impact
Your community college
Jailhouse Rock Star:
Too often, American criminal
justice resembles the infamous
campaign commercial featuring
inmates passing through a
revolving door.
Susan Neustrom, Ed.D. says, of those locked up
in today’s prisons, 63 percent will be back behind
bars within three years—four out of five within six
months of release.
But Neustrom is trying to change that. A graduate
of College of DuPage, Neustrom today directs JUST
(Justice, Understanding, Service and Teaching) of
DuPage, a nonprofit organization that provides
education and hope to incarcerated people at
DuPage County Jail.
JUST offers programs in spirituality, addiction
recovery, behavior change and more. But Neustrom
says it’s education that makes the biggest difference.
“When education programs are administered, we
see a 29 percent reduction in recidivism,” Neustrom
said. “That’s huge. So we help inmates learn,
understand how to learn and instill the desire to
learn.” Some of the educational programs, including
College of DuPage :: impact :: cod.edu/impact
Vol. 1, No. 3
From dropout to doctorate
to public servant
GED coursework, benefit from partnerships with
College of DuPage.
If inmates need a remarkable second-chance
example, they need look no further than Neustrom.
A high-school dropout at age 16, the Woodridge,
Ill. native went more than three decades before
continuing her formal education at College of DuPage.
“I really disliked school,” said Neustrom. “I disliked
the subjects, I had difficulty studying and many of my
friends were dropouts,” she said. “I felt that I was not
as smart as the other students and I gave up.”
Neustrom married,
raised two children
and worked in banking,
starting at entry-level and
working her way up to
assistant vice president.
Then, at age 48, she
overcame her fear of
educational failure and
started over. First, she
passed a GED test offered
by College of DuPage.
Then, she enrolled in the Adult Fast Track Program
to complete associate’s degrees in management
and retail marketing. Neustrom says those early
classroom successes not only built her confidence as
a student, but as an employee. She earned employeeof-the-year honors at her bank based largely on
projects she completed as part of her College of
DuPage coursework.
Having volunteered for organizations that help
people in need, Neustrom had her sights set on a
new career involving social work.
So Neustrom earned a bachelor’s in management,
followed by a master’s in organizational leadership,
followed by a doctorate in education.
It’s an educational journey she attributes to that
first shot of self-confidence at COD.
“When I first took my GED tests, I was
intimidated by the thought of being in college,”
said Neustrom. “I felt that I was too stupid to even
consider it. So if I could just get a GED, I would be
happy. But everyone I encountered at COD was
supportive and empathetic. No one at COD ever told
me what I could not do. They only told me what I
could do.”
Today, it’s a philosophy she’s instilling in DuPage
County’s inmates. Judging from the notebooks filled
with positive testimonials, it’s making an impact.
“Every JUST class was great and helpful to me,”
wrote one inmate. “It has inspired me to do better by
my son and never come back.”
1
Turning
Theory
Into Practice
COD shapes the engineers who
shape our world
Quick: What do these names have in common?
Colorado State University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Northern Illinois University
Penn State University
Purdue University
Southern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Minnesota
Answer: They’re now home to the thirty-three 2011 College of DuPage
engineering students who then applied for, and were accepted to, respected
engineering programs in Illinois and around the nation.
Each year, the process repeats itself. Students come to COD from Aurora and
Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn and Hanover Park, Warrenville, Woodridge and
other DuPage communities.
And two years later, they’re making an academic impact in biological, chemical,
civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as physics.
Along the way, many work internships at local companies—such as Packer
Engineering and Fermilab.
“Engineering is all about learning different ways to approach problems and
understanding the physics involved in each problem,” said Assistant Professor of
Engineering and program advisor David S. Smith.
“You have to be able to think and figure out how
each situation relates back to what you learned
and be creative. A good engineer is a blend of
both good math and science skills with a lot of
creativity and design.”
Smith said his goal each semester is to improve
the program so that students have fun, get more
out of the experience and are better engineers
upon graduation. Among the fun activities for
COD engineering students: the annual Suburban
Chicago Intercollegiate Catapult Contest.
“I try to always remember that each of my
students is going to be an engineer and will be
Assistant Professor of
designing products that I will use in the future,”
Engineering and program
he said. “This helps me to put additional effort
advisor David S. Smith
into each lecture.”
Smith and his fellow faculty members are making a major impact on COD
students such as Christopher Barth of Oak Brook.
Because of his interest in electricity, Barth enrolled in the Integrated
Engineering Technology program at College of DuPage. After his third semester,
he was accepted for the internship program at Packer Engineering in Naperville.
2
“In today’s competitive world, an internship
is a must for college students,” he said. “Not only
do internships show prospective employers that
students are serious about their careers, they
are also a valuable learning experience outside
of the classroom.”
Barth now studies electrical engineering
at the University of Illinois and hopes to use
engineering to help others. One aspiration: Rather
than shipping more manufacturing jobs overseas,
he would like to use automated manufacturing
processes to give motivated American workers
an opportunity to compete with foreign
manufacturing and still make a comfortable living.
Former COD engineering
As he works through his bachelor’s and
student Christopher Barth now
studies electrical engineering at master’s degrees, Barth credits the start he got
the University of Illinois.
at COD.
“I was a little apprehensive about transferring
into one of the highest-ranked electrical engineering programs in the country,
but I found that I was well prepared by the professors at COD,” he said. “My first
semester GPA was 3.9 and I am on track to finish a bachelor’s in three
more semesters.”
Would Ye Like to Build
Thine Own Catapult?
Among the fun activities for
COD engineering students: the annual
Suburban Chicago Intercollegiate
Catapult Contest. (photo by Samantha Liss)
A Clean, Green Machine
COD students are on the front lines of a green energy initiative leading to thousands of new jobs and a cleaner environment. The “Stalk Stoker,”
a joint effort of Packer Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, the City of Naperville and College of DuPage, turns farm and yard waste into
ethanol, hydrogen and electricity. COD Professor Richard Jarman said the Green Fuels Depot project could “make communities, farms and
villages largely independent of the national power grid.” Our students are helping to make that happen by creating a manual and other training
materials, and assisting engineers at Packer’s facility in Naperville. Pictured are Jarman (right) and COD student Robert GIbson.
College of DuPage :: impact :: cod.edu/impact
3
The County’s Best
and Brightest
are Giving Back
Amy Bauer, Culinary Arts, Wheaton
Community Service: Re:new, an organization
in Glen Ellyn that uses donated fabrics to
teach refugee women how to sew.
Jared Gorski, Business Economics, Wheaton
Community Service: Bible study, PADS,
Feed My Starving Children program and
tutoring at local jails.
Fifty-five DuPage County honor
students started class at COD this
fall. Recognized as Presidential
Scholars, these students were
awarded full-tuition scholarships
by earning a 3.75 GPA or garnering
a 27 composite ACT score. Part of
earning the scholarship is giving
back to the community. See which
organizations are benefitting from
their efforts.
Maria Provancal, Occupational Therapy,
Elmhurst
Community Service: Helping homeless in
PADS organization by serving dinners, setting
up mattresses and making lunches for the
next day.
Fumin Dang, Computer Science, Wood Dale
Community Service: Tutor elementary
students at Henry Hyde Resource Center
in Addison.
Jossilynn Gonzalez, Accounting,
Glendale Heights
Community Service: Helping younger children
with homework at York Community Center
in Lombard.
Basia Reed, Pre-Veterinary, Lombard
Community Service: Helping at Morton
Arboretum in Lisle promoting awareness to
protect the environment.
Ryan VanDusen, Civil Engineering, Wheaton
Community Service: Helping at Holy Cross
Lutheran Church, to help youth better
understand their faith and how it can help
during tough times.
Brainpow
COD opened doors for Jack Kent Cooke scholarship recipients Nahiris Bahamón Fernández (left) and Jessica LaPlante, allowing them to achieve their academic goals without drowning in debt.
Opportunity Knocks
COD helps students land prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
College of DuPage provides a world of opportunities for its students.
No one knows this better than Nahiris Bahamón Fernández and Jessica
LaPlante. While their paths to COD were quite different, they both knew COD
would open doors and allow them to achieve their academic goals without
drowning in debt.
Opportunity came knocking when they earned the Jack Kent Cooke
Scholarship, which is awarded nationally to 63 students from community
colleges across the country.
Bahamón Fernández won her first award back in 2007. She transferred to the
University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology
last spring.
“Winning this scholarship changed my life completely,” she said. “Before the
scholarship my dreams of becoming a physician were challenged by the fact
that I just didn’t have the money to attend college after COD. I feel extremely
4
fortunate to have been awarded the scholarship and have the opportunity to
fulfill my dreams.”
In 2005, Bahamón Fernández was a teenager preparing to attend college and
study medicine in her native Colombia. Her family moved to the United States
due to political upheaval. They settled in the area and she attended COD, which
set the tone for her academic success.
“The education I received was first class,” she said. “The small classroom setting,
the dedicated professors, and being a part of the Honors program and various
student organizations allowed me to explore many interests and passions that I
probably wouldn’t have been able to fully explore at a big college or university.”
Bahamón Fernández added to her accolades when she received the Jack Kent
Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship in 2011, a one-time award for $50,000
to continue her education, which she started this fall studying medicine at
Boston University.
COD Celebrity
Chefs Cook
for Charity
COD culinary
professors
Tim Meyers
(left) and
David Kramer.
‘Back to the ’50s to Beat Hunger!’ is the
theme for the 20th annual Celebrity Chefs
Brunch to benefit Holiday Meals on Wheels.
Associate Professor David Kramer and
Assistant Professor Tim Meyers, assisted by
COD culinary students, are among two dozen
Chicago-area chefs who will prepare specialty
dishes for this unique fundraiser.
“The chefs are the bright stars. Without them there would be no brunch,” said
Connie Kobitter, special events manager for the non-profit Northeastern Illinois
Agency on Aging. In 2010, the agency delivered 30,383 nutritious meals to at-risk
and homebound seniors in DuPage and surrounding counties.
wer:
Each chef prepares a dish for tasting. Some are served at stations while guests
preview the silent auction. Others are served tableside once the more than 500
diners are seated.
“It’s a great opportunity for our students to get involved with their
community,” said Kramer, who, like Meyers, has contributed to the brunch for
many years. “The students help prepare the dishes and they also help other chefs
prepare and serve on the day of the event.”
“It gives our students the chance to network with chefs throughout our
industry, and also to see the planning and execution needed to make such a large
event a success,” Meyers said.
Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace is the venue for the Sunday, Nov. 6 brunch.
Please call (630) 293-5990 for more information.
Academic Impact
on Your Community
LaPlante won her award in 2011, and transferred to the University of
Illinois-Champaign this fall to pursue a degree in philosophy. LaPlante is
COD’s fifth recipient of the scholarship, which consists of $30,000 annually
to cover educational expenses—tuition, room and board, books and fees—for
the final two or three years as the student completes a bachelor’s degree.
LaPlante struggled in high school and worked several jobs but knew
something was missing from her life. She moved in with her mother, who was
living in Wheaton at the time, and attended COD. LaPlante connected with
many faculty who guided her in the right direction.
“COD has amazing faculty,” LaPlante said. “It is hard to imagine how
I would have progressed through my two years at COD without their
encouragement. They helped make the scholarship and my current endeavors
a reality.”
Both Bahamón Fernández and LaPlante are continuing their studies
thanks to the doors opened while they were at COD. They both would love to
return to the community—LaPlante as a teacher and Bahamón Fernández as a
primary care physician.
“I had a great experience at COD,” said LaPlante. “I feel genuinely
supported and encouraged by the people I have met here. Ideally, I would like
to return and give back.”
“COD and the community will always have a special place in my heart,”
Bahamón Fernández said. “You can bet I will be back.”
Accounting Professor Lisa Capozzoli’s Accounting 2200 class offers free assistance with
tax-return preparation to students, staff and District 502 community members.
Make Tax Time Less Taxing
Figuring your federal and state income taxes doesn’t have to be painful or costly.
College of DuPage students can do it for you—for free.
Our Accounting 2200 students, supervised by faculty, offer assistance with
tax-return preparation in February and March on campus in Glen Ellyn on a
first-come, first-served basis.
“This gives our students the chance to interact with
the public, work with basic tax forms and get hands-on
experience,” said Accounting Professor Lisa Capozzoli.
“The college has offered this service to students, staff and
District 502 community members for more than 10 years.”
Participants must bring their previous year’s tax
returns, as well as their current-year tax information and
records. For more information, call (630) 942-3400.
15
APRIL
College of DuPage :: impact :: cod.edu/impact
5
impact: around your
Helping kids find
harmony through
melodies
A personal message from College of DuPage
President Robert L. Breuder
Dear Neighbors,
Colleges and universities affect people and
communities in many ways. But it all begins
with academic impact. To be effective, academic
institutions must set high standards, design
meaningful courses, ensure quality teaching, and
recruit and retain students with the will to learn.
College of DuPage prides itself on the academic
impact it makes for its students. That in turn
provides all kinds of benefits to our community:
•Retaining more of our best and brightest here
at home
•Helping to control higher-education inflation
by providing top-quality, lower-cost coursework
that leads to bachelor’s degrees from prestigious
institutions
•Providing relevant job skills to the region
•Engaging students and faculty in innovative
community involvement that benefits our
neighbors—from human services to alternative
energy to medicine and the arts
Beth Malouf doesn’t whistle while
she works. Instead, she sings, plays
piano and guitar, taking special needs
children on a musical wellness journey.
It’s a job tailor-made for—and by—
this young and talented COD graduate,
now a board-certified music therapist.
“I’ve been around music since
I was a baby and it’s always been a
really important aspect of my life,”
said Malouf, who works for Helping
Hand in Countryside, a nonprofit
social service agency serving Chicago
area adults and children with
developmental disabilities.
Malouf joined the Helping Hand
staff in January 2011, after earning her
bachelor’s degree from Illinois State
University. She also interned there
as a student. By day, the 23-year-old
is a case manager, serving as mentor,
communicator and advocate for
eight adult clients living in a Helping
Beth Malouf (right) leads Andrew Morton through a music therapy session
Hand group home. Two evenings
at Helping Hand in Countryside.
a week, Malouf leads the children’s
music therapy sessions—a new service
goal. If the issue is impulse control, she might employ
she initiated with assistance from two
a song like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” giving the
colleagues. Her clients are children, age 3 to 22, with a
child a musical cue when it’s time to chime in.
host of challenges and a penchant for drums, rhythm
“Every child is different. The way the music
sticks, egg shakers and other music makers.
reaches them is so individualized,” said Malouf.
Much of music therapy focuses on physical
“When you do have that connection, and you know
and social wellness. Say a child needs to work on
it’s because of the music, it’s just a great feeling.”
identifying body parts. Malouf might play the song
“Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” to meet that
In this issue of impact, you will read about some
of the many ways College of DuPage makes an
academic impact. As always, we are grateful to
you and all the taxpayers in our community for
making that impact possible.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert L. Breuder
President, College of DuPage

Visit Us on the Web
We hope you enjoy this issue of impact and discover
something new about your community college.
There’s more to these stories, so be sure to check out
our impact web page for other highlights, photos
and video interviews.
cod.edu/impact
6
An I-beam from one of the World Trade Center towers was installed in the Homeland Security Education Center (HEC) on
September 1, 2011.
World Trade Center
Beam Installed at HEC
On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered the
most devastating attack on civilians in our nation’s
history. The 2,975 who died represented 115 nations.
The brave men and women who responded to
the attacks included firefighters, police officers,
emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
During the evacuation, 479 rescue workers died.
Their efforts were not in vain. In each tower,
99 percent of the occupants below the crash
points survived.
The attack led to a renewed focus on national
security and emergency preparedness. This focus is
the foundation of the College of DuPage Homeland
Security Education Center. On September 1, 2011 College of DuPage installed
a piece of history.
This I-beam comes from one of the World Trade
Center towers. The concrete attached to one of end
of the beam provides a haunting reminder of the
floor where it was originally connected.
This beam was likely from a lower floor at the
center of one of the buildings: There is no evidence
of melting, and one end has been ripped out of its
connection. After the beam fell, exposure to intense
heat from above likely caused the reddish color on
one of its sides.
This memorial is a tribute of remembrance and
honor to all those killed in the terror attacks of
September 11, 2001.
campus, your world
DuPage Habitat for
Humanity, COD students
target stronger,
greener community
Building Momentum
partnership will begin once
When College of DuPage
grant funding is secured.
student Natalie Biagioli
“The idea is to get
contacted DuPage Habitat
students to look at ways
for Humanity to lend a hand
to develop a set of green
on a build site, Sarah Brachle
building standards for
had another idea in mind.
Habitat, things they would
“I explained that while
do on all their rehab
we do always need build
homes,” Pearson explained.
volunteers, what would be
“Students will be involved
really helpful is if she would
in testing each building
be interested in doing some
ahead of time to see how
of the minor architecture
energy inefficient it is and
tasks that we have around the
again once the work is
office,” said DuPage Habitat’s
complete to see what kind of
executive director.
improvements were made.”
That call led to a few
Since its inception in
more, and soon a partnership
1995, DuPage Habitat has
was born.
helped 52 families become
Over the past three years,
homeowners. Last year,
students from the COD
DuPage Habitat welcomed
Architecture program have
3,000 volunteers onto its
contributed to the local
build sites, including COD
Habitat cause in unique
COD Architecture students contribute to the local Habitat cause in unique and meaningful ways, researching
students. While Habitat
and meaningful ways—
Energy Star green building practices and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for
Habitat’s housing development in West Chicago.
organizations across the
researching Energy Star
country benefit from college
green building practices and
involvement on build projects, Brachle said the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
basis. In a university you wouldn’t expect this kind
technical support the COD students provide
(LEED) certification for Habitat’s 11-unit housing
of opportunity until you were in an upper division
is unique.
development in West Chicago, as well as generating
level or graduate school,” said Ostergaard, COD’s
“I think one of the reasons we’re all so excited
ideas for an environmentally friendly townhome
Architecture program coordinator.
about this partnership is that it feels like a win-win,
complex in unincorporated Glen Ellyn set to break
“Getting students to work on something that’s
that we all actually get something beneficial out of
ground in 2012.
real, connecting them to a community group, doing
it. From Habitat’s standpoint, the students’ research
COD Architecture professors Jane Ostergaard and some volunteer work is fantastic,” said Pearson. “It’s
saves us a lot of time,” said Brachle. “We have
Mark Pearson realized not only the challenges but also really been great for both sides, and that’s part of
bodies of volunteers, but very few are interested in
the incredible experiences that resulted for students in the reason it’s kept going and evolved into so many
researching technical green building practices.”
their Sustainable Design Initiatives classes.
different types of activities.”
“It evolved over time as a unique opportunity
COD and Habitat are anticipating their next
for students to work with a client on a professional
collaboration: green rehab. This phase of the
College of DuPage :: impact :: cod.edu/impact
7
impact
Vol. 1, No. 3
Published Oct. 2011 by the Office of Marketing and
Creative Services at College of DuPage
President
Assistant Editors
Dr. Robert L. Breuder
Jeff Elijah, Jane Lelugas
Associate Vice President Writers
of External Relations
Jeff Elijah, Bruce Hetrick,
Joseph Moore
Jane Lelugas, Jim Vosicky
Marketing Director
Art Director
Laurie Jorgensen
Lou Demas
Editor
Designer
Jim Vosicky
Mark Brady
Photography
Rich Malec
Direct all comments and questions to the editor at
impact@cod.edu. ©2011 College of DuPage. All rights reserved.
College of DuPage Board of Trustees
David Carlin
Kim Savage
Board Chairman
Darien
Naperville
Nancy Svoboda
Erin Birt
Downers Grove
Board Vice Chairman
Joseph C. Wozniak
Wheaton
Naperville
Allison O’Donnell
Lydia Whitten
Board Secretary
Student Trustee
Winfield
Woodridge
Dianne McGuire
Naperville
impact
Discover how the “Stalk
Stoker” and a group
of COD students led
by chemistry professor
Richard Jarman (left) are
revolutionizing the green
industry, leading to new
job opportunities and a
cleaner environment.
(see page 3)
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Permit No. 164
Glen Ellyn, IL
Your community college Vol. 1, No. 3
In this issue
Jailhouse rock star. Collegiate latecomer Sue Neustrom,
Ed.D., employs education to reduce repeat crime.
Turning theory into practice. COD engineering
students are continuing their education at some of the
most challenging four-year programs in the country,
and interning at prestigious local companies and labs.
CAR-RT WSS
Residential Customer
Brainpower. The best and brightest in DuPage County
are using College of DuPage as a launching pad for
bright futures.
Helping kids find harmony through melodies.
COD grad Beth Malouf reaches out to children with
developmental disabilities through music.
Building momentum. Architecture students
contribute to Habitat to Humanity in unique and
meaningful ways.
impact
Your community college
Vol. 1, No. 3
Jailhouse
rock star
Collegiate latecomer Sue
Neustrom, Ed.D., employs education
to reduce repeat crime.