More Donor Stories
Leveraging Key Partnerships at Illinois
The Chrystelle Brown Stayton Scholarship, for master’s or doctoral students in special Education, was created by alumna Vicki Stayton, Ph.D. ‘86 Special Education, and husband Terry Wilson. The fund supports candidates in the Early Childhood Special Education program and is named in honor of Stayton’s mother.
Vicki Stayton’s mother, Chrystelle Brown was a social, active student who graduated as salutatorian of her high school class in Melber, Kentucky. But despite expressing a great interest in continuing her education in college, Chrystelle’s formal education ended there. Soon after graduation, higher education was not an option as World War II broke out, and Chrystelle found work in a nearby factory supporting the United States in the war effort. Stayton says although her mother talked about the dream of attending college, it never seemed she felt it was something she could fully commit to.
The reasons for Stayton creating the Chrystelle Brown Stayton Scholarship are not only to honor her mother’s memory but also to recognize how much she yearned to have a college degree. She says it’s also a desire to pay forward the quality of her Illinois experience.
“We’d really love to see the fund grow,” says Stayton. “My husband and I will continue to contribute to provide either a larger scholarship or, hopefully down the road, provide support to more than one master’s or Ph.D. student each year.”
Dr. Shwuyi Leu Memorial Collection
The Dr. Shwuyi Leu Memorial Collection is housed in the University Library’s S-Collection and was made possible through the generous donations of family and friends.
Alumna Shwuyi Leu received her Ed.M. and Ph.D. from the College of Education. She was the first in her family to achieve multiple advanced degrees including a doctorate.
Dr. Leu was a respected teacher for many enthusiastic students to whom she taught the Chinese language, the English language, and reading.
The collection reflects Dr. Leu’s scholarly research into children’s and young adult literature about Asian Pacific Americans published between 1945 and 1999. It was created to further other scholars’ interest and research in Asian children’s literature.
Dr. Alessi Establishes Two New Funds
Alumnus Stephen M. Alessi, Ed.M.. ‘76 and Ph.D. ’79, Educational Psychology, established two funds, the Philip and Helen Alessi Fellowship and the Alessi Family Professorship to support graduate students and professors in the Department of Educational Psychology. The support and education he received at Illinois motivated him to give back and support future students and faculty in the College of Education.
“This generous gift from Dr. Alessi will be instrumental both in recruiting outstanding students and in rewarding and retaining world-class faculty. We are very grateful to and proud to have been the starting point for his long and extremely successful career,” says Kiel Christianson, Department Chair and Professor, Educational Psychology.
Haneys Establish STEM Scholarship in College of Education
Michael and Susan Haney established a STEM scholarship in the College of Education—one of many places on campus where they have committed funds to—all with the intention of bettering students’ lives. The Michael and Susan Haney STEM Education Scholarship is for students who are enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, or math education program and will give a preference for students returning from the workforce to college.
Susan Haney received her B.S. in Accountancy from Gies College of Business at Illinois. Michael Haney is also an alumnus, having received both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois.