[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 79 (Friday, June 3, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING MR. RICHARD ROEHRKASSE FOR HIS 20 YEARS AS A TRUSTEE OF 
                     SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 3, 2011

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the dedicated community service of Mr. Richard 
Roehrkasse, as he marks his 20th year as a Trustee for Southwestern 
Illinois College.
  Richard Roehrkasse was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of 
Trustees for Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in 1991 and has been 
continuously re-elected since that time. A resident of Red Bud, 
Illinois, Mr. Roehrkasse had experience in the Information Technology 
field as a systems analyst, designer and project manager. He had a 
desire to serve his community and pursued membership on the SWIC Board 
of Trustees as a way to help ensure access to quality education for 
area residents.
  As a SWIC Trustee, Mr. Roehrkasse has enthusiastically worked with 
faculty, administration and staff on the Strategic Planning Committee 
since its inception. He helped to update existing and develop new Board 
policies and procedures to address strategic planning priorities.
  Mr. Roehrkasse has been a consistent, active participant in helping 
SWIC maintain its longstanding accreditation with the Higher Learning 
Commission (HLC), and achieve model-institution recognition from the 
HLC for its Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) initiatives and 
achievements.
  With his background in Information Technology, Mr. Roehrkasse has 
been a longstanding champion of IT--from smart-classrooms to community-
wide applications--helping to establish SWIC as one of the leading IT-
supported community colleges in the state and the nation.
  In his longstanding role as Board of Trustees Facilities and Finance 
Committee Chair, Mr. Roehrkasse has helped to develop and identify 
funding resources for SWIC and to complete numerous major capital 
development projects. Among the significant projects to benefit from 
his involvement are; the Liberal Arts and Information Sciences 
buildings at the Belleville Campus; renovations and expansions at the 
Sam Wolf Granite City and Red Bud Campuses; and the Schmidt Art Center, 
in collaboration with the SWIC Foundation Board.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in an expression of 
appreciation to Mr. Richard Roehrkasse for his 20 years of service as a 
Trustee of Southwestern Illinois College and to wish him the very best 
in the future.

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