PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 20, No. 13, Feb. 1, 2001

Shea elected board chairman

Sabryna Cornish, UIC News Bureau Staff Writer

Burr Ridge attorney Gerald Shea was elected chairman of the UI Board of Trustees Jan. 18 at the trustees’ meeting in Chicago.

Shea, who was appointed to the board in 1999 by Gov. George Ryan, will serve as chairman for one year.

"I will do everything I can to help this university," Shea said. "It is a great honor to chair this board in that the University of Illinois is not only important to me personally but [it is] critical to the continued strength and growth of this state."

Shea has been a member of the Illinois bar for more than 40 years and served as a majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.

UI President James J. Stukel said Shea’s experience in the Legislature will be valuable to the university.

"He’s pragmatic and persistent, and I look forward to working closely with him," Stukel said.

Shea earned a degree in economics and finance from the Urbana-Champaign campus and a law degree from DePaul University.

He is a partner and senior attorney at Shea, Rogal and Associates in LaGrange.

He also is the president of the governmental consulting firm of Shea, Paige and Rogal Inc. of Springfield.

"If we can leave the university a better place than when we got here, we will have accomplished something," Shea said.

Shea replaces trustee William Engelbrecht as chair.

Stukel said there were many challenging issues Engelbrecht had to deal with this past year, including the hearings about whether to keep the Urbana-Champaign symbol, Chief Illiniwek.

During the past year, Engelbrecht concentrated his efforts on the agricultural and educational communities.

"Thank you for building bridges and relationships," Stukel said.

Robert Vickrey of Peru, Ill., was appointed Jan. 4 by Gov. George H. Ryan to serve a six-year term on the board replacing Judith R. Reese of Chicago who had served two terms on the board.

The terms of trustees Engelbrecht and Martha R. O’Malley also are up this year.

Officers of the board re-elected

• Craig Bazzani, comptroller since 1982
• Thomas Bearrows, university counsel since 1997.
• Lester McKeever, treasurer since 1994.
• Michele Thompson, board secretary since 1990.

Elected chairman

• Gerald Shea, on the board since 1999.