Jonah Rice becomes SIC president on a permanent basis
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The SIC Board of Trustees named Jonah Rice president of the college on a permanent basis. Rice's official title has been interim president since taking the helm of SIC last summer.
"I am honored that the Board of Trustees came to this decision," Rice said in a news release from SIC. "As president, I plan to continue to build on Southeastern's time-honored tradition of providing quality, affordable education to the citizens of southeastern Illinois."
The board conducted a national search for a new president last year after the resignation of Ray Cummiskey, but decided to name Rice interim president instead of hiring one of the two finalists.
Rice was immersed immediately in a difficult situation. Delayed and missed aid payments from the state have put the college in a financial bind which forced Rice to learn quickly about the intricacies of the budget and keeping the college afloat.
The past year has seen the addition of online degrees and expansion of online class offerings, opening of the successful burn tunnel for mine fire safety training, purchase of firearms training simulation technology and offering of safety classes, according to the news release.
"Southeastern has long been a beacon in providing the essentials of a community college education -- smaller class sizes, dedicated and experienced faculty, and individualized attention," Rice said. "But we've also never rested on our laurels, and we've always been open and eager to explore new pathways, keeping our finger on the pulse of educational and workforce trends. That's a philosophy we plan to continue in the years ahead."
Before becoming president, Rice taught at SIC since 1990 and was Humanity Division chairman. Rice was an SIC graduate who received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University, a master's degree from Central Michigan and a doctorate from Regent University.
Rice was a long-time coach for the SIC Forensic Falcoms speech team. He is married to the former Megin Ewing, who currently teaches science at Marion High School.