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Centennial Honors College Centennial Honors College 10th Anniversary LectureThe Centennial Honors College recently welcomed Professor James McCommons of Northern Michigan University to present its 10th anniversary lecture. McCommons is the author of Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, a 2009 Library Journal choice for adoption by American libraries. Postponed from fall semester because of scheduling conflicts, the address was well worth the wait. Sponsored by the Centennial Honors College, Office of the Provost, the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs, Department of English and Journalism, and University Libraries, the lecture took place in the Malpass Library Garden Lounge at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. Professor McCommons spoke and presented slides for 75 minutes to 70 enthusiastic students, university faculty and staff, and community members. A question and answer session followed. It was fitting that Professor McCommons lecture coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Centennial Honors College, for his work embodies the values of research, service, professional growth, diversity, and excellence. McCommons has earned degrees ranging from photography to journalism and environmental science from the Art Institute of Boston, University of Pittsburgh, Syracuse University, and the College of Environmental Science and Forestry-State University of New York (SUNY). An experienced rider and researcher of passenger trains, as well as a student of American railroading in general, Professor McCommons spent his recent sabbatical riding 26,000 miles on American passenger lines. He talked to everyday passengers, interviewed railroad experts in state and federal government, the rail industry, and private rail associations, and reviewed many passenger rail studies and reports. As a journalist, James McCommons has contributed to the national conversation in the New York Times, Audubon Magazine, Backpacker, Organic Gardening, Wildlife Conservation, Next American City and the History Channel, among others. In addition to his frequent freelance work, he has also worked in corporate communications and taught at Syracuse University, Muhlenberg College and DeSales University. Professor McCommons, who begins his formal book tour in May, provided the Western Illinois University community with an advanced opportunity to hear the results of his expert research and experience.
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