Category Archives: Events

McPherson Theatre to Present The Children’s Hour

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan School of Theatre Arts will present the 1930s drama The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman. Performances will take place Tuesday, Sept 27 until Saturday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. A matinee performance will be held Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. All shows will take place in the University’s McPherson Theatre (2 Ames Plaza East, Bloomington).

First staged on Broadway in 1934, The Children’s Hour takes place at an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. When Mary Tilford, one of the young school attendants, runs away and does not wish to return, she convinces her grandmother that the two headmistresses are engaged in a love affair. Her secret spreads throughout the school and community, destroying the lives and reputations of Karen and Martha. Under the direction of IWU Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Thomas Quinn, the cast and crew of The Children’s Hour work to address the fierce potential of secrets kept not only from others, but from ourselves as well.

Homecoming: Lights, Camera, Action Oct. 21-23

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – It will be a year to honor those who work behind the scenes and take the stage at Illinois Wesleyan University’s 2011 Homecoming: Lights, Camera, Action from Oct. 21-23. Events below are free and open to the public.

The new DreamWorks Animation movie Puss in Boots will have a special screening at Illinois Wesleyan University before it hits movie theaters, thanks to alumnus Bill Damaschke ’85, chief creative officer of the animation company responsible for the enormously successful Shrek and Kung Fu Panda films. Damaschke, who will also be honored at this year’s Homecoming as the distinguished alumnus, will host a screening of the movie at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington).

Celebrate Your Roots with an IWU Family Weekend

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University welcomes families to celebrate their “roots” during the Tree-themed Family Weekend, which will take place Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 18.

Online registration will be open until Friday, September 10. The cost per guest is $18. To register, visit http://www.iwu.edu/studentaffairs/programs/Family_Weekend/registration.shtml.

Check-in for Family Weekend will be held on Friday, Sept. 16 from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 17 from 8-10 a.m. in the Hansen Student Center (300 Beecher St., Bloomington).

Among many activities, the weekend will feature Midwest Dueling Pianos, a musical comedy act known for entertaining audiences of all ages. Audience members will participate in the performance by providing song titles, from which the piano players create spontaneous and interactive musical comedy. The pianists may also invite some of the audience members onstage to perform in a song, dance, or skit.

University to Mark 10th Anniversary of 9/11

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On Sunday, Sept. 11, Illinois Wesleyan University will hold a Service of Remembrance, marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11, honoring the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day.

The service, which is open to the public, will take place in Evelyn Chapel (1301 N. Park St., Bloomington). At 7:46 a.m., the chapel bell will toll, marking the time the first lives were lost. At 8:03 a.m., a candle lighting and time for personal reflection will begin. The service of remembrance will begin at 8:37 a.m. and conclude at 9:03 a.m. The times coincide with the planes striking each of the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and the crash near Shanksville, Pa.

Members of the University Choir, as well as IWU’s female a cappella group, Touch of Class, will lead the community in song. Instrumental and organ works will also be included. There will be readings and prayers for peace and reconciliation.

“My hope is that this service provides the campus and community an opportunity to remember the thousands of women, men and children who lost their lives on 9/11,” said the Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger. “I also hope it will be an opportunity to renew commitment to ways of peace and compassion in a world where fear and terror too often hold sway.”

Parent Orientation Offers Tips on College Transition

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On Saturday, June 18, Illinois Wesleyan University will welcome to campus parents of incoming first-year students in the day-long Experience IWU: Parent Orientation.

According to the Office of Orientation Services, Parent Orientation will give parents and guardians “vital knowledge of the University’s academic and social aspects,” as well as answers to any questions or concerns they might have about financial aid, housing and more. Sessions like “Surviving Your Student’s First Year in College,” presented by Counseling and Consultation Services, and “Academic Life: How You and IWU Connect,” presented by the Academic Advising Center, are specifically geared towards helping parents and guardians become more supportive and effective during their child’s transition to college life.

Between registration in the Memorial Center’s Eckley Lounge and the closing reception in the commons area of the Center for Natural Sciences, parents will have the opportunity to interact with administrators, faculty and staff during a welcome ceremony led by President Richard F. Wilson, lunch in the Bertholf Commons and educational sessions reflecting a hands-on experience of what it’s like to attend classes at IWU. During the lunch hour, guests can also attend the Titan Fair to learn more about on-campus services like the Hart Career Center, Information Technology and Study Abroad.

Professor Munro Named Kemp Award Winner

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Political Science William Munro has been named the 2012 winner of the Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence on Wednesday, April 13, at the annual Honors Convocation in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall.

One of the highlights of the academic year, the Convocation is a chance to celebrate the scholastic achievements of the students and faculty on campus. The Kemp teaching award, which is the University’s highest teaching honor, is bestowed annually to a faculty member at the Convocation. Rene Shaffer attended the ceremony to represent the Kemp family, which has a long history of supporting Illinois Wesleyan.

The Convocation, which also honors students and faculty of national and international honors societies, included reminiscences from Student Senate Vice President Melissa Solis ’11, and an invocation from student Hillel member Amanda Packman ’11.

Guggenheim Fellow to Speak at May 1 Commencement

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s 161st Commencement will be Sunday, May 1 at 1 p.m. on the Eckley Quadrangle, with nearly 460 graduates expected to participate. During the ceremonies, honorary doctor of humane letters degrees will be presented to poet and Guggenheim Fellow Linda Gregerson and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Almudena Carracedo.

Gregerson, a 2007 National Book Award finalist, will deliver the address “Just in Time” for the ceremony after receiving her honorary doctorate from Board of Trustees Chair George Vinyard. The poet has an abiding connection to Illinois Wesleyan through her daughter, who will graduate with the class of 2011.

The Caroline Walker Bynum Distinguished University Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, Gregerson teaches creative writing and Renaissance literature. A celebrated poet, Gregerson’s works include Magnetic North (Houghton Mifflin, 2007), Waterborne (Houghton Mifflin, 2002) and The Woman Who Died in Her Sleep (Houghton Mifflin, 1998). Magnetic North was a finalist for the National Book Award, and she won the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for Waterborne. The Woman Who Died in Her Sleep was a finalist for both The Poet’s Prize and the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.

Comedian Burnham to Perform at Shirk on April 10

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Student Senate will welcome comedian Bo Burnham on Sunday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. to the IWU Shirk Center (302 E. Emerson St., Bloomington). Doors open at 8 p.m.

The event is free for Illinois Wesleyan students, and $15 for the public. Tickets can be purchased online at TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com.

An Internet celebrity and a fan favorite in the 2011 Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown, Burnham is a comedian, singer-songwriter, musician and actor, known for his comedic and satirical songs with a politically incorrect slant. He became famous for his YouTube videos, which have received more than 70 million views. Burnham’s first recording, Bo Fo Sho, was released in June 2008 by Comedy Central Records, and his first full-length self-titled album was released by the same label in March 2009.

Trombone Choir to Perform in Tribute to Retiring Professor

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In what might be a scene from a famed Broadway musical, a choir of trombones will descend upon Illinois Wesleyan University this April for a performance that will round out a yearlong tribute to Professor of Music Tom Streeter.

Streeter, who founded the Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Program 40 years ago, plans to retire in May. Several activities throughout the year have celebrated his contributions to the University, with the final event being an all-trombone alumni choir concert slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 at Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington).

Deciding to feature trombones for the concert was an easy choice for Streeter. He has been playing the instrument for more than 50 years. “It’s just such a wonderful sound,” said Streeter. “There’s nothing prettier than a bunch of trombones playing together. People might be surprised, because it’s such a mellow and very pleasing sound.”

Global Health Gala on April 3

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – FaceAIDS, Global Medical Brigades, Lamu Center of Preventative Health and Titan Emergency Medical Services will present the third annual Global Health Gala Sunday, April 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Illinois Wesleyan University in the Young Main Lounge of the Memorial Center (104 University St., Bloomington).

IWU students interested in attending the event can pick up free tickets to the gala beginning March 21 outside Sodexho. Tickets are available for purchase for $30 for community members or $225 for an eight-person table. To purchase tickets, contact Chair of Sociology/Anthropology and Associate Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Gearhart at (309) 556-3921 or at rgearhart@iwu.edu by March 20.

All proceeds from the event will go to the four sponsors of the gala, FaceAIDS for the funding of Paul Farmer’s work in Rwanda, Global Medical Brigades for their annual trip to Honduras, Lamu Center of Preventative Health to fund the center in Lamu, Kenya and Titan Emergency Medical Service to fund local healthcare initiatives.

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