James Dunham was honored with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Civil Service Staff Member. Dunham is in charge of the model shop in the Department of Physics and has been a dedicated member of the College for more than fifteen years. “This professional is so beloved,” said Dean Olson, “that his letters of support sound as if he should be a candidate for the Nobel Prize.”
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Outstanding Administrative Professional Bruce Bergethon
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Bruce Bergethon, general manager of WGLT, received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Administrative Professional. “This dedicated citizen has contributed immeasurably to the quality of life of each and every one of us in this community for over sixteen years,” said Dean Olson. “He has done more for the College of Arts and Sciences, for Illinois State University, and for the twin cities than almost any other single individual. He is the consummate professional and the exemplary gentleman.”
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Outstanding Pre-Tenure Teacher Jon Friesen (Not pictured: John McHale)
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In the pre-tenured faculty category, Professor Jon Friesen (Chemistry) received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching. In the past three years, Friesen has published an article on teaching, was awarded several grants related to teaching, and supervised 22 graduate students and 16 undergraduate students. According to one colleague, “Dr. Friesen is committed to educating all students, meeting the needs of all of the different majors in the class, and providing every opportunity for all students to learn and be successful.” Professor John McHale (Communication) was awarded honorable mention. McHale has previously won a Teaching Initiative Award. McHale has published an article on teaching, has a book on pedagogy in press, gave twelve presentations on teaching-related subjects, supervised six graduate students and five undergraduate students, and has developed a number of new courses. “This recipient truly had a superb year,” said Dean Olson. “I have witnessed this teacher in action, and he is quite impressive.”
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Outstanding Tenure Teachers Stephen Hunt and Nancy Lind
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In the tenured faculty category, Professor Stephen Hunt (Communication) won the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching. Hunt supervised 16 graduate students and 12 undergraduates, published 13 peer-reviewed publications on teaching, gave 43 papers on teaching at national and international conventions, presented 22 papers or workshops on teaching locally, received two external grants related to improving teaching, and produced three mass-produced instructional videos—all within the past three years. One official in Hunt’s professional organization writes, “Of all the people I have worked with in our national organization, Dr. Hunt stands out as a true leader in topics related to pedagogy.” Professor Nancy Lind, from the Department of Politics and Government, was awarded honorable mention. In the past three years, Lind has won nine national teaching awards, published two pedagogically oriented books, gave six papers, supervised ten graduate students, and advised countless undergraduates. One student recognized that “Dr. Lind’s knowledge and determination are second to none.”
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Outstanding Scholarly Pre-tenured Achievers Rita Bailey and Christopher Breu
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The final awards presented were the Dean’s Awards for Scholarly Achievement. These awards honor faculty for their achievements in research in the last calendar year. In the pre-tenure category, Professor Christopher Breu (English) won the honor. Breu has supervised 12 graduate students, presented seven papers at scholarly conventions, and published four peer-reviewed articles, a book chapter, and a single-authored scholarly monograph in a major university press. One external reviewer says that in the winner’s brief career, he has “achieved a remarkable record of scholarly achievements.” Professor Rita Bailey (Speech Pathology and Audiology) took honorable mention. Bailey has published four peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, had six others accepted or in press, presented seven papers at scholarly conventions, and was awarded four grants. Bailey is “an innovator, discoverer, producer, and reporter,” said her reviewers.
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Outstanding Scholarly Tenured Achievers Rainer Grobe and Willard Bohn
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The Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievement in the tenured category went to Distinguished Professor Rainer Grobe (Physics). In the last year, Grobe published ten articles in prestigious scholarly journals and had four others in press, presented four international speeches, was awarded $290,000 in research grants, won a major national award, supervised nine student research projects, and had one of his students go on to win a prestigious national award. “Grobe is one of Illinois State’s most distinguished and celebrated scholars,” said Dean Olson. Distinguished Professor Willard Bohn (Foreign Languages) was awarded honorable mention. In the past year, Bohn gave four major international lectures, published a book chapter, published six scholarly articles, and had another seven accepted or in press, and published two books with major university presses. One reviewer praised Bohn’s “extraordinary levels of dedication, energy, and accomplishment,” saying that his “sustained record of excellence” is “not only outstanding” but “truly amazing.”