TCU Names Cavins-Tull Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Texas Christian University (TCU) announced today that Kathryn Cavins-Tull, Illinois Wesleyan University vice president for student affairs and dean of students, has been named as its new vice chancellor for student affairs. She will begin her new duties at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas on July 1.

“While I am sorry to be losing Kathy, I cannot help but feel happy for her taking this next step in her career. I am indebted to her for her active engagement in the life of students on this campus, for her efforts to strengthen all offices and programs in student affairs and for her invaluable contributions as a member of my senior leadership team,” said IWU President Richard F. Wilson. “TCU is a fine institution and I am confident that they will benefit greatly by having someone as talented as Kathy leading their student affairs area.”

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.

Grace, Hosack Receive Summer Study Abroad Scholarships

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University seniors Kari Grace, a sociology and Hispanic studies double major from Winnetka, Ill., and Kristen Hosack, a history and Hispanic studies double major from Bloomington, Ill., were recently awarded the 2011 Sigma Delta Pi Undergraduate Summer Scholarship.

Sigma Delta Pi, a national collegiate Hispanic honor society, recognizes students with outstanding academic achievement in the field of Hispanic studies. The scholarship, given annually, covers the cost for students to study abroad in Ecuador, Mexico or Spain during the summer.

Grace will study at the Estudio Internacional Sampere in Madrid or Salamanca, Spain. Hosack has decided to travel to Alcalá de Henares, Spain to study at the Instituto Franklin-Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in July of 2011.

Dance Concert Explores Homelessness

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A new dance concert at Illinois Wesleyan University strives to capture the struggles and emotions of being homeless, transforming an IWU faculty member’s interviews of homeless men into expressive dance.

The concert, titled The Monkey Trail, will run from Tuesday, April 5 to Sunday, April 10 in the McPherson Theatre (2 Ames Plaza East, Bloomington). Performances will be at 8 p.m. April 5-9, and 2 p.m. April 10. Tickets for the weekday and Sunday concerts are $10 for the general public, $9 for seniors and $2 for Illinois Wesleyan students, faculty and staff. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday performances are $12 for the general public, $11 for seniors and $2 for student, faculty and staff. Contact the McPherson Box Office at (309) 556-3232 or online at www.iwu.edu/theatre. Canned food goods and donations will be collected at the door to benefit the local Home Sweet Home Mission.

The idea for the concert began several years ago, and culminated when Illinois Wesleyan Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and Coordinator of Dance Program Jean Kerr spent last summer interviewing homeless people at two shelters in St. Louis. Working with a transitional housing program, Kerr also led the men in workshops of dance and movement as part of the community collabARTive project. “After recovering from a feeling of ‘Who me? Dance?,’ these men experienced the constructs and confounds of dance and movement,” said Kerr, who videotaped the workshops and interviews, pieces of which will appear in the dance performance. “It allows real life to overlap what is on stage.”

Muriello Receives David Nott Scholarship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Joseph Muriello, a voice major and art studio minor from Oak Park, Ill., received the David Nott Collegiate Choir Scholarship at the group’s annual home concert on March 22.

Muriello said he was honored to receive the award for his dedication to the choir. “Throughout the three years I’ve been a part of the Collegiate Choir, it’s never felt like work,” he said, “Having the privilege to make such phenomenal music is a life-fulfilling reward.”

The David Nott Scholar is selected by the Collegiate Choir Director J. Scott Ferguson and in consultation with the Director of the School of Music Mario Pelusi.

The award honors the legacy of the late David Nott, professor emeritus of voice and former director of choral activity at IWU.

Diaz Wins Award for First Book of Poems

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – “Under water/ leaves are paws, ferns are wings/ and your mother’s skirt is an orange flame/ melting the sap from the pool’s pine edge.” So reads a line from Joanne Diaz’s book of poems, The Lessons (Silverfish Review Press, 2011), winner of the 2009 Gerald Cable First Book Award, and listed as one of the Poetry Foundation’s Small Press Distribution February Best Sellers.

Many of Diaz’s poems in her first published novel weave a tale that place the reader in the middle of the narrator’s thoughts, as if capturing a personal moment. “Some of the poems are about family relationships, some about the speaker’s travels, some about the experience of illness, recovery and sometimes death,” she said.

Several of the pieces in the book are inspired directly from her life and Boston upbringing. The title poem “The Lessons” recalls childhood swim lessons, complete with the instructor calling the children “Back to the watah!” Influences also infuse the poem “Epigram for the Boston Accent,” which brings together Diaz’s love of ancient Roman writer Martial and her love of Boston – even playing off playwright Oscar Wilde’s reference to the city as a ‘paradise of prigs.’

Comedian Burnham to Perform at Shirk on April 10

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Student Senate will welcome comedian Bo Burnham on Sunday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. to the IWU Shirk Center (302 E. Emerson St., Bloomington). Doors open at 8 p.m.

The event is free for Illinois Wesleyan students, and $15 for the public. Tickets can be purchased online at TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com.

An Internet celebrity and a fan favorite in the 2011 Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown, Burnham is a comedian, singer-songwriter, musician and actor, known for his comedic and satirical songs with a politically incorrect slant. He became famous for his YouTube videos, which have received more than 70 million views. Burnham’s first recording, Bo Fo Sho, was released in June 2008 by Comedy Central Records, and his first full-length self-titled album was released by the same label in March 2009.

Trombone Choir to Perform in Tribute to Retiring Professor

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In what might be a scene from a famed Broadway musical, a choir of trombones will descend upon Illinois Wesleyan University this April for a performance that will round out a yearlong tribute to Professor of Music Tom Streeter.

Streeter, who founded the Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Program 40 years ago, plans to retire in May. Several activities throughout the year have celebrated his contributions to the University, with the final event being an all-trombone alumni choir concert slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 at Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington).

Deciding to feature trombones for the concert was an easy choice for Streeter. He has been playing the instrument for more than 50 years. “It’s just such a wonderful sound,” said Streeter. “There’s nothing prettier than a bunch of trombones playing together. People might be surprised, because it’s such a mellow and very pleasing sound.”

81-Year-Old Alumnus Directs 81st High School Musical

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For five decades music teacher Robert Manahan has directed high school theatre in Illinois, and at 81 years old he shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the IWU alumnus (’52) is currently celebrating the success of his 81st show.

Manahan recently presented A Grand Night for Singing, a musical review he compiled and directed, at Hall High School in Spring Valley, Ill. He credits his unflagging enthusiasm for music and theatre to the infectious energy of his students.

“Young people keep me young! I certainly don’t look 81 years old,” Manahan said. Even after directing 81 shows, he says he still enjoys “creating characters and watching them come to life.”

The teacher believes that participation in the fine arts also creates character in his students. He notes that teenagers today lead complicated lives, and that often being part of a show gives them “something to hold on to” when they are struggling.

Still, directing his 81st show at 81 years old is a milestone he almost didn’t reach. Manahan retired in 1993, after teaching at both LaSalle-Peru High School and Putnam County High School.

However, staying retired proved to be a challenge. “When you’re a musician, music is the bug in you,” he says. Manahan returned to his alma mater Hall High in 1999 in order to continue passing on his love of music.

IWU News Blog

Headlines From Illinois Wesleyan University