Poet Calls for Empathy in Founders’ Day Address

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Imagination and empathy are, perhaps, our last hope, said Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham during her address at Illinois Wesleyan University Founders’ Day Convocation on Wednesday.

The Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University, Graham lamented that in this lifetime, we are forced to imagine connections to places and even people. “To see what it is we are, to see what it is we have, and to see what it is we stand to lose, we have to use our imagination,” she said.

Graham challenged the audience, as members of a pivotal generation, to ask themselves if they will settle for imagination instead of reality – for viral posts of cute animals while the real creatures go extinct, or for a view of the ocean, knowing just below the picturesque surface the reefs are choked and toxic. “Is the world still the world if it is silent?” she asked.

For current generations, said Graham, imagination is no longer isolated to pure invention. It is now a vital connection in a world in which we are isolated from ourselves and from one another. “Imagination is the only instrument we have in which we are brought to actual fact – to see in the face of another – the there that is there,” she said, noting we must rely on our imaginations to break down the barriers of an instant society.

Ryan Lambert ’10 Conducts Crime Survey

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The doorbell rings. You peer outside your window to see if it’s anyone you know. No. It’s a well-dressed young man holding papers….It could be a door-to-door salesman or someone handing out pamphlets. You may choose not to answer the door, but many residents on the west side of Bloomington did, and met Illinois Wesleyan University student, and now alumnus Ryan Lambert ’10.

Lambert was conducting a crime survey as part of his Spring 2010 internship with the IWU Action Research Center (ARC), which coordinates research projects undertaken by IWU students, faculty and staff in partnership with groups in the larger Central Illinois community. A political science and history double major while at IWU, Lambert walked door-to-door, asking over 200 west side residents nine questions regarding crime in their neighborhood.

“The survey focused on why the residents in this neighborhood have a higher rate of fear and anxiety regarding crime and why they have a higher rate of victimization,” said Lambert, who noted that the parameters of the survey were south of Empire St., west of Roosevelt St., north of Oakland St. and east of the railroad tracks in Bloomington.

Although Lambert had no previous knowledge or attachment to the project, he quickly became devoted to his work. “Initially, you hear that the neighborhood isn’t the best and you shouldn’t venture there at night,” said Lambert. “But after getting to see the neighborhood, it’s really just another neighborhood. It opened my eyes to a different part of Bloomington that I didn’t appreciate before.”

Lambert worked in conjunction with ARC Coordinator Deborah Halperin, IWU librarian and Bloomington alderwoman Karen Schmidt, Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science James Simeone, Professor of Political Science Tari Renner, the Bloomington Police Department (BPD) and fellow student Drew Wolschlag ’11 to compile the survey questions. Questions included rating on a scale of 1 to 10 how safe one feels in their neighborhood, whether the respondent has ever witnessed a crime, the type of crime and what crimes are most frequent in their neighborhood.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet to Address Founders’ Day

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham will address the Illinois Wesleyan University Founders’ Day Convocation at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington). The event is free and open to the public.

Founders’ Day honors the 30 founders who signed the charter for the University in 1850. In celebration, The Ames Library will hold its annual exhibit highlighting the documents from the University’s founding, including Illinois Wesleyan’s “birth certificate.”

Graham is an internationally renown author of numerous collections of poetry, most recently Sea Change (Ecco, 2008), Never (2002), Swarm (2000), and The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974-1994, which won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Graham has also edited several anthologies, including Earth Took of Earth: 100 Great Poems of the English Language (1996) and The Best American Poetry 1990. Her works have been translated for publication in German, Spanish and Italian.

Mohan Named Chemist of the Year

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Professor of Chemistry Ram Mohan has been named the 2011 Chemist of the Year by the Illinois Heartland Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Mohan, who holds the Earl H. and Marian A. Beling Professorship in the Natural Sciences at Illinois Wesleyan, will be honored at the annual ACS banquet in Peoria, Ill., at a banquet on March 3.

The award is presented to those who actively use chemistry in a positive way. Mohan’s research focuses on developing environmentally friendly organic synthesis using bismuth compounds. Bismuth and its compounds are remarkably non-toxic and attractive from a green chemistry perspective.

“The research Ram Mohan is conducting is doing good for the public and for the scientific community,” said Narayan Hosmane, a distinguished research professor at Northern Illinois University who nominated Mohan for the award. “I have the chance to work with Nobel Laureates and professors across the nation, and Dr. Mohan is one of the most productive faculty members I have met, and in an area not generally touched by chemists – green chemistry.”

Illinois Wesleyan Chemistry Department Chair Rebecca Roesner referred to Mohan as a brilliant lecturer and a dedicated mentor. “It is gratifying to see someone who has worked so hard for his students and contributed so much to the profession of chemistry be recognized with this special distinction,” she said.

IWU Joins Composting Effort

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University is doing more than talking trash.

A new composting initiative by the University is rerouting thousands of pounds of food from area landfills to a local farm. The effort, which began in late January, has already resulted in 4,200 pounds of food waste being sent from IWU for composting.

Composting, or the process of turning organic materials into naturally enriched soil, was originally proposed by a Green Task Force at IWU nearly a decade ago. The idea was adopted by the GREENetwork, a University organization composed of students, faculty and staff that works to make the campus more sustainable.

“Composting food enables Illinois Wesleyan to fulfill its mission to function in a more environmentally sustainable manner,” said R. Given Harper, who is the a member of the GREENetwork as well as the George C. and Ella Beach Lewis Endowed Chair of Biology.

Alumnus Forms “All-Star” Symphony in Texas

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – With the number of orchestras and wind symphonies in Dallas, Texas, it was no surprise that 2009 Illinois Wesleyan graduate Preston Prior was drawn there with his music education degree. What might surprise some, however, was his decision to found his own ensemble.

“The Dallas-Fort Worth area is a wealth of musical outlets,” said Prior, who works as head band director and music department chair for Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Dallas. “Every suburb has its own symphony and the area has more community bands per capita than anywhere else in the world.” Along with teaching, Prior is part of such ensembles as The Dallas New Life Symphony Orchestra, the Carrollton Wind Symphony and the Metropolitan Winds.

“Music for me is both a vocation and an avocation,” Prior said. “It’s important as an educator to continue to perform. Music educators are scholars and artists, and it benefits students to be able to bring an artist’s work and musicianship into the performance-based classroom.”

With that belief in the educational power of music, Prior created the Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble (DCWE) last fall. Although they only began playing in September of 2010, the ensemble has already garnered attention. Next season, they are anticipating performing in the grand Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and this summer they have been invited to be a featured ensemble performance at the Texas Bandmasters Association Conference in San Antonio. “That’s quite an honor for a band that has only been in existence for six months,” said Prior.

Alumna Competes at Miss America

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On May 20, 2010, a mere month after graduation, Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Whitney Thorpe-Klinsky’10, was enjoying time off from school. Her future seemed set; she had earned a bachelor’s degree and would begin medical school at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine that August.

But Saturday, June 19, everything changed. The then 22-year-old Thorpe-Klinsky was crowned Miss Illinois, earning herself a spot in the Miss America pageant recently held in Las Vegas, Nev. at the beginning of January.

“It was very unexpected,” said Thorpe-Klinsky, who added that she had only competed in a handful of pageants before claiming the state title. “I came into the pageant hoping to at least make the top 10, learn some things and try again next year, and I ended up winning.”

Thorpe-Klinsky impressed the judges with her eloquent answers, confidence modeling, and her involvement during her college career. A biology major and psychology minor, she was also a cheerleader for four years, Vice President of Scholarship of Alpha Gamma Delta, and a member of the scholarship fraternities Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma.

Once she was crowned Miss Illinois, the New Baden, Ill., native deferred her acceptance into medical school until August 2011. Since then, her life has been a whirlwind of public appearances and preparation for the national contest.

Illinois Wesleyan to Join National Research Initiative

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – This fall, Illinois Wesleyan University will participate in the year-long National Genomics Research Initiative course through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The HHMI is a not-for-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. The innovative course, which comes through HHMI’s Science Education Alliance (SEA), enables first-year students to isolate soil-dwelling bacterial viruses – called phages – and analyze their DNA sequences.

“The students that participate in this program will be fully engaged in research producing new scientific information in their first year of college,” said Illinois Wesleyan Biology Department Chair David Bollivar. “This is a unique and exciting opportunity for our students.”

In the first term, the students isolate phages from locally collected soil. Given the diversity of phage, each one is almost certain to be unique, and the students get to name their newly identified life form. They spend the rest of the term purifying and characterizing their phages and extracting its DNA.

Between terms, the DNA samples are sequenced at one of several research centers across the country. In the second half of the course, the students receive digital files containing their phage’s DNA sequence. The students then learn to use bioinformatics tools to analyze and annotate the genomes.

Illinois Wesleyan Forges New Ties With Moroccan University

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) has announced an agreement with Al Akhawayn University (AUI) in Ifrane, Morocco that includes a student exchange program beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year. The Agreement of Cooperation and Friendship was finalized during a Dec. 15 visit to AUI by IWU President Richard F. Wilson.

The agreement provides a framework for collaboration between faculty, staff and students at the two universities. It reflects a mutual commitment to student and faculty exchange programs and joint research projects. Two students from each university can take part in the exchange program each year. Future faculty exchanges and collaborative projects are in the planning stages.

Wilson sees benefits beyond the classroom for those involved from the two communities. “We believe this agreement will be of mutual value to both universities, not only as an academic exchange, but as a strong step toward developing an understanding between people and cultures.”

Exchange of students and faculty internationally is key to sharing Moroccan culture, said Al Akhawayn University President Ouaouicha during a visit by Illinois Wesleyan faculty and staff to the university in Ifrane. “We are embracing our founding mission to enrich the higher education landscape in Morocco and to provide global opportunities to our students, faculty, and staff alike. We are committed to embracing the American system within the society and culture of Morocco,” he said. “We cannot do that without interaction with key partners in the United States, without learning from each other.”

Alumna Trains Cardiac Nurses in Iraq

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – When an opportunity arose in the summer of 2010 to travel to northern Iraq and train health professionals at a local hospital, Molly King ‘03, an alumna of Illinois Wesleyan School of Nursing, jumped at the chance.

In June of 2010 King traveled to northern Iraq with the non-governmental organization (NGO) Samaritan’s Purse in conjunction with For Hearts & Souls (FHAS).

In Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, she helped to provide training to nurses specializing in post-operative nursing management of congenital heart disease repairs at the Sulaymaniyah Center for Heart Diseases. King spent 10 weeks at the hospital as a representative of FHAS in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse, a not-for-profit organization funding the trip. During her time there, King focused on developing a curriculum addressing the post-operative care needs of cardiac patients and implementing it through bedside teaching and lectures. At first, this proved to be a difficult task.

“Of course language was a barrier,” said King. “A lot of the medical staff [understood] some English, but many did not, which is quite interesting considering that nursing education is done in English because there is no technical or scientific vocabulary in the Kurdish language.”

In addition to the language barrier, King found that asking questions was viewed as challenging authority and, therefore, culturally inappropriate. “I probably had the hardest time with this because in the context of pediatric heart surgery, I could not respect that tradition when patients, especially children, were being harmed.” Ultimately, King overcame these challenges by gaining the respect of the hospital staff through her persistence in teaching.

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