2026 State of the College Address: Open Doors
September 11, 2026
Lake Tahoe Community College kicked off the new academic year on September 10th with its annual State of the College Address, welcoming interim Superintendent/President Russi Egan to the podium for the first time in the role. This year's theme, Open Doors, set the tone for a morning that looked back on a year of progress and forward to what comes next.
Egan said she took the theme literally. Every morning except Monday, her office door is open from 8 to 9 a.m. No appointment needed. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to stop by with a question, an idea or just a hello.
"Those quick conversations often become the best part of my day," Egan said. She added that open doors work both ways. They invite people in, and they remind everyone on campus to stay approachable and connected.
Egan shared the values that guide her leadership: integrity, service, curiosity, community, and joy. She also connected her hobby of crocheting to her approach to leading a college. Progress is slow and sometimes requires starting over, she said, but small, steady work eventually becomes something meaningful.
"I've learned that leadership isn't about having all the answers," Egan said. "It's about building teams, supporting people, staying adaptable and keeping students at the center of every decision. Most importantly, success is never the result of one person. It's always a team effort."
Scholarships open doors for students
The LTCC Foundation played a central role in this year's celebration. The Gene Upshaw Memorial Scholarship went to Valery Gonzalez, who is transferring to Chico State to study exercise physiology. Gonzalez said learning about Gene Upshaw's legacy shaped how she wants to use her own success to serve others. Gene's wife, Terri Upshaw, continues to mentor scholarship recipients after they leave LTCC, including a previous recipient who will graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno, in the spring with an engineering degree.
Dr. Brad Schiller awarded scholarships to 21 LTCC students this year. Each Schiller Scholar receives $10,000 this year and another $10,000 next year to help cover tuition and fees at their transfer institution.
In total, the Foundation awarded 291 scholarships worth more than $521,000 to 203 students during the 2025-26 academic year, an average of more than $2,500 per student.
A year of progress on five strategic goals
Egan and campus leaders walked through the college's Progress Report, which tracks work across LTCC's five strategic goals.
Goal 1 focuses on building a welcoming and inclusive college community. This year's work included employee mentorship programs, faculty development through CFTA, and continued partnership with the Washoe Tribe through the Washoe Wilderness Education Grant and the Trout Creek Meadow Restoration Project.
Goal 2 is about becoming a student-ready college. LTCC awarded more than 1,000 units of Credit for Prior Learning in 2025-26, recognizing knowledge students already gained through military service, employment or industry training. Much of that came through a partnership with the Mountain Warfare Training Center, along with expanded credit opportunities in forestry and the ADVANCE program. The outreach team also maintained a strong presence at basin high schools, and a new partnership with Tallac High School brought more students to campus already feeling connected to LTCC. The college also advanced Transfer in Place partnerships, including one with Chico State, that let students earn a bachelor's degree without leaving South Lake Tahoe. One student summed up the impact of that outreach:
"I could have attended the Sierra College campus in Truckee, which is much closer, but LTCC was frequently at our high school and made me feel wanted and welcomed."
Goal 3 centers on a vibrant residential campus. Vice President of Student Services Michelle Batista and Director of the Lake Tahoe Promise Program Antonio Benitez highlighted progress in housing, transfer support, and the Promise Program.
Goal 4 covers the resources and infrastructure LTCC needs for long-term stability. Interim Vice President of Administrative Services Ami Chilton outlined progress on the Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Complex, along with plans for future athletic facilities including new pickleball courts and a track.
"Every grant pursued, and every project advanced, is guided by a simple question," Egan said. "How does this help us better serve students and fulfill our mission?"
Goal 5 focuses on honoring LTCC's past while imagining its future. As part of the college's 50th anniversary, LTCC is publishing a history book later this academic year. Board of Trustees member Kerry David and longtime college figure Roberta Mason read an excerpt on stage, closing chapter one and opening chapter two. Mason, who helped shape the college in its earliest days, celebrated her 97th birthday a few weeks early with cake in front of the full audience.
The college also recognized influential individuals who helped define LTCC over the past five decades, then revealed its new logo, developed over several months with input from across the campus community and design agency Selbert Perkins Design.
"The logo wasn't created for the community," Egan said. "It was created with the community."
Looking ahead to 2026-27
Egan announced two new conversations that will shape next year's strategic goals: approaching artificial intelligence thoughtfully and with students at the center, and preparing for a presidential search process that reflects LTCC's values.
Egan also noted that LTCC continues to attract talented individuals who choose to join our community and contribute to our mission. Now let’s hear from a new voice: Dr. Rachel Bates.
She closed her own reflections, which she called Russi's Road, by describing the presidency as a form of stewardship. "Every president is ultimately a steward of the institution for a period of time," she said. "We borrow these roles from those who came before us, and eventually we pass them to those who come after us. My goal is simple: help LTCC shine."
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Faculty member Bruce Armbrust spoke about breaking down the barriers institutions sometimes create for students, urging the campus to keep asking how its systems can better serve the people who use them.
The morning closed with a video of a current LTCC student describing what it means to find a place that feels like home. Egan tied the morning back to that story in her final remarks.
"Students come to us from different backgrounds, different circumstances and different points in their lives," she said. "Our job is not simply to educate. Our job is to help students launch, and to help them take those next steps with confidence and possibility."