EIU Media Relations

EIU announces new L.M. Hamand Dean of the Graduate School endowments

Donations recognize Dr. Lavern Hamand for lifelong contributions to EIU

(Charleston, IL) –The Graduate School at Eastern Illinois University is pleased to announce the founding of the L. M. Hamand Dean of the Graduate School through the generous financial contributions of Dr. Carol Hamand Stephens and the Hamand family. The gifts to the University establish two endowments to support EIU’s Graduate School.

Dr. Lavern M. Hamand, a professor of History at Eastern Illinois University, served as the first dean of the Graduate School from 1967 to 1974. According to a memo announcing the new endowments, Dr. Hamand’s impact on graduate education was instrumental and continues to shape Eastern Illinois University today through his efforts to create EIU’s Graduate School and the Council on Graduate Studies.

Dr. Carol Hamand Stephens, daughter of the late Dean Hamand, and the Hamand’s family financial gifts, including those of her sister, Dr. Wendy Hamand Venet, will endow two funds that build upon and strengthen graduate education at the Charleston, Illinois-based university.

The first endowment, the Hamand Society of Graduate Scholars, will annually honor graduate students who have achieved the highest distinction at Eastern Illinois University. Hamand Society members demonstrate leadership through academic excellence, research and creative achievements, and campus and community leadership.

The second endowment creates the new Hamand Fund for Innovation in Graduate Studies, which will provide financial resources to graduate programs initiating new programs and strategies that bring new academic distinction to graduate education at Eastern Illinois University.

“We are so grateful to Carol and the Hamand family for their generous financial support to The Graduate School. Their gifts will make a significant impact to strengthen our exceptional graduate programs, and appropriately honors Dean Hamand’s legacy,” said Dr. Ryan C. Hendrickson, the inaugural L.M. Hamand Dean of Eastern Illinois University’s Graduate School. While the Deanship itself is not included in the endowment, the University’s naming of the Deanship is an appreciative acknowledgement of the Hamand family’s ongoing support of The Graduate School and its programs.

Dr. David Glassman, President of Eastern Illinois University, reinforced Hendrickson’s assessment.

“Carol’s and the Hamand family’s financial support will make an immediate and long-term impact on EIU’s Graduate School, our graduate students and our graduate faculty,” Glassman added. “We express our sincere gratitude to Carol and the Hamand family for their support and generosity.”

For more information about EIU, or to learn more about its growing assortment of programs and services, visit the university’s website at www.eiu.edu, or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.