Established in 2011, URSA was created to expand opportunities for undergraduates to lead or collaborate on research projects alongside faculty mentors. Now in its fifteenth year, the event has grown into a cornerstone of BenU’s academic calendar, and the 2026 symposium proved to be one of the most vibrant yet.

From noon-4:30 p.m., Goodwin Hall hosted a packed schedule of oral presentations across three rooms (211, 212, and 213), with three concurrent time blocks running from noon until the late afternoon. Topics ranged from police perceptions of community-oriented policing and the role of music in Native American identity to existentialist analyses of eating disorders, echo chambers on social media, CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors, and the racialized lens of medical illustration. The presentations reminded all in attendance that URSA interprets “scholarship” in the broadest possible sense.

Meanwhile, the first-floor lobby transformed into a bustling gallery of discovery during the poster session, held from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Poster topics ranged from Wolbachia bacteria in arthropods and the neurotoxic effects of microplastics on the brain to AI-driven goose deterrent systems for Lake St. Benedict, the relationship between personality traits and social deduction games, and a winter clothing drive supporting survivors of domestic violence.

Students from the natural sciences presented research findings on large-format posters, while peers from the humanities and arts displayed original creative work, including visual art installations and descriptions of original musical compositions.

Faculty, staff, and students filled the hallways and session rooms, offering thoughtful questions and enthusiastic support. For many presenters, URSA served as a vital “dry-run” for larger regional conferences later this spring. But for all involved, the event was a celebration of what happens when BenU students are given a stage to share their curiosity.

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A key part of the scholar-practitioner journey in the Goodwin College of Business Doctoral Program is the global exchange in the second year. Connecting student research with international OD scholars is a key opportunity to further research studies and create a scholar-practitioner professional network to serve as the foundation for future work as a global practitioner. 

Over three days, the conference provided an enriching blend of learning experiences through storytelling, dialogues, systems thinking, appreciative inquiry, question thinking, and Indigenous entertainment like African jazz—all beautifully intertwined with OD practices in the African context.

Kemi presented at each of the three days of the conference:

1. Day 1: “My OD journey—the past, present, and future.” This opportunity allowed the participants to connect with her personally and understand her research interests, setting the tone for the subsequent days.
2. Day 2: Kemi participated at the Doctoral Consortium on “Purpose-Driven Organizations,” where she provided insights into her research and discussed the importance of such organizations in driving sustainable development. This also gave her an opportunity to gather valuable qualitative data and insights that will support her research.
3. Day 3: Her final session focused on Purpose Alignment (Congruence) as a Lever for Organizational Outcomes. In keeping with the spirit of adaptability, she facilitated a short workshop experience in which participants reflected on their individual purpose and the enablers and barriers to fulfilling it. This enriched her data collection and offered the participants a meaningful opportunity for self-reflection and actionable insights.

Making meaningful connections and potential collaborations continues to enrich the journey of our doctoral students as scholar-practitioners. Congratulations to Kemi as she embarks on her final year of her dissertation work.

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The ����TV Senior Awards annually recognize outstanding students who are earning a bachelor’s degree from ����TV. This year we had a particularly strong pool of applicants! We are tremendously proud that so many remarkable students attend our school and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

The Awards and the Recipients are as follows.

Benedictine Hallmark Award: Awarded to a student whose life, activities, and achievements while at ����TV exemplify one or more of the 10 Benedictine Hallmarks. This has been awarded to Victoria Alvarado.

Resilience Award (former Overcoming Adversity Award): Awarded to a student who demonstrated substantial achievements during their time at ����TV despite a personal or financial hardship, which is so significant that in most cases it would have prevented a student from attending and succeeding at ����TV. This has been awarded to Michael Wulffe.

Community Service Award:  Awarded to a student for outstanding community service; for example, religious, educational, social, or political activities.  The student must have worked effectively with others and commanded the respect of the organization or activity with which they worked.  This has been awarded to Hiba Siddiqui.

����TV Service Award:  Awarded to a student for outstanding service to the University in general and to fellow students in particular.  The student must have worked effectively with others and commanded the respect of the University community.  This has been awarded to Zohaib Farooq.

The Bishop Daniel Kucera Award: Awarded to a non-traditional student in recognition of their contribution in external service, leadership in their home community, and/or academic achievement while working full-time or running a home, etc. This has been awarded to Lisa O’Brien.

Thomas J. Dyba Leadership Award:  Awarded to a student for outstanding ability to initiate and organize worthwhile activities, to encourage and direct the cooperative efforts of others and to command respect as a campus leader.  This has been awarded to Ali Ebraheemi.

Awards in Academic Honors:  The awards in academic honors are conferred on students from across the University who have distinguished themselves by positive achievements in the realm of their major field of study.  It is recommended that candidates for these honors should have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5.  Students should have completed research or a scientific procedure of some consequence, conducted an experiment or investigation of positive value to their field of study, published in the field or won an election on the basis of competence in their field.

College of Science and Health:  Jacob Pipowski

College of Liberal Arts:  Samiha Syed

School of Education: Alexis Langford

Procopian Award:  The highest honor that can be bestowed on a student is the Procopian Award.  This award is given for consistently outstanding curricular and extra-curricular activities while at ����TV.  The award signifies that scholarship, leadership, and service are exemplified by the student.  This has been awarded to Ayesha Moosani.

The Honors Committee is composed of: Dr. Darya Aleinikava (Chair), Dr. Catherine Arnold, Dr. Christopher Birks, Dr. Namhoon August Lee, Dr. Elaine Davies, Director of Academic Accommodations and Accessibility, and Marco Masini, Dean of Students.

Also recognized are the recipients for the Awards for the Communication Arts program:
Courtney Croft Excellence in Communication Arts – Neha Mazhari
Print Media Excellence Award – Nick Schlagel
Electronic Media Excellence Award – Neha Mazhari
Research Excellence Award – Chloe Drozdz

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With immense pride, we announce the distinguished recipients of the I AM BIONIC (Believe it or not, I Care!) awards at the Mesa, AZ campus of ����TV Goodwin College of Business under the mentorship of the esteemed Prof. Johnson. These exceptional students have truly exemplified the spirit of compassion, dedication, and community engagement.

“I AM BIONIC” Winners: The Heartfelt Impact of 12+ Hours of Service
Congratulations to the following students who have earned the prestigious I AM BIONIC recognition for their outstanding commitment to community service, providing a remarkable minimum of 12 hours of their time to make a positive difference:
Gabrielle Perez
Dex Mand Hawkins
Erick Garcia Cota
Xaria Culver
Abraham Warpness ~ Served over 200 hours last semester at “Feed my Starving Children.”

These remarkable individuals dedicated their valuable time to various community service opportunities. They invested in self-reflection, culminating in the creation of insightful reflection papers. Their journey reached its pinnacle with captivating class presentations showcasing the depth of their experiences and their impact.

Previous Honorable Mentions: Stars Among Us
In addition to our main winners, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to the following students who have also demonstrated an inspiring commitment to service:
Colin Bonine and Dylan Bangs both made very commendable contributions.

A Salute to Compassion and Action
“We strive both on and off campus to guide and inspire all students, fostering a culture of empathy and community engagement at ����TV Goodwin College of Business.” ~ Professor H Johnson

Congratulations to All!
To our I AM BIONIC award winners and honorable mentions, your commitment to making a difference is a source of inspiration for us all. Let your light shine, illuminating the path for others to follow. We celebrate your achievements and look forward to witnessing the continued positive impact you will undoubtedly bring to our community and beyond.

Previous Semester ” I am BIONIC” award earners include, but are not limited to, Natasha Lawrence, Avery Rivero, Jason Almanza, Damian Bilko, Adilene Martin, Kenneth Schenck, and Tyler Watts, among some of our alumni.

#IAMBIONIC #CommunityChampions #BelieveItOrNotICare

Learn more about the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Business.

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The BenU Change Management event featured Liora Gross, formerly Digital Transformation Practice Lead for the Center for Creative Leadership, and now responsible for executive leadership development at Google. She walked the group through the human element of digital transformation and how to best lead through change. Digital Transformation is coming at us, but digital is a PEOPLE business.

It was so great to see our PhD alumni from so many different cohorts meeting and connecting with current doctoral students, as well as those from our MSMOB program – current and past – sharing their experiences and insights. We had scholar-practitioners from so many different industries; the collective experience in that room was inspiring!

The GCOB Doctoral Program is now accepting applications for the next cohort which begins Fall 2024.

Learn more about our GCOB Doctoral Program

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Goodwin was Vice Chair of Benedictine’s Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Board Development Committee. He was also a member of the Compensation Committee, Executive Committee, and Finance and Audit Committee.

Goodwin’s 25 years of service to Benedictine was considered invaluable by a wide ranging audience there including the University’s current and past presidents and board members. His positive impact on Benedictine was monumental, both for the people who worked there and on the institution itself.

Goodwin was instrumental in the design and financing of the major buildings on the Lisle ����TV campus, including the Birck Science Building, the Kindlon Hall of Learning, the Goodwin Hall of Business, and the Founders Woods Student Residences.

He was the lead Trustee in managing financial issues and played a major role in development of Benedictine’s Mesa, Arizona campus. The University considered Dan an invaluable resource with regard to strategic planning, financing, and problem solving throughout his time with the University.

Among the honors bestowed upon him is his name on the Lisle campus’ school of business: The Daniel L. Goodwin College of Business is a 125,000 square foot four-story building that includes a 600-seat auditorium for presentations and lectures, and a 6,000 square foot “Global Hall” that includes a digital stock ticker and a billboard-sized high-definition video screen. The building was designed to promote a learning environment of collaboration and encourage engaging student-faculty interactions.

According to ����TV President Dr. Joseph J. Foy, PhD, you can feel Goodwin’s impact on the University the moment you step on campus. “I learned about Dan’s contributions to the University before my first visit here, but I was overwhelmed by his sheer presence when I toured the grounds and stepped into the buildings he helped develop,” said Foy. “And his contributions were so much greater than design and architecture. For example, consider that the Goodwin College of Business has served students from across the world with programs in Lisle, Mesa, online, and in China and Vietnam. The University owes much to Mr. Goodwin’s leadership, vision, and abundant generosity.”

Benedictine’s previous President, Charles Gregory, said he lost a valued friend and mentor: “Dan was an exceptional man who was appreciated, respected and dearly valued by everyone he worked with at Benedictine. Before his life in business, Dan was a teacher and I believe that ability to teach and inspire never left him. One of the things I loved most about him was that he never told you what to do or think, he told you how to think and approach both problems and opportunities. In this way, he was the greatest teacher in my life. And I know others at Benedictine would tell you the same. We will all miss him so much.”

Kathleen Donofrio, Benedictine board member, mourned the loss of a respected, long time Board member and friend: “Dan was truly an inspiring man who challenged us to greatness. His business acumen and dedicated spirit added significantly to the development of ����TV over his extensive tenure on the Board. His generosity was greatly responsible for the Goodwin Building. Helped by his support, the School of Business has provided a bright future for many students. Dan’s thoughtful presence will be deeply and profoundly missed.”

William Carroll, President Emeritus, ����TV, said, “A successful university does not happen in a leaderless vacuum. It is made up of talented faculty, seasoned administrators, and a dedicated board of trustees that steers the institution to the realization of a shared vision. In my 20 years as president, Dan Goodwin enabled Benedictine to be the best it could be. His wisdom, philanthropy, and friendship were omnipresent. He exemplified what a board member should be. He will surely be missed, but we are all better because he shared his time with us.”

Goodwin served on the boards of more than one dozen nonprofit charities and civic organizations and has, over the years, received 65 awards for his civic and charitable work. He was the CEO of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies Inc., a multi-billion dollar real estate and financial organization located in Oak Brook. He lived in DuPage County with his wife and two daughters.

Services for Mr. Goodwin will be held on February 3, 2024 at 11:30 am at St. Mary of Gostyn Church in Downers Grove, with visitation held on February 2, 2024 from 4:00-8:00 pm at Knollcrest Funeral Home in Lombard.

Photo taken at the opening of the Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business

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Learn more about our MS in Management in Organizational Behavior program.

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George W. Hay, PhD is a scholar-practitioner of management with global experience in business and academe. Dr. Hay is a Full Professor in the Business Psychology Department at the Chicago Campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He teaches in their PhD programs in Organizational Leadership and Business Psychology. Dr. Hay has taught courses for ����TV in organizational theory, research methods, and leadership practices to undergraduate, masters and doctoral students within the Chicago area as well as internationally in Shenyang, China.

Debra Orr, Ph.D., is a professor of organizational leadership and development at Roosevelt university. As a scholar-practitioner, she believes in bringing real-world practices and problems into the classroom and scholarly research and evidence-based practices into the workplace. She consults with organizations both large and small, established and start up. She has served as an executive coach for entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 presidents. Her first book entitled, Team for Change: a practitioner’s guide to implementing change in the modern workplace was released in Spring of 2021.

Link:

Learn more about Benedictine’s Ph.D. in Organization Development.

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The Pasmore-Woodman Award is presented annually and is sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing, publishers of the ROCD series. The award has been established by the ODC Division in recognition of the contribution that Bill Pasmore and Dick Woodman have provided to the ODC field by creating the Research in Organizational Change and Development (ROCD) Annual series. The award is given to two or more colleagues who for a sustained period of time have managed to maintain a significant working relationship that has resulted in work that is original and innovative and that has informed ODC research and practice. The award can be made for work that is outstanding either in the sense of content or medium; the work could have been published in the form of traditional journal articles as well as monographs, edited collections, book series, ebooks, open access publications, films, etc.

Additionally, in the spirit of this award, both Professors Yaeger and Sorensen were invited to publish an article in the Fall issue of the OD Journal and will both also serve as special guest editors of the 2023 issue of the OD Journal.

Visit the to read about the award.

Learn more about Benedictine’s Ph.D. in Organization Development.

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