Winning legacy
From his days on ISU’s men’s basketball team and throughout years of collegiate coaching, Steve Fisher ’67, M.S. ’68, excelled in the sport. He helped lead the Redbirds to the 1967 NCAA Tournament Final Four. Fisher was head coach at the University of Michigan for nearly a decade, taking the team to a national championship in 1989. He then coached at San Diego State, which had only one winning season in 15 years when he arrived in 1999. Under Fisher, the school made eight NCAA and five NIT appearances. He retired from the coaching position this year with a record of 386-209.
Nurse worth watching
Mennonite College of Nursing graduate Elizabeth Myers ’99 is one of the 40 under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders identified by the Illinois Nurses Foundation. Her exemplary work in the field includes establishing 2×2 Health: Private Health Concierge. The agency helps patients and families navigate the complicated medical system, from setting up appointments to understanding a diagnosis. Myers also co-founded Abby’s Army Foundation. The nonprofit organization supports pediatric patients battling life-threatening illnesses and their families. She is active in the nursing field as a member of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates and the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants.
Best in Midwest
George Van Den Driessche, M.S. ’15, captured an honor for his graduate work that no one at the University has ever received. He won the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Masters Thesis Award. His thesis is titled Computational Investigations of Oxygen-Containing Donor-Acceptor Complexes Involving Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur Trioxide. He completed the work while studying theoretical chemistry under Professor Jean Standard while at Illinois State. Now a doctoral student at North Carolina State University, Van Den Driessche is working on ways to predict a drug’s likelihood of inducing adverse reactions. He plans on pursuing a career with a pharmaceutical company.
A master mentor
Preparing future professionals for positions in psychology has been a passion for Bruce Kelsay ’79, M.S. ’83. He received designation as a model school psychology intern supervisor from the National Association of School Psychologists. Kelsay worked with at least one graduate-level intern each of the past 25 academic years, including students from Illinois State. He studied psychology as an undergraduate and school psychology for his master’s degree. Kelsay served for 30 years as a school psychologist with Illinois District 88, which includes Willowbrook and Addison Trail high schools. He entered retirement at the end of the school year.
