April 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In the world of higher education, April is the time when high school students venture onto college campuses in an effort to find just the right fit. It is a tradition that Illinois Wesleyan University Dean of Admissions Tony Bankston sees as a necessary step in the college process.

“You can view all the Web sites, brochures and catalogs you want, but the best way to get the feel of an institution is to visit,” said Bankston, who was chosen to lend his expertise to a new book, Get Into College (Hundreds of Heads Books, 2009). Bankston was one of the admissions officers of highly selective schools whom editors of the book contacted, including Harvard College, Johns Hopkins University and Notre Dame University. Along with university officers, the book offers additional strategies for getting admitted from parents and high school guidance counselors. Bankston said he was impressed with the format of the book, which places advice in small, conversational tips.

“When you see books like this, it usually only includes tips from the author,” said Bankston, “but this book pulled together ideas from people who are working with admissions every day. I approached it as though I was talking to a family.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A beautiful melody soars through the air of a room in Presser Hall on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. The rise and fall of notes emanate not from handheld instruments, but a group of dynamic women surrounding a grand piano. As their voices swell into a powerful end, smiles spread across the faces of the women who realize they have yet again captured a moment with song.

These women are the 11 Illinois Wesleyan students who make up the a cappella group A Touch of Class. The group will have its final public performance of the semester at A Touch of Class Spring Concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at Evelyn Chapel (1301 N. Park Street, Bloomington). The event is free and open to the public. Hear an audio clip.

“It’s when we hit those notes, that I really realize what this group is,” said Susan Rapp, a junior music and interdisciplinary education major from Schaumberg, Ill. “This is a celebration of music, and not just for music majors, but for everyone. This is my chance to share my love of music with everyone.”

A Touch of Class began several years ago at Illinois Wesleyan, but has come into its own in the last two or three years, said faculty advisor Associate Professor of Voice Carren Moham. “In the beginning, it was a group of friends who liked to sing, but rarely challenged each other,” said Moham. “There is a musicianship that has evolved from this group, which has elevated not only their music, but their recognition in the community.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Professor of English Wes Chapman has been named the 2010 winner of the Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence on Wednesday, April 15, at the annual Honors Convocation in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall.

The teacher-scholar Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence is the University’s top teaching honor. The recipient is selected by Illinois Wesleyan’s Promotion and Tenure Committee based on nominations received from members of the faculty.

This is the first year the award has been named with the support of the Kemp Foundation. The Kemp family has a long tradition with Illinois Wesleyan. Parker Kemp is an emeritus member of the University’s Board of Trustees. His brother, John Jackson Kemp III, was a member of the class of 1950. Kemp’s parents are graduates of Illinois Wesleyan – Glen Kemp in 1922, and Rozanne Parker Kemp in 1927. Parker Kemp’s uncle, George “Hub” Parker, is an alumnus, as were two other uncles, John T. and Robert J. Parker.

Provost Beth Cunningham said of Chapman, this year’s winner, “He is a skilled teacher and mentor, a respected and valued colleague in all matters of the University, and a scholar who places himself at the cutting edge,” said, noting he is known as an effective and demanding teacher, always challenging his students. “He pushes his scholarly endeavors to the edge as he does his courses and his students.” She added a description of Chapman from one of his former students as “someone who made me feel knowledgeable, comfortable, and capable of discussing complex literary theories. He is a truly incredible teacher and individual.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Lauren Nelson, a senior Russian and Eastern European studies major at Illinois Wesleyan University has been named the recipient of the Technos International Prize through the Tanaka Ikueikai Educational Trust in Japan.

The trust, founded by Japanese businessman and honorary Illinois Wesleyan trustee Kenji Tanaka, honors those who are committed to improving and promoting international relations around the world. The announcement of the prize, which is given annually, was made Tuesday, April 14, at a luncheon at Illinois Wesleyan.

“This award is more than a confirmation of the work I have done in my undergraduate studies. It is a testament to the wonderful professors who have guided me through the years,” said Nelson, a Plymouth, Minn., native who plans to attend graduate school at Stanford University on a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, where she will pursue a degree in Eastern European studies

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University senior Kevin Lewis has been awarded a 2009 Fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Lewis will put the $5,000 Fellowship toward his post-graduate studies at Harvard Law School.

Lewis, a business major from Naperville, Ill., is among 60 students nationwide to receive the academic honor. Phi Kappa Phi awards more than $800,000 in scholarships a year to applicants, who are selected on the basis of membership in the organization, academic recognition and awards, campus and community involvement, and quality and scope of chosen post-graduate programs.

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi describes itself as the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society. More than a million men and women from nearly 300 chapters have been inducted into the honor society, including former President Jimmy Carter. In 2009, five members were named Truman scholars. Membership is by invitation, and only the top 10 percent of graduate students and seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors qualify annually.

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