John Hedeman India International Immersion Scholarships
College of Business
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
John Hedeman’s legacy in the College of Business extends beyond his pioneering
leadership of the college’s honors programs to his service through many international
immersions. In particular, John has participated in six international immersion
experiences to India as part of the program on Sustainable Product and Market
Development for Subsistence Marketplaces during his stay at Illinois and since his
retirement. John has developed deep connections with urban and rural communities in
India and is articulating his insights in a book entitled Voices from Subsistence
Marketplaces. His visits are eagerly anticipated by people in these subsistence
communities.
John personifies the essence of international immersions with his openness to learning,
his deep respect of diverse cultures, and his extraordinary dedication to student
learning experiences. Indeed, scholarships to support such learning have been a part of
his own development and the John Hedeman India International Immersion Scholarship
is an ideal way to honor his contributions and provide more students with such learning
opportunities. In John’s words, the life-changing potential of such international
immersion can only be judged after many years as each student applies the learning to
his or her unique path in life.
Applicants for the scholarship must submit:

An current resume,

A brief statement of purpose for undertaking an international immersion in India
including anticipated benefits of the experience and expected contributions to
the success of the experience,

A brief statement of how the scholarship will make a difference in the student’s
ability to participate in the immersion.
Priority will be given to those applicants with demonstrated financial need and for
whom the program is a first-time international immersion.
Deadlines are as follows:
Biography
A lifelong educator, John Hedeman retired in June 2012 as assistant dean for honors in
the College of Business at the University of Illinois. He was hired in 2003 to design,
implement, and administer an undergraduate business honors leadership program. He
created a new honors program with a unique mission. Students in the program were
inspired to use the program to build leadership skills that they were then expected to
use to benefit all of the students in the business college. Not only did he teach the
freshmen and sophomores in the College of Business Honors Program, he also led
annual honors student trips to Germany, Japan/Korea, Brazil, Turkey, India and China.
Hedeman served as faculty advisor for three national championship teams in the PwC
xACT Case Competition. In 2006, he was honored by the college as recipient of the
Emerson Cammack Award for outstanding service to undergraduate students. In 2008,
he was recipient of the University of Illinois Educator of the Year Award presented by
the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Finally, in 2012, the College of Business
recognized Hedeman with its highest honor for staff members with the Academic
Professional Award.
Prior to joining the College of Business, Hedeman was principal and director of the
University of Illinois Laboratory High School. The school was consistency cited by
Newsweek as one of the top public schools in the country. For fourteen years Hedeman
held various teaching, counseling and administrative positions, including Dean of
Students, at Parkland College, a public community college. His first job in education
was at McDonogh School in Maryland where he was a teacher, coach, houseparent,
counselor, and head of upper school.
Hedeman earned his A.B. degree in English from Princeton University, his M.Ed. from
Johns Hopkins University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois
Upon his retirement from the University of Illinois, Hedeman moved to Lawrence,
Kansas. He is presently Director of the Business Leadership Program and the Business
Honors Program at the University of Kansas School of Business. He serves on the board
of the Marketplace Literacy Project.