PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Federal judge and Bradley University graduate James Shadid has been picked to be the school’s next president.
The decision to hire Shadid, a federal judge and 1979 Bradley graduate, to lead the university came by unanimous vote at a special afternoon meeting of the Bradley Board of Trustees on March 12.
“I am fully invested in Bradley University and Peoria, Illinois. This is a one of the great honors of my life and honestly I can’t wait to get started. And I am confident that we can meet the challenges of the present and put the university I love on a path to continued excellence. Bradley University has a rich history worthy of our pride,” he said.
The head of the board said the choice was obvious.
“We don’t think we could have made a better choice at this juncture of the university’s history,” said Matt Vonachen, interim chair of the Bradley Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “Jim really stood out among the finalists for his knowledge of the university and his insights into what the institution’s needs are now and into the future. And, of course, his lifetime commitment to Bradley speaks for itself.”
The announcement comes nearly a year after Dr. Stephen Standifird left last spring. He became president in May 2020 after Gary Roberts left. Jonathan E. Michael, the current board of trustees chair and the former chairman of RLI, Inc., served as the interim president. He will now return to the board.
Standifird’s final year was roiled with sweeping budget cuts and amid lower enrollment.
His tenure, almost exactly four years, was the shortest in Bradley’s history. Roberts who left office in May 2020, took the job in January 2016, meaning he served as president for five months longer than Standifird.
During his four years in office, Bradley saw its enrollment decline, which is also a national trend. But it was alarming for the university.
Shadid currently serves as a senior U.S. District Judge for the Central District of Illinois, appointed to that position by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2011.
Along the way, he ascended to chief judge in his federal stint on the bench. He also was a state judge for 10 years before that, serving in the five- county 10th Judicial Circuit. After graduating from John Marshall Law School (now the University of Chicago School of Law) in 1983, he became an attorney in private practice in the Peoria area.
Shadid and his wife, Jane, are parents of three adult children: Jim, Joe and Maggie. He is the son of the late Lorraine and George Shadid, the latter an Illinois state senator and Peoria County Sheriff.
The Shadid family’s roots to the Hilltop run deep. James Shadid played baseball while at the university and later, was a minor league player. Other family members including late brother George, son Jim, niece Lauren and 12 other cousins and their children have gone to college at BU.
“Bradley has been a major part of my life for virtually my entire life,” the new president said. “Few other influences have made a more profound impact on me, and now I hope, with lots of help, to return that favor. I am honored, humbled and grateful for this opportunity.
“I am thankful for Jon and his leadership in the interim role, and I thank the search committee and the Board of Trustees for their confidence in me,” he said.
The school faces many challenges mostly the shrinking enrollment. Shadid said he’s prepared to meet that head-on.
“I am well aware of the high expectations that faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and the greater Peoria community have for me, and rest assured that I have those same high expectations for myself,” James Shadid said. “I have every confidence that this fine university will continue to be a center of academic excellence and of a superior student experience across the board.
“I truly believe that Bradley’s best days as a premier institution are ahead of us.”
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