HR1164 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1164 LRB100 22328 ALS 41183 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. Georgia Costello on the occasion of her retirement as President of Southwestern Illinois College; and

WHEREAS, Appointed in 2008, Dr. Costello became the first former student and the first woman to be named President of Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) since it opened in 1946; and

WHEREAS, Under Dr. Costello's leadership, Southwestern Illinois College secured $19.1 million in state funds to complete the LEED Gold-certified Liberal Arts Complex, $8.3 million in grants to improve vehicle, bike, and pedestrian traffic at the Belleville Campus, and $6.1 million in state funds to build an Early Childhood Education Center; the College became a founding member of the community-college driven Illinois Green Economy Network, which secured a grant to construct one of three regional sustainability centers at the Belleville Campus; the College also helped the Illinois Green Economy Network secure a $20 million U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant, along with a $13 million second round split equally among 19 colleges; these funds helped SWIC create one of the finest advanced manufacturing training facilities at any U.S. college on its Sam Wolf Granite City Campus; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Costello helped the school maintain its commitment to Information Technology and provided students with state-of-the-art tools to excel in the classroom, via online instruction and beyond; SWIC also received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education for veterans programs, including designation as a VetSuccess on Campus school, just one of 94 nationwide to host a full-time U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs counselor on campus; SWIC serves the largest population of student veterans of any Illinois public institution; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Costello first attended what was then known as Belleville Area College in the fall of 1967; she earned 60-plus credit hours while starting her family, then transferred to McKendree College (University) to finish her bachelor's degree in 1977; in 1994, she earned her master's degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she also received her doctorate in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Before her tenure at SWIC, Dr. Costello taught in Belleville Grade School District 118 from 1977 until 1990; she later served as Dean of Students and Principal of Central Junior High School and then as Assistant Superintendent at the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education from 2000 until 2005; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Costello has served on many boards and committees, including the Illinois Governor's Education Accountability and Education Excellence Task Forces, the St. Clair County Child Advocacy Board, the Board of Trustees at McKendree University, and the Advisory Board at United Missouri Bank; she is co-chair of the Higher Education Council for the St. Louis Regional Chamber and is on the St. Louis Zoo's Board of Directors; she is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Girl Scouts of America and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boy Scouts of America; and

WHEREAS, Georgia Costello is the daughter of the late George H. and the late Eloise Cockrum; she and her husband, former U.S. Representative Jerry Costello, are the parents of Illinois State Representative Jerry (Lori) Costello II, Gina Costello, and John (Lindsay) Costello and the grandparents of Jay, Jerry III, Victoria, Austin, Rorey, Danielle, Ireland, John Patrick Jr., and Camryn Rose; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Georgia Costello on the occasion of her retirement as President of Southwestern Illinois College, and we commend her leadership and dedication to her students; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Costello as an expression of our esteem and respect.