“Phenomenal Woman” Shelly Blunt
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Growing up on the family farm, Shelly Blunt didn’t take much interest in farm work or her father’s profession. Her dad retires from Truman State University this year after 40 years as a professor of organic chemistry. But Blunt, associate professor of chemistry and associate dean of the Pott College of Science and Engineering, said her choice to go into chemistry had nothing to do with her dad.
Blunt never had a chemistry set. Around the house it wasn’t chemistry, she said, it was cows. “I grew up on a 310-acre farm in Missouri. We had cattle, corn, wheat, and beans, and we baled hay,” she said. The farm specializes in Angus. “I didn’t really understand what my dad did until I was in high school, and I had a great chemistry teacher in high school.”
She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Truman University, though she never took her father’s classes. She earned a Ph.D. at University of Iowa and joined USI in 1999 after a year as visiting professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
On March 19, she was honored as a Phenomenal Woman of USI and the Community by the Multicultural Center, Old National Bank, and the American Association of University Women. The award recognized her concern for student well being and success, service to the community, and dedication to teaching, exemplified by an incident that happened during a chemistry demonstration in December.
While performing for a group of more than 100 Mt. Vernon Junior High School eighth graders – including her daughter – in Mitchell Auditorium, Blunt tripped and fell. Though her foot hurt, she made a joke and carried on for another hour. Later it was discovered that she had broken her foot. Blunt’s husband, Steve Glueckert, instructor in chemistry, took her to the emergency room. “It was funny, but embarrassing,” she said.
Blunt and Glueckert reside in Mt. Vernon. The family also includes Allyson, 14, Adam, 8, and Benjamin, 4.
Blunt was appointed associate dean of the Pott College in 2006 but she still teaches one class in organic chemistry. “I miss being in the classroom as much, but I’m still involved in other student activities, and that’s rewarding,” she said.
Blunt is co-director with Dave Ellert of the Pott Foundation Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair, a year-round responsibility. The fair has grown exponentially since USI took it on three years ago, due to the efforts of Blunt, Ellert, and the science fair committee. The first year, there were 356 student projects. This year, there were 560. Another 650 students came to view projects at this year’s fair. “We reach out to teachers at schools within a 75-mile radius,” Blunt said.
Sponsorship from the Pott Foundation has allowed science fair organizers to offer attractive prizes. “All the top winners get laptops and every student gets a T-shirt and certificate of recognition,” Blunt said. “We also give six four-year renewable scholarships to USI. One recent recipient is attending Orientation this year.”
Blunt oversees programs funded by the $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives, including Pathways Leading to Undergraduate Success in the Sciences (PLUSS) and the Early Undergraduate Research Program. PLUSS offers assistance to students who are marginally prepared for undergraduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In the Early Undergraduate Research Program, first-year STEM majors will work with faculty mentors as research assistants in ongoing research projects. The first student participants will begin work this summer.
She also deals with advising and student issues. When she joined USI 10 years ago, Blunt wasn’t assigned advisees. “We were a small program at the time, so most advisees were seen by the chair and senior faculty,” she said. She sought advisees out by becoming a University Division advising fellow, a position she held for four years. “In graduate school, you’re not prepared for teaching and advising because you’re so busy with research and your dissertation. I knew that would be one of my responsibilities, so I wanted to learn more about it. It was very beneficial to me.”
Blunt serves on the Advising Council and was a recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Advising Award. Last year she helped lead an advisor training workshop with faculty and staff from each college. The workshop will be offered again in May. “Advising is correlated to student retention, so this workshop is one way to facilitate that. Advising is not just selecting courses, but discussing career choices and goals. It’s building relationships with students and advising the whole individual.”
Wendy Knipe Bredhold
News & Information Services
812/461-5259 or wkbredhold@usi.edu
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