International Student and Scholar Services is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 ISSS Awards!
ISSS recognizes that our name may be ‘International Student and Scholar Services’ but we are far from the only place that provides services to international students and scholars. So in 2017 we began the annual ISSS Awards with the goal of honoring those individuals and groups on campus and in our community who are providing exceptional service to our international population. With so many deserving possibilities, the competitive process sees ISSS staff submitting nominations to a selection committee, who then make the final decision as to who should be honored. That we receive so many nominations every year only goes to demonstrate what commitment the campus has to international education and our overseas visitors. This year, awards will be given out in five categories:
- Outstanding Campus Partner. Awarded to an individual faculty or staff member at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has provided exceptional service to international students and scholars.
- Outstanding Campus Unit. Awarded to a department or unit at the university who has provided exceptional service to international students and scholars.
- Outstanding Community Partner or Organization. Awarded to an individual or group in the community that has provided exceptional service to the international community.
- Outstanding Department Contact. Awarded to an individual who serves as ISSS contact for their international faculty, staff, and scholars, and has done exceptional work in that role.
- Outstanding Student Organization. Awarded to an RSO or other student group for their outstanding work in internationalizing the campus and providing programs/events/services for the international student and scholars.
Though this year has been challenging and unconventional, as our distinguished honorees have made it abundantly clear, we will not be shaken in our commitment to serving the international community.
The awardees will be recognized at a virtual ceremony on December 17, 2020, from 3:00 – 4:00pm via Zoom. We hope to see you at this year’s program! Please RSVP here to let us know of your intention to attend.
Outstanding Campus Partner: Philip Graff
Phil Graff joined the University of Illinois in 2004 as a geographic information specialist for the Illinois State Water Survey. There he modernized flood insurance rate maps and analyzed water resources in Illinois. In 2016, he started working at the Division of Management Information where he creates web applications, manages data flows, and oversees the technical infrastructure for the Sunapsis system. He was part of the team that performed the upgrade to Sunapsis 4 earlier this year. In his personal time, he enjoys bicycling, baking, spending time with his family, and --in the olden times --travel. He has visited 48 states and 10 countries.
Outstanding Campus Partner: Brad Burwell
Brad Burwell joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2014 as an IT Technical Associate with a focus on data analytics. Prior to the University, he worked in the healthcare industry starting in food service and working his way to become a Data Engineer over a 12-year period. As a Data Engineer, he assisted the company in understanding both inpatient and emergency department data to help make better decisions. Brad is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University where he majored in Business Administration. He is currently on track to graduate December 2020 with his MS in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois –Springfield. When he is not working with data, he enjoys: spending time with his family, being outdoors: playing sports or camping, or being indoors: training in various martial arts, working with computers, or playing games. His goal is to continue to use data to assist university decision makers in leading us into a bright future.
Outstanding Campus Unit: LAS International Programs
LAS International Programs (LASIP) develops and supports curricular and co-curricular activities that foster global learning and intercultural competencies among domestic and international students. The team consists of Elly Hanauer, Kate Abney, Nikia Brown, Amanda Lentz, Maureen Burch, and many exceptional graduate assistants and student interns. Their passion for international education is enhanced by their collective experiences living, working and studying in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. LAS international programs include education abroad and exchange programs, virtual global internships, research and service learning, and courses designed to engage students in global learning and support the first-year international student experience. This year, in particular, the team rose to the challenge of supporting international students amid a global health crisis by working with campus and international partners to create Academic Bridge Programs that allow our international students to study on a campus in their home country when they were unable to travel to Illinois. The team also scaled LAS 100, the first-year experience course for international students, from a voluntary course of a few dozen international students to close to 300, engaging the majority of first-year international students in LAS with campus resources, the value of a liberal arts education, diversity and social justice. In one student’s final reflection of LAS 100, he writes: “Fresh from my eight weeks of LAS 100, I have arisen a slightly changed person-thankfully for the better, in my opinion. I have learned to be more inclusive of others’ opinions, even if I don’t exactly agree with them, because I have recognized that all of them have value.” International students have enriched the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for over a century and they continue to be both an anchor and inspiration upon which LASIP builds their work.
Outstanding Department Contact: Lori Walston-Vonderharr
Lori Walston-Vonderharr is an HR Business Partner at the Prairie Research Institute. Lori, who has been with the University 25+ years, works closely with ISSS to procure visa work authorization documentation for international employees; oversees and participates in the hiring activity for all position categories; processes payroll related transactions; interprets, applies, and advises staff of policies and procedures; and serves as an FMLA coordinator. Lori has an AAS in business management from Parkland College and a BA in general studies from Eastern Illinois University. Lori resides in Gifford with her husband Doug and she enjoys gardening, vacationing in northern Minnesota, and taking cruises to Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.
Outstanding Community Partner: Dr. Julie R. Laut
Dr. Julie Laut has been a progressive activist for over 25 years. In the 1990s, Julie was a member of Portland Area Rethinking Schools, created a district-wide new teacher mentor program with the local teacher's union, and co-founded an annual state-wide event for new educators. Her work in breastfeeding advocacy as a young mother helped secure a federal grant to provide lactation support for NICU patients and low-income families. Locally, Julie served for three years on the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign Board of Trustees, during which time she helped raise over $70,000 to install solar panels on the building, fostered increased accessibility, and helped lead the congregation to commit to work on racial justice. Her work with UUCUC continues in the areas of pastoral care, youth engagement, and lay ministry. During her short tenure on the Urbana City Council, Julie led the City to embrace anti-racist work through membership in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) and encouraged a renewal of youth engagement. Since March 2020, Julie has hosted a weekly zoom Friday night C-U Lockdown Trivia game, which to date has raised over $14,000 for local non-profit organizations. And in response to increased food insecurity this year, Julie and her family maintain a Little Free Pantry in their front yard. Julie earned an MA and a PhD in transnational feminist history and has published various articles on the subject, but more importantly, she is the mother of two amazing young people.
Outstanding Student Organization: Student Alumni Ambassadors
Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA) is a student-run organization sponsored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association. SAA’s role on campus is to develop positive relations and interactions among students, alumni, faculty and staff. SAA provides an opportunity for students to realize their fullest potential for involvement and experience while at Illinois. Through its hosting and tour services, SAA develops connections between students and alumni and instills pride in the university. The organization brings together a diverse group of students from all different areas of interests, majors and backgrounds to work together to make a difference at the University of Illinois through the Alumni Association.
