Know Your Neighbor: George Evans, Kaskaskia College president
It should be comforting for many parents in this area who have children attending Kaskaskia College to hear its president, George Evans, is passionate about the physical, mental and emotional welfare of all his students.
KC is a public community college in Centralia which serves all or part of nine counties, including Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Washington, St. Clair, Madison and Montgomery. It was established in 1940 and provides higher learning to more than 5,000 young people. The main campus is located on approximately 190 acres and offers a plethora of educational opportunities.
George, born Nov. 4, 1973 to George B. and Betty Evans in Chicago, has a diversified background which seems to make him the right fit in his relatively recent appointment as KC’s president as of November 2018.
As the only boy in the family and with three sisters, George has vivid memories of fishing with his father using a cane pole for King Salmon in Lake Michigan as a youngster. Ultimately his parents parted ways and George moved from Chicago to Aviston in 1986. He graduated from Breese Central Community High School in 1991 and then became a staff member and coached the school’s football team for 10 years.
He later became the owner of a pub for nine years, which, George said, “steered me to pursue a career in higher education.”
During this time, he was also a volunteer firefighter for Breese and Aviston for nine years. George graduated from KC in 2000 and then earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2006.
After having acquired his master’s degree in only one year at Webster University, his academic career took off and he began teaching history and political science at KC. He was also a Clinton County probation officer for three years. A full time position for the college became available at Centralia Correctional Center and he oversaw educational programs in the prison for three years.
In 2012, he became the dean of career and technical education for KC and then interim president in November 2017 before becoming KC’s 11th president July 1, 2018. Also, from 2006 through 2012, he served as a deputy for Clinton County Sheriff’s Department. During this time George met Jessica, who would become his wife May 24, 2014.
“Her obvious beauty, tenacity and independence attracted me to her,” recalled George.
Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Compassion, Fairness
The KC Mission Statement, “Kaskaskia College is committed to life-long student learning and to providing quality comprehensive education,” is reinforced with its core values of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Compassion and Fairness. George encourages all students to exhibit the qualities by modeling the same behaviors.
“I have an open-door policy here for students and staff,” said George.
There in his office is a large, glass refrigerator filled with soft drink favorites of students.
“My staff and I view Kaskaskia as a family where we lift each other up and remove barriers,” stressed George.
He considers the school and the staff top notch and guides his ship with the words of Richard Branson, “Train your employees well enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough they choose not to.”
George referenced a statistic which reveals 92 percent of KC’s transfer students graduate early or on time.
When looking for new recruits for teaching positions, George said, “we hire the best fit, not pedigree. We look for character, personality and most importantly, they must follow through with our expectations of being a leader. Additionally, we’re a community college that serves as a major economic engine to our district and I firmly believe we are providing 50 percent of the workforce in our area.”
Another area in which George receives numerous accolades is his ability to more than balance the budget.
“We continue to make certain Kaskaskia provides the best educational facility in our district in a fiscally responsible manner,” he said.
Enjoying life, active in the community
While sporting a big smile, George urges all not to “sweat the small stuff and learn to relax. Smiles are free and can certainly make this world a better place. At KC we don’t want the Ivory Tower image. We (staff) need to listen to the students to learn how we can do better and being transparent is vital. We are not just teachers, but life coaches.”
His curriculum vitae includes certificates as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, felony probation academy and the American Coaching Effectiveness Program. He has been a committee member of Academic Quality Improvement Program, KC Safety and Security Task Force, Enrollment Management Team and the Nashville Education Center Capital Campaign.
Additionally, George, an Albers resident, serves on the board of directors for the victim protective agency Sexual Assault and Family Emergencies, the Breese Chamber of Commerce and the Committee to Support Central, the foundation for Central Community High School.
He is the recipient of professional appointments, is a member of several community services clubs and programs, has made numerous public presentations and is a published author. Actually there is not much he has not done.
He and Jessica are the parents of 2 1/2-year-old twins, son George Tuck and daughter, Quinnley Jean.