COLLEGE EARNS PRESTIGIOUS GRANT FOR UPCOMING, COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON O'HARE GROWTH
ELMHURST, Ill., January 17, 2001 -- Elmhurst College has received a $50,000 grant for a comprehensive future study on possible expansion of nearby O'Hare International Airport. This grant, administered by the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, Inc. (NCUR) and funded by the Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation, will enable Elmhurst College to conduct a broad, collaborative, faculty-student research effort. The project is expected to involve 11 academic departments and take 18-24 months to complete.
"This is an important opportunity for our students," said Dr. Bryant L. Cureton, president of Elmhurst College. "They will be making a useful intellectual contribution to the issue of airport growth. And we have earned national-level confirmation for the high quality, collaborative research that our faculty and students perform."
The study will examine complex issues relating to the increasingly urgent topic of airport expansion and development. At present, airports are struggling to increase their air traffic, while local communities are often split regarding such growth. Community concerns have included economic, political and quality-of-life issues.
O'Hare Airport, located less than 10 miles from Elmhurst College, embodies many of these benefits and problems. Plans to expand what has been called "the world's busiest airport" have engendered both strong support and strong opposition.
Despite the controversy, Elmhurst College's study does not begin with any answers. "This research is not aimed at supporting any particular position on the issues involved," stated President Cureton. "But it will give our students experience in studying real-world questions about which people care deeply."
Elmhurst College's Vice President for College Advancement, Ken Bartels, echoed those sentiments, calling Elmhurst's upcoming study "solid, broad-based, academic work."
For Elmhurst's faculty-student teams, this will be a fact-finding study, without preconceived notions. "We are not necessarily looking at coming up with a recommendation, good or bad, in the course of this study," cautioned Dr. Jon Johnson, one of the authors of the grant proposal and chairman of the Elmhurst College mathematics department. "We are unbiased because we really don't have an axe to grind."
Among the many layers of the airport question which the study is likely to explore are the impact of airport expansion on the economy, on environmental issues, on local communities and more. The impact of politics on the O'Hare expansion will also be examined, as will possible effects of the media on any eventual decision about growth.
As airports have both a national impact (particularly O'Hare, a Midwest travel hub) and a significant local impact (e.g., noise, livability, and local concerns, both emotional and financial), this research must be truly comprehensive.
Elmhurst College sociologists and psychologists will assess "quality of life" questions. Logistics and supply-chain scholars will examine the degree to which local issues should decide a national question, as well as what impact the airlines have. There will also be questions of historical precedent: researchers will examine the 40-year effects of the initial build-up and growth of O'Hare on O'Hare's predecessor, Chicago Midway Airport.
"The multidisciplinary information that we're trying to gather simply doesn't exist," said Dr. James Berry, Elmhurst professor of biology and an environmental attorney. Berry's legal and environmental background, combined with his biology expertise, makes him an ideal member of the College's multifaceted study effort. "We've put together a team all across academic lines to address the 'runway question.'"
"The topic is so rich we can look at it in many ways," smiled Dr. Johnson in conclusion. "This study could be very important."
Elmhurst College will eventually present findings at the NCUR annual national conference. Larger distribution of the findings will then be addressed.
Elmhurst was one of just four institutions (out of 40 applicants) to be funded through NCUR and the Lancy Foundation. The $50,000 award is the maximum grant amount possible.
Elmhurst College faculty members who will collaborate in the research study include:
Dr. Jon Johnson, chair and professor of mathematics, and co-author of the grant proposal
Dr. Dianne Chambers, associate professor of English and co-author of the grant proposal
Dr. James Berry, professor of biology
Dr. Robert Butler, associate professor of history
Dr. Cheri Carrico, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences, and director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
Dr. Michael Lindberg, assistant professor of geography and environmental planning
Dr. Amy Patterson, assistant professor of political science
Dr. Thomas Sawyer, assistant professor of psychology and coordinator of the master of arts in industrial/organizational psychology
Dr. Lynda Slimmer, professor of nursing and coordinator of the Service-Learning Program
Dr. James Smith, chair and assistant professor of sociology
Dr. Earl Swallow, chair and professor of physics
Dr. Ron Wiginton, assistant professor of English
Dr. Gary Wilson, associate professor of business administration, director of the Logistics and Transportation Management Program, and coordinator of the master of science in supply chain management
Students collaborating on this research have yet to be selected.
For further information, please contact Charles N. Henderson, director of public relations at Elmhurst College, at (630) 617-3033, or via e-mail at [email protected].
The Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation assists bright, young students with limited financial resources. Named for the late electrochemist and businessman Dr. Leslie Lancy, this fund aspires to help establish new ventures, develop young talent and speed adoption of new processes.
NCUR is a not-for-profit organization committed to the promotion of undergraduate research in all academic disciplines and at all institutions of higher learning. NCUR sponsors an annual conference to allow undergraduates from across the nation to present and disseminate their scholarly work, and to advance the theme of research in the undergraduate curriculum.
Elmhurst College is a premier comprehensive college in metropolitan Chicago, one of the world's most appealing and important urban regions. For 130 years, the College has sought to prepare students superbly -- for their first jobs, and for lifetimes of personal and professional fulfillment. On a classic campus, in a charming suburb, the College offers students of many ages and backgrounds purposeful learning for the whole of life.
Founded in 1871, Elmhurst College is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
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