|
 Nearly
250 students graduated with half of those receiving associate
degrees and the other half bachelor's.
This year's number of bachelor degree graduates increased by
one-third over last year. According to college stats, "The high
number of bachelor’s degree recipients reflects both growth in the
college’s traditional four-year degree programs on the Lincoln
Campus and its non-traditional Accelerated Bridge to Education (ABE)
programs in Normal, Peoria and Oglesby."
According to Lincoln College President David Gerlach the college
will continue to expand its options in bachelor degree programs and
has its sights set on offering master degrees in the near future.
President Gerlach presided over this year's ceremonies at which two
honorary doctoral degrees were conferred, one to1960 alum Alex D.
“Sandy” MacKinnon, and the other to renown percussionist Richie
Gajate Garcia.
MacKinnon is a successful businessman entering retirement. He is the
former owner and CEO of MacKinnon Equipment & Services. MacKinnon
received many awards over his career. According to his bio he takes
pride in two awards that "exemplify strong character traits –the
H.L. Culbreath, Jr., profile in leadership award and the Tampa Bay
Ethics Award, presented by the University of Tampa Center for
Ethics."
MacKinnon's customer-focused approach and highest ethical standards,
transformed a failing Yale Equipment dealership into a highly
successful firm with five locations in Florida and Georgia.
MacKinnon has never forgotten the many opportunities he was afforded
in his life-time. There were role models who provided him incentive
to achieve a quality of life, and he is most appreciative for the
persistent encouragements of his mother, and of President Raymond
Dooley and his wife when he came to Lincoln College.
MacKinnon says that he learned at LC to apply himself to academics
and with that discipline went on to apply himself in business
opportunities, "I am where I am today because of Lincoln College."
A couple bits of advice that MacKinnon offered are to lead through
example, work hard, and share your vision with others (employees)
when you are planning, and then they will be there to jump in when
you need them.
MacKinnon applauds the vision of the Lincoln College Trustees who
are moving the college forward by way of expanding back to being a
four-year college. At the Leadership Panel he said, "You have a
great history, you are getting better every year, you have more
people who are carrying the Lincoln message. I commend you and thank
you for all you do."
The other doctoral recipient was percussionist supreme, Richie
Gajate Garcia. Through his life's work Garcia expanded how Latin and
other percussion influenced music is heard and taught.
He has influenced the design of a number of percussion instruments
collaborating with the company Latin Percussion on the Richie Gajate
Garcia Signature Series Congas, Bongos and Djembe, and he invented
the Gajate Bracket.
At the Percussion Workshop held on Wednesday, Garcia gifted the
college with a full set of new professional instruments from his
signature line so that students will have professional instruments
for use to inspire them.
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President Gerlach said this was a great gift to the college and
it was given by Garcia from the heart.
Garcia
has recorded and/or performed with - Phil Collins, Sting, Don
Henley, Frankie Valli, Stevie Wonder and Ritchie Sambora. He toured
with many great names in music - Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, John
Denver and Hiroshima.
He also collaborated in a number of compositions for the screen,
most recently the Disney Oscar winning animated film 'Coco,' which
made him cry, twice, when he watched it.
He tops
all that off teaching, having created the written directional
language percussion instruction books use today, and he has his own
instruction books.
On Saturday, Garcia also shared that he is a man of faith, and
shared how scripture serves as his foundation in life.
In
reference to Lincoln College's future Garcia said, "I think just
having the name Lincoln, which is a name that everyone in this
nation respects and admires, just having that name alone is a very
big plus."
Working in the music field, he sees the opportunity for the college
to become more international.
He said that the spirit he feels here is very good. He believes
potential students who visit will feel the pull to come to Lincoln
College and seeing it decide, "This is the latest stuff. This is the
place to go, here."
The 2018 student speaker was Ashlyn Carroll of Lincoln, who was
received her bachelor’s degree of Business Administration in
Business Management.
Carroll's academic achievements have been Special Honors,
President’s Honors, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Who’s Who Among
Students in American Universities and Colleges. She was a
student-athlete for two years on the softball team, earning a NJCAA
Superior Academic Achievement Award, First Team NJCAA All-Academic
and Mid-West Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference Softball
honors.
Carroll has been a teacher aide in Lincoln, assistant for the local
high school’s softball team and a student Ambassador for Lincoln
College.
Pomp and circumstance, ceremonies aside and diplomas in hand, the
graduates eagerly joined their proud family members for a reception,
during which there were also many tearful and happy good byes to
their fellow students before jumping into packed cars for a rapid
exit to somewhere other than school.
For a number of students, the mile-marker was ever so much more
valued as they were the first in their lineage to receive a
bachelor's degree. Those graduates, most receiving encouragement and
support of their families, are breaking territory, and in all
likelihood because of them there will be many more family members
seek and earn degrees from Lincoln College or some other place.
[Jan Youngquist] |
