February 16th is Thank A Giver Day — a day when the Illinois Wesleyan campus community celebrates the generosity of our supporters. We celebrate Thank A Giver Day on February 16th because at this point we’re 70% of the way through the school year. Since tuition covers 70% of the total cost of an IWU education, it’s a fitting time to draw attention to the fact that outside support from alumni and friends of the University plays a key role in delivering the kind of educational experience we expect from our alma mater.

Last year, over 8,000 people made gifts to Illinois Wesleyan University and, regardless of the size, each and every one played a role in keeping Illinois Wesleyan strong. If you would like to take a moment to make your annual gift, we invite you to do so at iwu.edu/give.

Go Titans!

Mountain West Business Law, P.C. is pleased to announce that Christopher M. Unger has joined the firm as an Associate Attorney.

Mr. Unger is a native of Colorado, and has a B.A. in International Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University (2010) and a J.D. from Drake University Law School (2013). Mr. Unger has a variety of experience in litigation, business law, oil and gas law, family law, and wills, trusts and estates. Mr. Unger will be based in the firms new office in Loveland, CO.

Please join me in congratulating Chris on his success!

News from the Office of Alumni Relations:

“We are pleased to announce Adriane Powell as the Director of Alumni Relations at Illinois Wesleyan University. Adriane has been an adopted Titan since 2010, and has lived in the Bloomington-Normal community for over 30 years. She loves to meet IWU alumni where they live, work, and play. Adriane has experience working with a diverse group of IWU alumni and is looking forward to continuing to connect with Titans all over the world! ”

WGLT interviewed Senior Web Developer and Bike Committee Chair Michael Gorman ’10 on Wednesday, Dec. 17, to talk about Illinois Wesleyan’s recent Bicycle-Friendly University award and campus bike programs.

Please visit WGLT’s site to read more about Gorman’s accomplishment. Keep up the great work, Michael!

Christopher Brooks ’10 has self-published the novella, The Gertrude Threshold.

The Gertrude Threshold by Christopher Brooks ’10

About The Gertrude Threshold

Brandon knows today will be his last. He has been dreading this moment his entire life. Scientists had long ago predicted the year and the day when all living things, everything Brandon has come to know, would go up in flames – the day Earth hit the Gertrude Threshold.

For seventy years, Brandon had aged with the sun. He’d watched it grow bigger and the Warming fry the planet. Science was powerless to stop it. Plants withered. Oceans dried up. Humanity went mad. People sought safety underground. Radiation poisoned the world they left behind above.

Now, Brandon languishes on his deathbed. He looks after his grandson, Ky, and again wonders what survival left him with. Ky’s parents, John and Ellen, wander throughout the underground tunnels. Ellen mourns the loss of everything she and her child will never experience. Desperate to spend his final hours with the man he has grown to love, John abandons his wife and child.

Brandon, his family, and the underground survivors have no future, only the past, and less than 24 hours to reclaim the years the Warming stole while Earth begins to fall apart around them.

$0.99 – Buy on Amazon

Brooks works at the Chicago headquarters of Edelman, a public relations firm. Read reviews about his book here.

Please join me in congratulating Chris on his publication!

Greetings, Titans!

For all of you who attended Homecoming, I hope you had a wonderful time visiting campus, reuniting with fellow classmates, and making memories to last a lifetime. If you took photos while you were here, please send them to classnews@iwu.edu with names and captions. We will post them to your Online Class Newsletter. Check here to see if you or your friends were featured in the campus Homecoming Album.

We were thrilled to offer outstanding Back to College classes taught by our talented alumni and esteemed faculty. If you weren’t able to attend the Back to College classes, you’re in luck! Click here to view the classes available.

Alumni award winners, Kyle Pfortmiller ’92, Sean Parsons ’01 and Kris Condon ‘84 gave heartfelt tributes to faculty mentors and their alma mater at the Oct. 18 Homecoming luncheon where they were honored. Those speeches can be viewed here.

Please take a few minutes and give us your feedback so that we can make Homecoming even better. We hope to see you next year. Mark your calendars for October 9–11, 2015!

Go Titans!

Adriane Powell
Office of Alumni Relations
Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University student Jenny Prochotsky ’16 has organized a gleaning project to distribute free fresh produce at pop-up produce stands in west Bloomington.

Jenny has received help from IWU alumni and staff including:
Karin McDowell ’00
Cheryl (Baller) Philippi ’81
Michael Gorman ’10, Senior Web Developer
Deborah Halperin, IWU’s Action Research Center Program Coordinator
Manish Mandava ’14
Bobby Castillo ’14, Admissions Counselor

Please join me in recognizing Michael Gorman and commending our other IWU alumni and staff for participating in the city’s goal to provide better access to fresh food for residents of Bloomington’s west side.

Check out the links in The Pantagraph and IWU News.