Illinois Community College System Foundation

08/20/2026

At our recent August ICCSF Board meeting, several of the Directors met at the Illinois Community College System building in Springfield. From Left to Right in the picture are: Directors Pat Phalen (President and CEO-Illinois National Bank) and Bill Kling, J.D., (Attorney, Policy Consultant and Professor), Dr. Barry Hancock (Co-President), John Goetz (Chair of the Board, R.D. Lawrence Construction Co.), Dr. Terri Winfree (Co-President), John Fletcher (Arcadia Wealth Management and School Principal), Dr. Bradley Griffith (Board Vice-Chair, John A. Logan College) and Bola Delano (Illinois Comptrollers Office). Other members of the Board include Dr. Shelley Barkley (President-Spoon River College, Illinois Council of Community College Administrators), Dr. An-Me Chung (Illinois Community College Board), and Dr. Keith Cornille (President-Heartland College and Illinois Council of Community College Presidents).

08/05/2026

The Illinois Community College System Foundation was pleased to support both the Economic Impact Study as well as the Phi Theta Kappa events held in Springfield recently!

07/21/2026

Congratulations to our current foundation board member, Dr. Shelley Barkley, on her recent appointment as the new President at Spoon River College! We wish her the best!
The Spoon River College Board of Trustees selected Shelley Barkley, Ed.D., as the College’s next president, pending final contract negotiations. She will serve as the college’s 9th president and the first female to lead the college. A nationally recognized community college leader with extensive experience in student success, workforce development, and institutional transformation, Barkley is expected to begin her duties on August 31 following formal Board approval at the July meeting.
“Selecting a president is the most important responsibility of the Board of Trustees, and we approached this search with great care and thoughtfulness,” said Kevin Meade, chair of the Spoon River College Board of Trustees. “Dr. Barkley distinguished herself throughout the search process through her exceptional commitment to student success, her innovative leadership, and her deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing rural community colleges. Her experience leading academic and student affairs, advancing workforce partnerships, and improving student outcomes aligns closely with Spoon River College’s mission and vision for the future. We are excited to welcome her to Spoon River College.”
The presidential search attracted a strong pool of candidates from across the country. The search committee, comprised of representatives from the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders, worked alongside former SRC president Dr. Keith Miller and ACCT, a national search firm, to identify candidates who align with the College’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.

06/17/2026

It was great to see one of our ICCSF Board Members, Dr. Keith Cornille, at the ICCTA Annual Convention with a great team from Heartland Community College.

06/17/2026

It was a great evening at the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) Annual Convention. Congratulations to Brenton Bishop of Joliet Junior College, who received the "Paul Simon Award," and to Dillan Ramirez of Triton College, who received the "Gregg Chadwick Award."

06/09/2026

Thanks to the Illinois Community College Trustees Association for sharing the latest Illinois Capitol Report

You can also access previous Capitol Reports on the Legislative Updates page here: https://www.communitycolleges.org/legislative-updates

Please feel free to contact ICCTA with any questions or comments about legislation or public policy issues affecting community colleges.

Sincerely,

Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Avenue, Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701
217-528-2858
www.communitycolleges.org

This is the home page of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

05/13/2026

It was an honor for the Foundation to present the Roy Harris Scholarship last week to five Carbondale Illinois High School Seniors who will be attending John A. Logan Community College this fall.
The history of this scholarship dates back to 2009 when Roy and Joanne Harris gave a significant sum of money to the foundation for the scholarship. Roy Harris is 94 years old now and living in Colorado. He is one of the finest gentleman alive and his desire to help young people succeed is overwhelming. This scholarship that he established has helped out many students over the past 15 years. We also have a teacher education scholarship in honor of his wife Joanne.
The five individuals below each received $1500 awards.
Co-President Dr. Barry Hancock presented the awards to these five Carbondale High School Seniors. From left to right in the picture is; Macy Munoz, Amelia Heath, Highlie Drue, Ian DePalma, Dr. Hancock. (Te'lla Scott was not present)
In addition, a USS John A. Bole Scholarship was awarded to Mikayden Green. Dr. Ray Hancock, a former sailor on the Bole, presented this award. The USS John A. Bole was a United States Destroyer and was commissioned in early 1945 and served in combat roles in World War II, the Korean war, the Cold War (Formosa patrol), and Vietnam until it was leased to Taiwan in 1970. The Bole association is made up of thousands of sailors who served on this great warship. Funds for this scholarship are donations from that group of sailors. Many of those sailors are now deceased and the association decided to pass along what was left in their treasury to the ICCSF for scholarships to young people entering the Navy/Military and who will be attending a community college!

05/13/2026

We had a recent testimony from a young lady who thinks a lot of our Illinois Community Colleges! Hope Pearcy, a graduate of Shawnee Community College (SCC), said "SCC provided me with great opportunities. The staff and all of my professors were very kind and helpful and college had a small and homey culture. During my time there I was able to decide on my career path and what degree I wanted to pursue at a 4 year university. I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship to Shawnee Community College after winning the title of Miss Metropolis Outstanding Teen. A few of my instructors even helped me prepare for the Miss Illinois competition by giving feedback on my talent, interview, and presentation skills. I experienced significant growth while attending SCC and would recommend an Illinois community college to anyone." ICCSF appreciates the nice words from Hope about our Illinois Community Colleges!

05/05/2026

Congratulations to William Rainey Harper College for being recognized as an Aspen Prize semifinalist for the third consecutive time.

Harper College is one of 25 institutions vying for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s most prestigious recognition for community colleges.

04/29/2026

In celebration of # CCMonth this April, thanks to the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, we are proud to recognize the many success stories that begin at Illinois community colleges and the outstanding individuals who go on to make a lasting impact.

The Illinois Community College Trustees Association's EQUITY AND DIVERSITY AWARD recognizes exemplary commitment by an Illinois public community college board of trustees and its chief executive officer to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the college’s education programs.

Congratulations to the 2026 Nominees!

Dr. Clyne Namuo - Joliet Junior College

Joianne Smith, Ph.D. - Oakton College

Howard Spearman, Ph.D. - Rock Valley College

Dr. Lynette Stokes - South Suburban College

The Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s GARY W. DAVIS ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AWARD honors individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the pursuit and support of ethical leadership and decision-making in their fields of work and volunteer service.

Congratulations to the 2026 Nominees!

Kenneth Ingersoll - Kaskaskia College

Murneka Davis - Morton College

Chris Schmersahl - Richland Community College

The Illinois Community College Trustees Association's PACESETTER AWARD recognizes the many success stories of Illinois' more recent community college students.

Congratulations to the 2026 Nominees!

Victor Dantas - Carl Sandburg College

Jacqueline Bkes - College of DuPage

Jazmine Stubblefield - Illinois Central College

Zulma Guzman - Illinois Valley Community College

Nic Turner - Lake Land College

Ryan Wilson - Lincoln Land Community College

The recipients of the awards will be announced at ICCTA's June 5 awards banquet in Lombard.