Roeschley Wins Fulbright Grant to Teach in Mexico

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Jason Roeschley has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach in Mexico. He is the second IWU senior to win one of the coveted Fulbright awards this year.

Operating in 150 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Envisioned by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1945, the program promotes a mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries of the world. Since its inception, more than 100,000 Americans have studied, taught or researched abroad with the program.

Roeschley, a Hispanic Studies major from Flanagan, Ill., will return to Mexico, for 10 months, where he will teach English. Roeschley spent the fall semester of his junior year studying abroad at the University of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he also volunteered for English conversational workshops at the Self-Learning Language Center.

“With so many people in the United States, and all over the world, speaking Spanish, this is an important time to open the doors between English and Spanish speakers,” said Roeschley, who also tutored local Spanish-speaking residents in English as second language classes last summer.

Bray Awarded for Book on What Lincoln Read

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University faculty member and R. Forrest Colwell Professor of American Literature Bob Bray recently received the 2010-11 Russell P. Strange Memorial Book Award for his book Reading with Lincoln.

The award, which was for the best book on a subject related to Illinois history and culture, was presented by Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon on behalf of the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS) at the ISHS annual Symposium in Carbondale, Ill.

Reading with Lincoln examines the books Lincoln read, and how those books reflect his thoughts and influences. Bray spent over a year compiling and reviewing materials for the book, which was intended for both the general public and Lincoln scholars. He reviewed everything from letters Lincoln composed for illiterate friends, to books, pamphlets, poetry, plays and essays to which Lincoln was exposed.

Students Elect James House Professor of the Year

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University students recently voted James House the 2011 Professor of the Year in the annual election coordinated by Student Senate.

House, who taught at Illinois State for over 30 years, has been with the Illinois Wesleyan Chemistry Department as an adjunct professor since 1997. Since then, House has contributed to his field by publishing many textbooks including Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry (Brooks Cole, 2001) and Inorganic Chemistry (Academic Press, 2008).

House, who studied for eight years in a one-room-schoolhouse in Benton, Ill., has been interested in chemistry since the fourth grade when he stumbled across a picture of a molecular structure in an encyclopedia. While in school, he also developed a desire to educate and credits the schoolhouse teacher with setting an example of how to teach with passion.

Leadership McLean County Attracts IWU Alumni

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After graduation, many Illinois Wesleyan University alumni scatter all across the globe to live and work, but some end up coming back to the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal where they spent their college years.

Three alumni are employed locally. Melissa Beaver ’93, is the director of marketing at Heritage Enterprises, and received a degree in business administration from IWU. Michael Jensen ’96, is a management consultant at State Farm and received dual degrees in political science and sociology. Joann Yant ’95, is a business analyst at State Farm, and received a history degree. Even though it has been nearly 20 years since they earned their degrees, the trio is still open to learning. They are taking a class through the McLean County Chamber of Commerce called Leadership McLean County (LMC).

According to the LMC website, the class was started in 1995, and is designed to develop community leaders by cultivating skills, awareness and engagement through intentional learning experiences. The yearlong program requires all of its members to attend leadership retreats every other Friday, attend a town council meeting and school board meeting in McLean County, volunteer for a local organization and complete a service project.

The bi-monthly sessions feature community-related themes such as Diversity Day, Agriculture Day, Education Day and Criminal Justice Day. Community leaders also speak at the sessions, sharing their personal leadership experiences. Many sessions include visiting locations such as the local jail, the coroner’s office, and, most recently, Springfield, Ill., to tour the capital building.

Carruthers Named One of America’s Most Daring Young Black Activists

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan alumna Charlene Carruthers ’07, was recently named one of America’s 10 Most Daring Young Black Activists by CampusProgress.org.

According to their website, Campus Progress is a national organization that works with and for young people to promote progressive solutions to key political and social challenges. The organization engages a diverse group of young people nationwide and attempts to inspire them to embrace their progressive values.

The Chicago native, who graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with dual degrees in international studies and history, was selected for the award for her efforts in Haiti after the devastating earthquake last August and for her political and social activism in her blog and twitter accounts. These accounts, she says, “document her individual journey to freedom and focus on issues affecting youth, women and people belonging in the African Diaspora.”

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.

Coles Awarded Fulbright Grant

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Emily Coles has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach in Bulgaria.

“Fulbright program participants possess strong academic merit, great leadership potential a passion for exploring and resolving international concerns,” said Fulbright advisor and Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Christina Isabelli-Garcia. “Fellowships are awarded competitively to candidates nationally who best and most clearly demonstrate how the Fulbright experience will enhance their future activities as well as impact the community where they are placed.”

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See related story: Coles Named Technos Award Winner

Jackson Wins Art Scholarship to Study in Florence

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan sophomore art major Leeya Jackson recently received the Studio Arts Center International (SACI) Consortium scholarship. Worth $11,800, the award will allow Jackson to study abroad at SACI in Florence, Italy for the Fall 2011 semester.

SACI is a U.S. not-for-profit university art and design program. The organization has awarded $79,000 in scholarships to students studying at SACI in the upcoming semester. Jackson was selected as the consortium scholar based on her submitted artwork, including Self-portrait in Acrylic (pictured).

Jackson is most excited for the SACI art conservation course, where she will learn to repair Renaissance art. She will also take an art history course, which makes frequent trips to Italy’s many museums. “I am also looking forward to being immersed in Florentine culture and exercising my Italian skills,” she said.

Students to Bike Across the Country for FACE AIDS

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – As the school year draws to a close, some Illinois Wesleyan University students are pondering what to do with their summer. Many will choose a summer job or internship, while others will elect to take summer classes. But junior biology majors Michael Henry and Vadim Kogan have chosen to bike over 4,000 miles across the United States to raise money and awareness for the FACE AIDS organization.

This is the fourth year of the FACE AIDS campaign, a not-for-profit student organization whose mission is to mobilize and inspire students to fight HIV/AIDS across the globe. The organization, which works in collaboration with Partner’s in Health, has raised over $2,000,000 since its inception. The money raised provides education, employment and comprehensive healthcare to those affected by HIV/AIDS in Rwanda.

Henry and Kogan were selected along with four other college and graduate students from across the country to complete the ride, which will begin on June 13, in Half Moon Bay, Ca. and end in Boston in August. By the end of the ride, Henry and Kogan have each pledged to raise $5,000 for FACE AIDS.

“I felt this ride would be the best way to make an impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Henry, the founder of the FACE AIDS organization at IWU. Kogan, who was introduced to the cross-country ride by Henry, felt this experience would combine three of his interests, cycling, seeing the country and talking to people about HIV/AIDS.

Pilot Program Promotes Student Leadership

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A pilot program at Illinois Wesleyan University aims to help students develop leadership skills by exploring personal values, ideas and strengths.

The Titan Leadership Program, which is run through the Division of Student Affairs, is considered the next step in helping students hone leadership skills, according to Dean of Students Kathy Cavins-Tull. “Through students and alumni surveys, we were hearing that students get a lot of content and knowledge in the classroom, but not enough experiences putting that into action,” said Cavins-Tull, who taught classes on leadership through the business administration and sociology departments from 2006 to 2009.

The semester-long program, which enlists 15 sophomores and juniors from campus, combines group discussions, one-on-one meetings, speakers and networking – all with the goal of developing leadership abilities. The inaugural class of the Titan Leadership Program will celebrate graduation on Friday, April 15 at 6 p.m. in the Turfler Room of the Memorial Center (104 E. University St., Bloomington).

“Leadership has usually been a self-guided process for students,” explained Interim Director of Student Activities and Leadership Programs Sara Schaller, who oversees the program. “A student might become president of an organization and only be able to look at what the last president did for guidance. That can be a stressful process. Students let us know they wanted something more in depth.”

With the help of gifts from alumni, the division was able to create the program, which works to build an individual’s strengths and explores ways to bring those strengths to an organization.

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