advertisement

Dr. Ann Rondeau Celebrates First Year at College of DuPage

Reflecting on her first anniversary as President of College of DuPage, Dr. Ann Rondeau believes the changes made by College leadership have strengthened the institution's commitment to students, employee groups and various constituencies.

"I came to College of DuPage during a time of great transition," she said. "Both our Board of Trustees and the Administration have taken meaningful steps to improve the College internally and externally. I thank our Trustees for their extraordinary efforts and guidance. Most importantly, I am grateful for the privilege and joy of leading College of DuPage."

Dr. Rondeau has spent much of her first year connecting with the College internally and reconnecting the College with District 502. She has enjoyed the experience of reaching out to all corners of the district, giving people a chance to meet her while she listened to what they had to say.

"I needed to listen and understand what people wanted from College of DuPage in order to determine how to best meet their needs and expectations," Dr. Rondeau said. "I listened to high school leaders and engaged in conversations about how their students can successfully transition into college. I listened to municipal and civic leaders as well as elected officials about their perception of the College and how the College can help their constituents. I listened to residents and heard their thoughts about what College of DuPage can do to impact their lives."

Dr. Rondeau also wanted to reestablish positive connections with the community. For example, the College signed a new intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Glen Ellyn that gives the municipality future control over administrative and regulatory matters. The College also passed a memorandum of understanding to explore the creation of an innovation center in a vacant space inside the Glen Ellyn Civic Center.

"Meeting with these various groups was inspiring to me because I was truly able to see and hear the impact College of DuPage continues to have on DuPage County," Dr. Rondeau said.

As she looks forward to the next academic year, she wants to build on the momentum that she has created.

"What I learned during my first year is that College of DuPage is doing great things," she said. "During the next year, I want to further encourage the development of initiatives that will demonstrate the College's ability to exceed the needs of our district."

Board of Trustees Chairman Deanne Mazzochi praised Dr. Rondeau's dedication and effort to connect with groups both within and outside the institution.

"I very much appreciate and truly respect the fantastic amount of work Dr. Rondeau has done over the last year," she said. "She's brought our senior leadership together. She has undertaken a tremendous amount of work to build or rebuild relationships outside of the College. She has handled many issues with dignity and grace, setting a wonderful and positive tone for College of DuPage."

Dr. Rondeau is a past president of the National Defense University, a consortium of five colleges and nine research centers in Washington, D.C. In 1985, she was selected and served as a White House fellow in the Reagan Administration. Dr. Rondeau retired from the U.S. Navy as a three-star admiral in 2012. She is the second woman to have achieved this rank. She then served as a partner and later an independent consultant with the IBM Watson Group. Dr. Rondeau holds a B.A. from Eisenhower College (NY), an M.A. from Georgetown University (DC) and an Ed.D. from the College of Education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Dr. Rondeau holds an honorary Doctorate in Public Service from Carthage College (Kenosha, WI).

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.