be able to provide our folks with resources so they can get the job that they need and the education they need. I’m really looking forward to getting involved and helping.”
Hollway grew up in Union, Missouri, and attended East Central Community College before transferring to the University of Missouri in St. Louis. He says when he later decided to pursue teaching, Lincoln Land Community College helped to bridge the gap to attend the teacher education program at UIS.
Craig Findley of Jacksonville is stepping down as the longest-serving trustee of the college. He served a total of 23 years, with three terms as chair and two terms each as vice-chair and secretary of the Board. Findley reflected on his time on the Lincoln Land Community College Board and says time in service to a college just seems to go very quickly.
“It’s a wonderful college. I was privileged to become a member of the Lincoln Land board around the time that Morgan County became part of the Lincoln Land Community College District and it’s been good for Jacksonville, it’s been good for Illinois College, and good for at the time MacMurray College. We had our first campus centers during the time I was on the board and expanded into Cass County with a center in Beardstown, and the college continues to prosper and grow.”
Holaway says he knows he has big shoes to fill in replacing Findley on the board. While Findley says he believes Holaway has an advantage going in that he did not have now 23 years ago.
“I can say that Mr. Holaway has a great head start on me. My experience with community colleges began the moment I joined the board of trustees. Mr. Holaway has long experience in higher education and then community college education. I have no doubt he will prove to be a superb, superb trustee.”
Holaway was among a number of candidates who applied to serve as the trustee representing subdistrict 6 of the LLCC district, which covers all or parts of 15 counties.
Findley says he is pleased that the Board selected another resident of Jacksonville to serve as trustee and says Morgan County is the heart of the subdistrict so it is fitting the member should be from the area.