GALESBURG — Ian Milligan has been named the 2022 Carl Sandburg College Faculty Member of the Year after students and fellow faculty members nominated him for his exceptional work in the classroom.
Milligan was recognized as the winner this week during Sandburg’s 54th annual Commencement. A manufacturing technology instructor, Milligan has been a full-time faculty member at Sandburg since 2020. Milligan graduated from Sandburg in 2014 having earned four different welding certificates in just one academic year. He then spent six years as a production welder at CNH Industrial in Burlington, Iowa, and served as an adjunct instructor at Sandburg in 2019-20. A Lincoln Electric Education Partner Schools (LEEPS)-qualified instructor and member of Sandburg’s Outcomes Assessment Committee, Milligan quickly adapted to his students’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting the shop’s layout to account for proper social distancing and hosting summer night labs for students who were forced to take online classes. Milligan continues to host open labs each Friday for students who want extra practice, and he holds monthly weld competitions among his students. “I approach my role as a manufacturing technology instructor with the goal to inspire students and fuel their passion for the industrial trades,” Milligan said. “My goal is to give students a real-world experience with high expectations — just as they will encounter in the workplace — so they are well prepared to enter the trades and make a positive impact on our local economy. With safety at the forefront, I also focus on instilling responsibility, productivity, creativity and a competitive, yet team spirit within my students.” Milligan routinely visits industry partners to maintain and build productive relationships between the College and businesses as well as to review course content and have an informed understanding of what employers expect and desire from Sandburg graduates when they join the workforce. “The relationship I’ve built with stakeholders and industry partners enhances the program curriculum and outcomes and embeds learning activities that require students to think critically and solve problems, both independently and as part of a team,” Milligan said. “I also foster a respectful, approachable and fun learning environment, modeling the environment I experienced during my tenure in the trades as a welder at CNH Industrial.” Carl Sandburg College Faculty Member of the Year Recipients
2022 — Ian Milligan 2021 — Christina Stone 2020 — Stacy Bainter 2019 — Marjorie Smolensky 2018 — James Hutchings 2017 — Christina Stone 2016 — Kylie Price 2015 — Michael Crandell 2014 — Lara Roemer 2013 — Dia McKillip 2012 — Shanon Dickerson 2011 — David Kellogg 2010 — Vickie Culbertson 2009 — Lisa Walker 2008 — Dave Burns 2007 — Keith Williams 2006 — Linda Lee 2005 — Wendel Hunigan 2004 — James Craig Sanford 2003 — Carol Petersen 2002 — Larry Schroeder 2001 — Dave Wujek 2000 — Norm Burdick 1999 — Michael Crandell 1998 — Cathy White 1997 — Julie Gibb 1996 — Jack Daddona 1995 — Carlene Woodside 1994 — Marilou Schisler 1993 — Cynthia Thompson 1992 — Janet LaDage 1991 — Carol Eiten 1990 — Jim MacDonald 1989 — James Graham 1988 — James Graham 1987 — Judy Helm 1986 — Genevieve Yaw 1985 — James Graham