50th
ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION
Event Information
Our Distinguished Speakers
Meet Our Distinguished Laureate Speakers
MORNING: LINCOLN LAUREATE PANEL
John W. Rogers, Jr. (2023)
In 1983, John founded Ariel Investments at 24 to focus on patient value investing in small and medium-sized companies. Today, he serves as Chairman and Co-CEO. John is on the board of directors of Nike, The New York Times Company, and Ryan Specialty, and the board of Trustees of the University of Chicago and the Obama Foundation. He received an AB in economics from Princeton University, where he was captain of the varsity basketball team.
Paula Wolff (2022)
Policy advisor at the Illinois Justice Project. Earlier in her career, she worked as policy director for Illinois Governors Richard Ogilvie and Jim Thompson and served as president of Governors State University. She serves on numerous boards, including Ariel Investments, the Johnson Foundation, and the Irving B. Harris Foundation. She has also served as chair of the Illinois Tollway and City Colleges of Chicago. With an undergrad degree from Smith College, she holds an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.
Moderator: Lincoln Academy Rector Michelle Collins, President, Cambium LLC. She serves on the board of Ulta Beauty, CIBC, CIBC Bank US, and Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. A South Side native of Chicago, she graduated from Yale University and Harvard Graduate School of Business.
AFTERNOON: LINCOLN LAUREATE CONVERSATION
Carol Marin (2025)
A Peabody award-winning journalist and news anchor at WMAQ-TV, she is also a correspondent and investigative reporter for 60 Minutes and the Evening News with Dan Rather. She has received multiple Emmy Awards as well as two Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards for exceptional reporting. An alumna of the University of Illinois, she is a Senior Faculty Fellow of the Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence at DePaul University.
Interviewer: Lincoln Academy Regent Dennis Lyle, President and CEO, Illinois Broadcasters Association.
Schedule for the Day
Schedule for the Day
8:30am
Check-in and Registration with continental breakfast
9:00am
Welcome Session - Chancellor Todd Shapiro
10:15am
Break
10:30am
Panel discussion with Lincoln Laureates John Rogers, Paula Wolff
- Lincoln Academy Rector Michelle Collins, moderator
11:45am
Break
Noon
Lunch - Tables with seating by universities
1:30pm
A conversation with Lincoln Laureate Carol Marin led by Lincoln Academy Regent Dennis Lyle
3:00pm
Interactive Breakout Sessions:
- "Linking the Past (previously awarded student laureates) to the Future (new student laureates)"
- "Sharing the Word with the Public"
- Special Session for Academic Representatives
4:30pm
Closing session
5:30-7:30pm
Reception
Venue, Parking, & Accommodations
Venue, Parking, & Accommodations
THE VENUE
The David Rubenstein Forum, 1201 E. 60th St, Chicago, provides a meeting space that promotes an open exchange of ideas and flexible event spaces. The convenient location on the University of Chicago campus allows easy access to a broad range of activities in the city before and after the one day Anniversary event.
PARKING
Free daily parking is available on the streets along East 60th Street and Midway Plaisance.
ACCOMMODATIONS
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at The Study, next door to the David Rubenstein Forum at 1227 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL. 773-643-1600.
To reserve a room at the special discounted rate of $229/night, please use this link to make your reservation by May 25th: https://shorter.me/DO8WV.
Overnight valet parking for hotel guests is available for $50 per day.
The Importance of
A STUDENT LAUREATE
Each fall, an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award. The Governor bestows the awards. They become Student Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. In the spirit of Lincoln, Student Laureates are honored for their leadership and service in the pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.
SEARCH STUDENT LAUREATES
BY COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY
The most noteworthy seniors are chosen as Student Laureates of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois to annually represent each of the participating Illinois colleges and universities. One student representative is chosen for all the state’s community colleges.
STUDENT LAUREATES LIST FROM 1975 - PRESENT
| YEAR | LAST | FIRST | COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Hamming | Bruce | Augustana College |
| 1975 | Fitzgerald | Michael P. | Aurora College |
| 1975 | Van Landuyt | Jean | Barat College |
| 1975 | Evans | David | Blackburn College |
| 1975 | Pritzker | Phil | Bradley University |
| 1975 | Powers | Marian | Chicago State University |
| 1975 | Pedone | Dennis | College of St. Francis |
| 1975 | Cobb | Vandell | Columbia College |
| 1975 | Meckel | Frances | Concordia Teachers College |
| 1975 | O'Grady | Charles V. | DePaul University |
| 1975 | Benjamin | Patricia | Eastern Illinois University |
| 1975 | Kyle | Mark A. | Elmhurst College |
| 1975 | Weith | Mel E. | Eureka College |
| 1975 | Waggoner | Gwynn | George Williams College |
| 1975 | Robinson | Jennie | Governors State University |
| 1975 | Blankenship | Nancy | Greenville College |
| 1975 | Birtch | Cynthia | Illinois Benedictine College |
| 1975 | Woods | Kerry | Illinois College |
| 1975 | Kretschmann | Klaus P. | Illinois Institute of Technology |
| 1975 | Henry | Thomas M. | Illinois State University |
| 1975 | Sherrick | Rebecca L. | Illinois Wesleyan University |
| 1975 | Long | Robert C. | Knox College |
| 1975 | Bell | Clare F. | Lake Forest College |
| 1975 | Ritz | Richard | Lewis University |
| 1975 | Colburn | James W. | Lincoln College |