Richland Community College would like to welcome Dave Shiley as the new Outreach Coordinator for Agricultural Programs. Shiley began his duties at Richland on December 16, 2019, and he is looking forward to connecting with potential students and agribusinesses within the district.
Shiley will be working with the high school agricultural programs within Richland’s district to showcase the College’s agricultural offerings and recruit students into the program. He will also be working to expand the FFA career development events and other educational offerings conducted at Richland for high school students.
Additionally, Shiley will be working with the agribusiness community to expand internships and other experiential learning opportunities for students. Student connection and involvement in the local agribusiness community not only provides “real world” experiences, but can lead to future employment opportunities after graduation.
Shiley earned his Master of Science in Forestry and Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and has completed advanced coursework at the University of Illinois in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources.
He brings to Richland Community College 38 years of experience with the University of Illinois Extension. He recently served as an Extension Educator in Local Food Systems and Small Farms in east-central Illinois and as the state coordinator of the Illinois Master Naturalist volunteer program. Shiley also worked as an Extension Educator in Natural Resource Management in 21 counties in central Illinois, and started his career with Extension as the Camp Manager/Program Director at 4-H Memorial Camp, near Monticello, Illinois.
The Richland Community College Agriculture program is comprised of an Associate in Arts (transfer degree) and Associate in Applied Science degrees in Agribusiness, Crop Science, and Horticulture. Richland’s campus includes 40+ acres of farmland, we are the host of the Farm Progress Show every other year, and we are located in the Agribusiness capital of the world, all which help enable the agriculture program to meet our mission of exposing, preparing, and connecting students to careers in Agriculture.