Category Archives: Events

John Wesley Powell Research Conference to Feature Pioneer of Acoustical Ecology

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Composer, natural-science researcher and pioneer in the field of acoustical ecology David Dunn will be the keynote speaker at the Illinois Wesleyan University John Wesley Powell Research Conference on Thursday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m. in the Center for Natural Science Learning and Research (CNS) (201 E. Beecher St., Bloomington).

The conference provides an opportunity for students who are pursuing individual research projects to present those projects in a public forum. Students will present academic posters, oral presentations, music compositions and art displays throughout the day. “The level of talent, variety of fields represented, high professional standards, and large number of student participants make this event a wonderful showcase for the university,” said conference chair and Professor of Music David Vayo.

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Illinois Sustainability & Wellness Expo on April 9

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Alpacas, solar energy panels and raising chickens in your own backyard – there’s only one place these all fit under one roof, and that’s the Illinois Sustainable Living & Wellness Expo. “Creating Healthy Communities” is the theme for this year’s expo, which will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center (302 E. Emerson St., Bloomington). The event is free and open to the public.

The expo, which is co-sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and the Ecology Action Center, offers attendees an enjoyable atmosphere to explore exhibitors, workshops, demonstrations, which provide resources to live more sustainably.

“Sustainable living means to discover ways to live healthier, not just on a personal level, but socially, economically and environmentally,” said IWU Wellness Director Missy Smock. “It is indeed about enhancing the health and wellness of all living things, and learning about the intricate connections between our actions and the planet.”

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Joshua James to Perform at Hansen Student Center

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University’s Student Senate will present folk singer Joshua James on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington). Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

The concert is free for IWU students. Tickets are $8 for the public and available at www.ticketweb.com.

Opening for James will be Illinois Wesleyan student Eddie Boyer, a musician from Normal who has competed in IWU Undercover performances.

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21st Annual MLK Gospel Festival at Illinois Wesleyan Jan. 17

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The twenty-first annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Gospel Festival will be held on Monday, Jan. 17 at Illinois Wesleyan University.  Free and open to the public, the event will run from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 Park St., Bloomington).

The celebration in honor of the birth of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., will include performances by the United Community Gospel Singers Mass Choir, Gayles Memorial Mass Choir (Aurora, Ill.), the Fantastic Jones Family (Springfield, Ill.), the Mt. Pisgah Adult Choir, Praise Dancers and Sunbeam Choir, Union Baptist Church Adult Choir, Integrity Singers (Peoria, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan Chapel Gospel Choir, Illinois State Interdenominational Youth Choir.

Also performing will be the Loving Missionary Baptist Choir, JAM Production Choir, Boys and Girls Club Choir, Crosswinds Prairie Dance Team, The Hour of Deliverance Youth Choir, and the City of Refuge Adult Choir.

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Civil Rights Scholar to Speak at Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellowship Dinner

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Civil Rights scholar and author Bob Zellner will be the keynote speaker at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellowship Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m.

Co-sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan University and the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington and Normal, the event will be held in the Young Main Lounge of the Memorial Center (104 University St., Bloomington).

Zellner, former field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), is the author of The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.

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AAUP President to Discuss Academic Freedom

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), will speak to Illinois Wesleyan faculty and staff Thursday, Oct. 21.

His talk on “The Future of Higher Education,” which is free and open to the public, will be at 4 p.m. in room C101 of the Center for Natural Science (201 Beecher St., Bloomington).

Nelson’s visit is at the request of Joerg Tiede, IWU associate professor of computer science and president of the school’s AAUP chapter.  Nelson will discuss the importance of preserving academic freedom in American universities, the central point of his latest book No University is an Island (NYU Press).

Nelson highlights trends in higher education such as a lack of tenure-track professorships and diminished faculty governance over areas such as curriculum.  He believes these changes are damaging to academic excellence.

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Helicopter to Appear in Tribute to Fallen Alumnus

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — This year would have marked the 15th reunion of Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus Ryan Beaupre, the first Illinois soldier killed in action during the Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a special tribute to Beaupre, the U.S. government has granted permission for a Blackhawk helicopter to land in the practice field near Illinois Wesleyan University Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. The helicopter will remain in the field for three hours, and will be open to the public for viewing and photo opportunities. It will take off just before the 2 p.m. kick-off of the Homecoming game that will pit the Illinois Wesleyan Titans against North Park University.

Beaupre will also be honored with the annual Ryan Beaupre ’95 Memorial Scholarship Run/Walk, which will begin at 9 a.m. at Wilder Field (400 Titan Drive, Bloomington). Proceeds from the run go to support the scholarship for an Illinois Wesleyan student. Immediately before the run will be the annual Kids Fun Run, which also pays tribute to Beaupre.

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10th Anniversary of Hispanic Studies is Call for a Fiesta

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – ¿Habla español? For the last 10 years, the Hispanic Studies Program at Illinois Wesleyan University has been helping students learn more than the Spanish language. It has aimed to help students develop an awareness of the Hispanic culture, heritage and history. On Oct. 9, Illinois Wesleyan will celebrate the anniversary of the Hispanic Studies Department during this year’s Homecoming festivities.

Alumni, faculty and friends will gather for a reception from 4:30-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Joslin Atrium in the Memorial Center (104 E. University St., Bloomington).

Spanish has long been a major for students at Illinois Wesleyan, but the program began to evolve in the 1990s, reflecting the needs of students. “Our program was growing exponentially with the increased interest in Spanish in the United States,” said Department Chair and Professor of Hispanic Studies Carolyn Nadeau. “Our needs were changing, as were the needs of the other languages.” By 1998, University faculty and officials recognized the need for Hispanic Studies to stand alone, and founded the program, which began in the 1999-2000 academic school year.

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Jazz Band Alumni Celebrate 40 Years of Swing

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The 2010 Homecoming at Illinois Wesleyan University is called Homecoming and All That Jazz for a reason. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Illinois Wesleyan School of Music’s Jazz Program, and part of the events will include the kickoff of the 2010-2011 tribute to the program in honor of the man who founded it, Professor Tom Streeter.  This year marks a double celebration as Streeter, who founded the Jazz Program at IWU in 1971, plans to retire at the end of the academic year.

Celebrations will begin with a Jazz Bands Reunion concert on Friday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. in Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington), led by Professor of Music Tom Streeter. “We’ll have four bands, with former students from each of the four decades performing. Dancing is definitely encouraged,” said Streeter.

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Illinois Wesleyan Hosts MUSE Undergraduate Literature Conference

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On Saturday, Sept. 25, Illinois Wesleyan University will provide 13 students from four universities with the opportunity to present undergraduate work in literature during the sixth annual MUSE Undergraduate Literature Conference. The event will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the first of two sessions to begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Center for Natural Science (CNS) (201 Beecher St., Bloomington).

Sponsored by the Alpha Eta Pi chapter of the international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta (STD) with the assistance of IWU’s Department of English, the conference will consists of two undergraduate sessions, an address by keynote speaker Srikanth Reddy and a panel of English graduates speaking on a variety of topics.

Reddy, an assistant professor of English at the University of Chicago, received his master’s degree from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and his Ph.D. from Harvard. He has been featured in a number of publications such as the Chicago Tribune and American Literature, working primarily in the field of poetry and poetics. “I am particularly interested in the intersection of critical and creative practice and the institutional history that has come to segregate these endeavors,” said Reddy, who teaches creative writing workshops and literature seminars.

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