ICCTA Ray Hartstein
Trustee Achievement Award
2014 RecipientsRichard Anderson
College of Lake County
and
Jody Wadhwa
Oakton Community CollegeAs a parent, an Army veteran, and a proud community college graduate, Richard Anderson brings a unique perspective to his role as a trustee.
Called the "dean of Illinois trustees," Anderson is the longest continuously serving board member in the Illinois community college system.
First elected in April 1974 while a full-time student at the College of Lake County, he has been a passionate advocate for students and veterans. During his 40-year tenure, Anderson has served as board chair seven times and witnessed the college's growth to three campuses and 40,000 students.
Jody Wadhwa (left) and Richard Anderson
(center) receive their 2014 Ray Hartstein
Trustee Achievement Awards from ICCTA vice president William Kelley.Anderson also played a key role in creating the University Center of Lake County, which provides CLC graduates with a seamless transition to baccalaureate education.
At the state level, he was elected by his peers to serve as president of ICCTA from 2001-2002. During his term in office, he initiated the first economic impact study of the Illinois system. He also successfully lobbied for a statewide task force on community college funding.
A former board member of the Association of Community College Trustees, Anderson has served on strategic planning task forces for higher education systems in Lake County, the state of Illinois, and Great Britain.
Anderson's influence is still as vital as ever. He has published articles on trusteeship and board governance and regularly presents workshops on trustee orientation and leadership skills at ICCTA and national conferences.
Perhaps most importantly, he continues to be a passionate defender of local control of community colleges. He is always the first to remind his fellow trustees of the value of local decision-making free of outside interference.
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First elected in 1987, Jody Wadhaw is the senior-serving trustee at Oakton Community College. In addition to serving as a board officer for 15 of his 27 years as a trustee, he chaired the college's presidential search in 1995 and represents the board in mutual-gains negotiations with faculty.
Wadhwa's life experiences as an immigrant from war-torn India have greatly shaped his belief in quality higher education.
He has been a longtime advocate of global education and efforts to bring about a more peaceful world. Under his leadership, Oakton has created a program in Peace Studies and conducted international faculty exchange programs.
Wadhwa has also established two scholarships and the Gandhi/King Endowment to support Oakton's commitment to diversity. In 2014 he proposed and endowed ICCTA's newGandhi/King Peace Scholarshipfor Illinois community college students.
"I believe that education is not one of the problems this society has to solve," says Wadhaw. "I believe that quality education is the solution to many of the problems in our country and in our world."
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