Dr. Alfred Wisgoski was just what Illinois Valley Community College needed when he was appointed President in 1974: a stable leader determined to advance the institution that was a centerpiece of his life.
Dr. Wisgoski died Thursday, May 15. He was 93.
Friends and colleagues remember him as a visionary who got things done. He wanted IVCC to set the pace in technology and to help the community grow by leading economic development and building a strong workforce. He could be clear about who was in charge, but mindful and appreciative of all who were responsible for the College’s success.
“A president has an opportunity to create a climate, an environment. Whether or not something happens that is good depends on a lot of cooperation from a lot of people. Otherwise, it just does not happen,” Dr. Wisgoski once said.
The Peru native’s 47-year bond with the College began when he enrolled in LPO Junior College in the 1950s. “If it were not for LPO, I would not have had a chance to go on and do some of the things I have had the opportunity to do,” he told a local newspaper.
Dr. Wisgoski always said his broad experience within the College helped to make him a more effective leader. All but a few years of his career were spent at IVCC, as he moved through the ranks from instructor to counselor to dean – and finally, president. In that capacity he served 22 years before retiring in 1996.
The longest-serving president in the College’s history – whose tenure also eclipsed that of most of his peers in the state – presided over two decades of unprecedented growth, fiscal stability, and academic excellence.
He watched proudly as the College evolved into a comprehensive education hub offering a range of college transfer, technical, vocational, and continuing education choices. During his administration, services for senior citizens and the job-dispossessed were headquartered on campus.
A 600-seat auditorium, now known as the Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre, took shape, and the IVCC Foundation was created. A faculty cultural exchange program with China and England also began.
For current president, Dr. Tracy Morris, the connection with Dr. Wisgoski was personal, as opposed to professional. Morris has a photo from her 1991 graduation ceremony that shows Dr. Wisgoski handing her a diploma. Dr. Wisgoski was the first and only LPO graduate to lead the College and Morris became the first IVCC graduate to lead when selected in 2022. When Morris was able to share this photo with Dr. Wisgoski in 2023 through family members, it brought a smile to his face.
“While he wasn’t able to attend, it meant so much to me that Dr. Wisgoski took time to send a personal note for my investiture ceremony in 2023. The legacy that he built over his years as President was tremendous and laid the foundation for so many of the great things we are still doing for our community today,” Morris said.
The campus remembered Dr. Wisgoski with a moment of silence at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony and at the May 2025 Board of Trustees meeting.
The College’s attorney, Walter Zukowski, who worked with Dr. Wisgoski for more than 40 years, said Dr. Wisgoski was forever the educator. “I learned not only about sound education principles, but also about creative problem solving.”
Dr. Wisgoski secured millions of dollars in grants, donated equipment and software. The campus embraced technology, whether it was automation and robotics equipment in an Automated Manufacturing Center or general computer labs and a distance learning project.
“IVCC was in the forefront of having computer labs and computers in the classroom,” recalls Rose Marie Lynch, who Dr. Wisgoski hired to teach English and journalism, and who remains the College’s unofficial historian. “Our transfer students were often reporting that our computer technology was ahead of their universities.”
Dr. Charles Novak, who had worked with Dr. Wisgoski as an associate dean of instruction, calls him “a leader’s leader” and invited his former boss to be the keynote speaker for a retreat of Illinois college presidents he was organizing.
IVCC students’ success was well known, Novak noted, and graduates were prepared to move forward by a qualified faculty that enjoyed their work and their students. “Serving students is what community colleges are all about, and to be at the top of the pack year after year is no small achievement,” he added.
Novak experienced a different side of Dr. Wisgoski’s leadership. On Novak’s first day at work at IVCC, the newly minted administrator asked Dr. Wisgoski’s recommendations on local banks. Dr. Wisgoski not only introduced a banker, but went further to help Novak retrieve his furniture from storage and bring his family to their new home. Novak was astonished and touched by the trust and faith demonstrated in that simple act.
Behind Dr. Wisgoski’s “occasionally gruff professional exterior, he had a caring heart and desire to positively influence those with whom he interacted,” recalled Dr. Larry Huffman, who served as dean of student development. Dr. Wisgoski often told Huffman that he was proud when members of his administrative cabinet – including Huffman and Novak – went on to lead community colleges around the state.
That professional exterior once intimidated a young Jennifer Scheri, just hired to work in the Dislocated Workers Center – until one meeting reshaped her impression. “What stood out to me was how comfortable he made me feel. He was approachable and supportive.”
Then and now, from where she oversees the Continuing Education and Business Services division, Scheri appreciated Dr. Wisgoski’s drive to boost regional growth and opportunity. “He understood that the local economy’s strength depended heavily on the quality of its workforce. He was a strong advocate for building and sustaining workforce readiness through education and training.”
Bob Vickrey, who has been involved in marketing and regional economic development, said chambers of commerce, industrialists and state and local political leaders respected Dr. Wisgoski’s expertise, resources and support for recruitment efforts. Those efforts played a role in recruiting industries like Nakajima, All Manufacturing Co., Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd., Unytite and Nobelpharma.
Dr. Wisgoski’s outstanding leadership and accomplishments in education and economic development were recognized by the LPO-IVCC Hall of Fame, Who’s Who Worldwide of Global Business Leaders, Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans, Northern Illinois University, the Illinois Trustees Association, the Illinois Community Colleges Board, the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Illinois Valley Fine Arts Cooperative. In 2023, he received the honorary title, President Emeritus, from the IVCC Board of Trustees.
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