Football squad gets its second academic award in five years
Northwestern has shown once again its top priority is academics, as the Wildcats football program will receive the American Football Coaches Association 2002 Academic Achievement award.
The honor is presented annually by the Touchdown Club of Memphis to the school with the highest graduation rate among its football players. One hundred percent of the NU squad’s freshman class of 1996-97 earned degrees, and the AFCA took notice.
This year’s award is the second for the university. NU also got the nod in 1998 with its 100 percent graduation rate. Before 1998, the honor only was extended to teams within the College Football Association.
In the five years it has been eligible for the award, the Wildcats have been recognized each time, racking up honorable mentions in 1998, 1999 and 2000. To be eligible for an honorable mention, the AFCA requires at least 70 percent of a university’s senior class to receive diplomas. Eighty institutions participated in this year’s survey, resulting in an overall graduation rate of 60 percent – the highest mark in the survey’s history, barely surpassing last year’s average of 59 percent.
Beinen to lead 2002-03 Big Ten Council of Chancellors
As if running a top research university isn’t enough for University President Henry Bienen, yet another title has been added to his resume. Bienen will serve as chairman of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors for the 2002-03 academic year, the conference announced last week.
The duties of the council include deciding where and when to hold the conference tournaments for each sport and allocating scholarship funds.
On the council with Bienen will be Penn State President Graham Spanier as vice chairman, and incoming Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman as second vice chairman. Together, the three will act as the Executive/Compensation Committee for the Big Ten and are the only university representatives on the council. They will be joined by James Delaney, Big Ten commissioner of athletics, and Associate Commissioners Carol Iwaoka and Brad Traviolia.
Head physician Sweeney says goodbye after 59 years at NU
At the age of 76, Howard Sweeney maintained a full schedule as Northwestern’s head physician for athletes. The man who treated NU’s injured athletes day in and day out for 18 years is now on his way to a less stressful, retired life – less stressful to him, that is.
Sweeney, who retired June 7, will focus on his work with a not-for-profit organization he established. The mission of his Global Arthroscopy Foundation is to teach foreign doctors how to perform arthroscopic surgery.
This, and more time spent with his wife of 53 years, 10 children and 19 grandchildren will keep him almost as busy as the Wildcats have since he began his relationship with the university in 1943. “Doc” Sweeney received both his undergraduate and medical school diplomas from NU and eventually took up a position on the Feinberg School of Medicine faculty in 1957. He’s been on staff ever since.
In 1964, Sweeney became involved with the athletic department, originally as an orthopedic surgeon. He was offered the head physician job in 1984.
The athletic department honored the beloved doctor June 7 at a banquet held at the Allen Center. On hand were NU athletes past and present as well as many NU friends that Sweeney encountered during his 59-year association with the school.
Greg Palutsis, hand-picked by Sweeney, will take over as head physician. He will be only the third person to hold the job since World War II.
