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Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the principles of wisdom in the Rule of St. Benedict.
Benedictine University aspires to be a thought leader in Catholic higher education. We seek to provide a transformative and integrative educational experience grounded in Benedictine values, helping students shape lives of meaning and purpose as engaged citizens who care for the earth, welcome people of diverse faiths and cultures, and promote the common good.
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Send Dr. Bjorkman an Email
Phone: 630-829-1930
Dr. Julie Bjorkman is Assistant Professor and Director of the Ed.D. program in Higher Education and Organizational Change at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
Dr. Bjorkman has been serving as an adjunct instructor in the Ed.D. program since it began in 2009, while continuing her professional career in organization development (OD), HR transformation, change communications and employee engagement. She graduated with her Ph.D. in OD in 2007 from the globally-recognized program at Benedictine.
Her professional experiences with multinational corporations such as GE, HSBC, British Petroleum, Allstate, Sara Lee, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals have given her a wealth of on-the-job experience with organizational change and leadership development.
Dr. Bjorkman earned her bachelor’s degree in English from John Carroll University, and her master’s degree in OD from Case Western Reserve University. She is a published author on change communication and continues to conduct research, write, and consult with organizations on this topic.
Send Dr. Chizewski an Email
Phone: 630-829-1892
Send Dr. Devall an Email
Phone: (630) 829-6295
Dr. Alandra Devall is an associate professor and educational psychologist in the School of Education. She came to Benedictine the first time as a graduate student after receiving her bachelor’s degree at Elmhurst College in Special Education. She spent a year completing her master’s degree here in education and went on to Loyola University of Chicago for her PhD in Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Psychology. She returned to BU in 2002 as an assistant professor, where she has taught 11 different courses in both education and psychology for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
In the fall of 2006, Dr. Devall was appointed the Chair of the Institutional Review Board by the Provost, and has since worked diligently to make the IRB process not only smooth, but user-friendly for students and faculty. Currently, Alandra enjoys mentoring undergraduate, graduate and dissertation students in their research pursuits, and has completed over 40 theses, a few of which she has presented and co-presented at the prestigious AERA (American Educational Research Association), HICE (Hawaii International Conference on Education) and the University of Oxford. Dr. Devall’s primary research interests include educational psychology, teaching with technology, adolescent wellness and improving the outcomes and education of adolescents with behavior disorders. In the past five years, Dr. Devall has presented numerous internationally peer-reviewed presentations, published several articles and book chapters, and continues her research/advocacy on issues including social justice and incarcerated youth.
Send Dr. Jeewek an Email
Phone: 630-829-6286
Dr. Joyce Jeewek joined the school of education faculty full-time in 2006. Formerly, she worked as an elementary teacher, reading specialists, special education intervention manager, principal, district curriculum director, and an adjunct faculty member for Northern Illinois, Lewis and Benedictine Universities. Dr. Jeewek's passion is education! Dr. Jeewek earned her Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, a Masters of Science in Education for Language Arts and Reading, and a Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Mainstreaming from Northern Illinois University. In 2010, Dr. Jeewek added an ESL endorsement from Benedictine University to her resume.
Dr. Jeewek's research interests include qualitative studies where teachers, as practitioners, examine ways to improve student learning. Her areas of interest include: reading and the language arts, assessment driving instruction, differentiated instruction, effective reading comprehension and writing strategies, family literacy, English Language Learners, children's literature and family literacy. Her work is published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Illinois Reading Council. Dr. Jeewek delivers numerous presentations at local, state, and international conferences. Dr. Jeewek has also had her students present at various conferences. She teaches children's literature, reading and the language arts, and reading assessment courses to both undergraduates and graduate students.
Professional development is important to Dr. Jeewek. She is currently president of the Prairie Area Reading Council and is a voting board member of the Illinois Reading Council. Dr. Jeewek is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi, international education honor society Chapter Services Committee, in charge of developing strategic plans for the organization. She also is a member of both the International Reading Association's Arbothnot and Jerry John's Award Committee and the Illinois Reading Council's Barack Obama Literacy Award Committee. In 2009, Dr. Jeewek was awarded an Honorable Mention Award by the Barack Obama Literacy Fund and received a small library to use in her children's literature courses for future educators. As a Prairie Area Reading Council board member for the past seven years, Dr. Jeewek has been a part of a council that has received both Honor Council and Council of Excellence from both the Illinois Reading Council and the International Reading Association. She has also received numerous membership and speaker grants and membership idea awards from the Illinois Reading Council.
Send Dr. Legutki an Email
Phone: (630) 829-1995
Ph.D., University of Illinois | 2010
M.M., Illinois State University | 2003
B.M.E., Illinois State University | 2000
Allen R. Legutki received BME and MME degrees from Illinois State University, and the Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Illinois. Before joining the faculty at Benedictine University, he taught undergraduate instrumental methods courses and a graduate administration and supervision course at the University of Illinois as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education. He has served as Editorial Assistant and Associate Editor of the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, and now serves on the division council for music teacher education and as state research chair for the Illinois Music Education Association.
At Benedictine, Dr. Legutki teaches several undergraduate methods courses, psychology of music, concert band, and additional music and humanities courses. Also, he serves as the advisor for an active collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), which recently received national recognition for chapter growth and professional development projects.
Dr. Legutki’s research interests include music student motivation, teacher and performer identity, and social dynamics within group music activities. He has presented on these and other topics at local, national, and international conferences. His secondary school teaching experience includes middle and high school concert band, jazz ensemble, and music theory in Sullivan, Illinois, where he also served as director of student activities for Sullivan High School.
"Music teachers as musicians and academics: A case study" (Breaux, M. L., Legutki, A. R., & Smith, T. D.). Poster session presented at the 29th International Society for Music Education World Conference, Beijing, China (August 2010).
"Collaborating during doctoral coursework: Providing support and building professional collaborative skills" (Legutki, A. R., Breaux, M. L., & Smith, T. D.). Panel discussion ("Creating, fostering, and maintaining partnerships among junior researchers") at the International Society for Music Education North American Regional Seminar and Summit, Anaheim, CA (March 2010).
"'I got in, but now what?' Preparing students for a successful all-state conference weekend" (Hendricks, K. S., Breaux, M. L., González-Moreno, P. A., Kellum, B. W., King, K. N., Legutki, A. R., Paluck, C. A., & Smith, T. D.). llinois Music Educator 70.1 (2009): 59-64.
"Music teachers' identities as performers: A case study of a benefit recital" (Legutki, A. R., Smith, T. D., & Breaux, M. L.). Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), Columbus, OH (October 2009).
"Competence, autonomy, and relatedness: Psychological needs in music education." Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Illinois Music Educators Association, Peoria, IL (January 2009).
"Preparing students for the dynamic social environments of music festival auditions and rehearsals." Panel discussion ("Preparing students for the IMEA all-state and honors orchestra experience") at the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference, Peoria, IL (January 2009).
"Relatedness in secondary school music environments." Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), Minneapolis, MN (October 2008).
"Motivation and the music learner." Poster session presented at the 28th International Society for Music Education World Conference, Bologna, Italy. (July 2008).
"Experiencing Krannert Wall-to-Wall: A multi-perspective sociological analysis of a musical experience. Paper presented at the annual Ethnography of the University Initiative Student Conference, Urbana, IL (November 2007).
Send Dr. Pelech an Email
Phone: 630-829-6283
Send Mr. VanRaden an Email
Phone: 630-829-6154
Nate VanRaden MS, ATC, PES
Director – COVID Response & Recovery Center
Assistant Director of Athletics – Sports Medicine & Performance
Head Athletic Trainer
Adjunct Lecturer - Sport & Exercise Science
Send Dr. Wong an Email
Phone: (630) 829-1151
Dr. Ovid Wong is a science education professor with Benedictine University since 2007. He has a joint teaching assignment in the College of Science, the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Education. He received his B.Sc. and Dip. Ed. from the University of Alberta (Canada), his M.Ed. from the University of Washington (Seattle), and his Ph.D. in science education from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).
His experience in public education spans over twenty years from the inner city classroom in Chicago to the suburban office of the assistant school superintendent. For twelve years he was the lead science instructor at the Center for Gifted and Talented Development at Northwestern University. In the summers of 2012 and 2013, Dr. Wong was invited by Dalian Nationalities University in China to train young faculty members representing twelve academic departments in pedagogy and andragogy. In 2013, he was invited by Shenyang Normal University in China to conduct cross-cultural training for faculty and students. The China trips were supported by the Foreign Expert Exchange fund of the Chinese government. In 2017, Dr. Wong was invited by Binh Duong University in Vietnam for faculty pedagogical training.
In 1989, Dr. Wong received the National Science Foundation’s Outstanding Science Teacher in Illinois award and the National Science Teaching Achievement Recognition (STAR) award by the National Science Teacher Association. In the same year he visited the former Soviet Union as the environmental science delegation leader with the student ambassador program. He was the first recipient of the outstanding alumni award by the University of Alberta in 1992 and also the first recipient of the distinguished alumni award by the College of Education at the University of Illinois in 1995. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his significant achievements in research at Benedictine University.
Dr. Wong is the author of thirty-two books. He has received the Midwest Book Author ward from the Children’s Reading Roundtable of Chicago. He has written twelve books dedicated to coaching teachers and students to effectively prepare for the state mandated examination across the nation with specific editions for Illinois, Michigan, New York and Ohio. His recent ten books include Using Data Analysis to Improve Student Learning: Toward 100% Proficiency; Pivotal Strategies for the Educational Leader: The Importance of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War; Prioritizing Money and Power: Equalize Student Achievement; Elementary Science with Classroom Experiments; Elementary Science with Classroom Experiments for ISAT; Elementary Science with Classroom Experiments for ESPET; High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools; An Instructor Primer for Adjunct and New Faculty: Foundations for Career Success; Life Decision; and To Learn is To Do: Evangelism ABC.
The Seventh Annual Faculty Research Symposium was held April 7, 2020 with the following faculty presentations:
Annmarie Chizewski, PhD (Assistant Professor - Sport and Exercise Science) "Fitness Fights Fires: Exploring the Relationship between Physical Fitness and Firefighter Ability"
Annmarie Chizewski, PhD (Assistant Professor - Sport and Exercise Science) "Functional Fitness is an Effective Training Modality in Firefighters" poster presentation
Send Kristin an Email
Phone: (630) 829-6394
I graduated from Southern Ilinois University-Carbondale with my Bachelors in Elementary Education. Shortly thereafter, I started working in higher education in various student services departments. Realizing my passion for helping students navigate their college educational goals, I obtained my Masters in Organizational Leadership-Training and Development from Lewis University. I enjoy working with students and coaching them to achieve their short or long-term goals no matter their path.
Office Location: Goodwin Hall 281
To Make an Appointment: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/KieraWhiteMA@ben.edu/bookings/
Send Jan an Email
Phone: 630-829-6293
Dr. Jan Writer joined the School of Education in 2008. She serves as the Director of Student Placement and teaches courses in the area of special education. She was previously an Associate Professor of Education at Elmhurst College and on the Education faculty at the University of San Diego and the University of Arizona, where she coordinated graduate teacher education programs in the areas of severe disabilities, orthopedic impairments, and multiple sensory impairments She holds a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in severe/multiple disabilities, a master's degree in speech pathology and audiology from Southern Methodist University, and a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing therapy from Indiana University.
Dr. Writer has been working in the field of special education for more than 40 years. Prior to joining BenU, she was employed as a speech pathologist, a classroom teacher, the coordinator of programs for students with moderate and severe disabilities for a 16-district special education cooperative, a state education agency staff development specialist, a multi-state Deaf=Blind Regional Center education coodinator, an independent evaluator of students with disabilities, an onsite technical assistance provider, a teacher educatior, and a parent advocate. Over the past 38 years, she has consulted to programs serving persons with severe disabilities in over 34 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, the U.S. Pacific Trust Territories, and American Samoa.
Dr. Writer is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Council for Exceptional Children, International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Autism national Committee, Autism Society of America, National Coalition on Deafblindness, TASH (formerly The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps), Autism Society of Illinois, and Arc of Illinois. A speciallist in public school inclusion and the education of children and youth with low incidence of disabilities (autism, orthopedic impairments, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, sensory impairments, and deafblindness), she serves on leadership committees for mulitble national and international organizations in the field of special education. She has further presented at more than 300 regional, state, national, and international conferences on topics specific to the quality education of students with moderate, severe, and low incidence disabilities.
James Pelech, Ed.D.
Department Chair, School of Education
Professor, Teacher Education Preparation
jpelech@ben.edu
630-829-6280
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
By Mail:
Benedictine University
5700 College Road
Kindlon Hall, Room 258
Lisle, IL 60532
Fax: (630) 829-6281
