Illinois Wesleyan University


Minor Myers was more than president of IWU

Reprinted courtesy of The Pantagraph, Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Central Illinois lost not only a great educator with Tuesday's death of Minor Myers Jr., but it lost a leader whose knowledge, wit and charm brought out the best in others.

Illinois Wesleyan University's 17th president was a man of vision who never took himself so seriously that he couldn't find laughter in almost any subject -- any subject but Illinois Wesleyan. He led a team that has spent more than $115 million to improve the campus since 1989 while simultaneously improving the academic program to attract an increasing quality of students.

When he arrived at IWU, he said he wanted to "let the secret out about Illinois Wesleyan." The fact that IWU is consistently ranked among the best liberal arts schools in the nation by various publications suggests that has been done. Throughout his tenure, he jealously guarded the school's name. In official publications or on the air, people referring to "Wesleyan" would be reminded that the school's name is Illinois Wesleyan, a school not to be confused with other Wesleyan universities.

Minor Myers had a practical view of a liberal arts education -- preparing students to approach problems in the world. He often said it was not only important to know the answer to questions, but to know why the questions were asked and why they were important.

Although he addressed the building and academic sides of Illinois Wesleyan's needs, his greatest mark could easily go unnoticed by those outside the campus community -- his concern for the well-being of individual students.

For example, as a member of the Associated Colleges of Illinois Board of Directors, which he served as president, he was responsible for initiating the College Readiness Program to help high school students from disadvantaged areas make successful transition into colleges and universities. The program has grown from its initial 30 students to more than 500 in less than seven years.

The honors bestowed upon Minor Myers are numerous, including The Pantagraph's inaugural Person of the Year award for 2001, an award he shared with then-ISU President Victor Boschini. They were honored for improving the quality of Central Illinois life through their successful building and fund-raising programs, efforts to improve academics and strengthening of their schools' relationships with Twin City officials.

Minor Myers Jr. could spend hours talking about IWU or almost any historical subject. But he was most uncomfortable talking about his many personal achievements. That is when we could still picture him looking over the top of his glasses, getting a slight smile on his face and asking questions to learn more about those around him. His quest for knowledge never ended.

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