Founder of Inspera Health and Director of Ed.D. program speak at Commencement ceremonies
At Benedictine University's 127th Commencement Convocation, 310 graduates were presented with either master's or doctoral degrees at the Rice Center on Saturday, June 3.
Lee Murphy, Ph.D.'14, the founder and CEO of Inspera Health, addressed candidates from the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Business during the morning ceremony.
Sunil Chand, Ph.D., professor and director of the Ed.D. program in Higher Education and Organizational Change at Benedictine, addressed candidates from the University's College of Science, College of Education and Health Services, and College of Liberal Arts at the evening ceremony.
Murphy has helped improve the health of more than 2,000 people during the last two decades. Recognizing that people with multiple chronic conditions are not well-supported by the health care and insurance industries, Murphy envisioned an integrated "whole-person" approach to patient lifestyle change. Inspera Health helps clients understand the need to improve their health, and builds on their desire to make changes in their lives through better nutrition, fitness, stress and behavioral and psychological health management.
Murphy earned three business degrees from Benedictine University: a Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership in 2014, and a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Behavior and a Master of Business Administration in 1991. He earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1985 at Valparaiso University and is a CPA, certified intrinsic coach, registered investment advisor and Illinois licensed insurer.
In 2016, Murphy was honored with the inaugural Service Award from Benedictine's Center for Values-Driven Leadership in recognition of his service to the University and the center's mission to help values-driven leaders develop themselves and others, build flourishing companies, and transform business and society.
Chand came to Benedictine in 2009 after having served for five years as president of the College of DuPage (COD). Prior to his tenure at COD, he was executive vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Cuyahoga Community College; vice president of Academic Services at Richmond, The American International University in London; and dean of Arts and Sciences at Triton College.
He came to the United States after serving as a faculty member and head of the Department of English at St. Stephen's College, a constituent college of the University of Delhi in Delhi, India, where he earned degrees in literature. He earned a doctorate in literature at Kent State University in Ohio, writing his dissertation on William Shakespeare.
He has presented at national conferences, contributed to numerous publications, and has served on many commissions and professional associations at the state and national level. Among those groups are the American Association of Community Colleges, American Council on Education, College Board, National Asian/Pacific Islander Council, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Illinois New Americans Policy Council, Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence, Choose DuPage, the DuPage Workforce Board, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc., and The Conservation Foundation.