North Central Now Fall 2011 | North Central College

President's Message

Every summer Benna and I go off for a week or two to a cabin in the woods with a pile of books. It’s a ritual we have stuck to over more than 40 years of marriage—even in the years when our kids were growing up (they brought their own stacks of books)—a legacy of a love of books nurtured in our undergraduate years at small liberal arts colleges. I read nonfiction. She reads literature. Both of us do our best to ignore the headlines, the nightly news, the barrage of emails and text messages from planet Earth … even the wild turkeys running in the woods.

Cinematic master’s thesis has North Central ties

Audiences at prestigious film festivals across the globe are learning more about the harvest of sea turtle eggs in the small coastal community of Ostional in Costa Rica. An artful documentary called “Between the Harvest” depicts the controversial practice of gathering and selling eggs, the livelihood for the community.

A co-worker of a different feather

An interview with Naomi Roots ’05 at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium includes her favorite penguin sidekick, “405.” The curious bird seems to enjoy exploring the shoes of her visitors and a camera lens by pecking with her beak. Later she tries to arrange a towel—her “security blanket”—into a nest and settles on Roots’ lap. After about 30 minutes, Roots knows that 405 would rather be swimming in her environment with her penguin friends.

New endowed chair holders announced

North Central College recently named three faculty recipients of endowed chairs. The Schneller chairs are new endowed chairs and were made possible by the generosity of alumnae Mary Schneller Rosar, Class of 1933, and her sister Cecelia Schneller Mueller, Class of 1927. The Coleman Foundation chair was vacated by retiring faculty member Gary Ernst, professor of international business and marketing.

Inspirational keynote

By hosting the 2011 Summer Institute of The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U), North Central faculty and staff enjoyed a rare opportunity to hear the latest findings by preeminent higher education researchers Alexander and Helen Astin (pictured right), who presented the keynote address. The couple shared their eight-year study on spirituality among undergraduate students, which resulted in the publication of “Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives.”

Sanderson scores big with Blackhawks internship

Derek Sanderson ’13 landed an internship with the Chicago Blackhawks through the INROADS program, an organization that helps prepare minority students for corporate and community leadership through internship experiences. The program was originally launched in Chicago in 1970, but now INROADS is an international organization with more than 35 offices serving nearly 2,000 interns at more than 200 companies. INROADS is a prestigious program available at institutions like Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

Commencement 2011

A crowd of several thousand filled the Residence Hall/Recreation Center to watch 652 students accept their degrees: 529 students earned bachelor’s degrees and 123 received advanced degrees.

World War II Veterans Transformed the World, Then the Campus

As North Central College prepares to celebrate its Sesquicentennial on November 11, 2011—Veteran’s Day—it honors the many military veterans who served their country and returned to earn degrees. Their presence on campus during the post-World War II era changed the physical campus, the social environment, athletics and the makeup of the faculty. Enrollment grew from 410 in 1944 to 920 in 1946 with the return of veterans like Charles Sehe ’50 of Mankato, MN, who had witnessed four years of intensive combat.

Today's Student-Veterans Bring a New Dynamic

A growing population of student-veterans is bringing a unique set of experiences to North Central classrooms. They’ve endured military basic training, the heat of Iraq, parachute jumps, rigorous duties and reentry to civilian life. The enrollment of military veterans has reached 25 and dozens more are expected in years to come.

Becky Anderson ’82 Wilkins

Becky Anderson ’82 Wilkins, a co-owner of Anderson’s Books, had the honor of delivering books to the White House Library for the family of President Barack Obama, a tradition of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) that dates back to the administration of President Herbert Hoover. “It’s a rare occasion that the books are delivered in person,” she says. “It was a very relaxed situation and the President is very into books. He told that us he can’t just walk into a book store and browse anymore.”