About
Welcome to Lakeland Community College!
It's always an exciting time at Lakeland, a vibrant campus dedicated to impacting lives through learning. Our mission is "to provide quality learning opportunities to meet the social and economic needs of the community."
Lakeland offers a quality education at an affordable price. You can earn an associate's degree and then transfer to a four-year college or university, which will save you thousands of dollars on your college education. You can enroll in our career training programs to gain immediate employment in high-demand fields. You can take classes to learn new skills that you need to obtain a better job or to advance in your current career. You can take noncredit classes for professional development and personal enrichment. Whatever your interests, we offer opportunities to start your academic or professional lives at Lakeland, with many possibilities after your time here.
We take pride in focusing on access, affordability, and success. As a community college, we are an open access institution, and offer opportunities for everyone. Our cost per credit hour is comparable to other community colleges in the region and the state, and certainly lower than four-year universities. Our success rates in retention, persistence, and completion are comparable to, or higher than, other community colleges.
As a community college, we are, by definition, community-centric. We value College Credit Plus, an important avenue for high school students to obtain college credits, contributing to access and affordability. We offer great amenities and services to the community, including up-to-date athletic facilities, a dental hygiene clinic, and a first-class child care center. For those interested in the performing arts, we have a remarkable community-focused Civic Music Program. These are among the opportunities and programs that make us the community's college.
Thank you for the opportunity to make a difference in your lives and improve the quality of life in our community. Thank you for considering Lakeland for your educational, career development, or personal fulfillment journey.
With best regards,
Sunil Ahuja, Ph.D.
President
Contact
| General Information | |
| Location: | President's Office - D-2114 (View campus map) |
| Hours: | Monday - Friday | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
| Contacts | |
| Dana Buckler Executive Assistant to the President & Board Liaison (External Affairs) |
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| Allison Ingle Assistant to the President (Internal Affairs) |
Full-time Faculty
| Contacts | |
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| Jennifer Collis, Ph.D. Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Retention Services |
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| John Crooks, Ph.D. Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic and Students Affairs |
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| David Cummins Vice President for Administrative Services and College Treasurer |
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| Rick Penny Chief Information Officer |
Biography
Sunil Ahuja, Ph.D. brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished record of leadership, gained most recently as provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio.
The selection process, facilitated by a dedicated search committee comprising representatives from Lakeland faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, the Lakeland Foundation, students, alumni and the community, reflects the college's commitment to academic excellence. The process was assisted by the executive search firm R.H. Perry.
College trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Ahuja at their regular meeting April 4. Board chair Ellen Foley Kessler expressed utmost confidence in Dr. Ahuja's capability to steer Lakeland toward a prosperous future. "The board is thrilled to welcome Dr. Ahuja to the Lakeland family," Kessler stated. "His visionary leadership will undoubtedly propel us into the next chapter of our history."
At Shawnee State University, Dr. Ahuja carried a broad portfolio of responsibilities in this position, with leadership and oversight over both academic and student affairs divisions of the university. In his time as provost, Dr. Ahuja has advanced significant institutional priorities, with accomplishments in the development of forward-looking academic vision and programs for enrollment growth, strategic planning, financial stewardship and resource management, accreditation and assessment, data analytics, and retention and completion initiatives leading to student success, among others. He is particularly proud of spearheading efforts leading to the development of the C.H. Lute School of Business, the School of Nursing, and a focus on health and human services-related programs at Shawnee State, all with direct connections to workforce development, greater access and opportunities for education, and for economic growth in Southern Ohio.
Dr. Ahuja previously served as associate provost for academic affairs at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as vice president for accreditation relations, institutional change, and research at the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago, and as dean of the division of social sciences and human services at Lorain County Community College in Ohio.
He was a professor of political science at Youngstown State University in Ohio, where he also served as acting chair of the department of history and as chair of the academic senate. He has also held faculty appointments at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Dr. Ahuja has been affiliated with several national higher education organizations, including as alum of the Becoming a Provost Academy (BAPA), sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI). He was an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow (with fellowship at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio) and an Ohio Academic Leadership Academy (OALA) Fellow (with fellowship at the University of Akron). He is also an alum of the Academy for Advanced Leadership of The Chair Academy.
Dr. Ahuja holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Nebraska. He has published nine books and numerous articles and book chapters on American legislative politics and congressional elections and taught widely in the field of American government.
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