Alumnus' Lifetime of Service Leaves a Lasting Legacy of Leadership & Dedication

You can look in any career field and find our students doing great things. I’m glad I get to see it. I like to walk through Alumni Park and look at the names of the students and think, ‘I remember that one.

Standing in the Foundation and Alumni Center lobby, Mike Sullivan reviews the story of Lake Land College, presented visually across four acrylic plaques lined side by side along the wall. Each plaque contains a collection of photos that highlight the most pivotal moments across the College’s six-decade life. Occasionally Mike stops to comment on a photo, if only just to say, “I remember that one.”

Having announced his resignation from the Lake Land College Board of Trustees in February 2024, Mike concludes his 37 years of dedicated service as the longest-tenured trustee in the College’s history. His connection to Lake Land began many years prior however, when Mike, stationed in Vietnam as a member of the U.S. Navy, began to plan for his return to his hometown of Mattoon. Attending the city’s brand-new community college, described in letters sent from his father, seemed as good an option as any.

With the help of Virgil H. Judge, the College’s first president, Mike departed the Navy just in time for the start of the 1968 fall semester. His student experience predated a proper campus, and he still recalls rushing across Mattoon to attend his classes. At the groundbreaking of campus in 1969, Mike was there, documenting the event for the student newspaper with the camera he brought back from Vietnam.

During his time as a student, Mike continuously sought new opportunities for campus involvement. He eventually joined the Student Government Association and became the second SGA President in Lake Land history.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Mike recalled. “Being just the second president meant there wasn’t much of a blueprint to follow for the position.”

Blueprints or not, Mike didn’t need them. He used his position to become a trailblazer for student representation, voicing his perspective at Lake Land board meetings and working with the state to establish official student trustee positions throughout Illinois. He even developed the Spring Carnival, one of Lake Land’s most cherished traditions still held annually to this day.

Mike completed his studies in 1970, though his graduation would only be a brief pause in his Lake Land journey. In fact, one of his former instructors, Bill Rich, predicted it all with his final advice to Mike.

“I remember him telling me to go out into the world and get some experience,” Mike said. “Then, come back and help us.”

Mike’s return to Lake Land came in 1987 when he was elected to the College’s Board of Trustees. The 37 years that followed would be a time of expansion and enrichment for Lake Land College, with Mike leading the way on a number of key initiatives. He was the board chair when the Kluthe Center was built in Effingham, and he helped establish Lake Land as a leader in energy conservation.

Always an advocate for a welcoming campus, Mike was influential in the creation of Alumni Park in 2007. With the names of alumni and friends of the College engraved into its many tables and benches, the park honors the students of Lake Land’s past while providing a space for current students, staff and community members to enjoy the beauty of campus. However, Mike’s most cherished and personal campus project is the Veterans’ Memorial, a jet-black granite monument in Podesta Park. Dedicated in 2019 and accompanied by a granite U.S. flag in 2022, the Veterans’ Memorial recognizes the courage and sacrifice of all veterans, including Mike himself.

What Mike most remembers about his time at Lake Land is not any project or initiative, but the people by his side through it all. As he resigns from his trustee position, he rests assured that his connection to the College will always remain. He plans to return to campus often, whether to enjoy Alumni Park, visit the Veteran’s Memorial or just reconnect with old friends. He is also thankful to have made lasting relationships with many Lake Land students, whose success was his greatest motivation throughout the years.

“You can look in any career field and find our students doing great things,” Mike said. “I’m glad I get to see it. I like to walk through Alumni Park and look at the names of the students and think, ‘I remember that one.’”