Dr. William J. Staudenmeier, Jr.
This year that honor is given to Dr. William J. Staudenmeier, Jr. for his outstanding service to the college and specifically to the Alumni Board of Directors.
Bill was born in Wilmington, Delaware; started his schooling in Hemel Hempstead, England; and spent most of his childhood and adolescence in northern Vermont. After graduating from West Point in 1972, Bill was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant where he helped pioneer Social Actions programs domestically and internationally. As program manager of drug and alcohol education and rehabilitation at two of the largest bases in the Air Force; Bill had budget, supervisory, unit coordination, community organization, reporting, and public relations responsibilities. At Travis Air Force Base, California he also had experience chairing the Solano County Alcohol Committee, as a member of the County Drug Committee, and as a member of the County Mental Health Advisory Board. After managing all alcohol and drug programs for the Air Force in the Philippines, he had a short stint as a consultant in Japan before taking over responsibility for the Military Airlift Command’s programs worldwide. At the Command, Bill taught in the National Alcoholism Training Program for Professionals held at Washington University in St. Louis. After leaving the Air Force, Bill went to Washington University to complete a Ph.D. in Sociology, graduating in 1985 with a reinforced love for teaching.
Bill’s first fulltime teaching job as an Assistant Professor was at Drake University where he taught for two years. He came to Eureka College in the summer of 1987 as an Assistant Professor of Sociology, recruited by Dean Gary Gammon with the goal of establishing a successful major in Sociology and Psychology. Today, Bill has students from this major teaching in high schools, colleges and universities across the region along with many others who are leaders in other fields. During his 18 years at Eureka College, he has served with six Deans and three Presidents. Bill became a tenured full professor in 1995 and took a brief leave from teaching to be a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University, a Visiting Scientist at the University of Edinburgh, and most recently in 2005-2006 to be the Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He has lectured and published internationally and is very active in professional service.
Bill currently lives in Eureka and is married to Robin Staudenmeier who is the Elementary, Middle School, and High School Principal at DePue School District. They have two sons: Bill who is an officer in the 101st Airborne Division just returned from deployment in Afghanistan and Tom a member of the Illinois National Guard and a student at ICC. Their two daughters-in-laws are Arnaz and Rachael and they have two grandchildren by Tommy and Rachael: Kaylie (19 months) and Brianna (4 months).
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Dr. William J. Staudenmeier, Jr.
When Bill was asked how Eureka College shaped him into the person he is today, he said, “I have had many students and alumni over the years tell me that my teaching has changed their lives; this is incredibly humbling and drives me to be better at what I do. Every month I have alums get in touch for advice, celebrations, references, or a good conversation over coffee; it reinforces for me the meaningfulness of what we do together here and the special bonds we forge. We are a part of something better than ourselves, a higher cause in a place of particular beauty. And each morning, I have the privilege to wake up and live in this beauty surrounded by my books, my students, my colleagues and the rest of this wonderful Eureka College that has become such a deep part of me.”
Bill Staudenmeier: For exemplifying the values of Eureka College and for extraordinary service to Eureka College, I am pleased, on behalf of the college to declare you an honorary alumnus of the Eureka College class of 2009.
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