Leadership

A Letter From The President

Welcome to ICC

On behalf of our Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff, it is my honor to welcome you to ICC, having just celebrated 100 years of preparing students for what comes next. For a century, this college has stood as a cornerstone of Independence, Kansas, and Southeast Kansas more broadly, and you are joining that story at a meaningful moment.

I understand what it means to walk onto a campus like this one for the first time, not knowing quite what to expect. I was a first-generation college student myself, and I remember the uncertainty, the questions about whether I belonged, and the courage it took to show up anyway. I also know what intercollegiate athletics, the arts, and student organizations can do for a young person, because pieces of all of that shaped my own path. Whatever route brought you here, whether you are coming straight from high school, returning as a working adult, raising a family as a single parent while you study, or simply finally making time for yourself, I want you to know this college was built for students exactly like you.

Whether this is your first chance, your second chance, or the chance you have been waiting years to take, Independence is your best chance.

I believe deeply in the value of higher education in all its forms, from academic transfer programs to career and technical training. At ICC, both paths are taken seriously, taught well, and connected to real opportunity in our region and beyond.

If you ask me what makes a person or a place exceptional, I would tell you it comes down to two things: gratitude and enthusiasm. I consider them something of a cheat code, the kind of mindset that changes how you experience challenges and how others experience you. That is the culture we are building here: a community where we care for one another, look out for one another, and strive every day to do better for the people around us, including you.

Independence has been home to this college for a century, and that relationship runs both ways. We draw strength from this community, and we owe it our best work in return.

I invite you to visit this incredible community, our campus, meet our faculty and staff, and see for yourself what a hundred years of commitment looks like.

Welcome to the Pirate family.