Category Archives: News

Cannon Selected to Attend Fulbright Summer Institute

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University student Kathryn Cannon has received a spot at the prestigious Fulbright Summer Institute in the United Kingdom. The sophomore from Rolling Meadows, Ill., will study at Cardiff University, Bangor University and Aberystwyth University in Wales as part of one of the most selective, summer scholarship programs operating worldwide.

Created by treaty in 1948, the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission is the only bi-lateral, transatlantic scholarship program, offering awards and summer program for study or research in any field. The Commission is part of the Fulbright Program conceived by Senator J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empathy between nations through educational exchange. Award recipients support the “special relationship” between the U.S. and U.K.

Cannon will experience the U.K. on a six-week summer program, including spending two weeks studying at each of three universities in Wales. Along with seven other participants from across the United States, she will be exploring the theme of “Contemporary Wales: Economy, Culture, Politics and Change.”

While participating in the Fulbright Wales Summer Institute, Cannon said she hopes to not only explore key issues of modern-day Wales, but also of the U.K. as a whole. “I want to gain a better understanding of the Welsh culture, and how it manages to maintain its distinctive identity within a globalizing world,” said Cannon, who was selected for the institute after a rigorous application and interview process. “I am honored that I was accepted into this program and thankful for the amazing opportunities this summer institute offers.”

University Board of Trustees Elects New Members

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees elected Trustees and a slate of officers at the May 24 annual meeting.

John Esch has been elected to the Board for the term expiring 2014. Esch, a 1979 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, has been a general and vascular surgeon in Bloomington-Normal since 1987. He has served as chief of staff and chief of surgery at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and chief of surgery at Advocate BroMenn. He has also served as an Alumni Association Trustee from 2008-2011. Esch received his bachelor’s degree in biology from IWU and his doctor of medicine degree from South Illinois University School of Medicine in 1982.

Elected to the Board for the term expiring in 2013 is Richard M. King, II. King, a 1967 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, is the president and CEO of Kittleman and Associates, LLC, an executive search firm for not-for-profits, and is a founding member of the National Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from IWU in 1967, and later earned master’s degrees in social work from Florida State University and in business administration from Dominican University, where he served as a trustee for 11 years. He serves on the Board of Directors of the First Nonprofit Insurance Companies and the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation.

Barbara J. Nathan has been elected as an Alumni Association Trustee. A 1980 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, Nathan has been the executive director of the Community Cancer Center and Foundation in Normal since 1996. She was named the 2009 Healthcare Executive of the Year by the American Academy of Medical Administrators. Nathan received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from IWU in 1980 and has served as president of the American College of Oncology Administrators Board, Community Cancer Center Board and the Leadership Illinois Advisory Board. She was named a YWCA Woman of Distinction in 1995.

Timothy J. Szerlong has been elected to the Board for the term expiring in 2014. Szerlong, a 1974 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, is president of Worldwide Field of Operations for the CNA Financial Corporation. He also served as senior vice president and an Eastern U.S. Field Operations Officer for The Chubb Corporation for 35 years. Szerlong received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from IWU and completed the advanced management program of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on the board of directors with Inroads/Chicago Inc., the Sigma Chi Risk Management Foundation, and currently serves on the Midwest Board of Operation Hope.

Caterpillar CFO Describes How Company Survived Financial Crisis

Caterpillar’s CFO Edward Rapp Addresses Associates

May 19, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan Associates heard the story of how one global company survived its toughest year as they gathered for their annual luncheon on Thursday, May 19, at the IWU Shirk Center.

At the luncheon, Caterpillar, Inc. Group President and CFO Edward J. Rapp shared the journey of the company through the rough year of 2009 with a speech titled “Stay Strong: Managing Health through the Global Financial Crisis.” Rapp said Caterpillar, Inc. navigated the rough financial climate with a model he compared to the Boy Scouts: always be prepared, have calm and effective leadership, and have the courage to lead.

Be Prepared. Business is going to have fluctuations, said Rapp, who noted Caterpillar’s economists foresaw possible financial challenges coming several years before the 2008 collapse. “So we spent from 2005 to 2007 in what I like to call ‘trough management,’ or asking ourselves ‘What if the market comes apart?’” The fall of 2008 showed just what could happen to the market, exceeding everyone’s fears. “Between 2008 and 2009, we had the largest year-to-year decline in sales in company history,” said Rapp. “But because we had a plan, it changed the debate. We were not talking about what to do, but which trigger to pull at what time.”

Remain calm. “In a crisis, do not stand up in the canoe,” Rapp said, noting business leaders find out who they during tougher times. “It was important for us to communicate to our employees that this was not the first group of Caterpillar leaders to face difficult times,” said Rapp, noting the company had survived the Great Depression and World War II. “We also tried to emphasize to our leaders that, when things work against you, you are not a victim. You are a leader, and it is your job to lead others through this time.”

Have the courage to lead. Rapp relayed a favorite saying within the global company of Caterpillar. “The road to progress begins with a road, period,” he said. Operating in countries all over the globe, Rapp said Caterpillar continued throughout the crisis to provide equipment that helped build infrastructure in growing nations such as China, Brazil and India. “When you make tough decisions in tough times, make sure you always keep an eye on the future,” he said, adding, “and we did have to make tough calls.” The year 2009 still meant billions of dollars less in revenue for the corporate giant, and the company faced workforce cuts, which Rapp called “by far the hardest thing you have to do as a leader. But you have to always remember the long-term vitality of the enterprise, or else you put the entire workforce at risk.”

University Selected for Honor Roll

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Illinois Wesleyan University has been named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service to helping others throughout the United States.

Announced on Thursday, May 12, the award, which is recognized at the highest levels of the federal government, will be presented in June at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in New Orleans. According to the organization, institutions of higher learning selected for this honor, “reflect the values of exemplary community service” and have achieved meaningful outcomes of civil engagements on their campuses and in their communities.

For a complete list of this year’s top honorees, go to: www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll/.

Kinzinger: We Can Face Nation’s Financial Mess

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Community leaders gathered to hear about issues affecting the nation at a luncheon with U.S. Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-11th District) on Thursday on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.

The luncheon in the Hansen Student Center was sponsored by the Illinois Wesleyan Associates. “The Associates are comprised of local leaders who are at the forefront of business,” said Illinois Wesleyan Director of Government and Community Relations Carl Tiechman. “Speaking with Congressman Kinzinger offered them more information about what is happening in Washington, D.C.” The Associates, founded in 1953, consists of business and professional leaders interested in the advancement and support of private higher education through scholarships and internships.

Kinzinger, who is a member of the U.S. Energy & Commerce Committee, spoke on the current financial crisis, and the effects on the federal budget. “We’re in a financial mess,” he said. The Congressman warned the audience that cuts “are going to hurt” as the federal budget restricts spending, but he believes the direction is a positive one for the nation. “The dialogue in Washington has changed,” he said. “We are no longer talking about how much to spend, but how much to cut.” Addressing members of the Associates, as well as local and state political leaders who also attended the event, Kinzinger emphasized the “importance of creating an environment for jobs to flourish,” he said.

Professor Munro Named Kemp Award Winner

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Political Science William Munro has been named the 2012 winner of the Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence on Wednesday, April 13, at the annual Honors Convocation in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall.

One of the highlights of the academic year, the Convocation is a chance to celebrate the scholastic achievements of the students and faculty on campus. The Kemp teaching award, which is the University’s highest teaching honor, is bestowed annually to a faculty member at the Convocation. Rene Shaffer attended the ceremony to represent the Kemp family, which has a long history of supporting Illinois Wesleyan.

The Convocation, which also honors students and faculty of national and international honors societies, included reminiscences from Student Senate Vice President Melissa Solis ’11, and an invocation from student Hillel member Amanda Packman ’11.

Professor Young Receives Inaugural Dougan Award

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Professor of History Michael Young has been named the first recipient of the James D. Dougan Award for Contributions to Faculty Governance, named in honor of the late professor of psychology, who died Oct. 10, 2010.

The Award was created by the Illinois Wesleyan chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), to recognize valuable service by a faculty member in keeping with Dougan’s commitment to the faculty’s right to a voice in shaping the direction of the University.

Young, who was selected by a committee of AAUP chapter members, was announced as the Dougan Award recipient at the April 4 faculty meeting by Joerg Tiede, associate professor of computer science and president of the IWU AAUP Chapter.

The award seeks to recognize an individual who demonstrates extraordinary service, such as in advocating for faculty interests, for academic freedom, or in finding cooperative solutions to campus challenges.

Young has exemplified these traits throughout his 40 years at Illinois Wesleyan, Tiede said. At his first faculty meeting after joining the faculty in 1970, Young weighed in — supporting students’ academic freedom.

Guggenheim Fellow to Speak at May 1 Commencement

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s 161st Commencement will be Sunday, May 1 at 1 p.m. on the Eckley Quadrangle, with nearly 460 graduates expected to participate. During the ceremonies, honorary doctor of humane letters degrees will be presented to poet and Guggenheim Fellow Linda Gregerson and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Almudena Carracedo.

Gregerson, a 2007 National Book Award finalist, will deliver the address “Just in Time” for the ceremony after receiving her honorary doctorate from Board of Trustees Chair George Vinyard. The poet has an abiding connection to Illinois Wesleyan through her daughter, who will graduate with the class of 2011.

The Caroline Walker Bynum Distinguished University Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, Gregerson teaches creative writing and Renaissance literature. A celebrated poet, Gregerson’s works include Magnetic North (Houghton Mifflin, 2007), Waterborne (Houghton Mifflin, 2002) and The Woman Who Died in Her Sleep (Houghton Mifflin, 1998). Magnetic North was a finalist for the National Book Award, and she won the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for Waterborne. The Woman Who Died in Her Sleep was a finalist for both The Poet’s Prize and the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.

Sweet Briar’s Green Named New Provost

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Jonathan D. Green, dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs at Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Va., has been named provost and dean of the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. In addition to this administrative appointment, he will also serve the University as professor of music. Green succeeds Beth Cunningham, who left the University last year to become executive officer at the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Illinois Wesleyan President Richard F. Wilson announced Green’s appointment, which will be effective August 1, 2011.

“I am delighted to welcome Jonathan Green to the University,” said Wilson. “Dr. Green has a deep and abiding commitment to the liberal arts and brings valuable experience from his eight years leading the faculty at Sweet Briar.”

Green’s selection came at the conclusion of a national search that began in the fall of 2010. He has served as dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs at Sweet Briar since 2004. His previous administrative roles included appointments as department chair and associate dean. Dr. Green joined the Sweet Briar faculty in 1996 as assistant professor of music and was promoted to full professor eight years later.

Record Number of IWU Students Accepted to Oxford Program

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A historic number of Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) students will be heading to historic Oxford University with the Pembroke Scholars Programme in the fall.

Seven IWU students have been accepted into Pembroke College of Oxford under a special exchange program that allows them to spend a year with students from universities such as Brown, Bryn Mawr, Boston College, Columbia, Cornell, Duke and Georgetown.

“Competition for the Pembroke Program was unusually intense this year,” said IWU Director of the International Office Stacey Shimizu, who noted IWU usually has one or two applicants selected annually for the program. “I was delighted that we had so many exceptionally qualified students interested in applying, and I’m absolutely thrilled that we will be sending a record number of IWU students to Pembroke. It testifies to the quality of our students and our faculty.”

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