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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. Georgia Costello on | ||||||
4 | the occasion of her retirement as President of Southwestern | ||||||
5 | Illinois College; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Appointed in 2008, Dr. Costello became the first | ||||||
7 | former student and the first woman to be named President of | ||||||
8 | Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) since it opened in 1946; | ||||||
9 | and
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10 | WHEREAS, Under Dr. Costello's leadership, Southwestern | ||||||
11 | Illinois College secured $19.1 million in state funds to | ||||||
12 | complete the LEED Gold-certified Liberal Arts Complex, $8.3 | ||||||
13 | million in grants to improve vehicle, bike, and pedestrian | ||||||
14 | traffic at the Belleville Campus, and $6.1 million in state | ||||||
15 | funds to build an Early Childhood Education Center; the College | ||||||
16 | became a founding member of the community-college driven | ||||||
17 | Illinois Green Economy Network, which secured a grant to | ||||||
18 | construct one of three regional sustainability centers at the | ||||||
19 | Belleville Campus; the College also helped the Illinois Green | ||||||
20 | Economy Network secure a $20 million U.S. Department of Labor | ||||||
21 | Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career | ||||||
22 | Training Grant, along with a $13 million second round split | ||||||
23 | equally among 19 colleges; these funds helped SWIC create one |
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1 | of the finest advanced manufacturing training facilities at any | ||||||
2 | U.S. college on its Sam Wolf Granite City Campus; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Dr. Costello helped the school maintain its | ||||||
4 | commitment to Information Technology and provided students | ||||||
5 | with state-of-the-art tools to excel in the classroom, via | ||||||
6 | online instruction and beyond; SWIC also received the | ||||||
7 | Governor's Award for Excellence in Education for veterans | ||||||
8 | programs, including designation as a VetSuccess on Campus | ||||||
9 | school, just one of 94 nationwide to host a full-time U.S. | ||||||
10 | Department of Veteran Affairs counselor on campus; SWIC serves | ||||||
11 | the largest population of student veterans of any Illinois | ||||||
12 | public institution; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Dr. Costello first attended what was then known as | ||||||
14 | Belleville Area College in the fall of 1967; she earned 60-plus | ||||||
15 | credit hours while starting her family, then transferred to | ||||||
16 | McKendree College (University) to finish her bachelor's degree | ||||||
17 | in 1977; in 1994, she earned her master's degree from Southern | ||||||
18 | Illinois University Carbondale, where she also received her | ||||||
19 | doctorate in 2007; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Before her tenure at SWIC, Dr. Costello taught in | ||||||
21 | Belleville Grade School District 118 from 1977 until 1990; she | ||||||
22 | later served as Dean of Students and Principal of Central | ||||||
23 | Junior High School and then as Assistant Superintendent at the |
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1 | St. Clair County Regional Office of Education from 2000 until | ||||||
2 | 2005; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Dr. Costello has served on many boards and | ||||||
4 | committees, including the Illinois Governor's Education | ||||||
5 | Accountability and Education Excellence Task Forces, the St. | ||||||
6 | Clair County Child Advocacy Board, the Board of Trustees at | ||||||
7 | McKendree University, and the Advisory Board at United Missouri | ||||||
8 | Bank; she is co-chair of the Higher Education Council for the | ||||||
9 | St. Louis Regional Chamber and is on the St. Louis Zoo's Board | ||||||
10 | of Directors; she is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Girl | ||||||
11 | Scouts of America and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement | ||||||
12 | Award from the Boy Scouts of America; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Georgia Costello is the daughter of the late | ||||||
14 | George H. and the late Eloise Cockrum; she and her husband, | ||||||
15 | former U.S. Representative Jerry Costello, are the parents of | ||||||
16 | Illinois State Representative Jerry (Lori) Costello II, Gina | ||||||
17 | Costello, and John (Lindsay) Costello and the grandparents of | ||||||
18 | Jay, Jerry III, Victoria, Austin, Rorey, Danielle, Ireland, | ||||||
19 | John Patrick Jr., and Camryn Rose; therefore, be it
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20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
21 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
22 | congratulate Dr. Georgia Costello on the occasion of her | ||||||
23 | retirement as President of Southwestern Illinois College, and |
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1 | we commend her leadership and dedication to her students; and | ||||||
2 | be it further
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3 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
4 | presented to Dr. Costello as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
5 | respect.
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