AHS Presents Distinguished Alumni Awards
The College of Applied Health Sciences celebrated the accomplishments of four outstanding alumni with the presentation of
the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Awards on September 30. The honorees include leaders in health administration, rehabilitation,
wilderness education, and research.
Richard A. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network
Richard Anderson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network since 1986.
He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health in 1969, and received a Master of Public Health in Hospital
Administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. As President and CEO, he has overseen St. Luke’s evolution from a
single hospital to six hospital sites and more than 150 service sites. During his tenure, St. Luke’s has twice been named
one of the best hospitals in the United States in Top 100 Hospitals: Benchmarks for Success, published by Thomson Reuters.
Susan E. Gwyn
President
SunDance Rehabilitation Corporation
Susan Gwyn completed her Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 1974, and joined the Treatment and Learning
Centers in Rockville, Maryland, as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She has been the president of SunDance Rehabilitation
Corporation, a national provider of quality, cost-effective rehabilitation services, since 2007. Prior to joining SunDance,
she spent six years at Harborside Healthcare in Boston as Senior Vice President of Rehabilitation Services. Under her
leadership, the company exceeded all of its financial goals, more than doubled its workforce, and achieved national recognition
for customer satisfaction among rehabilitation patients. Her bachelor’s degree is from Miami University in Ohio.
Frank D. Lupton, Jr.
Founder
Wilderness Education Association
Professor Emeritus
Western Illinois University
Frank Lupton received his master’s degree in Recreation Administration from the University of Illinois in 1958. He worked
for the Rockford Park District and the Presbyterian Camping Association of Northern Illinois until returning to the U of I for
a doctoral degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies, which he completed in 1972. He went on to a 22-year career at Western
Illinois University, where he served as Acting Chairperson and Chairperson of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism
Administration for seven years. In 1977, he co-founded the Wilderness Education Association to train leaders who could teach
the public about the appropriate use of wilderness areas.
Karl M. Newell
Department Head and Professor
Pennsylvania State University
Karl Newell earned both of his graduate degrees in physical education at the University of Illinois—a master’s degree in 1970
and a Ph.D. in 1973. He began his academic career at the University of Illinois, leaving in 1992 to join the faculty at The
Pennsylvania State University. He is currently head of the Department of Kinesiology and the Marie Underhill Noll Chair of Human
Performance. A Fellow in the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, he is considered the leading researcher in
the area of coordination, control, and skill of normal and abnormal human movement across the lifespan.