Illinois Central College

« Back to Recent News

Illinois Central College President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey to Retire at End of 2025

by Amanda Lewis

East Peoria, IL (07/01/2025) — After nearly four decades of service in higher education, Illinois Central College (ICC) President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey has announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2025. Dr. Quirk-Bailey has served as president of ICC since July 2016 and leaves a legacy of transformational leadership focused on student success, equity, and workforce innovation.

Under Dr. Quirk-Bailey's leadership, ICC has experienced a remarkable era of progress. The College has seen increases in enrollment for five consecutive semesters, reduced placement in developmental education by 66% without impacting student success, and raised graduation and retention rates. Student services were expanded and enhanced to better support the needs of all students.

Dr. Quirk-Bailey championed the creation of nationally recognized workforce programs that strengthen the regional economy while transforming lives, including the Workforce Empowerment Initiative (WEI), the IT Workforce Accelerator, and the first prison education program in the country funded by federal Pell grants. Since its inception, the WEI program alone has lifted more than 1,200 individuals out of poverty, with participants seeing an average increase of nearly $33,000 in annual wages.

"It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve ICC and this community," said Dr. Quirk-Bailey. "The work we have accomplished together has laid a strong foundation for the future, and I'm confident ICC will continue to change lives and strengthen our region for years to come."

Additional strategic initiatives ICC will launch under their strategic plan include year-round 8-week scheduling, the expansion of micro and stackable credentials, the development of boot camps and competency-based education models, and the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning platform to support the next decade of growth.

The ICC Board of Trustees will conduct a national search for the College's next president.

"Dr. Quirk-Bailey's positive impact on Illinois Central College-and on the thousands of students and families whose lives have been changed through education-cannot be overstated," said ICC Board of Trustees Chair Cindy Byrd. "She has led with vision, diligence, and an unwavering focus on student success. On behalf of the Board, we thank Dr. Quirk-Bailey for her extraordinary service and look forward to honoring her significant contributions to ICC and the greater community."

###

Illinois Central College is a two-year community college with campuses in East Peoria, Peoria and Pekin, Illinois, providing a high-quality, affordable education to prepare students to enter the workforce or to transfer to a four-year institution. ICC is the 2020 awardee of the National Community College Charles Kennedy Equity Award from ACCT, a 2022 and 2025 EDA Good Job Challenge Institution, and the Lead College for the state of Illinois' Workforce Equity Initiative. ICC also conducts original research in agricultural fields, including water quality and soil conservation. For more information, visit icc.edu.

Media Attachments

Copyright © 2025 Merit Pages, Inc. • All Rights Reserved. • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Opt Out