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Julie Nimmons	Carl Mito

Since its inception in 1953, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has been dependent upon the generosity of its members and volunteers to fulfill its mission of support to the university.

And, since 1993, the foundation has formally presented the Outstanding Philanthropist Award.  In 1997, this award was renamed the Burnham and Nancy Neal Philanthropy Award in appreciation of the Neals' leadership, support and dedication to Eastern and the foundation.

The award is given to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a sincere dedication and commitment to the financial, academic and cultural well-being of EIU.  The critical support and sustaining financial commitments provided by these distinguished philanthropists are essential to the future of the university and the students it serves.

Carl Mito of Arlington Heights and Julie Nimmons of Litchfield have been named the EIU Foundation's Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year for 2012.

Carl Mito, managing director of investments at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. in Chicago, has volunteered in a variety of capacities at Eastern, including as a member of both the School of Business Advisory Board and the EIU Foundation.  A three-term member of the School of Business Advisory Board, he was an early supporter of the Securities Analysis Center and later hosted events in his Chicago office to connect business graduates with the university and promote the center's benefits to students.

He and his late wife established the Carl and Marion Mito Excellence in Finance Endowment Fund in 2003 to benefit the School of Business on an ongoing basis as part of his philanthropic commitment, which includes nearly $325,000 in gifts to support the university's students.

A member of EIU's Capital Campaign External Steering Committee, which provided guidance as the university significantly exceeded its goal, Mito also delivered the commencement address to EIU's graduates in December 2011.  Having joined Delta Chi fraternity as an undergraduate, he maintained his connection with that group after his 1972 graduation and assisted with the planning of its 2006 alumni reunion on campus.

In addition to his continuing support of EIU, he also sits on the board of directors for the Cancer Wellness Center and serves on the executive committee, co-chairs the fundraising committee and leads Team Marion for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Walk as he continues the fight against cancer.

Julie Nimmons, a former member of EIU's Board of Trustees who also served as the volunteer chair for the university's recently completed capital campaign, is recognized as a national leader in the sporting goods industry.  As an owner of Schutt Sports, she was twice named one of "25 Leaders to Watch" by Sports Edge magazine and was the first woman elected to the board of directors of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, later serving as the organization's chairperson.

A leading manufacturer of sports-related gear, including baseball, softball and football helmets and the bases utilized by Major League Baseball, Schutt was recognized numerous times under Nimmons’ leadership and was selected as the Equipment Manufacturer of the Year by Sporting Goods Business magazine in 2004.

She has also been featured on CNN's "All About Women" and, in 2010, was inducted into the National Sporting Goods Association's Hall of Fame.

The recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from EIU in May 2012, Nimmons currently serves on the national board for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Leadership Board for FCA Softball; volunteers for the Down Syndrome Association for the Greater St. Louis Area; and is a chair for Vistage International Inc., the leading CEO membership organization.

A 1977 graduate of Eastern, Nimmons and her husband, Ken, endowed the Nimmons Family Scholarship for EIU students.  The Nimmons Keyboard Studio in the Doudna Fine Arts Center on campus is named in recognition of her family's support. 

Richard Barta, right, with Leslie McDaniel, executive officer of the EIU Foundation

Richard Barta of Charleston has been recognized as the Eastern Illinois University Foundation’s 2012 Annuitant Ambassador of the Year.

Many EIU annuitants (retirees) serve as volunteer ambassadors at the Neal Welcome Center, assisting visitors, guests and students who come in to complete scholarship paperwork.  In recognition and appreciation of those who show exemplary service and dedication to the effort, the EIU Foundation Board recognizes one annuitant ambassador annually.

Staff members who work with the Annuitant Ambassadors on a daily basis overwhelmingly recommended Barta as this year’s recipient.

“Dick is warm and helpful to those who come in, volunteers extra time when needed and has a great sense of humor,” said Foundation staff members.  “He is very respectful and gracious to the students and the staff, and is a joy to be around.”

A native North Dakotan, Barta began his training in music at the age of six -- piano, vocal/choral, instrumental band and more.  His father had a small dance band and it was his wish that Barta play the clarinet and saxophone since his two older brothers played the trumpet and trombone.

Barta graduated from Mayville State College (N.D.), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music.  He taught for one year before being drafted.

“Other than eight weeks of basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, the remainder of my military service took me to the Navy School of Music in Virginia Beach (Va.)., the Fifth Army Band at Fort Sheridan (Ill.), and the Eighth Army Band in Seoul, Korea,” he said.

After being discharged from the Army in May 1968, Barta taught and pursued additional education.  After receiving graduate degrees in music education (performance emphasis) and educational administration from Kansas University (Lawrence, Kan.), he and his family moved to Charleston where he began his 28-year career with EIU’s Department of Music.

“Retirement is an especially unique experience,” Barta said.  “Having thoroughly enjoyed the teaching profession, it was not an easy decision to make.  I am, however, keeping my ‘head in the game’ as the Westminster Choir director at First Presbyterian Church in Mattoon.  (And) we look forward to some significant travel in the years to come.”

Past recipients of the Annuitant Ambassador of the Year award are Barbara Funk, Dave Maurer, Eulalee Anderson, Shirley Moore, Carol Helwig, Mary Coutant and Dale Wolf.

More than 80 students from 10 area high schools participated in Eastern Illinois University’s 38th annual Maurice Shepherd High School Chemistry Contest.

Students participated in a 60-minute written examination (50 questions), followed by a dinner break and talk on "Chemistry:  Past, Present and Future Perspectives” by Radu Semeniuc of Eastern’s chemistry department.  The top four teams and the top 10 individuals were then recognized and awards presented.  A traveling trophy was presented to the first-place team, and plaques were awarded to the top students.

The four schools having the highest team averages were:

• First Place:  Sullivan – Adam Davis, Travis Hanson, Patrick Hogan (alternate), Sean Johnson (alternate), Reagan Miller, Noah Workman (alternate) and Ted Walk (teacher);
• Second Place:  Neoga – Jacob Alumbaugh, Natalie Burrell, Courtney Croy (alternate), Ryan Evans (alternate), Joseph Goldstein, Kaleb Henderson (alternate), Adam Morgan (alternate), Cassidy Strohl (alternate) and Leanne Craig (teacher);
• Third Place:  Morrisonville – Scott Baird (alternate), Jessie Borgic (alternate), Leyton Brown, Clayton Cina, Priscilla Griffin (alternate), Jenna Holliday (alternate), Liz Jones (alternate), Hannah Lupton, Morgan Riggs (alternate), Hailey Samson (alternate), Alyssa Westcott (alternate) and Janet Walch (teacher); and
• Fourth Place:  Mahomet-Seymour – Thomas Bane, Ian Belyea (alternate), Aly Brunner, Reid Bundy (alternate), Connor Dietrich (alternate), Hannah Douglas, A.J. Ellis, Kevin Kauffman, Jim McCue (alternate), Maddie See, Lane Shafer, Jacob Singleton, Michael Webb, William Wolf and Terry Koker, Janet Wattnem and Lori Clark (teachers).

This is the second consecutive year in which a team from Sullivan has captured first place.

The 12 highest-ranking individual students, in order, were Michael Webb (Mahomet-Seymour), first; Adam Davis (Sullivan), second; Joseph Goldstein (Neoga), third; Clayton Cina (Morrisonville), fourth; Travis Hanson (Sullivan), fifth; Kevin Kauffman (Mahomet-Seymour) and Patrick Hogan (Sullivan), tied for sixth; Sean Johnson and Reagan Miller (both of Sullivan), tied for seventh; Ryan Evans (Neoga), eighth; Hannah Holmes (Lawrenceville), ninth; and Thomas Bane (Mahomet-Seymour), tenth.

The contest's official website, which includes pictures and information, can be found here.

Red and gold lights will decorate the walls of Old Main in commemoration of Charleston High School's graduation ceremonies this weekend.

Eastern Illinois University will share in the celebrations when Charleston and Mattoon high school seniors graduate in the coming days.

On Thursday and Friday (May 16 and 17) evenings, the institution’s administration building (Old Main, a.k.a., the “Castle”) will be illuminated in red and gold in commemoration of Charleston High School’s graduation activities.  The actual ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. Friday in EIU’s Lantz Arena.

Then, on the evenings of Thursday and Friday, May 23 and 24, the building will be decorated in green and gold.  Mattoon High School will hold its commencement at 8 p.m. that Friday at the high school.

A programmable lighting system allows Eastern to celebrate university and community events.  The system was installed in response to Eastern’s efforts, in working with the city of Charleston, to create a “collaborative landscape/streetscape plan” from the Neal Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Douglas Street, eastward to 18th Street (Route 130).

In addition to helping provide a welcoming corridor along Lincoln Avenue, the new lighting is expected to strengthen the connection between campus and the community, and showcase the building’s outstanding architectural features.

Eastern Illinois University’s Office of Sustainability and Student Community Service will give out free rain barrels (on a first-come, first-served basis) on Saturday, May 11.

Distribution will take place at the site of the Giving Garden, located at the VFW Way Park, located at 1821 20th St. behind the Charleston VFW lodge.

Representatives will be giving out free rain barrels from 10 a.m. to noon. There is a very limited supply, so interested persons are asked to arrive early.

The Giving Garden is a partnership between the city of Charleston and EIU.  It is believed that, in the midst of an increasing local food crisis, every resident should be given access to fresh, healthy produce.  Organizers will grow vegetables in the garden, and work with organizations such as the Charleston Food Pantry and the Eastern Illinois Food Bank to ensure that the produce grown will benefit the community.

This event is the kick-off to the Giving Garden, which will be planted over the next two weeks.  Any groups or individuals who would like to help or support this initiative are asked to contact Rachel Fisher, director of Student Community Service, at 217-581-3967 or via email at volunteer@eiu.edu.

Jan Spivey Gilchrist was thrilled when she learned that Gov. Patrick Quinn had appointed her to serve on the Board of Trustees at Eastern Illinois University.

“I’m so thrilled about this opportunity and I really want to help,” she said.  “I want to be significant in my service to EIU.”

Gilchrist is no stranger to Eastern, having earned her bachelor’s degree in art education there in 1973.  She was named a Distinguished Alumna by the EIU Alumni Association in 1992, and is recognized on the EIU Notable Alumni website.

“I am pleased to have a distinguished alumna of EIU serving on our Board of Trustees,” said President Bill Perry.  “I very much look forward to working with Trustee Spivey Gilchrist to advance EIU.”

Gilchrist’s six-year appointment, which went into effect May 3, will need to be confirmed by the Illinois Senate.  Her first official board meeting is scheduled to take place Monday, June 17, on Eastern’s campus.

An award-winning writer and illustrator, Gilchrist has exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean.  She has won numerous awards and commissions throughout her career, including the Coretta Scott King Award for “Nathaniel Talking” and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for “Night on Neighborhood Street.”

Gilchrist has also written and illustrated picture books, including “Obama: The Day the World Danced,” the first picture book in the U.S. about the historical election; “Indigo and Moonlight Gold”; and “Madelia.”

She has illustrated many of Eloise Greenfield's books, including several award winners.  The most recent collaboration, “The Great Migration:  Journey to the North,” was named a 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a Booklist Editors' Choice 2011 selection, an IRA/CBC Teachers' Choice, a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC), and on the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age.

Gilchrist also illustrated the soon-to-be-published “The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can,” a picture book autobiography written by Tererai Trent, Oprah Winfrey’s “all time favorite guest."

Additionally, Gilchrist’s collaboration with Ashley Bryan on the book, “My America,” featured in “The Road to the White House,” has been the inspiration for the Bryan/Gilchrist Collaboration Award, given to the children who can best work together on a collaborative enterprise.

Other of Gilchrist’s works have appeared on national television, and her illustrations have been featured or reviewed in the New York Times, Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Ebony Magazine and others.

She was inducted into the International Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent in October 2000.  She was also inducted into the prestigious Society of Illustrators in 2001.

As a boy, her now-grown son, William, was the model she used for William and the “Good Old Days” by Eloise Greenfield.  Gilchrist also has a daughter, Ronke, and grandchildren.  She and her husband, Kelvin Gilchrist, live in Olympia Fields.

More information can be found at http://www.balkinbuddies.com/gilchrist/.

Renowned oncologist Dr. Gordon Grado received an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from Eastern Illinois University today in recognition of his contributions to medical science and his commitment to his fellow man.

Grado, founder and medical director of the Southwest Oncology Centers and the Grado Radiation Center of Excellence, has helped develop prostate brachytherapy programs worldwide for early stage, advanced and recurrent prostate cancer.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., resident also heads the prostate brachytherapy program at the University of Minnesota Prostate Cancer Center and the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center.  In addition to his private practice, he has held academic appointments at various institutions, including Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.

He has give hundreds of presentations throughout the world, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on the subject of oncology.  In June 2000, Grado was personally invited by Jane Hull, the governor of Arizona, to serve on the Prostate Cancer Task Force.

Grado, who received his bachelor’s degree in zoology from Eastern in 1974, was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the EIU Alumni Association in 2006.  He works personally with his alma mater to establish meaningful programs for its students.  He has shown particular interest in helping to mentor pre-medical students to support them in realizing their dreams of becoming practicing physicians.  The Dr. Gordon Grado Pre-Medicine Internship program allows EIU students to fly out to his Arizona cancer facility and spend at least a week interning.

William Fernandez attended a two-week program in 2011.  “We spent countless hours with Dr. Grado himself, learning the basics of how to run a successful practice, how to interact with patients, and a great number of other skills.  My favorite experiences were the surgeries we observed as Dr. Grado narrated every minute step in the procedure in a jargon-free manner we could understand, and also the mock medical school interview.  Simply put, Dr. Grado’s care for us was obvious.  What we learned from him was truly invaluable.”

Grado regularly “Skypes” with EIU students during Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-medical honors society) meetings at least once a month, answering questions about the medical field and presenting various aspects of his own practice.  His career “is something all medical students can aspire to,” Fernandez wrote.

Grado’s successes in both hospitals and private practice settings are inspirational.  He and his wife, Mary, have helped support and develop cancer treatment centers in the U.S., Mexico, Latin America and the Middle East.  Dr. Grado takes a personal interest in training the doctors and technicians who handle the daily operations of the clinics, and maintains an active role in their success.

Grado has met the needs of thousands of patients, bringing them both healing and hope.  Furthermore, he has shared his knowledge and skills with hundreds of students, residents and colleagues to expand his effect.

EIU President William Perry with Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy

Renowned educator and counselor Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy of Columbia, Md., received an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy degree from Eastern Illinois University today in recognition of her commitment to and achievements in education.

As a young woman, Dungy -- then of the Chicago area -- never planned to go to college.  Instead, she took an exam to be a long-distance telephone operator -- a job that paid $45 a week.  One day, however, sitting up on a little bench at the switchboard, she thought, “I don’t want to do this.”

She recalled…  “My high school had offered me a teaching scholarship at Eastern Illinois University.  So I went back and said, ‘Do you still have that scholarship?’  And they did.  I barreled on down to Eastern Illinois.  It was 1962.  I did my student teaching in an all-white school, and I was terrified.  Being observed one day, I actually passed out.”

Dungy persevered and, in 1965, graduated from Eastern with her bachelor’s degree in English.  Two years later, she earned her master’s degree in educational psychology and guidance, with an emphasis in community counseling.  After completing her studies at EIU, she earned a second master’s degree from Drew University in New Jersey and a doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis.  Currently, she is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified professional counselor and career counselor.

Throughout her career, Dungy has served as a counseling faculty member at St. Louis Community College; a senior administrator at the County College of Morris (New Jersey) and at Montgomery College and Catonsville Community College, both in Maryland; and as associate director of the Curriculum and Faculty Development Network and coordinator of the National Diversity Network at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

In 1995, with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education, she was chosen to lead NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in High Education as its president.  With more than 11,000 members at 1,400 campuses representing 29 countries, NASPA is the foremost professional association for student affairs personnel.  It and its members are committed to the development of the whole student in higher education and are dedicated to student learning both inside and outside of the classroom.  During her 17-year tenure, Dungy served as a spokesperson for student affairs internationally, as well as domestically.

Current NASPA President Kevin Kruger praised Dungy for her “extraordinary leadership.”  “Perhaps her finest achievement, however, is her humanity,” he said.  “She cares deeply about the people with whom she works and interacts.  She has been a mentor to hundreds of young professional women and professionals of color in helping them reach their own dreams in higher education.  She has been a forceful leader in the national higher education scene to advance the important work of student affairs and to advocate for the reason we are all here – the students.”

Dungy is a 1995 recipient of Eastern’s Distinguished Alumni Award and a 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Alumni Award.  Since graduating from Eastern Illinois University, she has dedicated her career to enriching the lives and learning experiences of students in higher education and equipping student affairs professionals with the best knowledge and tools needed to serve the students on their campuses.

Sean Payton, coach of the New Orleans Saints, received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Eastern Illinois University today in recognition of his generosity and service to society.

Payton, who received his bachelor’s degree from EIU in 1987, is the coach of the 2010 Super Bowl XLIV Champion New Orleans Saints and was the NFL Coach of the Year in 2006.  Prior to becoming head coach of the Saints, he served as an assistant coach for NFL and collegiate teams.  Payton played in the NFL, Arena Football League, and Canadian Football League.

The Eastern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee (September 2000) played quarterback for the Panthers from 1983-86.  He was an honorable mention All-American in 1986, leading EIU to the NCAA FCS quarterfinals.  To this day, he holds four single-season records, four career records and three individual game records at EIU.

In 2010, the university retired his No. 18 jersey, and Payton was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the EIU Alumni Association.

He was honored by the NCAA in 2012 as a recipient of the Silver Anniversary Award, which annually recognizes a handful of distinguished individuals for career achievement on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletic careers.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States.  Payton, who arrived as the Saints’ head coach in New Orleans a year later, witnessed firsthand the storm’s devastating and continuing effects on the city and region.  Believing that helping those less fortunate is not an option but, rather, a duty, he co-founded the Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation as a vehicle in which to help local children and families impacted by that storm.

The Foundation was created with the goal of raising funds and awareness for organizations fighting at the fore-front for children and families in need.  The Foundation’s assistance has addressed issues of homelessness, education, healthcare for the uninsured and disabled, domestic violence and other social welfare needs.  Since its inception, Play It Forward has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to several local and regional charities, including the Dr. Phil Foundation, the First Responders Fund, Habitat for Humanity, the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Louisiana and many others.

Additionally, Payton has always embraced his identification with Eastern, and has returned to campus numerous times to support his alma mater, spending time with students, faculty, staff and Panther fans whenever opportunity allows.

Donald L. Gher of Bellevue, Wash., received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Eastern Illinois University today in recognition of his dedication, his generosity, and his service to others.

Gher graduated from Eastern in 1973 with a degree in business and a concentration in marketing.  A fellow alumnus and classmate said of him, “Don exhibited the energy and drive that would propel him through his immensely successful business career.  In class, he was always at the ready to help a friend, dive into a project, and eager to debate with professors, which often made class sessions memorable.”

Gher parlayed that energy and drive, along with his education, into a diverse and exciting career.  Professionally, he held several positions, including head of a multi-billion dollar trust /investment department for the Marine Bank of Springfield, and portfolio manager/analyst for the Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado and Kingsley, Jennison, McNult and Morse in San Francisco.  He served as general manager, Wertheim Schroder, Tokyo, and as fund manager/analyst for Bank of America Investment Management in Seattle.

Gher retired in 2007 as managing director/chief investment officer of Coldstream Capital Management, which he co-founded in 1996.  He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1981 and, in 2006, was one of only 20 CFAs worldwide to be awarded the first 20-Year Certificate of Continuing Education.

Upon retirement, Gher essentially became a teacher.  Having developed as an expert in his field, he now spends much time in Eastern’s School of Business, guiding students interested in an investment career and serving as a frequent guest speaker for EIU’s security analysis class.  He diligently provides considerable email contacts to the university and to the EIU Foundation with an emphasis toward investment education, performance reviews and strategies.

Gher was named as EIU’s School of Business Distinguished Alumnus in 2003 and a Distinguished Alumnus by the EIU Alumni Association in 2007.  He is a former member of both the EIU Business Advisory Board and the EIU Alumni Association Board of Directors.  After serving more than six years on the EIU Foundation Board, Gher retired; however, he continues to serve as a volunteer on the Foundation’s Investment Committee.

In the words of another of Gher’s friends:  “Don remains one of the busiest ‘retired’ people I know.  I have been amazed at his continued dedication to his church, his alma mater, Coldstream, and a variety of other organizations in the community.  When I’ve asked him why he hasn’t slowed down more, he responded that after a lifetime of work, he wanted to ‘do work for his soul.’”

More than 50 Eastern Illinois University employees were recently recognized as faculty/staff members who have retired or plan to retire during the 2012-2013 school year.  They include, from left to right, seated, Deborah Woodley, Nanette Carli, Sue Harvey, Marsha Bowyer and Vicki Bradley; from left to right, second row, Ralph McCausland, Cheryl Crowdson, Jeri Matteson-Hughes, Mahmoud Kashefi, Lucy Campanis, Mary Kuhn and Cheryl Noll; and, from left to right, third row, Will Hine, John Best, Peggy Kuhn, Monty Bennett, Joseph Landeck and EIU President Bill Perry, who was on hand to congratulate the retirees.

Other retirees include Gustavo Albear, Edward Andres, Lois Bass, Ross Bennett, Kathy Berry, Judith Black, David Carpenter, Arlene Chasteen, Phyllis Croisant, Lois Dickenson, Jerry Drummond, David Finley, Luminita Florea, Larry Fonner, Debbie Gerdes, Theresa Green, Helen Gregg, Lennie Heddens, Barbara Holste, Linda Huddlestun, Lynn Kimbrough, Gary Laumann, Linda Loy, Albert Lyons, Sharon Morgan, Thomas Mullins, Nancy Page, Christine Rechten, Carol Roberts, Christine Roszkowski, Kathy Simmons, Richard Sylvia, Wilma Tufts, Deborah Valentino, Franklin Wallace, Rebecca Watkins, Janet Werden, Erma Williams and Mary Yarbrough.

More than 1,600 graduating students plan to participate in commencement ceremonies at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 4.

Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena.  Guest tickets are required for admission.

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony, the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education at noon, the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m., and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Students from the Graduate School will walk with their respective colleges.

EIU President William Perry will preside over the ceremonies.  Kaci L. Abolt, student body president, and Andrew S. Methven, chair, EIU Faculty Senate, will also address the graduates.

Representing Eastern’s Board of Trustees will be Joseph R. Dively (9 a.m. and 3 p.m.), Kristopher M. Goetz (noon) and Jarrod T. Scherle (6 p.m.).

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official “Charge to the Class.”  Dr. Gordon L. Grado, EIU alumnus (’74) and founder/medical director of the Southwest Oncology Centers and the Grado Radiation Center of Excellence, will speak at both 9 a.m. and noon, while William L. Robinson, EIU alumnus (’76) and senior vice president/general manager (retired) of the Pepsi Bottling Group, plans to speak at both the 3 and 6 p.m. ceremonies.

At noon, special recognition will be given to Melanie B. Mills, professor of both communication studies and women’s studies, who was named the 2013 recipient of Eastern's Distinguished Faculty Award.  This award is presented annually by the Faculty Senate to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

Additionally, four honorary degrees will be presented at this year’s ceremonies.  Dr. Grado will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree at 9 a.m.; Gwendolyn J. Dungy, EIU alumna (’65, ’67) and former president of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and Sean Payton, EIU alumnus (’87) and coach of the New Orleans Saints, will receive an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy degree and Doctor of Public Service degree, respectively, during the 3 p.m. ceremony; and Don L. Gher, EIU alumnus (’73) and, most recently, managing director/chief investment officer (retired) of Coldstream Capital Management, which he co-founded in 1996, will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at 6 p.m.

Commencement marshals lead the procession while carrying the university mace inscribed with past marshals' names.  This spring's commencement marshals are as follows:

• John Best, professor of psychology, representing the College of Sciences during the morning ceremony.  Best has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1979. 
• Jeannie Ludlow, associate professor of English and women’s studies, representing the College of Arts and Humanities during the noon ceremony.  Ludlow has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 2008.
• Richard L. Roberts, chair, counseling and student development, representing the College of Education and Professional Studies during the 3 p.m. ceremony.  Roberts has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1998.  (Roberts is representing the CEPS in honor of James Wallace, an associate professor for counseling and student development, who died shortly after being chosen for this honor.  Wallace had been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 2001.)
• Thomas R. Hawkins, associate professor, School of Technology, representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences during the 6 p.m. ceremony.  Hawkins has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 2003.

Faculty marshals are given the honor of carrying the college banner for their respective colleges.  This spring's faculty marshals are as follows:  Rebecca M. Throneburg, Graduate School and College of Sciences, and Mary E. Konkle, College of Sciences, 9 a.m.; Jeffrey G. Boshart, Graduate School and College of Arts and Humanities, Shirley A. Bell, College of Arts and Humanities, and Michael W. Cornebise, School of Continuing Education, noon; Clinton Warren, Graduate School and College of Education and Professional Studies, and Kathleen Phillips, College of Education and Professional Studies, 3 p.m.; and Linda Simpson, Graduate School and Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, and Lucy Campanis, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, 6 p.m.

In a continuing effort to conserve resource dollars, Eastern Illinois University will once again close selected buildings and offices from noon on Fridays until Monday mornings during the summer months.

The affected time period begins Monday, May 6, and ends Friday, Aug. 9.

Building/office exceptions include, but may not be limited to, the President’s Office, the Bursar’s/Cashier’s Office, Booth Library, Financial Aid, University Police, the Renewable Energy Center and the Office of Admissions, which plan to keep normal working hours.

All university offices must be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and between 8 a.m. and noon on Friday.  Administrative offices (and others where possible) will remain open during the lunch hour (Monday through Thursday).

By ending the work week at noon on Fridays, the university can increase temperatures in all vacant offices and other work environments to allow energy savings for two and one-half days per week.

Employees will be required to work their regularly scheduled number of full-time hours during the four-and-a-half-day work week.  Classes scheduled to meet on Friday afternoons and/or weekends will be relocated to buildings where the air conditioning will remain on.

During weeks in which a holiday is observed (Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day and Thursday, July 4, for Independence Day), offices will return to regular business hours (7.5 hours per day), including Fridays.

Regular hours will resume on Monday, Aug. 12, for the 2013-2014 school year.  Classes will resume on Monday, Aug. 19.

Ryan Siegel with one of 2,150 new recycling bins made possible via a grant from the Alcoa Foundation

A grant through the Alcoa Foundation is allowing Eastern Illinois University the opportunity to build upon an already active recycling program at the institution.

Ryan Siegel, campus energy and sustainability coordinator, announced that the grant enabled Eastern to obtain 2,150 deskside recycling bins to be placed in the university’s residence halls.  The approximate value of these containers is $15,000.

“We appreciate this opportunity as it allows a standardized program to be implemented on campus instead of a small program here and a small program there,” Siegel said.

EIU is one of 35 colleges and universities that received a portion of more than 11,500 recycling bins as part of the Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant program, made possible through a partnership between the foundation, national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and the College & University Recycling Coalition.

The program is an effort to help schools expand their recycling efforts and raise awareness about waste reduction programs on college campuses.

“Alcoa Foundation has been a true leader in advancing recycling nationwide through its support of its bin grant and other programs,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Its involvement with the College and University Recycling Coalition’s webinar series has helped to increase recycling on campuses and instill a recycling ethic that college students will carry with them the rest of their lives.”

The College & University Recycling Coalition, in partnership with KAB and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, has announced the schedule for its 2013 series of educational webinars, sponsored by Alcoa Foundation.  CURC webinars feature recognized collegiate and industry recycling experts covering a range of topics related to sustainable materials management.  All webinars are free to registered participants.

For a complete schedule of webinars, go here.

The newly named dean of the School of Continuing Education at Eastern Illinois University has a history of building strong relationships between a university and its local/regional constituencies.

Regis M. Gilman, currently serving as interim dean of Educational Outreach at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., plans to assume her new position at the Charleston campus on July 1.

“Our School of Continuing Education has traditionally offered a wide variety of outreach programs that provide opportunities for economic, educational and professional development growth to a variety of individuals,” said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs.  “I look forward to Dr. Gilman’s arrival and the impact she’ll have on our continuing success in extending academic programs and services beyond normal campus boundaries.”

Gilman, who has been at WCU since January 2007, previously served as an assistant professor of educational media at Appalachian State University (2003-2006) and as associate dean for academic affairs at Lenoir-Rhyne University (1999-2002).  She has also gained continuing education experience at Missouri State University (Springfield), Indiana University (Indianapolis) and Iowa’s Drake University, plus others.

“My experiences as an administrator at several institutions provide a broad perspective of how institutions of higher education can make a difference in their local and larger communities, particularly as they extend access through online programs and continuing/professional higher education,” Gilman said.

“Given the economic impact that programs of access and outreach have by extending the boundaries of the university to adults and underserved populations – we do truly change lives.”

As dean, Gilman will serve as the executive officer for the internal and external affairs of EIU’s School of Continuing Education, which is a “bridge to the community beyond the campus to provide credit and noncredit programs, degrees, certificates, workshops, seminars and conferences.”

On an annual basis, the School of Continuing Education provides programs for 10,000 students.

Gilman replaces Will Hine, who announced his retirement after having served as dean of the School of Continuing Education since 1986.

Dr. David S. Goldfarb, an internationally recognized expert on the prevention and treatment of kidney stones, will share some of his expertise when he visits the Eastern Illinois University campus as a visiting scholar.

Admission is free and the public is invited to his seminar, “Kidney Stones:  Why Do They Happen and How Can We Prevent Them?”   The talk is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the Lumpkin Hall Auditorium, Room 2030.

Goldfarb, a professor of medicine, physiology and neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine, teaches first year renal physiology, and is the director of the nephrology section of the second year pathophysiology course.

He was the recipient of The Distinguished Teacher in the Basic Sciences Award, voted by the Class of 2006 at the NYU School of Medicine.  He has also been named Professor of the Year by the classes of both 2009 and 2010.

Goldfarb is also the director of the Metabolic Stone Clinic, NY Harbor VA Healthcare System (NYHHS); the Kidney Stone Prevention Program, Department of Urology, St. Vincent’s Medical Center; and the International Cystinuria Foundation.  He is chief of the Nephrology Section at NYHHS and clinical chief of the Nephrology Division at NYU Langone Medical Center.

He has published more than 145 articles, and his research interests cover such areas of kidney function and disease as nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), chronic renal failure, hemodialysis and hypertension.

Goldfarb’s visit to Eastern’s campus is made possible through the College of Sciences’ Visiting Scholar Award Program, the Faculty Development Partnership Grant Program and the EIU Department of Biological Sciences.

While in the Charleston area, Goldfarb will attend a medical staff meeting at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center and give a presentation on nephrolithiasis.  In addition to his public talk on Thursday, he will spend the day with students and faculty.

On Friday, he and Steven Daniel, professor in EIU’s Biological Sciences Department, will be interviewed by Lori Casey for the show, “Being Well.”  That segment is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. May 7 on WEIU-TV.

See here for more information.

-30-

Eastern Illinois University was named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

This designation – presented to EIU for the second consecutive year -- is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the award since 2006, and manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.

“Institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS.  “Congratulations to Eastern Illinois University, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom.”

“Eastern Illinois University has a long history of service-learning and believes strongly in preparing our graduates to be active leaders and participants in an ever-changing world,” said EIU President Bill Perry.  “We’re honored to receive this prestigious award, and owe much of it to the students themselves. They’re the energy driving our commitment and they’re the ones who make it all happen.”

“The Office of Student Community Service started in the Fall of 2008, and since then, we have seen great growth in volunteering and connection to our great communities,” said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs.  “This award recognizes the tireless and passionate efforts of more than 7,000 EIU students who annually participate in more than 100,000 hours of service.”

“We have great passion for our community and this award simply continues to motivate our students and staff to continue working hard with our community to enhance all the great opportunities that are here in Coles County and beyond,” added Rachel Z. Fisher, director of Student Community Service at EIU.

“Studies have said that an hour of volunteering is worth $22 to a local community.  In this past year, based on this, EIU students have contributed $2.2 million in volunteering!  We are looking forward to going even farther in the next year,” she said.

More information about Eastern’s community service efforts can be found here.  More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees can be found here.

Richard England claims that a “vibrant honors community” transformed him as “a scholar, teacher and leader.”

“Honors, done well, provides a learning environment that moves beyond disciplinary boundaries and gives the whole person – mind, body and soul – a profound opportunity for growth,” he said.  “This is true for its students, and for those lucky enough to teach them.”

England will aim for such an environment at Eastern Illinois University as he assumes the position of dean of the institution’s Honors College, effective July 1.

“Eastern has a rich, 30-plus year tradition of vibrant honors programming, and I look forward to the contributions which Dr. England will make to our esteemed Honors College," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

England currently serves as an associate professor of philosophy at Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md.  Concurrently with his teaching, he served first as assistant director (2000-2006), then as director (2006-2011), of the Bellavance Honors Program at Salisbury.

He lists among his achievements as director an increase in the number of honors students (145 to 288 active students) and honors program graduates, the creation and operation of two honors living-learning communities, the promotion of honors study abroad, and the introduction of Salisbury’s first international honors seminars.

As dean of EIU’s Honors College, England will serve as the executive officer for the internal and external affairs of the college.  He will have overall leadership responsibility for undergraduate honors student recruitment, retention and support, as well as honors curricula, and their coordination with the academic deans and department chairpersons.

England replaces John Stimac, professor of geology/geography, who has served as dean of the Honors College since July 2010.

More than 300 Illinois service men and women, including Eastern Illinois University alumnus Lt. Jared Southworth of Oakland, will be honored at Booth Library on April 4 and 5.

Stephen Knotts, EIU veterans services coordinator, said the Illinois Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial Wall is a near 200-foot wall of headshots of service men and women who were killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operating Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.  The wall includes the names, portraits, hometowns, ranks and dates of death of these military heroes.

Don Pannier of Washburn originated the wall to honor his son who was killed in Iraq in 2008.

Members of the public are invited to visit the wall.  There is no charge; however, donations will be accepted.

The wall’s display on the EIU campus is part of a two-day event called “Project: Hero” that will include a veterans services fair, an ice cream social and a self defense class.  The Illinois Patriot Guard Riders also plan to place a line of flags outside of Booth Library to honor the men and women who sacrificed themselves for this country.

“The event is honoring veterans and making others aware of the sacrifices that men and women have made to the United States,” Knotts said.

The veterans services fair -- Rucksacks to Backpacks -- will feature more than 30 organizations from on and off campus, including veterans organizations and registered student organizations.  These veterans support groups include the Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

“We wanted to bring them all on campus so campus veterans and community veterans can see what is available to them,” Knotts said.

Many times, he added, veterans are bombarded with so many different veterans groups that it becomes “white noise” to them and they can’t decide with which one to affiliate.

During the fair, Veterans Services will be accepting donations for school supplies.  Many times, Knotts said, individuals transitioning from the military to college do not have enough money for school supplies.  This summer, every military veteran who starts school at EIU will receive school supplies.

Knotts said events like this are important because they help bridge the gap between veterans and civilians.

Less than 1 percent of the United States’ population has ever been in the United States Armed Forces, which means there is a cultural awareness gap between people who are protecting the rights of the U.S. and people of who are protected, Knotts said.

   Event Schedule

Thursday, April 4

9 a.m. -- Illinois Patriot Guard Riders to place a line of flags in front of Booth Library, Library Quad

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- The Illinois Patriot Guard Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial Wall on display in Booth Library’s North Atrium

10 a.m. and noon -- Self defense classes at the Student Recreation Center (Aerobics Room)

1 p.m. – Water Wars, Library Quad

Friday. April 5

All Day -- Mobile Vet Center open, south of the MLK Jr. Union.  Will also have a table set up outside the Food Court in the MLK Jr. Union.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- The Illinois Patriot Guard Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial Wall on display in Booth Library’s North Atrium

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Rucksacks to Backpacks (Veterans Service Fair), University Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union

3 p.m. -- Ice cream social for all veterans, University Ballroom

For more information, call 581-7888 or email veterans@eiu.edu.

B

By coloring itself blue, Eastern Illinois University plans to join thousands of businesses, individuals and other colleges/universities in commemorating World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.

The institution’s administration building (Old Main, aka the “Castle”) will be illuminated in blue during the evening hours on Tuesday, according to William Weber, vice president for business affairs.

Additionally, the building will be lit up April 23-27 to further promote Autism Awareness Month and related activities taking place both on and off campus.

Eastern’s chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association will sponsor an information booth from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, April 24, on the campus’ South Quad.  Pamphlets and other information will be available, according to Trina Becker, NSSLHA co-adviser and associate professor of communication disorders and sciences.

Then, on Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, the EIU Run for Autism will take place in conjunction with the Illinois Marathon being held in Champaign-Urbana.  According to Becker, marathon participants may designate a particular charity to benefit from their efforts.

Funds raised through the EIU Run for Autism will support the development of the EIU Autism Center – a center that would provide clinical and consultation services for persons with autism and their families, provide outreach and in-service to education agencies, and enhance the clinical training of EIU students.

Those interested in participating should visit http://www.eiu.edu/commdis/studentorgs.php for information, and/or visit http://www.illinoismarathon.com/registration.php to register for the race.

A lecture about Satchel Paige is sure to be a lecture about baseball.

“That’s pretty much a given,” said Ed Wehrle, professor of history at Eastern Illinois University.  “But I think you’ll find that this one addresses race, politics and culture, as well."

“Satchel Paige and Black Baseball in the Rethinking of the Civil Rights Movement” will be presented at 7 p.m. Monday, April 1, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Lecture Hall.  Admission is free and open to the public.

Guest lecturer Donald Spivey, a professor of history at the University of Miami, wrote the recently published “If You Were Only White:  The Life of Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige,” after more than a decade of research into Paige’s career.

“Dr. Spivey offers a richly detailed portrait of the hurler, setting Paige in historical context,” Wehrle said.  “Paige and his unique relationship to the American Civil Rights Movement will be the subject of (Spivey’s) talk here at Eastern.”

Noting that he recently became interested in the history of sports, Wehrle recalled his first encounter with Spivey’s book and how impressed Wehrle had been with Spivey’s ability to bring the “historical craft” to the story of the former athlete.

“Arguably the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball, the legendary Satchel Paige played in his first major league ball game at the age of 42.  Improbably, he pitched his final game at age 59,” Wehrle said.

“Before becoming the third African-American to enter MLB, Paige barnstormed across the nation and the world with semi-pro and Negro league teams.  Often he pitched everyday, and often that meant nine innings of work.  Everywhere he drew enormous crowds, but -- due to the color of his skin -- Paige remained banned from playing in the major leagues until after Jackie Robinson desegregated the game in 1947.”

Spivey, born and reared in Chicago, attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received both his bachelor’s (1971) and master’s (1972) degrees in history.  He was an athlete in his own right, having served as tailback for the Fighting Illini football team.

Spivey later earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Davis, and has since specialized in the fields of African-American history, sport, labor, music and education.  He has lectured throughout the country and been a frequent commentator on radio, television and in print.

After teaching at the University of California at Davis, Wright State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut, he joined the faculty at the University of Miami in 1993.

EIU’s Department of History is sponsoring Spivey’s lecture, an event made possible through the Barry D. Riccio History Fund.  Riccio joined Eastern's history faculty in 1995. The author of "Walter Lippmann: Odyssey of a Liberal (1994)" and numerous articles, he was a devoted student of American ideas, politics and culture. At Eastern, he proved himself an outstanding teacher and wonderful colleague.

Following Riccio's death from cancer in 2001 at the age of 46, his friends, family and colleagues established the Barry D. Riccio History Fund in his honor.  The fund sponsors a lecture series with an emphasis on the history of ideas.  Beginning with the inaugural lecture in 2003, the generosity of fund donors has allowed the department to bring "many of the leading lights of American intellectual history" to Eastern's campus.

In the pre-dawn hours Thursday (March 21, 2013), the Eastern Illinois University Panther Patrol hit the roads of Coles County to surprise area high school seniors who have been admitted as freshmen for the Fall 2013 semester.  Teams of current students and admissions staff – 19 individuals in all – braved icy temperatures and yes, even some mid-March snow flakes, as they visited homes in and around Charleston, Mattoon, Oakland, Ashmore and Humboldt.  Signs, balloons and backpacks with additional gifts inside were left for approximately 40 prospective students, welcoming them to the university.  Kelly Svoboda, a freshman from Edwardsville, is shown hammering in a sign outside one home while the unaware recipient (presumably) slept inside.  Parents of the recipients were in on the surprise, having already given their approval for the teams’ visits. 

Eastern Illinois University will have a special glow about it during the coming week.

On the evenings of March 26, 27 and 28, the institution’s administration building (Old Main, a.k.a., the “Castle”) will be illuminated in red in observance of American Red Cross Month and Hemophilia Awareness Month.

Additionally, the university will host a Red Cross blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the University Ballroom of the MLK Jr. Union.  The event is open to the general public.

A programmable lighting system, which made its official debut in December, allows Eastern to celebrate university and community events, as well as commemorate events such as American Red Cross Month, by displaying appropriately colored lighting on the front of Old Main.

The system was installed in response to Eastern’s efforts, in working with the city of Charleston, to create a “collaborative landscape/streetscape plan” from the Neal Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Douglas Street, eastward to 18th Street (Route 130).

In addition to helping provide a welcoming corridor along Lincoln Avenue, the new lighting is expected to strengthen the connection between campus and the community, and showcase the building’s outstanding architectural features.

Phillip Phillips, the most recent winner of "American Idol," is to perform at Eastern Illinois University's Lantz Arena next month.

The concert is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16. Tickets went on sale to EIU students on Monday, March 18; ticket sales will open to the public on Monday, March 25.

Phillips' first single, “Home," hit the charts at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the most successful coronation song of any American Idol winner. His debut album, “The World from the Side of the Moon," also includes the songs “Gone, Gone, Gone,” “Man on the Moon” and “Volcano.”

The 22-year-old Georgia artist started 2013 touring as the opening act for Matchbox Twenty, but he's now made the transition to the headliner role in his college tour.

The opening act for Phillips' show will be Churchill, an up-and-coming band that has been featured on mtvU's The Freshmen list. Churchill’s songs include “Change,” “Ark in a Flood” and “Sing Out Your Love.”

Tickets -- $20 for EIU students and $23 for the general public -- may be purchased in the MLK Jr. Union Ticket Office (581-5122) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The concert is sponsored by EIU's University Board.

Shown, from left to right, front row, are Larry Ankenbrand, Cathy Engelkes, Mary Herrington-Perry, Jerry Daniels, Marilyn Thomas, Suzanne Mathews and Marsha Figgins; second row, Ali Moshtagh, Larry Shobe, Diane Ingle, Kevin Angell, Diane Smith, Judy Gorrell, Leeila Ennis, Karen Whisler, Wendy Long and Billie Rawlings; and third row, William Higelmire, Timothy Lewis, Andy Anderson and Kevin Larkin.

Eastern Illinois University recently recognized more than 250 of its employees for continuous years of service.

A luncheon was held in recognition of university employees with continuous years of service in five-year increments. Those employed at EIU for five years were eligible for a certificate; those with 10 or more years of service were honored with both a certificate and a pin.

The following were honored for their years of service:

35 Years – Larry Ankenbrand, Cathy Engelkes, John Krajefska and Andrew McNitt.

30 Years – Jerry Daniels, Mary Herrington-Perry and Marilyn Thomas.

25 Years – William Addison, Andy Anderson, Kevin Angell, Roger Beck, Parley Boswell, Douglas Brandt, Sonya Davee, Michael Eagan, Dean Elmuti, Leeila Ennis, Marsha Figgins, Judy Gorrell, William Higelmire, Diane Ingle, Janice Kozak, Kevin Larkin, Timothy Lewis, Wendy Long, Suzanne Mathews, Mark McGuire, Andrew Methven, Ali Moshtagh, Billie Rawlings, Randall Rodebaugh, Larry Shobe, Diane Smith, Cathy Thomas, James Tidwell, Richard Wandling and Karen Whisler.

20 Years – Peter Andrews, Sandra Baumgartner, Suzann Bennett, Brett Bensley, Sandy Black, Sandra Bradford, Arlene Brown, Lynn Calvert, Stephen Canfield, Nanette Carli, Nancy Coutant, Jonelle DePetro, Julie Dietz, Jo Gentry, David Griffin, Martin Hardeman, Eugene Harrison, Kelly Hart, Peggy Hickox, Norman Isacson, Brian Poulter, Sheila Simons, William Slough, Sue Sly, Jean Smitley, Pam Warpenburg and Vicki Shaw Woodard.

15 Years – Edward Barthelemy, Lori Brewer, Mary Brown, Robert Chesnut, Ruth Chesnut, Cris Costantino, Christopher Cougill, Sandra Cox, Kelly Crawford, Timothy Croy, Steven Daniel, Doris Darling, Don Dawson, Carol Galey, Bradley Green, Richelle Heise, Peggy Holmes-Layman, Catherine Jewell, Renee King, Roberta Kingery, Kathleen Kuhlig-Carter, Cheryl Laursen, Barbara Lawrence, Denise Love, Kent Martin, Shari McKinney, Susan Mounce, Debra Neal, Richard Norton, Patricia Orr, Denise Reid, David Rodebaugh, Linda Simpson, David Smith, Susan Teicher, Rebecca Throneburg, David Titus, Dawn VanGunten, Richard Whitaker, Dan Wilson and Ira Yarbrough.

10 Years – Kevin Armstrong, LeAnn Athey, Gregory Aydt, Mark Barrow, Trina Becker, Gary Bulla, Kristin Cann, Lori Casey, Ke-Hsin Chi, Jerry Coartney, Aaron DeRousse, Angela Dillman, Karim Ezzatkhah Yenggeh, William Feltt, Bonita Flynn, Joseph Gisondi, Daphne Griffin, Lisa Hugg, Ned Huston, Abdou Illia, Doral Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Christine Kilgore-Hadley, Robert King, Stacey Knight Davis, Joni Lutz, Thomas MacMullen, Michael McBride, Jon Oliver, Nick Osborne, Lynanne Page, Danielle Pendergast-White, Vaughn Plunkett, Cara Pschirrer, Susie Ray, Colin Robinson, Laura Smith, Karen Swenson, Daniel Tessitore, Terrah Thornton, Carol Turner, Mary Wallace, Carrie Wilson-Brown and Christopher Wixson.

5 Years – Ralph Ashby, Bruce Barnard, Karen Beason, Jon Bell, Vicki Bradley, Gordon Brown, Jeffery Brown, Jeremy Brown, James Brummer, Leigh Bryan, Lee Buchanan, Debra Buell, Diane Burns, Amie Calvert, Barbara Carlsward, Barbara Catron, Candra Chahyadi, Jerry Cloward, Christina Coffey, Darla Combs, Kent Conrad, Irene Coromina, Michael Cowan, Judith Cullen, Susan DeRousse, Donna Doran, Jerry Drummond, Mary Dwiggins, Elizabeth Ealy, Karen Easton, Cathy Feely, Richard Flight, David Flowers, Donald Flowers, Ovande Furtado, Elizabeth Gill, Matthew Gill, Thomas Goddard, Kathleen Grant, Gary Gravil, Marko Grunhagen, Clifford Harrison, Michael Herman, Carla Honselman, Vicki Huddleston, Lyle James, Rebecca Johnson, Daniel Jones, Rameen Karbassioon, Allen Kistner, Penny Krabel, Marty Lang, Tesa Leonce, Pamela Levine, Anne Lewis, Julie Lockett, Anne Marino, Clark Markwell, Katherine McBain, Christopher McClellan, Ryan McDaniel, Svetlana Mitrovski, Bryan Murley, Angi Parker, Paula Parker, Kamlesh Parwani, Fred Peralta, William Perry, Kathryn Pleasant, Brian Poelker, Betsy Pudliner, Misty Rhoads, Stephanie Rienbolt, Kathleen Rodems, Amy Rosenstein, Mark Rubel, Nichalas Sanders, Sara Schmidt, Shawn Schultz, James Schwartz, Radu Semeniuc, Mary Caroline Simpson, Deborah Smith, Karenlee Spencer, Joan Stack, Catrina Stanley, Keith Stanley, Luke Steinke, Nancy Stone-Johnson, Marie Taylor, Timothy Taylor, Antoine Thomas, Krishna Thomas, David Thompson, Erica Thornton, David Viertel, Angela Walsh, Chad Weber, Robert Wells, Peter Wiles, Alisa Wohltman, Traci Worby, Diana Wyatt, Zhiqing Yan and Martha Zarate.

Artist's rendering of planned facility

An exceptionally wet week meant that Friday’s groundbreaking was more like a mud-moving event.

Spirits remained high, though, as Eastern Illinois University took the next step forward toward the construction of a much anticipated facility for its Center for Clean Energy Research and Education.

“When, on Jan. 14, 2011, the Board of Trustees formally approved the creation of the center, we did so happily, knowing that this would be another fantastic opportunity for the students of EIU,” said Roger Kratochvil, chairman of EIU’s Board of Trustees.

“In addition to working in a wonderful facility conducive to solid, hands-on clean energy research, our students will have the chance to do so in the company of some of the country’s most capable and knowledgeable teachers.

“The board was also cognizant of the good Eastern could do to help support economic development in the region and, possibly, throughout the state, by conducting research that might provide area farmers with new markets for agricultural products and byproducts.

“It seemed to us to be a win-win-win situation,” he said.

When completed, the 5,000-plus-square-foot building will house a research facility in which faculty and students can conduct hands-on investigations of biomass sources that may be suitable as alternatives or additives to the wood chips being used in Eastern’s recently constructed Renewable Energy Center.   By studying the fuel characteristics of various biomass sources, students will gain a more integrated understanding of physics, chemistry, engineering and technology.

Shown, from left to right, are Bob Martin, vice president for university  advancement; Richard Williams, Jeff Horn, Mike Metzger and Henry "Woody" Kramer, representing the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation; Roger Kratochvil, chair, EIU Board of Trustees; and EIU President Bill Perry.

In addition to commemorating the beginning of construction work, Friday’s celebration also served as a thank-you to the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation.

“The foundation presented us with a significant gift on behalf of the project,” said Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement.  “And we wanted to thank them for their generosity.”

“We are grateful to our first and major partner in this endeavor – the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation,” echoed CENCERE Director Peter Ping Liu.

The foundation’s financial support has already “enabled us to acquire a laboratory scale gasifer and a gas analysis instrument,” he continued.  “The laboratory gasifier has become the center piece of our research and learning.  It enabled us to experiment with various biomass resources available in the area.  With the research in biomass gasification, we hope to develop alternative biomass fuels for the Renewable Energy Center.

“With (the foundation’s) support to our research, we have gained knowledge and confidence,” Liu said.

According to the director, work done through CENCERE has already helped forge partnerships with the community, including Charleston High School, other colleges and universities, and private companies in the region and state.  The expectation is that these relationships will only strengthen and increase in number with the construction of a new facility in which to house CENCERE.

EIU officials say that initial construction, estimated to cost right at $1 million, should be completed by the end of the calendar year.  The building will be located immediately north of Eastern’s Renewable Energy Center, located near the intersection of 18^th Street (Illinois Route 130) and Edgar Drive.

Plans allow for expansion of the building as need and financing allow.

Eastern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees on Friday approved the lowest annual tuition rate increase for new resident students at EIU since 1993.

The 1.43 percent increase -- representing $4 per semester hour -- is the second lowest increase at EIU since 1979, according to President Bill Perry.

“The increase we recommend today sends a strong message of our commitment to affordable excellence in higher education,” he said.  “Our incoming new students and their families are dealing with difficult economic times.  A modest tuition rate increase is respectful of this.”

EIU’s resident tuition rate will increase from $279 to $283 per semester credit hour for students entering the university during the 2013-2014 school year.  This means that those with an average 15-course academic load will pay $4,245 per semester – an increase of $60.

Additionally, incoming resident students will be able to lock in the new tuition rate for four continuous academic years, as provided by the state’s “Truth in Tuition” Law.

“Our faculty and staff are the key players in upholding academic excellence,” Perry said.  “This increase is supportive of our obligations to our faculty and staff.  We continue to offer an educational experience marked by small classes, significant interaction between the professors and the students, and strong retention rates.”

In addition to keeping tuition increases as small as possible, Perry said the university will continue to invest in financial aid programs in order to assist students in their pursuit of a degree at EIU.

“We continue our efforts in making more scholarships available to students to help defray costs of attendance,” Perry continued.  Examples include Commitment to Excellence Scholarships -- merit scholarships for academically talented students – and the Panther Promise Tuition Waiver.

Eastern Illinois University is moving forward in preparing its residence halls for the next generation of students, starting this summer with an assessment of Carman Hall.

“In updating our housing master plan, we realized that we have an unusual window of opportunity to do a thorough analysis of Carman including all mechanical systems,” said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining services.  “Right now, we have enough capacity to take Carman off-line for the next year or two and determine what we need to do to make sure we are ready for the next generation of students.”

He explained that new student enrollment levels are expected to rise starting next year so the timing was critical.

“Our applications are up substantially for the coming year,” he said, “so we knew we had to start the process now or lose this opportunity.  As it stands, we will have sufficient space in our other residence halls for the next two years.  After that, we’re anticipating needing more of our capacity back on-line.”

The process will start with an engineering assessment of the building – a process which can take several months to complete.  After that, a master plan for the building can be developed.

The university tries to schedule much of the work on residence halls during the summer, Hudson said, but noted that summer really only has 75 construction days – a time period insufficient to do a major project like the Carman assessment and upgrade.

What’s more, many of the systems in Carman that need to be evaluated and face potential upgrades – like the heating and air conditioning system – are hidden within the walls.

“You don’t want to be opening up walls when the students are in residence,” Hudson said, “and we know we have some issues that may take some time to address.”  The heating and cooling system, for instance, uses the same pipes to carry both hot and cold water.  Hudson said that more than 40 years of use have led to leaks in some of the pipes which run through the walls.  “We won’t really know the extent of the issues until we start opening up walls,” he said.  While the current systems are functioning effectively, doing some preventive maintenance will ensure we can continue to effectively serve the residents.

While the mechanical issues are dealt with, Hudson said, the university will also have a perfect opportunity to refresh the building and add key features which students expect such as wireless Internet service.  This will be a good chance to consider other service and building enhancements to meet the future needs of residents.

“Technological improvements such as better wireless access are specifically included in the university’s strategic plan as part of the infrastructure needed to support the university’s learning environment,” Hudson said.  “But the evaluation will also include some of the other initiatives contained in the strategic plan such as enhancing learning communities and maximizing integrative learning.”

In addition to the residence hall itself, the Carman Dining Center will also be taken off-line and undergo the same review.  “We will be able to accommodate the students in the remaining dining centers," he said.  “While Carman is off-line, we’ll be doing focus groups and surveys to see what other options we might want to provide in Carman once it re-opens.”

Hudson also noted that EIU staff members currently working in Carman will all be absorbed into other facilities and that no employees will lose their jobs as the result of Carman being taken off-line.

“We have had a number of retirements in the last year so those employees – along with the residence life staff – are needed elsewhere in the system,” he said.  “That was another important factor in moving ahead with this project right now.”

Hudson noted that there is a mistaken notion that the entire freshman class is housed in Carman.  That, he said, just isn’t true.

In reality, less than 25 percent of the freshmen are there with the rest being housed in other residence halls across the campus.  That means that the distribution of students throughout the campus really won’t change much.

While work on Carman Hall is under way, the university will also focus on the next major residence hall project – possibly an update of Pemberton Hall.  This historic building, the first women’s residence hall built in Illinois, is about to become the administrative home of the Honors College.  With those offices being placed in the south end of the building, in the former location of the Textbook Rental Service, talks are under way to explore the possibility of creating a ”Residential College” to further enhance this outstanding program.

“All universities need to update their residence halls periodically, and we have been doing just that for the past decade,” Hudson said.  “This is particularly important as we anticipate entering a period of new growth.  It’s a healthy sign and an indication that EIU is moving forward.”

From the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs:

Going above and beyond basic veterans’ services while fostering a veteran-friendly atmosphere, Eastern Illinois University has been chosen as the Fall 2012 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced today.

“On behalf of Governor Pat Quinn, we salute the professional and constructive efforts of Eastern Illinois University to support its student veterans,” said IDVA Director Erica Borggren. “Creating programs and policies that assist veterans entering or returning to higher education is one of our top priorities and EIU has those great programs.  Their leadership demonstrates this commitment to helping veterans, and is a great model for others to follow.  They are making lasting and tangible commitments to helping veterans overcome challenges in education.”

Among many outstanding attributes, EIU was recognized for its:
•  Veterans Transition Workshop, specifically designed to support and enhance the college experience of student veterans, enabling them to receive focused guidance pertaining to transitional matters, study techniques, time management skills, and on-campus opportunities;
• Administrative, programmatic and financial aid policies that support and accommodate student veterans who enter active military service or military training during the course of an academic term, thereby enabling them to make up academic work without penalty;
•  Veterans Service Office that is an invaluable resource to the student veteran population on campus, providing a host of specialized services to service members, veterans and their families that address critical needs in the veteran community.

IDVA presented the award during a ceremony today with EIU students, faculty and staff at the Charleston-based university. Previous winners include College of DuPage, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education is presented in the spring and fall of each school year.

Governor’s Award nominations are now being accepted for the Spring 2013 term. Illinois colleges or universities that contribute to the betterment of our student veterans and their families are eligible. The nominated school must be a licensed, degree-granting school in the state of Illinois.

For more information, including nomination materials, please visit the Governor's Award homepage.

Eastern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees on Friday approved room and board rates for students living in EIU housing during the 2013-2014 school year.

Students living in EIU’s residence halls and Greek Court will see increases of $81 to $92 per semester (a 2 percent increase), depending on the chosen meal plan.  Room and board rates will range from $4,150 per semester for the 7 Meal Plan Option to $4,679 for the 15 Meal Plan Option.

Four meal plan options each permit students a specified number of dining center meals per week; a specified number of “Dining Dollars” that can be used to buy additional meals in any dining center; to make purchases at Eastern’s Food Court, Java B&B and Panther Pantry in the MLK Jr. Union and at the university’s two residence hall convenience centers; and to provide dining center meals to guests.

Students living in one of the 148 units at University Apartments (designed primarily to meet the needs of student families and single graduate students) will see increases of between $13 and $15 per month, with rent ranging from $448 to $503, depending on the type of apartment being rented (one-bedroom, efficiency or super efficiency).  All utilities are included in the rent price.

Residents of University Court, a 146-unit university-owned apartment complex for sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students, will see no increase in rent costs.  Rates there will continue to range from $2,412 to $3,225 per semester, depending on the type of apartment being rented.

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, said he was pleased that Eastern was able to offer the lowest percentage increase in EIU housing rates in more than 35 years.

“We take a careful look at our needs, including fixed costs such as utilities, employee wages and food costs,” he said.  “We also consider the best ways with which to maximize our resources.  We try everything we can to economize while continuing to provide the best service possible to our students.”

According to Mark Hudson, Eastern’s director of Housing and Dining Services, university housing is home to approximately 35 percent of the student body.  Surveys among those residents indicate that “students really feel like they get a good return on their investment.”

In addition to routine maintenance performed annually in all residence halls, Eastern concentrates on on-going multi-year projects, as well.  By the end of Summer 2012, for example, the university finished adding sprinkler systems to all residence halls, including Greek Court, making EIU one of the first post-secondary institutions in Illinois to do so.

Currently, Eastern is adding wireless internet access to all residence rooms.  That project is more than half-way completed.

The Zeta Nu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will host its 26^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Vigil March and Tribute Monday, Jan. 21, on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a march -- punctuated with the singing of inspirational hymns -- from the Thomas Hall lobby (2120 Seventh St.) to the Grand Ballroom, located in Eastern’s MLK Jr. Union.  The program there will begin at approximately 6 p.m.

According to Leon Fields, Zeta Nu chapter president, the annual event honors “one of the most prolific men to have ever walked this planet.”

“This is one of the many ways we repay our debts for his contributions to all mankind,” Fields said, adding that since 1987,  between 100 and 200 students, faculty, family and friends have come and supported the vigil and the program annually.  Many join in the march; however, those who wish may participate in the Grand Ballroom activities only.

This year, Fields continued, the program will be much more interactive, displaying the talents of several EIU students, many of whom are not directly associated with the fraternity.  Students have submitted essays, and singers, speakers and others with different talents have all committed to participating in the program.

Students and faculty from Eastern will also be recognized by the men of the Zeta Nu chapter for individual accomplishments and be presented awards such as the humanitarian award, excellence awards and a few others, based on individual achievements.  Scholarships will also be awarded.

Three Charleston residents have been chosen as honorary lifetime members of the Eastern Illinois University Foundation.

Ken Baker and Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Heath were inducted into this class when Foundation members met recently for their annual meeting.

Lifetime membership is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional and significant support for the university.  Previous recipients include former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and his wife, Brenda; Richard A. Lumpkin; and Burnham Neal.

Ken Baker has been employed by Eastern since 1994, when he was hired as a physical education instructor.  He has served as the director of campus recreation since 2000.  From 2007 to 2008, he served as the university’s interim athletic director.

Most recently, Baker joined a group of alumni and friends in working to establish the Baker/Warmoth Hall of Champions at Lantz Arena.

He is a ’72, ’73 graduate of EIU, having earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and began his teaching career as an instructor in physical education at the Charleston junior and senior high schools.

Baker also served the NFL as an on-the-field official for 11 years, retiring in 2001, and as an instant replay official from 2003 through the 2011 football season.  His service as an official brought positive attention to EIU and helped support existing relationships with EIU alumni working and playing in the NFL.

In addition to his duties at and for Eastern, Baker has benefited the Charleston community in a variety of ways, including serving on the local school board (president from 1987 to 1988) and in various athletic organizations.  He was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

As a first-grader, Margery Heath walked to school alongside EIU President Livingston C. Lord.  Later, as a college student, she helped establish one of the first two sororities on campus, and served as the school’s Homecoming queen in the middle of World War II.

She met her husband, Jerry Heath, in a chemistry class.  He went on to graduate from both the U.S. Naval Academy and medical school before returning to Eastern as the director of Health Service.  He also volunteered his skills -- for 32 years -- as team physician for EIU’s athletics programs.

Additionally, Dr. Heath is a charter member of both the President’s Club and the Panther Club.

The Heaths further demonstrated their love for Eastern Illinois University by giving back financially.  Through the years, their major philanthropic gifts have benefited many areas, including Athletics, the Human Services Center, the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Studies and the Eastern Symphony Orchestra.

Fittingly, Dr. and Mrs. Heath were named the EIU Foundation’s Outstanding Philanthropists for 2009 in recognition of their decades of generosity.

From the Charleston, Ill., Fire Department:

Shown, from left to right, are Illinois Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis; Steve Bennett, assistant fire chief, Charleston; Pat Goodwin, fire chief, Charleston; EIU President Bill Perry; and Gary Hanebrink, EIU safety officer.  (Jay Grabiec photo)

Fire officials believe, without a doubt, that fire sprinklers installed in on-campus housing at Eastern Illinois University have saved lives.

In the Fall 2012 semester alone, two separate cooking-related fires were quickly extinguished in University Court when sprinklers were automatically activated.  And multiple lives were likely saved when, in December 2008, unauthorized candles ignited some silk sheets students had hung on the walls and doors of a room in Greek Court.  Several students were trapped until a sprinkler head activated.

“These sprinkler activations have saved lives and property,” said Steve Bennett, assistant fire chief for the city of Charleston.  “But (Eastern Illinois University) did not just do the bare minimum of installing sprinkler systems; they upgraded the fire detectors and alarm systems and installed a campus-wide alert system.

"Eastern Illinois University has gone above and beyond what was required of them to do.”

Bennett was joined by several city and state officials, including Illinois Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis, Tuesday (Dec. 18) to publicly laud Eastern for its pro-active approach to fire safety.  Matkaitis presented a proclamation, commending the university for its “commitment to life safety and preservation of property.”

In January 2005, the state of Illinois enacted the Fire Sprinkler Dormitory Act, requiring all on-campus housing at post-secondary institutions to have fire sprinklers installed by 2013.  In January 2011, the state further enacted the Greek Housing Fire Safety Act, requiring all Greek housing to install fire sprinkler systems by 2019.

According to Bennett, EIU “has met these requirements prior to the mandated deadlines by having 100 percent of the 28 residential buildings on campus with fire sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems installed.”

Eastern began its efforts in 2000 with the installation of fire sprinklers in Pemberton Hall, the oldest woman’s residence hall in the state of Illinois.  The first Greek housing was retrofitted with sprinklers in 2002.

“We wanted to begin with our wood-framed buildings -- those with the highest risk,” said Mark Hudson, Eastern’s director of Housing and Dining Services.

The university finished the project this past summer by making installations in Ford, McKinney and Weller halls.  In total, Eastern spent more than $10.5 million dollars on the project.

“As assistant fire chief, I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with the staff of Eastern to help ensure the safety of students, staff and the general public,” Bennett said.  “Whether it was assisting with a pre-fire plan or collaborating on a side-by-side sprinkler demo at the tailgate of an EIU football game, Eastern has always put safety as a priority.

“These proactive efforts in fire safety have certainly made the job of the fire department a whole lot easier,” he added.

Shared Facts:

-- According to the National Fire Protection Agency, in 2011 there were more than 3,000 deaths, 17,000 injuries and more than $11 billion dollars in property damage due to fires in the United States.

 -- Statistics from The Center for Campus Fire Safety show that, since the year 2000, 80 fatal fires have been documented that occurred on a college campus, in Greek housing or in off-campus housing within three miles of the campus – claiming a total of 116 victims across the nation.

After the area's only school orchestra was cut in the 1970s, private music teacher Terry Coulton watched her young students diligently practice their craft alone, without the benefit of hearing their instruments the way they are most richly enjoyed -- as part of a symphony.

"There was a huge void," Coulton said. "Some had achieved an advanced level of playing and were ready for that next step."

On occasion, she'd get permission for outstanding young musicians to play with Eastern Illinois University's Eastern Symphony Orchestra. When conductor Richard Rossi took over the ESO in 2001, Coulton anxiously asked whether he would welcome children to his ensemble.

"He was just thrilled," she recalled. "He said, 'In fact, we'll make it a program; we'll make it an outreach."

And so the Symphonic Honors Initiative Program, or SHIP, was born.

SHIP is a win-win-win-win situation, as it provides experience to youth who would otherwise have no opportunity to play locally; gives EIU students an opportunity to mentor children, which is particularly beneficial to those who will become teachers; serves as a recruiting tool for the EIU music department; and bolsters the size of the orchestra, which also includes EIU students, professionals and community members.

"It does my heart good to look out and see such a diverse range of experience, from these little ones whose feet don't touch the ground, all the way up to musicians in their 80s," Rossi said, describing the Eastern Symphony Orchestra's "very unique setup."

The community involvement is "positive and unifying," Coulton said.

"Everybody looks out for the younger students, and everybody respects the older people," she said.

Coulton -- whom Rossi has affectionately dubbed the "Mother SHIP" for her central role in establishing and nurturing the program -- serves as a liaison for SHIP students and parents.

"SHIP has grown over the years and has also provided us with some string majors and a major source of recruitment," Rossi said.

In fact, three SHIP alumni are now part of the Eastern Symphony Orchestra as EIU students: Maura Shepherd, violin; Elizabeth Southards, violin; and Riley Parish, cello.

By chance, a recent piece in the ESO's Christmas concert featured solos by those three SHIP alumni. It was a proud moment for Rossi, who has guided them since they were children.

Shepherd, who has played with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra since she was in fifth grade, said that SHIP pushed her to be her best, while reassuring her that her lifelong dream of making a career of music was the right path to follow.

Shepherd has decided to become a music educator, and SHIP is now helping to give her excellent first-hand experience in teaching children.

"It's kind of like coming full circle for me," Shepherd said. "I know the overwhelming feeling of seeing these notes they don't know how to play that fast. I get to work with them one-on-one, and I can reassure them that one day, they'll be playing right along."

The interaction of EIU students and the youth is part of the beauty of the program, Rossi and Coulton agree.

"The young students see the college students working and learning in the same situation, and I think they are inspired to be just as focused and as mature as they can be," Coulton said.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra's principal players for each section act as SHIP faculty. Before each weekly rehearsal, each SHIP faculty member meets with a section for an hour: Coulton and Sharilyn Spicknall with two violin sections; Megan Goff with violists; Ka-Wai Yu with cellists; and Todd Gallagher with bassists.

"That's an opportunity to really sit down with them and really give detailed direction, and it's a chance for the students to ask questions," Coulton said, adding that the experience is "vital" for young musicians. "I think the learning happens without them really realizing it."

This year's SHIP program is comprised of three first violins, three second violins, one viola and one bass, representing Charleston, Newton, Sullivan and Terre Haute.

"These students gain invaluable experience with a college-level ensemble, learning the orchestra music literature and the skills of following a conductor and working within a section of musicians," Coulton said. "They learn about historical styles, orchestra etiquette and performance practice, and they can see what is ahead for them in their future musical pursuits."

For more details on SHIP, including information on how to apply to participate, please visit http://www.eiu.edu/~music/ensembles_eso_ship.php or call Rossi at 217-581-3111.

Eastern Illinois University senior Matthew Bochenek's longtime goal of becoming a military pilot is well on the way to becoming a reality.

Thanks to years of hard work, Bochenek is ranked among the top 1 percent of cadets -- No. 55, to be exact -- in the entire U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

Three fellow EIU cadets also made the National Order of Merit List: Steven Kutz of Holt, Mo., is in the Top 10 percent; and William Comstock of Charleston and Ryan Shumaker of Marshall are in the Top 15 percent.

Bochenek has long wanted to be a military officer, inspired in large part by stories from his paternal grandfather, who was an Army corporal in the Korean War, and his grandfather's brother, who flew a B-29 bomber in World War II.

"I flooded their brains with questions," Bochenek said. "I've always had a desire to serve."

When Bochenek was in sixth grade, his father took him to his first air show, and he was hooked, and he began attending every air show he could.

 As a high school student, Bochenek decided to take flying lessons to be sure he wanted to devote his career to being a military pilot. Though he was already busy as an outstanding three-sport athlete with a good GPA, he worked three part-time jobs to earn money for the lessons, which cost more than $100 per hour. He completed 24 hours of flight time, more than enough to convince him that he loved it.

When it came time to make a college decision, he opted against attending a military academy, because he wanted the opportunity to focus equally on academics and the military, while still having the chance to enjoy social aspects of college. Eastern Illinois University stood out, in large part due to its excellent ROTC program, which was small enough to allow him to develop strong relationships with his instructors and his fellow cadets.

"I felt like ROTC was the best for me because I could live a military life and a school life as well," Bochenek said. "I like the fact that you're a student first, because you can focus on your GPA. And then you are a cadet, and you gain the experience to lead other cadets."

Bochenek has amassed a wide variety of leadership experience through ROTC, including currently serving in the program's top student position, cadet battalion commander.

In Bochenek's sophomore year, EIU ROTC graduate Capt. John Pollard flew a helicopter to campus, providing Bochenek's first opportunity to ride in a helicopter cockpit.

"That really hit me right there that this is what I want to do," Bochenek said. "I knew I'd have to do everything it takes to make it happen."

He knew that in order to have a better chance of securing the Army assignment he wanted after graduation, he would have to do well on the national cadet ranking, which is based on combination of skill assessments, including grade-point average; physical fitness; extracurricular activities; and the score from the five-week Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Wash., the pinnacle of ROTC program.

Exhibiting his usual dedication and perseverance, he worked as hard as he could to excel. "When things would get hard, I knew I couldn't stop, or I'd never be satisfied," he said.

All of the hard work paid off when he got the news that he was ranked No. 55 in the nation, allowing him to secure the assignment he'd long worked toward -- aviation officer, a highly competitive and demanding career field.

Bochenek is quick to give credit to the ROTC program and its instructors for equipping him for success.

"They gave me the right resources so I could study and pass the test," Bochenek said. "They have really high expectations of you, and they train you right. I'm very happy with all of the training opportunities."

Bochenek is not taking much time to sit and bask in the achievement of his long-time goal.

"I know that I was in the 1 percent, but that's all behind me now, and I've made it a goal to be the top in my flight school and keep going," Bochenek said.

Bochenek is on track to reach two major goals in May: earning his bachelor's degree in exercise science, and being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Sometime this spring, Bochenek will get his orders from the Army, dictating when he'll begin flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala. After 18 months of training, he'll be assigned to an active duty unit.

His ultimate goal is to become a master aviator, serving as a company or battalion commander -- "to achieve the banner of excellence in the aviation field," he said.

There is little doubt he will fulfill that ambition. The only question is what new challenge he will dream up next.

A message from Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, sent to all EIU students and employees:

Eastern Illinois University has received several inquiries regarding an incident that took place in Charleston late Wednesday.  The crime was committed off campus, and the alleged attacker was apprehended shortly thereafter.

According to the Charleston Police Department (CPD), shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, CPD officers responded to a call on West Locust Street, located more than two miles north of the EIU campus.  Two individuals - one male and one female - sustained knife wounds to their throats; both have been treated for their injuries.  Charleston resident Blackie Veach, 21, was arrested later in the evening and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery.

While the individuals involved in this case have no connection to Eastern Illinois University, this incident should remind all of us to adhere to basic safety precautions:

. Be diligent.  Recognize your vulnerability.
. Avoid traveling alone at night.  Always carry a cell phone.
. Confine walking to well-lit, regularly traveled walks and pathways.
. Avoid shortcuts and keep away from shrubbery, bushes, alleyways or any other areas where an assailant might be lurking.   
. Report all suspicious persons, vehicles and activities to the University Police Department immediately, by using any campus emergency phone or by dialing 911.
. Use the "buddy system" and watch out for your neighbor.
. Keep your door locked when you nap or go to bed for the night.
. Report lights that are out and any hazardous conditions immediately.
. If threatened by an approaching vehicle, run in the opposite direction. The vehicle will have to turn around in order to pursue you.
. If you think you are being followed, do anything that might attract attention or summon assistance.
. Carry a loud whistle or other noise-making device; this will draw attention to your position if assailed.

These safety precautions, among others, can be found on the University Police Department and Student Affairs websites.

The EIU Police Department, located at the corner of Seventh Street and Grant Avenue, provides service and protection to the campus community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  In case of an emergency, dial 911 or 581-3212, or go to the University Police Department headquarters.  Blue emergency phones are available throughout campus. (See here for locations.)

Three individuals have been recognized as outstanding members of the Eastern Illinois University Foundation for 2012:  Alan Baharlou and June Giffin, both of Charleston, and Dennis Spice of Champaign.

This award is bestowed upon individuals who demonstrate the ideals of membership in the Foundation through their volunteer service to the Foundation and to the university’s academic and athletic programs, providing the leadership, expertise and knowledge essential for the work of its advisory and governing boards, administrative councils and committees, and its executives-in-residence programs.

Alan Baharlou

Although he retired from Eastern in 2005, Alan Baharlou continues to remain active and involved with the university.  In addition to teaching off-campus courses, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Academy of Lifetime Learning offered through the School of Continuing Education.  He and his wife, Carlene, established the Baharlou Service Award in the College of Sciences to recognize faculty members with records of distinguished service.

Baharlou served as chair of the Department of Geology/Geography during 22 of the 25 years he taught at EIU.  He was recognized with several awards during his teaching career, including being named the university’s faculty laureate in 1999.

That same year, he also won the prestigious Ringenberg Award, which is the highest award presented by the College of Sciences and recognizes an individual who has performed exceptionally during his or her academic career.

The School of Continuing Education honored Baharlou with the Paul Overton Award, which is given to someone who has provided exemplary long-time service to off-campus students.  He is also the recipient of the Roger Whitlow Award, given to an adjunct faculty member who has made an important contribution to SCE off-campus students and programs.

As a young woman, June Bubeck Giffin attended EIU, living in Pemberton Hall, and was active in women’s sports including

June Bubeck Giffin

volleyball, badminton and field hockey.  She met her husband, Jim, before graduating in 1946 with her bachelor’s degree in business education.

In 1971, after taking time away from Eastern to teach and begin raising her family, she began work as a substitute teacher in the EIU Lab School.  She later worked as an office manager, first in Eastern’s Philosophy Department, then in the Management/Marketing Department.  She eventually migrated to Old Main and the Department of Grants and Research, working there from 1981 until her retirement in 1993.

Giffin has served as an avid volunteer throughout the EIU campus and Charleston community for many years.  Behind the scenes, she and her late husband, who was the founding dean of Eastern’s College of Business, served as a “welcome wagon” to faculty and hundreds of students who crossed their paths in the classroom, as student workers, as renters, and students in need.  The couple willingly helped any student desiring an education, and adopted many as surrogate children and grandchildren.

The couple also established both the Elsie and Erson Giffin and the Jim and June Giffin scholarships through the EIU Foundation.

Giffin’s current efforts center mostly on Eastern’s Peace Meal Senior Nutrition Program, the Tarble Arts Center, as an usher for the Doudna Fine Arts Center, as a member of the EIU Annuitants Association, and as a volunteer annuitant for the EIU Foundation at the Neal Welcome Center.

Dennis Spice

Dennis Spice serves as president of Institutional Advisors, Ltd., a consulting firm he began in 1995.  His many other accomplishments since receiving his bachelor’s degree in management from Eastern include serving as founding partner and managing member of Open Prairie Ventures I, LP, a $40 million capital fund that focused on investments in Midwest-based seed and start-up companies.  He was a member of the board of directors of Infoblox, Cernium, Eagles.net, ReVas, Innovative Security Systems Inc. and Computrol.

Further, he was a managing partner of Prairie Capital Partners, which leased equipment to companies in the Midwest; a managing director in Agrarian Capital, a private equity firm focused on agricultural industry investments; and an investor and adviser to harVestco Agricultural Properties.

As a nationally recognized expert, Spice has testified on pension and investment issues before the Department of the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., and the Illinois General Assembly.

Prior to founding his own company, Spice was the executive director of the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS).  He joined the system in 1980 and was appointed director in 1991, a position he held until 1995.  Previously, he was employee benefits manager at EIU.

Over the years, Spice has given countless hours of service to EIU.  He recently agreed to serve on the newly formed School of Continuing Education Bachelor in General Studies Degree Alumni Board.  He has also served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, the School of Business Advisory Board for six years, the School of Technology’s Advisory Board for 11 years, and on the Foundation Board of Directors for five years.

He and his wife, Linda, established the Spice Entrepreneurship Fund at EIU in 2002, supporting projects that promote the spirit of entrepreneurship for the School of Business and School of Technology.

Nearly 500 graduates plan to participate in Eastern Illinois University's Fall 2012 commencement ceremonies, scheduled to take place Saturday, Dec. 15, in Lantz Arena.

Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.  Guest tickets are required for admission.

Students from the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities will march in the morning ceremony, while students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Sciences and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Degree) will march in the afternoon.  Graduate students will march with their respective colleges.

President William L. Perry will preside over the ceremonies.  Music will be provided by the EIU Wind Symphony.

Victoria Markley, an EIU alumna who has made a career as an information technology consultant, will present the “Charge to the Class” during both ceremonies.  Also addressing graduates will be Faculty Senate Chairperson Andrew S. Methven and Student Body President Kaci L. Abolt.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Joseph R. Dively of Charleston at 10 a.m. and Robert D. Webb of Mattoon at 1 p.m.

Traditionally, a commencement marshal leads the commencement procession while carrying the university mace, a symbol of honor accorded a faculty member.  The commencement marshal for the 10 a.m. ceremony will be Lynne E. Curry, who, as a professor of history, will represent the Graduate School.  Representing the School of Continuing Education at 1 p.m. will be Carrie M. Dale, associate professor of early childhood, elementary and middle level education.

An EIU tradition also allows faculty members the honor of carrying the college banner for his/her college during the procession.

This semester’s faculty marshals for the morning ceremony are Melody L. Wollan, graduate coordinator, School of Business, representing the Graduate School and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Karen S. Drage, associate professor, School of Technology, representing the LCBAS; Matthew J. Gill, graduate coordinator, communication studies, representing the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Humanities; and Terri L. Johnson, associate professor, journalism, representing the CAH.

This year's faculty marshals for the afternoon ceremony are Christina R. Edmonds-Behrend, assistant professor, special education, representing the Graduate School and the College of Education and Professional Studies; Dawn M. VanGunten, professor, secondary education and foundations, representing the CEPS; Wesley Allan, graduate coordinator, psychology, representing the Graduate School and the College of Sciences; Daniel J. Sheeran, chair and associate professor, chemistry, representing the COS; and Teresa Britton, professor, philosophy, representing the School of Continuing Education.

Lena F. Elmuti, a biological sciences and chemistry major from Charleston, will serve as Honors College banner marshal during both ceremonies.

Additionally, William E. Addison, who was selected as EIU’s 2012 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient for his contributions to the university, the field of psychology and the local community, will be formally recognized at Saturday’s 1 p.m. ceremony.  The award honors the memory of Mendez, an EIU professor of Spanish who died in 2003.

Representatives of the Charleston Fire Department will be joined by city and state officials to collectively recognize Eastern Illinois University for its proactive approach to fire safety on its campus.

Larry Matkaitis, Illinois’ state fire marshal, is among those scheduled to attend a 2 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 18, in the Cougill Foyer of Old Main on EIU’s campus.  The public is invited to attend.

According to Fire Chief Pat Goodwin, Charleston and city fire department officials are “very proud” of Eastern’s commitment to the installation of sprinkler systems in the institution’s residence halls and Greek housing, and further laud the fact that Eastern is the first state institution of its type and size to reach 100 percent compliance.

By the beginning of the Fall 2012 semester, residence halls at EIU were 100 percent upgraded with a sprinkler system in each of its 28 residential buildings, Goodwin added.

An Illinois state mandate passed in 2004 requiring that residence halls in all public and private colleges and universities have sprinkler systems installed by 2013.  Eastern was ahead of the curve in that it had started its own sprinkler system update in 1999, with the process beginning in Pemberton Hall.

The state further mandated – via the Greek Housing Fire Safety Act of 2010 – that automatic fire sprinkler systems be required in all Greek housing structures built before Jan. 1, 2011, and that those systems be installed before Jan. 1, 2019.  The first of Eastern’s on-campus Greek housing was retrofitted with sprinklers in 2001, Goodwin said.

Long-time colleague John Best remembers Luis Clay Mendez as a man who “recognized the essential dignity of each person with whom he worked.”

William Addison “exemplifies Luis in just the same way,” Best added.  “By recognizing the value and worth of each individual, Bill brings out the best in that individual.”

It was for that reason that Best nominated Addison for the 2012 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award.  The award, presented annually by Eastern Illinois University’s Faculty Senate, recognizes an individual who exemplifies Mendez’s service to the university, their respective profession and the community-at-large (local, national and international).

The award will be officially presented to Addison during EIU’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 15.  Mendez, an EIU professor of Spanish, died in 2003.

Addison, who joined EIU’s psychology faculty in 1987, has regularly taught courses in introductory psychology, statistics, research methods and experimental design, as well as independent study.  In addition to serving on numerous committees during his 25-year tenure at the university, he has chaired the Faculty Senate, the Council on Academic Affairs and the University Personnel Committee, as well as the Psychology Department itself.

“Most people think of this last job as being that of an administrator, and that’s technically true,” Best said.  “But Bill made the chairperson’s job a service position:  He served his faculty people by helping them to develop their talents; he served the students of our institution by leading his faculty people to develop the best curriculum we could offer with the resources available to us.”

Best noted that Addison discharges all of his responsibilities with “zeal, energy and wise acumen.

“Working with him on service responsibilities is generally a joy, not a job,” Best added.  “Bill is a gracious, generous and warm person who is genuinely concerned with the welfare of those around him.”

Addison’s friends and colleagues say his service extends much further than the boundaries of the university campus.

"Bill has served the discipline of psychology admirably for decades,” Best said.

Addison is nationally recognized for his empirical and practical scholarship on teaching, and has served in leadership positions in professional organizations, including president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

“Through his efforts at promulgation, and his vantage on the national scene, we have seen our curricular model at Eastern used as a basis for the development of national-level principles of psychology curricula in universities across the U.S.,” Best said.

Addison has also served as an American Psychological Association-recognized consultant to psychology departments across the country, and has served high school teachers throughout the nation with his work as a faculty consultant for the Advanced Placement program in psychology.

Mary E. Kite, professor and director of Undergraduate Studies at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., described Addison as a friend and colleague of long-standing whom she holds in high esteem.

“Bill’s leadership and service contributions to the discipline of psychology are exemplary,” she said.  “I’m honored to have the opportunity to support his nomination.  I know I speak for many, many others who also think very highly of (him) and so appreciate the many things he has done to advance our discipline.”

Registration is now open for Eastern Illinois University’s annual literary festival, Lions in Winter, set to take place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26, 2013.

For the first time since the festival’s inception, it will be a two-day event, featuring workshops, lectures, readings, a book fair and more.

The festival will begin with a reading by Jaimy Gordon, 2010 National Book Award winner for her novel “Lord of Misrule,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in Eastern’s Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Lecture Hall.

Individual events planned for Saturday, Jan. 26, include intensive genre workshops led by EIU creative writing faculty; craft lectures from featured writers Eduardo C. Corral, Tina May Hall and Randa Jarrar; an editor’s panel with editors from The Missouri Review, Ninth Letter, 32 Poems, PANK and Bluestem; and an evening reading by the festival’s featured writers.

All events will take place in the Doudna Fine Arts Center.  Detailed schedules and information, including registration details and area hotel accommodations, can be found on the festival’s website (www.lionsinwinter.org).

Participant registration includes continental breakfast and lunch on Saturday, well as entry into workshops and/or lectures.  Students may register to attend the craft lecture for free, or $10 for those who wish to join the group for lunch.

Admission to the readings on both Friday and Saturday are free and open to the public.

Lions in Winter, co-sponsored by EIU’s Department of English and College of Arts and Humanities, is an annual reading series for new and emerging writers.  Past featured writers include Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, Megan Stielstra, Maureen Stanton, Peter O’Leary and Anastasia Royal.

Those with questions should contact information@lionsinwinter.org.

Eastern Illinois University plans to make the trip down Lincoln Avenue a little more colorful for travelers.

A newly installed lighting system will allow the institution to celebrate university and community events, as well as commemorate events such as World Autism Awareness Day, by displaying appropriate colored lighting on the front of Old Main (the “Castle”).

The system will have its official debut on Monday (Dec. 3) evening, with the building being lit up in blue – one of Eastern’s official colors.

“One of the goals emerging from last year’s strategic planning process was to pay more attention to the streetscape along Lincoln Avenue,” said William Weber, vice president for business affairs.  “The new lighting on Old Main will provide the community with a visual reminder of some of the many worthwhile events occurring at EIU and in Charleston.”

The new programmable lighting system was installed in response to Eastern’s efforts, in working with the city of Charleston, to create a “collaborative landscape/streetscape plan” from the Neal Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Douglas Street, eastward to 18^th Street (Route 130).

In addition to helping provide a welcoming corridor along Lincoln Avenue, the new lighting is expected to strengthen the connection between campus and the community, and showcase the building’s outstanding architectural features.

Since its inception nearly 60 years ago, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has focused on giving.

“The Foundation plays a very important role in supporting the university we care so much about,” said Timothy Burke, newly seated Foundation Board president.  “And the Foundation Board of Directors understands and accepts its responsibility to protect and grow the assets entrusted to us.”

That responsibility has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two years as Eastern engaged in its “EI&U:  Expect Greatness” capital campaign.  The expectation was that the campaign, which publicly began in October 2010, would run through June 2014 and raise $50 million for student, faculty/staff, program and facility support.  Response was so positive, however, that the university ended the campaign in September 2012 – two years early and $13.7 million over goal.

“The original goal of $50 million was eclipsed by almost $14 million – an accomplishment made possible through more than 43,000 individual gifts,” Burke said.  “Many of these individuals supported the campaign because of their desire to allow future students the same opportunities they had as a result of their EIU experience.”

As Foundation president, Burke will head an 11-person board of directors who, in turn, represents a 300-member organization.

Founded in 1953 under the leadership and direction of H. Ogden Brainard, the EIU Foundation has been dependent upon the generosity of its members to encourage and provide private support to the university and to promote the ideals of volunteerism and philanthropy among alumni, friends and employees of the university.

Burke, of Evanston, is joined on the Foundation Board by Christine Reid Robertson (vice president) of Naperville; William Robinson (treasurer) of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Judy Ethell (secretary) of Chesterfield, Mo.; Jason Anselment of Springfield; Michael Cunningham of Marietta, Ga.; H. Michael Finkle of Naples, Fla.; Timothy McCollum of Charleston; Sue C. Payton of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Janet Treichel of Reston, Va.; and Charles Witters of Las Vegas, Nev.

Additional Foundation members have been appointed as volunteer committeemen:  Scott Biermann of Clayton, Mo.; Cal Campbell and William Hill, both of Charleston; Rick Edwards of Arcola; Donald Gher of Bellevue, Wash.; Rick Ingram of Chicago; Alison Maley of Springfield; Tom Maskey of Fairfax, Va.; and James Schnorf of Longwood, Fla.

Volunteers bring an added dimension to board discussions and deliberations, and provide potential candidates for future vacancies on the board.

Community residents are once again invited to join Eastern Illinois University's students, faculty and staff for two festive gatherings -- this year titled “Celebrating the Arts” -- scheduled to take place in Old Main (the "Castle").

Guests are welcome to attend either of the two holiday events, the first of which is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, and the second from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 13.  Both will take place in Old Main’s Cougill Foyer.

Parking is available in most university lots after 5 p.m. Guests attending the Dec. 13 event may park in the "X" lot, located east of Old Main.

Following an annual tradition, this year’s gatherings will showcase six holiday trees, five of which feature decorations made by students of Ashmore, Carl Sandburg, Jefferson, Lake Crest (Oakland) and Mark Twain elementary schools.

Refreshments and holiday music will be available at both gatherings.

Family members and others unable to attend either of the two events but who still wish to see their child’s ornament on display are welcome to view the decorated trees between Monday, Dec. 3, and Thursday, Dec. 13.  The building will be open between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Erasing the Distance, a Chicago theater group dedicated to promoting understanding of mental health issues, will perform two shows at Eastern Illinois University on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

The first show is to begin at 3 p.m. in 7th Street Underground in the MLK Jr. Union. The second show is set for 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, also in the union. Both shows are free and open to the public.

Erasing the Distance "uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, spark dialogue, educate, and promote healing surrounding issues of mental health," according to its website.

Erasing the Distance will present five skits in each show, with topics including dealing with sexual assault, eating disorders, depression, drug addiction, suicide and long-term health issues.

The events are sponsored by the University Housing and Dining Services committee for Social Justice, Diversity and Community Engagement.

For more information on Erasing the Distance -- including video and links to Chicago Tribune stories about the troupe -- please see the website at www.erasingthedistance.org.

Eastern Illinois University's 26th annual Holiday Art Sale will offer a variety of handmade items, including ceramic dishes, jewelry, toy trains and much more.

The shop will be open three days -- 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 -- in 1910 Doudna Fine Arts Center. Refreshments will be available.

"All the items are handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items," said organizer Sue Rardin. "These people put their hearts and souls into these, and they're collectible."

The art sale features work from around 30 vendors, including faculty, students and community members.

"We're always trying to draw in new artists," said Rardin, who is in her 16th year of chairing the Holiday Art Sale Committee. "It's constantly changing."

Among the new items this year are wooden trains created by Professor Jeff Boshart's sculpting students, who have created about 50 different rail cars that can be combined in various combinations.

Annual favorites include ceramics, especially useable cups, bowls, serving dishes and other containers; many different styles of jewelry; stained glass; wood cutting boards; purses; and knitted scarves.

Forty percent of the cost of each item goes to the Art Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to an average of 20 students per year.

For more information, please contact Rardin at 581-3410.

An Eastern Illinois University faculty member will screen his new documentary about the significance of an iconic independent record store on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The free showing of "Walls of Sound: A Look Inside the House of Records" -- an in-depth look at the 40-year history of the House of Records in Eugene, Ore. -- will begin at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall at EIU.

“I chronicle the history of (the store), the stories behind it, the social meanings of the store, how it acts as a community gathering space for local music scenes,” said David Gracon, an assistant professor in the EIU Department of Communication Studies. “These kinds of places are for more than just buying and selling music, they’re a form of community for many people -- a place where subcultural scenes can flourish and have a place to meet each other.

“The store is also situated in an old house, and there are a lot of stories about people who used to live in this house and even some ghost stories. It’s sort of an amalgamation of all these topics under this umbrella of the record store.”

Places like House of Records are becoming more and more of a rarity with the advent of digital music. The 2006 closing of a record store across the street from Gracon's childhood home in Buffalo, N.Y., inspired him to study similar businesses and their societal impact.

“There was a reaction when that store closed,” Gracon said. “It was kind of an outcry. I thought maybe I could go see what’s going on with this store (House of Records); see if it is struggling to exist as well.”

The documentary is the result of Gracon's doctoral research at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He filmed from 2006 to 2008, and then shelved the project as he devoted most of the next few years to his written dissertation.

When he joined the EIU faculty in 2011, he began the daunting task of assembling the hundreds of hours of footage into a 63-minute film.

This fall, Gracon took the resulting film back to the Pacific Northwest for showings in Eugene, Portland, and Olympia, Wash., so people could watch the film as part of a community, rather than in individual homes.

“The stores themselves are about physical space and being around people, and I felt the film tour should also be like that," Gracon said. “We had a discussion with the audience about the social significance of these stores, what local businesses mean to people, and how to preserve them and keep them going."

Gracon plans to take the documentary to film festivals, and he hopes to secure a distribution deal. In the meantime, he has already incorporated the filmmaking experience into his teaching at EIU.

“I teach video production, so I tell my students about the trials and tribulations of making a film of this nature,” Gracon said. “I always tell my students, if you’re not passionate about the work you’re making, you’re not going to have good work. I was super invested in this project; if you’re going to spend years on a topic, you have to really love it.”

In his spring Documentary Production class, Gracon showed his students the first 20 minutes of Walls of Sound, and they provided valuable feedback.

“(The students) are developing as videomakers, but at the same time, they may catch something I’m not seeing," Gracon said. "I think they like the fact that this work is being presented publicly and getting out there. I want them to do the same thing; I want them to look up to a project and feel like they can do that, too.”

A week-long series of events culminating with a Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 12, will bring educational opportunities for and about military veterans to the forefront on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

According to Stephen Knotts, EIU’s coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Services, “Veterans Week” will demonstrate both veterans’ support and veterans’ awareness.

“We want to support our student veterans on campus by letting everyone know that they, too, are EIU,” he said.

The Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony has become an annual campus event.  This year, community residents are invited to join students, faculty and staff at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 12 in front of Old Main (the “Castle”).  The ceremony will include the laying of a wreath and remarks by both Cody Gallagher, a student veteran and ROTC cadet, and EIU President Bill Perry.  The ROTC Panther Battalion will render a three-volley salute, while the EIU Department of Music will perform the National Anthem and the playing of taps.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved inside the building.

The public is also invited to three related events, including two panel discussions featuring some of Eastern’s current student veterans.

The first panel will talk about their military service experience, then discuss their transition to EIU, including the challenges they face as older, nontraditional students.  A question-and-answer session will follow the discussion.

“Many of them feel that there’s no connection.  They don’t have that strong bond they felt with their military unit,” Knotts said.  “Plus, over time, they’ve may have lost some of the studying and/or testing skills they knew before entering the military.”

That discussion is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall.

During the same time period and in the same location on Wednesday, Nov. 7, a panel of female student veterans will tell their stories, focusing on those issues specific to “being a female in the military,” including “expectations, hygiene, sexual harassment and sexual assault.”

EIU’s annual Veterans Day concert – this year titled “Call to Duty:  A Veterans Day Tribute” -- will feature the Eastern Illinois University Wind Symphony, plus special guest, the Springfield-based 144^th U.S. Army Band’s Five Star Trombone Ensemble.  Admission to the concert, set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in Dvorak Concert Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center, is $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $5 for EIU students.

Additional events scheduled in commemoration of Veterans Day include those aimed at military veterans only.

EIU’s Career Services will hold a workshop designed to teach veterans how to use their military experience to write a civilian resume.  The one-hour workshop, scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday, Nov. 8, will be followed from 1 to 4 p.m. with opportunities for student veterans to participate in mock job interviews.

Those interested in the workshop need only show up at the appointed time at the Career Services office, located in Eastern’s Human Services Building.  Those wishing to participate in a mock interview should contact Career Services in advance, either in person or by calling 217-581-2412, to schedule a 30-minute slot of time.

Also, the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs will feature its mobile Veterans Center – a 40-foot-long RV – throughout the day on Tuesday, Nov. 6, and from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Nov. 7, near the southeast corner of the MLK Jr. Union (just south of Java Beanery and Bakery).   Veterans are welcome to visit the center for information on such topics as veterans’ benefits, counseling services and more.

Representatives from school districts throughout Illinois and beyond will be seeking new employees at the upcoming Fall Education Job Fair at Eastern Illinois University.

Anyone who is or will be qualified for the positions offered is invited to the free job fair, which is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the MLK Jr. Union's Grand Ballroom. It is sponsored by EIU Career Services.

School district representatives will be seeking candidates for teaching, administrative and support services positions. A list of participating schools and available jobs is available online at http://www.eiu.edu/careers/falleducationjobfair.php.

Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes. The Career Services website provides more tips for making the job fair a success.

For more information, contact Jennifer Peterson, the EIU career counselor who is coordinating the event, at 581-7073 or japeterson@eiu.edu.

This year's Embarras Valley Film Festival will honor Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman, who grew up in Danville.

A collaborative effort between the community and Eastern Illinois University, the film festival -- "The Versatile Gene Hackman" -- will offer film screenings and related events Oct. 27 and Nov. 1-3. All are free and open to the public.

Five Hackman movies will be shown:

• In "Bonnie and Clyde" (R, 1967), a bored small-town girl and a small-time bank robber leave in their wake a string of violent robberies and newspaper headlines that catch the imagination of the Depression-struck Midwest in this take on the legendary crime spree of these archetypal lovers on the run. Hackman plays Buck Barrow, older brother of Clyde and member of the Barrow gang.

• "Unforgiven" (R, 1992) blurs lines between heroism and villainy, and man and myth, when prostitutes unsatisfied by the justice served by Sheriff "Little Bill" (Hackman) in the death of one of their friends put a bounty on her cowboy killers. The bounty attracts a young gun billing himself as “The Schofield Kid” (Jaimz Woolvett), as well as aging and reformed killer William Munny (Clint Eastwood) and his partner Ned (Morgan Freeman), complicating conflicts between law and lawlessness in the West.

• In "The Royal Tenenbaums" (R, 2001), an estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when their father, Royal (Hackman), announces he has a terminal illness.

• Based on a true story, "Hoosiers" (PG, 1986) highlights Norman Dale (Hackman), a coach with a checkered past, and Shooter (Dennis Hopper), a local drunk, who train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship.

• William Friedkin's gritty police drama "The French Connection" (R, 1972) portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. An interesting contrast is established between "Popeye" Doyle (Hackman), a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hardworking and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America.

The 2012 EVFF is sponsored by EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, Tarble Arts Center, Doudna Fine Arts Center and Booth Library, as well as the Coles County Arts Council and Charleston Carnegie Public Library. The EVFF also receives support from City of Charleston Tourism Funds.

The co-project directors for EVFF are Jeanne Goble (also chair of community activities), Kit Morice and Robin L. Murray (also program chair). Other EVFF Planning Committee members are David Bell, website manager; Dan Crews, film rights, publicity/promotion; Robert Hillman, exhibits; Bonnie Irwin; and Patricia S. Poulter.

For more information on the EVFF, please email Morice (kmorice@eiu.edu) or Murray (rlmurray@eiu.edu), or visit the website at www.eiu.edu/~evff.

The full schedule follows. All events are on the EIU campus unless stated otherwise.

Saturday, Oct. 27

• 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Stop Motion Film Workshop for middle-school-age students, led by Gabe Przygoda, a graduate student in the EIU School of Technology. Classroom, Tarble Arts Center.

Thursday, Nov. 1

• 2 p.m.: Colloquium: The Films of Gene Hackman. 3290 Coleman Hall.
• 3:30 p.m.: "Bonnie and Clyde," with introduction by Robin Murray, who teaches in the EIU English department and serves as the coordinator for the College of Arts and Humanities’ film studies minor. Lecture Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center.

 Friday, Nov. 2

• 7 p.m.: "Unforgiven," with introduction by Chuck Koplinski, who been reviewing films for 20 years for central Illinois media. The Theatre, Doudna Fine Arts Center.
• 10 p.m.: "The Royal Tenenbaums," with introduction by Koplinski. The Theatre, Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Saturday, Nov. 3

• 10:30 a.m.-noon: "Heroes or Villains" art workshop for children ages 6-12 to create emblems, masks, finger puppets and cartoons. Led by EIU librarian Jeanne Goble and Charleston artist Karen Reed. Please register by Oct. 29 by calling 345-1514. Sponsored by the Coles County Arts Council. Charleston Carnegie Public Library, 712 Sixth St.
• 1:30 p.m.: Student Stop Motion Film Premiere, featuring films created in the Oct. 27 workshop. Atrium, Tarble Arts Center.
• 2 p.m.: "Hoosiers," with introduction by EIU men's basketball coach Jay Spoonhour, a self-described "movie junkie" who co-hosted the "Movie Show" on KFNS radio in St. Louis in the late 1990s. Atrium, Tarble Arts Center.
• 7 p.m.: "The French Connection," with introduction by Dann Gire, a Charleston High School and EIU graduate who is president and founding director of the Chicago Film Critics Association. The Theatre, Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Chuck Burke, senior editor/designer and chief typographer at the Chicago Tribune, has been named 2012 Alumnus of the Year by the Eastern Illinois University journalism department.

Burke, a 1998 EIU journalism graduate, is being honored this weekend in conjunction with the university’s homecoming.

Before joining the Tribune, Burke worked in California at the San Jose Mercury News, in northwest Indiana at The Times and in Chicago’s south suburbs at Star Newspapers, a predecessor of the Southtown Star.  He was editor-in-chief of The Daily Eastern News for fall semester 1998.

According to James Tidwell, chair of the EIU journalism department, recipients of the alumni award must:

• be a graduate of EIU with a journalism major or with significant media experience during their collegiate days;

• have attained professional experience and a positive reputation in the field; and

• have continued to support the journalism department or student media programs following graduation.

“Without question, Chuck Burke meets all the criteria,” Tidwell said.  “He has a national reputation in newspaper design circles and has a leadership role in the design, editing and presentation of the Tribune.”

Tidwell also said Burke has returned to campus many times to speak to classes and student groups.

“In Spring 2011, he hosted a half-day workshop in the Tribune newsroom for our Advanced Publication Design class,” Tidwell said.  “The students absolutely loved the experience.  We really appreciate Chuck’s willingness to share his expertise with our students.”

Sally Renaud, chair of the department’s Outreach Committee, said Burke’s commitment to his profession and to sharing it with high school and college-age students has been exceptional.

“He represents our department and our field so well,” she said. “From presenting sessions at high school conferences throughout the state to talks to Eastern’s Student Publications staffs, Chuck has been the perfect ambassador for our department and for journalism.”

Recipients of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association’s 2012 alumni awards will be honored Saturday, Oct. 13, in conjunction with Homecoming activities.

Distinguished Alumni Awards will go to Jack Dadam of Lafayette, Calif.; Christopher Desmond of Glen Ellyn; Jaime Martinez of Naperville; William McNulty of Alexandria, Va.; Jill Nilsen of Charleston; Julie Nimmons of Litchfield; and Kevin Seitzer of Overland Park, Kan.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award recipient is Richard Keaton of Pearland, Texas. The Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award honoree is Carl Mito of Arlington Heights. The Distinguished Educator Award will be presented to Tim McCollum of Charleston.

For biographies of current and past award winners, please see the Alumni Association website.

Established in 1973, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the Alumni Association. It is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves in either academic or literary fields, business, public service and/or service to the university, and who, through their accomplishments and service, have brought prestige to their alma mater. Past recipients have included an Illinois governor, Oscar-nominated actors, an NFL head coach, a nuclear physicist, CEOs, educators at all levels and many others.

First presented in 1988, the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award is presented to alumni who are 35 or younger and have excelled in new careers and/or public service.

The Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award, established in 1988, is presented to alumni who have repeatedly displayed outstanding voluntary service to the university. In 2007, the name was changed to the Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award in honor of Eastern's retiring president, who held a variety of administrative positions at EIU for more than 40 years.

Established in 2004, the Distinguished Educator Award is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves in the field of K-12 education.

The Eastern Illinois University Department of Communication Studies will host a viewing and discussion of the nationally televised presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

"Debate Watch," a voter-education program that brings citizens together to watch the televised debates and talk about what they learned, will begin at 7:45 p.m. in 1255 Coleman Hall.

The televised debate -- the second debate between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney -- will be viewed live starting at 8 p.m.

Following the debate, the local audience will discuss their thoughts, with discussion led by EIU communication studies faculty members Marita Gronnvoll and Sara Gronstal. Representatives of the EIU College Democrats and EIU College Republicans have been invited to attend. The goal is not necessarily to pick a winner or a loser, but to become informed citizens and voters.

The event is free and open to the public.

The Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at Eastern Illinois University has planned a few events for its alumni Saturday as part of EIU Homecoming festivities.

• The School of Business Alumni Homecoming Breakfast is set for 8-9 a.m. in Lumpkin Hall. School of Business alumni and their guests are invited to enjoy a free breakfast, reconnect with faculty and alumni, meet current students, and tour the Lumpkin Hall classrooms and the newly renovated student lounge and building entryways. To RSVP, please email business@eiu.edu.

• The Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences will host a tent in Tent City, the university's tailgate event prior to the Homecoming football game at O'Brien Stadium. From 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the tent will offer caramel apples, sweet tea and coffee, as well as give-away items.

• To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, the School of Family and Consumer Sciences (formerly home economics) invites FCS alumni to ride on the FCS float in the Homecoming Parade. Lineup will begin at 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to RSVP by contacting Felicia Magee at fymagee@eiu.edu or 217-581-6076.

A full schedule of Homecoming activities is listed at http://www.eiu.edu/homecoming.

Eastern Illinois University will celebrate Homecoming 2012, "Pump Up the Blue," with several events incorporating the community throughout the week of Oct. 8.

Of particular community interest are the coronation on Monday; Family Fun Night on Tuesday; and many Saturday events, including the pancake breakfast, 2.5K race, parade and football game.

Throughout the week, Charleston businesses and residents are invited to participate in Paint the Town Blue by offering "Billy's Bucks" food discounts and specials, as well as showing Panther Pride through EIU-themed window displays, marquee signage, yard signs and more.

EIU alumni, students, faculty and staff are invited to enter the Show Me The Blue photo contest with their "Best Individual" and "Best Group" photos of themselves, family or friends wearing EIU blue. To enter, go to Facebook, friend "EI&U Pump Up the Blue 2012" and tag "EI&U Pump Up the Blue 2012" in the photos being submitted. Winners will be chosen daily and featured online throughout EIU Homecoming Week. Prizes will be awarded.

The parade will be broadcast live on WEIU-TV (Your 13 channel on Consolidated Communications cable) and on the WEIU website, www.weiu.net (click "Streaming Video").

To view details on all Homecoming events -- as well as download EIU ringtones and desktop wallpaper -- visit the website at www.eiu.edu/homecoming.

The public is invited to attend the following EIU Homecoming 2012 activities. Events are free unless otherwise noted.

Monday, Oct. 8

• 7 p.m.: Royal Blue Homecoming Coronation. McAfee Gym South.

Tuesday, Oct. 9

• 7 p.m.: Family Fun Night, featuring BINGO, refreshments, carnival games, inflatables and prizes for all ages. Grand and University ballrooms, MLK Jr. Union.

Friday, Oct. 12

• 1 p.m.: Homecoming Golf Outing. $80 per player, with proceeds helping to support EIU student-athletes. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. For details, see www.eiupantherclub.com. Charleston Country Club.
• 7 p.m.: Homecoming Pep Rally, Yell Like Hell and Who Wants to be a Mascot? featuring student cheers/chants, dance routines and contests. McAfee Gym South.

 Saturday, Oct. 13

• 6 a.m.: Rotary All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast. $6 for adults, $3 for age 10 and younger. Former Domino's Pizza parking lot (northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street).
• 9 a.m.: Homecoming 2.5K Race. This 1.5-mile run/walk, sponsored by the EIU Department of Recreation Administration and the City of Charleston, begins at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m.; entry fee is $10, which includes gift pack and refreshments from McDonald's. Awards for top male and female finishers in each category: run, walk and wheelchair. Prize for best full-body costume. Register online at www.eiu.edu/homecoming/race.php.
• 9:30 a.m.: Homecoming Parade, which will begin at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street, and head north on Seventh Street, west on Monroe Avenue, south on Sixth Street, west on Polk Avenue, south on Division Street, and east on Grant Avenue (aka Panther Way), ending at the tailgate area at O'Brien Stadium.
• 10:30 a.m.: Billy's Backyard Tailgate, featuring a kids area; free food; inflatable games; live entertainment; giveaways; and Alumni Tent City, where faculty and staff from many departments will visit with alumni and guests. O'Brien Field Tailgate Area.
• 1:30 p.m.: EIU vs. Jacksonville State football game. $15. O'Brien Field.
• 6 p.m.: Alumni Awards Dinner, honoring this year's recipients (for the list of honorees, see http://www.eiu.edu/alumni/awards2012.php). $25 per person, a portion of which will support the Legacy Scholarship Fund. For tickets, call 581-6616 by Tuesday, Oct. 9. Grand Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union.
• 10 p.m.: Homecoming Late Night Dance. Sponsored by the Black Student Union and National Pan-Hellenic Council student organizations. $8 for BSU members, $10 for general admission. McAfee Gym.

Parking and traffic flow will be restricted in some streets and parking lots for part of the day Saturday, Oct. 13, to make room for the Eastern Illinois University Homecoming Parade.

The streets closed to traffic are as follows:

• 6 a.m.-noon: Ninth Street, from Lincoln to Roosevelt avenues;
• During parade: Grant Avenue, between First and Orchard streets; and
• 3 a.m.-noon: Johnson Avenue, between Seventh and Ninth streets.

The areas closed to parking from 3 a.m. to noon are as follows:

• Grant Avenue, between First and Orchard streets;
• Seventh Street, from the Doudna Fine Arts Center to Monroe Avenue;
• Monroe and Jackson avenues, between Sixth and Seventh streets;
• Sixth Street, from Monroe to Polk avenues;
• Polk Avenue, from Sixth to Division streets;
• Division Street, from Polk to Grant avenues;
• MLK Jr. Union parking lot;
• Seventh Street parking spaces on campus;
• Student Services Building parking lot;
• Blair Hall parking lot;
• X Parking Lot, north and south; and
• Burl Ives Art Studio parking lot.

In addition, Grant Avenue between Seventh and Ninth streets will have controlled traffic and no parking from 3 a.m. until the end of the parade.

Those who live in Park Place Apartments and in the parade staging area on Ninth Street may park their vehicles in the Doudna Fine Arts Center parking lot from 5 p.m. Friday until the parade is over.

Vehicles parked in violation of these parking restrictions will be towed at the owners' expense.

The parade is to begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the intersection of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue. The route is as follows: north on Seventh Street, west on Monroe Avenue, south on Sixth Street, west on Polk Avenue, south on Division Street, and east on Grant Avenue (aka Panther Way), ending at the tailgate area at O'Brien Stadium.

The university appreciates the cooperation of the EIU and Charleston community in helping make the parade a positive experience for all.

For more information on EIU Homecoming, including a map of the parade route, please see http://www.eiu.edu/homecoming.

Eastern Illinois University's announcement that its "EI&U: Expect Greatness" campaign was ending -- nearly two years early and $13.7 million over goal -- was met with a bang… literally.

 The declaration that the campaign had raised $63,696,747 was followed by a fireworks display near the university's Campus Pond. Celebrants included 300 donors and supporters gathered for a thank-you barbecue, scheduled to coincide with Eastern's 2012 Family Weekend activities.

 The university-wide capital campaign, which publicly began in October 2010, was expected to run through June 2014. It was designed to raise $50 million for student, faculty/staff, program and facility support.

 "We exceeded our goal," said Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement, explaining the decision to officially end the campaign. "People really stepped up right at the beginning.

 "And this," he said, referring to the celebration, "is a way in which we can thank our alumni and donors and show our appreciation for their gifts. We want them to know that we are thankful for their contributions -- from the $1 million donors to the $1 donors."

 Martin said the nearly $64 million total was a result of more than 43,000 individual gifts. He added that the campaign's success was based on relationships "built over a long, long time."

 "These gifts were a great expression of generosity and loyalty by our alumni and friends," he said.

 Approximately $19 million was achieved as a result of 12 regional campaigns and outreach to Eastern alumni from across the country, including New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Phoenix and Chicago.

 And, Martin added, approximately one third of the campaign total came from those who made the decision to include Eastern in their final estate plans. "That means a lot to us in that it tells us that our alumni are appreciative of the education they received here at EIU."

 Julie Nimmons, campaign chairman and a 1977 graduate of Eastern, echoed Martin's comments.

 "Throughout the campaign, when calls were made, meetings were held and receptions attended, stories about lives being changed, new beginnings taking place, and life-long lessons learned at Eastern were told," she said. "We heard about alums being the first in their family to attend a university and get a degree. We heard about professors going out of their way to help someone make it through a particularly tough class.

 "We heard about someone in student services helping them find a job so they could stay in school. And, of course, we heard about the social interactions which created relationships that now span many years and, in most cases, many miles in distance between friends, yet remain so important and intact."

 EIU President Bill Perry, who made the final total announcement jointly with Martin and Nimmons, noted his appreciation for all involved.

 "There are so many people to thank for the success of this campaign. Donors, volunteers, faculty and staff who for many years have built such a great EIU experience for so many alumni, our outstanding philanthropy team, and our Campaign Steering Committee are among those to whom we are extremely grateful," he said. "I want to especially thank Vice President Bob Martin and Campaign Steering Committee Chair Julie Nimmons for their roles in the campaign; their leadership was a key factor in our success."

 Although the campaign has officially ended, Martin said the university will continue to accept monetary gifts. "We always take donations," he said, smiling. Especially those in support of those programs that are near and dear to the hearts of our donors."

Col. Robert Sinkler, an Eastern Illinois University alumnus, will return to his alma mater to discuss, in part, his leadership role in the reconstruction of the New Orleans levee system in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

His presentation, “Solving the Nation’s Toughest Geology and Geography Problems,” will be presented at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in Phipps Lecture Hall, Physical Sciences Building.  It will be followed at 5 with a reception.

The free event is open to all those with interest.

Upon his graduation from EIU in 1983 with a degree in geology, Sinkler received a commission with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Since then, he has furthered both his career and his education.

He earned several post-baccalaureate degrees, including a master's degree in UGeographic Information Systems from Kansas State University, a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University, a master's degree in military art and science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Sinkler has also worked on the “other side of the podium” as a faculty member of the U.S. Army Engineer School.

In more recent years, he has been named to top positions in the Army Corps of Engineers.  In 2006, Sinkler became commander of the Corps’ Rock Island Office which boasts 950 employees and handles work in a five-state portion of the U.S. Midwest.

In 2009, he was designated the leader of the Hurricane Protection Office, and charged with oversight of a multi-billion dollar project designed to reduce the risk of storm damage in the greater New Orleans area.

Presently, Sinkler is stationed at the Pentagon and is the Department of the Army’s chief of environmental programs in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

His presentation is being sponsored by EIU’s Department of Geography/Geology.

Eastern Illinois University’s Athletic Training Education Program has once again been recognized for its high quality by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.

The CAATE voted to award continuing accreditation to the program following a comprehensive evaluation, including a self-study and on-site visit.

According to the final report from the CAATE, Eastern’s program “has met all of the nationally recognized standards for entry-level athletic training education that were established with support of the following sponsoring organizations:  the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Inc.”

Particular strengths of the program as identified by the site visit team include the involvement and support of Dr. Sheila Baker, medical director, and EIU Health Service; the number and diversity of affiliated clinical sites; teamwork/cooperation between the academic athletic training and athletic department athletic training staff members; and the support of Eastern’s upper administration.

“The Athletic Training Education Program developed strong partnerships across campus, as well as with area schools and health care facilities,” said Diane Jackman, dean of EIU’s College of Education and Professional Studies.  “Our faculty, staff and partners spent many long hours preparing for a site visit by two CAATE representatives.  We knew that our athletic training program was very strong and met all of the CAATE standards, and it was wonderful to have that validated by CAATE.”

Eastern’s Athletic Training Education Program was initially accredited in 1994.

Certified athletic trainers are most often the staff members who arrive on the scene first when a sports injury occurs.  They are health care professionals who specialize in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity.

As part of a complete health care team, the certified athletic trainer works under the direction of a licensed physician and in cooperation with other health care professionals, athletics administrators, coaches and parents.  Athletic trainers have been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990.

Eastern’s reaccreditation is valid for 10 years, with the next comprehensive review scheduled to occur during the 2021-2022 school year.

Shown, from left to right, are Alex Feliciano; Rene Hutchinson; Roger Kratochvil, chair, EIU Board of Trustees; Barbra Wylie; and EIU President Bill Perry.

Less money spent on vehicle repair means more money to spend directly on meals for those who need them.

That’s the bottom line for Barbra Wylie, director of Eastern Illinois University’s Peace Meal Senior Nutrition Program, who gratefully accepted a “gently used” van donated by Allstate Insurance Company.  Prior to being delivered to the EIU campus, the 2006 Kia Sedona was refurbished to “like new” condition by Sterling Autobody of East Dundee as a part of the Recycled Rides Program.

Recycled Rides is a national community service project whereby members of the National Auto Body Council repair and donate vehicles to families and service organizations in need.  The program recruits repairers, insurers, paint suppliers, parts vendors and others, “to contribute in their own, yet synergistic ways,” to mobilize those in need.

The program benefits, among others, low-income families, military families and organizations in need, victims of domestic violence, service organizations in need, people with medical needs and victims of natural disasters.

Allstate and Sterling teamed up with Recycled Rides six years ago and, to date, have gifted more than 100 vehicles to local charities and families across the country.

The gift to Eastern was triggered by Rene Hutchinson, a 25-year employee of Allstate and EIU alumnus who also serves on EIU’s Board of Trustees.  He, along with Alex Feliciano, regional director for Sterling Autobody Centers, were the guests of honor at Friday’s official presentation.

“Sterling is extremely proud to be part of the Recycled Rides program,” Feliciano said.  “We believe it’s important to give back to our local communities, and Recycled Rides allows our employees to use their time and talents to make a significant difference in the lives of many.”

Peace Meal Senior Nutrition serves between 1,400 and 1,500 meals a day, Monday through Friday, to eligible individuals in 14 east-central Illinois counties – Champaign, Coles, Clark, Cumberland, Dewitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt and Shelby.

The suggested donation for meals is $3.50; however, no one is refused service for inability to contribute a donation toward a meal.  While targeted populations include the most at-risk senior citizens, the program seeks to serve all seniors who are in need of nutritional support with a focus on those who are low income, live alone, and who are a minority or female head of a household.

Central Peace Meal kitchens are located in Bloomington, Mattoon, Oakland, Rantoul and Toledo.  According to Wylie, the newly acquired van will be based out of one of those central kitchens and serve three counties.

“We’re so appreciative of this gift,” she said.  “We were at the point of having to have one of our older vehicles fixed all the time.  And that, of course, was costing money that could be better spent on food and other needed supplies.

“It’s nice to be able to have a safer, more reliable vehicle out on the road,” she added.

A “great campus” helped influence Smith Walbridge’s decision to extend its relationship with Eastern Illinois University for another five years.

“A major issue for us has always been space,” said Barry Houser, director of the Marching Illini at the University of Illinois and director of the Smith Walbridge Clinics.  “By the nature of our camps, we need access to what would be the equivalent of seven football fields.  Eastern, with all of its green space, provides that to us.”

Founded in 1949, Smith Walbridge was the first camp in the United States to specialize in instruction related to various marching band activities.  Intended at first as a baton twirling school, the then-Syracuse, Ind.-based camp soon grew to include programs for majorettes, drill teams, cheerleaders, color guards and marching/concert bands.

In 1990, the clinics were moved to the University of Illinois.  In 2000, they were moved again -- this time to the EIU campus -- where they continue to flourish today.  Clinics currently include sessions for drum majors, color guards, marching percussion, marching bands, student leaders, marching band directors, drill designers and mace/signal batons.  More than 1,000 students from across the country, including 27 states, are represented each summer.

 Houser said that in addition to actual “work” space, Smith Walbridge appreciates the fact that its campers can be housed directly on the Charleston campus which, he added, is a “safe environment.”

Mark Hudson, director of Housing and Dining Services at EIU, said that Smith Walbridge “signed their last contract with us five years ago and this year they could decide if they wanted to pick up another five years.

“And they did so, without hesitation, even though they were heavily recruited by other campuses,” he added.

Calling it “the premiere band camp in the country,” Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, said he appreciated Smith Walbridge’s continued trust in EIU.

The camps are customarily held at Eastern for three weeks each July.

“I’m happy that we can offer Smith Walbridge the facilities they want and need for their summer activities,” Nadler said.

Eastern Illinois University is taking a lead in the fight against bullying.

“It’s become an issue more and more for schools to address,” said Melanie Mills, assistant chair of the “Beyond Awareness:  Strategies to Eliminate Bullying” conference, set to take place on the Charleston campus on Friday, Oct. 5.  Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

"Our event is, by design, geared primarily toward supporting K through 12 educators from throughout the state and education students,” Mills added.  “We want to address bullying and work toward its elimination by connecting people in our communities on the topic.”

The conference is a product of EIU’s Bridging Voices in Our Community project, which serves as a catalyst to help educate and equip learning communities in the area of bullying prevention.  Mills, along with BVC Chair Mildred Pearson, received a 2012 Faculty Development Partnership Grant and also Redden Grants to help support the event.  These grants, coupled with additional support from other sponsors, are enabling the university to offer the conference free of charge to participants.

Organizers expect 350 teachers, community members and interested students to attend the conference, and that even more teachers will participate via Skype.

The event has nationally recognized experts, along with several local speakers, scheduled to talk as part of the program.  Jennifer Roscoe, WCIA-TV’s “Beyond Bullying” spokesperson, will kick off the event, and will introduce the conference’s keynote speaker Dorothy Espelage, professor of educational psychology, University of Illinois.

Other speakers will include Justin Patchin, associate professor and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center at the University of Wisconsin Eau Clair, and a host of participants from EIU and the surrounding area.

The conference will conclude with a panel discussion, featuring Eastern students speaking out about their own bullying experiences, including tales of “being the bully to the pain of being the victim of bullying.”

A complete list of speakers, short bios and subject topics, as well as an online registration form -- can be found at the conference’s website -- http://www.bvcbullyingproject.org/.

“This conference will serve as a time for learning communities to unite and promote bullying intervention,” Mills said.  “We are asking administrators, teachers, coaches and other school personnel to join us from around the four corners of the state in becoming a ‘human bridge’ as we come together and serve as voices against bullying.”

Phone 217-581-5728 or email info@BVCBullyingProject.org for information.

Tickets for the Sept. 29 Family Weekend performance of REO Speedwagon will go on sale to the general public on Monday, Sept. 10.

The band will perform at 8 p.m. in Lantz Arena.  Tickets are $27 each, and may be purchased between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the MLK Jr. Union Ticket Office, located on the second floor of the west wing.  For phone orders, call 217-581-3616/581-5122.  Visa and Mastercard are accepted.  All seats reserved.

Fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, members of REO Speedwagon began by riding in station wagons, going from tiny gigs to even tinier gigs, just to get their name out.  Later, they rode the top of the charts with 22 million albums sold in the U.S. and 40 million around the globe, with a string of gold and platinum records and international hit singles.

REO Speedwagon has that Midwest work ethic.  The band has gone onstage and in the studio and done the work -- dozens of albums, hundreds of concerts and infinite radio spins.  Not a year has gone by where REO Speedwagon didn’t perform live, thrilling fans with hits like “Keep On Loving You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

Enrollments took a dip as expected this year at Eastern Illinois University, but the institution has already launched a new enrollment management effort designed to reverse the trend.

 “There were a number of factors that combined to hurt our enrollments this year,” said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs.  “And, while it will take a little while to reverse the trends, we are confident that we’re moving in the right direction.”

 Chief among the problems facing EIU, according to Lord, was a tough economy coupled with a decrease in state financial aid.

While EIU has little control over what happens outside its campus, university officials are optimistic that steps they are taking internally will help “reverse the momentum and put us back on a positive trend,” he said.

 “We are in the process of creating a Strategic Enrollment Management plan which will help us identify, market to and recruit the student body best matched to EIU.

“In the coming year, you will see a much more aggressive marketing and recruiting effort -- an effort which will involve everyone in the university.  We know that Eastern is a special place, but we need to work much harder to tell our story and bring potential students to Charleston.”

Current enrollment numbers reflect a Fall 2012 on-campus enrollment of 9,255 and an off-campus count of 1,162 for a total of 10,417.  A year ago, the number of students taking on- and off-campus classes was 10,036 and 1,142, respectively, for a total enrollment of 11,178.

A breakdown of Eastern’s 8,975 undergraduate students (down from 9,657 last year) is as follows (with Fall 2011 figures in parentheses):  freshmen, 1,941 (2,114); sophomores, 1,694 (1,814); juniors, 2,229 (2,431); and seniors, 3,111 (3,298).  The number of new transfer students dropped from 1,150 in Fall 2011 to 1,029.

Graduate students number 1,442, a decrease from last year’s 1,521.  Female students again outnumber male students – 6,199 to 4,218.

EIU officials report that minority student enrollment continues to climb, with minority students now making up 21.71 percent of total enrollment, up from 19.05 percent in 2011.

Numbers reflect the following:  black, 1,580; Hispanic, 399; Asian, 94; American Indian/Alaskan Native, 27; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 9; and those listing two or more races, 153.

In addition, the number of international students attending the university stands at 152, a slight increase from 149 in Fall 2011.

According to Lord, overall enrollment in Illinois colleges and universities has declined as families struggle to pay for their children’s education.  College costs have continued to increase, even as Illinois families’ income decreases.  Tuition increased 21 percent at community colleges and 57 percent at universities from FY02 to FY11.  During the same time, family income decreased by 15 percent.

Need-based aid has decreased, as well.  Illinois Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grants, in particular, decreased by 21 percent since FY02.  As the state’s financial situation continues to worsen, MAP funds lower percentages of students’ costs, and more students are applying for aid than the program can serve.  In 2011, thousands of eligible students did not receive aid because unprecedented demand required the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to -- once again -- suspend the program early.

Furthermore, the largest enrollment decreases have been at the community college level, significant to EIU since 40 percent of its students are transfer students.

‘In addition,” Lord added, “we are facing a five-year period in which there are fewer high school graduates.  That is a national trend and it is the first time that has happened in the nation's history.

“This means we are facing the toughest competition for students in our history.  There are 181 colleges and universities in Illinois alone and we're all competing for a smaller pool of potential students.”

According to Lord, EIU has a systematic plan in place to increase enrollment in Fall 2013.  Its linchpins, he said, “are strategic marketing, recruiting and financial aid,” and it’s based on “university-wide collaboration and participation, the effective use of cutting-edge technology, and assessment and accountability.

“In the end, we will benefit from passing through this difficult period with better recruiting processes and -- with a little time -- growing enrollments,” he added.

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to make a few remarks today on the coming year, and then some.

First and foremost, thank you for your dedicated teaching, scholarly work, and service to the university. Consistent with our strategic plan and true to our history, you uphold academic excellence and build personal relationships with our students through mentoring undergraduate and graduate research, supervising study abroad, preparing students for national competitions, encouraging community service, and holding high standards for performance in your classes.

Second, but just as important as the first, welcome to our new faculty, some of whom I was privileged to meet during new faculty orientation. We welcome you to our community of scholars, faculty and students alike, and look forward to the intellectual vitality and energy you bring to the table.

As always, I am pleased with our ability to attract new faculty whose academic backgrounds include the finest universities in the nation.

EIU has achieved much over the past several years, and is poised to achieve more. To do so, we will have to meet some challenges, two of which I will mention later in my remarks.

First, regarding the past, EIU has strengthened the quality of its programs, and through many actions, including the first choice graduate program initiative, the integrated learning initiative, completion of a campus master plan, and completion of a strategic plan, set the stage for continued advancement of academic excellence. In 2011, our strategic plan process in the early stages allowed us to take stock of the many accomplishments of the university. Then, recognizing our capabilities and assessing the environment we operate in, we focused on a few very important themes for the progress of the university. The resulting strategic plan, approved by the Board of Trustees this past spring, provides guidance for our future actions. The main themes of the strategic plan center on academic excellence, financial sustainability, emerging technologies, global competition and changing demographics, marketing and communication, and campus and community life. We have already taken actions on some plan recommendations. You can check progress on the EIU website.

Since the strategic plan is so important to us, I want to make a few observations about recent events and how they are connected to our strategic plan themes.

Academic Excellence. By National Science Foundation study, we are in the top 5 percent of comprehensive universities whose students go on to complete doctoral degrees. Our faculty and staff continue to gain recognition through publications, awards, and grants. In the last budget cycle, the state’s adopted performance model had us performing second of the 12 public campuses. We continue to move forward on the renovations to the old Textbook Rental Center to enable us to move the Honors College onto the North Quad. We plan to break ground this year for a building next to our Renewable Energy Center to support our Center for Clean Energy Research and Education. This last project is partially funded from private sources. Our publishing scholars reception is scheduled for this fall. I always look forward to this event to become more familiar with our faculty’s scholarly work. Our alumni satisfaction remains high: 99 percent after seven years. That is due to a team effort that has your teaching at the core of the student experience.

Financial Sustainability. Our comprehensive Campaign for Eastern surpassed the $50 million goal two years early and now, eight months later, we are at $58 million in gifts, pledges, and planned gifts. EIU’s faculty and staff participated in the campaign at a 40 percent rate this past year—extremely strong participation for any university. We will celebrate the campaign success on September 28. Initiatives we have underway are focused on increasing enrollment, since more and more of our financial resources are dependent on overall tuition revenue. I will give some details later in my remarks. Through careful and conservative budgeting, we continue to improve our cash flow management related to delayed state payments of general revenue appropriations.

Campus and Community Life.  Jumpstart 2 Give had all of our new students in many communities in our region completing service projects, and on campus completing projects for organizations in need of many helping hands. For the projects I visited, the students were excited to be making a difference in the community. By the way, last year, almost 8,000 of our students completed more than 110,000 hours of community service—doubling our efforts from only four years ago. EIU was listed in the United States Presidents National Honor Roll for community service. By being in the Princeton Review’s Green Campuses listing, we are in the top 10 percent of campuses in the U.S. The Arbor Day Foundation has granted us Tree Campus designation, one of 150 or so such campuses across the country. We continue to upgrade sidewalks, residence halls and grounds. We have been able to complete some waterproofing, tuck pointing, and other infrastructure projects in support of our library and academic structures.

In addition to these developments, we are off to a good start this academic year. Move-in went extremely well, and the students and parents with whom I have visited are excited to be part of EIU. I received many compliments regarding our students, faculty and staff who assisted in the transition to campus.  Eastern Reads was again a success with the choice of this year’s book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." From the shared email comments of the many facilitators, it is clear that we have an engaged group of new students at EIU. Many facilitators said this was their best Eastern Reads experience from the standpoint of student participation.  By all accounts, the first week-and-a-half of classes have gone very smoothly.

Thus we have many positive developments at EIU.

Now, I have a colleague from a former life who, from time to time, would say, “Perry, remember, for every silver lining there is a cloud.”

There are two clouds to mention today. These clouds are not unique to EIU, but they are clouds that we must deal with.

Cloud number one is state support for higher education. State support has declined and will likely continue to decline, through reduced appropriations, or mandating assumption of normal costs of pensions by campuses, or both. We work hard to make our case in Springfield, doing everything possible to showcase our performance and impact on the goals of the Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success. Our fiscal year 2013 state appropriation is 6.1 percent less than our 2012 state appropriation—a nearly three million dollar reduction. We are gradually being asked to continue to provide an outstanding educational experience with fewer funds from the state. We are in my opinion being forced to operate in the future as a public/private hybrid university.

In addition to the decrease in appropriations, as you all know, the state is also considering changes to the pension plans of university employees and shifting the normal pension costs from the state to the individual university campuses.  Rather than get into too many details today, I will just say that our consistent position with respect to pension reform has been that a “deal is a deal” and the state should honor the individual contracts our employees entered into with respect to pensions. I will also say that as a university we, along with the other public universities, have been open to assuming some of the normal costs of our pensions with our appropriated funds, provided:

1. Our future general revenue appropriations be no less than the FY12 level, and
2. Our employees not be required to forfeit individual benefits.

Regrettably, the political process led to drafted legislation mandating universities assuming normal costs, but not supporting a floor for appropriations and forcing loss of benefits to our employees. The legislation has not passed, but is still in play.

We will continue to press our position. We have established a website to track the pension reform matter. To access this website, go to www.eiu.edu/legislative/ and click on pension news.

Cloud number two--Enrollment. Our overall enrollment has declined. How are we dealing with this, and how will we continue to work on enrollment?

This past year, during the second half of the admissions cycle, working with consultants we implemented some analytical tools to maximize the impact of financial aid, offered tiered merit scholarships to students with ACT scores above our mean, and offered targeted waivers under our panther promise program. The good news is that the yield rates from those programs were strong. Our job this admissions cycle is to generate more undergraduate applicants in those categories. As the recession wears on, financial aid is becoming more and more important to recruited students and our continuing students.

For the recruitment of undergraduate students entering in Fall 2013, that is, for this admissions cycle, we have in place an Undergraduate Recruitment Plan based on our experience this past spring and what we have learned from the consultants. This will be shared with Faculty Senate and other groups on campus during this fall. The plan has several goals, but here are four in particular:

1. Improve the overall academic profile of entering freshmen. (Academic Excellence)
2. Increase the number of new Honors students by 15 percent over Fall 2012. (Academic Excellence)
3. Increase the number of new freshmen by 10 percent over Fall 2012. (Financial Sustainability)
4. Increase the number of new transfer students by 15 percent over Fall 2012. (Financial Sustainability)

I would also note that undergraduate enrollment is up in some majors: Communication Disorders and Sciences, Engineering/Engineering Physics, Health Studies, General Studies, Organizational and Professional Development, Nursing, Health Studies, and Kinesiology and Sports Studies. Where there is room for more growth in some of these areas, we must pursue those student markets, as well as shore up other areas where demand has fallen.

Enrollment depends also on graduate enrollment. I believe we have room to grow in this area. The Graduate School has been working with departments in this sector of enrollment. I encourage extra effort in this area by the departments.

Enrollment depends on more than student recruitment. It depends on student retention. I urge your participation in our Early Alert system. It is an automated way for you to notify EIU colleagues when a student is falling behind in your classes. When you use it, the EIU village goes into action to assist the student and get him or her back on track. It is a system that works and should be used to its maximum effect.

Going into the future, guided by the principles of our strategic plan, we will be reshaping the university to respond to our environment. As we operate more like a private university, the revenue we generate will depend more and more on enrollment. That is our future. Everyone on campus benefits from strong enrollment. That means each one of us has a stake in and will have some measure of responsibility in enrollment.

In addition to our specific recruiting plan for undergraduate students entering in Fall 2013, we are developing a broader strategic enrollment plan by means of a Strategic Enrollment Planning Committee to begin meeting this fall. It will involve a faculty representative. You will hear more on this later in the semester.

I believe higher education in Illinois will have to change rapidly over the next five years because of many factors, a major one being the decrease in state support for public universities. I believe EIU needs to deeply consider how we are shaped and how we will respond to the many forces upon us, while remaining true to our mission.

As we make these deep and detailed considerations, I think we should heed the words of the philosopher Rollo May, writing in "The Courage to Create," (W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1975): “Shall we, as we feel our foundations shaking, withdraw in anxiety and panic? Frightened by our loss of familiar moving places, shall we become paralyzed and cover our inaction with apathy? If we do those things we will have surrendered our chance to participate in the forming of the future. We will have forfeited the distinctive characteristic of human beings—namely to influence our evolution through our awareness.”[pp. 11-12]. May also says that creativity in its authentic form is the “process of bringing something new into being.”[p. 39]. We, at this time, have to create new ways for our university to function and achieve its mission. Following May, this means we will have to experience a genuine and “intense encounter” [pp. 44-54] with our world and our situation in it.

The coming year and those following will be years of encounter and creation—we will certainly have to grapple with many significant issues. These must be years of creativity as we build upon the past to reshape the university. I believe we are capable of the encounter with the tides of change coming our way, and already upon us. This university has met many challenges and created opportunities before: World Wars, the Great Depression, Recessions, the effects of the GI Bill, high school population growth, a (now long past) time of growing state support, environmental responsibility, and others. We were chartered in 1895 as Eastern Illinois State Normal School. In 1921, we became Eastern Illinois State Teachers College and evolved to Eastern Illinois State College in 1947. A short 10 years later, we became Eastern Illinois University. Now some 55 years later we have matured and grown in our role as a comprehensive state university. Through these many years, EIU has always responded and reshaped because of the will, spirit, and hard work of its family of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. EIU will respond now, as well, and because we do have the collective courage to create, we will emerge stronger than ever, fulfilling our mission, and becoming the premier comprehensive university we desire to be.

In closing, thank you once again for committing yourself to the highest ideals of our profession, and for the excellent work you have done and continue to do for EIU. I look forward to serving the university with you as we expect greatness of ourselves, our students, and each other. Best wishes for a very successful year.

While we are well into our second week, basically an eighth of the way through the semester, I believe it is still appropriate to say welcome back!  We have had a very smooth start made possible because of the hard work of you and your faculty and staff colleagues.  Thank you!

My stated function this afternoon is to introduce the president for his annual address.  Starting my 12^th year as provost, I’m going to take advantage of having the mike for a few moments and offer a couple of provostial observations. (Well, at least they will be from the provost, if not provostial.)

As a well-seasoned Eastern provost at this point, I like to brag about the quality of the educational experience you make possible.  I know that we deliver an even better educational product now than when I arrived.  Eastern has raised its game because you have raised yours.

As you probably know, our freshly minted Strategic Plan has as the first of its six planks, Academic Excellence.  I am pleased, although not surprised, at the prominence given academic excellence and know that the work on past goals has promoted this.  Specifically, we have made progress on the goals I shared six years ago:

•  Being a showcase for teaching and learning at a regional comprehensive university.

•  Having the most active and highly regarded student research/student scholarship program of any Illinois public comprehensive university.

•  Having each degree program identified as the “first choice” program for students considering that major at an Illinois public comprehensive university.

•  Being known as the university of choice for Honors College/Programming among the state’s public comprehensive universities.

•  Having the highest student participation rate in Study Abroad of the state’s public comprehensive universities.  (This has been achieved.)

More recently we have used the concept of Integrative Learning, an intentional holistic view of learning, to promote academic excellence.  This, of course, speaks not only to the intellectual development of our students but also to their personal development as engaged citizens, as well.

Finally, last year, I rolled out my revisionist take of the old "Three Rs" of education.  They are still fully relevant for us, but I’m going to reverse their order now.  As the chief academic officer committed to advancing academic excellence, “Rigor” needs to top the list.  I am very aware that the Academic Excellence plank seeks the proverbial “more better students,” and this is a worthy goal on which we are working very hard.  Eastern, however, always has been and will continue to be an institution of opportunity and access.  We do not get vast numbers of students who can garner admission to the small group of designer-label, elite institutions.  Rigor, however, must apply fully to the students we have.  To deliver on the promise of higher education, demands rigor.  AAC&U has framed the challenge before all of higher education, not just Eastern, as the challenge of making excellence inclusive -- that is, assuring that all the students invited into higher education are given the opportunity to achieve excellence.  In this framing, “excellence will be determined by high expectations coupled with high support, high hands-on practice and a very high degree of faculty and staff collaboration to assure an intentional educational experience."  For the students of today, we must never abandon high expectations.  It also is true that merely imposing high expectations without the other pieces will not be sufficient for any students.  It strikes me, however, that when Eastern is referred to as a superior teaching institution committed to the success of its students, and we are often referred to in this way, it is because we have always connected high expectations with the other pieces of support.

Certainly, many students today, here and elsewhere, do not understand the concept of rigor and how to achieve academic excellence.  Dean Irwin shared with me P.M. Forni’s book "The Thinking Life," which suggests that we need to help today’s students understand that reading is not the same as studying… that studying requires reflection upon what is being read to understand and retain… that grades are a by-product of good work, not the primary goal… and finally, that students should be thinking about how their courses link to their other experiences and how this prepares them for life.  I would submit that such intentional reflection, a key element in the Integrative Learning equation, is rigor itself.

The second R, of course, is Retention.  We retain students at rates that are equivalent to the retention rates for institutions in next higher tier of selectivity.  Our Noel-Levitz consultants reflected that we do very well at retaining our students.  Nevertheless, while keeping students enrolled is advantageous in a business sense, our real objective is to retain students so that they can meet their educational goals.  The President has set a high bar here which we need to continue to strive to attain.  If I can pry Dr. Herrington-Perry away from her recruitment duties, I know she wants to devote some serious time to working on retention issues.

The last R, of course, is Recruitment, and rather than say anything more about this, I will use it as a segue to introduce President Perry because I know he will have some things to say on this topic.

I look forward to a terrific year – again.  Thank you for all you do.

Now it is my pleasure and honor to introduce President Perry to deliver his annual address to you.  While I am starting my 12^th year, Dr. Perry has commenced his sixth.  There have been many noteworthy achievements during his years of leadership including, of course, the soon-to-be-celebrated success of our Capital Campaign.  He has an agile, inquiring mind and loads of ideas – almost daily!  Without further adieu, the 10^th President of Eastern Illinois University, Dr. William “Bill” Perry.

Eastern Illinois University’s newly hired Human Resources director operates via a “rallying motto.”

"I want EIU to be an employer of choice,” said Richard Enyard.

He acknowledges that with such designation comes much responsibility:  Competitive wages and benefits, exemplary customer service, fair and equal treatment, professional growth opportunities and challenges, excellent cooperation between colleagues, a diverse work environment, and the consistent application of all policies and procedures.

“I’m an idealistic person,” Enyard continued.  “If I firmly believe in something, I’ll try to make it happen.  I believe we can always look for ways to improve.”

As HR director, Enyard manages the Benefits Services, Classification/Compensations, Employment/Examinations, Training and Development, and Workers’ Compensation offices of Human Resources.  He also serves as the university’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator.

With more than 1,900 full- and part-time employees, not including student employees, Eastern is the largest employer in Coles County.

This won’t be Enyard’s first venture as director of human resources for a state agency.  In addition to his most recent position, serving Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., he served nearly 10 years (1998-2007) as HR director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, which employed 12,000 people.  Although that job was based in Jefferson City, Enyard traveled the state, visiting approximately 20 different prisons, 100 parole offices and two release centers on a regular basis.

In addition to his success in increasing the retention rate of employees in that department (especially given that the state of Missouri invested so much money into the training of its corrections staff, only to see them leave for other jobs), Enyard is most proud of his work in resolving grievances, enhancing diversity recruitment efforts and establishing effective working relationships.

Enyard also lists the establishment of a “meaningful” employee recognition program at Stephens College in his credits, as well as cost reduction initiatives.

William Weber, EIU’s vice president for business affairs, welcomed Enyard, saying he appreciated the skill set that the new director brings to Eastern.

“I’m pleased that Dr. Enyard has joined us, and I expect that his skills in reviewing and improving business processes will certainly be of value to us,” Weber said.  “His experience in compensation analysis will also be of benefit to the EIU community.”

In addition to his work with Stephens College and the Missouri Department of Corrections, Enyard has owned and operated his own human resources consulting firm.  He previously served as coordinator of employee relations at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and as assistant to the vice president for minority affairs and faculty development at the University of Missouri (Columbia), his alma mater.

He received his bachelor’s degree in educational studies counseling services, his master’s degree in education counseling and personnel services, and a doctorate in higher and adult education/foundation administration.

Enyard indicated that he is happy to be on the EIU campus and looks forward to meeting and working with the university community.

As a young man, Jeffrey Stowell imagined himself treating aches, pains and broken bones.  Instead, years later, he finds himself teaching.

“I don’t think I could have been nearly as happy as a doctor as I am in the classroom,” he said.  “I have no regrets.”

Stowell’s talent and enthusiasm as a professor, coupled with his excitement for learning overall, are why his colleagues first nominated him as Eastern Illinois University’s 2012-2013 Faculty Laureate.  This recognition – bestowed upon him by the Council on Academic Affairs – will allow him to spend the coming year as the university’s official spokesperson on the importance of a general/liberal education.

His first opportunity will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17, when Stowell delivers the keynote address at this year’s convocation, a welcoming ceremony for incoming students.

The plan, he says, is to offer his audience a condensed version of what he terms “the last lecture.”

“I reserve time at the end of each semester in my courses to share nine things that college students should know about life that aren’t found in a psychology textbook,” he said.  “One of these insights just might be the missing piece that students need to make their education complete.”

He cited examples:  “It’s not what you earn; it’s what you spend.”  “Don’t wait to be happy.”  And, “you’ll be the same person you are now unless you change.”

As an Oregon farm boy, “I had not planned on psychology or teaching,” Stowell recalled.  “But after I didn’t get in to medical school, I applied for the master’s program in psychology (at Brigham Young University).  And I found that I felt very comfortable with the people in the program.  I felt that I fit in very well.”

And, he added, as he considered entering academia, he realized teaching, too, could lead to a career conducive to raising a family – especially when he and his wife, Missy, already had three children.  (Three more soon followed!)

Shortly after receiving his doctorate from The Ohio State University, Stowell began teaching in Eastern’s Department of Psychology.  And in his 12 years of teaching, he’s been content to teach introductory psychology courses (including honors sections), as well as advanced courses in his specialty.

“The intro class is a pretty popular (general education) class,” Stowell said.  “I think a lot of students, regardless of their major, are interested in human behavior, including their own.”

Typically, he continued, a psychology major requires fewer hours of coursework than some other majors.  “That allows a lot of flexibility in their coursework,” Stowell added.

So unless (or even if) a student elects to pursue an accompanying minor, Stowell has a suggestion for all undergraduates:  “You’re probably only going to be in college once.  Look through the catalog and find a class you think you might have an interest in.  Then take it.  This may be your last chance.”

He recalled his own undergraduate years, during which he took courses to keep active and learn new skills.

“I took snow skiing, canoeing, social dance classes…  that sort of thing.  And I enjoyed the opportunity to have those experiences,” Stowell said.

He added that he appreciated school overall, and continues to pursue learning for his own betterment.  He has a sign hanging in his office that seems to say it all:

“Blessed are they who go to college and never get out for they shall be called professors.”

Eastern Illinois University President Bill Perry has issued a reprieve for the giant sentry which has stood guard over the campus “castle” since it was built more than a century ago.

For decades, a huge bur oak tree – estimated now to be 300 years old as evidenced by its 61-inch-wide trunk – has provided shade and shelter to students at work, at play and in love.  On warm spring days, entire classes have listened to lectures underneath its leafy branches.  Hundreds of homecoming courts, floats and bands have gathered near it, readying themselves for participation in the annual fall parades.

Romances have blossomed; friendships have flourished.  The tree is as much a fixture on campus as nearby Old Main, EIU’s administration building.

It’s no wonder, then, that hearts are already broken by the imminent demise of the stately tree.

“Retirement is inevitable,” said David Crockett, associate director with EIU’s Facilities Planning and Management.  “A significant part of the tree is already dead and will not come back.  It might last another year or it might last 10 more years.  We just can’t predict.”

Experts concur that a lightning strike nearly 10 years ago probably initiated the oak tree’s decline.  A huge scar running down the tree’s east side is a lingering reminder of that fateful day.

“Someone who saw that lightning strike said the ground shook around the tree.  So it might have hurt the root system,” Crockett said.  He noted that specialists have confirmed the unwanted presence of fungal growth on the roots.

The tree’s condition is so bad, in fact, that EIU’s administration struggled with the decision as to whether it needed to be felled completely.  Campus safety was a primary concern.

But in the end…

“The president has said, ‘Let’s not give up on it.  It has served us since the campus was built,’” Crockett said.

The reprieve is not without conditions.  Work will begin in July to drastically trim the tree in order to make it safe for the campus community.  While the branches on the west side of the tree are leafy and green, the branches on the east side are bare, brown and sickly looking.  And potentially dangerous should the damaged branches begin breaking off.

“The tree naturally balances itself,” Crockett said.  “If we take off the old, dead limbs alone, that would create abnormal stress on the trunk, and that would make the situation even worse.  So we need to balance the tree.”

The plan is to remove all limbs, living and dead, less than six inches in diameter.

“All the thin stuff comes off,” Crockett said.  “It should then be able to withstand any winter storms or high winds that might come its way.”

In addition, crews will install some kind of fencing –“nothing too elaborate, nothing too gaudy,” Crockett said – and remove the picnic table that has been a fixture under the tree for years.

In the meantime, efforts are also being made to ensure that the tree lives, and gives, on – in one form or another, including through academics.  The oak is, of course, an integral part of a university campus.

Henry Owen, EIU professor of biological sciences, is attempting to clone the bur oak – a process he says would produce individual plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant.

"Seed propagation, by contrast, would result in genetic variability in the offspring,” he said.

An earlier cloning attempt, made in Spring 2012, was unsuccessful.  Owen attempted the process with stems collected by EIU Grounds Superintendent Justin Perry.  Altogether, there were 72 cultures; however, none of them “took.”

“It’s going to be a tougher problem than we originally thought,” Owen said.  Because of the age of the tree and the particular “woodiness” of the material, it “harbors a lot of critters.  The surface was too overgrown from contaminants,” he added.

Owen said the key will be to see what can be done about getting the bacteria/fungi off the samples without killing the plant.  The next effort will begin in the fall, when Owen plans to enlist a couple of biological sciences students interested in undergraduate research to help.  They should have some idea by late fall or early spring as to whether their efforts are successful.

While cloning efforts take place on one part of campus, the university groundskeepers are attempting yet another method of tree reproduction – a method apparently considered, but perhaps not followed through on, by many over the years.

Robert F. Zeigel grew up in Charleston and graduated from Eastern in 1953.

“I recall fondly my ‘association’ with the bur oak tree on the eastern aspect of Old Main,” he once wrote, recalling the years of his youth.  “My Cub Scout/Boy Scout buddies and school mates played marbles or mumbly peg under its branches.

“On balmy spring and fall days and, indeed, during the warmer summer sessions in elementary school, the teachers would bring us outdoors where we would sit in the copious shade of the bur oak and listen to stories, or receive instruction.”

Zeigel added that he and his father, William H. Zeigel, once an EIU administrator, frequently walked together to and from school.

“As we usually entered Old Main from the eastern entrance, we passed by the bur oak, which usually generated a glance or a comment regarding its seasonal leafy garb.  Just why, through all those years, it never occurred to me to attempt to germinate some acorns from this tree, I cannot explain – possibly because I thought that it would always be there, with a permanency that would transcend many human life spans,” Robert Zeigel wrote.

Perhaps urged on by the tree’s decline, the idea did occur to Justin Perry.  Approximately 50 acorns were collected directly from branches of the old oak in the fall of 2011.

“We picked them off the tree before the squirrels got them – a hair, perhaps, before they were ripened all the way,” he said.

The acorns were then planted in pots with nutrient-enriched compost; the pots, in turn, were stored in a protected campus area where deer and rabbits couldn’t get to them.

“We have about 31 seedlings,” Perry said, noting that was “a good return” on what had been planted.  “The largest is about a foot tall.”

Of course, regardless of the method of growth, the next question to be answered is what to do with any of the old oak’s offspring.

“Possibilities include sales to alumni, students and other interested folks,” Owen said.  “Or we can plant one and ultimately replace the old tree in the same location.”

Crockett suggested that the “certifiable ‘Sons and Daughters’ of the old oak tree” could be planted across campus at various sites where they could be enjoyed “for another 300 years.”

As for the old oak itself…

“We won’t give up on the tree until absolutely necessary, and even then the tree may be able to give to artists, the community and the university with its repurposed wood,” said President Bill Perry.

William Weber, vice president for business affairs, said many have sent messages and emails with suggestions for any wood harvested from the old oak.

“We appreciate these suggestions and will take all of them under consideration,” he said.

“A lot will depend, however, on the condition of the wood once it’s cut and what we see when we examine it.  We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Bailey K. Young -- a professor of medieval history, French history, and archeology -- was honored with Eastern Illinois University's 2012 Distinguished Faculty Award by the Faculty Senate.

Young studied Merovingian archaeology at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etude in France. From 1975 to 1987, he lived in France, doing research with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, holding visiting appointments with the Universities of Paris XII and Lille III, and working on medieval excavations in Paris, Burgundy and Montpellier.

Before joining Eastern’s Department of History in 1994, he taught at Loyola in Chicago and Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. In 1998, in collaboration with EIU’s Honors and Continuing Education programs and in partnership with the Centre de Recherches d’Archéologie National in Louvain, he launched a Summer Archaeology Program that sends American students to Belgium to help excavate Walhain Castle alongside Belgian students.

Young has published widely, including in French journals. Recent studies in English include “The Iconography of Personal Objects: Hints of Do-it-Yourself Christianity in Merovingian Gaul” (2009), and a study of the Merovingian collection at the Spurlock Museum in Urbana (2011) based on an exhibit he curated with co-author Barbara Oelschlager-Garvey of the Early American Museum.

He is a founding member of the association Francaise d’Archéologie Mérovingienne, and a contributing editor to the Journal of Late Antiquity. In 2011, Belgian cultural television filmed his team at work at Walhain Castle and came to EIU for a 90-minute special on castles in Wallonia that was broadcast on Belgian television in May 2012.

Eastern Illinois University's Center for Clean Energy Research and Education (CENCERE) has received a three-year, $198,695 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The funded project, "Enhancing Undergraduate Education Through Student-Led Research in Biomass Renewable Energy", will position EIU as a strong leader in educating students about renewable energy and biomass research.

CENCERE will operate as an extension of EIU's Renewable Energy Center, one of the country's largest university biomass installations. Plans call for the CENCERE facility to be built next to the REC starting in Fall 2012.

CENCERE will include a research-scale biomass gasification reactor to serve as a demonstration site/laboratory that will allow students to gain a more integrated understanding of physics, chemistry, engineering and technology.

The lab will be particularly useful for students pursuing some of EIU’s sustainability-focused programs, including:

• the master's program in renewable energy (in development);
• the biology department's new sustainability major, with emphases including rain water recovery, biodiesel production and sustainable city planning;
• the interdisciplinary minor in sustainability studies (in development); and
• the concentration in alternative energies and sustainability.

Student-led research will include investigations of various plant-based biomass sources that may be suitable as alternatives or additives to the wood chips used in the Renewable Energy Center, which could provide new markets for area farmers' agricultural products and byproducts.

The research team is led by Peter Liu and includes fellow School of Technology faculty members Jerry Cloward, Rendong Bai, Issac Slaven and David Melton, as well as Rose Gong from the Department of Secondary Education and Foundations.

When the Renewable Energy Center went online in 2011, EIU became the first Illinois public university to make the switch from coal to renewable biomass. The $80 million project ($55 million for the Renewable Energy Center, and $25 million for additional energy conservation measures) was completed at no cost to students or taxpayers, thanks to a contract with Honeywell International, the Fortune 100 company that oversaw the building’s construction. The contract guarantees that within 20 years, construction and financing costs will be offset by cost savings through the university’s increased efficiency.

The Renewable Energy Center is the first known power plant to be registered with the United States Green Building Council for their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction program. The center is on track to be among the first power plants in the nation to receive certification at the Gold level.

Eastern Illinois University Professor Andrew Methven, biological sciences, is collaborating on a National Science Foundation-funded project, "The Macrofungi Collection Consortium: Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient Cycling and Human Affairs."

The project's total grant award amount is more than $2.8 million, and EIU will receive more than $50,000 for Methven's role.

The study, led by an employee of the New York Botanical Garden, will digitize and share online data regarding the 1.4 million dried scientific specimens that have been collected over the past 150 years in 35 institutions in 24 states. The resulting database will further the understanding of the diversity of these organisms and the relationships between macrofungi and the other species.

Eastern Illinois University has been recognized by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education for its commitment to bettering its community through service and service learning.

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities.  Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the initiative celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.

The CNCS, which has administered the National Service Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 642 schools, colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.  Of that total, 513 – including Eastern Illinois University -- were named to the Honor Roll.

EIU was admitted for its work in volunteerism and community service.  This past year, Eastern students have completed more than 110,000 hours of community service, including direct and indirect service to more than 40 different organizations in the Coles County area, as well as in-classroom service with faculty members.

These efforts represent an on-going long-term commitment EIU students have to their community.

“Service has become increasingly important at Eastern,” said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs.  “I am pleased our student leaders are being recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to community service.”

“We are very proud of the legacies of EIU students; certainly, a key is the legacy of service,” echoed Rachel Z. Fisher, director of Student Community Service.  “We are incredibly delighted and thrilled with this listing.  This is a tremendous honor and we celebrate the hard work of the over 7,000 student volunteers here at EIU!”

She added, “I am incredibly impressed with the passion of our students and I am greatly appreciative of the support of so many non-profit and community partners. Together, we can be the difference!"

Robert Velasco, acting CEO of CNCS, said that through service, the honored institutions are “creating the next generation of leaders by challenging students to tackle tough issues and create positive impacts in the community.”

“Preparing students to participate in our democracy and providing them with opportunities to take on local and global issues in their course work are as central to the mission of education as boosting college completion and closing the achievement gap,” added Eduardo Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Education’s assistant secretary for post-secondary education.

“The Honor Roll schools should be proud of their work to elevate the role of service-learning on their campuses.   Galvanizing their students to become involved in projects that address pressing concerns and enrich their academic experience has a lasting impact -- both in the communities in which they work and on their own sense of purpose as citizens of the world.  I hope we’ll see more and more colleges and universities following their lead.”

According to the CNCS, millions of students from colleges across the country are engaged in innovative projects to meet local needs, often using the skills learned in classrooms.  In 2010, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 312 million hours of service to their communities, service valued at more than $6.6 billion.

“I am proud of the commitment that Eastern Illinois University students make in the community,” said President Bill Perry.  “They are making a real difference in the world.”

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The H.F. Thut Greenhouse, located on the campus of Eastern Illinois University, will soon smell like rotting meat – again.

Manager Steven Malehorn eagerly awaits the third flowering of the university's titan arum, or corpse flower, affectionately named the Velvet Queen.  And, again, he’s issuing an invitation to residents of east-central Illinois -- and anywhere else, for that matter -- to come join him.

Malehorn estimates that the plant will flower sometime between June 23 and 25.

"However, because of its unpredictable nature, the exact date can't be known in advance," he said. "But when it blooms, it will happen fast -- within hours -- and only last one night!"

The plant flowered twice before -- once in June 2008 and again in June 2010. Based on those events, Malehorn believes the spathe (the sheath enclosing the flower) will begin to open in the early afternoon and will be fully open by about 6 p.m.

"The roadkill aroma will begin to develop shortly thereafter and will be strongest from about 8 p.m. until midnight. The bloom will be open and at its peak from about 6 p.m. until about 5 a.m. the next morning, and the spathe will then slowly close through the morning. The aroma will gradually fade away that morning. Then the inflorescence will slowly collapse over the next few days.

"That being said," he added, "it could surprise all of us and start blooming late in the evening and we won't know until the following morning. Therefore, no promises on the blooming schedule."

In order to let others share in the waiting, Malehorn is keeping the greenhouse open from 4 to 8 p.m. daily. Hours will be extended to midnight on the day the bloom opens, and the greenhouse will open again at 9 a.m. the following morning.

In addition, the Velvet Queen is positioned close to the south window so visitors can have an excellent view of it from the sidewalk outside at any time.

Malehorn recalled that the greenhouse received 3,000 visitors during the 2008 flowering and about 1,000 in-person visitors in 2010.  Additionally, the second flowering received about 15,000 views via live video streaming on the internet.

A page has been created on the EIU Department of Biological Sciences' website to provide daily updates and images of the plant as the flower develops:  http://castle.eiu.edu/egarden/news/titan_arum_2012.php.  A map to the greenhouse, located just north of Eastern's Life Sciences Building, is available on the page, as well, and Malehorn has provided a live broadcast at this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/corpse-flower-bloom.

He is also "tweeting the event" at http://twitter.com/ThutGreenhouse, and will tweet updates to followers and inform them as soon as he becomes aware that the flower is opening.

The corpse flower, discovered in 1878, grows wild only in the tropical forests of Sumatra. It first flowered in cultivation in London in 1889; since then, more than 100 cultivated flowers have blossomed.

EIU obtained its seed in 2001, and Malehorn has tended to the plant since it was planted. Its "grandparent" seeds were collected in 1993 from the only titan arum found in fruit during a BBC expedition filming "The Private Lives of Plants." The seeds were distributed to U.S. and British conservatories and greenhouses for cultivation.

Noting that the Velvet Queen “seems to have the personality to bloom every other year,” Malehorn said that’s not true of every titan arum.

“There’s a lot of variability out there,” he said.  “Some go 10 to 15 years and never bloom.”

For more information, please contact Malehorn at shmalehorn@eiu.edu, 217-581-3126 (Department of Biological Sciences' main office, Monday through Friday), or 217-581-2513 (greenhouse).

More than 100 Eastern Illinois University employees recently were recognized as faculty/staff members who have retired or plan to retire during the 2011-2012 school year.  They include, from left to right, seated, Margaret Garrett, Vicki Hampton, Linda Kingery, Nancy Dole, Lorraine (Rita) Baker, Robert Plummer, Sandy Bingham-Porter, Kay Carter, Anita Thomas, Sandy Nees and Joanne Roach; from left to right, second row, Tom Rennels, Dennis Updegraff, Terry Ramsey, Don Braswell, Carolyn (Jody) Johnson, Carol Miller, Cheryl West, Deanna Smith, Brenda Ferguson, Margaret Messer, Janet Patterson, Barbara Poole, Linda Coleman, Norma Updegraff and Kay Amyx; and from left to right, third row, Gary Reed, Boyce Dillman, Ronald Miller, Norm Garrett, Timothy Taflinger, Leo Comerford, Jonell Comerford, Chuck Titus, D. Kathleen Bence, Debbie Gerdes, Michele Olsen, William Davis, Henry (Hank) Davis, Michael Boorom, Michael Hubbartt, Bob Spoo, Leland Bough, John Bennett, Susan Ambrose, Jim Slavik, Joyce Bishop and Judy Kopp.          

Those not shown include Michael Adair, Ricky Bagwell, David Bailey, Judith Barbour, William Barter, Wayne Bennett, Jim Bishop, Eldridge Bowlby, Ronald Cassiday, James Craven, Richard Crome, Carl Dell, Lois Dickenson, Jeannie Doty, James Dowland, Glenda Duke, Larry Farris, Kathleen Ferguson, Catherine Frazier, Dixie Gough, Helen Gregg, Larry Grigg, Tami Hackett, Terry Hale, Stephen Hallett, Morton Heller, Rosalie Herrington, Richard Holt, Terry Hook, Jody Horn, Carol Hubbartt, Roger Hudson, Richard Jewell, Susan Johnson, Linda Leal, Mary Maddox, John Marquart, John Martone, Leslie Mason, Sherry McRaven, Danny Milburn, Wanda Milburn, Bryan Miller, Joanna Newberry, Beverly Newman, Michael Nickell, Guy O’Brien, Nancy Page, Elyn Pogliano, Linda Rogers, Alvin Rohr, Sue Sallee, Bruce Sanders, Deborah Schultz, Kathy Simmons, Robert Simpson, John Sims, Sue Smyser, Michael South, Patrice Stratton, Jacalyn Swango, Dickie Tipsword, Billy Waddell, Janet Werden, Toni Whitley, Diane Wilke, Judith Young and Diana Zuhone.

Simulated shots will be fired; sirens will sound.  Emergency announcements (with the appropriate disclaimer) will be made via the Web, email and text messaging.

Even a helicopter will be circling overhead as rescue personnel from all over east central Illinois converge on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

“Don’t be surprised at whatever you might see,” William Weber, vice president for business affairs, advises.

On Tuesday, June 12, the campus will become the site of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s 2012 State Level Exercise.  A similar event is held annually, with activity rotating every three years between the southern, central and northern parts of the state.

This will be the first time an exercise of this magnitude has taken place on the EIU campus.  And although the planning process has been a long one – two years or more in the making – the administration at Eastern welcomes the opportunity to host the event.

“You never know when an emergency situation is going to arise, although you always know it is a possibility,” Weber said.  “This exercise will help us learn and improve on our emergency preparedness, with an emphasis on how we work with local, regional and state emergency response groups.”

In turn, said EIU Safety Officer Gary Hanebrink, an exercise of this kind is an excellent way in which to extend the university’s educational services to outlying communities and strengthen partnerships between local and area entities.

“Emergency response units are always looking for this sort of possibility,” he added.

Details of the training exercise are being kept confidential so as not “to give the secret away” to exercise participants.  However, notice of the exercise is being provided to prevent panic among the public – both on and off campus – and to give advance warning about certain road, parking lot and campus closures during the duration of the exercise.

In addition, Weber emphasized that all activities associated with the exercise will be treated as a real emergency, meaning, in part, that observation by non-participants will be discouraged.

Individuals will be on the scene to evaluate all levels of the exercise, including the response of the university’s Emergency Management Team who, in the case of a real on-campus emergency, would shoulder the responsibility of providing necessary resources; communicating with on- and off-campus constituencies, including the media; and developing plans for campus recovery.

“An assessment of the exercise is always positive in that it identifies areas for improvement in our procedures,” Weber said.  “Constructive feedback only helps participants learn from the exercise.”

Emergency responders scheduled to participate in the exercise include IEMA; Mutual Aid Box Alarm System; Illinois Fire Service Institute; Illinois State Police; the American Red Cross; the Champaign, Charleston, Decatur, Mattoon and Urbana fire departments; the Charleston, EIU, Lake Land College and Mattoon police departments; the Coles County Sheriff’s Department; the Lincoln Fire Protection District; the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center’s EMS Department; Coles County 911; Coles County EMA; and EIU’s ROTC.

In addition, the exercise could involve 50 or more individual volunteers portraying victims.

Eastern Illinois University President Bill Perry invites university and community members to two public meetings to discuss the institution’s Center for Clean Energy Research and Education (CENCERE) and plans for a building in which to house the center.

Groundbreaking for the 4,300-square-foot academic building, to be located immediately north of the newly commissioned Renewable Energy Center, is tentatively scheduled to take place in Fall 2012.  The site is located near the intersection of 18^th Street (Illinois Route 130) and Edgar Drive.

The building will house a research facility in which faculty and students can conduct hands-on investigations of various plant-based biomass sources that may be suitable as alternatives or additives to the wood chips being used in the Renewable Energy Center.  By studying the fuel characteristics of various biomass sources, students will gain a more integrated understanding of physics, chemistry, engineering and technology.

In an effort to share information and answer questions, community meetings have been scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 6 and June 13, at the Charleston Public Library, 712 Sixth Street, in Rotary Room A.

All interested persons are invited to attend either or both meetings.  More information about CENCERE can be found at http://www.eiu.edu/sustainability/research.php.

In an effort to conserve resource dollars, Eastern Illinois University will once again close selected buildings and offices from noon on Fridays until Monday mornings during the summer months.

The affected time period begins Monday, May 7, and ends Friday, Aug. 10.

Building/office exceptions include, but may not be limited to, the President’s Office, Booth Library, Financial Aid, University Police, the Renewable Energy Center and the Office of Admissions, which plan to keep normal working hours.

All university offices must be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and between 8 a.m. and noon on Friday.  Administrative offices (and others where possible) will remain open during the lunch hour (Monday through Thursday).

By ending the work week at noon on Fridays, the university can increase temperatures in all vacant offices and other work environments to allow energy savings for two and one-half days per week.

Employees will be required to work their regularly scheduled number of full-time hours during the four-and-a-half-day work week.  Classes scheduled to meet on Friday afternoons and/or weekends will be relocated to buildings where the air conditioning will remain on.

During weeks in which a holiday is observed (Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day and Wednesday, July 4, for Independence Day), offices will return to regular business hours (7.5 hours per day), including Fridays.

Regular hours will resume on Monday, Aug. 13, for the 2012-2013 school year.

Nearly 1,700 graduating students plan to participate in commencement ceremonies at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 5.

Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena.  Guest tickets are required for admission.

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony, the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education at noon, the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m., and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Students from the Graduate School will walk with their respective colleges.

EIU President William Perry will preside over the ceremonies.  Edward M. Hotwagner, student body president, and Andrew S. Methven, chair, EIU Faculty Senate, will also address the graduates.

Representing Eastern’s Board of Trustees will be Roger Kratochvil (9 a.m.), Robert Webb (noon), Joseph Dively (3 p.m.) and Jarrod Scherle (6 p.m.).

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official commencement address.  Nancy Elwess, EIU alumna (’76) and associate professor/molecular biologist from SUNY Plattsburgh, will speak at 9 a.m., while Robert Corn-Revere, EIU alumnus (’77) and an attorney specializing in First Amendment and communications law, plans to speak at both the noon and 3 p.m. ceremonies.  William Keiper, EIU alumnus (’72) and founder/chairman of FirstGlobal Partners, will address students during the 6 p.m. ceremony.

At noon, special recognition will be given to Bailey K. Young, professor of history, who was named the 2012 recipient of Eastern's Distinguished Faculty Award.  This award is presented annually by the Faculty Senate to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

Additionally, three honorary degrees will be presented at this year’s ceremonies.  Astronomer Robert E. Holmes Jr. will be presented with an honorary Doctorate of Science at 9 a.m., while Corn-Revere and Julie Nimmons, EIU alumna (’77) and former member of the EIU Board of Trustees, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws and Doctorate of Public Service, respectively, at noon.

Commencement marshals lead the procession while carrying the university mace inscribed with past marshals' names.  This spring's commencement marshals are as follows:

• Peter G. Andrews, chair and professor, mathematics and computer science, representing the College of Sciences during the morning ceremony.  Andrews has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1992. 
• Marilyn J. Coles, professor of music, representing the College of Arts and Humanities during the noon ceremony.  Coles has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1988.
• Phyllis T. Croisant, professor, kinesiology and sports studies, representing the College of Education and Professional Studies during the 3 p.m. ceremony.  Croisant has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1984.
• Norman A. Garrett, professor, School of Business, representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences during the 6 p.m. ceremony.  Garrett has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1990.

Faculty marshals are given the honor of carrying the college banner for their respective colleges.  This spring's faculty marshals are as follows:

• 9 a.m. – Ahmed S. Abou-Zaid, Graduate School and College of Sciences; Leo P. Comerford, College of Sciences.
• Noon – Patricia K. Belleville, Graduate School and College of Arts and Humanities; Mary Caroline Simpson, College of Arts and Humanities; Richard E. Cavanaugh, School of Continuing Education.
• 3 p.m. – Stephen E. Lucas, Graduate School and College of Education and Professional Studies; Rebecca J. Cook, College of Education and Professional Studies.
• 6 p.m. – Deborah A. Woodley, Graduate School and Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Vicki A. Hampton, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences.

Kara Butorac, an accounting major from Bloomington, will serve as the Honors College banner marshal during the first three ceremonies; Margaret Messer, director of Honors Student Affairs, will serve as marshal at the 6 p.m. ceremony.

Since its inception in 1953, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has been dependent upon the generosity of its members and volunteers to fulfill its mission of support to the university.

And, since 1993, the foundation has formally presented the Outstanding Philanthropist Award. In 1997, this award was renamed the Burnham and Nancy Neal Philanthropy Award in appreciation of the Neals' leadership, support and dedication to Eastern and the foundation.

The award is given to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a sincere dedication and commitment to the financial, academic and cultural well-being of EIU. The critical support and sustaining financial commitments provided by these distinguished philanthropists are essential to the future of the university and the students it serves.

Helen Krehbiel-Reed, left, and Janet Fraembs

Helen Krehbiel-Reed of Charleston and Joan B. Stough of Houston, Texas, have been named the EIU Foundation's Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year for 2011. The two were recognized during the foundation's Legacy Celebration.

Helen Krehbiel-Reed retired in 1998 as an associate professor of music education at Eastern, where she taught courses in the fundamentals of music and elementary music methods for elementary education majors.

While at Eastern, she was also the coordinator for music student teachers, coordinator for the music education area of the Department of Music, and adviser for the EIU chapter of Illinois Collegiate Music Educators.

Krehbiel-Reed began her higher education career at EIU in 1988. Previously, she taught in the public schools of Illinois and Kansas. As a music specialist, she worked in both K-6 and K-12 settings for a total of 11 years. When district budget cuts included the entire elementary music program, Krehbiel-Reed became a classroom teacher, first in first grade, then in third grade. Music is still a focus of her life, as she is active in playing church music and piano duets for groups in the area. She also enjoys volunteering and working with several local charities.

In 1985, Krehbiel-Reed established the Eugene B. Krehbiel Scholarship for students who are enrolled in either the Pre-Medical Studies Program or the Biological Sciences-Animal Studies Program with the intent of pursuing graduate-level studies. In 2003, she established the Helen J. Krehbiel Music Education Scholarship for students enrolled in the Music Education Program with the intent of pursuing a career in music education.

In 2005, she received the Graduate School Alumni Award. She is an active supporter of the Eastern Symphony Orchestra and the Tarble Arts Center.

She and her husband, John, have six children: Sharon Staley, Cathie Reynolds, Rick Reed, Tim Krehbiel, Rod Krehbiel and Jeff Krehbiel.

Joan B. Stough, a good friend of the university, is a geologist/paleontologist who has contributed much to the field of science. Stough dedicated her 2011 Outstanding Philanthropist Award in memory of her longtime friend, Marion Webb.

In 2009, Stough established the Marion Railsback Webb Foreign Language Scholarship. Webb had long ties to EIU, starting with her father, Ora Railsback, who came to EIU in 1924 and was its first physics teacher. Webb graduated from Eastern Illinois State Teachers College with a bachelor’s degree in education. She received her master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado and her Ph.D. in Spanish from Ohio State University.

Webb dedicated 40 years of her life to teaching and education. For the last 23 years of her career, she taught at Houston Baptist University, from which she retired as a Distinguished Professor in Spanish. Webb has received many honors, including studies at the National University of Chile as a Fulbright Scholar, the Yale University Award for Outstanding Secondary Teaching, the Piper Award for Outstanding College Teaching in Texas, the Award for Outstanding College Teaching and Leadership from the Sears Foundation, Texas Foreign Language Association Spanish Teacher of the Year, and Outstanding Teaching Awards and Faculty Woman of the Year from Houston Baptist University.

Webb co-authored many publications for practical applications, including “Communicating in Spanish for Medical Personnel.” Throughout her career, in addition to teaching a language, she taught her students appreciation for the culture. In all of her endeavors, she followed her father’s example by providing practical help in the service of others.

Accepting the award in memory of Marion Webb was her sister, Janet Fraembs of Charleston.

Eastern Illinois University is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The Princeton Review.

The well-known education services company selected EIU for inclusion in the just-released second annual edition of its free downloadable book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition.”

Created by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, the guide is the only free, comprehensive guidebook profiling institutions of higher education that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.  The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a survey of administrators at hundreds of colleges that the company polled in 2011 about their school's sustainability initiatives.

“It is an honor to be recognized as a university leader in green,” said Ryan Siegel, EIU’s campus energy and sustainability coordinator.  “This recognizes Eastern's commitment to being green in all aspects of operations from curriculum to facilities.

“Our Renewable Energy Center has allowed the university to make a large leap forward and to set itself apart from other universities in the country.  The new Center for Clean Energy and Education is allowing walls between departments to fall, bringing a collaborative and well-rounded approach to education as Eastern prepares students for the future.

“We look forward to a positive future where we educate students that being green makes economic sense and includes being a good steward of the resources provided,” he added.

Released this week, just days prior to the April 22 celebration of the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, the guide has profiles of the colleges that provide application information, plus facts, stats and write-ups reporting on the schools' environmentally related policies, practices and academic offerings.

Eastern’s profile reads, in part, that “With all of its sustainability initiatives coming to fruition, Eastern Illinois University is proving why it was ‘green before it became a buzzword.’”

Also, since Eastern implemented its recycling practices, "more than a million pounds of waste have been diverted from landfills each year for the past 12 years, while cutting yearly waste production from 4.1 million pounds to 3.2 millions during that same span.”

The profile also mentions EIU’s commitment to planting and maintaining trees, performance contracts that have cut energy and potable water consumption, recycling programs in every building across campus, and the use of green certified cleaning products.

Additionally, the profile mentions the university’s recently completed Renewable Energy Center, which utilizes biomass gasification and replaces the coal plant that had fueled the campus for nearly 80 years.

"The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition" guide can be downloaded for free at http://www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.

The Princeton Review first created this one-of-a-kind resource for college-bound students in 2010 with the U.S. Green Building Council, which is best known for developing the LEED standard for green building certification. In Fall 2010, USGBC launched its Center for Green Schools (www.centerforgreenschools.org) to increase its efforts to drive change in how campuses and schools are designed, constructed and operated so that all educational facilities can enhance student learning experiences.

"College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues," said Robert Franek, senior vice president/publisher, The Princeton Review.  "Among 7,445 college applicants who participated in our 2012 College Hopes & Worries Survey, nearly seven out of 10 (68 percent) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.

"Together with USGBC, we are pleased to make this free resource available to all students seeking to attend colleges that practice, teach and support environmentally-responsible choices.  To that end, we highly recommend the terrific schools in this book."

Eastern Illinois University is one of 148 colleges and universities to achieve Tree Campus USA status for 2011.

The Tree Campus USA program, a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota, gives national recognition "for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship."

To be eligible for the distinction, a school must have a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan with dedicated annual expenditures, involvement in an Arbor Day observance, and a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body in sustainable efforts.

For details on EIU's sustainability efforts, see http://www.eiu.edu/sustainability.

The Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees elected new officers at its meeting Friday.

Elected to one-year terms in their leadership positions were Roger Kratochvil of Mt. Olive, chairman; Leo Welch of O'Fallon, vice chairman; Joseph Dively of Charleston, secretary; and Rene Hutchinson of Chicago, member pro tempore.

Kratochvil and Welch were appointed to the EIU Board of Trustees in August 2004. Dively and Hutchinson joined the board in October 2011.

Roger Kratochvil of Mt. Olive, chairman

Kratochvil is retired from the Mt. Olive school system, where he served 24 years in various capacities, including athletic director, guidance counselor and coach for the baseball, basketball and football teams. Kratochvil was inducted into the Illinois Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981 and the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Following his teaching career, he served as principal of Mt. Olive High School. In addition, he has worked with the St. Louis Cardinals for more than 20 years.

Kratochvil's community service includes serving as president of the Mt. Olive Academic Foundation, vice president of the Macoupin County Housing Authority, and a member of the Advisory Committee for Lincoln Land Community College.

He received his bachelor's degree in education from EIU in 1960, his master's degree from Southern Illinois University in 1966, and his master of educational administration degree from the University of Illinois–Springfield in 1984.

Leo Welch of O'Fallon, vice chairman

Welch was a biology teacher at ROVA High School in Oneida prior to becoming a professor of biology at Southwestern Illinois College, where he currently serves as professor emeritus. Welch has participated in many professional societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Biological Sciences, the Illinois State Academy of Sciences and the St. Louis Academy of Sciences.

Welch received the 1991 Excellence in Teaching Award from Emerson Electric for outstanding achievement for higher education in the metropolitan St. Louis area.

Welch, who obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from EIU, went on to receive a specialist in education degree from Southern Illinois University.

Joseph Dively of Charleston, secretary

Dively is president of First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust (Mattoon), with a business career that includes serving as a senior vice president for Consolidated Communications and in sales and management roles with IBM and Caterpillar.

A Charleston native, Dively has served EIU as president of the Alumni Association, chairman of the Business School Advisory Board, and a member of both the EIU Foundation Board and the Panther Club. He has been an active member of the business community, serving as chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, president of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, and on the board of the U.S. Telecom Association. He currently serves on the board of directors for First Mid-Illinois Bancshares Inc.

Dively, who received his bachelor's degree in business from EIU in 1981, was presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003.

Rene Hutchinson of Chicago, member pro tempore

Hutchinson has been with Allstate Insurance since 1986, working in various areas of the company, including finance, underwriting, agency sales and compliance.

Hutchinson has served on the EIU Alumni Association's Board of Directors since 2003. He is an active member of the community, speaking to Chicago area high school students regarding the importance of education.

Hutchinson received his bachelor's degree in business from EIU in 1974.

Nineteen Eastern Illinois University faculty members have been awarded tenure, effective with the 2012-13 academic year.

The EIU Board of Trustees approved the list Friday.

Tenure, awarded in an academic department, connotes a relationship of continuing commitment between the university and a faculty member.

Generally, in order to qualify for tenure consideration, a faculty member must complete a probationary period and demonstrate progressive achievement and effectiveness in three areas of evaluation: teaching/performance of primary duties, research/creative activities, and service. Among these three areas, teaching/performance of primary duties is given the most consideration.

This year's recipients of tenure are as follows:

• Wesley D. Allan, psychology;
• Lola A. Burnham, journalism;
• Ahmed S. Abou-Zaid, economics;
• David J. Boggs, business;
• Barbara S. Carlsward, biological sciences;
• Irene S. Coromina, foreign languages;
• Carrie Dale, early childhood, elementary and middle level education;
• M. Eugenia Deerman, sociology and anthropology;
• Christiane K. Eydt-Beebe, foreign languages;
• Jill Fahy, communication disorders and sciences;
• Luminita Florea, music;
• Mark S. Kattenbraker, kinesiology and sports studies;
• Eunseong Kim, journalism;
• Jeannie Ludlow, English;
• David Wayne Melton, technology;
• Kamlesh Parwani, mathematics and computer science;
• Gopal R. Periyannan, chemistry;
• Luke Joseph Steinke, technology; and
• Larry R. White, business.

From Bob Martin, vice president for university advancement at Eastern Illinois University:

Eastern Illinois University has lost a great friend with the passing of Burnham Neal. On behalf of the entire EIU community, I express sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Mr. Neal, whose overwhelming generosity made a positive difference in so many lives.

Mr. Neal and his late wife, Nancy, were among the biggest financial supporters in the university's history. In fact, the Neals were so representative of the spirit of leadership, dedication and generosity that EIU named its annual Philanthropy Awards after them in 1997. Mr. Neal received an honorary Doctor of Public Service from EIU in 2003.

The Neal family's biggest and most prominent gift to EIU was the $2 million Neal Welcome Center, which has greeted visitors entering Charleston from Illinois Route 16 and Interstate 57 since 2002. It also houses offices for the EIU Foundation and the Office of Philanthropy.

As an astute businessman, Mr. Neal recognized the importance of EIU to Charleston and the surrounding region, knowing that his contributions would have a significant return on investment in the form of enhancing the quality of life of the residents of east-central Illinois. The impact of his gifts is incalculable, and we will always be grateful for his forward-thinking generosity.

The federal judge who presided over both trials of Rod Blagojevich plans to present a talk on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

However, U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel will probably refrain from talking specifics about the 2011 case that led to the former Illinois governor’s 14-year incarceration in a Colorado federal prison.  That case, under appeal, is still open.

Instead, Zagel, who has served as a U.S. district judge since 1987, will speak more generally on “The Breach of Public Trust.”  James Burns, a former top federal prosecutor from Chicago, will also be in attendance.

A question-and-answer session will follow Zagel’s talk.

Admission to the presentation, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Recital Hall of Eastern’s Doudna Fine Arts Center, is free and open to the public.

Zagel, who received his law degree from Harvard University in the 1960s, began his career as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County.  As such, he assisted in the prosecution of mass murderer Richard Speck.

He later served as assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois (1969-1977); executive director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission (1977-79); director of revenue, state of Illinois (1979); and director of the Illinois State Police (1980-1987).

In addition to a number of legal books, Zagel has had one novel, “Money to Burn,” published (2002), and he has made cameo appearances in the movies “Music Box,” with Jessica Lange, and “Homicide,” starring Joe Montegna.

This event is being co-sponsored by EIU's College of Sciences and the Public Policy Institute.

Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar will return to his alma mater as the next speaker in his own lecture series.

His student-oriented presentation -- “Unobstructed Views:  Lessons Learned from Charleston to Springfield” -- will address how his education and experiences at Eastern Illinois University helped him achieve the success he has had in life.

The talk, to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall, will be followed by a reception in the Doudna concourse. Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Edgar and his wife, Brenda, demonstrated their continuing support for their alma mater by establishing the Edgar Speaker Series in 2007.  Working in conjunction with the EIU Foundation, the couple finalized details for a gift which provides for at least one speaker a year.

The series focuses primarily on state government, and addresses current issues in state government and historical implications.

"I always thought that a person learns both in and outside the classroom," Gov. Edgar said at the time the lecture series began. "I know I particularly enjoyed the lectures I heard as a student here at Eastern. They certainly enhance learning opportunities for students, as well as for the entire community.

"Charleston's a great place, but it's not a large city," he continued, recalling that as a high school student and city resident, he took advantage of learning opportunities -- such as lectures -- that were open to the public. "This series will benefit the community, as well as the students of the university."

The Edgars personally launched the speaker series during the 2007-2008 school year, with the governor speaking in the fall and Brenda Edgar taking her turn behind the lectern in the spring.

Other speakers have included Mike Lawrence, Edgar’s former press secretary and senior policy adviser; historian and biographer Richard Norton Smith; author/reporter James L. Merriner; Washington Post columnist Dan Balz; and David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Prior to being inaugurated as Illinois' 38th governor in January 1991, Edgar spent more than 30 years in state government, including terms as both a state representative and as secretary of state. Previously, however, he was enrolled at Eastern where he majored in history and minored in political science. He was extremely active in the university's student government, serving as student body president his senior year (1967-1968).

He was named an Eastern Illinois University Distinguished Alumnus, the highest honor the Alumni Association can bestow upon a former student, in 1982.

It was also at Eastern that he met fellow student Brenda Smith of Anna, Ill. The two married while still students at the university, and Mrs. Edgar put her own education on hold while supporting her husband's political career and raising the couple's two children.

In the 1990s, while serving as Illinois' First Lady, Brenda Edgar contacted Eastern to see what would be needed to complete her degree. Working with the School of Continuing Education, she finished her coursework and received what is now known as the bachelor of arts degree in general studies during commencement ceremonies in May 1998.

Within months, Mrs. Edgar, in conjunction with Ronald McDonald Charities, had established the Brenda Edgar Scholarship for Women, to be awarded to returning adult female parents over the age of 25.

In addition, the Edgars have donated a number of papers and artifacts from Gov. Edgar's years in state government to the university.

The newly named dean of Eastern Illinois University’s College of Sciences, Harold Ornes, wants to play an active part in helping students reach their destinations in life.

“One of my hobbies is piloting an aircraft,” said Ornes.  “Perhaps a metaphor for our future together would be to think of the College of Sciences as an airplane and the faculty, staff, and administration as the flight crew.

“Our job would include studying, understanding and utilizing the complex systems of power, structure, navigation and communication to achieve optimal, efficient and sustainable performance of these systems to get the crew and passengers to our destination safely with joy and enthusiasm for the next destination,” he added.

“While higher education is not exactly the same as airline customers purchasing tickets, EIU is certainly of a size and configuration that has proven itself by delivering high quality educational experiences that prepare students for a lifetime of unlimited destinations.  I look forward to being a part of the flight crews at EIU.”

Ornes, who has served as the dean of Winona (Minn.) State University’s College of Science and Engineering since June 2008, will assume his new duties as EIU’s COS dean on July 1.  He replaces Mary Anne Hanner, who retired in 2011.

EIU Provost Blair Lord noted that Ornes was selected after a national search which elicited substantial interest.

"The pool of potential candidates was among the richest and most accomplished we have seen for such searches," he said.  "Dr. Ornes was very positively received by all constituencies, and I look forward to working with him to assist the college in reaching new levels of excellence."

In addition to his current administrative duties, Ornes has served as dean and a professor of biology in the College of Science and Engineering at Southern Utah University, and as a professor of biology and department chair, Department of Biology and Geology, at the University of South Carolina, Aiken.

He earned two bachelor’s degrees (zoology and botany) and a master’s degree (biology) from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), Kirksville, and his Doctor of Philosophy (majoring in aquatic plant biology) from Iowa State University, Ames.

The fifth annual Kick Butts Day 5K run/walk and community picnic are to be held at Morton Park on Saturday, April 14.

The run/walk will begin at 9 a.m., and the picnic will directly follow.

Both events are sponsored by Eastern Illinois University's Health Service and Student Community Service to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use, encourage smoking cessation and encourage an overall healthy lifestyle

Registration for the 5K is $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12. The fee includes a T-shirt, food and beverages. To guarantee a T-shirt, please register by March 26. Walk-up registration will also be available.

The registration form is available online at http://www.eiu.edu/herc/kickbuttsday.php.

For more information, please contact Catherine Bocke in the EIU Health Service at herc-pr_marketing@eiu.edu or 581-7786.

Eastern Illinois University recently recognized more than 250 of its employees for continuous years of service. 

A luncheon was held in recognition of university employees with continuous years of service in five-year increments. Those employed at EIU for five years were eligible for a certificate; those with 10 or more years of service were honored with both a certificate and a pin.

The following were honored for their years of service:

30 Years -- Lisa M. Childress, Rosalie Herrington, Michael B. Hubbartt, Jeri Matteson-Hughes, David Raybin, Gail Richard, Timothy A. Shonk, John A. Whisler and Erma J. Williams.

25 Years – Sirus Aryainejad, Lew Ayers, Lucy A. Campanis, David Carpenter, John L. Coffey, Linda A. Coffey, Terry M. Collins, Craig M. Eckert, Paula J. Embry, Cathy L. Gray, Theresa A. Green, Marjorie Hanft, William C. Hine, Diana S. Ingram, Belayet H. Khan, Stephen R. Lane, Mary Leonard-Cravens, Janet T. Marquardt, Kay E. McElwee, David G. McGrady, Linda L. Moore, Charles E. Nivens, Mary L. Russell, Sue Sallee, Deanna S. Smith, Richard A. Sylvia, Michael Watts and Deborah Woodley.

20 Years – Cathy J. Ashmore, John E. Bailey, Lorraine Baker, Linda K. Barter, Steven R. Calhoun, Ronald Cassiday, Henry H. Davis, Lynette Drake, Samuel W. Fagaly, Russell E. Gruber, Lennie K. Heddins, Susan D. Kohn, Allen K. Lanham, Catherine M. Lentz, Peter P. Liu, Ronald B. Mason, Jeanna K. McFarland, Danny R. Milburn, Kelly P. Miller, James W. Morecraft, Kelly Partenheimer, Joanne Roach, Daniel J. Sheeran, Toni Whitley, Keith Wilson, David W. Wolski and Mary Yarbrough.

15 Years – Kay Amyx, Lawrence D. Auchstetter, Audrey A. Bachelder, Patricia K. Belleville, Julie A. Benedict, Tristum M. Bennett, Caridad F. Brito, Douglas E. Buell, Bryan K. Callaway, Mitchell H. Coe, Ralph C. Embry, Janet L. Fopay, Reggie L. Galey, Kenneth F. Gerhardt, Melissa K. Gordon, Martha L. Hackler, Kathryn A. Hussey, David W. Jobe, Gloria E. Keener, Deanna L. Kelly, Sandra L. King, Sonna L. Lawrence, Gregory J. Lee, Johnny B. Morton, Rose Myers-Bradley, Britto P. Nathan, Jyoti Panjwani, Jennifer A. Porter, Jennifer S. Reed, Steven J. Scher, Ellen Shupe, Richard D. Staley, Paul V. Switzer, Jo Anne Thill, Philip C. Thompson, Gordon C. Tucker and Robert A. Zordani.

10 Years -- Missa E. Anderson-Cook, Ke'an S. Armstrong, Sherri L. Arnholt, Jeffrey S. Ashley, Michael W. Babcock, Jeffrey M. Bailey, Joseph M. Beals, Rhonda S. Bence, Michael L. Boorom, Carol A. Boroughs, Sandy Bowman, Cindy W. Boyer, Dagni A. Bredesen, Peggy A. Brown, Lola A. Burnham, William B. Burnside, Daniel J. Carter, Rose M. Clapp, Melissa D. Coleman, Michael W. Cornebise, Deborah D. Cunningham, Jose R. Deustua-Carvallo, Cindy M. Diehl, Jeffrey A. Duck, Maria A. Dust, Pamela R. Ealy, Patrick C. Enstrom, Scott E. Erwin, Michael C. Fowler, Ann H. Fritz, John E. Fugate, Evgeny Gordon, Bradley J. Green, Tonya L. Green, Christopher Hanlon, Stephen M. Hayward, John G. Henderson, Mary B. Hennig, Jamie L. Huckstead, Mark A. Hudson, Tracey S. Hutchison, Nenad Ilic, Dennis B. Jackson, Gary J. Jensen, Colleen N. Kattenbraker, James L. Kestner, Marshall B. Lassak, Blair M. Lord, Daiva Markelis, Linda K. Marrs-Morford, Rodney K. Marshall, Randy G. McCammon, Allen C. McCowan, Francine P. McGregor, Scott J. Meiners, Christopher J. Mitchell, Mary Jo Montgomery, Kimberlie A. Moock, Kathleen A. O'Rourke, Rebecca A. Peebles, Sean A. Peebles, Joan Peters, Vicki M. Phillips, Lee Ann Price, Stacey L. Ruholl, Kelly A. Runyon, Shijuana M. Shannon, Brian C. Sowa, Shannon F. Storm, James L. Thomas, Marsha L. Toner, Edward M. Treadwell, Bryan D. Walden, Penny S. Walk, James A. Wallace, Sandra K. Wheeler, Diane E. Wilke, Julie A. Wilson, Christina S. Yousaf and Douglas A. Zuhone.

5 Years – Sid J. Acord, Aaron B. Allison, Bettina T. Becker, Sherry M. Beech, Thomas A. Blair, David J. Boggs, Bernard Borah, Paul D. Brown, Robert N. Calhoun, Lisa E. Canivez, Robyn B. Carr, David J. Closson, Bethany M. Craig, James D. Craig, David M. Crockett, Nancy J. Crone, Juanita C. Cross, Carrie M. Dale, Mai T. Dao, John Dively, Patrick D. Duzan, Angela R. Eubank, Christiane K. Eydt-Beebe, Candace R. Flatt, Chelsea L. Frederick, Gary M. Fulk, Robert M. Goble, Carrie E. Gossett, Gabriel J. Grant, Daniel U. Hagen, Amanda L. Harmon, Gregory E. Harris, Janet L. Harris, Jennifer Hess, Patricia A. Hood, Justin T. Hubbartt, Jonathan J. Hunt, John B. Hutchinson, Sandra L. Ibbotson, Diane H. Jackman, Jana M. Johnson, Michelle L. Jones, Eunseong Kim, Cay A. Kolling, Joseph J. Landeck, Gary M. Laumann, Cherie B. Lehman, Warren K. Lilly, Stephen E. Lucas, Felicia Y. Magee, Gishanthi P. Marasinghe, Paul A. McCann, Bradley L. McElravy, David W. Melton, Richard L. Moser, Michael A. Mulvaney, Jeffrey L. Oetting, Rachel D. Panepinto, Lindsay N. Partlow, Dee M. Pepperdine, Gopal R. Periyannan, Justin R. Perry, Jerry C. Rankin, Deborah D. Reifsteck, Eric N. Repp, Angelyne M. Rhoads, Kathryn Rhodes, Joel E. Richardson, Jeffrey R. Sanders, Yun Sanders, David L. Schmidt, Brian S. Shull, Jenifer D. Shupe, Ryan W. Siegel, Denise S. Smith, Magie Smith, Stacy J. Smith, Steven D. Steele, Brion M. Storm, Stephen A. Stumeier, John P. Taylor, Sandra L. Thiele, Quacy M. Timmons, Tina K. Veale, Johna Von Behrens, Heather K. Webb, Robert E. West, Larry R. White, Yolanda V. Williams, Christopher J. Wojtysiak, Marjorie G. Worthington, Westley N. Wright, Barbra D. Wylie and Angela M. Yoder.

Shown at right, from left to right, are Rosalie Herrington, Gail Richard, David Raybin and Jeri Matteson-Hughes.

Shown below, from left to right, front row, are Sue Sallee, Mary Russell, Diana Ingram, Deanna Smith and Lucy Campanis.  Back row: Linda Coffey, Mike Watts, Belayet Khan, William Hine, Steve Lane, Paula Embry, Cathy Gray and Deborah Woodley.

When Gary Fritz headed to South America last year to document the ramifications of Piedra Roja, Chile's 1970 version of Woodstock, he simply wanted to preserve the history of the pivotal festival that he had helped organize as a teenager.

Fritz, a biological sciences professor with little filmmaking experience, had no idea the resulting documentary would resonate so deeply with Chileans that it would even be chosen over a Martin Scorsese movie for film festival honors.

Fritz's film, "Piedra Roja," is a two-hour, close-up look at how the festival profoundly affected Chilean society during a time of social and political upheaval -- the inception of Salvador Allende's socialist government and the subsequent military coup d'etat.

Emotional interviews with some of the festival's organizers illustrate how their involvement with the festival changed the courses of their lives as they dealt with backlash from both conservative Chileans and outraged government forces.

Fritz spent 40 days in Chile filming interviews with people who had been involved with the festival. At the time, he planned to simply submit the resulting footage to the Chilean national archive. But he soon realized the story needed to be seen more widely.

He submitted it to the IN-EDIT International Film and Music Documentary Festival in Santiago, Chile, which chose it -- over Martin Scorsese's film on George Harrison -- as its inaugural film in December. In January, it was shown in the Festival of the Arts in Valparaiso, Chile. Fritz plans to continue with the film festival circuit.

Eastern Illinois University continues to prepare more undergraduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees than any other master's college/university in Illinois, according to a recent National Science Foundation survey.

In addition to ranking first in the state, EIU ranks in the top 5 percent nationwide, as it has for several years.

"A great indicator of an undergraduate institution's quality is the success of its graduates in doctoral programs, and it comes as no surprise to us that our alumni continue to excel in academic endeavors at every level," said EIU President William Perry. "We are pleased that the figures confirm the success of EIU's excellent integrated-learning experience."

The results of the recent Survey of Earned Doctorates -- a federal agency census conducted annually by the National Organization for Research -- indicate that many Eastern graduates continue their education by seeking doctorates and achieving other educational goals.

The survey reports that 227 EIU graduates obtained doctoral degrees in the years 2000 through 2009. This means that as a baccalaureate-origin institution, Eastern ranked No. 1 among 22 master's colleges and universities within Illinois, and No. 35 among 560 master's colleges and universities in the United States, for that 10-year time period.

Only schools with 10 or more recipients were included in the study.

The SED gathers information annually from 45,000 new U.S. research doctorate graduates about their educational histories, funding sources and post-doctoral plans. Only recipients of research doctorates were included in the survey. Therefore, recipients of professional degrees, such as medical doctors, veterinarians, dentists, attorneys, etc., are not included.

The SED survey is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Eastern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees on Friday approved the smallest percentage increase in new resident student tuition at EIU in 11 years.

The one-time increase for new students subject to EIU's resident tuition rate is from $269 to $279 per semester credit hour, and this rate is fixed by state law for at least four years of continuous enrollment.

The one-time increase of 3.7 percent is half the 7.4 percent increase in the CPI-U (CPI-Urban) Midwest over the past four years.  According to EIU President Bill Perry, "Past CPI increases do not predict future CPI increases, but they do give us a trend line that influences our thinking regarding tuition increases.

“Whether you consider the effect of the one-time tuition increase on a four-year basis or on equivalent annual bases, the impact is much less than the historical cost of living increase and likely future CPI increases. Paying attention to CPI data is one way we are being respectful of our students' individual or family financial situations in setting tuition."

No new fee increases were proposed at Friday’s meeting.  However, previously approved staged fee increases were presented for confirmation.

University officials consider a number of factors, such as the potential level of state funding, estimated increases in financial obligations, projected enrollment, Consumer Price Index data, and the impact of previously implemented cost containment measures, before determining a tuition recommendation to the board.

“We proposed to our Board of Trustees a tuition rate that enables continued investment in the quality of our programs, while maintaining our commitment to affordability and access to a university education second to none,” Perry said.

“We are a top-performing comprehensive university with virtually the most affordable tuition and fees in the state.  The board's action today confirms our historical and ongoing commitment to affordability, accessibility, and excellence."

A team of Eastern Illinois University students made a respectable showing, coming in third only behind Princeton and Harvard in the International District Energy Association’s first campus energy video contest.

A video produced by Keith Sutterfield of Effingham, Wesley Smith of Chicago and Bobson Mercier of Ft. Myers, Fla., was chosen over entries from New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College, Texas A&M and the University of Connecticut.

“We congratulate these students in bringing EIU into the same league as the Ivy League schools in the nation,” said Ryan Siegel, EIU’s campus energy and sustainability coordinator.

Gary Reed, director of Facilities Planning and Management, formally accepted the award on behalf of the students during the association’s annual Campus Energy Conference, held earlier this month in Washington, D.C.  The award included a framed certificate and a cash prize of $100.

“Congratulations to the students and their advisory support staff in the Center for Academic Technology Support (CATS) for this great effort and the resulting award,” Reed said.  “This is yet another testimony of the dedication to efficient and environmentally responsible operations supported by the EIU campus community.

“This particular award reflects on our students’ appreciation for the efforts toward sustainability demonstrated through continuous improvements in campus operations and infrastructure.  The EIU example continues to be a leading model in energy use optimization and environmental responsibility.”

The video competition was sponsored by the IDEA to promote student engagement in distributed energy concepts and applications.  Student submissions were judged by the IDEA board for content and communications effectiveness in delivery of the focal message.

Sutterfield said that, while none of the three students had a lot of knowledge about Eastern’s Renewable Energy Center, they thought it would make a great subject for a video.  The three men compiled a list of people who were involved with the plan and contacted them about interviews.

“The whole process took several weeks to complete,” he said.

He commended Michael Babcock, a graphic designer with CATS, who “served as a great mentor to us all.”

The EIU video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9_iZcd0YJA&list=UUcii8ZN-2lH9Dy2yL9Q3E7A&index=1&feature=plcp.

The Eastern Illinois University School of Business' Holley Ethics Awareness Week will include two March 6 lectures by "Accounting Watchdog" writer Francine McKenna.

McKenna's writings have appeared in the Financial Times, Boston Review, American Banker, Columbia Journalism Review, Accountancy Age and Accountancy Magazine. She also has a website that covers the accounting industry and columns on Forbes.com ("Accounting Watchdog") and American Banker ("Accountable").

The first presentation, “Who Will Slay the Dragon? Penn State and College Football: How an ‘Ethical’ Institution Dropped Its Sword and Shield,” begins at 3:30 p.m. The second, “Stay on Your Feet: How ‘New Hires’ Can Successfully Negotiate the Slippery Ethical Slopes of the Workplace” is at 7 p.m.

Both of McKenna’s presentations -- which are free and open to the public -- will be in the Roberson Auditorium, Lumpkin Hall 2030.

In addition, presentations from the Holley Ethics Awareness Week Essay Contest participants will take place at 7 p.m. March 7 in the Roberson Auditorium. The public is invited to attend.

The essay contest is open to EIU students who are either undergraduates in the School of Business or graduate MBA students. For full contest rules and details, visit http://www.eiu.edu/business/ethicsessaycontest.php.

Holley Ethics Awareness Week is co-sponsored by the School of Business and Beta Gamma Sigma.

For more information, contact Jaime Hendrix at 581-2627 or jahendrix@eiu.edu.

Survivors of the 1942 Bataan Death March could not have envisioned anyone voluntarily making the grueling 26.2-mile journey.

But 70 years later, thousands of active and retired military personnel, as well as civilians, are in training to do just that. And a group of student veterans from Eastern Illinois University plan to be involved. Michael Ruybal, EIU’s coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Services, said he and six others plan to participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March (http://www.bataanmarch.com/), held annually across the rugged desert terrain of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This year’s commemoration, to take place March 25, will mark the second consecutive year of EIU’s involvement.

Shown, from left to right, front row, are Shannalee Karrick of Ashmore and Anna Boehlefeld of Davis; from left to right, back row, are “Gus” Lamezyk of Radom, DeNel’ Howery of Charleston, Greg Schoonover of Sullivan, Tommy Hamilton of Carbondale and Michael Ruybal, EIU coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Services.  Not pictured is Michael Bird of Villa Grove.

The seven prospective marchers are all members of the Black Knights of the Embarras, a veterans group first established on Eastern’s campus in 1952 by students returning from the Korean War. According to Ruybal, the Black Knights wanted to participate in this year’s memorial march in order to “pay respect and honor a former EIU professor of history and Veteran Services director, William D. Miner.”

Miner, who died in 1998 at the age of 83, was a veteran of World War II and a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He was an Army veteran and prisoner of war for 39 months during World War II.

The Black Knights will also be marching in honor of EIU alumnus and fellow Black Knight Dave Peontek, whose father, Henry William Peontek, was a Bataan survivor. “Mr. Peontek, who passed in 1994, suffered from severe PTSD, having nightmares nightly of his Japanese captors attempting to execute him and his fellow soldiers,” Ruybal said.

The Bataan Memorial Death March, which began in 1989, honors those World War II heroes who were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of Americans and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces, and were forced to march for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died.

Since its inception, the Bataan Memorial Death March has grown from about 100 to thousands of participants from across the United States and several foreign countries. Some participate in the full 26.2-mile march, enabling them to experience, in part, what soldiers endured during their long forced trek through the Philippines; others participate in a smaller, less intense 14.2-mile version.

“I’m hoping our participation will continue to build ‘esprit de corps’ within the veterans program here at Eastern,” Ruybal said. “The event builds team work, collaboration and personal pride, along with self accomplishment for the individuals.

“But, most importantly, it is an activity for veterans to take part of, in remembering those who came before us and, in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. We do this to remember and to pay respect,” he added.

In addition to Ruybal, this year’s prospective marchers include men and women ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties, and representing all branches of the U.S. military: Anna Boehlefeld, Davis; Shannalee Karrick, Ashmore; DeNel’ Howery, Charleston; Michael Bird, Villa Grove; August Lamezyk, Radom; and Greg Schoonover, Sullivan.

The Black Knights are currently in the process of raising the $7,000 it will take to get this year’s participants to New Mexico and pay for room/board and registration costs. Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by sending a check made payable to the Black Knights, care of Michael Ruybal, Veterans Services, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, Ill. 61920.

Additionally, a fund-raising pancake breakfast will be served from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Charleston VFW, 1821 20th St. The cost is $5 per individual. Tickets may be purchased in advance through EIU’s Veterans Services or at the door.

Questions? Contact Ruybal at 217-581-7888.

"EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern," the largest fundraising effort in Eastern Illinois University's history, has surpassed its $50 million goal more than two years ahead of schedule.

A total of $53.1 million has been secured, fitting for a campaign with the theme "Expect Greatness," which was publicly launched in October 2010 with a goal of raising $50 million by July 2014.

"When we began the 'Expect Greatness' campaign, I fully believed we would reach our goal, not only because Eastern touches so many lives, but also because giving back is the Eastern way," said EIU President Bill Perry.

"What has been a pleasant surprise is the speed at which our supporters have responded to our call for assistance. The challenging economy has made charitable dollars more precious than ever, but our alumni and friends have proven that Eastern is a priority to them. We're very grateful."

Part of the campaign's success stemmed from a huge response to its "Fund for the Future" component, in which people commit planned gifts. The goal for this area was $12 million, but $19.4 million has been secured.

The campaign received an influx of support from many people who believe in the university's mission, with alumni chief among them, said Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement.

"The most meaningful part of reaching our goal in such an impressive manner is seeing that the Eastern experience meant so much to our alumni," Martin said. "We touched their lives in such significant ways that they were more than willing to invest their own funds in keeping Eastern's tradition of excellence alive for current and future students."

Faculty and staff donations were up in the past fiscal year as well, with the percentage of employees donating increasing 75 percent from the previous year. Seventeen departments and offices had 100 percent participation.

The contributions received will allow EIU to remain a first-class institution while keeping tuition affordable for students, Perry said.

The campaign focuses on four priorities: students (funding scholarships); faculty and staff (attracting and retaining world-class faculty, as well as supporting research, creative projects and service activities); capital improvements (including building a new science center, courtyard spaces and a Lantz Arena gateway); and programs (including developing centers that would focus on specific subjects, with possibilities such as autism, entrepreneurship and innovation, ethics, financial health, geographic information systems and remote sensing, humanities, student community service and wellness).

Martin expressed deep appreciation to the members of the "EI&U" campaign Steering Committee: Chairperson Julie (Humphrey) Nimmons of Litchfield; Timothy L. and Vickie (Krupp) Burke of Evanston; Max and Mary Cougill of Charleston; Judy A. Ethell of Chesterfield, Mo.; Bob Glover of Chicago; Robert A. Ingram of Durham, N.C.; Charles Keller of Effingham; Jeffrey P. Knezovich of Naperville; Herbert and Jane Lasky of Ashmore; Richard A. Lumpkin of Mattoon; Carl T. Mito of Arlington Heights; Tony Romo of Dallas, Texas; Paul L. Snyder of Oro Valley, Ariz.; and Charles W. Witters of Las Vegas, Nev.

For more information about the campaign, please contact Karla Watson, assistant vice president of university advancement, at kjwatson@eiu.edu or 217-581-3315, or visit the "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" website at www.iameiu.com.

Representatives from school districts from across Illinois, as well as other states and countries, will be seeking new employees at the upcoming Mid-America Educators' Job Fair at Eastern Illinois University.

The public is invited to the free job fair, which is set for 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, in the MLK Jr. Union's Grand Ballroom. It is sponsored by EIU Career Services.

A list of participating schools and available jobs in teaching, school administration and special services is available online at http://www.eiu.edu/careers/maejf.php.

Professional dress is required. Those attending should bring several copies of their resumes.

For more information, please contact coordinator Diane Smith at dksmith2@eiu.edu or 217-581-8423.

The EIU Dancers will present four stagings of their 31st annual spring performance, "Alive on the Inside," Feb. 16-18.

Shows are set for 7 p.m. Feb. 16; 7 p.m. Feb. 17; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 18, all in The Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Antoine Thomas, the director of the EIU Dancers, said the performance is a celebration of different genres of dance, allowing the dancers to showcase their range of talents.

"We look at exploring all types of dance, including jazz, lyrical, modern, ballet and hip-hop, and for the first time ever, we will be performing stomp and Bollywood pieces this year as well," Thomas said.

The performance will consist of 18 dance pieces, and the type of music featured will be as diverse as the types of dance represented, Thomas said.

Tickets, $5 each, are available to the public at the Doudna Box Office, which can be reached at 581-3110. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.doudnatix.com.

The EIU Dancers are sponsored by the kinesiology and sports studies department, the theatre arts department and the DanceLife Center.

For more information, contact Antoine Thomas at 581-8397 or arthomas@eiu.edu or visit www.eiu.edu/eiudancers.

Readers of Roxane Gay’s book, “Ayiti,” shouldn’t expect to read about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

“I’m sure I’ll write something about it in the future,” she says.  “Once I know what it means.  I haven’t yet figured it out.”

Instead, “Ayiti” (the Haitian Creole name for Haiti) examines “what it means to be Haitian” through a collection of short stories and essays.  Some of the selections date back nearly a decade, says Gay, whose parents are Haitian by birth.  In “Ayiti,” she writes about people who “are still in Haiti, those who have left and some who tried to return.”

The book is a very personal collection of work, which made it particularly meaningful to the author when “Ayiti” was named one of the National Book Critic Circle’s “Small Press Highlights of 2011” (http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/small-press-highlights-of-2011).

“It meant a lot, both personally and professionally,” Gay said.  “It’s given the book a level of attention that it wouldn’t have otherwise received.”

That attention came through a succession of personal contacts.

“Ayiti” was published in October 2010 by Artistically Declined Press.  The publisher – a personal acquaintance of hers – likes Gay’s writing.  “He approached me and I sent them the ‘Ayiti’ manuscript which they liked and accepted,” Gay said.

Another friend, who had bought a copy of the published work, liked it so much that she shared it with Rigoberto Gonzalez, who serves on the executive board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle.  In mid-December 2011, he included “Ayiti” as one of only 12 books on his annual “Small Press Highlights” list.

In introducing “Ayiti” on his list, Gonzalez wrote, “In this brief but powerful collection of stories (most no longer than three pages), Haitians navigate their beleaguered homeland or their adopted country (the U.S.) as immigrants, refugees, and undocumented border crossers pining for their loved ones left ‘kneeling in a bed of sand and bones’ in one of the world’s poorest nations.  Gay doesn’t shy away from critique, showing how Haiti’s misfortunes appeal to the exploitative foreign media and well-meaning though condescending outsiders: ‘Then the world intruded. It always does.’”

Gay, an assistant professor of English at Eastern Illinois University, is accustomed to having her work published.  She regularly has work seen in such periodicals as American Short Fiction, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, Black Warrior Review, Noon, Salon and The Rumpus, and has recently been published in two anthologies --  “News Stories From the Midwest 2011” and “Best Sex Writing 2012.”

“Ayiti,” however, is her first published book.  She’s currently working on a novel based on a short work of fiction – Things I Know of Fairy Tales – found in that book.

Eastern Illinois University will be in the national spotlight when one of its Presidential Scholars competes for $100,000 on the "Jeopardy! College Championship" on Feb. 2.

Anne Rozek, a junior from Cary, was one of 15 students from throughout the nation chosen for the game show, putting EIU on the same stage as schools including Duke, Harvard, Stanford and Columbia.

Rozek, who can't discuss how she fared on the show until after it airs, said the entire experience was surreal.

It all began with the encouragement of a family friend who was once a five-day "Jeopardy!" winner and competitor in the show's Tournament of Champions.

So, during spring break in March, Rozek and her older sister each took the online test.

"We had to take it at our local McDonald's because we only have one ethernet connection in my house, so that was interesting," Rozek said.

She did so well that in May, she was one of 300 people invited to audition in person. She traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to take another test, complete a personality interview and play a mock round of "Jeopardy!" complete with buzzers.

In early December, she received the call that she'd made the final cut and would travel to Los Angeles in early January. She "sort of kept it on the down-low," but that changed when her mom, Jane -- an EIU graduate -- came to campus to pick her up for winter break.

"She literally marched into President Perry's office and said, 'This girl's gonna be on "Jeopardy!" so I think you need to do something about that,'" Rozek recalled with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. "He was just like, 'Well, I guess we need to set you up with some stuff, then!'"

The timing of her "Jeopardy!" invitation -- just before final exams -- added even more stress to a time already filled with extensive studying. She devoted one or two hours per day, "but nothing too extreme," to studying for the show.

Her "Jeopardy!" preparation included studying books with a wide range of facts, like "The World Almanac," and books geared toward specific subjects that the geography major felt weren't her strong suits, including "Literature for Dummies" and "Art History for Dummies." She also surfed the Web for information and, of course, watched "Jeopardy!"

"I'm a nerd. I watch it pretty much every weekday that it's on, or at least I try to," Rozek said. "That's something that I found I had in common with the other contestants. We found that we could all literally talk about 'Jeopardy!' players by name, and how many days they'd been on, and who annoyed us, and who we wanted to do well."

Her father, Dan, accompanied her to Los Angeles for the taping, and her mom opted to stay back home in Cary.

"My mom would have been a nervous wreck," Rozek said with a smile. "We would have been going crazy, with the two of us feeding off each other's nervous energy, and it probably would not have been good."

The filming process was a long, tiring ordeal, Rozek said, explaining that the 20-mile car ride from the hotel to the studio took an hour, followed by more than five hours of signing paperwork, getting hair and makeup done, filming a short interview for the show's website, taping promos, and playing two practice games in the studio "just to sort of get a feel for things."

"About 15 minutes before you're set to start taping, they'll walk into the green room where the contestants are and be like, 'OK, you three -- you're up, you have to go,'" Rozek said. "So it's really nerve-wracking, just sitting back there wondering when you're going to go and who you're going to play against and what they're going to ask."

Then, she walked to the place most "Jeopardy!" fans can only dream of seeing in person.

"Standing behind the podium and seeing the lights and the board -- it was crazy. It was absolutely insane," she said.

Rozek enjoyed meeting host Alex Trebec, and she appreciated his use of funny anecdotes to break the tension during the match, "because we were all nervous as could be."

And what about those buzzers that contestants always seem to blame for their "Jeopardy!" woes?

"They aren't pretending that their buzzers aren't working correctly," Rozek said. "Those buzzers are tricky, let me tell you. They are not easy."

Now, the hard part is keeping the outcome under wraps. Word of her "Jeopardy!" experience has been making its way through campus, though, and it has already brought some perks, including an invitation to meet EIU alumnus Tony Romo (now famous as the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback) at the EIU Athletic Director's Gala on Feb. 14.

But for the most part, she's kept to her regular schedule, which is full of classes, two on-campus jobs and extracurricular activities (including leading campus tours for prospective students) -- and, of course, watching "Jeopardy!"

Rozek will appear on "Jeopardy! College Championship" on Thursday, Feb. 2. In Charleston, the show airs at 4:30 p.m. on WAND, and 6:30 p.m. on WTWO.

“That’s Goodness” -- the third annual David F. Tanner Benefit Concert for EIU Jazz Studies -- has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in Eastern Illinois University’s Grand Ballroom, located in the MLK Jr. Union.

Funds generated will become part of the David Frank Tanner/Ronald Eugene Gholson Endowed Fund Celebrating the Goodness of Music, established through the EIU Foundation for the benefit of students participating in EIU's jazz studies program.  Funds will be used for, but are not limited to, the purchase of music, instruments, equipment, performance clothing, etc.; travel for faculty and/or students to competitions, conferences, concerts, etc.; recording of music performances/recitals, etc.; and student scholarships.

Admission to the event, which will feature music by EIU jazz students, the Sawyer Brothers, Moon Dogs, and The Men of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, is $10 for the general public and $5 for students.  Tickets may be purchased in advance at What’s Cookin’ or at the door the night of the performance.

Frank Tanner "lived his all too short life with a heart filled with music," according to close friend Ron Gholson.  “He often said, ‘I wish I could make music.’”

“Here on earth, David never believed or dreamed his life could be celebrated or that it would be celebrated with music just for him,” Gholson continued.

Tanner passed away on Jan. 26, 2009, just four days shy of his 45th birthday.  And Gholson, feeling the need to establish some sort of memorial in honor of his good friend, turned to music.

"I want this fund to help fulfill (Tanner's) dream of making music, that that dream might come to allow others to experience the 'goodness' of music in their lives," Gholson said.  "The dedication of music in his honor and the celebration of his life was never, ever a dream David Tanner dreamed.  Following his death, that celebration became my dream for him."

For information, phone 217-348-0666.

Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees on Friday approved an increase in room and board rates for students living in EIU housing during the 2012-2013 school year.

Students living in EIU's residence halls and Greek Court will see increases of $128 to $145 per semester (a 3.25 percent increase), depending on the chosen meal plan. Room and board rates will range from $4,069 per semester for the 7 Plus Meal Option to $4,587 for the 15 Plus Meal Option.

Four meal plan options each permit students a specified number of dining center meals per week; a specified number of “Dining Dollars” that can be used to buy additional meals in any dining center; to make purchases at Eastern's Food Court, Java B&B and Panther Pantry in the MLK Jr. Union and at the university's two residence hall convenience centers; and to provide dining center meals to guests.

Students living in one of the 148 University Apartments (designed primarily to meet the needs of student families and single graduate students) will also see increases in rates.  The plan calls for increases of $13 or $14 a month, with rent ranging from $435 to $488, depending on the type of apartment being rented (one-bedroom, efficiency or super efficiency).  All utilities are included in their rent.

Rate increases will also affect students living in University Court, a 146-unit university-owned apartment complex for sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students. Rates for students there will range from $2,412 to $2,943 per semester, depending on the type of apartment being rented.

According to Mark Hudson, Eastern's director of Housing and Dining Services, approximately 35 percent (or approximately 4,000 students) of Eastern's student body resides in university housing.  And, he added, surveys among those residents indicate that "students really feel like they get a good return on their investment.

“And we work hard to make sure they continue to feel that way," he added.

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, said he is pleased that the university is able to offer its lowest increase in Eastern’s housing rates in 20 years.

“We try everything we can to economize while providing the best service possible to our students,” he added.  “We take a careful look at our needs, including fixed costs such as utilities, as well as employee wages and food costs.  We also consider the best ways with which to maximize our resources.”

In addition to the routine maintenance performed annually in all residence halls, Eastern continues to concentrate on on-going multi-year projects.  By the end of Summer 2012, for example, the university will have finished adding sprinkler systems in all residence halls.

Additionally, Hudson said, Eastern is adding wireless internet access to all residence rooms.  “Well over half of our rooms will have it by the end of the summer,” he said.

A routine class assignment recently earned an Eastern Illinois University student top honors in a statewide radio production contest - and a few extra spending dollars, to boot.

Korey Adkins, a senior communication studies major from Mattoon, was one of more than two dozen students in Mike Bradd's "Broadcast Announcing" class, assigned the task of producing a radio public service announcement promoting the Cell Phones for Soldiers Project.  The project encourages the public to donate their old cell phones, which are then converted into calling cards that are distributed to military members serving around the world.

"It was a class assignment first and foremost," Adkins said.  "But we were given the option of submitting it into the contest."

That contest - the Fall 2011 Best New Ad Radio Competition -- is a partnership between education and business communities.  Companies assign projects in which students are challenged to create the "Best New Ad."  This year's competition challenged students from around Illinois to produce radio public service announcements promoting the Cell Phones for Soldiers Project.

Upon receiving the assignment, Adkins began by researching the organization, identified his target audience, then wrote the copy and chose the music/sound effects he wanted to use.

"It took a few attempts," he admitted, noting that he wrote three or four different scripts before he was satisfied with his work.  In fact, he developed the version he was happiest with the very day the assignment was due in class.

His hard work and dedication paid off.

A few weeks later, Adkins was notified that his 30-second radio spot was chosen from among 33 entries collected from more than 22 colleges and universities.  In addition to the first-place prize of $300, Adkins may have his radio PSA used by Cell Phones for Soldiers during its 2012 national campaign.

(His project can be heard at http://www.bestnewad.com/ProjectModule/viewsubmission.php?file=1320998489_
.mp3<http://www.bestnewad.com/ProjectModule/viewsubmission.php?file=1320998489_.mp3&assignid=37&catid=3&mem_id=1840&subid=823>&assignid=37&catid=3&mem_id=1840&subid=823.)

Adkins, who has gained practical experience by working at Hit-Mix 88.9 (WEIU Radio) for the past three years, has also been enrolled in several radio classes as part of his major.  And he's enjoyed the experience, he says.

"However, I haven't really committed myself as to what I'll be doing after graduation," he said.  "But this award affirms that I can do well at radio production should that be what I choose to pursue."

Bradd, too, was pleased with the announcement of his student's award.  The news was especially pleasing, given that it's the second consecutive semester in which an EIU student has been a finalist in a Best New Ad contest. In Spring 2011, Monica Becker of Bartlett, Ill., was a finalist for her radio public service announcement promoting the Donate Life Illinois organ donation program.

"We're fortunate to have some pretty talented students enrolled here at EIU," Bradd said.

Nearly 500 graduates plan to participate in Eastern Illinois University's Fall 2011 commencement ceremonies, scheduled to take place Saturday, Dec. 17, in Lantz Arena.

Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.  Guest tickets are required for admission.

Graduating seniors from the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities will march in the morning ceremony, while students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Sciences and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Degree) will march in the afternoon.  Graduate students will march with their respective colleges.

President William L. Perry will preside over the ceremonies.  Music will be provided by the EIU Wind Symphony.

Carl Mito, Eastern alumnus and managing director, Oppenheimer & Company, Chicago, will present the “Charge to the Class” during the morning ceremony, while Donna K. Martin, a graduate of Eastern now serving as CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, will speak in the afternoon.

Also addressing graduates will be Faculty Senate Chairperson Andrew Methven and Student Body President Edward Hotwagner.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Jarrod Scherle of Red Bud at 10 a.m. and Robert Webb of Mattoon at 1 p.m.

Traditionally, a commencement marshal leads the commencement procession while carrying the university mace, a symbol of honor accorded a faculty member.  The commencement marshal for the 10 a.m. ceremony will be Andrew McNitt, who, as a professor of political science, will represent the Graduate School.  Representing the School of Continuing Education at 1 p.m. will be Reed Benedict, professor of sociology/anthropology.

An EIU tradition also allows faculty members the honor of carrying the college banner for his/her college during the procession.

This year's faculty marshals for the morning ceremony are Jacquelyn Frank, assistant professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, representing the Graduate School and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Richard Wilkinson, associate professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, representing the LCBAS; Newton Key, professor of history, representing the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Humanities; and Charles Titus, professor of history, representing the CAH.

This year's faculty marshals for the afternoon ceremony are Carrie Dale, assistant professor of early childhood, elementary and middle level education, representing the Graduate School and the College of Education and Professional Studies; Nick Osborne, associate professor in educational leadership, representing the CEPS; Kraig Wheeler, professor of chemistry, representing the Graduate School and the College of Sciences; Jonell Comerford, professor of mathematics and computer science, representing the COS; and John Willems, professor in the School of Business, representing the School of Continuing Education.

Angelica Bradley, a biological sciences major from Teutopolis, will serve as Honors College banner marshal during both ceremonies.

Additionally, Kathlene S. Shank, who was selected as EIU’s 2011 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient for her contributions to the university, the field of special education and the local community, will be formally recognized at Saturday’s 1 p.m. ceremony.  Shank, who joined the special education faculty in 1970, has been instrumental in organizing the Area 9 Special Olympics. Every spring, she recruits and organizes more than 700 volunteers (faculty, staff and students) for the annual Special Olympics and every fall for the Special Olympics Family Fun Festival.

The award honors the memory of Mendez, an EIU professor in Spanish who died in 2003.

The process of recovering Eastern Illinois University chemistry labs that were the target of vandalism over the Thanksgiving holiday continues.

The safety of students, faculty and staff, continues to be the top priority in the process of returning the labs to operational status, and the labs remain closed to the public. Cleanup is being handled by chemistry faculty and EIU facilities employees who are trained in the handling of hazardous materials.

Doors to the affected laboratories and to the building have been re-keyed. The University Police Department, which is conducting the investigation into the vandalism, has increased patrolling of the interior and perimeter of the building.

The damage to laboratory equipment was considerable and is still being assessed by university faculty and administrators. Preliminary estimates indicate that the value of the damaged equipment exceeds $100,000, according to William Weber, vice president for business affairs at the university.

In addition, some chemical samples and other materials from faculty and student research projects were ruined during the vandalism. The materials represent months, and in some cases years, of research work by faculty and students.

The university is in the process of filing an insurance claim for the damage. The process of inventorying and storing damaged equipment continues, and insurance claim adjusters are expected to be on campus to review the damages within a week.

Anybody with any information that may assist law enforcement is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-345-8488, text "crimeleads" to 274637, or call the EIU Police Department at 217-581-3212.

Police are asking anybody with information about last week's vandalism of the Physical Science Building at Eastern Illinois University to provide tips to assist in the investigation.

The damage to chemistry labs was discovered early Friday afternoon. Anybody who has any information that might assist law enforcement is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-345-8488, text “crimeleads” to 274637, or call the EIU Police Department at 217-581-3212.

The investigation has been assisted by the Charleston Police Department (not the Illinois State Police, as was previously reported).

The damage to laboratory equipment was considerable and is still being assessed by university faculty and administrators, according to William Weber, vice president for business affairs at the university.

The process of recovering the building and returning to normal operations started Friday night and is ongoing. Any hazardous materials in the building remain secure and do not pose any danger to the public.

David Raybin, an EIU English professor, has been named Illinois Professor of the Year.

Eastern Illinois University's David Raybin has been named the 2011 Illinois Professor of the Year by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

The U.S. Professors of the Year program is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. This year, 27 state winners were selected from nearly 300 top professors in the United States.

Raybin was honored at an awards luncheon today at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. A ceremony will be held on the EIU campus in January.

Raybin, who joined the EIU Department of English in 1981, teaches courses at all levels. He has received numerous EIU awards, including nine Faculty Excellence Awards, the Dean’s Award for Service to Continuing Education, and the Distinguished Honors Faculty Award. He has also served as the Faculty Laureate, and in 2011, he was named EIU's Distinguished Professor, the university's highest award of excellence.

"My guiding philosophy is to strive to engage every student in the room and to assume the best in each one," Raybin said. "I have never wavered from my commitment to treating each class as a group of individual learners. It is because I try to motivate each student that I am able to be successful. It is why I love to teach."

Since 2001, he and his wife, fellow medievalist Susanna Fein, have served as co-editors of The Chaucer Review, the leading journal in the field.

In 2008 and 2010, Raybin and Fein were awarded major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to direct four-week Summer Seminars for School Teachers on Chaucer’s "Canterbury Tales" in England. The grant has been awarded again for 2012.

Raybin's collaboration with the Illinois Humanities Council has spanned two decades, during which he has organized of the annual EIU Literature Conference, in which 50-100 teachers discuss great books and writers; directed two intensive weekend seminars on Chaucer, one for school teachers and the other for librarians; and served as a consultant at external reviews of IHC educational activities.

"There are those who call college an escape from the 'real world,'" Raybin said. "I disagree, ardently. I protest against a definition of the real that sees the only practical life as entailing a deadening job from which one comes home to slouch before a screen.

"I embrace an alternative vision of a reality in which one's mind is active and engaged: absorbed in a freely chosen task, devoted passionately to a cause, fascinated by an idea, bewitched by a good book.

"My students’ four years of college may well engender the most real experiences of their lives, from the deliciously intoxicating to the horrendously depressing, with all the shades in between. The value in a collegiate experience lies in how one approaches these years. My classroom instructs students to approach education with intensity and joy."

A current student, Katelyn R. Pfaff, praised Raybin "as not only an outstanding professor but as a warm, charismatic, intelligent human being who has made an irreversible impact on my life."

"Everything is subject to discussion and question, and the positive, creative attitude with which he encourages his students to approach literature is life-changing," Pfaff said. "His excitement for the material we read and discuss is overwhelming and we cannot help but get sucked into his whirlwind of passion and fun. It is in this whirlwind that I have learned to be scholarly yet passionate, professional yet open minded."

Amanda Veale, a former student who graduated with an English degree from EIU in 2009, said Raybin "offers his knowledge through lively discussions, the kind of electric discourse that extends beyond the classroom, into the life of the hallways and dormitories, and into the passions and pursuits of students long after the semester’s end."

Ruth Hoberman, a colleague of Raybin's for two decades, said he is "quite simply, the most talented, dynamic, and challenging teacher I know."

"They (students) love him because he is challenging, and because he’ll go to amazing lengths to involve students in the learning process," Hoberman said. "Just a few months ago one told me she wasn’t all that crazy about medieval literature, but she just had to take another class with Dr. Raybin.

"As chair of the Department Personnel Committee for five years, I frequently saw Dr. Raybin’s student evaluations: they are invariably at the very top of the scale. Students repeatedly use words like 'growth,' 'stretching,' and 'challenging' to describe their experiences in his classes."

For more information on Raybin's accomplishments, please see http://www.eiu.edu/english/faculty.php?id=draybin.

The community is invited to learn more about health topics, as well as local and statewide health resources, at the 14th annual Health Fair at Eastern Illinois University on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

The free event, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center, is to feature many vendors from EIU, Charleston community and beyond. Games will be available, and door prizes will be awarded.

The Health Fair, sponsored by EIU's Health Service and Health Education Resource Center, provides an opportunity for vendors to raise awareness of their organizations, as well as an opportunity for attendees to gain a greater understanding of their personal health and where they can go to increase their health and wellness.

For more information, contact Catherine Bocke at herc-pr_marketing@eiu.edu or 217-581-7786, or see the website at http://www.eiu.edu/herc/healthfair.php.

Eastern Illinois University Student Community Service has planned several activities for the "30 Days of Change: EIU Fights Hunger" campaign throughout November.

The campaign is motivated by local statistics: The Coles County poverty rate is above 19 percent, and according to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, which serves a 14-county area, one in six people may not have food for dinner tonight.

• Freeze Out Hunger, a new 2-mile fun trail run on the Panther Trail (around the Campus Pond), is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Registration is $10, and all proceeds will go to the Charleston Food Pantry, which can purchase $10 worth of food with each dollar it receives. Walk-up registration is welcome.
• Canned goods will be used to create sculptures in the Canstruction contest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. All canned items will be donated to the Charleston Food Pantry. See http://www.eiu.edu/volunteer/30days/nov7.php for contest rules.
• Learn how today's economy is affecting those struggling to feed their families in "The Hunger Shames," a lecture by Lisa Taylor, an assistant professor in the EIU School of Family and Consumer Sciences, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in 7th Street Underground, MLK Jr. Union.
• During the Good Neighbor Can Collection, students will collect nonperishable food items from homes on Sixth and Seventh streets (from Lincoln to Harrison avenues) from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12; and on Fourth Street (from Lincoln to Harrison avenues) from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13.
• Students will volunteer with area Peace Meal programs during the week of Nov. 14.
• Each Wednesday in November, each person who takes a nonperishable food item to the EIU Bookstore in the MLK Jr. Union will receive a discount on that purchase. Donations will go to the Charleston Food Pantry.
• The Hunger Challenge encourages people to attempt a week of spending only $6.67 per day -- the amount of money federal assistance provides for food -- while following the guidelines of the assistance program. See http://www.eiu.edu/volunteer/30days/hungerchallenge.php for details.
• Food collection boxes with the "30 Days of Change" logo will be placed around campus through the end of the month.

For more information about these and other "EIU Fights Hunger" events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/volunteer.

The Eastern Illinois University School of Business will host a presentation on green jobs and a panel on franchising as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 14-18.

• "Which Green Jobs Look Promising for Rural Illinois?" will be presented by John J. Gruidl, professor of economics in Western Illinois University's Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

• "The Ins and Outs of Franchising: What You Need to Know" panel discussion is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Moderated by Steven C. Michael, professor of management at the University of Illinois, the panel will include William M. Guzik, executive vice president and CFO, Midas International; Cassandra L. Karimi, assistant attorney general (Franchise Bureau), State of Illinois; Kevin Traub, franchisee, Dairy Queen International; Doris A. Carter, franchise attorney, Carter & Tani Attorneys at Law, Wheaton; and John Inyart, mayor of Charleston and Midas International franchisee. A reception with an opportunity to meet the panelists will follow in the Lumpkin Hall Student Lounge.

Both the presentation and the forum, which are free and open to the public, are to be held in Lumpkin Hall's Roberson Auditorium (Room 2030). Business casual attire is requested.

Parking is available in the lot immediately northwest of Lumpkin Hall; a map can be found here.

For more information, contact Marko Grunhagen, Lumpkin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, at mgrunhagen@eiu.edu or 217-581-6906.

A Veterans Day program is set for 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in front of Eastern Illinois University's Old Main.

Community residents are invited to join a host of individuals and groups, including the Student Veterans of Eastern and other student, staff and faculty veterans.

Among those scheduled to speak are faculty veteran LTC Stephen Knotts, student veteran August Lamczyk and EIU Provost Blair Lord. Ann Boehlefeld, an EIU student veteran, will join Lord in the wreath presentation. Narration will be provided by Cadet Robert Hale.

The National Anthem will be sung by EIU student Gina Marcin, the three-volley salute will be performed by the EIU ROTC Panther Battalion, and "Taps" will be played by EIU student Spencer Powell.

In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved inside the building.

A panel of Eastern Illinois University faculty and staff will discuss the government's role in the current economic crisis on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

The panel discussion, "Government and the Economy: Does Government Have a Role?" is to begin at 4 p.m. in the Lumpkin Auditorium (2030 Lumpkin Hall).

Panelists will be Jeanne Dau (Business Solutions Center, Lumpkin School of Business and Applied Sciences); Teshome Abebe (economics): Ed Wehrle (history); Kevin Anderson (political science); and Michael Gillespie (sociology/anthropology). Jason Waller (philosophy) will serve as the moderator.

The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by University Professionals of Illinois and the Faculty Senate.

When Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees meets in November, it will do so with some continuing and some new members.

On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn made a number of appointments to the state's more than 320 boards and commissions. His action included the reappointment of two individuals and the addition of four new members to the EIU board.

All the appointments are temporary until approved by the Illinois Senate.

Robert Webb of Mattoon and Roger Kratochvil of Mt. Olive will continue to serve, having first been appointed in 2004. Webb, a former president of Lake Land College, currently serves as the BOT's chair. Kratochvil, a former teacher/principal at Mt. Olive High School, is vice chair.

New appointees include the following:

William Dano III of Oswego, who has more than 20 years of business experience in sales management for Extreme Networks, Avaya, Fujitsu, Lucent Technologies and AT&T;

Joseph Dively of Charleston, who is president of First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust and a former chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce;

Kristopher Goetz of Lombard, who is operations director at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago; and

Rene Hutchinson of Chicago, who has worked at Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, for nearly 30 years.

These six men join Leo Welch of O'Fallon, whose existing term expires in January 2013, and Jarrod Scherle of Red Bud, who is serving as Eastern's 2011-12 student representative to the board.

"EIU enjoys a strong working relationship with the board," EIU President Bill Perry said. "We look forward to continuing that relationship with the board as newly appointed."

Three of the new appointees - Dively, Goetz and Hutchinson - are already well acquainted with Eastern's campus, having graduated from the university. Both Dively and Hutchinson are also former presidents of EIU's Alumni Association's Board of Directors.

"I'm proud to be an Eastern alumnus and find it rewarding to have been able to serve the university in a variety of positions over the years," Dively said.

Noting the strategic planning process and major fundraising campaign taking place on campus, he added, "This is an especially exciting time to be joining the board."

Hutchinson also expressed his pleasure at the opportunity to serve on the board.

"I am looking forward to serving as a member of the Board of Trustees," he said. "It will be a great honor to continue to support Eastern Illinois University and make EIU the great institution that it is."

Webb, who recognized retiring trustees Julie Nimmons of Litchfield and Bill O'Rourke of Springfield, said both individuals had made significant contributions to the university during their tenure on the board.

"Each member of the board brings a set of special skills, experience and background to assist the group as a whole," he said.

Nimmons, who was named to the board in April 2001, currently serves as chairwoman of Eastern's "Expect Greatness" $50 million capital campaign.

"And we're close to achieving our goal," Webb said. "It is my hope that Mrs. Nimmons will continue her work toward that effort."

O'Rourke, who has served as a trustee since June 2005, worked for seven years as the executive assistant to the general manager for City Water, Light and Power in Springfield. The special knowledge and skills he gained were of great value to the board as Eastern planned and constructed its newly operational Renewable Energy Center, Webb said.

Representatives from school districts throughout Illinois and beyond will be seeking new employees at the upcoming Fall Education Job Fair at Eastern Illinois University.

Anyone who is or will be qualified for the positions offered is invited to the free job fair, which is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the MLK Jr. Union's Grand Ballroom. It is sponsored by EIU Career Services.

School district representatives will be seeking candidates for teaching, administrative and support services positions.

A list of participating schools and available jobs is available online.

Professional dress is required. Attendees are encouraged to bring a supply of resumes. The website provides more tips for making the job fair a success.

For more information, contact Jennifer Peterson, the EIU career counselor who is coordinating the event, at 581-7073 or japeterson@eiu.edu.

A four-person on-site evaluation team representing the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication has recommended that the EIU Department of Journalism be reaccredited.

During the campus visit Oct. 9-12, the evaluation team inspected facilities and equipment; visited classes; and met with faculty members, students, administrators and representatives from other university departments.

In preparation for the visit, journalism faculty members prepared a comprehensive self-study sent to each member of the evaluation team, according to James Tidwell, chair of the department.

The self-study and the evaluation team's work centers around nine standards: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes.

The team found the department in compliance with all nine standards.

The report will now go to the ACEJMC Accrediting Committee when it meets April 17-18 in Chicago. Final approval rests with the full council when it meets April 27-28 in Washington, D.C.

Tidwell said the process takes place every six years. The EIU program was first accredited in 1982 and reaccredited in 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006. ACEJMC currently accredits 111 programs in journalism and mass communications.

The site team's report praised the faculty members for significantly increasing their level of research/creative activity since the last accrediting visit in 2005, according to Tidwell. He said the report noted several other strengths of the program:

• "Students, faculty and others on campus all praise the warm and close relationships between faculty and students and the way that relationship enhances learning."
• "Assessment practices are firmly established, and the faculty uses the assessment results to change and improve classes and the overall program."
• "The unit does an admirable amount of service work, including its support of scholastic journalism throughout the state of Illinois and the nation."
• "Students have many opportunities for working on award-winning campus media."
• "Facilities are better than those at many larger schools. The campus continues to invest technology resources in the unit."

ACEJMC is made up academics from a number of educational organizations, along with members representing such groups as the American Society of News Editors, the Newspaper Association of America, the Radio-Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Public Relations Society of American and the American Advertising Federation.

Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, was chair of the EIU site team. Other members were Phillip Jeter, chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina; Charlyne Berens, associate dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Merrill Rose, an independent communications consultant in New York City.

Recipients of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association's 2011 alumni awards will be honored Saturday, Oct. 22, in conjunction with Homecoming activities.

Distinguished Alumni Awards will go to Larry Closson '74 of Springfield; Will Keiper '72 of Paradise Valley, Ariz.; Gregg Kirkland '83 of Edwardsville; Keith Kohanzo '69, '71 of Charleston; and Ron Woods '86 of Milwaukee, Wis.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award will go to Jake Byrne '07, '09 of Long Island City, N.Y. In addition, Tim '71, '72 and Vickie Burke '72, '75 of Evanston will receive the Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award, and Craig Lindvahl '79 of Effingham will receive the Distinguished Educator Award.

For biographies of the award winners, please visit http://www.eiu.edu/alumni/awards.php.

Established in 1973, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the Alumni Association. It is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves in either academic or literary fields, business, public service and/or service to the university, and who, through their accomplishments and service, have brought prestige to their alma mater. Past recipients have included an Illinois governor, Oscar-nominated actors, an NFL head coach, a nuclear physicist, CEOs, educators at all levels and many others.

First presented in 1988, the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award is presented to alumni who are 35 or younger and have excelled in new careers and/or public service.

The Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award, established in 1988, is presented to alumni who have repeatedly displayed outstanding voluntary service to the university. In 2007, the name was changed to the Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award in honor of Eastern's retiring president, who held a variety of administrative positions at EIU for more than 40 years.

Established in 2004, the Distinguished Educator Award is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves in the field of K-12 education.

Award recipients will be honored at a dinner, set to begin with a 6 p.m. social hour, on Saturday, Oct. 22, in the Grand Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. A portion of the dinner price will support the Legacy Scholarship Fund. To order tickets, please contact the EIU Alumni Association at 800-ALUM-EIU or alumeiu@eiu.edu.

Dann Gire

Charleston native Dann Gire, longtime film critic for the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, will be honored Friday, Oct. 21, as the 2011 Journalism Department Alumnus of the Year.

"Dann has established himself as one of the premier journalists in the Midwest and has been a great supporter of our program over the years," said department chair James Tidwell. "Anytime we call on him to speak at an event on campus or in other parts of the state, Dann always says 'yes.' He's a heck of a speaker and a great film critic."

Gire is a featured speaker each year at the Embarras Valley Film Festival sponsored by EIU.

Gire will be honored at a noon luncheon Friday, Oct. 21. Tidwell said Gire also will be a guest speaker in several journalism classes the day before.

Tidwell noted that although Gire graduated from EIU before a journalism major was established in 1975, "We've always thought of him as one of our own" because of his extensive experience with the school's student newspaper, The Daily Eastern News. He served as sports editor, photography editor and co-editor-in-chief of the DEN.

A recipient of the alumni award must be a graduate of EIU with a journalism major or with significant student media experience during his or her collegiate days, according to Tidwell.

Gire earned a bachelor's degree in speech communication with a journalism minor in 1974 and earned a master's degree in speech communication in December 1975.

Madeleine Doubek, executive editor of the Daily Herald and a 1985 EIU journalism graduate, said Gire, despite being a "bigwig" movie critic, began filling in on a general assignment weekend rotation a few years ago when the paper started facing staffing challenges.

"He covers breaking news and crime with gusto," she said. "Not many bigwigs would do the same. He's a gem I've been honored to know."

Retired journalism professor John David Reed said Gire was one of the first students he met when he came to Eastern in August 1972 as adviser to the Eastern News.

"He was a scrawny, wiry - and wired - shooter (photographer)," Reed said. "And he learned all the great newspaper photographer habits - super work ethic, ceaseless nose for news, creativity in pursuit of same, absolute dedication to the task, perfect understanding of the most basic rule of newsgathering: You have to be there. Those qualities have served him well during a commendable career as a journalist, of course."

Reed said he was not surprised that Gire would distinguish himself as an outstanding writer and eminent critic of film.

"I watched him bug his editors about running his movie reviews, immerse himself in the art through such venues as the Eastern Film Society," Reed said. "And he excelled, right there in The Daily Eastern News."

After graduating from Eastern with bachelor's and master's degrees in speech communication, Gire joined the Daily Herald in 1975. There, he has held positions of government reporter, crime reporter, metro reporter (assigned to the Cook County Criminal Courts), and film critic on the features staff.

He has served as the newspaper's film critic for 33 years. He's also a contributing critic for "Ebert Presents at the Movies" on PBS.

In addition to his full-time work as a journalist, Gire teaches journalism at Aurora College. He previously taught journalism and advised the student newspaper at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine.

"What pleases me most about Dann is his dedication through his adjunct teaching to the concept of service to others, of passing it forward, that lies at the heart of journalism," Reed said. "As this alumni award attests, Dann has earned a hearty KUDOS from all of us who care about the profession."

Gire has won the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism in Arts Criticism seven times. He has also won awards from the Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, The Associated Press, and other journalism organizations.

He is the president and a founding director of the Chicago Film Critics Association, a nonprofit organization with charitable and educational goals. He wrote the organization's ethics code and founded the group's Zappa Committee charged with monitoring First Amendment violations against filmmakers and recommending responses to those violations.

Gire worked as film critic at Chicago's Fox TV news from 1988 to 1991, and for four weeks this summer contributed film critiques for CBS Chicago's "Monsters and Money in the Morning" TV news program.

He is married to Peggy (Burke) Gire, a longtime music teacher in Schaumburg District 54. They have two daughters. Both Gires are graduates of Charleston High School. Dann is the son of Charleston residents Jim and Donna Gire. Peggy's parents, Tom and Elaine Burke, are deceased. Tom Burke was a longtime Coles County judge.

Eastern Illinois University will celebrate Homecoming 2011, "Greatness in Blue," with a variety of events incorporating the community throughout the week of Oct. 17.

Of particular community interest in this year's Homecoming are the coronation on Monday; Family Fun Night on Thursday; many Saturday events that include a pancake breakfast, 2.5K race, parade and football game; and daily "Greatness in Giving" service projects.

Local businesses are encouraged to join in the fun by participating in "Paint the Town Blue," which encompasses a wide range of activities, including window-painting and displays, "Billy's Bucks" food discounts and specials, marquee signage, yard signs and more.

The week's events will begin with the "Royal Blue" Coronation of the EIU Homecoming Court at 7 p.m. Monday in McAfee Gymnasium.

Family Fun Night, with the theme "Big Blue Playground," will include activities for all ages, including bingo, carnival games, inflatable games, prizes and refreshments. It will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday on the South Quad. In the case of inclement weather, activities will be moved to the MLK Jr. Union.

The 12th annual pancake breakfast sponsored by the Charleston Rotary Club and EIU will take place from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday in the parking lot of Domino's Pizza, at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, milk and coffee. Proceeds will support local Rotary projects.

The 12th annual EIU/Charleston 2.5K (1.5-mile) Homecoming race will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Runners/walkers will begin at the corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue, make their way north on Seventh Street to the Charleston Square, then return to EIU's Old Main via Sixth Street. The entry fee is $10; register by Oct. 15 to receive a T-shirt. Awards will be given in run, walk and wheelchair categories. McDonald's will provide gift packs to all participants. Prizes will be given for best full-body costumes. To register, see http://www.eiu.edu/homecoming/race.php.

The Homecoming parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The parade, now in the third year of its new route, will begin at the intersection of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue, travel north to Monroe Avenue, west on Monroe to Sixth Street, south on Sixth, west onto Polk Avenue, and south on Division Street to Grant Avenue (aka Panther Way), winding up at the tailgate area at O'Brien Stadium.

As the parade route includes Charleston's Morton Park, community members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for a safe and relaxing view of the parade. Family-oriented Homecoming activities will again be provided at the park, including a bounce house, face-painting and EIU cutouts for photo opportunities.

In preparation for the football game, fans are invited to arrive early and show their Panther Pride at this year's Football TailGREAT and Alumni Tent City, with activities beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. All of EIU's colleges will be represented at this tailgating event south of O'Brien Stadium, which will feature a performance by Jason and the Haymakers, a country band that includes two EIU alumni. Free popcorn, freebies and a Kids' Zone are also scheduled. There is no cost for the tailgating activities.

The Homecoming football game, in which the EIU Panthers host Ohio Valley Conference rival UT Martin, will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may be purchased the day of the game at O'Brien Stadium at a cost of $15 for adults, $13 for EIU staff, $7 for high school students and $5 for ages 4 through middle school. EIU students will be admitted free with their Panther Card ID.

The EIU Alumni Association will honor nine alumni at the Alumni Awards dinner Saturday evening, with a social hour at 6 p.m, and dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be obtained by calling 217-581-6616. For details on the award winners, please see http://www.eiu.edu/alumni/awards.php.

Throughout the week, EIU students will be volunteering their time to help with "Greatness in Giving," a series of community-service projects. A winter clothing collection will be held all week. In addition, each weekday will feature a particular activity, including collecting canned food; creating cards for hospice patients; collecting athletic shoes for recycling; and writing cards and creating keychains for local children involved with the Department of Children and Family Services.

The week will end with Trash Bash at 1 p.m. Sunday. Volunteers will meet at Old Main to pick up garbage left behind during Homecoming festivities.

For details on all these and all Homecoming events, please see the new website at http://www.eiu.edu/homecoming. The site also offers a Homecoming history page, a photo gallery, a ringtone of the Eastern State March and EIU-themed desktop wallpaper.

Eastern Illinois University and Honeywell today unveiled the school's Renewable Energy Center, one of the largest university biomass installations in the country, as part of a grand opening ceremony held on campus for students, faculty and the broader Charleston community.

The REC is a 19,000-square-foot steam plant that will provide heat for buildings and classrooms across the university grounds. It is driven by two large biomass gasifiers - the first application of this technology in Illinois and the surrounding region - that use wood chips from forest residue for fuel.

By switching to a renewable energy source, EIU will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 20,000 metric tons, which is equivalent to removing more than 3,600 cars from the road, according to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new plant is one piece of a comprehensive energy- and environmental-conservation program that also includes a variety of upgrades to other university facilities and infrastructure. The product of close collaboration between EIU and Honeywell, the program is expected to cut energy use on campus in half and carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent.

The facility will more than pay for itself through the projected $140 million in energy savings over the next two decades - savings that are guaranteed through a 20-year performance contract with Honeywell.

The facility will also have a major educational benefit. The REC's dedicated classroom space and advanced technology displays are helping the university develop a Center for Clean Energy Research and Education (CENCERE) to provide EIU students and faculty extensive opportunities for clean-energy research. The university also offers a new academic minor in sustainability and is in the process of adding a master's degree in renewable energy.

"This facility is a symbol of Eastern Illinois University's commitment to our campus and environment, and demonstrates our willingness to take a progressive step toward sustainability," said Bill Perry, president of Eastern Illinois University.

"Operating our campus with a renewable resource allows us to show that cleaner energy options are both practical and fiscally responsible. This will not only impact our operations, but permeate into our curriculum as well."

To heat the campus, a material-handling system at the plant delivers wood chips to the biomass gasifiers where they are broken down in a heated, oxygen-deprived chamber, creating a synthetic gas that burns similar to natural gas. The gas is then used to fire high-efficiency boilers, which results in more complete combustion and lower emissions, and gives EIU a carbon-neutral solution for heating its facilities.

The gasifiers will consume an estimated 27,000 tons of wood per year, replacing the more than 10,000 tons of coal burned annually by EIU's existing plant, which will be decommissioned and repurposed for other university needs.

The REC also features a back-pressure turbine that is powered by superheated steam from one of the boilers to generate electricity, as well as two ground-mounted solar arrays. The turbine and arrays will provide other sources of renewable energy for the university and generate almost 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year - enough to power 250 homes on average.

Along with the steam plant, the broader, $80-million program with Honeywell includes energy- and water-efficiency upgrades across campus. EIU financed the work and is using the subsequent savings to pay for the improvements. As a result, the program will not place a burden on the university's budget, or require additional taxpayer dollars or student fees.

"EIU is now one of the leading examples of what's possible when an organization takes a long-term, strategic approach to energy and the environment," said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. "We worked closely with the university to define its needs as an institution and tailor a program to help meet its goals. This is innovation with a clear purpose in mind, and the entire campus and community benefits as a result."

The Eastern Illinois University Department of Journalism will host four representatives from the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Oct. 9-12 as it seeks national reaccreditation.

In preparation for the visit, journalism faculty members prepared a comprehensive self-study that has been sent to each member of the evaluation team, according to James Tidwell, chair of the department.

The process takes place every six years. The EIU program was first accredited in 1982 and reaccredited in 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006. ACEJMC currently accredits 111 programs in journalism and mass communications.

"We think national accreditation is very important," Tidwell said. "It demonstrates that we meet strict standards for journalism education established by knowledgeable academics and media and public relations professionals. It makes it easier to sell our program to potential students and their parents and to promote our students with potential employers."

While on campus, the site team members will inspect facilities and equipment; visit classes; and meet with faculty members, students, administrators and representatives from other university departments. The team will present its report and recommendations to EIU President William Perry on the last day of their visit.

The site team report will then be considered by the ACEJMC Accrediting Committee at its meeting in Chicago in March. The entire council will make the final decision when it meets in Washington, D.C., in April.

The council, along with its accrediting committee, is made up academics from a number of educational organizations, along with members representing such groups as the American Society of News Editors, the Newspaper Association of America, the Radio-Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Public Relations Society of American and the American Advertising Federation.

Tidwell said the accreditation process focuses on nine standards established by ACEJMC: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services: resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes.

Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, is the chair of the EIU site team. Other members are Phillip Jeter, chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina; Charlyne Berens, associate dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Merrill Rose, an independent communications consultant in New York City.

Eastern Illinois University will host several events as part of its monthlong symposium "A Futuristic Look Through Ancient Lenses: Ancient Egypt."

The symposium, which will take place from Oct. 6 through Nov. 2, will illustrate how today's scholars have utilized clues left by ancient Egyptians that provide insight into the lives and achievements of ancient Egyptians, and helped Egypt to become the superpower of its time.

The symposium is made possible through the combined efforts of the School of Technology, the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, and Booth Library.

The opening reception will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in the West Reading Room of Booth Library. At 7:30 p.m., James Hoffmeier of Chicago will present "But How Did Ancient Egyptians Really Build that Great Pyramid?"

Producers of the series -- Wafeek Wahby, a professor in the School of Technology; and Allen Lanham, dean of Library Services -- aim for the symposium to be enjoyed by the university and regional communities.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please call 217-581-6061.

The complete schedule follows. Events will be held in Booth Library's Witters Conference Room (Room 4440), unless otherwise noted.

• Thursday, Oct. 6, in the West Reading Room, Booth Library: 7 p.m., opening reception; 7:30 p.m., "But How Did Ancient Egyptians Really Build that Great Pyramid?" by James Hoffmeier.
• Friday, Oct. 7, in the Charleston/Mattoon Room, MLK Jr. Union: 11 a.m., "Modern Satellite Imagery and Geophysics Technologies Reveal Ancient Secrets," by James Hoffmeier.
• Monday, Oct. 10: 11 a.m., "A Biblical Perspective of the Ancient Egyptian Religions" by Andrew Robinson and Ryan McDaniel; 1 p.m., "Physical Landscapes of Ancient Egypt" by John Paul Stimac; and 2 p.m., "Make No Mistake: Documenting Life since the Ancient Egyptians" by Allen Lanham.
• Tuesday, Oct. 11: 1 p.m., "Myths About Ancient Egyptian Myths!" by Bonnie Irwin.
• Wednesday, Oct. 12: 11 a.m., "Ancient Egyptian Woman" by Christina Yousaf and Kaninika Bhatnagar, and "Contrasts between Experiences of Ancient Egyptian Children and Parenting and Contemporary Families" by Frances Murphy and Michelle Meadows; 7 p.m., "Philosophy and Practice of Medicine in Ancient Egypt" by Kip McGilliard.
• Thursday, Oct. 13: 10 a.m., "Ancient Egyptian Archives" by EIU archivist Robert Hillman; 11 a.m., "Tourism, Textiles, Finance, and Food: Ancient Egypt Then and Now" by Betsy Pudliner, Katherine Shaw, Axton Betz and Kathy Rhodes.
• Monday, Oct. 17: 2 p.m., "The 'Roll' of Rock Solid Imagery of Early Egypt" by Beverly Cruse.
• Monday, Oct. 31: 11 a.m., "Technology of Medicine in the Age of the Pharaohs" by Thomas Hawkins; 4 p.m., "How Natural Forces Affected Egyptian Culture" by Alan Baharlou.
• Tuesday, Nov. 1: 1 p.m., "A 21st Century Look at Ancient Egyptian Architecture" by David Finnigan.
• Wednesday, Nov. 2: 3 p.m., "Bringing the Sky Down to Earth: Astronomy in Ancient Egypt" by David Linton; 6 p.m. in McAfee Gymnasium, "Ancient Egyptian Sport and Dance" by Scott Ronspies, with music by the EIU Pep Band under the direction of R. Alan Sullivan.

James Tidwell

Lola Burnham

Two Eastern Illinois University journalism professors will be honored at the 90th Annual National College Media Convention in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 26-30.

James Tidwell, chair of the department, will be inducted into the College Media Advisers Hall of Fame, and Lola Burnham, editorial adviser to The Daily Eastern News, will receive a four-year college newspaper Honor Roll Adviser Award from the organization.

The Honor Roll award is presented to a CMA member who has fewer than five years' experience in college media advising and has provided distinguished service to his or her students and profession.

Burnham, an assistant professor of journalism, has been the editorial adviser to The Daily Eastern News since fall 2008.

One nomination letter stated that Burnham deserved the award "because of her work with CMA, her strong advising and her commitment to college media development in the state." The letter also noted, "As an adviser, Lola practices her duties using the CMA Code of Ethics. She critiques the paper after it comes out, and she works with the staff to provide training, leadership and mentorship."

CMA Hall of Fame inductees must have contributed to college journalism education for 20 years or more while being active members of CMA. The award recognizes longtime members who have contributed to the betterment and value of student media programs of both the campus and nation. It also pays tribute to members who have devoted extensive service to CMA by serving in leadership roles and presenting programs and sessions at conventions.

Tidwell, a CMA member since 1975, served as student newspaper adviser at Tulsa (Okla.) Junior College and Indiana University Southeast before joining the EIU faculty in January 1987.

Tidwell, who serves as legal adviser to EIU's student media, has presented well over 100 legal sessions at college media conventions and workshops and has served as chair of the CMA Weekly Newspaper Committee, the Research Committee and the Media Law Committee.

"If ever there was a stalwart of CMA, Tidwell would be that person," wrote Mark Witherspoon of Iowa State University in his nomination letter. "He has been steadfast in his support of CMA for decades, and he has shown his support in so many ways.

"He has been a mentor and confidant to many advisers throughout the years, and I am grateful to be included in that group of advisers. Every time I call on him with questions, usually legal in nature, he always provides me with thoughtful and helpful answers in a timely manner."

Another nominator, Mark Goodman former director of the Student Press Law Center now at Kent State University, noted that he has known Tidwell since 1985.

"James was then and remains today a tireless supporter of college and high school journalism and defender of media advisers in need," Goodman wrote.

"I couldn't begin to count how many sessions he has given at CMA conventions over the years, but my guess is that he may well have broken some organization record. And not only were his sessions numerous, they were uniformly substantive and useful.

"I recall dozens of (legal) sessions that James and I presented together where his advice was accurate, practical and often funny. One of the things I like best about James is that he doesn't take himself too seriously. The First Amendment, on the other hand, he is passionate about, and his work with CMA has always reflected that."

Tidwell has previously won two other awards from CMA: the 1998 Louis E. Ingelhart First Amendment Award for extraordinary, long-term contributions in support of the First Amendment; and the 2010 Reid H. Montgomery Distinguished Service Award, given to a person, corporation or institution for extraordinary contributions to journalism or student media advising.

Three other past and present EIU journalism faculty members have been inducted into the CMA Hall of Fame: retired professor David Reed (1996), and current professors Les Hyder (1997) and John Ryan (2008).

Freshmen and new transfer students who anticipate attending Eastern Illinois University in the fall of 2012 will have the opportunity to apply for a new scholarship.

"We're pleased to help students with a resource that makes earning a degree more affordable for Illinois students," stated Eastern President William Perry.

The Panther Promise Scholarship will provide up to $2,500 per year for eligible students. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years if students maintain satisfactory academic progress. The scholarship can be added to other scholarships and grants in the students' financial aid packages.

To be eligible, students must file a FAFSA form and be first-time freshmen or first-time transfer students at EIU in the fall of 2012. Students must also meet income requirements to be eligible. The Panther Promise is available to students from households with an annual income ranging from $33,000 to $67,000. Numerous scholarships and grants remain available for students from households in other income ranges.

"Accessibility and affordability are at the core of the Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success. The Panther Promise Scholarship creates an additional resource for students who need assistance paying for college," Perry added.

Students or parents who are interested in learning more about the Panther Promise Scholarship may contact the EIU Office of Undergraduate Admissions toll free at 877-581-2348.

Eastern Illinois University's "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" fundraising effort has been successful due to an influx of support from many people, including the university's own faculty and staff.

The percentage of employees who donated to EIU in the past fiscal year increased 75 percent from the previous year, and 17 departments and offices had 100 percent participation, said Michelle Payne, director of EIU's Annual Fund.

Donations were received from 35 percent of EIU's work force, up from 20 percent the previous year.

"Our goal in getting the faculty and staff more involved in the campaign was not focused on dollar amounts, but rather on simply increasing participation," said Bob Martin, vice president for university advancement.

"Our faculty and staff go above and beyond every day, and it's wonderful to see so many go a step further by investing their own hard-earned funds in the future of Eastern Illinois University."

As part of the campaign, some employees served as team captains in their respective areas on campus. Their leadership helped secure the increase in employee participation, including 122 first-time donors.

Offices and departments that had 100 percent employee participation were Alumni Services, Benefits, Campus Recreation, Civil Rights, Counseling and Student Development, Educational Leadership, Employee and Labor Relations, General Counsel, Internal Audit, Philanthropy, Payroll, Philosophy, President’s Office, Research and Sponsored Programs, Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice President for University Advancement and WEIU.

An additional 13 departments had more than 70 percent participation.

Overall, since its public launch in October, "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" has secured 92.8 percent, or $46.4 million, of the $50 million goal. It is the largest fundraising effort in EIU's history.

"EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" focuses on four priorities: students (funding scholarships); faculty and staff (attracting and retaining world-class faculty, as well as supporting research, creative projects and service activities); capital improvements (including building a new science center, courtyard spaces and a Lantz Arena gateway); and programs (including developing centers that would focus on specific subjects, with possibilities such as autism, entrepreneurship and innovation, ethics, financial health, geographic information systems and remote sensing, humanities, student community service and wellness).

For more information on "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern," please see www.iameiu.com or call 217-581-3313.

Eastern Illinois University has moved up in the U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of higher education institutions.

EIU is ranked 51st among all Midwestern universities offering a full range of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs. The region encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Among public universities on the list, EIU ranks 12th in its class in the 12-state region (up from 14th last year). Among Illinois public universities, EIU ranks second (up from third last year).

The rankings - part of the magazine's 2012 edition of "Best Colleges" - are based on schools' academic reputations, student selectivity, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, financial resources and alumni giving.

The numbers reveal EIU's focus on personal attention. For example, the student-faculty ratio remains 16:1, and only 3 percent of all classes have 50 or more students.

In addition, EIU continues to tout the highest freshman retention rate and the second-highest graduation rate among all Illinois public universities in its class.

"Eastern Illinois University continues to move forward despite the financial obstacles in our way, and that says a lot about our faculty and staff, our students, and the many alumni and friends who believe in and support our mission," said EIU President Bill Perry.

"While I'm proud of our higher ranking, I'm more proud of the manner in which each facet of the university continues to move forward. The emphasis always has been and continues to be integrating students' academic and personal experiences, and I'm happy to see the statistics reflect positively on that.

"Ultimately, it's not numbers that convince people that they belong at EIU - it's the excellent academic programs and the personal connection they find here. That speaks volumes about the EIU experience."

Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, praised the commitment of the faculty to the university's mission.

"Assuring the superior quality of the Eastern educational experience remains the overriding focus of our faculty," Lord said. "Their commitment to our students' academic and personal development makes Eastern the first and best choice for many prospective students."

When His Excellency, Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaid'ie, Iraqi ambassador to the United States, visits the campus of Eastern Illinois University, he intends to thank local veterans and their families for their service.

A formal presentation in which he will talk about the future of Iraq and the Mideast, begins at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, in Dvorak Concert Hall, located in the Doudna Fine Arts Center. A question-and-answer session will take place immediately afterward. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Charleston High School Band is scheduled to perform both the U.S. and Iraqi national anthems as part of the event.

Prior to his formal talk, however -- from 6:15 to 7 p.m. -- the ambassador plans to meet with veterans, personally shake their hands and offer them the Iraqi people's thanks. All those who have served in Iraq, along with their families, are welcome to attend, with seating available on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Prior to becoming ambassador to the U.S. in 2006, Sumaid'ie previously served as Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations (2005-2006) and was Iraqi secretary of homeland security, working with the U.S. military to train and supervise Iraqi police, in 2004.

His background is as an electrical engineer. He served on the Baghdad Electricity Board and with the Iraqi Petroleum Company until 1973. He then lived in the United Kingdom and China, engaged in opposition to Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime from 1973 to 2003.

Other related events scheduled to take place in connection with Sumaid'ie's EIU visit are two panel discussions planned for earlier in the day. "Uprisings in the Arab World," featuring Mohamed Zabarah, former EIU student from Yemen; Asef Bayat, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois; and Nash Naam, an Effingham physician who is a native of Egypt, will begin at 1 p.m.

At 3 p.m., Bassam Yousif, professor of economics at Indiana State University; Hadi Esfahani, South Asia and Middle East Studies, University of Illinois; and Max Kashefi, professor of sociology at Eastern, will discuss "Arabs and the Outside World."

Both discussions will take place in the Charleston/Mattoon Room, located in Eastern's MLK Jr. Union.

The day's events are being sponsored by the Public Policy Institute of Eastern Illinois University, the College of Sciences, the College of Arts and Humanities, the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, and the city of Charleston.

The gateway to Eastern Illinois University will be transformed into a sea of red, white and blue as the institution commemorates the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Volunteers from ROTC, the Student Veterans of Eastern and others will honor the 2,975 victims by placing flags on the lawn directly in front of Old Main (the "Castle"). According to Lt. Col. Stephen Knotts, there will be 2,603 U.S. flags and 372 foreign national flags in place from Friday through Sept. 16.

"Not many realize that over 10 percent of the people killed that day were from other countries," he added.

According to Knotts, the university and local communities will see the display of flags, each measuring 12 inches by 18 inches and standing a foot apart, as a remembrance of what happened that fateful day.

Other commemorative activities include a 9/11 Tribute Community Dinner and a 9/11 Memorial, both scheduled to take place Sunday and both open to the general public.

Live entertainment, a bounce house, silent auction and free food will highlight the community dinner being held at the Coles County Fairgrounds. Entertainment begins at 4 p.m., with food being served from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will end with a moment of reflection.

According to Rachel Fisher, director of Student Community Service, pulled pork, sides, dessert and drinks will be available for 200 people - first come, first served.

"This is an event that we've wanted to do for several years and that we want to become an annual fall happening," Fisher said. "It's an event that helps us celebrate our community and, in this instance, celebrate our emergency responders who wake up every morning knowing that it could be another 9/11."

The 9/11 Memorial will begin at 7 p.m. in the University Ballroom, located in the MLK Jr. Union, and will feature comments from local police and firefighters.

"We will reflect on the day and receive encouragement on how to build forward with hope and kindness," Fisher added.

Additional activities/events scheduled for the coming week (Sept. 12-16) include the following:

• A 9/11 Memorial Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, University Ballroom.
• Day of Service, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, featuring various opportunities for the campus and surrounding community members to engage in service activities. See http://www.eiu.edu/volunteer/ for details.
• First Aid Workshop: Basic First Aid, 1 p.m. Monday, Library Quad.
• Screening of "United 93," followed by a panel discussion titled "Mediated Images, Memory and 9/11," 6 p.m. Monday, Doudna Lecture Hall. Panelists to include Marita Gronvall, Carrie Wilson-Brown and Rick Jones, all from Eastern's Department of Communication Studies.
• First Aid Workshop: Patient Carries and Safe Evacuations, 1 p.m. Tuesday, Library Quad.
• "Free Speech in Times of War" - a panel discussion, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Doudna Lecture Hall. Panelists to include EIU faculty members Jon Coit, history; Stephen Knotts, military science; James Tidwell , journalism; and Karen Swenson, political science.
• First Aid Workshop: Fire Suppression and Fire Extinguisher Operation, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Library Quad.
• "Post 9-11 Political and Social Implications" - a panel discussion, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Doudna Lecture Hall. Panelists to include Rich Wandling, political science; Muhammad Rizwan, graduate student in technology from Pakistan; and Lt. Col. (retired) Laurence Sefren, former chair of Eastern's Military Science Department.
• First Aid Workshop: Simple Treatment of Shock, 1 p.m. Thursday, Library Quad.
• First Aid Workshop: Splinting Injuries, 1 p.m. Friday, Library Quad.
• Free Speech Open Mike and Wall, all-day event on Friday, Library Quad. Hosted by the Journalism Department.

In addition, EIU's Booth Library will host exhibits of front pages from newspapers around the world from 9/11 and the capture of Bin Laden, 9/11 materials appropriate for children, and library resources related to the Constitution.

Fall 2011 enrollment is down at Eastern Illinois University.

"That Eastern has a decline in enrollment is a concern, and we're working hard to reverse the trend," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

It is still believed that the economy is keeping some students close to home for the first two years of their higher education.

"We know that economic conditions are making it difficult for some families to afford to send their children to a university," Lord said.

Currently, 82 percent of Eastern students receive some sort of financial aid. Thirty percent of those are not expected to receive any substantial financial assistance from their families. This is up from 16 percent two years ago.

"We know that more and more students are beginning their college careers by attending their local community colleges and taking the general education courses that will later be required of them to graduate from a university such as Eastern," Lord added.

Enrollment numbers reflect an on-campus enrollment of 10,036 and an off-campus count of 1,142 for a total of 11,178. A year ago, the number of students taking on- and off-campus classes was 10,511 and 1,119, respectively, for a total enrollment of 11,630.

A breakdown of Eastern's 9,657 undergraduate students (down from 9,970 last year) is as follows (with Fall 2010 figures in parentheses): freshmen, 2,114 (2,262); sophomores, 1,814 (1,908); juniors, 2,431 (2,551); and seniors, 3,298 (3,249). The number of new transfer students rose slightly from 1,147 in Fall 2010 to 1,150.

Graduate students number 1,521, a decrease from last year's 1,660. Female students again outnumber male students - 6,612 to 4,566.

EIU officials are pleased that minority student enrollment continues to be strong; minority students now make up 19.05 percent of total enrollment, up from 16.52 percent in 2010. There are 2,129 currently enrolled, up from 1,922 last fall.

Numbers reflect the following: black, 1,504; Hispanic, 379; Asian, 96; American Indian/Alaskan Native, 33; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 5; and those listing two or more races, 112.

"We're very pleased with the diversity of our student population," Lord said. "It affects not only the Eastern Illinois University campus, but the Charleston community as a whole, in a very positive way."

In addition, the number of international students attending the university stands at 149, a slight decrease from 152 in Fall 2010.

The American poet Mary Oliver once wrote(1):

" I like to say that I write poems for a stranger who will be born in some distant country hundreds of years from now."

Today, we together, faculty and staff, are like the poet Mary Oliver -- we are creating something for the future. We are not writing poetry together, but we are building a university together: We are building a university for a student we do not know, who will be born this year, somewhere in the world. Unlike Mary Oliver, who will not be present for her reader hundreds of years from now, many of us will be here for our student 18 or so years from today. We must plan for that student. We must do so with the passion brought by poet to verse, but realize our poetry of university building is in continual revision around important academic constancies. Those constancies, upheld by the faculty, fuel my optimism for EIU's future.

In this year before us, we are engaged in a strategic planning process. We began in January and have seen emerge from dozens of focused discussions six themes of importance. After significant work to occur this fall, we will present a plan to the Board of Trustees in January of 2012. I will say more about the plan in a few moments. But first, I will comment on planning in general.

Robert Heilbroner's book, "The Future as History," speaks in many ways to one who wishes to plan. Heilbroner writes about the philosophy of optimism and says the following(2) :

"At bottom, a philosophy of optimism is an historic attitude toward the future -- an attitude based on the tacit premise that the future will accommodate the striving we bring to it."

That is the philosophy we bring to our planning process. Surely, we scan the current environment and trends, but we do not accept the premise that we are on a rudderless raft in, say, the Mississippi River. We do accept the premise that we sail in a vessel with tiller and means of propulsion in a body of water with natural limits. We can move across or even against the current if we plan to do so. In planning we may even suppose we will improve or add to our ship to enable even more possible destinations. Also, while we know that history influences our future, we do not accept the premise that history determines our future.

Imagine those faculty and staff who have gone before us in the history of Eastern Illinois University. Could Livingston Lord, president of a newborn normal school, and the faculty and staff at that time have anticipated the Great Depression, the ACT and SAT, online learning, cell phones, Facebook, texting, tweeting, the GI Bill, or Eastern growing to more than 10,000 students? They had to deal with the history they knew and had to plan to grow and change in the context of emerging historical currents. I would say they, and those who followed them, worked with a philosophy of optimism, and it has paid off.

Today when we plan, we have to ask ourselves what is possible and what is impossible given the current state of the university, society and historical forces. Heilbroner has something to say about this, as well(3).

"But the fact that the main direction of historic movement is too deeply rooted to be turned aside does not mean that our future is therefore caught in a deterministic vise. It is not just necessity, but a mixture of necessity and freedom which, as always, confronts us as a condition of historic existence. If the idea of the future as history tells us what is not "possible" for our kind of society to do, it also makes clear what is possible."

We are engaged in planning as optimists, carefully gauging the possibilities for EIU.

Our strategic planning has been led by a steering committee, co-chaired by Professor Assege Haile-Mariam of the Department of Psychology; Bill Weber, professor of economics and vice president for business affairs, and Ken Baker, director of Campus Recreation. The committee is large, and the majority of the membership are faculty members. You can access the current status of the planning process with one click on the "Collaborative Strategic Planning" button near the bottom of our main webpage. There you will see that this process has involved hundreds of individuals in dozens of meetings facilitated by the steering committee. The steering committee has found six areas of strategic importance to have emerged. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Academic Excellence
• Campus and Community Life
• Emerging Technologies
• Financial Sustainability
• Global Competition and Changing Demographics
• Marketing and Communication

Concept papers for these areas have been developed by the committee and those papers will be posted on the strategic planning website next week. A vision conference will be held in late September. After subsequent work and communication with the campus, the plan will be shaped for presentation to the Board of Trustees. In the spring, we will make initial investments in selected objectives in the plan. I thank the steering committee for bringing the planning process to its current stage.

Strategic planning is only one of several developments for our campus this coming year. I also note the following:

I take every opportunity to tell our students that they have chosen a university that offers an educational experience second to none -- an educational experience designed and carried out by you, the faculty. I encourage your enthusiasm in your teaching and research. The manner of Chaucer's clerk, "And he would gladly learn and gladly teach(4)," provides great advice. Your enthusiasm, the " gladly," will capture the imagination of your students and change their lives. And changing lives is at the heart and soul of our calling to higher education. Let us resolve to change the lives of our students this year, with our expertise and enthusiasm. Thank you.

References

• (1) Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook . New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994. 110.
• (2) Heilbroner, Robert L. The Future as History . New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1961. 17.
• (3) Heilbroner, Robert L. The Future as History . New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1961. 186-187.
• (4) Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales . Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1963. 25.

The School of Business at Eastern Illinois University has maintained its business and accounting accreditation by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

Only 633 schools of business, or less than 5 percent worldwide, have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence in management education. Only 177 of those have earned specialized accreditation for their accounting programs.

To maintain accreditation, a business program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the program must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, and interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

To realize accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn or maintain AACSB International business accreditation. In addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy business quality standards, accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of an additional set of 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

"It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB business and accounting accreditation," says Jerry Trapnell, vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International.

Blair Lord, EIU provost and vice president for academic affairs, added, "While not unexpected, it is gratifying to see this recognition by the AACSB of the quality of our business programs. The School of Business has a rich history of offering excellent programs to our students, and the faculty and school leadership worked hard to display this excellence through the maintenance of accreditation review."

Mahyar Izadi , dean of the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, said, "We owe much appreciation to the AACSB for once again recognizing the exceptional quality of our faculty and the excellence these dedicated professionals bring forth to the students we serve.

"Whether in the classroom, or through independent research projects, internships, participation in recognized student organizations or study abroad programs, our students continue to avail themselves of the quality academic programs our School of Business provides."

Cheryl Noll, chair of the School of Business, realizes that the commitment to this process includes all of the faculty and staff in the school, and recognizes their significant work.

"We have excellent programs because of the dedicated faculty and staff," she said. "This designation of excellence would not be possible without their commitment to the continuous improvement process and to the AACSB standards for both business and accounting programs. As a result, we are able to recruit students with high expectations for a quality learning environment, and we graduate students who are fully prepared. "

The EIU School of Business offers six undergraduate majors, five minors and an MBA program. There are approximately 1,300 declared undergraduate business majors and 97 MBA degree candidates. Undergraduate majors offered include accountancy, finance, management, management information systems and marketing. A business administration major is also offered at an off-campus location.

Minors are offered in business administration, information systems, entrepreneurship, accounting and finance. Also offered in the School of Business are a master of business administration with research option, a master of business administration with applied management option, and a master of business administration with an accountancy concentration.

To learn more about EIU's School of Business, visit http://www.eiu.edu/business/. Or, to learn more about AACSB International accreditation, visit the accreditation section of the AACSB International Web site at http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/.

A familiar face will be at the helm of Eastern Illinois University’s Center for Academic Technology Support as the new school year begins.

John G. Henderson has accepted the appointment of assistant vice president for academic affairs for technology – a position he has held on an interim basis since November 2010. He replaced Michael Hoadley, who resigned from the position.

“Mr. Henderson's many years of experience with academic applications of technology make him an excellent leader for the Center for Academic Technology Support at this time,” said Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs.

“The field of candidates from which he was chosen was a very strong one, but after careful analysis, I felt Mr. Henderson would best be able to build on and sustain the excellent record of service already established by CATS.

“I also wish to recognize his fine service during his year as interim director. I look forward to working with Mr. Henderson to enhance further CATS as a resource to the academic division and the campus.”

Henderson, who came to Eastern as director of User Services in 1998, has also served as acting director of Client Services and director of Instructional Technology Support Services for CATS.

CATS is committed to supporting and promoting all academic departments in the use of information and communication technologies for teaching and learning at EIU. The unit’s many services include assistance with and development of Web and mobile applications and websites, as well as providing graphic design services, video production, academic technology training, lab space and equipment checkout.

As a professor of history at Eastern Illinois University, David Smith has taught all levels of students - freshmen and graduate students, majors and non-majors even adult learners.

And he likes that varying interaction, especially when a student of whatever age comes into the classroom excited and ready to learn.

"My favorite student is a student who is fully engaged," Smith said. "It doesn't matter if the student is strong academically or struggling, if he or she is willing to keep thinking, working, questioning, I'm excited to be alongside, offering whatever guidance I can."

It is, in part, his ability to instill excitement and enthusiasm into reluctant learners that earned Smith the recognition as Eastern's 2011-2012 Faculty Laureate -- an honor presented by the Council on Academic Affairs. As such, and in addition to his duties as a full-time faculty member, Smith will spend the coming school year as the university's official spokesperson on the importance of a general/liberal education.

His first opportunity will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, when he delivers the keynote address at this year's Convocation, a welcoming ceremony for incoming students.

Lisa Cerny, a former student of Smith's, indicated he has "a gift of storytelling, bringing life to history in every lecture."

"I had to consciously make myself take notes in his classes, because I got so wrapped up in listening!" she said. "He infuses enthusiasm for his subject matter with his sense of humor."

In addition, "Dr. Smith never just tells stories, however; he asks students to dig deep into the stories to divulge a larger meaning. His ability to present history as a narrative draws students into history."

Smith, himself, affirms that his mission is not to teach students what to think about the past, but, rather, how to think about the past.

"It is quite apparent that Dr. Smith not only enjoys history but teaching his students to use historical thinking," Cerny continued. "(He) revels in seeing the light bulb of understanding in his students."

"History begins with stories," Smith said, "but not simple little morality tales.  They are stories filled with contradictions and surprises.  And those contradictions and surprises are a great place to begin asking questions. Why did that person do something that seems so absurd?  Was it absurd to him or her?  Why did he or she think in those ways?  Why does the world make sense to them in those terms?

"It seems ludicrous to us to accuse someone of witchcraft when a cow stops giving milk, even to torture and execute that person.  But it made perfect sense to many people in the sixteenth century.  Students often begin by thinking, 'Well, the person making an accusation of witchcraft wasn't using logic,' but, of course, that person was using logic.  His or her logic, however, was based on very different foundations and assumptions than our logic.

"It is very exciting to see students start to look at documents as portals on to entirely different ways of thinking and then begin to analyze those documents to understand the culture and society behind them."

Cerny added that Smith teaches students "how to critically analyze sources to develop theories of our own. He utilizes the teaching technique of scaffolding to first show students how to use these sources and gradually guiding us students to dissect the sources ourselves. He presents history in a way that encourages students to truly think for themselves."

Another former student, Ian Nelk, heard about Smith before even beginning coursework at EIU.

"Many friends had spoke of (Smith's) ability to engage students in historical thinking," he said. "Most of these friends were not history majors, but (yet they) developed an interest in many of the subjects highlighted by Dr. Smith.

"He is able to teach history in such a way that not only keeps students' attention but, whether they know it or not, subtly imparts deeper aspects on history and historiography that they might not be able to grasp otherwise," Nelk said.

Mary Anne Hanner has experienced many emotional moments in her long and distinguished career at Eastern Illinois University, but it's the thought of her first day as an EIU student in 1968 that still makes her misty-eyed.

"The first day I drove here as a student, I felt very special -- very privileged to have the opportunity to go to school," she said. "The first day I drove to work here, I thought of how privileged I am. I get teary thinking about it."

More tears are likely to fall as she leaves campus on June 30, as her retirement ends a phase of her EIU affiliation that has included earning two EIU degrees, teaching as a faculty member, and ultimately serving as dean of the College of Sciences.

Growing up in a large family in rural Oakland, Hanner always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her high school guidance counselor first steered her toward speech-language pathology. Hanner was familiar with the field through family members' experiences.

After graduating as valedictorian of her Oakland High School class, Hanner began summer courses at EIU. Her first class was held on the second floor of Old Main -- the same floor that now houses her office.

She graduated from EIU in 1972 and became the speech-language pathologist for the Altamont and Beecher City school districts. After earning her master's degree in 1974, she began teaching in the Arcola school district.

Hanner had no plans to leave the K-12 school setting until she received a call from former EIU classmate Jill Nilsen, who encouraged Hanner to look at an opening on the EIU faculty.

So, in 1981, Hanner headed back to her alma mater as an assistant professor, a position that allowed her to continue to deal with school-age children while molding future professionals in a clinical setting.

At the same time, she served as student teaching coordinator, giving her the opportunity to travel to area schools to oversee EIU students' work in the classrooms while interacting with her professional colleagues.

"Teaching all of those prospective professionals in the classroom, and sharing the enthusiasm and commitment for speech-language pathology, was just a joyful thing to do," Hanner said, adding that she still sees many of them at conferences and other professional events.

Since she began her career, the speech-language pathology field has become more complex, and Hanner evolved with it. At the encouragement of her department chair, she taught a voice and voice disorders course that opened new professional opportunities and proved very rewarding.

Some of the biggest highlights of her career were quiet milestones -- "those moments that nobody knows about except the client and the students working and me, when we used therapy that was especially effective," she said.

Hanner first moved into an administrative role in 1985, when she was named director of EIU's Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.

She earned her doctorate from Indiana State University in 1994 and continued to climb the EIU administrative ladder when she was named chair of the department in 1997. That was "the golden time" of her professional life, she said, because as department chair she was teaching and interacting with students and faculty every day.

So, when she was asked in 2000 to consider becoming the dean of the College of Sciences, she was taken off-guard.

"That was not on my radar," Hanner said.

But she accepted the challenge, and looking back at the past 11 years, she is proud of the professional growth she experienced and what the College of Sciences has accomplished under her guidance.

During her tenure, the College of Sciences has experienced a proliferation of faculty-mentored research; an increase in study abroad participation; the addition of honors programs for every major in the COS; a rise in funding for increasingly vital areas such as equipment and computer labs; an increase in student involvement through the Student Advisory Board; and the establishment of mentoring programs for women and minorities.

"I've done things I didn't know I would be able to do," she said. "Not on my own, certainly, but because there were a lot of great people around to help along the way. With great collaborators, it's so much easier to get things done.

"We have just been able to provide so many more opportunities for our departments and our faculty," she said, giving credit to partnerships with departments, other deans, the "incredible" faculty and Provost Blair Lord, who in turn praised Hanner's contributions.

"During her 10-plus years in the COS dean's office, Dr. Hanner effectively promoted the quality of her college, advanced its programs, managed its substantial budget during difficult times, solved personnel challenges, and gave wise and thoughtful counsel to me and her colleague deans," Lord said.

"Her skill, wisdom and humor added enormously to the effectiveness and smooth functioning of my administrative team. I will miss her and so will Eastern."

Although she's now more removed from the therapy side of her profession, her contribution to the field lives on, especially through publications such as the Language Processing Test she co-authored with EIU colleague Gail Richard in 1985. The materials are now in their third editions and still regularly and frequently used by professionals.

She has also given back to the field through performing extensive committee work at the state and national levels.

She plans to continue to serve as a reaccreditation site visitor for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, while also continuing to provide independent accreditation consulting services.

As she reflects on a list of accomplishments, service and awards that fill several pages, Hanner expresses gratitude for the opportunities she's been provided.

"I'm very fortunate to have had a fulfilling career at a university 20 miles from my hometown," she said, adding that having her family close by allowed her, as a mother of two, to "do some things in my career that I would not have been able to do."

She also praised her husband Dale, her high school sweetheart with whom she just celebrated 40 years of marriage, "who is very tolerant of my very busy schedule."

He shouldn't expect her calendar to free up too much, though, as she plans to increase her volunteer activities with the area Catholic Charities and CASA organizations. She serves as a board member for both.

She's also looking forward to being able to see more of her five grandchildren and their school events, soccer games and ballet recitals.

Although there is some uncertainty about what the future may hold, she is looking forward to new challenges.

"I just keep thinking about all the good times behind me," Hanner said. "There have been other times in my life I haven't been sure what lie in front of me, and it turned out to be a great adventure."

Nearly 60 Eastern Illinois University employees recently were recognized as faculty/staff members who have retired or plan to retire during the 2010-2011 school year. They include, from left to right, sitting - Janice Spraker, Roann Kopel, Valerie Leonard, Jennifer Hagerstrom, Gwen Little, Mary Anne Hanner and Beverly Findley; from left to right, second row, Joycelynn Phillips, Carl Lorber, David Arseneau, Thomas Coffey, Carolyn Woolever, Cheryl Hawker, Kay Woodward and Patricia Fewell; and, from left to right, third row, Charles Phillips, David Beals, Timothy Mills, James Havey, Thomas Genders and Charles Eberly.

Those not shown are Katherine Bartel, Marla Belden, John Bishop, Marie Black, Robert Black, Forrest Chism, Mary Cobb, Richard Crome, Alberta Darling, Donnie Davis, Linda Davis, Jean Dilworth, Jerry Edwards, Michael Farris, Mary Garrett, Harold Green, Samuel Guccione, Vincent Gutowski, Joseph Heumann, Mary Hinthorn, Mary Hubbard, James Ivey, John Kilgore, Clarence Kimball, Lloyd Leonard, Sue Nees, Thomas Philpott, Annette Samuels, William Searle, Tonicia Smith, Richard Smyser, Anita Swart, Michael Turner, Daniel Wagoner, Barbara Walker and Rubytine Wells.

Eastern Illinois University is reaching out to the Charleston-area community for its assistance in making Project Hero a rousing success.

Since the spring, students, faculty and staff have properly folded and placed in small bags 8½- by 11-inch American flags. Many individuals also wrote brief messages, thanking an unknown serviceman for his/her bravery and service.

According to Michael Ruybal, EIU's veterans service coordinator, those flags and messages will soon be sent to men and women in the Armed Forces here in Illinois and to the units they are deployed with overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. His goal, he says, is to send 1,000 "care packages," each measuring 6 inches long, 4 inches wide and 4 inches high.

"No, that's not very big," Ruybal affirms. But the retired serviceman, who spent 13 years in active duty in the U.S. Army, knows by experience just how much the simplest kindness from home can raise a soldier's morale.

The flags, he added, will be small enough for the recipients to easily carry in their pockets or packs with their military gear.

In addition, the care packages will randomly contain other small "comfort" items, not readily found in those areas in which many servicemen are deployed. Suggested items include, but may not be limited to:

• Small bags of candy, including jelly beans
• Small bottles of foot powder
• Baby wipes
• Small toys that can be given to children (e.g., Hot Wheels, plush animals, stress balls, etc.)
• Packets of instant coffee
• Small bags of potato chips
• Instant drink packages that are already sweetened
• AA-cell Alkaline batteries
• Eye wash/drops for flushing dust and sand out of the eyes
• Hot sauce (e.g., Tabasco, Red Devil, etc.). Small bottle placed in doubled zip-lock bags.
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanuts
• Small bags of beef jerky/Slim Jims

"These care packages will brighten the day of any man or woman who proudly and humbly serves our country," Ruybal said. "Something as simple as a cup of instant coffee or a bag of candy puts a big smile on their face."

Additionally, each package will contain a message from EIU, thanking the recipient for his/her service and welcoming them to look at Eastern as a source for higher education.

These collection boxes, designed by Michael Ruybal, stand awaiting donations from area residents for Project Hero.  The boxes can be found at Rural King, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and in Old Main (the "Castle") on EIU's campus.

"I'm not sure what the outcome will be," Ruybal said, commenting on the packages' use as a recruiting tool. "But at least we're letting them know that Eastern supports them while they're out in the field and that we'll continue to support them here in our community."

The 36-year-old said he plans on sending the 1,000 care packages out near the end of June. That leaves only two weeks, he added, to finish collecting donations and getting the packages ready for delivery.

Currently, donation boxes are set up in four different locations in Charleston : Rural King, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Old Main (the "Castle), Room 1211, on Eastern's campus.

"I know not everyone can give 1,000 of any given item," Ruybal said. "I'd just like to ask folks who are out and about shopping over the next couple of weeks to please keep our troops in mind."

In addition to any personal notes of encouragement the public may like to include to a random serviceman, monetary donations are also being accepted to help defray the costs of supplies. Checks, made payable to the Student Veterans of Eastern, can be sent in care of the Financial Aid Office, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston , IL 61920.

Shown from left to right, are: front row -- Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement (accepting on behalf of the Florence Ballenger Estate); and Herbert Lasky. Back row -- Garry and Janet Ernst; Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs (accepting on behalf of Louise Boewe and Barbara Roberts); and Timothy Gover, mayor of Mattoon (accepting on behalf of Carol Richardson).

Since its inception in 1953, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has been dependent upon the generosity of its members and volunteers to fulfill its mission of support to the university.

And, since 1993, the foundation has formally recognized and honored its volunteers and donors. In 1997, these awards were renamed the Burnham and Nancy Neal Philanthropy Awards in appreciation of the Neals' leadership, support and dedication to Eastern and the foundation.

These awards are given to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a sincere dedication and commitment to the financial, academic and cultural well-being of EIU. The critical support and sustaining financial commitments provided by these distinguished philanthropists are essential to the future of the university and the students it serves.

This year, the EIU Foundation is pleased to recognize the following Outstanding Philanthropists:

Florence Coles Ballenger Estate. Florence Coles Ballenger, an alumna of Eastern Illinois State Teachers College with a two-year diploma in 1925, went on to become a distinguished educator in Chicago and Florida schools. She retired in 1976 at the age of 70 after a dedicated career in teaching. She and her husband, William, never had children. Of the $1.2 million given to EIU from her portion of their estate, $250,000 was used to name the Coles Ballenger Teachers Center in Booth Library. The remaining $1 million of her estate gift is being used to support faculty development activities linked to improvement of teaching and learning.

Louise E. Boewe of Easton, Pa., has a planned gift that will establish the John and Louise Boewe Scholarship for Eastern students who are graduates of Edwards County High School. Boewe attended Eastern for two years in 1953 and 1954. She later graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in elementary education, and worked as an executive assistant at Arthur Anderson.

Garry E. and Janet E. Ernst of Charleston, Ill., have planned an estate gift for the support and enhancement of the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences and for the Dr. Garry E. Ernst and Janet E. Ernst Endowment, providing scholarships for either first-generation college students or for students who plan to pursue a career as school speech-language-hearing pathologists. The Ernsts met while at Eastern and both graduated in 1963 - Garry with a degree in chemistry and Jan with her degree in CDS. Garry went on to graduate from the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine and spent most of his career as sole proprietor of a veterinary practice in Panama City, Fla. Jan went on to graduate with a master's degree in speech pathology and spent her career as a teacher. The Ernsts speak about how EIU was the "foundation" for their success in both their careers and in life.

Herbert and Lynette Jane Lasky of Ashmore, Ill., have established a fund to enhance the Honors Program and have funded several endowments, two competitive writing awards for students in the History Department, and a competitive writing award for students in biological sciences. They have established a planned gift for the President's Research Fund, to foster, stimulate and strengthen undergraduate research activities conducted by faculty members, with a primary goal of enhancing the likelihood that their research will be competitive for external funding. In addition, the Laskys continue to support the fine arts, recently gifting a harpsichord to the Music Department. They established the Lasky Seminar in Early History, and are pursuing an initiative for campus beautification and the Renewable Energy Center. Herb is dean emeritus of the Honors College and professor emeritus of history, while Jane is professor emeritus, Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Humanities.

Carol Richardson of Scottsdale, Ariz., has established a planned gift which will leave an unrestricted gift to be used for the university's greatest needs as determined by the president of the university. Carol Mocella Richardson graduated from Eastern in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in education; she is one of five Mocella family members to graduate from EIU. Richardson is active in EIU activities in the Phoenix/Scottsdale region, hosting EIU alumni receptions each winter.

Barbara Roberts of Lakewood, Calif., has established a planned gift for a scholarship for children from farm families who have financial need and who graduated from high schools in Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Clark, Cumberland, Shelby or Moultrie counties. Roberts is a 1949 art education graduate and a retired counselor with the Long Beach school system. She is a lifetime member of the EIU Alumni Association.

One donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, also received an Outstanding Philanthropist award for 2010 for her planned gift that will establish an endowment in memory of her late husband for students majoring in business. After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from EIU, he worked 35 years for the IRS and as a service manager for a nationally known asset management and financial planning firm. He was a member of the EIU Foundation and served two terms as president of the Alumni Association board.

At noon on Saturday, May 7, three members of the Walter Zukowski family from Peru, Ill., will participate together during a Spring 2011 commencement ceremony at Eastern Illinois University. Nancy, the mother, and daughter Abigail, 27, both are set to receive their bachelor of arts in general studies degrees, while son Will, 23, will receive his degree in mathematics.

The family's successful association with Eastern Illinois University began with another daughter, Emily, who earlier found her niche at the Charleston campus, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and her master's degree in counseling at EIU, and who is now working as a full-time high school counselor, department chair and track coach in Washington, Ill.

When asked if she would recommend her students to EIU, she responded, "Oh, gosh, yes!"

***

Shown, from left to right, front row, are Abigail and Emily Zukowski; second row, Will, Nancy, Walter, Wally, Amy and Lucas Zukowski.

If Bill Addison hadn't answered the departmental phone when it rang, things might have turned out very differently for the Zukowski family.

"I was looking for a place to transfer - a school closer to home and family," said psychology major Emily Zukowski, an Illinois resident then attending the University of Hawaii.

"I started making some calls and it must have been pushing about 5 at night when I called Eastern (Illinois University). All the office staff had already gone home, and Dr. Addison (former chair of the psychology department) was the one who answered the phone.

"He was so passionate in his responses. He sold me on the program."

Emily began her studies at Eastern and happily finished her undergraduate degree two years later. Although admitted to the Graduate School with thoughts of getting her master's degree in counseling and student development, she decided, instead, to attend law school.

"I did it mostly for my dad, who's an attorney," she said. "I think he wanted someone to carry on the business and I was the only one (of the family's four children) who was even slightly interested."

But after one semester, Emily was back at Eastern. "Law school just wasn't for me," she said.

To supplement her income, Emily applied, and was accepted, for a graduate assistantship with Eastern's School of Continuing Education. She began working specifically for Kaye Woodward and the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Degree Program, a program designed for nontraditional working adults.

Emily's job duties included phone calls to people who had earlier inquired about the BGS program, but who had never followed up. And as she talked to these people - many of which who, due to life's circumstances, had given up their dreams for a bachelor's degree - one individual near and dear to Emily's heart came to mind.

"I knew Mom wanted her degree," Emily said.

Years before, Nancy Zukowski had received her associate's degree in secretarial science, as well as some advanced secretarial training. Like many other wives, however, she willingly gave up her dream for a bachelor's degree and began working as her husband, Walter, attended law school. Today, she works for him at his own practice in Peru.

"Emily called me up one day and said, Hey, Mom, what do you think?'" Nancy recalled. "She knew I had never finished my bachelor's degree, even though I was always pushing the kids to get theirs."

Nancy, who's in her fifties, submitted her application to the BGS program, but didn't tell her husband. "I guess I was afraid of rejection, of failure," she said. "I didn't want to tell him until I knew for sure."

So when she received notification of her acceptance, "I was speechless. It was overwhelming," she added. And Walter's reaction was a pleasant one.

"He was surprised and, I think, proud that I had done something like this on my own."

Nancy began her online classes, taking mandatory courses in mathematics, sciences and the humanities. She chose her courses carefully. When expecting her first grandchild, for example, she enrolled in a child psychology course that examined children's development from birth through age 12.

A course on the history of Chicago allowed her a different take on the city she frequently visits, and while learning about the Illinois/Michigan Canal, Nancy said, she and Walter actually went to some of the sites she was learning about, e.g., the Lockport Dam.

"My husband and I have gone on some incredible dates as a result of all of this," Nancy said excitedly. "And I've certainly learned to look at things in a different dimension."

Abigail Zukowski, Emily's twin sister, had attended classes at Florida Gulf University and the University of Kentucky with a focus on business. But the time came, she said, when "making money became more important than getting her degree."

And currently dividing her time between Illinois and Louisville, Ky., where she works for a woman who raises horses and writes children's books, Abigail was reluctant to commit to semesters on a college campus.

"But I wanted to get my bachelor's degree," she added. "And I got so much positive feedback from Mom about the BGS program. I decided to go for it."

Abigail wasn't sure what online learning would entail, but found she really enjoyed taking courses via her computer. Like her mother, she received her textbooks via mail, and the time she's actually had to spend on and traveling to the EIU campus has been minimal.

Both Abigail and Nancy say they could not have completed their journeys without the support of family. "They were so concerned about me," Nancy said. "This has pulled us all closer."

Son Will, a mathematics major, even mentored his mother as she struggled through some of her math classes - an experience he laughingly describes as positive and "at times, frustrating."

As for his own educational experience at EIU, he has only positive things to say.

"I checked out Eastern on my father's recommendation, which was based on my sister's (Emily) experience here," Will said.

"I had already attended two junior colleges, been to California and back, and was attending the University of Illinois. Compared to the other places I had been, I no longer felt like a number; I felt like I was part of a neighborhood. Professors asked us to call them by their first names. We were given their direct phone numbers.

"And when I arrived in the spring of 2009, I had no problem at all with the transfer of my credits," he added.

He is now working as a mathematics teacher at University High School in Normal. He actually finished his degree work in December, but opted to wait until the spring ceremonies so that the family could walk across the commencement stage together.

Will said graduation day will be known as a day for a Zukowski family celebration. And perhaps none will be celebrating as enthusiastically as the family's patriarch, Walter, who went to bed alone many nights while Nancy stayed up to study.

"He's had to endure so many changes," Will said, chuckling. "We've all changed our minds so many times."

Emily agreed. "Dad's always been really supportive of education. But above and beyond that, he's been so wonderfully supportive and interested in what we kids do.

"I know that when he was young, he did a study abroad in England himself. I guess he realizes moving around can be a pretty cool part about being young."

Michael Cornebise, chair of Eastern Illinois University's Department of Geology/Geography, has received the Distinguished Geographer Award from the Illinois Geographical Society.

The award recognizes Cornebise's contributions to the IGS, as well as his efforts to advance geography in Illinois.

Specifically, the awards committee cited Cornebise's work as editor of the IGS journal (The Bulletin) for the past three years, his work as president of the organization this past year, his organization of IGS's 2007 annual meeting in Charleston, and his record of publications and awards received at EIU.

Cornebise began teaching at EIU in 2000. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado, his master's degree from Louisiana State University, and his doctorate from the University of Tennessee.

In an effort to conserve resource dollars, Eastern Illinois University will once again close selected buildings and offices from noon on Fridays until Monday mornings during the summer months.

The affected time period begins Monday, May 9, and ends Friday, Aug. 12.

Building/office exceptions include, but may not be limited to, the President's Office, Booth Library, Financial Aid, University Police, the Steam Plant and the Office of Admissions, which plan to keep normal working hours.

All university offices must be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and between 8 a.m. and noon on Friday. Administrative offices (and others where possible) will remain open during the lunch hour (Monday through Thursday).

By ending the work week at noon on Fridays, the university can increase temperatures in all vacant offices and other work environments to allow energy savings for two and one-half days per week.

Employees will be required to work their regularly scheduled number of full-time hours during the four-and-a-half-day work week. Classes scheduled to meet on Friday afternoons and/or weekends will be relocated to buildings where the air conditioning will remain on.

During weeks in which a holiday is observed (Monday, May 30, for Memorial Day and Monday, July 4, for Independence Day), offices will return to regular business hours (7.5 hours per day), including Fridays.

Regular hours will resume on Monday, Aug. 15, for the 2011-2012 school year.

Approximately 1,500 graduating students plan to participate in commencement ceremonies at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 7.

Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena.  Guest tickets are required for admission.

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony, the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Program) at noon, the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m., and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Students from the Graduate School will walk with their respective colleges.

EIU President William Perry will preside over the ceremonies.  Michelle Murphy, student body president, and John Henry Pommier, chair, EIU Faculty Senate, will also address the graduates.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Leo Welch and Christine Anderson (9 a.m.), Roger Kratochvil and Bill O'Rourke (noon), Robert Webb (3 p.m.) and Julie Nimmons (6 p.m.).

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official commencement address.  Julie Lupien, EIU alumna ('81) and executive director of From Mission to Mission, a national organization that provides assistance to international missionaries, will speak at 9 a.m., while Thomas S. Johnson, a Rockford, Ill., attorney, plans to speak at noon.  Rodney P. McClendon, vice president for administration at Texas A&M University, will address students during both the 3 and 6 p.m. ceremonies.

Special recognition will be given to David Raybin, professor of English, who was named the 2011 recipient of Eastern's Distinguished Faculty Award.  This award is presented annually by the Faculty Senate to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

In addition, Aurora native and EIU alumnus Stephen A. Gosselin - business leader, philanthropist and volunteer - will be presented with an honorary degree.

Commencement marshals lead the procession while carrying the university mace inscribed with past marshals' names.  This spring's commencement marshals are as follows:

• Mary Anne Hanner, dean, College of Sciences , representing the College of Sciences during the morning ceremony. Hanner is retiring from EIU on June 30 after 30 years as a faculty member and administrator.
• Richard K. Crome, associate professor of foreign languages, representing the College of Arts and Humanities during the noon ceremony. Crome has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1987.
• Beverly Findley, professor of educational leadership, representing the College of Education and Professional Studies during the 3 p.m. ceremony. Findley has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1991.
• Carla S. Honselman, assistant professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences during the 6 p.m. ceremony.  Honselman has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 2007.

Faculty marshals are given the honor of carrying the college banner for their respective colleges.  This spring's faculty marshals are as follows: 9 a.m. - Assege HaileMariam, Graduate School and College of Sciences, and Mahmoud Kashefi, College of Sciences; Noon - Marilyn Coles, Graduate School and College of Arts and Humanities, Dwain Naragon, College of Arts and Humanities, and Craig Eckert, School of Continuing Education; 3 p.m. - Brent Walker, Graduate School and College of Education and Professional Studies, and Charles Eberly, College of Education and Professional Studies; and 6 p.m. - David Boggs, Graduate School and Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, and Thomas McDonald, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences.

Ethan L. Ingram, a mathematics major from Toledo, will serve as the Honors College banner marshal during all four ceremonies.

At the recommendation of President William Perry, Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees on Monday approved a 5.9 percent increase in the resident tuition rate for new undergraduate students.

EIU's resident tuition rate will increase from $254 to $269 per semester credit hour for students entering the university during the 2011-2012 school year. This means that those with an average 15-course load will pay $4,035 per semester.

Incoming resident undergraduate students will be able to lock in the new tuition rate for four continuous academic years, as provided by the state's "Truth in Tuition" law. The proposed rate increase is the smallest percentage increase since "Truth in Tuition" was implemented in the 2004-05 academic year.

The new tuition rate also applies to all resident graduate students attending the university.

The locked-in per-semester-hour tuition rates for returning in-state undergraduate students are as follows (according to the year students entered EIU): 2008-2009, $218; 2009-2010, $239; and 2010-11, $254.

No new fee increases were proposed at Monday's meeting.  However, previously approved staged fee increases were presented for confirmation.

University officials consider a number of factors, such as the likely level of state funding, estimated increases in financial obligations and the impact of previously implemented cost containment measures, before determining their tuition recommendation to the board.

"We proposed to our Board of Trustees a tuition rate that enables investment in the quality of our programs, while maintaining our commitment to affordability," Perry said. "We continue our strong stewardship of state funds and student tuition and fee funds by being efficient in our operations and providing program excellence."

Twenty Eastern Illinois University faculty members have been awarded tenure, effective with the 2011-12 academic year.

The EIU Board of Trustees approved the list based on the recommendation of the university's president.

Tenure, awarded in an academic department, connotes a relationship of continuing commitment between the university and a faculty member.

Generally, in order to qualify for tenure consideration, a faculty member must complete a probationary period and demonstrate progressive achievement and effectiveness in three areas of evaluation: teaching/performance of primary duties, research/creative activities, and service. Among these three areas, teaching/performance of primary duties is given the most consideration.

This year's recipients of tenure are Milton Allen, music; Kevin Anderson, political science; Rick D. Anderson, mathematics and computer science; Marko Grunhagen, business; R. Lance Hogan, technology; Donald H. Holly Jr., sociology/anthropology; Vanesa Landrus, foreign languages; Heidi A. Larson, counseling and student development; William F. Lovekamp, sociology/anthropology; Sham'Ah Md-Yunus, early childhood, elementary and middle level education; Letitia Lehua Moffitt, English; James M. Novak, biological sciences; Kiran Padmaraju, early childhood, elementary and middle level education; Grant Coleman Sterling, philosophy; Lisa M. Taylor, family and consumer sciences; Charles C. Wharram, English; Peter S. Wiles, mathematics and computer science; Jeffrey M. Willardson, kinesiology and sports studies; Melody L. Wollan, business; and Jie Zou, physics.

Coarsely shredded documents containing names and Social Security numbers of people who were employed at Eastern Illinois University in 2002 have been inadvertently released through improper disposal of the records.

EIU officials are still in the process of determining which years' information was made available; at this point, only records from 2002 are known to be affected. People who have been determined to be at risk will be notified once that determination is made.

EIU officials are working quickly to reach out to employees by e-mail, setting up a toll-free telephone hotline, and by procuring credit-monitoring services for affected employees. When arrangements are finalized, affected employees will be notified via e-mail and/or a university website.

In the meantime, those who might be at risk might find it useful to visit the Illinois Attorney General's website with identity-theft information: http://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/hotline.html.

The university was notified by the Coles County Sheriff's Department at 10 a.m. Friday that shredded records had been dumped alongside a roadside. Contents of the bag were collected.

On Monday, a student worker in EIU's Records Management told a supervisor that he had taken that bag, as well as an additional bag, for use in a prank.

EIU employees collected contents of the additional bag during a thorough search.

EIU officials continue to investigate the incident.

Although the university's paper records disposal procedures follow state guidelines, it is instituting additional procedures to prevent such an incident from occurring in the future.

The Eastern Illinois University Choral Ensembles and Percussion Ensemble will join forces to present works that span the globe in their "Multi-Cultural Concert" in the Doudna Fine Arts Center on Friday, April 29.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall. A variety of cultures will be represented, including African-American, Cuban, African, Far Eastern, Eastern European, Jewish and Latin American.

The concert is a collaboration between the Concert Choir (directed by Sergei Pavlov), the University Mixed Chorus (directed by Janet McCumber), and the Percussion Ensemble (directed by Jamie Ryan).

Each ensemble will present a set of pieces, and the concert will culminate in a combined number featuring all three ensembles.

Admission is $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors, EIU employees and students. Advance tickets may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The Eastern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble will present a wide variety of jazz in its April 28 concert, which will feature many excellent student soloists.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre.

Among the selections are fresh arrangements of well-known standards including Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “One Note Samba,” as well as big band treatments of guitarist Pat Metheny’s “The Gathering Sky,” Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta” and Steely Dan’s “Black Friday.”

Other traditional and contemporary pieces for big band to be performed include the music of Bill Holman, Ernie Wilkins, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

The EIU Jazz Ensemble is directed by Sam Fagaly.

The group's most recent CD, “Three O’Clock Downbeat,” will be available for purchase at the concert.

The group has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Ensemble and Solo Performance citations at the Notre Dame and Elmhurst College jazz festivals, as well as Downbeat magazine's prestigious "DB" award.

The group has been featured at many conferences and festivals, including the Illinois Music Educators Association conference and the International Association for Jazz Educators convention.

Each year, the EIU Jazz Ensemble performs with special guest artists, which have included legendary figures including Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie, Diane Schuur and Joe Williams.

Admission will be $5 for the general public and $3 for senior citizens, EIU employees and students. Advance tickets may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

This program is presented by the EIU music department in cooperation with the Doudna Fine Arts Center; both are divisions of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities.

An Eastern Illinois University filmmaking team's documentary about the BP oil spill will make its big-screen and television debuts to mark the one-year anniversary of the Gulf Coast disaster.

The big-screen premiere of "Returning to Paradise: Voices of the Human Spirit" will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 17, in Buzzard Auditorium in EIU's Buzzard Hall. Filmmakers will be present to discuss the project.

The one-hour documentary will then air on WEIU-TV at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 20 -- a year to the day after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling rig.

"Returning to Paradise: Voices of the Human Spirit," co-directed by EIU faculty member Cameron Craig and EIU student Zach Nugent, documents the impact the BP oil spill disaster had on a handful of residents along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Dauphin Island, Ala.

The endeavor, which they dubbed the Gulf Ecological and Human Disaster Project, was a chance to see first-hand what was being reported on many media outlets. What the team members found during their June trip changed their perceptions.

In addition to interviews with Gulf Coast residents, the film includes insights from members of the Earth Scan Laboratory at Louisiana State University. It also includes footage from a flight provided by the Alabama Civil Air Patrol, giving the team an aerial look at the impact of the oil spill around Mobile Bay.

The team returned to the Gulf Coast in February to get a look at the progress made in the months after the oil spill.

In addition to creating the documentary, the team has gathered footage for faculty members to use in their courses and spoken to local schools and community groups about their findings.

The film was produced by Tempestas et Caelum Productions, which geographer and climatologist Craig created to provide opportunities for EIU students to explore environmental issues.

Students participating in the film's production were Zach Nugent of Sheridan, a regional Emmy-winning reporter for WEIU-TV's "News Watch"; Michael Gismondi of Buffalo Grove, a WEIU-TV weather forecaster; A.J. Schubert of Charleston, then a graduate assistant in EIU's Center for Academic Technology Support; Bobson Mercier of Haiti, a graduate assistant in CATS; and John DeMatteo of Orland Park, from the EIU WeatherCenter.

For more information on the documentary, including a preview of the film and segments of WEIU-TV news reports that used footage from the trips, see www.tcpfilms.com.

There's so much going on politically that David Yepsen wants to keep his options open.

"2011 Political Overview," he said, announcing the title of his April 14 lecture on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. "Gives me room to maneuver between both state and national politics."

Yepsen, who enjoyed a 34-year career with the Des Moines Register, serving as the paper's chief political writer, political editor and political columnist before becoming director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in 2009, will be the seventh presenter in EIU's Edgar Lecture Series. Admission to his presentation, set to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the Tarble Arts Center Atrium, is free and open to the public.

The featured speaker said he looks forward to his time at EIU, as events such as this frequently bring out attendees who "are pretty politically sophisticated themselves.

"I allow for a question-and-answer period," Yepsen said. "Those in themselves can lead to some really good political debates!"

The Edgar Lecture Series, established in 2007 by former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and his wife, Brenda, demonstrates a continuing support by the Edgars of their alma mater. The series allows the university to host two speakers a year -- one in the fall and one in the spring. The lectures frequently focus on state government and address current issues and their historical implications.

The Edgars personally launched the series, with the former governor speaking in Fall 2007 and Mrs. Edgar taking her turn behind the lectern in Spring 2008.

Yepsen, a native of Jefferson, Iowa, and a 1972 graduate of the University of Iowa, did graduate work in journalism and mass communication at Iowa State University and, in 1985, earned a master's degree in public administration from Drake University.

In 1989, he was a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2008, he was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard where he led a study group on the nation's presidential selection processes.

Prior to joining The Register and Tribune in 1974, Yepsen worked for two years as a reporter for the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa. During his newspaper career, he covered a variety of beats including police, city hall, courthouse and the Iowa Statehouse. In 1977, he became a statehouse reporter for the Register and chief political reporter in 1983. In 1994, he was named political editor and, in 2000, became the Register's full-time political columnist.

He was a regular panelist on Iowa Public Television's weekly "Iowa Press" news interview program for more than 30 years. Yepsen has also appeared on a variety of national radio and television programs commenting on Iowa politics and the presidential caucus campaigns in the state.

In November 1994, the American Political Hotline named Yepsen one of " America 's best political reporters outside the Beltway." In 1997, the Washingtonian Magazine named him one of the "best Washington reporters who doesn't live in Washington " and, in 2000, Brill's Content magazine named him to their list of "all-star" political writers.

In 1999, veteran political reporter Jack Germond wrote Yepsen "is one of the premier political writers in the country." Yepsen served on the national advisory board for the start of "stateline.org," an Internet publication started by the Pew Foundation to improve coverage of state governments.

In his book about his 1988 presidential race, the late Illinois Sen. Paul Simon praised Yepsen's objectivity.

"Every four years the chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register becomes the most important reporter in the nation," he said. "It is a position that could cause vanity and abuse. To his credit, David Yepsen handled this position with sensitivity and balance. And he worked hard."

Two Eastern Illinois University School of Business faculty members, Marko Grünhagen and Richard Flight, recently delivered a week-long economic development workshop in Erbil, Iraq.

Working in concert with the U.S. Department of State, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdish Textile Museum, Grünhagen and Flight assisted the museum and six other local agencies in their business planning and development process.

Realizing the need for economic stability and cultural preservation, the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq seeks to promote local tourism and commerce through state- and non-state-funded businesses.

The Kurdish Textile Museum, a nongovernmental organization in Erbil, Iraq, is focused on the cultural preservation of hand-woven textiles such clothing and ornamental rugs. Their current activities include the operation of the museum and preservation of historical artifacts as well as the teaching of traditional weaving as a craft-form to local women.

"Economic stability through local commerce and the maintenance of cultural heritage is important to all people," Flight said.

"Furthermore, the desire to promote one’s history through art as the Kurdish Textile Museum does reflects the pride and progress the people of this troubled area of the world have made."

Using the Textile Museum as the case study, the training included an intense five-day workshop designed to teach techniques required to develop a successful marketing strategy and create a viable three-to-five-year business plan for any nonprofit or for-profit business.

The workshop attendees plan to transfer what they learned to other small-business owners by hosting their own workshops and training sessions.

“Our ability to impact these organizations will hopefully extend throughout the region," Grünhagen said.

"One business's success will benefit others and, in effect, spread to the whole region. Ideally, participants of this workshop will start an economic chain reaction which ultimately helps everyone. Ultimately, this is true economic development assistance."

Godson C. Obia, associate dean of the College of Sciences and professor of geography at Eastern Illinois University, will assume the role of interim dean when Mary Anne Hanner retires, effective June 30, 2011.

"Dr. Obia brings a wealth of experience in the dean's office, as well as a distinguished record as a faculty member," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "He knows the college well, its recent history, its programs, as well as its members. I look forward to working with him in the coming year to lead the college and be an effective member of the Academic Affairs leadership team."

Obia, who has been at EIU since 1994, has more than 22 years of college teaching and administrative experience, including 10 years as associate dean. Before coming to EIU, he taught for seven years at the University of Nebraska, Kearney, where he reached the rank of associate professor and earned tenure before moving to his current position.

He earned tenure and was promoted to full professor before he moved into administrative duties as associate dean at Eastern. He has received achievement and contribution awards for teaching, research and service at EIU, and a teaching excellence award from the Association of American Geographers. He served on Eastern's Council on Academic Affairs before joining the dean's office.

"I consider it an honor to be called upon to serve Eastern in the capacity as interim dean of the College of Sciences," Obia said. "I am looking forward to working with our excellent faculty and staff to sustain a dynamic learning environment that prepares our students to become responsible global citizens. I feel fortunate to be asked to lead the college at a time of great strategic interest in constructing a new science building and renovating existing science facilities."

Obia holds his bachelor's degree from the University of Nigeria, a master's from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. He has taught courses in environmental, economic, world regional, cultural and African geography, as well as an interdisciplinary course on global threats and problems.

Obia also has conducted and presented research on topics such as farm bankruptcy, brain drain and African development, African agricultural development, rural land use and development, environmental resource management and watershed management. He has published the results of his research in journals and books such as Small Farm Advocate, Journal of Third World Studies, Papers of the Applied Geography Conferences, Platte Valley Review, Platte River Atlas, Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History, Proceedings of the Small City and Regional Development, Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, and Beyond the Veil: Some Misconceptions About African Development.

He is a member of several professional and civic organizations, including the Association of American Geographers and the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. He and wife, Nnenna, have four children.

Lord said the university will conduct a national search for a permanent dean in the coming academic year.

The Eastern Illinois University Department of Theatre Arts will present "Noises Off," a comedy about an acting troupe's outrageous behind-the-scenes antics.

Five performances -- 7 p.m. April 15, 16, 18 and 19, as well as 2 p.m. April 17 -- will be staged in The Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center on the EIU campus.

This classic backstage farce by Michael Frayn follows a hapless acting troupe during the course of a disastrous provincial tour.

Complete with slamming doors, sexual dalliances, confusions and errant plates of sardines, the actors prove that whatever can go wrong – both on stage and off – most certainly will.

"The most dexterously realized comedy ever about putting on a comedy," said a review in The New York Times. "A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce. This dizzy, well-known romp is a festival of delirium."

The play, produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc., is directed by Jeffrey Tangeman. Set and light design is by David Wolski, and costume design is by Karen Eisenhour.

Tickets -- $12 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees; $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The Eastern Illinois University Wind Symphony and Concert Band will offer something for all ages in its "Celebration Concert" on Friday, April 15.

The free concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The Wind Symphony and Concert Band are conducted by Barry L. Houser. Three graduate student conductors -- Patrick Rheingruber, Sarah Todd and Chris Mroczek -- will each conduct a selection, as well.

The program is comprised of several works: "Persistence" by Richard Saucedo; "A Basque Lullaby" by Dan Forrest; "Undertow" by John Mackey; "Overture to Candide" and "Slava" by Leonard Bernstein; "DreamCircus" by Rob Deemer; "Cartoon" by Paul Hart; "Wild Nights!" by Frank Ticheli; and "The Circus Bee March" by Henry Fillmore.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, call 217-581-3110 or visit www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Charleston Middle School life science teacher Kim Sherwood will be honored for her teaching excellence with an award from the Eastern Illinois University chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

Sigma Xi's Excellence in High School and Middle School Science and Mathematics Teaching Award goes to high school or middle school science or mathematics teachers who demonstrate excellence in teaching, actively involve students in critical thinking and problem-solving, actively involve students in the learning process, and teach an appreciation for science and mathematics.

As a middle school life science teacher at Charleston Middle School since 2001, Sherwood has promoted inquiry learning and critical thinking in her classroom. Her problem-solving mystery lessons were highlighted in the Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times-Courier this past fall.

Sherwood received her bachelor's degree in biological science, teacher's certification and master’s degree in educational administration, all from EIU. She and her family reside in Charleston.

Sherwood is to be presented with the 2011 award plaque and stipend during a short Sigma Xi EIU chapter meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the University Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union. The public is welcome.

The evening will conclude with a lecture, “In Silico Experiments Provide Insight into Cancer Progression Mechanisms (P,G,S),” by Dr. Alissa Weaver, an associate professor of cancer biology and pathology at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Mahyar Izadi has been chosen as permanent dean of Eastern Illinois University's Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, effective July 1.

The former chair of Eastern's School of Technology has served as interim dean since Fall 2010, replacing Diane Hoadley, who accepted the role of dean of the College of Business at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.

"I am pleased to announce that Dr. Mahyar Izadi has agreed to serve as the next dean of the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences," said Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs.  "He brings a wealth of knowledge about the college and Eastern to this assignment, an extensive record of excellent leadership of the School of Technology, and demonstrated administrative and personnel management skills.

"I look forward to his leading the college and each of its academic units to new levels of achievement and accomplishment."

In addition to the Schools of Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Technology, the LCBAS represents Eastern's Department of Military Science.

For 11 years before being named interim dean, Izadi served as chair of Eastern's School of Technology, with the number of faculty and students in that area nearly doubling during his tenure. Previously, he served as coordinator of the Industrial Technology Program.

He has extensive background in developing lasting relationships with Illinois community colleges, international partners, and the business and industry community. He served as president of the university and research divisions of the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering. He also served as the team chair for nine out of 13 ATMAE accreditation visits to colleges and universities.

Izadi, upon accepting his new appointment, expressed his pleasure at being able to continue his work of the past few months.

"The LCBAS is comprised of highly qualified, dedicated and talented faculty, staff and students, whom I am honored to serve," he said.  "My primary goal as dean will be to advance the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences' mission and goals within Eastern Illinois University.

"In addition to supporting the president's and provost's goals, initiatives such as student engagement and retention, globalization, innovation and scholarship, and faculty collaborations will be of great importance to me.

"And as a firm believer in the natural connection among various subject matters, I think the Lumpkin College is in an incredible position to contribute to integrative learning at EIU," he added.

Lord also commended those who conducted the search for a permanent dean.

"I want to go on record as thanking the search advisory committee, which was ably led by Dean Mary Anne Hanner, for conducting a model search," he said.  "Five worthy candidates were brought to campus for our consideration.  As is fairly common in such searches, some of them took themselves out of consideration during the search process, but we had a very strong group of candidates from which to make a selection."

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, who achieved worldwide fame after fleeing civil war, will perform their uplifting songs of hope, faith and joy at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, April 16.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

From 1991 to 2002, the African country of Sierra Leone was wracked with a war that forced millions to flee their homes -- including a group of people who began playing music together in a dusty refugee camp in Guinea.

Now, just seven years later, the group has gone from being unknown musicians to being the subject of an acclaimed documentary film, touring the world, appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and sharing the stage and studio with Aerosmith and other international stars.

Though the band members are now able to afford luxuries such as cement walls and refrigerators back home in Sierra Leone, the world’s third-poorest country, they are still faced with the daily struggles shared by most of their countrymen.

The band has suffered many losses, including the death of original member Mallam, who was known as the honorary “mayor” of the Magazine Wharf slum, where he made a living selling rice whisky and palm wine. He died at age 49 -- the average life expectancy there.

The senseless deaths and illnesses of friends and family, and the slimming hope for great change in their country as a result of peace, has only strengthened the resolve of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars to do what they can to turn their country around.

Their weapon in this struggle is music, and their message, while offering critique and condemnation of wrongdoing, remains positive and hopeful.

Optimism in the face of obstacles, and the eternal hope for a better future, motivates their lives and music.

“It’s been a long struggle out of the war, out of miserable conditions,” said Reuben M. Koroma, the founder of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. “So now we are trying to develop ourselves as a band and be based in our country. We are really moving towards finding ways of elevating ourselves somehow.

"But we do not just think about ourselves alone. We try to bring out sensitive issues that are affecting the world. It is all of our responsibility that the masses are suffering. We bring our positive messages into the world so we can expect a positive change in the world. And, most importantly, bring about peace."

The group's first album, "Living Like A Refugee," was released in 2006. Their second studio album, "Rise & Shine," was released in March 2010.

Also in 2010, the group was among the artists recording a new version of "We Are the World" in support of Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

The group has also collaborated with Aerosmith on the certifi­ed gold record "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," as well as their own special appearances on "In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2" and on the soundtrack for the Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated ­film "Blood Diamond."

The Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars' appearance at EIU is generously supported by EIU African American Studies and the University Board.

Tickets -- $15 for the general public; $12 EIU employees and seniors; $7 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, located on the EIU campus, is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra and EIU Choral Ensembles will present "A Musical Journey Through Time" on Sunday, April 10, in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert -- a historical tour of orchestral and choral masterpieces from early Baroque to contemporary works -- is to begin at 4 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall.

EIU faculty members Sergei Pavlov and Janet McCumber will conduct the ensembles. The concert will feature the winners of the EIU music department's concerto competition: junior Mark Rheaume of O'Fallon on trombone and junior Moria Tunison of Villa Grove on clarinet.

The program includes "Gloria" by Antonio Vivaldi, "Menuet from Symphony No.104 'London'" by Joseph Haydn; "Trombone Concerto" by Ferdinand David, "Polacca from Clarinet Concerto No. 2" by Carl Maria von Weber; two poems for choir by Dmitri Shostakovich, and "The Floating World" by Stephen Andrew Taylor.

Seating is reserved. Tickets -- $12 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees; $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, located on the EIU campus, is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Far East Movement

Tickets will go on sale Friday, April 1, to the general public for the April 23 performance by Far East Movement and Mike Posner on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

(EIU students with Panther Card ID may begin buying their tickets on Friday, March 25.)

Prices are $17 for EIU students and $20 for the general public. All tickets for the performance, set to begin at 8 p.m. in Lantz Arena, may be purchased between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays through the MLK Jr. Union Ticket Office, located on the second floor, west wing. For information/credit card orders, phone 217-581-5122.

Far East Movement is most known for its songs "Girls on the Dance Floor" and "Like A G6." The group has bridged the gap between underground party records and mainstream hip-hop and pop. They blend elements of hip-hop, pop, electro and dance to create an original sound and lifestyle they call "Free Wired."

Mike Posner

The group translates this Free Wired' way of life by constantly staying interactive and living the lifestyle it promotes. Whether it's their weekly music show on www.cherrytreeradio.com, blogging everyday on www.fareastmovement.com or uploading a series of FM Satellite webisodes they shoot on the road with their spy cams,' they always stay free to " geek out' 25 hours a day, eight days a week."

Posner, an American singer, songwriter and producer, released his debut album "31 Minutes to Takeoff" in August 2010. The album includes the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single, "Cooler Than Me"; Posner's second single, "Please Don't Go"; and his third single, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow."

Although Eastern Illinois University formally launched its "EI&U:  Expect Greatness" capital campaign just a few short months ago, the EIU Foundation predicts the campaign's success.

"We will achieve greatness," said Donald L. Gher, Foundation board president.

"We all recognize that in addition to the freezes and cutbacks in operational expenses, the Illinois budget crisis will continue to hinder the university's growth for many years to come.  However, in this time of economic uncertainty, I'm encouraged by the gifts we continue to receive," he said.

"More than ever, we need to reach out to those who had their dreams fulfilled because of Eastern and who now may have the capacity to give back to the university.  Through these efforts, we will continue the Eastern legacy of excellence, which has been so important to generations of its students."

Founded in 1953 under the leadership and direction of H. Ogden Brainard, the EIU Foundation has, since its inception, been dependent upon the generosity of its members to encourage and provide private support to the university, and to promote the ideals of volunteerism and philanthropy among alumni, friends and employees of the university. The Foundation, an Illinois not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, is a completely separate organization from the university and is defined by the state as a University Related Organization.

Foundation members come from a variety of backgrounds and professional areas, and include EIU alumni, annuitants, community leaders, and business and educational professionals.

With nearly 300 members, led by an 11-person board of directors, the EIU Foundation has committed its support to "EI&U:  Expect Greatness," a university-wide capital campaign designed to raise $50 million for student, faculty, facility and program support.

"Eastern has launched its long-awaited EI&U: Expect Greatness' Capital Campaign, which embodies the academic vitality, vision and culture that the university has so richly cultivated over the years," Gher continued.  "Those of us closely associated with the university, the Foundation or the Alumni Association, already know about Eastern's ability to help its students defy expectations.'

"It is a privilege to be associated with an institution whose purpose is to educate and develop the intelligence, character and integrity of our future leaders."

Gher, of Bellevue, Wash., is joined on the EIU Foundation board of directors by Floyd Akins of Columbus, Ohio; Jason Anselment, treasurer, of Springfield; Timothy Burke, secretary, of Evanston; David J. Maurer of Charleston; Sue C. Payton of Fairfax Station, Va.; Christine Reid Robertson of Naperville; Judith Sunderman, vice president, of Charleston; and Charles W. Witters of Las Vegas, Nev.

Also, Joseph Dively of Charleston and William Robinson of Scottsdale, Ariz., now serve as directors, having been newly elected this academic year.  They replace retiring directors and past presidents Timothy D. Gover of Mattoon and Jeffrey G. Scott of Richmond Hill, Ga.

As a representative from the EIU Alumni Association, Julie Sterling of Charleston serves as the EIU Foundation board's newest ex officio member.  (She joins Don Yost, EIU Board of Trustees; William Perry, president of EIU; Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement; and William Weber, vice president for business affairs.)  Sterling replaces Gary Kling of Champaign, who retired from the post.

See here for more on the EIU Foundation.

The U.S. Air Force Brass in Blue brass ensemble, one of the premier brass ensembles in the Midwest, will perform at Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Sunday, March 27.

The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall.

Representing more than 325,000 Air Force professionals around the world, Brass in Blue showcases the service’s excellence and precision. The ensemble features brass, percussion and a vocalist.

Several EIU musicians will be featured in the concert. EIU faculty member Jemmie Robertson will be a trombone soloist in "Three Scenes for American Trombone"; faculty member Andrew Cheetham will serve as conductor as EIU music students join the military ensemble for "America the Beautiful"; and Barry Houser, interim director of bands and director of the Panther Marching Band, will conduct "The Pines of the Appian Way."

The program will also include "Overture to 'Candide'" by Leonard Bernstein, "Extraordinary Machine" by Fiona Apple, "Buzzin' the Bee" by George Gershwin, "The Frim Fram Sauce" and "Amazing Grace."

The U.S. Air Force Brass in Blue brass ensemble debuted in February 2007. They have performed twice at the Grand Teton Music Festival, been guest performers with the Kansas City Symphony, and been featured at Omaha’s Organ Vesper Series.

In October 2008, Brass in Blue presented “Slides Across the Heartland,” which featured world-renowned trombone soloist Joseph Alessi and 76 trombonists performing Meredith Willson’s “76 Trombones” to much acclaim from military and civic leaders.

In November 2009, the group returned from a 70-day deployment to Southwest Asia in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and several Department of State initiatives.

Tickets are free, but there is a limit of four per household. Tickets may be obtained at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office. For more information, call 217-581-3110 or e-mail doudna@eiu.edu.

The concert is sponsored by Brookstone Estates Senior Living and the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier.

The U.S. Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors, the Army’s premier touring big band, will perform a free concert at Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Thursday, March 24.

The ensemble, also known as America's Big Band, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall.

Three EIU students -- senior Brandon Jelks of Decatur, alto saxophone; senior Nick Grill of Park Ridge, trumpet; and sophomore Aaron Eckert of Belleville, trombone -- will perform with the Jazz Ambassadors on one selection.

The program includes a dozen songs, including "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Armed Forces Salute" and "God Bless the USA."

Many of the ensemble's members are also composers and arrangers whose writing helps create the band’s unique sound. Concert repertoire includes big band swing, bebop, contemporary jazz, popular tunes and Dixieland.

Each program includes exciting selections performed by the band’s talented and versatile vocalist, Master Sgt. Marva Lewis.

The internationally acclaimed organization, which travels thousands of miles each year, has appeared in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan and the Republic of India.

Formal public concerts, school assemblies, clinics, music festivals, and radio and television appearances are all part of the Jazz Ambassadors’ yearly schedule.

Notable performances include participation in the inaugurations of presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as appearances at the Nice Jazz Festival in France, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, and the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island.

The mission of the United States Army Field Band is to “carry into the grassroots of our country the story of our magnificent Army.” In performances across America and throughout the world, the men and women of this organization take great pride in reflecting the excellence of all of our nation’s soldiers.

Tickets are free, but there is a limit of four per household. Tickets may be obtained at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office. For more information, call 217-581-3110 or e-mail doudna@eiu.edu.

The concert is sponsored by Brookstone Estates Senior Living and the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier.

Matthew Polenzani

Matthew Polenzani, one of today's most celebrated lyric tenors, will return to Eastern Illinois University this month to sing in the building where his stellar career began.

Polenzani, a 1991 EIU graduate whose accolades include the Metropolitan Opera's 2008 Beverly Sills Artist Award, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

Polenzani is renowned for the artistic versatility and fresh lyricism that he brings to concert and operatic appearances on the world's most prestigious stages, but he is quick to show gratitude for the guidance he received at Eastern.

In the late 1980s, Polenzani was a fledgling music-education student who had no plans to become a singer, let alone one of the world's most celebrated classical artists.

One day, EIU Professor Jerry Daniels handed him a cassette of classical music. Polenzani threw the tape into a box and ignored it -- until one fateful day three years later, when he ran across it and decided to give it a listen.

"The first thing on it was one of the great tenors," Polenzani said. "I didn't realize that music like that, or singing like that existed. That was the first time opera got under my skin.

"I was green," he said. "I'd never been to the opera. The first one I saw was the first one I was in."

That opera, he remembers well, was EIU's production of "La Finta Giardiniera." It was the beginning of an opera career that has led Polenzani to star roles and concert work on the world's finest stages, with the world's greatest artists.

Polenzani has been acclaimed in symphonic appearances with Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many more. He was the 2004 Richard Tucker Award winner.

In a single recent season, he was honored to have appeared on all three stages of Carnegie Hall.

This season, his schedule includes performances at the Metropolitan Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Opéra National de Paris, as well as a tour of Japan with the Royal Opera House.

Looking back, Polenzani is amazed and grateful for the guidance he received at Eastern.

"I didn't understand, and I didn't know what was out there," he said. "It took time and patience from the faculty, who saw I had talent but lacked focus. They nurtured it and allowed it to grow.

"Jerry Daniels is the one who did the pushing in the opera direction. He was just extremely instrumental in getting me on the right track. It's the special gift of an educator to recognize a student's talent and that that talent needs a special type of nurturing to move it forward, and I got that here (at Eastern)."

At the age of 23, Polenzani earned a significant scholarship to attend Yale. Although he was one of the youngest in the master's program -- some were 30 and older -- he had had more practical experience than most, thanks to Eastern.

"I had sung with an orchestra three or four times. I had sung some full-length operas," he said. "Others had maybe understudied or only done scenes programs."

"I always tell kids, it doesn't matter where you go to school. What is important is that you find a good teacher and get a chance to practice your craft," he said.

"A seed was planted, and that's the point of an undergraduate institution -- to plant a seed, to help it grow as much as you can, and not to harm the holder of the seed. That was absolutely the case for me at Eastern."

Tickets for Polenzani's EIU recital are $15 for the general public, $12 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $7 for students. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The recital is made possible by gracious support from the EIU Classical Music Series Endowment Fund. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Shown, from left to right, are Abigail Grado, Gordon Grado, Louis Grado, Mary Grado (Gordon's wife), and Rebecca (Grado) Surber.

Growing up, the Grado children were accustomed to hearing the same question asked every night at the dinner table - "What have you done for humanity today?"

"Their father, Louis Grado, was focused on service - to his community, to the university and to the world," said Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement at Eastern Illinois University. "And we felt something needed to be done to recognize his legacy."

Accordingly, the EIU Board of Trustees on Friday voted to name a newly built structure, located at 975 Edgar Drive, the Dr. Louis M. Grado Building. This piece of property houses the university's Textbook Rental Service.

"The naming of this building after Dr. Grado symbolizes for all future generations of Eastern's students and faculty the spirit of excellence and service in education that he embraced and embodied," Martin said.

Grado, who died in July 2010 at age 86, was a member of EIU's education faculty from 1955 until his retirement on Aug. 31, 1989. He taught in the field of elementary education throughout his career, and served as chair of the Department of Elementary and Junior High School Education from 1970 until his retirement.

"Dr. Grado played an important role in the development of teacher training in the field of elementary education, and did much to strengthen and sustain the quality of this program at EIU," Martin said.

EIU President Bill Perry, who initiated the idea to name the building after Grado, said it was a fitting tribute.

"The building was funded by student fees, and since that was how it was built, it will always serve students in one way or another," he said. "The decision to name it after Dr. Louis M. Grado just seemed right."

Grado also served on many university committees, as well as the Illinois State Board of Education's Spanish Speaking Committee and Bilingual Advisory Board.

And from 1961-63, Grado took a two-year leave of absence to accept a position as elementary education adviser to a rural school in Esteli, Nicaragua. Working with the International Cooperation Administration, he was responsible for assisting in the development of an entire normal school, training the director and staff, establishing/supervising a student teaching program, and coordinating the school's program with an in-service teacher education program.

While there, Grado also made recommendations about what rural teachers should study and assisted in the development of Nicaragua's rural education. He participated in the development and production of an educational television program for preschoolers.

Active in the Mattoon (Ill.) Presbyterian Church, Grado served as an elder and trustee at various times. His volunteer work also included serving as a counselor to Hispanic inmates at the Vandalia Correctional Center, constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity, serving meals at various soup kitchens, and greeting visitors at St. Luke's Hospital.

A formal dedication of the Dr. Louis M. Grado Building with members of Grado's family in attendance is tentatively scheduled to take place later this spring. He is survived by five children -- Gordon Grado of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Charles Grado of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Rebecca Surber of Lisle; Jana Richards of Vandalia; and Abigail Grado of Litchfield.

The Eastern Illinois University Music Theatre/Opera Ensemble will present "Nuthin’ but Treble: An Evening of Musical Theatre Featuring Women," this month.

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25, and Saturday, March 26, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Recital Hall.

The ensemble will perform Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial By Jury," a one-act farcical courtroom comedy set in Britain, followed by scenes from "Spring Awakening," "Smokey Joe’s Café," "The Sound of Music," "Chicago" and "I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change."

The scenes are edgy and deal with many themes, including murder, sex, relationships, coming of age, and mother/daughter issues.

The performance is directed by music department faculty member Jay Ivey and accompanied by music graduate student Pamala Machala.

Tickets -- $5 for the general public and $3 for students, senior citizens and EIU employees -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, located on the EIU campus, is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The Eastern Illinois University Dancers will perform to music by Janet Jackson, Pat Benatar, OneRepublic and the "Glee" cast in their annual spring concert this week.

The free performances, with the theme "The Heart Speaks," are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday (March 3-5) in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Comprised of 16 EIU students with various majors, the EIU Dancers’ repertoire includes modern dance, ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, and character pieces. Auditions are held in September, and rehearsals start immediately for the spring concert.

A presence on EIU’s campus for the last 30 years, the EIU Dancers are dedicated to furthering the understanding and appreciation of dance on campus and in the surrounding community.

For more information, please contact Antoine R. Thomas, director of the EIU Dancers, at 581-8397 or arthomas@eiu.edu.

A number of large gifts have led Eastern Illinois University 85 percent of the way to its $50 million "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" fundraising goal, and officials are counting on the generosity of the general public in raising the remaining funds.

So far, $42.56 million has been secured in "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern," the largest fundraising effort in EIU's history. The public phase began in October.

The campaign theme is "Expect Greatness," and officials do just that.

"We are very grateful for the strong support we've received so far, and I am confident that we will continue to benefit from the public's generosity," said EIU Vice President for University Advancement Robert Martin. "We are fortunate that people understand what Eastern means to individual lives and to society as a whole. People are willing to contribute to ensure that Eastern's influence remains strong into the future.

"As state appropriations have decreased and lagged, gifts from donors have become more than a nice bonus for the university -- they have become critical. The bottom line is that private contributions make it possible for us to remain a first-class institution while keeping tuition affordable for our students."

The campaign focuses on four priorities: students (funding scholarships); faculty and staff (attracting and retaining world-class faculty, as well as supporting research, creative projects and service activities); capital improvements (including building a new science center, courtyard spaces and a Lantz Arena gateway); and programs (including developing centers that would focus on specific subjects, with possibilities such as autism, entrepreneurship and innovation, ethics, financial health, geographic information systems and remote sensing, humanities, student community service and wellness).

Although it is primarily a fundraising campaign, officials also hope to use the opportunity to connect with supporters. In fact, two of the campaign's top goals are to establish and enhance enduring relationships with EIU alumni, as well as involve more alumni as campaign volunteers.

EIU's extensive network of alumni and friends throughout the country is making it possible to conduct regional campaigns, with events in Chicago (hosted by Tim and Vickie Burke, Carl Mito and Jeff Knezovich); Springfield (hosted by Jason Anselment and Bill O'Rourke); St. Louis, Mo. (hosted by Sylvia Nichols, Judy Ethell, Julie Nimmons and Jen Hurwitz); Naples, Fla. (hosted by Jim Schnorf); Washington, D.C. (hosted by Sue Payton); and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Members of the "EI&U" campaign Steering Committee are Chairwoman Julie (Humphrey) Nimmons of Litchfield; Timothy L. and Vickie (Krupp) Burke of Evanston; Max and Mary Cougill of Charleston; Judy A. Ethell of Chesterfield, Mo.; Bob Glover of Chicago; Robert A. Ingram of Durham, N.C.; Charles Keller of Effingham; Jeffrey P. Knezovich of Naperville; Herbert and Lynnette Jane Lasky of Ashmore; Richard A. Lumpkin of Mattoon; Carl T. Mito of Arlington Heights; Tony Romo of Dallas, Texas; Paul L. Snyder of Oro Valley, Ariz.; and Charles W. Witters of Las Vegas, Nev.

"We're very grateful for the dedication of the many volunteers who are assisting with this campaign," Martin said. "We could not have reached this level of success without their help."

To learn more about the campaign or make a donation, please contact Karla Evans, director of EIU's Office of Philanthropy, at kjevans@eiu.edu or 217-581-3315, or visit the "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" website at http://www.iameiu.com.

For an armed services veteran, life on a traditional university campus can be a bit unsettling.

"It's very foreign to us," said Michael Ruybal, newly hired veterans coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. "We've become accustomed to a very structured life style, so it can be hard to adjust, hard to adapt."

The 36-year-old speaks from experience. Following 13 years of active duty in the U.S. Army -- years that took him to such far-away places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Macedonia -- Ruybal was injured in the line of duty and took medical retirement. For him, the next step was an easy decision to make.

"It was a no brainer. . . I was going to get my degree," he said.

He attended New Mexico State University where he studied and received his bachelor's of fine arts in graphic arts and illustration. Upon graduation, he was offered -- and accepted -- a full-time position as resident director of student family housing.

For two years, Ruybal frequently browsed the website HigherEdJobs.com, helping his students in their search for internships. But then a Fall 2010 listing from a university in Illinois caught his interest on a more personal level.

Eastern Illinois University was seeking an individual to serve as "coordinator of veterans and military personnel student services."

"It was the first job posting of its kind I had seen in two years," Ruybal said. "Those type of positions don't come open very often. Those who have them tend to hold them for a long time."

Ruybal applied and was hired; he began his new job on the morning of Jan. 18. By noon of that day, he was already asking for time to speak with Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, to discuss specific ideas on not only how to enhance campus life for current student veterans, but how to recruit others into attending EIU.

"I'm aware of 252 veterans currently attending Eastern," Ruybal said. "My goal is to increase that number to between 500 and 800."

"From the very first moment of his arrival on campus, Michael has emanated an enthusiasm for EIU and a deep commitment to serving our student veterans and their families," Nadler said. "We are fortunate and thankful to welcome him to EIU."

One of Ruybal's most important responsibilities is to provide information regarding "the ever-changing world of benefits," including all federal and state benefits and scholarships to veterans, active duty military personnel and their families, and to advise and assist students on how to complete the necessary paperwork to activate and retain these benefits/scholarships.

"This is how I make my initial contact with these individuals," he said. "After that, every veteran is on my radar. I'm here for all of them."

He also serves as a liaison with other offices on EIU's campus in regards to services available to veterans and their families. These include, but may not be limited to, Academic Advising, Student Accounts, the Counseling Center, Disability Services, Housing, and Health Services.

And sometimes, Ruybal added, a student may just want a like-minded individual with whom to vent. That might be Ruybal himself or another student veteran introduced through his efforts.

"Some of our students will welcome opportunities to meet and mingle with fellow veterans," Ruybal said. "Others will decline, saying I left the military for a reason and now I'm here to go to school.'"

And either reaction is fine, he added.

For those who would like to foster relationships with fellow student veterans, there's always Student Veterans of Eastern, an organization formed so that "veterans, reservists, National Guardsmen and friends could have a common place to forge friendships and professional networking."

As a staff adviser to the group, Ruybal said he will be working closely with the student organization in efforts not only to bring student veterans together as a group, but to assist with their outreach efforts within the EIU and Charleston communities.

"The goal of my office is to be a one-stop shop for our student veterans," he said. "If I can't help with a particular problem, I'll find out who can.

"I just want them to know that I'm here for them. I'm not going anywhere."

Student veterans from Eastern Illinois University planning to participate in the March 27 Bataan Memorial Death March are, from left to right, first row, Nicholas Anson and James Wallace; second row, Katie Frantik, Nathen Camp, Michael Ruybal (adviser) and John Mefford.

Michael Ruybal is getting off to a running start as Eastern Illinois University's newly hired veterans coordinator.

Or, maybe, one might say he's getting off to a "marching" start.

Little more than a month after his arrival on the Charleston campus, Ruybal and five EIU student veterans are in training to participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March, held annually on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The event, which began in 1989, honors a group of World War II heroes who were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of Americans and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces, and were forced to march for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died.

Since its inception, the Bataan Memorial Death March has grown from about 100 to some 5,200 participants from across the United States and several foreign countries.

Some participate in the full 26.2-mile march; others participate in a smaller, less intense 15-mile version.

Ruybal and his team plan to participate in the 26.2 mile march, set to take place March 27.

"I'm hoping our participation will build esprit de corps' within the organization, as well as within the veterans program here at Eastern," Ruybal said. "The event builds team work, collaboration and personal pride, along with self accomplishment for the individuals.

"It is a well established programmatic activity for veterans to take part of, in remembering those who came before us and, in some cases, make the ultimate sacrifice for this nation.

"And by representing EIU, participation in this march will build a sense of ownership for our students who want to do more, as well as be a solid recruiting tool for the institution," Ruybal added. "The more people who see the Panther Pride, the more that image stays in their mind of the university that participates in the event - a university that wears its colors with pride and does so with honor."

This year, Eastern will have double representation. The EIU ROTC battalion is also sending a team.

"The team is not finalized," said Lt. Col. Stephen Knotts, chairman of the Military Science Department. "The cadets are having a competition, and the best five will get to go."

Ruybal and his team are currently in the process of raising the $4,500 it will take to get their six individuals to New Mexico and pay for room and board costs (including a $275 team registration fee). Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by sending a check made payable to the Student Veterans of Eastern, care of the Financial Aid Office, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston , IL 61920.

The fourth annual Kick Butts Day 5K Run/Walk and Community Picnic, part of a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use, will be held April 9 at Morton Park.

The local Kick Butts Day events are sponsored by Eastern Illinois University's Student Community Service and Health Service.

The run/walk will begin at 9 a.m. The cost -- $12 for adults, and $6 for ages 12 and younger -- includes a T-shirt (only guaranteed for those who register by March 18), snacks and refreshments. On-site registration is available, but participants are encouraged to pre-register online at http://www.eiu.edu/herc/kickbuttsday.php.

After the run/walk, a community picnic will feature free food, games and activities for all ages. Registration is not required for the picnic.

An abundance of material will be available to inform people about tobacco cessation options, the dangers of tobacco, and ways to prevent children from using tobacco.

For more information, call 581-7786.

Honorees attending the recent EIU Years of Service Luncheon included, from left to right: Thomas Moncada (30 years) Sue Grounds (30 years), EIU President Bill Perry, Cheryl Hawker (30 years), Carol Miller (35 years) and William S. Davis (30 years).

Eastern Illinois University recently recognized more than 300 of its employees for continuous years of service.

A luncheon was held in recognition of university employees with continuous years of service in five-year increments. Those employed at EIU for five years were eligible for a certificate; those with 10 or more years of service were honored with both a certificate and a pin.

Honorees are listed as follows:

40 years - Kathlene Shank.

35 years - Carol Miller.

30 years - Susan Ambrose, William Davis, Sue Grounds, Karen Hardwick, Cheryl Hawker, Thomas Moncada and Margaret Weaver.

25 years - D. Kathleen Bence, Cecilia Brinker, James Conwell, Joann Daugherty, Carl Dell, James Dowland, Tamera Duzan, Nancy Hay, Ted Hart, Linda Leal, Michael Leddy, John Martone, Kip McGilliard, Melanie Mills, John Moore, Cynthia Nichols, Joy Russell, John Ryan, Eneatha Secrest, Harold Tatge, Bonnie Wilson and Tamera Spillman-Zuber.

20 years - Susan Allen, Brian Beakley, Judith Black, Eric Bollinger, Eldridge Bowlby, Gregory Boyd, Michael Bradd, Kathryn Bulver, Michael Carter, David Carwell, Christine Childress, Allen Clayton, Victoria Copas-Beck, James Craven, Karala Eastin, John Emmett, Brenda Ferguson, Kathleen Ferguson, Norman Garrett, Karen Hammer, Gary Hanebrink, David Hardwick, Jody Horn, Karen Johnson, Mahmoud Kashefi, Diana Kennedy, Fern Kory, Peggy Kuhn, Rebecca Litton, Glenn Logan, Stacia Lynch, John McInerney, Frances Murphy, Laurie Neese, Cheryl Noll, Donald Pakey, Rita Pearson, David Pollard, Ollie M. Ray, Gary Reed, Linda Reven, Dana Ringuette, Deborah Schultz, John Sigler, Grant Sterling, Stephen Swords, Dickie Tipsword, Julie Walters and Rebecca Watkins.

15 years - Thomas Akers, Vickie Austin, Julia Awalt, Shirley Bell, Kathy Berry, Lucinda Berry, Henry Brown, Gary Canivez, Janet Carpenter, Jonathan Crask, Carol Dudley, Stephen Eskilson, Lydia Fritts, Reggie Galey, Clay Hopkins, Paula Huddlestun, Kevin Hussey, Jerilyn Hutson, Douglas Klarup, Michael Kuo, Cynthia Maples, Margaret Messer, Wanda Milburn, David Miller, Kim Miller, Tammy Miller, Nina Milliner, Michelle Molitor, Michelle Morgan, Melinda Mueller, Dwain Naragon, Dannie Otto, Brian Pritschet, Anthony Redding, Bart Rettberg, Katherine Rice, Cynthia Rich, Brenda Roberts, M. Jane Roe, Tamara Sharp, Nora Pat Small, Betty Smith, Jody Stone, Marjorie Thennes, Cynthia Tozer and Julie Wilkerson.

10 years - Carlos Amaya, Christina Anderson, Rachel Ballinger, Lilian Barria, Paula Bolen, Mark Bonnstetter, Lisa Brooks, Tom Brown, Ingyu Chiou, Andrew Clapp, Steven Conn, James Craven, Melissa Crouch-Carr, Linda Daugherty, Jeannie Doty, Danny Duvall, Jim Ealy, Tim Engles, April Flood, Mary Garrett, Linda Ghent, Cheryl Gilbert , Karen Guthridge, Terry Hale, Mary Harris, Karen Hart, Daniel Harvey II, George Hawk, Ronald Hays, Lori Henderson, Darren Hendrickson, Jaime Hendrix, Diane Highland, Rex Hilligoss, Adam Howarth, Allen Huddleston, Lindsey Hunter, Angela Jacobs, Amy Jones, Elizabeth Kastle, Leigh Ann Keefer, Frank Kingery, Richard Kistner, Judith Konrad, Heidi Larson, James Maxey, Robert Miller, William Minnis, Elizabeth Mitchell, Patty Murphy, Lisa New Freeland, Marshall Patrick, Bruce Perrin, Kimberly Redfern, Debra Reid, Amy Richardson, Beth Ridgeway, Darlene Riedemann, Charles Rohn, Steven Roper, Richard Rossi, Kristin Routt, Karla Sanders, Anupama Sharma, Jeffrey Snell, Jeanne Snyder, Duff Sowers, Jennifer Spracklen, Jeffrey Stowell, Jocelyn Tipton, Angela Vietto, Edmund Wehrle and Jimmie Yokley.

5 years -- Jim Abel, Chad Altadonna, Kevin Anderson, Rick Anderson, Robert Banning, Christopher Bartlett, Timothy Beals, Lana Beasley, Toni Bell, Beth Bergstrom, John Blackburn, Maggie Burkhead, Dustin Carey, Max Carpenter, Valeria Chiritescu, Brad Coffey, Cameron Craig, Suzanne Craig, Michael Croslow, Ronald Croy, Roger Cunningham, Sarah Daugherty, Suzanne Davis, Martha Deerman, Ronald DeLude, Carol Dhom, Kimberly Dorey, Kimberly Dowland, Karen Drage, Karla Drum, Jamie Easton, Lester Edwards, Jeramy Eggers, David Emmerich, Terri Fredrick, Laurel Fuqua, Karen Gaines, Ryan Gibson, Glenna Gobert, Bradley Groves, Jerrod Harden, Roger Hogan, Donald Holly, Michelle Hopper, Sandy Hundley, Janice Hunt, Andrew Hurt, Charles Jenkins Jr., Nita Jenkins, Kent Jones, R.J. Jones, Mark Kattenbraker, Jerri Lang, Jinhee Lee, Diana Lenzi, Dennis Lewis, William Lovekamp, Michael Lynch, Dennis Malak, Leslie Mason, Mary Mattingly, Jonica McBride, Thomas McDonald, Sham'Ah Md-Yunus, Michael Miller, John Morris, Daniel Nadler, James Novak, Suzie Park, Dawn Paulson, Shawn Peoples, Colleen Peterlich, Jenny Phillips, Robert Plummer, Susan Propst, Sue Rardin, Katherine Ray, Ryan Risinger, Andrew Robinson, John Schmitt, Kathleen Schmitz, Cathy Schoonover, Clarence Searcy, Debby Sharp, Linda Sherwood, Mollie Siu-Chong, Patricia Sparks, Alan Spraker, Janice Stevens, Quiana Stone, Dustin Strader, Ricky Strange, Lisa Taylor, Doyle Terrell, Patricia Thornton, Christy Turner, Samuel Turner, Sarita Upadhyay, Brent Walker, Eugene Wallace, Edward Warpenburg, Michelle Wayne, Paul Weber, Charles Wharram, Kraig Wheeler, Jeffrey Willardson, Wendy Williamson, Chrystal Wingler, Melody Wollan, Monica Zeigler and Korey Zike.

Honorees attending the recent EIU Years of Service Luncheon included, from left to right: front row - Kip McGilliard (25 years), Tamera Spillman-Zuber (25 years), Joy Russell (25 years), Eneatha Secrest (25 years), D. Kathleen Bence (25 years), William S. Davis (30 years), Melanie Mills (25 years), and EIU President Bill Perry; second row - James Conwell, Joann Daugherty, Ted Hart, Cecilia Brinker and James Dowland (all with 25 years of service).

The Eastern Illinois University Department of Theatre Arts will present Moliere's "Tartuffe" ("The Hypocrite"), transplanted from 17th-century France to the 1980s American South.

Performances will be staged in the Black Box Theatre in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. March 4, 5, 7 and 8, as well as 2 p.m. March 6.

"Tartuffe," a timeless comedy written in 1664 by one of France's greatest playwrights, follows the outrageous activities of a penniless scoundrel and religious pretender who insinuates himself into the home of his gullible benefactor, wreaking havoc among the family members.

Amid the tales of seduction and blackmail, the playwright mercilessly -- and humorously -- examines the evil men can commit in the guise of religious fervor.

Christopher J. Mitchell, who adapted the play for the EIU stage, is the director.

The cast includes EIU students Tom Michael, Elyse Waggoner, Grant Molen, Ryan McCain, Julie Zielinski, Katy Kruzic, Tim Tholl, Jason Rutkowski, Bill Stinde and Alex Truccano, as well as EIU theatre arts alumna Tracy Phelps Harpster as Madame Pernelle.

The play was translated from the original French by Curtis Hidden Page.

Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Mistakes can be a valuable learning tool - even when they happen to someone else.

Justin Paperny, a former investment executive who now uses his talents and experiences to educate others on the perils associated with white-collar crime, hopes that by revealing his mistakes, he will help keep others from following the same path.

Attendance to his lectures, "Lessons from Prison" and "Ethics in Motion," set to begin at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on Tuesday, Feb. 22, is free and open to the public.  Both presentations will take place in Roberson Auditorium, Lumpkin Hall Room 2030, on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

After graduating from the University of Southern California, Paperny began building his career at such storied firms as Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and UBS. He managed more than $150 million in investor assets as a top-earning stockbroker, but personal pressures clouded his judgment. That ethical lapse ensnared him in a fraud. He pleaded guilty to violating securities laws and served an 18-month sentence at Taft Federal Prison Camp.

Since then, Paperny has been a keynote speaker to business and academic audiences across the nation. His story and presentations have been featured by ABC News, NBC News, Forbes and Radio America, amongst many others.

He provides audiences with insight into the motivations, actions and consequences of white-collar crime. Rather than speaking theoretically, he draws upon personal experiences to narrate with honesty and eloquence how an inattention to values-based decision-making can lead an individual into debacles that may include imprisonment.

While on Eastern's campus, Paperny also plans to discuss the topic of business ethics in classes through the university's School of Business which, organizers say, "recognizes the importance of business ethics education as a vital part of the integrative learning experience."

For more information, including Paperny's full bio, visit the School of Business website at http://www.eiu.edu/business/spotlight_ethics_2011.php.

The Barry D. Riccio Memorial Lecture Series at Eastern Illinois University continues its tradition in 2011 with "The Politics of Vaccination in American History," a presentation set for Monday, Feb. 21.

Admission to the presentation, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall, is free and open to the public.

The talk will be presented by Robert Johnston, associate professor of history at the University of Illinois-Chicago, who has written extensively on the emergence of the U.S. middle class and the history of alternative medicine movements, including the anti-vaccination movement. His work, although focused on the early 20th century, speaks directly to the political and cultural battles of today, including persistent concerns over the link between vaccinations and autism.

Johnston is the author of "The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and The Question of Capitalism in Progressive Era Portland, Oregon" (Princeton University Press, 2003), the winner of the 2002 Social Science History Association President's Book Award.

EIU's Department of History is sponsoring Johnston 's lecture, made possible through the Barry D. Riccio History Fund.

Riccio joined Eastern's history faculty in 1995. The author of "Walter Lippmann: Odyssey of a Liberal (1994)" and numerous articles, he was a devoted student of American ideas, politics and culture. At Eastern, he proved almost immediately himself an outstanding teacher and wonderful colleague.

Following Riccio's death from cancer in 2001 at the age of 46, his friends, family and colleagues established the Barry D. Riccio History Fund in his honor. In conjunction with the EIU Department of History, the fund sponsors a lecture series with an emphasis on the history of ideas. Beginning with the inaugural lecture in 2003, the generosity of fund donors has allowed the department to bring "many of the leading lights of American intellectual history" to Eastern's campus.

The Eastern Illinois Wind Symphony, the premier ensemble of the Eastern Illinois University band program, will present its "The Art of the Wind Band" concert on Saturday, Feb. 26.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall on the EIU campus.

The program is to include "Festive Overture" by Shostakovich; "The Gum-Suckers March" by Grainger, led by graduate student conductor Chris Mroczek; "Angels in the Architecture" by Ticheli; "Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral" by Wagner; "Trombone Concerto" by Mackey, featuring EIU trombone professor Jemmie Robertson; and "Hands Across the Sea" by Sousa.

The Eastern Illinois Wind Symphony, comprised of about 50 of EIU's finest undergraduate and graduate brass, woodwind and percussion students, performs significant literature for winds that is drawn from the major masterworks of the repertoire for the modern wind band, including chamber literature.

It is also actively involved in the commissioning of new works for wind band, as well as exploring new approaches to programming and performing.

The Eastern Illinois Wind Symphony is conducted by Barry L. Houser, acting director of bands at EIU.

Tickets -- $5 for the general public and $3 for students, senior citizens and EIU employees -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The world-renowned Ahn Trio will make a return visit to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center to premiere a work that was commissioned for them in memory of a former EIU administrator.

The concert, "An Ahn-core and a World Premiere," will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, in the Doudna's Dvorak Concert Hall.

The Ahn Trio first performed in the Doudna Fine Arts Center in 2009, and they are excited to return.

“We have played in all 50 states and in 30 countries around the world, and we would rank the Dvorak Concert Hall at EIU’s Doudna Fine Arts Center among the top 10 places we have ever played," the group said. "We love the acoustics and the sound of that hall!”

The focus of their visit will be the premiere of "Kapustin Trio No. 1 (Op. 136)," the work the Doudna Fine Arts Center commissioned from the Ahns and Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin.

The three-movement trio for violin, cello, and piano will honor the late Barbara Hill, a former EIU vice president and provost who once served as acting president of EIU and was extremely active in the community.

The commissioned work was funded by a group of private donors.

Once the work is premiered at the Doudna, it will be added to the artists' repertoire for future performances. It will always carry crediting information that celebrates the Doudna Fine Arts Center and honors Hill.

Kapustin has written a dozen works for chamber ensembles. All are difficult to play, but this composition is of the "utmost difficulty," Kapustin said.

"Therefore, any three persons who are gifted enough for overcoming all the difficulties existing in this trio may be safely considered heroes and decorated with an order for courage," Kapustin said.

The Ahn Trio is up to the challenge. Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at the Juilliard in New York City, the members of the Ahn Trio (cellist Maria, pianist Lucia, and violinist Angella) are constantly redefining the art and architecture of chamber music.

Breathing new life into the standard piano-trio literature with commissioned works from visionary composers including Kapustin, Michael Nyman, Maurice Jarre, Pat Metheny, Paul Schoenfield, Mark O' Connor, Kenji Bunch and Paul Chihara, the Ahn Trio brings a new energy and excitement to the chamber music world.

Possessing an enviable combination of talent and style, they have long been natural subjects for the international press. They made their magazine premiere very early on in a Time cover story, "Asian American Whiz Kids"; appeared in Vogue and GQ, as well as in ad campaigns for GAP and Anne Klein; were named three of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003; and made the pages of Glamour this past summer.

Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Eastern Illinois University's Choral Ensembles will celebrate Valentine's Day and more in its "Songs of Love" concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

"We decided to sing about love not only as a romantic attachment, but also about love that relates us to family, home, nature, memories, etc.," said Sergei Pavlov, who is directing the Choral Ensembles and the Eastern Symphony Orchestra while Richard Rossi is on sabbatical.

The Mixed Choir is to perform "David's Lamentation" by William Billings, "Sing Me to Heaven" by Daniel Gawthrop, "Three Madrigals" by Emma Lou Diemer, and "The Green Bushes" arranged by Alexander Tilley.

The Concert Choir's program is to include "Old Kentucky Home," "Old Folks at Home" and "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming," all by Stephen Foster; "Comin' Thro' the Rye" arranged by Joseph Flummerfelt; and "Love" by Edward Elgar.

Pavlov, a native of Bulgaria, earned master's degrees in orchestral and choral conducting from the National Conservatory of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria. He taught conducting there from 2001 until 2004, when he moved to the United States.

Since 2008, he has been guest conductor of Classic FM Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria.

In the past five years, Pavlov has been the assistant conductor of the Illinois Opera Theater at Krannert Center at the University of Illinois, where he is a doctoral candidate. His teachers and mentors include the names of Miroslav Popsavov, Donald Schleicher, Fred Stoltzfus, Eduardo Diazmuñoz and Joseph Flummerfelt.

Other recent engagements include chorus master and assistant conductor of Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and a 2010 conducting debut with the orchestra of the Spoleto Festival USA. This summer, Pavlov will return to the festival as an assistant conductor for the production of the opera "The Medium" by Giancarlo Menotti, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the composer.

Tickets -- $5 for the general public and $3 for students, senior citizens and EIU employees -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The concert will be held in the Dvorak Concert Hall. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Jeff Hamilton Trio

The Jeff Hamilton Trio will join the Eastern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble for a special performance during the upcoming EIU Jazz Festival.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, in the Dvorak Concert Hall in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert is the only public performance scheduled during the two-day EIU Jazz Festival, in which visiting bands will perform, compete and participate in clinics.

The Jeff Hamilton Trio is comprised of Hamilton on drums, Tamir Hendelman on piano, and Christoph Luty on bass.

Hamilton displays exquisite musical judgment, knowing when to lie back to let the soloist shine, and when to goad a soloist on with accents and close interplay. He understands the eloquence of restraint -- he never over-plays -- and he has a knack for the appropriate fill or conversational accents, the telling gesture that supports and inspires soloists.

Hamilton has worked with Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Woody Herman, the LA4, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Monty Alexander and Diana Krall. Since 1985, he has co-led the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and he has led his trio since the early 1990s. The current edition of the trio has been together since 2000.

Tickets -- $10 for the general public and $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The EIU Jazz Festival is sponsored by the EIU music department. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The Kenyettá Dance Company will perform in the Doudna Fine Arts Center as part of African American Heritage Month activities at Eastern Illinois University.

The performance is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, in The Theatre.

Celebrated for its powerful stage presence and high energy, Indianapolis’ Kenyettá Dance Company has been hailed as an amazing and essential force in the local and regional dance scene.

Siblings Vanessa Owens and Nicholas Owens founded the Kenyettá Dance Company in 2004.

"We celebrate the teaching, composition and performance of dance," the group's materials explain. "We weave contemporary dance and music with the history, culture and traditions of African-Americans and the African diaspora."

At EIU, the 14-member Kenyettá Dance Company will present “Power,” consisting of all new works created by guest choreographers Nicole Clarke-Springer and Ronne Stone.

Tickets -- $10 for the general public; $7 for EIU employees and senior citizens; $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

M-pact, which uses only human voices to create its trailblazing signature pop-jazz sound, will perform at Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

The Los Angeles-based sextet has been hailed as "one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and their performance has been described as "a vocal wall of sound" by National Public Radio.

The group describes its sound as a combination of "the smooth soul of Stevie Wonder; the percussive power of Stomp; the funk and drive of Earth, Wind, & Fire; the hip licks of Take 6; and the brass bite of the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band."

Touring renowned fine arts halls and jazz festivals across four continents, m-pact has performed with many pop superstars, including Sheryl Crow, Boyz II Men, Kenny G, Liza Minnelli, Babyface, Rick Springfield and Jackson Browne. M-pact has also performed with jazz legends Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bobby McFerrin, Take 6, the New York Voices, the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Maynard Ferguson Big Band.

Accolades have included Vocal Group of the Year from the L.A. Music Awards, Artist of the Year from the Seattle Music Awards, and National Champion of the Harmony Sweepstakes competition.

Each of m-pact's five studio recordings has also received rave reviews and multiple awards. In addition, their music has been used in TV themes and animated Disney feature films.

The 7 p.m. concert will be held in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre on the EIU campus.

Tickets -- $10 for the general public, $7 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

The doors of Eastern Illinois University's Human Services building re-opened to faculty, staff and students early Thursday afternoon after an investigation of a "suspicious package" revealed no threat to the campus.

The building, which houses Health Services, the Counseling Center, Career Services and the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, was temporarily closed shortly before 9 a.m. as a precautionary measure after an employee reported receipt of a "suspicious" hand-delivered package.

According to Detective Kent Martin of the University Police Department, the building was reopened shortly after 1 p.m.

Responders from Charleston Fire and Rescue and the University of Illinois/Champaign Police Department bomb squad joined UPD in its investigation. An X-ray of the package revealed the contents to be safe.

"There are no indications that the university or its students, faculty, staff, visitors or buildings are or were in any danger," Martin said.

The campus community was alerted of the situation via e-mail, Facebook, Alert EIU (Eastern's emergency text-messaging system) and the EIU website.

"Eastern takes all threats seriously and investigates them thoroughly," said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs. "Our top priority is the continued safety of our EIU community."

Nadler also offered his thanks to emergency responders, expressing his appreciation for their quick response and cooperation.

According to Martin, an investigation into the incident will continue; however, he added, there is no indication of any criminal activity.

The Zeta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight March and Tribute Monday, Jan. 17, on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

The themed event - "A Purpose-Driven Life" -- begins at 5:30 p.m. with a march from the Thomas Hall lobby to the Grand Ballroom, located in Eastern's MLK Jr. Union. The program there - scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. - will feature Michael Stapleton, founder of the New Generation Christian Youth Fellowship in Decatur, accompanied by a special guest choir.

Monday's program will also include two musical selections by EIU students.

Two awards will be presented -- the Alpha Image Award, given to a faculty/staff member who serves as a role model to Eastern's student body, and the Annie Singleton Award, given to a female student involved in campus organizations and community service.

Interested persons need not participate in the march to attend the program, although organizers invite all attendees to participate if weather and health allow.

Admission is free.

A Message from EIU President William L. Perry:

"This past fall semester, many individuals participated in discussions regarding a proposal from a faculty member regarding changing the name of Douglas Hall, which is part of the Lincoln-Stevenson-Douglas housing complex. The proposal was submitted in December to the University Naming Committee, which has student, faculty and staff membership. After thorough discussion, the committee did not recommend a change of the building name, and subsequently informed me of that action.

"My review of the proposal has included several actions on my part: review of the name change proposal; review of archival information from Booth Library regarding the initial naming of the Lincoln-Douglas housing complex in 1951; review of resolutions by the Faculty Senate, the Student Senate and the Residence Hall Association; reading of material regarding the political careers of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas and the letters of Stephen Douglas; attending the December 1 campus scholarly presentation by Professor Stewart Winger of Illinois State University; and review of correspondence, letters to newspapers and opinion pieces.

"After thorough consideration, I am affirming the University Naming Committee’s recommendation. However, the overall debate leads me to take specific action that will bring positive educational outcomes for the university community.

"The naming of the new residence halls in tandem as Lincoln and Douglas halls was recommended by means of motion, second and vote, to President Buzzard by action in the regular faculty meeting of February 6, 1951. According to the minutes of the meeting, the names were suggested 'in honor of the historical debate that took place in this community.' The president subsequently took the recommendation to the Illinois Teachers College Board for approval, which was granted.

"The campus discussions held this past fall lead me to conclude that we have not taken advantage of the Charleston debate as a way to educate our students about the role of the debates in our history, or about the larger issues surrounding antebellum Illinois and the United States at that time. Certainly, we have significant faculty expertise to bring to bear in such an effort.

"Therefore, I am asking our Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and our Vice President for Student Affairs to collaborate with our Graduate Program in Historical Administration, our Center for Translational Humanities and our Department of Housing to develop a historical display for the Lincoln-Stevenson-Douglas Complex that will address the issues mentioned above and others that may be pertinent. I am asking that the Coles County Historical Society be consulted during the display development. The display could, of course, be built to travel, so that it could be viewed at different campus installations, or even off campus (for example, the local Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum or nearby schools). I will use non-appropriated funds for the project.

"Other positive educational outcomes may exist. For example, the date of the Charleston Lincoln-Douglas debate was September 18. We currently hold activities on Constitution Day, September 17. Perhaps in tandem with Constitution Day, we could hold discussions, debate re-enactments, lectures or other scholarly activities.

'Universities must be places of open, free debate of issues and expression of opinion. Our experience this past fall shows that EIU is such a university. I thank the university community for civil discussion and debate of the renaming topic."

The Hot Club of San Francisco will revive a lost tradition when it presents "Silent Surrealism," an evening of silent films accompanied by original gypsy jazz scores, at Eastern Illinois University on Friday, Jan. 21.

The evening's events, which will be held in the Doudna Fine Arts Center, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a free lecture and question-and-answer session in the Lecture Hall. The ticketed concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall.
"Silent Surrealism" brings to life the mid-20th century French countryside when gypsy caravans would set up camp; project silent films onto whatever surface was available; and play instruments, matching every scene with characteristic virtuosity, passion and humor.

The Hot Club of San Francisco is an ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Hot Club de France, which was founded in 1934.

The ensemble borrows the all-string instrumentation of violin, bass and guitars from the original Hot Club, but breathes new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group’s superb lead guitarist Paul Mehling.

The San Francisco Chronicle has called The Hot Club of San Francisco "one of the most cohesive and entertaining gypsy swing bands in the United States," and their playing has been described as “intricate, scorching and often brilliant” by Acoustic Guitar magazine.

The following films are featured in "Silent Surrealism": "It’s a Bird" by Charlie Bowers (1930); "Now You Tell One," Bowers (1926); "The Fall of the House of Usher," James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber (1928); and "The Land Beyond the Sunset," The Edison Co. (1912).

The presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, General Mills Foundation and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library invites the public to the opening reception and program for the exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World."

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the Marvin Foyer. Following opening remarks, join Benjamin Franklin, as portrayed by Fred Krebs, in "An Evening with Benjamin Franklin" in the West Reading Room.

The exhibit, "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World," tells the remarkable story of the man who began his life as a poor printer's apprentice and ended it as a revered elder statesmen known throughout the world for his wisdom, wit and resourcefulness. Franklin 's achievements in diplomacy, science, philanthropy and other fields profoundly influenced the path of a new nation and continue to inspire us more than 300 years after his birth.

"Franklin has a particular resonance in 21st-century America," biographer Walter Isaacson has written. "We would relate to the way he tried to balance, sometimes uneasily, a pursuit of reputation, wealth, earthly virtues and spiritual values."

Although Franklin excelled at nearly everything he attempted, his first priority was to use his talents for the greater public good. He refused to seek a patent on his numerous inventions, believing that they should be universally available. As co-founder of a number of civic institutions, including America's first public hospital and first lending library, and Philadelphia's first firefighting brigade, Franklin continually encouraged his fellow citizens to collaborate in useful projects for the community.

"We are pleased to have been selected as a site for this exhibition," said Allen Lanham, dean of Booth Library. "Benjamin Franklin's life is the quintessential American success story. His dedication to the welfare of the community, and his belief that overcoming society's challenges required mutual action, collaboration and generosity on the part of all citizens, offers us inspiration as we face many difficult issues in contemporary American society. Benjamin Franklin has much to say to 21st-century Americans."

Franklin was the only American political figure to have signed five of his country's key founding documents: the Albany Plan of Union (1754), Declaration of Independence (1776), Treaties of Amity and Commerce with France (1778), Treaty of Paris (1783) and U.S. Constitution (1787). His last years were spent in writing his autobiography, the most widely published memoir in history, and in promoting the abolition of slavery. In 1787, three years before his death, Franklin became the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention. Although he was in poor health, he played a significant role in the "Great Compromise," which resulted in a legislature of two houses which is today the United States Congress.

Organized by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, Philadelphia, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World" was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life. The traveling exhibit is based upon a major exhibit of the same name, developed by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, which has traveled to major cities in the United States and abroad (http://www.benfranklin300.org). The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary is a nonprofit organization established through a major grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to educate the public about Franklin 's enduring legacy.

"Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World" draws upon original documents in the collections of the American Philosophical Society, The Franklin Institute, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania, other museums and libraries, and private collectors. Photographs of handwritten and printed documents, objects owned by Franklin, maps, paintings and drawings provide a colorful background for Franklin's story. The traveling exhibition was curated by Rosalind Remer, Ph.D., executive director of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, and Page Talbott, Ph.D., associate director of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary and chief curator of the original "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World" exhibition.

The library is sponsoring free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition. Contact Jocelyn Tipton, head of Reference Services, at 217-581-7542 or jttipton@eiu.edu or visit http://www.library.eiu.edu for more information.

"Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World" will be on display at the library until February 25, 2011.

Students in grades 3 through 12 have until Jan. 17 to register for the 11th annual Students Involved with Technology Conference, taking place on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Eastern Illinois University.

The one-day event -- a unique technology conference for students, by students -- will take place from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and allow students to participate in technology workshops, learning from their peers, technology guest speakers, technology educators and mentors.

Students can choose from a wide variety of technology learning sessions and competitive activities. Students decide which sessions to attend from topics they wish to learn more about, including robotics, gaming, forensics, hardware and software topics, internet safety and much more. Students can also choose to be a SIT presenter and host a session teaching peers. Presenters develop a 20-minute session on a technology topic of their choice, create a handout for their session, and field questions and answers at the end of their presentation.

SIT strives to replicate an industry-level conference experience for its attendees, complete with an opening session keynote speaker, a selection of presentations and demonstrations, snack and lunch. The day concludes with a closing session with contest announcements, drawings and prizes.

Registration is $25 and includes a full day of sessions, a T-shirt, giveaways, snack and lunch. Details about registration are available on the SIT Conference website at http://www.sitconference.org . All SIT participants must pre-register by the deadline date. No registrations will be available at the door.

Each year the SIT Conference strives to expand its accessibility to regions across Illinois. This year's event will be hosted simultaneously at several sites throughout Illinois, including Carterville (Southern Illinois), DeKalb (Northern Illinois), Charleston (Eastern Illinois), Lincolnshire (North Chicago area) and Woodridge (South Chicago area). Anticipated student participation between all sites will reach more than 1,500.

The SIT Conference is sponsored through the Bloomington-Normal Education Alliance Technology Committee, with partners representing Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Unit 5, District 87, Olympia Schools, Regional Office of Education, Bloomington Public Library and State Farm.

For additional information about the conference in Charleston, please contact Beth Craig at bcraig@eiu.edu or visit the conference website located at http://www.sitconference.org.

The honor of being named a recipient of Eastern Illinois University's Distinguished Faculty Award reaches beyond the borders of the campus, according to current recipient Janet Marquardt.

"Faculty here sometime have difficulty getting credibility within our respective fields," the professor of art history/women's studies, said. "Colleagues make the assumption we're here because we're not as good as those who might be working at a larger, research-oriented institution."

"This type of award helps a lot to dispel that misconception," she added.

Marquardt, who began teaching at Eastern nearly 25 years ago, will officially be recognized for the EIU Faculty Senate-sponsored honor during a Commencement ceremony on Dec. 18. Criteria for the award mandate that nominees excel in the areas of teaching/performance of primary duties, research/creative activity and service.

And Marquardt has done it all.

Her students represent undergraduate and graduate students alike -- some art majors, some not. Many of her courses are delivered in the traditional classroom; however, Marquardt is not opposed to more contemporary teaching methods. In fact, she's a pioneer of sorts, having developed the first EIU telecourse -- "Art of Past Cultures" -- for the School of Adult and Continuing Education in 1990.

She's also been actively involved in spreading her knowledge outside of EIU's Charleston campus. In addition to leading study abroad programs, including art- and culture-focused visits to London and Paris, Marquardt serves as a visiting professor/researcher at other far-away campuses (e.g., the University of Poitiers in France and Trinity College in Dublin). She plans to spend Fall 2011 at Harlaxton College in England.

Her well-traveled status is compounded by the dozens of conferences she's attended and/or presentations she's given all over the world, including France, England, Ireland, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Scotland.

Marquardt has authored three books -- with a contract out for a fourth -- and she's served on committees and/or boards at the university, community, national and international levels.

She refuses to rest on her laurels, however, as she looks forward to one of her newest challenges as director of Eastern's newly formed Center for Translational Humanities (CTH).

The center is not an actual building or office -- at least not yet, Marquardt adds -- but, rather, a method of bringing together scholars and audiences from humanities disciplines for open communication (i.e., "translating" ideas). Programs sponsored by the center "will strive to foster creativity, engender tolerance and spark further dialogue."

"Today, the humanities -- fields of academic study including philosophy, history, literature and languages -- have been broadened to include cross-disciplinary relationships with the fine arts and social sciences," Marquardt said. "These individual fields, while offering unique and productive insights of their own, all share in the pursuit of teaching open communication, critical inquiry and thoughtful reflection."

2010-2011 events include a panel on historic preservation, a talk on how geography affects architectural history, an exhibition and lecture by a photo-journalist celebrating the role of women in contemporary society, and a film about how the world's rich fabric of diverse languages is disappearing.

(More on the CTH can be found at http://www.eiu.edu/humanitiescenter .)

Nearly 600 summer and fall graduates plan to participate in Eastern Illinois University's Fall 2010 commencement ceremonies, scheduled to take place Saturday, Dec. 18, in Lantz Arena.

Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Guest tickets are required for admission.

Graduating seniors from the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities will march in the morning ceremony, while students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Sciences and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Degree) will march in the afternoon. Graduate students will march with their respective colleges.

President William L. Perry will preside over the ceremonies. Music will be provided by the EIU Wind Symphony.

Jim Evans, an acknowledged industry leader in management and global hospitality and a 2002 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the EIU Alumni Association, will present the "Charge to the Class" during both ceremonies.

Also addressing graduates will be Faculty Senate Chairperson John Henry Pommier and Student Body President Michelle Murphy.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Aaron T. Wiessing of Sigel at 10 a.m. and Leo Welch of O'Fallon at 1 p.m.

Traditionally, a commencement marshal leads the commencement procession while carrying the university mace, a symbol of honor accorded a faculty member. The commencement marshal for the 10 a.m. ceremony will be Scott Meiners who, as an associate professor of biological sciences, will represent the Graduate School. Representing the School of Continuing Education at 1 p.m. will be Godson Obia, professor of geology/geography and associate dean of Eastern's College of Sciences.

An EIU tradition also allows faculty members the honor of carrying the college banner for his/her college during the procession.

This year's faculty marshals for the morning ceremony are Rendong Bai, associate professor, School of Technology, representing the Graduate School and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Bill Wootton, professor, School of Business, representing the LCBAS; William Hubschmitt, professor, art, representing the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Humanities; and Roger B. Beck, professor, history, representing the CAH.

This year's faculty marshals for the afternoon ceremony are Frank Mullins, associate professor, special education, representing the Graduate School and the College of Education and Professional Studies; Kathleen Phillips, professor, health studies, representing the CEPS; Andrew Mertz, associate professor, mathematics and computer science, representing the Graduate School and the College of Sciences; Joan Henn, professor, mathematics and computer science, representing the COS; and Jeanne Snyder, associate dean, LCBAS, representing the School of Continuing Education.

Olivia Buttram, a psychology major from Charleston, will serve as Honors College banner marshal during both ceremonies.

Charles G. Eberly has been selected as Eastern Illinois University's 2010 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient for his contributions in the area of service to the community, the university and his discipline.

This award, presented by the Faculty Senate, honors the memory of Mendez, an EIU professor in Spanish who died in 2003. Eberly will formally receive the award at a Fall 2010 EIU commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Eberly has been a part of the faculty at EIU since 1987 in the Department of Counseling and Student Development. Letters of support reveal that his contributions have had far-reaching effects.

In his letter nominating Eberly for the award, Mark Koepsell, executive director/CEO for the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values and a 1992 EIU alumnus, wrote that "(Eberly) is more than a professor. He takes on the role of a lifetime mentor and support system for those of us lucky enough to learn under his tutelage."

In his letter of support, John D. Foubert, an associate professor at Oklahoma State University, wrote "Generations of graduate students, new professionals and seasoned leaders have him to thank for his mentoring."

Foubert wondered how many lives Eberly had touched -- both directly and indirectly -- through his teaching and service. "His impact on the profession is simply, quite profound," Foubert noted.

Eberly's service extends beyond the mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. His vita illustrates the extraordinary amount of service Eberly has provided.

Over the course of his career, he has served in the Charleston Rotary, as chapter adviser for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, has been active in Habitat for Humanity, served on numerous editorial boards for academic refereed journals, served on EIU's Faculty Senate and other university committees, participated in the EIU Reads program, served as an EIU Faculty Fellow since the program's inception, and has received an impressive number of awards for his service.

"It is through all of these accomplishments that Dr. Charles Eberly has become an outstanding candidate for the Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award," wrote Bob Dudolski, interim dean of Student Life at Culver-Stockton College.

Looking out at the standing-room only crowd Monday night, former Illinois governor Jim Edgar recalled the first time he set foot in the Booth Library room that was now being dedicated in his honor.

He was a fifth-grader in Eastern Illinois University's lab school when he first ventured into what was then the browsing room, where he loved looking at the new books on display. It was difficult to check those books out -- especially for a fifth-grader, Edgar joked -- but he was sometimes successful in doing so.

During the ceremony Monday, the room was officially dedicated as the Edgar Room in honor of Jim and Brenda Edgar's outstanding contributions to the people of Illinois and to EIU. They are both EIU graduates.

The room now contains a collection of documents, photos and other mementos that tell the story of their long and distinguished careers in public service, including his two terms as governor. Many other governmental resources are housed there, as well.

Edgar said he was honored that this particular room will now carry their name.

"I've always loved this room, with its wood paneling," Edgar said. "To me, this was the best room in the most beautiful building on campus."

The contents are very special to him, as well.

"These pictures bring back a lot of memories," Edgar said, bringing special attention to a photo of him as a child posing with his mother, Betty Edgar, who was later employed as a clerk at Eastern. "This university meant a lot to her, too."

Edgar, a Charleston native, said that many of the people attending played a big role in his life and in this particular honor.

"Many of you who are here really take credit for me getting a room named after me here," Edgar said. "You can only be as good as the people around you, and I was very fortunate from an early age to be surrounded by wonderful people."

The experiences he had at EIU, especially being elected student body president, gave him the edge to succeed in the political world, he said.

"Eastern has meant a lot to us," Edgar said. "If I'd have gone to any other university, I don't believe I'd have been governor."

Eastern graduates have a long history of serving the public, Edgar said, adding that he hopes that the Edgar Room will serve as a venue for speeches, discussions and "for people to think about how they can serve."

"I am confident that this university will continue to contribute much to this state and this nation," Edgar said.

While introducing Edgar, EIU President Bill Perry said that he believes that the opportunities provided by the Edgar Room will lead other students to emulate Edgar's outstanding record of public service.

EIU President Bill Perry. left, presented Jim and Brenda Edgar with a replica of the former governor's portrait that hangs in the Illinois State Capitol. (Photo by Bev Cruse)

Perry also presented a gift to the Edgars: a reproduction of Edgar's official portrait that hangs in the Illinois State Capitol's Hall of Governors.

"This is great -- I won't have to drive over to the State Capitol every week," Edgar joked.

Edgar took a moment to point out some trivia about the portrait. Brenda Edgar's photo sits on a mantle behind him, making Edgar the only governor to include his wife in his official portrait. Also, in the painting of the Lincoln-Douglas debate in the background, Edgar had the artist, William Chambers, include the Edgars' two grandchildren as audience members. The only problem is that they now have five grandchildren, Edgar said with a smile.

Following the dedication of the Edgar Room, the Edgars attended a lecture by The Washington Post's Dan Balz. His speech, "What Next for Washington and the States," was made possible by the Edgar Lecture Series, which was established by the Edgars in 2007 in one of the many ways they've given back to EIU.

The Edgar Lecture Series allows the university to host two speakers a year -- one in the fall and one in the spring. Lectures focus primarily on state government and address current issues in state government and their historical implications. The Edgars personally launched the series, with the former governor speaking in Fall 2007 and Mrs. Edgar taking her turn behind the lectern in Spring 2008.

The Eastern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble will present a wide variety of jazz in its Dec. 10 concert, which will feature many excellent student soloists as well as a faculty trumpeter.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre.

Among the selections are fresh arrangements of well-known standards, including Duke Ellington’s "It Don't Mean a Thing"; a very contemporary piece titled "Among the Pyramids"; a beautiful arrangement of "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"; and many other traditional and contemporary pieces for big band.

New Assistant Professor of Trumpet Andrew Cheetham will be featured on an arrangement of the jazz classic "All the Things You Are" that was originally written for trumpet great Bobby Shew.

 The EIU Jazz Ensemble is directed by Sam Fagaly. The group has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Ensemble and Solo Performance citations at the Notre Dame and Elmhurst College jazz festivals, as well as Downbeat magazine's prestigious "DB" award.

The band recently released a CD titled "Three O’Clock Downbeat," which will be available for purchase at the concert. The group has been featured at many conferences and festivals, including the Illinois Music Educators Association conference and the International Association for Jazz Educators convention.

Each year, the EIU Jazz Ensemble performs with special guest artists, which have included legendary figures such as Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie, Diane Schuur and Joe Williams.

Tickets -- $5 for the general public, and $3 for EIU employees, senior citizens and students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities.

Take a fresh look at a holiday favorite with "It's a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre," a staged production about four 1940s radio actors' presentation of the classic story.

Two performances are scheduled in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre on the Eastern Illinois University campus: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12.

The show, produced by the North Carolina Stage Company and Immediate Theatre Project, takes the audience back to the golden age of radio via the WVL studio's "live broadcast" of Frank Capra's beloved film.

When the “On Air” sign lights up, the heartwarming holiday classic comes to life through the bygone radio formula of a few hardworking actors, live sound effects and a listener’s imagination.

"It's a Wonderful Life" is the uplifting and bittersweet tale of George Bailey’s close call with death on Christmas Eve, of how important and special he is to all those around him, and what the world would have missed had he not been born. It’s a story about the people of Bedford Falls; about neighbors, friends and family; and about the difference one person makes in so many others’ lives.

The 1946 movie was nominated for five Academy Awards. The American Film Institute has ranked it as No. 11 in the list of the 100 best American films ever made, as well as naming it the most inspirational American film of all time.

"This pared-down stage version reminds us of everything we love about the movie," a reviewer wrote in the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. "The radio theater approach fits the period, and, far from distracting us, refreshes dialogue most viewers already know by heart. Portrayals are clear, earnest and deeply felt."

Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in person at the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events -- as well as a video clip of "It's a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre" -- please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The past few years have been exciting ones, politically, and national correspondent Dan Balz wants to talk about them.

"We've just been through a historic election, just two years after another historic election, and I want to use my time at Eastern Illinois University to talk about what we've been through and what the choices are for those in power in Washington for the next few years," he said.

Balz will present "What Next for Washington and the States" -- the sixth lecture in the Edgar Lecture Series at EIU - at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, in the Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

A reception will follow the presentation in the center's concourse. Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar who, along with his wife, Brenda, established the lecture series, is expected to attend both events.

"I know that Governor Edgar is deeply interested in the implications of these elections and of the economic recession on the states, and he knows that I spend some of my time paying attention to what governors are doing," Balz continued. "This was an especially significant election for the states because of the huge turnover in governors and the gains made by Republicans in state legislature. So I want to include some time to talk about that as well."

Balz said he got to know Edgar when he was governor.

"I usually try to attend the winter and summer meetings of the National Governors Association and use the time in part to get to know the politicians leading state governments. In that capacity, I interviewed Governor Edgar, as did my colleague David Broder, another student of the states, numerous times during his time in office. (I) always found (Edgar) to be candid, insightful and helpful, illuminating the challenges states were facing."

The Edgar Lecture Series, established in 2007, demonstrates a continuing support by the Edgars of their alma mater. The series allows the university to host two speakers a year -- one in the fall and one in the spring. Lectures are to focus primarily on state government and address current issues in state government and their historical implications.

The Edgars personally launched the series, with the former governor speaking in Fall 2007 and Mrs. Edgar taking her turn behind the lectern in Spring 2008.

Balz joined The Washington Post in 1978 and has been involved in the paper's political coverage as a reporter or editor ever since. In addition to his political reporting, he has served as the Post's national editor, covered the White House during the first Bush administration, and has written extensively about Congress.

The Freeport, Ill., native is also a regular panelist on PBS's "Washington Week," and has been a frequent guest on PBS's "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," NBC's "Meet the Press," CBS's "Face the Nation," and many other programs.

Balz is also co-author, with Haynes Johnson, of the best-selling book, "The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election," a narrative history of the 2008 campaign that includes behind-the-scene accounts of the campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain based on exclusive interviews with major participants.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra and Eastern Illinois University Choral Ensembles, along with special guests from Charleston High School, will present their "Holiday Concert" on Sunday, Dec. 5.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The Charleston High School Advanced Chorus, under the direction of Juliane Sharp, will join the choirs and orchestra on John Rutter’s "Gloria."

The program will also include Philip Lane's "Wassail Dances" ("Somerset Wassail," "Yorkshire Wassail" and "Gloustershire Wassail"), as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on Christmas Carols," with solos by baritone Jay Ivey and cellist Ka-Wai Yu, both EIU music faculty members.

Seating is reserved. Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Higher tuition rates will no longer be a deterrent for prospective out-of-state students wishing to attend Eastern Illinois University.

The EIU Board of Trustees on Friday approved a tuition rate change for all undergraduate students from the five states bordering Illinois - Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin - from three times the in-state rate to the in-state rate.

The change will take effect in Fall 2011.

Previously, Eastern assessed undergraduates from any state the in-state rate only if they met Honors College admissions standards.  That policy will continue.

However, in an effort to be more competitive for new students, EIU President Bill Perry on Friday recommended to trustees that the in-state tuition rate also be extended to all undergraduates in the five bordering states.

Similar moves have or are being considered by many other schools - both in and outside of Illinois -- in an effort to recruit more students.  This past year, for example, Indiana State University increased its applicant pool by 1,000 individuals due, in part, to offering Illinois applicants in-state tuition there.

"Clearly, we must do everything we can to increase the number of Illinois residents who apply to Eastern, but with out-of-state institutions becoming very aggressive in recruiting our students, we need to consider doing more," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Fall 2010 figures at EIU reflect an on-campus enrollment of 10,511 and an off-campus count of 1,119 for a total of 11,630.  A year ago, the number of students taking on- and off-campus classes was 10,788 and 1,178, respectively, for a total enrollment of 11,966 -- very near EIU's optimum enrollment of 12,000.

Eastern's current enrollment from the five bordering states includes Indiana, 45; Iowa, 7; Kentucky, 7; Missouri, 26 and Wisconsin, 18.

George Lesica, assistant to the dean of the EIU College of Sciences, and Linda Ghent, chair of the EIU economics department, have collaborated with a former colleague to create "The Economics of Seinfeld," a website that shows how "Seinfeld" clips can be used to illustrate economic principles.

For being about a show about nothing, an Eastern Illinois University professor's "Economics of Seinfeld" website sure is garnering a lot of attention.

The site -- www.YadaYadaYadaEcon.com -- describes how about 90 different "Seinfeld" clips can be used to illustrate economic principles. It is run by Linda S. Ghent, chair of the EIU economics department; George Lesica, assistant to the dean of the EIU College of Sciences; and Alan Grant, a former EIU economics faculty member who now teaches at Baker University.

"The Economics of Seinfeld" went online in the spring, but it was a talk Ghent gave at Berry College in October that started a media frenzy, after a professor there blogged about the site. The recent flurry of publicity -- including mentions on blogs on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Economist, as well as a short news story in the print edition of the New York Daily News -- has brought the site as many as 30,000 page views per day.

"Once the word started spreading, it spread like wildfire," Ghent said. "We've been contacted by a literary agent, so now we're going to write a book."

Ghent teaches an honors section of an EIU senior seminar course called Pop Culture Economics, in which she uses clips from many TV shows, including "Grey's Anatomy," "House," "Boston Legal" and "King of Queens." But "Seinfeld" is by far her favorite sitcom to use in class.

"I think the episodes are timeless," Ghent said of the series that ran from 1989 to 1998. "The students all know the show still. There's no other show out there that has the cult following but also can last throughout the ages.

"It's kind of neat to be able to show students that economics is everywhere, and it's not dry and boring. It's about decision-making and life."

The most popular "Seinfeld" clip among students is from the "Soup Nazi" episode, in which a soup counter owner demands that his customers follow strict ordering rules if they want to have the privilege of buying his soup.

The website explains how the episode illustrates two economic principles, barriers to entry and monopoly power: "The Soup Nazi makes delicious soup -- so good there's always a line outside his shop. He refuses service to Elaine, and by a stroke of luck she comes across his stash of soup recipes. She visits his shop and informs him that his soup monopoly is broken, while waving his recipes in his face. Also in this clip, George gets charged $2 for a roll that everyone else gets for free. This example of price discrimination shows that in order to charge different customers different prices, you must have market power."

Another well-known episode, "The Bottle Deposit," illustrates arbitrage, fixed costs, incentives and variable costs: "Kramer and Newman hatch a scheme to arbitrage bottles from New York, where the deposit is 5 cents, to Michigan, where the deposit is 10 cents. They can't figure out how to make the costs work; gas is too expensive (variable costs), and there's too much overhead (fixed costs of tolls, permits, etc.) with using a semi to haul the bottles in volume. Finally, they hatch a scheme to use a mail truck, which lowers their variable and fixed costs to zero."

And the subject of tipping gets its due in "The Calzone," which addresses altruism, incentives and utility: "George puts a dollar in the tip jar at the pizzeria, but the counterman's head was turned and he didn't see it. George laments that it cost him a dollar, but he got no credit for it. His altruism is not pure -- he gets utility not from giving, but from getting credit for giving."

The clips spark discussion among students, which is the whole point, Ghent said.

"The students can see the real-life application very quickly," she said. "They serve as wonderful examples of the material we're teaching, and the students remember it when they leave. In fact, they start looking for economics whenever they watch TV, which is great."

The community is invited to learn more about health topics and area health resources at the 13th annual Health Fair at Eastern Illinois University on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

The free event, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center, is to feature 65 vendors from EIU and the Charleston community. Door prizes will be awarded.

The Health Fair, sponsored by EIU's Health Service and Health Education Resource Center, provides an opportunity for vendors to raise awareness of their organizations, as well as an opportunity for attendees to gain a greater understanding of their personal health and where they can go to increase their health and wellness.

For more information, contact Catherine Bocke at herc-pr_marketing@eiu.edu or 217-581-7786, or see the website at http://eiu.edu/herc/healthfair.php.

Several guest artists, including the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra, will join the Eastern Symphony Orchestra for its "Ovations" concert at Eastern Illinois University on Sunday, Nov. 14.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

The Champaign-based East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra, directed by Kevin Kelly, is a program of The Conservatory of Central Illinois, the only not-for-profit community music school in downstate Illinois.

Three EIU music faculty members will perform solos: Rebecca Johnson, "Serenade for Strings" by Howard Hanson on flute; Magie Smith, "Concertino in E flat, opus 26" by Carl Weber on clarinet; and Anna Cromwell, "Move II" from Mozart’s "Violin Concerto #4 in D Major, K. 218" on violin.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Robert Rossi, will also be accompanied by student pianist Derek Maninfior on "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Sergei Rachmaninoff in memory of former EIU music faculty member W. David Hobbs.

Seating is reserved. Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Eastern Illinois University's Department of Theatre Arts will present "Translations," a hauntingly lyrical play that deals with many issues, including language's effect on the soul of a nation.

Performances are set for 7 p.m. Nov. 12, 13, 15 and 16, as well as 2 p.m. Nov. 14, in the Black Box Theatre of EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The play was written by Brian Friel, the acclaimed playwright of "Dancing at Lughnasa."

"Translations," set in 1833 Ireland, tells of the British army’s campaign to replace the native Gaelic with English. Against a beautiful backdrop, a British lieutenant sent to anglicize the country falls in love with an Irish girl, the language he is supposed to suppress, and Ireland itself.

EIU's production is directed by Jean Wolski, with set and light design by David Wolski. Elyse Waggoner, a student from Lawrenceville, is in charge of costume design, under the direction of EIU theatre arts professor Karen Eisenhour. Shelly Hanson, a student from Morris, is serving as dramaturg for the production under the supervision of theatre arts Associate Professor Christopher Mitchell, thanks to a grant from the Honors College.

Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Wind Symphony will salute past and present members of the U.S. armed forces with "A Call to Duty: A Veterans Day Tribute" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11.

All active-duty military members and veterans will be admitted free to the concert, which will be held in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

The Wind Symphony, conducted by Barry L. Houser, will perform several patriotic musical selections: "The Star Spangled Banner" by John Stafford Smith; "Early Light" by Carolyn Bremer; "Suite of Old American Dances" by Robert Russell Bennett; "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" by Claude T. Smith; "Duty, Honor, Country" by Harold Walters; "Armed Forces Salute" by Bob Lowden; "Battle Hymn of the Republic," arranged by Peter Wilhousky; and "The Stars and Striper Forever" by John Philip Sousa.

Tickets -- $5 for the general public; $3 for EIU employees, senior citizens and students -- may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.
The concert is presented by the EIU Department of Music.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

EIU graduate Tom Nevill performs with Tunkul Percusiones Mexico.

Tunkul Percusiones Mexico, a percussion ensemble that re-creates pre-Hispanic music with the help of an Eastern Illinois University alumnus, will perform at EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Nov. 9.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.

"The Charleston community will get a chance to experience a percussion performance focusing on the sounds and instruments of an ancient arts culture and heritage that will leave them wanting to hear more," said Tunkul member Tom Nevill, a 1998 graduate of EIU's music department.

Tunkul Percusiones Mexico began in 2005 as a project to research the instruments and traditions of music among the Mayan, Aztec and other pre-Hispanic cultures in the Mexico area (Mesoamerica).

"The instruments are modern recreations of the instruments that were thoroughly researched by (Tunkul director) David Lopez in the Mexico City library, based upon the drawings and detailed notes recorded by the Spanish conquerors," Nevill said.

The compositional work also follows criteria found through research to resemble the music of pre-Hispanic cultures.
Nevill, who has been a member of Tunkul for a year, said he enjoys the uniqueness of the group and the "incredible musicians" he gets to work with.

Nevill serves as assistant professor of music and director of percussion studies at The University of Texas at Brownsville, where he oversees all percussion activities. He said he looks forward to visiting his alma mater, where as a student he was involved with EIU's percussion ensemble, drumline and orchestra.

"My time at EIU provided the foundation of my academic, musical and professional life," Nevill said. "I am very excited about performing again at EIU and in the new Doudna Fine Arts Center. I have not had a chance to see the new facilities. I have heard so many great things about it."

After graduating from EIU, Nevill went on to earn a master’s degree in percussion performance and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is an active member of the Percussive Arts Society, for which he served as chair of the PAS Scholarly Research Committee from 2007 to 2009. He is active throughout the United States and Mexico as a performer, clinician, educator and scholar.

Tunkul Percusiones Mexico has performed concerts and presented lectures and clinics at universities, lecture series and festivals in the United States and Mexico.

Starting in September 2009, the group's music was used in the four-month exhibition "Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler" at the British Museum in London.

Tickets, which are $5 each, may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Eight local residents and Eastern Illinois University students have been selected to join Broadway stars and an all-star New York band on stage in the "100 Years of Broadway" concert at EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Singers auditioned for an opportunity to participate in the musical revue by recording videos of themselves singing show tunes and submitting them online.

"The production manager for the show said they had about 18 submissions from our region for the show, which is pretty high since they usually get an average of around 10," said Dwight Vaught, director of the Doudna Fine Arts Center. "He said the quality was also high, leading to a large number of selected entries."

One winner and seven runners-up were chosen.

The winner was Meg Borah, 18, of Charleston, who will sing a solo part in the show finale. She is a freshman at EIU, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences.

The runners-up, who will sing one chorus number with the five Broadway stars, included two local residents: Savannah Stowell, 13, of Charleston is a student at Charleston Middle School; Tracy Harpster, 36, a Neoga native who now lives in Mattoon, is pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing from EIU.

Five other EIU students were also chosen as runners-up: Mariam Amr, 21, of Normal, a senior majoring in communication disorders and sciences; Ashley McHugh, 22, of Roscoe, a senior majoring in music; Sarah Holman, 23, of Galesburg, a senior majoring in music; Ash Christine Elkins, 19, of Aurora, a sophomore majoring in journalism; and Jayna Evans, 18, of Homer Glen a freshman majoring in foreign languages who will be unable to perform due to a previous commitment.

"100 Years of Broadway" recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century, from brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics to thrilling numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the production is to feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, "Phantom of the Opera"), Ray McLeod (Wreck, "Wonderful Town"), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, "Cats"), Danny Zolli (Jesus, "Jesus Christ Superstar") and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, "Les Miserables"). The cast is subject to change based on Broadway and touring developments.

Tickets, which are $20 each, may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

"So we come together tonight, EIU family and friends, to put a stake in the ground, to make a statement. We say today, We will expect greatness of ourselves and our university.'"

With these words, Eastern Illinois University President Bill Perry on Friday officially ushered in the beginning of "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" - a university-wide capital campaign designed to raise $50 million for student, faculty, facility and program support.

"We make this statement in the context of a university that arose from humble beginnings, that from those beginnings has been the doorway to opportunity for generations of students, and continues today to be an engine of opportunity," Perry continued.

"This university sprang from prairie soil in a culture of rolled up sleeves and can do' attitude. As it evolved from the noble legacy of normal school to state college to state university, the roots of excellence, personal relationships, opportunity and service nourished a dynamic community of students, faculty and staff that has achieved at the highest level regardless of what challenges came our way."

Perry's remarks fell upon the ears of approximately 270 of Eastern's most generous alumni and friends, gathered on campus for an event coinciding with the university's 2010 Homecoming celebration.

Robert Martin, vice president for university advancement, explained that after months of planning, the campaign has now entered the public phase of the first comprehensive capital campaign ever conducted on the EIU campus.

"This is our first total university-wide approach, combining academics with athletics, to fundraising," he said.

However, there's more to "EI&U: The Campaign for Eastern" than just hoped-for funds.

"When universities launch campaigns, the focus is usually on the financial goals. But I believe that is short-sighted," Perry said. "This campaign lays a foundation for much more than the financial future of EIU. That is why we have three goals in this campaign: Develop more of the enduring relationships that are an EIU tradition, but must grow; develop more volunteers in support of EIU's programs; and, yes, achieve a significant monetary goal in support of students, faculty, programs, and facilities."

Julie Nimmons, campaign chairman and a member of EIU's Board of Trustees, also spoke at Friday's event.

"Through this campaign, you and I have an opportunity to change students' lives and help shape their dreams," she said. "By being a part of this campaign, you and I can continue to expect greatness of ourselves and demonstrate our appreciation to the university which impacted us."

Seventeen others - all alumni and/or friends of the university - join Nimmons, of Litchfield, on the campaign steering committee: Timothy and Vickie (Krupp) Burke, Evanston; Max and Mary Cougill, Charleston; Judy Ethell, Chesterfield, Mo.; Daryll Fletcher, Mundelein; Bob Glover, Chicago; Robert Ingram, Durham, N.C.; Charles Keller, Effingham; Jeffrey Knezovich, Naperville; Herbert and Lynnette Jane Lasky, Ashmore; Richard A. Lumpkin, Mattoon; Carl T. Mito, Arlington Heights; Tony Romo, Dallas, Texas; Paul Snyder, Oro Valley, Ariz.; and Charles W. Witters, Las Vegas, Nev.

Those wishing for more information on the campaign, or who wish to inquire about giving opportunities, should contact Karla Evans, director of EIU's Office of Philanthropy, at kjevans@eiu.edu , 217-581-3315.

Representatives from school districts throughout Illinois and beyond will be seeking new employees at the upcoming Fall Education Job Fair at Eastern Illinois University.

Anyone who is or will be qualified for the positions offered is invited to the free job fair, which is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, in the MLK Jr. Union's Grand Ballroom. It is sponsored by EIU Career Services.

School district representatives will be seeking candidates for teaching, administrative and support services positions. A list of participating schools and available jobs is available online at http://www.eiu.edu/careers/falleducationjobfair.php.

Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes. The website provides more tips for making the job fair a success.

For more information, contact Jennifer Peterson, career counselor/coordinator, at 581-7073 or japeterson@eiu.edu.

Linda Birnbaum

The nationally lauded director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program will visit Eastern Illinois University on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Linda Birnbaum will present a lecture on research, "A Good Start Lasts a Lifetime," at 2 p.m. in Lumpkin Auditorium (2030 Lumpkin Hall). The public is invited to attend.

Birnbaum will also meet with students and faculty throughout the day, and then serve as the keynote speaker for the EIU Women in Science and Mathematics "You Can Have It All" program for female EIU students.

This month, Birnbaum was elected to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, which is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. The honor recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

In 2009, Birnbaum began her tenure as the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' fifth director in its 43-year history. Birnbaum oversees a $730 million budget that funds multidisciplinary biomedical research programs, as well as prevention and intervention efforts that encompass training, education, technology transfer and community outreach.

The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease. NIEHS is located in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Birnbaum is also an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health, the Toxicology Curriculum, and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as well as in the Integrated Toxicology Program at Duke University.

Prior to her NIEHS appointment, she was a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she has served for 16 years as director of the Experimental Toxicology Division.

A native of New Jersey, Birnbaum earned her master's degree and doctorate in microbiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana. She is a board-certified toxicologist and has served as a federal scientist for nearly 29 years -- the first 10 of those at NIEHS -- first as a senior staff fellow at the NTP, then as a principal investigator and research microbiologist, and finally as a group leader for the Institute’s Chemical Disposition Group.

Birnbaum has received numerous awards, including the Women in Toxicology Elsevier Mentoring Award, the Society of Toxicology Public Communications Award, EPA’s Health Science Achievement Award and Diversity Leadership Award, and 12 Science and Technology Achievement Awards, which reflect the recommendations of EPA’s external Science Advisory Board, for specific publications.

The author of more than 600 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts and reports, Birnbaum’s research focuses on the pharmacokinetic behavior of environmental chemicals; mechanisms of actions of toxicants, including endocrine disruption; and linking of real-world exposures to effects.

A week-long series of events in celebration of Homecoming 2010 at Eastern Illinois University will culminate Saturday, Oct. 23, with a fun-filled day of activities and a visit from "The King."

Mattoon resident Scott Wattles, a.k.a. Elvis Presley, will serve as grand marshal for this year's parade, while dozens of floats, flatbeds and other entries reflect, too, this year's Las Vegas-based Homecoming theme of "EIU Bets on Blue."

Early risers can prepare for the day with a warm meal, courtesy of the Charleston Rotary Club and EIU. Serving for the 11th annual pancake breakfast will take place from 6:30 to (approximately) 11 a.m. in the parking lot of Domino's Pizza, located at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street. Prices are $6 for adults and $3 for children under 10. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, milk and coffee.

All proceeds from the breakfast will go to support local Rotary projects, including "I Like Me" books, presented to Charleston first-graders in order to promote reading skills and self-esteem. Each book is personalized with a student's name, their friends' names, teacher's name, etc., woven into the story.

With their appetites taken care of, individuals can then cheer on their favorite athletes as they participate in the 11th annual EIU/Charleston 2.5K (1.5-mile) Homecoming race, which begins at 9 a.m. Runners/walkers will begin at the corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue, make their way north on Seventh Street to the Charleston Square, then return to EIU's Old Main via Sixth Street.

The entry fee is $9. Awards will be presented, and McDonald's will provide gift packs (including food and drink) to all participants. Prizes will be given for best full-body costumes. (Anyone interested in participating should contact John Henry Pommier at 217-581-6597.)

For the second consecutive year, parade participants will experience a modification to the route traditionally used for years. Eastern's 2010 Homecoming parade begins at 9:30 a.m. As is customary, the parade will begin at the intersection of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue, travel north to Monroe Avenue, west on Monroe to Sixth Street, then south on Sixth.

Instead of ending at Old Main, however, parade participants will turn west onto Polk Avenue until they reach Division Street. Heading south on Division, they will cross Lincoln and head for Grant Avenue (a.k.a., Panther Way ), winding up at the tailgate area at O'Brien Stadium.

As the parade route includes Charleston's Morton Park, community members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for a safe and relaxing view of the parade. Family-oriented Homecoming activities will again be provided at the park, and will include a bounce house and EIU cutouts, perfect for photo ops!

The annual Homecoming football game, in which the EIU Panthers host Murray State, begins at 1:30 p.m.  Tickets may be purchased the day of the game at O'Brien Stadium at a cost of $15 for adults, $13 for EIU staff, $7 for high school students and $5 for children (ages 4 through middle school). EIU students will be admitted free with their Panther Card ID.

Football fans are invited to arrive early and show their Panther Pride at this year's Tent City/Billy's Backyard, where representatives and alumni from each of Eastern's colleges will be gathered to renew old friendships and begin new ones. The tailgating event, scheduled to officially begin at 11:30 a.m., will include a Kids' Zone, a Blue Zone, live entertainment, food and giveaways. Admission to these activities, taking place behind O'Brien Stadium, is open to all.

In total, more than 20 campus- and community-wide events have been planned for Homecoming Week (Oct. 18-23). Other events occurring this week include a pep rally from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, in McAfee Gym. Community members are invited to come and help cheer on the EIU Panthers. Admission is free.

For up-to-date information on all Homecoming events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/~hcevent.

A dazzling cast of five Broadway stars, accompanied by an all-star New York band, will bring Neil Berg's "100 Years of Broadway" to Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, Oct. 30.

The musical revue of Broadway's most celebrated shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

"100 Years of Broadway" recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century, from brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics to thrilling numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the production is to feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, "Phantom of the Opera"), Ray McLeod (Wreck, "Wonderful Town"), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, "Cats"), Danny Zolli (Jesus, "Jesus Christ Superstar") and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, "Les Miserables"). The cast is subject to change based on Broadway and touring developments.

In addition, local singers will have the opportunity to join the cast on stage. Video auditions were due Oct. 15; the winners are to be announced Oct. 22.

Tickets, which are $20 each, may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra's annual "Fright Night" concert, designed to appeal to kids of all ages, will feature exciting music and the ever-popular costume contest.

The concert is to begin at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall on the Eastern Illinois University campus.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Richard Robert Rossi, will present Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals," a 14-movement piece featuring various musical styles alluding to different animals.

Guest artists will include pianist Susan Teicher, an EIU faculty member with two degrees from The Julliard School and an elite performance history; pianist Sarah Todd, an EIU graduate student who is pursuing her second master's degree in music; and select members from the Urbana High School Orchestra, led by conductor Tamra Gingold. Narration will be provided by opera singer Jay Ivey, an EIU faculty member.

As always, children are encouraged to participate in the Halloween costume contest, which will be accompanied by the ESO's performance of John Williams' "Star Wars Medley," as well as Paul Dukas' "Sorceror's Apprentice," best known for its use in Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia."

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra is part of the EIU Department of Music.

Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for children and students. Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library invites all interested persons to the opening reception and program for the "Teachers Tame the Prairie: Vignettes of Eastern Illinois University and Education in Illinois" exhibition.

Activities will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the Booth Library West Reading Room.

Following opening remarks, Terry Barnhart and Charles Titus, professors of history, will present "The Coming of the Normal School: Vision and Mission in the Founding of Eastern Illinois University, 1895-1900" and "In Search of Eden: America's Endless Journey Toward School Reform," respectively, at 7:30 p.m. in the adjacent Reference West Reading Room. Light refreshments will be served.

The exhibit, created by the faculty and staff of Booth Library, provides a historical look at the training of teachers and Normal schools in Illinois, including an overview of school life in Illinois. Programming related to this exhibition is being offered during October and November 2010 to coincide with the reaccreditation visit of Eastern's College of Education and Professional Studies by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

In addition to the wealth of information gleaned from the materials housed in University Archives and Special Collections, the project also involves Illinois residents who are providing stories and artifacts related to their school experience. Although the history of Eastern and its training schools will be featured, education at all levels from around the state will be included.

This exhibition will be on display in the Marvin Foyer of Booth Library from Oct. 12 through Dec. 10, during regular library hours.

The Eastern Illinois University Department of Theatre Arts will open its season with "Urinetown: The Musical," an irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny.

"Urinetown" will be presented in The Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Building at 7 p.m. Oct. 15, 16, 18 and 19, as well as 2 p.m. Oct. 17.

Produced in collaboration with the Department of Music and directed by new theatre arts faculty member Jeffrey Tangeman, the production features musical direction by music faculty member Jay Ivey and choreography by Charleston native Allison Fischer.

"Urinetown" tells a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom.

"Urinetown" was inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Music and lyrics were written by Illinois native Mark Hollman, with Greg Kotis writing the book and lyrics.

Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for EIU employees and senior citizens, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Choral Ensembles and Collegium Musicum will perform music by English, French, German, Italian and American composers in the annual "Cathedrals, Castles and Colonies" concert on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The concert is to begin at 4 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

Performances will feature the EIU Concert Choir and Camerata Singers, under the direction of Richard Robert Rossi, now in his 11th season as EIU's director of choral activities; and the University Mixed Chorus, under the direction of new faculty member Janet McCumber, who received her Master of Arts in music from EIU in May.

The ensembles will perform a wide array of musical selections from early classics to contemporary works.

The Concert Choir will present the world premiere of Rossi's arrangement of "Ave Maria." The program will also include "Somebody’s Coming" by Dello Joio; "Speak to One Another" by Berger; "If Music Be the Food of Love" by Dickau; and "Ain’-a That Good News," arranged by Dawson.

The Camerata Singers will be accompanied by the Sinfonia string ensemble (faculty members Anna Cromwell on violin and Ka-Wai Yu on cello, as well as students Rory Mott on violin and Dylan Cain on viola). Selections will include "Heilig ist Der Herr (Holy is the Lord)" by Hammerschmidt; "Domine, Ad Adjuvandum Me Festina (Lord, My God, Assist Me Now)" by Martini; and "Ave Maria" in plainchant.

General admission tickets -- $5 each, or $3 for EIU employees, senior citizens and students -- may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Local singers will have the opportunity to join five Broadway stars and an all-star New York band on stage in "Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway" concert at Eastern Illinois University next month.

Up to two winners and up to 10 runners-up will be selected by the show's panel of industry experts, including producers, singers, managers and Neil Berg himself, to sing during the show, which will be held in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30.

Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the production is to feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, "Phantom of the Opera"), Ray McLeod (Wreck, "Wonderful Town"), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, "Cats"), Danny Zolli (Jesus, "Jesus Christ Superstar") and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, "Les Miserables"). The cast is subject to change based on Broadway and touring developments.

To audition, each contestant should upload a 90- to-120-second video clip of him/her singing a Broadway favorite to YouTube, MySpace or Facebook, and then submit the audition using the online form at http://www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com/event.php?event=20101030A by 4 p.m. (Central time) Oct. 15.

Entrants must be at least 13 years old. Winners will be announced on Oct. 22. Winners will be notified by e-mail or phone.

Those submitting audition videos should review the submission guidelines and rules online at www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com. More information is available by calling the Doudna Fine Arts Center at 217-581-3110.

Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The EIU Jazz Ensemble and EIU Wind Symphony will present “Life in the Groove: The Influence of Jazz” during Eastern Illinois University's Family Weekend on Friday, Oct. 1.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall. General admission tickets are $5, or $3 for EIU employees, senior citizens and students.

The EIU Wind Symphony, conducted by Barry L. Houser, will perform David Holsinger's "Scootin' On Hardrock"; "Blackbird" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, arranged by jazz pianist Shelly Berg; and "Niagara Falls," a musical journey taking you through and down the famous waterfalls, by award-winning composer Michael Daugherty.

Joining the Wind Symphony will be faculty jazz pianist Paul Johnston, as well as students Jesse Farrar (upright bass) and Jamie Mauck (drum set).

The EIU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Sam Fagaly, will present a variety of jazz featuring several excellent student soloists.
Both ensembles are part of the EIU music department.

Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Continuing its tradition of bringing world events closer to the campus of Eastern Illinois University, the EIU Public Policy Institute is planning yet another international forum.

Policy makers and other experts will discuss war and peace in the Asia-Pacific region during a half-day event that is to include a keynote address, two panel discussions and a public reception. Activities are scheduled to take place Thursday, Sept. 30.

Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, will present the forum's keynote address from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall, located in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Burghardt, who is involved in the organization of the 2011 APEC Summit taking place in Honolulu, will offer some facts concerning the conference, including the significance of the event, as part of his remarks. He also plans to discuss security issues involving the entire Asia-Pacific region.

He assumed his current post at the American Institute in Taiwan - a corporation created by the U.S. government to manage U.S.-Taiwan relations -- in 2005, having first been appointed by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and reappointed by Hillary Clinton. Previously, among many other posts during his career, Burghardt served as special assistant to President Ronald Reagan for Latin American affairs, and minister (deputy chief) to the U.S. Embassy in both Seoul, Korea, and Manila, Philippines.

Earlier, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., respectively, panelists will discuss " Perilous Strait : Continuing Taiwan-China Crisis" and "Security and Economic Development in Asia " in the Charleston/Mattoon Room (third floor) of Eastern's MLK Jr. Union.

Participants are to include Charles Salmon Jr., foreign policy director of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies of the U.S. Pacific Command; Perry Shen, Taiwan consul general in Chicago; and scholars from regional universities.

Immediately following the second discussion, EIU President Bill Perry will host a public reception for EIU guests from 5 to 5:45 p.m. in Seventh Street Underground, located in the lower level of the MLK Jr. Union (east wing).

Admission to all events is free and open to the public.

When traditional therapies did not work for her son with autism, Elaine Hall turned to the arts.

Hall, a professional acting coach, introduced actors, musicians and writers to her son's "isolated autistic world."  The results changed not only the life of her son, Neal, but those of other children throughout the whole world.

Hall, now the subject of the two-time Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary "Autism:  The Musical," is scheduled to present a multi-media lecture to discuss her discoveries and the subsequent founding of a theater arts program, The Miracle Project, that helps children of all abilities.

"Using Creativity and Joy to Bring Out the Best in All Children" will be presented from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Grand Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union, on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.  Admission is free and open to the public.

According to Jean Smitley, an associate professor in EIU's Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, the number of children diagnosed with autism has "increased 10-fold in the past 20 years.  And the severity varies from child to child.

"Parents are looking at different therapies to see what works best for their child," she added.

Smitley noted that Hall's lecture will present something of interest for "families with children who have autism, as well as for therapists, doctors, teachers, social workers and other professionals, and as well as actors.  And anybody else who may be interested in learning more about autism and ways to integrate creative drama into a child's life."

Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hall's Miracle Project is a theater and film arts program for children with special needs and their typically developing siblings and peers.  The project's mission is to "provide a loving, accepting nurturing environment which celebrates and honors the unique and often unrecognized talents of these young people by guiding them through creative workshops and artistic programs."

Her EIU lecture will include a multi-media presentation of techniques used to develop abstract thinking, communication, self-expression, self-regulation, friendships and body awareness in children, including those with autism and other developmental disorders.

Leadership training, self-advocacy and low-cost interventions will be discussed, as well as how to rally community support for creative interventions and socialization programs.

Hall, who presents workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada, has written and directed more than 30 children's plays.  She's been honored by the Autism Society of Los Angeles, Autism Speaks, Areva Martin's Special Needs Network, and Holly Robinson Peete's HollyRod Foundation, among others.

She serves on the L.A. Senate Select Task Force on Autism, and spoke at the United Nations. She created and directs an arts enrichment program and a Bar/Bat Mitzvah program for children with autism at Vista Del Mar, in Los Angeles.  She is also the author of "Now I See the Moon:  A Mother, A Son, A Miracle."

In conjunction with Hall's lecture, EIU is offering a free viewing of "Autism:  The Musical," from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall.

"Autism: The Musical" follows Hall, five autistic children and their parents as they "improbably, heroically mount a full-length original stage production. Through trial and error, tears and laughter, these incredible families learn to communicate their feelings in song and performance, finding solace and joy in the act of creating."

Co-sponsors of Hall's visit on the EIU campus are the College of Arts and Humanities; the College of Education and Professional Studies; the College of Sciences; the Departments of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Special Education, Psychology and Theatre Arts; the School of Continuing Education; the Graduate School; and the Coles County Arts Council.

In addition to her EIU appearance, Hall will be the guest of honor at a meet-and-greet book signing from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. Sept. 30 at the LifeSpan Center, 11021 E. County Road 800 North.

A reception/open house will take place, also, from 8:45 to 10 p.m. that same day at the Charleston Transitional Facility, 689 Castle Drive (Northwest Business Park), in Charleston.

Mahyar Izadi has been named interim dean of Eastern Illinois University's Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, effective Oct. 1.

Izadi, who arrived at Eastern in 1984 and currently serves as chair of the School of Technology, replaces Diane Hoadley, who recently accepted the role of dean of the College of Business at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.

"Dr. Izadi has a lengthy and proven record of leadership as chair of the School of Technology, and he understands well the varied mission of the Lumpkin College. He is well qualified to lead the college in achieving its mission during the coming year," said EIU Provost Blair Lord.

Izadi was chosen following an internal search in which university faculty/staff members were encouraged to participate by submitting comments and feedback. EIU President Bill Perry said he was satisfied with the process that resulted in two "very strong candidates" for the interim position.

"I was very pleased with the meetings we had with faculty and staff and with the information we gathered as to what they believed to be the most important attributes of an acting dean," Perry said. "In addition, I received input via e-mail and regular mail regarding the candidates."

For the past 11 years, Izadi has served as chair of Eastern's School of Technology, with the number of faculty and students in that area nearly doubling during his tenure. Previously, he served as coordinator of the Industrial Technology Program.

Izadi has extensive background in developing lasting relationships with Illinois community colleges, international partners, and the business and industry community. He served as president of the university and research divisions of the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering. He also served as the team chair for nine out of 13 ATMAE accreditation visits to colleges and universities.

"It is truly an honor for me to serve the entire faculty, staff and students of the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences," he said of his new appointment. "LCBAS is well known for its quality of academic programs, research and units that provide public service. During the next several months, I plan to work very closely with the Schools of Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Technology, and the Department of Military Science, on their respective accreditation, curriculum development and fundraising issues."

With the appointment of Izadi complete, Lord will now turn his attention toward the naming of an interim chair for the School of Technology and beginning the search for a permanent dean for LCBAS -- a process he expects to begin this fall. Lord said he hopes to have a permanent dean in place on or near July 1, 2011.

Tickets are still available for Eastern Illinois University's 2010 Family Weekend concert, featuring '70s' funk legends Kool & The Gang.

Tickets for the performance, set to begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in Lantz Arena, are $20. (Doors open at 7 p.m.) All seats reserved.

Tickets may be purchased between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays through the MLK Jr. Union Ticket Office, located on the second floor, west wing. For information/credit card orders, phone 217-581-5122.

Tickets may also be purchased online. (Please see here.)

Any unsold tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert.

Kool & The Gang has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide. With songs like "Celebration," "Cherish," "Jungle Boogie," "Summer Madness," "Get Down On It" and "Joanna," they've earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums.

Kool & The Gang has performed continuously for the past 35 years, longer than any R&B group in history.

Tito Puente Jr.

Tito Puente Jr. will pay tribute to his famous father's Latin music legacy when he brings his high-voltage show to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Tito Puente Jr. and His Latin Big Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, in Dvorak Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for seniors and EIU employees, and $7 for students.

The younger Puente is passionate about not only his own rhythm-filled Latin jazz and mambo music, but also about carrying on the musical legacy left by his late father.

"He was just too vibrant, too exciting," Puente Jr. said. "There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy, all over the world. My goal is to keep it alive, and in doing so, expose it to a whole new generation."

Puente Jr., who provided a tribute to his father's music in the NBC special "The Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem," reveres his father's lasting musical contributions.

"People who don't know anything about Latin music know my father and people always, always smile when they say his name," he said. "That is a very special gift, and it inspires and motivates me to bring his music to the world."

His 2004 album, "In My Father’s Shoes," featured classic Puente titles. It led to a BET Jazz television special of the same name.

His new CD, "Got Mambo?" is a mixture of the old and the new. It features several guest artists, including Bobby Cruz and Hansel & Raul.

Puente Jr. was the premiere act opening The Latin Quarter of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, and the demand for tickets kept him there for 10 weeks. He's played to sell-out audiences at numerous Harrah's Resort Casinos, including those in San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The concert is being presented in partnership with the EIU Latin American Heritage Month Committee.

Tickets may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Fall 2010 enrollment numbers at Eastern Illinois University seem to further suggest that the economy is keeping students close to home - at least for the first two years of their higher education.

"We know that economic conditions are making it difficult for some families to afford to send their children to a university," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "More and more students are beginning their college careers by attending their local community colleges and taking the general education courses that will later be required of them to graduate from a university such as Eastern.

"And because Eastern is a transfer-friendly institution, we know we will be seeing many of these young men and women as they enter their junior years," Lord continued.

It seems that this trend might already have begun.

Enrollment numbers reflect an on-campus enrollment of 10,511 and an off-campus count of 1,119 for a total of 11,630. A year ago, the number of students taking on- and off-campus classes was 10,788 and 1,178, respectively, for a total enrollment of 11,966.

A breakdown of Eastern's 9,970 undergraduate students (down from 10,225 last year) is as follows (with Fall 2009 figures in parentheses): freshmen, 2,262 (2,475); sophomores, 1,908 (2,055); juniors, 2,551 (2,456); and seniors, 3,249 (3,239). The number of new transfer students rose from 1,113 in Fall 2009 to 1,147.

Graduate students number 1,660, a decrease from last year's 1,741. Female students again outnumber male students - 6,780 to 4,850.

EIU officials are pleased that minority student enrollment continues to be strong (1,922 this year, up from 1,783 in Fall 2009). Numbers reflect the following: black, 1,382 (1,280); Hispanic, 342 (316); Asian/Pacific Islander, 137 (134); and American Indiana/Alaskan Native, 61 (53).

Minority students now make up 16.52 percent of total enrollment, up from 14.90 percent in 2009.

"We're very pleased with the diversity of our student population," Lord said. "It affects not only the Eastern Illinois University campus, but the Charleston community as a whole, in a very positive way."

In addition, the number of international students attending the university rose to 152 - an increase from 134 in Fall 2009.

Today, I am making a few remarks about the state of the university. At the three-year mark in my service to EIU, such remarks seem timely.

The overall academic quality of the institution is strong. Our disciplinary program reviews are consistently excellent and complimentary of our faculty qualifications, academic standards, and plans for progress. Because of demand, we are a selective institution at the undergraduate and graduate level, with more demand for admission than capacity. Our faculty are competitive for external funding of research, publish in respected university presses and other venues, and are recognized nationally and internationally. The quality of our faculty appointments is excellent, and the quality of our successful tenure candidates is superior. Our tenure-track and tenured faculty appointees have their terminal degrees from Research One universities recognized for their research program quality. We are able to attract and hire a strong, diverse faculty because of the quality of our existing faculty, the maintenance of a dynamic community of scholars, and a teaching environment of small classes and personal interaction with students.

Student recruitment and retention strategies are successful; we consistently attract more applicants than we can accept. We accept approximately 70 percent of our undergraduate applicants. We continue to purposefully recruit first-generation college students at the undergraduate level. The percentage of first-generation students is just under 40 percent. We honor our heritage of being a university of opportunity for our citizens. Our degree programs offered through our School of Continuing Education offer access to non-traditional-age students and continue to grow in semester credit hours generated. Overall, our headcount target enrollment remains at 12,000 for the fall semester. We have come within 40 of that number for Fall 2008 and Fall 2009. Final Fall 2010 numbers are not in yet, but new international student enrollment is up at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Transfer enrollment is up. New freshman enrollment is down. Our efforts to build diverse applicant pools at the undergraduate level are succeeding. As a result, the diversity of our student body has increased to 15 percent. Our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate is 79 prcent. This is very good, but we wish to increase it to 85 percent. We must redouble our efforts in recruitment and retention, especially in light of the growing percentage of our budget that tuition income represents.

Our academic program offerings are stable in number. There is demand from our students for all majors. The B.S. in Nursing program is fully operational. In order to meet the market demand for delivery, we have made this program feasible online. A significant change for us is, as demand for online courses in our BGS and OPD programs has been met, that it is now possible for those programs to be completed entirely online. We continue to develop minors and options that are responsive to advances in academic disciplines and changes in professional practice and expectations. Looking to the future, we see the potential for interdisciplinary studies in certain areas, such as ethics, humanities, autism, and energy. Campus-wide discussions on integrative learning, the umbrella under which our effort to be the best in the nation at integrating the academic and personal development of our students is based, have been fruitful.

Student outcomes for retention and graduation are above average, but we must improve. A robust future of our university depends on strong enrollment, which in turn depends on recruitment and retention. Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Survey of Collegiate Learning Assessment are positive with respect to our students' interactions with faculty and the rigor our faculty require. Seventy-nine percent of our first-year students believe EIU has a substantial commitment to their academic success. That percentage needs to be higher. Long-term success in retention will be driven by improvement in integrative learning, specific programs in the Student Success Center , and continuing improvement in the first-year experience. (Eastern Reads and PROWL are excellent examples.)

EIU is financially very well managed. Externally-based evidence of this includes a strong rating from Moody's that resulted in our ability to finance our Renewable Energy Center project and external audits with no substantial findings regarding financial status. Further evidence is in our series of balanced budgets and low debt profile. The status of Illinois' state budget had a negative impact on our cash flow in Fiscal Year 2010, but we passed that "stress test." We are likely to have another such test next spring. We have seen a Fiscal Year 2011 6+ percent cut in our state general revenue funding. Although a cut of that magnitude ($3 million) is being managed, it will exacerbate the cash flow situation likely for Spring 2011, and it will have an impact on the institution's expenditures in personnel and operations. Fiscal Year 2012 is a real question mark, but likely will bring further cuts. These developments mean that we must optimize our programs with those resources we raise. These developments also mean that we must secure our enrollment at sustainable levels. In part this means we will need to redouble our efforts in recruitment and retention.

In the last two fiscal years, we have allocated resources in alignment with the institutional priorities announced in Spring 2008 after extensive consultation in Fall 2007. The returns on these investments have included an increase in faculty-mentored graduate and undergraduate research; an increase in Study Abroad participation; creation of the Office of Student Community Service, which has increased our service profile and enhanced community relations; enhanced programming for the Doudna Fine Arts Center and increased arts outreach; increased marketing analysis and placement; a successful silent phase of the Campaign for Eastern; increased numbers of alumni who give; and a commitment to sustainability resulting in a renewable energy-fueled steam plant to be completed in 2011.

Our students have positive impressions of EIU. Data from the NSSE and the CLA indicate strong student satisfaction. Our students find the university academically challenging, with the university committed to their academic success. Seventy-one percent of graduating seniors indicated they had participated in an integrative learning experience. There are some areas where the data indicate we need improvement. For example, slightly more than half of graduating seniors interviewed had not attended a single cultural event at the Doudna Fine Arts Center. Later this semester, the overall data will be presented by the provost at a Faculty Senate meeting, and then more broadly. I would add that we would not as a university have the ability to significantly address deferred maintenance in our physical science and life sciences buildings and plan for a new science facility were it not for the Student Government's resolve in endorsing a multi-step fee increase. As I mentioned earlier, student support with the General Assembly was crucial in the successful steam plant replacement with the Renewable Energy Center.

Relationships with the region and community are very good. A prime example of this is the development of the Renewable Energy Center. The first conceptual drawings drew great concern from the neighborhoods near our chosen location. Through a series of community meetings, we elicited the specific concerns, reported back on the changes we could make, and changed the exterior design. There were no objections that limited our ability to get permission from the General Assembly for the project. Community relationships are built and are being built by multiple means: the President's Cabinet (created by President Hencken); the Effingham Forum (initiated Fall 2009); a Tuscola Forum (first meeting Spring 2010); Regional Biomass Initiative (first meeting Spring 2010); Regional Energy Group (first meeting Spring 2010); participation on the boards of Coles Together, Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital, and Chamber of Commerce; and the Good Neighbor Initiative. In addition, the community service performed by EIU faculty and staff creates great good will. University initiatives of the Business Solutions Center connect with small business in the region. We have representation on the East Central Illinois Development Corporation. Our Office of Student Community Service has facilitated service in the Mattoon and Charleston communities and more widely. We administer the Peace Meal Grant, which is a service-oriented grant, delivering meals to shut-ins in the region. A recent editorial in the Journal Gazette/Time Courier was laudatory of the impact of student service in the community.

Media relations have been very satisfactory. Coverage has generally been positive, although last year's tuition increase resulted in a negative editorial. Community service performed by EIU students results in positive coverage. The special section of the paper on faculty research was a welcome recognition of the intellectual vitality of our faculty; space limitations meant only a tip of the iceberg could be represented.

The EIU Alumni Association supports the university with scholarships, alumni events, expanding annual giving, and teamwork on the Campaign for Eastern. The EIU Foundation manages gifts to the university, provides Neal Welcome Center space for philanthropic and other university functions, and works with the university to achieve important philanthropic objectives. One example of this was working with the university to explore the possibility of placing electricity-producing wind turbines on land given to the EIU Foundation. Although we did not elect to place wind turbines at this time because of cost, the feasibility of producing even more renewable electric energy for campus was made possible by this collaborative spirit.

Although much more time could be spent reviewing achievements and current status, I want to mention some developments that indicate great momentum for EIU going forward:

•  We can reduce deferred maintenance in the Physical Science and Life Sciences buildings by half over the next four years.

•  We are completing a Campus Master Plan update, designed to support integrative learning and sustainability, which includes a long-needed new science facility.

•  We have numerous research, teaching, and public service opportunities and partnerships related to the Renewable Energy Center. We should be among the first universities to have a research biomass gasifier and commercial biomass gasifier availability for biomass fuel gasification analysis.

•  Our Regional Biomass Initiative will enhance economic development in our region and possibly provide local biomass for the fuel stock for our Renewable Energy Center.

•  The Campaign for Eastern will provide support for faculty, students, and programs. The silent phase has been very successful, and the kickoff and public announcement of our goal will occur in October.

•  Alumni support continues to grow. Counter to national trends, the number of our alumni who give to EIU has increased.

From a position of strength and positive short-term prospects, we must plan for the long-term future of the university.

We have always been a place of opportunity, and we must remain so. We are at a time in our history that, regardless of the reasons for it, tuition has increased and the affordability of an Eastern Illinois University education is a crucial issue to be addressed. Even though among Midwest master's institutions, our graduates have the second-lowest debt, we mustn't ignore the facts: the median income of a one-earner household in Illinois in 2008 was approximately $46,000 and our tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board total $18,240 for our entering freshmen this fall. I believe the trajectory of increasing tuition and stagnant state funding is unsustainable for us as an institution of access. Therefore, late this fall we will begin a planning process focused on building a sustainable academic and financial environment for Eastern; an environment that gratefully acknowledges state support, but focuses on self reliance and discipline to keep the promise of public higher education a real one for future generations. Participation in the planning process will be wide and deep. More details will follow this fall.

I am proud to be serving you as president. Together, we are continuing and enhancing a legacy of excellence, personal relationships, opportunity and service for EIU with everything we do as faculty and staff. Just as we now hear from alumni who are deeply grateful for their experience at Eastern, most often strongly influenced by memories of our demands for excellence and of abiding personal relationships with faculty and staff, we must assure that the alumni who are graduating now hold for years to come that same deep affection for EIU. The faculty and staff who serve in our stead in future generations will prosper from our legacy of service, just as we do now from the legacy of those who served before us. Let us expect greatness of ourselves and our students in ensuring an enduring university of excellence for service to the highest ideals of higher education. Should we meet self-imposed high expectations, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

Thank you.

Community residents are invited to join Eastern Illinois University students, faculty and staff in celebrating a milestone for the institution's Textbook Rental Service.

A short ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at the TRS' newly constructed home, located at 975 Edgar Drive, just east of Carman Hall.

"The building's already seen a lot of activity," said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs.  "Thousands of our students have visited there during the past two weeks to pick up textbooks for the Fall 2010 semester.

"We just wanted to officially commemorate, and celebrate, the occasion with something a little more formal," he added.

Groundbreaking for the 19,200-square-foot facility, equipped to house approximately 220,000 textbook volumes supporting the university's academic programs, took place in Fall 2008.  The finished structure houses a loading dock, a receiving area, a workroom and staff offices.

It also includes an automated inventory system; off-street parking; space for students to stand in line inside, instead of outside, as was necessary at the previous location; a 24-hour drop box; and a multitude of energy conservation measures.

The automated inventory system is the first of its kind in the country. To obtain books, a student simply swipes his EIU-issued identity card (Panther Card) to get a printout of books needed, finds the books in the stacks, and then places them on an electronic check-out pad that reads radio-frequency tags to verify that the correct books have been chosen. To return books, students can either use the self-check-in stations inside the facility or an exterior book drop.

Much of the cost of the $4.3 million project will be paid for through a $1-per-credit-hour increase in EIU students' Textbook Rental Service fee - an increase approved by the Board of Trustees with EIU student support.

The history of Eastern's Textbook Rental Service began with the opening of the university in 1899. Students paid $1 for the benefit of being able to rent, rather than purchase, the books they would need for their classes.

The service originally was housed in Old Main. The move to its most recent past location -- Pemberton Hall -- took place in 1969.  By then, the university had two new gymnasiums; there was no longer a need for the much smaller 'crackerbox' gymnasium located in Pemberton Hall, so textbooks took over the space once used by school athletes.

Other than being temporarily housed in Buzzard Hall while some renovation work was taking place (circa 1980), the service remained in Pemberton Hall until the most recent move in the spring and summer of this year.

EIU's Textbook Rental Service currently reports an inventory of 220,000 volumes worth nearly $8 million.  Some of those volumes -- time-honored novels, for example, as those used in English classes -- have been around for decades. Many others -- some costing upwards of $200 each -- need to be updated much more frequently.

On average, EIU students save $600 to $800 annually by renting, rather than buying, their textbooks.

Over the past century, our students have saved literally tens of thousands of dollars by having the opportunity to rent, rather than buy, the textbooks required of them for their classes," Nadler said.  "Students and parents alike have told us over and over again how much they appreciate the convenience and, especially, the cost savings." 

See related story here.

Priding itself for being ecologically responsible, Eastern Illinois University always thinks "green" before renovating or building on its campus.

"Our energy conservation is the best in the state, and compared to other campuses our size, we're one of the best in the entire country," said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs. "And we intend to stay that way."

EIU officials believe the institution's new Textbook Rental Service facility will help that effort along.

In addition to conservative measures which include high efficiency lighting, occupancy sensors, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, white roof and reflective paving to reduce heat island effect, and polished concrete floors, the 19,200-square-foot facility includes sustainable features such as geothermal wells for a ground source heat pump heating and cooling system.

According to Nadler, the geothermal system involves several deep holes in the ground underneath the building. Heat from the earth will be utilized, reducing energy use by an estimated 25 percent.

"The facility is definitely in line with Eastern's values on sustainability and in line with our students' desire to be as green as we can possibly be," Nadler said. "It is a facility to be proud of."

Thinking "green" paid off in a more tangible way, as well.

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, based in Chicago, awarded Eastern a grant totaling $24,240 to help offset the cost of the geothermal system in its Textbook Rental Service facility.  Three years earlier, the foundation awarded the university a similar amount for lighting upgrades.

The foundation annually funds projects in three core areas: improving energy efficiency, developing renewable energy resources, and preserving and enhancing natural areas and wildlife habitat throughout the state.

The energy efficiency grant program, however, accounts for the largest share of grants awarded. Funded projects yield substantial savings each year for Illinois schools, libraries, community centers and local governments.

"We certainly have appreciated the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation's support over the years, and consider the foundation a partner in our collective efforts to make Illinois one of the 'greenest' states in the nation," Nadler said.

Eastern Illinois University students fortunate enough to have Cameron Craig as a teacher should thank “Grandma Robinson” for the pleasure.

“She’s the one who opened my eyes to the fact that there’s much more to my life than music,” the geographer/climatologist/musician/historian/etc., said. “She’s also the one who taught me that there’s no such word as 'can’t.'”

And now Craig’s on a mission to pass that same message on to others.

As EIU’s 2010-11 Faculty Laureate -- an honor presented to him by the Council on Academic Affairs -- he will reach out to an even larger audience than usual during this coming academic year. As the university’s official spokesperson on the importance of a general/liberal education, he will deliver the keynote address at the 2010 Convocation, a welcoming ceremony for incoming students.

The event is set to begin at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20.

As he speaks to Eastern’s newest students, Craig will likely be recalling his own undergraduate years when things didn’t go exactly as planned. He spent the first three years at Indiana State as a music major. But something, he said, “just didn’t feel right.”

He ultimately received a bachelor’s degree in history, followed four years later with a master’s degree in geography. Craig is currently a geographer/climatologist in EIU’s Department of Geology/Geography. In addition, oversees students in the broadcast meteorology minor and collaborates with WEIU-TV's “News Watch” as a meteorological consultant.

He is also founder and director of the EIU WeatherCenter that provides meteorological and climatological data to the public, researchers and students.

In 2006, Craig founded Tempestas et Caelum Productions, providing a creative outlet for students in broadcast meteorology, geography, geology, history and other fields in producing, filming and directing documentary films. Most recently, he and three EIU students headed to Grand Isle, La., and Mobile Bay area, Ala., to document the impact the Gulf oil spill has had on humanity. The project focuses on the personal stories of residents impacted by the oil spill that occurred on April 20.

Craig won’t say he wants all students to choose science as a career. He does, however, want to increase students’ awareness and understanding, allowing all to recognize how science affects their everyday lives.

“When students come in to my Weather and Climate class (a general education class designed for all majors), I ask them, ‘Who likes science?’ And a handful out of 100 will raise their hands,” Craig said. “Then I ask, ‘Who doesn’t like science?’ The majority put their hands up.

“I tell them, ‘My job here is to get you to love science.”

The trick, he continued, is to “relate the material to the students’ level. You have to make it relate to them.” Nearing 40, Craig is a young, energetic faculty member who says he “finds ways as I go along” to get his message across.

“I like spontaneous communication,” he said, noting that he begins his lectures with basic outlines. “But then I use whatever is out there at the time to find a way to make that information understood.”

A recycling bin full of newspapers, for example, can become a quick classroom tool to explain density. Or a table top will become Craig’s dance floor as he leads his (sometimes dubious) students in an impromptu memory exercise that will help them remember test-worthy material.

“I tell the class to stand up, that we’re going to dance. And I can see them – especially the guys -- looking at each other and saying, ‘Hey, man… I don’t dance.

“At first, they think I’m crazy,” Craig continued. “But I say, ‘Yes, I’m a dork. But follow along with me and I think you’ll learn this stuff.’”

It’s always fun come test time, Craig said, chuckling, because he’ll see students sitting at their desks, subtly and quietly performing the dance’s hand moves in order to recall the material needed to answer written questions.

"I try to make learning fun and exciting. And yes, I may sometimes get overly enthusiastic,” Craig said. “But even though some might find my ways to be a bit unorthodox, they are effective.”

More on Cameron Craig can be found on his EIU website (http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cdcraig).

Michael S. Maurer, who begins his new role as Eastern Illinois University's director of planning, budget and institutional research this week, is happy to be returning to the Midwest where he was "born and bred."

After years of working in California, Nevada and abroad, he welcomes the opportunity to once again live near his parents and other family members, two of whom - a sister and brother-in-law - are also employed at EIU.

He even looks forward to the "really great opportunity" of helping to guide Eastern through its state-related financial struggles.

"I like the idea of immersing myself into a significant challenge," he said.

Maurer's hiring completes the merger of two EIU offices - the Budget Office and the Office of Planning and Institutional Studies, each of which previously had its own director, said William Weber, vice president for business affairs.

As PBIR director, Maurer will, in part, coordinate Eastern's planning, budgeting and institutional reporting processes, including the preparation and review of operating and capital budget requests and institutional reporting requirements for the Board of Trustees, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the General Assembly.

Most recently, Maurer served as director of internal controls and accountability at the University of California, San Francisco, and was responsible for risk assessment and the monitoring/development of internal controls for the $3 billion educational and research institution with more than 22,000 employees.

Previously, he served as associate vice president and controller for Alliant International University in San Francisco (2006-2009); director of finance/controller for the University of Maryland University College-Europe in Heidelberg, Germany (1990-2005); and State of Nevada Director, Nevada Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Reno (1987-1990).

Maurer said he enjoys working in a university setting, and enjoys being in the classroom, too - as a student.  In addition to his bachelor's degree in accounting from Sangamon State University, he has received master's degrees from the University of Illinois (business administration), Bowie State University (information system), and the University of Maryland University College (finance and accounting).

Gilbert C. Fite, a prominent agricultural historian who served as Eastern Illinois University's fourth sitting president from 1971 to 1976, died July 13 at the age of 92.

"We extend deepest sympathy to the Fite family for their loss,"  said EIU President William L. Perry. “I count myself fortunate to have met President Fite during my first year at EIU and experience first hand the sense of energy and intellect that he brought to bear during his tenure at Eastern. Dr. Fite's many contributions helped move Eastern forward in many and varied ways, and we will always be grateful for his leadership."

In keeping with his philosophy that a university must not become stagnant, Fite helped orchestrate many positive and enduring changes at Eastern.

“As an institution we draw strength from our history and traditions, but we must not be bound by them," Fite said in 1974. "The needs of students change as society changes.”

As part of his dedication to continuing education and community service, Fite oversaw the implementation of the Board of Governors Bachelor of Arts Degree program, a nontraditional program that gives credit for adults' nonacademic experience. Today, the Bachelor in General Studies program has an enrollment of about 2,300 students. Fite also increased off-campus class offerings, increasing their enrollment from 350 students to more than 2,000 in just four years.

During his tenure, overall student enrollment rose from 8,214 to 9,252, an increase of 12.6 percent.
Physically, the campus also grew. Additions were built for many existing facilities, including the Lantz Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building; the Doudna Fine Arts Center (a concert hall, offices and practice areas); the Physical Science Building (including Phipps Lecture Hall); the Physical Plant Services Building; and the University Union (including two elevators).

Also, three frame houses on Ninth Street were purchased, with two used as art studios and one used for storage and an office for building service workers; Greenwood School, a one-room country school, was moved to the campus for its historic value; and East Hall was purchased for use as a residence hall.

Fite oversaw many changes at EIU, including a major administrative reorganization; the move from academic quarters to semesters; the closing of the Laboratory School; the implementation of 24-hour visitation rights in several residence halls; and a revamping of athletics' organizational and financial structure. He was instrumental in arranging private funding for the construction of the Tarble Arts Center.

Eastern hosted Vice President Gerald Ford when he accepted Fite's invitation to speak on campus in 1974 as part of the university's Diamond Jubilee.

Fite said he identified himself not as an administrator, but as an "educator-scholar." Before coming to Eastern, Fite was a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma. He was a noted author and expert on American agricultural history.
In 1976, Fite left Eastern to accept the first Richard B. Russell Professorship of History, an endowed chair at the University of Georgia.

Other honors included two Fulbright Awards, the Ford Fellowship and the Guggenheim Fellowship. He was past president of the Agricultural History Society, The Southern Historical Association and the Western History Association. He wrote nine books and more than 60 articles, co-authored seven books, and edited three volumes.

While at Eastern, Fite collected miniature elephants and drove a 1931 Model A Ford. He traveled the globe twice and spent a year teaching in India.

Fite, who was raised in South Dakota, had retired in Fort Myers, Fla. He is survived by his wife, June; two sons; and grandchildren.

An exhibit documenting Fite's time at EIU will be displayed inside of Booth Library's south entrance starting Thursday, July 22.

When an Eastern Illinois University filmmaking team traveled to the Gulf Coast, they found that misconceptions about the oil spill's effects are adding to the woes of two of the hardest-hit towns in the form of decreased tourism.

Despite the fact that cleanup efforts were "quick and easy" in Grand Isle, La., and Dauphin Island, Ala.,  tourists were still avoiding the area when the team visited two weeks ago, said documentary-maker Cameron Craig, an EIU faculty member.

For example, a group of real estate agents said their answering machines were loaded with 52 messages from people canceling their rental reservations. Other businesses, such as restaurants, are affected in turn.

"It is an ecological disaster, and we know that is a major problem," Craig said. "But if we had not gone, then we would not have had that connection with those people, and we would not know what they are experiencing."

Craig was joined by three EIU students: Zach Nugent of Sheridan, a regional Emmy-winning reporter for WEIU-TV's "News Watch"; Michael Gismondi of Buffalo Grove, a WEIU-TV weather forecaster; and A.J. Schubert of Charleston, a graduate assistant in EIU's Center for Academic Technology Support.

"I really had the opportunity to see how it affects real people down there and how it's affecting their livelihood and they're struggling to stay afloat," Schubert said.

Residents of Dauphin Island, where they don't lock their doors at night, say they're "living in paradise," Schubert said. But some said the town has been turned into a "war zone," not because of the actual effects of the oil, but because of the influx of BP employees and media.

There are actually more BP employees in the area than actual residents, one woman said. Unfortunately for the tourism industry, the BP employees don't spend money the way tourists do. For example, she said, BP has its own catering service.

Bright spots could be found amid the tragedy. One fisherman's wife said that although her husband is unable to fish in the Gulf, he has found income by patrolling the waters for BP.

While Dauphin Island residents were pleasantly surprised by the minor amount of oil they experienced, they reiterated that "it was still a disaster for them," Craig said. The beaches there opened a day before the EIU team arrived.

A councilwoman got the EIU team past a checkpoint so they could assess the impact firsthand. There, they saw huge piles of sand put in place to soak up oil; once saturated, the sand was hauled off and used to make paving material.

The Civil Air Patrol provided a flight over the bay area, where the filmmakers observed oil in the water, as well as clean-up efforts.

The filmmakers also spoke with experts at Louisana State University's Earth Scan Laboratory about how hurricanes could potentially damage the coast further by pushing the storm surge several miles into the inland areas.

Many residents were hoping this would be a year of recovery after cleaning up from Hurricane Katrina, Nugent said. But the residents were not whining or expecting handouts, and the team found no sense of ill will toward those responsible for the oil spill, Nugent said.

"You really saw people coming together," Nugent said. "They don't hold any hate in their hearts. All they want is to get back to their normal lives."

"People seemed to be pleased with the cleanup process," Schubert said. "Everyone was volunteering to do whatever could be done to get things cleaned up."

Upon the EIU team's return to campus, WEIU-TV aired some of the 11 hours of footage from the trip. Next, the footage will be made into a narrative documentary film, "letting the interviews and images speak for themselves," Craig said.

The film, titled "Returning to Paradise: Voices of the Human Spirit," could be ready as early as this fall, Craig said. He's making plans for a return visit to film a follow-up, possibly over the winter break.

"Our observation is limited to two locations," Craig said. "We want to get other perspectives along the coast to bring these people's stories back here."

Craig is already using the footage in a class. When he showed one interview, it sparked several minutes of student-only discussion among the 25-member class.all about," Craig said.

From an educational standpoint, the project is a great way for the students on the filmmaking team to gain top-notch first-hand experience.

"We could very well work 40 more years and never get the opportunity to work on a story like this in our careers," Gismondi said.

"You physically cannot get this type of experience in a classroom," Nugent said.

Both students agreed that the experience was a great hands-on look at the dangers of sensationalism in the media and how to avoid it.

"From a journalistic standpoint, it taught me that you want to get the powerful story, but you also want to get the bigger picture," Nugent said.

"There's a way of presenting the story without taking sides, and just putting the viewers down there so they can make their own choices of how to feel about it," Gismondi said. "I think we've done a good job of capturing that."

The project was funded by $1,050 from EIU departments and private donors. All additional expenses were covered by Craig.

For details of the trip, a trailer of the documentary and links to the news reports aired on WEIU-TV's "News Watch," see www.tcpfilms.com.

Eastern Illinois University was well-represented when 17 students presented their research at one of the country's premier conferences this spring.

The students joined some of the nation's top scholars at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Missoula, Mt.

"Presenting their research orally at a national meeting such as NCUR, Eastern students gain confidence in their academic work and their speaking ability," said Bonnie Irwin, dean of the Honors College, who accompanied the students, along with three faculty members.

"NCUR is a multi-disciplinary conference, meaning that students have opportunity to speak to other students and faculty in their field, but they also must be able to explain their work to non-experts, an important skill to have in the workplace and beyond."

Approximately 2,500 undergraduates present at NCUR each year. At any given time, 100 posters were being explicated in the field house and a dozen oral presentations were being delivered at classrooms across the University of Montana campus.

In addition, speakers provided “big picture” presentations regarding sustainability, interdisciplinary education, the role of young people in the world today, and cross-cultural music.

Irwin said she let the students know they were expected to be "good conference citizens" by attending their fellow EIU students' presentations when possible, as well as other sessions.

"While faculty from some other institutions complained that their students were barely attending the conference, Eastern students were excellent role models for their peers," Irwin said. "Students valued their experiences both as presenters and audience members."

Students who attended told Irwin that the experience improved their speaking and teaching skills, improved their knowledge of their own research, and allowed them to realize new possibilities for their own research and future educational endeavors.

"I enjoyed being in the presence of people who genuinely wanted to learn from others’ expertise in highly specialized fields, and I also treasured having a receptive audience for my rather obscure research," said William Wolf, an EIU student from Erie.

The multidisciplinary approach proved eye-opening, as well.

"While in college or higher education, people’s view can be narrow, focusing on the majors," said Ayaka Hisanaga, an EIU student from Yokohama, Japan. "Having an opportunity to learn about research in different fields of study definitely widened my view."

The participating faculty members -- Bill Lovekamp, sociology; Sham Yunus, early childhood education; and Marita Gronnvoll, communication studies -- were also grateful for the opportunity to attend.

"They forged closer bonds with the students and returned armed with additional strategies for mentoring undergraduate research," Irwin said.

Lovekamp said the EIU students were "amazing."

"They were eager to participate, actively listening to others, and so very proud of their accomplishments once their presentations were done," Lovekamp said. "NCUR is an event to behold. I enjoyed listening to so many students present their research. The week made me reflect on how proud I am of EIU students and how grateful I am to have to the opportunity to work with and mentor these students. It is a true joy to see what amazing work they have done. The opportunity to participate in NCUR and mentor students is remarkable. I believe in the work and mentoring I do, and this trip has reinforced these beliefs."

Irwin said the connections that were made are an important part of the integrative learning component that is one of EIU's priorities.

"Over the past six years, I have had many occasions to discuss research with students, but the most rewarding experiences I have had as dean have been accompanying our students to research conferences and witnessing firsthand their intellectual and personal growth," Irwin said. "Even recreation acted as an opportunity for learning, personal growth, and experiences that the students have come to realize are significant for their future.

"Trips like this demonstrate that anyplace can foster learning, as long as our students are trained to recognize these learning moments when they encounter them."

Participating students are listed with their hometowns and presentation topics:

• Kathryn Henderson, Champaign: "The Relationship Between Diet Types, Depression, and Disordered Eating in College Students."
• Nicole Dallas, Charleston, and Molly Hussey, Morris: "An Exploratory Study of Racial Understanding Among Preschool Children."
• Mara Hampton, Charleston: "Maintenance of Gains from Phonological Awareness Interventions in Language Impaired Preschoolers."
• Heather Roy, Decatur: "Gender, Branding, and Brand Personality: The Effects of Gendered Brands, Commercialization, and the Reinforcement of Heteronormative Stereotypes."
• Hope Lorenz, Dunlap: "Measures of Respiration in Trained Singers Versus Normal Speakers."
• William Wolf, Erie: "Conjugacies of Elements in Hyperbolic Groups."
• Andrew Bolokowicz, Mokena: "Supramolecular Chemistry of Glycine Sulfonylcinnamate Polymorphs."
• Cassandra Ledvina, New Lenox: "Discriminative Validity of the Learning Behaviors Scale."
• Lisa Piasecki, New Lenox: "Attitudes Toward Unionization and Variations Among Religious Denominations."
• Kathleen Trainor, Pontiac: "Relationship Between Preschool Executive Function Skills and Oral Narrative Skills."
• Stephani Pescitelli, Sandwich: "Biodegradation of Paper Waste by Three Mushroom Species."
• Stephanie Niemeyer, Teutopolis: "Homophobia: How Sex and Locale Affect Homophobic Attitudes."
• Caroline Larson, Towanda: "Increasing Written Language Skills Utilizing Writing Software and Traditional Methods."
• Alex Cler, Villa Grove: "CEO Background Experience: How Does it Affect Company Performance?"
• Matthew Payea, Stony Brook, N.Y.: "Proteomic and Metabolomic Investigation of Polysaccharide Metabolism by Caulobacter Crescentus."
• Ayaka Hisanaga, Yokohama, Japan: "Parent-Child Relationship and its Effect on Risk of Suicidal Attempts in College Students."

Fifteen area teachers are dedicating four weeks of summer break to learning strategies for improving their students' writing skills at the Eastern Illinois Writing Project's Summer Institute on the Eastern Illinois University campus.

The participants, who teach a variety of curricula and grade levels, will participate in an intense workshop focused on writing and the teaching of writing.

“The best teachers of writing are writers themselves, and the best teachers of teachers are other teachers," said Robin Murray, an EIU English professor who serves as director of the Eastern Illinois Writing Project.

The program began June 29; it will resume July 7 through July 31, with sessions on Mondays through Thursdays. This is the third year the EIU-based Eastern Illinois Writing Project has hosted the Summer Institute.

Throughout the country, more than 3,000 kindergarten through college teachers are participating in summer institutes at more than 200 National Writing Project sites on college campuses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Most Americans view good writing skills as essential to success in college and the workplace, according to a recent national public opinion survey by the research firm Belden Russonello and Stewart. However, they fear that our public schools and our children are falling behind. Just 17 percent believe that when students graduate from high school they have the writing skills they need for college, and 75 percent say that our K-12 education system should put more emphasis on the teaching of writing.

"Teachers who attend NWP summer institutes return to their classrooms with new strategies for teaching writing and with experience using digital tools," said Sharon J. Washington, executive director of the National Writing Project.

National research studies confirm significant gains in writing performance among students whose teachers participate in NWP programs.

The Summer Institute is the first step in a graduate certificate program in the teaching of writing and in continuing service to area schools.

For more information on the Eastern Illinois Writing Project and the Summer Institute, contact the director, Robin L. Murray, at 217-581-6985 or rlmurray@eiu.edu.

The following area teachers are participating in this year's Eastern Illinois Writing Project Summer Institute:

• ARGENTA: Jennifer Young, Argenta-Oreana High School
• BETHANY: Ruth-Anne Yang, Okaw Valley High School
• CASEY: Renee Felkamp, Monroe Elementary School
• CHAMPAIGN: Kathy Decker, Champaign Central High School
• CHARLESTON: Cathy Ball, Jefferson Elementary School; Patti Murphy, Charleston Middle School; Kristin Runyon, Charleston High School
• COAL CITY: Donna Denault, Coal City High School
• EFFINGHAM: Dannette Williamson, Effingham High School
• SULLIVAN: Heather Lindenmeyer, Sullivan High School
• TEUTOPOLIS: Albert Church, Teutopolis High School
• TUSCOLA: Tina Hausmann and Allison Yantis, East Prairie Middle School
• VANDALIA: Kelly Hardiek and Meggyn Star, Vandalia Junior High School

Shown, from left to right, are Helen Price; Nancy Page, EIU Foundation Donor Relations, accepting award on behalf of Barbara Heise Clark; C. Roger Sorensen; and Margery and Jerry Heath.

Since its inception in 1953, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has been dependent upon the generosity of its members and volunteers to fulfill its mission of support to the university.

And, since 1993, the foundation has formally recognized and honored its volunteers and donors. In 1997, these awards were renamed the Burnham and Nancy Neal Philanthropy Awards in appreciation of the Neals' leadership, support and dedication to Eastern and the foundation.

These awards are given to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a sincere dedication and commitment to the financial, academic and cultural well-being of EIU. The critical support and sustaining financial commitments provided by these distinguished philanthropists are essential to the future of the university and the students it serves.

Barbara Heise Clark of Decatur, Dr. Jerry and Margery Heath of Charleston, Helen Price of Elmhurst, and C. Roger Sorensen of Mattoon have been named the EIU Foundation's Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year for 2009. The five were recognized during the Foundation's annual spring philanthropy awards dinner.

Barbara Heise Clark, a 1964 alumna of Teacher's College High School and a 1950 alumna of Eastern Illinois State College, grew up as a daughter of an EIU faculty member and administrator. She endowed two scholarships in elementary education in 1998: the Bryan and Adra Heise Elementary Education Scholarship and the Charles and Barbara Clark Elementary Education Scholarship. Every year, Clark adds to the earnings of each of these scholarships because she wants all of her scholarship recipients to receive a "significant" amount, and because she feels that helping students at EIU is the best use of her money.

For birthdays and Christmas, Clark requests that her friends and family give money to EIU rather than "waste it" by buying her things she does not need. "Eastern is in her heart, and she gives back to Eastern wholeheartedly," said Foundation officials.

A planned gift from Clark 's estate will also benefit the Heise and Clark scholarships.

Clark is a member of the EIU Foundation, as well as the Heritage Society, which honors individuals and corporations who make the commitment to support Eastern, its students and its programs through planned gifts, such as charitable gift annuities, trusts, bequests from their estates, life insurance policies, etc. She is also a member of the Cornerstone Society, which recognizes those who have a lifetime giving level of $25,000 to $50,000.

Dr. Jerry Heath served as director of Eastern's Health Service and volunteered his services as team physician for EIU's athletics program for 32 years, retiring in 1988. During his tenure, he assisted in the development of instructional curricula, the medical technology program, and medical insurance for EIU students. Heath is a member of the EIU Foundation and a charter member of both the EIU President's Club and Panther Club.

Both he and his wife, Marge, are alumni of EIU. In addition, Mrs. Heath is a graduate of Teacher's College High School and the 1942 EIU Homecoming Queen. The couple's son, Forest , is also an Eastern graduate.

In 1988, the Heaths established the Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Heath Sports Medicine Scholarship for student-athletes interested in the sports medicine profession. They both have been very supportive of Eastern through their philanthropic gifts: Athletics, the Human Services Center, the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Studies and the Eastern Symphony Orchestra have all benefited from the couple's generosity. Dr. Heath currently has an office in the athletic training room named in his honor because of his gift to the Reaching for the 21 st Century Legacy Fund. The Heaths are members of the Heritage Society, as well as the Keystone Society, which recognizes those with a lifetime giving level of $50,000 to $500,000.

Helen Price and her husband raised three sons, teaching them the importance of education, public service and community involvement. Two of the three sons attended EIU, and the oldest son, Dr. James Price, served for 17 years as adviser to the Delta Chi fraternity before his death in a car accident in 2000. In 2002, Mrs. Price established the Dr. James D. Price Delta Chi Business Education Scholarship -- a lasting memory for her son and his continued belief that public service and community involvement are as important as a solid education.

EIU Delta Chi alumni continue to honor Dr. Price in various ways on campus, and communicate regularly with Mrs. Price. Recently, she pledged to name the academic adviser room in Klehm Hall, recognizing her son's legacy at Eastern.

Price was recently selected to share her story of philanthropy to EIU on the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences' philanthropy area of iTunesU. The short video podcast of her is the first of its kind on Eastern's campus and is sure to motivate others to become involved in giving to EIU.

She is a member of the EIU Foundation, and she and her husband, Roy, are members of both the Heritage and Keystone societies.

After graduation, C. Roger Sorensen, a 1949 alumnus of Eastern, went on to a successful career with Texaco in Houston, Texas. However, he returned to Charleston at least once a year to revisit campus and attend athletic events. In 2002, he decided to move back to Illinois to be closer to EIU.

In 1991, he established the C. Roger Sorensen Business Scholarship; in 1992, the C. Roger Sorensen Tennis Scholarship; and, in 1994, the C. Roger Sorensen Golf Scholarship. He has supported these scholarships with annual gifts since their creation. He has also made significant gifts to the Reaching for the 21st Century Legacy Fund, the Theodore Ivarie Leadership Fund, Emphasis on Eastern -- Presidential Scholars, the LAIR Fund (athletics), and Friends of WEIU -TV. (He likes their football coverage, said Foundation officials.)

Most recently, Sorensen formalized agreements for his estate gift to EIU. His ultimate gift will endow two funds: the C. Roger Sorensen Supplemental Instruction Program Endowment Fund that will support a graduate assistant in business, and the C. Roger Sorensen Completion of Degree Scholarship, which will be awarded to a student-athlete who has exhausted his/her eligibility and who is within one semester of graduation.

In addition to being a member of the EIU Foundation, Sorensen is also a member of the Heritage and Keystone societies. He has been named to Eastern Illinois University 's Athletics Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Livingston C. Lord Society, established to honor those who return to campus for their 50-year class reunion.

For most people, the mention of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico conjures up images of an underground pipe spewing crude, plumes of oil floating in the water, and oil-soaked wildlife struggling to survive.

And while those are important, Eastern Illinois University faculty member Cameron Craig wants to make sure they don't overshadow the human element of the tragedy.

That's why Craig -- a documentary-maker whose films focus on how the environment and humanity are connected -- is heading to Louisiana this weekend. His team will spend two days taking a closer look at how the BP oil spill will affect people on the coast and throughout the country.

"Everybody is feeling distressed about the wildlife," Craig said. "Yes, the wildlife is very important, but what about the human element?"

Craig will be joined by three EIU students: Zach Nugent of Sheridan, a regional Emmy-winning reporter for WEIU-TV's "News Watch"; Michael Gismondi of Buffalo Grove, a WEIU-TV weather forecaster; and A.J. Schubert of Charleston, a graduate assistant in EIU's Center for Academic Technology Support.

The team will spend Friday and Saturday talking to the people most affected by the oil spill, "the hard-working people," along the coast.

Although they have some plans in place, they are leaving much of the trip unscripted so that the real story has the opportunity to unfold, rather than trying to make the reality fit their expectations.

"We are going down to connect and reflect," Craig said, "and bring that connection and reflection back to Eastern."

Since joining the EIU faculty in 2005, Craig has overseen project after project that has given students first-hand experience, while at the same time educating others. His work has aired on PBS stations throughout the region.

John Stimac, chair of the geology/geography department, said Craig has a knack for tackling issues that affect not just geology and geography, but other disciplines as well.

"It's similar to all of the projects he's done in that it's innovative," Stimac said. "He gets students involved, gets them out of the classroom and makes them think outside the box."

This project differs from the others in the sense that it is not taking a look back at history, but rather looking at a history-making event taking place right now.

Nugent, the WEIU-TV student reporter, said the trip is a great opportunity to tell the stories that need to be told.

"It's something we normally don't get to do in our newsroom," Nugent said. "We talk about the oil spill, and we see it, but we don't really see what it means to people. If we can show that perspective, that scale, people can have a better idea of the impact."

Nugent said that he wants to allow viewers to "see and feel the impact this disaster is having … right in our backyard."

The trip should yield a variety of educational tools. In addition to a full-length documentary, other possibilities include a week-long WEIU series featuring Nugent's reporting, educational clips for use in K-12 classrooms around the region, and opportunities for the students to visit area schools to present first-hand accounts of what they witnessed on the Gulf.

Craig also hopes to revisit Louisiana in the future to measure the long-term impact.

"For such a brief little project, this can be used as a seed for many other projects," Stimac said.

The point of it all, Craig said, is to educate not only his students, but also children and teens throughout the area.

"What we're doing is providing a foundation for the young people who will one day make decisions for millions of people, whether as a CEO for an oil company or as an educator," Craig said. "We want to give them something to think about when they come of age."

Craig emphasized that the purpose of the trip is not to sensationalize the events, but rather to present a straightforward, objective view that is hard to find in mainstream media reports.

"We are there to tell the story in a way that the viewers can make decisions for themselves," Craig said.

The team encourages the public to follow their progress via a blog at http://gehd.blogspot.com, where they plan to post updates throughout the weekend.

Shown, from left to right, are John Best, Jonathan Blitz, Sean Peebles, Noel Brodsky and Mary Anne Hanner, dean of Eastern's College of Sciences.

Eastern Illinois University has named Jonathan Blitz as its 2010 recipient of the College of Sciences' Ringenberg Award.

This award, presented annually in the spring, is the highest faculty honor bestowed by the college, and is given to tenured faculty members within the college for "exceptional performance during their academic career" at the university.

Award criteria include:

• A teacher of the highest caliber, dedicated to helping students achieve their personal and professional goals; and
• A published scholar who has developed a national or international reputation in his/her field; and
• A person with a distinguished record of service to his/her department, the College of Sciences, the university, and to his/her profession.

The award is named in honor of Lawrence A. Ringenberg, the first dean (1961-1980) of the College of Arts and Sciences at EIU.

Blitz, a professor in Eastern's Department of Chemistry, has taught at the university since 1994. During his tenure, he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses, earning praise from his students as both a stimulating lecturer and as a caring professor equally at ease during one-on-one conversations.

His knowledge and expertise in diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and silica surface chemistry has earned him national and international recognition, and the opportunity to collaborate with other scientists from around the world. His work has garnered approximately $500,000 in federal grant money for additional research opportunities on the EIU campus.

Blitz has produced nearly 40 peer-reviewed articles since arriving at Eastern, and is the author of four publications on chemical education, as well as chapters in several books. He has been actively involved with various departmental/college/university committees, and is currently serving on the negotiating team and as vice president of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), the collective bargaining agent for the faculty and academic support professionals at EIU.

Eastern's College of Sciences also honored three other faculty members with top academic awards.

The Alan and Carlene Baharlou Distinguished Service Award is designed to recognize a faculty member in the College of Sciences who has established a record of outstanding service that supports and contributes to the teaching and research mission of the college. This year's recipient of the award, John Best, psychology, has not only been involved in a long list of diverse service to his department, the university, his profession and the community, but he has amassed an outstanding publication record that includes one of the most respected and widely used textbooks in his discipline and received numerous prestigious awards from students and his colleagues.

Noel Brodsky, associate professor of economics, is the recipient of the 2010 COS Teaching Excellence Award, presented to a faculty member who is recognized by both colleagues and students as a teacher of the highest caliber, dedicated to the learning enterprise. In addition to a consistent record of outstanding student evaluations, Brodsky is described by his peers as knowledgeable, dedicated and engaging.

"He values the achievement of each student and values fairness in his interactions with students," said Mary Anne Hanner, dean of COS. "His office is a welcoming place where students can visit for further engagement and discussion of course topics or simply coffee and conversation."

The Lida G. Wall Faculty Research Mentor Award recognizes COS faculty who have served as a research mentor to one or more undergraduate students. This award was established in honor of a former COS dean, who specifically encouraged collaborative research between undergraduate students and COS faculty. This year's recipient is Sean Peebles, chemistry.

"What stood out in Dr. Peebles nomination was the quality of student research that has been generated in his lab," Hanner said. "Dr. Peebles ' students received a full research experience, from project inception, to presentation and publication. These experiences will serve them well as their careers develop."

Nearly 70 Eastern Illinois University employees recently were honored as faculty/staff members who have retired or plan to retire during the 2009-2010 school year. They include, from left to right, sitting - Norman Greer, Charlene Whitling, Gail Mason, Susan Hankenson, Brenda Wilson, Jacqueline Worden and Connie Huber; from left to right, standing -- James K. Johnson, Judith Barford, Jeffrey Lynch, Sharon Turner, Karen Nantz, Priscilla Wilson, J Sain, Alberta Reed, John Oertling, Mori Toosi, Allan Rathe, Johnson Kuma, Peter Hesterman, Stephen Laribee, Doug Sloat and Joseph Allison. President Bill Perry (far right, standing) was on hand to congratulate the retirees.

Those not shown are Edward Arndt, Steven Bennett, Teresa Bennett, John Calhoun, Larry Cox, Joseph DeCaro, Stacey Doty, Michael Dunifer, Betty Easter, Jerry Eisenhour, Mike Elliott, Dianna Ensign, Brenda Farris, Robert Ferenc, William Fischer, Gary Foster, Steven Gilbert, Karen Gray, Willford Hargis, Virginia Hayes, Vy Herman, Terry Huddlestun, Terry Hyder, Elaine Johnson, Yunus Kathawala, Michele Kusterman, Gail Lockart, Connie Manes, Becky Markwell, Christine McCormick, Matthew Monippallil, Beverly Newcomb, Jill Nilsen, Steven Pearcy, Charles Plummer, Joyce Postlewait, David Radavich, Gary Robinett, Denis Roche, Gregory Ronsse, Brian Shull, Leonard Storm, James Stratton, Paul Thennes, David Van Zee, Philip Zimmer and Danny Zimmerman.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has awarded faculty members in Eastern Illinois University 's biological sciences and chemistry departments two Wildlife Preservation Fund grants in the amount of $2,000 each.

One grant supports the project titled "Compounds in Smoke Solutions Created When Burning Tallgrass Prairie Species." Participating EIU faculty members Janice Coons and Nancy Coutant , biological sciences, and Barbara Lawrence, chemistry, have been assisted by EIU students Stephanie Prosser, Daniel Finn and Anthony Porreca.

Coutant explained: "Studies from several fire-prone plant communities over the past 20 years in Australia, South Africa and the United States report that seeds of some species require smoke exposure to germinate.

"This grant has three objectives: 1) development of an apparatus to produce plant smoke solutions, 2) production of smoke solutions from 12 Illinois native plant species, and 3) chemical analysis of the smoke solutions for compounds that promote seed germination."

Although Coons and Coutant are responsible for collecting the native plant material, developing the apparatus and producing the smoke solutions, and Lawrence is in charge of the chemical analysis of the smoke solutions, all three are involved in all aspects of the project.

"Fire is a common management technique used in natural areas," Coutant continued. "Information from studies such as this one may provide insights relative to the timing and frequency of burns for those managing natural areas. Because the seeds of many native species are difficult to germinate, this information also will be useful to those who are attempting to grow native plants for restoration efforts or for commercial sale."

The second funded project, "Distribution of Posters and Promotion of Logo to Identify Native Plants Available for Landscaping," is another project of Coons and Coutant. The pair developed materials to educate people relative to native species for use in landscaping.

"With the green movement, interest is increasing for use of native plants in landscaping," Coons said. "Yet gardeners and plant nursery employees often have limited knowledge regarding which species are native and what horticultural traits native species have.

"Our four posters highlight different horticultural uses of native plants, including various microclimates, four season appeal, attract wildlife, and growth habits. We will distribute these posters to garden centers, nurseries, nature centers, schools and county extension offices throughout the state. During these visits, we will discuss sources for additional information such as workshops, websites (www.eiu.edu/~n_plants), books and information packets that we developed.

"We also coordinated the development and acceptance by the Illinois Green Industry Association of a logo for quick identification of Illinois native plants. The IGIA has promoted the logo in its display in the Conservation World section at the Illinois state fairs.

"We also will disperse samples of the logo to help gardeners and nursery employees recognize native plant species. Both posters and the logo will help gardeners and others identify native plants when making their choices at garden centers."

Rotting meat. Stinky socks. Not words usually associated with flowering beauty.

But the titan arum, or corpse flower, is no usual plant. It's so unusual -- rare, in fact -- that many individuals never have the opportunity to experience the large plant in its full and malodorous glory.

As Steven Malehorn, manager of the H.F. Thut Greenhouse, eagerly awaits the flowering of Eastern Illinois University's titan arum, affectionately named the Velvet Queen, he's issuing an invitation to residents of east-central Illinois -- and anywhere else, for that matter -- to come join him.

Malehorn estimates that the plant, growing at a rate of four to five inches a day, will flower sometime between June 8 and 12.

"Because of its unpredictable nature, the exact date can't be known in advance," he said. "And when it blooms, it will happen fast -- within hours -- and only last one night!"

The plant flowered once before in June 2008. Based on that event, Malehorn believes the spathe (the sheath enclosing the flower) will begin to open one early afternoon and will be fully open by about 6 p.m.

"The roadkill aroma will begin to develop shortly thereafter and will be strongest from about 8 p.m. until after midnight. The bloom will be open and at its peak from about 6 p.m. until about 5 a.m. the next morning, and the spathe will then slowly close through the day. The aroma will gradually fade away that morning. Then the inflorescence will slowly collapse over the next few days.

"That being said," he added, "it could surprise all of us and start blooming late in the evening and we won't know until the following morning. Therefore, no promises on the blooming schedule."

In order to let others share in the waiting, Malehorn will keep the greenhouse open from 3 to 7 p.m. daily. Hours will be extended to midnight on the day the bloom opens.

In addition, the Velvet Queen is positioned close to the south window so visitors can have an excellent view of it from the sidewalk outside at any time.

Malehorn recalled that the greenhouse received 3,000 visitors during the 2008 flowering.

A page has been created on the EIU Department of Biological Sciences' website to provide daily updates and images of the plant as the flower develops: http://www.eiu.edu/~biology/news/titan_arum_2010.php . A map to the greenhouse, located just north of Eastern's Life Sciences Building, is available on the page, as well, and Malehorn has provided a live broadcast at this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/corpse-flower-bloom.

He is also "tweeting the event" at http://twitter.com/ThutGreenhouse  and will tweet to followers as soon as he becomes aware of the flower's opening.

The titan arum, discovered in 1878, grows wild only in the tropical forests of Sumatra. It first flowered in cultivation in London in 1889; since then, more than 100 cultivated flowers have blossomed.

EIU obtained its seed in 2001, and Malehorn has tended to the plant since it was planted. Its "grandparent" seeds were collected in 1993 from the only titan arum found in fruit during a BBC expedition filming "The Private Lives of Plants." The seeds were distributed to U.S. and British conservatories and greenhouses for cultivation.

For more information, please contact Malehorn at shmalehorn@eiu.edu, 217-581-3126 (Department of Biological Sciences' main office, Monday through Friday), or 217-581-2513 (greenhouse).

City residents and Eastern Illinois University employees, students and guests should use caution and be prepared for some inconvenience during the coming weeks as work continues on the institution's new Renewable Energy Center and related energy saving projects.

Both vehicular and foot traffic will be affected to varying degrees as crews continue installing a new underground steam tunnel on campus.

A tentative timeline has been established:

• June 14 through July 18 -- The portion of Seventh Street from the existing Steam Plant to Grant Avenue will be closed.  Vehicular access to Eastern's MLK Jr. Union will be available via Grant Avenue.
• July 19 through Aug. 30 -- Grant Avenue between Seventh and Ninth Streets will be closed. Vehicular access to Eastern's MLK Jr. Union will be available via Seventh Street.
• Aug. 3 through Oct. 28 -- Ninth Street from Grant Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue (Greek Court Drive) will be restricted to one-lane traffic, southbound. At times, this section will be closed completely. (Additional information regarding Ninth Street usage will be made available closer to Aug. 3.)

According to Gary Reed, director of EIU's Facilities Planning and Management, the university is working with city officials, contractors and several utilities companies as they prepare for the installation work.

"Our objective is to minimize disruption as much as possible throughout the entire steam tunnel installation. But this is a major excavation requiring thorough knowledge of existing utilities, including the location of gas, telephone and water lines," Reed said.

"We appreciate everyone's cooperation and patience as we move forward with this phase of the project. Please excuse our dust' as we make these much-needed campus improvements!"

EIU will continue to update both the campus and community about work taking place as part of the $80 million Renewable Energy Center and campus energy improvement program, which combines energy-efficient facility upgrades with a biomass-fueled heating plant. The program will help EIU address deferred maintenance, improve its infrastructure, increase operational reliability and save approximately $140 million in energy and operating costs over the next two decades.

Those who are interested can also follow the project's progress via this website: http://www.eiu.edu/~fpm/erec.php. In addition, the university plans to host both campus and community informational meetings to discuss the project's progress and allow interested persons to ask questions. Details as to dates, times and locations will be provided as they become available.

As work moves forward on Eastern Illinois University's new renewable energy center and other related energy saving projects, community residents will begin noticing the effects on portions of campus and in certain public areas.

According to Chad Weber, campus mechanical engineer, workers will begin to drain the pond located between Carman Hall and Ninth Street Hall on Monday, May 10. When conditions allow, crews will begin installing an underground line that will provide steam generated at the renewable energy center to support Carman, which is a student residence hall located near the southeastern part of campus.

The pond will be allowed to refill once the work is completed, probably in late summer.

Weber said the university will continue to update EIU and community residents about work taking place as part of an $80 million renewable energy and building retrofit program, which combines energy-efficient facility upgrades with a biomass-fueled heating plant. The program will help EIU address deferred maintenance, improve its infrastructure, and save approximately $140 million in energy and operating costs over the next two decades.

In an effort to conserve resource dollars, Eastern Illinois University will once again close selected buildings and offices from noon on Fridays until Monday mornings during the summer months.

The affected time period begins Monday, May 10, and ends Friday, Aug. 13.

Building/office exceptions include -- but may not be limited to -- Booth Library, University Police, the Steam Plant and the Office of Admissions, which plan to keep normal working hours.

All university offices must be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and between 8 a.m. and noon on Friday. Administrative offices (and others where possible) will remain open during the lunch hour (Monday through Thursday).

By ending the work week at noon on Fridays, the university can increase temperatures in all vacant offices and other work environments to allow energy savings for two and one-half days per week.

Employees will be required to work their regularly scheduled number of full-time hours during the four-and-a-half-day work week. Classes scheduled to meet on Friday afternoons and/or weekends will be relocated to buildings where the air conditioning will remain on.

During weeks in which a holiday is observed (Monday, May 31, for Memorial Day and Monday, July 5, for Independence Day), offices will return to regular business hours (7.5 hours per day), including Fridays.

Regular hours will resume on Monday, Aug. 16, for the 2010-2011 school year.

The summer of 2010 marks the ninth consecutive year in which Eastern has reduced summer hours. Savings to the university in 2009 alone totaled $400,000.

Nearly 1,600 graduating students plan to participate in commencement ceremonies at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 8.

Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena. Guest tickets are required for admission.

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony, the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies program) at noon, the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m., and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Students from the Graduate School will walk with their respective colleges.

EIU President Bill Perry will preside over the ceremonies. Michelle Murphy, student body president, and John Henry Pommier, chair, EIU Faculty Senate, will also address the graduates.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Robert Webb (9 a.m.), Roger Kratochvil (noon), Eric Wilber (3 p.m.) and Julie Nimmons (6 p.m.).

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official commencement address. H. Ray Hoops, former president of the University of Southern Indiana, will speak at 9 a.m., while Jeffrey Lynch, interim dean, EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, plans to speak at noon. Timothy D. McCollum, an EIU alumnus and nationally recognized science instructor at Charleston Middle School, will address students during the 3 p.m. ceremony, followed by Janet M. Treichel, executive director of the National Business Education Association, at 6.

Hoops and Treichel, along with F.E. "Joe" Glassford, the first state director of special education for the Illinois Board of Higher Education, are Eastern's 2010 honorary degree recipients.

In addition, Janet T. Marquardt, professor of art history and women's studies, will be recognized as the 2010 recipient of Eastern's Distinguished Faculty Award. (This award is traditionally presented during spring commencement exercises; however, as Marquardt will be unable to attend Saturday's ceremony, the award will be formally presented during the December commencement.) The Distinguished Faculty Award is presented annually by the Faculty Senate to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

Commencement marshals lead the procession while carrying the university mace inscribed with past marshals' names. This spring's commencement marshals are as follows:

• Vincent Gutowski, professor of geology/geography, representing the College of Sciences during the morning ceremony. Gutowski has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1983.
• William J. Searle, professor of English, representing the College of Arts and Humanities during the noon ceremony. Searle has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1976.
• Scott A.G.M. Crawford, professor, kinesiology and sports studies, representing the College of Education and Professional Studies during the 3 p.m. ceremony. Crawford has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1989.
• Deborah A. Woodley, professor, School of Business, representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences during the 6 p.m. ceremony. Woodley has been a member of Eastern's faculty since 1988.

Faculty marshals are given the honor of carrying the college banner for their respective colleges. This spring's faculty marshals are as follows:

• 9 a.m. -- Andrew D. McNitt, Graduate School and College of Sciences; Gary S. Foster, College of Sciences.
• Noon -- Jonathon J. Kirk, Graduate School and College of Arts and Humanities; Bailey K. Young, College of Arts and Humanities; Kathryn Rhodes, School of Continuing Education.
• 3 p.m. -- Heidi A. Larson, Graduate School and College of Education and Professional Studies; Julie T. Dietz, College of Education and Professional Studies.
• 6 p.m. -- Karla J. Kennedy-Hagan, Graduate School and Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Betsy Pudliner, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences.

Michelle E. Moery, a history major from Tinley Park , will serve as the Honors College banner marshal during all four ceremonies.

The Eastern Illinois University Graduate Student Advisory Council recently collected 32 backpacks full of essential supplies for foster children in the Charleston area.

As part of Project Backpack, the graduate students accepted donated backpacks and items to fill them, including soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs, books and crayons. They were recently delivered to Charleston's Department of Children and Family Services office.

The project was inspired by GSAC member Bridget Purdy, who was once a foster child herself. Purdy worked with the Charleston DCFS office to identify the needed items for the backpacks.

"Anything of service is worth doing, especially for those who have nothing," Purdy said. "I'm coming from the same place as these kids in the foster system. I didn't get out of that system until I was 13."

GSAC member Amanda Fountain said the organization was happy to help such a worthy cause.

"The goal is to give back to the Charleston community and provide some comfort for the children in the foster system," said GSAC member Amanda Fountain. "Often, these children are given a trash bag when they are displaced from a home to gather their belongings. The backpacks are meant to give them something new that they can call their own when they have to move. The essential items are meant to make their transition easier."

GSAC member Zachary Thuring said the organization is committed to giving back "to the community that has given us so much support."

Bill Elliott, assistant dean of Graduate and International Admissions at EIU, thanked all who participated.

"It's been a pleasure to work with GSAC this past year and witness the many ways in which their work has had a positive influence on our campus, and now our community," Elliott said. "Thanks to EIU and community members for their generous support to this worthy event, and to GSAC for all the work involved to make life a little better for foster children in need."

For more information about GSAC's Project Backpack, please contact Fountain at aefountain@eiu.edu or 508-813-0483.

As local farmers go about the task of spring planting, few realize that research taking place in a nearby laboratory may, eventually, help put a few extra dollars in their pockets.

Gopal Periyannan, a chemistry professor at Eastern Illinois University, believes that certain dead plant materials -- corn stalks, for example, or even saw dust -- can be broken down into useful chemicals for the manufacturing of items such as plastics or bio-fuel products.

In addition, he believes the conversions can be done at a microbiological level, allowing the procedure to be done with minimal energy and with few, if any, chemicals.

"It would be an economical and environmentally friendly process," Periyannan said. "And a process that could add to the economical value of a crop."

It's not a new idea. According to Periyannan, scientists worldwide have been actively pursuing this field of study for some time. In fact, he and many of his students have worked on their portion of the research for at least two years, he added.

And that research recently resulted in a $41,175 Single Investigator Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

RCSA, created in 1912, is America's second-oldest foundation and the first dedicated solely to science. Through its various programs, RCSA funds innovative research by early career scientists, both individually and in teams crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The Cottrell College Science Award has the added goal of promoting the opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in cutting-edge research and experience that gives them a head start in learning to think like scientists.

The foundation's goal is to build and improve the scientific workforce to ensure 21st-century America's prosperity and security.

"The funding has a strong educational component of research," Periyannan said. "It allows us to provide research opportunities to our students, including two paid summer internships."

Matthew Payea, a chemistry major from Naperville, appreciates such opportunities. He admitted that he didn't expect to work so closely with his professors when he first came to Eastern.

"I always thought that was something reserved for students at research-oriented institutions like UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)," he said. And now, having experienced the one-on-one learning opportunity, "I wouldn't trade any of it."

"It's a great experience," Payea added. "As a student in the field of bio-chemistry, I appreciate this chance to work with Dr. Periyannan and others to learn the technology and skills that will help me in my 'real life.' I'm learning much more than I ever could in just a traditional classroom environment.

"It's a form of integrative learning that will help me become a much better chemist," he said.

Periyannan noted that some students actually get to present their findings before audiences at scientific conferences and other events, Payea recently presented his research at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research. In addition to the educational advantages such presentations provide, it also proves how relevant the research is to the scientific world at large.

"I think the long-term implications of our research could be significant," he said. "Especially given the increased need and interest for renewable resources."

Periyannan doesn't expect any quick completion to his research, or that of the subject as a whole. For example, scientists still need to determine the long-term impact of removing residual corn stalks from working fields.

"The soil obtains some of it nutrients from decaying plant materials," he said. "We need to determine how the removal of that plant material might affect subsequent crops."

The word "comfortable" popped up over and over again as Jack K. Neal explained his decision to accept the job as general manager of WEIU-TV/FM on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

"I grew up in Ohio and have worked in both Ohio and Indiana," he said. "I'm a small town guy, looking forward to returning to the Midwest. It's very much like coming home for me."

For Neal, "coming home" means leaving his current job as station manager at KUHT-TV, Houston PBS, America's first public television station and one of the founding stations of the Public Broadcasting Service (1969). The station is located on the campus of the University of Houston, meaning Neal is already accustomed to working in a university setting.

And he enjoys it.

"On a visit to Eastern, I arrived at the studios about five minutes before air time," he said. "And there was virtually no difference between the activity taking place there and what would be taking place in a 'professional' newsroom.

"It was exhilarating to watch the students running down the hall to make sure everything was ready before airtime. This is what attracted me to the campus. The students there seem very involved, and I like the idea of teaching them the things they need to know in their chosen career path, especially as the industry continues its move in a new direction."

As general manager, Neal will have primary responsibility for the coordination, supervision and administration of programs and activities at EIU's television/radio center. This includes support of the academic mission of the university, as well as programming and outreach services to the campus and greater community through WEIU-FM, WEIU-TV, student audio channels, locally controlled community and campus cable channels and web distribution.

He's reluctant at this point to discuss what changes, if any, might be made at the EIU campus facilities after his arrival to campus on June 1.

"It's too early to make that kind of decision," he said. "I first need to get a full understanding of what's already taking place at WEIU.

"It's a solid station already. It's in a place where public stations should be heading -- local, lots of good programming, a nightly television news program and an Emmy-winning news program, at that," he said.

Speaking in generalities, Neal did say he would continue to seek out locally produced programming and even more involvement than already exists in the local community.

"And we'll discover ways in which to develop user-generated content -- in essence, make our operation more interactive," he added. "Television/radio really is a two-way medium now."

Neal, who has worked in television and/or radio since 1974, previously worked for Blue Ridge Public Television (WBRA-TV), Roanoke, Va.; the Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York (WCNY-TV), Syracuse, N.Y.; the Educational Television Association of Metropolitan Cleveland (WVIZ-TV), Cleveland, Ohio; and other stations in Ohio and Indiana.

His education includes a bachelor's degree in management and a master's degree in business administration, both from California Coast University.

The Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees approved tuition increases for the 2010-11 academic year at its meeting on Monday.

New in-state undergraduate students entering EIU in the fall will pay $254 per semester hour, and that rate will be locked in for four continuous academic years, as provided in the state "Truth in Tuition Law." Students with an average 15-hour course load will pay $3,810 in tuition per semester.

"This is Eastern Illinois University's lowest recommended tuition increase since the implementation of the guaranteed tuition program," said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs. "It was our goal to keep EIU an affordable institution where students can come to study, learn and earn a degree."

The locked-in per-semester-hour tuition rates for returning in-state undergraduate students are as follows (according to the year students entered EIU): 2006-07, $173.55; 2007-08, 194.40; 2008-2009, $218; and 2009-10, $239. Continuing, non-guaranteed students will pay $197 per semester hour, an increase of $14.

New out-of-state undergraduates will pay $762 in tuition per semester hour, or $11,430 for an average 15-hour course load. Locked-in per-semester-hour rates for out-of-state undergraduate students will remain unchanged for those who entered in the following years: 2006-07, $520.65; 2007-08, $583.20; 2008-2009, $654; and 2009-2010, $717. Continuing out-of-state undergraduate students will pay $590 per semester hour, an increase of $41.

Illinois graduate students will also pay $254 per semester hour, an increase of $15. Out-of-state graduate students' per-semester-hour rate will be $686.

Trustees also approved a $2.50 per-semester-hour increase in the Campus Improvement Fee, raising the cost from $12 to $14.50 for the 2010-2011 academic year. The vote also calls for additional $2.50 increases per semester hour in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14, raising the costs to $17, $19.50 and $22, respectively. Additional resources generated from the fee will be used for renovations in labs and classrooms in the physical science and life sciences buildings and, eventually, to partially support the construction of a new science building.

Increases for the Lantz-O'Brien Operations/Bond Revenue Fee were also approved for the next four years. Students will pay an increase of 65 cents per semester hour in 2010-11, and 50 cents each in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 for a total of $2.50, $3, $3.50 and $4, respectively. Additional fees generated from this fee will be used to replace roofs, ceilings and plumbing; repair outdoor basketball and tennis courts; improve heating, air conditioning and ventilation; renovate bathrooms; and repair Panther Trail.

Some of the areas needing repairs are original roofing and piping installed when the building was constructed in 1966, Nadler said.

According to Dan Nadler, the impressive record of student volunteerism at Eastern Illinois University all boils down to one thing.

"We have good-hearted students at the university who want to make a difference," he said. "Many of the students we bring to this institution already have a history of giving to others. They've already been engaged within their own communities and to volunteerism.

"They bring experience. Our role is to help them make the local connections while they're in this area, and to support them as they develop and learn new skills," he added.

As vice president for student affairs, Nadler often has a front-row seat to the many acts of kindness that take place both on- and off-campus. "They pretty much run the spectrum," he said, "with our students interacting with the very young to the very elderly, and with many causes in-between."

And while student volunteerism is no stranger to EIU campus life, it has taken on a new focus in recent years.

"We are fortunate that President (Bill) Perry included volunteerism when he rolled out his priorities for the university," Nadler said. "It has allowed us to create a new unit -- Student Community Service -- which, in turn, has allowed us to identify even more community service opportunities for our students.

"And by having a clearinghouse, so to speak, of volunteer opportunities in one place, we can encourage even greater service."

Now, Nadler continued, when a student says "I'd like to get involved, but I don't know where to go," that person is referred to Rachel Fisher, the highly energetic interim director of the nearly two-year-old office.

"Her work has been phenomenal," Nadler said, reflecting on Fisher's work. "She's developed contacts with a variety of human service agencies throughout Charleston, Coles County and Central Illinois. Her efforts have allowed us to connect with other people, agencies and good causes, in addition to letting us launch some of our own initiatives."

Fresh ideas and opportunities are important, Fisher said, especially when the needs of the community are constantly changing.

"We get excited about our established events, such as Panther Service Day, but we also look forward to new initiatives and new goals based on community needs and the passions of our students," she added. "We work to accommodate the needs of our community neighbors while providing our students some wonderful, meaningful experiences."

One of Eastern's newest initiatives is Jump Start to G.I.V.E. (Get Involved in Volunteer Efforts), made possible by the coordinated efforts of the offices of Student Community Service and New Student Programs. During the one-day project's debut in August 2009, 1,200 new students participated in volunteer projects on campus and in the community.

"We were pleasantly overwhelmed," Nadler said.

For many of those students, as they continue their college careers, volunteerism will become an integral part of their everyday lives.

"For many, it will become a part of their nature, if it hasn't already," Nadler continued. "Some (students) will volunteer on an individual level. Others will perform service activities as part of an organized group -- religious, greek, athletics...

"For example, I don't think many people realize how much time our student-athletes put in doing service, especially with the young children of the community. These kids look up to these athletes who, in turn, serve as mentors and good role models."

Nadler said Eastern promotes and encourages volunteerism for the obvious good it brings to the university and community-at-large.

"There are many things happening that wouldn't get done if it weren't for our young men and women. Many programs and agencies, including our public schools and recreational programs, rely on our students' help," he said.

In turn, those individuals benefit, too.

The goal of Eastern Illinois University is to encourage its students to make connections among all aspects of their lives -- academic, professional and personal -- and apply what they learn in the classroom, and in life, to new situations.

"We want more for our students than just a degree in a given subject area," Nadler said. "For them, their time here will be years of learning, growing and developing life skills that will help them better themselves. If we can help them accomplish this, we feel like we've not only helped them improve their quality of life, but shown them how to create a more fulfilling life."

FACTS AND FIGURES

EIU Service Partners: American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp New Hope, Catholic Charities, Charleston Food Pantry, Children Advocacy Centers of Illinois, City of Charleston, Douglas/Hart Nature Center, Good Neighbor Project, Habitat for Humanity, Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, Mattoon P.A.D.S., Mattoon YMCA, Salvation Army, Serve Illinois Commission, Special Olympics, Teen Reach, Various Retirement/Nursing Homes -- and many others!

Major Days of Service at EIU: Jumpstart to G.I.V.E. (Get Involved in Volunteer Efforts) -- Early Fall; National MLK Jr. Day of Service -- January; and Panther Service Day -- Spring.

Number of Student Volunteers at EIU: July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007 -- 4,113 volunteers with 47,000 recorded hours of service; **July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009 -- 4,773 volunteers with 52,000 recorded hours of service; July 1 to Dec. 31, 2009 -- 5,800 (and still counting!) volunteers with 57,000 recorded hours of service.

(**First year that Student Community Service Office is in operation)

Goal set by President Bill Perry: 100,000 service hours and 8,000 student volunteers (annually) by June 30, 2013

The recent volcano eruption in Iceland will be one topic of discussion as five Eastern Illinois University faculty members mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by speaking about the environment and its effect on humanity.

"Earth Day 2010: A Celebration of Our Home" will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22, in Room 3040 of EIU's Physical Science Building. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Other topics will include overpopulation, sustainability and renewable energy, how a city can be sustainable, and co-existing with nature.

"We hope to raise a lot of questions," said event organizer Cameron Craig. "We hope to give people insight on what's happening now and what we can expect in the future."

The five speakers are members of the EIU Department of Geology/Geography faculty: Diane Burns, Michael Cornebise, Cameron Craig, Dave Viertel and John Stimac.

The Eastern Illinois University Choral Ensembles and Percussion Ensemble will join forces to present works that span the globe in their "Multi-Cultural Concert" in the Doudna Fine Arts Center on April 30.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall. A variety of cultures will be represented, including Armenian, South African, Hebrew and Afro-Cuban.

Jamie V. Ryan, one of Eastern’s newest faculty members, is director of the Percussion Ensemble. Choral faculty members Richard Robert Rossi and Adam Stich direct the Concert Choir and University Mixed Chorus, respectively.

Graduate student Janet McCumber will conduct a women's piece with the University Mixed Chorus, and April Lee will conduct a song with the Concert Choir.

The Concert Choir will present the first movement of "Chichester Psalms" by Leonard Bernstein, in Hebrew; "Lord, I Want to be a Christian," a spiritual arranged by Rossi; and "Loosin Yelav," an Armenian folk song arranged by Paul Carey.

The Percussion Ensemble selections include Minoru Miki's "Marimba Spiritual" and Amadeo Roldan's "Ritmicas 5 and 6." The musicians will play the traditional bata drums used in saluting Afro-Cuban gods known as "orishas" and then take the audience to the courtyards of Havana Vieja with the sounds of rumba.

Following the influence of Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria, the Percussion Ensemble will then perform its own compositions rooted in the salsa sounds of Havana's Tropicana club and New York's Palladium. The ensemble will also play a "conga de comparsa," indulging in the sounds of the Carnaval street parade Afro-Cuba celebrates every Jan. 6.

The Mixed Chorus will perform "Gabi, Gabi," a traditional South African song arranged by William C. Powell; "Missa Pequeña" and "Creo en Dios" by Francisco Nuñez; "A Red, Red, Rose" by James Mulholland; and, with marimba, "Halleluyah!" by Bill Derksen.

Tickets for general-admission seating are $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors, EIU employees and students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble will present a wide variety of jazz in its April 29 concert, which will feature many excellent student soloists, as well as guest student vocalist Sean Walker.

The concert is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Theatre.

Among the selections are fresh arrangements of well-known standards such as "All of Me" and "Body and Soul," a very contemporary piece entitled "Big Sky," and a beautiful arrangement of "A Child Is Born" by EIU's own Paul Johnston.

The EIU Jazz Ensemble is directed by Sam Fagaly. The group has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Ensemble and Solo Performance citations at the Notre Dame and Elmhurst College jazz festivals, as well as Downbeat magazine's prestigious "DB" award.

The band released its first CD, "Eastern Time Zone," in 1994. Its latest recording, "In The Pocket," is currently available. The group has been featured at many conferences and festivals, including the Illinois Music Educators Association conference and the International Association for Jazz Educators convention.

Each year, the EIU Jazz Ensemble performs with special guest artists, which have included legendary figures such as Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie, Diane Schuur and Joe Williams.

This program is presented by the EIU music department in cooperation with the Doudna Fine Arts Center; both are divisions of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities. The Doudna is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors, EIU employees and students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Representatives of Eastern Illinois University's administration, faculty and students will discuss "The Illinois Budget Crisis and the Future of Education" on Monday, April 19.

The forum will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Charleston/Mattoon Room of the MLK Jr. Union on campus. The public is invited.

Panelists will be EIU President William Perry; Charles Delman, mathematics; Joy Russell, early childhood, elementary and middle level education; Richard Wandling, political science; and Eric Wilber, EIU Student Government. Bailey Young, history, will moderate the panel.

“We are hoping to promote a productive dialogue on campus and in the community on the urgency of budget challenges facing education in Illinois -- from the first-grade classroom through higher education," Wandling said. "The panelists will represent a range of perspectives, from President Perry speaking on the future of EIU to Professor Russell addressing the state of elementary and secondary education."

The panel will offer perspectives on the state’s budget crisis relative to education at all levels. The audience will have the opportunity to pose questions and provide input.

The forum is co-sponsored by the Faculty Senate and the EIU chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra and EIU Choral Ensembles will present "Songs of Fate" on Sunday, April 25, in Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $10 for seniors and EIU employees; and $5 for students. Seating is reserved.

The program, which will later be televised on WEIU-TV, includes a variety of selections, including "Romeo and Juliet Overture" by Tchaikovsky, "Schicksalslied" by Brahms, and "Magnificat" by Stanford.

The musicians will perform under the guidance of conductor Richard Robert Rossi.

Concerto winner Ali Walton, a senior accounting and finance major with a minor in music, will be featured on horn in Strauss' "Concerto for Horn No. 1 in E-Flat, Opus 11." She studies with EIU horn professor Katherine McBain.

The Eastern Symphony Orchestra will play for the University Mixed Chorus, Concert Choir, Camerata Singers and Oratorio Society.

Organist Derek Maninfior will accompany the Camerata and Concert Choir. Other instrumentalists featured will include Anna Cromwell and Terry Coulton on violin and Ka-Wai Yu on cello for Gorczycki's "In Virtute Tua"; and April Lee (oboe) and Julia Jamieson (harp) on "The Lord is My Shepherd" by Rutter.

A recording of the concert will air on WEIU-TV at 6 p.m. May 4 and May 9.

For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Last year, Illinois grew 2 billion bushels of corn -- 15 percent of the entire U.S. corn crop.

And to produce that much corn, tons of chemicals were applied to the land. Some of those chemicals are said to have ended up in rivers, lakes and oceans. Some claim that those chemicals also end up in us.

Eastern Illinois University invites community residents to join director Aaron Woolf for screenings of two of his movies, " Big River" and "King Corn," that investigate how agriculture impacts the environment and those who depend on it for food and other products.

In the 2007 Peabody-winning documentary "King Corn," Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America 's most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat -- and how we farm.

In 2009's " Big River," Cheney and Ellis return to Iowa with a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn has sent to the people and places downstream. In a journey that spans from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, the two men trade their combine for a canoe and set out to see the world their acre of corn has touched. On their trip, flashbacks to the pesticides they sprayed, the fertilizers they injected and the soil they plowed now lead to new questions, explored by new experts in new places.

Half of Iowa's topsoil, they learn, has been washed out to sea. Fertilizer runoff has spawned a hypoxic "dead zone" in the Gulf. And back at their acre, the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home.

Both films will be shown Wednesday, April 21, in Phipps Auditorium, located on the first floor of the Physical Science Building on the EIU campus. Admission to "Big River" and "King Corn," set to run from 3 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., respectively, is free and open to the public. Question-and-answer sessions with Woolf will follow each screening.

In addition, EIU's Booth Library is hosting an exhibit designed to provide more information on the films and related issues. The exhibit will be on display through the end of April in the library's Reference Hallway.

The screenings are being made possible through a College of Sciences Visiting Scholars grant, which was supplemented by Eastern's departments of geology/geography, sociology/anthropology and political science; Booth Library; and Tempestas et Caelum Productions.

Additional information about the documentaries can be found at http://www.bigriverfilm.com/ and http://www.kingcorn.net/ .

Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library will celebrate National Library Week during the week of April 11 through 17, and will host several events and exhibitions.

On Monday, the library will host "An Evening with Neil Gaiman" from 5 to 7 p.m. in Booth Library Conference Room 4440. As the honorary chair of National Library Week, Gaiman will speak during this live streaming videoconference about his lifelong love of libraries and the role they play in a democratic society by supporting intellectual freedom and privacy. This event is coordinated by the American Library Association's Campaign for America 's Libraries and the Jessamine County (Ky.) Public Library, in collaboration with HarperCollins Children's Books, Internet2 and the University of Minnesota.

From 5 to 7 p.m. on both Sunday and Wednesday, library personnel will offer tours of the building to community residents and host a community borrower card drive. Tours will begin in the Marvin Foyer.

Booth's annual book sale will take place outside the north entrance of the library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. A large selection of books in all subject areas and hundreds of paperback fiction titles will be available for sale. All items have been donated by the campus community, with proceeds from the sale to be used to enhance library programs and services. The library requests no advance sales.

Several exhibits related to National Library Week will be on display during the month of April: "The History of Illinois Libraries," located in the Atrium; "Transforming K-12 Students Today into College Students Tomorrow," in the Periodicals hallway; "Community Authors," featuring works by local writers, in the South Lobby; and "Neil Gaiman, Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2010," on display in the Marvin Foyer. This exhibit will feature works by Gaiman, the winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal for "The Graveyard Book."

More information about National Library Week can be found on the Booth Library Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BoothLibrary.

Philadelphia's Koresh Dance Company will bring its powerful stage presence and high-energy style to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center for two shows on April 23 and 24.

Both performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in The Theatre. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $12 for seniors and EIU employees; and $7 for students. Seating is reserved.

Founded in 1991 by Israeli-born choreographer Ronen Koresh, the Koresh Dance Company presents its audiences with an exciting and emotional blend of ballet, modern and jazz molded into a style of choreography that is eloquent and explosive.

Koresh Dance Company performances feature an eclectic repertoire of work by its founder (who serves as the troupe's artistic director) and guest choreographers, including Donald Byrd (Spectrum Dance Theater), Robert Battle (Battleworks), Itzik Galili (Galili Dance) and Brian Sanders (JUNK).

The Company's critically acclaimed work attracts a continually increasing audience across the nation, and Koresh's reputation for passion and outstanding technique regularly results in sold-out performances.

Reviewers have lavished praise on the troupe.

• "Koresh dancers have long been known for their exceptionally fine-toned physiques -- and the caliber of their movement execution is simply marvelous, regardless of the technical requirements." -- Philadelphia City Paper

• "This is an exciting company, with choreography full of surprises and dancers equipped to execute the often-stunning shifts in dynamic and mood. They consistently astonish with their skill; when all nine of them move together as a unit, they become a single entity, a piece of life moving as if with one heartbeat." -- San Antonio Express

• "The entire evening’s performance was dancing at its most profound. I can’t remember the last time a dance company drew tears from me; this one did, several times." -- Reading (Pa.) Eagle

Ronen Koresh's dance history includes training and dancing with his mother, a folk dancer in the Yemenite tradition, and with a Tel Aviv folk dance group; comprehensive study as a teenager with Martha Graham’s Bat Sheva Dance Company; and training with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.

In 1984, Koresh began performing with Shimon Braun’s acclaimed Waves Jazz Dance Company in Philadelphia. He also was one of the original Evening Magazine Dancers and won a People’s Choice Award in 1987 as Philadelphia’s Most Outstanding Jazz Dancer.

Koresh, an in-demand guest artist and speaker, is a professor of jazz dance at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which he joined in 1986. He also teaches master classes and creates choreography at Drexel University, Wake Forest and the Elie Studio in Mito, Japan, just to name a few.

In 1993, Koresh opened the Koresh School of Dance in Center City Philadelphia. Besides serving as the home base for his company, the studio is a mecca for dancers in the community. It has also been a magnet for some of the nation’s most outstanding teachers, including hip hop’s Rennie Harris; ballet’s Elena Tchernishova, Andrew Pap, Sasha and Irina Boitsov, and Alexei and Natalia Charov; and modern’s Terry Beck, Brian Sanders and Myra Bazell.

For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics will present "Why Can't Time Run Backwards?" on Friday, April 16, at Eastern Illinois University.

Sir Anthony Leggett, a physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Lecture Hall. Admission is free, and the public is invited.

"We can all tell when a movie of some everyday event, such as a kettle boiling or a glass shattering, is run backwards," Leggett said in describing his topic. "Similarly, we all feel that we can remember the past and affect the future, not vice versa.

"So there is a very clear 'arrow' (direction) of time built into our interpretation of our everyday experience. Yet the fundamental microscopic laws of physics, be they classical or quantum-mechanical, look exactly the same if the direction of time is reversed.

"So what is the origin of the 'arrow' of time? This is one of the deepest questions in physics; I will review some relevant considerations, but do not pretend to give a complete answer."

Leggett will also discuss the process of winning the Nobel Prize. While he won't delve into the science behind his prize-winning work in superfluidity, he will discuss some of his classical training and how that related to his discoveries and innovations.

The event is sponsored by the Society of Physics Students and the Philosophy Club at EIU.

For more information on Leggett's lecture, please call the EIU physics department at 217-581-3220 or e-mail Professor Jim Conwell at jconwell@eiu.edu.

Stephani Pescitelli, left, has received enthuastic help with a pilot study of a compost program from the Thomas Dining Center staff, including (from left) Diane Wilke, Renee Kerz and Mary Collins.

Stephani Pescitelli wants to make the world a better place than when she found it, and that's why, even in her hectic final months as an Eastern Illinois University student, she has worked to start a compost program on campus.

In a pilot run of the program, she found that composting in even just one dining center could potentially keep 500 lbs. of organic waste out of landfills each week, helping not only the environment, but EIU's waste-hauling budget as well. As an added bonus, the composted material would be used for landscaping.

Pescitelli's inspiration was a similar program at Humboldt State University in Northern California, where she was enrolled for a semester as part of the National Student Exchange. In addition to recycling bins often seen elsewhere, the HSU campus had receptacles for items that could be composted.

"It just makes so much sense to collect organic waste like you would items for recycling," Pescitelli said. "I wanted to bring some of the energy and inspiration back to my home school."

Pescitelli, a Presidential Honors student, is no stranger to making a difference. She has been involved in fair trade and social justice activism via several service organizations, including the Newman Center's Haiti Connection.

She is also no stranger to the topic of biodegradation. One of her research projects, about the use of paper waste in cultivating mushrooms, was funded by a $3,000 grant from the Honors College.

So when she returned to EIU with the idea for a compost program, she secured an internship with EIU's Office of Energy and Sustainability and put her enthusiasm and knowledge to work.

In the Thomas Dining Center, the location of the pilot study, most of the composted items came from the salad bar preparation area. Paper towels were also included, as the carbon they contain helps to balance out the nitrogen-rich vegetables. Prohibited items include dairy, oil and meat products, as they would attract pests.

Pescitelli lauded the staff  -- "the actual ones doing the work" -- for enthusiastically participating in the project and taking ownership in it.

Salad bar cook Mary Collins, who has been composting in her yard for about 30 years, said she was "very, very excited about" the program. The project doesn't require a lot of extra work by the staff, she said.

"It's just a matter of putting something in a compost bin instead of putting it in a garbage can," Collins said. "Everybody's very happy about it, because we don't like to waste anything. This is just another step in the university's commitment to being environmentally friendly."

Ryan Siegel, EIU's energy and sustainability coordinator, agreed.

"It's a great step forward to allow us to do more for our environment and send less to a landfill," Siegel said. "If it works out that the system is cost-effective, it will bring us one step closer to the president's goal of recycling or diverting 1.6 million pounds of material per year from the university."

Although Pescitelli is already busy working on designing a composting bin and finding a location for it before she graduates with a degree in environmental biology, she still has one more project she'd like to tackle before leaving campus: the planning of a campus community garden.

In recent years, various people on campus have discussed the possibility of such a garden, and one of Pescitelli's goals is to bring those people together to make that dream a reality.

"A campus garden would offer the opportunity for students to learn how to grow their own food and make connections between food systems, health and sustainability," she said.

After graduating in May, Pescitelli will begin an internship with Troy Gardens, which includes community gardens, an organic farm, and restored prairie and woodlands in Madison, Wisc. The following year, she hopes to pursue a doctorate and eventually engage in a career focusing on sustainable living.

"I tell people that my dream job would be to do mushroom cultivation in Haiti," Pescitelli said. "That is close to my heart."

The Eastern Illinois University Wind Symphony will present something for the entire family -- including humor from Maestro Hil Arioso, "The World’s Greatest Conductor” -- in “A Celebration Prelude” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 18.

The concert will be held in the Dvorak Concert Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center. It is designed to set the mood for the following weekend's Celebration: Festival of the Arts on the EIU campus.

The program includes the landmark “Symphony for Band" by Vincent Persichetti, one of America’s most important composers. “Symphony," which pointed the way for other composers of various genres to the serious musical possibilities of the wind band, explores in rich detail the timbral and rhythmic elements capable of the band genre in a work now considered core repertoire.

Christopher Jones, graduate conducting assistant, will make his final conducting appearance with the Wind Symphony with John Adams' “Short Ride in a Fast Machine.” This rhythmic transcription of the popular minimalist orchestral work takes the listener on a careening, yet exhilarating, musical journey.

Then, it will be time for The World’s Greatest Conductor: Maestro Hil Arioso. Maestro Arioso -- played to humorous perfection by EIU Wind Symphony conductor Milton Allen -- follows in the tradition of Danny Kaye, Victor Borge and Leonard Bernstein’s popular television broadcasts of the 1950s and '60s.

Equally at home conducting bands or orchestras, as well as presenting programs that appeal to all ages, Maestro Arioso brings fun, laughter and passion to the concert hall, all while illuminating both the importance and power of music to audiences.

Joining The Maestro during his “residency” will be Magie Smith, EIU clarinet professor, in a performance of the clarinet classic “Immer Kleiner” ("Always Smaller") by Adolf Shreiner.

Interim Dean of the College of Humanities, Jeffrey Lynch, will reprise his role as narrator for the Wind Symphony’s annual performance of “Casey at the Bat.” This will be Lynch’s last performance as a member of the EIU faculty.

The EIU Wind Symphony -- composed of approximately 45 auditioned musicians from across campus -- is the premier band of the EIU University Bands. It has received praise from many composers and artists, including Libby Larsen, the Boston Brass, Steven Bryant and Timothy Mahr, as well as conductors Russel Mikkelson and Timothy Reynish.

Admission will be $5 for the general public, and $3 for senior citizens, EIU employees and students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University theatre department will present a humorous take on how people gleefully twist their convictions to rationalize bad behavior with its staging of "Incorruptible: A Dark Comedy About the Dark Ages."

Performances are set for 7 p.m. April 16, 17, 19 and 20, as well as 2 p.m. April 18, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Black Box Theatre. The play is not recommended for those younger than high-school age.

The cast includes Tim Mason, Brian McElligott, Geoffrey Zokal, Grant Molen, Dar'Keith Lofton, Katy Kruzic, Mallory Stringfellow and Caitlin Carroll.

The play, Michael Hollinger's satirical look at the fragility of faith in the face of survival, is set in Priseaux, France, in 1250.

"The river flooded again last week," reads the synopsis provided by the Dramatists Play Service. "The chandler's shop just burned to the ground. Nobody's heard of the wheelbarrow yet. And St. Foy, the patron of the local monastery, hasn't worked a miracle in 13 years.

"In other words, the Dark Ages still look pretty dark. All eyes turn to the pope, whose promised visit will surely encourage other pilgrims to make the trek and restore the abbey to its former glory. That is, until a rival church claims to possess the relics of St. Foy -- and 'their' bones are working miracles.

"All seems lost until the destitute monks take a lesson from a larcenous one-eyed minstrel, who teaches them an outrageous new way to pay old debts."

"Incorruptible" has received rave reviews. American Theatre called it "a lightning-fast farce, rich in both verbal and physical humor," and Philadelphia Weekly described it as "a farcical romp, scintillating and irreverent."

"Everything fits snugly in this funny, endearing black comedy," read a review in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Hollinger understands how to balance verbal and physical humor, how to sketch personality in a few deft strokes, how to pause here and there to allow his audience to catch its breath, how to bring on a new character at just the right time, and how to write dialogue that's an artful blend of the mock-formal and the anachronistically breezy. A piece of remarkably dexterous craftsmanship."

Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Dancers will present their annual spring concert -- "Unique Sole" -- at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 8, 9 and 10, in The Theatre in the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Doors open at 6:30. Admission is free and open to the public.

The concert will feature traditional forms of ballet, modern, tap and jazz to varied musical artists such as Whitney Houston, Colbie Caillat, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Citizen Cope, Enya and the sound track from "Moma Mia."

This university-recognized organization is sponsored by EIU's Department of Kinesiology and Sports Studies, and is under the direction of Jeanna McFarland.

This year's concert features 13 university students with many different majors. Auditions are held in September and rehearsals start immediately for a spring concert.

There has been an annual spring concert sponsored by the Physical Education Department (now kinesiology and sports studies) since 1934; the current group is a continuation of that tradition. Originally the performances consisted of modern dance only. This group was founded in 1981, and has expanded to perform many various dance forms such as ballet, jazz and tap.

McFarland is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and furthered her dance studies in New York City at different studios, including those of Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Finus Jung and Luigi. She came to Eastern in 1991 as a faculty member.

"Unique Sole" is a foot-tapping, energetic production and will be enjoyable for all ages. Due to limited seating, audience members will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eastern Illinois University's Health Service and Student Community Service Center invites the Charleston-area community to take part in "kicking butts" from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 10, in Morton Park.

Kick Butts Day, a nationwide initiative to stop youth tobacco use, is designed to increase awareness of tobacco's impact on health and aid in tobacco cessation.

This is the third year in which EIU has hosted Kick Butts Day events.

Activities will begin with a 5K Walk/Run. Pre-registration has already started, with forms and information for runners available here. A $20 registration fee includes admission, T-shirt, food and a commemorative item. The fee is $5 for ages 12 and under.

On-site registration on April 10 is from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., with the run beginning at 9:45 a.m. and the walk at 10.

The community picnic, planned as a way for families and the community as a whole to engage in tobacco education, will feature food, entertainment and games suitable for all ages. There is no charge to come and participate, and all are welcome to attend. Booths and activities will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Funded in part by a "I Live Free, Tobacco Free" grant, EIU Kick Butts Day events will provide community residents with a chance to stand out, speak up and seize control in the fight against tobacco. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people every year. This event is an opportunity to educate, engage and take action for change.

For information about Kick Butts Day, contact Brad Tribble at 217-581-7786 or herc-alcoholed@eiu.edu .

Sarah Vowell, a best-selling author whose humorous commentary on America's past and present is a staple on late-night talk shows, public radio and the pages of leading publications, is coming to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Vowell will take the stage in the Dvorak Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. April 9 to share her observations on the connections between the American past and present.

Her personal, often humorous accounts typically cover everything from presidents and their assassins to colonial religious fanatics, as well as thoughts on American Indians, utopian dreamers, pop music and the odd cranky cartographer.

Vowell’s most recent book, "The Wordy Shipmates," examines the New England Puritans and their journey to and impact on America. She reveals how American history can show up in the most unexpected places in our modern culture, often in unexpected ways.

Her 2005 book "Assassination Vacation" is a haunting and surprisingly hilarious road trip to tourist sites devoted to the murders of presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. Vowell examines what these acts of political violence reveal about our national character and our contemporary society.

She is also the author of two essay collections, "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" and "Take the Cannoli." Her first book, "Radio On," is her year-long diary of listening to the radio in 1995.

Vowell was a contributing editor for Public Radio International’s "This American Life" from 1996 to 2008. She produced numerous commentaries and documentaries and toured the country in many live shows.

She was an original contributor to McSweeney’s, also participating in many of the quarterly’s readings and shows. She has been a columnist for Salon.com, Time and San Francisco Weekly and continues to write occasional essays for the opinion page of the New York Times.

Vowell has made numerous appearances on the "Late Show with David Letterman," "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" and the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart." She is the voice of teen superhero Violet Parr in Pixar's Academy Award-winning "The Incredibles."

Vowell is the president of the board of 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for students aged 6-18 in Brooklyn.

Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

A 25-year veteran of Information Technology Services at Eastern Illinois University has been chosen to head the unit on an interim basis.

Kathy Reed, who officially began her role as interim assistant vice president for ITS on March 15, will serve through June 30, 2011.

Bill Weber, vice president for business affairs, said it was his intent to begin a nationwide search in Fall 2010, with the goal of having a person permanently fill the position in July 2011.

Meanwhile, he added, "Ms. Reed has excellent communication and leadership skills, a solid record of accomplishment within ITS, and broad support both within ITS and across campus.

"I have asked (her) to lead Information Technology Services with the goals of enhancing customer service, developing an effective five-year technology plan, and partnering closely with the Center for Academic Technology Support and other university units," he added.

Reed, who joined ITS in 1985, has held numerous positions within the unit, including that of associate director for information systems, project leader and management analyst/programmer. Her roles have given her extensive experience in IT management, including strategic direction, planning, budget preparation and vendor relations.

In addition, Reed is skilled in evaluating current and future technologies and leading planning to support both short- and long-term IT initiatives.

Weber expressed his faith in Reed's abilities.

"Despite this being an interim position, I expect Ms. Reed will make some advancement within the unit -- not just keep it running until the position is permanently filled," he said.

Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library is developing a major exhibit to provide an overview of the Normal schools in Illinois, the training of teachers, and school life in Illinois.

Preparations for this exhibit are underway, and community involvement would be appreciated.

Allen Lanham, dean of Library Services, hopes that local residents of all ages will be a part of this project, providing stories or artifacts related to their school experience. Although Eastern will be featured, education at all levels from around the state is to be included.

Anyone interested in providing information or participating in this project is encouraged to contact the library online here, by phone at 217-581-6061, or by writing to Booth Library Exhibits, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920.

Programming related to the library exhibition will be offered during October 2010, to coincide with the reaccreditation visit of EIU's teacher certification program by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Aloha Chicago plans to bring the "magic of the Islands" to those in attendance at Eastern Illinois University's fifth annual Asian Heritage Month Reception on Sunday, March 28.

The group, recognized for its stellar performances by the Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC, ABC and others, will perform beautiful dances from Hawaii, exciting drum dances of Ori Tahiti, fascinating Maori dances of New Zealand, and breath-taking athletics from Samoa.

The event, planned as the kick-off to a month-long program of events to celebrate Asian and Asian-American heritage on the university campus, will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the MLK Jr. Union. Admission is free.

The Office of Minority Affairs, University Board and the Asian Heritage Month Committee are co-sponsors of the event.

See here for more on Aloha Chicago.

Eastern Illinois University’s ScienceFest -- a celebration of student research and faculty mentoring, teaching, research and service -- is set for March 25-26.

The 15th annual ScienceFest, sponsored by the College of Sciences, is themed "Teaching and Learning: Integration of Liberal Arts and Sciences." Activities will take place in the University Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union.

ScienceFest will open at 7 p.m. March 25 with “Frankenstein: How Physics, Literature and Theatre led to a Scientific Success," a lecture by Emily A. Tobey from the University of Texas at Dallas' Callier Advanced Hearing Research Center. The lecture is sponsored by Sigma Xi.

All other activities are set for March 26, starting with a panel discussion on "The Art and Science of Sound," at 1:05 p.m. The panel will be moderated by Linda Ghent, chair of the department of economics. Panel members will be Tobey and three EIU faculty members: Steve Daniels, professor and chair, physics; John Martone, professor, English; and Mark Rubel, instructor and audio director, music.

At 2:10 p.m., attendees will be able to browse undergraduate and graduate students' research posters. Mary Anne Hanner, dean of the EIU College of Sciences, will present the State of the College address at 3 p.m., followed by the College of Sciences Student Advisory Board's report on their technology recycling initiative at 3:20 p.m.

At 3:30 p.m., awards will be presented for excellence in the College of Sciences, including honors for undergraduate and graduate research; faculty mentoring; and faculty teaching, research and service.

For more information on ScienceFest, see http://www.eiu.edu/~colsci/departments_sciencefest.php.

Legislative Testimony

Honorable Chairperson and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and represent Eastern Illinois University, a university of opportunity since its founding in 1895. Thank you for your support of EIU.

In previous years, I have been given the opportunity to talk to you about Eastern and our commitment to the academic and personal development of our students. I've also spoken about our commitment to access and affordability. Finally, I have previously provided information that demonstrates our desire to work collaboratively with public constituencies in an effort to advance our community, region and state.

Today I have been given the opportunity to tell you how Eastern accomplishes many great things, and does so in an effective and efficient manner.

Eastern is efficient.

We work efficiently throughout the academic career of students. Using the most recent data available from IBHE, Eastern had the fourth highest graduation rate in the state in 2008. As a testament to our efficiency, Eastern accomplished this while having the lowest GRF per FTE student and the lowest GRF+IF per FTE student in the state (averaged using FY07 and FY08 totals).

The success of our institution is due to the commitment of our students, faculty and staff. Using the most recent data available from IBHE, Eastern had the third highest retention rate in the state in 2008. We are able to admit great students and engage them in a manner that maintains continuous enrollment. Eastern has demonstrated great efficiency with respect to moving students through their academic career. Using IBHE's most recent data (2008) on degrees conferred, Eastern had the third lowest GRF per degree conferred. This represents a significant return on investment of appropriated dollars.

As a result of efficient and effective operations, we are ranked 11th among all public master's universities in the Midwest region in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Eastern is accessible.

•  In FY09, we had the fourth lowest tuition of all public universities in Illinois.

•  Regarding tuition, it is important to note that Eastern has the lowest IF per FTE based on available data from IBHE (averaged using FY07 and FY08).

•  35 percent of our students are transfers, with the majority of those students transferring from Illinois community colleges.

•  30 percent of our undergraduates are Pell Grant eligible.

•  35 percent of our undergraduates are first-generation college students.

Eastern is increasingly diverse.

•  Since 2004, students of color have grown from 9 percent of our student body to 15 percent in 2009.

•  In 2008, 26 percent of freshman applicants were students of color. By 2009, that percentage increased to 36 percent.

•  Since 2008, 29 percent of tenured or tenure-track faculty hired were minorities (10 percent African-American, 16 percent Asian, 3 percent Hispanic) and 50 percent of these hires have been women.

•  HBCU Connect Magazine named Eastern as the number six organization in its Top 50 Employers List. This is based on Eastern's recruitment of HBCU students and alumni, brand penetration in the HBCU community, and relationships with HBCU organizations.

Eastern students are engaged.

•  In 2008, more than 4,200 students participated in service projects.

•  On average, EIU students annually complete approximately 50,000 hours of service.

•  Our students are engaged with numerous organizations including, but not limited to, Special Olympics, Amigos and Friends, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, CASA and Catholic Charities.

Eastern students, employees and alumni are succeeding. Here are just a few examples:

•  Chemistry professor Sean Peebles was awarded the prestigious Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award in recognition of his work with students and for leading undergraduate research efforts.

•  Will Hine, dean of the School of Continuing Education, was given the Past President's Award from the Illinois Council of Continuing Higher Education in February of 2010.

•  In 2009, Eastern had the second largest number of student presenters at the National Council on Undergraduate Research's annual conference.

•  In a recent survey, 48 percent of Eastern graduates indicated that they had obtained a graduate degree or were currently working toward a graduate degree. Our alumni satisfaction rate is 99 percent. We are the number two provider of public school teachers in Illinois.

•  WEIU-TV Newswatch staff was awarded a Mid-America Emmy for best student news production.

•  When compared with students from other public institutions in Illinois, EIU graduate accountancy students had the highest average score on two sections of the CPA exam (in addition to being second and third in the other two categories).

•  A team of undergraduate students from the Health Studies Department won a national case study competition at the annual conference of the American Association for Health Education.

Eastern is green.

•  We have begun a $79 million project to construct a Renewable Energy Center and to retrofit existing buildings to make them more efficient. No state funds will be needed to finance the project.

•  This project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 metric tons each year -- the equivalent of taking 3,600 cars off the road.

•  Eastern has twice been named College/University Partner of the Year in the Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Program that focuses on recycling.

•  ESCO projects completed since 1995 have allowed the university to save $2.3 million in annual utility costs.

•  We are also working with our local agricultural community to investigate the creation of a local biomass market that will create new economic opportunity in Coles County and the region.

Eastern is creatively funding growth and actively managing expenditures.

•  We will have renewable energy center, textbook rental center and expanded Student Success Center construction projects completed without using any appropriated funds.

•  Eastern has instituted a hiring freeze, equipment purchasing freeze, limited travel and decreased expenditures on non-safety-related maintenance to address economic challenges.

•  Our recent ITS reorganization will save the university approximately $800,000.

•  We're actively identifying more organizational opportunities to restructure in a way that saves money.

Eastern Illinois University is committed to providing world class educational experiences for students. The aforementioned accomplishments would not have been possible had we not strategically and creatively identified methods to support our growth. By working effectively and efficiently, the university has created new infrastructure, programs, and positions that directly and positively impact students.

There is a partnership between our university, our students and the state. Our employees and students have worked diligently to advance the university during this time of economic hardship that is adversely affecting our state. Historic levels of GRF per FTE funding have required that the university place utmost importance on efficiency and effectiveness. In my opinion, Eastern provides an exemplary return on investment to the state.

The current economic climate demands that we find creative ways to maintain accessibility and affordability. Our economy also dictates that new solutions will be needed to facilitate further growth. We have reached a crucial time in public higher education when business as usual will not keep us moving in the right direction.

As you consider the impact that increased budget cuts will have on the future of our state and the futures of thousands of students, please remember that an investment in Eastern Illinois University, and higher education as a whole, represents a demonstrated commitment to improving the economic and social fabrics of Illinois.

I offer this testimony as evidence in support of further investment in Eastern. We have approached problems analytically. We have made strategic decisions that emphasize efficiency and effectiveness. We have succeeded because we work tirelessly to assure that taxpayer dollars are used in a way that most directly supports students.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today and for your commitment to supporting our university. I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Celtic Crossroads will bring its groundbreaking fusion of traditional Irish music, bluegrass, gypsy and jazz, set to the exciting rhythms of Irish dance percussion, to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center on March 25.

The show, known internationally for its explosion of youthful energy and dazzling musicianship, is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall.

Celtic Crossroads features seven world-class musicians playing more than 20 instruments, including uilleann pipes, whistles, low whistles, Irish harp, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, accordion, mandola, bouzouki, guitar, flute and a variety of percussion.

The inventive arrangements and bass-driven grooves, which illustrate how Irish music influenced the global birth of a multitude of musical genres, are accompanied by high-kicking from some of Ireland's best-respected Irish dancers.

Celtic Crossroads is "elevating Irish music to an exciting and electrifying dimension" (The Galway Independent) and "without a doubt, the most exciting music show to come out of Ireland in 20 years" (Frank McNamara, originator of the Irish Tenors).

The show's musical director is Irish-Australian Michael McClintock. McClintock is originally from Dublin, but like so many Irish, he emigrated to Australia at an early age. In 2005, McClintock arrived in Galway, Ireland, on a mission to share, based on his experiences through his travels, how Irish music influenced musicians throughout the world.

For more information, including video and audio clips, see the Web site at www.celticcrossroads.ie.

Seating is reserved. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $12 for seniors and EIU employees; and $7 for students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Brett Block, a Paris Cooperative High School physical science teacher, will be honored for her teaching excellence with an award from the Eastern Illinois University chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

Sigma Xi's Excellence in High School and Middle School Science and Mathematics Teaching Award goes to high school or middle school science or mathematics teachers who demonstrate excellence in teaching, actively involve students in critical thinking and problem-solving, actively involve students in the learning process, and teach an appreciation for science and mathematics.

As a high school science teacher in Illinois since 1994, Block has promoted science through incorporating computational chemistry programs to enhance student learning and visualization of chemistry and molecular modeling.

Block received her bachelor's degree in biological science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her teacher's certification from EIU. She and her family reside in Paris.

Block is to be presented with the 2010 award plaque and stipend during a short Sigma Xi EIU chapter meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 25, in the University Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union. The public is welcome.

Prior to the meeting, a social hour will be held from 5-6 p.m., after which the banquet, featuring a buffet dinner, will begin. Those planning to attend should RSVP to Brenda Wilson at 217-581-2712 or bmwilson@eiu.edu by March 22. The cost is $16 if paid by March 22, or $20 at the door.

The evening will conclude with a lecture on "Frankenstein: How Physics, Literature and Theatre Led to a Scientific Success” by Emily Tobey, a Nelle C. Johnston Chair in communication disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.

A wealth of health information, games and door prizes will be available at Eastern Illinois University's "Back to the Health Fair" on Wednesday, March 10.

The annual health fair, sponsored by the EIU Health Service and Health Education Resource Center, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center in the Lantz Building. The event is free, and the community is invited.

More than 70 organizations are scheduled to provide information, including the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, Illinois Department of Public Health, Crisis Pregnancy Center and area nursing programs. A complete list of participants is available at http://www.eiu.edu/~herc/programs/HealthFair2010.php.

This year's event, named after the popular 1980s movie "Back to the Future," will have an '80s theme.

For more information, call 217-581-7786 or e-mail herc@eiu.edu.

Eastern Illinois University recently honored more than 280 of its employees for continuous years of service.

A luncheon was held in recognition of university employees with continuous years of service in five-year increments. Those employed at EIU for five years were eligible for a certificate; those with 10 or more years of service were honored with both a certificate and a pin.

Honorees are listed as follows:

40 years -- Joseph Martin.

35 years -- Deborah Gerdes.

30 years -- David Bailey, John Best, Philip Blair, Donald Braswell, Lynn Cobb, Lois Dickenson, Brenda Farris, Mary Garrett, Jeanne Goble, Mary Hubbard, Susan Johnson, John Kilgore, Michele Kusterman, Mary Maddox, John Marquart, Rondal Mathenia and Janet Werden.

25 years -- Forrest Chism, Thomas Coffey, Mary Joan Collins, Lori Creek, Phyllis Croisant, Annette Diehl, Ruth Hoberman, Mahyar Izadi, John Looby, Michael Loudon, Denise Rehm-Mott, Timothy Taflinger, Sharon Turner and Brenda Wilson.

20 years -- Olga Abella, Susan Allen, Gary Aylesworth, Craig Chesner, Margaret Clapp, Janice Coons, Archibald Crawford, Daniel Crews, Adam Due, Bruce Duzan, Audrey Edwards, Michael Elam, Patty Enlow, Karla Evans, Ruth Flaherty, Shelley French, Sandra Frick, Frank Goldacker, Dixie Gough, Harold Green, Lora Green, Helen Gregg, Alan Haga, John Hatfill, Joan Henn, Robert Hillman, Christy Hooser, Zoraida Irizarry, Newton Key, Susan Kile, Lynn Kimbrough, Phil Lang, Peggy Manley, Timothy Mason, Patricia McCallister, Malia McGee, Betsy Miller, Timothy Mills, Janel Moore, Pamela Newby, Donna Nichols, Michael Nickell, Janet Patterson, Charles Pederson, Barbara Poole, Terry Ramsey, Mary Redden, Joyce Schumacher, Delisa Standerfer, Duangrudi Suksang, Billy Waddell and Carl Weaver.

15 years -- Patti Bailey, Kenneth Baker, Deborah Barker, Terry Barnhart, Cindy Bayes, Janice Beals, Randall Beebe, Reed Benedict, Ronan Bernas, Jonathan Blitz, Sally Bock, Mark Borzi, James Bruehler, Rosemary Buck, Greg Buell, Toni Chambers, Pamela Collins, Bev Cruse, Lynne Curry, Charles Delman, Amy Edwards, Karen Eisenhour, Cynthia Fearday, Gary Fritz, Gregory Galperin, Julia Gladu, Rose Gong, Bradley Green, Julie Griffin, David Hilligoss, Les Hyder, Bonnie Irwin, Joy Kammerling, Renee Kerz, Jeffrey Laursen, Marcia Lawhead, Young Lee, Gloria Leitschuh, Tina Leonard, Kevin Linker, Susan Liu, Melinda Meehling, Kathryn Morice, Pamela Muchmore, Carla Nelson, Godson Obia, Michele Olsen, Henry Owen, Patricia Poulter, Steven Rich, Susan Rippy, James Schmitz, Richard Seitz, Stephen Shrake, Sue Smyser, Cindy Starwalt, Nackil Sung, Kimberly Sweeney, Joseph Trigg, James Williams, Carolyn Woolever and Bailey Young.

10 years -- Holly Andrews, Sheila Baker, David Barker, David Bell, Matthew Boyer, Cathy Brachear, Lori Brewer, Barbara Brown, Allen Bryant, Melanie Burns, Angela Campbell, Betty Carr, Marla Cooper, Kent Cummings, Julie Davis, Connie Downey, Chad Elliott, Marie Finney, Chad Franks, James Gilbert, Brenda Good, Randall Good, Cathryn Gordon, Frank Graziano, Gary Grissom, Cord Hackett, Assegedetch Haile Mariam, Heidi Hawkins, Ryan Hendrickson, Michael Hutchinson, Brian Hyder, Tina Jenkins, Christopher Kahler, Denise Lee, Travis Magee, Dale McCullough, Michelle Meadows, Douglas Messmore, Stephen Mullin, Sarah Newby, Nanci Newstrom, John Oertling, Adrienne Paladino, Dale Peterson, Marty Robinson, James Rose, Lionel Sanders, Carl Starwalt, John Stimac, Shirley Tanner, Debora Timmons, Bradley Tolppanen, Mukti Upadhyay, Nancy Van Cleave, Mark Voss-Hubbard, Kathryn Waggoner and David White.

5 years -- Gustavo Albear, Bennett Andres, King Arthur, Kim Bagwell, Stephen Benner, David Boyd, Colleen Bright, Robert Cataneo, Rigoberto Chinchilla, Ann Coddington-Rast, Gary Cohoon, William Comstock, Michael Coventry, James Curtis, Timothy Darling, Jeanne Dau, Mona Davenport, Kelli Davis, Janice Derr, Steven Dinaso, Ronald Durbin, Jill Fahy, David Flach, DiAnne Gherardini, Michael Goodson, Dwayne Helander, Linda Holloway, Robert Horvath, Carol Hubbartt, Forrest Jackson, Jason Jacobs, Lowell Jenkins, Kyungsoon Jeon, Paul Johnston, Donald Jordan, Susan Kling, Damita Lewis, Hui Li, Yan Lin, David Linton, Zhiwei Liu, Brenda Major, Chad Mattingly, Tamera McCullough, Jonathan McKenzie, James McKirahan, Gilbert McMichaels, Deborah Meadows, Andrew Mertz, Yevgenya Movshovich, Kathleen Nichols, Rhonda Nichols, Janna Overstreet, Donald Pepperdine, Michael Ray, Sally Renaud, Robin Rennels, Douglas Repp, Carol Roberts, Denis Roche, William Roberts, David Ross, Russel Ross, Andrew Sallee, Jackelyn Sanders, Shannon Schwab, Steve Scott, Anita Sego, Ronald Shook, Jennifer Smith, Tony Spivey, Janie Steber, David Stimac, James Stone, Todd Thomason, Michel Tozer, Liz Viall, Carl Warner, Michael Wayne, Saundra Weaver, Mac White, Charles Woodfall, Cecilia Yoakum and Christina Yousaf.

Two local theatre favorites, Jack Milo and Therese Kincade, will star in Eastern Illinois University's upcoming production of "Fiddler on the Roof."

Five performances -- 7 p.m. March 5, 6, 8 and 9, as well as 2 p.m. March 7 -- will be staged in The Theatre in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Milo will play the role of Tevye, a dairyman dealing with his five daughters amidst the changing society in Czarist Russia. Kincade will portray his wife, Golde. EIU students are cast in all other roles.

Tralen Doler, the new artistic director for The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, is director and choreographer.

"Fiddler on the Roof," one of the most well-known shows in all of musical theatre, features several classic songs, including "Tradition," "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sunrise, Sunset" and "To Life."

Members of the EIU Symphony Orchestra will accompany the performances under the direction of Richard Robert Rossi, conductor. The orchestra will feature area high school and middle school students from the Symphonic Honors Initiative Program, under the direction of Terry Coulton.

Milo has been an audience favorite at The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan for more than 20 years. His long list of credits includes many leading roles in some of the biggest shows in musical theatre. He lives in Burbank, Calif.

Kincade, a Charleston resident, has been involved in local theatre for years, including serving as director of Charleston High School's spring musicals. She and her husband, Bob -- both EIU alumni -- own What's Cookin' restaurant in Charleston. They received the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce's Outstanding Citizen Award in 2003.

The show is a production of the EIU theatre arts department.

Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Representatives from school districts from across Illinois, as well as other states, will be seeking new employees at the upcoming Mid-America Educators' Job Fair at Eastern Illinois University.

The public is invited to the free job fair, which is set for 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, in the MLK Jr. Union ballrooms. It is sponsored by EIU Career Services.

A list of participating schools and available jobs, including teaching, administrative and special service positions, is available online at http://www.eiu.edu/careers/maejf.php. Some international teaching opportunities will also be available.

Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.

Blues guitarist Eric Bibb and harmonica player Grant Dermody will bring a rich blend of blues, folk, soul and gospel to Eastern Illinois University on Monday, March 1.

The show is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Already enjoying success in Europe, Bibb is becoming a familiar face -- and voice -- in the United States. Bibb, winner of the Best Newcomer title in the British Blues Awards, has been nominated for a Grammy and nine W.C. Handy Blues Music Awards.

As a child, Bibb was surrounded by talented musicians, including his father, Leon Bibb. When Eric Bibb was 11, Bob Dylan advised the young guitarist to "Keep it simple -- forget all that fancy stuff."

One of his first albums, "Me to You" (1997) featured appearances by some of his personal heroes -- Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. The album furthered Bibb's international reputation and was followed by tours of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.

In 2002, he opened for Ray Charles. He has toured with Robert Cray, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, and Robben Ford. His 2004 album "Friends" featured duets with Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate, Djelimady Toukara and more.

His latest album, "Get Onboard," featuring guest performers Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster, is "a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul," Bibb said.

Grant Dermody, a harmonica player, singer, songwriter and teacher from Seattle, Wash., is known as an excellent accompanist. He was described as "an understated harmonica virtuoso and a vocalist of subtlety and warmth" by Don McLeese of No Depression magazine.

Although his focus is acoustic blues, Dermody also enjoys adding a unique blues flavor to old-time music. He was a member of The Improbabillies, whose 1998 self-titled CD received critical acclaim in that genre.

Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston. For more information, visit the website at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Wind Symphony will explore the musical and visual possibilities of the modern wind band with its “The Art of Wind Band” concert on Friday, Feb. 26, in EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The performance, featuring a variety of styles and subjects, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall. The concert will open with the intense “Mother Earth” fanfare, written with a meditative, spiritual center by award-winning composer David Maslanka.

In honor of Black History Month, the ensemble will acknowledge Rosa Parks and the sacrifices of those involved in America’s Civil Rights movement in “A Movement for Rosa” by Mark Camphouse. This emotional work will be accompanied by a special introduction, as well as a visual presentation.

Eric Ewazen’s “Shadowcatcher," based on Edward Curtis' famed and controversial photographs from the beginning of the 20th century, seeks to musically portray the images of the vanishing American Indian way of life. Two movements of the work will be presented by the Wind Symphony and the EIU Faculty Brass Quintet (Mark DeGoti and Jeremy McBain, trumpet; Katie McBain, horn; Jemmie Robertson, trombone; and Todd French, tuba).

The Wind Symphony will use theatrical elements to take the audience on a virtual journey 3 miles below the earth’s surface with Russell Peck’s 1975 performance art piece “Cave."

Guest composer Jim Bonney will join the Wind Symphony for a premiere of his driving, angular “Diabolus ex Machina.”

The evening will conclude with John Mackey’s ode to the Roman goddess Aurora, “Aurora Awakes,” a musical depiction of the coming of light. The work, which EIU Wind Symphony conductor Milton Allen calls "a dazzling display of what the modern wind band has to offer," recently won the American Band Association/Ostwald Award for composition, the highest such honor.

The EIU Wind Symphony -- composed of approximately 45 auditioned musicians from across campus -- is the premier band of the EIU University Bands. It has received praise from many composers and artists, including Libby Larsen, the Boston Brass, Steven Bryant and Timothy Mahr, as well as conductors Russel Mikkelson and Timothy Reynish.

Admission will be $5 for the general public, and $3 for senior citizens, EIU employees and students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

While many recognize Feb. 12, 1809, as the date on which Abraham Lincoln was born, few realize that the 16th president entered into this world on the same day as naturalist Charles Darwin.

That number continues to rise, however, as individuals and groups world-wide join efforts in celebrating Darwin's contributions to modern society, humanities and the sciences. British-born Darwin, known primarily for his efforts at introducing the idea of evolution through natural selection, is recognized internationally as the author of "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection."

Eastern Illinois University will once again join a myriad of academic institutions in commemorating Darwin's contributions by sponsoring educational programs designed to teach others about Darwin and his theory. As part of this commemoration, Eastern plans to host four separate events, all of which are free and open to the public.

A showing of the film, "Darwin's Dangerous Idea," will be shown at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, in the Life Sciences Building, Room 3080. This film is a part of NOVA's Evolution Series.

Floyd Sandford, professor emeritus, biology, Coe College, will present the one-man show, " Darwin Remembers," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the Grand Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union.

Sandford will return to the EIU campus at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, to deliver the lecture "Marine Sponge -- Crustacean Associations." This event, too, will take place in Life Sciences, Room 3080.

The final event of the week, a lecture titled "The Evolution of Blood Clotting," will be presented by Russell Doolittle, professor of biology, University of California at San Diego. This event will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, in Eastern's Coleman Hall Auditorium, Room 1255.

The Eastern Symphony Chamber Orchestra and Collegium Musicum will present "Water Music" on Sunday, Feb. 21, in Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert, which will begin at 4 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall, will include Handel's "Water Music (Suite in F major, HWV 348)" and Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" in the original orchestration for 13 instruments.

In addition, two concerto competition winners, both of whom are EIU students, will perform. Ashley McHugh will sing two arias: Handel's "V’adoro Pupille (Giulio Cesare)" and Charles Gounod's "Ah! Je veux vivre (Roméo et Jiliette)." Natalia Negru will play Robert Schumann's "Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 Movement I: Allegro Affettuoso."

McHugh, a senior studying voice under the direction of Marilyn Coles, has received many awards and scholarships. She has participated in the University Mixed Chorus, Concert Choir, Camerata Singers, Musical Theatre and Opera Workshops, the Choral Advisory Council, the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, Panther Marching Band, Funk Factory Drumline and Kappa Delta Pi. She plans to pursue a master's degree in performance after student teaching next fall.

Negru, a Romanian native, is pursuing her master's degree in piano performance under the guidance of Susan Teicher. While earning her bachelor's degree in piano performance at The West University of Timisoara in Romania, Negru studied with world-renowned pianist Sorin Dogariu. Before coming to EIU, she worked as a piano teacher and accompanist at The Art High School "Sabin Dragoi" in Arad, Romania, and accompanied the choir and singers with The Symphony Orchestra Choir of Arad.

Handel composed "Water Music" for possibly the grandest, and perhaps the last, of King George I's regularly held water parties. On this occasion in 1717, the river was filled with boats carrying high-profile guests, and the king enjoyed Handel's one-hour composition so much that he requested two repeat performances that evening.

Copland wrote "Appalachian Spring" in 1943-44 for dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. The ballet tells the story of 1800s pioneers' celebration following the building of a Pennsylvania farmhouse.

Seating is reserved. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $10 for seniors and EIU employees; and $5 for students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Spring 2010 enrollment at Eastern Illinois University is "right on target."

"Spring enrollment is always a few percentage points lower than what we see during the previous fall semester," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "And this year is no different."

The current on- and off-campus enrollment total of 11,075 reflects a slight drop from 11,157 in Spring 2009. Spring 2010 numbers include an on-campus enrollment of 9,887 and an off-campus enrollment of 1,188. Those numbers were 9,968 and 1,189, respectively, last spring.

A breakdown of Eastern's 9,395 undergraduate students is as follows (with Spring 2009 figures in parentheses): freshmen, 1,731 (1,837); sophomores, 1,887 (1,893); juniors, 2,370 (2,389); and seniors, 3,407 (3,338). Graduate students total 1,680 (1,700).

Female students continue to outnumber male students -- 6,455 to 4,620 (6,496 to 4,661 last spring).

Minority students, who represent more than 15 percent of Eastern's total enrollment, show an overall increase from Spring 2009. Categories are represented as follows: black, 1,193 (1,068); Hispanic, 294 (292); Asian/Pacific Islander, 131 (128); and American Indian/Alaskan Native, 57 (42).

Eastern Illinois University's Choral Ensembles will join forces with other musicians, including outstanding area high school students, to present more than a dozen "Songs of Love" on Valentine's Day.

The concert, featuring EIU's Concert Choir, Camerata Singers and University Mixed Chorus, as well as the EIU Honor Choir Festival Singers, will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

The EIU Honor Choir Festival Singers will be comprised of 37 students from five high schools: Fairfield, Hillsboro, Lincolnwood (in Raymond), Maroa-Forsyth and Villa Grove.

Guest artists Julia Jamieson (harp) and EIU faculty member Katherine McBain (horn) will accompany the concert choir women in a special performance of Johannes Brahms' "Vier Gesänge für Fraunchor, Op. 17."

Jamieson is a national-award-winning harpist who performs with several orchestras and choirs, as well as performing as a free-lance harpist. She is president of the Roslyn Rensch Central Illinois Chapter of the American Harp Society, and is a founding member of the quartet HarpCore 4, which innovatively arranges and performs popular '80s music. In 2009, Jamieson was awarded the University of Illinois' highest teaching honor, the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

McBain has vast professional experience performing in various orchestras, wind ensembles and opera orchestras, as well as performing as a chamber musician. She is currently completing a DMA degree in Horn Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she earned a Master of Music degree. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Houston.

The EIU Concert Choir and Camerata Singers are directed by Richard Robert Rossi. Two of his graduate students will conduct some pieces in the program. The University Mixed Chorus is conducted by Adam Stich.

The "Songs of Love" concert is sponsored in part by a gift from Christine Gordon.

Tickets for general-admission seating are $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors, EIU employees and students. For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

The Eastern Illinois University Honors College will hold its 25th annual Scholastic Bowl Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 6, on the second floor of Coleman Hall.

The tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. with opening remarks and greetings from Bonnie Irwin, dean of the Honors College.

The round-robin tournament consists of 24 high school teams from the surrounding area that compete in head-to-head competition. All teams are guaranteed at least three matches. The winners from each bracket advance to the five championship rounds, scheduled to begin at 12:15 p.m.

At approximately 4 p.m., an awards ceremony will begin in Lumpkin Auditorium. At this time, trophies will be given to the top seven teams, and medallions will be awarded for an All-Tournament Team. This team will consist of the five most valuable players who scored the most points in the first three rounds of the tournament.

The following high schools are scheduled to participate: Arthur, Casey-Westfield, Charleston, Cumberland, East Richland, Edwards County, Effingham, Fairfield, Georgetown-Ridgefarm, Glenwood Chatham, Hutsonville, Marshall, Mattoon, Mt. Carmel, Neoga, Newton, Oakland, Oblong, Paris, Robinson, Salem, St. Anthony, Teutopolis and Windsor.

All are welcome to attend.

Trumpeter Scott Wendholt and the Eastern Illinois Jazz Ensemble will open the Eastern Illinois University Jazz Festival with a concert on Friday, Feb. 12, at the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dvorak Concert Hall. Admission will be $5 for the general public, and $3 for senior citizens, EIU employees and students.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Wendholt will serve as the guest artist at the 51st annual EIU Jazz Festival, in which high school and junior high school bands will compete and participate in clinics throughout the day.

Wendholt has been recorded on more than 60 albums, including five recordings as a leader. He has worked with many stellar artists, including Vincent Herring, Kenny Garrett, Cyrus Chestnut, Christian McBride, Don Braden and Bruce Barth.

His big band credits include work with The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (formerly Thad Jones/Mel Lewis), Manhattan Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (led by Jon Faddis), John Fedchock New York Big Band, Gotham Jazz Orchestra (Mike Holober), Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band and the Bob Mintzer Big Band.

Wendholt is on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, as well as the Jamey Aebersold summer jazz camps. He is also in demand as a player/clinician in many colleges and various other learning institutions around the world.

The concert is presented by the EIU music department in cooperation with the Doudna Fine Arts Center, divisions of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities. Wendholt's appearance is sponsored in part by the Consolidated Communications Artist Series and the EIU University Board Cultural Arts Committee.

For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Atlanta-based trio Girlyman will bring its quirky blend of acoustic Americana and rock to Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Feb. 10.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. General admission is $5. Seating is limited; advance tickets are highly recommended.

Girlyman's style is influenced in part by '60s vocal groups like Simon and Garfunkel and The Mamas and the Papas, as well as years of classical and jazz training. Onstage, they often finish one another's sentences or burst into improvised three-part ditties so tight they seem rehearsed.

Girlyman's distinctive three-part harmony -- called "really good, really unexpected, and really different" by The Village Voice -- began when Doris Muramatsu and Tylan Greenstein, best friends since second grade, met Nate Borofsky in college at a talent show.

In 2001, the friends, who shared an apartment in Brooklyn, scheduled their first rehearsal for Sept. 11. It was postponed, but the events of that day helped the trio clarify its vision. "We decided to just have fun and not take ourselves too seriously," Borofsky said. "We started by naming our new band 'Girlyman.'"

In its first few years, Girlyman garnered critical praise, awards and long opening runs with the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams.

Girlyman, now selling out renowned venues as a headliner, also frequents festival main stages, including the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Kate Wolf Memorial Folk Festival and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

Girlyman has released four studio albums, with the fourth, "Everything's Easy," being recorded with a single, $10,000 microphone that was financed by fan donations.

Most recently, Girlyman has been collaborating with comedian Margaret Cho, co-writing songs for her upcoming album.

For tickets and information, or to arrange accommodations for persons with special needs, contact Doudna Fine Arts Patron Services (217-581-3110 or doudnatix@eiu.edu) or visit the Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston. For more information, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees on Friday approved an increase in room and board rates for students living in EIU housing during the 2010-2011 school year.

Students living in EIU's residence halls and Greek Court will see increases of $224 to $253 per semester (a 6.25 percent increase), depending on the chosen meal plan. Room and board rates will range from $3,808 per semester for a 7 Plus Meal Option to $4,292 for the 15 Plus Meal Option.

Four meal plan options each permit students a specified number of dining center meals per week; a specified number of "Dining Dollars" that can be used to buy additional meals in any dining center; to make purchases at Eastern's Food Court, Java B&B and Panther Pantry in the MLK Jr. Union and at the university's two residence hall convenience centers; and to provide dining center meals to guests.

Students living in one of the 148 University Apartments (designed primarily to meet the needs of student families and single graduate students) will also see increases in rates. The plan calls for increases of between $11 and $13 a month, with rent ranging from $409 to $460, depending on the type of apartment being rented (one-bedroom, efficiency or super efficiency). All utilities (including high speed internet) are included in their rent.

Rate increases of around 3 percent will also affect students living in University Court, a 146-unit university-owned apartment complex for sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students. Rates there will range from $2,331 to $3,116 per semester, depending on the type of apartment being rented. The new rate also reflects the additional benefit of water being included in the cost.

This will be the first rate increase for University Court residents since the 2008-2009 school year.  According to Mark Hudson, Eastern's director of Housing and Dining Services, the university froze rates at University Court last year in order to remain competitive with student-oriented off-campus housing in the Charleston area.

"Before proposing any increase, we take a careful look at our needs, including fixed costs such as utilities, as well as employee wages and food costs. We also consider the best ways with which to maximize our resources," said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs.

"We don't like to increase rates, but we do believe that our careful planning allows us to retain one of the lowest housing rates among Illinois public universities and maintain our position as one of the greatest values in the state."

According to Hudson, approximately 40 percent of Eastern's student body resides in university housing.  And, he added, surveys among those residents indicate that "students really feel like they get a good return on their investment. We work hard to make sure they continue to feel that way."

On-going multi-year projects involve room renovations, including the addition of sprinkler systems in all residence halls. Major renovation work planned for Summer 2010 will upgrade existing bathroom facilities in Lincoln Hall and food service lines in Stevenson Hall.

Thomas and Taylor halls will receive upgraded fire sprinkler systems during Summer 2010 and Summer 2011, respectively.

The newly named dean of Eastern Illinois University's College of Arts and Humanities looks forward to promoting what she's considered her "academic home" for the past 15-plus years.

Bonnie Irwin arrived on the EIU campus in 1994, working her way up to be a full professor of English before being named dean of Eastern's Honors College in 2004. She will assume her new role on July 1.

In addition to English, the college houses the departments of art, communication studies, foreign languages, history, journalism, music, philosophy and theatre arts; the African-American studies, social science and women's studies programs; and the Tarble Arts Center.

"Dr. Irwin has a strong record of leadership and accomplishment at Eastern Illinois University," said Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "She is a highly regarded faculty member and, more recently, administrator for the university, bringing excellent credentials and a long list of accomplishments to this new position. I look forward to working with her to assist this already excellent college in achieving even greater levels of acclaim in the years ahead."

Irwin's appointment was preceded by a national search. Lord recognized the search advisory committee for its efforts, stating that "committee members identified six well-qualified candidates for consideration for this important leadership position, and I thank them for a job well done."

Irwin, who received her own higher education from the University of California, Berkeley, has been recognized by many as an energetic and creative administrator during her time at Eastern, and is credited with introducing several new programs within the university for the benefit of all students.

In addition to securing campus membership in the National Student Exchange and institutional affiliation with The Washington Center, both of which provide opportunities for EIU students to study at institutions elsewhere in the country, Irwin influenced and increased the numbers of honors students studying abroad.

She played a pivotal role in the establishment of EIU Reads, a freshman reading program which has engaged students (as well as nearly 100 faculty and staff as facilitators), and also worked to raise the profile of undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity on campus.  Irwin is credited with initiating the Student Expo for Undergraduate Research, now an annual event on the EIU campus.

Additionally, she was named Eastern's first Faculty Laureate in 1998 and, as such, became the university's first official spokesman on the importance of a general, liberal arts education.

When she assumes the role of dean of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, Irwin will be replacing James Johnson, who retired at the end of June 2009. Jeffrey Lynch is serving as interim dean during the 2009-2010 school year.

Lord said he will now turn his attention to identifying appropriate leadership for the Honors College given Irwin's impending reassignment.

An actor best known for roles in hit science fiction fare is now bringing real history to the stage with “Frederick Douglass: In the Shadow of Slavery," a one-man portrayal of the man some consider the father of the civil rights movement.

Mel Johnson Jr.'s educational and entertaining performance, chronicling Douglass' life from his childhood as a slave to his eventual role as a leading abolitionist, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in The Theatre of Eastern Illinois University's Doudna Fine Arts Center.

A pre-show reception, open to all ticket-holders, will feature remarks by Tom Dugan, the playwright of the show. Refreshments will be provided.

The production, which includes a look at Douglass' friendships with Susan B. Anthony, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, incorporates gripping plantation songs in the telling of Douglass' life.

Johnson, an accomplished actor and director in movies, television and on Broadway, is perhaps best known roles as the mutant cab driver Benny in the 1990 science fiction film "Total Recall."

Fans of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" will recognize him as Broca, the Cardassian who becomes leader of the Cardassian Union in the show's final two episodes.

On television, Johnson was a regular on David Lynch's "On the Air," and he has guest-starred on many shows, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Practice."

On Broadway, Johnson recently starred as Mufasa in "The Lion King." His other Broadway credits include "On the Twentieth Century" with Kevin Klein, "Eubie!" with Maurice and Gregory Hines, "The Rink" with Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, "Big Deal" directed by Bob Fosse, and "Jelly's Last Jam."

Johnson was the executive producer of Big City Pictures, as well as the artistic director of the award-winning arts organization The Imagination Workshop.

Johnson will be available for autographs following the show.

Seating is reserved. Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via email at doudnatix@eiu.edu. The production is presented in partnership with EIU African-American Heritage Month activities.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Friends and family of writer/artist Mary Jane Coartney want to honor her memory by supporting others just beginning their artistic careers.

The Eastern Illinois University Foundation has announced the establishment of the Mary Jane Coartney Memorial Creative Writing Scholarship. Recipients of this award will be full-time students (junior status) enrolled at Eastern. Preference will be given to students majoring in English, history, journalism or theatre arts.

The first award is expected to be distributed in Fall 2011.

Coartney, who died on Feb. 22, 2009, at the age of 95, shared much of what she saw and lived through poetry, paintings, a daily journal and a monthly family newsletter -- the Coartney Chronicle -- which had a circulation of more than 100 in 18 states.

Also, for a decade, right up until her death, she wrote popular weekly columns for the Charleston (Ill.) Times-Courier/Mattoon Journal Gazette.

In her writings, she told stories of attending a one-room school, her family's first car (a 1917 Chevrolet touring car equipped with side curtains to keep out bad weather), helping her husband on their farm, and raising their five children in "pre-Band Aid" days. She also shared what she knew about education, technology and politics.

As a child, Coartney attended Greenwood School, the one-room schoolhouse which now sits on the EIU campus and serves as a museum. Although she graduated from Eastern Illinois State Teacher's College (which ultimately became EIU) in 1930 with a teaching certificate, she never taught school, opting instead to devoting her life to her husband and children.

She and her late husband, Wayne, married on Dec. 31, 1931, and set up housekeeping on a farm south of Ashmore, Ill. Although her husband died in the late 1970s, Mrs. Coartney continued to reside on "the home place" until the time of her passing.

Over the years, she developed close relationships with her neighbors and other members of the community. And upon her death, she left four children (one daughter is deceased), 17 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

According to her family, Coartney liked the connections she had with people and with history. She repeated stories passed down by family members regarding their ancestors' arrival to Coles County, Ill., in 1825.

"We walk where so many other feet have walked before us and where others will follow," she once wrote. "I hope we leave stories worth remembering."

Those who wish to contribute to the Mary Jane Coartney Memorial Creative Writing Scholarship may do so by making checks payable to the EIU Foundation. Checks can be mailed to EIU Foundation, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, Ill. 61920.

The Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, one of the world's leading guitar ensembles, will perform at Eastern Illinois University on Sunday, Jan. 31.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Recital Hall.

With passion, style and musical sophistication borrowing from the best chamber music and string quartet traditions, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet balances a wide array of first-rate repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Spanish, Latin American and Romantic, plus highly imaginative newly commissioned contemporary works.

Since forming in 1986, the group has performed throughout the United States both in recital and with orchestra.

The EIU performance, which has been underwritten by the EIU Classical Music Series, is presented in partnership with the EIU music department. A CD signing and reception will follow the performance.

Tickets -- $15 for the general public, $12 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $7 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.eiu.edu/doudna.

Former Eastern Illinois University quarterback Anthony Buich '99 already had a healthy respect for the armed forces when he picked up "Lone Survivor," the true story of the only U.S. Navy Seal to survive a days-long fight with hundreds of Taliban fighters.

But by the time he finished reading the inspiring tale of determination and sacrifice, Buich knew he had to reach out and tangibly express his sincere gratitude to all who have fought for this country.

"To be cliché: The book changed my life," Buich said. "My father was an MP in the Air Force, and I've always admired what these Americans do. I've always respected somebody who would die for what they believe in. (But) reading that book and seeing what somebody is willing to do for my life, for our lives, was so humbling. I knew I had to do something for veterans with my life."

Because Buich is president of La Paz Fishing Charters in Baja California Sur Mexico, it was only natural that his thoughts turned to taking Special Operations soldiers on a once-in-a-lifetime deep-sea fishing trip.

After a chance meeting at a fishing tournament with then-stranger Greg David, former Marine and executive director of national anti-terrorist training company Desert Snow, the two learned they had similar goals. Working together with the sole purpose of honoring our nation's veterans, they created Fishing4Freedom.

Buich launched into action, making contact with veterans' organizations and starting the process of raising funds and awareness for the project.

"It gave me an opportunity to play quarterback again, to set up the show," Buich said.

Over the summer, Buich was able to host an amputee who had served with Special Operations Recon forces. He was from Oklahoma and had never fished in the ocean, so he was thrilled to reel in a 175-lb. marlin. "It was just a dream-come-true kind of thing," Buich said.

The weekend of Sept. 11, Fishing4Freedom hosted about a dozen Navy Seals and Special Operations soldiers, all veterans of the wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The men and their families were treated to fishing in the Sea of Cortez from two luxury yachts, as well as five-star treatment at the Resort Gran Sueno, whose owner, Steve Games, is a Vietnam veteran.

"The guys just had smiles across their faces," Buich said. "They had a blast being pampered. It was definitely 'Mission: Accomplished.'"

Buich was taken aback by how much the veterans were a team in every situation.

"They're just so close," Buich said. "These guys do put their lives on the line for each other, and it creates a lasting bond.”

"As a former athlete, to me, with what these guys do and experience -- they're the epitome of the eye of the tiger," Buich said. "To hang out with professionals like that and experience their camaraderie was amazing."

Buich got all the thanks he needed in the veterans' smiles and in their respect for his efforts. Each of them at some point told Buich that the experience was the greatest respite they'd ever had, and that the event organizers were "true Americans."

"(But) I think these guys are the truest Americans," Buich said.

For Buich, the outings are "inspiring" and "motivational." He was particularly moved when one soldier who recently returned from deployment gave him a Seal Team 5 25th Anniversary "Challenge Coin." "That was really sentimental to me," Buich said.

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Michael Moriarty said he was "extremely impressed" with Buich and David's "level of dedication, selflessness and patriotism," as well as the outstanding efforts of the owner and staff of the resort.

"Unfortunately, it is rare to find people who would not only come up with such a thoughtful idea, but follow through with all the planning from fund raising to dropping lures in the water," Moriarty said. "The Fishing4Freedom event was an event that we will always remember. In fact, we as guests of the first event are still in frequent contact with the founders to offer our support on future events for other troops who deserve this outstanding display of gratitude and recognition. We have made lifelong friends during this event. We are now 'brothers.'"

After seeing the effect the event had on the veterans, Buich is more motivated than ever to continue to make the event a success year after year.

"We all had the best time together, and that's what this is all about -- taking care of those who take care of us and protect our freedoms," Buich said.

Getting personal: Catching up with Buich

Anthony Buich '99 is one of the relatively few in this world who can say they once called Tony Romo his backup.

"It makes for interesting chat rooms in Fantasy Football. I've got a few friends and family members that don't let me live that down," Buich, a former EIU quarterback, said of his connection to the now famous Dallas Cowboys starter. "Good for him. He worked hard, paid his dues. This is an incredible opportunity for him."

Buich knows a thing or two about hard work, too, as he's powered his way to success in three different careers.

After graduating from EIU, Buich had what he called a "decent career" in the pass-heavy Arena Football League, playing for eight teams in six seasons.

"I met some great friends, had a lot of fun, and I got to travel the country, getting paid to play a game I love," Buich said.

After an elbow injury ended his career in 2005, Buich started working as a financial adviser, ending up with Merrill Lynch, before starting La Paz Fishing Charters in February 2008.

Through his fishing business, Buich has been on a couple of TV and radio shows, including Ronnie Kovak's "Fishing Ventures" on Fox Sports West, for which he spent four days fishing with the angling legend and NFL All-Pros Sam Adams, Eddie Kennison and Tom Keating. Buich also had a role in former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin's Spike reality show, "Fourth and Long," throwing footballs for the show's participants.

In May, he was hired by the Atlanta-based Competitive Edge Sports, a high-profile athletic training company, to help with marketing efforts on the west coast.

"I just like staying busy," Buich said. "I don’t want to get complacent."

Originally from Tiburon, Calif., near San Francisco, Buich now lives near San Diego with his wife, the former Tamara Schurch '01, who ran track at EIU.

"We each brought a little bit of Eastern with us," Buich said.

In 2008, she was stopped in the post office by a man who was intrigued by her Chicago Bears T-shirt. As it turned out, he was Don Johnson '49, a former EIU football and track star who was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. The couple and Johnson have since become close friends, thanks in part to their EIU connection.

"Eastern's a great school, a great community," Buich said. "I just had a lot of fun there. It really is a special place."

• These stories originally appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of Old Main Line, a magazine published for members of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association.

In 1969, soccer was a newer sport in collegiate athletics. Opportunities for aspiring players were few and far between. But that year became a pivotal one for a young freshman from Vandalia, Ohio.

That year, Eastern’s men’s soccer team won the NAIA national championship, and that year, freshman midfielder Schellas Hyndman got to experience a national championship for the first time. It would not be his last.

“Back then, it was great to win, but I didn’t know how hard it really was to win a championship,” Hyndman said. “Now, however, I know how special a championship win is.”

Forty years later, as one of the most successful coaches in college soccer, and now as a head coach in Major League Soccer, it’s no wonder Hyndman understands what it takes to get to a championship.

Hyndman was recruited to Eastern in 1969 by then head coach Fritz Teller. The 23-member team “was really special,” Hyndman recalls. “They were good players that would be great by today’s standards.”

Skill, however, wasn’t the only thing that led the team to victory. Common affection for the sport and friendships among players helped the team gel and consequently propelled them into a winning season that culminated in the national championship.

Hyndman graduated from EIU with a degree in physical science in 1973 and earned a master’s degree in physical education from Murray State in 1975. He spent one season with American Soccer League and then traveled to South America, where he spent two years working with Escola Graduada de Sao Paulo and apprenticing with Sao Paulo FC.

At the urging of Coach Teller, he returned to Eastern in 1976 to complete a master’s degree in guidance and student counseling, with the possibility of taking over the position of head coach for the men’s team when Teller retired. Teller retired in 1977, and Hyndman took over as head coach. He recalls pacing the Library Quad thinking about how lucky he was. “It was my dream job,” he said.

His passion for the sport and his love of coaching quickly became obvious. Hyndman, to date, is the most successful soccer coach in EIU history, and in 1981, when Eastern soccer entered into Division I competition, Hyndman led the team to an unprecedented third-place finish in the national championships.

“That was one of the closest knit teams I’ve ever had,” he said. “There was so much pride on that team. It was indeed one of the most remarkable seasons in my coaching career.”

Opportunity quickly came knocking for Hyndman. He left Eastern in 1983 to coach at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. During his 24 years at SMU, Hyndman turned the men’s soccer program into a national powerhouse, winning no fewer than 10 games each season, with nine appearances in the NCAA quarterfinals, and two in the semifinals.

His cumulative career as a college coach earned him numerous honors, including fourth in all-time victories among Division I college coaches – he posted an all-time college record of 466-122-49, which includes a record of 368-98-38 at SMU and 98-24-11 at Eastern. He was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 1988, with eight more titles between 1997 and 2006. He was also a member of the NSCAA national coaching staff; served on the NCAA Division I men’s soccer championship committee; and, after serving as a member of the NSCAA Executive Committee for four years, assumed duties as its president from 2005-2006.

In 2006, opportunity came knocking again. Hyndman was offered the head coach position in MLS with the western conference powerhouse, FC Dallas. Now in his second year as a coach with The Hoops, Hyndman has reached his ultimate goal as a player and coach. The change to the major leagues was a bit of an adjustment, however.

“It’s definitely life in the fast lane,” he said. “There’s no down time at this level. You are always looking for the next player that will help the team. In college, you train for nine months to play for three. In professional soccer, it’s an 11 and a half month season with preseason practice, exhibition games in South America, regular season, travel to find players ... but it’s perfect because I love the sport. I’m really living my dream.”

Hyndman has seen and done much throughout his career. In 2007, he was enshrined in the Texas Credit Union “Walk of Fame” at Pizza Hut Park (FC Dallas’ home), for dedicating his life to soccer and for the contributions he has made to the sport in the state of Texas. He was inducted into the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He credits his alma mater for who he is today.

“The best memories of my life are at Eastern,” he said. “Of all the places I had to choose from, I could not have picked a better place. My heart is with Eastern because it gave me my start.”

Hyndman helped form still-flourishing Charleston Soccer League

Living in the Charleston community as head coach for EIU men’s soccer, Schellas Hyndman’s own son needed opportunities to play the sport. With none available, Hyndman and a few of his friends got together and created the Charleston Soccer League to give area youth opportunities to learn and play competitive soccer.

Today, the league is still around and continues to have ties to Eastern. Spearheaded by EIU head coach Adam Howarth and assistant coach Dino Raso ’92, ’93, Eastern’s soccer programs play an integral part in community youth development through soccer.

More than 25 student athletes from the men’s and women’s teams volunteer each fall and spring to provide coaching to area youth in weekly sessions. The league also employs many of these student-athletes as coaches for the league’s more competitive club.
Student coaches hold weekly practice sessions and travel with the teams to regional games and tournaments.

The relationship has bridged the gap between town and gown and has created life-long friendships between league participants and the EIU student mentors who coach them.

• These stories originally appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of Old Main Line, a magazine published for members of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association.

Members of the Campus Community:

Our mission, and our public trust, is to deliver academic excellence as a university of opportunity for the citizens of Illinois. EIU serves its students with distinction and supports its faculty and staff in that service. The spring semester is beginning, with our enrollment at the expected levels and with the university prepared to offer the high quality of educational experience for which we are known. We do this in the face of long-delayed state payments of general revenue appropriations.

The state continues to fall behind in its delivery of appropriations to us and the other state universities. At the midpoint of the fiscal year, EIU has received approximately $6 million dollars of our appropriation of just over $50 million. We have budgeted conservatively this year, have continued to seek cost savings, and have sought to expend funds conservatively. These measures have enabled us to use tuition revenue and what general revenue appropriations we have received to meet our personnel and other fiscal obligations to date.

In order to meet our obligations through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2010) in the uncertain fiscal environment created by delayed delivery of our legislated state appropriations, we must take the following actions, consistent with my previous communications on budget (these actions apply to all funds except for grant funds):

· Except for searches already initiated, all hiring is frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the president.

· All operational spending is being reduced or postponed.

· All equipment purchases are frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the respective vice president.

· Operational cost savings will continue to be implemented.

· Non-safety-related maintenance is being reduced or postponed.

· Travel reimbursement is being reduced or postponed.

I will be meeting with the Council on University Planning and Budget and the executive committees of the Faculty Senate, the Staff Senate, the Student Senate, and the Civil Service Council regarding these actions. Please note that neither furloughs nor layoffs are being implemented at this time. Our goal is to take every action we can short of furlough or layoff to meet our mission of educational excellence and protect the livelihoods of our faculty and staff.

In addition, I will continue to work with appropriate state agencies, our elected representatives, and other university presidents to press the case for timely delivery of our state appropriations for this fiscal year.

EIU's faculty and staff have always delivered excellence regardless of the fiscal circumstances. We will continue to do so. Thank you for all you do for EIU.

Bill Perry, President

Bob Martin looks forward to becoming a part of the Eastern Illinois University family.

He's excited about "enhancing a culture of philanthropy" throughout the EIU community.

And he's happily anticipating the celebration of four seasons again.

"I'm looking forward to returning to the Midwest and all that it brings," he said recently from his home in Auburn, Ala.

Martin will officially be welcomed to Eastern on Feb. 1, 2010, when he begins his new role as the institution's vice president for university advancement.

He replaces Jill Nilsen, who announced her retirement, effective Dec. 31, after serving as vice president for external relations since 1998. EIU President Bill Perry chose to sharpen the position's portfolio and change the name of the position to "better signal -- both internally and externally -- that the primary emphasis for the position is on fundraising, development and allied university advancement activities."

Martin, who is currently serving as assistant vice president for development at Auburn University, is certainly no stranger to the areas of fundraising and development. Prior to arriving at Auburn in 2003, he served as assistant vice chancellor for development (promoted from director of major gifts), at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (1997-2003).

He has also been actively involved with the YMCA, starting with the Nashville YMCA, then as associate executive director in Owensboro, Ky., and 10 years as district vice president at the YMCA of Florida's First Coast.

He received his master's degree in philanthropy and development from St. Mary's University of Minnesota and his bachelor's degree in political science from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.

A Tennessee native, Martin said the size and location of EIU were attractive to both him and his family, including his wife, Donna, and their three daughters -- Lindsey, 23; Kerri, 20; and Codi, 13.

Eastern's athletics program also beckoned, Martin said, recalling that EIU and UT-Chattanooga were in the same division when he was at UTC.

"Charleston seems to be a nice small town," Martin said. "There were just so many things we found appealing. It seemed like the perfect fit."

He looks forward to his arrival at Eastern and beginning the process of meeting and getting to know the institution's faculty, staff and students, as well as alumni and friends of the university.

"I want to become a part of the EIU team and family," Martin said.

He's also eager to advance Eastern's major capital campaign, already in progress, but in its early stages.

"In tough economic times, we need to let people know that their private gifts are no longer icing on the cake," Martin said. "They need to know that those gifts are a necessity in order to maintain the quality EIU experience our students expect and deserve."

Although Sean Peebles is appreciative of the funding he's receiving, he and his colleagues are equally excited about the honor his recent award represents.

The Eastern Illinois University chemistry professor was named one of seven individuals nationwide to receive a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for 2009.  The award provides a five-year $60,000 unrestricted research grant to each recipient.

Both Peebles and Mark McGuire, professor and interim chemistry chair at EIU, said that while it is gratifying to be awarded this generous funding for the proposed research, the source of the grant -- the nationally and internationally known Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Inc. -- greatly adds to the value of the award.

According to its Web site, the foundation was established to advance the science of chemistry, chemical engineering and related sciences as a means of improving human relations and circumstances.

Founded in 1946 by chemist, inventor and businessman Camille Dreyfus as a memorial to his brother Henry, the foundation became a memorial to both men when Camille Dreyfus died in 1956. Throughout its history, the foundation has sought to take the lead in identifying and addressing needs and opportunities in the chemical sciences.  Since its founding, it has contributed well more than $100 million to support chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields.

"This certainly is a great honor for Sean, but also for the chemistry department and Eastern Illinois University as we, as an institution, seek to be a real leader in undergraduate research and education," McGuire said.  "We're being recognized as a university that promotes quality student research at the undergraduate level.  We are not just keeping our students occupied with 'busy work.'"

McGuire, whose office sits next to Peebles', nominated his colleague for the Dreyfus Award based on what he had observed since Peebles came to Eastern in 2001.  In addition to what he has seen as exemplary interaction between Peebles and his students, McGuire also saw dedication, ingenuity and passion when it came to research.

The technical description of Peebles' research reads as follows:  "Microwave spectroscopic studies of transition metal complexes prepared by laser ablation."  In layman's terms, Peebles and his students will attempt to learn more about fuel chemistry by using a laser to produce metal atoms and then study their chemical reactions with simple petroleum by-products.

At this very early stage in the research, Peebles acknowledged, it is difficult to tie in the importance of the findings with specific implications for the general public.  Instead, the research findings will provide improved understanding of chemical reactions that have importance in a wide range of related disciplines, including the pharmaceutical and petroleum industries.

Peebles enjoys this research, and doesn't mind sharing his opportunities with his students as their teacher and mentor.

"I enjoy interacting with students, whether they be enrolled in General Chemistry Lab I or a graduate course," he said.  "And I try to be available for them when they need me."

This goes for the entering freshman who may not have adjusted to university life or the more introverted student who, Peebles says, reminds him of himself at that early age.

But he also enjoys mentoring those more advanced students who commit to research and follow it up with written reports, many of which are then published.  Some students, Peebles added, even travel to national and international conferences where they are given the opportunity to present their research before other students and student-friendly faculty and scientists.

"They're immensely proud of their accomplishment, but very nervous, as well," he said.

With the help of his Dreyfus award, Peebles hopes even more students get the opportunity to share research findings.  While about half the grant ($33,000) is designated for equipment and supplies, more than $20,000 will be used for stipends for students conducting research and to fund student travel to conferences to present their results.  The remaining portion of the grant -- $5,000 -- goes toward departmental expenses associated with research and education.

More than 500 summer and fall graduates plan to participate in Eastern Illinois University's Fall 2009 commencement ceremonies, scheduled to take place Saturday, Dec. 19, in Lantz Arena.

Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Guest tickets are required for admission.

Graduating seniors from the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities will march in the morning ceremony, while students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Sciences and the School of Continuing Education (Bachelor of Arts in General Studies Degree) will march in the afternoon. Graduate students will march with their respective colleges.

President William L. Perry will preside over the ceremonies. Music will be provided by the EIU Wind Symphony.

Les R. Hyder, who was named the 2009 recipient of the Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award, will be publicly recognized during the 10 a.m. ceremony for outstanding service to Eastern, to his profession and to the community. This award is presented annually by Eastern's Faculty Senate.

Jonathan F. Gosse, editor-in-chief for American Publishers Inc., Homewood, Ill., and current chair of Eastern's School of Technology Advisory Board, will present the "Charge to the Class" during the morning ceremony. Jill F. Nilsen, EIU's retiring vice president for external relations, will speak during the 1 p.m. ceremony. Both Gosse and Nilsen are EIU graduates.

Also addressing graduates will be Faculty Senate Chairperson John Henry Pommier and Student Body President Michelle Murphy.

Representing Eastern's Board of Trustees will be Don W. Yost of Charleston at 10 a.m. and Eric P. Wilber of Monticello at 1 p.m.

Traditionally, a commencement marshal leads the commencement procession while carrying the university mace, a symbol of honor accorded a faculty member. The commencement marshal for the 10 a.m. ceremony will be Jill F. Nilsen who, as a professor of communication disorders and sciences, will represent the Graduate School. Representing the School of Continuing Education at 1 p.m. will be Pat J. Fewell, chair of the EIU Department of Secondary Education and Foundations.

An EIU tradition also allows faculty members the honor of carrying the college banner for his/her college during the procession.

This year's faculty marshals for the morning ceremony are Thomas R. Hawkins, associate professor, School of Technology, representing the Graduate School and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences; Julie A. Chadd, assistant professor, School of Technology, representing the LCBAS; Olaf Hoerschelmann, associate professor, communication studies, representing the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Humanities; and Suzan G. Braun, professor, art, representing the CAH.

This year's faculty marshals for the afternoon ceremony are Gail M. Lockart, professor, early childhood, elementary and middle level education, representing the Graduate School and the College of Education and Professional Studies; Judith A. Barford, assistant professor, early childhood, elementary and middle level education, representing the CEPS; Jeffrey R. Laursen, associate professor, biological sciences, representing the Graduate School and the College of Sciences; Richard A. Wandling, professor, political science, representing the COS; and Anita Shelton, chair, history, representing the School of Continuing Education.

Eastern Illinois University officials have mailed letters of notification to approximately 9,000 former, prospective and current undergraduate students regarding a possible security breach into files containing personal information.

During a routine review on Nov. 16, employees of Eastern's Information Technology Services Department discovered that a server used by the university's Office of Admissions had been infected with a number of viruses, including several that would allow an external person to access the server.

Investigators know that an unknown individual outside of the university may have had access to the server from approximately 7:30 a.m. Nov. 11, until 12:30 p.m. Nov. 16. They cannot, however, verify whether or not any files containing student information were accessed.

This particular server contained electronic admissions application data from prospective undergraduate students dating from March 10, 2000, to Nov. 16, 2009. Those who did not submit their admission applications electronically are not affected.

The investigation continues. Meanwhile, advisory letters have been sent to those whose information appeared on the server. In addition to official notification of the incident, the letters include safety recommendations that individuals may take.

Also, Eastern has contracted with Experian®. As a result, those individuals potentially impacted by this incident are eligible to receive a free one-year membership in Triple Alert from ConsumerInfo.com, an Experian® company.

The university has created a Web page with information about the breach and answers to frequently asked questions. It may be viewed at http://www.eiu.edu/notice.

Community residents are once again invited to join Eastern Illinois University's students and staff during the coming week for "Deck the Halls" -- two festive gatherings scheduled to take place in Old Main (the "Castle").

Guests are welcome to attend the two holiday events, the first of which is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, and the second from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10.

Parking is available in most university lots (excluding handicapped spaces) after 5 p.m. Guests attending Thursday's "Deck the Halls" gathering should park in the "X" lot, located east of Old Main.

Following an annual tradition, "Deck the Halls" will showcase six holiday trees, five of which feature decorations made by students of Ashmore, Carl Sandburg, Jefferson, Lake Crest (Oakland) and Mark Twain elementary schools.

Refreshments and holiday music will be featured at both gatherings.

EIU and President Bill Perry invite all to stop by and enjoy this year's holiday celebrations.

(Photo courtesy of Lauren LaPlante.)

The Eastern Symphony Chamber Orchestra, EIU Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum will celebrate the holiday season with their presentation of Handel's "Messiah" and its famed Hallelujah chorus.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall on the Eastern Illinois University campus.

Two faculty guest artists will be featured in the performance: baritone Jay Ivey, and Mark DeGoti on piccolo trumpet.

Ivey, who is new to the EIU faculty, is an award-winning vocalist. He has performed in many productions with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, most recently playing the role of British Ambassador in the world premiere of the new performing edition of "The Ghosts of Versailles" by John Corigliano.

DeGoti has maintained an active performing career since joining the EIU music faculty in 2005. He plays with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony and the EIU Faculty Brass Quintet.

The concert is sponsored in part by the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation.

Tickets -- $12 for the general public, $10 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $5 for students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.

[Note: Honeywell released the following press release in conjunction with the ceremonial groundbreaking held today (Nov. 20, 2009) on the EIU campus in Charleston, Illinois.]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Honeywell today announced a $79 million renewable energy and building retrofit program with Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. The program, which combines energy-efficient facility upgrades with one of the largest biomass-fueled heating plants on a university campus, will help EIU address deferred maintenance, improve its infrastructure, and save approximately $140 million in energy and operating costs over the next two decades.

EIU will finance the improvements and use the savings, guaranteed by Honeywell through a 20-year performance contract, to pay for the work. As a result, the program will not place a burden on the university’s budget or require additional taxpayer dollars or student fees.

The upgrades will impact all facilities on the 320-acre campus, and significantly curb the university’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, they will reduce electricity consumption by an estimated 6.2 million kilowatt-hours per year -- enough energy to power more than 580 homes annually. Carbon dioxide emissions will also decrease by nearly 20,000 metric tons each year. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing more than 3,600 cars from the road.

“Like many universities, our list of needs across campus is much larger than the financial resources available,” said Bill Perry, president of Eastern Illinois University. “This program allows us to make critical improvements and keep our facilities comfortable and functional for years to come. Plus, we’re able to reduce our carbon footprint at the same time. It’s an ideal solution for the university and surrounding community.”

The focal point of the program is the construction of a new steam plant on the southeast corner of campus that will be driven by two large biomass gasifiers, the first application of this technology in the region. The plant will use wood chips sourced from the local logging industry to generate steam and heat buildings on campus. And it will replace the university’s aging steam plant, which is inconveniently located in the center of campus, consumes more than 10,000 tons of coal per year and requires constant maintenance.

Through biomass gasification, the wood chips are heated in an airtight, oxygen-deprived chamber until they break down to create a synthetic gas that burns similar to natural gas. The gas is then used to fire the boilers, giving the university a carbon-neutral solution for heating its facilities. As a result, all of the steam heating load for the university will be met through a renewable resource.

EIU chose the biomass system based on input from the Honeywell Renewable Energy Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind selection tool that analyzes location-specific details to pinpoint the technology with the most significant environmental and economic drivers.

As part of the new plant, Honeywell will also install a small turbine that uses excess steam to produce electricity. The turbine is expected to generate more than 2.9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, reducing the amount of energy the university purchases from the grid and providing another environmentally friendly energy source.

Additional conservation measures include:
• Retrocommissioning all mechanical systems on campus to ensure efficient operation;
• Constructing a new high-voltage switch yard to consolidate two intake points for electricity, which will lower the university’s utility rates;
• Updating the chilled water system to provide more flexibility in determining which chillers to use for its cooling needs;
• Replacing windows at five residence halls with double-pane insulating glass;
• Upgrading lighting fixtures and installing occupancy sensors throughout campus to help reduce energy use;
• Retrofitting plumbing systems to conserve water use; and
• Sealing building envelopes to prevent the loss of warm and cool air.

Honeywell will also provide ongoing commissioning, and measurement and verification as part of the contract. The upgrades are expected to be complete by end of 2012.

“Using renewable energy not only delivers environmental benefits, it can also generate economic payback,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Through guaranteed energy savings, organizations like Eastern Illinois University can make investments in their facility infrastructure and reduce carbon dioxide emissions without impacting the bottom line.”

Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com. Honeywell Building Solutions is part of the Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions business group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry. For more information about Building Solutions, access www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements.

Contact: Aaron Parker, Honeywell; 763-954-4257; aaron.parker@honeywell.com

Although some ground has already been turned since the official beginning of the project on Nov. 9, a ceremonial groundbreaking is planned to commemorate the birth of Eastern Illinois University's Renewable Energy Center.

All those interested are welcome to join members of the university community and their guests at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.

Due to very limited parking at the construction site, located on the east side of campus near the intersection of 18th Street (Illinois 130) and Edgar Drive, mass transportation will be provided. Buses will leave from the east side of EIU's MLK Jr. Union at 3:20 p.m. and return guests to a reception in the 1895 Room of the union immediately following the ceremony.

Those expected to speak at the ceremony include state Sen. Dale Righter; state Rep. Chapin Rose; Bill O'Rourke, chair, EIU Board of Trustees; Eric Wilbur, student representative, EIU Board of Trustees; and EIU President Bill Perry.

Honeywell International Inc. representatives will also be in attendance, as that company will oversee the construction of the center, as well as the installation of agreed-upon energy conservation measures at EIU. In total, the project will cost $80 million.

Honeywell guarantees that Eastern will attain annual energy/operation cost savings equal to or greater than the annual cost of financing the project. Annual energy savings of less than the guaranteed amount would be supplemented by Honeywell, and that supplement would be used to repay amounts financed.

The largest of the energy conservation measures -- with a price tag of $56 million -- is the renewable energy center which Eastern's considers an economical and ecologically friendly answer to the university's critical power needs and made necessary by the deterioration of the university's current coal-fired power plant.  Built circa 1925, the plant has been plagued by persistent equipment failures and replacement parts have been difficult, if not impossible, to find due to the age of the equipment.

The new facility -- a "biomass gasifier" -- will supply the university's heating and cooling needs by burning plant matter. Eastern will be permitted to burn two-inch virgin, or non-treated, wood chips obtained as by-products from the lumber industry. The wood chips will be much more "clean burning" than the coal used currently, thus reducing the overall air emissions being released into the environment.

Additional "biomass" fuel sources may be considered in the future.

After having made a living writing about political corruption in Illinois, author/reporter James L. Merriner seriously wonders if change can ever take hold within the state.

He plans to discuss his topic at length, offering historical background for any doubts, when he presents "Will Reform Ever Come to Illinois?"

Merriner's address -- the fifth in the Edgar Lecture Series at Eastern Illinois University -- is set to begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Roberson Auditorium, Lumpkin Hall (Room 2030) on the EIU campus. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the presentation.

The Edgar Lecture Series, established in 2007 by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and his wife, Brenda, demonstrates a continuing support of their alma mater. The series allows the university to host two speakers a year -- one in the fall and one in the spring. Lectures are to focus primarily on state government and shall address current issues in state government and their historical implications.

The Edgars personally launched the series, with the former governor speaking in Fall 2007 and Mrs. Edgar taking her turn behind the lectern in Spring 2008.

Merriner, a former Chicago Sun-Times political reporter/editor, is also the author/co-author of five books, most of which deal with political corruption in Illinois. His most recent work is "The Man Who Emptied Death Row: Governor George Ryan and the Politics of Crime."

In addition, Merriner authored "Mr. Chairman: Power in Dan Rostenkowski's America," which examined the story of former U.S. House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, who also ended up behind bars.

See more about Merriner at his Web site: http://www.jamesmerriner.com/index.html .

Theatre alumni coming back for this weekend's departmental reunion at Eastern Illinois University will have the opportunity to share in an honor commemorating the lives of Glendon "Gabby" and Lucy Gabbard.

Community members are also invited to help pay tribute to the husband/wife team who, together, dedicated years of their lives to entertaining and teaching others.

Eastern plans to dedicate the "E. Glendon Gabbard and Luciana Paquet Gabbard Green Room," located in the newly renovated Doudna Fine Arts Center, at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. In addition, a tour of the center's theatre facilities will begin at 12:15 p.m.

All those interested in either or both events are invited to attend. There is no admission charge.

Glendon "Gabby" Gabbard began his teaching career in theatre arts at Eastern Illinois University in 1947. Until his retirement in 1984, he directed between three and six plays each year. His plays were well-received by audiences, and many of his students went on to successful careers as actors and teachers.

Lucy Gabbard was a prolific author and published extensively. She taught for many years in EIU's Department of English.

Following their retirement, they moved to Chicago where they became professional actors. They appeared in productions at the Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens and many other venues in Chicago 's active theatre scene. Appearances in "Groundhog's Day," "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Prelude to a Kiss" highlighted their careers, as did Lucy Gabbard's appearance in the 1990 Tony Award-winning production of "The Grapes of Wrath."

In recognition of the Gabbards' long tenure and service to the students of Eastern, the Board of Trustees agreed in April to name the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Green Room in their honor.

The ceremony coincides with the theatre's department's annual alumni reunion. Alumni from the Classes of 1960-1975 and 1985-1995 have been invited as special guests for the day, which also includes a 7 p.m. production of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Tickets ($12, general admission; $10 for seniors and EIU employees; $5 for students) may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) between 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, or one hour before a performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

Additionally, John Oertling, chair of Eastern's Department of Theatre Arts, will formally receive the Illinois Theatre Association's 2009 Award of Excellence for University Theatre. Time and location are to be announced.

Four individuals have been invited to participate in on-site visits as Eastern Illinois University moves forward in its search for the institution's vice president for university advancement.

Pamela Christman of Urbana; James Salmo of Columbia, Mo.; Robert Martin of Auburn, Ala.; and Keith Carver of Martin, Tenn., have been invited to participate in on-site interviews during the month of November.

According to Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs at EIU and chair of the committee that is conducting the national search, Eastern received 56 applications for the VPUA position.

"Clearly, there has been strong interest in the position and we look forward to having the identified candidates visit campus for in-person interviews," Lord said. "With Dr. Nilsen's impending retirement, we are moving as quickly as we are able."

The post became available when Jill Nilsen, who has served as vice president for external relations since 1998, announced her Dec. 31, 2009, retirement. When President Bill Perry announced the search, he also announced his intentions of changing the name of the position to vice president for university advancement.

"This signals internally and externally -- and certainly for the search process -- that the primary emphasis for this position is on fundraising, development and allied activities," Perry said. "The change in emphasis in the position not only represents the growing importance of philanthropy in EIU's future, but narrows the portfolio to enable more time and effort focused on fundraising."

Each of the four candidates will be on Eastern's campus for a day. Open sessions (faculty, staff and students) will take place from 4 to 5 p.m., while community sessions (community, EIU Foundation, EIU Alumni Association) will begin at 7 p.m. (Locations announced below.)

Candidate Pamela Christman currently serves as assistant vice chancellor for institutional advancement and senior director of recruitment and training at the University of Illinois' Office for Institutional Advancement. She spent more than 15 years in the area of development at the U of I before assuming her current position. She holds a bachelor's degree in human resources and family studies and a master's degree in higher education administration from the U of I.

Christman's open and community interviews will take place in Blair Hall, Room 3108, on Friday, Nov. 13.

The second candidate, James Salmo, currently serves as the associate vice chancellor for development/health services at the University of Missouri in Columbia. His previous advancement/development experience includes roles as vice president for advancement at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy; director of development at both the University of Missouri's School of Law and College of Engineering; and director of development at Whitfield School, St. Louis. Salmo received his bachelor's degree in theater from St. Louis University and his master's degree in media/communication from Webster University, St. Louis.

Salmo's open and community interviews will take place in the 1895 Room, MLK Jr. Union, on Monday, Nov. 16.

Robert Martin, assistant vice president for development at Auburn University, previously served as assistant vice chancellor for development and director of major gifts at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga; district vice president, YMCA of Florida's First Coast; and associate executive director of the Owensboro (Ky.) YMCA. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Lipscomb University and his master's degree in philanthropy and development at St. Mary's University of Minnesota.

Martin's open and community interviews will take place in Booth Library, Room 4440, on Thursday, Nov. 19.

The final candidate, Keith Carver, currently serves as the assistant vice chancellor for development at the University of Tennessee-Martin. He has previously served as director of development and alumni affairs, College of Law, and program adviser, Office of Student Activities, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and director of special projects and coordinator of experiential education, McDonough Center for Leadership and Business at Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. Carver received his bachelor's degree in sociology from Memphis State University, and his master's degree in college student personnel and educational leadership from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy (focus on higher education administration) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Carver's open and community interviews will take place in the 1895 Room, MLK Jr. Union, on Monday, Nov. 30.

The sixth annual Embarras Valley Film Festival, “Lincoln, the Civil War, and Memory,” will honor Abraham Lincoln through presentations and filmic representations of Lincoln’s life and the Civil War.

A collaborative effort between the community and Eastern Illinois University, the film festival will be held Nov. 12-14 on the EIU campus and in downtown Charleston. All events are free and open to the public.

The festival celebrates the contributions to the film arts by individuals with connections to east-central Illinois and EIU. This year, the EVFF joins a host of other institutions in Illinois celebrating Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

Several films will be screened: "Young Mr. Lincoln," John Ford's 1939 film documenting Lincoln’s early life; "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the Oscar-winning 1962 short film directed by Robert Enrico; "The General," Clyde Bruckman's 1927 silent comedy featuring Buster Keaton focused on a train captured during the Civil War; and "Glory," Robert Zwick's1989 Oscar-winning film starring Matthew Broderick.

Presentations and film introductions are planned, as well; many presenters have local ties, including Craig Titley, a Hollywood screenwriter and Mattoon native; Urbana-based film critic Chuck Koplinski; local Civil War re-enactor Randy Jackson, who was an extra in "Glory"; and Charleston native Dann Gire, a film critic for the Arlington Heights Daily Herald and president and founding director of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Children's activities will be held at the Charleston Carnegie Public Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday; please make reservations by Wednesday by calling 217-345-1514. “Abraham Lincoln and Me,” for ages 4-8, features stories and crafts, including Lincoln penny medals and "eye spinner" optical illusion toys, led by Jeanne Goble and Joyce Jackson.  In “Happy Birthday, Abe! Scrapbooking,” for ages 8 and older, Howard Taylor will guide children in creating their own Lincoln remembrances scrapbook using a variety of Lincoln pictures and quotations.

Festival co-sponsors are the EIU College of Arts and Humanities and the Doudna Fine Arts Center; Booth Library, EIU; the Coles County Arts Council; the Illinois Arts Council; the City of Charleston Tourism Office; the Tarble Arts Center, EIU; and the Charleston Public Library.  Doudna Fine Arts Center public arts programs are funded by the New and Emerging Artists Series Fund, and by the Excellence in Fine Arts Fund.

For more information, please visit www.eiu.edu/~evff.

Thursday, Nov. 12   
-- 6:30 p.m.: Lecture by John R. Sellers, historical specialist on the American Civil War and the Lincoln curator at the Library of Congress. Lecture Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center, EIU.
-- 7:30: Screening of "Young Mr. Lincoln." Doudna Lecture Hall.

Friday, Nov. 13
-- 10 a.m.: Screenwriters workshop with Craig Titley. Tarble Arts Center Atrium.
-- 1 p.m.: “Our American Cousin: Melodrama and the Civil War" presentation by Chris Mitchell. Tarble Atrium.
-- 2:30 p.m. “Lincoln, the Civil War, and Rac