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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois State University (ISU) President Dr.
3Larry Dietz has announced he will retire as the University's
419th president on June 30, 2021, capping a higher education
5career surpassing 50 years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz earned his bachelor's degree in
7political science from Southern Illinois University; he earned
8a master's degree in higher education and student personnel
9and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Iowa State
10University; he attended the Institute for Educational
11Management at Harvard University, a Fulbright International
12Education Seminar for Administrators in Germany, and the
13Harvard Management Development Program; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz served as vice chancellor for
15Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, among other
16leadership positions, at the University of Missouri-Kansas
17City and in leadership positions at Iowa State University; he
18then served as vice chancellor for Student Affairs at Southern
19Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) for 10 years; he also
20served as special assistant to the chancellor at SIUC and as a
21tenured associate professor in educational administration and
22higher education; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz arrived at ISU in June of 2011 as
2vice president for Student Affairs and as a tenured associate
3professor in the Department of Educational Administration and
4Foundations; he was appointed the University's 19th president
5in March of 2014; and
 
6    WHEREAS, During Dr. Larry Dietz's tenure, ISU has enjoyed
7thriving enrollment and is continually ranked among the top
8universities in the United States for high graduation and
9retention rates and low student loan default rates; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz oversaw revisions of ISU's
11strategic plan and expanded on its core values, which are
12currently Learning and Scholarship, Diversity and Inclusion,
13Respect, Collaboration, Individualized Attention, Civic
14Engagement, and Integrity; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz secured the addition of a degree
16program in cybersecurity while paving the way for a new
17engineering program at ISU; his initiatives include opening
18the University's Center for Civic Engagement and Service
19Learning, renovating the Bone Student Center, creating a more
20international campus community, and shepherding plans for the
21new Multicultural Center; and
 
22    WHEREAS, In 2016, Dr. Larry Dietz created the Campus

 

 

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1Climate Task Force to review diversity, equity, and inclusion
2needs on campus; he formed the President's Diversity and
3Inclusion Advisory Council and also hired the University's
4first assistant to the president for Diversity and Inclusion;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Fundraising under Dr. Larry Dietz's leadership
7reached record levels with gifts and commitments totaling more
8than $180 million through Redbirds Rising: The Campaign for
9Illinois State University; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz managed ISU through the 793 day
11Illinois budget impasse from July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2017;
12he often used the phrase "strong and stable" to define
13Illinois State's resiliency during those fiscally troubling
14years; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz has led ISU as it grapples with
16the COVID-19 pandemic; he has worked to ensure the health,
17safety, and well-being of the University community will remain
18Illinois State's top priority during his final months on
19campus; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Currently the longest serving of all Illinois
21public university presidents, Dr. Larry Dietz will complete
22his fourth year as the convener of the Illinois public

 

 

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1university presidents and chancellors group; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz has served on numerous local
3not-for-profit agency committees, many times jointly chairing
4community efforts with his wife, Marlene; their service has
5included co-chairing events benefiting the American Red Cross,
6Easter Seals, the March of Dimes, the Illinois Symphony, and
7Marcfirst; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dr. Larry Dietz's local and regional honors
9include the McLean County Chamber of Commerce Legacy of
10Excellence Award and the Outstanding Volunteer Mission Award
11from the American Heart and Stroke Association; he also earned
12the Missouri Valley Conference Outstanding Leadership Award as
13chair of the MVC President's Council; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we congratulate President Dr. Larry Dietz on his retirement
17from Illinois State University and his more than 50 years of
18service to the field of higher education, and we wish him the
19best in all his future endeavors; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to Dr. Larry Dietz as a symbol of our esteem and
22respect.