College of DuPage President Dr. Ann Rondeau Named Among 2017 NIU Outstanding Alumni

Pictured: (from left) NIU College of Education Dean Dr. Laurie Elish-Piper, College of DuPage President Dr. Ann Rondeau, and NIU President Dr. Doug Baker.

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College of DuPage President Dr. Ann Rondeau recently received the 2017 Outstanding College Alumni Award for the College of Education from the Northern Illinois University Alumni Association.

The Outstanding College Alumni Awards are given annually to graduates from each of NIU's seven colleges of study. Recipients are selected based on their outstanding professional accomplishments and civic, cultural and charitable involvement.

Click here to view photos from the May 4 Outstanding Alumni reception.

"This is an extraordinary honor from an institution that I admire greatly," Dr. Rondeau said. "Northern Illinois University helped foster in me an even greater understanding of how education is transformative, and I rely on that knowledge every day in my work here at College of DuPage."

Reflecting on Dr. Rondeau, who earned her Ed.D in Adult and Higher Education at NIU in 2010, Dr. Lemuel W. Watson, former NIU Dean of the College of Education, offered his admiration for her tenacity and leadership.

"Ann has been an exemplary alumni and example of what a graduate from our College of Education can accomplish," he said. "She has a carried the banner of NIU into the far corners of the globe and has represented the power of what a high quality educational experience can afford one. She will always be a very special friend and colleague whom I have also learned with and from through our journeys in higher education."

Dr. Rondeau became the sixth president of College of DuPage in July 2016 and is a past president of the National Defense University, a consortium of five colleges and nine research centers in Washington, D.C.

She retired from the U.S. Navy as a three-star admiral in 2012 and is the second woman to achieve this rank. She then served as a partner and an independent consultant with the IBM Watson Group. Her extensive leadership experience includes serving as deputy combatant commander of the U.S. Transportation Command in Illinois, Pentagon director and chief of staff for the U.S. Navy, commander of the Navy Personnel Development Command in Virginia, commander of the Naval Service Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, Pacific Fleet assistant staff chief in Hawaii and commanding officer of Naval Support Activity in Tennessee.

In addition to her credentials from NIU, Rondeau holds a B.A. from Eisenhower College, an M.A. from Georgetown University and an honorary doctorate in public service from Carthage College. In 1985, she was selected and served as a White House fellow in the Reagan Administration.

College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 28,000 students each term, College of DuPage is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The College grants nine associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study.