Diaz Receives NEA Fellowship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Assistant Professor of English Joanne Diaz has been awarded a $25,000 fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) for her poetry.

Diaz is one of only 42 writers across the nation receiving the NEA Literature Fellowships for 2009. The NEA calls the fellowships “the most direct investment in American creativity.” NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said, “These grants are an investment in our nation’s culture, and I’m proud to say that the return on that investment benefits Americans from coast to coast.”

Joining the Illinois Wesleyan English Department in 2008, Diaz teaches courses in creative writing and literature.

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.

Frick Named Accreditation Consultant-Evaluator

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Provost for Academic Services Jeff Frick has been named a consultant-evaluator in the Peer Review Corps of The Higher Learning Commission.

The Commission is an independent corporation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which evaluates and offers guidance to higher education institutions working toward accreditation. As a consultant-evaluator, Frick will travel to colleges and universities as part of a team of Peer Review Corps members to determine if criteria for accreditation are being met.

“The idea behind accreditation is to ensure universities and colleges are meeting expectations in areas such as integrity, student learning, effective teaching and service,” said Frick, who finished the intensive training to become a consultant-evaluator in November. “More than a checklist of what they do and don’t need to have, accreditation is proof that an institution is working to meet the needs of its various constituents.”

Frick will travel to one or two peer institutions a year within the 19 states covered by The Higher Learning Commission. Along with evaluating institutions, Frick and his fellow consultants will provide ideas to help with improvement. “A major focus of the Commission is continuous improvement,” said Frick. “We will be there to offer suggestions and help institutions think toward the future.”

Junior Heading to Egypt for Coveted Archaeological Dig

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – While many students will be bundling up to ring in the New Year, Illinois Wesleyan University junior Aislinn Lowry’s plane will be touching down in Egypt, taking her to excavations of the ancient world.

Lowry, a Greek and Roman Studies major, has been accepted into Excavations at Amheida program through New York University. She is one of only 10 undergraduate students chosen from across the nation, and is the first Illinois Wesleyan student admitted into the program.

“To say this is an opportunity of a lifetime is an understatement. I’ll be learning from the most innovative minds in the field today,” said Lowry, a Jefferson City, Mo., native. She will arrive in Egypt on Dec. 31 and will return in late March 2009.

The Excavations at Amheida program combines classroom seminars, field trips and work on a functioning archaeological dig site. Nestled in the Dakhleh Oasis in western Egypt, the site draws professionals from around the world. “When we are working on the site, we will be there from sun-up to sun-down, and staying at the field house at night with some of the top archaeologists in the world,” said Lowry.

Student Sees Push for Peace from Lincoln, Augustus

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For Illinois Wesleyan University senior Kristin Zavislak, seeing the Ara Pacis – the Roman Emperor Augustus’ monument to peace in Rome – was more than breathtaking, it was oddly familiar.

“I started to notice how the Ara Pacis Augustae was strikingly similar to the Lincoln Memorial,” said Zavislak, a Greek and Roman Studies major from Lombard, Ill.

Her discoveries were recognized earlier this year when Zavislak was chosen as one of five undergraduate students from across the United States to present at the Classical Association of the Middle West and South in Asheville, N.C. Her topic, “An American Emperor and the Roman President: Images of Lincoln and Augustus,” garnered attention. “I heard people talking in the lobby about my presentation, and knew then it was going to draw a crowd,” said Zavislak.

The classical influence on American artists was especially strong in Lincoln’s time. Known as Neoclassicism, it was a period when artists discovered a rebirth of interest in ancient Greek and Roman architecture and art. Zavislak’s paper explored the similar look and feel of art depicting President Abraham Lincoln and the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus.

Students Offer Ideas on West Bloomington Revitalization

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Students from an Illinois Wesleyan University class are taking a look at how to make the west side of Bloomington stronger.

Illinois Wesleyan students enrolled in the University’s Action Research Center (ARC) class have spent the semester investigating the needs of youth in west side neighborhoods, as well as the resources that are currently provided by not-for-profit organizations. Students will present their findings at 3 p.m., on Friday, Dec. 5 at Beckman Auditorium of The Ames Library (1 Ames East, Bloomington). They will be joined by students from an Illinois State University class, who will present findings on issues facing seniors on the west side.

The event is free and the public is invited. Members of the Bloomington City Council have been invited, along with members of the West Side Revitalization Task Force, which studies ways to rebuild and attract homeowners and businesses to the city’s west side neighborhoods.

Students in the ARC class conducted surveys and interviews with youth and several organizations to ascertain challenges and opportunities for young people. “The goal is to help find some creative ways to get youth engaged in improving their community,” said ARC Director Deborah Halperin.

Illinois Wesleyan junior Rae Rein said she was thinking of the future when she joined the ARC class. “Everyone says youth is the future, but how can young people get to a promising future if they don’t have the resources they need in the present?” Rein asked. “If we want to see kids succeed, then we have to give them the opportunities to succeed.”

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.

Faculty Recommend Places in China to Experience

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Whether it is majestic mountains, lush rice paddies or ancient temples, the word China invokes images both striking and intriguing. With the introduction of Chinese language classes this fall at Illinois Wesleyan, students are making a deeper discovery of China, a country that is a combination of thousands of years of history, and at the same time a modern global power. We asked professors who have knowledge of China to share their favorite places.

Professor Mohan Awarded Green Chemistry Grant

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Chemistry Ram Mohan has received a research grant for his work in green chemistry from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company. The grant consists of $5,000 earmarked for green chemistry research and education and an invitation to speak about his research at next year’s Green Chemistry Symposium to be held at the Pfizer St. Louis site.

Green chemistry focuses on the development of processes that reduce the use and production of hazardous chemicals.

The Pfizer-St. Louis Chemistry Research Grant originates from Pfizer’s annual Green Chemistry Symposium. In this symposium awards are presented to Pfizer teams who have emphasized green chemistry in their work. Winners of these awards have grants awarded to different academic institutions each year, Mohan was chosen as the recipient this year.

Mohan plans to use the grant to purchase specialty chemicals and pay a student researcher this summer. His research students will also be able to attend the Green Chemistry Symposium next fall to learn more about green chemistry and meet chemists to discuss their work.

“I feel students are the most important component of all my research and so most of this money will be used in ways that can enrich their experience and raise awareness for the environment,” said Mohan.

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