Bradley welcomed James (Jim) Shadid as the university’s 13th president with a community celebration in the Renaissance Coliseum. The ceremony gathered students, faculty, staff and alumni to witness Shadid’s appearance as the university’s new leader.
Matthew Vonachen, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, began the event by acknowledging the Bradley community and praising Shadid’s work on the university’s future.
“Through this process, we considered numerous [presidential] candidates and ultimately identified three outstanding finalists. But in the end, the choice was Jim Shadid,” Vonachen said. “Jim, you are the right person to lead Bradley forward.”
The ceremony received positive feedback from the community due to Shadid’s personal history with the university. As a 1979 Bradley graduate, Shadid can relate to the experiences of students and staff members.
“Jim is no stranger to this university. As a proud member of the class of 1979, he knows firsthand the transformative power of a Bradley education,” Kathleen Holst, president of RCMS Inc. and Board of Trustees member, said. “His distinguished career as a federal judge has been marked by integrity and unwavering commitment to service, qualities that will certainly serve him well in this new world.”
During the ceremony, Shadid announced a new partnership with Bradley and the Peoria Riverfront Museum that offers students, faculty and staff free admission to the museum. Made possible by an anonymous donor, the initiative will be Shadid’s first presidential action at the university.
“On behalf of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, every student [gets] free admission all year long. Free admission to more than 300 museums around the country,” John Morris, CEO of Peoria Riverfront Museum, said. “Every faculty member, bring your students down for a related class, and every staff member, bring your family in.”
Students, faculty and staff can receive their membership here with the promo code ‘BUMEM.’
Shadid acknowledges the importance of helping students for their personal and academic futures, insisting that the Bradley community must strive to be the best version of themselves to honor Lydia Moss Bradley, the institution’s founder.
“At our best, we must empower every student for success in their personal and professional lives. At our best, we are an institution that is a source of pride and inspiration to everyone we come in contact with. At our best, we build upon the greatest place in higher education,” Shadid said. “This is how we honor our inheritance.”
Shadid says he is prepared to use his presidential role to create excellence for the university’s future.
“Going forward, we have much to do, and we all have to be our best to do what we do. We will not achieve everything in one day and maybe not in 1,000 days,” Shadid said. “Let us begin and let us begin together as one Bradley.”
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