BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Adlai H. Rust Professor of Insurance and Finance and Director of Institutional Research and Planning Mona Gardner will retire at the end of July after a distinguished 19-year career as a faculty member and administrator at Illinois Wesleyan University. For her outstanding contributions and achievements over the years, Gardner has been given the title of Professor Emerita by the IWU Board of Trustees.
“She has touched the lives of students, faculty, staff and four presidents,” said Illinois Wesleyan President Richard F. Wilson. “Mona is an exemplary teacher, researcher, scholar and colleague. She has been an indispensable member of the campus administration. She is a mentor to many people, and alumni cite her as an outstanding instructor.”
Gardner has been a pioneer on campus since she became the first May Term Director in 1994. She was appointed the first Director of the Mellon Center for Faculty and Curriculum Development when it was established in 1995, and was named the first associate dean of faculty the following year. In 2002, Gardner became the first to hold her current title as the Director of Institutional Research and Planning. She was named the Adlai H. Rust Professor of Insurance and Finance in 1989. In 1993, Gardner received IWU’s DuPont Award for Teaching Excellence based on her contributions to teaching, scholarship and service.
Throughout her tenure at Illinois Wesleyan, Gardner has been a leader on campus. She has served as the chair of the Business Administration Department and the director of the Division of Business and Economics. Gardner oversaw the self-study for the University’s accreditation. As a chair member of the personnel council, she spearheaded changes for promotion and tenure at the University. As an administrative liaison and ad hoc member of the Curriculum Council and Faculty Development Committee, Gardner helped implement the General Education Program and Post-Tenure Review Program, as well as a host of other development programs at the University.