Norman N. Breyer
Ph.D. MET ’63
Professor and Chair Emeritus
Arlington Heights, Illinois
One year after graduating from Illinois Institute of Technology, Norman N. Breyer began his longtime academic and administrative career with the university. He initially joined the Armour College of Engineering faculty and then served as chair of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from 1976–1984. In 1977 Breyer was elected a fellow of the American Society for Metals, now ASM International. He was named professor emeritus in 1991. Breyer was known for his expertise in liquid metal embrittlement, the heat treatment of steel, and failure analysis.
William “Bill” J. Grimshaw
Associate Professor and Chair Emeritus
Riverside, Illinois
A key strategist in Harold Washington’s successful bid to become Chicago’s mayor in 1983, William “Bill” J. Grimshaw was renowned for his expert knowledge of urban politics at both the theoretical and practical levels. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978, Grimshaw began his longtime academic career at Illinois Tech, where he taught until his retirement in 2008. He also served as chair of the Department of Social Sciences from 1990–2002. His thesis became the subject of his first book, Union Rule in the Schools: Big-City Politics in Transformation; his highly acclaimed second book, Bitter Fruit: Black Politics and the Chicago Machine 1931–1991, was published in 1992.
Robert “Bob” L. Growney (ME ’74, M.B.A. ’82)
Life Trustee
South Barrington, Illinois
A 36-year veteran of Motorola, Robert “Bob” L. Growney joined the company as an engineer in its research laboratories before holding a variety of managerial positions of increasing responsibility. He served as president and chief operating officer, then vice chairman before retiring in 2002. Growney then became a partner with The Edgewater Funds, a private-equity firm, and remained there until his death.
Growney was a strong advocate of Illinois Tech, providing the university with scholarship and volunteer support. Among the many roles he held was member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Tech Board of Trustees, chairman of the Oversight Board of Stuart School of Business, and chairman of the Downtown Campus Task Force. In 2003 Growney delivered the Stuart School commencement keynote address and in 2007 was presented with the university’s Alumni Service Award.
Geoffrey Higgins
Professor and Dean Emeritus
Winnetka, Illinois
A native of England, Geoffrey Higgins came to the United States with his family in 1969 to work at Armour College of Engineering for three years; instead, the family decided to make this country their new home. Higgins served on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering, and then went on to become dean of the School of Advanced Studies. He was known for his physical metallurgy work and research on phase-coarsening phenomena. In 1979 Higgins shared in the Literary Award from the American Nuclear Society.
Edwin F. Stueben
MATH ’58, M.S. ’60, Ph.D. ’63
Professor and Vice President Emeritus
Chicago
After earning three degrees at Illinois Institute of Technology, Edwin F. Stueben went on to devote nearly his entire career to the university. He served on the applied mathematics faculty for many years and was presented with the IIT Excellence in Teaching Award in both 1972 and 2005. Stueben led pioneering projects in the 1970s and 1980s such as IIT/V (a telecast of IIT credit courses) and was active in the university’s interdisciplinary research and training program E3.
On the administrative side, Stueben was responsible for the development of the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus, serving as its first vice president from 1989–1993. He also was associate chair of the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and interim chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics. In 1992 Stueben became vice president for admissions, financial aid, and student affairs. He retired from the university in 2006 and was honored with the Illinois Tech Alumni Service Award in 2008.
Vivian Weil
CSEP Director Emerita
Evanston, Illinois
Vivian Weil was passionate about ethics and dedicated much of her career to working on theoretical problems of human action and responsibility. A philosopher by training, her specialty area focused on issues of professional responsibility, primarily in the fields of engineering and science. As such, Weil served Illinois Tech for more than 40 years both as a member of the faculty as well as director of the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, before retiring in 2014. She was a founding member of CSEP, which was established in 1976 to promote the research and teaching of moral and ethical quandaries in the professions.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Executive Board of the National Institute for Engineering Ethics and of the Executive Board of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Weil also served for one year as director of the Ethics and Values Studies Program of the National Science Foundation. In 2013 Weil received the Sterling Olmsted Award from the American Society for Engineering Education for her contributions to the development and teaching of ethics in engineering education.