Aurora University Graduate Commencement 2020

Graduate Commencement Ceremony Sunday 2 August 2020

MISSION STATEMENT Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and examined lives. Our singular goal is to empower our students to achieve lasting personal and professional success.

STATEMENT OF CORE VALUES Aurora University draws upon the rich legacies of Aurora College and George Williams College to welcome learners to our campuses in Illinois and Wisconsin. Here all become members of an inclusive educational community dedicated to the development of mind, body, and spirit. Today, as in the past, we prize the twin virtues of character and scholarship and affirm our commitment to the values of integrity, citizenship, continuous learning, and excellence.

We will adhere to the highest standards of integrity in every aspect of institutional practice and operation. Through this proven dedication to honesty, respect, fairness, and ethical conduct, we will lead by example and inspire our students to do the same.

We will exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in an educational community, founded upon the principles of mutual respect and open discourse. We will live within our means and manage our resources wisely while creating an environment that fosters teamwork and promotes service to others.

We will work and live as an organization devoted to continuous learning.

We recognize that the university exists in a diverse and changing world and know that we will succeed in helping students achieve their full potential only if we realize our own. We seek a growth process that is never-ending.

We will pursue excellence by embracing quality as a way of community life. Accordingly, we will set high expectations for ourselves, our students, and our university and will work together to attain them.

The university’s core values are the foundation upon which our aspirations rest. They undergird our belief in the transformative power of learning.

As members of the Aurora University community, we enter into a voluntary compact with one another to live, learn, and work in ways consistent with these ideals.

Aurora University Graduate Commencement Ceremony Sunday 2 August 2020

Prelude Pomp and Circumstance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Edward Elgar The Alma Mater: Aurora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ross K. Tilton, Class of 1917 Aurora University Chorale; Joyce Lawson, piano Conducted by Lisa Fredenburgh, DMA, The Roger Parolini Endowed Professor of Music Words are printed on the last page of the program.

Welcome Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD, President

Invocation Mark Woolfington ’93, DMin, University Chaplain

Greetings Hilary Brennan ’83, Chair, Board of Trustees

Reflections Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD, President

Conferral of Degrees Frank Buscher, PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD, President The Degrees of Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Educational Technology, Master of Arts in Homeland Security, Master of Arts in Mathematics Education, Master of Arts in Reading Instruction, Master of Arts in Special Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science in Accountancy, Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Master of Science in Mathematics, Master of Social Work, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Social Work

President’s Charge to the Graduates

Benediction Mark Woolfington ’93, DMin, University Chaplain

Postlude How Can I Keep From Singing?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Wadsworth Lowry arr. Bradley Ellingboe Aurora University Chorale; Joyce Lawson, piano Conducted by Lisa Fredenburgh, DMA, The Roger Parolini Endowed Professor of Music

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Rebecca Schumacher Linda Serafini

MASTER OF ARTS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Carmen Abraham

Elizabeth Simonic

Crystal Fronimos

Maria-Elena Agrela

Amber Socaciu

Mary Glinke

Samantha Boldt

Sumayya Staab

Scott J. Guidos

Nathaniel Campbell

Richard E. Stiles Jr.

Alison Hamm

Lucy Carson

Lorena Ana Tapia

Mark Karadimos

Rachel Cialoni

Teresa Vemmer

Brianna Keeney

Joseph Conroy

Elizabeth Vergara

Courtney Ann Miller

Katherine M. Crosby

Matthew Wukitsch

Elizabeth O’Connor

Sheila Daly

Michael Yadgir

Michael Parker

Jennifer Doornbos

Brian J. Zerfas

Allison Schwerdtfeger

Marysol Sandoval

Jessica Egan

Frank Shaffer

Brock Rodney Feece

Rachel Sibley

Brittany Galow Kaitlyn Gonzalez Elizabeth Goudy

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

April Teasley

Christy Diane Grace

Megan Anderson

Veronica Hancock

Elyse Barron

Qiana Harrell

Scott Boulter

MASTER OF ARTS IN READING INSTRUCTION

Thomas Hart

Keriann Cobb

Erica Anklam

Jesse Hawley

Rachel Dawson

Chardon Hill

Violet Gronberg

Kristin Johnston Bamford

Kenneth Holowczak

Andrew Joseph Rhea

Donielle Boukram

Shalon Leschman

Kaitlyn Tomczak

Hailey Clabough

Erin McGinnis

Elyse Yates

Laura Essex Angela Marie Fisher

Josh McNaughton Melissa J. Miller

Kathleen Krella

Nicole PieranunziBaluan

MASTER OF ARTS IN HOMELAND SECURITY

Angela Marie Nondorf

Emily Placzkowski

Kent Manion

Jason Stone

Joseph Montanari

Patricia Van Hoesen Reuter

Meghan Kulakowski Sarah Sroka Jennifer Weibler

MASTER OF ARTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Katrina Bell

Lauren Hathaway

Jordan Berard

Karina Herrera

Michael Berg

Patricia Herrera

Teesha Benson

Andrew Biela

Isaiah Howard

Erin Kathleen Buddy

Maribeth Boonstra

Beesan Hryckiewicz

Jesse Coffey

Kristopher Boyce

Cristina Hurtado

Emily Frieders

Debra Brophy

Emily Janusevic

Lara Johnson

Belinda Burciaga

Georgina Jensen

Michelle Rose Keppel

Ashley Calvin

Scott Johnson

Ozlem Kurt

Maria Campos

Tori Johnson

Sara Maxwell

Samuel Casas

Nicholett Jones-Mattix

Kassie McDowell

Oscar Castaneda

Caitlyn Kaltenecker

Dee Neukirch

Iris Castellanos

Tyler Kelly

Zaida Quinones-Gonzalez

Elizabeth Castro

LaShon Kendrick

Katherine Sauerwein

Tiffany Chander

Jeffrey Kilburg

Kathleen Schiltz

Robert Chico

Edson King Jr.

Andrea Svejda

Jerome Christmas

Chase Koelber

Erin Szostak

Sydney Cihak

Benjamin Kribs

Clay Thompson

Marc Cramer

Abigail Lake

Jason VanPelt

Mareli Sarai Diaz

Lily Wei

Carly Ellis Dietrich

Lindsay Marie LangGluscic

Megan Dodia Mallory Ann Dugan

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Justin Esposito

Clarissa Adams

Jenise Freemon

Cindy Allen

Ryan Fromm

Rakan Ammari

Stavroula Stacy Galanis

Malaysavanh Anoulak

Jessica Gargo

Jordan Marcus Atkins

Courtney Genovese

Maranda Barnard

Daisy Gomez

Rachel Barrett

Izac Gomez

Lance Beier

Melissa Gutierrez

Theresa Eberhardt Joshua Favorite

Christopher LaPorte Mitchell Ryan Lave Collin Lay Autumn Leaks Andres Lerma Jr. Richard Lisciandro Joshua Livingston Eivilyn E. Lopez Jaime Lopez Patrick MacDonald Rashel Marrero Amanda R. Martinez Parker Masokas

Leatile Masula

Rosana Soto

Adriana Crystal Ramirez

Carmen L. McClain

Randi Stankus

Drake Riedy

Jessika McCleskey

Ian Sweeney

Jasmine Ruby Rubio

Sheila McCusker

Rochelle LaRae Tandy

Eric Charles Smith

Yvelisse Jocelyn Mendez

Besa Tetova

Julianna Stroup

Kailey Mills

Angela Trevino

Hannah Marie Moody

Dexter Turner

Joseph David Mooney

C. Maxfield Van De Mark

Bayley A. Murphy

Rafael Velazquez

Francine Norman

Tiffany Whooper

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY

Autumn Oley

Tyler Willer

Consuelo Aguirre

Johannah Olson

Hannah Noel Wozniak

Reilly Armstrong

Arian Osmani

Alina Gabriela Zamorano

Christopher Boes

Jerimiah Penny

Daniel Zielecki

Nicole Fitzgibbon

Krystal Petrovskis

Jessica Zulfekar

Melissa Forbeck-Kelly

Rene Portillo

Zachary Zuniga

Margarita Guerrero

Ariel Alexis Ramirez

Bozidar Ivancevic

Gerson Ramirez

Jacob Kiliszewski

Colin Rivard

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Geron Rogers

Josiah Alloway

Caitlin Kwitkowski

Leatrice Rogers

Daniel Chandler

Kyle Lutz

Linda Ellen Roller

Xiclali S. Cordova

Joshua Mapalo

Kamryn Ryan

Angelica Diaz

Daniel Joseph Schmitt

Katie Ryan

Hailey Edwards

Tyler Williams

Andrew Schilli

Emily Ernat

Katharine Schneberger

Colton Fellows

Ryan Sehring

Taylor Fenske

Eric Senske

Manuela Foonde

Troy Sheppard

Eric Greenfield

Harsukhraj Sidhu

Cadence Griffiths

John Smiley

Elizabeth Niete

Trey Snyder

Erika Ogwel

Patricia Soto

Karla Olivia Ortiz

Taka Ray

Maximillian Kirkwood Agnieszka Kuzma

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Alexis Butler

Clarissa Adams

Ronea Cabrera

Daniella Aguilar

Thresa Caccavale

Lauryn Amerio

Taelor Alexander

Aylin Cadena

Cory Andor

Sophie Allgire

Pamela Caine

Amber Joy Boyd

Katerine Alvarez

Megan Calabrese

Jennifer Dana

Julie Babyar

Melissa Arlene Carroll

Valeria Gass

Samantha L. Barry

Elizabeth Castro

Morgan Christine Geiser

Laura Bauer

Alexandria Celozzi

Haydn Joiner

Alicia Baxter

Tiffany Chander

Erica Kirinovic

Courtney Bazydlo

Hannah Chapman

Anja Kremer

Lance Beier

Louis Chisanga

Karina Lazarit

Brittni Ella Bell

Heather Chizzo

Amanda Lombardo

Katrina Bell

Maria Cristina Ciavarella

Ashley Malito

Yesica Bibian

Annette Cisneros

Servando Miranda

Nereida Bolivar

Jazzminn Cleary

Derek Prejna

Kathleen Bolling

Megan Coan

Arlett Ramos

Kyle Bonato

Alli Cochrum

Courtney Sanocki

Lissete Bonilla

Jessica Collins

Kayla Snedecor

Maribeth Boonstra

Christin Colon

Suzannah Allena Wenzel

Tessa Botka

Leigh Condon

Samantha Widdows

Courtney Bouche

Angelica Connolly

Saskia Wise

William Tiva Bounthong

Araceli Corral

Hannah Yandel

Lidia Brander

Asia Craig

LaCretia Brazzleton

Sarah Creasor

Quo-Shayla Brewer

Rebecca Cummings

Shannon BrooksRodgers

Tom Cyriac

Tyler Ringer Brown

Teresa D’Aversa

Chloe Rose Brunner

Robert Davis

Danielle Bryan

Michaela Dean

Emily Bunescu

Maryssa Renee DeNardo

Mindy Marie Burkhamer

Staci Detwiler

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MATHEMATICS Maureen Toth

Jennell Lynn Bustamante

Melanie Marie Dabrowski

Christina Grace Dewar

Yadira Garcia

Jessica Jorgensen

Ana Diaz

Angela Gasbarre

Katherine Kalina

Carly Ellis Dietrich

Stephanie Gofron

Zachary Karr

Megan Dixon

Yoanny Gonzalez-Trejo

Kayla Katarzynski

Lisa Anne Dole

Brook Griffith

Kelli Keinath

Erin Dombrowski

Delaney Guinan

Brianna Grace Kelly

Christopher Dominguez

Alesia Haley

April C. Kelow

Alicia Donegan

Julianna Harmon

Maria Dongo

Colleen Harris

Damian Michael Kieltyka

Mac Dralle

Aleshia Hawkins

Anna Borteley Duamroh

Kya Hays

Shannon Dudzienski

Samantha Heiden

Meghan Duffy

Ashley Hernandez

Cynthia Dunevant

Sandybel Hernandez

Erin Dunne

Amarilis Herrera

Sara Egan

Kaitlyn Lena Herrera

Daniela Elizondo

Michelle Herrera

Megan Erhart

Brittany Hetzel

Lizbeth Garcia Escutia

Kathryn Higgins

Debra Farnsworth

Candace Hill

Nelida Bahena Figueroa

Markesha Hill

Elizabeth Fisher

Onetha Hill

Caitlin Fletcher

Rosalia Hornig

Heather Michelle Fletcher

Shae Hunt

Melissa Stephanie Fletes

Rachel Ibrahim

Charis Foust

Jennifer Inserro

Wilyna Frankel

Yasmeen Ivory

Dana Marie Fritche

Shatoya Marie Jackson

Morgan Galvin

Kadijah James

Stephanie Gancarski

Georgina Jensen

Brittany Garcia

Keith Johnson

Daisy Garcia

Zoe Elizabeth Johnson

Jocelynn Valencia Garcia

Mercedes JohnsonIshmon

Rocio Garcia

Tanya M. Kirkwood Nicole Kirsner Rachel Francine Kistler Lilliana Klay Kristin M. Kleinmeyer Elizabeth Koenig Chardyce Kott Benjamin Kribs Meriah Kruit Kristina Kuksuk Rachel Lally Hannah Lanasa Erin Marie Landshaft Lindsay Marie LangGluscic Brittany Langton Cheris Larson Erin Lawinger Christina Elizabeth Lipe Rhyann Locke Edna Lopez Jancy Lundberg Maria Majewska Lauren Marasco Sidney Marchio Janira Marie Marquez

Raquel Martin

Rebekah Munch

Jeanette Quevedo-Pfister

Angelica A. Martinez

Deyanira Munoz

Frida Ramirez

Rebecca Mascal

Sequitta Murphy

Lizeth Ramirez

Anna Masella

Matthew R. Murray

Deanna Reed

Lauren Mason

Tasheika Nash

Adriana Resendiz

Kylie Maton

Cynthia Negrete

Kim Elizze Reyes

Kaitlyn McCormack

Audrey Nelson

Cara McCoy

Brittany Nelson

Tia Alberta-Rainbow Richards

Danielle McDuffy

Victoria Nett

Christopher McFarland

Ashley R. Newell

Kristen McIntyre

Dalila Nzinga Ngubani

Leanna McMeekan

Anna Nokes

Kimberly McMillian

Janelle Norden

Brittany McWaine

Iliana G. Ochoa

Jacquelyn Merki-Butler

Kristen Oldin

Hannah Miller

Johannah Olson

Lauren Mills

Kayla Orr

Emily Milord

Emily Kate Osterberg

Chloe Milot

Iesha Nicole Owens

Mallory Elaine Misener

Raissa Paladino

Erica Mitchell

Elisabeth Palmerin

Aine Mittler

Valerie Pazos

Kara Kyle Molik

Abigail Pe

Joseph David Mooney

Sarah Peltier

Sarah Moore

Joyce Perez

Claudia Morales

Karissa Perkins

Gabrielle Josie Moreno

Katherine Peterson

Alannah Morgan

Alison Petykowski

Stephanie Mostacci

Dillon Pfau

Nicole Ann Muellerschoen

Andrew Phillips

Mikayla Carol Rose Schmidt

Robert Mugera

Lexi Piccatto

Katharine Schneberger

Joanna Podosek

Christina Schneider

Caroline Pollock

Heather Schultz

Nicole Pope

Ryan Christopher Schultz

Katherine Mullen Jennifer Mullis

Molly Riemersma Daisy Rios Lizbeth Rios Elizabeth Anne Robbins Deandre L. Robinson Sr. Lauren Robinson Andrea Rodriguez Ingrid Shiomara Rodriguez Megan Rogers Amy Rogowski Jasmin Alexandra Rojo Itzel Roman Courtney Hoeft Rozek Molly Rueff Grace Ryan Jazmin Salazar Kelly Marie Salvo Madeline Sandgren Samantha Santo Amber Leigh Schiffman

Nicole Sarah Scott

Catherine Stieg

Torey Walker

Amanda Seals

Christine Stryjewski

Grace Elizabeth Weber

Ryan Sehring

Susan Strysik

Amber Weiss

Alma Rosa Serna

Oletha Styles

Charles Wells

Barbara Shaw

Tomas Michael Sulek

Sarah Lynn Wetherell

Rosa Sida

Madaline Svencner

Jessica Whitesell

Jenna Sierra

Stephanie Tasicas

Molly Elizabeth Wilk

Kaitlin Silagyi

Mary Taylor

Alexis Wilks

Jade Alexus Siler

Amy Thompson

Bryann Williams

Amrit Kaur Singh

Morgan Ann Tobias

Corriel Williams

Brittany Sivels

Misty Trawick

Diana Williams

Ashlin Skariya

Deidra K. Trout

Nazree Diane Williams

Victoria Skrebunas

Mary Trujillo

Roxanne Rae Willis

Allison Slagle

Amy Underwood

Laura Wills

Alexandra Victoria Smith

Richard Upchurch

Halle R. Winkler

Emily Smith

Allison Valerio

Shakyra Winston

Jaquelyn Smith

Emily Vankuren

Kim Wirth

Mary Alice Snydersmith

Jennifer Venegas

Stephanie L. Wisniewski

Nicole Soloff

Haley Versluys

Kimberly Wolf

Lucy Sosa

Briana Vintika

Dralisa Young

Maggie Sowa

Joey Wagner

Jana M. Bollmann Young

Michaela Spillare

Amanda Marie WagnerTesmond

Jennifer Zolo

Nicole Waldecker

Zachary Zuniga

Emily Spillios Alexis Stella

Haleigh Zorn

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Scott Orville Adreon Leadership in Educational Administration “From Resistance to Acceptance: Successfully Implementing Restorative Practices in a Suburban High School” Eric D. Dohrmann Leadership in Educational Administration “A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Traditional Discipline and Restorative Justice Practices on High School Student Social Behavioral Growth” Alyson R. Gaspar Leadership in Adult and Higher Education “An Assessment of the Self-Perception of Academic Competencies of Community College Students” Jeffrey Herb Leadership in Educational Administration “The Art of Building Digital Capacities: Listening to In-Service Practitioners Struggling to Become Connected Educators” Eric Koranda Leadership in Educational Administration “Perceptions of Public Secondary School Principals Related to Employee Management and Human Resource Organizational Systems” Leslie Ann Kressin Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction “Teacher Freedom and Student Ownership in the Classroom: Integrating High-Value Technology in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom” Pedro Pérez-Llorente Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction “Purposeful Academic Language Switch (PALS): A Strategic Option to Bridging Translanguage and Academic Language”

Roxana Sanders Leadership in Educational Administration “Qualitative Analysis of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-Related Content on Websites of High School Districts in Illinois” David A. Taylor Leadership in Adult and Higher Education “Effects of Instruction, College Major, and Personal Epistemology on the Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution by Community College Students” Katherine Villasin Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction “An Exploration of Play in the Kindergarten Classroom: A Teacher’s Perspective, A Teacher’s Practice” Victor Wight Leadership in Educational Administration “Student and Teacher Perceptions of School Climate in PBIS-Implementing Middle Schools” Tracy Zalud Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction “Reconceptualizing the Classroom: An Exploration of the Student and Educator Experience of Flexible Seating in the Elementary School Classroom Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory” Craig Aaron Zieleniewski Leadership in Educational Administration “A Comparison of Parent and Teacher Perceptions of the Relative Importance of Skills Affecting Kindergarten Readiness”

DOCTOR OF SOCIAL WORK Kimberly A. Alderson “The Relationship Between Burnout and Self-Care in the Social Work Profession” Lisa M. Carswell “A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Obese African American Women” Cindy Ann Cook “The Impact of Physician Empathy from a Parent’s Perspective” Beth Marie Hawkins “The Effectiveness of a Client Centered Approach Training Program for Substance Use Professionals” Kasey Elizabeth Huff “The Relationship of Grit, Locus of Control, and Age in Participants with a Substance Use Disorder or Dual Diagnosis” Tiffany M. Nelson “Through the Lens of Individual Psychology: A Study of How an Educator’s Perception of Their Early Childhood Experiences Impact Their Practice of Teaching Undergraduate and Graduate Level Social Work Students” Maria Del Carmen Sinkule “What Influences School Social Workers into the Field? Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adult Attachment, and Empathy in School Social Workers”

ACADEMIC CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS The Presidential Chain The presidential chain prominently features gold ivy leaves. Early in the 20th century, John W. Beach, professor of Greek and Latin, suggested that ivy leaves growing on the outside of Eckhart Hall could be awarded to students showing exceptional academic achievement each semester.

In 1932, Aurora College created the Gold Ivy Leaf Award. The tradition continues today as the university recognizes its most outstanding students each spring at the Honors Convocation.

Three medallions tell the story of Aurora University. One features the Aurora College seal and another the George Williams College seal. There are striking similarities to the two emblems. One features a torch and the other a lamp of learning, powerful testimony to our understanding that education is a source of illumination and truth — the transformative power of learning. The two college seals find their final expression in the new Aurora University emblem encircled with the signature AU blue. In higher education, presidential chains and medallions indicate that the wearer is the highest office holder at institutional ceremonies.

The Academic Ceremonial Mace The university mace was designed to represent the founding schools of Aurora University — Aurora College and George Williams College. The mace, originally a weapon used in the Middle Ages, has over the centuries become a symbol of order and authority. The design of the center head of the mace links Aurora College and George Williams College to Aurora University. The center head also includes the university seal.

The mace is carried by a university official in the processions that begin and end academic exercises, such as Convocation and Commencement, and immediately precedes the president. When it is not being used in university ceremonies, the mace is displayed in the president’s office.

Regalia At Aurora University, academic regalia is worn on ceremonial occasions, in a manner consistent with a tradition that finds its origins in the Middle Ages. As early as 1321, university degree holders wore costumes designed to reflect their particular status and roles. In addition to signaling differences in rank, the garments also served functional purposes. For example, the long gown provided necessary warmth in the drafty buildings of the time. Since each institution of higher learning

was free to develop its own distinctive regalia, many different forms of academic dress are found within the European tradition.

American colleges and universities opted for a greater degree of uniformity.

Their representatives gathered at Columbia University in 1895 to devise common standards for academic regalia. In the United States, gowns distinguish the rank of the wearer. For instance, the bachelor’s gown is unadorned and is characterized by wide sleeves that are pointed at the hem. The gowns worn by master’s degree recipients also are unadorned, but have curiously elongated sleeves. Doctoral gowns are trimmed with velvet facings down the front. Their bell-shaped sleeves are trimmed with three velvet bars across the sleeves. Graduates of most American colleges and universities wear black gowns. However, some institutions provide for special variations. For example, doctoral recipients from Harvard University wear crimson gowns; those from Yale University wear blue; and individuals holding doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University wear maroon and purple, respectively.

Black mortarboards are standard to most institutions of higher learning, although some feature soft velvet tams or Elizabethan caps. Traditionally, candidates for degrees wear the tassels on their mortarboards on the right, while those upon whom degrees have been conferred wear them on the left. Recipients of doctoral degrees may wear either black or gold tassels.

Hoods provide the color in an academic procession. These garments, which today serve only ceremonial purposes, are worn fastened at the front of the collar and draped over the shoulders in such a way as to display the linings, which represent the color of the university awarding the degree. The hoods also have velvet linings in colors that represent particular disciplines or fields of study. Those worn by graduates in arts and letters, for example, are trimmed in white velvet, while those worn by degree recipients in education are trimmed in light blue velvet.

AWARDS AND HONORS Military Recognition — This acknowledgement is given to undergraduate and graduate students who have honorably served, are serving, or are commissioned to serve in the United States military. Students are recognized by a red, white, and blue cord, signifying Aurora University’s appreciation for their service and dedication.

AURORA UNIVERSITY Aurora University traces its origins to the 1893 founding of a seminary in the small town of Mendota, Illinois. Though established initially to prepare graduates for ministry, the institution soon adopted a broader mission and moved to a new campus on the western edge of the nearby community of Aurora. With this change came a different name and a growing enrollment. When World War II ended, the campus population swelled again as veterans enrolled in the college’s innovative evening degree program. The 1970s and 1980s saw an expansion of curricular offerings in a number of professional fields and the awarding of advanced degrees in selected disciplines. These changes culminated in the 1985 decision to rechristen the institution Aurora University.

The roots of George Williams College run deep in the YMCA movement of the 19th century. In 1884, leaders from America’s western YMCAs gathered in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to attend a summer training program. Two years later, the camp was incorporated and the first parcel of the current Williams Bay campus was purchased. Since that time, “college camp” has been a source of inspiration, recreation, education, and renewal for thousands of guests and students. In 1992, the Aurora University and George Williams College traditions blended when the two institutions entered into the affiliation agreement that paved the way for merger eight years later.

Today Aurora University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. The institution enrolls approximately 6,000 degree-seeking students a year on its Illinois and Wisconsin campuses and through its online program.

AU students participate in a wide range of on- and off-campus learning experiences. They can join more than 60 musical, literary, religious, social, and service organizations and play active roles in campus governance.

In addition, the university currently fields 24 NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic teams.