Meghan Gradle and Benjamin Lamm were married March 9, 2015 at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, FL. In attendance were other IWU alumni including Amy Gradle ’12, Jennifer Bjorklund ’15 and Kevin Roenitz ’15.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Today is All in for Wesleyan 2015! All gifts made today will be matched by an anonymous donor (up to $75,000).
And this year, there’s a twist. Let me explain.
Gifts to the Wesleyan Fund support student financial assistance and also the little, but essential, things that create the Illinois Wesleyan experience. So today we’re celebrating these little essentials — the unsung heroes. Make a gift today and your name could appear next to one of these items for a limited time.*
Give today and your name could be selected to grace the hot spot, the WESN microphone, and other pieces of campus that will be announced throughout the day. (Learn more)
Give today and your gift will be matched by an anonymous donor.
Give today and show that you’re proud to be a Titan!
Music by Bregman ’14 Selected for Documentary
Music composed by Katie Bregman ’14 was selected for a new documentary on youth with incarcerated parents – combining her twin passions of music and social justice.
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!
Illinois Wesleyan University student Jenny Prochotsky ’16 has organized a project to distribute free fresh produce at pop-up produce stands in west Bloomington’s food deserts. So far more than 3,000 pounds of produce has been collected from the Downtown Bloomington Association Farmers Market and distributed through the generosity of farmers and the efforts of dozens of volunteers. “After studying food justice issues at Illinois Wesleyan, I was interested in putting a real-life framework to the topic by speaking to people who live in the experience,” Prochotsky said. Within one day of deciding to pursue this interest, she had set up the first pop-up stand using produce from the IWU Peace Garden.
As the project developed, Jenny received help from IWU alumni and staff including, Karin McDowell ’00; Cheryl (Baller) Philippi ’81; Michael Gorman ’10, Information Technology Project Analyst; Deborah Halperin, IWU’s Action Research Center Program Coordinator; Admissions Counselor Bobby Castillo ’13, and Manish Mandava ’14.
Alumnus Joe O’Brien has received the Hester Merwin Ayers Art Achievement Award, which honors a member of the Illinois Wesleyan University senior class for outstanding achievement during four years of undergraduate study in art. O’Brien is quoted as saying, “I see the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University awarding me the Hester Merwin Ayers Art Achievement Award as a sign of encouragement. (It’s an indication) that my studio practice over the last four years has developed well, and that I should continue pushing myself and my studio practice forward in the same way.”
Joe O’Brien ’14
Congratulations, Joe!
Read more about Joe’s accomplishment here.
Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Lexi Baltes was named one of the top 30 honorees for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year award in early September and was chosen as one of nine finalists for the prestigious award late last month. Baltes was originally one of 446 student-athlete nominees selected throughout the nation for excellence in athletics, academics, community service, and leadership. Through passion and dedication, Baltes excelled as a double-major in English and Political Science, a two-year captain of the IWU women’s basketball team, and an involved member of a variety of organizations and honor societies. The NCAA recognizes Baltes as an outstanding achiever on and off the court, and her standing as one of nine finalists reflects that.
Lexi Baltes ’14
The winner of the NCAA Woman of the Year award will be chosen on October 19th at an event in Indianapolis.
Congratulations, Lexi, and good luck!
Read about Lexi’s advancement to the Semifinals here and view her standing as a finalist here.
Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Kathryn Seibring was selected this past June as one of the first 50 Woodrow Wilson New Jersey Teaching Fellows, a competitive teacher training program through the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey. According to a recent article published about Seibring’s success, the fellowship program “recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math — the STEM fields — and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.” Seibring will receive $30,000 to complete a specially designed master’s program based on a yearlong classroom experience and apply what she learns through through teaching at New Jersey schools in need of STEM teachers.
Kathryn Seibring ’14
Congratulations, Kathryn!
Read the full article here.