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At Blackburn, hard hats are back in style!
Blackburn College is once again building for its future—building on
a foundation of excellence established by generations of science
faculty and students. The sciences have always been a strong
component of the liberal arts at Blackburn, and we are challenged to
create a facility and a learning environment that will match the
excellence of our science programs.
When a fire in the chemistry lab destroyed major portions of
Robertson Hall in 1950, the administration made plans for a new
science building. In keeping with the philosophy of Blackburn’s Work
Program, Olin Hall was built by students. They broke ground in the
fall of 1953, and by the time the building was dedicated in 1957,
student workers had devoted more than 75,000 man-hours to
constructing the new facility.
That was 50 years ago.
Students of previous generations were well prepared for their
careers by such legendary professors such as Fred (“Pop”) Jewell,
William Werner, Jack Campbell, Kenneth Itschner, Dilbagh Singh, and
many others. For the most part, science faculty members have enjoyed
long careers at Blackburn College because they were –and are-
dedicated teachers whose first priority is preparing future
scientists for teaching, research, or medical or industrial careers.
Students who attend class in Olin Hall today still receive an
excellent education and attentive mentoring. They are equally well
prepared to enter graduate school or professional careers because
our faculty is committed to the teaching profession. This commitment
includes the tradition of involving Blackburn students in original
research projects and in the presentation of scientific papers at
national and international professional meetings. Blackburn
professors routinely use their semester breaks and vacation time to
take students on scientific excursions, such as a recent expedition
through the Florida Everglades lead by Drs. Richard Crowell and
Edward Zalisko.
In the year 2000, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
named Dr. Zalisko College Professor of the Year in Illinois. This
award salutes—state by state—the most outstanding undergraduate
instructors in the nation, recognizing those who excel as teachers
and influence the lives and careers of their students. Clearly the
traditions of excellence and involvement are long-standing.
Statement of Need
For nearly half a century, Olin Hall has served our campus well, but
it is not showing its age. Building requirements have changed in 50
years, and we must make changes that address current deficiencies:
• Compliance with ADA regulations and other codes
• Safe and adequate chemical storage
• Energy-efficient windows and doors
• Updated lab equipment
• More functional, better equipped faculty offices
• An electrical system that supports modern classroom technology
To maintain Blackburn’s heritage of excellence in science education
this facility must be renovated and expanded. The exceptional work
done by our faculty will be greatly enhanced by a state-of-the-art
facility. Students and faculty will encounter myriad new learning
opportunities in a modern building. The faculty have already
considered several possibilities, including the creative suggestion
that the building itself be a teaching tool: a working case study of
energy efficiency. Other elements of construction—such as the
materials used and the ways in which waste is disposed—offer
opportunities for scientific study. With innovative planning,
Blackburn’s new science complex will become a significant factor in
continuing to attract and retain superior students.
Problems and Solutions
However, there is a higher need. Our nation faces a shortage of
teachers, and science is one of the areas in which this scarcity is
most critical. Illinois school districts are not immune. The
shortage is so critical in many Illinois classrooms that basic
science classes are being taught by teachers trained in other fields
and not certified in science. Over the next two years, the projected
need in Illinois for new general science teachers alone is nearly
2,000. Illinois’ urgent need is representative of school districts
throughout the United States.
Blackburn College is poised to help meet this crisis. Historically,
the “hard” sciences and teacher education have been among our
strongest programs. With an up-to-date science complex we will
integrate these two programs in several exciting ways:
Forming partnerships with school districts in west central Illinois.
In the immediate future our refurbished classrooms can serve as “lab
schools” for our student teachers. Students from local public
schools will attend math and science classes taught by our education
majors, giving our student teachers an opportunity to develop and
hone their teaching skills under the careful supervision of our
professors. Area teachers have responded favorably to this proposal.
All we lack to initiate this program is classroom space that is up
to code and offers suitable equipment and technology resources.
Continuing to educate superior science teachers. We have seen an
overall increase in enrollment and retention rates in recent years.
To continue to attract top science students who fill the critical
need for science educators, we must build the kind of facility that
will attract them.
Becoming a center for teacher in-service training. Public school
teachers are required to participate in continuing education
courses. Many times the courses are held in distant cities, such as
Chicago or Champaign, which can be a hardship for area teachers.
Since our location is central to several counties in the region, we
can become a center for teacher training. We will have the space and
we have access to the professionals who lead such programs.
These three programs will place Blackburn College in the front ranks
of liberal arts colleges with cutting-edge facilities and programs
for those who pursue a teaching career in science.
Benefits & Strengths:
Admissions counselors in medical, dental, and veterinary schools
seek candidates with a background in liberal arts as well as
rigorous education in the sciences. Given complex issues emerging in
medical fields today, the professionals who respond to them are well
served by a background in the humanities: they understand the need
for ongoing learning.
A bachelor’s degree in science gives a student tremendous
flexibility in determining a career: physician, dentist,
veterinarian, pharmacist, chiropractor, researcher, engineer,
educator, or businessperson.
It is significant that in the College’s long history, Blackburn
students have competed successfully with students from larger
universities for admission to American medical schools. The message
bears repeating: Blackburn faculty prepare their students well to
meet the challenges in their respective careers.
In return, Blackburn science alumni are proactive in responding to
the needs of the College. Recently, science alumni met with faculty
and staff to discuss the connections between what is happening in
the various professional practices of science and what is being
taught. Alumni and faculty are working together to define those
needs.
Based on their findings, the features and functions of the new
science facility will depend on what needs to be taught. In light of
the enthusiasm engendered by these discussions between alumni and
faculty, they will be frequent and ongoing events.
Time and again, our alumni support the College through their gifts
of time, talent, and treasure. Their support helps ensure
Blackburn’s graduates have the skills they need to compete in
today’s job market.
Building on Excellence—Building Anticipations
• Modern technology laboratories dedicated to the needs of today’s
students.
• Teaching laboratories in the new facility will permit greater
integration of lecture and laboratory experiences by moving most
classes completely into the laboratory.
• The latest computer and video technology will permit a broad range
of classroom activities within the working laboratories.
• Comfortable and custom designed lab benches will facilitate group
work.
• Each laboratory will enjoy greater storage and working spaces with
plenty of area to move safely and easily throughout the modern
rooms.
• Display cases built into the classroom walls will reveal the
ongoing laboratory activities to all who pass by.
• Faculty offices are clustered to increase cross-discipline
communication and cooperation.
• Student assistants will share centralized space proximate to
faculty offices to best meet the needs of students and faculty.
• A centralized science library will be dedicated to the special
needs of the students and faculty. Reference materials and updated
periodicals will be easily accessed. The library and other quiet
study areas will provide casual spaces within the science building
for study between class periods and during evenings, when tutors are
available.
• Chemistry laboratory dedicated to our water analysis project, with
its own student research, state-of-the-art instrumentation, data
analysis, and sample preparation areas, as well as an office for
record management.
• Hood space for all chemistry students will permit simultaneous
work and research activity.
Science Department Success Stories
• Chemistry students have served internships at places as widely
varied as Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Nestle Company, the
Illinois State police, and Prairie Farms.
• Dr. Edward Zalisko was named Illinois Professor of the Year 2000
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
• Our student work program creates a student-faculty mentoring
relationship unlike any other in the nation. As undergraduates, our
students develop scientific skills and a professional perspective
typically not experienced until graduate schools.
• Many Chemistry and Biology majors can work as lab assistants,
thereby using, maintaining, and teaching several pieces of modern
scientific equipment.
• 100% or our pre-veterinarian students have been accepted into
veterinarian school in the last 14 years.
Alumni Speak About Science at Blackburn College
Dr. Elisabeth (Rohatsch) Gantt ‘58
University Professor, University of Maryland
Department of Botany
“My experiences at Blackburn were crucial to my professional goals.
The breadth of exposure I received in all of the major biology areas
enabled me to consider a number of options in graduate school. Dr.
Werner was a rare combination of mentor and generator of new ideas
that challenged his students.”
Dr. George R. Tilton ‘43
Professor Emeritus of Geochemistry
University of California at Santa Barbara
Geochemistry Emeritus
“When I left high school I wanted to become a chemist, but my
experience in that field was very limited. Blackburn convinced me
that chemistry really did fit my interests. I liked the fact that we
read over material in class and then went directly to the laboratory
to carry out various reactions. I loved Dr. Wittwer’s laboratory
classes. He even taught us how to weigh samples to the one-tenth
milligram. That was big back then.”
Dr. Jennifer (Naumann) Ulm ‘97
Veterinarian
Canton, IL
“I had the experience of not only being a biology major but also
working in the department three of my four years. The one thing that
sticks out in my mind the most is the feeling of family. Professors
offered an abundance of encouragement. Veterinary medicine is a very
difficult field to get into, and Dr. Singh always pushed me to do
the best I could. He stood behind my dream.”
Copyright ©2008 Blackburn College. All rights reserved.
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