Sandhu named Illinois Community College Distinguished Alumnus

The Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) has honored Simran Sandhu as the recipient of the Community College Distinguished Alumni award. 

The award recognizes notable alumni who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their profession and make a positive impact on their community. 

Heartland nominated Sandhu for the state association award after honoring him on the college level in the fall of 2024. Heartland awardees are selected from nominations by fellow Heartland alumni, faculty, staff, students, and community members. Sandhu attended Heartland from 2013-2014. 

Simran “Sim” Sandhu is the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Illinois Farm Bureau. Sandhu earned an Associate of Science degree from Heartland Community College and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Illinois State University. He also currently serves on the Heartland Community College Foundation Board. 

As Director of Strategy and Innovation at the Illinois Farm Bureau, Sandhu oversees teams that handle business analytics, enterprise data, employee services, and research and innovation. 

“Sim Sandhu is a great example of the type of alumnus all community colleges strive to have,” said Heartland Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Ropp. “After Sim graduated from Heartland, he immediately started giving back to his community. Sim has given of his time to share his Heartland experiences with staff and students and continues to mentor other alums.”    

Inspired by the notion of helping students find a position to succeed, Sandhu established scholarships with both the Heartland Foundation and the IAA Foundation to support minority students interested in pursuing careers in agriculture.  

"Community colleges are perfect melting pots of the areas they serve and have no biases about what may lead a student to them,” said Sandhu. “The pressure to be a good student is certainly there as it would be at any institution, but the resources and supports to achieve one's goals are often more accessible and personalized." 

Sandhu serves on many boards, in leadership positions, including the HCC Foundation Board, ISU Economics Department Advisory Board, Multicultural Leadership Institute, ISU Delta Chi Alumni Board of Trustees, Suburban Tire Company, COUNTRY Financial Early College Mentors Program and COUNTRY Financial/IAA HCC Corporate Council.