Beginning in January, after a 3-year transition, Dr. Tom Ramage has stepped away from Parkland’s presidency, and Dr. Pamela Lau has filled his shoes. President Lau has a unique story and set of skills that along with over 15 years of experience at Parkland will serve the students, staff, faculty, and greater district 505 constituents well.
President Lau was born in Singapore where she grew up and completed her early studies. After completing primary and secondary education, Lau was one of the 10% of Singaporean students to be admitted to the national university. At the University of Singapore, she attained a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.
Following her undergraduate studies, Lau moved to the United States with her husband. They moved to northern Illinois where she continued her education at the University of Chicago. Here she attained a master’s degree in Philosophy.
Upon moving and beginning her studies in the United States, Lau was surprised by many of the extra social and cultural challenges that are imposed on international students. Lau values this time of her life and is bringing her experience facing these challenges to the President’s office.
After completing their studies, Lau and her Husband found a new home in Champaign. As Dr. Lau’s husband was in Ph.D. studies at the University of Illinois, she spent some time at home raising their children.
However, education came calling her name once again. A church friend approached Dr. Lau and her husband with an opportunity to interview for a teaching position at Parkland. Initially, she passed the opportunity to her husband and hadn’t intended to interview. That changed, she jokingly recounted, “He did what you should never do if you’re arranging a job interview. He said, ‘can I bring my wife?’”
Lau was brought in with her husband to interview for a position teaching developmental writing. Despite the interview initially being given to her husband, she impressed the department chair and secured the position for herself. She assured me, however, that her husband soon found a position at Parkland as well.
Parkland ended up being a natural fit for President Lau. After teaching, Lau rose through the administrative bureaucracy holding many notable positions such as Dean and Executive Vice President. Through this ascendance, Lau went back to school and secured a Doctorate in Community College Leadership.
This experience culminated in her being a prime candidate to fill Dr. Ramage’s shoes upon his retirement. Ramage provided plenty of notice before leaving in order to have a seamless transition of power. This meant that there was a 3-year period of observation and training for Dr. Lau prior to taking office.
Luckily for those under her leadership, this experience has helped her take the reins. She likened the role of a Community College President to the conductor of an orchestra. With so many moving parts, it’s not a micromanaging position but one that involves a lot of cooperation and trust between herself and others on campus.
Through her experience with Parkland and working closely with Dr. Ramage, Lau feels she has developed a great relationship with her fellow administrators, Board of Trustees members, and the Parkland College Association. Together she’s confident the college will continue to provide and improve upon the learning environment for students.
At the close of our discussion, President Lau had a message for Parkland students. She said, “one message I want to pass along to students is that their education, their ability to succeed, their sense of welcome at Parkland College is a priority. So, in any of the work, I do with my vice presidents any of the decisions we make the students should know that their welfare is the top priority.”
