After more than two decades of service, Angie Dunlap is set to retire from Illinois Valley Community College. She will be leaving behind a legacy defined by compassion, adaptability, and deep commitment to student success.

Although she has experienced many changes in roles and responsibilities during her IVCC career, one constant remained: her admiration for IVCC students.

“Many students have multiple obstacles to overcome and yet, they still persist in staying in school and learning,” Dunlap stated. “Beyond just persisting, they succeed.”

In February 2000, Dunlap’s career at IVCC began when she worked briefly as a utility worker in the Foundation Office, assisting with grant writing. In October of the same year, she stepped into a full-time role as an administrative assistant in the Public Information Office, another step into what would become a diverse and evolving career.

The next several years brought a variety of position changes for Dunlap as the campus needs changed. She remained in Public Information through June 2004, then moved into the newly formed Community Relations and Marketing Office in the summer of 2004. That same year, she accepted a position as I-READ Adult Literacy Program Manager in the Adult Education Department, where she shifted her focus more directly to students and community.

Alongside her full-time roles, she also served as an adjunct faculty member beginning in fall 2001. She taught courses that ranged from workplace grammar to developmentalEnglish, reading, GED, and English as a Second Language through 2016, which further expanded her reach to students.

In January 2017, her role shifted again when she became Campus and Community Tutoring Coordinator, combining literacy programming with peer tutoring oversight. By 2020, her focus was on the Peer Tutoring Center. A year later, the center merged with the Writing Center, which formed the Tutoring and Writing Center, where Dunlap served as co-coordinator.

As Dunlap reflected on her career, she stated that each position offered unique rewards. Her time in Public Information allowed her to connect with nearly every employee on campus while also being able to contribute to the college communications and publications. In Adult Education, she recruited and trained volunteer tutors, often traveling throughout the district to meet learners and mentors in local communities. Her most recent role brought her fulfillment in daily interactions with students and the opportunity to tutor subjects such as statistics and writing.

Among her most memorable experiences are helping oversee the vote that changed IVCC’s mascot from the Apaches to the Eagles, celebrating a student’s success in a statistics class by dyeing her hair “happiness” pink, and helping relocate academic support services into a centralized space that improved access to tutoring across disciplines.

Looking ahead to retirement, Dunlap is awaiting signs from the universe to help her decide what to do. However, she is currently traveling with family on a “Fields of Retirement” tour, visiting Major League Baseball parks across the country—a journey that is already underway.
Dunlap shares that she will miss “my favorite people” at IVCC after retirement.

Her advice for those entering education reflects the philosophy she carried throughout her career: lead with openness and compassion.
”It’s not up to you to ‘make’ someone learn or turn in their homework, etc. It’s up to you to offer with open hands and an open heart what you have to offer. It’s up to others to accept your offerings or not. Their decisions and efforts are not a reflection on you: your success is defined by how compassionate, caring, kind, and wise you are in sharing what you have to offer. Listen and see with your heart. The rest takes care of itself,” Dunlap expressed.

IVCC President Dr. Tracy Morris praised Dunlap’s contributions: “Awesome-sauce is the best way to describe Angie Dunlap. Over her career, she has worked in a number of areas and has brought the same enthusiasm and dedication to every role. The work that she has led to develop our tutoring center will support students many years into the future.”

Outside of her professional accomplishments, Dunlap also embraced joy and creativity. In 2025, she participated in the Festival of Shenanigans, which is a national event sponsored by Escape Adulthood, in which she completed 97 out of the 100 challenges to earn herself the title of “Grand Shenanigator.” One challenge, captured in the submitted photo, showed her using a cocktail umbrella in the rain, which was a symbol of her trademark optimism.

As Dunlap closes this chapter, her impact on IVCC will continue through the programs she has helped build and the students she encouraged along the way.