Lake Land College Music Instructor Nancy Caldwell, right, is pictured with Matt Landrus, Lake Land College English instructor, who received the 2018 Faculty Association Outstanding Service Award at the Employee and Retiree Recognition ceremony. Photo submitted by Lake Land College.
Matt Landrus, Lake Land College English instructor, received the 2018 Faculty Association Outstanding Service Award at this year’s Employee and Retiree Recognition ceremony.
“Matt has contributed to the college and the community, contributing his time and energy to make them both better places to live and work,” said Bryan Burrell, academic counselor, in his nomination of Landrus.
In his many years at Lake Land College, Landrus has been instrumental in helping the college and the community thrive by getting involved in committees such as Faculty-Association Grievance, Employee Survey Task Force and the Core Curriculum Task Force.
Landrus also worked on organizing countless projects such as participating in Eastern Illinois University’s first ever Handshaking Night after being recommended by several EIU English professors and graduate students. He provides electronic and hard copies of course materials for the Dental Hygiene Accreditation. He also took time to assist administration in organizing and promoting a successful dual credit mixer between high school teachers and full-time faculty.
The research for Lake Land College’s “Living Archives” was located, organized and prepared over the course of three years by Landrus—a significant undertaking for both Landrus and the college—that lead to the unveiling of a website that is still used today.
He created and runs the Pathways Holiday Auction, which raises money to support students in Lake Land’s Pathways’ program during the holiday season.
“Matt was the catalyst behind the Pathways Holiday Auction, which raises funds for that program to carry out its mission. It has grown exponentially from a few employees in a Northwest classroom to a well-attended community function. This auction has raised approximately $36,400 since its inception,” Burrell added.
Landrus also started and continues to contribute to the annual student vs. faculty softball game, which has raised more than $20,500 in the past 15 years for the Lake Land College Faculty Association scholarships and has served as an event for students and faculty to interact outside of a classroom setting.
In his commitment to students, Landrus has written more than 200 letters of recommendations for students, has taught more than 15 independent studies and closed sections of literature courses and was the faculty advisor for the Navigator News. In 2008, he received the Outstanding Mentor Award from Eastern Illinois University’s English graduate students, making him the only non-EIU faculty member to ever win it.
“Teaching at Lake Land was always my dream and I thank great instructors from Lake Land College like John Bennett, who is retired, along with Drs. Dana Ringuette and Randy Beebe, both from EIU, for believing in my ability to do so,” said Landrus.
Landrus earned an associate degree from Lake Land College in 1993 and a bachelors and masters’ degree in English from Eastern Illinois University. He lives with his partner, Mariah, his daughter, Kate, and their two dogs, Digby and Belle.
For more information on Lake Land College, visit lakelandcollge.edu.
