Voters will have five candidates to consider for Rock Valley College Trustee.
The district covers Winnebago County, most of Boone County, the northwestern portion of Ogle County and a small area in Stephenson County.
Here are the profiles of three of the candidates. Paul Gorski and Jenna Goldsmith did not respond or were unavailable for an interview before the story’s deadline.
Voters will get to choose three candidates. The Board consists of seven trustees including one student representative.
April 1 is the last day to vote.
Gloria Cardenas Cudia, incumbent
She is currently the vice chair on the board. She was first elected in 2019. Cudia has taken courses at Rock Valley College and Rockford University.
She’s among three members on the college board with no bachelor's degree listed on their trustee profiles.
Cudia says she derived much of her education with hands-on experience working at a local TV station.
She retired from the Rockford Park District after 20 years. She previously has served on the park district board and Rockford School Board.
“I really enjoyed the difference that I made, not so much because I know everything, but because I consider myself more of a bridge,” she said. “Sometimes people need a bridge to gap those resources. Sometimes there are barriers for whatever reason, either real or perceived and I found that I made a difference like that.”
Cudia said her main priority as trustee is to continue to ensure that the college is affordable.
Richard Kennedy, incumbent
He currently serves as secretary on the board. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University. He was first appointed to the board in 2023.
He works as a civilian at the Rockford Police Department and previously served as a police officer for two decades.
“I believe education can obviously reduce poverty, homelessness and crime itself,” he said, “in regards to getting these kids involved early in the educational process.” “So, I think my ability to be on the board at this point in time, hopefully I can continue helping those students and even those individuals who maybe stay transitioning from one job to another obtain the American Dream.”
He said his priority for the college as trustee would be to improve access to the school.
“We need,” he said, “to open up the ability for these students that [are] looking for a college education which is affordable and good quality.”
Jerry Simmons
The 21-year-old is a legislative assistant for State Senator Dave Syverson.
Simmons said he attended Rock Valley College for a year and a half until he decided to run for Trustee. He’s now enrolled at Western Governors University which is an online institution based in Utah.
He said supporting the vocational training programs is one of the reasons why he’s running.
“I want to make sure we keep the standards of education high,” he said, “make sure tuition rates don't go up. And I'm also just very passionate on open transparency and taxpayers- saving taxpayer’s dollars. “
U.S. Department of Education
Earlier this month President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would break up the Department of Education.
Schools are bracing for disruption to programs that count on federal dollars.
Cudia said she’s not opposed to Trump’s order. “My understanding,” she said, “is that, basically, the effort is to remove the bureaucracy.”
Kennedy said he has faith in the college administration to minimize the impact possible changes to federal funding may have on the institution.
If the college faces cuts, Simmons said his approach would be to “go through our budget, and say, ‘What can we live what can we live without? And," he added, "we just have to go and make sure that we know we're not costing people more money. We're not having to lose students.”
Immigration operations on campus
One of Trump’s orders allows immigration officials to enter hospitals, churches and schools that previously were off limits.
“We are not obligated to give out the names of the students,” Cudia said. “And so, we do have an immigration and refugee service that we offer. It's down in downtown Rockford. A lot of times the focus is on the illegal immigrants that are here but there are a lot of immigrants that have been waiting in line for years to get their paperwork in order, and Rock Valley offers that [support].”
WNIJ has reported on the college’s Welcoming Center which offers services to refugees and some migrants but gives almost no support for students with DACA or without legal status, such as those who arrived as children to the U.S.
Under state law, schools are required to designate an employee to specifically support students from mixed status families and with no legal status.
There has not been a problem at Rock Valley College," Kennedy said, "in regard to individuals coming onto campuses and looking for individuals who might not be United States citizens. And I don't think we need to create fear with those students. We welcome any student who's willing to come onto the campus to get a good college education."
Simmons said he would seek to reassure students with concerns about immigration officials on campus.
“Rock Valley has to be a safe space,” he said, “and I look forward to making sure that it continues to be a safe space for those of all different races.”
