Donors to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award Fund have pushed the fund total past the halfway point toward the College's $400,000 goal, according to CAS Director of Development Mary Rundus. The endowment reached $201,000 this week, and an additional $11,000 is expected to arrive next week. Dean Olson established the awards in 2004 to acknowledge excellence in teaching, research, and service. To date, 41 faculty and staff members have been Dean’s Awards recipients. “Thanks to the generosity of our board members, Hall of Fame members, faculty, staff, and other friends of the College, these awards will honor our faculty and staff in perpetuity,” said Dean Olson. Earlier this year, the Dean’s Award Fund received national attention when the Chronicle of Higher Education featured a story about donations made in honor of pets that were subsequently pictured on the Dean's Awards web site.

To see photos of the Dean's Award winners and learn more about the Dean’s Awards or to make a contribution, visit the awards website: http://www.cas.ilstu.edu/faculty/awards/deansawards.shtml  To view non-human companions of some of the donors, click here: http://www.cas.ilstu.edu/faculty/awards/deansawardcompanions.shtml