Honorary Degree Recipients

2017 | Andrew Bollman

Andrew Bollman served as chair of the Sauk Valley Community College Board of Trustees, was the President of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, and was an attorney in Dixon. A 1996 Sauk graduate, Andrew participated in the Honors Program and was the student trustee on the College's Board of Trustees while a student at Sauk.

On July 9, 2016, the Sauk family lost beloved alumnus, volunteer and leader, Andrew Bollman. His legacy exemplifies the best of Sauk – he generously gave of his time and considerable expertise to help ensure generations of students will have the opportunities they need to pursue their dreams. He left Sauk a more successful college; he left our communities more desirable places to live and work; and he left his family, friends, and colleagues better people.

2018 | Kathryn "Kit" Lillyman

As a former Sauk Spanish and French professor, Kathryn (Kit) Lillyman worked at the College for forty years beginning in 1967. After earning her education and traveling the world, she yearned to be a part of the Illinois Community College system. She fondly recalls working in “Old Ironsides” on the east end of campus. Kit continued to see Sauk progress until 2007 when she retired. In 2017, she bestowed a $25,000 endowment upon the Sauk Valley College Foundation, which assists transfer-seeking students with preference given to those majoring in foreign languages. As an endowment, her gift helps support generations of Sauk students.

2019 | Dr. Martha Kanter

Dr. Martha J. Kanter was the Executive Director of the College Promise Campaign and Senior Fellow at the Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy at New York University. The Campaign is dedicated to supporting the development and expansion of College Promise programs in communities and states throughout the country. Dr. Kanter joined the College Promise Campaign after having served as the U.S. Under Secretary of Education.

In 1977, after serving as an alternative high school teacher in Massachusetts and New York, Dr. Kanter established the first program for students with learning disabilities at San Jose City College. She then served as a director, dean and subsequently vice chancellor for policy and research for the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento. In 1990, she became vice president of instruction and student services at San Jose City College until she was named president of De Anza College in 1993, serving in this position for a decade until her appointment as chancellor.

In 1994, she opened the first Advanced Technology Center in California's community college system and promoted local and state policies to advance Foothill-De Anza's legacy of excellence and opportunity for California's expanding and increasingly diverse student population. She also led bond campaigns totaling more than a billion dollars to improve student access and opportunity to world-class campus facilities in Silicon Valley, including three state-of-the-art math, science and advanced technology centers. She is most proud of hiring and supporting an extraordinary faculty and staff to meet the demands of a changing demography, economy, and civic future of the communities she served.

In 2009, Dr. Martha J. Kanter was confirmed as the undersecretary of education, where she oversaw policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, adult and career-technical education, and federal student aid. She is the first community college leader to serve in the undersecretary position. In her first two years as undersecretary, the successful implementation of the Direct Student Loan program resulted in a 50-percent increase in college enrollment, growing from six to nine million students today who are Pell Grant recipients. She and her team worked closely with postsecondary partners from across the nation to boost American innovation and competitiveness with an ambitious college completion agenda, modernization of career-technical education, and a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, which announced the first $500 million of a $2 billion federal investment to increase quality, graduation and employment opportunities for community college students.

Dr. Kanter holds a doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. Her dissertation addressed demographic, institutional, and assessment factors affecting access to higher education for underrepresented students in California's community colleges.

In 2018, Dr. Kanter and the national College Promise Campaign began helping the College and the Sauk Valley College Foundation develop the Sauk Promise Program by sharing research, best practices, and networking opportunities.

2021 | Ed Anderson

Within the Sauk Valley, Ed Anderson has provided seminal leadership to CGH Medical Center, joining the hospital in 1975 and serving as president and CEO from 1996 to 2013. He led the hospital through numerous building projects, including the addition of several centers, the Cardiac Cath Lab, and the hospital’s north wing. Under his leadership, CGH maintained the standards of care of one of the top hospitals in the state. Additionally, Ed has provided leadership to the Greater Sterling Development Corporation, Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, CGH Health Foundation, Sterling Noon Rotary Club, and Wesley United Methodist Church.

At the College, Ed was the longest serving Trustee, serving from November, 1983 to April, 2021. He served as Chair of the Board of Trustees, provided consummate advice, especially regarding the college’s finances, and taught Financial Accounting for the College. Sauk Presidents and Chief Finance Officers anxiously awaited Ed’s insightful and pointed questions when the annual audit was presented to the Board. The College thrived for decades with the leadership of Trustee Ed Andersen.

2023 | Bill Wescott

Bill Wescott served on the Sauk Valley College Foundation Board from 2013 to 2024. He served on the executive and finance committees, as Vice President, and as President. He played an integral role in assisting with strategies and connections for the Impact campaign to support the SVCC Impact Program.

Bill served as mayor of Rock Falls from 2013-2021 and for two years as the president of the Northern Illinois Mayor’s Association. Prior to his election as mayor, he served as the City Clerk for 13 years and was an alderman for two years, holding the position of Finance Chairman. He served seven years in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. From 1979-1989, he was the co-founder/owner of Twin City Ambulance and worked in Emergency Medical Services for 43 years. Bill attended Sauk Valley Community College in 1982.

Bill was very active in the community, serving 12 years on the East Coloma School Board, past president of the Rock Falls Rotary Club, past president and current member of the Optimist Club of Rock Falls, Executive Team Treasurer for Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, and church choir member. Bill also served for 20 years on the Rock Falls Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and served as a volunteer instructor teaching Junior Achievement classes in the local schools.

2024 | Linda Giesen

Linda Giesen has had a distinguished professional career in criminal justice, education, and law and has been very active in community service in the Sauk Valley. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Southern Illinois University and her Master of Science in Criminology from Indiana State University, Linda began her eleven-year career with the Illinois Department of Corrections, which included being the Warden of the Dwight Correctional Center and being the Warden of the Dixon Correctional Center, where she was the Illinois' first female warden of an all-male prison.

From 1986 to 1992, Linda was an Assistant Professor of Criminology at Sauk Valley Community College and served as the Advisor to the Criminal Justice Students while at SVCC.

Linda earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1991 and began her career in law, which included being the Lee County State's Attorney from 2000 to 2004 and being an attorney with three different Dixon firms.

Linda has been a member of the Dixon Rotary Club since 1996, serving as President and Chair of the Rotary District Annual Foundation Fund and participating in a Rotary Service Trip to Nigeria. She is the Past President of the United Way of Lee County and the Past President of the Dixon Club of the American Association of University Women. In 2012, Linda received the YWCA Jane Reid Keefer Award.

2025 | John Berge

John Berge is an alumnus of SVCC and has a distinguished professional career in accounting. He established his own accounting firm – McFalls, Berge & Associates – in 1996, and 90% of his employees are SVCC alumni. John is dedicated to growing the accounting workforce and collaborates with Sauk to match aspiring accountants with employers. In this capacity, he coordinates the annual SVCC Business Symposium for students.

John is a founding director of Sauk Valley Bank, a long-time Trustee for the Herbert Hoover Foundation, a Sterling Rotarian, and a swimming and diving coach for Sterling clubs and teams. He was recognized as the 2022 Sauk Valley Area Chamber’s Chamber Champion in recognition of his commitment through leadership and mentoring to the region’s business community over three decades.