May 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University kicked off its $125-million Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Illinois Wesleyan University with gala celebrations in both Bloomington and Chicago, and announced that more than $73 million had been pledged so far from alumni and friends across the country.

During the kickoff galas, it was announced that Honorary Campaign Chairs B. Charles “Chuck” Ames and Joyce “Jay” Eichhorn Ames made an endowment gift valued at $25 million. The gift is the largest ever received by Illinois Wesleyan.

“We are extremely fortunate to have alumni like Chuck and Jay Ames, who believe it’s important to give something back,” said University President Richard F. Wilson. “The Ames gift, along with many others received thus far is a testament to the impact the University has had on the lives of our alumni and friends and this community.”

The campaign is the most ambitious in the history of Illinois Wesleyan, with a goal of raising $125 million over the five-year campaign period. Nearly 80 percent of the campaign goal will go to support student scholarships, need-based financial aid and faculty and program endowments. In addition, several new building projects will be funded.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University students will be bringing much-needed medical care to Central America this summer with the campus chapter of the Global Medical Brigade.

“This trip is more than helping out people in need. It’s about creating sustainable solutions for health care,” said Devon Boydstun, a sophomore from Galesburg, Ill., who founded the Illinois Wesleyan chapter of the Brigade, a student-led international relief organization that brings medical care to impoverished nations. The group of 25 students will journey to Honduras in June.

Boydstun said he decided to found the organization in 2008, during his first-year on campus. “I was looking for a program that would combine medical experience with helping others,” said Boydstun. “The Global Brigade programs really help students get up and running by arranging travel plans and holding weekly phone discussions about expectations and issues students might face abroad.” He started the group with five students.

That number has now grown to nearly 30, most of which will accompany Boydstun on the journey. Student members enlisted the help of medical doctors who will travel with them to Honduras. Boydstun will know one of the doctors well – it is his father. “The five doctors who are coming with us are all friends or family members, which makes it easier on us,” he said. “When we spoke to the doctors, many let us know this is something they always wanted to do, but were not sure how. I feel as though we are facilitating a way for physicians to give aid of which they were not aware.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan University’s Associate Professor of Nursing Victoria Folse has been named the director of the School of Nursing. Folse, a 1986 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, will assume the position August 1 from Caroline F. Rupert Chair of Nursing Donna Hartweg, who will retire in December.

“Dr. Folse brings to her new position a deep understanding of and a passion for Illinois Wesleyan as an alumna and a solid record as a teacher, scholar and faculty leader,” said Illinois Wesleyan Provost Beth Cunningham.

Earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Illinois Wesleyan, Folse received her master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1989, and her doctorate from Saint Louis University in 2002. She came to Illinois Wesleyan in 2002, after teaching at Bradley University and coordinating programs for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, both in Peoria.

Last year, Folse was one of 15 people across the state who received the State of Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship from the Illinois Center for Nursing (ICN). It was the third consecutive year a member of the Illinois Wesleyan nursing faculty has been awarded the fellowship.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Humorous radio personality Steve Cochran entertained and informed the audience at the annual IWU Associates Luncheon on Thursday, May 7 at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center. Cochran, known for his drive-time show on WGN Radio, spoke of the lessons that could be learned from what he called “a lack of vision” in the media.

“I don’t know if you have heard, but there is this thing called the Internet. I hear it’s really catching on,” joked Cochran, who attributed the current struggles in the newspaper industry to owners who refused to take the new online medium seriously as it emerged in the 1990s. “That was back when the Internet was something fun and cute. People in the newspaper business missed the memo that the Internet was going to be here to stay. And it cost them.”

Cochran addressed more than 300 members of the IWU Associates at the luncheon. Formed in 1953, the Associates is a group of business and professional leaders interested in the advancement and support of private higher education. The Associates invest in the University, provide internships and job opportunities for Illinois Wesleyan students, and financial support for students from McLean County.

He urged those in attendance at the luncheon to take advantage of what their young interns could provide. “The new generation will help you be better with what they know best,” he said. “Take the time – so they understand what they need to do with you. And let them show you what they can do,” Cochran said.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Lana (Weiss) Brown will be honored by the Illinois Woman’s Press Association (IWPA) with the 2009 Communicator of Achievement Award. She will be presented with the award on Saturday, May 16 at the Union League Club of Chicago by fellow alumna and incoming IWPA President Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas.

“This award recognizes not just one year, but an entire body of work for the career of a communicator,” said Wolf-Astrauskas, a 1976 alumna who won the award in 2008. “Being able to present this award to Lana is doubly exciting because not only is she an incredible communicator, but she is a fellow IWU alum.”

In August, Brown will represent Illinois as its nominee for the National Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women at the conference in San Antonio, Texas. Brown currently serves as the IWPA first vice president and program chair.

A graduate of the class of 1970, Brown is the owner of Lana Brown Communications, a speaking and writing consulting firm, which has assisted such companies as AT&T, Kraft, the National Education Association and the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

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