Boyd Moving On

EAST PEORIA — Michael Boyd, PhD. is currently a dean here at ICC, but like so many students before him, he is preparing to transfer to another college to follow the opportunities that await him there.

Boyd was a teacher at Morton High School when he first got connected to ICC back in the early 2000’s. He worked with the college as a dual-credit teacher from his position there in Morton.

In 2004, ICC began hiring him to teach here part-time, and then in 2006, he was brought onboard as full-time ICC faculty to teach reading and english classes among others.

Boyd continued to work his way up the administrative ladder, and with his ambition and enthusiastic personality, he ascended quickly.

His next advancement came in 2009 when, according to ICC’s human resources, he was among the college’s handful of Six Sigma Black Belts, who were tasked with making internal systems more efficient.

Finally, he was chosen to become the interim dean of English and language studies when the position became vacant in 2011, which preceded his permanent promotion to the position in 2013.

Now, Boyd has accepted a position as the chief academic officer at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, IL. His last day at ICC will be May 16, and he starts at KCC on the 19.

As a dean, Boyd has had some endearing qualities that left a mark in the memory of most anyone around him.

“His way of dealing with student concerns,” said Jamie Jackson, administrative assistant in the English and language studies department. “He makes that student feel on the same level as him, and I think sometimes they leave not knowing what their problem was when they came in here because he makes them feel so good. And he’s always saying ‘you come back and let me know how it goes.’”

“He’s just stood out with his personality,” said Edie Rovner, administrative assistant in the English and language studies department. “He’s just got the fire in him that this is what he wants, and he’s very good about even sitting here with Jamie and I and talking with us about things and getting our point of view about stuff instead of saying ‘this is the way it’s going to be.’ He doesn’t do that; he talks to us.”

In his eight years, Dr. Boyd and his signature goatee have helped to better ICC and for that, students are grateful.