PJC community mourns passing of Sheila Reece
Published or Revised May 26, 2023
The entire Paris Junior College community of faculty, staff, students, alumni and retirees were saddened to learn of the loss of Sheila Reece, Vice President of Student Access and Success, on May 18, 2023. A memorial was held in the Hunt Center for PJC faculty and staff on Thursday, May 25.
The memorial program may be downloaded in pdf format. Below is the information about Sheila's tenure at PJC and a glimpse of the work she accomplished.
Sheila Reece’s journey at Paris Junior College began in February 1992, when she started as an Education Placement Specialist with the Educational Opportunity Center. After serving as EOC’s Interim Director, she was confirmed as EOC Director in April 1993.
Sheila was promoted to Director of Admissions in August 1995, and she became the Associate Dean of Student Access and Success in September 2011.
In August 2017, Sheila was named Vice President of Student Access and Success.
Sheila’s career began with helping students be admitted to college and to adjust well. Her final title perfectly sums up everything she believed in to help students reach their goals.
Her contributions to the institution grew with her responsibilities. From developing Faculty Fridays for recruiting new students to presenting on the cultural shift from simple access to college to student success at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, to creating a Quality Enhancement Plan to enhance student learning, Sheila was deeply involved in improving student retention and success rates.
This early work helped PJC be chosen for the national Pathways Project in 2017 that launched the College on improving student engagement in the classroom and helping students master the knowledge and skills needed.
Additional work with her colleagues in Administration led to PJC being recognized with an Overall Exemplar Award in 2018 for refining the math courses students actually needed and removing barriers to their finishing with a certificate or degree.
Sheila implemented the plan to have student success coaches at all PJC locations to help students choose a degree plan and stay on track to complete it. All this led to PJC students outperforming those at peer colleges in taking fewer hours and graduating sooner.
Her charge to everyone was to “be helpful.” She cared about her students, her staff, and her family tremendously. PJC faculty, staff, and students extend condolences to Sheila’s family: husband Mark, daughter Samantha Pollard and husband Matthew, daughter Macey Reece and husband Hunter, grandson Logan Pollard, father Alvin Fields, brother Alan Fields, sister Marilyn Sebade, and their extended family and friends.