By: Arielle Pare, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2021, International Studies, French, Bloomington
Edited by: Ellie Kaverman and Bre Anne Briskey, Bicentennial Graduate Assistants
In a multi-campus system such as Indiana University, each campus has a distinct identity and voice. Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) refined its identity in the 1980s with the help of Dr. Eileen Bender, an influential faculty member.
Through her administrative and professorial roles, Dr. Eileen Bender strived to improve both IUSB and the university system during her 33-year career.[1] She was responsible for the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching (FACET), an annual retreat for faculty development.
Additionally, IU students have Dr. Bender and FACET to thank for Online Course Questionnaires (OCQ) that help faculty reassess courses and teaching styles.
“This dual responsibility gives me a campus identity as well as a university-wide one,” Dr. Bender said. “I can continue to pursue my teaching and research with excellent and interesting colleagues and attempt to meet the challenge which teaching always provides.”[2]
Childhood and Education
Dr. Eileen Bender (née Teper) was born in Madison, Wisconsin on December 1, 1935. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and graduated with a bachelor degree in journalism in 1956. After earning her doctorate degree in English from the University of Notre Dame in 1977, Dr. Bender went on to work for Yale University, the University of Notre Dame, and St. Mary’s College, in addition to IU.[3]
Making Waves in South Bend and in the Classroom
Dr. Bender came to IUSB in 1966 as an adjunct professor, where she taught while earning her doctorate degree from Notre Dame.[4] Throughout her career at IUSB, Dr. Bender held many roles, including coordinator of grants and special projects, acting assistant chair of the division of arts and Sciences, and of course, English professor.[5] By 1990, Dr. Bender was an associate professor of English and part of the graduate school faculty.[6]
Later, she earned the titles of special assistant to the chancellor, associate dean of faculties, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, and director of strategic direction planning.[7]
Dr. Bender was editor for the IUSB Review, a periodical showcasing faculty research.[8] In this responsibility, she applauded faculty who had gone “beyond the margins of their disciplines to explore issues which have captured their imagination,” and encouraged their innovation.[9]
At IUSB Dr. Bender taught a wide range of subjects including feminist, Jewish, and Native American literature.[10] Through these courses, she demonstrated not only her interest in minority representation, but also innovative and interactive methods of learning.
Alongside her colleague Gloria Kaufman, Dr. Bender helped found the Women’s Studies program at IUSB.[11] The program began informally with one course in 1972 and became an official program in 1989.[12]
“The scholarship of teaching itself tells us that learning in the classroom is collaborative, that the professor is not the only teacher in the room, and that what happens in it is not just up to us,” wrote Dr. Bender in 1999. [13]
Helping IU “Soul Search” and The Creation of FACET
Dr. Bender demonstrated her passion for faculty and academic development through her participation in seminars on teaching and scholarship. From 1985 to 1998, she took part in at least 12 panels and workshops ranging from women in academic careers to assessing multi-campus academic systems.[14]
In 1988, Dr. Bender accepted the position of coordinator for the IU Intercampus Council on Assessment and moved to Bloomington. The Council’s goal was to transform the institution from one with excellent components “to an excellent place, period.”[15] She and Dr. Thomas Ehrlich, president of IU from 1987-1994, collaborated on issues such as faculty-student relations.[16]
The Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) emerged from the Council’s “soul-searching.”[17] In 1989, Dr. Bender co-founded FACET, an annual retreat for IU professors to promote effective teaching philosophies.[18]
Linda Haas, professor emerita in sociology at IUPUI, wrote in reflection of Bender’s impact on IU through FACET:
“Eileen Bender, single handedly, without much institutional support, just because it was the right thing to do, gave birth in the late 1980s to a culture that nurtures teaching and learning at Indiana University by establishing FACET…IU began to recognize the importance of good teaching, and IU’s respect for good teachers has grown each year FACET has been in operation.”[19]
Dr. Bender stepped down as the director of FACET in 2001.
FACET remains a groundbreaking program of national standard and has led to numerous changes across IU, including student course questionnaires and instructor evaluations.[20] The organization boasts membership of more than 600 faculty from all IU campuses, adding 14 new members in 2019.[21]
An Action Plan for IUSB
As the campus began exploring structural changes, Dr. Bender was responsible for rewriting IUSB’s mission statement.[22] To do this, she spent five years helping to “set and clarify the campus’s mission and goals, considering the mission statements of other regional campuses.[23]
Dr. Bender’s mission statement focused on increasing enrollment, developing new programs, and overseeing the construction of a new library at IUSB. While her highest priorities were teaching and scholarship, she also wanted to “provide a collegial atmosphere, accessible and adequate facilities, and a comprehensive curriculum.”[24]
Later, Dr. Bender co-chaired the Higher Learning Commission Self-Study at IUSB, a three-year project to assess and review nearly all campus operations for re-accreditation.[25] Under her leadership, two strategic plans under three different IUSB chancellors were produced.[26]
Dr. Bender’s reputation for embracing change trickled into nearly all of her work. “I wouldn’t mind being a person who shook things up if they needed it,” she said.[27]
Bender’s Legacy
By the 2000s, Dr. Bender was a well-recognized, influential figure at IU. IUSB Chancellor, Una Mae Reck, said of Dr. Bender:
“Eileen Bender has left a legacy at IU South Bend that few professors could accomplish. Not only has she played an important role in the strategic direction of the campus, she is a wonderful teacher and a mentor to her colleagues.”[28]
Dr. Bender was recognized for her innovation in the classroom through teaching awards. She earned the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion, which is awarded to professors whose work “reflects the most central values and principles of Indiana University,” in 1988.[29] In 1995, Bender was awarded IUSB’s highest honor, the Lundquist Award, for combining teaching and community service.[30]
In 1999, she became the first person to receive the Indiana Professor of the Year award, given to one professor in each state by the Carnegie Foundation.[31]
After Dr. Bender’s death in 2010, IUSB created a scholarship fund in her name for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in women’s studies, modern American literature, or English.[32] The campus holds an annual Bender Scholar-in-Residence Lecture featuring distinguished guest lecturers.[33]
FACET has honored Bender’s legacy with the “Bender FACET Fellows,” a leadership training program for new FACET members, as well as an annual Bender Memorial Lecture.
Dr. Bender’s impact transcended the IUSB campus. Her initiative made her an “excellent role model” for IU students regardless of campus and her impact on Indiana University is felt again every May, when statewide IU faculty assemble for professional development through FACET.[34]
Bibliography
- “2002 FACET Retreat: Walking on the Ceiling.” Indiana University, https://archives.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/2450/5181/Issue4%5B1%5D.pdf?sequence
- “About Us.” Indiana University Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching, d. https://facet.iu.edu/about_us/index.html
- Bender, Eileen and Donald Gray. “The Scholarship of Teaching.” Indiana University Research and Creative Activity, April 1999. http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub/v22n1/p03.html
- “Eileen Bender.” South Bend Tribune, August 17, 2010, p.A5.
- Eileen Bender Collection Dossier of Bender for Tenure & Promotion, 1991: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection The IUSB Review Vol. 1 No. 1; Bender Editor, June 1994: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection The IUSB Review Vol. 2; Bender Editor, June 1994: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection The IUSB Review Vol. 3; Bender Editor, June 1994: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection “Mission Statement for IUSB”, March 1983, 1987-1988: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection Tribute to Bender at the FACET Retreat, May 18-20, 2001. Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- Eileen Bender Collection Versions of her Curriculum Vitae, Undated. Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives.
- “Eileen Bender (In Memoriam).” IU South Bend College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, d. https://clas.iusb.edu/english/faculty/emeritus/bender.html.
- “Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, d. http://info.music.indiana.edu/news/page/normal/7790.html
- “Facet Welcomes 14 New Members to the Class of 2019.” Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching, March 28, 2019. https://facet.iu.edu/news-events/_news/20190328-2019-facet-new-members-welcome.html
- Fosmoe, Margaret. “Bender Named Indiana Professor of the Year.” South Bend Tribune, October 27, 1999, p.8.
- Fosmoe, Margaret. “Nobel-Winning Scientist to Speak at IUSB.” South Bend Tribune, October 2, 2013, p.A4.
- “Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection.” Indiana University South Bend Archives, d. https://library.iusb.edu/search-find/archives/finding-aids/EilennBender.pdf
- Guide to IU South Bend Women’s Studies Program: 1970 –2015, Indiana University South Bend Archives
- Hinchion, Gail. “Bender to Help I.U. Soul-Search.” South Bend Tribune, June 23, 1988, p.23.
- Hinchion, Gail. “Montgomery Names Hughes, Rips Parent.” South Bend Tribune, June 8, 1982, p.1.
- “Honoree: Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Honors and Awards, d. https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/search-awards/honoree.shtml?honoreeID=2526
- “IUSB-Eileen Bender Memorial Scholarship.” Indiana University, d. https://iu.academicworks.com/opportunities/6529
- Indiana University Bloomington Faculty Council Minutes, 19 April 1988.
- Memorandum from Bender to the Joint Committee on Learning entitled “Revised FACET Proposal for University-wide Faculty Development”, November 2, 1994: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection, Indiana University South Bend Archives
- Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, October 26, 2001.
- Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, August 12, 2003.
- “Quick Focus.” South Bend Tribune, February 9, 1991, p.17.
- “Scholarship Fund to Honor Bender.” South Bend Tribune, October 25, 2010, p.B2.
- Stephen, Diane. “IUSB Originals Trace the Changes They Witnessed.” South Bend Tribune, November 4, 1991, p.27.
- “The Bender Scholar-in-Residence Lecture.” Indiana University South Bend College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, d. https://clas.iusb.edu/about/bender-lecture.html
- “Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion.” Indiana University Honors and Awards, d. https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/presidential/benton-medal.shtml
Notes
[1] “The Bender Scholar-in-Residence Lecture.”
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection.”
[4] Stephen, Diane
[5] Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, August 4, 1978.
[6] Minutes of the Board of the Trustees of Indiana University, Dec 5, 1986; Eileen Bender Collection Dossier of Bender for Tenure & Promotion, 1991: Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection
[7] Minutes of the Board of the Trustees of Indiana University, October 26, 2001.
[8] Eileen Bender Collection Versions of her Curriculum Vitae, Undated.
[9] Eileen Bender Collection The IUSB Review Vol. 3; Bender Editor, June 1994:
[10] Fosmoe, Margaret “Bender Named Indiana Professor of the Year.”
[11] “IUSB-Eileen Bender Memorial Scholarship.”
[12] Guide to IU South Bend Women’s Studies Program: 1970 –2015, Indiana University South Bend Archives
[13] Eileen Bender and Donald Gray.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Eileen Bender Collection Versions of her Curriculum Vitae, Undated; Hinchion, Gail “Bender to Help I.U. Soul-Search.”
[16] Ibid.
[17] Ibid.
[18] “About Us.”
[19] “Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection.” Indiana University South Bend Archives, n.d. https://library.iusb.edu/search-find/archives/finding-aids/EilennBender.pdf.
[20] Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, 04 May 2001; Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, December 3, 1994.
[21] “Facet Welcomes 14 New Members to the Class of 2019.”
[22] “Guide to the Indiana University South Bend Eileen Bender Collection.”
[23] Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; Eileen Bender Collection “Mission Statement for IUSB.”
[24] Eileen Bender Collection “Mission Statement for IUSB”, March 1983, 1987-1988.
[25] Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
[26] Ibid.
[27] “Quick Focus.” South Bend Tribune.
[28] Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music,
[29] “Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion Award.”
[30] Eileen T. Bender.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music,
[31] Fosmoe, Margaret. “Bender Named Indiana Professor of the Year.”
[32] “Scholarship Fund to Honor Bender.”
[33] “About Us.”
[34] Fosmoe, Margaret “Nobel-Winning Scientist to Speak at IUSB.”