The AHS Marketing and Communications Office will initiate protocols in the event of a passing of a current or former dean, associate dean, assistant dean, unit head, or significant donor ($1 million or more) The office will work closely with the Dean and Office of the Dean team and with the Office of Advancement when a significant donor passes.

The death of a current or former faculty or staff member and alumnus (non-significant donor) can be communicated at the department level.

At the discretion of the Dean, former deans, associate deans, assistant deans, unit heads, or significant donors ($1 million or more) will solely be included in the Moving Forward annual magazine beginning 2022. The announcements will be limited to those who passed between 2020 and 2022 and not previously announced by the College.

*In the event of a death of an enrolled student, please see the protocols outlined below from the University.

1. No communication is sent until approved by the Dean.
2. No communication is sent until approved by Public Affairs.
3. No communication is sent until the family of the deceased has been contacted and permission has been given to communicate. Communication with the family will be with the person who has the relationship (this will be the same person communicating below regarding prepared announcements). If not, the Dean or Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications will communicate with the family.
4. The communications office will draft the Dean’s internal email announcement and news story.
   
   Communications could solicit input/feedback from various faculty, staff, alumni, students and others, dependent upon the person who has died. The email and news story could include a link to the obituary and memorial gifts (only if designated to the university or college) based on Illinois Foundation guidelines.
   
   An example of memorial designation follows:
   
   The family has requested that memorials be directed to the charitable cause of the donor’s choice or the University of Illinois Foundation for the Charles E. Olson JBT Scholarship Endowment (776058). Please send to the UI Foundation, Harker Hall, 1305 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801. Contributions may be provided online at www.giving.illinois.edu. Include Charles Olson JBT Endowment in the “Other” field of the giving form
5. Once the email and news story has been approved by the Dean, it will be shared with the family.
6. After family and Dean approves content, communication can be sent.
7. The email will be sent using the Dean’s office webtools skin with approved timing from the Dean’s office. The email will be sent to the “Dean’s List”.
8. The announcement will then go into the next issue of Moving Forward. The announcement will include the individual’s name, former title and date of death (will not be an obituary).
9. It's at the discretion of departments if they want to include the announcement in their newsletters and include a link to the obituary.
10. Specific requests from the deceased’s family will be taken into consideration and handled ad hoc.
11. Examples of dean's email and news stories are below.

Current Student Protocols are as follows per Internal Memorandum April 18, 2019 from Danita M. Brown Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Managing the Death of an Enrolled Student: Guidelines for Colleges

1. Notify the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) if they have not already been informed; Office of the Dean of Students is responsible to initiate and coordinates campus notification and response
2. No communication about any student death is sent until the next of kin have been notified
3. Office of the Dean of Students/Illinois Police/Coroner manages the process of notifying next of kin. They contact the Office of the Dean of Students once this has been done. This process can take several days, particularly in the case of international students
4. Once next of kin have been notified, The Office of the Registrar marks the student as deceased in the Banner system to prevent any additional billing or unnecessary university communication from being sent to the family.
5. A memo identifying the student, dates of enrollment and college affiliation is generated by the Office of the Dean of Students on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. This document is sent via email to key campus constituents including the college Deans and the Office of the Registrar.
6. The College Office or Department should begin consultation with the Office of the Registrar to initiate a withdrawal form to dis-enroll the student from current and future courses. The effective date of the withdrawal should be determined in consultation with the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Financial Aid to try to determine the effective date which will afford the most financially benign outcomes for the family of the deceased.
7. The Office of the Dean of Students can assist the family to connect with representatives from the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Business and Financial Services to discuss resolving any remaining debts to the University or private lenders.
8. Memorial Services can be organized by the College and/or academic department. The Office of the Dean of Students does not organize memorial services for individual students. Similarly, colleges and/or departments may send expressions of bereavement to the family of the deceased.
9. Although responses to grief will vary across individuals, it is important to recognize that sadness and tearfulness are normal expressions of grief. They do not require counseling intervention, but rather comfort and mutual support among community members who share the feelings of loss, including fellow students, faculty and staff.  
10. Traumatic deaths (e.g., suicide, homicide, etc.) may result in a more complicated grief process and may have a significant impact on students, faculty and staff. If there are classes or groups of students who are unusually impacted by the death of a classmate, the professor or advisor may contact the Office of the Dean of Students or the Emergency Dean if the death occurs on a weekend to request that the Trauma Response Team (representatives from the Office of the Dean of Students and the Counseling Center) visit the class or group to discuss some of the common symptoms of grief as well as key campus support resources. These 15–20-minute visits are intended to be informational (versus therapeutic). It is helpful if these requests are made with as much advance notice as possible so that the offices have time to coordinate them. Faculty and staff may be referred to the Faculty Staff Assistance Program for support.
11. Colleges may also elect to send email communication to their students following a traumatic death or the death of a student. Such a message might include words of support, and information about support resources including the Counseling Center, McKinley Mental Health, and the Office of the Dean of Students.
    
    *It is strongly advised that before sending such a message that the College consult with the Office of the Dean of Students to ensure that the message accurately conveys how students can access these services and how these offices will work to accommodate the needs of students particularly in the weeks immediately following a traumatic death. Such a message may also include information about the dates and location of funeral services if it has been confirmed that the family wishes to open the service to members of the university community.
    
    *It is also strongly advised to consult with Public Affairs before creating/sending a student message.

Wellness and Mental Health Resources
wellness.illinois.edu

For counseling and wellness support, this site will help you decide what kind of assistance you need and how to get connected to services for mental health, wellness, access, and accommodation. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, we strive to provide supportive, judgment-free, and collaborative solutions specific to individuals and groups.

Ways to Support Students through Grief

There are several options for student resources:

1. Send support services and resource information to students via email and allow them to seek out services individually, as needed.
2. The Trauma Response Team at the Counseling Center provides a range of easily accessible and professional services to students, faculty, and staff members who are affected by traumatic incidents and/or psychological emergencies.
3. Counseling Center appointments
4. The Emergency Dean supports students who are experiencing health or safety emergency situations in which an immediate University response is needed and which cannot wait until the next business day. The Emergency Dean is not a substitute for trained emergency personnel such as 911, police, or fire professionals.

AHS Dean’s List

IN MEMORIAM

Retired Speech and Hearing Science Professor Kenneth Watkin died on Oct. 19. Born Nov. 17, 1943, in Manitoba, Canada, he immigrated to the United States and earned graduate degrees at the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. He had a distinguished career on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin, the University of Michigan, McGill University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Watkin was the founding director of AHS’s Center on Health, Aging, and Disability. Dr. Watkin is survived by his wife, Tanya Gallagher; his daughter, Laura Gallagher Watkin; his granddaughter, Ella Gallagher Watkin; and Margaret and Christopher Potter and grandchildren, Zoe, Lilou, and Kippy. He was predeceased by his son, Brandon, who served in the U.S. Army. Ken was a beloved professor, friend, colleague and mentor. He lived life with a positive spirit, a generous and joyful heart, an incredible intellect, and a warm smile that drew people to him, especially students, who sometimes referred to him as a “second father.” May his memory be a blessing.

Online News Story/Blog Post

Former RST department head Joe Bannon Dies at 89

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—Joseph (Joe) J. Bannon, 89, of Champaign passed away March 30, 2021, at his home in Champaign.

Joe was born on May 30, 1931, in Glens Falls, N.Y., to parents Leo and Elizabeth Bannon. Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Ann, and his grandson, Keegan. Joe is survived by his two sons, Joseph Jr., and Peter, and their spouses, Jill and Amy. Joe was blessed with eight grandchildren: Kelsey, Keegan, Erin, Sophie, Regan, Doug, Leo, and Rory, and one great granddaughter, Keegan Rose.

Joe was a loving and devoted father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, boss, mentor, and friend. He was a wonderful role model for his family and was fiercely loyal to those he loved. When Joe was not busy working or spending time with family and friends, he enjoyed running, golf, and spending his summers with his family at his mountain retreat in upstate New York.

Professionally, Dr. Joseph J. Bannon graduated Cum Laude from Ithaca College in 1957. In 1958, he was awarded an assistantship at the University of Illinois in the Department of Park and Recreation to pursue his master of science degree. Upon graduation, he assumed the position of Superintendent of Recreation in Leonia, N.J. In 1963, he became the General Superintendent of the Topeka, Kansas, Recreation Commission where he served until 1966. In 1966, he returned to the University of Illinois to become the Chief of the Office of Recreation and Park Resources. During his tenure as Chief, he completed his Ph.D. in 1971. In 1973, he assumed the headship of the Department of Leisure Studies.

Dr. Bannon was a prolific writer, having authored or co authored nine books, contributed a number of chapters to edited books, and wrote more than 50 journal and magazine articles. He is a co-founding editor of the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. Dr. Bannon was a founding member of The Academy of Leisure Sciences and the American Academy of Park and Recreation Association. He was presented numerous awards in his lifetime for his decades-long service to the park and recreation profession. In 2001, Dr. Bannon was honored with the Pugsley Award, the most distinguished award for park and recreation conservation given in the profession.

Dr. Bannon consulted extensively throughout the U.S. and Japan, China, Korea, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and Peru. In 1988, he spent an extended period of time in China consulting with universities as well as city officials in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suchow about fitness and recreation programs.

Joe developed the newsletter Management Strategy in 1977. The publication was dedicated to disseminating management information to parks and recreation professionals throughout the world. This led to the formation of the Sagamore Publishing Company, which he built and worked at full time, acquiring and developing titles after retiring from the University of Illinois alongside his son, Peter Bannon. Joe continued to maintain his close ties to the recreation field he loved throughout his life, advising and mentoring countless young professionals in the field.

He will be greatly missed by all of us.

— Written by Peter Bannon