The Base for Success

Redbird Magazine

by Lauren Hutchcraft

Former Redbird baseball player and successful businessman Craig Bouchard had a ground-breaking idea and Illinois State was where it all began.

“Business is a lot like sports,” Bouchard, a letter winner on the redbird baseball team, said. “I don’t see business as a job, it is a game. If you play hard and fight, you may lose a few, but you win most of them. I never had a job. I get to compete all the time like I did in sports. Business has been much like that.

‘We at Illinois State University work as a diverse community of scholars with a commitment to fostering a small-college atmosphere with large-university opportunities. We promote the highest academic standards in our teaching, scholarship, public service and the connections we build among them. We devote all of our resources and energies to creating the most supportive and productive community possible to serve the citizens of Illinois and beyond’ – the mission statement of Illinois State University.

A mission statement speaks volumes regarding an institution, and ISU’s touches on the strapping foundation the University bestows upon its students, before sending them out into the world to make a difference as alumni. Illinois State has had a long and storied history since becoming the first public university in Illinois, opening its doors in 1857. Throughout its time, countless distinguished alumni have moved their tassels from right to left and embarked on an incredible journey.

One of the many distinguished alumni is two-time Illinois State graduate and former baseball student-athlete, Craig Bouchard. An individual who accomplished more than he imagined, including two hostile takeovers on Wall Street.

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