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Heartland Community College honors
eight with President’s Medallion
[June 05, 2025]
NORMAL, IL, June 2, 2025 –
Heartland Community College has recognized eight individuals for
their integral role in expanding the College, serving its students,
and paving educational pathways for the larger community.
The President’s Medallion award recognizes individuals who exemplify
the College's mission to enrich the community.
The following individuals were honored at the Elevate Heartland 2025
event on May 30 with a President’s Medallion:
John Astroth
Jon Astroth led Heartland Community College as president for the
school’s first 20 years. He came to Heartland from Rend Lake
College, where he wore the hats of English instructor, student
services officer, chief academic officer, and finally, president.
Astroth’s vision for Heartland took it from a scattered set of class
spaces around town supporting 800 students to a sprawling main
campus in Normal and sites in both Lincoln and Pontiac, which, taken
together, serve more than 5000 credit students every semester.
Before retiring in 2010, Astroth was able to shepherd in campus
expansion that included an increased student life offering, the
addition of an athletics program, and bringing the National Guard
facilities to campus.
Alan Bedell and Deanna Frautschi
Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell are no strangers to community
involvement. The couple has been recognized by the McLean County
Historical Society as History Makers due to their philanthropic
leadership. Deanna served on over a dozen non-profit boards,
including her tenure as Chair of the United Way of McLean County.
She is also deeply involved in the Multicultural Leadership
Institute, Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, Parklands
Foundation, and Miller Park Zoological Society, the latter of which
she served as a past president.
Alan mirrors Deanna’s volunteer
efforts by being involved with the Cornbelt Chapter of AMBUCS, the
organization in which he was instrumental in founding 10 chapters in
Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. He is also an active
Midwest Food Bank volunteer. Together the pair has chaired numerous
fundraisers including Zoo Doo, Red Cross Evening of Starts, and
Carle Cancer Center events. They also sponsor scholarships for
AMBUCS physical therapists, Illinois State University, Heartland
Community College, and the Multicultural Leadership Institute.
Ruifang Cao
Ruifang Cao was an early member of the Heartland Community College
faculty, teaching among the first classes in computer science at the
College. Ruifang started the Chinese school on weekends to teach
language and culture programs about China. She also helped create an
exchange program of students and professors from Chinese
universities to Heartland, laying the groundwork for Heartland's
international program. This eventually led to expanded experiences
for local students to study abroad and brought international
students to Heartland, expanding the diversity of our classrooms
while bringing enrollment opportunities to new areas.
Dolan Dalpoas
Dolan Dalpoas has dedicated his professional life to keeping his
community healthy. As President and CEO of Lincoln Memorial
Hospital, he has been recognized for his leadership. He has been
named one of the top 50 critical access hospital CEOs in the United
States and in 2000, received the Southern Illinois Regent’s Award
from the American College of Healthcare Executives as the Early
Career Healthcare Executive of the Year. Dolan had a crucial role in
Lincoln building a free outdoor fitness center to combat obesity, an
initiative that became a national best practice for hospitals. Dolan
serves on the HCC Lincoln Advisory Council, and under his
leadership, the hospital partners with Heartland by serving as a
clinical site for our CNA program as well as donating several pieces
of healthcare equipment. He has also served in various community
organizations in Lincoln, including Lincoln College, Lincoln Rotary,
the Lincoln Area YMCA, and Lincoln Economic Advancement &
Development.
[to top of second column] |
2025 President’s Medallion Recipients. From Top Left: Mike Matejka, Drake
Zimmerman, Colleen Kannaday, Dolan Dalpoas, Alan Bedell. From Front Left:
Ruifang Cao, Jon Astroth, Deanna Frautschi.
Colleen Kannaday
Colleen Kannaday‘s extensive contributions to the community are
evident in the organizations to which she lends her leadership. As
the President of Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka
Hospital, she has won the Grassroots Champion Award from the
American Hospital Association, an honor that is awarded to only one
person per state. She is also a recipient of the Malcomb Baldrige
National Quality Award, the American College of Health Care Award,
and was honored as a YWCA Woman of Distinction. Colleen serves as a
Trustee on the Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees and
the Illinois State University Foundation Board.
Mike Matejka
Mike Matejka is a dedicated community member, lending his time and
talents to many causes. He serves as the Downstate Vice President of
the Illinois Labor History Society, Co-Chair of Not in Our Town
Bloomington-Normal, and as a board member of the McLean County
Children’s Christmas Party. Matejka also works with the Historic
Pullman Foundation Board, McLean County Historical Society, the
Stevenson Lecture Committee, and the local Autism Friendly Community
Committee. He is a sought-after speaker and has written countless
journal and magazine articles as a scholar of the labor movement. In
2024, Matejka won the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
Philanthropist of the Year award with his wife, Kari Sandhaas, and
in 2021 was named the Normal Citizen of the Year.
Drake Zimmerman
Drake Zimmerman is a philanthropic leader and a shining example for
our community. He is passionate about causes near to his heart and
“leads out loud” by acting both locally and globally. One such cause
is working through Rotary on malaria prevention. He was the founding
Vice Chair of the Rotarians Eliminating Malaria Rotarians Action
Group and received the AMP Global Top Award of Alliance for Malaria
Prevention for lifetime contributions to malaria control. Drake also
co-founded the Community Foundation of McLean County (now known as
the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation). With his wife, Jan, he
helped Friends of Kickapoo Creek, an organization that works to
protect the local watershed. Drake is the author of Enduring the
Darkness, a compilation of the inspiring letters of South Korean
human rights prisoner Kim Seong Man.
“We are proud to recognize these individuals who helped elevate
Heartland to what it is today,” said Heartland President Keith
Cornille. “Each recipient of these inaugural awards exemplifies the
College’s mission to enrich our community. Through their service,
support, and actions, this group has made a significant impact on
our community and – directly or indirectly – the lives of all our
students since the College’s foundation.”
The inaugural recipients of the HCC
President’s Medallion Award were honored in 2021.
[Steve Fast
Assistant to the President,
Public Information and Communication
Heartland Community College] |
