University Board of Trustees Elects New Members

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees elected Trustees and a slate of officers at the May 24 annual meeting.

John Esch has been elected to the Board for the term expiring 2014. Esch, a 1979 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, has been a general and vascular surgeon in Bloomington-Normal since 1987. He has served as chief of staff and chief of surgery at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and chief of surgery at Advocate BroMenn. He has also served as an Alumni Association Trustee from 2008-2011. Esch received his bachelor’s degree in biology from IWU and his doctor of medicine degree from South Illinois University School of Medicine in 1982.

Elected to the Board for the term expiring in 2013 is Richard M. King, II. King, a 1967 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, is the president and CEO of Kittleman and Associates, LLC, an executive search firm for not-for-profits, and is a founding member of the National Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from IWU in 1967, and later earned master’s degrees in social work from Florida State University and in business administration from Dominican University, where he served as a trustee for 11 years. He serves on the Board of Directors of the First Nonprofit Insurance Companies and the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation.

Barbara J. Nathan has been elected as an Alumni Association Trustee. A 1980 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, Nathan has been the executive director of the Community Cancer Center and Foundation in Normal since 1996. She was named the 2009 Healthcare Executive of the Year by the American Academy of Medical Administrators. Nathan received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from IWU in 1980 and has served as president of the American College of Oncology Administrators Board, Community Cancer Center Board and the Leadership Illinois Advisory Board. She was named a YWCA Woman of Distinction in 1995.

Timothy J. Szerlong has been elected to the Board for the term expiring in 2014.  Szerlong, a 1974 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, is president of Worldwide Field of Operations for the CNA Financial Corporation. He also served as senior vice president and an Eastern U.S. Field Operations Officer for The Chubb Corporation for 35 years. Szerlong received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from IWU and completed the advanced management program of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on the board of directors with Inroads/Chicago Inc., the Sigma Chi Risk Management Foundation, and currently serves on the Midwest Board of Operation Hope.

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Bleeding Green: RecycleMania Strengthens Sustainability at IWU

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – This semester, the Titans proved their green spirit extends beyond the athletic arena.

In January, Illinois Wesleyan University’s campus dining service Sodexo joined forces with Illinois State University (ISU) and others to participate in a composting program diverting leftover food away from the county landfill and onto an ISU farm in Lexington, Ill. for reuse.  Since the effort began, it has saved over 35,496 pounds of food from the Bertholf Commons, faculty dining areas and large catering events.  IWU Director of Government and Community Relations Carl Teichman, who served as co-coordinator of IWU’s environmental council GREENetwork during the 2010-2011 academic year, reported that the project could soon expand to include Tommy’s and the DugOut.

In February, the same green mindset driving the composting program prompted the Recycling Education Committee (REC), a branch of GREENetwork, to join the national RecycleMania initiative.  Held at colleges across the country for a 10-week period each spring, RecycleMania aims to reduce waste production by ranking and rewarding schools based on recycling skills.

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Guenzler-Stevens ’78 to be Honored at Leadership Conference

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Marsha Guenzler-Stevens ’78, will receive a Women of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education at the 26th annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL).  Presented each year at the conference, the Women of Distinction Awards recognize female role models who have made powerful contributions to their professions and communities.

The Women of Distinction Award will add to a string of honors earned by Guenzler-Stevens, director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union at the University of Maryland, College Park.  She has not only been named one of the University’s Women of Influence (1995) as well as Woman of the Year (2009), but also received various awards for her contributions to the school’s diversity, public service and mentoring initiatives.

“This award is really about my work in advancing women,” said Guenzler-Stevens, who will join over 100 women leaders the Women of Distinction Award has honored since its establishment in 1985.  “It’s about helping people find their voice and use their passion to advance their dreams and enhance the community.”

Guenzler-Stevens, who graduated from IWU in 1978 with a bachelor of arts degree in biology, serves on both IWU’s Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors and is currently President of the Alumni Board.  A founding member of the Council for IWU Women, she continues to be active in the organization and attributes her passion for leadership and activism to the intimate classroom environment and inspiring faculty members she encountered during her undergraduate experience at IWU.

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Harding, Halperin Named YWCA Women of Distinction

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University administrators Ann Harding and Deborah Halperin each received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award on Thursday, May 19 at the Bone Student Center on the campus of Illinois State University.

Harding, the director of alumni relations, earned her award for her work in education. Halperin, the Action Research Center coordinator at IWU, won her award for her devotion to social services.

The YWCA has given the awards for 22 years recognizing the professional and personal achievements of six women in McLean County. Each recipient received a framed certificate and a sterling silver pen at the dinner program.

Caterpillar CFO Describes How Company Survived Financial Crisis

Caterpillar’s CFO Edward Rapp Addresses Associates

May 19, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan Associates heard the story of how one global company survived its toughest year as they gathered for their annual luncheon on Thursday, May 19, at the IWU Shirk Center.

At the luncheon, Caterpillar, Inc. Group President and CFO Edward J. Rapp shared the journey of the company through the rough year of 2009 with a speech titled “Stay Strong: Managing Health through the Global Financial Crisis.” Rapp said Caterpillar, Inc. navigated the rough financial climate with a model he compared to the Boy Scouts: always be prepared, have calm and effective leadership, and have the courage to lead.

Be Prepared. Business is going to have fluctuations, said Rapp, who noted Caterpillar’s economists foresaw possible financial challenges coming several years before the 2008 collapse. “So we spent from 2005 to 2007 in what I like to call ‘trough management,’ or asking ourselves ‘What if the market comes apart?’” The fall of 2008 showed just what could happen to the market, exceeding everyone’s fears. “Between 2008 and 2009, we had the largest year-to-year decline in sales in company history,” said Rapp. “But because we had a plan, it changed the debate. We were not talking about what to do, but which trigger to pull at what time.”

Remain calm. “In a crisis, do not stand up in the canoe,” Rapp said, noting business leaders find out who they during tougher times. “It was important for us to communicate to our employees that this was not the first group of Caterpillar leaders to face difficult times,” said Rapp, noting the company had survived the Great Depression and World War II. “We also tried to emphasize to our leaders that, when things work against you, you are not a victim. You are a leader, and it is your job to lead others through this time.”

Have the courage to lead. Rapp relayed a favorite saying within the global company of Caterpillar. “The road to progress begins with a road, period,” he said. Operating in countries all over the globe, Rapp said Caterpillar continued throughout the crisis to provide equipment that helped build infrastructure in growing nations such as China, Brazil and India. “When you make tough decisions in tough times, make sure you always keep an eye on the future,” he said, adding, “and we did have to make tough calls.” The year 2009 still meant billions of dollars less in revenue for the corporate giant, and the company faced workforce cuts, which Rapp called “by far the hardest thing you have to do as a leader. But you have to always remember the long-term vitality of the enterprise, or else you put the entire workforce at risk.”

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May Term Pushes Boundaries of Classroom Learning

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Business is not all business in Jerry Olson’s class. The professor of business administration at Illinois Wesleyan University is encouraging students in his May Term class to explore the convergence of commerce and social responsibility. The class is an example of what students experience during May Term, when they can take a single, intensive class designed to fit an entire semester of material into one month.

Olson’s May Term class is based on the 18th century efforts of the activist and minister Wesley – from whom the University gets its name. Students explore the ties between business and social responsibility by creating their own not-for-profit organization. “Looking beyond John Wesley’s theology and philosophy are a lot of principles that match the University’s modern mission statement, emphasizing the importance of education, sustainability and social activism,” said Olson, who co-teaches the class with Wesley historian the Rev. Mary-Kathryn Pearce.

Along with learning the business aspect of creating a not-for-profit, students are required to volunteer in the community once a week and learn about how Wesley’s efforts transcend to modern day issues from health care and immigration to oil prices. “We draw parallels between Wesley’s labors to close the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots,’” said Pearce. “His motto was ‘Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can’.  It was a lesson in business ethics, in how to practice maintaining your identity as a business person.”

May Term classes like Olson’s are tailored to push the boundaries of the traditional classroom setting, according to May Term Coordinator and Associate Dean of the Curriculum Zahia Drici. “May Term opens up an exciting realm for students and faculty,” said Drici. “Students can delve deeply into topics, examine concepts and issues that are not part of the standard curriculum, or discover new cultures through travel. The distinctiveness of May term lies in its emphasis on immersion in learning, and as such May Term is an exceptionally enriching part of the Illinois Wesleyan experience.”

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Despite Challenges, Grelck ’09 Finds Great Rewards in Teaching

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On Friday, April 29, Illinois Wesleyan alumna Amy Grelck ’09 bravely led her class into The Battle of the Books, a district-wide, literary trivia competition. The fifth graders from John Muir Literacy Academy (JMLA) of Hoffman Estates, Ill. fought valiantly and, in the end, emerged triumphant.

Grelck has been preparing her students for this victory all year in the Battle of the Books after-school reading club she established last year. The program, she notes, “got the kids motivated and excited about reading,” which would be considered a success by any teacher, but is especially meaningful for Grelck.

In the past, JMLA has struggled with students reading below grade level.  Grelck, who is completing her second year at the elementary school, explains that this is common in schools like John Muir that have low-income, transient student populations. In fact, JMLA has a 20 percent mobility rate.

“This is challenging because children who move frequently are typically far behind in reading and math,” said Grelck, “I might work really hard with one of my students, but he or she will move before I get to see any real progress.”

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University Selected for Honor Roll

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Illinois Wesleyan University has been named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service to helping others throughout the United States.

Announced on Thursday, May 12, the award, which is recognized at the highest levels of the federal government, will be presented in June at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in New Orleans. According to the organization, institutions of higher learning selected for this honor, “reflect the values of exemplary community service” and have achieved meaningful outcomes of civil engagements on their campuses and in their communities.

For a complete list of this year’s top honorees, go to: www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll/.

Grimm ’11 Wins Fulbright Grant to Teach in Russia

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University graduate Geoffrey Grimm ’11 has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach in Russia. His announcement marks the third awarding of a coveted Fulbright grant to an IWU senior or graduate this year.

“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. “It is wonderful to have three students from Illinois Wesleyan to be chosen for this prestigious program.”

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.

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Academic Advising Offers Students Smooth Transitions

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Very few students come to college with a clear path carved out in their minds. Many questions loom in front of them – What classes should I take? Is my major the right one? What do I need to graduate?

Illinois Wesleyan University’s Academic Advising Center, located in Holmes Hall 110 (1312 N. Park St., Bloomington), is a center point for students to get questions answered, and a key resource for all advising on campus.

“An adviser is an advocate for the students,” said Chandra Shipley, director of Academic Advising at Illinois Wesleyan. “The goal of advising is to help make the college experience smooth and to offer guidance with academic challenges and choices.”

Located in Holmes Hall, the Center provides advising both by appointment and on a drop-in basis. Shipley works in conjunction with faculty academic advisers throughout the campus to help students stay on target toward graduation with a major that reflects their aspirations. “Along with a faculty adviser, Chandra is another voice to help students review her or his options in light of their strengths and goals,” said Interim Provost Frank Boyd.

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