outlookv5n12007

OulooktOakton Community College Vol. 5, No. 1, 2007

Where in the World is
Oakton?
With a new Global Studies
Concentration and a variety of
international study and travel
options, Oakton provides many
unique opportunities for students
to “start here” and “go global.”
Ambassador Peg
Invited by the State Department
to help promote U.S. education to
students, educators, and business
leaders in Mumbai and Delhi,
President Margaret Lee returns
from India with a renewed vision
of “community.”
2 10
124 8
6 Building on a Foundation
of Success
The National Science Foundation
has spent more than $1 million to
fund Oakton’s efforts in recruiting,
supporting, and graduating STEM
students, and the innovative project
is showing impressive results.
On the Horizon
Until two years ago, their cultural
experiences could not have been
more different, but students
Vrushank Shah of Gujarat, India, and
Loubabatou Bouzou of Niger, Africa,
now follow similar paths
to helping humankind.
Raiders Play it From
the Heart
Mentoring to create a culture of
“giving back” is important to men’s
basketball coach Steve Pratt, whose
2006-07 Raiders won a record 29
games and played in their first-ever
national tournament.
Another Look
Rapid prototyping is touted as the
manufacturing trend of the future,
but Oakton’s own fabrication
laboratory recently visited history’s
deep past—about 65 million years
ago—to replicate the skull of a
semi-famous Tyrannosaurus rex.
Oakton Community College
1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Ray Hartstein Campus
7701 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077
Copyright 2007
Published by the Office of College Advancement
847.635.1672
Carlee Drummer, Executive Editor
cdrummer@oakton.edu
Bill Paige, Editor
bpaige@oakton.edu
Nancy Nash, Graphic Designer
nnash@oakton.edu
Steve Repsys, Feature Writer
srepsys@oakton.edu
Kate Tillotson, Contributing Writer
katet@oakton.edu
Margaret B. Lee, President
Board ofTrustees
Jeffrey H. Rosen, Chair
Emory W. Williams, Vice Chair
Joan W. DiLeonardi, Secretary
George G. Alexopoulos
Michael Collins
Ann E. Tennes
Jody Wadhwa
Stephen Spera, Student Trustee
Founded in 1969, Oakton Community College
(District 535) includes Maine, Evanston, New Trier,
Niles, and Northfield Townships and serves the
residents of Des Plaines, Evanston, Glencoe,
Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton
Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge,
Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka.
Visit us at www.oakton.edu
Cover: Oakton’s President Margaret Lee enjoys a
photo opportunity with students from Captain
Indraani Singh’s school in India. See story on page 4.
Opposite page: White Knight (Tom Mondala)
shows Alice (J. Lauren Lipp) the enchanting world
of Wonderland in the Performing Arts at Oakton
production of Alice in Wonderland.
“Globalization—the seismic realignment of our world—is being
created, and will be formed, by human contact, human
relationship, human conversation,” writes American
Public Media radio host Krista Tippet.
“Paradoxically, these one-on-one connections
can be more immediate and effective in a
global world than they ever were before.”
Inexpensive and ubiquitous forms of
communication are said to have
“shrunken” the modern world. People
today can interact with someone from
any other corner of the globe as easily
as earlier generations used to visit the
corner store. Perhaps there are benefits
to these facile, too-often anonymous
encounters, but in the end it is people
who matter. Each of us who travels from
our own part of the world to another
inevitably helps create an environment of
understanding that did not previously exist.
Viewed from a distance, cultures can easily be
marginalized and stereotyped. By taking a closer look
at the global citizens who comprise this fifth issue of Outlook,
we hope you’ll be rewarded with a greater appreciation of
our exquisite differences.
—The Editors
OulooktOakton Community College Vol. 5, No. 1, 2007

W rld
countries,
from credit
courses
that involve
crossing
international
borders, to more
leisure-oriented trips hosted by retired
professors who simply love to share
new experiences.
Bursting borders
“We’ve opted for an umbrella approach
to globalizing Oakton’s curriculum over
the next five years,” says Katherine
Schuster, coordinator of the new Global
Studies Concentration. “Students will
enjoy tremendous flexibility in creating
their own course of study, whether they
want to focus on a particular culture or
issue in depth, or dip their toe into many
international waters.”
The 18-credit-hour concentration
fosters understanding of the complex
interrelationships among nations and
peoples across the world. Many
general education courses are part of
the program, creating a “value-added”
curriculum for degree-seeking students.
This cross-disciplinary approach covers
the broad cultural impact of issues such
as ethnicity, imperialism, globalization,
and industrialization. Study topics also
may include environmental sustainability,
peace and resistance movements, and
access to food, water, health care,
education, and other natural and
human resources.
First stops:
China and Puerto Rico
To kick off the first year of the Global
Studies Concentration, Oakton offers
field study trips to both China and
Puerto Rico.
China and the Miao (HUM 290),
taught by Virginia Gibbons, a professor
of English, and Tingxiu Wang, a professor
of mathematics, offers a comparative
survey of the intellectual and artistic
achievements of the Miao (Hmong), an
ethnic group native to China’s southern
regions. For two weeks at the end of May
and early June, students travel to Shanghai,
Beijing, Nanjing, Xi’an, and Guiyang,
while taking in the nation’s most popular
attractions, including the Great Wall,
Terracotta Warriors, Forbidden City,
Tiananmen Square, and many others.
“Traveling through China, and stay-
ing in a Chinese university and a Miao
village, promotes understanding of
Chinese life and the opportunity for
deeper analysis of the forces affecting
modern China,” according to Gibbons.
Two months later, students studying
both photography and Spanish as a
modern language will visit Puerto Rico,
to further their own academic goals.
Students in Documentary Photography
(ART 230) will develop individual
“WHERE IN THE WORLD is Oakton?”
The simplest answer to this question
may be found in the College’s global
positioning satellite (GPS) coordinates.
At some point, visitors pulling through
the Des Plaines campus’ circle drive would
likely find themselves at latitude 42° 06’,
longitude 87° 88’. But that’s far from the
whole story. In fact, Oakton’s influence
reaches all over the world, and the College
itself is impacted by many people who
may never walk through its doors.
Global studies are a two-way street
at Oakton. Each semester, the College
enrolls approximately 150 international
students studying on F-1 visas. These
students add a unique element to the
already rich cultural environment that
exists in many classrooms, according to
Georgia Kariotis, program coordinator
for non-native students.
“Even without our international student
population, we have a very diverse cam-
pus,” says Kariotis. “There is not a lot
of active recruiting, so the international
students who enroll at Oakton are doing
so based on positive ‘word of mouth’
from family, friends, or alumni. It’s an
eye-opener for in-district students,
regardless of their background. They
come to recognize that these students
are making a special effort, and in some
cases special sacrifices, to take advantage
of what Oakton offers.”
However, opportunities also exist
for Oakton students to study in other
4 5
portfolios of black and white, color,
and digital photographs, while
Conversational Spanish (SPN 105)
students work on their language confidence
and competence in real-life situations.
Sightseeing also is a component of
this nine-day excursion, with stops at
Luquillo Beach, the Caribbean national
forest of El Yunque, and historic Old
San Juan.
Similar trips to Italy and Greece, and
possibly Finland, are planned in 2008.
Other study opportunities
Another way Oakton provides students
with a global perspective in education
is through cost-effective study abroad
opportunities offered in conjunction with
the Illinois Consortium for International
Studies and Programs. Formed in 1986,
ICISP offers full semester and summer
programs at Canterbury Christ Church
University in Canterbury, England,
International College of Seville in
Seville, Spain, and Salzburg College in
Salzburg, Austria. Students in these
programs may elect to study from a
broad range of courses, live with host
families near the college or university,
and travel extensively. Summer programs
are offered at several locations including
MacQuarie University in Sydney,
Australia (through a partnership with
Madison Area Technical College), and
the acclaimed Forester Instituto in San
José, Costa Rica, through the College
of DuPage.
“In today’s global society, study
abroad is an invaluable investment in a
student’s future,” says Schuster, noting
the existence of a variety of scholarship
opportunities for students, from ICISP,
Sister Cities International, and the
Oakton Educational Foundation.
Group travel with a twist
Oakton’s First Class Adventures pro-
gram books educational trips through
TraveLearn, an internationally respected
agency that offers tourism “for people
who take their minds with them on
vacation.” Traveling in groups of 10 to
20, participants are accompanied by
passionate and articulate escorts and in-
country resource specialists who arrange
for a unique array of lectures, seminars,
and meetings with local residents.
Travelers may attend as many or as few
of these organized events as they like,
which allows plenty of freedom to
explore their own interests. Trips are
designed with many budgets in mind
(from $1,500 to $4,500), and range in
duration from one to three weeks. As the
company’s name suggests, comfortable
accommodations and delicious meals
are provided during most trips, but many
excursions are available in “budget”
versions that scale back those costs as
well as the length of the trip. Trips
currently are offered to Alaska,
Antarctica, Belize, China, Costa Rica,
Egypt, Ecuador and the Galapagos
Islands, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Jordan,
Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Russia, Spain,
Tanzania, and Turkey.
More time to travel
Oakton’s chapter of
the State Universities
Annuitants Association
(SUAA) also sponsors
travel opportunities for
retired members of the
College community, their
families, and friends.
“There’s a little more
substance to what we do,”
says retired Oakton history
professor Frank Fonsino, who plans
to host an eight-day tour to the Golden
Circle of Iceland—just two months
after returning from his own privately-
organized cooking tour of Italy. “It’s not
like going on a Caribbean cruise and
buying a basket in the local marketplace.
In Turkey, we visited the facade of one of
the ancient world’s most famous libraries,
and walked along the same stone paths
as Cleopatra and John the Apostle.”
Trips to exotic ports of call such as
the Patagonia of Argentina and Chile
and the vineyards of Australia and New
Zealand, are organized by Collette
Vacations, the nation’s oldest travel
agency. Collette has experience develop-
ing innovative learning vacations for
the Smithsonian, and like TraveLearn,
attempts to strike a good balance
between the recreational and educational
aspects of each trip.
While the myriad choices for
global study at first seem
confusing, intrepid
travelers will find
it worthwhile to
unravel the
mystery of
how they can
indeed “start
here” and
“go anywhere”
in the world.
Where in the
is Oakton?

76
WE ARRIVED IN Mumbai (formerly
Bombay) after midnight, and the ride to
our hotel took us through the streets of
the city, alive with people who call the
sidewalks their home. Thousands of tiny
businesses line the streets. Our group
was amazed to learn that more than half
of India’s population is under the age of
30, and that education is valued only less
than food, and higher than either shelter
or clothing. However, it is also true that
demand for higher education in India far
exceeds its availability, and admission to
college and university hinges on each
student’s performance on a national
entrance exam.
devouring news in print. Contrary to
current publishing trends in the U.S.,
newspaper circulation in India is
projected to continue to increase.
At the end of the day in Mumbai, we
flew to Delhi with instructions to meet at
5:15 the next morning to travel by train
to Agra. In our travels from one meeting
to the next, and from south to north, we
experienced all the variety that is India,
from the splendor, beauty, and opulence
of the Taj Mahal that no words or
pictures can approximate, to the abject
poverty of people living along the
roadside and railways with little shelter
and fewer possessions. Predictably, the
traffic is terrible; imagine eight cars and
three motorbikes jockeying for position
as they enter a four-lane highway round-
about. Cows enjoy the right of way on
country roads and city highways.
During the Delhi visit, our delegation
was hosted by Foreign Secretary Shiv
Shanker Menon, at a luncheon meeting
at Hyderabad House. We found ourselves
answering questions from students and
faculty at a town hall-style meeting at
the University of Delhi. (Two days later,
this event was broadcast on NDTV
prime time television to 60 million
viewers.) We spoke to former and
prospective scholars at Fulbright House
and the American Center, and at India
Institute of Technology participated in
roundtable discussions with higher
education officials from northern India.
We lunched with members of the
Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry, and were
dinner guests of Ambassador and Mrs.
David Mulford at Roosevelt House.
Our hosts from the American embassy
and some of our fellow travelers from
the State Department joined us for a
short shopping expedition to Dali Haat,
which presented an array of vendors and
their crafts from all over India. It was a
different kind of cultural immersion—
browsing and bargaining. While some
enjoyed a mehndi session (the art of
applying orange-ochre henna tattoos
to the hands and body in a variety of
intricate patterns is a traditional “good
luck” ritual for Indian brides), my
purchases were limited to hand-woven
cloth and beautiful drawings by women
in distant villages.
On my last day in India, I traveled
with Indraani Singh, a remarkable
woman who pilots Airbus jets and is
the shaping spirit of a school that serves
children who have little but hope. We
were connected by Jody Wadhwa, one
of Oakton’s long-serving trustees, who
does much to support this little school
that is changing the world one child at
a time. Captain Singh introduced me to
her colleagues and the school’s students,
who welcomed me with flowers and
their own drawings. We visited the
school’s brand new building, large and
modern, and attended a workshop where
women learned the crafts of sewing and
working with paper, thanks to Indraani’s
advocacy and persistence.
In the afternoon, before the delega-
tion gathered to head for the airport,
I had lunch with Jody Wadhwa’s nephew
and his family in their home. After
lunch, we traveled together to the
Gandhi memorial. We took off our shoes
and made our way in the heat of the
day to the holy ground where burns
an eternal flame in honor of the great
pacifist who changed not only India,
but the whole world. I had thought of
Gandhi so many times during my days
in his country. I saw his spirit alive and
contagious in Indraani’s work and in the
words of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,
who sat with us in his parlor and walked
us through his garden. President Kalam,
trained as a nuclear physicist, spoke of
his own education. He surprised and
inspired us with his description of the
course that mattered most to him. It
wasn’t a science course, but a combina-
tion of philosophy and ethics that shaped
his own way of understanding and being
in the world.
“If you have harmony in your own
heart,” he said, “that will lead to patience
in the family, understanding and tolerance
in the nation, and peace in the world.”
What value did this trip have to me
in my role as a community college
president in the heartland of America?
Nearly 20 years have passed since the
Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future
of Community Colleges affirmed that
“although the world may not yet be a
global village, surely our sense of neigh-
borhood must expand.” The group’s
1988 report, Building Communities: A
Vision for a New Century, urged that we
understand “community” as our middle
name, “not as a district to be served,
but as a climate to be created—in our
classrooms, through our corridors, and
around the world.” While it was an
honor to serve as a representative of
higher learning, I hope to continue
building bridges and creating a climate
of community here and half a world away.
Within a few hours we attended our
first official meeting, chaired by the vice
chancellor of the University of Pune, an
inspiring man we had been told started
his life on the streets of the Mumbai
slums. An articulate advocate for learn-
ing, the vice chancellor’s passion for
access to education was evident. After a
luncheon meeting with business leaders,
eager for educated graduates, we visited
the headquarters of The Times of India.
The Times of India is the largest media
group in the world, delivering 1,000
newspapers every minute to native
consumers who, we are informed, spend
an average of 44 minutes each day
Peg
Ambassador
In spring 2007, Oakton President Margaret “Peg” Lee traveled to India at the
invitation of Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy
and Public Affairs. Lee was the only community college representative
among a small delegation that included John Bowen, president of Johnson
and Wales University; Mark Emmert, president of the University of
Washington; John Lilley, president of Baylor University; Eileen Wilson-
Oyelaran, president of Kalamazoo College; and James Oblinger, chancellor
of North Carolina State University. The delegation’s mission was to promote
the quality, dynamism, and diversity of higher education in the U.S., and
to communicate the idea that the U.S. welcomes and values international
students, and recognizes the importance of international education to
preparing globally competitive leaders. Here, President Lee shares her
personal thoughts and impressions about this extraordinary adventure.
Above, from left: John Lilley, (Baylor
University); Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran
(Kalamazoo College); John Bowen (Johnson
and Wales University); President Lee;
James Oblinger (North Carolina State);
Karen Hughes; and Mark Emmert
(University of Washington).

8 9
for Promoting STEM (the full title
includes the phrase, “A Consistent
District-wide Approach to Increase
STEM Enrollment and Student
Success”), which collaborates with local
high schools and benefits approximately
1,200 area students each year. The Center
will enhance students’ success in STEM
courses through monetary fellowships,
faculty mentors and a peer tutoring
program, innovative teaching techniques,
classroom simulations, and special
seminars. With all of these programs,
the Center seeks to create the kind of
stimulating, supportive environment
conducive to helping students succeed.
In an increasingly technology-based
society, the need is critical for more
graduates to pursue careers in science,
technology, math, and engineering.
“The number of students earning STEM
degrees in the U.S. has been flat for the
last 10 years,” says Wang, who adds that
when it comes to these fields, the U.S.
still lags far behind countries like China,
which graduates eight times more
engineering students.
in physics, biochemistry, and anatomy
and physiology courses. She benefited
from the STEM Mentoring Program in
a positive way. “It was really great to
have a more personal relationship with
a teacher who was interested to know
my story and my goals,” she says. “He
showed me that I didn’t have to go down
one path.” Her mentor provided advice
on her pre-med options and encouraged
her to fully prepare for the MCAT exam
so that her confidence level would be
high. Emmanuel plans to take the MCAT
this summer.
“Without the grant, there are many
programs we couldn’t offer,” says Wang,
including the popular Student-Industry-
Teacher Simulations (SIT-SIMs), which
showcase “real world” problems solved
by students working with faculty and
industry experts. “Because of the grant
we are able to get faculty and industry
professionals to work together. We are
confident this program can continue
after the grant expires.”
Another project is Peer Tutor
Training, which recruits high school
Enter the NSF, an independent
federal agency created by Congress
after World War II to promote the
progress of science. Initially the NSF
focused on research, but later added an
educational component because “you
can’t do research unless you have
educated people,” says Elizabeth Teles,
NSF program director and the liaison
for community colleges. With its STEM
grants, the NSF seeks to increase the
number of science, technology, engineer-
ing, and math graduates who might not
otherwise enter those fields. Oakton was
one of 14 institutions to receive a STEM
grant in 2006.
Teles says she is struck by the number
of Oakton faculty who are “committed
to the STEM program, and their level of
caring that students succeed.” She also
is impressed by the quality of student
services, the high level of student
involvement, and the many programs
that offer a wide range
of strategies for success.
“There’s huge potential
here,” she says.
juniors who have completed Advanced
Placement calculus. “This program
would have been impossible without the
NSF,” says Wang. Through this initiative,
students’ algebra scores have improved.
In the last five years, Oakton’s national
standing jumped from 87th to 38th in the
American Mathematical Association of
Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Math
Competition. Peer Tutor Training and
SIT-SIMs have both won Innovation
Awards from the Illinois Council of
Academic Administrators. The STEM
Enrichment Program also supports stu-
dents with specially-designed STEM
classes in algebra and composition,
taught in tandem with a college study
skills seminar.
With so much of its foundation
already in place, what’s the future vision
for the Center for Promoting STEM?
“We want to establish this Center
and these activities as a national model,”
says Wang. “The NSF also expects
Oakton to become a national model.
That’s the goal. That’s our plan.”
The 2006 grant funds
fellowships of up to $600 each
semester for as many as 60 STEM
students and also provides for seminars
that cover topics like time and stress
management, transferring credits, problem
solving, and effective study skills.
According to Wang, the support of
Oakton’s faculty and administration,
the recruitment of students, and the
College’s consistent focus on the STEM
project are critical to the program’s
success. Also important is the mentoring
program that pairs a STEM student with
a faculty member who meet six times
during the year to discuss the curriculum,
the difficulties and challenges of STEM
classes, transferring credits, and career
options.
“Students want a multi-dimensional
experience,” says Pamela Emmanuel, an
Oakton post-baccalaureate student with a
bachelor’s degree in international
relations from American
University. After arriving at Oakton
last year with the goal of preparing
for medical school, she enrolled
Building on a
WHEN A CORE GROUP of Oakton
faculty first applied for a grant from the
National Science Foundation, they felt
confident about their chance at winning
the award. What they may not have been
able to imagine at that time, however,
is that the College eventually would be
chosen for two consecutive NSF partner-
ships, spanning seven years until 2010.
“We were very excited to receive
the second grant,” says Tingxiu Wang,
professor of mathematics and Oakton’s
project director for STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and
mathematics). We consider it a
recognition of our effort after receiving
the first one. The funding gives us more
of a chance to do our best.”
Announced in September 2006, the
second grant awards Oakton nearly
$1 million over a period of four
years, greatly surpassing
the 2003 grant
for $250,000.
Funds from both grants are
earmarked for the Center
Foundation of Success

1110
unfair child labor practices in India.
One of Shah’s paintings also won
an international award for its daunting
message reflecting the effects of terror-
ism and overpopulation in India. The
purpose of the painting was to inspire
others to stop destructive trends and
make a difference. Indeed, Shah’s
pursuits, both artistic and scientific,
revolve around helping others.
While working part time at the
Advising and Counseling Center, Shah
also is a Student Ambassador and partic-
ipates in other extracurricular pursuits at
Oakton including student government,
College Bowl, Phi Theta Kappa, and
STEM Club, for students interested in
science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics careers. He notes that India
offers little opportunity to become
involved with such a variety of activities.
“With so many people, schools in
India can’t give students the same
attention, recognition, or support that
Oakton provides,” he says. “Here, I can
be everything I want to be.”
Breaking From Tradition
Federal statistics show that 99 percent
of Americans can read this sentence.
In fact, becoming literate in the U.S. is
a childhood pastime. For many, learning
their ABCs and reading aloud from
favorite bedtime stories form nostalgic
family memories. Such nostalgia is
rarely a reality in Niger, a country in
Western Africa.
Considered the second poorest
country in the world, only 18 percent of
Niger’s population can read. The rate is
even lower among women—a mere eight
percent are literate, according to the
United Nations. Many organizations,
including the U.N., have recognized the
need for educational reform within
Niger, but the greater challenge could
be overturning cultural assumptions
regarding female education.
Loubabatou “Luba” Bouzou has
experienced this sexist educational sys-
tem first hand. “As a woman in Niger,
I wasn’t expected to have an education,”
she says. “Women are encouraged to
marry, not go to school.”
While most of Bouzou’s relatives
From Gujarat With Love
“Education is for improving the lives
of others and for leaving the world better
than you found it.” One student who
embodies those words by activist Marian
Edelman, founder of the Children’s
Defense Fund, is Vrushank Shah.
Born in Gujarat, India, Shah moved to
the U.S. in 2005 to pursue his dream of
becoming a neurosurgeon. His family had
always planned to send Vrushank over-
seas to study. They knew the U.S. offered
many educational opportunities that are
unavailable to most people in India,
including affordable two-year colleges.
In fact, Shah attended an English-
speaking school in India to prepare
him for a future American education.
Shah has long demonstrated an
affinity for mathematics and believes in
“strength in numbers.” Solving math
problems is a way for him to relieve
stress and improve self-confidence. This
characteristic, coupled with an interest
in scientific research, led Shah to investi-
gate opportunities in the medical field.
“I want to serve the community in
any way I can,” says Shah. “If I become
a doctor, I will help people until I can no
longer work, even if that’s not until I’m
80 or 90 years old.”
Shah inherited this altruistic spirit
from his parents. “When my mom was
a principal, she helped students and
families in any way she could, whether
academically, financially, or mentally,”
Shah says.
His parents’ emphasis on community
service already has paid dividends. When
Shah was just
10 years old,
he led a “draw-
ing campaign”
against child
labor. He
organized a
large group
of students to
draw abstract
and realistic
images, which
were then
used as part of
a rally to call
for an end to
advocated
traditional gender
roles, her parents
supported her
desire to receive
an education.
“My mom
wanted my sister
and me to grow
up and decide
who we should
be for ourselves,”
she adds.
Bouzou
wanted to learn
about the medical field and eventually
become a physician’s assistant or doctor.
However, inadequate school funding and
her family’s lack of resources made this
wish “a distant dream.”
Fortunately, a Peace Corps volunteer
named Leslie Natzke helped Bouzou to
transform her dream into opportunity.
When Natzke visited Niger on a Peace
Corps mission several years ago, she
stayed with Bouzou’s family and decided
to sponsor Bouzou’s education. After
months of paperwork and countless
family meetings, Bouzou moved to the
U.S. two years ago.
“When I moved here, I didn’t know
any English,” she says. “It was so hard,
but Leslie made me speak English all the
time, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Today, Bouzou is a part-time Oakton
employee and full-time student, enrolled
in classes such as English Composition,
Life Science, and Contemporary Culture
and the Arts. Her essay on how a
community college changed her life was
selected to represent the College in the
2007 Paul Simon Student Essay Contest,
a statewide competition sponsored by
the Illinois Community College Trustees
Association.
Bouzou plans to continue her educa-
tion in the medical field after graduation,
hoping this study will allow her to help
people in her native homeland. “Medicine
is something we always need,” she says.
“I want to travel back and forth between
Niger and the U.S. I want to open a
clinic. Now I have the power to make
that a reality.”
“[In Niger], schools closed for months at a time while
teachers and students went on strike. My older
brothers had not finished school, and only six percent
of girls go on to secondary school anyway. Being an
uneducated woman, living in Niger, would simply
mean no more dreams, neither the possibility of
pursuing my education nor helping society as a whole.
“Oakton has saved my life, enriched it, and made me
happier. My family and friends at home see me as a
role model for other girls. Every human being, no
matter how humble their birth, should have the right
to reach hidden potential. We all need to become
intellectual human beings and contribute in some
way to the well-being of the world.”
—Excerpt from Loubabatou Bouzou’s
entry into the Paul Simon Student Essay Contest

the Heart
Raiders
12 13
UNDER HEAD COACH Steve Pratt, the
Oakton men’s basketball team enjoyed
a season for the record books. Not only
did the Raiders make their first national
tournament appearance, they went
undefeated in conference play and
finished the 2006-07 campaign with a
College record 29 wins.
Winning, however, is not Pratt’s
top priority.
“I didn’t come here to win champi-
onships,” says Pratt, who in just two
years at Oakton has compiled a 47-21
record and guided the Raiders to two
straight league titles. He also was named
Coach of the Year by the Illinois Skyway
Collegiate Conference. “I want to develop
a culture where players are making the
community better. When my players
leave this program I want them to be
good friends, good neighbors, and good
husbands and fathers, wherever they
decide to settle.”
To achieve this vision, Pratt estab-
lished a mentor program for his team
with the help and support from Oakton
faculty, staff, and administration. Pratt
views this mentoring program as an
extension of his philosophies about life.
“If you get mentored, you’ll give
back,” he says. “It’s definitely better to
give than to receive. We should be look-
ing out for each other and wanting to
give back to the community. To me a
successful society is one where older
people give back to younger people.
I want to develop that.”
Pratt’s message is clicking with his
squad.
“There’s not a player on the team
who isn’t in some way working with
children in Oakton’s district, whether it’s
coaching travel teams or refereeing at
basketball camps,” he says. “They’re
really plugged into the community.”
When the team was in Danville,
Illinois, competing for a national title,
players gladly took time out of their
busy practice and game schedule to visit
fifth and sixth-grade students at a local
elementary school.
“It was a good experience,” says
freshman guard Ryan Brown. “We
talked about how we got to where we
are and shook their hands and just
listened to their stories. The students
really looked up to us.”
Sophomore forward Stephen Evans
says Pratt’s values already have had a
positive impact on his own decisions.
“Coach Pratt doesn’t want to make
us better players, he wants to make us
better men,” says Evans. “I coach fourth
and fifth grade students because of his
influence. I want to help others and to
pass on the lessons Coach Pratt has
taught me.”
That type of selfless attitude is the
most important quality Pratt looks for
in a player.
“Character comes first,” he says.
“The first question I ask a player is if he
has a good heart. My formula for putting
together a team is not about finding the
most athletically talented people. To me,
the right player is someone who puts
others before himself. If they don’t have
that trait or are extremely negative, I
don’t want them on my team, even if they
can score 20 points a game.”
When players take Pratt’s philosophy
to heart, the victory column takes care
of itself. To start the season, the Raiders
lost five of their first 13 games before
rattling off 21-straight wins.
“We were struggling early on,”
Brown recalls. “But once we started
trusting each other we started our big
win streak.”
The team credits the mentoring
program for a large part of their success.
To get the ball rolling, so to speak,
Pratt approached professor of student
development Cary Schawel.
“We talked about ways to get the
athletes involved in the community,”
Schawel says. “This program isn’t
focused on just athletics; it’s a way for
students to see the bigger picture in life.”
At a luncheon before the season,
players had a chance to meet Oakton
employees who agreed to be mentors.
Staff, faculty, and administrators
elaborated upon their backgrounds
and players ranked them in order of
compatibility preference.
“Nothing is 100 percent,” says
Schawel. “However, I would say that
75 percent of those mentor and player
relationships really clicked.”
The mentors included Schawel;
President Margaret Lee; Lorenz Boehm,
professor of English; George Chirempes,
vice president of business and finance;
Will Crawford, assistant professor of
English; Majid Ghadiri, chair of elec-
tronics and electronics servicing; Krissie
Harris, coordinator of student activities;
Gregory James, dean of students; Michelle
James, associate professor of student
development; Paul Johnson, associate
professor of psychology; Joe Kotowski,
chair of engineering; Mike Maloney,
professor of student development;
Bruce Oates, director of registration and
records; Arnie Oudenhoven, associate
vice president of human resources;
Paul Sanburg, academic advisor; Joianne
Smith, vice president of student affairs;
Richard Stacewicz, associate professor
of social sciences and history;
Ivan Temesvari, math advisor; and
Brad Wooten, dean of social sciences
and business.
All that was required from mentors
was to meet once a week with their
player. How they spent time together
was up to them, whether having lunch
or meeting privately behind closed
doors. Mentors served as a sounding
board as student-athletes could talk
about anything they wanted, whether it
was their daily academic activities, life
in general, or more serious topics.
“The mentor program worked out
well because everybody needs someone
to talk with,” says Evans, who was
matched with President Lee. “I really
clicked with my mentor and I called her
‘my little momma.’ The mentors also
supported us by coming out to our games
which gave us confidence as a team.”
“My mentor and I were really close,”
adds Brown. “Since we shared many
of the same views, especially about reli-
gion, we bonded quickly. We also would
spend time shooting hoops. If I had a
down day, I would talk with him and
things got better.”
The mentor program exceeded expec-
tations for all those involved. Oakton
employees and student-athletes alike
eagerly anticipated their weekly visits.
“My academic colleagues really
invested in these students,” says Pratt,
who also is the CEO of Full Package
Athletics, a company that provides
skill-development training programs for
athletes of all ages. “There was an amaz-
ing amount of resources made available
to the players.”
“Research shows that students’
success results from engagement with
another person who cares,” says Joi
Smith. “This project demonstrated that,
as the goal was to build relationships
which meant different things to each
person. Not only did it help benefit the
students, it helped mentors become more
energized by getting better connected in
the community. I can honestly say it was
the best part of my year.”
Play it From

14
THE BLACK HILLS
Institute of Geological
Research enjoys being the world’s
leading supplier of fossils, fossil casts,
and mineral specimens for paleonto-
logical and earth science research,
education, and display. Fifteen
years ago, BHI workers
began the excavation of
“Stan,” a 65-million-year-old
Tyrannosaurus rex discovered
in 1987 by an amateur paleontologist
exploring the Hell Creek Formation
near Buffalo, South Dakota. After
more than 30,000 hours of preparation,
“Stan” was heralded the largest and
most complete T. rex available to
science.
“Stan’s skull was nearly perfect,
compared to the slightly distorted
skull of ‘Sue’ on display at the Field
Museum,” says Art Andersen (“Every
Point Cloud Has a Silver Lining,”
Outlook, Vol. 1, No. 1), president of
the Mt. Prospect-based company,
Virtual Surfaces, Inc. Andersen’s
company was hired by BHI to prepare
3-D scans of the dinosaur’s skull and
jaw. “Although they were not found
close together, there is an inside joke
among paleontologists that Stan could
be Sue’s ‘husband’.”
Andersen previously had worked
on a project for the Smithsonian in
Washington, D.C., with Pete Larson,
president of BHI. When Larson men-
tioned that BHI wanted to develop a
commercial 1/5-scale model of Stan’s
skull and jaw, Andersen suggested
using his data to create accurate
replicas using rapid prototyping
technology. Andersen later recounted
this conversation to Dave Geller,
associate professor of manufacturing
and machine technology, whose
department recently had acquired a
Dimension 3-D printer.
“This wasn’t something I thought
we’d ever use the machine for, but I
figured we could give it a try,” says
Geller. Using stereolithography files
created from Andersen’s original
scans, Geller “printed” two 3-D bone
samples from Stan’s skull. The test
resulted in sturdy ABS plastic models
that could withstand the casting
process, so Geller continued working
over several weeks to output each of
the 51 bones that comprised Stan’s
skull and jaw.
“The Black Hills Institute folks
made a few minor modifications, so
the pieces would fit together in a scale
model, but otherwise the process
worked flawlessly,” says Geller,
who also has used the 3-D printer in
contract work for Chicago area manu-
facturers including S&C Electric Co.,
Cortina Tool & Molding Co., and
Livingston Products. Income from
these outside projects augments a
materials fund that helps students
control the cost of their own rapid
prototyping projects.
BHI recently started offering the
scale models of Stan’s skull for sale
(suggested retail price, $600) to schools,
museums, and other paleophiles. As
part of its compensation, Oakton
received its own model for permanent
display at the Art, Science, and
Technology Pavilion in Skokie.
L
Anotherook
Radiant Plants
In spring 2003, artist and naturalist Ken Schaefer began documenting
the architecture of plants found at Oakton. Schaefer’s unique
process captures each plant as it is exposed to light in a campus
darkroom. Four years later, Chicago’s Notebaert Nature Museum
unveiled Radiant Plants, a two-month exhibition featuring more
than 100 examples of Schaefer’s “photograms.”
“Ken’s work highlights the simple yet amazing natural beauty that
exists right here in the Chicago region,” says Jill Riddell, Notebaert’s
director of conservation. “His unique process in creating this body
of work depends on having access to this particular location,” which
includes 55 acres of restored woodlands, reconstructed prairie,
wetlands, and native seed gardens.

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