Seven Faculty and Staff Members Honored with Emeritus Status

09/25/2014 4:06 PM

Bradley University has honored seven recently retired faculty and staff members with emeritus status. The honor is conferred on those whose service to the University is among the best and whose contributions to the academic mission are extraordinary.

Those recognized are Dr. Winfred Anakwa, Dr. Debra Burgauer, Ms. Kathy Fuller, Dr. Alan Galsky, Dr. Tracy Harris, Ms. Mary Jane Sterling, Dr. Raymond Wojcikewych.

Dr. Winfred Anakwa
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Winfred Anakwa served as a respected, loyal and productive member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He taught more than 20 courses, advised more than 40 B.S.E.E. senior projects, guided more than 50 M.S.E.E. projects and supervised six M.S.E.E. theses. He was instrumental in the development of the laboratory areas of the curriculum. He generated a variety of contemporary experiments in support of theoretical ideas and is credited with establishing a research program in the area of control systems. He served on several College and Senate committees and advised the National Society of Black Engineers for many years. He has published more than 16 papers in journals and more than 40 papers in conference proceedings with his students and colleagues.

Dr. Debra Burgauer
Dr. Debra Burgauer started at Bradley in 1980, serving as a part-time Graduate Assistant teaching composition as she completed a master’s degree in English. Her expert grasp of the subject matter and her natural ease in the classroom led to a position as a part-time instructor within the department, and then designation as a temporary instructor. She became a lecturer in 2000. She taught courses ranging from English composition to American Literature to Young Adult Literature, and is credited with playing an integral role in the development of the latter as well as a cross-disciplinary English communications course. Before she began her distinguished career at Bradley, Burgauer was a well-regarded high school English teacher. She served as the advisor to the department’s education majors and through her expertise and attention, she helped scores of Bradley students prepare to become accomplished English teachers in their own right. She was recognized with the Sigma Tau Delta English faculty member of the year award in 2007 and 2010.

Kathy Fuller
From her hiring in 1982 as a researcher and writer in the Office of Development and University Relations until her retirement as Executive Director of Donor Relations Kathy Fuller has played an integral role in creating a positive public image for the university and improving the climate for giving. Under her leadership as Assistant Vice President for University Relations, the advancement team twice was recognized by the Public Relations Association of Central Illinois with the Pat Landen Communications Award for Excellence in the field of public communications for their collaborative work on behalf of Bradley capital campaigns. Her other notable achievements include playing a significant role in developing the Hall of Pride in the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, transforming Hilltopics magazine from a tabloid to a magazine and providing communications support for three capital campaigns. In 2008, Fuller earned one of the inaugural Presidential Excellence awards in appreciation for the important role she played in the Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance gala.

Dr. Alan Galsky
For 44 years, Dr. Alan Galsky demonstrated an unmatched level of commitment to providing an environment on campus where students could excel both inside and outside of the classroom. He began his career at Bradley in 1969 as an Assistant Professor of Biology. He won the prestigious Putnam and Rothberg awards for excellence in teaching and in research. He is credited with co-founding, and serving as the co-director, of the medical technology program.

In the early 1980s, after serving as Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Director of the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs, he transitioned into leading the Division of Student Affairs. Under his leadership professional staff in Student Affairs often received state, regional and national recognition. His service also included temporary oversight of enrollment management as well as service on countless university committees

Dr. Tracy Harris
Dr. Tracy Harris joined the Department of Foreign Languages as an Associate Professor in 1990, quickly distinguishing herself with her dedication and commitment in the classroom. She was honored with Bradley’s First Year Teaching Award for her efforts. She taught more than a dozen different courses in three areas of specialty – Spanish, Hebrew and linguistics. Her scholarly contributions include a book titled “Death of a Language: the History of Judeo-Spanish.” She also has published more than two dozen articles, chapters, texts, guides and book reviews, and made more than 40 presentations at professional conferences around the world dealing primarily with topics relating to Judeo-Spanish. She served on eleven different University committees, performed several translations for various members of the faculty and staff, and served on the boards of the Peoria chapter of the ACLU and the Jewish Federation of Peoria.

Mary Jane Sterling
Mary Jane Sterling served the Department of Mathematics with distinction as a lecturer for 32 years. She was instrumental in developing the curriculum for the middle school math program and also is credited with transforming the college algebra course into a more productive and effective format, providing our math education students with the foundation necessary for success in teaching. 

She is an engaged scholar who has written six very popular mathematics books in the “…for dummies” series. Most recently, a second edition of “Trigonometry for Dummies” was released this year. A longtime community advocate, Sterling received the 2008 Francis Mergen Award for Public Service for her sustained leadership with the Kiwanis Club of Peoria and its campus organization, the Circle K Club.

Dr. Raymond Wojcikewych
Dr. Ray Wojcikewych joined the Department of Economics in 1977 as an assistant professor, rising to associate professor in 1983. Over his career, the courses he taught included principles of macroeconomics, intermediate macroeconomic theory, money and banking, and U.S. business cycles in the international economy. He served as department chair for many years and served on many committees. He served as a reviewer for the Global Economy Journal and the Journal of Economics, and published many works in his field. He was honored with awards by both the Association for Global Business and Phi Chi Theta business and economics fraternity for his work.