By Adam Studzinski
NORMAL – Illinois State University is honoring actress Jane Lynch with an honorary doctoral degree during Thursday’s Founders Day ceremony.
Lynch graduated ISU’s school of theater in 1982. She said she hasn’t been back since graduation and it’s great to make a return to campus.
“It looks, to me, like the same. I know things have changed, but once you’ve got that quad and you see what’s around it and all the buildings,” said Lynch. “I feel like I’m going back in time and like I never left. It feels fantastic.”
Lynch explained the thing she’s looking forward to most is being back on the quad. She said she loved it so much she used to cut through the quad even if it wasn’t necessary.
Lynch said she chose ISU because it’s the only school which would accept her, adding the university has raised admission standards since that time. She said she wasn’t the best student when she first came to college.
“But everything just kind of lit up for me while I was here. My own kind of natural curiosity started to emerge,” said Lynch. “It means a lot to me to come back and be given this honor.”
Lynch offered some advice to future ISU alumni.
“This idea of having goals, and ambition, and just like a plan; let it all go,” said Lynch. “Let it all go while you’re young because it’ll torture you mentally and it won’t keep you open to what’s right in front of you.”
Lynch won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on the Fox musical-comedy series Glee. She is also the two-time Emmy Award-winning host of NBC’s Hollywood Game Night.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
