Hi, IWU Friends! Come see a wonderfully gorgeous production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore featuring Michael Macaione as Robin Oakapple in the Closing Cast performances, 4/5 (2pm), 4/9 (7:30pm), 4/11 & 12 (8pm). Celebrating our 90th season, this year’s proceeds will benefit QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community). And this is old-school operetta how it should be done with a 24-piece orchestra and not a microphone in sight! I hope to see you there!!!

Check it out here!

Jennifer Clark, IWU ’94, now serves as Executive Sales Director for Metro Philadelphia, a daily news source designed for young professionals.

Clark started with Metro in 2010 as the organization’s New York Classified Sales Director. She and her sales team have cultivated a stable distribution model for the Philadelphia paper and established large online ad space contributions adding to the news source’s success. Congratulations, Jennifer!

THANK YOU for continuing to make Illinois Wesleyan one of your giving priorities.  It is YOUR support that makes IWU a truly transformative place for young people.  

Dawn McDaniel is directing “Schoolhouse Rock Jr.” for the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company Broadway Beginners. Congratulations, Dawn!

Holly played the role of Margaret in the musical version of 9 to 5 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, IL.  The show ran throughout October 13, 2013.  She has appeared in many Marriott productions.

On Thursday, November 7, Illinois Wesleyan alumnus Justin Ahrens will present his “Design for Good” lecture as part of the “Unraveling Inequality” Fall 2013 Course Cluster.  He describes the subject of his lecture as: “‘See Different. Do Different.’ As creatives, we are built to see the world differently than most. It’s one of our unique, innovative traits. We all say we want to be a part of changing the world, but how do you actually accomplish this?”

In May/June 2014, Justin Ahrens of Rule29, a strategic creative company in the Chicagoland,  will ride from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Michigan (1,000  miles) in a two-week campaign, Wheels4Water. Wheels4Water is in collaboration with Lifewater, a nonprofit working towards solutions for the world’s water and sanitation crisis. In addition to raising $40,000 to provide an entire Ugandan community water for life, Ahrens  will stop to ask for water and filter from natural water sources whenever possible. They hope to share their journey and the story of Africa’s water reality through a variety of media platforms and creative means. For more information about the ride or how to get involved, please visit www.wheels4water.org.

On July 17, over 2,500 alumni and friends made gifts to IWU totaling over $450,000. Unless otherwise specified by donors, all the money raised went to student scholarships and financial aid.  The “All in for Wesleyan” challenge began when Illinois Wesleyan Trustee John Horton ’82 and his wife, Joann, offered a gift of $100,000 if alumni and friends could raise $50,000 in one day.  When that challenge was met, several more challenges followed — and each was fulfilled.  Howard ’60 and Sharon ’60 Fricke offered a $10,000 gift if 600 donors participated.  Ed ’62 and Lin Phelps then offered $25,000 for 1,000 total donors.  Korey ’00 and Heidi Coon offered a $15,000 challenge for 1,200 donors.  Dr. Mike Sombeck ’83 offered $25,000 if we could reach 1,500.  Finally, at the end of the day, Dr. Randy ’73 & Jodie Reed offered $25,000 and Ed ’62 & Lin Phelps added $10,000 more to match every new gift, dollar for dollar…up to a total of $35,000 in gifts before midnight.

It was an exciting day to be a Titan.  The challenge became about so much more than numbers and dollars and donors.  It provided our alumni and friends with a chance to share their pride and explain how much IWU means to them.  If you weren’t following these conversations on social media, you can click here to read them now.  THANK YOU to all of our loyal alumni and friends who made July 17 an incredible day for our school and our students.