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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to congratulate David Sam, Ph.D. on the
4		occasion of his retirement as president of Elgin Community
5		College (ECC); and
6		WHEREAS, Dr. Sam began serving as the eighth president of
7		ECC on February 12, 2007; during his tenure, academic
8		excellence, student success and completion, reduction of
9		student loan debt, community outreach, partnerships, workforce
10		development, equity, diversity and inclusion, and financial
11		prudence have become the hallmarks of his presidency, and he
12		has directed ECC towards achieving extraordinary results
13		through collaborating with a visionary and engaged board of
14		trustees, an outstanding and dedicated faculty, and a
15		competent and committed team of administrators and staff; and
16		WHEREAS, Under Dr. Sam's leadership, ECC was named one of
17		25 semifinalists, out of 1,047 community colleges nationwide,
18		for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, and
19		the college was previously named an Aspen Top 150 College in
20		2015, 2019, and 2021; he oversaw ECC joining the student
21		success initiative Achieving the Dream in 2009, earning the
22		institution a Leader College status from 2012 to 2022 before
23		then receiving the designation of a Leader College of

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1		Distinction; he led ECC's efforts to pass a $178 million
2		capital referendum in 2009, transforming the campus into a
3		modern, state-of-the-art learning environment; his guidance
4		has been essential towards securing financial stability and
5		sound fiscal management for ECC, earning the college an Aaa
6		rating from Moody's Ratings since 2009 and an AA+ rating from
7		Standard & Poor's since 2010; and
8		WHEREAS, Before joining ECC, Dr. Sam served as president
9		of North Harris College in Texas for six-and-a-half years;
10		previously, he served as dean of the Community & Technical
11		College and a social science and business management professor
12		at the University of Akron, Ohio; prior to that, he served as
13		vice president for Faculty and Instruction at Harrisburg Area
14		Community College in Pennsylvania, as acting vice president of
15		Academic Affairs and dean of Natural and Social Sciences at
16		Mott Community College in Michigan, and as assistant
17		professor/coordinator of International Studies at College of
18		DuPage in Illinois; and
19		WHEREAS, Dr. Sam, a native of Ghana, West Africa, received
20		his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Political Science, and
21		History from Illinois State University (ISU); he earned a
22		Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and a Ph.D. in
23		International Economic and Political Relations from Tufts
24		University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; he also

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1		obtained an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern
2		University's Kellogg School of Management, a Juris Doctor from
3		the University of Akron School of Law, and a Master of Laws
4		(LLM) in Energy Law and Policy at the University of Dundee,
5		United Kingdom; and
6		WHEREAS, Dr. Sam serves on the boards of directors for the
7		St. Charles Bank & Trust, Alignment Collaborative for
8		Education, the Golden Corridor Family YMCA, and the Elgin Area
9		Chamber of Commerce, holding the office of chair from May 2015
10		to January 2017; he is an Illinois Phi Theta Kappa
11		Presidential Ambassador and an active member of the Rotary
12		Club of Elgin; he also belongs to the Illinois Council of
13		Community College Presidents, serving as secretary/treasurer
14		from 2021 to 2022, vice chair from 2022 to 2023, and chair from
15		2023 to 2024; as a licensed attorney, he is a member of the
16		District of Columbia Bar, the Energy Bar Association, and the
17		American Bar Association; and
18		WHEREAS, Dr. Sam has received a number of accolades,
19		including being inducted into the ISU College of Arts &
20		Sciences Hall of Fame, being named a Rotary International
21		Club's Paul Harris Fellow, and receiving the Phi Theta Kappa's
22		Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, Judson University's D.
23		Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award, the Illinois Community
24		College Trustees Association's Gary W. Davis Ethical

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1		Leadership Award, the Elgin Cosmopolitan Club's Distinguished
2		Service Award, and an Illinois Consortium for International
3		Studies and Programs Member Emeritus Award; and
4		WHEREAS, Dr. Sam has left an indelible mark on ECC, and of
5		the more than 68,167 degrees and certificates ECC has awarded
6		since its founding in 1949, approximately 55.9% have been
7		awarded during his tenure; therefore, be it
8		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10		we congratulate David Sam, Ph.D. on his retirement as
11		president of Elgin Community College (ECC), and we commend him
12		for his exemplary service and dedication to the students,
13		faculty, staff, and community of ECC; and be it further