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Front l-r: Guada Cabedo-Timmons, Holly Stovall, Patti Jones, Barbara Ribbens, Dana Vizdal, Beate Wilson, Bea Wehrly; Back l-r: Davison Bideshi, Steve Kaesdorf, Kevin Bacon, Marko Kranjc, Maria Montalvo, Candace Winters-March, Jeannie Woods, John Carlson, Kevin Timlin, Jack McKinnon, Jack Thomas, Terry Rodenberg, Leonie Meijer, Emily Gorlewski, David Behymer
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Founding Induction Ceremony For Phi Beta Delta at WIU

December 3, 2009

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MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University's chapter of the Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society inducted its charter members during Western's International Education Week in November.

The purpose of the Eta Epsilon chapter is to recognize and encourage superior professional, intellectual, academic and personal achievement in the field of international education, said Barbara Ribbens, associate professor in management and the chapter's first president.

The society's motto, "Scientia Mutua Mundi," which means "World's Shared Knowledge," is inscribed at the base of the honor society's crest.

Western Illinois President Al Goldfarb and Vice President for Academics and Provost Jack Thomas were named honorary members. Continuing members are Terry Rodenberg, director of Western's Center for International Studies; Emily Gorlewski, assistant director, Center for International Studies; and Davison Bideshi, assistant professor of sociology.

The 22 inaugural inductees include 13 faculty, three staff, three retired faculty and three area high school teachers. They include:

Kevin Bacon, associate professor of agriculture, has been involved in international educational activities in Russia, China and Pakistan. He currently serves as the chair for the Council on International Education at WIU, which focuses on approval of courses that will satisfy the new global issues requirement for graduation.

David Behymer (Bee Hi Mer) of Rushville (IL) is a retired visual arts teacher from West Prairie High School. He has educational experiences in at least 12 countries. In addition, he serves as a mentor for recent migrants to his community and as an international neighbor with students from WIU.

Guada Cabedo-Timmons (Gwa Dah Kah Bay Do), associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, has studied and taught in Spain and France. She is the founder and adviser of the WIU Spanish Club; moderator of the "Tertulias" (Ter Tu Li Yaz), sponsored by Casa Latina and the department of foreign languages and literature; and she is the director of the WISE-Spain program.

John Carlson, professor of agriculture, has the unique honor of having traveled to Russia some 40 times as a consultant, presenter and study abroad leader mainly for agricultural students. He also led study abroad groups to China, Costa Rica and Australia, and has been to more than 20 countries.

Rodney Fink is dean emeritus of the former College of Applied Sciences at Western. He has extensive service with USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) in newly independent states of the former USSR, in Latin America, Central America, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Thailand, Israel, Egypt and various African countries. In addition, he has led numerous study tours, and has extensive missionary experience in Haiti.

Patti Jones retired from Western as assistant director of the University Advising and Academic Support Center. She has led study abroad groups to Mexico, England, France and Switzerland. She co-directed a Fulbright group study abroad to South Korea; co-directed two Department of State Grants on campus; serves as the national chair of the Leadership Development Committee of NAFSA: Association of International Educators; and is involved in the International Neighbors Program.

Steve Kaesdorf (Kayz Dorf), a lecturer in WESL, is a longtime instructor for Western's English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. He has both international teaching and language learning experience in Austria, as well as 27 years of work in the U.S. with students from a variety of countries. Kaesdorf coordinates the conversation partners program for both fulltime WESL students and those attending short-term summer programs.

Marko Kranjc (Krahn Ch), professor and assistant chair of mathematics, has lived, studied and published in Slovenia. In addition, he has advised many international graduate students from diverse countries. His fluency in Serbian, French and English has provided opportunities for him to interpret in court and as needed at McDonough District Hospital.

Stephanie Lynch is a lecturer in International Non-Credit Programs and an instructor for WESL. She participated in the Semester at Sea, which provided her cultural contact with a number of nationalities

Jack McKinnon of LaHarpe (IL) is a retired science teacher who participated in a Fulbright group study abroad to Korea in 2005. He has presented a number of programs at the local and regional level about the experience. McKinnon has also been involved in travel study to Scotland and Ireland, and most recently to Turkey. He also serves as an international neighbor and a conversation mentor.

Leonie Meijer (Lee Oh Knee My Yer) is an adviser for Study Abroad and Exchange Programs at Western. Her activities include translation work in Dutch and English, supporting both international and U.S. students by work as a conversation mentor and the adviser of Western's ambassadors of Study Abroad. She has given presentations and participates in NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Maria Montalvo (Mon Tahl Vo) teaches science at Macomb Jr. High School. She is a Fulbright scholar, having participated in a Fulbright group study abroad to Korea in 2005. She has collaborated with teachers in Korea and Brazil to provide weather research opportunities for her students. In addition, Montalvo tutors students from Macedonia, the Republic of the Congo and South Korea.

Barbara Ribbens, associate professor of management, has taught in Mexico, the Netherlands, Bolivia, Russia and Taiwan; and she has led two study abroad groups to Canada. She brings global issues to young women in Macomb through involving international students with her Girl Scout troop.

Phyllis Self, dean of University Libraries at Western, has served as a World Health Organization consultant for creating a medical library in the Sudan. She has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia. Self also has served as an international neighbor at both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at WIU.

Holly Stovall, a women's studies instructor, has worked and studied in Paraguay, Spain, Nicaragua and Argentina. Much of her global experience has been working with and for women, especially during her two years as a global intern in Buenos Aires.

Kevin Timlin, assistant director of Western's Center for International Studies, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Kyrgyz (Kir Gheez) Republic. He was a Fulbright scholar in Korea, and he has co-directed two Department of State grants. Timlin is currently pursuing a doctorate in comparative international development and education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Dana Vizdal is an office support specialist for Study Abroad in the Center for International Studies. She has studied and worked in Spain and Mexico. Vizdal participates in the International Neighbors Program, as well as serving as a conversation mentor.

Bea Wehrly (WERE LEE) is a distinguished professor emeritus of counselor education and college student personnel at Western. She initiated the WIU graduate course, "Counseling in a Multi-Cultural Society," after participating in international activities in Canada, Germany, the UK, the Philippines and Norway. Wehrly also organized and directed six international summer study groups to Europe, the South Pacific and Asia.

Jess White, assistant professor of anthropology, has studied and researched in Germany, England, France, India and China. She has also participated in teaching and learning tours in Palestine and Israel.

Beate (Bee Ah Tah) Wilson, sociology instructor, has lived and studied in Germany and Poland. She also has been to Denmark, France, England and Austria; and she has brought these experiences to Western's Anthropology and Sociology Club (WASC), as well as to the internationalizing process of the campus.

Candace Winters-March, professor of dance in the department of theater and dance and co-director of the University Dance Theatre, has taught and studied in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Greece. She also has hosted a Danish exchange student and serves as an international neighbor.

Jeannie Woods, professor of theatre, has been a Fulbright Scholar in the National Institute of Arts in Taipei and Taiwan, and a Fulbright presenter in Morocco. She has taught for the Semester at Sea program and led tours to England, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia and the USSR.

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