Prospect Magazine, Fall 2023

THE MAGAZINE OF ELMHURST UNIVERSITY

FALL ����

NATURE’S COURSE A Shedd Aquarium internship gave Justyn Samuels a close-up look at Chicago’s wetlands

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C OV E R P H OTO B Y S HEDD AQ UAR I UM/BR ENNA HER NAN DEZ

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I N S I D E F R O N T C OV E R P H OTO B Y B O B COSCA RELLI

Fall 2023

The Magazine of Elmhurst University

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v o l u m e v1, n u m b e r 11

F E AT U R E S

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Amid a national crisis in college student health, physical and mental wellness has become a campuswide priority.

A Shedd Aquarium internship took Justyn Samuels deep into the wetlands on Chicago’s South Side.

El Centro de la Promesa Azul provides a space for Hispanic students to make connections and explore resources.

Being Well

D E PA R T M E N T S

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E

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CAMPUS NEWS

39 ALUMNI NEWS

Natural Ability

4 The Complexities of Crime I N T H E CLASS ROOM

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40 HOMECOMING

B E YON D T H E CLASS ROOM

Karam Hasan, A Worthwhile Investment Laury Westbury, Time to Reflect

4 3 C L ASS N OT E S

Marvin Malone, Leading with Compassion

4 8 M Y C A R E E R PAT H

Read the magazine online at elmhurst.edu/Prospect.

A Bluejay Promise

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S P O RTS S P OT L I G H T

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A RTS S P OT L I G H T

Advocate for Athletes

The Arts in Print

The Magazine of Elmhurst University

Fall 2023

volume v 1, number 11

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Debra Lukehart SENIOR DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Desiree Chen CREATIVE DIRECTION AND DESIGN

Laura Ress Design EDITOR

Margaret Currie PROJECT MANAGER

Natalie Bieri ’18 CONTRIBUTORS

Emily Ayshford, Lauren Galvin, Molly Heim, Amy Merrick, Brian Moore, Andrew Santella PHOTOGRAPHY

Jason Brown, Bob Coscarelli, Rob Hart, Victor Hilitski, Blake Martin, Sarah Nader, Steve Woltmann, American Bar Association/ Adam Bielawski, Shedd Aquarium/ Brenna Hernandez ILLUSTRATION

Mel Cerri, Bruce Hutchison, Geraldine Sy ALUMNI NEWS AND CLASS NOTES

Jon-Pierre Bradley, Andrew Knap, Colleen Radzevich, Amy Young ’21 CONNECT WITH US

We welcome your comments!

Email us at marketing@elmhurst.edu.

P H OTO BY B O B C O S C A R E L L I

Prospect is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

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Elmhurst University 190 Prospect Ave. Elmhurst, Illinois 60126 © 2023 Elmhurst University All rights reserved.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

EMBRACING CHANGE

Fall is a time of change. Leaves changing color. Temperatures changing from warm to cool to frosty—sometimes all in one day.

Here on campus, change is exciting. It means the start of a fresh academic year, with one of our largest-ever groups of new students, a record number of international students and Elmhurst University’s first doctoral students.

Change also means a new running track and turf at Langhorst Field. And it means the start of construction on the new health sciences building, a multidisciplinary hub that will energize the landscape of our beautiful campus and the learning environment for our students in the health professions.

The enhanced athletics facilities and the health sciences initiative are two of the more visible outcomes stemming from the University’s historic “Elmhurst 150” fundraising campaign. Now that the campaign has come to a hugely successful close, with a total of $55.3 million raised, change has only just begun.

In this issue of Prospect, you can read about one student’s fascinating internship with the Shedd Aquarium; a wide-ranging wellness initiative that expands support and services for our students; and a bright new gathering place and resource center for the University’s Hispanic, first-generation and traditionally underserved students that takes a big step toward meeting our Blue Promise.

At a time when change is often viewed with fear, I am grateful that we can greet it, even seek it, as opportunity.

TROY D. VANAKEN

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IN THE

CLASSROOM

THE CLASS

Theories of Criminology

THE COMPLEXITIES OF CRIME

THE PROFESSOR

LEARNING ABOUT LIFE’S

Andrea Krieg

COMPLICATIONS

This is a core class that exposes students to the complexities of what causes crime. Students often enter with the idea that everything is black or white, right or wrong, and that’s not always the case. When you present them with facts and research, and bring people into the center of the discussion, it helps them push past their own walls.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

A course that explores the societal forces influencing crime, such as poverty and racial inequity, asks students to reconsider their assumptions about crime as solely an individual choice.

We cover many different theories about crime. For students to consider how the structure of our society could lead to inequality and crime is one of the greatest challenges for them. It’s easy to say that someone’s genetics led them to crime. To say that we have made decisions to disinvest in communities, and that those decisions promote crime, takes greater awareness.

READING AND REFLECTING

I’m most proud of our book club, which brings us together each week to discuss a work of fiction or nonfiction that describes someone’s life experience. It helps us get into the gray areas around ideas of crime.

This semester, we’re reading Three Girls from Bronzeville, a memoir that follows

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two sisters and their best friend growing up on the South Side of Chicago. It shows how their lives have taken them in different directions. We’ll dive into the history of Bronzeville, talk about the Great Migration and analyze the practices of disinvestment. Dawn Turner, the author, came to campus for a book talk, and I’m excited that the students had an opportunity to speak with her.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

We’ve worked with the Illinois Prison Project to have people affected by the justice system speak to classes. I’ve also taken students to Cook County Circuit Court in Maywood to watch court proceedings, which is a new experience for them.

Students leave the course with a greater understanding that their own experience might not be true for everyone. We’re socially sorted, which means we’re surrounded by people like us. My goal is to humanize populations these students might encounter in the future. Whether they go into law enforcement, probation or social services, they’ll be dealing not with numbers but with people, who deserve to be treated as such. That’s a huge awakening.

THE STUDENT VIEW

“This class changed my perspective on crime. I knew a lot about the actuality of policing, but I didn’t know the theory of why crime occurs. There are so many different approaches that can be taken to figure out why crime is committed, and it was fascinating to see how each one can work in different situations.”

— ERIN MACK ’24 CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR

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CAMPUS

NEWS

SPEAKER

Q&A CAMPUS TREES ���

Prospect spoke recently with Desiree Chen, senior director of communications and external relations, about how the University’s roster of compelling speakers seeks to engage both campus and community.

How did the University land on the “Built to Last” theme for this academic year?

This fall, we broke ground on a health sciences building and expanded several initiatives to support student wellness.

These developments got us thinking about how to attain strong health—as people, as institutions, even as a society—and how to make it last. Elmhurst’s highly regarded lectures have taken up this theme in some interesting ways.

What are a few examples?

Best known for the knobby “knees” that help it survive in swampy conditions, the bald cypress looks like an evergreen with its feathery, needlelike leaves. But in the fall, the “needles” turn a deep red and drop off, leaving a striking silhouette. This fine specimen near Dinkmeyer Hall is one of nine bald cypresses across campus.

The César Chavéz Intercultural Lecture looked at the contributions and impact of Latino communities on Chicago’s suburbs. And the University partnered with the Elmhurst Public Library to select Three Girls From Bronzeville as the One Book, One Elmhurst title for both the City of Elmhurst and the University.

The initiative culminated in a talk by the book’s author, Dawn Turner, and it was a great example of the strong connection between our campus and the broader community.

This year’s Roland Quest lecturer was Karamo, from the Netflix hit Queer Eye. Why was he a good fit for the Quest?

We wanted to support our student

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This year’s Cultural Season lectures explore the theme ‘Built to Last: Achieving Wellness, Strength and Resiliency.’

wellness initiatives with a speaker who would resonate with young people, and who also could speak with experience and heart about a topic that is so timely—mental health. His conversation with NBC 5 health and medical reporter Lauren Petty was perfectly suited to the “Built to Last” theme.

Isn’t there a new lecture series this year?

Yes! That’s the Graduate Studies Lecture Series, one of the ways we’re celebrating 25 years of offering graduate programs. At the first event, Lawrence “LB” Brown, MBA ’15, director of the Elmhurst MBA program, talked about building an ethical value system. In November, James Kulich, director of the graduate data science and analytics program, led a panel discussion about artificial intelligence. More lectures are coming in the spring.

What are you looking forward to?

We’re currently planning our spring lectures, which will include the Martin Luther King Jr. Intercultural Lecture, our religious lectures, the annual Holocaust lecture, and the Rudolf G. Schade Lecture on History, Ethics and Law.

HASHTAG

HIGHLIGHTS

From movies on the University Mall to visits with therapy dogs, there’s always something happening on campus. Follow us on social media to keep up with the latest Bluejay news.

BY THE

NUMBERS Graduate studies at Elmhurst launched in 1998 with just five programs. As we celebrate the program’s 25th anniversary, here’s a look at its remarkable growth.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN 1998

5 GRADUATE PROGRAMS TODAY

elmhurstadmission We love visits from our campus therapy dogs! Meet Poppy

🐾

elmhurstu_vb Last week we had the honor of celebrating our 1983 National Championship team Homecoming weekend was such a blast with the pep rally, tailgating, sports, and fun! Can’t wait for next year, Go Jays!!

🏆

🐦

20+ STUDENTS IN 2000 GRADUATING CLASS

46 CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS

768 elmhurstalumni It was amazing to see so many alumni and friends return to campus last week to watch Elemental with current students!

John Czyzycki Elmhurst Bank, A Wintrust Community Bank, is very pleased to partner with Elmhurst University and support their Athletic Department with our sponsorship of the scoreboard in R.A. Faganel Hall. Go Bluejays!

CHATGPT: ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS As generative artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines, it’s more important than ever to understand how to use tools such as ChatGPT. In a recent blog, we outline the capabilities of these technologies and explore how to ask the right questions.

Check it out: elmhurst.edu/Blog.

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS

210 AVERAGE ADDITIONAL LIFETIME EARNINGS WITH A MASTER’S

$400,000 TOTAL GRADUATE ALUMNI SINCE 2000

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CAMPUS

NEWS A WIN FOR THE

ENVIRONMENT

FACU LTY

FAREWELL After nearly 20 years of dedicated service to Elmhurst University, Jeanne Burda ’82 has retired from the faculty.

As assistant professor of nursing and health sciences at Elmhurst, Burda co-chaired the Nursing Affinity Annual Reunion; as a graduate of Elmhurst, she serves on the board of the Elmhurst University Alumni Association.

A fierce advocate for maternal-neonatal health care and family health, Burda was honored in 2020 with Elmhurst’s Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award. Before joining the Elmhurst faculty in 2004, she was director of nursing at Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare. Before that, she worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for 20 years in various leadership roles.

Digital media major Sarah Glees ’24 recently won accolades for her short film about the environmental impact of a major roadway and bridge project near her hometown of West Dundee, Ill. Glees entered her seven-minute film, The Long Lived Effects of the Longmeadow Parkway, in the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest as a way to raise awareness about the project and to prompt change.

Her film premiered in September during One Earth Collective’s Global Contest Awards Celebration. Along with other winners from the United States, Brazil, Australia and Mexico, she accepted an Environmental Action Award and a $500 scholarship.

Glees’ film explores potential water and soil contamination and air pollution linked to the Longmeadow Parkway project, a four-lane Fox River bridge crossing and arterial roadway in northern Kane County that is partially open while still under construction.

She was inspired to tackle the subject after taking an environmental history class that asked students to look at a recent change in the environmental history of the communities where they grew up.

“A huge focus of the class was about the things happening in your own backyard, so it’s not just about the melting of the polar ice caps or these big, broad topics you feel you have no control over,” Glees said. “It’s about what’s happening in your own hometown.”

NEWS BRIEFS A NEW GRANT has

RECENT DESIGN

MARY WALSH, chair

been providing training

WORK by Andrew

of political science,

for graduate students

Sobol, chair of the

has had her poetry

and supervisors in the

art department, has

published in three

ANDREW BEHLING,

Elmhurst University

been recognized by

literary journals this

assistant professor of

Speech-Language-

Graphis, Creative

year. In addition, her

theatre, was nominated

Hearing Clinic to better

Quarterly journal and

research on civility was

for a Jeff Award for

serve clients with voice

other prestigious

published in January.

his role in And Neither

disorders related to

organizations.

Have I Wings To Fly at

Parkinson’s and similar

First Folio Theatre in

diseases.

Oak Brook, Ill.

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W ELCOMING A BIG FLOCK OF

NEW BLUEJAYS

This fall, Elmhurst celebrated another year of strong enrollments, including a record number of graduate and international students and the University’s first doctoral students.

The 1,407 new students who started the 2023–24 academic year include 607 first-year students—the third-largest class in University history—as well as nearly 350 transfer students and a record 378 graduate students.

Half of Elmhurst’s first-year and transfer students identify as first-generation college students. And among the graduate students are eight who are enrolled in the new doctor of nursing practice program.

“Our continued success bringing in a large, diverse class across first-year, transfer, graduate and now doctoral students is an effort that takes time and attention,” said Christine Grenier, vice president for admission. “As a campus community, we work to build relationships with our students, not just recruit them—they become like family. We want to understand and meet both their needs

and expectations for their college experience, from when they apply to when they graduate.”

Also included among new students (both undergraduate and graduate) are a record 154 international students, an increase of nearly 38 percent over last year, representing 20 countries. Domestically, the new students hail from 21 states, with the highest number of out-of-state students coming from Wisconsin and Indiana.

The University’s total student enrollment is 3,906.

“We are thrilled to welcome so many new and returning students to campus,” President Troy D. VanAken said.

“And we’re committed to helping them grow and succeed throughout every part of their Elmhurst University journey.”

NEWS BRIEFS THE U.S. AIR FORCE

SIGMA TAU DELTA, the

ASSOCIATION, a nonprofit

national English honor society,

professional military

recognized Elmhurst’s

association, designated

Chi Lambda chapter with

Elmhurst a CyberPatriot

the 2022–23 Outstanding

THE UNIVERSITY WAS

Center of Excellence in

Chapter Award.

REACCREDITED by the

honor of the University’s

THE MASTER OF OCCUPA-

Higher Learning Commission,

strong commitment to

TIONAL THERAPY program

a regional accreditation

STEM education.

was approved for 10 more

agency recognized by the

years of accreditation by the

U.S. Department of Education.

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.

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CAMPUS

NEWS

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF

POKÉMON GO

What does a popular augmented reality game have to do with building a sense of community and belonging?

A lot, according to Kimberly Lawler-Sagarin, associate dean of the faculty and associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. An avid Pokémon Go player, Lawler-Sagarin, along with two co-authors (including her husband, Brad Sagarin), recently published an article in the journal Psychological Reports examining the impact of playing Pokémon Go on participants’ engagement with their communities.

Pokémon Go is a smartphone-based game that integrates the real world with an AR world. Using maps and GPS, the game encourages players to explore their surroundings and interact with other players as they seek to catch a series of fictitious creatures.

“We did a survey that asked Pokémon Go players to rate their sense of belonging to the community in which they mostly play,” Lawler-Sagarin says. “And we saw a clear relationship between playing the game and feeling that sense of belonging.”

Specifically, 88 percent of survey respondents said they had met someone through playing Pokémon Go, 78 percent reported visiting a new location and 35 percent said they had patronized a new business. The researchers also found that the more players engaged with the game, the more likely they were to feel a strong sense of belonging.

The interdisciplinary project ties in to Lawler-Sagarin’s role in the Office of Academic Affairs, where part of her work as associate dean involves fostering a culture of belonging across the University. It also connects to her own experience playing Pokémon Go with her husband.

“We noticed that when we played the game in our local community, we met people from different walks of life whom we would have not otherwise interacted with, and we learned about places we didn’t know about,” she says.

“Pokémon Go is a way to help people feel a connection to a place. Universities, parks and other public areas should embrace it.”

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N EW FACES IN

ATHLETICS Please join us in welcoming three new leaders to the Bluejay athletics community: Sloane Baumgartner, Warren Harris and Joe Heller.

SLOANE BAUMGARTNER is the

new head coach of the women’s lacrosse team. She comes to Elmhurst from North Central College, where she oversaw student-athletes’ academic progress and helped three students win CCIW honors. She also coached at Team ONE Lacrosse, a club offering travel teams for boys and girls. A seasoned athlete herself, Baumgartner was a four-year letter winner in women’s lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University, scoring the highest number of goals in the program’s history (159).

WARREN HARRIS joined the

Bluejays this summer as director of tennis for the men’s and women’s teams. Harris brings extensive experience in coaching, having served as head coach at Northern Vermont University, Waubonsee Community College and the Latin School of Chicago. In 2019, Harris earned both the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association Girls Coach of the Year Award and the Independent School League’s Coach of the Year Award after leading Latin’s Lady Romans to a 19-6 overall record.

Before joining Elmhurst as head baseball coach, JOE HELLER spent 15 seasons at North Central College, where he most recently was assistant baseball coach/ recruiting coordinator. Under his guidance, the North Central Cardinals competed in eight CCIW regular season championships, qualified for the NCAA Division III baseball tournament six times, and finished third nationwide in the NCAA DIII College World Series in 2017.

NO. 6 IN THE MIDWEST Elmhurst University ranks No. 6 among the best regional universities in the Midwest—and No. 1 among Illinois schools in that category—in U.S. News & World Report’s latest Best Colleges rankings.

BRAZILIAN PREMIERE David DeVasto’s music has been performed and broadcast across North America and in Africa, Asia and Europe. Now DeVasto, associate professor of music theory and composition, has a new continent to add to the list: South America.

Elmhurst also ranks No. 7 among Best Value Schools and No. 7 on the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility in the 2023–24 rankings, released in September.

Elmhurst’s rankings went up several spots compared with last year. It’s a reflection of major changes that the publication made this year to its rankings formula in an effort to better capture the top reasons students attend a particular college or university: academic reputation, cost of attending and return on investment.

More than half of an institution’s rank is now made up of outcomes measures, or those related to the college or university’s success at enrolling students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and then helping them to graduate with manageable debt and achieve postgraduate success.

Elmhurst’s rankings in the Best Value and Social Mobility categories are particularly meaningful because they speak to how the University has always sought to serve its students, said President Troy D. VanAken.

“Our high positions in U.S. News and other college rankings—not just this year, but year after year—underscore our commitment to providing all of our students with an excellent educational value that will prepare them for success after graduation.”

The Best Value ranking is based on factors such as academic quality and the percentage of undergraduates who receive need-based scholarships or grants. The Social Mobility list ranks colleges that have been the most successful at enrolling and graduating large proportions of economically disadvantaged students.

FACULTY BOOKSHELF Samina Hadi-Tabassum, dean of the School of Education, is the author of Black and Brown Education in America: Integration in Schools, Neighborhoods, and Communities (Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). A 10-year ethnographic study of Maywood, Ill., the book traces the impact of the area’s demographic shift from a historically Black middle-class suburb with roots in the Black Panther Party to a community with a growing Hispanic population.

In August, the Brazilian National Symphony gave the world premiere performance of DeVasto’s “Like Water Through a Dream,” an eight-minute piece in the form of a rondo, as part of the 2023 Tonal Composers Festival.

He won a spot on the program through a rigorous competition that attracted applications from composers around the globe.

David DeVasto (left) with Cláudio Cohen, principal conductor of the Brazilian National Symphony.

DeVasto spent 10 days in Brasília, preparing for the premiere and exploring a new city. Now he’s planning the work’s U.S. debut with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and looking forward to the next opportunity.

“It was a privilege to have my music performed at such a high level,” DeVasto says. “This experience whetted my appetite for writing orchestral music.”

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BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M

STUDENTS

A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT

Elmhurst faculty and administrators helped pave the way for a summer internship in finance.

When Karam Hasan ’24 arrived in the United States from Jordan in the beginning of 2020, he was excited for new opportunities—and had no idea a pandemic would put those opportunities on hold.

But when the world began to seem more normal in 2021, he searched for the best place to pursue his dreams.

He found it at Elmhurst University, where he quickly delved into finance and economics classes. A visiting talk from a senior managing director at Guggenheim Partners, a boutique investment firm, gave Hasan a glimpse of his potential future. “I thought, this is the place I want to be, and these are the types of people I want to surround myself with,” he says.

He applied for a summer internship at the firm’s New York City office and was excited when he got it—only to start panicking when he realized he needed a place to live.

That’s when Elmhurst faculty and administrators jumped in. Visiting assistant professor Kortney Peagram sent out a call for help, and the Elmhurst team helped secure housing for Hasan at St. John’s University in Queens.

As Hasan prepares to graduate in the spring, he’s looking for career opportunities around the globe where he can leverage his real-world experience in finance together with his native knowledge of Arabic.

“I think that if I had gone to a bigger school, I wouldn’t “It’s great that Elmhurst recognizes have gotten such humane and the capabilities and potential of its personal assistance,” Hasan says. students and invests in them,” he says.

“I was proud to say the people “Without that, I wouldn’t have had from Elmhurst helped me.” this opportunity. I wouldn’t have had As a compliance intern, Hasan worked on multiple projects, including crafting compliance manuals for federal regulations. He networked across the company and presented his ideas to senior management.

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“From my finance classes, I knew what I was talking about,” Hasan says. “And at Guggenheim, they taught me how to think strategically and manage projects by breaking them down into small parts and collaborating with the right people.”

these doors opened for me.”

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BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M

FACULTY

This summer, Laury Westbury’s teaching tool for nursing students went global.

TIME TO REFLECT Laury Westbury has made it her mission to prepare nursing students for the high-pressure clinical situations they will encounter in their careers. An assistant professor of nursing and health sciences at Elmhurst, Westbury has also served as director of the University’s Simulation Center at Elmhurst Hospital.

This summer, Westbury’s mission went international. As a featured presenter at the Global Conference on Nursing and Health Care in Rome, she spoke to educators from around the world about an educational tool she developed and now uses at Elmhurst.

Her presentation focused on the Westbury Student Collaborative Reflection Tool (WSCR-T), an educational worksheet that guides students through a self-review of their performance in simulation lab training exercises. After sessions in simulation labs, nursing students typically

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receive feedback in debriefings led by a professor. The WSCR-T guides students through a reflective journaling activity before they participate in the debriefing. They spend about 10 minutes responding to prompts such as, “Were there clearly defined roles for each subgroup or discipline?” and “Did I work together with the team to ascertain effective allocation of resources?”

“The tool gives students a structured way to reflect on the situations they just encountered in simulation, and on the ways they and their colleagues responded,” Westbury says.

“The debriefing that happens after simulation is hugely important, and taking the time to reflect before the debriefing helps students better translate lessons into practice.”

Westbury developed the tool as part of her doctoral research. “I was surprised to find that there was such limited research in this area,” she says. “Educators sometimes assume that reflection will come naturally or automatically for students. But students benefit from being guided through the process.”

Westbury’s presentation in Rome was well received. Nursing educators from Canada and Sweden asked her to share the WSCR-T with them so they can use it with their students.

The tool is now being translated into French and Swedish, and other languages may follow.

“One of our goals at Elmhurst is to prepare students to be global citizens,” Westbury says. “So it was exciting to share my experiences in the U.S. with nurses from all over the world and to learn about professional practices in other countries. And now I can bring some of those perspectives to nursing students at Elmhurst.”

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BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M

ALUMNI Through a TEDx talk at Elmhurst and his work at NBCUniversal, Marvin Malone is creating spaces where everyone knows they belong.

LEADING WITH COMPASSION Marvin Malone, MBA ’23, has always been passionate about inclusivity, belonging and racial equity. Then the murder of George Floyd in 2020 sparked a national reckoning on race, and he was inspired to make his voice count.

So Malone started writing about advocacy and exploring avenues for action. Lawrence “LB” Brown, director of Elmhurst’s MBA program, told him about the annual TEDxElmhurstUniversity conference and encouraged him to participate.

Malone submitted an audition, and in April gave his first TEDx talk, “Speaking to the Crowd.”

“The mission of my life is to create spaces where everyone knows they belong,” Malone says.

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“So that’s what my TEDx talk was about: How do we lead with compassion and build spaces where everyone feels safe?”

For Malone, who studied performance in college and worked as an actor before pivoting to an MBA at Elmhurst, presenting on the TEDx stage was a transformative experience.

“Speaking about something that I care about and seeing people use it as a springboard to learn more about other cultures or even to change their lives—that’s been really exciting,” he says. “It was a moment for me to feel affirmed in what I know and believe.”

Today, Malone leans on that ethos in his work as a creative project manager at NBCUniversal, where a key part of his job is collaborating with minority-owned small businesses across the U.S. For an evergreen campaign called Open Doors, for

example, he and his team spotlight a different small business for several months throughout the year through videos and other marketing collateral, providing a national platform across NBC’s portfolio of brands and networks.

Since Malone earned his MBA, several growth opportunities have presented themselves. But wherever his career takes him, he’s committed to continuing to use his skills to advocate for others and create spaces where people can learn without judgment.

“It will be small changes that make a difference,” Malone says. “If we can actually see, care for and appreciate the people who are standing in front of us, we can quite literally change the world.”

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SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

ADVOCATE ATHLETES FOR

Basketball player Payton Schmidt is the voice of Elmhurst’s student-athletes.

Payton Schmidt’s first season as a guard on the women’s basketball team at Elmhurst was no ordinary time.

Schmidt, now a senior majoring in business administration and sports management, made her debut as a Bluejay in the depths of COVID-19 lockdowns, when the team was playing games without spectators and student-athletes were some of the only people on campus.

“It was such a strange experience, being pretty much only with your teammates,” Schmidt says. “But knowing you 1 8 P RO S P E C T M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 2 3

had 20 friends there as a support system to get through this difficult time was a huge help. We found out that we weren’t just a team but a family, too.”

That kinship remains one of the things Payton treasures about being a student-athlete. And it’s one of the things she promotes as president of Elmhurst’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the governing body for Elmhurst’s 531 student-athletes. Schmidt has been involved with SAAC since her first year and became its president as a junior.

Her leadership that year earned her Student Organization

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President of the Year honors. The committee’s advisor, assistant football coach Jim Phelps, was named Student Organization Advisor of the Year.

“It was an honor for me and for SAAC,” Schmidt says.

“Coach Phelps is an amazing advisor.”

The committee serves as a voice for Elmhurst’s studentathletes, voting on proposed legislation from the NCAA and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Each intercollegiate team at Elmhurst selects two members to serve as representatives on the council.

The council hosts an annual kickoff event at the start of the school year to welcome new students to the Bluejay family. It has teamed up on service projects with a local

Members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee include (from left) Kellyn Kennedy ’25, Lauren Marshall ’24, Uzair Ali ’26, Payton Schmidt, Jenny Guerrero ’24 and Kayton Garrett ’27.

assisted-living facility, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Special Olympics. And, having survived a season without fans, Schmidt is especially proud of the council’s efforts to promote attendance at contests and support for all of Elmhurst’s teams.

“I know from experience what a difference fans can make,” she says.

Schmidt’s days as an advocate for student-athletes might not end with her graduation from Elmhurst. One of her potential career goals is to become a college athletic director. “l love that Elmhurst lets you be more than an athlete,” she says. “I’d like to work to help other student-athletes have the best possible experience.”

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ARTS SPOTLIGHT

THE ARTS IN PRINT Elmhurst’s arts and literary journal showcases the creative work of student writers and artists.

A gallivanting composition for a string trio. Poetry that reflects on nostalgia and new beginnings. A photo of a ceramic vessel topped with finely decorated glass.

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These are works by Elmhurst students that found their home in the latest issue of Elmhurst’s literary and arts journal, MiddleWestern Voice.

For 20-plus years, the full-color journal—which includes more than 100 pages of fine art, fiction, poetry, and pop and classical music compositions—has given countless creative undergraduates the chance to see their work in print.

Run by students, the publishing process takes all year, with submissions coming in throughout fall and winter. Ten to 15 student staffers judge submissions blindly, and a student team designs each issue with a distinct vision.

P H OTO B Y B O B C O S C A R E L L I

“It’s a journal that everyone can be proud of,” says Katie Kubica (above, right), a senior majoring in graphic design who is co-lead designer for the journal. “When students get published in the magazine, we want it to feel important, like something they can put on their résumé.”

The journal is now in its 25th year, and the students at the helm are hoping to make it better than ever. This year’s issue brought a new aesthetic—“grungy, lots of texture and edgy fonts, to push the boundaries of past issues,” Kubica says. “We want people to hold this and think, ‘This is so cool. Students made this?’”

The journal also provides good management experience for the student staff. Rachel Fratt (above, left), a senior majoring in art business and art history who is co-lead designer for the journal, says she has already used the design and time management skills she learned working on the journal in her internship at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

And after disruptions from COVID-19, the team is hoping to increase student submissions, create a unified vision and even submit the journal to national contests.

“I hope this is something students can get really excited about,” Fratt says. “It’s everyone’s time to shine.”

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IL LU ST RAT ION S BY GERA L DIN E SY

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BY AND RE W SANTELLA

BEING WELL Amid a national crisis in college student health, Elmhurst is deploying creative solutions and old-fashioned TLC to help students stay well.

Amy Swarr is in her 28th year as a psychologist specializing in college mental health, which means she can recall a time when a counselor’s workday might involve only comforting homesick students or mediating disputes between roommates.

Swarr, Elmhurst’s director of counseling services, says those days are long gone. Today’s college students are seeking more help than ever before, and for increasingly serious issues.

“We’re seeing more severe levels of depression and anxiety,” Swarr says.

National statistics back her up. Sixty percent of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health problem, according to survey results from the 2020–21 Healthy Minds Study of 373 campuses nationwide. In the fall 2021 National College Health Assessment, about three-quarters of students reported “moderate or severe psychological distress.” And the number of students seeking help at campus counseling centers increased nearly 40 percent between 2009 and 2019, according to Penn State’s Center for Collegiate Mental Health.

The demand for psychological services at Elmhurst has grown as well, says Swarr.

In the past academic year, Elmhurst University Counseling Services, part of the University’s Wellness Center, worked with about 250 students in one-on-one counseling and served still more in group settings. Elmhurst now complements the services provided by Swarr and her counseling staff with a range of innovative supports: telehealth, online mental health resources and virtual platforms that provide access to off-campus mental health professionals. And student wellness has become a campuswide effort, involving staff and faculty from many departments.

Amy Swarr, director of counseling services, has seen an increase in demand for mental health services on campus.

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BEING WELL

“We put student wellness first and foremost,” says Phillip Riordan, vice president for student affairs. “And that means being proactive about serving them.”

Of course, mental and emotional health are just part of overall student wellness.

More than one-third of U.S. students surveyed by Inside Higher Ed in 2023 said they believed their physical health problems had adversely affected their academic success. And counselors such as Swarr know all too well how poor nutrition, bad sleep habits and lack of exercise can contribute to students’ problems. That’s one reason Riordan encourages students to use the campus fitness center or join friends for pickup basketball, volleyball or indoor soccer during open gym times. Staying physically active, along with getting a good night’s sleep and maintaining a well-balanced diet, is foundational for student success. It might seem like the most basic of advice, but newly independent students faced with the temptations and stresses of college life seemingly cannot hear it often enough.

Overwhelmed Phillip Riordan, vice president for student affairs, encourages students to stay active by using the campus fitness center or playing pickup games.

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Changing attitudes about mental health treatment help to explain some of the recent increases in demand for counseling. Compared with their parents’ and grandparents’ generations, current students are more likely to have consulted mental health professionals before college. And the stigma long attached to mental health treatment is slowly disappearing; many college students may be less hesitant to seek help and less likely to suffer in silence.

How Can We Help?

What brings Elmhurst students to the Wellness Center to see its staff of licensed clinical psychologists?

During the 2022–23 academic year, stress management was the leading cause of concern. Other common problems cited by students include anxiety, family issues and relationships.

CONCERN

% CLIENTS CITING

Stress management

88

Anxiety

83

Family issues

69

Relationships 67

Self-esteem 62 Depression

61

And the challenges facing today’s students are complex: Added to perennial stressors such as coursework and relationships are economic strains, sociopolitical divisions and the ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some students are also overwhelmed by competing demands. First-generation students, a fast-growing segment of Elmhurst’s student body, are particularly likely to be working and caring for younger siblings, all while studying and learning to navigate campus life.

It’s no wonder that college students rank stress reduction as their top health goal, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Looking Out for Each Other Swarr oversees a staff of six licensed mental health professionals—which, Riordan says, is three times the size of counseling staffs at institutions with enrollments similar to Elmhurst’s. They provide individual, couples and group therapy, crisis intervention, referrals to professionals off-campus; and self-help resources—all free of charge for enrolled students. Swarr says stress and anxiety are by far the leading reasons students give for seeking help. Students who require specialized care are usually referred to appropriate off-campus providers.

Elmhurst’s commitment to student wellness extends beyond the Wellness Center to include the entire campus community. In 2017, Elmhurst established the Campus Advocacy Resource and Evaluation (Care) Team, a multidepartmental group charged with responding to reports of students in FA L L 2 0 2 3 P RO S P E C T M A G A Z I N E 2 5

BEING WELL

Less Stress

Find structure

Get connected

Maintain a daily routine and

Reach out to those who

designate a space to work.

support you.

Stay active

Stay grounded

Amy Swarr, director of counseling

Get in some physical activity

Unplug from social media, and

services, and Lauren Dalicandro,

every day.

focus on what is in your control.

Be curious

Don’t forget the basics

Try something new each week.

Get enough sleep and eat

assistant director of counseling services, shared their top tips for coping with stress:

nutritious food, and you will be better equipped to handle stress.

need of help and steering those students to the appropriate resources. Last year, the Care Team received some 300 referrals for students with basic needs, such as housing or food, or for students exhibiting problematic behaviors.

The team, which includes representatives from Housing and Residence Life, Athletics, Public Safety, Counseling Services, Academic Affairs, and Access and Disability Services, meets weekly.

“We want students to know that we care about every one of our Bluejays,” says Colleen Zavodny, director of student support services and intervention. “This is a place where we look out for each other.”

Wellness Made Easier

As director of student support services and intervention, Colleen Zavodny is a member of Elmhurst’s Care Team, which connects students in need of help with appropriate resources.

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Other new initiatives make it easier for more students to access mental health resources. Starting this year, Elmhurst students have access to an online mental health platform called Uwill that offers free and secure teletherapy and crisis intervention. Students can customize their care by requesting, for example, a Spanish-speaking therapist, or an LGBTQIA+ one. In the first two weeks of the Fall Term, 38 students registered to use the service.

Another online platform available to students, called TAO Connect, offers lifeskills education, help with problems such as procrastination and test anxiety and instruction in meditation and mindfulness. And men on campus can tap

into MANUAL, a health platform focused on men’s fitness, diet, nutrition and general health. MANUAL includes an online community for discussing problems and offering solutions. During the 2022–23 academic year, 170 Elmhurst students and staff enrolled in the program. Riordan says that MANUAL helps to address men’s reluctance to ask for help with personal problems.

“Too often we think that as a man you’re not supposed to let people know you’re struggling,” he says. “This is like a support group for dealing with emotions.”

Swarr says she wants every Elmhurst student to know that her office is there for them. “Some students don’t come to see us right away because they think their issues aren’t a big enough deal. I tell them, ‘It doesn’t have to be a big deal. This is still a safe place for you,’” Swarr says.

And sometimes a safe place is just what college students need. On their own for the first time, creating new identities and relationships, making decisions about their future: it can be a lot.

“It’s such a crucial time in their lives,” Swarr says. “We help them with understanding who they are, what they have learned and what they want their lives to look like moving forward. They are making decisions that will reverberate through the rest of their lives. That’s why it’s so rewarding to help them.”

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BY AMY MERRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHEDD AQUARIUM/BRENNA HERNANDEZ

NATURAL ABILITY Justyn Samuels took the plunge this summer to develop his career—by wading hip deep into the wetlands on Chicago’s South Side.

From studying microscopic creatures to listening to frogs calling, Justyn Samuels ’24 spent his summer constructing a detailed picture of how animals are responding to efforts to protect their fragile wetland habitat.

Samuels, an environmental studies major, participated in a conservation internship at the Shedd Aquarium through Elmhurst’s Promotion of Underrepresented Minorities in Academic STEM (PUMA-STEM) Alliance.

Working with Melissa Youngquist, Ph.D., a research biologist at Shedd, Samuels gathered data about the wetlands that are being restored by the Chicago Park District, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and the Shedd Aquarium.

Some of the wetlands that Samuels studied are located near industrial zones along the Calumet River system, which runs between the South Side of Chicago

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NATURAL

ABILITY

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and Gary, Ind. Understanding the number and variety of frogs and other animals that live there today gives scientists information about the health of the overall ecosystem and the success of restoration.

For Samuels, who grew up relishing long walks with his grandmother through the Cook County forest preserves, the project was a natural fit. In addition to conducting tadpole surveys, he analyzed tiny invertebrates swimming in water samples, identified frog vocalizations picked up by audio sensors, and cataloged animals that set off motion detectors. “These are newer wetlands, most of them restored in the past 15 years, so we wanted to see how different species are adapting to their new habitat,” he says.

Mapping the Wetlands

In addition to his field studies and lab work, Samuels had an opportunity to apply skills he learned in his geographic information system (GIS) classes. He mapped the locations of the wetlands in relationship to Chicago’s industrial growth zones, areas covered by a recent incentive program in which businesses and developers received a streamlined permitting process and other benefits to build factories, warehouses and other industrial sites.

Samuels showed that most of these designated growth zones were on the South Side of Chicago, potentially affecting green spaces that are used primarily by people of color.

“You can see a lot of correlation with minority and low-income areas near all the factories,” he says. “There are still a lot of wetlands over there, and there’s a lot of pollution in the water. Those areas are much more affected than ones with higher incomes.”

For Samuels, who was raised in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, which borders Lake Michigan on the city’s North Side, seeing the toll of heavy industry on communities was a surprising contrast.

His research points to Chicago’s history of environmental racism. The city has a legacy of clustering industrial sites near communities of color, leading to disproportionate harms from pollution. After being sued by three Southeast Side environmental justice organizations, in May 2023, Chicago reached a historic settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city agreed to assess and improve environmental justice and FA L L 2 0 2 3

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NATURAL

ABILITY

MORE WAYS TO HELP

NATURE In addition to joining summer research programs such as the one hosted by the Shedd Aquarium, Elmhurst students can advance the work of local environmental justice organizations by participating in service-learning projects.

Working with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, students remove exotic weeds from natural areas and help maintain a native-plant nursery. Just Roots Chicago, which works to expand access to local food, trains students in sustainable growing practices.

The Illinois Chapter of Sierra Club recruits volunteers to lobby for environmental legislation at the state level. These organizations and others help students put their commitment to a greener world into practice.

At Elmhurst, environmental studies major Evelinn Sanchez ’23 found many ways to support nature and promote sustainable practices.

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equity by collecting air-quality data, updating zoning regulations and holding public hearings, among other measures.

Samuels’ experience in the summer internship program highlights the versatility of environmental studies, an interdisciplinary major that weaves together the natural sciences, politics, economics, geography and demography. Students take classes in topics that can range from economics to sustainable development to STEM areas such as GIS. Elmhurst admitted its first cohort of students in the major in fall 2019.

An environmental history class was particularly influential for Samuels. “We learned how public opinion has changed about the environment,” he says. “Back in the day, we’d abuse it. Now environmentalism is a huge movement, and I love it.”

He also appreciated the training he received in his GIS minor from Carmi J. Neiger, assistant professor of geography and geosciences.

“I learned that I was more prepared from my GIS classes than I even realized,” he says. “The internship really helped me utilize all my skills and showed me different avenues I can take.”

A Focus on STEM

Samuels was recruited for the PUMA-STEM Alliance through his advisor, Kelly Mikenas, director of the environmental studies program and an assistant professor of biology. The alliance brings together leaders from seven four-year schools, including Elmhurst, and one community college to create a regional network preparing students for STEM graduate programs and the workforce. The program provides faculty mentorship and helps students obtain high-quality research experiences.

Elmhurst President Troy D. VanAken is the principal investigator on the project, which is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. LSAMP aims to improve graduation and retention rates for underrepresented minority students in STEM majors.

After graduation, Samuels hopes to enter environmental consulting, a path that would combine his passion for sustainable development with his interests in GIS and business. His summer internship helped show him how he can get there. Following the program, he says, “I have a lot more confidence that I can do pretty much anything with my career.”

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I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M E L C E R R I

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BY E M I LY AY S H F O R D

A B L U E J AY

PROMISE A new center provides space and resources for Hispanic and underserved students.

Elmhurst University has gone through several evolutions throughout its history. When it first opened in 1871, classes were taught in German. Women first enrolled in 1930.

And now, Elmhurst is celebrating its latest achievement: becoming a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

For the past several years, more than 25 percent of Elmhurst’s approximately 2,800 full-time undergraduate students have identified as Hispanic. As a result, Elmhurst met the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements to become an official HSI.

“The HSI designation was an opportunity for us to become more innovative in how we serve,” says Bruce King, vice president for equity and inclusion. “It’s telling us what our future looks like, and this grant has given us the capacity to move from enrolling to serving.”

TH E CE NTE R O F TH E BLUE PRO M IS E

The centerpiece of the new funding is El Centro de la Promesa Azul (the Center of the Blue Promise), which launched this fall. Located on the lower level of Niebuhr Hall, the center provides a space for Hispanic students to meet, hang out and find information on services. El Centro resources also are available to first-generation, underserved and Pell Grant-eligible students.

With the designation, the University is looking to better serve this growing population and set students up for success. “It’s a culturally inclusive space where we can connect That effort got a boost when the school received a $3.4 students to resources available on campus,” King says. million federal grant in fall 2022 to establish a new center and provide resources for students to get financial services Having such a one-stop shop is important, since more and connect with opportunities to conduct research or than 80 percent of Elmhurst’s Hispanic students are study abroad. The grant will also fund faculty development commuters, some clocking travel times up to an hour, to help ensure that the curriculum is culturally responsive. and many are first-generation students who have job and

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A BLUEJAY

PROMISE

family obligations. As a result, they may not feel connected to the Elmhurst community or know about the resources available to them.

For example, while 57 percent of Elmhurst seniors have participated in an internship or field experience, only 41 percent of Hispanic students have. Hispanic students also have lower participation in research with faculty and in study abroad experiences.

On Sept. 13, the grand opening of El Centro de la Promesa Azul brought together students, faculty and staff to enjoy live music, food trucks and a celebratory spirit.

Staff members at the center will be available to educate Hispanic students and their families about these opportunities. They also will provide tutoring services and have financial counselors on site—including those who speak Spanish—so students and their families can understand their financial aid options.

Karina Rivera, the HSI project director and a firstgeneration college graduate herself, is passionate about ensuring students have access to all the opportunities available to them. “I didn’t take advantage of resources like this as an undergraduate. I want students to find a community here so that they come back each semester,” she says. “This grant provides the first steps for us to help build that community.”

The U.S. Department of Education defines a Hispanic-Serving Institution

What Is a Hispanic-Serving Institution?

(HSI) as an institution of higher education whose undergraduate full-time student body is at least 25 percent Hispanic.

The percentage of students who identify as Hispanic at Elmhurst increased from 22 percent in 2017 to nearly 30 percent in 2021.

Institutions with HSI designation become eligible for targeted Title V grants, though the application process is highly competitive. In October 2022, Elmhurst received a $3.4 million Title V grant to increase its efforts in the areas of student success and equity.

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The grant will also provide funding for up to 10 students each year to study abroad, conduct undergraduate research or work at an internship. That funding is especially key for students who work one or more jobs to support themselves and their families.

“Many students come from families where they still play a major role, whether taking care of kids or siblings or working two jobs,” King says. “This funding would allow them to take a sabbatical from those jobs, give them new experiences and even enhance their career opportunities.”

Located in Niebuhr Hall, El Centro de la Promesa Azul

FUNDING FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND STAFF

provides a culturally inclusive space for Hispanic, Pell

The grant will also fund faculty development, teaching faculty how to embed culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom, and fund more staff. In addition to bringing on Rivera and an HSI wellness coordinator, the school is hiring a center director and a community outreach liaison. The center will eventually relocate to Cureton Hall.

Grant-eligible and first-generation students to make connections and access resources.

For King, who joined Elmhurst in January 2022, the HSI designation has been an exciting challenge.

“We are in the midst of an incredibly wonderful transition,” he says. “Our Hispanic and Latinx students come with a bounty of strengths and abilities, and we want to create an environment where everyone thrives.”

Participation in High-Impact Practices Part of the Title V grant that Elmhurst received will help fund and educate students about opportunities to conduct research, study abroad and work at internships—experiences that can keep students engaged and support career success.

Hispanic students at Elmhurst currently participate in these activities at lower rates than the population overall.*

R ESEA R C H

I N TE R N S H I P S

STU DY A B R OA D

A L L SEN IOR S

ALL SENIORS

ALL SENIORS

27%

57%

15%

W HIT E SEN IOR S

W H I TE S E N I O R S

W H I TE S E N I O R S

26%

64%

18%

HISPA N I C SEN IOR S

H I S PA N I C S E N I O R S

H I S PA N I C S E N I O RS

24%

41%

14% * DATA FROM 2018 FA L L 2 0 2 3 P RO S P E C T M A G A Z I N E 3 7

MAKE YOUR MARK IN ���� Support Elmhurst with a tax-deductible gift before the new year.

Your gift to the Elmhurst University Annual Fund enriches the student experience through scholarships and programmatic support.

And it extends the transformative power of an Elmhurst education to a wider circle of students—in 2024 and beyond.

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ALUMNI NEWS CELEBRATING OUR AWARD WINNERS

Elmhurst University’s Founders Medal and Alumni Merit Awards honor outstanding contributions by alumni and friends to the University and the world. This year’s winners were recognized at the Founders Recognition Evening on Oct. 12.

FOUNDERS MEDAL

One of the University’s most prestigious honors, the Founders Medal celebrates those who have distinguished themselves through philanthropic or personal service to the University. This year’s medal honors Virginia (Gina) Prochaska ’88 and Joseph J. Prochaska Jr. Both are civic leaders and longtime supporters of Elmhurst University. Virginia Prochaska is an active member of the Board of Trustees, and served as past chair of

the Institutional Advancement Committee and on a number of subcommittees.

Over more than 25 years of giving, the couple have contributed significantly to the Annual Fund, the new health sciences building, off-campus study, the American Dream Fellowship and many other funds.

ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS The Alumni Merit Awards celebrate Elmhurst graduates who have made exemplary contributions to the community and their alma mater.

Elmhurst presented Alumni Merit Awards to (from left) Brittany Nolan ’13, MS ’15; Jessica Sullivan-Wilson ’10; and Heather McCarthy.

The Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner this year is Brittany Nolan ’13, MS ’15. Director of specialty services at

By Your Side Autism Therapy Services, Nolan oversees the clinic’s speechlanguage therapy department across 11 locations and has mentored Elmhurst graduate students and hired alumni. She is also an active volunteer with United Parent Support for Down Syndrome.

Jessica Sullivan-Wilson ’10 received the Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award. She is managing director of partnerships at Teach For America Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana and an active member of the Elmhurst University Alumni Board of Directors. A passionate connector and facilitator, SullivanWilson uses her unique combination of classroom experience and legal expertise to deepen the impact of school partnerships and shift the trajectory of student outcomes for high-needs schools.

Educator Heather McCarthy ’02 won the Distinguished Service to Society Award for using her passion for literature to spread the message of love and equality through service-learning projects with her students. A teacher in Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, McCarthy and her students host an annual meal-packaging event for families and veterans in need. They have been recognized for their work on climate change and a variety of other projects.

Did You Know?

Elmhurst was an undergraduate-only institution until 1998, when we added five graduate programs to an extensive lineup of bachelor’s-level offerings.

Graduate study has been on an upward trajectory ever since, with particular growth in the international cohort. This year’s enrollment includes 210 graduate students from 27 countries, including Brazil, India, Mexico and Vietnam.

“Enrolling in the MBA program at Elmhurst University has been an incredibly transformative decision,” says Huong Dang, an MBA student from Vietnam who plans to graduate in 2025. “This dynamic program not only furnishes me with practical, handson knowledge that directly bolsters my career, but it also allows me to engage in a vibrant, diverse classroom environment alongside students from around the globe.”

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Homecoming 2023 was a huge success!

A drone display lit up the night sky, classmates reunited and a bonfire brought the community together. Attendees included 103-year-old alumna Lorraine G. Gerhardt ’69 and faculty members from the School of Business.

Once a Bluejay, always a Bluejay!

See the highlights at elmhurst.edu/Homecoming.

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GRADUATE PROGRAMS OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday January 10, 2024 6:30–8:00 p.m.

IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL

RSVP TODAY elmhurst.edu/ChooseElmhurst

ENVISION Discover the power of a graduate degree from Elmhurst.

F R E E COURSE

Our graduate programs are flexible, practical and designed to meet your needs. No matter which course of study you choose, you’ll build versatile skills, expand your network and create fresh solutions to real-world challenges.

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Do you have an undergraduate degree from Elmhurst? Enroll in a graduate degree program, and your first course will be free. Learn more at elmhurst.edu/FreeCourse.

CLASS NOTES 1960s

1926 Elmhurst College students pose for a photograph at the Chicago & North Western train station before a trip to Eden Seminary in St. Louis.

The Rev. Don Sabbert ’60 and his wife, Anne Ward Sabbert, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on July 29, 2023, in St. Louis. After their anniversary, they went on a road trip to get together with members of their wedding party, including Ron Westphal and Bill Rumpf ’60. Don and Anne have four married children, 10 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.

Alexander Rassogianis ’69 published a memoir, Growing Up Greek in Chicago (Outskirts Press, 2023). The book celebrates his Greek ethnicity, his extended Greek family and the joy of belonging to two cultures.

1970s 1964 Miss Bluejay and her squad

of cheerleaders boosted spirits at football games, dances, pep rallies and team send-offs.

1991 Greek Week in May

culminated in a day of games including an egg toss, a pie-eating contest and a tricycle race.

Jeanne Batalia ’74 retired from Sarasota County Schools after 25 years as a speech-language pathologist. She loves spending time with her grandchildren, antiquing and decorating. She and her husband have been fortunate to travel throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Judy Griffin ’74 recently completed a full year of traveling through Africa and Asia with her daughter Jennifer and says it was an amazing 12 months on the road. In Tokyo, they were fortunate enough to connect with Susan Palmer Bowers ’74, Griffin’s college roommate for all four years and an Elmhurst University trustee. Griffin and her daughter spent a day-and-a-half enjoying the city with Bowers and her husband, John.

A FAMILY OF TEACHERS

Multigenerational families are common at Elmhurst University, but the Hatmaker family takes the concept to a whole new level.

Ted Hatmaker ’72 (above, right); his mother, Paulette Hatmaker ’64 (above, left); and his daughter, Jean Hatmaker (below), all taught at Elmhurst. Not only that, but Paulette and Jean both taught Ted at different points in his Elmhurst journey. In Ted’s senior year, he took The Surreal New Novel with his mother. “She had a contagious enthusiasm that made for a good class—and I still remember the French novels we studied,” Ted said.

After earning a master’s and Ph.D. in music theory, Ted returned to Elmhurst in 1986 to teach and direct the Concert Choir and the Choral Union. In 2015, Jean, cellist with the acclaimed Kontras Quartet, was asked to teach cello at Elmhurst, and in 2021 she invited her dad to play viola in the chamber ensemble she was teaching.

“With her, I was sometimes ‘Dad’ and sometimes ‘Ted,’” he says.

“I gained many musical insights from her that I’ve been able to apply to my ensemble playing with others.”

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CLASS NOTES

1980s

Joey Harman ’83 earned her master’s degree in human services – counseling in 2000. In September 2023, she celebrated 20 years in private practice as a clinical counselor in La Grange, Ill., offering mental health services for individuals, couples and families.

John Downing ’84 teaches courses in the first-year experience program at the University of Dubuque in Iowa.

He received his Ph.D. in 2020 in postsecondary and adult education.

Dwayne Wojtowicz ’85 was recently promoted to human resources analyst for the Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Illinois. He has a few years before he can transition into retirement, and he is looking forward to it.

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1990s

Bill Pearch ’95 had an article, “Boodle and Barnstorming: When Politics and the National Pastime Convened in Dwight, Illinois,” published in The National Pastime: Heart of the Midwest (2023), a convention-focused publication of the Society for American Baseball Research.

Gary Paustian ’99 is entering his 35th year of coaching high school football at his alma mater, Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill., and nearing retirement as a fifth grade teacher. His daughter, Hanna Paustian ’18, recently married her college sweetheart in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel.

2000s

Anna Cramer ’09 started a new position as development director of Hoyt Sherman Place, a historic cultural gem in Des Moines, Iowa.

Julia Zickus ’23 recently earned an $8,500 fellowship from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. She plans to use the PKP fellowship, as well as a $1,000 award from Elmhurst University’s local PKP chapter, to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry and cellular biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “I’ve always had a deep-rooted passion to study and research Alzheimer’s disease,” she said. “Beginning my Ph.D. at MD Anderson-UT Texas is making that dream possible.”

Holly Lynn Golcher ’09 celebrated the first anniversary of her wedding to H. Warren Arnold III. The happy couple wed on July 9, 2022, in Chicago.

Agnieszka Hanni ’09 continued her education after graduating from Elmhurst, earning doctoral degrees in community psychology and higher education leadership from National Louis University. In May, she joined the senior leadership team at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., as vice president for enrollment management and marketing.

2010s

Kelly Johnson ’10 created The Bunkies, a community of luxury tiny homes offering short-term rentals in Ottawa, Ill., near Starved Rock State Park.

Eric Morong ’10 and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their first child, Hudson Bruce Morong, on June 30, 2023.

Catherine Kamboj ’12 won the Wolters Kluwer 2023 Global Sustainability Award for Volunteer of the Year. The award was granted for her translation work and cross-cultural contributions at Lombard, Ill.-based Outreach House; at Park Ridge, Ill.-based Exodus World Service; and internally at Wolters Kluwer. The prize includes a generous charitable donation from her company that will support the Outreach House and the private resettlement of refugees in the Chicago area.

Coley Nelson ’12 married Zachary Scott on April 1, 2023, in Somis, Calif. By her side on this joyful day were bridesmaids Christina Nelson ’11, Dana Nelson ’14, Kim Khunaraksa ’12, and Victoria Zielinski ’12.

David Malone ’15 is the author of The Wordsmith (Orange Hat Publishing, 2023), his debut middlegrade novel.

Elizabeth Covelli-Reyes ’16 was announced as the new women’s tennis coach at Joliet West High School in Joliet, Ill., in May 2023.

Johnny Thoms ’17 and Megan Thoms ’19 share that Elmhurst University will always be special to them because it

was the place they met and grew their relationship. They got engaged in 2021 and married on June 10, 2023.

2020s

Natalie Mayersky ’20 has secured a new position at a high-producing mortgage firm in her hometown, where she will be assisting homebuyers in acquiring their dream homes.

Kevin Holt ’21 and Alex Marie Overland ’21 got engaged on May 27, 2023. They met in February 2018 at Elmhurst University as music education majors. They write that they are very excited for this next step in their journey.

Mia Riese ’21 attended Tulane University, where she earned a master of science in sport studies with focuses in sport administration and sports security. While at Tulane, she served as a graduate assistant academic advisor for the university’s baseball, sailing, and track and field teams. She came back home from New Orleans and now works for the Chicago Bears as a community relations associate.

Elizabeth Holtquist ’22 has worked as a paralegal for a law firm in DuPage County, Ill., since graduating from Elmhurst. This fall, she came back to Elmhurst to pursue an MBA. Zamin Ahmed ’23 was offered a job as a surgical dentist assistant in September 2023.

WORLD-CLASS

EDUCATOR Heather McCarthy ’02 has already been recognized as the most inspirational teacher in Illinois.

Now, after being nominated for the 2023 Women Changing the World Awards, the Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School teacher can say she’s among the world’s top female educators. One of 11 finalists in the education category, McCarthy told The Reporter of Oak Lawn that the nomination was unimaginable.

“My own children and my students are my continual inspiration to create positive change and transform the world into a brighter, better place for everyone,” said McCarthy, a 2020 recipient of the Sanford Teacher Award from the National University System, given to the most inspirational teacher in every state.

Also this year, Elmhurst University honored McCarthy with the Distinguished Service to Society Award.

CONNECT WITH US Share your news with your classmates!

Go to elmhurst.edu/ClassNotes to submit your updates.

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CLASS NOTES

IN MEMORIAM A DEVOTED PROFESSOR

Armin Limper ’45, a cherished faculty member who devoted 37 years of his life to Elmhurst University, died on July 5, 2022. In addition to sharing his deep understanding of theology with generations of Elmhurst students, Limper served as chair of the theology department for 25 years. Beyond the classroom, Limper served as a pastor and was a valued member of several organizations of the United Church of Christ and others. Limper and his wife, Shirley, were lifelong supporters of his alma mater, founding the Dr. Armin and Shirley Limper Endowed Scholarship Fund at Elmhurst in 2013. In addition, Limper’s father and son both graduated from Elmhurst.

Theresa C. Weaver ’45 April 16, 2023, Mason City, Iowa Gloria E. McCain ’51 May 17, 2023, Kerrville, Texas Janice A. Wilson ’51 April 4, 2023, Iowa City, Iowa Arlene Armstrong ’52 April 4, 2023, Alma, Mich.

Lois B. Vogelmann ’52 April 17, 2023, St. Simons Island, Ga. Grace E. Koch ’53 March 18, 2023, Westlake, Ohio Joan E. Stone ’53 Feb. 26, 2023, Addison, Ill. Dr. Michael Gass ’54 April 18, 2023, Davis, Calif.

LARGER THAN LIFE

Harold Barton Morley, who taught geography at Elmhurst from 1960 to 1967, died on April 16, 2023. A child of Lebanese immigrants, Morley (born Hider Sherif Mohamed) was the first in his family to graduate from college. After earning his Ph.D. at Northwestern University, he launched a career in higher education, taking on roles at Northeastern Illinois University, Temple University and Elmhurst, where he went by the name Harold Mohamed.

Morley is survived by five children—including Steve Morley, former mayor of Elmhurst—and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Alva Thompson ’54 April 20, 2023, Mundelein, Ill. Joyce F. Potter ’56 May 6, 2023, Dubuque, Iowa Rev. Dr. Richard T. Disseler ’57 June 11, 2023, Pleasant Hill, Tenn.

Elizabeth A. Johnson ’57 May 29, 2023, San Diego Rev. John E. Saxton ’57 Aug. 20, 2023, Grinnell, Iowa Rev. George W. Brady Jr. ’59 Aug. 17, 2023, Farmer City, Ill. Margaret H. Dopirak ’59 July 8, 2023, South Windsor, Conn.

Peter J. Snopko ’59 July 1, 2023, Wayne, Ill. Joan C. Kirwan ’60 May 27, 2023, Rockford, Ill.

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Ronald D. Riemer ’61 Feb. 24, 2023, Cave Creek, Ariz.

Betty J. Burgener ’72 April 8, 2023, Elmhurst, Ill.

Margaret S. Ahlgrim ’63 June 25, 2023, Palatine, Ill.

Scott L. McIlvain ’73 April 18, 2023, Schaumburg, Ill.

Janet M. Brettmann ’63 Aug. 24, 2023, Plainfield, Wis.

Kenneth T. Decker ’75 March 3, 2023, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Jean M. Dawson ’63 Aug. 4, 2023, Franklin Park, Ill.

Sharon H. Horn ’76 July 16, 2023, Elgin, Ill.

Rev. James W. Leamon ’63 May 14, 2023, Riverside, N.J.

Philip P. Greco ’77 June 23, 2023, Villa Park, Ill.

Donna M. Prest ’63 May 4, 2023, Elmhurst, Ill.

Lawrence E. Latas ’78 May 15, 2023, McHenry, Ill.

Sharon L. Burke ’64 May 5, 2023, Elmhurst, Ill.

Elena T. Castaneda ’81 Aug. 4, 2023, Downers Grove, Ill.

Penelope A. Creighton ’64 June 5, 2023, Addison, Ill.

Kelly A. Fields ’81 April 26, 2023, Sawyer, Mich.

Mary A. Lauer ’65 July 7, 2023, Downers Grove, Ill.

Knoris E. Holloway ’81 June 3, 2023, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Rev. Alva F. Hohl Jr. ’67 March 17, 2023, Huntington, Ind.

Mark E. Flasch ’82 March 14, 2023, Schaumburg, Ill.

Keith W. Newberry ’67 Aug. 27, 2023, Northbrook, Ill.

Daniel H. Pletcher ’83 Feb. 1, 2023, Orland Park, Ill.

David B. Gerfen ’68 March 28, 2023, Elmhurst, Ill.

James K. Nerison ’87 April 16, 2023, Chicago

Phyllis Hellman ’68 March 30, 2023, Wheaton, Ill.

Frank J. Ostling ’89 Aug. 23, 2023, Amboy, Ill.

Thomas W. Teuber ’68 July 20, 2023, Madison, Wis.

Thad H. Daniels ’97 July 12, 2023, Batavia, Ill.

Carolyn L. Mason ’69 Nov. 10, 2022, New Albany, Ind.

Briana R. Looney ’13 May 13, 2023, Chicago

Joseph E. Deal ’70 July 15, 2023, Burlington, Iowa

Katherine E. LaBudde ’15 March 31, 2023, Wheaton, Ill.

George R. Wallies ’71 April 18, 2023, Glenview, Ill.

Justin P. Hoenig ’18 April 16, 2023, Mundelein, Ill.

THE SOUL OF THE LEADER

Ron Wiginton, a professor of English who joined the Elmhurst faculty in 1997, passed away on Aug. 9, 2023. As faculty advisor for The Leader, the University’s student newspaper, he was instrumental in the development of Elmhurst’s journalism program. “Ron wasn’t only the advisor to the paper for nearly a quarter century, from 1997 to 2020; he was the soul of it,” the staff of the paper wrote on social media. “He made The Leader what it is and left a lasting impact on the lives and careers of the scores of students who passed through it.”

The University held a memorial service in Wiginton’s honor on Oct. 6.

EDITOR'S NOTE

The Summer 2023 issue of Prospect erroneously stated that Rev. Donald A. Riemer ’66 had passed away.

We apologize for the error.

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MY CAREER

PATH

RAISING THE BAR

On my first day of classes at Elmhurst, I met the person who was to become my best friend for a gazillion years.

That is one of my very best memories, since relationships have been very important to me. I was a history and business administration double major, and after graduation, I went to law school at Northwestern University. One of the tutors for my bar review course mentioned the City of Chicago was hiring, so after I passed the bar exam, I became a prosecutor in traffic court. Some people might be surprised to learn that I’m very much an introvert, and that job required me to be in front of people all day. It instilled in me this ability to come out of my shell.

in the ABA and in the profession overall. I’ve also helped grant ABA scholarships to promising students, and while with the Commission I worked to create the Spirit of Excellence Award, which recognizes lawyers of color who have made contributions to the profession and society.

Before I graduated, one of my law professors introduced me to an individual at the American Bar Association (ABA).

She later told me about a position at the ABA. I was hired as an assistant director for the ABA Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession. We created programs to increase opportunities for lawyers of color

I believe I’m in this position for a reason. I was raised to believe I have a responsibility to give back. Elmhurst was instrumental in continuing me on this path, giving me an opportunity to grow in an environment that was very supportive. That’s an important experience I still carry with me today as I work to create an environment that allows everyone to grow and to celebrate their contributions.

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I thought I would be at the ABA for three to five years, but over the past 35 years I’ve taken on new roles there that have felt completely different, so I’ve stayed. I was appointed executive director at the end of July, and I’m looking forward to growing our membership and telling everyone about all our amazing programs.

P HOTO BY A MERICA N B A R ASSO CIAT IO N /A DA M B IE LAWSKI

How relationships helped Alpha Brady ’83 on her path to leading the American Bar Association.

M A K E Y O U R G I F T elmhurst.edu/ PresidentsCircle

EXPAND JOIN US IN WIDENING THE CIRCLE.

The President’s Circle at Elmhurst University honors our most generous donors. Together, these alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends empower more students to benefit from a life-changing Elmhurst education.

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT ’S CIRCLE WITH AN ANNUAL GIFT OF $�,��� OR MORE. You have the power to change lives.

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P RO S P E C T M AG A Z I N E

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Elmhurst University 190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296

Breaking Ground

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On Oct. 12, the University broke ground on an innovative new health sciences building.

Participants in the ceremony included (from left) Kurt Ashley, VP for operations and technology;

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Dean Pribbenow, VP for academic affairs; Diane Salvador, dean of the School of Health Sciences; Nora O’Malley, executive director of facilities management; and President Troy D. VanAken.

P RO S P E C T

THE MAGAZINE OF ELMHURST UNIVERSITY

FALL ����

VOLU ME 6, NU MBER �