Jean Wolski’s dedication to students brought her from a humble beginning at an Iowa community college to become Eastern’s faculty laureate.

Twenty-five years ago Jean Wolski ran an experimental program to introduce fine arts to a group of farm mechanic students in rural Iowa.

By relating their agricultural surroundings to the arts, Wolski made a profound connection with her students.

“I kept running into these guys at concerts, the theater and art exhibits,” Wolski said, “Some even joined a community choir.”

This ability to connect with her students combined with the admiration of her colleagues and a strong belief in the value of diverse and interrelated educational experiences drove the Eastern Illinois University faculty to choose Wolski as this year’s faculty laureate.

As the faculty laureate, Wolski is responsible for publicly representing Eastern’s faculty and the university’s official spokesperson on the importance of liberal arts education.

In accepting the position, Wolski offered the keynote address to new students at the 2003 convocation Wednesday evening in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union.

After accepting an honorary plaque from interim President Lou Hencken, Wolski amused the crowd with some light-hearted advice and explained that the college experience is essentially the same now as it was for her over two decades (when she was a student).

“You can go without sleep. You can go without food. You cannot go without sleep and food,” she said.

Then in a more serious note, Wolski stressed to students the importance of studying a broad range of subjects in their time at Eastern. She said that the value to students of getting a liberal arts education is that they will know more about the world, rather than just their field of expertise.

“We also become better in our own field if we have an understanding of what’s around us,” Wolski said.

As a full-time professor in the department of theater arts, Wolski is also a playwright, a director, a choreographer, an actor and a scholar.

“Listening to her address, you could see that she understands the value of the student-teacher relationship,” said Kimberlie Moock, organizer and Director of Orientation.

“Her ability to be infectious in the classroom is what being the faculty laureate is all about. She connects.”

Students at the address also noticed Wolski’s dedication.

“She was very passionate and had some great advice about college life,” said Mary Payne, a junior elementary and special education major.

“I might take one of her classes now,” said Brandy Headley, a freshman journalism major.