Dr. Seamus Reilly Selected to Become Carl Sandburg College’s 7th President
Aaron Frey
Monday, May 7, 2018 3:02 PM
Campus News
Galesburg, IL
The Carl Sandburg College Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Seamus Reilly to become the College’s seventh president.
Reilly, who has been vice president of institutional advancement at Parkland College in Champaign since 2008, was chosen from a nationwide search that yielded more than 40 applicants. The Board has scheduled a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday on the College’s Main Campus in Galesburg to formally approve the selection.
“I would like to thank the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to be the next president at Carl Sandburg College. I am honored and humbled by the chance to serve this great institution and look forward to joining the community,” Reilly said. “My focus will be on building and creating relationships with everyone in the District 518 community to aid in the transformation of individual lives and to continue the growth and development of the community and region. Carl Sandburg is involved in working to make dreams become reality, to make what is potential possible and to provide opportunities for success. I am excited to be part of the Sandburg family.”
Prior to his position as vice president, Reilly chaired the Fine and Applied Arts Department at Parkland from 2006-08 and was director of literature, philosophy and religion there from 2001-03. He also served as the acting director of business and technical writing at the University of Illinois from 1997-98, and he has faculty experience at Parkland, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Bradley University, Illinois Central College and as an English as a Second Language instructor in Madrid, Spain.
A native of Ireland, Reilly holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and history as well as Master of Arts degrees in modern English and American literature from University College Dublin. He earned his doctorate in English from the U of I in 1997.
“Dr. Reilly’s defining qualities — integrity and intelligence — will serve Carl Sandburg College’s future well,” Board of Trustees Chairperson Tom Colclasure said. “Dr. Reilly brings creative thinking, heart and a leadership style that will greatly benefit the students, the Sandburg family of faculty, staff and administration and the broader community as well.”
Reilly will begin the position July 1, replacing current president Dr. Lori Sundberg, who will step down in June after eight years as president.
“Dr. Reilly comes to Sandburg exceptionally well prepared to be a president, and I believe Carl Sandburg College is in good hands as it moves into the next phase of its life cycle,” Sundberg said. “I want to take this time to thank the Board of Trustees for creating a deliberative and inclusive process in selecting the next president. I think the entire campus community felt included in this incredibly important decision.”
