IVCC hires Montana educator for vice president role

Illinois Valley Community College has chosen a veteran college administrator to be its next Vice President of Academic Affairs. Dr. Vicki Trier will take up her new post in June.

College and career drew Dr. Trier west to Idaho, Washington State and Montana, and now IVCC has drawn her closer to her Indiana roots.

“I am very excited for the perspectives and experience that Dr. Trier will bring to this position,” said IVCC President Dr. Tracy Morris. “She brings experience as a faculty member, student services professional and multiple levels of academic affairs administration, which will be so valuable to continue our tradition of academic excellence.”

The Vice President of Academic Affairs oversees administration and development of the College’s instructional program, including adult education, continuing education, and Academic Support Center.

Dr. Trier has worked for Montana State University Billings since 2019. She was Dean of City College, a two-year college embedded in the university, before becoming Special Projects Assistant to the Provost in 2024. There, she worked to establish a framework for developing additional and more affordable non-credit training programs in the state’s two-year system. That task reflected her earlier work in federal TRIO programs, which serve the same students as the training programs are meant to benefit.

Through experience at community colleges in Washington and Oregon, Dr. Trier has stated that she “was able to really get to know how two-year institutions work and how different states approach two-year education.”

Dr. Trier earned a Ph.D. with a specialization in higher education administration from the University of Idaho and a bachelor’s from Indiana University. She was active in graduate and undergraduate recruiting and support, and she coordinated the McNair Achievement Program (a TRIO program), at the University of Idaho. She served as dean of instruction at Spokane Community College in Washington and oversaw the career and technical division of Academic and Student Affairs at Lane Community College in Oregon.

“I feel I’ve been preparing for this job for a long time. I’m able to be a leader at the institutional level and the state and federal levels. I’ve been part of a lot of different types of activities, from curriculum development and strategic planning to budgeting,” she said.

Dr. Trier said she was attracted to IVCC and the Illinois Valley. “I like the size of college, that it serves more than one community and that it is an integral part of those communities. Seeing that the president is an alumnus was very exciting!”

Dr. Trier said she is looking forward to meeting and learning from faculty, staff and students. “That’s what gets me up every day – making sure students can accomplish their goals.”

An avid outdoorsperson, Dr. Trier is looking forward to her first visit to local state parks. She enjoys gardening, mountain biking and hiking, and has participated in several 5- and 10-K races – but as a walker, she’s quick to point out.

Dr. Trier’s husband, Dennis Sasse, is a retired environmental health and safety consultant.