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University Club

Events Calendar Archive 2020-2021

2021 Events

Fall Semester 2021

University Club Zoom meetings and speaker presentations:

  • Friday August 20, 2021

    "Open Discussion" via Zoom at 3 p.m. All our members and guests are cordially invited.

  • Friday September 10, 2021

    "An Introduction to the Creative Technologies Program at Illinois State University" via Zoom at 3 p.m.

    Dr. Roy Magnuson, Associate Director of the Creative Technologies Program in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, will give a presentation entitled, "An Introduction to the Creative Technologies Program at Illinois State University" at the University Club at 3 p.m. Friday September 10 via Zoom. He will be joined by others involved in this unique academic program, including Dr. Rose Marshack, Director of the Creative Technologies Program and Sercan Sengun, Associate Professor in Game Design. You are invited to a talk with faculty from this Program where students learn the fundamentals of art, music, and theatre along with the theory and practice of digital and interactive media. Students work with artists, designers, and musicians who are experts in the latest technology and practices in their field. The Program provides a broad and flexible curriculum designed to keep students current with industry trends and developments.

  • Friday October 1, 2021

    "Momma Won't You Feed Me? Why and How Parents Play Favorites" via Zoom at 3 p.m.

    Dr. Matthew Dugas, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, will give a presentation entitled, "Momma Won't You Feed Me? Why and How Parents Play Favorites" at the University Club at 3 p.m. Friday October 1 via Zoom. Many animals (and plants) deliver nutrients to their developing offspring. Demand for such parentally delivered resources often outstrips the supply parents are able or willing to provide, forcing them to make decisions. We will consider why parents benefit from making the choices they do, and what information they use to make these decisions, focusing in particular on the nuclear family in neotropical poison frogs.

  • Friday October 22, 2021

    "Art on the Farm: A Tale of Two Central Illinois Artists—Lou Burk and Alfred Montgomery" via Zoom at 3 p.m.

    Bill Kemp, who has served as librarian for the not-for-profit McLean County Museum of History for the past eighteen years, will give a presentation entitled, "Art on the Farm: A Tale of Two Central Illinois Artists—Lou Burk and Alfred Montgomery" at the University Club at 3 p.m. Friday October 22 via Zoom. Lou Burk (1845-1914) and Alfred Montgomery (1857-1922) were two of the more important artists who made Bloomington home during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The careers of both men are inextricably linked with the Central Illinois Corn Belt. Montgomery primarily painted ear corn and Burk livestock. The rise of folk art as a serious subject matter for scholars and collectors alike has boosted the reputations of both artists.

  • Friday November 12, 2021

    “Honors Redefined: The Honors Program at Illinois State University”

    Dr. Linda Clemmons, Acting Director of the Honors Program, will give a presentation entitled, “Honors Redefined: The Honors Program at Illinois State University” at the University Club at 3 p.m. Friday November 12 via Zoom.

    The mission of the Honors Program is to engage, challenge, and support academically motivated and diverse students from all disciplines. We enrich students’ learning through academic, cultural, professional, and community-building opportunities. We equip students with tools and resources to develop competencies and transferable skills. The Honors Program has had the largest entering Freshman class in ISU history this year (447). Please join us to learn more about this very successful program.

  • Friday December 3, 2021

    "Edible Insects: Future Food or Fad?"

    Dr. Gina L. Hunter, Associate Professor of Anthropology, will give a presentation entitled, Edible Insects: Future Food or Fad?" at the University Club at 3 p.m. Friday December 3 via Zoom. Dr. Hunter is the author of the new book Edible Insects: A Global History which delves into the historical role of insects as human food and their contribution to environmentally sustainable future food resources.

    Relatively few Americans intentionally eat insect foods; in fact, we are likely to be disgusted at the thought. Recently, however grocery stores have started to stock new insect-based food products. Cricket powder (whole dried and ground crickets, Acheta domesticas) is found in chips, protein bars, breads and other products. It’s often marketed as an environmentally sustainable protein source. Indeed, cricket farming requires far less water, land, and feed resources—an exudes far less CO2 – than the rearing of other animals. Are insects the food of the future? Can they save the planet In this talk I look historically and cross-culturally at the culinary uses of insects to answer these questions.

Spring Semester 2021

  • Friday February 5, 2021

    "Open Discussion" via Zoom at 3 p.m. All our members and guests are cordially invited.

  • Friday February 26, 2021

    A talk entitled, “Planning for the ISU Hub of the Illinois Innovation Network” will be presented at 3 p.m. Friday February 26 via Zoom. Although slowed by the pandemic, planning for the ISU/Bloomington-Normal Hub of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) has been underway for almost 3 years.

    The history and current status of the Hub, which is coordinated by the Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, will be presented by Members of the IIN Steering Committee. The presenters include Dr. John Baur, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, former Associate Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, and current Associate Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Craig McLauchlan.

  • Friday March 19, 2021

    A talk entitled "Her Books: Finding Women Readers, Writers, & Producers in Early Modern Literature" will be presented by Rebecca Fitzsimmons, Special Collections Librarian and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Liaison, at 3 p.m. via Zoom.

    Finding evidence of the roles women played in book production, reading, and collecting during the early modern period can be somewhat challenging, but this doesn’t mean that women were necessarily less engaged in these activities. This talk will focus on works in the Rare and Fine Book Collection in the Milner Library Special Collections Department, with a particular emphasis on the writer Lady Mary Wroth and the collector Frances Wolfreston.

  • Friday April 9, 2021

    Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. Aondover Tarhule, will give a Zoom presentation entitled "Academic Affairs Update" at 3 p.m.

    Dr. Tarhule joined ISU July, 2020 as the new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. He has an exceptionally strong academic background in research and administration. He joined us in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic and helped guide ISU through major challenges and consequent adjustments in our education system. Provost Tarhule will provide an update and discuss current events in Academic Affairs

  • Friday April 30, 2021 at 3 p.m.

    Unversity Club Scholarship Awards Ceremony. Ten 10 $500 scholarships will be awarded. Awardees, their families, guests and University Club Members and ISU faculty and staff are invited to attend via Zoom. The competition was particulary keen this year and we are pleased that we are able to honor some exceptionallly talented ISU students that have been involved in serving the University and local community.

2020 Events

Fall Semester 2020

University Club Zoom meetings and speaker presentations:

  • Friday October 9, 2020

    Dr. John Sedbrook, Professor of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences gave a Zoom presentation entitled, “Pennycress – Biofuel for a Greener Future” at 3 p.m.

  • Friday November 13, 2020

    Allison Fundis, Chief Operating Officer, Ocean Exploration Trust, gave a YouTube presentation via Zoom entitled, “Ocean Exploration and the Search for Amelia Earhart” at 3 p.m.

  • Friday December 11, 2020

    Dr. Shirley Buzzard, gave a Zoom talk entitled, “Community Relocation: What Can You Do when the Sea Takes Your City?" at 3 p.m. Dr. Buzzard is a medical anthropologist (Ph.D. American University) living in Washington, D.C. She is president of Heartlands International, Ltd. a native American woman-owned small business.

You can find more details about the above talks on this file