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William C. Bailey, interim dean of the WIU College of Business and Technology
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Bailey Retirement Reception Set for June 28

June 13, 2017

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MACOMB, IL - - A retirement reception honoring William C. Bailey, interim dean of the Western Illinois University College of Business and Technology (CBT), will be held from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, June 28 in the University Union Lamoine Room.

Bailey joined WIU in 2005 as chair of the WIU Department of Agriculture. When the department was changed to the School of Agriculture in 2009, Bailey was named the first director. During his time as director, enrollment grew by nearly 25 percent; the initial steps were taken to build the first of three greenhouses at the Agriculture Field Laboratory; and significant scholarship and research funding was received from a number of agriculture-focused organizations. In 2012, Bailey stepped down as director and joined the agriculture economics faculty. Bailey was appointed the CBT interim dean July 1, 2015 and will continue to serve in that role until his retirement June 30.

Prior to joining WIU, Bailey was the chair of agribusiness at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand from 1993-2005. While there, Bailey initiated the country's first supply chain management degree and represented New Zealand at numerous international conferences. Bailey also worked for both the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry as chief economist (1979-1982) and as deputy undersecretary of agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs (1986-1990). After graduating from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science degree (1969) in Foreign Trade, Bailey served as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1974. He earned his first master's degree from the University of Idaho, his second master's degree from Pepperdine University and his Ph.D. in agricultural economics in 1978 from the University of Missouri.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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