ANNUAL REPORT 1
TUESDAY, March 13, 2012
Al Bowman
ISU looking at blueprint for the future his year, Illinois State University students, faculty and staff members, along with local citizens, are participating in the university’s most important activity— the revision of our strategic plan, “Educating Illinois.” The document, first written in 2000, represents our belief in what Illinois State University stands for — its mission, vision, values and goals. “Educating Illinois” is the university’s blueprint for success and a guide that has helped transform Illinois State into a top-choice institution for motivated teachers, researchers and learners. One of the plan’s five core values is civic engagement. Illinois State’s aim is to preAl pare students to be Bowman informed and engaged citizens who will further the collective goals of society. We promote active learning experiences through which students will gain an awareness and understanding of civic engagement as a lifelong responsibility. We also encourage faculty and staff members to serve as civic leaders and role models promoting the quality of life for all citizens through collaborative and individual actions. A large body of evidence suggests that co-curricular and extracurricular experiences account for more than half of what students learn during their college careers. Students involved in out-of-class activities feel more positive about their college experiences and participation in those experiences are a good predictor of later success. Illinois State takes civic engagement seriously. In fact, ours is the only public university in the state that offers a civic engagement and responsibility minor, which combines new courses with redesigned existing courses and curriculum as well as out-of-class service learning. Illinois State was among the first universities in the country to join the American Democracy Project and its spin-off, the Political Engagement Project, which are nationwide engagement initiatives that are co-sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the New York Times. Last summer, Illinois State received a national honor as the only recipient of the 2011 New York Times Political Engagement Project Program of Excellence Award. The award recognizes the efforts of faculty and staff to provide opportunities for students in the classroom, on campus and in the community to develop skills related to political processes and leadership. Illinois State has been recognized as a model for campuses across the country and as an innovator in the field. As president of Illinois State, I hope our citizens locally, and throughout the region, recognize and appreciate the civic engagement of our students and their faculty and staff mentors. Last year, Illinois State students provided over 10,000 hours of community service. More than 325 students participated in alternative break programs, contributing more than 7,600 hours of service to communities across the U.S. and the western hemisphere. Our students, faculty and staff members lead local voter registration drives, sponsor health and wellness programs, spearhead Bloomington-Normal environmental sustainability efforts and support production of documentary films on social and political issues. Illinois State University is ranked fifth in the nation as a Peace Corps master’s international school. Local Peace Corps master’s international students serve both on campus as teaching and research assistants and with local organizations such as McLean County Community Compact and our Habitat for Humanity chapter. Along with our friends and colleagues from Illinois Wesleyan University, the ISU-IWU Habitat for Humanity chapter is one of the most successful in the country, having already built 17 homes. These are just a few of the hundreds of examples of the student, faculty and staff member engagement that occur in our community every day. During a time when most of the focus on higher education spotlights our very challenging economy, I offer this uplifting reminder that education, both in and out of the classroom, remains our highest priority and greatest passion.
T
Bowman is president of Illinois State University.
The Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK-NEISLER
The Blaze mascot Scorch throws shirts to the crowd at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Feb. 12.
WHOLE NEW GAME New teams, owners and names hit the B-N scene By Mike Egenes megenes@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — The Twin Cities’ professional sports scene is rarely lacking for storylines outside the lines. In the six-year history of professional sports in Bloomington-Normal, that was never truer than in 2011. Ownership of teams changed hands. New nicknames and coaches were introduced. And in the case of the Central Illinois Drive, an entirely new professional sports franchise hit the scene, the fourth for the Twin Cities. Here is a recap of the changes: ◗ In hockey, the PrairieThunder met its demise and folded after five seasons. In its place came the Bloomington Blaze, now owned by Sandra Hunnewell of New Jersey, as a new entry in the Central Hockey League. Former National Hockey League veteran Paul Gardner took over as coach in September. ◗ In indoor football, Ed Brady sold the team to minority investor and Twin City businessman Jim Morris. Morris then changed the name from the Extreme to the Edge and brought Kenton Carr back to coach the team after Mike Murray left for a job at Illinois State University. ◗ In baseball, the CornBelters dispatched manager Hal Lanier after the Frontier League club failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season. The addition of basketball to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum lineup was perhaps the most surprising development. About a month before Morris took full ownership of the football franchise, he and partner Scott Henderson intro-
The Pantagraph/CARLOS T. MIRANDA
The Central Illinois Drive play against the St. Louis Phoenix Feb. 11 at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. duced the Drive and well-known coach A.J. Guyton, a native of Peoria and former All-American at Indiana University under Bob Knight. Morris is owner of Sonic America’s Drive-In in Normal, Roar Food Group LLC and four other Bloomington-Normal companies. He also played one season for the Green Bay Packers in the 1980s. “I’m a huge basketball fan,” said Morris. “I’m a businessman first and foremost, but I think there are enough basketball fans in Central Illinois to support this.” Through the first half of the season, the Drive was a rousing success on the
court as the team won its first 12 games. The Blaze did not enjoy a similar measure of early success. Slow to get off the ground with promotions and marketing, the team was equally as slow to assemble a competitive unit. Gardner had less than a month to fill out his roster and it resulted in a 12game losing streak early in the season. However, many feel Hunnewell, a pharmaceutical firm owner, is bestsuited among the revolving door of recent hockey team owners to have a successful run on and off the ice in future seasons. Hunnewell hired proven front SEE GAME / PAGE 2
Logan County escapes closure of prison — for now By Edith Brady-Lunny
idential and business growth. Among the priorities of the plan are finding ways to capitalize on Logan County’s centralized location and hopes to become a leader in wind energy. Lincoln also is looking forward to a major boost in the number of affordable housing units available in the community. A Chicago developer has announced plans to build 43 townhomes that will help with a shortage of homes in the $100,000 to $160,000 range, said Maniscalco.
eblunny@pantagraph.com
LINCOLN — When the 2011 economic scorecard is tallied for Logan County, what was not lost could be more important than what was gained. Lincoln and Logan County officials and residents breathed a sigh of relief in November after Gov. Pat Quinn ditched a plan to close seven state facilities, including the Logan Correctional Center with its 350 workers and 2,000 inmates. The community came together in September in a campaign to prevent what could have been a massive economic loss comparable only to the closing of the former Lincoln Developmental Center, said Michael Maniscalco, director of the Lincoln & Logan County Economic Development Partnership. But the economic development leader is urging residents to keep the T-shirts and yard signs from last year’s campaign to save the prison.
New hospital opens The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY
Audience members chant “Save Logan,” prior to the start of the State Facility Closure Act Hearing on Oct. 26 at Lincoln Christian University. “We do have that fear that it could happen again,” said Maniscalco, as the state continues to struggle with huge deficits. Loss of the Lincoln prison could have drained $21.7 million in lost worker income and $73 million in total economic losses to the area, according to an eco-
nomic impact study. Maniscalco took over as director of the economic development agency several weeks before the prison closure debate began. Since the prison crisis ended in November,he has focused on a countywide master plan for res-
One of the major boosts to the Logan County area came with the March opening of the new Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital on Stahlnut Drive,a $50 million facility that replaced a facility built in 1954 in the middle of town. The new hospital reflects a shift from inpatient care to a greater emphasis on outpatient services. The 116,000-square SEE LOGAN / PAGE 2