Award Recipients to Be Honored at LLC Commencement

Emily Hartke, Lake Land College chair of counseling and judicial affairs advisement, will be presented with the 2015 Faculty Association Outstanding Service Award at Lake Land College’s upcoming commencement ceremony.

(EMILY HARTKE)

“Emily goes out of her way to ensure every student at Lake Land College is given the best opportunity to succeed,” said Krista Burrell, academic counselor and award nominator. “Her compassion and enthusiasm for education and student success is evident with every student that she meets. If she finds a policy or procedure that does not benefit the student, she takes the time to work the process and enact change for the benefit of our students. She truly is a model of what an educator should be.”

Hartke’s colleagues describe her as a hardworking and honest professional who encourages those around her to strive to be better. Hartke has participated in a number of committees that have contributed greatly to the development of the college over the years. She is currently an active member in over eight committees, including her current role as Grievance Office.

“One of Emily’s strengths is communication. She is an exceptional communicator, which results in cooperation with others,” said Burrell. “Whether she is advocating for a student, Counseling Services, the Faculty Association or the college as a whole, she is skilled at working toward a solution that works for all.”

The award will be presented during the college’s 48^th annual commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Field House. With earning the Outstanding Faculty Award, Hartke has also been chosen to be the Lake Land College nomination for the Illinois Community College Trustee Association “Outstanding Service Award.” The award ceremony will be held in Chicago this summer. 

Meanwhile, Robert Pancoast, Shelbyville, will receive the 2015 Distinguished Service Award at the Commencement Ceremony for his outstanding service to Lake Land College. The award is designed to acknowledge an individual who has rendered outstanding service to the college.

Pancoast is a member of and immediate past president to the Lake Land College Foundation Board of Directors. He has devoted years of service to the foundation, creating new scholarship opportunities for students.

During Pancoast’s tenure as board president, the college hired a new executive director for college advancement, who also serves as the chief executive officer of the foundation. During his service, the foundation successfully raised a record $439,000. That allowed the foundation to award more than 300 scholarships to students totaling more than $300,000.

“I have known Bob for nearly 40 years and have the outmost respect for him throughout his professional career,” John Livesay, nominator and fellow member of the foundation board of directors, said. “In Bob’s time in the foundation, he has made a major difference to its overall success by accepting responsibility and contributing freely of his time and talents.”

Pancoast recently retired from his role as executive vice president of Busey Bank-Decatur. In his past, he served as the president and trust officer of the First Trust Bank of Shelbyville. He is very active in the community, serving on the Decatur Memorial Hospital Foundation, Shelby Memorial Hospital Association Board of Directors, Little Theatre on the Square Board of Directors and the Shelbyville Rotary Club.

“Hundreds of students have benefitted from Bob’s contributions to the foundation. His expertise is invaluable and his commitment to creating opportunities and assistance to our students is remarkable,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said.

Pancoast has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and attended the School of Banking at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Additionally, Chad Moutray will receive the Lake Land College 2015 Alumnus Achievement Award during the commencement ceremony.

(CHAD MOUTRAY)

Currently the chief economist for the National Association for Manufacturers, Moutray serves as the economic forecaster and spokesperson on current economic issues. Throughout his career, he has appeared on several popular news stations such as Bloomberg, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox Business, Fox News and Reuters. Previously, Moutray served has the chief economist and the director of economic research for the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. He has also authored many publications and articles on economics and is the author of My Life with Laura: A Love Story, a biography he wrote about his late wife and her struggle with breast cancer.

Before his successful career, Moutray grew up in Mattoon, Ill. He often worked third shift at a local factory in order to be able to attend classes and afford the education he felt was important.

“Chad has never forgotten the role the community college system has played in his personal life and the impact it can have on communities and other institutions of higher learning,” Jacqueline Jones, director of college advancement, who nominated Moutray, said.

A member of the Lake Land College Distinguished Alumnus Society Class of 2007, Moutray graduated in 1989 and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in economics from Eastern Illinois University. Moutray continued his education, earning a doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

His passion for learning led him to be the dean of the School of Business at Robert Morris College, which is now known as Robert Morris University of Illinois. While in his role as dean, the business school experienced rapid growth adding in new programs and campuses.