Tag Archives: Ellen O’Brien

Alumni News, Feature 3, Feature Stories, Spring 2015

Alumni Profile: Paying It Forward

Roosevelt helped Amanda Wornhoff find her way. Now she is helping other students find theirs.

Roosevelt helped Amanda Wornhoff find her way. Now she is helping other
students find theirs.

Despite her stellar academic performance in high school, by the mid-1990s Amanda Wornhoff found herself adrift at two different Big 10 universities, struggling to excel as a first-generation college student. Faced with the added strain of family health and financial hardships, Wornhoff eventually left school to find work. But years later, determined to complete her college education, she enrolled at Roosevelt University where she soared in the classroom, earning two degrees before landing a job on the faculty.

“I was looking for a school that was going to respect my educational and life experiences up to that point and give me the support I needed to better my life,” Wornhoff said. “Roosevelt had the most attractive program because they showed interest in having me as a student and respected where I was at that moment. Roosevelt made me feel like I could do it.”

Though she originally pursued math and engineering, at Roosevelt Wornhoff found English to be her real passion. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2005 and master’s degree in 2008 both in English. The following year she was hired as a full-time member of Roosevelt’s faculty and now, in addition to her work as a lecturer and interim director of the English Composition Program, Wornhoff serves as co-chair of Foundations of Excellence, a self-study process designed to improve experiences of first-year students.

“Roosevelt had the most attractive program because they showed interest in having me as a student and respected where I was at that moment. Roosevelt made me feel like I could do it.”
Amanda Wornhoff

“The Foundations of Excellence work is a perfect fit for me — it addresses all of the questions I’ve asked myself many times about my own experiences as a college student, particularly as a first-generation college student who faced personal obstacles in earning my degree,” Wornhoff said. “In hindsight, I now realize how my first year in college set the tone for my overall trajectory in higher ed, which in turn affected many other areas of my life.”

Foundations of Excellence

Foundations of Excellence started at Roosevelt during the 2013-14 academic year when more than 130 members of the University community began studying and surveying the experiences of first-year students. The group looked at issues such as classes in which freshmen struggled, better ways to provide support and strategies to increase retention.

Roosevelt currently has the largest full-time freshman class in its history, and Wornhoff believes this is the right time to more closely examine the many variables of the student experience in order to create structures that provide a strong foundation of academic, social and financial support for today’s first-year students. “This is especially important for Roosevelt students, whose personal success is often a catalyst for improving the lives of their families and their communities,” she said.

Wornhoff and Linda Jones, co-chair of Foundations of Excellence and dean of Undergraduate Studies, have spent the academic year whittling down a list of recommendations and figuring out which ideas can be put into practice. Some improvements may include the creation of an advisory board of first-year students and the establishment of a single office or department to oversee all things related to freshmen.

“Amanda brings to this project her experience of working regularly with freshmen in the English Composition Program,” Jones said. “She has great insights into what freshmen need, what they are capable of and what they cannot do at this point in their lives. And it’s really useful that Amanda knows Roosevelt inside and out because she came here as a student herself.”

Amanda Wornhoff Graduation

Amanda Wornhoff, English composition lecturer and co-chair of Foundations of Excellence, received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Roosevelt.

A native of Pittsburgh who grew up in Crown Point, Ind., Wornhoff and her husband, Jeff, whom she met in the high school band, now reside in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. They have season tickets to the Chicago Fire Soccer team and enjoy taking in live music around the city.

After graduating from high school in Crown Point, Wornhoff went to Purdue University as an engineering student, but quickly found college to be difficult, requiring a degree of independence and connection that she struggled to find. She ended up transferring to Indiana University to study math. Despite soon realizing that large university campuses were not for her, she continued on for several years until she was close to graduating. By then her father had fallen ill, her mother was working two jobs and she had trouble paying the bills. Wornhoff left school and spent the next six years as a legal secretary at various firms. In 2003, she was living in Chicago, had recently gotten married and decided it was the right time to complete her college education.

Bonnie Gunzenhauser, now dean of the College of Arts and Sciences who taught Wornhoff as a student and also had her as a teaching intern, said Wornhoff was academically strong and a dynamic presence in the classroom, contributing her own ideas as well as listening to others. “She was just a natural. She was a facilitator as a student, a facilitator as a teaching intern and now is a facilitator with the Foundations of Excellence,” Gunzenhauser said. “Her Foundations of Excellence work requires bringing people together from across the University and she’s very effective at it.”

“Amanda has a keen understanding of where students are coming from and how to give them extra help and support,” said Ellen O’Brien, associate professor of English and director of Women’s and Gender Studies. “I think that’s due to her own experiences,” said O’Brien, who also taught Wornhoff as a student. “She’s effective because she holds students to high standards and supports them.”

Indeed, Roosevelt sophomore Chinanita Leslie said she spent time during her freshman year trying to figure out whether college was right for her. With the help of Wornhoff’s guidance, enthusiasm and support, Leslie continues to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English at the University. “I must admit I was dubious at times in my ability to be successful in college. Professor Wornhoff never doubted me for a second. She was confident in my ability and her confidence transferred to me,” Leslie said. “She also is always trying to find a way to make Roosevelt better. She spends a lot of time advocating for the students and trying to find ways to create more programs and resources.”

One of Wornhoff’s former students, Giacomo Luca, 22, attributes his own achievements as a television reporter in part to the mentoring he received from Wornhoff after taking one of her classes as a freshman. “Amanda is one of the reasons that students continue to further their education at Roosevelt. It’s professors like her that make students feel like they belong here,” said Luca, who received his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2014. “There is a quote on the University’s seal about the ‘enlightenment of the human spirit.’ I think that Amanda in all aspects of the phrase is committed to the enlightenment of the human spirit, and to the enlightenment of her students.”

Wornhoff said it might sound like a cliché, but students are her heroes. “Our students’ courage and perseverance in pursuing their education, often in the face of serious challenges, are what inspires me and keeps me coming back for more. There’s no better feeling than sensing a student’s pride when she completes a difficult writing assignment, or witnessing a student’s discovery of new ideas, or watching a student’s confidence grow before my eyes. I am grateful for those moments when I get to share in students’ victories, big and small.”

“Our students’ courage and perseverance in pursuing their education, often in the face of serious challenges, are what inspires me and keeps me coming back for more.
Amanda Wornhoff

As the University focuses on the most important aspects of first-year students’ lives to help improve academic quality and increase retention, Wornhoff’s experiences will be invaluable. “I’m really proud to work at a place where people are so committed. I’m constantly impressed and inspired by the people who work here and how committed they are to students’ success,” Wornhoff said.

“When I first visited Roosevelt as a new student, I had the feeling that whoever I was and whatever I had done was okay, that I had a clean slate, and that Roosevelt wanted to help me get to the next level in my life. Today I know we all still want those same things for our students here, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to pay it forward a little bit each day.”

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Featured Image - Frank Westry
Fall 2014, Feature 3, Scholarship Spotlight

For the Love of Literature: Scholarship Spotlight on Frank Westry

Frank Westry

Frank Westry came to Roosevelt University because he was looking for an excellent English program. But he was also influenced by his mother, alumna Martha R. Rice, who earned a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in 2009 with a concentration in psychology. Her experience at Roosevelt was so transformative and welcoming that she persuaded her son to attend.

Westry has a love for literature. He is a prolific reader who enjoys the works of Toni Morrison, Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde and Robert Louis Stevenson. Westry also admires books by Malcolm Gladwell because the author addresses how we think as human beings, and he admires Mary Wollstonecraft, an 18th Century feminist philosopher who advocated for women’s rights.

Westry believes that literature can impact one’s life because it teaches and entertains at the same time. Roosevelt has helped him hone his writing skills and increase his understanding of the importance of good writing. The Roosevelt English major works at putting his skills into action by serving as a tutor in the University’s Writing Center, which helps students become better writers. This experience will serve him well as he wants to go on to graduate school and eventually teach at the high school level.

One of Westry’s favorite quotes is from Martin Luther King, Jr. who, when addressing the purpose of education, said, “The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society.”

Along with his mother, he gives credit to two professors, Ellen O’Brien and Carrie Brecke, whose outlook and encouragement have given him a positive attitude on life, education and the importance of the written word. Westry feels that during his time at Roosevelt, he has been challenged and grown academically.

Westry enjoys traveling and would like to do more of it in the future so he can observe different cultures. London, where Shakespeare founded his Globe Theatre, is near the top of his list. He wouldn’t mind locating to a warmer climate so he has included Hawaii on that list, too.

“The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

When he isn’t working in the Writing Center or at Hertz Rent-a-Car, Westry enjoys playing pool, especially in pool halls. Playing and watching basketball – he’s a Bulls fan – and working on jigsaw puzzles – the more pieces the better – are some of his other interests.

When asked what advice he would give to his fellow students, he said, “Always be ready to learn. It should never stop. And, don’t be afraid to come to the Writing Center!”

Would you like to help a student like Frank Westry?

There are many ways to support Roosevelt students, including establishing a named scholarship. For information, visit roosevelt.edu/giving or call the Office of Institutional Advancement at (312) 341-4327.

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Photo of a Wabash Building Dorm Room
Fall 2014, Sidebar Story

Book Explores Gender-Inclusive Housing

Cited by researchers as having one of the most exceptional gender-inclusive-housing programs in the nation, Roosevelt University will be sharing its experiences regarding the program in a forthcoming book.

“Walking the Talk: Managing Institutional Culture to Put Values into Action” is the title of the chapter about the Roosevelt experience that is to be included in Trans Policies and Experiences in Housing and Residential Life.

Set to be published in 2016, the book is primarily for residence life practitioners, those considering implementing gender-inclusive housing policies and scholars who are interested in trans-related research. It will feature chapters on gender-inclusive housing at 12 higher-education institutions across the country, including Roosevelt.

“We want to dispel the myth that gender-inclusive housing can hurt higher-education institutions, which is the reason we are putting out a book on best practices today in residence life and gender-inclusive housing,” said Jason Garvey, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Alabama and lead editor of the book comprised of chapters written by individuals involved in gender-inclusive housing at as many as 12 higher education institutions across the country.

“We want to dispel the myth that gender-inclusive housing can hurt higher-education institutions, which is the reason we are putting out a book on best practices today in residence life and gender-inclusive housing.” – Jason Garvey

The Roosevelt experience with gender-inclusive housing was selected for the book because of the way the University went about establishing its policy and program. “Roosevelt has had fantastic representation in putting together its policy,” said Garvey. “We were impressed that the University not only included upper-level administrators in the discussion, but also that it solicited student opinions and input, which we think is essential for success,” said Garvey of the University’s 17-member task force that developed a policy during the fall 2012 semester.

In addition, “Roosevelt is in an urban environment and its chapter will offer a look at what goes into an urban gender-inclusive-housing experience, which we think can be a model for similar institutions considering this kind of policy,” he said.

While higher education institutions first began implementing open housing policies as far back as 1970, more than half of the 140 universities with such policies have put gender-inclusive housing in place within the last three years. Some are traditional, flagship institutions; others are small liberal arts colleges; many are in cities and suburbs across the nation; some have living and learning programs, like Roosevelt’s, while others accommodate students in entire gender-inclusive residence halls or individual suites and apartment complexes.

Contributors to the book chapter on Roosevelt’s experience include Bridget Collier, chief of staff to the president; recent Roosevelt graduate Brenden Paradies; Ellen O’Brien, director of the Women and Gender Studies program; Laura Kehoe, associate registrar; Jennifer Tani, assistant vice president for community engagement; as well as Brandon Rohlwing, resident assistant for Roosevelt’s gender-inclusive housing floor; and Bob Brophy, director of residence life at University Center Chicago. Most were members of the original task force that formulated the Roosevelt policy.

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