IL SR0459

Illinois Senate congratulates Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey on her retirement as president of Illinois Central College (ICC) at the end of the year

Under her leadership, ICC became the first institution nationally to utilize Pell Grants for incarcerated students

ICC credentialed more than 1,100 students through the Workforce Empowerment Initiative and secured nearly $20 million through the Good Jobs Challenge grant for the IT Workforce Accelerator program

ICC received multiple recognitions including the 2020 ACCT Charles Kennedy Equity Award, the 2025 ICCTA Equity and Diversity Award, and designation as a 2025 Achieving the Dream Leader College (one of only 15 nationwide)

ICC also received a $349,397 National Science Foundation grant for a STEM workforce pipeline program focused on water analysis