The search is over.
Last month, Spoon River College announced its ninth president: Shelley Barkley of Quincy. She replaces former longtime SRC President Curt Oldfield, who left to assume the presidency at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.
The Plainfield, Illinois native, who received both her bachelor's degree and master’s degree from Northern Illinois University, comes to Spoon from John Wood Community College (JWCC) where she has served as the vice president of academic and student affairs since December 2023. The Community News Brief talked with Barkley about her plans for the region's community college, her career trajectory and more.
What does it mean to you to be the new president of SRC?
It is an incredible honor to serve as the ninth president of Spoon River College and to lead an institution so deeply connected to the rural communities it serves.
I believe rural community colleges are uniquely positioned to transform lives and strengthen communities, and I am excited to build on SRC’s strong foundation by expanding career and technical education, strengthening partnerships with local industry and K–12 schools, and creating new pathways that grow enrollment and opportunity. Central to my leadership will be ensuring that every student feels welcomed, supported, and that they belong, while cultivating an employee culture where people feel equally valued, connected, and empowered to contribute.
I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students, and community partners to ensure Spoon River College continues to be a place of opportunity, innovation, and belonging for generations to come.
What were you doing before you accepted this role?
Prior to coming to Spoon River College, I served in several roles all of which were connected to community colleges. Most recently, I have served as the vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at John Wood Community College in Quincy. Before JWCC, I served first as an assistant professor of psychology and sociology at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon. Later, I served as both the assistant dean of career and technical programs and then as the dean of general education and transfer Programs at SVCC.
How did your education prepare you for this role?
What experiences do you bring to this role that will make your role (and the district) successful?
My doctorate in Community College Leadership from Ferris State University provided a strong foundation in the unique mission, challenges and opportunities of community colleges and prepared me to lead through collaboration, innovation and a deep commitment to student success.
Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to translate that preparation into practice through advancing the American Association of Community Colleges’ Guided Pathways work and, more recently, engaging in the National Center for Inquiry & Improvement’s Rural Guided Pathways initiative.
These experiences have strengthened my understanding of how community colleges can redesign systems around the student experience, while recognizing the distinct strengths and needs of rural communities. I bring to Spoon River College both a systems-level perspective on institutional transformation and a strong belief that lasting success comes from engaging employees, students, K–12 partners, employers and communities in shaping the college’s future.
What are your goals/ plans for SRC? First big project/plan you'd like to undertake?
My first priority as president will be to listen and learn. During my first days and weeks at Spoon River College, I want to spend meaningful time with our students and employees and engage with K–12 leaders, employers, community organizations and other key stakeholders throughout the district to better understand what SRC does well, where opportunities exist, and what our communities need from their college.
Those conversations will help shape our path forward rather than beginning with a predetermined agenda.
As we look to the future, I see tremendous potential to build upon the principles of Guided Pathways to ensure students have clear routes from enrollment to completion and ultimately to meaningful careers or continued education. This includes strengthening advising and student supports, removing barriers to persistence, and ensuring our programs lead to high value opportunities that matter to students and our communities.
I am particularly excited about the potential of career and technical education and the opportunity to work alongside regional employers and K–12 partners to develop and expand pathways that respond to workforce needs while creating accessible, family-sustaining career opportunities. Ultimately, my goal is for SRC to be a college where every student can see a clear pathway to their future and knows that we will walk alongside them as they get there.
What makes a successful college experience, and how can you and your staff achieve that?
A successful college experience is one in which students feel that they belong, understand the pathway to their goals, and know there are people invested in helping them succeed. Success looks different for every student—it may mean earning a degree or certificate, transferring to a university, gaining skills for a new career, or simply discovering what is possible for their future. Our responsibility is to remove unnecessary barriers and create clear pathways while surrounding students with the academic, personal, and career supports they need along the way. We achieve that by building a culture where every employee understands that student success is everyone’s work and where students know that they are seen, valued, and cared for from their first interaction with Spoon River College through completion and beyond.
What would you like to see happen with SRC within the next year? 5 years?
Within my first year, I want to listen, learn and build relationships. I plan to be highly visible across the SRC district—spending time with students and employees, visiting our communities, meeting with K–12 partners and employers, and listening to the people who know and care deeply about this region. My goal is to develop a strong understanding of the unique strengths, needs, and opportunities within each community we serve and ensure that our future direction is shaped by those voices.
Over the next five years, I want SRC to build on that understanding by intentionally designing programs, pathways, and systems that meet students where they are while anticipating where our communities are going. Ultimately, I want Spoon River College to be positioned not simply to respond to change, but to help shape the future of our region- sustaining a thriving, innovative, and deeply connected community college that creates opportunity for students and strengthens the communities we serve.
What's the most exciting part of your job? Most challenging?
What excites me most about serving as the president of Spoon River College is the opportunity to lead an institution that can truly change the trajectory of people’s lives and strengthen the communities we serve.
Community colleges are uniquely positioned to create pathways to opportunity by meeting students where they are and preparing them for high-value, family-sustaining careers.
When our students succeed, that impact extends far beyond the individual—it strengthens families, supports local employers, and drives economic growth across the entire district.
I am excited to build on Spoon River College’s legacy while expanding its impact as a catalyst for opportunity and economic vitality.
I believe the most challenging part of serving as president will be balancing the many needs and opportunities of the college with the realities of limited resources and a rapidly changing higher education landscape. Community colleges are being asked to do more than ever— respond to workforce needs, increase access, support students holistically, and remain affordable—all while navigating enrollment and financial pressures. The challenge will be making thoughtful decisions while ensuring that people feel heard and understand the “why” behind those decisions. I see that challenge as an opportunity to bring people together around a shared vision and ensure that every decision keeps students, employees, and the long-term vitality of Spoon River College at the center.
A Few Extra Facts
I have an enthusiastic and insatiable love for football.
The Chicago Bears are my team, but I love and appreciate football on all levels and have admiration for players in all positions. My favorite food is a polish pierogi and my favorite place I have ever traveled has been the southern Alpine /Bavarian region of Germany.
I was raised in Plainfield, IL, and my home was destroyed in the infamous F-5 tornado of 1990.
I have one daughter, Macy, who is currently 20 years old and studying in Honolulu, HI.
Hobbies outside of work?
My hobbies outside of work include watching as much football as I can consume, traveling (some of my favorite places are Michigan, East Tennessee, Sydney Australia, Zurich Switzerland, and Rothenburg Germany).
Final Thoughts
As you may have gleaned from my responses above, my shared vision centers on the concept, “Everything Through the Lens of Student Success.”
During my presidency, by keeping students at the center of my leadership along with leaning on the college's goals and metrics at the heart of all innovation, the programming and people of SRC will drive change and improve lives.
