College of Lake County board bids farewell to Oilschlager, shuffles leadership
The College of Lake County community bid farewell to longtime board member Barbara D. Oilschlager at her final meeting.
Oilschlager, who served on the College of Lake County board since 1989, announced in December that she would not seek re-election.
Before the board meeting Tuesday night, there was a reception in Oilschlager's honor. The guests who spoke reflect how Oilschlager's work as a trustee impacted more than CLC. Among the speakers were Michael S. Monaghan, the executive director of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association; Suzanne Morris, an Illinois Community College Board member; and Robert W. Churchill, a former Illinois state Representative from Grayslake.
"It was a bittersweet night," said Richard A. Anderson, who has served on the CLC board since 1974. "We all love Barb."
Last year Oilschlager received a leadership award from the Association of Community College Trustees, a national organization that represents 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the United States and beyond.
"Barbara's been a true champion who has really been a guiding light for CLC," said William M. Griffin, who has been on the board for more than 20 years. "We are dearly going to miss her, and her contributions are going to live on for a long time."
In addition to her work at CLC, Oilschlager served community college organizations at the state and national level. She was the president of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association in 2009 and 2010, when she advocated for more state funding. In 2015, that organization gave her an award for exemplary service.
Nationally, Oilschlager is the state coordinator for the Association for Community College Trustees. She has presented at national conferences and was part of an American delegation that met with leaders of Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to saying goodbye to Oilschlager, the board welcomed new member Timothy S. Powell and welcomed back Julie Byrne Shroka, who was appointed to the board in 2017 to serve out the rest of Philip J. Carrigan's term, who resigned because of failing health.
The board voted Griffin to be board chair, trustee Catherine M. Finger to be vice-chair and made Anderson, who served as chair the past two years and many times over the last 45 years, board secretary. The board often shuffles leadership positions between senior members, according to Anderson and Griffin.
"We think it is a healthy, vibrant process to share being chair," Griffin said, adding that this was the sixth or seventh time he's served in the role.