Professor Kranz has been a faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry for 16 years, following postdoctoral training at MIT's Center for Cancer Research. He received his Ph.D. from UIUC in 1982, during which he became an avid fan of the UI's sports programs. In addition to teaching and research, Professor Kranz's academic activities have included administrative experience as Director of the NIH Cellular and Molecular Biology Training Grant Program. His continued interests in UI athletic programs and student-athletes have been influenced by his own (past) participation in sports, and various other experiences. The latter have included coaching local youth basketball and soccer and the participation of his daughter and son in youth sports in Champaign-Urbana. Ann Nardulli, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. The research carried out in my laboratory is aimed at understanding how estrogen-responsive genes are regulated. Given the importance of estrogen in development and maintenance of reproductive tissues and the wide-spread use of estrogens in regulating fertility and treating postmenopausal symptoms, this is an area of research with great clinical application and one of substantial personal satisfaction for me. My interest in serving on the Athletic Board derives in part from my long-standing association with this university. I completed my graduate and post-graduate work here, my husband has been on the faculty here for 28 years, and our two children are both graduates of this institution. I have a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to this institution. Over the past 28 years I have come to understand that the athletic programs at the University of Illinois contribute to the overall university experience, not just for the student athletes themselves, but also for the student population at large. I would like to help make the experience for our student athletes a positive one - one that helps prepare them for the world ahead. I work very closely with the students in my laboratory to provide them with the skills they will need to be successful. I was in charge of graduate student recruiting for our department and served as graduate student advisor for five years. Because I have enjoyed teaching and interacting with students, I recently began teaching one of the largest courses in our school. While keeping the attention of ~340 students sometimes seems a daunting task and provides little opportunity to meet students individually, I have supplemented the lectures with other activities. I host a Brown Bag lunch for students in the course once a week and meet with each Discussion group to provide opportunities for interaction. The informal lunches help remind me why I am here and that the students at the University of Illinois are quite an extraordinary group of young people. Laurence Parker, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Policy Studies
I am an associate professor in the department of educational policy studies. I have been on the faculty at UIUC since 1997. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a doctorate in educational policy studies in 1987 and taught at Temple University and the University of Utah before returning to the UIUC campus. My research and teaching specializations are in the areas of critical race theory and educational policy, the politics of education, and equity issues for minority students at both the K-12 and post secondary levels. I am interested in serving on the Athletic Board because there are a number of challenges that collegiate athletics will face in the future, from new interpretations of Title IX, to calls for more faculty, board, and presidential input into athletics and decision-making, that will require participation from faculty to spearhead these potential policy changes. Gail Scherba, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
At the UIUC, I am an Associate Professor in Veterinary Virology in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology and Section Leader of the Virology Section, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. As a veterinarian and a molecular and diagnostic virologist, my major teaching commitments are as course coordinator of Veterinary Virology (VP337) taught in the DVM professional curriculum and The Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases (VP360) taught across campus to undergraduates and graduate students. Institutional service has involved: the Laboratory Animal Care Advisory Committee (IACUC, 1986-1993), Faculty Senate (1996-1998), the Faculty Senate Student Discipline Committee (1996-1999) and University Scholars Selection Committee (1994 & 1995). Moreover, I was the applicant for and organizer of two major campus events: CAS/MillerComm97 and CAS/1998 Beckman Lecturer. As an undergraduate student just prior to athlete scholarship opportunities for women (aka Title 9), I greatly benefited from my participation in extramural competitive sports (volleyball, basketball, tennis and swimming) while also working as a student hourly. Therefore, I am well acquainted with the time demands of training and competition venues and often the lack of funds faced by student athletes. Yet the needed discipline for these challenges focused my attention on the important goal for every student - to obtain a solid liberal arts education that would enable any number of possible careers. I view this to be the paramount concern for every university administrator, coach and athletic board. As a member of UIUC Athletic Board, I hope to promote the university environment that enables the genuine preparation of each student athlete for their eventual life-long contribution to their families and society, and not simply preparation for game-day or serving as farm-clubs for professional sports. Charles Tabb, Professor, College of Law
I am the Alice Curtis Campbell Professor of Law. I have been a faculty member at the College of Law since 1984. Before then I practiced law for several years after graduating with honors from the University of Virginia Law School. My areas of expertise are in contracts, commercial and business law, with a specialty in bankruptcy law. I have a very strong interest in serving on the Athletic Board. My legal knowledge will be helpful, and I also have an abiding interest in intercollegiate athletics at Illinois. I want Illinois to be the premier public school in the nation in combining academic and athletic excellence. Among other things, I have a deep commitment to promoting women's athletics. Currently I am finishing a 3-year term on the Campus Budget Oversight Committee. Emily Watts, Professor, Department of English
Emily Watts has been a Professor of English since 1977. A Guggenheim and Woodrow Wilson Fellow, she has published three scholarly books as well as articles in scholarly journals. She maintains membership in professional groups such as AAUP, the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics, the Emily Dickinson International Society, and the Society of Early Americanists. She has won the college and campus awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching. Selected service activities within UIUC include Chair, Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Women, 2000-2002; Chair, Senate Council (now Senate Executive Committee), 1990-1993; member, Central Administrative Budget Committee, 1990-1992; member, Chancellor's Task Force on Academic Governance (Chair, Academic Subcommittee), 1989; Graduate College Research Board, 1982-1986; and Chair, Athletic Board of Control, 1981-1983. She is currently Chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure and a member of the Senate Executive Committee. Interest Statements of Student Nominees to the Athletic Board* Jamie Lynne Graves (Junior, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
I would like to become a member of the Athletic Board because I will open communication with the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and act as a representative of the students at the University of Illinois. I would like to obtain a position as a member because I have developed myself as a student through many different organizations on campus. I have not however, expanded my leadership abilities into the athletic realm, and I know that I have the time and energy to be invaluable to the Board. My greatest qualifications are my devotion and my sense of responsibility that I bring to all the activities in which I participate. Although I am a leader, I also have the abilities of a good follower. I do not feel that I always need to be in control of a group, and I am able to effectively listen, and to do "the dirty work" that others might dismiss. I can take the position of a leader if the job so demands it, but I am just as comfortable acting as a part of a group that needs many different personality types to effectively run. My main goal as an Athletic Board member would be to foster communication between the intercollegiate athletic program and the University as a whole. I would like to see increased participation and attendance in athletic events, particularly for those sporting teams that do not receive as much attention on campus. I would also like to work to have a positive impact on the DIA as a member who makes policies and brings a new perspective and fresh insight to the Athletic Board. As a Political Science and Latin American History major with a Minor in African American Studies, working with the Athletic Board would not directly relate to my career goals, but the work I would like to eventually partake in, Labor Law, does correlate with the position. I would like to work with organizing people and using available resources to provide improved conditions for members. I know that working with the Athletic Board would help me develop skills which I will need for my future career. Chezare Warren (Junior, College of Education)
I am very interested in the function and inner workings of Illinois Athletics being that we do have one of the top athletic departments in the country. Honestly, I do not have much experience in the field of athletics, thus making this an awesome opportunity for me to gain insight. As a member of the board, my main goal would be to offer my strengths in character to help fulfill the overall mission of the board. I am willing to serve and give of myself and the skills and knowledge I have acquired will contribute to the success of the board and its influence on Illinois athletics. Membership on the board would greatly add to the array of diverse experiences that will surely contribute to my career as an educator. In my philosophy of education, teachers should know as much about a plethora of different areas to properly and most adequately educate students, and sports are a huge part of student lives and I believe membership on the board would be quite an enriching experience! _________________________________
*The following question was asked of each student nominee:
Why do you want to become a member of the Athletic Board, and what are your qualifications? If selected to be a member of the Athletic Board, what would your main goal or objective be? How would membership on the Board relate to your career goals?