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Honors Staff
Dr. Richard "Rick" Hardy 
Interim Director
Email: RJ-Hardy@wiu.edu
Richard J. (Rick) Hardy is Professor of Political Science and Interim Director of the Centennial Honors College at Western Illinois University. He received his undergraduate degree with honors in political science at Western Illinois University and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He has served on the faculties of Northern State University, Duke University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, and has taught a wide range of courses in American Politics, Constitutional Law, and Civic Leadership.
Rick believes that “free government requires active citizens.” To that end, he has been actively engaged in civic affairs. He helped lead several political reform drives, served on numerous government commissions and boards of directors, volunteered in civic organizations, consulted on dozens of political races at all levels of government, and served as a presidential elector in the Electoral College.
His administrative positions at the University of Missouri included: Assistant Director of the Honors College, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of the Masters’ Program in Public Policy, Director of the National Institute for Advanced Civic Studies, Director of Internships, and Founder and Director of the Institute for Leadership in Civic Education. Most recently, he completed a four-year term as Chair of the Political Science Department at Western Illinois University.
Rick has also served as a political analyst for numerous media outlets (e.g., CNN, NBC News, FOX News, Associated Press), and has been quoted extensively in various outlets (e.g., Newsweek, USA Today, New York Times, US News & World Report, Kansas City Star, Parade Magazine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch). To date, has garnered over 60 significant teaching and civic leadership awards, including the University of Missouri’s four-campus Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award, the prestigious William Kemper Award, the Missouri Bar Association’s Civic Education Award, and two campus nominations for the Case National Professor of the Year Award. At Western Illinois University, he won several campus awards and was selected to deliver the John Hallwas Lecture in the Liberal Arts.
Finally, Rick has published or edited seven books and his articles have appeared in a number of professional journals. Rick is a native of Burlington, Iowa. He and his wife, Linda, have two grown children, four grandchildren, four dogs and two cats. His lifelong passion includes playing the plectrum banjo, 5-string banjo, and guitar. And for the past five years Rick has been a member of the WIU’s Endnotes musical group.
Dr. Marcia Carter
Quad Cities Honors Coordinator
Email: MJ-Carter2@wiu.edu
Dr. Carter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration where she regularly teaches courses on topics related to therapeutic recreation, including Clinical Aspects of Therapeutic Recreation, Management in Therapeutic Recreation, Fund Raising and Volunteerism and Programming Leisure Services. Dr. Carter received her doctorate in recreation from Indiana University after earning a bachelor’s degree at Indiana University and master’s degree from Indiana State University. Subsequently, she held positions as undergraduate and graduate program coordinator in recreation and therapeutic recreation at a number of higher education institutions. As Honors Program Coordinator for the Quad Cities campus, Dr. Carter’s duties include teaching GH299 for students beginning their honors portfolios, recruiting new students, advising honors students, and convening the QC Honors Committee.
When she’s not at school you can find Dr. Carter outdoors enjoying tennis, cycling, swimming, hiking, and running.
Dr. Michael Godard
Associate Director
Email: MP-Godard@wiu.edu
Mike Godard is an Associate Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Kinesiology and Associate Director of the Centennial Honors College at Western Illinois University. He received his undergraduate degree with honors in exercise science at Castleton State College in Vermont, his master's degree in exercise physiology from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY and earned his Ph.D. from Ball State University in Human Bioenergetics. He has served on the faculties of the University of Southern Maine, University of Kansas, and since 2006 at Western Illinois University.
Mike is also currently the President of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Midwest Chapter that includes Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. He is also a fellow of ACSM and has been very involved at the national level serving on numerous committee's and diversity efforts throughout the years.
Mike is routinely involved with in-class honors projects and has chaired honors thesis projects since arriving to Western Illinois University in 2006.
He serves as a reviewer for numerous peer-review journals and has published over 30 research articles that have appeared in a number of professional journals. Additionally, he has acquired nearly $500,000 in grant funding to support his interdisciplinary research. Mike is a native of South Burlington, Vermont. He and his wife, Kathryn, have two boys (Grant and Lance). In his spare time he coaches the YMCA Dolphins Swim Team and is an avid exerciser and enjoys outdoor adventures with his family.
Dr. Molly Homer
Academic Honors Advisor
Email: MK-Homer@wiu.edu
Dr. Homer grew up in Ames, Iowa. She received her bachelor’s degree in Mathematical and Computational Sciences from Stanford University and then worked for three years as a database designer for a computer graphics company in Salt Lake City that built flight and submarine simulators for the military. She then moved to Champaign to pursue graduate work in Linguistics at the University of Illinois, where she received a master’s degree and Ph.D. Before coming to WIU she taught linguistics, phonetics, and phonology at several universities including the University of Alberta, UC San Diego, Brown University, and the University of Pittsburgh. In 2003 she became the Honors Advisor at WIU, and she advises honors students on how to meet their honors requirements.
Ms. Michele J. Aurand 
Interdisciplinary Studies Coordinator
Email: MJ-Aurand@wiu.edu
Michele Aurand is the Coordinator and Academic Advisor for the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. She is responsible for advising students on putting together a degree program and selecting classes each semester as well as coordinating the various concentrations within the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. After receiving her B.A. in Speech Communication from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, Michele completed her M.S.Ed. degree in Counseling from the WIU—Quad Cities Campus. She is currently working on a second Master’s Degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration here at WIU.
Michele has worked as an Admission Representative at Marycrest International University and then as an Admissions Counselor at the University of Illinois—Springfield. She came to WIU in 2001 as an Admissions Counselor in the Undergraduate Admissions Office where she worked for 8 years before moving over to the Honors College in 2009. Michele finds working with college students to be especially rewarding. She reflects, “I get to help students figure out how to make their dreams become a reality. When a student and I work really hard and are able to fit all the pieces together, that is such a great sense of accomplishment!”
Originally from Dixon, Illinois, Michele enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, skiing, canoeing and kayaking. She loves to attend live music and comedy shows and is an avid Chicago Bears fan. Additionally, Michele is currently in her 5th year of coaching varsity cheerleading at Rushville-Industry High School in Rushville, Illinois.
Ms. Patty Battles
Office Manager
Email: PK-Battles@wiu.edu
Ms. Battles ensures the efficient operation of the Centennial Honors College, as she has worked in the office for 24 years. One of her primary duties is to coordinate the Academic Honors Convocation ceremonies. She also administers and monitors the many scholarships offered by the Honors College. Further, she sets up and maintains databases of current and prospective students as well as Honors College alumni. Ms. Battles grew up in Tremont, Illinois and has an associate’s degree from Illinois Central College. She states that the best part of her job is “Working with students and being able to work with a vast number of people on campus from administrators to faculty and staff in all kinds of areas.”
Ms. Battles has been married to her husband, Rick, for 34 years and has three daughters, Kimberly, Nikki, and Lindsay, three sons-in-law, Dustin, Tim, and Adam. She has two grandsons, Dreyton and Jaxon, who she says “live way too far away” and a granddaughter, Ada Grace. She enjoys boating, reading, baking, and spending time at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Janell McGruder
Office Support Specialist
Email: jl-mcgruder@wiu.edu
Janell McGruder joined the Centennial Honors College staff on August 2, 2010 as an Office Support Specialist. While becoming familiar with the primary functions of the department, she is responsible for scheduling appointments and maintaining the database for the In-Course Honors program. She states “My knowledge about the functions of various departments and organizations on campus can be helpful to students as they begin or continue their academic career.” Since October 2006 Janell has worked in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access and the Economics Department.
Janell is pursuing a Masters of Science in Education and Counseling starting in January. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling.
Caitlin Salmon 
Student Worker
Email: CA-Salmon@wiu.edu
Caitlin is a Graduate Student in Instructional Design and Technology, and just graduated from WIU with a Bachelors of Science in Graphic Communication with a Photography/Communication minor. She is originally from Champaign, Illinois and has been working at the Honors College for the last two years. In her position, Caitlin is responsible for updating and maintaining the Honors College website as well as compiling and publishing our monthly newsletter. She is excited about all the opportunities she has had as an honors student during her undergrad years. After completing her Masters, Caitlin looks forward to a career in graphic design and plans to continue photography on the side.
Caitlin’s summer activities included taking a family vacation to Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as a road trip to northern Michigan, a multitude of weddings, and finishing with a roller coaster packed trip to Six Flags. At home she has a sister, Sara, who is a junior at the University of Illinois and a Yorkshire Terrier named Ruby. She also enjoys belly dancing with a troupe in Macomb, cooking, and creating designs with Photoshop.
