I.C. Parents 1997, Dec
1998, Jan 1999, Jan 2001, Jan “Alumni, What’s the Outcome?”
Did this last year. Couldn’t find my notes. Looked in Journal… since Jr year, 1970. I wrote, “I felt so for the parents today. They’re about to trust the thing they love the most to the hands of complete strangers.”
I do feel for you.
Me: Alumni: What’s the Outcome? I don’t know. I hope I can give you some reassurance. I promise to tell you no more than I know. I’m not a salesman. But the more I watch the news, the more I appreciate the truth.
I was met at the door of the President’s home in 1967 by the Dean of students. He called me by name. He’d memorized all of our pictures. Things have changed little. Only details… Beanies, dorm visitations, food is better.
‘60’s… tried to protest but there was little to protest at IC Thompson… atop chapel… no feet… now legal adviser for State of Illinois and member of IC’s board of trustees. Bill Beason… lead protest against compulsory chapel, hid under desk.. Now: Dr. Bill Beeson….Episcopal Clergyman.
Betsy… protest Queen. Now.. Jr High social studies teacher
Tried a streak off.. then Channel 20 turned on cameras.
I went to college for one reason. I was tired of the farm. Baling hale and cutting hogs. My fifth-grade teacher gave me one piece of advice… … 100 plays published, newspaper column syndicated. 2nd book came out last year. Dedicated to my English professor at Illinois College.
I’ve had the pleasure of not only attending Illinois College but I have lived close ever since. I have sent many of my students here.
This past fall, pleasure of returning to campus as guest director for the IC theatre. Most pleased with what I found. Until that experience, I felt a little like a fraud giving this speech.. too long removed. Representative of student body? I’m not sure. I hope so. Beautiful young people.. dedicated to their work, serious, fun-loving, intelligent, hard-working.
They did not ask me to sell Illinois College today. They asked for a simple, honest evaluation of the College from an alum’s point of view. However, I can’t help but gush.
In our small high school, I have nearly every senior in class, every year. College is very much the topic of all conversations. We talk about the reports sent back by last year’s seniors. I hear the same stories over and over. The IC students love it. In my 30 years of teaching, this is without exception.
And I know that at teacher hiring time, Illinois College is a definite plus.
A fault of mine… as a teacher, I’m too much of a mother. I’m terribly concerned when I send my students off to college. Our state and nation has many fine college and universities. Some, I’ve attended in grad school.. U of I, Western, ISU. But I breathe a sigh of relief when a student signs up for IC. I feel good when any student heads to college. When they head to IC, I also feel safe.
Fortune Magazine once polled 5,000 top execs. of Fortune 500. Well-rounded, liberal arts ed.
As a public school teacher, I want to make a plea for well-rounded citizens. We have plenty of computer wizs, thank you very much. What you know about Windows Millenium Edition impresses me less and less. What you know about people could change someone’s life. I also want to make a plea for a moral education like IC provides … our nation is not being embarrassed for its lack of brains… but morality.
What first struck me about IC. My friends would come home and talk about TA’s. No teaching assistants. My freshman schedule: English Rhetoric… Charles Frank, Phd…. one of world’s leading experts on British literature. World Literature: Eythl Seybold, Phd… the world’s leading expert on Henry David Thoreau. Chemistry.. Robert Evans, Phd (still here) Astronomy: Frederich Pilcher, Phd (still here) History… . Richard Fry, PhD (still here) Geography, Dr,. Ernest Hildner, Phd ..if he hadn’t died, he’d still be here.
Perhaps the most telling statistic about Illinois College is the percentage of alums giving financially to the college. Last year, 30%. National average, 20% or less.
Friend: Lew Cummings. Rode Honda to his farm. Drove a Chevy to church. Died and gave the money for the dining hall. He loved IC.
Literary Societies.. unique in the state, I think. I still meet with mine once a year after 28 years. When we gather and talk of IC, one thought pervades year after year. … at IC, we were a person. We were known. Last year I wrote a play for IC about student life… I met with students at Cummings Hall.. working on a play.. I asked them.. What is the best benefit of attending Illinois College. “I am known.” “My teachers care about me.” One girl: brother brain tumor.. operation.. “I almost wish I hadn’t mentioned it. My teachers call, they stop me on the quad..I have to leave early for class.” Last year I played a concert here at the college. Ate in the dining hall. I knew none of the students there but four kids came up and introduced themselves.
Forgive my personal references but I can only speak with authority about what IC did for me.
Dream: undertaker. English major. Dad: teaching degree. Triopia. Theatre.. completely out of my field. I know it was the liberal arts education that allowed me to do this.
Fewer and fewer college grads are working in their major field. Avg. American changes jobs 5 times in a lifetime. It’s the liberal arts education that makes this possible.
Even Bill Gates: “Don’t send me any more computer geniuses. The world has enough of them. Send me more dreamers.” Illinois College still teaches a young person to dream.
Last year I met with several faculty members about a play I wrote for IC. New member: first year here. Attended and taught only in Ivy League Schools. His comments struck me. “At the places I’ve been, every student who entered there was really somebody.. at least in their minds. We’d spend four years jockeying for position. I can’t believe what I’m seeing at Illinois College. For the first time in my teaching career, I’m seeing students change. They’re changing before my eyes and I know it’s because of the emphasis the school puts on personal contact with the faculty.”
He went on>…. Harder to teach here because of the wider variety of students, but much more exciting.
I began by saying that I very much feel for the trust demanded of you as parents.. Trust in a college to make the best use of your financial investment. The only stake I have in saying what I have is that I care very much about Illinois College and a continuing string of top students will maintain it as one of the nation’s finest schools.
This is an important day for you and your child, but it’s equally important for Illinois College. IC must continue to enroll the best students or it will lose it’s most precious asset.
Questions?
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