Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The new president of Lincoln Land Community College says he worked with — and looked up to — his predecessor before officially taking over last week.

Curt Oldfield — formerly president of Spoon River College in Canton — is now at Lincoln Land as of last week, after Charlotte Warren retired.

“I’ve always admired Dr. Warren — the work that her and her staff have done, the board of trustees, and the vision that they had for Lincoln Land,” said Oldfield,.  “To be able to come and participate in that, and help lead the next chapter for Lincoln Land is, really, a great honor.  It’s great to be here in the capitol city.”

Oldfield tells the WTAX Morning Newswatch while he’s already proud of Lincoln Land’s programs, he says he wants to make sure there’s a balance between programs like aviation repair and truck driving, and those that result in an Associates Degree.

“Those are the types of careers that people in the community need — technicians — in order to come solve a problem that may be existing, that I think Lincoln Land will continue to focus on,” said Oldfield.  “That doesn’t come at the detriment of our traditional A.A. or A.S. degree programs that lead to a baccalaureate degree.  It just means that we balance that curriculum portfolio a bit.”

Speaking of balancing, with all or parts of 15 counties in Central Illinois being in Lincoln Land Community College’s district, that means balancing in-person learning with the use of technology, so students don’t necessarily have to make long trips to campuses, or spend long times at them.

Some of the things he says LLCC offers aren’t necessarily things artificial intelligence can take over.