Spoon River College President Curt Oldfield will leave the community college this summer to become president of Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.
Oldfield led SRC for 14 years.
“I think every leader has a point in time in their career where it’s the right time or the right opportunity. We had accomplished so much at Spoon River College together that it was just the right time,” Oldfield told TSPR.
“It will be a great growth opportunity for myself, and I’ve always encouraged our students to take advantage of those growth opportunities. They’re challenging, but they’re memorable.”
Oldfield said SRC’s retention and graduation rates increased during his tenure. He praised SRC’s “outstanding faculty” for helping make that happen.
Also during his presidency, SRC built a multi-purpose building and baseball and softball diamonds on its campus in Canton, and last fall it opened a new campus in Macomb.
Oldfield said he wanted to see the Macomb project through to its completion.
“That was one of my first goals that the SRC Board of Trustees gave me back in 2012,” Oldfield said. “It was certainly a milestone in my career. Not many presidents get to say that they worked with the community and got to open a brand-new campus in the community.”
Oldfield was previously a student, a faculty member, and a dean at SRC, which he said will make it especially difficult to leave.
“A lot of personal time invested in the success of Spoon River College, but it’s reassuring to know I’m leaving the college better than I found it,” he said.
Oldfield’s last official day at SRC will be June 30, and his first official day at LLCC will be July 1. But he said he might use some vacation time after graduation ceremonies in May. He said he also wants to make sure there is a smooth transition to SRC’s next president.
The SRC board said it won’t waste any time in looking for a new president, according to Kevin Meade, Chair of the SRC Board of Trustees.
“The process to find our next President will begin immediately with the selection of a national search firm,” Meade said in a news release.
“We look forward to a dialogue with faculty, staff, students, and the communities we serve to assist in selecting our new president.”
SRC is a two-year community college with campuses and community outreach centers in Canton and Macomb, and learning centers in Rushville and Havana.
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