Theatre & Music
Thank you, Neal McCollam
After 32 years of service to the School of Theatre and Music at UIC, Theatre Operations Coordinator and UIC Theatre alum Neal McCollam will retire this spring—concluding a career that has helped shape generations of students and supported the growth of theatre at UIC across decades of institutional change.
McCollam’s connection to the university spans nearly his entire adult life. He first arrived at UIC in 1975 after graduating from Evergreen Park High School, enrolling as a theatre and communications major. Like many UIC students today, he balanced school with work responsibilities—attending full-time for several years before completing the remainder of his degree part-time while working full-time. He graduated in 1982 with a BA in Theatre and Communications.
As an undergraduate, McCollam immersed himself in campus theatre life both onstage and in student leadership. He performed roles including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Malcolm in Macbeth, and Alfieri in A View From the Bridge, while also serving as president of the Chicago Circle Players student organization.