Category Archives: Staff

Trey Short Appointed Assistant Provost and Chief Technology Officer

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.– Effective March 15, Trey Short will become Assistant Provost and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Short, who currently serves as Interim Associate Vice President of Information Technology (IT), will report directly to Provost and Dean of the Faculty Beth Cunningham.

Cunningham noted in her announcement of the new appointment that Short has strong support from everyone across campus and his calm demeanor and enthusiastic attitude will serve him well in the role of CTO.

“The campus network electronic implementation has benefited from Trey’s direction, first in wiring the entire campus and now in working with the Network Services team on the current network electronics upgrade project. He has collaborated on a daily basis with faculty, students, staff, and administrators on a variety of issues such as web services, telecommunications, IT help desk policies and campus cable television,” said Cunningham.

Drici Accepts Newly Created Associate Dean Position

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University Provost and Dean of the Faculty Beth A. Cunningham announced the appointment of faculty member Zahia Drici to the newly created position of associate dean of curriculum.

“Dr. Drici is an excellent teacher with a well-informed and broad overview of the university’s curriculum,” said Cunningham. In her new role, Drici will provide leadership in helping to strengthen programs in the curriculum, including overseeing the International Office and the May Term Program. “Dr. Drici’s experience as an international scholar will be invaluable,” added Cunningham.

Historian Describes “the American Contradiction”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – As we celebrate the iconic Abraham Lincoln during the month of his 200th birthday, it can be difficult to imagine the monumental task he faced eliminating slavery in America.

“It was not easy to be Abraham Lincoln, especially not easy to be Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States in the mid-1800s,” said James O. Horton. The Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian delivered an address titled, “Abraham Lincoln: Slavery and the Civil War” for Illinois Wesleyan University’s annual Founders’ Day Convocation in Westbrook Auditorium. Hear his address (mp3)

“Slavery is an old institution, around more than 150 years before there was a ‘United States,'” said Horton, an historian emeritus with the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. “Slavery and race have been part of America from its beginning.”

Faculty, Staff Chosen for Morocco Initiative

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Seven members of Illinois Wesleyan University have been chosen to travel to Morocco this summer as part of the IWU Faculty/Staff Seminar, also known as the Morocco Initiative. Five faculty members and two staff members will spend a week in June at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, helping to develop cross-continental ties between the universities.

The faculty and staff chosen are: Academic Outreach Librarian and Associate Professor Lynda Duke, Environmental Studies Chair and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Abigail Jahiel, Hispanic Studies Chair and Professor Carolyn Nadeau, Associate Professor of Economics Ilaria Osella-Durbal, Associate Professor of Economics Diego Mendez-Carbajo, University of Communications Staff Writer Rachel Hatch and Staff Counselor Robyn Walter. Those chosen will spend the spring semester preparing for the journey to Morocco through research and readings.

Boyd Accepts Associate Provost Position

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Frank Boyd, the associate dean of faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University, has accepted the position of associate provost for academic planning and standards. Boyd will assume the post in August of 2009, replacing Roger Schnaitter, who returns to the classroom as a member of the psychology faculty.

Boyd joined the political science faculty at Illinois Wesleyan in 1995, and later served as the department chair. Prior to coming to the University, he taught at Olgethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga., and Georgia State University. Boyd earned his bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Alabama in 1989, and his doctorate in political science from Emory University in Atlanta in 1996.

A popular teacher on campus, Boyd was named Illinois Wesleyan Professor of the Year by the Student Senate in 1997 and again in 1999.

Turner to Lead State Advising Organization

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Daniel Turner, director of academic advising at Illinois Wesleyan University, has been elected president of the Illinois Academic Advisors Association (ILAAA). The organization, which serves around 300 advisors and academic professionals from across the state, works to provide professional development opportunities for advisors in higher education institutions.

“It is such an honor to represent my colleagues and help to provide resources for advisors in the state,” said Turner, who was elected last week at the state ILAAA conference in Chicago. Part of his duties will be to oversee the next conference, which is scheduled for November of 2009. “To be part of these conferences is an amazing experience,” said Turner. “These daylong events provide more than leadership opportunities, they give professionals the chance to build relationships that can benefit all institutions of higher learning in Illinois.”

The ILAAA, which was founded in 1997, is part of the National Academic Advising Association, which offers membership to academic advisors and those in advising roles in higher education, including private and public universities and community colleges.

Turner joined Illinois Wesleyan in September, coming from Northern Illinois University (NIU), where he was acting director of their Academic Advising Center (AAC).

University’s Global Initiative Includes Travel to Morocco

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University will be sending faculty and staff to Morocco as part of a new joint seminar that is laying the groundwork for exchanges between universities in the Islamic countries and Illinois Wesleyan.

Those involved in the seminar will prepare for the trip during the spring semester at the Illinois Wesleyan campus and then spend a week in Morocco in June. The seminar is part of the University’s ongoing effort to promote international understanding and opportunities. Applications for those interested in the seminar are available on the Staff Council Web site, and due December 1. An informational meeting for faculty and staff will be Monday, November 17 at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the Minor Myers, jr. Welcome Center.

Illinois Wesleyan has recently established ties with universities in the Middle East and will establish ties with universities in India. Members of the administration have made visits to Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, and both Al Zaytoona University and Arab Open University in Amman, Jordan.

Collection of Political Paraphernalia a Reminder That Every Campaign is Historic

Wesleyan University students, faculty and staff join the rest of the world in anxiously awaiting the results of the 2008 election. A collection of campaign memorabilia dating back to 1904, which is on display in The Ames Library rotunda (1 Ames Plaza, Bloomington), offers a reminder to campus that win or lose, political campaigns are historic in their own right.

More than 100 buttons, ticket stubs and other campaign items make up the display, from a time when holographic imaging was the latest technology. Campaign buttons span the last 25 presidential contests, documenting the unsuccessful – Barry Goldwater ’64, the Rev. Jesse Jackson ’88 – and the victorious – Clinton-Gore ’92, Bush-Cheney ’00 – in equal measure.

The collection belongs to Steve Peterson, a member of Illinois Wesleyan’s Physical Plant staff and self-proclaimed “political junkie.” Peterson, who spent 18 years as a political commentator on a local radio station, inherited the first pieces from his grandmother but said the advent of eBay has made his collection balloon to more than 300 items.

“I used to pick up these things one at a time. I’d go into an antique store in New Orleans, and I might spend 80 dollars on an inauguration press pass,” said Peterson. “Some collectors pay thousands of dollars for a spoon used by Andrew Jackson,” but Peterson likes his postcard from former President Theodore Roosevelt just fine.

Teichman Named to New Downtown Planning Group

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University has always called Bloomington home. And the connection between the city and the University continues with the appointment of Director of Government and Community Relations Carl Teichman to the Downtown Strategy Steering Committee for the City of Bloomington.

“The University and the city have grown up together,” said Teichman, who will help offer guidance on the continuing redevelopment. “The work that is going on in downtown Bloomington will benefit more than one neighborhood. It will benefit the entire city. ”

The 10-member committee will work in partnership with Farr Associates to create a comprehensive “action” plan for the downtown, as well as commenting on and assessing the plan throughout the process of redevelopment. Teichman and other committee members will also participate in a series of public meetings to gain the input of residents. “The city has made a significant investment in the downtown, and it shows a great deal of fiscal responsibility that they are forming this committee,” said Teichman.

The inclusion of a member of Illinois Wesleyan on the committee is another example of how the city and the University are active partners, said Teichman. “From our President Richard F. Wilson’s interest in the Main Street Corridor, to our students from the Action Research Center working with the West Side Development Project, the University has been involved in building a momentum that will keep our community strong.”

The Ames Library Receives Grant To Study How Students Study

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University is one of the recipients of a grant from the Illinois State Library, which has awarded $177,000 to be shared by five Illinois universities to study the research methods of non-traditional and underserved students.

“Librarians think we know how students conduct their research, or we know how we wish they would conduct their research,” said Lynda Duke, academic outreach librarian and associate professor for The Ames Library, and lead researcher on the project for Illinois Wesleyan. “The reality is we do not have data that allows us to say that we truly understand their research process.” The study will assist the library in tailoring resources to better fit the needs of students, according to Duke. “As a result of this study, we hope to adjust our current services, or offer new options. Changes might range from adjusting the physical layout in different areas of the library, making modifications to our Web site or offering a new resource or service.”

The grant comes from the Library Services and Technology Act under the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, and was awarded to help answer the question, What do students, especially those in the underserved and non-traditional group identified by each library, actually do when they are assigned a research project for one of their class assignments and what are the expectations of students, faculty and librarians of each other with regard to this assignment? Illinois Wesleyan librarians will focus their research on international, African-American, Latino-American, Asian-American and Native American students, as well as library and teaching faculty. The library will employ methods such as mapping diaries, interviews, photo surveys and observation to gain understanding of how research assignments are approached by students. University Librarian Karen Schmidt notes, “This approach to understanding student use of library programs and spaces represents an emerging field of study for academic libraries. We are honored that Illinois Wesleyan was selected to be involved in this exciting venture.”

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