The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has announced a third round of selections for its Centennial Gallery of Excellence, in honor of its 100-year anniversary. Eighteen more entries have been added to the growing list of noteworthy people, events, buildings, and groups in the college since it was formed in 1913.
Almost 70 faculty, staff, alumni, buildings, and events are now featured in the Gallery of Excellence, ranging from the bells of Altgeld Hall to humanitarians and researchers who have been at the leading edge of discovery. The entries have been selected by a college committee following a call for nominations within LAS.
The first group was announced in October 2013, and the second round was released in February 2014. The expanded list of entries includes:
- Donald C. Johanson, an anthropologist who helped define what it is to be human;
- Spurlock Museum, one of the leading culture and heritage museums in the country;
- Philip Kolb, a professor of French who worked his career to bring a great mind to light;
- George Lindenberg Clark, a chemist who pioneered many aspects of X-ray analysis;
- Nelson J. Leonard, one of the pioneers of chemical biology;
- Florian Znaniecki, a sociologist who changed how we study society;
- Paul C. Lauterbur, the Nobel laureate remembered for the MRI;
- Icko Iben Jr., an astronomer who explored the life cycle of stars;
- Students, whose hard work and success define the College of LAS;
- Faculty, responsible for countless breakthroughs in our understanding of the world;
- Altgeld Hall, home of the Department of Mathematics and the bells ringing over the Quad;
- David Kinley, a prolific teacher and administrator who helped shape LAS in its early years;
- Arvarh Strickland, a historian who left a legacy of leadership, service, and mentorship;
- Roxanne Decyk, who used her English degree for meteoric success in the corporate world;
- Susan Lindquist, known for her “elegant” approach to fighting some of most horrifying illnesses;
- Susan Nagele, a doctor who devoted her life to helping the needy in Africa;
- Thomas Burrill, a pioneer in plant biology and leader in the early years of LAS;
- Lucius Barker, a leader in our understanding of modern politics.
“These latest entries to the Centennial Gallery of Excellence represent the very best that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has contributed to the world,” says Brian Ross, interim dean of the College of LAS. “We are extremely proud of the many ways this great college has influenced society, from the spirit of learning and heritage, to breakthrough scientific discoveries and selfless acts of humanitarianism.”
