Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

NEWS RELEASE
DATE: October 26, 2010 PHONE: (217) 761-3642
CONTACT: LTC Tim Franklin
E-mail: tim.franklin@us.army.mil

ISU PRESIDENT SIGNS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE GUARD AND RESERVE
Signing recognizes importance of Guard, Reserve service to nation’s defense

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois State University President, Dr. Al Bowman, signed an

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support for the National Guard and

Reserve in a ceremony at the Bloomington campus Oct. 19. The signing ceremony took place at

the president’s offices in Hovey Hall on ISU and was attended by Dr. Michael Ayers, Illinois

ESGR Field Committee Chair; retired Brig. Gen. Jay Sheedy, Illinois ESGR Central West Area

Chair; Lt. Col. Tim Franklin, Illinois ESGR Executive Director; and cadre and cadets from the

ISU Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

“I want to thank President Bowman for signing this Statement of Support on behalf the

administration and faculty of Illinois State University.” said Sheedy. “This signing says that ISU

recognizes and appreciates the vital role the National Guard and Reserve play in the defense of

our nation here at home and around the world.”

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2-2-2-2-2 ISU SOS SIGNING

In signing an ESGR Statement of Support ISU joins with thousands of other employers

and organizations across the country in pledging:

• To fully recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-
Employment Rights Act (USERRA).

• To ensure managers and supervisors will have the tools they need to effectively manage
those employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

• To recognize and support our country’s service members and their families in peace, in
crises and in war.

“As the namesake of this administration building shows, ISU has a long-standing

tradition of support of our military,” commented Bowman. “I’m happy to sign this Statement of

Support to demonstrate that we recognize and appreciate the contributions the men and women

of the National Guard and Reserve make on behalf the citizens of Illinois and our nation.”

Hovey Hall, where the SoS signing took place, was named for Charles E. Hovey, the first

president of Illinois State Normal University. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Hovey

resigned from the university and raised the 33rd Illinois Infantry, a regiment organized in

McLean County and largely comprised of teachers and former students from his school.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense agency. Its

mission is to gain and maintain the support of employers for service in the Reserve Components

by increasing awareness of the law, recognizing outstanding support and helping to mediate

conflicts.

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PHOTO CAPTION: With Illinois State University ROTC cadets standing in the background,
President Al Bowman, signs an ESGR Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve as
Illinois ESGR Committee Chair, Dr. Michael Ayers (left), and Illinois ESGR Central West Area
Chair, retired Brig. Gen. Jay Sheedy look on.