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Astroth, with
just short of six weeks on the job, moved about the center shaking
hands, always with a smile and quick to laugh. It was an easy
observation that he was saying hello to many of the people he
already had met rather than making new acquaintances. In just that
one moment it was obvious Jon Astroth had hit the ground running in
his new position as head of Lincoln College. And according to staff
and faculty, he hasn't slowed down a bit as his first year ends.
Astroth had just retired from being president of Heartland
Community College since 1991, and he said visits to Lincoln while at
the helm of Heartland had
given him opportunities to meet Lincoln residents. He then relied on
those acquaintances to continue to introduce him to others in the
community.
Astroth came to Lincoln College well-credentialed, with a 34-year
career in academia. He has served on numerous state and national
boards related to higher education and was named a visiting
professor to Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin, China.
He earned a Ph.D. in educational administration at Illinois State
University.
But as Astroth sits at a table in his office in the University
Hall building, his mannerisms are far from pretentious.
"I'm not much on ceremony," he laughed when asked about his
laid-back, always-available-to-staff policy.
The consensus by staff on campus is almost unanimous on how well
they think of their new president. Comments about how easy it is to
get along with Jon included additional comments that he really knows
how to run a school of higher learning.
His track record at Heartland also must have had a pronounced
positive effect on that school and its staff. It was mentioned that
not many people get a street named after them, as has been done at
Heartland campus. Astroth laughed as the point was brought up that
it was great that it happened while he was still alive.
"It's better that way than the other," he joked.
Astroth's wife, Kim, is a professor at ISU, and they have three
children: Luke, who is working on his master's; Seth, who is in
banking; and Erin, who is a practical nurse. And although Astroth
has a home and family in Normal, he does spend several days a week
at the college president's home on Lincoln Avenue.
"When (then board president) John Blackburn hired me, I told him
I would stay in the president's home. It's important to be a part of
the community, and that means I need to spend time here," he said.
He says that on nice days he enjoys not only bicycling to work,
but also bicycling around the town.
"When you see someone else on a bike, they say, 'Nice day,'
or something like that to me. That doesn't happen in Normal. Lincoln
really is a friendly town," he said.
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When questioned about what challenges he faced when starting the
job, Astroth quickly moved to the positive. Rather than say anything
was broken, he talked about how he began working on making
improvements to things already in place at the college.
He pointed out the rich and storied tradition Lincoln College has
that can be claimed by no other college, and he said he and staff
have been working on getting that tradition-steeped legacy out to
the public.
"We have an alumni list that goes back to 1865," he noted.
Astroth also felt that the story on all that Lincoln College has
to offer students needed to be explained to surrounding communities.
"What we do and who we serve shouldn't be a secret," he said.
Astroth spoke of improving the ABE program, the accelerated
bachelor's degree and educational programs in Normal. He also wants
to continue the dual college credit program that gives LCHS students
a chance to earn college credits while still in high school.
And he hopes that an agreement will be made with Comcast to
create a television arts capability to go along with the radio
station the college already operates.
There are many other tasks he is working on improving, and he
admits there are challenges in this type of economy.
"When things become tougher, donors have less propensity to give
than when everything is going well," he admitted.
He was asked what difference he noted the most from the sprawling
Heartland campus compared with Lincoln College's smaller 630-student
enrollment in Lincoln.
"Here, the students really get to know the professors and
employees," he said. "That's difficult to achieve on a large campus.
Here the staff gets to know and care about the students."
And the staff at Lincoln College has gotten to know Jon Astroth,
and with a consensus they sing his praises. And although he has
agreed to stay on at least for one more year, one of the college's
chief faculty officers said, "We all hope he stays here for years
and years. At least until we all retire."
[By
MIKE FAK]
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