Author Archives: Ann Aubry

Biology Graduate Creating Bridges to Conservation with Web Site

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus Jeffrey Klemens is, in many ways, a translator. Not only does the 1998 biology graduate help coordinate and translate during an annual May Term course to Costa Rica, he also is the president of a conservation organization that helps researchers from different fields understand each other’s work.

“Researchers are a highly independent group,” said Klemens, who founded Investigadores del Área de Conservación Guanacaste (iACG) several years ago with the aim of helping to coordinate research work done in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), a national park in the northwest part of Costa Rica. “All of us speak our own language, and it’s the language of highly technical academic publications. It’s currently very difficult for conservation managers who want to extract information from the primary literature to do so, unless they’ve had fairly extensive scientific training.” Enter iACG, a Web site and database helping researchers working in the ACG. “I hope iACG can serve as a bridge between the community of researchers who work in the ACG and the rest of the park,” said Klemens.

Klemens’ interest in travel stems from his time at Illinois Wesleyan, where he took field courses that took him to Guyana in South America and to Australia. He first journeyed to Costa Rica in 1998 before beginning his doctorate program at the University of Pennsylvania under world-renowned tropical ecologist Dan Jansen. “On that trip I conducted a study that was an extension of what I had been doing at IWU with migratory birds and pesticides,” said Klemens, who published his work along with Illinois Wesleyan Professor of Biology Given Harper, Professor of Chemistry and Associate Provost Jeff Frick, and several Illinois Wesleyan undergraduates, who conducted the lab work on campus.

Students, Alumni Named to Community’s “25 Under 25”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Six Illinois Wesleyan University students and two alumni have been selected for 25 Under 25 in McLean County, as part of Global Youth Service Day.

Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day. This year’s celebration was held last week at Illinois State University, which is one of the local sponsors of the day along with Illinois Wesleyan. Support for the program also comes from Youth Service America and State Farm Companies Foundation.

The 25 Under 25 in McLean County program honors young people who not only demonstrate service to the community, but also possess an interest in further developing leadership skills. All honorees are residents of McLean County or are currently enrolled at a school in McLean County.

Seniors Honored for Service to Campus, Community

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Five Illinois Wesleyan University seniors were recognized for their leadership and service to the campus and community at the annual senior dinner.

Nominated by Illinois Wesleyan faculty and staff, the five students were honored for their distinguished leadership over the course of their time on campus.

The students were:

Erin Bradley, history and Hispanic Studies double major from Normal, Ill.;

Mark Kasperczyk, physics and English literature double major from Winthrop Harbor, Ill;

Scott Krabbe, chemistry major from Creston, Ill;

Garrett Rapp, English and religion double major from Harvard, Ill.;and

Samantha Rohl, nursing major from Kenyon, Minn.

New Endowed Funds Support School of Nursing

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – President Richard F. Wilson announced two new endowment funds for the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Nursing at a dinner Saturday, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the awarding of bachelor of nursing science degrees on campus. The funds are part of the ongoing Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Illinois Wesleyan.

The two funds, the Donna Hartweg Endowed Scholarship and the Sandra Futhey Rice Endowment Fund, will support the School of Nursing.

This year marks the retirement of the former director of the School of Nursing, Donna Hartweg, who is also the Caroline F. Rupert Professor Emeritus of Nursing. In her honor, alumni, friends and family established the endowed scholarship in her name. The scholarship will offer financial support to one nursing student each year. So far, there have been more than 100 contributions to the scholarship fund.

“You have given me the highest honor I could ask for with this endowed scholarship,” said Hartweg.

The ongoing success of the School of Nursing is the focus of a new fund from alumna Sandra Rice, a 1977 graduate. It was announced at the dinner that Rice and her husband, Louis, established the Sandra Futhey Rice Endowment Fund to provide overall support for the School of Nursing.

History Major Wins Research Strategies Award

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –- Samantha Geib, a sophomore history major from Des Plaines, Ill., is the second annual recipient of The Ames Library Artistic and Scholarly Research Strategies Award.

The $500 award, funded through donations to The Ames Library, recognizes students for their outstanding strategies of acquiring information in creating scholarly, artistic or creative projects. To be considered for the award, students must submit an application along with a 500-700 word essay, a digital copy of the project, a letter of support from the faculty member or instructor who assigned the project and signed consent to have the project electronically archived in the Digital Commons. Eligible projects are those completed within the current academic year, regardless of when preparation began.

Geib completed her research, titled “The Boston Molasses Disaster,” that detailed the aftermath of a horrific event that occurred in Boston in 1919.

Courtroom Drama: Theatre Alumna Practices Law

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For some, the excitement and anticipation of the first day of college can overwhelm the mind, turning the experience into nothing more than a generic blur of recollections. However, for others, the first day of class can make a long-lasting impact.

While standing in a circle among fellow theatre majors on the very first day of class, Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Samantha Glaudel, class of ’93, learned a lesson that would remain with her for the rest of her professional life.

As a student raised his arm to look at his watch, Professor Emeritus John Ficca asked the student what time it was. “The student did not know. Dr. Ficca told us at that point to never make a move without a purpose – otherwise it would not be believable. That lesson sticks out to me every time I do anything in front of an audience – whether the audience is in the theatre, a jury box, or watching my films,” said Glaudel.

Although Glaudel graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in theatre performance, she immediately went on to pursue her studies in law at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Law. Upon graduating with a juris doctorate in 1996, Glaudel worked in the district attorney’s office and also had experience in private practice. Between the two jobs, she has had six years of trial work, with a few hundred cases going to trial. Today, Glaudel works as the senior staff attorney for the chief judge in her judicial circuit in Savannah, Ga.

For Glaudel, there is a correlation between acting and the law. “When an attorney tries a case in front of a jury – or even a judge – the attorney is presenting material that tells the story of his/her client’s circumstances,” Glaudel said. She explained how an attorney has to memorize the facts of the case, comparing them to lines in a play. An attorney must do an opening and closing, which is much like setting the scene. When a client changes testimony, she said, an attorney has to think on his/her feet, which is similar to another actor dropping his/her lines.

Travel Courses Teach Business Abroad

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – It is one thing to learn about Asian Economics in a classroom, however learning about it while visiting the Caterpillar factory in Singapore provides an entirely different business experience. Such opportunities have been made possible by Illinois Wesleyan University, as well as professors such as Associate Professor of Business Administration Fred Hoyt, who has traveled to approximately 30 countries with students during various business study-abroad courses.

Hoyt began taking students on month-long study-abroad trips in 1993 with destinations such as Europe, Asia and Australia. The trips provide both the chance to travel and a business course abroad. Before their departure, students must first study and read about business practices in the countries they will visit, as well as write a comparative essay about their readings. Then while abroad, the students visit international businesses, receive tours of foreign companies and even meet with expatriates living overseas.

Faust Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Jennifer Faust has been awarded a 2009 Fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Faust plans to use the $5,000 Fellowship toward graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Faust, a chemistry major from St. Louis, 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.

Santos Wins Technos International Prize

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Janelle Santos has been named the 2010 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.

A double major in international studies and sociology, Santos traveled to Japan in June of 2008 as one of those chosen to attend Technos International Week, and presented her experiences during an Asian Colloquium back on the Illinois Wesleyan campus.

A Harwood Heights, Ill., native, Santos has completed internships with the Home Sweet Home homeless shelter in Bloomington, the Illinois Department of Human Services in Chicago, and the Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries, which allowed her the chance to work with refugee children from nations including Myanmar, Bhutan and Iraq. “The time I spent with the kids allowed me to discover the stories of actual children and families who were forced to escape from their native countries, and who now seek to make the most of life in America,” Santos said in her award application.

Junior to Receive Scholarship From Risk and Insurance Management Society

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan junior and risk management and economics major Dennis Zic will be awarded a $750 scholarship from the Mid-Illinois Chapter of Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS) on Monday, April 19.

Zic, who is a native of Wood Dale, Ill., was nominated by Assistant Professor of Business Administration Jeungbo Shim who sent the chapter Zic’s resume and personal essay describing his future goals in the field of risk management. Once reviewed by the officers and directors of the Mid-Illinois Chapter, Zic was chosen for the scholarship.

Recipients of the scholarship must be full time undergraduate students, but not seniors, majoring in risk management, insurance or a related field. Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a career objective in one of the aforementioned areas of study.

A not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the practice of risk management, RIMS has 68 chapters in the United States, one of which is the Mid-Illinois Chapter for members residing in Central Illinois.

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