Leadership that Inspires and Transforms
“…let us confidently hope that all will yet be well.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Come to Springfield, Illinois and visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
INTRODUCTION OF the 56th and 57th CONVOCATIONS:
- The 56th Convocation will be on the ISU campus on May 29, 2021. This year’s recipients are: Scott Altman, Doug Collins, Robert Fraley, and Donald McHenry. Press Release →
- The 57th Convocation will be in Chicago at the History Museum on November 6, 2021. The Laureates to be honored are Carol Ross Barney, Major General John Borling, John Andrew McQuown, Dr. John Rogers, Tommy Shimoda, Dr. Joanne Smith, and Mavis Staples.
- Please consider joining us →
Excellence. Service. Honor.
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois partners with donors, members, and regents to advance the values exhibited in the life of Abraham Lincoln: Excellence, service, and honor.
We are committed to programs that:
- Honor distinguished Illinoisans’ contributions to society;
- Encourage public service; and
- Invest in developing principled leadership for the future.
We can all play a role in encouraging leadership in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln through the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
Invest in leadership, in excellence, in the future of Illinois. Join us →
News
“The Lincoln Laureates” Podcast Set to Launch on Lincoln’s Birthday!
Leading Lincoln Historian, Wayne C. Temple
Lincoln Scholar Jonathon White
Congratulations to Laureate Mellody Hobson, named to Chair Starbucks Board
Illinois Tech President Alan Cramb to retire in 2021
November 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees
Class of 2020 Student Laureates Press Release
Lincoln Topiary Statue, Western Illinois University
Harold Holzer, Speaks on ALPL Foundation
“The Lincoln Laureates” Podcast
UPCOMING
2020 LAUREATE CONVOCATION
May 29, 2021
Normal, IL on the campus of Illinois State University
– Civic Committee Chairs Mrs. Marlene & President Larry Dietz
Read the 2020 announcement →
Frank Clark, Chancellor, and The Honorable Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker, President of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
MISSION STATEMENT
To honor individuals whose outstanding contributions to the betterment of mankind have been accomplished in or on behalf of the State of Illinois, or whose achievements have brought honor to the State because of their identity with it, whether by birth or residence, or by their dedication to those principles of democracy and humanity as exemplified by the great Illinoisan whose name we bear. These individuals, reflective of the diverse populace of the State of Illinois, are named Laureates of the Academy and receive the “Order of Lincoln,” the State of Illinois’ highest award, at an annual Convocation.
To honor one outstanding senior from each of the four year not-for-profit degree granting institutions and one outstanding senior from among all of the community college students who, in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, demonstrated leadership and service in his or her campus or community and excellence in curricular and co-curricular programs, to be named Student Laureates and receive the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award and the Lincoln Medallion.
To kick things off, we are featuring Ertharin Cousin who was inducted as a Lincoln Laureate In 2015.
Ms. Cousin is an American lawyer who served as the twelfth Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme from 2012 to 2017. Following the completion of her term, Cousin became a Payne Distinguished Professor at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment, the Stanford Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
In 2014, Cousin was ranked number 45th on the Forbes Magazine's list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" and she was named to the TIME "100 Most Influential People in the World" list that same year.
Our last Black History Month feature is Rev. Dr. Addie L. Wyatt. Rev. Wyatt is best known for being the first African-American woman elected international vice president of a major labor union, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union. Wyatt began her career in the union in the early 1950s and advanced in leadership. She was the first African-American woman, along with the politician Barbara Jordan, to be named by Time magazine as Person of the Year in 1975.
She was inducted as a Lincoln Laureate in 2003.
In the first episode of the Lincoln Laureates podcast series, we hear the powerful journey that inspired his investigative passion. From covering infamous trials to finding the facts behind a whistleblower's story. Bill Kurtis discovered that a story crafted with detail can impact a greater cause. On a lighter note, you'll learn why he feared "Ron Burgundy."
Our guest host for this episode is award-winning broadcast journalist Bill Plante.
Listen now by clicking on the link below!
Bill Kurtis - Service Through Truth | The Lincoln Laureates
the-lincoln-laureates.simplecast.com
Bill Kurtis might have been an attorney arguing for victim's rights. But a deadly Kansas twister taught him that a great journalist can reduce the number of victims. In this episode, we hear the power...Funds raised at the Academy’s Order of Lincoln Convocation help provide the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement awards and the ‘Lincoln Medallion’ which will be presented by the Academy’s President to each of 57 Student Laureates at a separate ceremony held in Springfield later this year.
Thus, the Lincoln Academy honors the Great Citizens of Today and Celebrates the Great Citizens of Tomorrow — knowing that now, as always, our state and nation need what Vachel Lindsay called ‘Lincoln-hearted’ men and women.
Mr. Lincoln would be proud.