Nillas and Timan Honored with University Leadership Awards for Inclusive Excellence

April 14, 2022

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. ⁠—  Leah Nillas and Mitzi Timan have been named 2022 recipients of the fifth annual Illinois Wesleyan University Leadership Award for Inclusive Excellence. 

The award recipients, announced April 8 in a virtual address by University President Georgia Nugent, were nominated by members of the Illinois Wesleyan community and selected by the University Council for Diversity (UCD). 

The Leadership Award for Inclusive Excellence recognizes faculty and staff members who have upheld the University’s values of advocacy, education and community building. 

Faculty Leadership Award for Inclusive Excellence: Professor Leah Nillas

Leah Nillas is Associate Professor and Chair of Educational Studies, who, according to a student nominator, “brings unparalleled authenticity to the way she teaches and makes students of all backgrounds feel heard and seen.” 

Some of Nillas’s recent contributions to championing diversity at IWU include chairing the Faculty Committee on Diversity, serving on the Inclusive Excellence Education Task Force, working with the Curriculum Council and attending several Posse+ retreats. 

“Professor Nillas was a key member in reviewing course development grant proposals, providing feedback for departmental diversity action plans and encouraging diversity in the curriculum,” said Nugent.

Staff Leadership Award for Inclusive Excellence: Mitzi Timan

Mitzi Timan is Administrative Specialist in the School of Nursing and a mentor to students. One of her nominating students said, “I wouldn’t have applied for the palliative care internship if Mitzi Timan didn’t tell me that she noticed I had an affinity for older adults. It’s the best thing I’ve done and has guided my future career.”

“Timan’s attitude of care was essential to overcoming virtual obstacles to genuine connection and removing barriers to success during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Nugent said. 

Timan’s care extends especially to issues of diversity, evident in her participation with the Posse+ retreat, the Unity Gala, the 3D Series, Summer Reading Facilitation and as a discussion leader for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Teach-In programming.

By Maria Harmon ’23