neiu_magazine_final

{ AN INSIDE LOOK AT NEIU’S
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE }
IN CHICAGO CLOSETS!
Chuck Kane
MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING The MUSIC & LITERACY Project
Rebirth of the
SPOKEN WORD
INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008

15 17
D E P A R T M E N T S
3 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
6 AROUND THE COMMONS I news & notes about your university community
22 STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
27 INTERSECTION I a point where neiu colleges & campuses converge
29 COMMON GROUND I alumni news & notes
34 WHO KNEW? I photo feature
C O V E R S T O R Y
17 FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
The University recently implemented an innovative
program for all incoming freshmen to help them adjust
to university culture and develop their academic
skills. The First-Year Experience program offers over
thirty classes to students including the new
anthropology course “Skeletons in Chicago Closets.”
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine
6 11
F E A T U R E S
11 THE MUSIC & LITERACY PROJECT
Using music to help Chicago public school students
14 ADVANCING THE UNIVERSITY
President Hahs names Carla Knorowski the new
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
15 ON PAR – THE ANNUAL CHUCK KANE
MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING
Former NEIU professor & the NEIU scholarships in his name
23 REBIRTH OF THE SPOKEN WORD
NEIU’s connection to Chicago’s performance poetry scene
OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1 AT 8:00 P.M.OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1 AT 8:00 P.M.
ENSEMBLE
ESPAÑOL
ENSEMBLE
ESPAÑOL
In residence at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago • Dame Libby Komaiko, Founder & Artistic DirectorIn residence at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago • Dame Libby Komaiko, Founder & Artistic Director
DANCE THEATERDANCE THEATER
Northeastern Illinois University’s
Office of Cultural Events Presents...
Northeastern Illinois University’s
Office of Cultural Events Presents...
spanish dance theater
Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium
5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625
For tickets call the NEIU box office at: (773) 442-4636
Or visit: www.neiu.edu/~eespanol
*Discounts available for NEIU alumni’s, seniors, students & groups • Free parking
“MAGNIFICENT” Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine 4
PRESIDENT’SImessage
“Much like this
magazine, new and
wonderful things are
happening in many areas
of the University.”
It is my pleasure to welcome you to
the first edition of the redesigned
and expanded Northeastern Illinois
University Magazine. I hope you
enjoy the twenty-four extra pages
and modernized design that will be
delivered to you twice a year.
It has been over a year since I arrived
at Northeastern and I continue to be
impressed with all of the wonderful
people, programs, and possibilities at
NEIU. Much like this magazine, new
and wonderful things are happening
in many areas of the University.
This spring we welcomed our new
Vice President for Institutional
Advancement Carla Knorowski.
I am very pleased that she has
joined our University. Dr. Knorowski
oversees the areas of alumni
relations, development, publications,
and public relations. In addition,
she is also the executive director of
the Northeastern Illinois University
Foundation. Dr. Knorowski’s
twenty plus years of demonstrated
success in public higher education
advancement and other nonprofit
institutional development benefit
Northeastern significantly. With her
lead, the University will strategically
and collaboratively design programs
and materials to heighten the interest
in and awareness of the University’s
mission and values. We must
position the University strategically in
the minds and hearts of our various
constituencies.
One of those constituencies is our
legislators. Since I have arrived on
campus, I have spent considerable
time communicating with legislators
on behalf of NEIU. In April I had the
pleasure of traveling by bus with a
group of thirty-two members of the
University community to Springfield
for Higher Education Lobby Day.
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and
the NEIU Board of Trustees were all
represented on the trip. We spoke to
numerous legislators about NEIU’s
operating budget and capital budget,
including the request to build an
education building on our campus.
Prior to Lobby Day, in February,
eighteen students from NEIU
participated in the Model Illinois
Government simulation and
competition that took place over
three days at the Capitol Complex
in Springfield. The NEIU group won
the prestigious Outstanding Large
Delegation Award. In addition, four
students were elected to serve on the
State-Wide Model Illinois Government
Executive Board. I am very proud that
Northeastern has been well represented
in Springfield in recent months.
On the federal level, I traveled to
Washington, D.C., as part of a
Hispanic Association of Colleges
and Universities (HACU) delegation.
While in Washington, I was happy to
present our own U.S. Congressman
Luis V. Gutierrez with the NEIU
Distinguished Alumni Award. Visiting
one of our most notable alumni was
an honor and made the trip even
more rewarding.
I look forward to sharing more NEIU
happenings and news items with you
throughout the coming months and
years. I hope that you will share your
NEIU experiences and stories with
your friends and colleagues as we
continue to raise the visibility of the
University throughout Chicago, the
State of Illinois, and beyond.
Sincerely,
Sharon K. Hahs
President
Northeastern Illinois University
NEIU MAGAZINE STAFF
Editor-In-Chief: Michael J. Partipilo
Managing Editor: Julie Wight
Associate Editor: Dana Navarro
Creative Director/Designer: J. Matt Byerly
Photographer: Joe L. Davis
Contributors: Susan Appel Bass, Carolyn Bonner,
Sheila Castillo, Gerald Chaney, Terry Jacobus,
Erika Krehbiel, Anne Schultz
In Common is published twice a year by the University for
graduates, donors, and friends. Please send your comments,
suggestions, and news items by e-mail to InCommon@neiu.edu or
to the Office of Alumni Relations, Northeastern Illinois University,
5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60625-4699.
HOW TO CONTACT US
In Common Magazine: InCommon@neiu.edu
Northeastern Illinois University: (773) 583-4050
Alumni Relations: (773) 442-4205
Development: (773) 442-4210
Graduate College: (773) 442-6005
Public Relations: (773) 442-4223
Transcripts: (773) 442-4031
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION
Sharon K. Hahs
President
Lawrence P. Frank
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Carla Knorowski
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Melvin C. Terrell
Vice President for Student Affairs
Mark Wilcockson
Vice President for Finance and Administration
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Walter W. Dudycz
Chair, B.A. ’93
Jin Lee
Vice Chair
Carlos Azcoitia
Secretary
Carole Balzekas
Grace G. Dawson
Omar A. Duque
Edward G. Dykla
Eduardo Arabu, Jr.
Student Trustee
UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John E. Gingell, President
Jack Butler, Vice President
Jonathan Stein, Corporate Secretary
Thomas R. Gramins, CPA, Treasurer
Andrea L. Davey
Neal Fenwick
Randy Franklin
Catherine Kozuch-O’Brien
Richard Gamble
Thomas F. Power, Jr.
Betty Rocci
Lance D. Williams
Carla Knorowski, Executive Director
PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS • 6/08 • 55M • PO#46823
letter
EDITOR
from the
After many months of planning, we
are pleased to bring you a new magazine
that will focus on the things most important
to you. The magazine has a new look, with
even more quality stories and information
to connect you with all the amazing things
our alumni, faculty, staff, and students
are currently doing. We plan to bring to
you feature stories that demonstrate our
commitment to academic excellence while
focusing on those things that we share in
common, bringing each of us that much
closer and connected to NEIU.
In addition to a new design and
expanded content, the Northeastern
Illinois University Alumni Magazine has
a new name, In Common. The new name
encompasses a unifying theme shared by all
of our magazine readers. Though we may
be diverse in a myriad of ways, we all share
one thing in common - being a part of the
NEIU family.
In other exciting news, there are so many
ways for you to now stay connected with
NEIU. The Blue and Gold is Northeastern’s
newly revamped electronic newsletter. It is
published on a bi-monthly basis and includes
the latest news, updates, and stories about the
University. If you would like to be on the
mailing list, just send a quick note with your
name and e-mail address to alumni@neiu.edu.
In addition, you can also link to Northeastern
on Linked In, MySpace and Facebook.
These popular social networking websites
offer interactive, user-submitted networks
of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups,
photos, and much more. Just click on any
of the sites and search for Northeastern
Illinois University.
Finally, after an almost ten year hiatus,
we are reestablishing the Northeastern
Illinois University Alumni Association.
Having the Association reestablished will
bring forth more exciting ways to benefit
you as an alum of Northeastern. We are
even planning our first trip–a cruise through
Greece! (See page 13 for more details.)
In closing, I welcome any comments,
concerns, or suggestions for improving
the quality of the Northeastern Illinois
University Alumni Magazine, In Common.
You may reach me at InCommon@neiu.edu.
With Regards,
Michael J. Partipilo
Editor-In-Chief
Northeastern Illinois University
Greetings NEIU Alumni & Friends,
WELCOME TO THE NEW
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE
onthecover
This is a cast of the skull of Sivapithecus indicus, a fossil ape found in
the northern parts of India and Pakistan. Sivapithecus is approximately
8 million years old and is closely related to modern day orangutans. Studies
of its teeth reveal that Sivapithecus mostly ate nuts and fruit with hard pits.
THIS CAST IS PART OF THE COLLECTION IN NEIU’S ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT.
Volume 1, Issue 1

PRESIDENTIAL
Changing Lives
...One Student at aTime
The
SCHOLARS PROGRAM
AROUNDTHE COMMONS
NEIU is 1 of 5 Universities in
the Nation Chosen for HACU
Pilot Exchange Program
Northeastern is one of the fourteen higher
education institutions (five in the United
Sates and the only one in Chicago) chosen
to participate in a pilot program established
by the Inter-American Organization for Higher
Education (IOHE) and the Hispanic Association
of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
The program provides a framework for
international student exchange between
partner institutions in the United Sates, Spain,
Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, Columbia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, and Canada.
Students will register for and pay tuition to
their home universities and may study at their
host university for up to one year.
“The HACU and IOHE project offers students
important opportunities to enhance their
international understanding and heighten their
cultural awareness,” said Janet Fredericks,
dean, Graduate College, and director,
International Programs. “Throughout the
years, NEIU has had a consistent record of
support and emphasis on the importance
of providing students with opportunities for
international study.”
Each year, NEIU sponsors more than 150
students for study experiences throughout the
world and hosts more than sixty international
exchange students from partner institutions.
More than 300 international degree candidates
are enrolled in programs of study throughout
the University.
Earth Science Student Wins
GEOLOGICAL
SCHOLARSHIP
Jeff Wawczak (B.S. ’08 Earth Science), was one of
three NEIU students who won a $1,500 scholarship
to attend a three-day course presented by the
Midwest GeoSciences Group and the Association
of Engineering Geologists (AEG) held at Fermilab
and Northern Illinois University.
Wawczak first learned about the short course
and the five available student scholarships at an
AEG meeting he attended with Laura Sanders,
professor, earth science, and five other NEIU
earth science students. Wawczak, Dustin Litorja
(B.S. ’07 Earth Science), and Matthew Meyer
(B.S. ’07 Earth Science), won three of the five
student scholarships.
The course, “Assessing Groundwater Movement
and Contaminant Migration Through Aquitards:
Hydrogeologic Characterization and Investigative
Techniques,” consisted of presentations and field
demonstrations on new technology, equipment,
and procedures. “I feel like I have a head start on
the other people in my class,” said Wawczak. “I’ve
had experiences that they just haven’t had. We
are the only students from our program who have
actually seen a drill rig run, which is very exciting.”
Additionally, Wawczak saw the course as a
networking opportunity. “Being there was
intimidating because I was sitting in a room with
150 people whose jobs I wanted, but they were all
very friendly. They really look at you as the future
of their field.”
Wawczak is grateful to Sanders for providing
him with opportunities outside of the classroom
and helping him focus his career goals. “Being
a geologist you have a lot of options when it
comes to choosing a career, and meeting people
who are living those options helps you to figure
out what you want to do,” said Wawczak.
Wawczak graduated in May and is currently
exploring graduate programs in hydrogeology.
“Being a geologist
you have a lot of
options when it
comes to choosing
a career, and
meeting people
who are living those
options helps you
to figure out what
you want to do.”
JEFF WAWCZAK
(B.S. ’08 Earth Science)
Junior biology major Jesse Foresto learned early on that
life does not always work out according to a plan.When
Foresto was five years old his mother died after a battle
with cancer. His father, determined to not have his
children raised by babysitters, drastically cut back his
work hours so he could spend time raising his two
sons and daughter.
After graduating from high school a semester
early, Foresto worked two jobs to help financially
support his family instead of immediately
enrolling in college. In 2006 Foresto applied to
Northeastern and was awarded the prestigious
Presidential Scholarship.
“It’s a big gift being able to go to school
without the worries about financial stress,”
acknowledged Foresto.“I have learned that
having a solid foundation is essential to
success, and Northeastern is preparing me to
succeed in my career.There are high standards
that are demanded by NEIU to maintain the
Presidential Scholarship. I want and need to
make the most of my time here by working
hard and developing academically.”
In trying to decide a course of study, Foresto
turned to his father for advice.“Right now my
dad is encouraging me to continue in the sciences.
I like to help people and want to do that well.
I could really help people through science.”
The Presidential Scholars Program at
Northeastern Illinois University is changing
lives. Presidential Scholarships are the most
prestigious scholarships awarded by the University.
They are full, merit-based awards that cover tuition,
fees, and a book allowance for entering freshmen who
have demonstrated academic excellence.
The University hopes to double the number of
Presidential Scholars by 2009.With the continued
support of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the
University this goal can become a reality.
To learn how to support the Presidential Scholars
Program, contact the Office of Development at
(773) 442-4208 or by e-mail at alumni@neiu.edu.
“Northeastern is
preparing me to
succeed in my career.”
Jesse Foresto, Biology
Presidential Scholar
Northeastern
Illinois
University
news&notesabout
youruniversitycommunity

Students Pass
Campus GREEN Fee
Clean energy improvements at NEIU will be made
possible through a Campus Green Fee of $3 per
semester. The University Board of Trustees voted to
approve a student referendum for the fee, which was
effective Fall 2007.
Nearly $90,000 will be raised each year to fund projects
such as a campus-wide energy audit, alternate energy
sources (solar panels), lighting efficiency improvements,
and increased recycling initiatives.
The student organization Green Cycle Group initially
proposed the idea to the Student Government
Association, who passed the referendum with the
support of 75 percent of the students who voted.
“Passing this referendum really shows how much
Northeastern students care about addressing climate
change. The Board’s approval of the Campus Green
Fee ensures that Northeastern will continue to be
a leader in clean energy,” said Green Cycle Group
member Jeremy Slate.
BIKING TO CAMPUS
University community members are supporting clean
energy by leaving their cars parked at home and instead
biking to campus. David Rubin, Facilities Management,
makes his fourteen mile commute by bicycle each day.
He said, “I save money on gas and car maintenance,
I get in some calorie-burning exercise, and I help the
environment by not polluting the air.”
To promote biking to the University, there are bicycle
racks at the following locations on campus:
Building E - north entrance
Classroom Building - north and northwest walkways
Fine Arts Building - west entrance
Building B - east and west walkways
Science Building - west entrance
P.E. Complex - north walkway
The NEIU Department of Public Safety offers bicycle
safety tips:
• RIDE AT A SAFE SPEED & USE HAND AND ARM SIGNALS TO ALERT MOTORISTS.
• REMEMBER THAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
• WEAR A HELMET & USE BIKE LIGHTS ON BOTH THE FRONT & REAR OF YOUR
BICYCLE BEGINNING AT DUSK.
• NEVER LEAVE YOUR BICYCLE UNATTENDED OR UNSECURED EVEN MOMENTARILY.
• SECURE YOUR BICYCLE AT A BICYCLE RACK AND REFRAIN FROM USING
POLES NOT DESIGNATED FOR BICYCLES.
NEIU Students Dig In to
MAYA DINING HABITS
Last fall, three NEIU students searched for evidence of foods that sustained the Late Classic
(AD 600-900) Mayan people. Soil samples collected by Jon Hageman, assistant professor,
anthropology, while working with the NEIU Archaeology Field School in Belize, were analyzed by
Gardner Brandt, (B.A. ’08 Anthropology), Neeshia Macanowicz (B.A. ’08 Biology, Psychology), and
Anita Fareeduddin, student, biology.
The students looked for phytoliths or microscopic bodies of silica present in many plants including wild
rice, beans, squashes, and gourds. Jennifer Slate, associate professor, biology, explained, “Phytoliths
are very small particles, on average about 1/20 of a millimeter in size, that exist inside plant cells. If you
threw a glass bottle in the ground, it would still be there in 1,000 years in most soils. The same thing is
true for these little phytoliths. The plants, seeds, and stems may disintegrate, but these survive because
they’re made of silica, a glass-like substance.”
Hageman noted, “This kind of study requires a lot of very technical lab processes for which most
archaeologists aren’t equipped.” Slate added, “Interdisciplinary work like this is relatively new, but it’s
becoming more and more common. For ecologists to understand and interpret what was going on in
a prehistoric environment, you need to study the people who lived in that particular environment. So
more and more ecologists are working with archaeologists, who also benefit because in order to really
understand an ancient culture, you must understand the ancient natural environment.”
The students involved in the project actually conducted the experiments and used critical thinking skills
to identify and apply best research practices, which is an experience their professors say will prepare
them well for graduate study. Brandt’s experience with the project earned him an internship at the
Smithsonian Institution, where he spent a month working with Dolores Piperno, the world’s top expert in
the study of phytoliths.
“This kind of study
requires a lot of
very technical lab
processes for which
most archaeologists
aren’t equipped.”
JON HAGEMAN
Assistant Professor, Anthropology
THE COMMONS
news&notesabout
“Passing this referendum really
shows how much Northeastern
students care about addressing
climate change.”
JEREMY SLATE,
Member, Green Cycle Group
WALTER W. DUDYCZ
Named Chair of the NEIU Board of Trustees
JIN LEE NAMED AS VICE CHAIR & CARLOS AZCOITIA AS SECRETARY
The Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University has elected three new officers. Former Illinois
State Senator and NEIU alumnus Walter W. Dudycz (B.A. ’93 Board of Governors) was elected chair, Jin
Lee as vice chair, and Carlos Azcoitia as secretary. They each will serve a two-year term. Dudycz replaces
Nancy J. Masterson who served as chair since September 2005. Masterson was appointed to the Board
of Trustees by the governor of Illinois in 1996 and held leadership roles during her entire tenure.
Dudycz, a member of the NEIU Board of Trustees since 2005, served as a state senator from 1985
to 2002 and was assistant majority leader from 1993 to 2002. He served as executive director of the
Illinois Racing Board from 2002 to 2003. A retired Chicago Police Department detective, Dudycz is
also former director of the Cook County Sheriff’s Alternative Program. Dudycz is a member of the
Vietnam Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Gabro Council, Fraternal
Order of Police.
Lee, also a member of the NEIU Board of Trustees since 2005, has been director of business planning
and development for the Albany Park Community Center since 1997. Previously he served as executive
director of the Chicago Korean American Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Human
Relations Task Force of Chicago and a member of the Asian American Advisory Councils for the Illinois
Secretary of State and the Illinois State Treasurer.
Azcoitia, a member of the NEIU Board of Trustees since 2006, recently retired as principal of John
Spry Community School. Since 2004 he has served as a member of the Education Accountability Task
Force of school administrators to help shape a new Illinois Department of Education. Previously he
served as Deputy Chief Education Officer for the Chicago Public Schools. He earned his doctorate in
educational administration from Northern Illinois University in 1989.
NEIU’s new Chairman of the Board of
Trustees, Walter W. Dudycz
INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine 8 7 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008

National Report Shows High Num
Ethnically Diverse Students Graduate
N O R T H E A S T E R N ’ S
MEDIAbuzzNational Report Shows High Number of
Ethnically Diverse Students Graduate From NEIU
National Report Shows High Number of
Ethnically Diverse Students Graduate From NEIU
According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s annual publication of the
“Top Degree Producers 2007,” Northeastern is among the top universities in the
United States in the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by students of
diverse ethnic backgrounds.
• NUMBER OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES EARNED IN EDUCATION BY HISPANICS: 11TH
• NUMBER OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES EARNED IN EDUCATION BY ASIAN AMERICANS: 21ST
• NUMBER OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES EARNED IN EDUCATION BY ALL MINORITIES: 22ND
• NUMBER OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES EARNED IN ETHNIC, CULTURE & GENDER STUDIES BY AFRICAN AMERICANS: 27TH
• NUMBER OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES EARNED IN ALL DISCIPLINES BY HISPANICS: 75TH
Northeastern Illinois University’s NATIONAL rankings, provided by 2005-2006
preliminary U.S. Department of Education data, are as follows:
Northeastern Illinois University’s NATIONAL rankings, provided by 2005-2006
preliminary U.S. Department of Education data, are as follows:
THE COMMONS
news&notesabout
Northeastern Illinois University alumni have
garnered five of this year’s ten Golden Apple
Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Carol Broos
(M.A. ’86 Music), Samina Khan (Biology), Natalie
Neris-Guereca (B.A. ’02 Elementary Education:
Teacher Education), Brooke Tippet Thompson
(M.A. ’97 Music), and Donnell White (B.A. ’02
Elementary Education: Teacher Education)
were awarded this honor, which recognizes
outstanding teachers in Cook, DuPage, Kane,
Lake, and Will counties.
Of the approximately 200 recipients of the
Golden Apple Awards since 1986, twenty-eight
are NEIU alumni.
NEIU has a strong tradition of educating teachers
and administrators who go on to serve in the
Chicagoland area; 3,800 NEIU alumni do so
today. In a recent survey of NEIU College of
Education graduates, 98 percent reported that
they felt well prepared for their jobs one year
following graduation.
Terry Stirling, associate dean, College of
Education, said, “These awards were established
as ‘Academy Awards of teaching’ to highlight
the importance of the teaching profession and to
give it some of the public honor that is accorded
to other professions. We know how competitive
this award is and congratulate all of the winners
on their extraordinary service to young people.”
This year’s winners will receive a tuition-free
sabbatical at Northwestern University, a personal
computer, $3,000, and membership into the
Golden Apple Academy of Educators.
Carol Broos teaches fourth through eighth grade
music at Sunset Ridge School in Northfield.
She utilizes theater and technology to create
an environment for discovery, opportunity, and
expression in music.
Samina Khan teaches sixth through eighth grade
science at Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet
High School in Chicago. Khan was recruited to
teaching through the Global Educators Outreach
program, which selected only fifty people from a
pool of thousands of candidates from 23 counties.
Natalie Neris-Guereca teaches fifth grade at
Pershing West Magnet School in Chicago. She
exhibits empathy for and confidence in her students,
which helps them realize their potential to succeed.
Brooke Tippet Thompson teaches kindergarten
through eighth grade music at the Pierce School
of International Studies in Chicago. In addition
to her Golden Apple honor, she holds national
certification for teaching music.
Donnell White teaches seventh and eighth
grade math at Clark Academic Preparatory
Magnet High School in Chicago. He created an
organization called Proud Young Men to help his
male students overcome academic apathy.
“We know how
competitive this award
is and congratulate all
of the winners on their
extraordinary service
to young people.”
TERRY STIRLING
Associate Dean, College of Education
NEIU AWARDED $2.8 MILLION
in Title V Funding to Improve Retention
through Academic Literacy
Northeastern is the only university in Illinois to have been awarded Title V funding this year. NEIU will
receive $2.8 million from 2007-2012 for the “Improving Retention through Academic Literacy” project.
NEIU is one of only thirty colleges and universities in the nation to receive a Title V grant this year.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Program
(Title V of the Higher Education Act) provides funding to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to build
their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students. An HSI is defined as a non-profit institution
that has at least 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent enrollment.
The NEIU Title V project is part of the University’s strategy for addressing critical barriers to its
mission as an urban university of excellence and access. NEIU, the only public four-year Hispanic
Serving Institution in the Midwest, serves a highly diverse student population.
NEIU will use this funding to create dozens of new writing intensive courses, at least one in every
major course of study in the University. It will also address student retention and increase graduation
rates by improving key academic literacy skills, creating a Center for Academic Literacy to provide
tutoring services and writing support, revising the first-year writing program, and implementing
student writing evaluation resources to accurately assess performance.
2008 GOLDEN APPLE Teaching Awards
[ 1 ] The University’s ENLACE (Engaging
Latino Communities for Education)
program was featured in the April 3
issue of the nationally published Diverse
Issues in Higher Education, which
featured higher education institutions
in Illinois. The article discussed how
NEIU is helping to increase the number
of Hispanic students enrolling in
graduate programs and pursuing higher
education teaching and administrative
positions. [ 2 ] A profile in the May issue
of Wind, a national Korean magazine,
featured President Sharon Hahs and the
University. Kyu Young Park, director,
Asian Programs, also was interviewed for
the story, which discussed the vibrancy
of the diverse learning environment at
NEIU. [ 3 ] The Chuck Kane Memorial
Golf Outing was featured on June 9
on WMAQ-NBC 5’s morning television
show segment “Mug Mondays.” The
segment features good causes of local
nonprofit organizations. [ 4 ] The Polish
Daily News featured Carla Knorowski,
vice president for institutional
advancement, in two articles that were
published on March 14 and March 21.
The first story reported on the event
held at the McCormick Tribune Freedom
Museum to publicly welcome Knorowski
and President Sharon Hahs to the
University. The second article was a Q&A
between Knorowski and the reporter
about her new role as vice president
at Northeastern. [ 5 ] Ed Stuart,
professor, economics and international/
intercultural studies, appeared on CNN
on March 7 to discuss which regions of
the country are being hardest hit with
unemployment. He also was interviewed
for a segment on WBBM-AM on May 31
about the recent spike in gasoline prices.
[ 6 ] Conrad Worrill, professor, inner
city studies education, and director,
Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner
City Studies, was interviewed for a story
that was published in the Los Angeles
Times on March 24. Worrill discussed
Barack Obama’s strategy of cultivating
relationships with radical leaders while
keeping his distance from their more
strident positions.
9 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008 INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine 10
In the spring, the University celebrated the
naming of the Salme Harju Steinberg Fine Arts
Center. The building was dedicated in honor
of President Emerita Steinberg, who served
as president from September 1995 through
January 2007.
NEIU Board of Trustees Chair Walter Dudycz,
Board of Trustees Secretary Carlos Azcoitia,
and past Board Chair Nancy Masterson
presented President Emerita Steinberg with
a resolution from the Board in recognition of
her commitment to the arts at NEIU. Three
performances followed the presentation
including David Portillo, tenor, and Celeste
Rue, piano; NEIU’s Brian Torosian, guitar; and
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, in
residence at NEIU. In addition, all of the fine
arts programs at NEIU were celebrated with a
student exhibit in the Art Gallery, a slide show
of the Stage Center Theatre in the Recital Hall,
tours of the building, and a student musical
group performance during the reception.
Generous contributions were made to the
Endowment Fund for the Arts in honor of
President Emerita Steinberg. These contributions
will support quality academic and professional
programming for years to come. The University’s
fine arts programming has provided students and
the community access to some of the top artists
and performers in the world.
Naming Dedication of the
SALME HARJU STEINBERG
FINE ARTS CENTER
President Emerita Salme Harju Steinberg
and President Sharon K. Hahs at the
reception in the newly dedicated
Salme Harju Steinberg Fine Arts Center

... Students in kindergarten through the second
grade at several public schools on the North
and South sides of Chicago participated in the
program.The performance of these students
showed an increase in scores that was statistically
significant in both reading and math.
Schultz, creator and director of the Music and
Literacy Project at the Chicago Teachers’ Center of
Northeastern Illinois University, stumbled onto the
idea of using music as a way to help students segue
into writing when she was confronted with the
most difficult class she had ever taught as a writing
consultant in several Chicago public schools.
One day, she marched in with paper,
markers, and music.“We are going to do
something different today,’’ she announced to
the assembled second graders.“You’re going to
draw on the paper with your markers in time
with the music,” as she demonstrated what she
meant with her hand in the air.
She put on a Mozart Flute Quartet and held
her breath, and the students’ response exceeded
her wildest dreams.“They kept drawing with
the entire first movement, and when it came to a
close, there was silence. I held my breath and went
on to the second movement, which was much
slower than the first, and they continued to draw,
slowing with the music; and then they continued
through the third movement. They had drawn
along with the entire quartet!”
Schultz noticed that the music and drawing
had a very strong impact on individual children.
“Of all the children, Eric is the one I will never
forget. He was one of the angriest children I had
ever met, one of those who threw chairs, shoes,
whatever came to hand. He had never written
anything at all in the weeks I had been coming
to class. This time, he wrote with the others. He
wrote,‘My cat went up the hill. I love my cat,’
and had drawn a picture of his cat going up the
hill. I was amazed; not only had he written, but
he had written something tender, something that
was important to him.”
After this experience, Schultz experimented
in other schools, using music and drawing in
her teaching of writing. Eventually she added
movement and came up with a continuous
sequence that went from moving to music, to
drawing to music, to writing and then back to
reading. The sequence enabled the children to
think more connectively and spontaneously, and
their writing voices to become stronger, more
fluent, and more confident.
“Angelica was a very shy child when I first met
her in kindergarten,” Schultz said.“The first time
she got up with the other children to dance to a
music
literacy
THE
PROJECT
&
piece of music, she stood there in agony, holding
her body very stiffly and she hardly moved. Her
body language eloquently testified to her desire
to be invisible. It was hard to watch her as she
struggled. But then we asked the children to
draw with the same music, just dancing in the
air with their marker, then down on the paper.
This was when it happened for Angelica. She
drew quite easily, and when the music came to an
end she finished her drawing and threw her arm
with the marker still in it up into the air with a
great flourish.At the same time she threw her
head back, her long hair flying back around her
shoulders, and she laughed out loud.”
Schultz considers the often heard complaint
that children are growing up without being able
to write and that this is limiting their ability to
think, and to become efficient members of the
workforce. She believes that in order to increase
the literacy rate in this country, writing must
be granted a purpose beyond passing tests and
getting a job.“It must be considered as an art,”
she said,“a way of thinking independently that
is accorded to the other arts, and that is a critical
necessity in today’s on-the-move, constantly
changing and adapting world.”
ANALYSIS OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ TEST SCORES
for students who participated in a three-year program linking music to reading
and writing showed a noteworthy increase over the test scores of students
who did not participate. Anne Schultz, accompanied by a researcher and an
evaluator, presented the results of this three-year action research project at the
annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association last year ...
“We are going to do
something different today!’’
ANNE SCHULTZ,
Director, Music and Literacy Project
NEIU Chicago Teachers’ Center
BY: SHEILA CASTILLO
NEIU Chicago Teachers’ Center

NEIU’s new vice president for Institutional
Advancement, Carla Knorowski, is off to a
running start – and it doesn’t look like she
will be slowing down her pace any time soon.
Almost from day one, she began setting a
course to establish advancement initiatives and
the strategic design of programs and materials
that will heighten interest in and awareness of
Northeastern’s mission and values.
As evidence of her swift pace, by the end of
her second month, Knorowski had already
held a reception downtown for 150 guests
from Chicago’s business, legislative, arts, and
education communities. She also spearheaded
the redesign of this new, expanded alumni
magazine, and set into motion plans for the
re-establishment of the Northeastern Network,
an external organization of NEIU alumni and
friends who will serve as the University’s
advocates on key legislative issues related to
the University and higher education. Close on
the heels of that first flurry of activity, Knorowski
is collaborating with the NEIU Foundation Board
of Directors to host their first Annual Meeting
this fall, is preparing to give NEIU alumni a
more significant presence on the web, and is
putting into place the necessary institutional
advancement infrastructure to continue to
move the University forward.
Most recently, in response to a challenge
grant issued by the U.S. Department of
Education as part of the Title V grant NEIU
received last year, Knorowski has launched
a campaign to raise $192,500 in matching
funds. Monies raised in the campaign will
be matched with federal funds at a 2:1 rate
provided all funds are raised by January
31, 2009, and earmarked for endowment.
When the campaign goal is reached, NEIU
will receive $385,000 in federal matching
funds to assist the University in building its
endowment. (See Title V story on page 10.)
Undertaking so many new tasks in such a
short period of time might seem overwhelming
to many individuals, but Knorowski is
undaunted. With more than twenty years of
experience in communications, constituent
relations, and fundraising for nonprofit
organizations, Knorowski is well qualified to
engage in the tasks at hand.
She began her career at her Chicago high school
alma mater, where she established the school’s
first comprehensive office of development.
“It was a great grassroots experience,” says
Knorowski. “I did everything from fundraising,
to publishing newsletters, and planning special
events. I was able to learn about fundraising and
advancement from the ground up.”
Her next career move was to the University of
Illinois at Chicago, where she served in various
capacities including director of advancement
and external affairs, vice president and
associate chancellor for alumni affairs, and
associate dean for development and external
affairs. Her most recent position before coming
to Northeastern was as managing director
of development for the Chicago Humanities
Festival, a nonprofit organization that presents
more than 150 arts and humanities programs
to over 57,000 constituents annually.
In each position Knorowski displayed a strong
record of accomplishment and an increased
level of achievement. From her first post
at the high school, where she increased
donations by 20 percent each year, to her
most recent position at the Festival, where she
was instrumental in annually raising 92 percent
of the organization’s more than $3.2 million
operating budget, Knorowski has continued to
develop her expertise in building comprehensive
advancement programs. She attributes her
sustained success to a marriage between what
she does best and what she loves most.
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit,”
says Knorowski. “But for me, it’s never been
just about the bottom line. I’ve wanted to
work with organizations that were committed
to a higher purpose. That’s why working in
the nonprofit sector has appealed to me. I’ve
been able to combine my interest in business
with advancing causes that I believe in.”
At Northeastern, Knorowski’s institutional
advancement responsibilities include
overseeing development operations as well
as heading the areas of alumni relations,
publications, and public relations. She also
serves as Executive Director of the NEIU
Foundation. Knorowski believes that by
managing operations for all of these divisions,
she will be able to provide a seamless
and unified approach to establishing a
comprehensive advancement program.
“I’m flattered and honored that the University
community has put its faith in me and given
me this opportunity to lead this vital area
of operation,” says Knorowski. “Higher
education has played an important role in
both my personal and professional life, and
I care deeply about the mission and values
that NEIU, in particular, continually seeks to
fulfill. I’m looking forward to the opportunity
to do my part in carrying out that mission by
helping build a culture of philanthropy and
moving the institution forward in all areas of
advancement.”
THE UNIVERSITY
President Hahs names Carla Knorowski
the new Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Join the Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Association on this distinctive voyage
across the Aegean Sea to Turkey’s historic coast and the Greek Isles and experience a region
steeped in fascinating history, stunning beauty, and deep-rooted cultures. Sail in the wake of Achilles,
Odysseus, and Agamemnon to legendary Troy aboard the exclusively chartered M.S. Le Diamant, one
of the finest ships to cruise the eastern Mediterranean, and stroll through the ruins of Ephesus, the
most intact Greco-Roman city in the world. Explore Greece’s most fabled islands, including Santorini,
renowned for its pristine beaches, and Delos, mythical birthplace of deities. Gain unique insight into
life in the Aegean during an exclusively arranged Village Forum with local residents, and enhance your
understanding of the region’s history and cultures through educational lectures and a comprehensive
series of excursions. We also invite you to join a two-night Pre-Program Option in mystical Istanbul
(9/19 and 9/20), crossroads of East and West, and/or a two-night Post-Program Option in the ancient
Greek capital of Athens (9/28 and 9/29).
For more information please contact us by e-mail at NEIUtours@neiu.edu
or by phone at (773) 442-4205.
September 20 - 28, 2009
From approximately $2,995 per person (plus airfare)
Island Life in Ancient
GREECE
Northeastern
Illinois
University
BY: SUSAN APPEL BASS

THE CHUCK KANE MEMORIAL
Golf Outing was established in 1972 by the
Northeastern Illinois University community
to honor Professor Charles “Chuck” Kane,
Northeastern’s first athletic director and golf
coach. His colleagues remember him as a warm and
wonderful man who took great pride in his teaching.
Larry Bernstein (B.A. ’71 History) reminisced of the
days when he was working with Kane as a student
aide.“Foremost, he was a teacher, but I can also
attest to his passion for coaching. This golf outing
has been a way for members of the Department
of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Athletics (HPERA) to both help students and
honor their colleague and mentor Charles G. Kane.”
For thirty-six years, the Chuck Kane
Memorial Golf Outing has been raising scholarship
funds for Northeastern Illinois University students.
Today, the outing is a joint venture between
the NEIU Foundation and the Department of
HPERA. The net profits from this outing have
endowed two scholarship funds, the Charles G.
Kane Memorial Scholarship and the NEIU Chuck
Kane Scholarship. In addition, funds are distributed
among the College of Arts and Sciences, College
of Business and Management, and the College
of Education to award annual scholarships. Over
eighty students have received scholarships as a
result of the Kane Memorial Golf Outing.
Michelle Thall (M.S. ’05 Exercise Science)
was a recipient of one of the Kane scholarships.
Recently, she has been making headlines as an
instructor for NEIU’s HPERA department, being
featured in the Pioneer Press News Star and the
Wicker Park Booster. She can be seen on campus
teaching her class Chicago Body Works, a First-
Year Experience course (see story on page 18) that
explores the human body as it relates to leading a
healthy and fit lifestyle.“Being selected as a Kane
Scholar means that I was fully able to experience
the exercise science graduate program…learning
a plethora of information while truly enjoying
the learning experience.”
The support of the NEIU Foundation, Inland
Real Estate Group, Inc.,The Segal Company, and
all of the event sponsors and golfers is instrumental
in raising money for these NEIU scholarships and
in continuing this tradition in memory of Chuck
Kane. Stein and many others have volunteered their
time to planning this year’s 36th Annual Chuck Kane
Memorial Golf Outing.This year’s event will be held
at the Highland Park Country Club on Monday,
August 11, 2008. Registration and lunch will begin
at 11 a.m. and all players will hop into their golf carts
and take off with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities,
registration or general inquiries, contact the Office
of Development at (773) 442-4216.
15 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008
PAR
On
T
he Chuck Kane Memorial Golf
Outing is one of the longest
standing traditions that
Northeastern recognizes each
year. “For the past thirty-six years, the
University community has come together
to celebrate and honor a great man and an
equally great cause,” said Jonathan Stein,
a director of the Northeastern Illinois University
Foundation and president at Inland Real Estate
Brokerage, Inc. Stein explained,“It’s about
bringing together alumni, staff, donors and
friends of the University in a fun environment
to help support our current students.”
• THE ANNUAL •
Chuck Kane Memorial
Golf Outing
BY: MICHAEL J. PARTIPILO

BY: DANA NAVARRO
Entering college for
the first time can be
an overwhelming
experience for even
the most organized
and motivated student.
From navigating a
new environment, to
making new friends,
to learning how to
balance collegiate-level
coursework along with
a job, most first-year
students are faced with
unfamiliar territory.
In an effort to immediately engage new
students with the NEIU community, last fall
the University fully implemented a First-Year
Experience (FYE) program following a one-year pilot
program.All incoming freshmen are now required to
participate in this program, which incorporates
coursework, community involvement, and
academic advisement.
One of the principal objectives of the
FYE program is to assist students in making
a successful transition from high school to
university. Lawrence Berlin, interdisciplinary
coordinator, FYE program, and associate
professor, linguistics, said,“It’s all about
transition.We are focusing on the
academic, social, and behavioral needs of
the students. It’s about bringing them to a
point where they can succeed.”
While many universities offer some
sort of FYE program, Northeastern’s
approach is unique. Instead of holding a one-
time seminar at the beginning of the semester
focusing on academic survival skills alongside
an orientation to the school’s resources, NEIU
has integrated its FYE program into the
general curriculum.
1
FEATURE article

T
he core of this program
is a series of interactive
courses offered among
a variety of disciplines.
These courses blend the
academic content with lessons that help
students adjust to university culture
and develop academic skills. Over
thirty classes were offered last year.
“We are setting the trend in
how to do this,” Berlin said.“This is
a way to engage the students in more
cooperative learning in the classroom.And
we’re not watering down the curriculum.”
Adjusting to University Culture
Laura Sanders, professor, earth science,
who teaches the course “Chicago Rocks!
Geology in the City,” added,“Many students
come to us with poor academic preparation,
poor study skills, or perhaps little support from
their family and friends at home. Many are
surprised when they find out college
really is different from high school
- and more difficult.”
According to the 2006
National Survey on First-Year
Seminars administered by the
National Resource Center for the
First-Year Experience and Students,
universities across the country are seeing results
that they attribute to their FYE programs.
Many universities reported an increase in
persistence to sophomore year, improved peer
connections, increased use of campus services,
and increased academic abilities.
Identifying Learning Styles
At Northeastern,faculty and staff members
involved in this program directly guide students
in their development of study skills.
For instance, Sanders has carefully crafted
her lesson plans so that the academic content
is intertwined with the FYE content. One
FYE topic addressed is learning styles.While
some students prefer to learn from material
presented visually, such as pictures, diagrams
and other visual aids, some learn best by listening
to a lecture. Some prefer to physically interact
with materials and others are most comfortable
learning by reading and writing about a topic.
Sanders’ students are taught to identify their
own learning preferences by studying the same
material in different ways.
“Students will do a reading about igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.Then
they will look at photographs and samples of
the different kinds of rocks. Finally, they will
interact in a group to study each type of rock in
a specific way. The students then reflect on their
experiences and determine their preference.
As a result, they learn the geologic content but
also learn an academic survival skill,” she said.
Using the City as a Lab
The unifying theme across all of
Northeastern’s FYE courses is “Diversity in
Chicago.” In addition to classroom work, students
participate in fieldwork and are encouraged to
utilize the many resources the city of Chicago
has to offer. In many cases, the students are
getting a unique view of the city.
Students in the anthropology class
“Skeletons in Chicago Closets” visited the
Field Museum to examine bone specimens
that are not on view to the public. Sanders
and her class used the Bohemian National
Cemetery adjacent to campus as a lab to study
the different kinds of rocks used in headstones.
And Breckie Church, professor, psychology,
challenged her students to discuss the mental
representation of artwork at the Museum
of Contemporary Art.
Michelle Thall, instructor, health, physical
education, recreation, and athletics, teaches
“Chicago BodyWorks,” an FYE class that focuses
on personal fitness and nutrition. Her students
conducted research for a nutrition project at
local grocery stores – one had to be a large chain
supermarket such as Jewel and another was an
organic, health-oriented grocer such as Whole
Foods. Through their research,the students learned
to compare the nutritional value, availability, and
prices of various foods. > continued on page 21
IN CHICAGO CLOSETS!
LESA DAVIS,
Associate Professor &
Coordinator, Anthropology
The popularity of crime solving shows such
as CBS’s CSI has made its way into NEIU’s
First-Year Experience (FYE) class “Skeletons
in Chicago Closets.” This introductory
anthropology course, which is taught by Lesa
Davis, associate professor and coordinator,
anthropology, is showing students how to
crack the case through the study of bones.
Davis noticed that her students seem
particularly interested in the forensic aspects of
anthropology, where the focus is on modern-
day skeletons of individuals. Students learn
how forensic anthropologists can determine
such traits as age, sex, race, hand-dominance,
cause of death, trauma, and pathology.
Clyde Snow, one of the world’s leading forensic
anthropologists, visited one of Davis’ classes in
November to share some of his experiences in
the field. Snow has been called upon for high-
profile cases including the skeletal confirmations
of John F. Kennedy, King Tutenkhamen, and
victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and
September 11 terrorist attacks. Locally, Snow
does contract work for the Cook County Medical
Examiner’s Office.
Another unit of the course focuses on evolution.
Given that there are millions of years of human
and other animal remains to study, Davis said
that she is able to demonstrate how evolutionary
processes have shaped the lineages of modern
day species. Soon after learning some of the
techniques anthropologists use to study skeletal
structure, Davis’ students are able to construct
the lineage of certain ancestral groups.
“I love to see how the students apply what they
are learning. And it comes very quickly in this
class,” said Davis.
For instance, the students make some
surprising discoveries after they learn that
all mammals have the same general bone
structure. Davis said, “They get cued in to
looking for certain traits and are able to identify
similarities in different animals.” For example,
the examination of a bat wing reveals a striking
similarity to the human upper-arm bone.
The students were given another surprise while
studying images of whale skeletons. “One of my
favorite moments in this class was when I saw
the look on a student’s face when he learned
that whales once had legs. You don’t normally
think of whales with legs, but they evolved from
a terrestrial ancestor,” said Davis.
In addition to studying anthropology in relation
to forensics and evolution, Davis points out
that the information garnered from the study
of bones leads to interdisciplinary work with
archaeology. She spends part of the semester
working on bioarchaeology.
By studying bioarchaeology, the students learn
how to apply many of the same techniques used
for forensic anthropology to entire populations
in a past time. Davis said that her students learn
what to look for in reconstructing the diet of
a group as well as certain characteristics that
lend an idea toward social status.
While the majority of bone study occurs in the
classroom, Davis’ course includes a trip to the Field
Museum, where she also serves as a research
associate. At the museum, the students participate
in a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum. “More
than 90 percent of the museum’s holdings are not
on display,” said Davis. “We are able to look at
skeletons of giraffe, armadillo, and others that we
otherwise would not have the opportunity to see.”
Back in the classroom, the students also
spend some time developing skills that will
help them succeed academically. Given that
all the students are freshmen, one of the first
lessons that Davis wants her students to
learn is the need for personal responsibility.
She said, “I like to take a subtle approach.
I treat my students like adults and set high
expectations for them. And I push the idea
that they need to rise to the occasion and take
responsibility for their education.”
Davis also helps nurture critical thinking and
analysis skills. One skill that Davis thinks is
particularly important for students to have is
the ability to paraphrase. “Proper paraphrasing
not only helps them avoid plagiarism, but they
also learn the material much better because
they have to fully know it in order to put it in
their own words. So I give them paragraphs
to paraphrase, and they evaluate each other’s
work. That way they can see how their
classmates think and get different ideas on how
to do this. I encourage them to be creative.”
Different learning styles are also addressed in
this class. In designing her curriculum, Davis
was sure to include reading assignments, class
discussion, and hands-on projects. She hopes
that her students will begin to recognize what
method works best for them.
Davis also said that she is mindful of the fact
that her class plays a big role in her students’
initial impression of college life. “I try to keep
a laid back and fun atmosphere,” she said.
“They are fully engaged and working hard,
but they don’t even know they are learning.
We can have a good time learning about
anthropology by reading the bones.”
“WE ARE SETTING THE TREND IN
HOW TO DO THIS.”
LAWRENCE BERLIN,
Interdisciplinary Coordinator, FYE Program
FEATURE article

the more athletic students emerged as leaders.“It
created a new dynamic,” said Church.
The physical activities also gave the students
a chance to relax and get to know each other.
Church said,“It created a bond among the
students I hadn’t seen yet. They really seemed to
develop a connection with each other.”
Achieving Personal Growth
Another objective of the FYE program is
to guide students through self-reflection and
personal growth.Students in Church’s FYE course
“Growing Up in Chicago” spend time learning
the theories of adolescent behavior and then apply
those ideas to their peers and themselves. For one
assignment, the students observed the behavior of
random students on campus and determined what
philosopher and theory would explain it.
Back in the classroom, Church continued the
teamwork theme and used a little creativity to
assess her students’ knowledge of the material.
Instead of issuing a standard written exam for
the midterm, Church had groups of students
present skits demonstrating the ideas of theorists
such as Piaget and Erickson.
“They have to really know the theorists to be
able to put on the skit. If I try to simply lecture
about these abstract elements, it will fall on deaf
ears and not be absorbed. It needs to be learned
in an egocentric way,” she said.
“Many students have more time than money,
so I teach them how to be smart consumers.
A lot of students are surprised to learn that they
can find certain products at Whole Foods for less
money than at a large supermarket,” said Thall.
Making New Friends
In addition to creating a rich learning
experience, Sanders sees fieldwork assignments as
a way to facilitate personal interaction among her
students. Her students work in groups to examine
local sites of geological interest, including the
Thornton quarry in the south suburbs, the
wetlands at Gompers Park, as well as the lake
shore and Chicago and Des Plaines rivers.
“The course is very hands-on with lots of
group interaction and field trips,” said Sanders.
“As a result, the students get to know each other
and, we hope, establish friendships that will see
them through their time at NEIU.”
Because many FYE professors are trying
to foster a spirit of teamwork among their
students, many have spent a class period in the
Physical Education Complex participating in
team-building exercises.
Church participated alongside her students in
a jump rope game. During this game she noted a
difference in leadership among her students from
what she normally observed in the classroom.
Because the activities were recreational, some of
21 NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY I magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE 2008
my closet door, found my blue blazer, white
button-down shirt, gold tie, and the NEIU eagle
lapel pin. I wanted to proudly wear NEIU’s
colors during the awards ceremony.
At 6 a.m. on Saturday, October 27, I set out
for Springfield. When I reached the Old State
Capitol Building and stood before it, I reflected
on the journey that had brought me to this
moment. The honor of being named as the
2007 NEIU Lincoln Laureate Scholar was both
empowering and humbling at the same time.
As I entered the lobby, I immediately faced an
enormous staircase, which immediately made
me think of ascending to even greater heights
and levels of awareness.
I approached the check-in table and proudly
announced that I was there to represent
Northeastern Illinois University. From there,
I eagerly proceeded into the House of
Representatives Chamber. As I walked among
my fellow Lincoln Laureates and read the names
of other Chicago-area universities on their name
tags, my pride for NEIU grew even stronger. I
kept marveling at the fact that I had been chosen
to represent my university, my community.
During the ceremony, my heart really began
to soar with pride when the Lincoln Academy
speakers announced the names of the
universities being represented that day.
Thoughts about diversity came to my mind. I
kept thinking about the number of people on
NEIU’s campus, the faculty, administration,
staff, and student body, and all of the
ethnicities, cultures, and ideas of our world that
they represent. I was also humbled and grateful
to think of how selflessly they all give their
most valuable assets, time, and knowledge to
one another and to their community, and how
much they had given to me.
When my name was called, I walked up to
the Chancellor of the Lincoln Academy, John
B. Simon, and the Honorable Richard Mills,
United States District Court, and shook their
hands. The Lincoln Laureate Medallion was
placed around my neck and I became the
2007 NEIU Lincoln Laureate Scholar. I was
thrilled to shake the hands of these dignitaries
and to be honored by them. I was also happy
that Northeastern Illinois University’s name
preceded mine, and I liked the fact that the
focus was placed on linking my University’s
name with the award. It kept me focused on
the reason that I was in that historic chamber
Choosing to attend Northeastern Illinois
University is one of the best decisions I’ve made
in my life. My name is Gerald Chaney, and I am
the 2007 NEIU Lincoln Laureate Scholar.
Every year a senior from each of the 52 four-
year, degree-granting Illinois institutions of
higher learning is chosen to represent his or
her institution as a Lincoln Laureate Scholar.
The Laureates are selected by the chief
executive officers of their respective colleges or
universities and honored for their excellence in
curricular and extracurricular activities.
I remember the day that Michael Kelly, Dean of
Students, who is also my former NEIU Student
Leadership and Service Scholarship Mentor,
e-mailed me to inform me that I had been
nominated for this honor in the beginning of the
fall 2007 semester. I inked ‘Lincoln Laureate
Award … Springfield, IL … Represent NEIU’ into
the October 27 date in my NEIU daily planner.
Early in October, letters from our esteemed
President Sharon Hahs and our Vice President
for Student Affairs Melvin C. Terrell arrived in the
mail to congratulate me on receiving the award.
After I read their letters I immediately thought
about how my late parents always told me to
“Be efficient. Be punctual. Be personable. Be of
service to your community.” Up until then, I heard
what they were saying, and I did my best to follow
their advice. But I was not truly listening, not fully
comprehending the power and prophetic wisdom
of their words. What they were telling me was to
just be myself in any and every situation.
As I stood that day looking up into the late
afternoon sky I said two powerful words,
“Thank You!” Then, I went upstairs, opened
among the esteemed group of laureates: I, like
the others, was a product and expression of
my school’s mission statement, its philosophy,
the value that it places on the personal and
professional development of its students, and
its commitment to excellence.
The prestigious events of this day solidified my
desire to serve NEIU, one that remains even
after I graduate this December with a degree
in Secondary Education: English Education.
Knowing that we are all stewards of education
helps me to remember to pause and
appreciate my academic experiences within
the hallowed halls, on the grounds, and with
the very special people of Northeastern Illinois
University. Now, with my degree in hand, I am
embarking on the world, ready to serve as a
leader in education and in my community.
I recorded the events of this remarkable and
exciting day in my journal so that I can refer
to it when I need inspiration. I can think of this
day, look at my Lincoln Laureate Medallion,
and remember all of the good people and
good deeds that have touched my life. It also
reminds me of one of my greatest purposes in
life: to serve the world, which I like to think of
as our community.
STUDENTperspective
(Pictured Left to Right) John B. Simon, Gerald
Chaney, and Judge Richard Mills at the 2007
Lincoln Laureate awards ceremony
The Lincoln
Laureate Medallion
Chaney recieved on
October 27, 2007
BY: GERALD CHANEY, Student, Secondary Education: English Education
Church is also trying to inspire her students to
think more about what they want to do with their
lives. She said,“I’m not just talking about a job.
I want them each to have a dream and a passion.
College is a time to figure out who you are, what
you want to be, and what it takes to get there. I
believe that everyone has the capacity to do well.”
Discovering University Resources
In addition to the FYE course requirement,
first-year students are now receiving more
guidance in selecting their classes.Academic
advising has been extended through a student’s
first forty-five credit hours, and advisers are
encouraging students to decide a major sooner.
By weaving academic growth with personal
growth, the University is hoping to create an
environment where students feel a connection
to the campus community. Berlin said,“It’s not
just classes; it’s all the services the university has
to offer – the advising office, counseling office,
lecture series, student activities.”
Armed with stronger study skills, new
friends, and a better understanding of the
student organizations and services available
on campus and throughout the city, the
hope is that first-year students will feel a
real connection to Northeastern and find
themselves in a position that better enables
them to succeed.
Students in NEIU’s “Skeletons in Chicago Closets”
course also participate in a trip to Chicago’s Field
Museum, studying collections of bone specimens not
usually on public display. Some of the other Chicago
sites that are integrated into FYE course curricula
include Bohemian National Cemetery, Thornton Quarry,
Museum of Contemporary Art, and even Whole Foods.
“THE COURSE IS VERY HANDS ON WITH LOTS OF
GROUP INTERACTION AND FIELD TRIPS.”
LAURA SANDERS, Professor, Earth Science
FEATURE article

When I attended
Northeastern Illinois
University (1966-
1971), then called
Chicago TeachersCollege North, it was a tender and volatile timefor our country.We faced the blinding shock ofthe assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,and Robert Kennedy; the stepped-up bombingsinVietnam; Chicago torn to pieces during theDemocratic Convention; and a counterculture thatwas under siege by our local and federal governments. Through this maze, in the fall of 1968, Itook some classes in African American poetrytaught by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and,United States Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks.She was amazing, with an engaging, intensehonesty and immeasurable experience. She hada presence that conveyed wisdom of the rawpolitical and mental influences poetry could haveon us, our city, and our country as well. When Ms. Brooks left NEIU, the EnglishDepartment hired Ed Dorn as poet-in-residencein 1970. Dorn was more than a teacher. Hewas a guide who took students to new heightsand the art of poetry to a mystical vauntedstage. He had an incredible lineup of practicing
NEIU’S CONNECTION TO CHICAGO’S PERFORMANCE POETRY SCENE
OF THE
Here’s how the ancient tradition of poetry got a
facelift on the campus of Northeastern Illinois University.Performance Poetry or, as it is now generally known,
“Slam Poetry,” was born here, bringing energy and an
open-ended theatrical style to an art form that was usuallymired in academics and inaccessible to the street.
professional poets come in to read and then goto his home for shared dialogues and chemistry.He inspired us to start our own reading series,and we formed a poetry gang called The StoneWind Poets.
Dorn taught at Northeastern for only twoyears, but his influence overlapped into theunconscious of his students for a lifetime.WhenDorn died in 1999, he was head of the GraduateEnglish Program at the University of Colorado.His major epic poem “Gunslinger” earned himthe title of the “Clint Eastwood of Poetry” amongthe national poetry world. The cumulative legacy of these creative writingprofessors came to fruition when we got wornout by readings that were lifeless, flat, or just plainboring.Why couldn’t poetry be entertaining,accessible, and intelligent? By the late 1970s, thedisco air left the poetry scene in a collective deadspace. Most of the hip writers/poets moved on,and their students had to get “real jobs.” Then in early 1980, something happened thatsparked a major change. Stone Wind Poet andNortheastern alum Al Simmons was tending barin a club on Lincoln Avenue when two artists/poets got into a heated argument about theirpoetry, music, and art. It almost came to blows.So Simmons, delving into the experience of hispoetic past, picked up on the confrontation andsaid to me,“I should do poetry bouts. Let ’em putup or shut up. We’ll have judges, a boxing ring,ring girls, maybe we can even make some money.It’ll give a format for competitive poetry drama.”Initially I responded,“You’re nuts,” thinkingpoetry was too sacred. But then I reflected onhow cut-throat the art world really was, with allof its posturing, pretension, and conflicted self-indulgences. Simmons’ idea suddenly seemed likea perfectly workable metaphor.
When only the closest...
listen &persevere
TERRY JACOBUS,From The Book of God
BY: TERRY JACOBUS
(B.A. ’71 Secondary Education: English Education)

I
t was the genesis of a performance
poetry explosion that eventually
fostered a number of flourishing
venues for oral presentations. Simmons
ran three “poetry bouts” in 1981,
formed the World Poetry Association (WPA),
and appointed himself commissioner. I was his
ring announcer.
I was also the Chicago correspondent for
Ed Dorn’s national literary magazine Rolling
Stock and reported on the quirky madness,
the crowds and spontaneous energy that
these literary sporting events produced. Peter
Douthit, a poetry promoter from New Mexico,
read my article and asked if Simmons would
bring his WPA “main event” poetry bouts to
Taos, New Mexico, and make them a national
happening as the anchor for their annual ten-
day Poetry Circus. Simmons agreed and asked
me if I’d like to be the challenger in the event.
I agreed in a second city second. Since the
Beatniks were still in “media poetry power,”
the Taos Poetry Circus named Gregory Corso
(crazed Beatnik phenom who called himself
“Captain Poetry”) their National Champion.
So, on a Saturday evening in August 1982,
Corso and I prepared to do battle in a packed
auditorium as PBS cameras rolled.
Just before the bout began, as I finished
meditating outside the building, I entered
through the back stage door and immediately
ran into Allen Ginsberg.
“Are you Jacobus?”
“Yeah,Allen.”
“I don’t know you, but you better have
good poems.”
“I do have good poems,Allen.”
“You’d better or you’ll have to go up against me.”
“Allen, that’s such an un-Zen-like thing to say.”
He just glared at me, realizing I was not a
“Beat” sycophant.
As the bout began with weird circus energy,
Corso kept interrupting me as I tried to read/
perform my work.“That isn’t poetry!” Gregory
shouted.“You’re just saying something.”
“Hey, Gregory, at least in Chicago we give
people an even chance.”
“Look kid, I’m the daddy of poetry. Did you
know I was in Lucky Luciano’s cell in 1947?”
I responded,“In ’47, I wasn’t born and I
was a god!”
My spontaneity and well-grounded foundation
provided by the splendid teachers we had at
Northeastern, plus my experience in previous
poetry wars outside the academy, turned the tide
and I was victorious. Chicago beats NewYork! I
was the first National World Heavyweight Poetry
Champion and won the National Max Feinstein
Award for poetics.Was I worthy of such an honor?
One would think such a triumph would have
boosted my poetry career, but a career in poetry
can be as tedious as a bluebird living in a two-cat
house. In Taos, I was treated like a minor “art god,”
but twenty-four hours later I was back at my job
There are those you wait for
There are those who wait for you
And then...
There are those that
ACT TOGETHER
TERRY JACOBUS,
From The Book of God
on the docks in Chicago. So it goes. But the main
objective was achieved.A new energy was injected
into the poetry scene.We learned that if you run a
poetry reading, you might draw fifty people; if you
promote a poetry performance competition, they
will come.And they did, to the Taos poetry circus
for the past twenty-two years.At times, the audience
for the World Poetry Championship reached over a
thousand! Some past champs include Sherman Alexie,
Andrei Codrescu, QuincyTroupe, and SaulWilliams.
In Chicago in 1984-85,Marc Smith,a talented
performance poet and brilliant promoter/emcee,took
the competitive bout idea and morphed it into“Slam
Poetry,”which is now a worldwide phenomenon and
established at the Green Mill Lounge in Chicago.
Who would have thought that such a small
group of Northeastern alumni could cause
performance poetry to grow and expand so mightily?
But it is now a part of NEIU history. Now through
performance, poetry is touching more lives than
ever before, especially the youth cultures worldwide.
Although good or great poetry can carry itself with
a silent voice on the intimacy of the page, great
work read or performed to its creative potential can
transform an audience and take them to another level.
I have often been asked if poetry pays and if
I consider myself a successful poet. My answer is
that most of us pay poetry, but it expands on the
generosity of the human voice and it is so free it
cannot be capitalized.As for being a successful
poet, I did choose the road less traveled, and that
has made the difference.
Currently, Terry Jacobus is a
part-time adjunct professor of
Oral Interpretation in NEIU’s
Communication, Media, and
Theatre Department and manager
of Northeastern’s Mail and
Receiving Services. He is featured
in a textbook titled Spoken Word
Revolution (Source Books),
which is taught in high schools
and universities throughout the
country and abroad. This book
chronicles and celebrates all
forms, styles, and venues of the
“spoken word.” He is the author
of three books of poetry and one
book of short stories. His newest
book, titled The Book of God was
published in the spring of 2007.
The Spoken Word
Revolution, published
in 2005 by Sourcebooks
MediaFusion, is a
critically acclaimed
compilation of slam, hip
hop, and performance
poetry. Jacobus is one
of over forty poets
featured in this book
that is now being
used nationwide as a
textbook in high schools
and universities.
St. Wind was published
by Northeastern Illinois
University in the ’70s
when Terry Jacobus
was a student at the
University. It featured
chapters of poetry from
seven different writers
including a chapter of ten
poems from Jacobus.
Jacobus’ book, Fine,
was published in
Chicago by Two Men
and a Boy Press in
1989. The 163-page
book is a compilation
of selected poems
by Jacobus and
included poetry that
had previously been
featured in publications
such as the Vancouver
Review, Crosscurrents,
and Rolling Stock.
Published in 1997 by
Stone Wind Press in
Chicago, The Poet
Never Loses His Girl is
a compilation of many
short stories written by
Jacobus. The stories
have been described
as “prosetry” in the
MAG, an international
literary review.
Northeastern Alumnus Terry Jacobus was the first World
Heavyweight Poetry Champion defeating, the famous Beat
Generation poet Gregory Corso in 1982. In addition, his poetry
has been published internationally in magazines, newspapers,
and literary journals. His writings have been included in five
books. Four of the books are shown and described here. His
fifth book, The Book of God is an electronic “cyberbook” from
which excerpts have been published in the magazine, Exquisite
Corpse - A Journal of Letters and Life.
SPOKEN WORD in print

intersectionA Point Where NEIU Colleges & Campuses Converge
Professor Emerita Audrey Reynolds, linguistics,
has created the Audrey Reynolds Distinguished
Teaching Award at Northeastern Illinois
University. This $5,000 award was established
to recognize outstanding teaching by faculty
members who have a record of success and
to inspire other faculty, especially young and
new faculty members, to strive for excellence in
teaching. One award will be presented annually
to the member of the NEIU faculty who best
demonstrates distinguished teaching.
“I had heard about the Brommel Distinguished
Research Award, and since we are a teaching
University, I thought it was equally important
to have a comparable award for distinguished
teaching,” said Reynolds.
Faculty members who are selected as recipients
of this award will carry that designation for life,
duly noted in faculty listings in their academic
department and the academic catalog. Award
recipients will be selected by a committee that
Graduate College Seminar Series
The Graduate College currently provides its students with two annual
seminar series. The seminars are held on Saturday mornings during the
fall and spring terms. The presenters are experts who are able to share
both theoretical information and practical applications of their topic.
The fall series addresses topics relative to “Transitioning to Graduate
Studies.” Subjects addressed in this series include: graduate writing
and research, time management, and strategies for career development
and doctoral studies. The spring seminar series specifically addresses
“Navigating the Work Environment” and mirrors topics that frequently
are included in advanced degrees. The Graduate College completed the
spring series with three seminars held in March and April. The topics
covered included: staff supervision, organizational data development
and analysis, and effective communication.
NEIU Perspective Scholars
This year the Graduate College initiated the founding group of NEIU
Perspective Scholars. These are students with high potential for success
who might not be able to complete graduate degrees without financial
support. The students are expected to participate as graduate assistants
while completing their degrees. They are also required to provide service to
the University and its students. Each NEIU Perspective cohort includes one
international student in order to foster global awareness and understanding.
The NEIU Perspectives Fellows Society provides Northeastern Illinois University
graduate students with a unique opportunity to develop their academic and
professional expertise. The society provides its fellows with a context and
culture that values individual talents and experience, while fostering personal
responsibility. Each fellow is expected to demonstrate leadership in the
promulgation of University values and the attainment of University objectives.
examines evidence of student learning,
a commitment to professional development
activities exploring innovative teaching techniques,
and recognition of the nominee’s distinguished
teaching by colleagues, students, and alumni.
Full-time tenured members of the NEIU faculty
who are in their sixth year or more of service
at the University and who typically carry what
is defined as a full instructional load will be
eligible for nomination. Any faculty member,
administrator, student, or alumni is able to
nominate members of the NEIU community who
meet the eligibility criteria. No self-nominations
will be accepted.
The first Audrey Reynolds Distinguished
Teaching Award is expected to be presented at
the December 2008 commencement ceremony
and is made possible through the generosity of
Professor Emerita Reynolds.

Donn Bailey co-founded the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies
(CCICS), where he served as director and professor for 22 years. He also
chaired the commission that oversaw the progress of Chicago schools’
desegregation efforts from 1986-1990. Bailey died on December 21, 2007.
Bailey was a native of New Castle, Indiana, and graduated in 1954 from
Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington with a major in speech and hearing
therapy and a minor in speech science. He received his Masters of Arts
degree in speech pathology and audiology also from IU in 1962.
During 1965-66, Bailey joined Donald H. Smith and Nancy L. Arnez in
the founding of the Center for Inner City Studies at Northeastern Illinois
University. After receiving his doctorate in 1974. Bailey served the community
and NEIU with distinction and a sustained dedication that underscored the
mission of the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies.
After forty-two years in public education, Bailey retired as director but
continued to teach speech communication courses as a visiting lecturer
at CCICS until 2004. He was honored by the NEIU Office of Alumni
Relations and Black History Month Committee with the William “Doc”
Speller Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2007 Black History Month
Awards Ceremony.
In June 2008 the Northeastern Illinois University Trustees voted
unanimously to honor the legacy of Bailey by naming the CCICS auditorium
in his memory.
Donations in memory of Donn Bailey can be made to the NEIU Foundation
Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies fund. For more
information, please contact the Office of Development at (773) 442-4210.
“I had heard about the
Brommel Distinguished
Research Award, and
since we are a teaching
University, I thought it was
equally important to have
a comparable award for
distinguished teaching.”
AUDREY REYNOLDS
Professor, Linguistics
Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Award CTC READwELL Grant
The U.S. Department of Education recently
awarded the NEIU Chicago Teachers’ Center
(CTC) a five-year, $1.5 million grant to fund a
professional development program for teachers
who work with English Language Learner
(ELL) students. Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
is working in partnership with CTC to equip
teachers with techniques to improve instruction
for ELL students at two Chicago high schools,
Hancock and Mather.
Program director Pat Gleason, Chicago Teachers’
Center, said that while many ELL students can
communicate with “social” English, a lot of
them struggle with the academic language skills
necessary to succeed in school. She said, “A lot
of students who enter school at the secondary
level really can do the math and science. They
just can’t articulate the knowledge they have.”
The program, called Reading Enables Academic
Development with English Language Learners
(READwELL), will address this problem by helping
teachers more effectively provide language and
literacy instruction while using discipline-specific
content. “The program is a hybrid of English as a
Second Language (ESL) pedagogy and content-
area literacy pedagogy. We really want to marry
these two,” said Gleason.
Teachers, school personnel, teaching artists,
and parents are participating in seminars,
workshops, on-site graduate level courses,
educational conferences, team-teaching
opportunities, and arts integration projects at
two Chicago high schools.
Hancock and Mather high schools were chosen
because they both have large populations
of ELL students yet have very significant
differences. Hancock is a very small school with
a small ESL/bilingual program and a student
body that is nearly 100 percent Latino. About
half of the ELL students were born in the United
States. On the contrary, Mather is a relatively
large, multiethnic school. It has one of the
largest ESL/bilingual programs in CPS high
schools and serves a very high percentage of
refugee students. These vast differences should
allow the most effective teaching practices for
ELL students, despite different backgrounds
and across differing educational environments,
to emerge after periodic evaluations during the
five-year period.
While this program is open to all teachers
at Hancock and Mather high schools, the
focus will be on ninth and tenth grade
teachers because this transition period largely
determines whether or not students stay in
school and graduate. Gleason said that already
nearly 150 teachers between the two schools
have expressed interest in the program.
The goal is to get over 90 percent teacher
participation.
campuswide chicagoteachers’center
graduatecollege CCICS (Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies)
Remembering Dr. Donn F. Bailey (1932 - 2007)

COMMONground (cont.) ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES • SUMMER I 08ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES • SUMMER I 08
’65
Frederick Brill (B.S. General
Education: Elementary Education)
retired from AT&T as program
manager, alliance channel, on April
21, 2006, after over 25 years.
’69
Edward L. James (B.A. Secondary
Education: Mathematics) is director
of information technology at
Specialized Transportation, Inc. in
Fort Wayne, Ind.
’71
Rolfe F. Ehrmann (B.A. Political
Science) is a candidate for Circuit
Court Judge for the Fifteenth
Judicial Circuit in Illinois, which
serves the counties of Carroll, Jo
Daviess, Lee, Ogle, and Stephenson.
He is a founding partner and
attorney at Ehrmann Gehlbach
Badger & Lee in Dixon, Ill. In 1980,
he was admitted to the Bar of the
United States Supreme Court.
Clarence H. Krygsheld (M.A.
Inner City Studies, M.A. Guidance
and Counseling: Secondary School)
and his wife Faye Krygsheld were
featured on NBC Nightly News with
Brian Williams for a segment titled
“Couple overcomes racism, follows
their hearts.”
Cathy S. Kush (B.A. Linguistics)
retired after teaching 35 years in
the Chicago Public Schools. During
her career she taught at Avalon
Park School, Mark Sheridan and
Robert Healy School. For the last
sixteen years Kush was a computer
lab teacher, focusing on teaching
technology as a tool in the classroom.
’72
Michael F. Altfeld (B.A. Political
Science) was selected to become
a National Fellow at the Hoover
Institution at Stanford University
for the academic year 2007-08. He
will be working on a book whose
current title is Re-thinking Nuclear
Weapons. He also recently published a
short article in NBC REVIEW, the
Journal of the U.S.Army Nuclear and
Chemical Agency titled “Why MAD
was Insane.”
Yvonne (Kasper) Hogan
(B.A. Psychology) earned a Master
of Education in Educational
Leadership from Northern Arizona
University in Flagstaff,Ariz. She is a
senior systems analyst and workflow
administrator in the Information
Technology Department for the City
of Glendale in Arizona.
’73
Jessica Lippman (M.A. S Special
Education) is an instructor in clinical
psychology and behavioral sciences
at Northwestern’s Feinberg School
of Medicine and has specialized in
child psychology for almost 30 years.
She co-wrote Divorcing with Children:
Expert Answers toTough Questions from
Parents and Children, her second book.
Wallace D. Williams (B.A.
Political Science) was awarded
the 2006 International Olympic
Committee Trophy - Sport and the
Community. He is also a member of
the University of theVirgin Islands
Athletic Hall of Fame.
’74
Nancy A. Kuta (B.A. Early
Childhood Education) earned a
national board certification as aYoung
Adult Library Media Specialist. She
is a teacher and librarian at Juanita
High School in Kirkland,Wash.
Ron Zagorski (B.A. Secondary
Education: Mathematics) was
inducted into the Illinois High
School Baseball Coaches Association
Hall of Fame on February 2, 2008.
’75
Sharon Susan Rakowski (M.A.T.
English: Literature) was recently
appointed director of human
resources for the Adams Group
of Companies, headquartered
in Elmhurst, Ill. She will be
implementing the company’s first-
ever human resource department.
Marylene Smith-Whitehead
(B.A.English) and Rufus Hill presented
This Far By Faith, their award-
winning musical, at the New McCree
Theatre in Flint, Mich.Whitehead
is an international award-winning
playwright, author, and a poet. She is
a part-time playwriting teacher at eta
Creative Arts Foundations in Chicago.
’76
Carol (Dase) Gardner (B.A.
Special Education: Elementary)
retired in June 2007 after twenty-
six years as a school psychologist in
Liberty County, Ga.
Ronna L. Glickman Sharp
(B.A. Early Childhood Education)
earned her Master of Education in
Administration and Supervision
from Loyola University in May
2005. She was appointed national
coordinator for Accountability and
Research Alternative Unlimited, Inc.
’77
William Torres Cruz (B.A.
Secondary Education: Spanish)
earned an Ed.D. from Interamerican
University of Puerto Rico. He is
a school superintendent for the
schools of Humacao in Puerto Rico.
Mylah (Eagan) Deliford (M.A.
Mathematics: For Elementary
School Teachers) retired as a teacher
from DunbarVocational Career
Academy in Chicago in June
2006 after thirty-seven years of
service with the Chicago Board
of Education.The last eighteen
years of service were at Dunbar
Vocational Career Academy.
Renee Fliss (B.A. Special
Education) started in the Mortgage
profession in 1980. She teaches
Sunday School at Harvest Bible
Chapel, Naperville, IL.
Gerald R. Gems (B.A. Secondary
Education: Physical Education)
published his fifth book, The Athletic
Crusade: Sport and American Cultural
Imperialism, with the University of
Nebraska Press, 2006.
’78
Richard P. Davis (B.A. Psychology)
is newly married. His new book,
The Core, was just accepted for
publication at Tate Publishing. He
has also received a Doctor of Sacred
Literature degree fromTripp Bible
Institute in cooperation with Garrett-
Evangelical Theological Seminary
and Northwestern University.
Louise (Liffengren) Hullinger
(M.A. Special Education:Teaching
ChildrenWith Learning Disabilities)
is a writer and the author of Next
Year Country: Stories of Drought-Stricken
South Dakota in the 1930’s. She is also
the author of A Day to Cry by Mary
Grigar:AsToldTo Louise Hullinger and
Special Children: Special Families.
’79
Elizabeth McInerney (B.A. Early
Childhood Education) was honored
as Teacher of theYear for 2006. She
is a teacher in Zebulon, N.C. and has
been teaching for twenty years.
’80
David J. Hollander (B.A.
Secondary Education: Spanish) and
three co-workers raised over $7,500
as participants in the 2006 Accenture
ChicagoTriathlon. Hollander is
co-owner of Hollander International
Storage and Moving Company, Inc.,
his family business since 1888, in Elk
GroveVillage and Chicago.
Alan J. Schullo (B.A. Business
& Management) is fire chief for
the Homewood Fire Department
in Homewood, Ill. Prior to that
position he was fire chief for the St.
Charles Fire Department from 2002
to 2007. He earned a master’s degree
in organizational behavior from
Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.
’81
Timothy Courtney (M.A. English)
earned his Ed.D. in education,
curriculum and instruction, from
Northern Illinois University in
December 2006.
Taking care of business ... and the COMMUNITY
BY: SUSAN APPEL-BASS
Dan Chookaszian (B.S. ’03 Business and
Management) has successfully melded a
strong spiritual life with the pursuit of business.
As managing broker of the American Street
Mortgage Co., Chookaszian spends nearly
sixty hours a week working to build his
business. Yet despite his demanding work
schedule, he still finds time every week to
devote to community service and his church.
Chookaszian described his NEIU experience as
invaluable. “The classes I took at Northeastern
shaped my thinking,” said Chookaszian. “I also
had the good fortune to spend many hours
outside of class getting to know my professors.
It was very rewarding.” Chookaszian’s interest
in business was initially cultivated when
he was a student at Northeastern. He was
particularly interested in strategic management,
and through the Honors Program he had the
opportunity to work closely with a number of
faculty members on special projects. He said,
“It took learning to another level.”
Chookaszian credits these opportunities
with helping him apply abstract theories to
concrete situations. For his senior thesis he
applied the theories he learned in class to
examine two small businesses – one that
succeed and one that failed. “The strategic
management theory was very directly related
to the success rate. And working on this
paper definitely helped me in graduate
school; I wasn’t intimidated by all the writing.”
After Chookaszian completed his degree at
NEIU he was planning to join his father in
the family manufacturing business. However,
his father decided to sell the business,
which left Chookaszian free to pursue other
avenues. He elected to follow another one of
his passions – ministry work – by attending
the Moody Bible Institute, where he received
a master of divinity degree.
After completing his divinity degree, Dan
Chookaszian was primed to pursue his
ministry work full-time. But a close childhood
friend invited him to help build a newly-
established mortgage company. Uncertain of
what choice to make, Chookaszian consulted
his uncle, who convinced him that he could
apply all the skills he had learned to become
successful in business and his ministry work
at the same time.
That was more than two years ago. Since
then Chookaszian and his business partner
have built a company whose mission is to
serve the public through hard work and
loyalty and to give back to the community
through charitable contributions. Through
those contributions he continues to expand
the volunteer work he was doing with his
church. In addition to volunteering in soup
kitchens and for the Ronald McDonald House,
Chookaszian and his colleagues are working
toward raising money to help people who are
about to go into foreclosure on their homes.
On August 2, American Street Mortgage
Co. will hold a three-on-three basketball
tournament in Chicago and will donate all the
proceeds to families who need help making
their mortgage payments.
Chookaszian also continues to give
back to Northeastern through mentoring
opportunities. Toby Williams (B.A. ’04
Communication, Media, and Theatre), a
graduate student at Northeastern, is training
to be a mortgage planner with Chookaszian
at American Street Mortgage. In addition to
giving Williams an opportunity to get practical
work experience, Chookaszian also tutors
Williams on the material he needs to learn for
the broker licensing exam.
“I am very thankful for Dan’s friendship and
encouragement,” said Williams. “He’s also helped
me professionally by giving me the opportunity
to intern at his company. It has been a great
experience and I think the world could use more
good and caring people like Dan.”
alumnispotlight
COMMONground
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Our class notes of alumni, former students, and faculty are
compiled from information submitted to our Alumni Affairs Office or our website at www.neiu.edu. Contact
us to let us know what you’re doing! Our listings are edited for length, but our website features an expanded
version of our news and notes.
“I am very thankful for
Dan’s friendship and
encouragement.”
TOBY WILLIAMS
Student, Communication, Media, and Theatre

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