Aurora University Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: SIX ALUMNI FIND PURPOSE AND PASSION

Painting by the Numbers

The Aurora University Chorale embarked on its first-ever overseas tour with a trip to Ireland. The May 2023 Ireland tour featured performances at concert venues and churches across the Emerald Isle, including at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin—the largest cathedral and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Ireland. For more on this historic tour, scan the QR code.

President Emeritus

Rebecca L. Sherrick, PhD

Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing

Deborah Maue

Editor

Sandra Jones

Designer

Nicole Dudka

Contributing Writers

Kate Moore ’07

H. Lee Murphy

Jeremy Pittenger

Laura Pohl

Christina Young ’16, ’21 MBA

Copy Editor

Molly Heim

Photographers

Chuck Eaton

Joshua Huston

Sam Krueger

Bob Sharp

Kip Shaw

Sylvia Springer

Cover Photographer

Jason Varney

347 S. Gladstone Ave. Aurora, IL 60506-4892

It’s Never Too Late to Discover What Matters

2023 SEASON EVENTS

Saturday, June 17 7:30 p.m.

Linda Eder

Showcasing one of the greatest voices of our time, Linda Eder’s diverse repertoire spans Broadway, standards, pop, country, and jazz. When she performs live in concert, it is amazing to experience the ease with which she moves back and forth from one genre to another.

Sunday, June 25 4 p.m.

Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players

Five-time Grammy nominee Justin Roberts is one of the founders of the modern family music scene. For 25 years, Roberts has been creating the soundtrack to families’ lives, helping kids navigate the joys and sorrows of growing up, while inspiring parents to remember their own childhoods.

Saturday, July 8 7:30 p.m.

Martina McBride

Multiple Grammy nominee

Martina McBride has sold over 23 million albums to date, which includes 20 Top 10 singles and six #1 hits. She has earned more than 15 major music awards, including four wins for Female Vocalist of the Year from the Country Music Association.

Sunday, July 16 4 p.m.

Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra

Travel with the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra this summer and visit places across the country through music! Experience Chicago from the musical and Sinatra’s New York, New York. Come along for this amazing adventure!

Saturday, July 22 7:30 p.m.

The Guess Who

Legendary Canadian band

The Guess Who enjoyed chart-topping hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s with an impressive catalogue of songs, including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” and “No Time.” The band has released 11 studio albums, and charted 14 Top 40 hit singles.

Saturday, July 29 7:30 p.m.

BritBeat

Take a trip back in time with a fantastic voyage through the days of Beatlemania with BritBeat’s multimedia concert journey through Beatles music history. See why this nationally acclaimed Beatles show is captivating audiences and generating rave reviews from critics.

Purchase tickets at musicbythelake.com or call 262-245-8501. musicbythelake.com | musicbythelake

Music by the Lake is presented by George Williams College of Aurora University on its Geneva Lake campus, just seven miles from downtown Lake Geneva in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.

A FAREWELL FROM PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. REBECCA L. SHERRICK

Each time the calendar called for preparation of an Aurora University Magazine letter, I relished an opportunity to share news, prayers, and thoughts with the alumni, parents, friends, trustees, investors, faculty, and staff who join our students in comprising the university family. Today I am at the kitchen table, writing one last letter. The sun is out, and the faithful daffodils that skirt the foundation of Eckhart Hall are taller this morning than they were days ago. Spring is on its way to Aurora University. Commencement draws near. And my heart beats with gratitude and optimism.

We begin this issue with a celebration of the arts and their vital place at the center of our community. The timing is perfect: In May, the Aurora University Chorale took its first international tour. We share an update on the tradition of excellence that compels the AU athletic program and the extraordinary success of our Spartans. Find here also news of our ever-growing list of mission trip experiences. There simply is no better way to enter into the experiences of others than to walk at their sides and to recognize the bonds we share as members of one human family.

Finally, we return again to exploring the meaning of the phrase that, in my estimation, best represents our collaboration over the last two decades. Discover what matters and build your life around it. What began years ago as a marketing message now embodies the essence of our mission on campus, online, and in the larger community. As educators, we seek to prepare graduates not just for incomes to be earned but for lives to be lived. Here, in a feature built upon the voices of six alumni, you see the possibilities. As you read, please linger. Maybe you will even reflect upon what matters most to you.

In April of 2000, when I met for the first time as president-elect with members of the assembled AU community, I spoke of what mattered most to me: our students. I pledged my own commitment to the university’s mission and promised to live according to the values set forth by Aurora College, George Williams College, and Aurora University. I spoke about reclaiming the best of the past. Then I shared the few final words that best

summarize to this day my personal mission as president. I promised to work always in the best interest of our students, to perceive the world from their vantage points and in terms of their futures.

Like so many of my 12 predecessors, I had the privilege of guiding the university through times of testing and those of exultation. Now I look forward to cheering for all who will follow, especially Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills. I conclude this letter as I so often have closed AU commencement ceremonies, “May the God who brought us together for these years in this place be with you today, tomorrow, and forever more.”

Amen.

Rebecca L. Sherrick, President Emeritus

Free day at the museum takes students ‘beyond the internet’

Aurora University undergraduate students now have free access to nearly 300,000 works of art at one of the largest museums in the world. In the fall, AU became a member of the University Partner Program at the Art Institute of Chicago, which allows students to explore the museum’s vast collection of objects at no cost. In addition, students can visit exhibits, access archival materials, and attend lectures and performances at the museum.

“Being exposed to art allows students to understand the broader realm of culture at large,” said Mark Walter, AU associate professor of philosophy. “Students gain knowledge about ways of thinking, of concepts, and about how others approach and understand the world.”

Walter has incorporated optional field trips to the Art Institute as part of his freshman-level interdisciplinary studies courses, as well as in his philosophy classes. He also encourages students to visit the museum on their own.

“Excursions into the city, especially those involving the arts, offer students a wider perspective than what they may have seen and experienced up to this point,” he said.

For Tania Hernandez ’26, viewing art up close at the museum added more visual context to what she learned in the classroom. She appreciated seeing objects from different time periods, which gave her a better understanding of how the world has transformed.

“I saw how the fashion aesthetics changed, how defense tools and lifestyle objects changed, and was able to compare them to what we have today,” said Hernandez. “Visiting the Art Institute goes beyond a lecture, beyond history book graphics, beyond the internet.”

AU students are not only learning through the University Partner

Program, but they are teaching too. Each year, the Art Institute hosts the University Partner Fest, a daylong event where students of member institutions give presentations on works of art. This past February, Emily Dutton ’25 discussed American impressionist Frank Weston Benson’s painting, “Rainy Day,” while Trey Ambrose ’24 talked about the installation “Double Sink” by American sculptor Robert Gober.

The partnership expanded in March when the museum hosted the first AU Day at the Art Institute of Chicago. AU students, faculty, staff, and their guests were admitted free of charge to all of the galleries and special exhibits, and took part in AU-exclusive programming.

“The visit enabled me to see the world in a new light,” said Reyna Pineda ’26. “I learned a lot by simply reading artist statements. While many artists explained their work, others left it for me to interpret. The experience enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the art world.”

Visiting the Art Institute goes beyond a lecture, beyond history book graphics, beyond the internet.”

—Tania Hernandez ’26

State Sen. Linda Holmes awarded honorary degree

Illinois Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her work improving the health, education, and quality of life for Illinois residents.

The Aurora University Board of Trustees bestowed the degree upon Holmes with the enthusiastic support of the faculty and administration at the 2022 Commencement ceremony in December.

Holmes has been a longtime advocate for AU, guided by her belief in providing students with access to educational resources. She has been a committed partner in many AU initiatives over the years, including most recently the launch of AU’s Pathways program, which was created to help college students with autism reach their potential in their studies and in their careers. With her support, AU constructed one of the nation’s first residence halls designed specifically to support neurodiverse students.

Holmes has served in the Illinois Senate since 2006 and received accolades for her unwavering advocacy for all Illinois residents. She was named Legislator of the Year by the Illinois EMS Alliance for her support of their life-saving work. And the Humane Society of the United States recognized Holmes for her animal welfare legislation. In 2019, Holmes was the recipient of AU’s George B. Peters Community Partnership Award honoring individuals who strive to serve the greater good and strengthen the bond between the university and the community.

Human-animal studies students provide food for

furry friends and fish

Tango’s Pantry, a new student-run pet food pantry, is helping Aurora University students with animal companions by providing a source of food for their dogs, cats, and fish. The pet food bank opened earlier this year in the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action.

The pantry came to fruition as part of an animal-welfare course project completed by Madisyn Byerley ’25, Kennedy Keaton ’24, Madison McCalley ’24, and Tatiana Stephenson ’25. The course requires students to develop an idea that promotes animal welfare and to create a plan of implementation.

“The presence of animals within households allows for a way to form important emotional bonds that reduce stress, lessen symptoms of mental health disabilities, and provide physical and mental support,” explained Stephenson. “We believe that this pantry is important, as it offers a safety net for students who need help with both food and pet supply access.”

The new pantry pays homage to Tango, President Emeritus Rebecca L. Sherrick’s wheaten terrier, who frequently visited campus until he passed away in 2021.

GWC legacy continues with named school of social work, scholars program

The Aurora University Board of Trustees approved two resolutions in recognition of the George Williams College commitment to teaching and learning that will allow the GWC legacy to continue to flourish for generations to come.

The first resolution calls for celebrating the GWC tradition by naming the university’s social work school the George Williams School of Social Work.

In addition, the trustees approved the establishment of the George Williams Scholars Program. Outstanding undergraduates will have an opportunity to apply to participate in this distinctive immersive learning experience, designed to embody many aspects of the group-work tradition.

AU and GWC began their affiliation in 1992 with social work programs and merged in 2000.

Above: Tatiana Stephenson ’25 (left) and Madisyn Byerley ’25 welcome students to the new pet food pantry named after Dr. Sherrick’s dog, Tango.

At 18, Susannah Gooch ’22 is youngest graduate in AU history

When Susannah Gooch ’22 crossed the commencement stage last December, she didn’t just earn her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education. She became the youngest student known to graduate from Aurora University in the school’s history, at age 18.

Gooch was home-schooled in Gilberts, Illinois, and her parents introduced new material to her whenever she was ready. At the age of 14, Gooch began college coursework at Elgin Community College, where she gained confidence among her peers despite their age difference. After earning her associate’s degree in 2020 at 16, she transferred to AU, where she studied to become a high school math teacher while also playing the piano, singing in the choir, and pursuing a minor in music.

Since the Illinois State Board of Education requires prospective teachers to be a minimum age of 19 to receive their teaching license, Gooch had to wait until her birthday in March for the state to activate her license. (She passed the licensure exam two years ago.) Now she is eager to start her career as a teacher and engage a new generation of students.

“I hope to inspire students to genuinely apply themselves to learning math, even if it’s not a preferred subject,” said Gooch, “because I believe that all students have a God-given potential to learn and grow.”

Marco Antonio Olivera ’23 honored as Lincoln Academy Student Laureate

Marco Antonio Olivera ’23 of Beloit, Wisconsin, has been recognized with the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, representing AU as Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.

In the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the award honors Student Laureates for their “leadership and service in pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities,” according to the Springfield, Illinois-based nonprofit organization.

As an AU student, Olivera worked as an intern and mentor in his hometown through Beloit College’s Help Yourself Programs, which prepare low-income, first-generation minority students to go to college. He has served as president of the AU Latin American Student Organization, and he is a member of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Association, the AU History Club, the AU Pride Alliance Club, the Black Student Union, Aurora University Educators Rising, and the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. He has also served as a campus peer advisor and student orientation leader.

Upon graduating from AU with a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education, Olivera plans to enlist in the U.S. Navy and work as a hospital corpsman. He will begin his teaching career after his five-year military commitment.

Scott Center for Online and Graduate Studies opens on campus

The offices of Aurora University Online and the Center for Graduate Studies moved out of the Orchard Center, where they had been for nearly a decade, to a new home on the main Aurora campus.

The Scott Center for Online and Graduate Studies is named for Dr. Thomas R. Scott GWC ’61, ’63 MS and his late wife, Shirley Klein Scott, lifelong leaders who embraced and promoted the ideal of service in their professional and private lives.

Tom earned a master’s degree in group work administration at George Williams College and worked in higher education, while Shirley was an elementary school teacher. Tom served on the AU Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2015, and is currently a board member emeritus. In 2016, GWC dedicated its two-story library as the Thomas R. and Shirley Klein Scott Library in honor of its benefactors. Throughout their careers as educators, the Scotts influenced countless students of all ages. The Scott Center for Online and Graduate Studies will continue this important legacy.

Marco Antonio Olivera ’23 wears his Student Laureate medal.

Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills Named AU’s 14th President

Susana Rivera-Mills, PhD, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Ball State University, has been named the 14th president of Aurora University. Rivera-Mills will begin her presidency June 1.

The Aurora University Board of Trustees unanimously approved Rivera-Mills’ appointment after a six-month search conducted by the trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, and students comprising the Presidential Search Committee. She will be the first Latina to lead AU as president since the institution’s founding in 1893.

A native of El Salvador and a first-generation college graduate, Rivera-Mills, 52, has personally experienced the transformative power of

education. As a university leader, she is committed to providing access to education to diverse populations.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Rivera-Mills to AU,” said John Ammons ’83, chair of the AU Board of Trustees and of the Presidential Search Committee. “She is a dynamic, authentic leader and a thoughtful listener who has lived the experience of many of our students. With her servant-leadership style and passion for bringing education

to a broad population, her vision and values align with AU’s inclusive, student-centered mission. She is the clear choice for president at this time in the university’s history.”

Rivera-Mills arrived in the U.S. at the age of 12 as her family fled civil war in El Salvador. Like many immigrant students, she soon learned English and became the linguistic broker for her family. It was a high school Spanish teacher who changed the trajectory of her life by saying to her in conversation—“when you go to college,” not “if you go to college”—a word choice that instilled in Rivera-Mills a belief that she could be anything she wanted to be.

As provost at Ball State since July 2018, Rivera-Mills oversaw all aspects of the university’s academic mission. She played crucial roles in the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan and in academic innovation. She supported first-generation college students, promoted faculty development and leadership, and guided the academic units through a new incentive-based budget model.

She also engaged extensively with university governance to ensure equity and inclusion in the hiring, promotion, and tenure processes, as well as in retention of faculty and staff.

Previously, she served in a variety of academic roles at Oregon State University from 2007 to 2018, including vice provost of academic programs and learning innovation, dean of undergraduate studies, executive associate dean of the liberal arts college, and department chair of modern languages. Before that, she was a faculty member at Northern Arizona University for 13 years.

With her servant-leadership style and passion for bringing education to a broad population, her vision and values align with AU’s inclusive, student-centered mission. She is the clear choice for president at this time in the university’s history.”

—John Ammons ’83, chair of the AU Board of Trustees and of the Presidential Search Committee

Painting by

As AU president, Dr. Rebecca L. Sherrick combined a love of the arts with financial discipline to leave a lasting legacy.

the Numbers

Portrait artist Jacqueline Jasper works out of her studio in northeastern Pennsylvania to create Dr. Sherrick’s official presidential portrait. Jasper’s work hangs in prominent homes and institutions across America.

It was a mild Tuesday evening in March when Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin took the stage at Crimi Auditorium. She spoke to a packed house about how great presidents recognized and summoned the leadership qualities in themselves to overcome uncommon adversity.

One week later, at the same venue, the Joffrey Ballet performed to a standing-room-only crowd a ballet about a girl whose family fled hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico in search of a place to call home.

The performances were free, open to the public, and drew large, diverse audiences. And they symbolized how far Aurora University had come since Dr. Rebecca L. Sherrick arrived the summer of 2000 as president.

“We had virtually no arts program before Dr. Sherrick came here,” said Gerald Butters, professor of history and a frequent moderator of author events. “We didn’t have performance spaces. We didn’t have students tied into artistic events. And all of that has changed.”

During her 22-year tenure at AU, Sherrick accomplished many of the milestones expected of a university president—increasing enrollment, building new halls and centers, expanding the athletics program, welcoming new populations of learners, restoring a fiscally sound budget, and raising millions of dollars.

But her proudest accomplishment, she said shortly after announcing last summer that she was stepping down, has been bringing the arts back to campus.

It can be argued that the arts are the cornerstone of academic life at a university. Exposure to the arts drives creative thinking and sparks new ideas for solving the pressing problems of the world. Art is also good for mental health, relieving stress and anxiety.

With that in mind, Sherrick began working to find ways to bring more music, dance, theatre, lectures, literature, and culture to campus at a steady pace throughout her presidency.

Within her first year, she revived the undergraduate music program and brought back the Music by the Lake summer music festival to the George Williams College campus on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. She added new courses and programs in art, museum studies, religion, and theatre.

Three years later, she oversaw the building of the 500-seat Crimi Auditorium, providing the largest performance hall on campus and marking her first major construction project. Another eight new buildings would follow.

By 2006, she established the Celebrating Arts and Ideas and Sundays at 4 series, bringing scores of renowned authors, singers, historians, filmmakers, journalists, musicians, and dancers to campus. Frequently, the presenters set aside separate discussion times with students before taking the stage for the main public event.

In the summer of 2010, artisans from Létourneau Organs Ltd. of Quebec arrived on campus to install and voice the university’s handcrafted, custom-made mahogany Opus 119 pipe organ. The Opus 119, set in Crimi Auditorium and touting 1,230 pipes, combines the beautiful, clear tones of the English cathedral style with the regal majesty of French organs.

David Schrader, an organist and frequent guest artist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performed the organ’s inaugural recital as part of the Arts and Ideas series.

By 2015, the Schingoethe Center, a collection of Native American art housed on campus, moved into its own museum gallery space at the newly constructed Hill Welcome Center, and two years later, the expanded museum of American art received designation as a Smithsonian affiliate.

The portrait of Dr. Sherrick, AU’s 13th president, painted by Jacqueline Jasper, will hang in the Hill Welcome Center alongside photos of past AU presidents.

“As wonderful as technology is and as exciting as it is to provide programming in human services, one of the things we can do very well is to lift up the human spirit,” Sherrick said in an August 2000 Chicago Tribune interview. “The arts can do that.”

A HIGHER CALLING

Growing up in a small college town in central Illinois, Sherrick learned early that she felt most at home on a university campus.

At her family-owned drugstore in Carthage, the soda fountain was a popular hangout for students and professors. As a child, she and her friends would sneak into the college gym to play and eat in the dining hall with a favorite babysitter. Campus activities were the center of community life.

“Higher education is a vocation in the same sense that a ministry is,” said Sherrick in an interview upon starting her job as AU president. “For me, the chance to work with students of all ages resembles a calling.”

Sherrick attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, and earned her bachelor’s degree in history, summa cum laude, in 1975. IWU recognized her achievements with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree awarded to her in 2001.

She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for doctoral studies on a William Randolph Hearst Fellowship and completed her PhD in history with specializations in American and Latin American history in 1980.

Left: David Schrader, organist and guest artist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performed the inaugural recital on the newly installed, custom-built Opus 119 pipe organ in 2010. Above: The Schingoethe Center celebrated Native American identity and craftsmanship with a 2018 fashion exhibit, “Threads.”

A LASTING LEGACY SUPPORTING THE ARTS

“ We had virtually no arts program before Dr. Sherrick came here. And all of that has changed.”

—Gerald Butters, professor of history

22 YEARS AS AU PRESIDENT 13th PRESIDENT OF AU

32,437 DEGREES CONFERRED DURING HER TENURE

3x INCREASE IN UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT

Prior to assuming the leadership of AU, she served for 20 years as a faculty member and senior administrator at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She developed a women’s studies program and served two terms as faculty president, eventually rising to provost before coming to AU.

At AU, she made history as the first female president and the second-longest-serving president since the university’s founding in 1893. (Theodore Pierson Stephens was the longest-serving president, at 29 years, serving from 1933 to 1962 and keeping the institution afloat through the Great Depression and World War II.)

For more than two decades, Sherrick led AU effectively during external challenges that affected not only the university but society at large, including the Great Recession, the Monetary Award Program college student funding crisis in Illinois, and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“The institution’s campus in Aurora is expanded and renovated, now recognized for its truly exceptional educational facilities,” said John Ammons ’83, chair of the Aurora University Board of Trustees. “The university is positioned for continued success and controlled growth in an ever-more-complicated higher-education marketplace.”

In recognition of her service, the AU Board of Trustees has granted Sherrick the title of president emeritus and faculty emeritus.

“You can see Dr. Sherrick’s accomplishments in the appearance of our campus, our new buildings, and the sports complex, but most importantly in the programs that are available to students at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels of study,” said Frank Voris, board trustee emeritus. “Under her leadership, Aurora has become an exemplary institution of higher learning.”

Left: An Illinois-born historian and scholar, Dr. Sherrick is an avid reader and an Abraham Lincoln enthusiast. Above: In 2001, Sherrick revived the popular Music by the Lake summer festival on Geneva Lake at George Williams College in Wisconsin. In 2008, the Ferro Pavilion performance venue was built.

Dr. Sherrick celebrates with Head Football Coach Don Beebe and players after the Spartans’ win against the Alma College Scots, which sent the football team on to their first NCAA DIII quarterfinals in AU history.

133 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

145 NCAA APPEARANCES

A PLACE TO CALL HOME

When Sherrick arrived at AU, she made an intentional decision to focus on undergraduate education. Under her leadership, AU nearly tripled undergraduate enrollment.

Supporting students and creating a sense of community on campus was key for Sherrick. As the undergraduate population grew, she set about creating spaces and activities that make AU feel like a home.

“We began holding pancake nights the week of finals, brought in food trucks, and had so many fun gatherings as a community on the Quad,” said Amy Gray, vice president for student life. “When we built the new parking garage to make it easier for our commuter students to find parking, she threw a car-themed party right in the garage. We had Rice Krispies treats designed to look like stop lights and chocolate doughnuts that looked like tires and neon blue soft drinks that made you think of antifreeze. It was just so creative. She loved to think outside of the box.”

Athletics got a big boost as well. Sherrick built up AU’s NCAA Division III athletics programs, recruiting coaches and adding new sports, including women’s bowling, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s wrestling—bringing the total number of DIII teams to 24.

The renovated Vago Field and newly constructed Spartan Athletic Park provided modern facilities for practices and competitions. It was common to see Sherrick sitting on the sidelines of games, tracking scores and statistics, down to a pitcher’s ERA or a running back’s rushing yards.

By 2015, the Spartans had broken into the top tier of the Learfield Directors’ Cup, a comprehensive ranking of intercollegiate athletic departments based on their participation in the NCAA. Since then, AU athletic teams have ranked consistently among the top 20% of teams in DIII competition, making regular successful tournament

A LASTING LEGACY SUPPORTING STUDENTS

“ She understood students’ needs and helped foster a positive student experience at AU.”

—Mason Brauer ’24, president of the Aurora University Students’ Association

A LASTING LEGACY SUPPORTING THE FUTURE

appearances and attracting student-athletes from 37 states and six countries.

“We’re a department full of competitive people who typically win many contests, and we all knew that Dr. Sherrick was the most competitive person on campus,” said Jim Hamad, vice president for athletics. “There’s no doubt that the improved success correlated with the addition of new sports. She knew which sports made sense for AU, both in winning games and improving AU’s reach for students.”

STUDENTS FIRST

Sherrick’s vision for offering students a high-quality education at an affordable price has guided the work of the university throughout her tenure. She has championed initiatives that provide access and opportunities for students traditionally underserved by higher education.

The diversity of the student body increased on her watch. Notably, she led a concentrated effort to strengthen AU’s presence within the Latino/a community—leading to the U.S. government’s recognition of AU as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

One of the most groundbreaking initiatives, launched in the final years of her presidency, welcomes college students with autism to AU. The Pathways program provides the individualized supports college students with autism need to adjust to campus life, earn their university degree, and make a successful transition to the workplace.

Among her other notable accomplishments, she launched the first doctoral program in AU’s history— the Doctor of Education degree. And she established partnerships with government and business to secure federal and state funding and corporate donations to expand the campus and create and enhance student-serving programs.

15 NEW ATHLETIC TEAMS

Dr. Sherrick drops the puck at the first AU women’s hockey game.

The future at AU is bright because of the foundations she has set.”

—Hilary Rantisi ’93, member of the Aurora University Board of Trustees

“Dr. Sherrick consistently went above and beyond to listen to student concerns,” said Mason Brauer ’24, president of the Aurora University Students’ Association. “She understood students’ needs and helped foster a positive student experience at AU. Her positive impact will continue to reverberate around campus for years to come.”

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP

Sherrick grew up surrounded by music. All the children in the Sherrick household took piano and voice lessons. On Saturday afternoons when she was a child, she would go to their next-door neighbor’s house, where a college music professor and his wife lived, to watch cartoons. Most times, the TV volume was turned off so the family could have fun providing their own musical accompaniment.

“I admire artistry and creativity,” Sherrick said on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as AU president. “I think our world desperately needs more beauty. It’s been a joy to experience the return of music and theatre to AU.”

There are many forms of art, and leadership is one of them. In fact, some experts assert that a scientific, systematic approach to leadership holds leaders back from reaching their true potential. Leadership and art have their greatest impact when they bring a vision or an idea to life.

“Dr. Sherrick has led a transformational change at Aurora University,” said Hilary Rantisi ’93, a member of the AU Board of Trustees. “The AU of today is a dynamic learning environment, thanks to her leadership. The dedication I see in the faculty and staff toward the needs of students and their contributions to society is exhilarating. The future at AU is bright because of the foundations she has set.”

As for Sherrick, she recently reflected on her time at AU. She has fond memories of hosting many of the Arts and Ideas speakers who came through AU’s doors on separate occasions, including the popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and the late historian David McCullough.

She recounted how Tyson thought AU students seemed more concerned with the ethical implications of research than with pure science, a testament to the deeper thinking around character and integrity championed at AU. Nevertheless, it was McCullough, a historian like herself, whose words resonated best.

“I always love the glowing comments about AU I hear from guests,” Sherrick recalled. “It was David McCullough who said simply, ‘I like this place.’”

176 GUEST ARTISTS, AUTHORS, AND PERFORMERS

Left: Students walk the labyrinth at the Wackerlin Center, a gift from the class of 1967 at the suggestion of Dr. Sherrick. Above: Artist Nathalie Miebach pairs art and science in her sculpture “Changing Waters,” which is installed in the lobby of the Kimberly and James Hill Center for Student Success.

5,915 SQUARE FEET OF MUSEUM SPACE

It’s never too late

to ...

At Aurora University, it’s never too late to discover what matters and build your life around it. At a first job or in retirement, from Washington to Florida, in the skies and under the sea, these alumni are making discoveries and living their passions.

... take flight

Two athletic trainers find joy in helping Boeing workers with

Dreams can take you in unpredictable directions. Hayley Stout ’18 (left) and Katherine Norris ’20 never expected that their penchant for working with athletes would lead them to careers at Boeing Co. alongside the men and women who build and repair airplanes.

In a twist of fate, Stout and Norris—who each grew up in the Seattle area but didn’t know each other—are today working as athletic trainers for the aerospace giant Boeing. They started their jobs a year apart at the company’s sprawling factory in Everett, Washington, where giant wide-body 777s and 787s are assembled. The site is heralded as the largest manufacturing plant in the world.

Many people imagine that going into a career in athletic training means working on the sidelines of high school and college sports games, tending to athletes’ sore muscles and sprained joints so that they can return to the game.

physically demanding jobs.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSHUA HUSTON

Before enrolling in the athletic training program at AU, Norris and Stout each thought so too. Little did they know that industrial companies need athletic trainers just as much as professional and school sports teams do.

“It’s not ‘traditional’ athletic training, but the whole reason I wanted to be an athletic trainer was to help people get back to doing the things they love,” said Stout, 26. “And I do that every day here.”

Similar to sports athletes, industrial athletes rely on their physical abilities to perform their jobs. They lift, bend, reach, and push just like basketball or football or volleyball players. And they get injuries, in par-

ticular pain and stiffness that builds up over time.

It is up to industrial athletic trainers like Stout and Norris to work with employees who rely on their physical fitness to do their jobs. That means regularly leading warmup exercises for groups of workers before they start their shifts and training employees on how to stay healthy on the job.

Stout and Norris find workers frequently crammed into tight quarters as they affix nuts and bolts in the smallest spaces. Others have their arms above their head as they install wing panels.

“We counsel workers to take little microbreaks with different movements throughout the day,” said

Stout. “We teach them to pay attention to posture.”

Norris, 32, was home-schooled by her parents in Washington and then ventured to Sugar Grove, Illinois, to live with a brother and take classes in massage therapy at Waubonsee Community College, eventually gaining a license in that specialty. Then she enrolled at AU to finish her degree in athletic training before returning to Washington and going to work at Boeing.

“I am able to make a difference here, and that’s something that is really important to me,” said Norris. “I can help workers with physically demanding jobs feel better and avoid injury, and I can earn a good living too.”

Stout also grew up in Washington before AU recruited her to play softball. She knew she wanted to be an athletic trainer when she was a teenager, and after graduating from AU, returned home to work as an athletic trainer at her former high school before landing her job at Boeing.

Both women are contractors at Boeing through Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Work-Fit, a workforce injury prevention and management firm.

“What brings me the most joy is when my patients tell me they were able to work on a painting for hours at home without any discomfort or get back into their garden for the first time in months or pick up their grandkids or go on a walk with their friends,” said Stout. “Some days I think it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture since we only see them at work, but at the end of the day, what we do is very impactful.”

I am able to make a difference here, and that’s something that is really important to me.”

—Katherine Norris ’20, athletic trainer for Boeing

... create something new

Interior designer Cynthia Gandee ’69 never expected to be operating a retail shop at age 76.

When she and her husband, Tom Gandee ’69, first retired to the Southern antebellum town of Edenton, North Carolina, a decade ago, she opened a home furnishings store called Summerhouse on the main street, just for fun. Gandee ran the shop for four years and then sold it.

When Summerhouse closed during the pandemic, Gandee’s former customers persuaded her to come back and open another store. Even though she was hesitant to dive back into the long hours and physical demands of retail, Gandee agreed. She reopened the store under a new name, A Still Life, and found a larger space downtown. She hired a manager and limited the hours to four days a week.

An interior designer finds calm in creating beautiful spaces.

To her surprise, Gandee soon discovered that the revived shop had become the expression of her life’s work designing spaces that make people feel good.

“A lot of people ask me why I would want to come back to a job I’ve already had in the past,” Gandee said. “I don’t golf, and I don’t play bridge, yet I still have lots of energy. And I love being around people. I missed the daily interaction with my customers.”

Gandee recalls how as a young woman in the late 1960s, she had limited career choices. “You became a nurse or a schoolteacher,” she said. “And I didn’t really want to do either. Decorating homes was my passion.”

Known as Cynthia Cooper during college, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education; Tom majored in theology. The couple

married shortly after commencement.

In the intervening years, Cynthia taught grade school and Tom became a pastor at an Advent Christian church. The couple later ran a ServiceMaster franchise in northern Virginia and then owned a floor coverings business in Atlanta while raising a family. In her spare time, Gandee took on home design work.

But even as an interior designer, she was too often limited by clients’ tastes. She longed for the responsibility of merchandising her own place with high-quality home accessories.

“A Still Life is the realization of a lifelong dream to own a store that can inspire people to create beautiful living spaces,” said Gandee. She shares the storefront space in a 19th-century building downtown with a restaurant called Cotton Gin Inn Culinary. A Still Life stocks everything from leather chairs to baskets, candles, and womenswear, along with select antiques, while the Cotton Gin Inn focuses on brunch, tea, and special events.

“To many people, the phrase A Still Life evokes an image of calm,” said Gandee. “That’s the feeling I’ve tried to create in my shop. It’s where I am in life.”

“

A Still Life is the realization of a lifelong dream to own a store that can inspire people to create beautiful living spaces.”

—Cynthia Gandee ’69, owner of A Still Life, a home goods boutique in North Carolina

... find a new hobby

When Scott Springfield ’72 was a star baseball and soccer player at Aurora University, he had little interest in golf.

His first attempt to learn about the game happened after he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and decided to hang around an extra semester to play college ball. He enrolled in a class called Introduction to Golf taught by his baseball coach, Fred Bornkamp ’65, at Phillips Park on Aurora’s east side.

“I was good at sports, but I recall that golf was a real challenge,” said Springfield, whose baseball and soccer achievements earned him a spot in the AU Athletic Hall of Fame. “I didn’t take to it right away. It had to percolate over many years.”

Today, golf is his passion. Since retiring in 2013, Springfield has spent the past decade traveling around the country playing ninehole golf courses and ranking the experiences on his blog, “Always Time for 9.”

He avoids the renowned temples of golf frequented by the rich and

A retired businessman travels the U.S. searching for nine-hole golf courses.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHUCK EATON

famous. You won’t find Augusta National Golf Course or Pebble Beach Golf Links here. Instead, Springfield explores the lesser-known courses in cities and remote towns in search of the “good, bad, and downright ugly” nine-hole golf courses of America.

“I had already started writing about my golf travels in a journal I kept for myself,” Springfield said. “But it occurred to me that golf priced over $500 was not for the everyday guy. I decided to focus my golf and travels on small, nine-hole courses priced $20 to $40 a round, and write about not just golf but the museums and hiking paths and other things you could visit after your round was over.”

To date, he’s played 214 courses in 42 states. And he developed a five-point rating system, ranking the courses from best to worst: Ace, Birdie, Par, Bogey, and Double Bogey. His golf travels have taken him to courses on an active oil field in Wyoming, next to an elephant sanctuary in Arkansas, and behind a shooting range in Arizona.

Springfield started playing golf in earnest during his career in corporate training for consumer goods companies in Denver. He traveled each year with colleagues to some of the best golf courses. But as he neared retirement, he realized that the older he got, the less he wanted to play a full round of 18 holes.

In 2013, just as Springfield was retiring, the PGA of America and

the United States Golf Association started a campaign for nine-hole play to lure more golfers to the sport. Many of the early golf courses in the U.S. were nine holes.

Springfield said he got tired of reading about the stunning 18-hole golf courses that most people really couldn’t play, either because they didn’t have the time or the money.

“The bottom line is to have fun, explore this country, and meet awesome people,” he said.

Springfield and his wife, Karen, who is retired from her work as an administrator at the University of Colorado, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this year. Their new home will become a base for exploring more nine-hole golf courses, particularly in North Carolina and South Carolina, two states that have yet to appear in his blog.

It was the counsel of his boss before he retired that prompted Springfield to think intentionally about this next phase of his life and to rediscover what matters to him.

“She helped me focus on what makes life meaningful and fun for me as I approached retirement,” said Springfield, 72. “Spending days on the soccer field and baseball diamond with my teammates at AU, those were some of my happiest memories. Since soccer and baseball are a little too demanding for this stage of life, golfing with friends and writing about our adventures is very fulfilling and rewarding.”

BY BOB SHARP, PADI MASTER SCUBA DIVER TRAINER

The bottom line is to have fun, explore this country, and meet awesome people.”

—Scott Springfield ’72, retired businessman and blogger at “Always Time for 9”

... go deep

A marine biologist wades into the preservation of coral reefs.

The world is losing its tropical coral reefs, imperiling natural fisheries and the ecology of the oceans, and Zachary Ferris ’21 is wading into the middle of the issue.

Ferris was recruited to Aurora University to play lacrosse, but it was a science field trip to the Bahamas that allowed him to discover his real passion.

Initially enrolled as a health science major, Ferris took part in the Marine and Island Ecology course his sophomore year through the Shedd Aquarium as part of the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area, an AU-founded consortium that offers cooperative courses.

Ferris lived on a research vessel in the Bahamas for 10 days, snorkeling around the region’s myriad of cays and examining the coral reefs. Much of what he saw was dead or dying—a casualty of global warming. He was first heartbroken and then resolute.

“It was depressing to see the ocean’s essential coral reef communities in such distress,” said Ferris, 24, who grew up in Dexter, Michigan. “I immediately immersed myself in the literature to see what people were doing to save coral reefs, and I decided I wanted to contribute to the global effort.”

Marine science is now Ferris’ passion. Immediately after graduating summa cum laude from AU in 2021 with a double major in biology and chemistry, he got to work as a researcher at the Shedd, studying fish spawning patterns in the Chicago River. He then took a job as a research technician at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida, constructing coral-reef 3D models to assess the effectiveness of probiotic treatments for stony coral tissue loss disease.

His dedication paid off last year when he won the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship to study at the Florida Institute of Technology, located not far from Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast, where he has started a five-year program toward a PhD in biological sciences and coral reef ecology. He spends much of his time in the water and is happy as a clam doing it.

“I loved Aurora because the student-teacher ratio was perfect—in one class senior year we had two students and one professor—and my professors took a personal interest in my future,” said Ferris. “I don’t think I would have gotten that experience at a larger school.”

Even though Aurora would seem an inauspicious place to launch a career in the study of coral reef ecology, Ferris developed crucial relationships with his chemistry and biology professors at AU, including Professor Chetna Patel, Associate Professor Kyle McElhoney, and Assistant Professor Bill Martin, who encouraged his ambitions by pointing him toward relevant grants and programs.

After his junior year, for instance, Ferris participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego studying corals in Micronesia. On another off-campus trip, he studied sharks in Biscayne Bay on the southeast coast of Florida with faculty from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.

Even though Aurora is hundreds of miles from the ocean, it was during his time at AU that Ferris discovered what mattered to him and how to build his life around it. He learned how society is reliant on coral reefs and how global climate change is threatening their longevity.

“This realization motivated me to shift my academic and career endeavors to furthering our understanding of coral reef responses to climate change— enabling conservation managers to more efficiently preserve them in a rapidly changing world,” said Ferris. “It’s something that deeply matters to me and to the health of the planet.”

... give back

Growing up in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Christopher Dominguez ’18, ’20 MSW faced the reality of gangs and violence.

His parents, both immigrants from the Mexican port city of Veracruz, had limited resources but wanted him to go to college, so they pushed Dominguez out of Chicago to attend high school in the suburbs—Morton West in Berwyn— while keeping him away from the drugs so prevalent around Little Village. They insisted that he never lose sight of the necessity of higher education.

“I shared an education goal with my parents from a very young age, in part because I always liked school,” said Dominguez. “It was always my aim to go on to college and graduate.”

A social worker taps his own experience to counsel troubled teens.

“I loved Aurora because the student-teacher ratio was perfect ... and my professors took a personal interest in my future.”

—Zach Ferris ’21, National Science Foundation graduate research fellow

Dominguez earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in social work from Aurora University. He chose the social work field with the guidance and mentoring of AU professors who saw in him the potential to live out a dream he had since childhood: find a way to help the people in his neighborhood and others like them overcome the destructive influences of gangs, crime, and drug abuse.

Today, at 27, Dominguez said there is nowhere else he would rather be than working as a clinical therapist with troubled teenagers at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Hinsdale.

The mental health of adolescents has gained wide attention in recent years as drug addiction and suicide rates have risen among young people. Dominguez sees it all: teens dealing with anxiety and depression and obsessive-compulsive and self-harm behaviors as well as

attention-deficit disorders. He counsels patients in group sessions and in individual therapy, and conducts sessions with entire families.

“With the increase in suicide and self-harm behaviors, there is much more awareness of mental health among young people than there was years ago,” Dominguez said. “Some of these kids are just out of the hospital. Many are on antidepressants. For some, their parents aren’t very involved in their lives, which creates conflicts that can lead to defeated feelings and helplessness. Many have been traumatized.”

As a 23-year-old master’s candidate at AU, Dominguez spent nearly a year interning at the Gateway Foundation in Aurora working with adult men detained for monthlong programs trying to shake their drug addictions. He conducted group therapy with as many as 18 individuals at a time.

“Some of our patients did fall through the cracks and didn’t get better,” he said. “Yet I loved the challenge. I was much younger than many of the guys I was caring for, but I convinced them that I was there to help them.”

Dominguez still lives in Little Village. He bought a house close to his parents. “I grew up around the stigma that therapy was weak or negative, a thought I was always against,” said Dominguez. “It’s my pleasure to now provide a safe place of healing for the adolescents that I work with, to remind them that they are not alone in their time of need.”

It’s my pleasure to now provide a safe place of healing for the adolescents that I work with, to remind them that they are not alone in their time of need.

—Christopher Dominguez ’18, ’20 MSW, clinical therapist

Cultivating spirit and service at the Wackerlin Center

Spring break community service trips have returned to the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action after a three-year hiatus, offering students a way to volunteer and learn firsthand about pressing social issues.

Nearly 40 students traveled to five Midwestern cities for a week in March to take part in humanitarian service projects and gain a deeper understanding of housing insecurity, immigration, sustainability, and neighborhood redevelopment—as well as explore the richness and complexity of urban life.

The Social Impact Trips, formerly called Alternative Spring Break, began more than a decade ago, but were on hold since 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions. The revived program for 2023 allowed students to choose from one of the following destinations: Chicago, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Nashville, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Anthony Feliciano ’23 participated in the service trip to Cincinnati, where students helped install trim on a house, build a fence, and dig a trench to prevent flooding.

“I learned about the wide variety of causes of homelessness, the ste-

reotypes surrounding homelessness, and how to help people experiencing it,” said Feliciano.

Founded in 2001 with a generous gift from the estate of Helena Zentmyer Wackerlin, class of 1918, the Wackerlin Center builds on AU’s foundation as a faith-based institution while reflecting today’s diverse student body.

“

I watched my work help others. These trips truly helped me grow into a better me.”

—Myra

Olivares ’25

Myra Olivares ’25 works in a community garden for the City Service Mission in Nashville.

Justin West

For the past two decades, the mission of the Wackerlin Center has been to cultivate the religious and spiritual life of the campus community. The center’s goal is to create a welcoming and safe space to learn, to share, and to celebrate the diversity of cultural and faith traditions, and to improve local communities.

“Providing students with resources and experiences to increase their sense of empowerment and purpose is an important aspect of our mission today,” said Justin West, executive director of the center and chief diversity officer at AU. “We’re making an intentional effort to connect students with the center and each other— encouraging them to visit and learn about our resources and build one-onone relationships.”

West understands that students today come from myriad faith traditions and are searching for sacred spaces to practice their faith.

“One emphasis of our work is to view faith from a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens, acknowledging faith and religion in terms of plurality,” said West.

The Wackerlin Center offers a new sacred space called the Open Room, where students can come to meditate, pray, and access spiritual resources.

“We’re creating spaces and programs for students of all faiths,” said West. “They may be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or another faith—or they may not identify with any faith at all. Everyone is welcome.”

Outside the center, a labyrinth invites students to walk its circuit and reflect upon their lives. Built in 2017 with a gift from the class of

Making an Impact

The Wackerlin Center partners with outside agencies to provide opportunities for students to give back to the community. AU is grateful to the following organizations that helped make the 2023 Social Impact Trips possible:

Chicago Sweet Water Foundation

Cincinnati

Franciscan Ministries

Habitat for Humanity

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

New Life Furniture

Peaslee Neighborhood Center

Working in Neighborhoods

Kansas City

Jerusalem Farm

Nashville City Service Mission

Minneapolis-St. Paul

Division of Indian Work

First Nations Kitchen

Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post

1967, the labyrinth is connected by a bridge to the Kimberly and James Hill Center for Student Success, symbolizing the role both centers play in helping AU students find their life’s calling and direction. The focus on guiding students to discover their vocation and extending hospitality to all is rooted in the university’s heritage and the mission of the Wackerlin Center, said Teri Tomaszkiewicz, senior vice president for mission.

Students took part in building homes and preparing food during Social Impact Trips, gaining greater understanding of the social issues around housing and food insecurity.

“When I first came to AU, I had no idea what I wanted to be involved in,” said Myra Olivares ’25. “I had many options, but nothing stood out to me. I was soon introduced to the Social Impact Trips, and I gained a whole new perspective on life. I worked with many types of people and developed new skills. I put in a lot of work, and I watched my work help others. These trips truly helped me grow into a better me.”

“One emphasis of our work is to view faith from a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens, acknowledging faith and religion in terms of plurality.”

Executive director of the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action

Spartans serve up a history-making season in football, soccer

Spartan football made a historical run in the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Championship, defeating the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 33–28 for AU’s first playoff win and the first for a NACC football team. They continued the run with a 48–26 second-round victory over Alma College, leading to the team’s first trip to the NCAA playoff quarterfinals. The Spartans faced Wartburg College in the quarterfinals, where they fell 45–17, ending their historical run. Spartan football finished the season with a program record 11 wins and a perfect 8-0 in the NACC. Multiple Spartans also earned All-American honors.

Offensive lineman Chris Toth ’23 was invited to play in the 2023 Hula Bowl, the national college all-star game. It was the first time an AU football player participated. Through the years, hundreds of Hula Bowl players have been drafted and signed into professional leagues, including the NFL and the CFL. At the end of the 2022 season, Toth was an NACC First-Team All-Conference performer; he was recognized by D3football.com as a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region; and he was named an All-American by the AP and American Football Coaches Association.

Sports Roundup

Women’s track and field finished second in the indoor Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference championship, while the men’s team finished third.

After finishing second in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association conference, men’s hockey advanced to the NCHA Harris Cup Championship for the first time in program history. The Spartans fell to Adrian College 8–1, finishing the season with a 19-8-2 overall record.

Women’s volleyball was propelled to a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Championship, with season highlights including a 22-10 overall record and a dominating win against St. Norbert College to take the NACC Championship.

Outsider hitter Sydnei Avery ’23 was named a College Sports Communicators First-Team Academic All-American for maintaining a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA throughout her academic career and demonstrating athletic prowess on the volleyball court.

Women’s cross country won conference, while the men’s team finished third. Deyanneira Colon Maldonado ’25 competed in the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championship and the NCAA Indoor Championship for the mile run.

Wrestling, the newest athletics program at AU, had a successful season. Alexis Janiak ’26 finished second overall at 130 pounds at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and won the NCWWC Region 4 and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship. For the men’s team, Cam Johnson ’25 (pictured above) qualified for the NCAA Championships at 141 pounds after winning the Upper Midwest Regional and CCIW Championship.

Men’s soccer made its second NCAA Championship appearance in program history and its first since the 2006 season, clinching a spot after finishing the 2022 season with a 10-4-6 overall record and taking the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship—a first in both NACC and AU program history—after defeating Benedictine University 4–0. The team fell to Gustavus Adolphus College in the NCAA Championship first round.

Women’s hockey and women’s basketball both finished third in their respective conferences.

Women’s golf won conference, with all six Spartans earning All-Conference honors.

Andrew Kim ’56: ‘I owe everything to Aurora College.’

For Seung Bom “Andrew” Kim ’56 attending Aurora College was transformational. Now, at the age of 92, Kim is hoping to provide today’s students with life-changing experiences of their own.

This past December, President Rebecca L. Sherrick welcomed Kim and his family to campus—the first visit for him since graduating. The return was also a celebration. Kim has established an endowed scholarship to support the educational journey of Aurora students, today and into the future.

“I got a break at Aurora College,” Kim explains, “and now others deserve to have a break. I owe everything to Aurora College.”

In conversation with Dr. Sherrick, Kim shared anecdotes about his experiences at Aurora College,

Jenny Kim, Andrew Kim ’56, and Anna Kim (left to right) visited the Aurora University campus in December.

Andrew Kim ’56 is welcomed back to Aurora University by Dr. Sherrick.

The Andrew Kim Endowed Scholarship will support students with high financial need.

now Aurora University. His family especially enjoyed seeing yearbook pictures from Kim’s days on campus—including his participation on the school’s tennis team.

The path to Aurora College began long before the journey that delivered him to campus. Born on a small island in South Korea in 1930, Kim later moved to Seoul, where he focused on his studies, learned English from Christian missionaries, and entered Seoul University in 1950.

Then, on June 25, 1950, the Korean War started, and Kim’s life changed completely. He volunteered to serve with the U.S. Marines as an interpreter and translator in the fight for South Korea’s freedom. After training close to home, Kim joined the 181st Counter Intelligence Corps, where he was often in danger crossing enemy lines to conduct interrogations.

In 1951, Kim’s older brother Te Bhum “Peter” graduated from Aurora College. In 1952, with the help of the Marines and Peter, Kim traveled to the U.S. on a green card and attended Aurora College on a full scholarship.

Kim thrived at Aurora College, where he studied international business, played varsity tennis for four years, and worked 20 hours a week at a campus job. He fondly recalls staying up late at night to “write papers using a new typewriter—a gift from my brother Peter.” He also remembers his first week on campus. “They were mowing a field near Eckhart Hall. That afternoon I had sneezes and a runny nose. I never had colds in Korea. Turns out, it was Midwest allergies!”

Following his graduation, Kim enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Chicago. There he met Anna Charr, daughter of Easurk Emsen Charr, renowned missionary, activist, and author of “The Golden Mountain: The Autobiography of a Korean Immigrant, 1895–1960.” Anna graduated from Park College in 1952 and received her PhD in Language and Reading from National Louis University, where she was a teacher. The couple married in the Thorndike Hilton Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago in 1958.

Following his graduation from the University of Chicago, Kim worked in manufacturing, and then accepted a role with the Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae. Kim spent 35 years at Fannie Mae, retiring in 2000 as a regional vice president.

Over the years, the Kims balanced careers and travel with volunteering, at their church and with Rotary International. Through it all, the most important part of their lives was and is their family, including their three children: Mickey, Jenny, and Ben; four grandchildren: Dustin, Betsy, Maggie, and Emily; two great-grandchildren: Jackson and Brooks; and extended family around the world. These strong family ties helped facilitate Kim’s generous gift to AU. During the family’s campus visit, Dr. Kim said, “The scholarship fund is possible because our daughter, Jenny, helped her father achieve his goal of establishing a scholarship now.” Kim shared, “I was a poor student from Korea. My whole

beginning was at Aurora College.”

As Dr. Sherrick wrapped up her visit with the Kim family, she thanked Kim again for his extraordinarily generous gift. “It is wonderful you are able to share with students. It will inspire them to pass the torch.” Kim acknowledged Dr. Sherrick’s gratitude, noting the month in which they were visiting campus. With a smile, he replied, “After all, it’s the season of giving.”

Above: 1956 Aurora College Varsity Tennis. Back row: Dick Doemland ’56, Fred Lawrence ’60, and Bill Austin ’59. Front row: Andrew Kim ’56, Coach Clyde Hewitt, and Don Keepers ’56. Below: Seung Bom “Andrew” Kim in his senior photo for the Aurora College 1956 yearbook.

I got a break and now others deserve a break too.”

—Andrew Kim ’56

Faculty News

Data engineering, speech language pathology programs introduced

To further strengthen its academic offerings, the College of Health and Sciences added two programs last fall: data engineering and pre-professional speech language pathology. The additions reflect Aurora University’s commitment to investing in educational programs that provide students with the skills needed for highly competitive, sought-after professions.

“The fields of data engineering and speech language pathology are flourishing, and that means job opportunities," said Sarah Radtke, dean of the College of Health and Sciences. “We are creating programs to meet the needs of industry and healthcare employers, working with external partners to ensure our students receive the best possible education to prepare them for their future careers.”

Kim Radostits ’14 MA named a finalist for National Teacher of the Year

The Council of Chief State School Officers named 2022 Illinois Teacher of the Year and Oregon, Illinois, high school Spanish teacher Kim Radostits ’14 MA one of five finalists for 2023 National Teacher of the Year—the most prestigious teacher award in the country. CCSSO administers the National Teacher of the Year program annually and selects the best of the best as finalists out of the 56 State Teachers of the Year from all U.S. states and territories.

Radostits, who appeared on the cover of Aurora University Magazine’s Fall/Winter 2022 issue, has been serving as Illinois Teacher of the Year for the 2022–2023 academic year. She teaches Spanish to junior and senior high school students in Oregon, where she founded a program to make sure students who are struggling remain on track to graduate from high school. She also co-directs a program to support new teachers and enhance teacher retention.

Brief

InChih-Chiun (C.J.) Chen, PhD, assistant professor of health science and pre-medical professionals advisor, and Mariem Hathout, MD, MPH, senior lecturer of health science, led dozens of AU students on three separate field trips to AU partner universities to learn more about what it’s like to go to medical school. The tours took place as part of AU’s established affiliation programs with Loyola University Chicago, Rush Medical College, and Midwestern University. Students visited an anatomy lab, got a look at a medicine compounding facility, and viewed an ultrasound technology demonstration on a live human subject. They also visited classrooms and attended a panel discussion of current medical school students and faculty.

Carolyn Foor, MA, lecturer of business and communication, took 12 students to the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers annual meeting in January to learn program and event practices and network with transportation industry representatives. The conference is one of the largest of its kind within the transportation industry, with nearly 1,000 attendees from across North America. The association hosted the students at no cost.

Sara Gerend, PhD, associate professor of English, is conducting research on Eunice Tietjens, an early-20th-century poet and writer, considered instrumental to the Chicago literary renaissance. Tietjens was a long-time editor at Chicago-based Poetry magazine, the oldest monthly devoted to verse in the English-speaking world. Gerend began the research after

Sarah Radtke

Dean of the College of Health and Sciences

learning about the poet’s papers at the Newberry Library archives in Chicago. She has incorporated Tietjens’ work into the curriculum of her freshman Discover What Matters course titled “Chicago in Literature,” which she teaches each fall.

Denise Hatcher, EdD, program director of foreign languages and professor of Spanish, served on a national selection committee for the Fulbright Program, which is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. She was one of three Spanish professors who reviewed 68 applications and selected individuals who will be invited to live and teach in Spain next year.

Kris Johnson, MS, CTRS, associate professor of therapeutic recreation and chair of therapeutic recreation and autism studies, worked with Exercise Connection and the American College of Sports Medicine to implement an autism exercise specialist certificate at AU, the first of its kind to be offered for credit at a university. The certificate prepares students to effectively incorporate exercise for individuals with autism to help them lead healthy and quality-filled lives.

Johnson also worked with Janice Gont, MA, PhD (ABD), LBS1, assistant professor and chair of early childhood special education and special education, and Ariana Maggio, MSW, LCSW, PEL: SSW, assistant professor of social work and chair of

the undergraduate social work program, to create an experiential multidisciplinary learning opportunity for social work, special education, and therapeutic recreation students. As part of this initiative, the students will work as a multidisciplinary team to design and implement a social-emotional learning intervention at a local alternative school. The experience builds upon a previous collaborative project among the major programs, also focused on fostering students’ interdisciplinary practice skills.

Kenneth King, EdD, chair of elementary education and professor of education, is part of a statewide team of educators working to develop the next generation of science assessments for Illinois K–12 students. The goal of the project, which is sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education, is to develop high-quality assessment instruments that are fully aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, which are used by Illinois and 20 other states as the science learning standards. King is a member of a two-person team dedicated to developing middle-school assessments that focus on the content of science, practices related to scientific inquiry, and concepts that are present in all domains of science.

Pegeen Reichert Powell, MA, PhD, was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Business in December, after serving as interim dean for five months. Reichert Powell joined AU last July from Columbia College in Chicago, where she was chair of the department

of English and creative writing, and before that, interim dean of graduate studies. She had previously taught at AU from 2005 to 2007. Reichert Powell earned her doctorate in English from Miami University in Ohio and holds an MA in English from Northeastern University in Boston.

Tracey Stilley, MSN, RN, assistant professor of nursing, was awarded an Illinois Board of Higher Education 2023 Nurse Educator Fellowship. She was one of 20 nurse educators in Illinois awarded the $10,000 fellowship, aimed at supporting the retention of well-qualified nursing faculty. Stilley used the fellowship funds to revise AU’s health assessment course to promote more hands-on skills and critical thinking.

Jerald (Jay) Thomas, EdD, professor of education, contributed to a Society for American Baseball Research project that used memories of America’s national pastime to improve the quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients. While so-called baseball reminiscence programs have taken place around the country since 2015, this was the first formal investigation of the topic. The research found that baseball memories were engaging, enjoyable, and meaningful for participants, families, and caregivers. The SABR study appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of the Baseball Research Journal. The results have also been presented at several conferences in hopes of expanding the network of baseball reminiscence programs.

“ The fields of data engineering and speech language pathology are flourishing, and that means job opportunities. We are creating programs to meet the needs of industry and healthcare employers.”

Arts+Culture

Beyond the Museum

A new campus art tour unveils the stories behind AU’s art and sculpture collection.

Call it a new kind of literacy. Visual mediums have become such an everyday part of modern life that bringing art out of the museum and into campus life is a natural way to spark conversations and creativity.

Last fall, the Schingoethe Center launched a tour of art on display throughout campus, shining a spotlight on the sculptures and paintings that enrich the university’s everyday spaces. Aurora University expanded its collection during Dr. Rebecca L. Sherrick’s 22-year tenure as president, reflecting her appreciation for art. And much of the collection is accessible to the public.

“Our students and visitors don’t realize how many cool pieces are sprinkled across campus,” said Gavin Carlson, education specialist and preparator at the Schingoethe Center. “When I take guests on a tour, I like to create conversation around the pieces and ask visitors what they experience. There’s so much more than meets the eye.”

Tours are available all year, weather permitting. For more information, contact museum@aurora.edu.

Above: Karl Gerzan Designs, “Heaven on Earth,” 2013. Oil on canvas. Commissioned for the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action, the painting explores the dissipation of light, suggesting that divinity is surrounding and embracing all of us.

Left: Michael Sherer ’87, “Molecule of Life,” 1988. Metal. The 11-foot sculpture, inspired by the double helix of the DNA molecule, was created as an AU art class project and fabricated by Garbe Iron Works in Aurora.

Top right: Emilio Sanchez, “Casita al Mar (Little House by the Sea),” 1974. Color lithograph. The artwork was donated to AU in 2012 as part of the Emilio Sanchez Foundation’s efforts to entrust the Cuban-born artist’s work to museums and institutions.

Bottom right: Rita Grendze, “Promise Blooming,” 2022. Industrial wool felt. The tactile artwork, inviting viewers to experience the installation through touch, was assembled by AU community members alongside the Geneva, Illinois-based artist to celebrate the university’s Pathways program for students with autism.

Above: Ruth Van Sickle Ford, “Still Life with Tulips and Pottery,” 1930. Oil on canvas. An Aurora native, Ford was president and director of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and taught classes at AU from 1964 to 1973. Her circa 1949 house on Edgelawn Avenue just west of campus, sometimes called the Round House, was designed by architect Bruce Goff.

Left: Brian Dettmer, “Totem,” 2010. Hardcover books, acrylic varnish. Dettmer, a Naperville, Illinois, native known as the “book surgeon,” carves works of art out of old textbooks, maps, encyclopedias, and other discarded media. He exhibited at the Schingoethe Center in 2017.

Back Story

Raising Their Voices. In May, at the end of the school year, the students selected for the Aurora College Touring Choir would pile into a bus and take their voices on the road. The choir sang in churches and concert halls across the country—from Maine to Florida, often choosing destinations connected with the Advent Christian Church, the founding denomination of AU. The tours, with the late Roger Parolini ’49 directing, gave students an opportunity to see new parts of the country, develop friendships on the long bus rides, and raise their voices in song. Lyn (Johnson) Lang ’69 recalled on the occasion of her 50th class reunion that during one trip to Washington, the choir spontaneously sang the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” as the bus drove by the Washington Monument. “That memory still gives me goosebumps,” she said.