North Central College Archives

Congratulations North Central College Class of 2026!

This from 1908 captured a crowd outside Goldspohn watching graduates during Commencement festivities.

📸: C092: Photographs, North Central College Archives

Let’s congratulate one of our 2026 retirees Mr. Gerald Thalmann, Associate Professor of Accounting. Mr. Thalmann has been at North Central College for the last 30 years. In his time, he has shown a great commitment to getting involved on campus. When the campus had a community garden he could often be seen tending to the plants. Since 2008, he has served as an advisor for the Enactus program. This program partners faculty and students with Guatemalan coffee farmers, artisans and local artists to supply the Coffee Lab. As advisor, he has helped the coffee farmers in Guatemala with their sales and also helped create an interdisciplinary course called “Coffee”. He also is one of the leaders of the Coffee Lab. In 2021 he was honored with the Illinois CPA Society Outstanding Educator Award for his efforts in helping his accounting students in the classroom and through programs like Enactus.
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📸: Thalmann harvests coffee in Guatemala as featured in the March 2006 North Central Now magazine, North Central Now, Publications, North Central College Archives

📸: Thalmann with other North Central professors in Guatemala, ca. 2007

Let’s all cheer on Dr. Lawrence Van Oyen, Professor of Music as he tunes up for retirement! Since 1992, Dr. Van Oyen has instructed music classes and been the Director of Bands. Under his leadership, the various bands at NCC have built reputations for their excellent performance and skill. Dr. Van Oyen has been the recipient of two Dissinger Awards for distinguished teaching. One of his most important contributions to the college came in the form of his involvement in an effort to bring back the Music Education program. He also founded the “Chords for Kids” concert program, which is designed for children with special needs and their family. This program has brought a lot of joy to the children, their families and to the students participating. In his free time, he enjoys running and woodworking.
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📸: Dr. Van Oyen directs, ca. 1995, C092: Photographs, North Central College Archives

Let’s celebrate one of our 2026 retirees Dr. Wioleta Polinska, Professor of Religious Studies. Dr. Polinska has taught Religious Studies at North Central College since 2000. Not only has she been a dedicated professor, but also an influential scholar, publishing over twenty articles and has given presentation at over twenty conferences. At NCC she has moderated panel discussions focusing on Religion. Bringing her area of expertise to students has been important to her. She partnered with the Dyson Wellness center to create the Contemplative Series. This provides students events centering around meditation and methods of mindfulness. Her goal was not only to help students find some calm in their lives, but also to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness.
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📸: Flier for the Contemplative Series, 2021, Department of Religious Studies, North Central College Archives

📸: Dr. Wioleta Polinska headshot, 2000, C077: Photographs, North Central College Archives

Thank you Dr. Karl Kelley, Harold and Eva White Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts and Professor of Psychology, for your dedication and service. For the last 38 years, Dr. Karl Kelley has taught Psychology at North Central College. He has worked on over one hundred search committees for NCC, and briefly directed the First Year Experience Program. Kelley has been the recipient of four Dissinger awards for teaching and scholarship. His dedication also extends to athletics, as he was the faculty mentor for Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Football, and Women’s Volleyball. Not only is he an excellent professor, but also fun and inviting. His office is always decorated with action figures, and he enjoys wearing character ties. He even participated in the pie throwing booth at the 1996 Spring Fest.
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📸: Restaurant review in The Colleague, an earlier campus community newsletter, March 13, 1989, C105: Newsletters, North Central College Archives

📸: Excerpt of article featuring Kelley in the North Central College magazine, 2024, Publications, North Central College Archives

Let’s celebrate one of our 2026 retirees, Dr. Ann Keating, Dr. C. Frederick Toenniges Professor of History. Dr. Keating is a prolific scholar, and dedicated professor of history. In her 35 years at North Central College, she has authored books, given talks, and even started new programs. Dr. Keating was instrumental in creating the Chicago Term program, which brought students to the city to learn on site about history, social problems and culture. For her excellent teaching and scholarships, she has been honored with two Dissinger awards. Most importantly, she has co-authored two history books about North Central College and has a third in the works. She also co-edited the Encyclopedia of Chicago, a major contribution to the history field Through her hard work and dedication, she has not only enriched NCC, but also the local communities.
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📸: Dr. Ann Durkin Keating leads a class in Chicago as featured in the June 2003 North Central Now magazine. North Central Now, Publications, North Central College Archives

📸: Keating speaks during the ceremony unveiling a new historical marker on campus on April 23, 2024. This marker replaced the previous one and acknowledged the land was home to the Potawatomi people. Photographs, North Central College Archives

📸: Keating gives Raygn Jordan ’24, who helped create language for the new sign with a paper copy of it. Photographs, North Central College Archives

Let’s congratulate Mr. Thomas Cavenagh, Schneller Sisters Professor of Leadership, Ethics, and Values and Professor of Business Law on his retirement! Thomas Cavenagh has taught Business Law at North Central College for 37 years. Since he started, he has founded and directed the Dispute Resolution Center. He also helped design the Leadership, Ethics, and Values program. For all of his efforts, he was honored with two Dissinger Awards for excellence in teaching as well as for his scholarship. Another way that Mr. Cavenagh stayed involve was through his work as faculty advisor to the men’s baseball team. His strong commitment to helping both students and the college grow is clear. As is his dedication to enriching programs on campus. When he is not teaching or helping out, he enjoys to bike ride.
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📸: Cavenagh, North Central Now – Annual Report, 2008, Publications, North Central College Archives

Our faculty retiring this year have an amazing record. Combined they have over 130 academic publications, nearly 75 honors theses advised, over 300 presentations at conferences and in the community, and approximately 15 non-College grants obtained.

Though the number of students’ lives they’ve impacted is innumerable.

Check back to learn more about each one and their amazing service to the students, faculty, and our academic home – North Central College.

📸: Headshots from early in their North Central careers. Top-L-R and Bottom L-R: Mr. Thomas Cavenagh, Schneller Sisters Professor of Leadership, Ethics, and Values and Professor of Business Law; Dr. Ann Durkin Keating, Dr. C. Frederick Toenniges Professor of History; Dr. Karl Kelley, Harold and Eva White Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts and Professor of Psychology; Dr. Wioleta Polinska, Professor of Religious Studies; Mr. Gerald Thalmann, Associate Professor of Accounting; Dr. Lawrence Van Oyen, Professor of Music; C092 and C077:Photographs, North Central College Archives

Happy Honor’s Day! We love learning from the research completed by North Central students during the Rall Symposium. This include the Archives own outstanding student worker, Carolyn, who shared fascinating insights from her senior capstone “Becoming American: Italian Immigrants in the 1920s-1950s.”

In honor of National Retro Day, we head back to the 1980s with this North Central College dorm room.

📷: Dorm room, ca. 1986, Residence Life, C092: Photographs, NCC Archives