Robert Cherry, '73, Brings Passion For Education to NIUAA Board of Directors
By Tony Scott
Robert Cherry, '73, was named to the NIUAA Board of Directors beginning July 1.
(Photo by Robert Cherry)
Retired high school math teacher, Robert Cherry, ’73, teaches math part-time and supervises student teachers as an adjunct professor at Elmhurst University. As a life-long educator, Cherry brings his passion for learning and for NIU as one of seven new members of the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors effective July 1, 2024.
Cherry joined the board because he wants to take NIU to new levels of success. He hopes to support efforts to increase engagement among his fellow alumni and from students.
“I want to help direct the NIUAA to fully engage the more than 180,000 alumni especially in the Chicago suburbs as well as DeKalb,” he said. “I also want to see a huge improvement of undergrads supporting sports or music by attending events. I see too many vacant seats, undergrads. Come on out and show your Huskie pride!”
As an alumnus, Cherry has participated in a variety of alumni events, and he and his wife, fellow NIU grad Pamela, ’73, M.S.Ed. ’77, regularly attend and travel for Huskie football games. He also reviews scholarship applications and helps undergraduate students practice job interview skills.
“I've participated along with my wife because I wanted to make NIU a better place for all in the future,” he said.
Cherry said he wanted to become a teacher and majored in math at NIU because he wanted to make a difference in students’ lives.
“I had some boring math teachers in my time and wanted to have kids appreciate math using humor and real-life applications in their lives,” he said. “I wanted to help students learn math, which can be a very difficult, challenging subject to master.”
In addition to teaching at Elmhurst University, Cherry has taught math at NIU, Wheaton College, Triton College, and College of DuPage and taught high school students at Northwestern University’s talented student summer school program.
During his time as a high school teacher, Cherry was the math department chairman at Wheaton Warrenville South High School and was also the boys’ varsity tennis coach at the school. He taught high school in Wheaton from 1978 until 2009. He was also math department chair at Oak Park and River Forest High School after leaving Wheaton. Prior to his tenure as a high school math teacher, he taught junior high school math.
“I taught for 36 years and coached boys’ tennis for 29 seasons, having over 100 state qualifiers,” he said.
Cherry's teaching and coaching expertise will bring to the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors the ability to inspire and guide others toward achieving their indivual and collective goals.
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