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Illinois State alumni magazine cover summer 2014 of President Larry Dietz

Looking ahead: Illinois State President Larry Dietz has no doubt the University is moving from better to best

Volume 15 • Number 1 • Summer 2014

Dietz presidency caps a career rooted in service

From a childhood spent working on the family farm to his career in public higher education as a professor and administrator, Larry Dietz has made a lifelong commitment to facilitating growth.

ISU alums guide inner-city school with legal focus

The glaring lack of minority attorneys in the United States is a big, complicated problem, one that critics say has created a justice system that’s not so just for clients of color.

Students partner with retirees for insights on life

Illinois State recognized long ago the desirability of bridging the gap between college students preparing to enter the workplace and individuals on the other end of the spectrum.

Oral history of ISU’s beer riot, 30 years later

The night became known as the beer riot, and it’s still one of Illinois State’s most embarrassing episodes. It’s been 30 years, but it feels more like 300 given today’s thriving town-gown relationship.

Photos: Inside look at the Braden autograph room

Entertainers who grace the stages of Braden Auditorium leave their mark in the dressing room by signing their names to the walls, ceiling, and even the clock.

Where are they now: Jack Chizmar

Jack Chizmar arrived at ISU in 1971, having completed his doctorate at Boston College. A native of Pennsylvania, he headed to the Midwest because Illinois State was the best of five job offers.

Ruth Ryder and Roy Schilling at Eyestone school

Mail to the Editor: August 2014

Mail to the Illinois State magazine editor for August 2014.

ISU football locks in best class of signees in division

Head football coach Brock Spack has reason to eagerly anticipate the upcoming football season. He and his staff brought to Illinois State the top recruiting class in the nation in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Alum becomes Illinois State’s latest Teacher of the Year

Illinois State alum James Ford was recently named North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, a remarkable achievement that punctuates Ford’s anything-but-straight path to the classroom.

Milner Library offers services to graduates

Graduates are now able to connect with Milner Library research databases at no cost through the Alumni Association.

Directors chosen for Alumni Association

There is new leadership within the Alumni Association following the annual meeting in June.

Alum shines light on where abuse and HIV collide

For decades, School of Social Work graduate Kat Griffith has been an advocate bringing light to the intersection between HIV and women in abusive relationships.

Business alum earns Meritorious Civilian Service Medal

Interested in the Air Force since high school, Dean Peebels ’83 began serving in the military branch shortly after graduating with a degree in business administration and finance.

Gamma Phi Circus alum soars in Cirque du Soleil Vegas show

Have you ever been to one of Cirque du Soleil’s big shows in Las Vegas, where performers land impossibly precise stunts? For ISU alum Christopher Ries, that’s now just another day at the office.

Grad becomes advocate for female athletes

Darlene Kluka ’72, M.A. ’76, is recognized by several national and global organizations as a scholar and leader in the fields of sport science and women in sports.

US attorney recognizes ISU alum for unraveling tax fraud case

Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent Brett Rovey, B.S./M.P.A. ’09, was recognized February 27 by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, of the Southern District of Texas, at the 2014 United States Attorney’s Awards Ceremony held in Houston.