Since July 2004, Professor Lon Gordon of Illinois State University – College of Fine Arts continued his cultural work in education as a professor, an author, an artist, and a spokesman for the fine arts from an academic base at Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal, Illinois. Lon Gordon who has been the Dean of the College of Fine Arts from 2004 – 2008 has initiated and directed the progress of numerous projects such as planning for new fine arts facilities. This has become the number one priority for the University and the project has been listed on the Illinois Board of Higher Education priority facilities list with an initial funding of $44,400,000.

Apart from that, an endowment for the arts has been developed to achieve $3,700,000 by Lon Joseph Gordon with the assistance of a new Development Director for the fine arts. In addition, faculty lines have been searched and recruited for 21 positions and the Dance Program in the School of Theatre has established two new degree options in Dance Performance and Dance Education. Furthermore, a new Dance faculty tenure line has been added in the College of Fine Arts, and on January 2009, a new performance studio for dance opened  as a result of Lon Gordon  long range vision.