AU Today Your connection to Aurora University
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Dear Friends, The new academic year dawned with promise here at Aurora University. We welcomed large freshman, transfer and graduate student classes and and took pleasure also in the arrival of a sizeable number of talented new full-time faculty and staff. All of our campuses (Aurora, Woodstock and George Williams) continue to be attractive options for prospective students and their families to consider. They appreciate the opportunity to experience a high-quality education at an affordable price. Sometimes we refer to this as the “AU value proposition.” Today, however, I want to share a few thoughts about our “values proposition.” Though AU undergraduate and graduate students are focused on preparing for careers, advancing in the workplace or getting a good first job, they ultimately aspire to create a better world. Several years ago, for example, they took the lead in securing a special designation for AU as a “Tree Campus.” As a campus community, we take advantage of many kinds of occasions to plant new trees. Sometimes we create living memorials to those no longer in our midst. At other times, we mark Arbor Day or landscape new buildings or develop a quiet corner for reflection and conversation.
When it came time to design a formal entryway for the Aurora campus, we followed the example of our students and favored plantings over bricks and mortar. With the assistance of our landscaping partners, we developed a design that will grow more lush and sheltering with each passing year. Our linden and birch trees will outlive many of us. Generations from now, they will stand as a proud reminder that education is continuous. A university is ever-reaching toward the sky, supported by strong, deep roots. Such a message is consistent with our identity, a powerful demonstration of our values.
Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD President
Glimpses of Welcome Weekend at AU and GWC
Aurora University and George Williams College hosted a number of special events and social activities for new students during Welcome Weekend earlier in the semester. The Quad on the Aurora campus was transformed into a carnival-like setting, while GWC students took advantage of adventures on Geneva Lake. Students also participated in a number of orientation sessions about campus life, including presentations about safety and studying.
University unveils new entryway to learning Members of the Aurora University community and visitors are experiencing a new, grand welcome as they approach the heart of the main campus. Calumet Avenue has been transformed into University Parkway, with two majestic stone monuments flanking the entrance to the school. The entryway is lined with an allĂŠe of more than 50 Greenspire
Lowrey Hall renovation serves new generation of students Lowrey Hall on the George Williams College campus was renovated over the summer into a state-of-the-art science and resource center. What was once unused space near the entrance of campus has been transformed into a main academic building that houses science laboratories, classrooms, a library resource center and offices. The facility’s windows offer sweeping views of the lake and the woods, providing students with inspiration for learning.
Linden trees, which are complemented by bosques of more than 140 Dakota Pinnacle Asian Birch trees. Large gardens lead to a new building that houses the Schingoethe Center of Aurora University and Ellsworth and Virginia Hill Welcome Center. The facility includes a recital hall, gallery spaces and gathering rooms for meals and conversation.
20,000 Total building square footage
5,000 Schingoethe Center collection size
12 months Building construction duration
New students energize campuses The second-largest freshman class in Aurora University history joined the campus community this fall. The students hail from 29 different states.
629
400
freshmen on the Aurora campus
new transfer students
352
12
George Williams College students
AU Online academic programs
5,200
89
total students
New Woodstock Center students since summer 2015
STEM Partnership School student wins national robotics competition Kaiya Hollister (left), a fifth grade student at the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School at Aurora University, won the World Robot Olympiad national competition in September. Team RoboGals was comprised of Hollister and Jensie Coonradt, 9, of Oswego, Illinois. The team will now advance to the world championships in Doha, Qatar, in November.
MAIN STAGE
Join us on our annual artistic and intellectual journey.
MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM STEPHANIE BLYTHE, MEZZOSOPRANO AND CRAIG TERRY, PIANO “Not for Profit: Why Democracies Need the Humanitities” “As Long as There are Songs” Tuesday, February 23 | 7:30 p.m. Monday, November 2 | 7:30 p.m. Continuing a long tradition, AU and donors help underwrite the Celebrating Arts and Ideas series so that the entire community can be enriched by an array of artistic and educational offerings. To register for events or to view the complete season, including art exhibitions and theatre, lecture, and film events, visit auartsandideas.com. Reservations can be made by email at artsandideas@aurora.edu or call 630-844-4924.
CHANTICLEER “Over the Moon” Thursday, March 3 | 7:30 p.m.
Cultural enrichment. Creative expression. Community engagement.
See AU and GWC from a new perspective! Over the summer, a local freelance photographer graciously donated his services and took video of the campuses using a quad copter. To see the new views, visit aurora.edu/view and gwc.aurora.edu/view.
Coming soon: fall magazine Arriving in homes later this year, the Aurora University Magazine will explore the remarkable firstyear success of the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School at AU. The story behind the school’s pioneering spirit and unconventional plan will be featured, detailing how a number of diverse partners across education, government, private corporations and the community came together to contribute to its launch. Readers will learn about the process of creating the school’s non-traditional curriculum, as well as how the design of the building itself helps to cultivate a new way of teaching and learning.
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