May 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University sophomore Babawande Afolabi understands poverty; he grew up seeing it everyday in his homeland of Nigeria.

“People cannot afford to eat, feed their children or send them to school,” said Afolabi, who came to the United States in 2006 to attend Illinois Wesleyan. “The majority of the people in Nigeria live in rural areas, and these are the people who really feel the pangs of poverty.”

Afolabi arrived in America intent on finding a way to help his home country. Here, he discovered the emerging concept of “microloans,” small loans to individuals to help them start businesses. “Giving people microloans means giving them a shot at life,” said Afolabi. “Small businesses give people the means to send children to school, hopefully raising the literacy rates and lowering crime. It provides a new foundation for society.”

Focused on his pursuit of bringing microloans to Nigeria, Afolabi applied for an internship with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which places minority students with some of the top companies in the nation. Of the more than 5,000 students who applied for internships through SEO, Afolabi is one of only 438 students to receive an internship, working this summer for Morgan Stanley on Wall Street.

“All of this will help when I return to Nigeria and speak to financial institutions there about creating a microloan program,” said Afolabi, whose own father had a business idea that died away because he could not secure a loan for as little as $200. “My father’s business idea could not flourish because he had no money, no collateral and no connections to make it happen,” said Afolabi. “There are so many people like him. I hope microloans can help. I hope they can be a lifeline for my people.”

The SEO Career Program most often works with college juniors, placing them in seven categories of internships, ranging from accounting and corporate law to global corporate finance leadership. Afolabi, whose internship is in investment banking, is one of only 48 sophomores granted an SEO internship this summer. Afolabi will begin his internship May 19 with intensive training in New York through SEO.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Fortune 500 company chairman Norm Wesley said tomorrow’s leaders will have to have more than business savvy, they will have to have an ability to adapt to changing times.

“The one thing that is certain is that these are uncertain times,” said Wesley, addressing the annual Illinois Wesleyan Associates’ Luncheon on Thursday, May 8, at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.

Today’s leaders must find a way to maintain their vision for a company. “You must focus on the long-term, even when on Wall Street you are only as good as your last business quarter,” said Wesley. “It’s important today to really balance the short-run with the long-run.”

As the leader of a company doing business around the globe, Wesley understands what it takes to succeed. As chairman of the board of Fortune Brands, Inc., he oversees an $8 billion consumer products company that includes premier brands including Jim Beam, Sauza, Courvoisier, Titleist, Moen and Master Lock.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 360 business leaders in McLean County, Wesley encouraged present and future business leaders to look for people who can handle a variety of situations, and help carry out a company vision. “Everyone has constrains of what they can and cannot do,” said Wesley, who noted people are a company’s number one resource. “In a business, you must be conscious of what you want to do.”

For younger members of the audience, Wesley advised them to maintain realistic expectations. “No one starts out in management. Get the broadest perspective you can,” he said, adding that students should take advantage of internships. “Not only do they give real life experience, but they show you what you don’t want to do as much as what you do want to do in life.” Wesley also urged students to stick with ethical business practices. “I don’t know how to run a business if you don’t start with integrity,” said Wesley.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Cloaked in green robes that matched the beauty of the Eckley Quad on a spring afternoon, 472 students attended ceremonies for the 158th Commencement at Illinois Wesleyan University on Sunday, May 4.

Actor Kevin Dunn, a 1977 Illinois Wesleyan alumnus who has appeared in more than 80 movies and television roles, delivered the Commencement speech after being conferred an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. For the class of 2008, Dunn offered both his recollections of the past, and words of hope for the uncertain future today’s graduates face in his speech titled “Into Your Waiting Hands.”

Watch the address, see a Commencement photo album or read Commencement remarks.

“I have memories, vivid memories of freedom, of camaraderie, of invulnerability, and an endless stream of pranks, impromptu parties and cramming for exams,” said Dunn, who was a theatre major at Illinois Wesleyan. “There were late nights at the theatre, building sets, rigging flies and focusing lights. Performing in plays on the McPherson stage, wildly cheering on [Illinois Wesleyan basketball player] Jack Sikma and the rest of Dennie Bridges’ Titans as they barnstormed through the league.”

Dunn revealed that he almost did not return to Illinois Wesleyan for his senior year after his father was laid off. Recalling a meeting with Professor Emeritus of Theatre John Ficca, Dunn said, “Dr. Ficca listened, intently, with an occasional nod, as I told my story, and after what seemed to be an eternity he told me, ‘If you leave school now, sport, you won’t come back. And years from now you’ll look back on your decision and wonder if you could have succeeded in becoming an actor.’”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – When junior Jacob Weis decided that he must study in Uganda, he looked to Illinois Wesleyan for his opportunity. “I transferred from another university to Illinois Wesleyan so that I could spend a semester in Africa,” said Weis, who will study this fall in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, and will also visit Rwanda as part of an Illinois Wesleyan-affiliated study abroad program, School for International Training (SIT).

SIT offers field-based, experiential programs for undergraduate students in nearly 50 countries on six continents. Weis chose Uganda after viewing the film Invisible Children, a documentary about the effects of the on-going civil war on the people of Northern Uganda.

Weis has spent his time at Illinois Wesleyan preparing for the trip, during which he will focus his studies on the Ugandan educational system. “I hope that through my studies I will be able to see what needs to change to help Uganda progress as a country,” said Weis. He plans to research Ugandan culture, educational opportunities, teaching style, opportunities for higher education, and how middle schools are run.

Illinois Wesleyan junior Angela Rumsey was also inspired to travel to Uganda after seeing the film Invisible Children. A Lombard, Ill. native, Rumsey traveled to Kampala, where she attended classes and completed a six-week internship through SIT during the Fall 2007 semester.

“I lived with a Ugandan family in Kampala, which is a very modern city, went to school on weekdays, hung out with friends—both Ugandan and American—and went out to eat,” said Rumsey. “In theory, all these things seemed like home, but they were still very different.”

The anthropology and international studies double major with a concentration in development studies chose the SIT program because “I was more interested in being active than just sitting in a different university,” said Rumsey. “I interned with Child Restoration Outreach, an organization that works with disadvantaged children, where I worked with them in classrooms, counseling sessions and just playing outside. It gave me experience that I could have never received just by going to class, even if it was in a different country and culture.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Jessica Olsen, a senior at Illinois Wesleyan University, has been offered a Fulbright grant to teach in Germany.

Operating in 150 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Envisioned by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1945, the program promotes a mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries of the world. Since its inception, nearly 103,000 Americans have studied, taught or researched abroad with the program.

Olsen received a grant through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program to help improve English language abilities and knowledge of the United States abroad. Through the program, she will spend 10 months teaching in a German high school.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity to explore what the German education system is like,” said Olsen, an English literature major with a concentration in secondary education and a minor in German. “I hope to share ideas and experiences that I can bring back home.” After her time abroad, the Rockford, Ill., native plans to teach junior high or high school in the United States. “Whether I end up teaching English or German, the Fulbright gives me a chance to combine all of my interests and work with students,” said Olsen.

The third Illinois Wesleyan student awarded a Fulbright in the last five years, Olsen was given the prestigious honor of being awarded two Fulbright grants – one to Germany and one to Austria – before choosing to travel to Germany. “To be able to have a choice is a unique and fantastic opportunity,” said Sonja Fritzsche, associate professor of German and Eastern European Studies and Fulbright advisor for Illinois Wesleyan. “The Fulbright application is a rigorous process and extremely competitive – with Germany being one of the toughest spots to land. This is a very high honor for a graduating senior.”

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