Oakton grad Panfil to give college's 2018 commencement address

Two-time Oakton Community College graduate and 2014 Oakton Distinguished Alumni Award winner Timothy Panfil will deliver the college's May 15 commencement address.

Panfil is the director of enrollment management for graduate studies at Elmhurst College, and has been a part of the state's higher education landscape since 1993, working in admissions, enrollment management and marketing for several colleges and universities.

He credits Oakton with changing his life and helping him regain confidence in his academic abilities after he left the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign during his sophomore year.

"It's both an honor and a privilege to be the 2018 commencement speaker," Panfil said in an announcement Tuesday. "I'm forever indebted for the impact Oakton had on my life."

A Maine East High School graduate, he earned associate degrees in pre-engineering and electronics and computer technology from Oakton in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He's also a member of the Oakton Alumni Council.

Oakton's commencement will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, in the TenHoeve Center on the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road. It will be broadcast live on Oakton's cable channel, aired in Des Plaines, Glenview, Park Ridge and Skokie, in addition to streaming on the college's website, www.oakton.edu.