The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is creating a Gallery of Excellence in honor of its 100-year anniversary. This virtual gallery features people and events throughout LAS history, which dates back to 1913.
With the college’s broad range of academic disciplines (more than 60 departments and units are housed in LAS), the gallery features those who have made breakthroughs in research, education, and culture, in fields ranging from mathematics to anthropology.
The people and developments listed in the Gallery of Excellence have been selected by a college committee after a call for nominations within LAS. Those included in the exhibit are highlighted with photos and biographical sketches. The initial group includes:
- Joseph Leo Doob, a pioneer in mathematical probability;
- Nina Baym, a leading American literature critic and historian;
- Carl Shipp “Speed” Marvel, a chemist whose discoveries have aided generations of soldiers, firefighters, and astronauts;
- Freeman Hrabowski, an alumnus who is now a leading figure today in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education;
- Carl Woese, the microbiologist credited with discovering a third domain of life;
- Robert Copeland, a beloved figure who served as the first African American college dean at Illinois;
- Ralph Fisher and the establishment of highly respected international studies centers;
- Robert Emerson, who is recognized as making a pivotal discovery in our modern understanding of photosynthesis;
- Marie Hochmuth Nichols, a pioneer in communication research;
- Charles Osgood, who created several new psychological research disciplines;
- Joel Stebbins, a resourceful astronomer who revolutionized how we look at the stars;
- Richard Scanlan, a wildly popular teacher of the Classics;
- Michio Suzuki, whose discoveries in group theory shook the mathematical world;
- John “Jack” F. Welch Jr., an alumnus who is recognized as one of the top CEOs of the 20th century;
- St. Elmo Brady, who inspired countless African Americans to enter the field of chemistry;
- Eugene Odum, the “father of modern ecology”;
- David Blackwell, the first African American inducted into the National Academy of Sciences for his brilliant work in mathematics;
- Clifford Ladd Prosser, a pioneer in the field of comparative physiology;
- Herbert Gutowsky, a chemist whose work made nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy a standard tool in scientific research;
- Carol Stack, an alumna and anthropologist whose intimate examination of African American communities expanded our understanding of social networks under poverty;
- Friends and alumni who have stepped up to partner with the College of LAS to help meet the demands of higher education;
- Jean Driscoll, an alumna who turned a legendary career in wheelchair racing into one for advocacy and inspiration;
- James G. Randall, a renowned historian who brought deeper understanding to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War;
- The Four Color Theorem, proven by LAS mathematicians Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken;
- The college’s ethnic and women’s studies programs, some of which stretch back more than 100 years.
“Countless critical ideas and new concepts can be traced to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” says Interim Dean Brian Ross. “We think it’s important to pay tribute to the outstanding people who have made the college great, while at the same time recognizing that they are only a few of the tremendous people who have emerged from here.”
For now, the Gallery of Excellence is showing only a partial list of those who will appear. The rest will be announced at various times during this milestone year.
