Author Archives: Ann Aubry

Mohan Named to Professorship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University President Richard F. Wilson announced Tuesday that Chemistry Professor Ram Mohan has been awarded the Earl H. and Marian A. Beling Professorship in the Natural Sciences at Illinois Wesleyan.

“Endowed professorships honor faculty members who have distinguished themselves in terms of teaching, research, and service,” said Wilson. “Dr. Mohan is a recognized scholar, both nationally and internationally, and is an exemplary teacher and mentor for students at Illinois Wesleyan. We are pleased to recognize his accomplishments in this very special way.”

“I am both deeply honored and humbled to be named the Beling Professor,” said Mohan, who has been teaching at Illinois Wesleyan since 1996. “It offers great encouragement and validation for the work I have been doing at Illinois Wesleyan with our own students.” Mohan’s celebrated research is geared toward discovering environmentally friendly synthetic methods for chemists to use at pharmaceutical and other companies. His work is known worldwide and published in international journals.

“The Belings, who are remembered as humanitarians and philanthropists dedicated to their community and education, established the professorship because of their admiration for the liberal arts at Illinois Wesleyan and because of the quality of the IWU faculty,” said Ben Rhodes, associate vice president for advancement at Illinois Wesleyan. Earl Beling, who died in 1977, was the founder of Beling Engineering Consultants, which had offices throughout the Midwest. A resident of Moline, Ill., Mr. Beling was a former president of the Illinois Association of School Boards, and was one of the founders of Black Hawk College. Mrs. Beling, who died in 1970, was known for her volunteer work, and held several leadership positions with the Central Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Alumna Pursues Passion for Girls’ Education, Healthcare in Africa

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Shannon O’Rourke, an international studies and political science double major while at Illinois Wesleyan, took an off-beat route to her interest in Africa.

“I actually realized I wanted to go to Africa when I was studying abroad in Switzerland during my junior year,” said O’Rourke, a 2007 Illinois Wesleyan graduate who recently returned from spending six months in Senegal on a Rotary Cultural Ambassador Scholarship. While in Switzerland, her study abroad research project involved working with a World Trade Organization representative from Tanzania. “Something simply clicked in my head and I thought, ‘I am going to go to Africa.’”

O’Rourke discovered the Rotary scholarship, which would allow her to study Arabic in Tanzania or French in Senegal. “I’d already studied French in college and high school for a few years, so I decided on Senegal,” she said.

The scholarship required her to study 225 hours of French with a professor at a small language school in Senegal’s capitol city of Dakar. Driving from the Dakar airport with her host family, O’Rourke realized she had stepped into a new world. “I spent the entire 20-minute drive staring out the window because everything looked so different. I had never seen anything like it.”

Human Encroachment on Coasts Worsens Impact of Natural Disasters

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The 2008 Cyclone Nagris in Myanmar, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2004 tsunami in Thailand – all these natural disasters have something in common, they all occurred around vanishing ‘bio-guards.’ An Illinois Wesleyan University professor believes the planned destruction of these bio-guards is contributing to the catastrophic nature of some coastal storms, and jeopardizing human lives.

“Bio-guards are natural barriers between the water and the coastline,” said Given Harper, chair of the biology department at Illinois Wesleyan and an instructor in the University’s Environmental Studies Program. Coming in the form of salt-tolerant plants and trees in the mangroves of Myanmar, or barrier islands and coastal marshes along Louisiana’s shore, bio-guards can help shield the land and people living there from the ravages of storms. “Scientific studies have shown that bio-guards are important in protecting people from the impact of hurricanes and cyclones,” Harper said.

After the cyclone devastated Myanmar in early May, leaving more than 80,000 dead and tens of thousands more missing, the secretary-general of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said the tragedy was exacerbated by the double punch of people moving into the coastal areas and the loss of coastal bio-guards, such as the mangroves. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that since 1975 nearly 250,000 acres of Myanmar mangroves have been destroyed in the delta that was worst hit by the recent cyclone, and that vegetation might have provided a much-needed buffer.

According to Harper, the tightly knit roots and trees of mangroves act as a barrier that can deflect wind and some of the energy of a storm surge. “Coastal marshes can offer the same protection,” he said. “It has been estimated that 2.7 miles of coastal marsh will reduce storm surge by a foot. They simply absorb the energy from the wave.”

The natural barrier of bio-guards is disappearing as human encroach on coastlines for business and pleasure. According to the UN, more than 20 percent of the world’s mangroves have been lost over the past 30 years. “For mangroves, it appears that aquaculture – development for fishing and shrimping – and also tourism seem to be major factors in their depletion,” he said. Harper has witnessed the transformation of coastlands firsthand. Throughout the 1990s, he led several student study abroad trips to Queensland, Australia, during the University’s May Term.

Students Commit to Teach Where Needed Most

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Selected from hundreds of applicants by the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois and Teach For America programs, 10 Illinois Wesleyan students are honoring their commitments to provide students in schools of need with highly trained teachers.

Illinois Wesleyan class of 2008 graduates Amanda Cordes, an English and Spanish double major with a secondary education concentration from Naperville; Michael Lawton, a music education major from River Forest; Kristine Madigan, an educational studies and sociology double major from Skokie and Amy Sipovic, a history major with a secondary education concentration from LaSalle are fulfilling their promise to the Golden Apple Foundation as they embark on their teaching careers throughout the state of Illinois. Also, Sophomore Anne Marie Casa, an English major with a secondary education concentration from Berwyn was recently selected as a Golden Apple Pathway Scholar.

Illinois Wesleyan has additionally learned that three incoming 2008-2009 first-year students have recently joined the Golden Apple Scholars program: Claire Current, an educational studies major from Bloomington; Tristan Rogers, an educational studies major from Oak Park, and Rebekah Park, a biology major with a secondary education concentration from Wilmette.

Two Students Named Peace Fellows

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two Illinois Wesleyan students, Marie-Claudine Villacorta and Monica Shah, are the latest additions to the Peace Fellows Program, which names two students as Peace Fellows annually. The students agree to a two-year commitment during which they will complete three courses outside their major devoted to the study of peace, complete an independent study and complete an off-campus internship in the United States or abroad.

The Peace Fellows Program was established in 2007 by alumnus John Stutzman and his wife, Erma. The program is open to first and second year Illinois Wesleyan students from all disciplines who are interested in commitment and dedication to peace and social justice.

Qualifications require the students to undergo an application process involving writing a personal statement, submitting a plan for their two years of study, expected coursework, ideas for a research topic and internship and an interview with the selection committee of the Peace Fellows Program.

The selection committee for this year’s Peace Fellows Program included Irving Epstein, professor of educational studies; James Simeone, associate professor of political science; Paul Bushnell, professor of history and Abigail Jahiel, associate professor of environmental and international studies.

As part of her mission in life, Villacorta, a senior international studies and French double major, has developed an interest in discovering peace and conflict resolutions based on her personal knowledge of growing up in the Philippines where she learned, firsthand, the consequences of unstable governments, civil wars, bombings and terrorism.

“Being a Peace Fellow will allow me to contribute toward achieving the goal of eventually helping my family, fellow Filipinos and people from different parts of the world who struggle with the issues of living in a conflicted area,” said Villacorta.

In addition to being a part of the Peace Fellows Program, Villacorta will partake in the Washington Semester Program in the fall, during which students study for an entire semester in Washington, D.C. at American University. She will intern with an international organization that works toward development in Africa and this internship will fulfill the Peace Fellows requirement. Villacorta will also research non-genocidal societies in Africa, in hopes of finding sustainable solutions for resolving conflict and preventing violence as her independent study project.

“My study will be interdisciplinary. I believe that conflicts are not only political but also anthropological and at their core, economic in nature. Conflict resolution incorporating all of these disciplines provides a process platform to address differences rooted in social justice,” said Villacorta.

Shah, a junior international studies major, applied to become a Peace Fellow because it will aid her in achieving her future goals of working with an international organization and teaching at the high school or college level, introducing international and peace issues to her classes.

This past semester Shah studied in Washington D.C., interning at the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, a nonprofit research organization that increases awareness of political affairs in Latin America and their relations with the United States, writing articles for their journal, Washington Report on the Hemisphere, and their Web site, www.coha.org. This summer she will intern in Chicago at the office of Senator Barack Obama.

While in Washington D.C., Shah also researched peaceful resolution of conflict through diplomatic efforts of international organizations as her independent study project. She conducted interviews with United Nations (U.N.) officials, did a study of the U.N. Security Council and will continue to research the effectiveness of the U.N. in promoting peacekeeping and using diplomacy and the promotion of human rights.

“Many people think that institutions like the U.N. are ineffective. However, many of their peacekeeping and diplomatic missions are ‘quiet successes,’” said Shah.

New Graduate Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – 2008 Illinois Wesleyan University graduate Nicholas Timme, a philosophy and physics double major, has been awarded a Fellowship by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for the 2008-2009 academic year.

The fellowship will enable Timme, of Bloomington, to pursue a doctorate in physics at Indiana University. Timme is one of 100 students nationwide to receive the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship and Award of Excellence this year. Currently, 60 Fellowships of $5,000 and 40 Awards of Excellence of $2,000 are given each year to deserving students for first-year graduate study.

The selection process for the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships and awards of Excellence is based on the applicants’ undergraduate academic performance; leadership and service on campus and in the community; evidence of undergraduate potential; a personal statement of educational perspective, purpose and objectives; and evaluation reports from three individuals who are in a position to attest to the student’s performance, citizenship and character.

Geothermal System Adds to ‘Greening’ of Welcome Center

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – While looking at the grand architecture of the early 1900s, many people see stoic red brick or sweeping lines of sculpture carved into stone. Illinois Wesleyan University Director of the Physical Plant Bud Jorgensen sees missed opportunities.

“When this building was constructed about 80 years ago, they were practically giving energy away,” said Jorgensen as he walked past Presser Hall on the edge of the University’s Eckley Quadrangle. “It was built without any insulation. And why not? It was cheaper to pay for the energy than it was to install insulation.”

Nearly a century has passed, and now the University faces a world of soaring energy prices, and a dawning global awareness of the environmental impact of decades of unchecked energy consumption. “The United States is six percent of the world’s population, which uses 30 percent of the world’s energy, and it is taking a toll,” said Jorgensen, who is one of the people helping oversee the construction of the Minor Myers jr. Welcome Center, scheduled to open this fall. “We know something has to change.”

As part of Illinois Wesleyan’s continuing efforts to create a more ecologically friendly or “sustainable” campus, the University leaders decided to install geothermal heating and cooling units in the Welcome Center. The units are just one of many sustainable features planned for the new Center, which leaders expect will be certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building by the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be the first LEED-certified building on campus and in the city of Bloomington.

What is geothermal?

Geothermal technology has been around in some form since the Roman Empire, but has only recently emerged into prominence for modern builders over the last few decades. “The whole idea is taking advantage of heat stored in the ground and using it like a large solar battery,” said Jorgensen, who noted the earth absorbs about 47 percent of solar radiation, keeping the planet’s crust at a relatively constant temperature of 55 degrees.

The geothermal system will consist of a series of pipes and small pumps, which push an antifreeze solution through the pipes and circulate it throughout the building. The Welcome Center will have 18 “wells,” or series of pipes descending 250 feet into the earth. Compressors will help regulate the building’s temperature at 72 degrees.

Prothero to Discuss the Importance of Religious Literacy

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Author of American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon and The New York Times bestseller Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—And Doesn’t, Stephen Prothero will speak at Illinois Wesleyan University on Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington).

The event is free and open to the public.

Prothero, chair of Boston University’s Department of Religion, will discuss the issue of religious illiteracy in America. He will also examine society’s perspective of religion based on its concepts of the embodiment of Jesus Christ throughout various time periods.

Drawing from his latest book, Prothero argues that public schools should reinstate the study of the Bible as well as various world religions. He contends that without a thorough education of the principles of religion, Americans cannot understand essential aspects of the Iraqi war, current social concerns, or political debate and conduct.

Student Lands Prestigious Wall Street Internship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University sophomore Babawande Afolabi understands poverty; he grew up seeing it everyday in his homeland of Nigeria.

“People cannot afford to eat, feed their children or send them to school,” said Afolabi, who came to the United States in 2006 to attend Illinois Wesleyan. “The majority of the people in Nigeria live in rural areas, and these are the people who really feel the pangs of poverty.”

Afolabi arrived in America intent on finding a way to help his home country. Here, he discovered the emerging concept of “microloans,” small loans to individuals to help them start businesses. “Giving people microloans means giving them a shot at life,” said Afolabi. “Small businesses give people the means to send children to school, hopefully raising the literacy rates and lowering crime. It provides a new foundation for society.”

Focused on his pursuit of bringing microloans to Nigeria, Afolabi applied for an internship with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which places minority students with some of the top companies in the nation. Of the more than 5,000 students who applied for internships through SEO, Afolabi is one of only 438 students to receive an internship, working this summer for Morgan Stanley on Wall Street.

“All of this will help when I return to Nigeria and speak to financial institutions there about creating a microloan program,” said Afolabi, whose own father had a business idea that died away because he could not secure a loan for as little as $200. “My father’s business idea could not flourish because he had no money, no collateral and no connections to make it happen,” said Afolabi. “There are so many people like him. I hope microloans can help. I hope they can be a lifeline for my people.”

The SEO Career Program most often works with college juniors, placing them in seven categories of internships, ranging from accounting and corporate law to global corporate finance leadership. Afolabi, whose internship is in investment banking, is one of only 48 sophomores granted an SEO internship this summer. Afolabi will begin his internship May 19 with intensive training in New York through SEO.

Fortune 500 Company Chairman Urges Adaptability

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Fortune 500 company chairman Norm Wesley said tomorrow’s leaders will have to have more than business savvy, they will have to have an ability to adapt to changing times.

“The one thing that is certain is that these are uncertain times,” said Wesley, addressing the annual Illinois Wesleyan Associates’ Luncheon on Thursday, May 8, at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.

Today’s leaders must find a way to maintain their vision for a company. “You must focus on the long-term, even when on Wall Street you are only as good as your last business quarter,” said Wesley. “It’s important today to really balance the short-run with the long-run.”

As the leader of a company doing business around the globe, Wesley understands what it takes to succeed. As chairman of the board of Fortune Brands, Inc., he oversees an $8 billion consumer products company that includes premier brands including Jim Beam, Sauza, Courvoisier, Titleist, Moen and Master Lock.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 360 business leaders in McLean County, Wesley encouraged present and future business leaders to look for people who can handle a variety of situations, and help carry out a company vision. “Everyone has constrains of what they can and cannot do,” said Wesley, who noted people are a company’s number one resource. “In a business, you must be conscious of what you want to do.”

For younger members of the audience, Wesley advised them to maintain realistic expectations. “No one starts out in management. Get the broadest perspective you can,” he said, adding that students should take advantage of internships. “Not only do they give real life experience, but they show you what you don’t want to do as much as what you do want to do in life.” Wesley also urged students to stick with ethical business practices. “I don’t know how to run a business if you don’t start with integrity,” said Wesley.

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