PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

A TIME TO MAKE HISTORY

At Commencement, I always remind our graduates about the dual purpose of that important occasion. While it marks the end of one journey—that of an Elmhurst student—it also marks the start of the next. How appropriate, then, that this spring’s ceremony marked both the official end to our sesquicentennial celebrations and the first day of our next 150 years.

Elmhurst’s sesquicentennial, and the opportunity it afforded us to delve into our past, reaffirmed that preparing students for lives of meaning and success has always been, and will always be, our mission.

It also fueled the momentum for “Elmhurst 150: The Campaign for Elmhurst University,” the largest fundraising campaign in institutional history, and one that will firmly equip the University to nurture and serve future generations of students. In this issue of Prospect, we’ll introduce you to the ideas, plans and people at the heart of the campaign’s ambitious goals. With your support, the funds we raise will make a powerful impact for generations to come.

Over the past year, I hope we’ve all come to realize that, just as our history has made us, we now are poised to make history ourselves. Let us commence!

TROY D. VANAKEN President

THE CLASS Exercise Physiology SWEATING THE DETAILS

THE PROFESSOR Heather L. Hall

DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY

RECIPIENT, PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING 2021

In this class, workouts are part of the scientifi c process, and students are both researchers and subjects.

KEEPING IT FRESH This course is about looking at the eff ects of exercise on body systems. I created it more than 20 years ago, when we introduced our exercise science major. I’ve been teaching it so long that sometimes when I tell my friends that I have to go prepare for class, they say, “What do you have to prepare for?” But no matter how long I’ve been teaching a course, I always want to make it better. We dive into the current literature in the discipline, which is always changing. So there is always new material to add, which really helps stimulate their interest in the topic.

IN THE LAB The lab for this course is diff erent from any other in that the students are their own research subjects. For example, we do something called the Wingate anaerobic test, which measures anaerobic power and capacity by having subjects get on a stationary bike and pedal. So while one student is pedaling, their classmates are recording data, setting the resistance and counting revolutions. Everyone has a job to do. Then they rotate through all the various lab roles. For these tests to work, everything has to be precisely coordinated and synchronized. They quickly learn the value of teamwork.

PEDAL POWER This is a class where bonds form quickly because of the nature of the work students do in the lab. They all have this common experience of having to pedal like crazy in front of their classmates. That has a way of bringing everyone together.

THINKING LIKE A RESEARCHER One of my goals is to help students think like researchers. I focus on the methodological process of research in our discipline and use examples from my own research so students can learn how new knowledge is created and validated. We review the current research literature and spend time learning how to eff ectively read a scientifi c article. There is a unique logic and organization to scientifi c articles, and understanding how to navigate them and extract the required information is an important skill.

A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT To be honored with the 2021 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching meant the world to me, especially after such a challenging time for everyone at the University. Because of the pandemic, so many of us had to learn quickly to teach in new ways. We all worked very hard to make sure students still got the support and the experiences they deserve, whatever the challenges. To have students nominate me for the award tells me that I must have provided them with what they needed during a diffi cult time. That gives me such a sense of accomplishment and validation.

THE STUDENT VIEW

“This is one of those classes that you just look forward to. Dr. Hall’s lectures are really well organized and clear, which is important, because she is communicating some pretty difficult concepts. And I love how active the labs are. You really have to exert yourself physically. We’re our own guinea pigs.”

— NOLAN FRAAZA ’24

EXERCISE SCIENCE MAJOR