Gift to Family & Consumer Sciences Department is 4th largest by an individual

Peoria, Illinois . . . May 3, 2005 . . . An estate gift of $3,241,572 will result in the establishment of an endowed professorship, a center of excellence for collaborative research, and a scholarship in the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences at Bradley University.

The gift, the 4th largest by an individual to Bradley and the largest ever to the College of Education & Health Sciences, was left to the University by alumna Cecelia Chesko Wheeler. Ms. Wheeler, born in Peoria in 1921, graduated from Bradley in 1942 with a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics. Following her graduation, she moved to Seattle, Washington and earned a master's degree from the University of Washington in 1962. Ms. Wheeler died on October 11, 2003 in Bellevue, Washington.

"It was Mrs. Wheeler's wish that her gift be used for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences for the overall purpose of helping empower women. There is no better way to do that than to honor and support professional achievement and development with a 3-part initiative benefiting students, faculty, and the profession of family and consumer sciences," said Dr. Joan L. Sattler, dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences.

An endowed professorship has been established in the department and Dr. Nina Collins, chair of the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences since 1982, will become the first C.C. Wheeler Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences starting in the fall.

The C.C. Wheeler Center for "Excellence," will be established in the Department to focus on collaborative faculty and student research in areas relevant to the field of family and consumer sciences.

In addition, the Wilson Chesko Hurd Endowed Scholarship has been established for outstanding students who will have the opportunity to be engaged in the Wheeler Center for Excellence with a Family and Consumer Sciences faculty/student collaborative research initiative. Laura McCormack, an incoming freshman from Libertyville, Illinois, will be the first recipient of the scholarship.

"Receiving this gift is a very humbling experience as it speaks to the faith our alumnae have in this department to continue its mission of developing life-long skills for students in this human science profession," said Dr. Collins.

Dr. Nina Collins has been a faculty member since 1968. Her educational background includes a doctoral degree from Oklahoma State University in education and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Southern Illinois University. Her research interests include history and philosophy of family and consumer sciences as well as areas in consumer issues. In 1994, Dr. Collins researched and wrote the history of the department at Bradley published in the book: An industrious and useful life: The History of Home Economics at Bradley University. In 2003, she developed a web directory for classroom teachers, designed around the sixteen national standards for teachers of family and consumer sciences, accessed through the AAFCS website at www.aafcs.org She currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences and has given several state and national presentations in her research areas. She has served on a national task force for family and consumer sciences investigating the promotion of undergraduate research. In 1991, she was part of a national task force to develop a mission statement for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Dr. Collin's accomplishments as chair include the conception and development of the current undergraduate research program in the department made possible through a gift from the Mildred Arnold Estate. The Mildred Arnold undergraduate research scholars have won national awards and have presented at national and state meetings. The department was one of the 23 charter units that developed the Undergraduate Research Community that promotes undergraduate research in family and consumer sciences departments in colleges and universities.