BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Over the years Bruce B. Criley has been with Illinois Wesleyan University, he has seen many advances in the field of biology. “What is terribly exciting about being a biologist is there is so much growth and change in the field,” said Criley. “No matter how long you teach it, you feel as though you are part of something dynamic and alive, because you are – with discoveries from DNA to genetic research.”
Criley, chair of the Illinois Wesleyan University Biology Department from 1971 to 2002, will be retiring at the end of this semester after 37 years. A winner of the University’s top teaching prize, Criley has been the George C. and Ella Beach Lewis Endowed Chair of Biology for the past 29 years.
During his tenure with the University, he has watched the Biology Department grow. “Our first years here, we could invite the entire Biology Department to our house for a get together,” said Norma Criley, Bruce’s wife and a fellow Illinois Wesleyan biology instructor who retired in May. “These days we would not even have room for the seniors majoring in biology.”
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