Dr. David Sam '81

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

• President emeritus for Elgin Community College and President at Bermuda College; Paget Parish, Bermuda

• Major: History/Political Science/Economics

Dr. David Sam began his tenure as president of Bermuda College in August 2024. In this role, he is actively collaborating with stakeholders to elevate the college and foster a new standard of excellence. Before this position, he served for 17.5 years as president of Elgin Community College (ECC) in Illinois. Before that, he was president of Lone Star College-North Harris, Texas; dean for community and technical college and professor of social science and business management at University of Akron, Ohio; vice president of faculty and instruction at Harrisburg Area Community College, Pennsylvania; acting vice president of academic affairs and deanof natural and social sciences at Mott Community College, Michigan; and assistant professor and coordinator of international studies at the College of DuPage, Illinois.

During his tenure, ECC was named a Top 25 Community College of Excellence by the Aspen Institute in 2023 and was previously recognized among the Top 150 Colleges in 2015, 2019, and 2021. The college received Achieving the Dream's Leader College designation in 2012 and Leader College of Distinction in 2022. In 2009, Sam led a $178 million campus transformation referendum. ECC earned Aaa and AA+ ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s beginning in 2009 and 2010. Most importantly, 57 percent of all degrees and certificates granted in ECC’s 75-year history were awarded during his presidency.

A native of Ghana and a foreign exchange student at Eureka High School, Illinois, Sam earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, with honors in both political science and history, as well as a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in economics from Illinois State. He holds a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy and a Ph.D. in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Additionally, he holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Akron Law School, and a Master of Laws in energy law and policy, with distinction, from the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Sam serves on the Board of Governors of the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies. Previously, he served on the boards of the St. Charles Bank & Trust and the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, where he chaired the latter from May 2015 to January 2017. He was the 2023-202424 president-elect of the Rotary Club of Elgin and the 2023-2024 chair of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents. As an attorney, he is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the American Bar Association. His recognitions include: ISU Department of Economics Luminary Award, National Council for Marketing & Public Relations’ National Pacesetter of the Year, ISU College of Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, Phi Theta Kappa’s Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction for Outstanding College Presidents, Judson University’s D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award, Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award, and Rotary International Club’s Paul Harris Fellow.

At ISU, he served on the Academic Senate, was a member of the editorial board of the research journal Orbit, and was president of the African Students Association. He was an undergraduate teaching assistant and research assistant with the Departments of Political Science and History, respectively. His recognitions included the Alice Ebel Honor Graduate, Dr. Martin Luther King Service Award, and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. 

Sam was married to his late wife, Julie, for 36 years. Together, they raised two children, Michelle and David, and family remains a central pillar in his life.