Category Archives: Faculty

Wesleyan Group Builds Ties With Moroccan Universities

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A group of nine faculty and staff from Illinois Wesleyan University recently traveled half way around the world to help establish ties with a university in Morocco. The participants were part of the Morocco Initiative, sent to the North African nation to explore possible collaborative projects, discuss research and meet with counterparts at Al Akhawayn University (AUI) in Ifrane, Morocco.

“We came to Morocco to learn, to experience and to share,” said Associate Dean of Curriculum Zahia Drici, who led the group of five faculty and two staff members along with International Office Director Stacey Shimizu. Those chosen for the Initiative were Academic Outreach Librarian and Associate Professor Lynda Duke, Environmental Studies Director and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and International Studies Abigail Jahiel, Hispanic Studies Chair and Professor Carolyn Nadeau, Associate Professor of Economics Diego Mendez-Carbajo, Associate Professor of Economics Ilaria Ossella-Durbal, University of Communications Staff Writer Rachel Hatch and Career Consultant Robyn Walter.

Before leaving for their weeklong trip to Morocco in June, the group met throughout the spring semester and explored topics of research in a seminar format. Readings and discussions about Morocco included areas such as women’s role in contemporary society, the nation’s environmental challenges, cultural influences of Spain, public higher education and economic relations between the European Union and North Africa.

When in Morocco, the group scheduled several days of talks at AUI, and also set out to experience the people and culture of Morocco, making trips to historic areas of several cities. The group dined with Professor Saloua Zerhouni, who has applied to become a Fulbright scholar at Illinois Wesleyan this fall. A political science professor at Morocco’s largest university, Université Mohammad V – Souissi in the capitol city of Rabat, Zerhouni arranged meetings for the Illinois Wesleyan group with faculty and administrators at Mohammad V.

“This is how we build international bridges,” said Nadeau, who came to Morocco to study the influence that Moroccan Amazigh (or Berber) tribes played on today’s Spanish cuisine. Although she has studied extensively in Spain, Nadeau has never had the chance to cross the eight-mile stretch of water between Spain and Morocco. “I was able to walk through the markets, taste the food, talk with scholars about my research and visit with librarians at both the University of Fez and Al Akhawayn,” said Nadeau. “The physical connection to this part of history was overwhelming, in the good sense of the word.”

Play Director Gets Help From Fellow Alumni

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan School of Theatre Arts graduate Marti Lyons will direct a challenging play this summer, but she won’t be alone. Plenty of IWU alumni and faculty have filled the ranks of the production’s cast and crew.

Tooth and Nail Ensemble will present Maria Irene Fornes’ The Conduct of Life, its debut production, beginning July 11 at Chicago’s Viaduct Theater in cooperation with Two Lights Theatre Company.

“It is incredible to work with everyone again,” Lyons said. “We are so far ahead in the process because we have a shared vocabulary from which to work.”

She and fellow Class of ’08 alumnus Tim Martin were inspired to form Tooth and Nail Ensemble after returning to Illinois Wesleyan last fall to view a production by Associate Theatre Arts Professor Sandra Lindberg. “We started talking about how we were not satisfied with the work we were doing [in Chicago],” Lyons said. “We talked about how we had a real ensemble feel in our Wesleyan training and how much we would want to work with Sandra and a lot of other Wesleyan graduates again.”

The former classmates had studied The Conduct of Life in Lindberg’s Introduction to Dramatic Literature class. “Tim and I were both very moved by the play when we read it in school, so when I mentioned it he got very excited, and then when Sandra agreed to be in it, we knew we had a show,” Lyons said.

The pair recruited Martin Langrall ’08 as their production manager and formed their own ensemble.

Moralee Receives Prestigious Rome Prize

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Professor of History Jason Moralee is the recipient of the prestigious Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Post-Doctoral Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome.

Beginning this fall, Moralee will spend 11 months in Rome as a fellow at the academy, working among 30 fellows in diverse fields. “The artists and scholars who are awarded the Rome Prize are chosen from across the nation and represent the highest standard of excellence in the arts and humanities,” said Shawn Miller, program director of the academy.

Moralee, the first Illinois Wesleyan faculty member to receive a full fellowship with the academy, said the prize is more than an honor. “I saw the American Academy in Rome when I was doing my graduate studies, and I knew it would always be a goal of mine to study there,” he said. “It is fabulously situated, and an incredible opportunity to speak with other scholars.”

Founded in 1894, the academy is located on the Janiculum, the highest hill within the walls of Rome. The goal of the fellowship program is to invite scholars from different fields to converse and collaborate. “We hope to give those creating art the chance to speak with those who study the best in art and humanities,” said Miller. “The fellows live in the same buildings and eat together. It offers them a chance to share ideas, and develop their work to new depths. It is a true intellectual community.” Other scholars and artists joining Moralee include architects, artists and composers, as well as professors from such universities as Columbia and Colgate.

400 Years of Galileo: Myths, Facts and Influence of a Renaissance Man

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Galileo Galilei has been called the father of modern astronomy, the father of modern physics and the father of modern science. As the international science community celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the skies, Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Physics Linda French talked about the continuing influence of this Renaissance man.

“Anyone who has ever taken physics, or even looked through a telescope, has some knowledge of Galileo’s findings,” said French, of the man who discovered four moons of Jupiter, and promoted the idea that the earth was not the center of the universe.

It was the latter idea that ran Galileo into trouble with the Inquisition. “I think more people remember him for his problems with the Inquisition than his mathematical interpretation of physical properties,” she said. “Whether he wanted to or not, he fought a battle that had to be fought.”

Professor’s Research Ties Fitness to Avoiding Mistakes

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — What advice do you hear to help you avoid making mistakes? Slow down. Take it easy. Double-check your work.

How about — Go for a jog?

An Illinois Wesleyan University faculty member has been gaining attention for his studies connecting higher levels of fitness to improvements in correcting mistakes.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Jason Themanson has been studying the idea that fitness levels can affect the area of the brain that detects mistakes.

His study, which was originally published last year in Neuroscience, caught the attention of Men’s Health magazine. In a June 2009 Men’s Health article titled “Win the Mind Games,” Themanson is quoted as saying study subjects with higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness could better identify and correct more mistakes than those in the study who were less fit. “Fitter people can absorb more oxygen into their blood,” said Themanson, noting fitness was related to the improved function of the part of the brain that detects errors, known as the anterior cingulate cortex. “When you make a mistake, the cingulate cortex sends a signal, letting you know,” he said.

English Chair to Lead International Updike Society

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A newly formed organization devoted to the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Updike will be headed by Illinois Wesleyan University English Department Chair James Plath.

At the American Literature Association’s annual conference in Boston May 24, Updike scholars formed The John Updike Society. The group, which includes 40 scholars from five countries, plans to publish a journal of Updike studies and to host conferences in places where the author worked and lived, like Pennsylvania and Boston. Illinois Wesleyan will host the society’s Web site.

“What John Updike has done for American literature is astounding,” Plath said. “His work connects us with our American literary past, and he is forever a part of that now.” Plath has studied Updike for more than 20 years. His interest in the novelist was first piqued during an English class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Plath began a correspondence with the author, and eventually wrote his dissertation on “The Painterly Aspects of John Updike’s Fiction.” He also worked closely with the novelist while editing the book Conversations with John Updike in 1994.

Folse Named School of Nursing Director

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.

Provost’s Trip Builds Bridges with India

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Provost Beth Cunningham was chosen to travel this semester to India as part of a special program of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), which is known for the Fulbright Program.

Cunningham’s special program, known as the India Higher Education Administrators Seminar, sent 10 administrators to establish international connections with universities in India.

“The colleges and universities we visited really wanted to build collaborations,” said Cunningham, who spent two weeks in India this March. “This trip was to help us think about ways we could work together in the future as institutions of higher education.”

According to Cunningham’s studies, only about 11 percent of the eligible Indian population go on to higher education, a stark difference to the estimated 56 percent in developed nations. “The goal of India’s government is to raise that level to 20 percent within the next few years,” said Cunningham. “One challenge to that is the lack of faculty and trained administrators, which is what makes these trips so important.”

Professor’s Play Chosen in Regional Competition

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A play written by Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Greek and Roman Studies Nancy Sultan was one of three selected for “New Plays from the Heartland,” a regional, one-act play competition sponsored by Heartland Theatre Company in Normal.

“I guess you could say that my lifelong love of language and spectacle stimulated my scholarly interest in Greek drama and music,” said Sultan, who has been acting in plays since she was 8 years old. Her latest play, “No Goodbyes” will be performed May 15-16 at the Heartland Theatre (One Normal Plaza, Normal). The play follows the theme of the competition, “The Patience of Patients: One Act Plays in a Private Hospital Room.” Sultan’s piece “No Goodbyes,” deals with one friend asking permission from another to die.

Playwrights from across seven states were invited to submit one-act plays for the competition. Submissions from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin were judged by directors, critics, playwrights and theater educators. These judges sent their top eight entrees to Ken Weitzman, a nationally known playwright, who chose the final three plays for a staged reading. The three qualifying playwrights will also attend a workshop with Weitzman in May.

Theatre Students Exchange Feedback With Lyricist

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – It was a chance theater students do not have when they perform Shakespeare – to hear what the playwright thinks of their performance, and to offer suggestions of their own.

On Saturday, April 25, successful composer, lyricist and librettist Lawrence Rush attended the Illinois Wesleyan University performance of Winter in the Fall, his musical drama. The next day, Rush spoke with students of the Music Theatre 483 class, who performed in the show under the direction of their instructor, Assistant Professor of the Theatre Arts Scott Susong.

“You did an incredible job. It was thrilling to sit in the audience and watch how you interpreted the show,” said Rush, speaking to students in the E. Melba Johnson Kirkpatrick Laboratory Theatre. “You are helping to bring the show to a whole new place.”

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