Inspired by her daughter, Sabina Khan ’97 shines a light on LGBT Muslim teen experiences in her debut young adult novel.

Published by Scholastic Press, The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali follows a Muslim-American teen sent to her parents’ native Bangladesh after they discover her relationship with a female classmate. The novel draws upon the experiences of Sabina and her daughter, who came out at 17.

It was listed on many anticipated reads lists ahead of its Jan. 29, 2019, release, and was included on a list of best young adult reads from Seventeen Magazine. It is widely available. 

Three guest composers and four alumni performers graced the Westbrook stage during Illinois Wesleyan’s New Music Cafe concert on Thursday, March 8.  IWU’s own Kyle Shaw, Bloomington native Edward Breitweiser, and Will Pearson, a U of I doctoral composer who has taught recently at IWU, are the composers.  The alumni, all of whom have careers as college professors, preformed contemporary art songs.  They were soprano Jamie-Rose (Guarrine) Knapp ’00, who taught at IWU several years ago; her husband, cellist Karl Knapp ’00; bass-baritone Seth Keeton ’98; and pianist Robert Elfline ’97.  Rounding out the program was a performance of Three Songs  by Northern Illinois University professor emeritus Jan Bach, performed by IWU professors Ingrid Kammin and Andrew Voelker.

Tuesday, April 3rd is our day of giving at Illinois Wesleyan and this year’s theme is
Think Bigger! 
Not only is today a day for giving, it’s a day to celebrate IWU and all of the things that make it special.  Last year, our class had an impressive 25 donors, and we contributed $3,252. Let’s think bigger and surpass last year’s donors and dollars contributed! Think of the impact this can make for IWU students and their families!

Click here to learn more and to donate on Tuesday, April 3rd.
Help spread the word using #AllInForWesleyan and take advantage of our social media toolkit.

How well do you know Illinois Wesleyan University?
IWU Crossword ANSWER KEY
ACROSS
4. Eric
5. Stevenson
7. Powell
8. Sapientia
10. State
12. Hedding
13. Black
15. Aflame
DOWN
1. Japan
2. Illinois
3. Memorial
6. Tommy
9. Titan
11. Female
14. Park

The spirit of giving is all around us this holiday season, please consider giving the gift of bright futures to current and future Illinois Wesleyan University students. Your gifts provide opportunities and experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime.

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday is #GivingTuesday, a global initiative to celebrate generosity and give back during the holiday season. Join the movement and help make bright futures possible for current Titans with a gift at www.iwu.edu/give today!

As IWU celebrates Titans Around the World at Homecoming this weekend, we will also honor our alumni who served worldwide as veterans and first-responders, including Captain Ryan A. Beaupre ’95. We will remember Ryan and all veterans and first-responders who have given their lives in the service of others and our country. Presenting the colors will be American Legion Color Guard Post 635 Normal and Post 56 from Bloomington. The ceremony will take place this Saturday, October 14^th at 12:45 p.m., prior to the Homecoming Football game at Tucci Stadium and will include the National Anthem sung by Wayne Messmer ’72.  Classmates and friends can view the ceremony on streaming video live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/iwu/.

Matt Mikulcik ’97, was promoted to vice president of product marketing at CNO Financial Group. Congratulations Matt!

CNO Financial: Matt Mikulcik

On May 8, CNO announced the promotion of Matt Mikulcik to vice president of product marketing. He will be responsible for the strategic direction of CNO’s distribution partnerships, market intelligence, and product positioning and promotion, the company said.

“Matt brings deep insight and knowledge of our customer base and proven strength in developing and implementing marketing solutions for key businesses,” said Gerardo Monroy, chief marketing officer of CNO.

Mikulcik joined CNO in 2012 as director of direct marketing and analytics, and most recently held the position of senior director of marketing and enterprise data analytics, the company said.

Before joining CNO, he spent more than six years at BMO Financial Group in leadership positions, most recently as vice president, head of marketing strategy and campaign management.

Mikulcik holds a master’s degree in applied statistics from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and risk management from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Executive Changes in the Insurance World

Participate in the Day of Giving — this Wednesday!