"Education," said William Butler Yeats, "is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Lighting the way for College of DuPage students are seven faculty members recognized with Mary Beth Leone (Wheaton), assistant professor, Hotel and Lodging Management, as 2007-2008 Outstanding Faculty. Leone was named the college's Overall Outstanding Faculty Member. The seven are James Africh (Tinley Park), professor, Mathematics; Marianne Berger (Geneva), professor and reference librarian; Keith Krasemann (Sycamore), professor, Philosophy; Denise Kruckenberg (Warrenville), assistant professor/coordinator, Respiratory Care Therapy; Joel Quam (Lombard), professor, Geography; Linda Slusar (Winfield), professor/coordinator, Library and Information Technology; and Nancy Webb (Naperville), professor, English. The outstanding faculty members were selected through a process that began with student nominations. Criteria for the recognition — which includes a $500 cash award from the C.O.D. Foundation — comprises excellence in teaching, service to the unit or college, scholarly activity, community service and advising. Overall Outstanding Faulty Member Leone believes in connecting classroom learning with hands-on experience. In 2004, she organized a group of students who entered the Tabletop Competition at the National Housewares Show. Her students won first place honors and were showcased on Home and Garden Television (HGTV). She helped found the Hospitality Club at C.O.D. and serves as its faculty adviser. She maintains membership in several professional organizations and invites students to the groups' meetings. Leone actively prepares her students for lifelong careers by placing them in internships, and she has received many letters from students expressing their appreciation for her assistance and dedication in preparing them for industry careers. He also shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for mathematics with colleagues. "… (It has been) said that a great skill is making those around you better," said a math colleague. "I know that I am a much better teacher due to Jim's support and guidance." With Africh as their coach, the C.O.D. Math Team has captured first place nine times in the Midwest Region national test of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.
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 Marianne Berger Professor and reference librarian Berger exemplifies excellence in librarianship with her strong work ethic and dedication. As head of the Library's Circulation Department, she ensures that the Library's Catalog, Circulation Services and AV Distribution areas function efficiently. She also works countless hours behind the scenes to manage the Library's computer system, which provides access to the Library's collections. Berger teaches countless classes and works closely with faculty in the many Liberal Arts programs for which she is the liaison librarian. She is also an expert on copyright law, maintaining a copyright web site for the college and offering workshops to faculty. She has served on the college's Faculty/Administrative Review Board for many years, as well as the Epidemiology Committee.
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Krasemann co-directs the National Endowment of the Humanities grant-funded project, "Philosophical Ideas and Artistic Pursuit in the Traditions of Asia and the West." He chairs the Asia Committee on campus and directs the Regional Center for Asian Studies Development program. In addition, he recently organized the highly-successful National Conference of the Asian Studies Development Program. Krasemann is one of the original editors for C.O.D.'s anthology of student writing, ESSAI, and he initiated and serves as the adviser of the student Philosophy Club. He has six books in print and is completing two philosophy books that will be published later this year.
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 Denise Kruckenberg A practicing respiratory therapist, Kruckenberg brings passion and skill to her teaching. She treats sensitive materials with professional expertise and is able to interject an appropriate sense of humor to lighten some of the more serious topics in the program's curriculum. Kruckenberg has participated in department, Division and college service projects with diligence and sincerity. Kruckenberg co-chaired the 2007 All-College Workshop and will handle those duties again this year. She has served as a team leader for the annual American Heart Association Heart Walks and serves on the Hospitality committee. Her commitment to enhance C.O.D. is evident in her dedicated work.
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 Joel QuamGeography professor Quam demonstrates daily care and concern for students, an extensive knowledge of subject matter, and a particularly distinctive methodology. Quam empowers his students to learn, remember, increase awareness and think critically. He employs many innovative techniques to help his students learn. In one activity - a combination final exam and party - Quam invited community members to mingle with his students and ask them questions about geography. Having traveled widely, Quam brings a unique perspective to the field of geography. Highlights of his college committee work include acting as chair of the 2006 All-College Workshop Committee, serving as a faculty senator for three years and co-founding the Russia committee. Currently, Quam is writing an electronic textbook on the geography of Russia.
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 Linda Slusar Library and Information Technology coordinator Slusar was cited as turning the college's Library and Information Technology program into a 21st century powerhouse. Under her leadership, the program has grown from a campus-specific to an international program with the addition of "Soaring to Excellence" teleconferences. The teleconferences are down-linked to more than 400 sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her leadership and achievements were featured in a front cover article in the Library Journal, which awarded Slusar its annual "Movers and Shakers" award. She received Library Mosaic's "Supporter of Support Staff" award in 2000 for "delivering one of the outstanding support staff programs in the country," and for increasing the availability of her program in alternative delivery modes. Slusar helps her students create professional portfolios, which culminate in a "Portfolio Expo," attended by library professionals. She has established a student scholarship in Dominican University's Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program to enable students to obtain a graduate degree in this field. Slusar also developed two-way video conferencing and internet classes to help students throughout Illinois attain a degree that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
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 Nancy WebbEnglish professor Webb is an outstanding teacher, whose lively personality and creativity engages students and helps them learn. Webb spends many hours with her students during individual conferences. She acts as both mentor and adviser and guides them toward their future aspirations. Webb founded the college's Writing and Reading Center, which currently assists more than 2,500 students per year. She also created the first Liberal Arts certificate in 2000 - the Technical Writing certificate. An internship program is a key element of the certificate and Webb has worked to develop opportunities for students to work in the field while they study. She serves as a part-time liaison for the Communications subdivision and provides orientation sessions for new part-time faculty in the Communications area. Return to top |
James Africh
Keith Krasemann
