Academics - Faculty/Staff
Professor, College Student Personnel
Ph.D., University of Maryland-College Park
M.A., University of Maryland-College Park
M.A., The Pennsylvania State University
B.A., Gettysburg College
Dea Forney has served as director of career services at Gettysburg College and Allegheny College; associate director of career services at Allegheny College; residence complex coordinator at University of Delaware; residence hall director at State University of New York at Oswego; and head resident at Penn State. She also served as a doctoral intern for teaching and supervision in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland-College Park. Forney has been selected as an ACPA Senior Scholar and a NASPA Faculty Fellow. She is the senior author of a grant from ACPA's Educational Leadership Foundation to study future directions for college student development theory. Forney is a past chair of ACPA's Professional Preparation Commission. She has also served as ACPA's representative to the board of directors of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, a member of the ACPA-NASPA Study Group on Quality Assurance in Student Affairs, a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the College Placement Council's Foundation, a member of the directorate of ACPA's Career Development Commission, and a state officer in the Association of College and University Housing Officials-International. Her articles have been published extensively in student affairs journals. She has served on ACPA's Books and Media Board and on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development. She is a co-author of the book, Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice. She is also the senior editor of Using Entertainment Media in Student Affairs Teaching and Practice. She is a frequent presenter at professional conferences and has served as a consultant to several colleges and universities. Her major areas of scholarly interest include student development theory and application; the teaching and learning process; and job stress and burnout. Forney has been named a Diamond Honoree by ACPA for outstanding contributions to the field of student affairs. She is also a recipient of ACPA's Annuity Coeptis Award, The University of Maryland CAPS Department's Distinguished Alumni Award, the Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development Research Award, and WIU's Professional Achievement and Faculty Excellence Awards. Her personal interests include listening to rock music, watching films, and walking.
Associate Professor and Coordinator, College Student Personnel Program
Ph.D., The University of Iowa
M.A., The University of Iowa
B.A., The University of Iowa
Tracy Davis is a Professor of College Student Personnel (CSP) in the Department of Education and Interdisciplinary Studies. As a CSP faculty member, he teaches courses in group dynamics, student development theory, gender identity development, student characteristics and college environments, qualitative methods, and the capstone seminar. He is also responsible for the administration and coordination of the program. He has worked professionally in the areas of gifted education, student activities, Greek life, and career development. His research interests include social justice education, sexual assault prevention, identity development, men's development, and moral voice/orientation. Davis has numerous publications including empirical studies in refereed journals, book chapters, and a book entitled Developing Social Justice Allies published. He has served on the Executive Council for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the Commission of Professional Preparation Directorate, and is past Chair of the Standing Committee for Men. Tracy frequently presents at professional conferences and consults with colleges and universities regarding men's development and social justice. Davis is the 1998 recipient of both the National Association of Student Personnel Administrator's (NASPA) Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year and ACPA Burns B. Crookston Doctoral Research Awards. In addition, he was selected to the inaugural class of ACPA Emerging Scholars in 1999. In 2002 he received the Standing Committee for Men (SCM) Outstanding Research Award and was the 2003 recipient of the Commission on Student Development Assessment: Outstanding Assessment Article award. He was also selected to receive the ACPA Annuity Coeptis award for Senior Scholars and the SCM Harry Canon Outstanding Professional in 2006. His personal interests include St. Louis Cardinals baseball, softball, running, and spending time with his family.
Vice President for Student Services
Associate Professor, College Student Personnel
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia
M.A., University of Missouri-Columbia
B.A., University of Southern Colorado
W. Garry Johnson is Vice President for Student Services and Adjunct Associate Professor of Counselor Education and College Student Personnel at Western Illinois University. Previous to his appointment to Vice President, Garry served as Associate Vice President for Student Services, Assistant Vice President for Student Services - Student Life, and Director of Residence Life at Western. Prior to coming to Western, he served as Assistant Director of Housing at University of Missouri-Columbia. He received his B.A. (1970) from the University of Southern Colorado in Physical Education and History and his M.S. (1972) and Ph.D. (1982) degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Counseling Psychology and a support area in group dynamics. He teaches graduate courses at WIU in Group and Organizational Effectiveness, Issues in Higher Education, Special Problems in College Personnel: Budgeting in Student Services, and Organizational and Administration of Student Affairs.
Associate Vice President for Student Services
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Counselor
Education and College Student Personnel
J.D., Southern Illinois University
M.S., Eastern Illinois University
B.S, Mount Senario College
Bracey previously served as director of Student Legal Services at WIU from 1979 to 1986. HE remains actively involved in a part-time legal practice. For several years he has maintained a strong relationship with the national Association of Student personnel Administrators, having coordinated career services at one of the national conferences. Bracey's areas of interest include multicultural programming, college legal issues, administrative organizations, student development, counseling, student retention, minority student development and programming.
Professor, Education and Interdisciplinary Studies
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
M.S., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
B.S., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Cody teaches undergraduate courses in the areas of human growth and development, assessment and learning for student in the teacher education program. He also serves as the coordinator of the department’s graduate program and serves on many university and college committees. Cody earned both his master’s (1988) and bachelors (1986) from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and later received his doctorate from SIUC in 1995. Prior to completing his doctoral program, Cody served as the Assistant Director of Housing and Campus Recreation at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA.
Program Manager, College Student Personnel Program
M.S., Western Illinois University
B.A., Western Illinois University
As the Program Manager, Sara Lytle provides leadership in the areas of recruitment and admission for the College Student Personnel program. She is the contact person for candidates interested in pursuing a graduate degree. She also is the liaison between the Division of Student Services and the academic program. This position allows her to help coordinate assistantship and practicum experience placements. She also is a support to current students in their transition, professional challenges, and summer internship experiences. She brings alumna and practitioner experience to her position. She is a 2002 alumna of the CSP program and has several years of professional experience in residence life and student activities. Some of her favorite responsibilities include supervising the CSP Recruitment graduate assistants, coordinating CSP Days, co-teaching with the faculty, meeting with current students one on one, and helping plan the CSP/Student Services Summer Institute. Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason and their dog, Keyli. She also enjoys being outside, traveling, going for motorcycle rides, and visiting family and friends.