FYI Magazine, Fall 2016

elmhurst college alumni news fall 2016 Office of Alumni Relations 190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296

For a full list, visit us at www.elmhurst.edu/events.

You also can follow us on facebook.com/elmcol or twitter.com/elmhurstcollege

events coming up

Save the Date!

The 50th Annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival February 23–26, 2017 Elmhurst marks the 50th anniversary of its renowned Jazz Festival with an all-star lineup including Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Shew and more.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend September 29– October 1, 2017 Reconnect with classmates, cheer on the Bluejays, and get an inside peek at campus life today. Mark your calendar for Homecoming 2017!

President Troy D. VanAken takes office and sets a course for the future of the College. elmhurst college alumni news fall 2016

Lessons and Carols Friday, December 2, 2016 Chapel Services: 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Alumni Cocktail Party: 8:30 p.m.

Celebrate the holiday season with our traditional service of choral music and scripture readings, then join us at a special gathering for alumni.

Imagining Elmhurst

fyi in this issue

02 02 WHAT’S NEW ON CAMPUS Homecoming 2016 Plus: A significant gift for the CPE, two beloved faculty members retire, and more.

12 THE SPORTS PAGES High Hopes Star baseball player Ben Havel hopes to close out his baseball career at Elmhurst with a CCIW championship—and then go on to the big leagues.

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14 FACE TO FACE Imagining Elmhurst FYI sits down with President Troy D. VanAken to talk about why he chose Elmhurst, what he’s learned so far and his vision for the future.

COMING SOON:

ALUMNI DIRECTORY!

18 UP CLOSE The First 100 Days President VanAken began his term as Elmhurst College president on July 1. Here’s a look at what he’s been up to since then.

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20 AN OFFICIAL CEREMONY The Inauguration of a President Elmhurst celebrated the inauguration of Troy D. VanAken on October 22 with a ceremony, a reception and an inaugural ball.

24 ALUMNI IMPACT Changing Lives The College launches an unprecedented campaign to fund scholarships for undergraduates and make an Elmhurst education more accessible.

29 CLASS NOTES Where Are They Now? Catch up on what’s new with your classmates, and share your news with us.

34 OFFICE HOURS A Global Perspective Mary Kay Mulvaney, professor of English and director of the Honors Program, leads students on overseas adventures.

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Elmhurst College is working with PCI (Publishing Concepts Inc.) to compile a new version of the Elmhurst College Alumni Directory.

Published every five years, the directory will help you reconnect with friends and network with fellow alumni.

In the next few months, PCI will ask you to update your contact information. The more alumni who participate, the more complete the directory will be—so we encourage you to provide as much information as possible.

Questions? Call (630) 617-3600 or email alumni@elmhurst.edu.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Imagining Elmhurst Fellow Alumni and Alumnae, On October 22, Troy D. VanAken was o≈cially inaugurated as the 14th president of Elmhurst College. In his first few months on campus, he has embraced his new role with enthusiasm and vigor.

One of his first actions was to launch Imagining Elmhurst, an initiative that engages the entire College community in envisioning the future of the College. All of Elmhurst’s key constituencies—alumni, students, faculty and staΩ—have been invited to participate in this initiative through on-campus exercises and surveys. To me, that’s what makes Elmhurst so special: that we as alumni are valued in helping shape the future of our college.

In this issue of FYI, you’ll read more about Imagining Elmhurst and about President VanAken’s vision for the future. We also shine a spotlight on the vital importance of scholarship support. Almost all of us benefited in some way from scholarships during our student days; now, the College is asking us to support the next generation of students in whatever way we can.

This fall, I am stepping down from my position on the Alumni Association board to take on a new role as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve in this role for the past four years, giving back to the college that has given me so much. I have enjoyed seeing many of you at alumni events, and I look forward to watching even more alumni reconnect with the College in the years to come. And I’m confident that Tim O’Toole ’03, our incoming Alumni Association president, will build on the strong foundations we’ve established and lead the Association to an even brighter future.

Sincerely,

Sarah (Kiefer) Clarin ’04 Alumni Association President

Alumni Association President Sarah (Kiefer) Clarin ’04 Members of the Board Karl Constant ’07, E.J. Donaghey ’88, Mike Durnil ’71, Ed Earl ’86, Heather Forster Jensen ’08, Dain Gotto ’06, Jacque (Kindahl) Hulslander ’72 and ’82, Jenn Kosciw ’10, Liz McKee ’11, Tim O’Toole ’03, Lisa Romano ’94, Bill Sir ’64, Dick Smith ’73, Rodney Stewart ’89, D. Vincent Thomas ’04, Frank Tuozzo ’72 Director of Alumni Engagement Samantha Kiley ’07, ’15 Associate Director E≈e Mores ’07 Assistant Director Amanda Gannon ’13 Administrative Assistant Pam Savino Office of Alumni Relations (630) 617-3600, alumni@elmhurst.edu Editor Margaret Currie Contributors Desiree Chen, Kevin Juday, Andrew Santella Photography Lauren Altiery, Jim Drew, Roark Johnson, Genevieve (True) Lee ’09, Steve Woltmann Design and Production Anilou Price

news alumni giving

A Major Gift for the CPE Elmhurst College Trustee Russell G. Weigand ’64 has pledged $2.25 million to support the College’s Center for Professional Excellence.

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Dr. Annette VanAken (left) and President Troy D. VanAken (right) with Russ and Joyce Weigand, who have pledged $2.25 million to endow the Center for Professional Excellence.

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or Russell G. Weigand ’64, Elmhurst College was instrumental to launching a successful career. Now, the longtime Elmhurst trustee and his wife, Joyce Slone Weigand, are making a significant gift to support the College in helping other students reach their professional goals.

The Weigands have made a $2.25 million commitment to create an endowment for the College’s Center for Professional Excellence.

Established in 1997, the Center helps students identify and explore careers, and connects them with mentors and internship and employment opportunities. In honor of the Weigands’ gift, the CPE will be named the Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence.

The gift “is a real tribute to the faculty and staΩ, and the value that we provide to students,”

said Lawrence Carroll, executive director of the Center for Professional Excellence and professor of business administration. “Russ understands that we’re doing something here that serves all majors—that we’re engaged to help all of our students, and alumni too.”

Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken announced the Weigands’ gift, along with several others, during his inauguration ceremony on Saturday, October 22.

“The College has no truer or more steadfast friends than Russ and Joyce Weigand, and their gift exemplifies philanthropy of the highest order because it shows their lasting commitment to our students and their success,” President VanAken said.

Additional gifts announced at the inauguration included a $150,000 pledge from alumnus

For more campus news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/news.

“People give because they believe the values of an institution coincide with their own.”

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and Trustee Edward Momkus ’74 and his wife, Betsy Goltermann; and a $100,000 gift from Trustee Hugh McLean and his wife, Mary Beth. Both donations will support student scholarships.

“I am deeply grateful to Ed, Betsy, Hugh and Mary Beth for the dedication and generosity they have shown to Elmhurst College,” VanAken said. “Their gifts will support our students’ goals and dreams for years to come.”

Russell Weigand, who has served on the College’s Board of Trustees since 1994, retired several years ago as co-president of Campbell & Company, a leading consulting firm dedicated to assisting nonprofit organizations in their advancement programs. He said the genesis for his gift began about 20 years ago, during a dinner conversation with then–President Bryant FYI/Fall 2016

Cureton about what it means to be a professional.

They agreed that professionals must not only be skilled in their work, but also be concerned about and engaged in serving the greater good.

“That morphed into Bryant’s idea of a Center for Professional Excellence as a program that would help a student become a professional in all aspects of his or her life,” he said.

Weigand said he has been gratified to watch the CPE’s evolution into a center that brings together and integrates diΩerent aspects of the College, including not only career guidance resources but also the Honors Program and study-away and service-learning opportunities.

“It all made a lot of sense to me, all of the things that have become part of the Center,” he said. “The way it integrates liberal arts and professional preparation makes it one of the most

distinctive parts of Elmhurst College.”

Weigand said he hopes his gift will encourage more students to engage with the Center for Professional Excellence, and that it also will encourage more alumni and friends to support the CPE and the College as a whole.

“People give because they believe the values of an institution coincide with their own,” Weigand said. “That’s my testimony for my gift.

I owe Elmhurst a lot. I got my education here, I met my first wife here, and Elmhurst launched me in my career. What I hope is that others will think creatively about how they can fulfill their own personal commitments.”

news homecoming

A Celebration of Homecoming In October, more than 700 alumni gathered on campus to celebrate Elmhurst, reconnect with classmates, and cheer on the Bluejays to a decisive win over Carroll University.

Photos: Genevieve (True) Lee

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A highlight of Homecoming and Reunion Weekend was Saturday’s 45-34 victory over Carroll University. Prior to the game, alumni and students filled the Langhorst Field parking lot with tailgate parties.

See more photos from Homecoming at bit.ly/Homecoming2016Photos

Merit Awardees Honored

The Alumni and Faculty Merit Awards are the highest honor given by the Elmhurst College Alumni Association. This year, four more people joined the ranks of winners. The award has been given since 1962, with nominees selected by the College community and voted on by an alumni committee.

“The individuals who receive these awards truly embody the Elmhurst spirit,” said Samantha Kiley, director of alumni engagement.

“The awards recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in their community, in their career or in service to the College.”

The following honorees received their awards at a special ceremony as part of Homecoming Weekend 2016.

Elizabeth Dudek ’73 Distinguished Service to Society For 35 years, Elizabeth Dudek has dedicated herself to improving Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration—protecting the well-being of millions of Floridians in the process. For the past six years, Dudek has served as the agency’s secretary, with responsibilities including directing a staΩ of 1,600 people and managing a budget just under $26 billion. Her hard work has paid oΩ—under her leadership, the program has provided Floridians with the highest levels of care in the program’s history. Dudek also serves on several boards concerned with the health of Florida’s youth.

Rev. Robert Ullman ’71 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Robert Ullman has played an active role in Elmhurst College life since he graduated. A member of the College’s board of trustees since 2000, he currently serves as chair of the Academic AΩairs Committee and the transition team. He has also served as chair of the Admissions Committee, helped with the recent presidential search, and been active with the Niebuhr Center. In addition to his dedicated service to Elmhurst, Ullman has served as FYI/Fall 2016

pastor of Redeemer United Church of Christ (UCC) in Sussex, Wisconsin, for nearly 35 years.

Anna (Martin) Meijer ’10 Young Alumni Award From her job at Ernst and Young (EY), a multinational professional services firm, Anna Meijer reached out a helping hand to some entrepreneurial Elmhurst students. As Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) business operations and strategic projects manager for EY, Meijer worked with the Center for Professional Excellence to coordinate two international business internships, placing two Elmhurst students in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Meijer served as a mentor for these students, who both ended up working for EY in Chicago when their internships ended.

Susan Moninger Dr. Andrew K. Prinz Faculty/Staff Merit Award In her 25 years on the music faculty at Elmhurst College, Susan Moninger has been more than a faculty member—she’s been a mentor and friend to hundreds of Elmhurst students. Conductor of the Elmhurst College Concert Choir, the Chamber Singers and the vocal jazz ensemble “Late Night Blues,” Moninger has taken her students to perform across the nation and the world, including appearances at Carnegie Hall, with singer Andrea Bocelli, at the Montreux Jazz Festival and beyond.

Honors for Athletes and Boosters

During Homecoming weekend, the College was pleased to induct new members into the Bluejay Backer Hall of Fame.

Established in 1980, the Hall of Fame recognizes the extraordinary achievements of Elmhurst student-athletes, coaches, teams and friends. Student-athletes are considered for induction five years after their graduation (or completion of NCAA eligibility), and members are voted in by the Bluejay Backer Executive Committee.

This year’s inductees were: Ken Bartels Special Recognition Ken Bartels served as a senior administrator at Elmhurst College from 1981 to 2009. As the chief development, alumni relations and public relations o≈cer for the College, Bartels played a significant role in fund raising for all of the athletic facilities constructed or remodeled during that time. He also helped raise the visibility of athletics at the College through expanded sports information eΩorts and media exposure.

Just the fourth Special Recognition Inductee of the Bluejay Backer Hall of Fame, Bartels currently holds the title of vice president for College relations emeritus at Elmhurst.

Shannon Sobczak Larson ’01 Volleyball A three-time all-conference selection, Shannon Sobczak Larson participated in two CCIW Championship and NCAA Tournament squads (1998 and 2000).

As a senior, Sobczak Larson helped guide the Bluejays to an undefeated CCIW season, as the Bluejays posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the regular season and an unblemished 5-0 record in the CCIW Tournament en route to the team’s second CCIW Title in three seasons.

Sobczak Larson was tabbed as the CCIW’s Player of the Year, as well as earning All-America accolades from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (second-team) and Asics Tiger Team (honorable mention). The Bluejays reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament during the 2000 campaign. In her four years at Elmhurst, the Bluejays’ volleyball team totaled a combined 128-29 record, winning over 30 matches in each season.

Peggy Clemens ’16 Langhorst Legacy Award Volleyball The Langhorst Legacy Award is presented each year to a student-athlete who embodies work ethic, determination and a team-first attitude.

The award is named for Oliver “Uncle Pete”

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news homecoming

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Langhorst, a Bluejay Backer Hall of Fame inductee who starred on the Elmhurst football team and went on to a 35-year coaching career at Elmhurst.

A four-year member of the Elmhurst volleyball team, Peggy Clemens appeared in four straight NCAA Tournaments. Clemens moved into the starting lineup as a junior and played in every match over the final two seasons of her career, ranking as the team’s leader in digs during her junior year. In four seasons, she totaled 871 digs.

Class of 1966 Raises Funds for Scholarships

In honor of its 50th Class Reunion, the Class of 1966 launched a campaign earlier this year to raise funds for scholarships. With the goal of supporting 10 students through Light of Knowledge Scholarships, the campaign raised nearly $62,000 in gifts and pledges to celebrate the graduates’ reunion at Homecoming.

The Class of 1966 will continue to accept contributions to its scholarship fund and plans to raise a total of $100,000.

The Class of 1966 was formally welcomed into the 50-Year Club with a Saturday evening dinner during Homecoming. At the dinner, which was attended by 70 alumni and guests, the Class of 1966 presented President VanAken with nearly $62,000 in support of student scholarships.

For more campus news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/news.

Top 10, and a Best Value U.S. News & World Report, which publishes the nation’s most closely followed college rankings, has placed Elmhurst College fourth in the Midwest among colleges and universities that oΩer the best value for the money.

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ccording to the publication’s Best Colleges rankings for 2017, Elmhurst shot up five spots this year in the Best Value Schools in the Midwest category, from No. 9 last year to No. 4 this year.

For the second year in a row, Elmhurst College placed at No. 10 among 115 colleges and universities across the Midwest in the Best Regional Universities category. The rankings in this category are based on several key measures of quality, including student retention rate, assessment by academic leaders at peer institutions, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rates and the average alumni giving rate.

In the Best Value category, U.S. News calculated those rankings by taking into account a school’s academic quality and cost. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their U.S. News ranking categories were included.

“We’re very proud to see national rankings like U.S. News continue to a≈rm Elmhurst College as a higher-education institution of outstanding quality and value, not only for traditional undergraduates but also for graduate students and veterans,” said President Troy D. VanAken. “Our growing reputation as a ‘Best Value School’ underscores our commitment to providing all of our students with an excellent education for the money.”

Elmhurst College also ranked 10th in the Midwest in the category of Best Colleges for Veterans.

FYI/Fall 2016

“Our growing reputation as a ‘Best Value School’ underscores our commitment to providing all of our students with an excellent education for the money.”

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news on campus

Campus News 8

Dr. Richard Stanger (from left), Alexandra Dousmanis-Curtis of BMO Harris Bank, and Wally Lagerwey accepted the Founders Medal at a ceremony in October.

High Honors

Every year Elmhurst College awards the Founders Medal to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in philanthropic or personal service to the College’s mission.

Established in 1978, the Founders Medal is one of the College's most prestigious honors.

The 2016 Founders Medals, presented in a ceremony in October, recognized the contributions of Wallace “Wally” Lagerwey, the Stanger family and BMO Harris Bank.

A Chicago-based institution, BMO Harris Bank is the 16th largest commercial bank in the United States. At Elmhurst College, BMO Harris Bank Foundation supports a wide range of initiatives, including scholarship dinners, the College’s annual June Jazz outdoor concert, the Rudolf G. Schade Lecture Series, the Governmental Forum, and a Light of Knowledge Scholarship.

The Stanger family has a long, rich legacy at Elmhurst College dating back to 1891, when the family patriarch, Christian Stanger,

graduated from Elmhurst and launched a career as a teacher of music and romance languages at the College. Over the years, several other members of the Stanger family attended the College, including Robert, Class of 1918, who served as president of the College from 1957 to 1965; Richard (Dick) and his wife, Joan; and Dick and Joan’s daughter, Allison. Together, the family has provided exceptionally generous support for Elmhurst College and its students.

Wallace “Wally” Lagerwey, a former member of the Elmhurst faculty, played an instrumental role in building the College’s international education presence.

When Lagerwey became Elmhurst’s director of international education and oΩ-campus programs in 1997, study-abroad programs at the College were virtually nonexistent.

Lagerwey secured funding, primarily from Elmhurst alumni Lester and Joan Brune, that launched the program. He also led his own study-abroad experiences in Berlin, Amsterdam

and Warsaw through a January Term course called “Holocaust and Genocide.”

Today, some 150 Elmhurst students travel abroad each year.

Study-Abroad Grants

Three Elmhurst College students are spending Fall Term in Europe, thanks to scholarship support from the Institute of International Education.

Sara Wojtasik, a junior from Melrose Park who is majoring in English and secondary education, will attend the Middlebury CollegeCMRS Oxford Humanities Program in Oxford, England. Senior Ryan DeSalvo, a nursing student from Villa Park, will study at University College Dublin in Ireland; and Diana Puga, a senior from Melrose Park who is majoring in intercultural studies and political science, will spend the fall semester studying in Amsterdam.

Each will receive a $2,500 scholarship through the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative. The

For more campus news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/news.

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From left: Ryan DeSalvo, Diana Puga and Sara Wojtasik are spending Fall Term in Europe, thanks to scholarship support.

Institute of International Education, or IIE, awarded grants to Elmhurst College and 13 other colleges and universities, which then matched the grants and chose the scholars.

Elmhurst will award three more scholarships during the 2016–2017 school year, said Alice Niziolek, director of international education and oΩ-campus programs for the College.

A Prestigious Fellowship

One of the things Lee Borocz-Johnson learned during his semester studying at Oxford University in 2014 was that he felt right at home in the high-powered intellectual climate of one of the world’s oldest centers of learning.

Now the 2016 Elmhurst graduate is preparing to cross the Atlantic again, this time to begin work on a master’s degree in political thought and intellectual history at Gonville and Caius College of Cambridge University.

His studies will be supported by a $5,000 fellowship from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Borocz-Johnson was one of just 51 students in the United States to earn the prestigious award.

“I’m excited about going back,” BoroczJohnson said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to devote myself to studying full time.”

His master’s work will focus on the life and writing of Edward Hyde, an English statesman who figured prominently in the FYI/Fall 2016

political turmoil of the years leading to the English Civil War. Borocz-Johnson encountered Hyde’s work in the course of his studies at Oxford in 2014.

Borocz-Johnson, who studied English and philosophy at Elmhurst, applied for the Phi Kappa Phi fellowship at the urging of Dianne Chambers, a professor of English at Elmhurst.

During his undergraduate semester at Oxford, he was one of three Elmhurst students in the Middlebury College-CMRS Oxford Humanities Program, which is associated with Oxford University’s Keble College. Every year Elmhurst students participate in the program, joining about two dozen other American students.

Borocz-Johnson plans to pursue a career in academia, inspired partly by the example of his professors at Elmhurst and partly by his experience at Oxford.

“One of the epiphanies I had there was that I could make meaningful contact between my work and the concerns of the real world,” he said.

“I’m interested in uncovering ways to think about today’s political discourse.”

Lee Borocz-Johnson plans to pursue a career in academia, inspired partly by the example of his professors at Elmhurst.

news faculty news

Faculty News As curator and director of exhibits at Elmhurst, Rocca oversees the College’s acclaimed art collection. Rich in work by artists of the Chicago Imagist movement—a group that includes her Hairy Who colleagues—the collection has been celebrated as one of the best of its kind.

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Education Professor Therese Suellen Rocca Receives Wehman Wins Award Honorary Doctorate

The Illinois Developmental Therapy Association (IDTA) recently honored Professor Therese Wehman with the inaugural Wehman Award of Excellence—an award that was named in her honor.

Wehman, the program director of Elmhurst’s graduate program in early childhood special education, received the award at the IDTA’s annual conference in May. “We established the award as a way of celebrating developmental therapists who are excelling in the field,” said Benny Delgado, president of IDTA, a not-for-profit organization that provides advocacy and support for developmental therapists.

“Therese has always worked tirelessly on behalf of families, and in shaping professionals with families in mind as the centerpiece. We couldn’t think of a better person to reflect the kind of person who would receive this award.”

Wehman, who joined the Elmhurst faculty in 1998, has worked in the field for 40 years.

“It’s wonderful that the Wehman Award is about excellence in the field of early intervention— the work I’ve been doing most of my professional life,” she said. “I believe we need our best and brightest individuals working with babies with delays and disabilities.”

The School of the Art Institute awarded an honorary doctorate of fine art to Suellen Rocca, curator and director of exhibits at Elmhurst College, on May 16.

The award recognized her achievements as a member of the Hairy Who—a pioneering group of artists who emerged from the School of the Art Institute in the 1960s to create brightly colored, gleefully insubordinate and often weirdly humorous work that upended many of the art world’s more sober conventions.

The other members of the Hairy Who— James Falconer, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt and Karl Wirsum—received honorary degrees with Rocca at the school’s spring commencement in Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre.

“It is a tremendous honor,” Rocca said. “The School of the Art Institute was very important to my development as an artist.”

Rocca, though perhaps best known as part of the Hairy Who, has continued producing a body of work over the last several decades that displays her ongoing artistic evolution.

Her work was the subject of an exhibition at New York’s Matthew Marks Gallery in September and October 2016. The gallery also published a monograph on Rocca’s work. Also this year, she was interviewed by the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art for their oral history collection.

Convocation Honors Mary Pabst

A widely respected and admired member of the Elmhurst College faculty was honored posthumously during the College’s recent Nursing Convocation ceremony, which also celebrated the achievements of the College’s nursing candidates.

During the ceremony, held on May 26 in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, graduates took part in a traditional pinning ceremony, received a blessing on their hands, and took the Spirit of Nightingale pledge.

Posthumous honors were given to Mary Pabst, founder of both the RN-BSN program and the Nursing Master’s Entry (NME) program and an associate professor at Elmhurst College. Pabst, who died in April of cancer, inspired the inaugural class of Nursing Master’s Entry students to unanimously nominate her to receive the DAISY Award. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award was created by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died of such a

For more campus news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/news.

To celebrate Grimes’s career and legacy, more disease at the age of 33, to express their gratitude Jim Smith Looks Back on to the nursing profession for the care he received. than 100 of those former students returned to 40 Years of Teaching During her presentation of the award, Nursing campus in April to honor her with an alumni band Jim Smith was back on campus in late August to concert in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel.

Master’s Entry graduate Debra Rodgers highsee students return for Fall Term, just as he has Two days later, Grimes led one last end-oflighted the continual care and compassion Pabst been each year for the past four decades. the-year band concert in the Chapel. Her students showed not only her students, but also her But this year was diΩerent. Recently retired surprised Grimes with a specially commissioned Elmhurst colleagues and the community beyond from his position as professor of sociology after piece called “To Indomitable Spirit,” written and the College.

40 years on the job, Smith had returned to “She started the (NME) program with vision, conducted by Elmhurst alumnus and composer campus not to teach, but to attend the College’s John Robert Matz. determination and focus,” Rodgers said. “She annual start-of-the-school-year event honoring “What an evening,” Grimes said of the concert. worried about all her students and the Departdeparting faculty and staΩ.

“I don’t know how the students managed to find ment of Nursing to her very last days.”

Smith admits that watching a new school year Pabst’s son, Doug, accepted the award during time to rehearse with their busy schedules, but get under way without him felt strange, because they did, and I loved it. What a joy the past 24 the ceremony, which also was attended by his he had grown so attached to the College comfather, Dick. Later, Doug Pabst noted how much years at Elmhurst College have been.” munity over the decades.

Grimes’s impact as a teacher has extended the ceremony, and the students’ success, would “I’m not going to miss those panicky times far beyond Elmhurst. Every January for nearly have meant to his mother. when I have to get my grades in, but I am 40 years she has led students on two-week “The students’ hard work and all the eΩort certainly going to miss the people here,” said they put into it is a reflection of how much they trips to Jamaica, to work in the schools around Smith, who plans to relocate to the West Coast.

Montego Bay. Her students have tutored cared, and how much my mom cared about “One of the things that was wonderful about them,” he said. “I know that my mom would be Jamaican children and donated instruments and teaching at Elmhurst was the openness and the school supplies that helped launch and sustain proud of their accomplishments.” friendliness of the place. I met so many people band programs there. But Grimes likes to say who have become important to me.” that her students do more learning than teaching Smith’s attachment to Elmhurst formed on the trips. early in his time at the College. He arrived “The experience is based on collaboration,” fresh from his doctoral work at the University she said. “The students work with wonderful of Iowa, hoping to teach at a smaller, liberal Jamaican teachers and we share approaches. arts–oriented school.

There is always a lot of laughing and hugging.

“I was looking for [a school like Elmhurst] One of the things they learn is that music really from the outset. I wanted to be in a place where is an international language.” people got to know each other outside their little In 2009, Grimes was named Distinguished departmental silos,” he said.

Music Educator of the Year by the Illinois Music This year, to recognize his many contributions Education Association, and in 2007 she received to the College, Elmhurst will dedicate a campus the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching tree of Smith’s choosing in his honor. To help from Elmhurst. But Grimes said working with her make his selection, Smith recently toured campus students was itself a kind of prize. with groundskeeper Paul Hack, who pointed Judy Grimes Retires “I feel so grateful for having been part of my out a bald cypress near Old Main. Forty feet When Judy Grimes arrived at Elmhurst College students’ lives,” she said. “I have enjoyed seeing tall, the tree is able to survive droughts and in 1992 from a teaching post at Indiana State them grow into talented performers and teachers. floods alike, Hack told him. Smith was sold.

University, she found a music education program I look forward to seeing them touch the future “It’s a survivor, so that seemed appropriate,” he boasting exactly six students. in a positive way.” said. Even better, the tree stands just outside By the time Grimes retired from teaching in Smith’s old oΩice. the spring of 2016, more than 70 Elmhurst Smith made it clear, though, that teaching has students were majoring in music education, and been its own reward. hundreds of her former students could be found “Teaching gives you a reason to keep learndirecting bands and music programs of their own ing,” he said. “I got to be a lifetime student.” in schools in the Chicago area and far beyond.

FYI/Fall 2016

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bluejay nation

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High Hopes Star baseball player Ben Havel hopes to close out his baseball career at Elmhurst with a CCIW championship— and then go on to the big leagues.

By Kevin Juday

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en Havel has always been able to hit a baseball—the Elmhurst College senior owns a career .372 average and 94 RBIs in just three seasons with the Bluejays. But it’s Havel’s arm that may be his ticket to pursuing a post-collegiate baseball career.

Havel, who didn’t start pitching until his senior year of high school, threw 61 innings for the Bluejays in 2016 while posting a 4-3 record. In the same season, he posted a career-best batting average of .382 with a team-leading 41 RBIs. “It’s rare at this level that you have a player who could arguably be considered both your top hitter and your top pitcher, but it’s not a stretch to say he’s been that for us,” Elmhurst Head Coach Joel Southern said. “He has been a big part of our lineup since his first game his freshman year.”

A three-time all-conference player and an all-region selection in 2016, Havel will enter his senior season ranked among the Bluejays’ career leaders in multiple oΩensive categories. Despite his strong individual record, Havel’s focus is on helping to bring the Bluejays a CCIW championship this year.

“The goal for our team this year is definitely winning the CCIW championship, and then being able to move forward into regional play,” he said. “I firmly believe that is a possibility with our core of returning players.”

Havel’s skills have attracted notice beyond the Elmhurst campus. He’s played the last two summers with the Hamilton Joes, a premier college summer team based in Hamilton, Ohio. Competing against collegiate players from all over, including NCAA Division I scholarship players, Havel helped lead the Joes to a 2016 Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League Championship, earning all-league honors in the process. He tossed a complete game in the decisive fifth game of the championship series to earn the Joes the league title.

“The two summers that I've spent in Hamilton have been such a great experience for me,” Havel said. “I made some great relationships, and I learned a lot about baseball and myself as a baseball player.”

Now that his college career is winding down, Havel’s coaches have started fielding inquiries from Major League Baseball scouts. Southern says Havel possesses several traits that teams are looking for.

FYI/Fall 2016

“We have heard from a few scouts regarding Ben,” said Southern. “As good as he is with the bat, I think his best opportunity professionally would probably come on the mound. He was as high as 92 mph this summer, and he has two very good oΩ-speed pitches. His best-selling points are that he looks the part of a professional right-handed pitcher in terms of his size, and he has a low-mileage arm given that he’s only been pitching for four or five years. That’s a package that hopefully someone will want to take a chance on.”

Havel says he would relish the opportunity to continue his baseball career after finishing his playing days at Elmhurst.

“Playing baseball after my collegiate career is definitely something that I've thought about, and talked with some of my coaches about,” Havel said. “I look forward to having a great senior season both as a team and individually, and hope that I can continue to play baseball for a long time.”

“It’s rare at this level that you have a player who could arguably be considered both your top hitter and your top pitcher, but it’s not a stretch to say Ben has been that for us.”

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Imagining

14

elmhurst Troy D. VanAken became the 14th president of Elmhurst College on July 1. FYI sat down with President VanAken recently to talk about why he chose Elmhurst, what he’s learned so far and his vision for the future.

Photo: Roark Johnson

By Margaret Currie

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FYI/Fall 2016

Photos: Roark Johnson

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W

hat brought you to Elmhurst College?

I was attracted to Elmhurst primarily because of its strong academic reputation. It also felt like a good fit for me: Elmhurst was looking for a studentfocused leader, and that’s something I’m very passionate about. My wife Annette and I are both first-generation college graduates, and our lives were transformed by educational opportunities. My calling, and to some extent hers, is about helping young people during this very important time in their lives as they’re preparing to become the next generation of leaders.

At the same time, the College was also looking for someone who had not only an academic background but also the ability to raise funds—and that’s something else I feel passionate about doing if it’s going to benefit the students. At my previous institution, we successfully raised $70 million in a campaign with an original goal of only $50 million. A lot of people on

that campus stepped up in profound ways to make that happen, and I’m confident that the Elmhurst community is capable of doing the same.

What have you learned about the College in your first few months on campus?

I’ve learned that the faculty and staΩ are even more committed to our students than I thought they were, and that the College is even more beautiful than it seemed when I first visited on a cold, rainy day in February.

I’ve been impressed with the engagement of local community leaders in the life of the College, too. They’re passionate about Elmhurst College, and they view the College as a real asset. I’m looking forward to expanding our engagement with the community by continuing to present lectures and performances, by partnering with local businesses, and by connecting our students with community activities.

What’s your impression of the students at Elmhurst?

Our students are bright and inquisitive, and they want to do meaningful things in life—not just in academic and professional settings but also from a social justice perspective. In collaboration with faculty and staΩ, our students are grappling with important questions and preparing to be part of the conversation about social justice and equality. Those are important issues for our society right now, so I see a lot of opportunity for leadership in that arena.

What do you see as the top challenges facing the College?

Elmhurst faces the same financial pressures and declining college-age populations that are challenging institutions of higher education nationwide.

Increasing competition for students is causing institutions to struggle with enrollment and forcing them to be creative.

We’re also facing some additional financial pressures because of the uncertainty over whether the state of Illinois will fund MAP grants for students who struggle to aΩord college. We’ve made a commitment to support our students whether the state funds MAP grants or not, and we’re asking our alumni and friends to join us by funding student scholarships. Our students are simply fantastic, and their potential is inspiring— but like a lot of us, they need a little help at this critical point in their lives. That’s why we’re launching a scholarship campaign to make sure we can continue to help our students reach their full potential.

How about opportunities?

One of our primary opportunities is our location. Students at Elmhurst have easy access to a world-class city, but they also enjoy all the benefits of a safe, welcoming community. We already take advantage of our location, but we want to capitalize on it even further. For instance, Chicago provides tremendous opportunities for students to explore careers and internships.

We already do a good job in that area, but we can do even better. Chicago also oΩers a lot of cultural opportunities that really can round out a student’s experience.

There’s a strong positive momentum at Elmhurst, too. It’s not that people aren’t aware of the challenges we’re confronting, but there’s a high level of engagement among students, faculty and staΩ, and people are excited about the future.

FYI/Fall 2016

“Elmhurst is going to celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2021, which is five short years away. I see the sesquicentennial as a milestone and rallying point that can help us focus our vision for what we want Elmhurst to be.”

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In your first couple of months here, you launched an initiative called Imagining Elmhurst. What prompted that?

As I was getting to know the College, I could see that this community was ripe for community-wide, collaborative discussions about the future.

Elmhurst is going to celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2021, which is five short years away. I see the sesquicentennial as a milestone and rallying point that can help us focus our vision for what we want Elmhurst to be.

What’s the initiative all about?

The Imagining Elmhurst initiative is an opportunity for the entire community to participate in shaping our future. We’ve held a series of brainstorming sessions in which we’ve asked students, faculty and staΩ, and alumni volunteers to talk about strengths, weaknesses and opportunities facing the College, and even their dreams for the institution. We’re looking for ideas to boost our recruitment and retention of students, as well as our fund-raising opportunities—ideas that we can all coalesce around.

What’s come out of the Imagining Elmhurst discussions?

At each juncture, people had the chance to chime in on the ideas that resonated with them, so certain themes have bubbled to the top. Now we’re working with the campus community to turn some of these ideas into actual proposals. We’re not going to do everything that comes along, but already several concepts have come forward that hold some degree of promise. We’ll take the rest of the semester to look at proposals and see what makes sense, with the hope of putting some of those ideas into action in the next academic year.

What’s your own vision for Elmhurst in its sesquicentennial year and beyond?

When I think about Elmhurst in 2021, I see us in the midst of a successful capital campaign. I see an institution that has the strength—academic as well as financial—to go on for another great 150 years. I see even stronger graduation rates and employment rates for our students. And I see an institution that’s a model for community and alumni engagement—a place where our community and alumni are able to connect with students in ways that are helpful and meaningful to both parties.

The First 100 Days

Welcoming new students, digging for fossils, hanging out with a python— it’s all in a day’s work for Elmhurst’s new president. Here are some highlights from President VanAken’s first 100 days in o≈ce.

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A Visit to the Sim Lab On July 12 President VanAken toured the College’s Simulation Center at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and saw a nursing class in action.

During the class, students practiced their nursing skills on each other and on the Center’s life-size, robotic manikins—interviewing “patients,” taking blood pressure, listening to heart sounds and more.

The Simulation Center, a 4,600-square-foot facility representing a variety of health care environments, allows students to practice protocols and procedures safely and without the risk of harm to patients. “The Sim Lab was a big deciding factor in why I chose to come to Elmhurst College,” said Angela Gasbarre ’18. “It sets Elmhurst apart from other schools.”

Digging for Fossils On July 13 President VanAken stopped by Associate Professor Merrilee Guenther’s biology lab, where students Abbey Banas and Katie TiΩany were sorting through sediment from North Dakota in search of small fossil specimens from 38 million years ago. So far, the students have found mammal teeth, plant material and snail shells—all of which helped them reconstruct the flora and fauna of the excavation site.

The Elmhurst eΩort was part of a broader project based in North Dakota, where paleontologists are working on large body fossils found at the site.

Guenther noted that Elmhurst students have unusual access to research experiences, giving them a head start in the job market or graduate school.

“They’re not going to get opportunities like this at bigger public schools,” she pointed out.

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Back Into History President VanAken joined more than 30 Orientation Student Leaders (OSLs) on August 18 to take part in a longtime student leadership tradition—signing their names on the dark walls inside the Old Main clock tower.

Signatures on the clock tower walls date all the way back to 1899. “It was really cool to see all those names,” said Michael Petillo ’18, a marketing major. “For me to be with the other OSLs who went through this experience, and for us all to be together to add our names, was a huge honor.”

A Taste of Elmhurst Hundreds of students turned out on September 1 for A Taste of Elmhurst, an activity fair designed to introduce students to campus life. Representatives of 60-plus campus organizations and dozens of local businesses and organizations were on hand to tell students about opportunities to get involved.

One of the biggest draws was a petting zoo, which featured a chinchilla, a goat, several kinds of birds and an albino Burmese python. President VanAken even let the python hang around his neck—briefly.

A Welcome to New Students Nearly 500 young women and men arrived on campus on August 24 to begin their journey as Elmhurst College students. The day got oΩ to an early start with the Big Move-In, as many first-years unloaded their clothes and coΩeemakers, met their roommates and watched their parents drive away.

At the New Student Convocation in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel that afternoon, President VanAken o≈cially welcomed students to the Elmhurst family. During his remarks, he noted the “wealth of experiences and talents” in this first-year class, including ambitious entrepreneurs, a novelist, accomplished thespians, 177 intercollegiate athletes and “the fastest sandwich maker in the Subway where she worked.”

President VanAken urged the new students to take advantage of every moment of their time at Elmhurst, and to know that “all of us here—the faculty, the staΩ, the chaplain and deans, mentors and advisors—will be here for you throughout your journey, to help you reach your full potential.”

Getting to Know Our Alumni A series of Welcome Week events in September gave President VanAken the opportunity to connect with Elmhurst alumni across the region. More than 150 alumni welcomed the new president at events that included an Imagining Elmhurst workshop for alumni volunteers, a networking event for young alumni at a local pub, and a reception at the Metropolitan Club in the iconic Willis Tower.

FYI/Fall 2016

The Inauguration of

Troy D. VanAken

Photos: Genevieve (True) Lee

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Elmhurst College celebrated the inauguration of its 14th president on October 22 with a ceremony, a reception and an inaugural ball for students.

I

n his first 100 days in o≈ce, Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken engaged wholeheartedly in the community and demonstrated a passionate commitment to student success. So it was fitting that students played an integral role in his o≈cial inauguration.

Students marched in the processional as flag bearers and as representatives of student organizations. Students in the Elmhurst College Choir and a brass quintet provided ceremonial music. A student read the College’s core values, and another represented the student body by oΩering a greeting to the new president.

“Students are [President VanAken’s] first priority,” said Esther Pereira ’18, president of the Student Government Association, as part

of her remarks. “And he has already begun to take steps to make sure students feel comfortable and our voices are heard.”

That evening, students thronged a transformed Founders Lounge for an elegant inaugural ball with the president and his wife, Annette.

At the ceremony, President VanAken spoke about the College’s strengths and how they would enable the institution to not only imagine ambitious plans for the future, but also to make them a reality.

“Everything I have described makes me very proud to be part of the Elmhurst College community; I hope it makes you proud as well,” President VanAken said. “We have dreamed. We have imagined. Now we will roll up our sleeves and get to work. And we will make what we imagine into reality.”

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FYI/Fall 2016

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Imagining Elmhurst Not long after I was given the honor of becoming your president, I sought to give the entire campus community an opportunity to participate in shaping our future. I asked us to begin Imagining Elmhurst. Every constituency participated—trustees, faculty, staΩ, alumni and students.

It has been so gratifying to see how much creativity, energy, insight and optimism everyone has brought to this pivotal process. These are precious commodities that we cannot aΩord to squander, especially in today’s changing higher education landscape.

In going through these Imagining Elmhurst exercises, we are making a promise—that this institution will emerge a stronger and more successful one. So can we really dare to imagine? How high and how far can we reach? Can we deliver on what we promise?

My answer is, we must dare to imagine. We know who we are, and fully embrace our values and mission. Knowing what I do about Elmhurst College, I believe we are more than justified to reach as high as we want to—to dream, to aspire and to imagine. And then to achieve.

Imagining Elmhurst will never be about mere daydreaming and wishing. There is too much potential and opportunity here, and we are more than ready to reach for it with both hands.

I humbly accept the charge of being this College’s greatest advocate and its strongest supporter. I believe in Elmhurst College and am committed to its success.

We have tested our foundation and know it to be solid and strong. We have dreamed. We have imagined. Now we will roll up our sleeves and get to work. And we will make what we imagine into reality.

Thank you for beginning this journey with me today as we imagine Elmhurst together and reach our full potential.

Excerpted from Inaugural Address President Troy D. VanAken October 22, 2016

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Changing

Lives

A new initiative seeks to raise $1 million in scholarship support for students in need.

By Andrew Santella

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Sharing Her Love of Elmhurst When Natalia Bedtke ’19 received a promotional postcard from Elmhurst College back in high school, her first thought was, “No way.” Natalia had set her sights on a Big 10 school far from home. “But five minutes on campus and I absolutely fell in love,” she explains. “It felt like home.”

Natalia, a sophomore with a double major in secondary education and Spanish, is making the most of her new home. Among other activities, she manages the men’s basketball team (or, as she calls it, “a brotherhood of 30 guys who have my back”). She also shares her love of the College with new and incoming students in her roles as an orientation student leader and a student ambassador.

The grateful recipient of several scholarships, Natalia appreciates that without scholarship support, she’d be unable to attend Elmhurst.

“No matter what you do in this life or how long you live, you can’t take it with you,” Natalia says. “It’s about the imprint you leave. I’m so excited to make my mark here and to pay it forward to the students who attend after me.”

ndya Clark knows just how important a scholarship can be.

A 2015 graduate of Elmhurst now teaching pre-kindergarten students in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Clark says it was scholarship support that made it possible for her to attend college.

“I grew up in a single-parent home, so scholarship support meant a lot to me,” Clark says. “It’s because of Elmhurst that I’m teaching now, but if it weren’t for scholarship support, I wouldn’t have been there.”

Now, Elmhurst is launching The Power to Change Lives, an unprecedented campaign to increase support for other students with financial need. The College plans to raise $1 million from alumni and friends of the College to fund scholarships for undergraduates. The campaign would make an Elmhurst education more accessible for hundreds of students.

“So many of our students say they have a life-changing experience at Elmhurst, and no one knows better the value of that experience than our alumni,” said Joseph Emmick, vice president for development and alumni relations. “We are asking them to help us make that experience available to as many students as possible.”

To kick oΩ the campaign, a group of alumni and trustees has pledged to match the first $125,000 of alumni contributions with a gift of the same amount, thus doubling the impact of alumni giving. The College expects to announce additional challenges in the spring.

The campaign comes at a particularly challenging economic moment for college students in Illinois. The state’s ongoing budget crisis has imperiled Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding for students with the greatest financial need. If the state’s leaders are unable to resolve the budget impasse, some 750 Elmhurst students could be left without the needed funds for college. The crisis is jeopardizing some $3.5 million in student aid, Emmick said.

For many Elmhurst students, scholarships are an essential means to achieving the transformative benefits of higher education. Some 98 percent of Elmhurst students depend on some form of financial aid. Nearly 25 percent of Elmhurst students are the first in their family to attend college, part of a group that is often vulnerable to financial pressures that make it di≈cult for them to complete their education. Many depend on a mix of student loans, scholarships and burdensome part-time work to fund their education.

“Our students are hard workers, and they’re determined to make the most of their time here,” Emmick said. “We want to make sure we meet their needs, so they can complete the education they are working so hard for.”

Emmick said the College will use social media networks, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to engage alumni in a more direct and personal way than traditional campaigns. “We will have alumni volunteers reaching out to their networks on social media, to spread the word about the campaign,” Emmick said. A growing online “buzz” about the scholarship campaign will help multiply alumni interest and involvement.

“It’s an approach that has obvious appeal not just for younger alumni, but for more and more people who like the one-on-one authenticity and immediacy they find in their social media networks.”

One of the campaign’s first major events, planned for spring 2017, is a one-day online drive to rally support for scholarships. Alumni will be able to follow the progress of the campaign in real time on social channels.

Emmick wants alumni to have plenty of chances to hear from Elmhurst students who depend on scholarships. Alumni donors have always had the opportunity to meet the students they are supporting, but this campaign will also be connecting students and alumni through a series of online videos and conversations. The aim is to allow students to explain in their own words how important scholarship funding is to their plans for the future.

“Our students are truly impressive, and hearing from them directly is the most persuasive way to make a case for funding the scholarships that will help them,” Emmick said. “They are our best advocates.”

Endya Clark hopes her fellow alumni will support the campaign for scholarships.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if people didn’t believe in investing in the future,” she said.

“Scholarships are vital.”

Elmhurst welcomes your support. To make your scholarship gift, go to give.elmhurst.edu.

Friends and Mentors With a close-knit family and a tendency toward shyness, Estrella Vargas ’18 knew she wanted to attend a small college close to home. So she chose Elmhurst—and her world opened up.

“Coming here, trying diΩerent classes and meeting inspirational faculty pointed me in exciting directions,” she says. She ultimately decided to pursue three majors— intercultural studies, political science and urban studies. Even more transformational, she went far beyond her comfort zone and traveled to Prague, where her career goals came into focus.

In Prague, Estrella’s group visited the American embassy and met a diplomat. “I realized I’d like to be a diplomat, too, to help improve people’s lives through policy,” she says.

Estrella is proud to have received several scholarships and feels indebted to the donors who made it possible for her to attend Elmhurst and pursue her dreams.

“I’ve met such important friends and mentors here,” she says. “My European trip crystallized my studies and career. All of that was possible because people who didn’t even know me believed in my potential.”

FYI/Fall 2016

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A Passion for Advocacy Callen Williams ’17 has a commitment to advocating on behalf of marginalized groups and individuals. A native New Yorker, he chose Elmhurst College largely because of the College’s connection with the UCC, a denomination that has a strong focus on social justice.

“I was raised attending a UCC church and school,” says Callen, a senior. “Our pastor admired Elmhurst College and recommended it to me.”

At Elmhurst, Callen has found plenty of support for his interest in social justice. An intercultural studies major, he’s a member of the Black Student Union and HABLAMOS. He’s also collaborating with staΩ members to plan a student tour of Civil Rights landmarks next summer. “When we actually see these landmarks, it will raise our awareness and deepen our connection to these truly transformative events in our history,” he says.

After graduating, Callen hopes to continue his education and maybe even earn a Ph.D. His long-term goals include working with companies and organizations to help them reach underserved populations.

Callen says he’s grateful for the scholarships that made it possible for him to attend Elmhurst College. “Without scholarships, there would be no Elmhurst College for me,” he says. “And without Elmhurst College, I might never have found my passion to advocate on behalf of others.”

Why I Volunteer

“To Let People Know What a Special Place This Is”

Photo: Genevieve (True) Lee

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Lauren Saverino ’12 treasures the lessons learned and the friends made at Elmhurst. Now an elementary-school teacher, she does volunteer work for the O≈ce of Admission, passing on her love for a place “where everyone is memorable.”

Lauren Saverino ’12 (right) has served as a mentor to incoming student Rachael Gibson.

“O

ne of the things I loved about being a student at Elmhurst was that you could walk anywhere on campus, and you would always see people that you knew.

That’s Elmhurst: No matter where you go, you are with friends. I loved my time at Elmhurst so much that I want to be able to share it with everyone. I want to let people know what a special place this is.

“Not long ago, Elmhurst’s admission o≈ce connected me with a high school student named Rachael Gibson who was interested in elementary education and was considering Elmhurst. I reached out to Rachael and we exchanged a few texts and emails. She asked about what classes to take, what she should minor in—the kinds of questions most new students have. We really hit it oΩ.

“Like a lot of teachers, I have an instinct for helping people, for oΩering guidance. It’s what I want to do with my life. It’s really gratifying to help students like Rachael. We’ve all depended on people to guide us, to help us find our way, and it’s nice to think that you can do the same for someone else. I’m looking forward to staying in touch with Rachael and to helping other students, too.”

To learn more about how you can get involved at Elmhurst, go to www.elmhurst.edu/alumni.

Class Notes Let us hear from you! Send a note to alumni@elmhurst.edu or call us at (630) 617-3600. Better yet, stop by the O≈ce of Alumni Relations on the first floor of Lehmann Hall.

Births Kristen (Kastner) Kalsto ’01, and her husband, Mike, recently announced the birth of their first child, son, Maximus “Max” Bjorn Kalsto, on August 24, 2016.

Stephanie (Callahan) Donovan ’03 and her husband, Scott, welcomed a son, J.R. Donovan, on February 28, 2015.

Chris Foley ’03 and his wife, Amy, welcomed a son, Wesley Anderson Foley, on June 2, 2016.

His sisters, Elise and Gabby, were thrilled to welcome him home.

Christa (Nayder) Hill ’03 and her husband, Garrett, welcomed their first child, Bartlett Allen Hill, on January 10, 2016.

Lisa M. (Berghuis) Ly ’03 and her husband, Philip C. Ly, welcomed their first child, daughter Annalise Lydia, on May 11, 2016.

Heather (Finn) Teliga ’05 and Justin Teliga ’04 welcomed a baby boy, Liam Richard Teliga, on April 13, 2016.

Kevin Capps ’09 and his wife, Amy, welcomed a son, Jonathan Michael Capps, on February 23, 2016.

Marriages Lisa M. Berghuis ’03 married Philip C. Ly on October 5, 2012.

Jason Parish ’05 married Laura Miller on June 20, 2016. Elmhurst alumni who attended the wedding include Mike Falasz ’06, Mandi Heiser ’06, Dain Gotto ’06, Becca Rose ’05 and Ian Penrose ’06.

Adam Frank ’10 married Emily Klos ’12 on October 11, 2015.

Annice Coughlan ’12 married Jake Meding ’12 on August 20, 2016. The wedding party included many Elmhurst College alumni.

1940s Paul Krebill ’49 recently published his ninth book, Mr. Swensen. Set primarily at Elmhurst College in the 1940s and ’50s, the book also features scenes in Montana and Chicago. While its main characters are entirely products of his imagination, Paul says the references to Elmhurst and the College in those years are as accurate as his memory could make them.

1950s and 1960s Margaret (Essebaggers) Dopirak ’59 is the author of Missionary Kid: Born in India, Bound for America, a memoir about growing up in India as the daughter of missionaries.

Jacques Paul Klein ’61 features prominently in The Butcher’s Trail, a book by Julian Borger that details the International Criminal Tribunal’s

FYI/Fall 2016

attempts to identify, arrest and convict the 161 major perpetrators of the worst war crimes committed in Europe since the end of World War ii. The hunt for the most infamous war criminals was a di≈cult and arduous one. As Borger writes, it was the perseverance of the Tribunal’s prosecutors that ultimately bore fruit with the arrival of sympathetic o≈cials like Madeleine Albright, Wesley Clark, Jacques Klein and Robin Cook. Their decision to enforce the tribunal’s indictments ultimately shamed others into following suit.

Richard Behringer ’64 completed an interim pastorate at Custer Community United Church of Christ in Custer, South Dakota, on July 31. He continues to hike in the Black Hills, and enjoys photographing the flora and fauna near his home in Hill City, South Dakota.

Carol Chou Adam ’68 and her husband paid a visit to former Elmhurst College professor Dr. Armin Limper and his wife, Shirley, at a UCC retirement community in Honolulu last fall.

Carol, who received an honorary degree from the College in 1996, says her experience at Elmhurst continues to have a great impact, and Dr. Limper was a wonderful influence on her when she was a young student from Taiwan.

Alexander Rassogianis ’69 has written three books: The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Greek Immigrant in Chicago, Illinois: 1900–1930; Rainbow over Portland: A Spiritual Journey to Redeem Lost Love; and Return to Glenlord: Memories of Michigan Summers.

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alumni catching up

1970s and 1980s Jim Peters ’70 recently published his first book, Hey Batter, Hey Batter. After working in the financial sector for more than 30 years, Jim is now teaching at a suburban high school in Illinois.

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Two Years in Kuwait Marilynn Ward ’01 has had a lot of success in teaching young children to read with American Sign Language. So she wondered: Could sign language be an eΩective tool to teach reading to children whose first language was Arabic?

That question took Marilynn all the way to Hawalli, Kuwait, where she spent two years teaching first grade at the American School of Kuwait. An experienced educator and professional facilitator, Marilynn took an unusual approach to teaching.

“In a lot of classrooms, children are expected to sit quietly in their seats,” she says. “But in my classroom, there was a lot of noise. I used puppets, singing, movement and sign language to engage the children in the learning process.”

The approach paid oΩ. “The children came into my classroom barely knowing English,” she says. “When they left, 98 percent of my students were reading and writing at or above grade level.

Sign language was the key to teaching them to read.”

Now that she’s back in the United States, Marilynn is re-focusing on her online education business—and on her mission of helping children learn.

“My experience in Kuwait taught me that children are children wherever you go,” she says. “And all parents want their children to learn and succeed, no matter where they are.”

Gerald Curylo ’77 earned certification in January 2016 as a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) co-facilitator to teach mental health. His guide dog is dual-trained as a therapy dog. Gerald still resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Christy (Ryan) Herrenbruck ’82 was named the 2015 Employee of the Year at Deaconess Women’s Hospital in Evansville, Indiana.

Rebecca Parnell ’82 graduated in May with a doctorate in nursing from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

Her dissertation was titled Experiences of Nurses Who Have Failed a Nursing Course and Successfully Completed the Nursing Program. She now works as an associate professor of nursing and retention director at Southern Arkansas University.

James Magrini ’83, ’00 has signed with Routledge Press to author two new philosophy texts: Reconceiving Plato’s Socrates at the Limit of Education (2016) and Reading Heidegger’s Literature, Poetry and Education (2017), in collaboration with Elias Schwieler, a professor at the University of Stockholm.

Marilyn Alice Tuckman ’87 is the author of For the Love of Pumpkins (2014).

John Dispensa iii ’89 and his wife became grandparents for the first time with the birth of Isabella Marie Watson.

Pamela Kibbons ’89 became superintendent for Taft School District 90 in Lockport on July 1.

1990s and 2000s Kevin J. Nohelty ’92 is the new chief school business o≈cial for District 148.

Sharon Kalinoski ’94 & ’04 became a licensed Illinois real estate broker in 2015, and is a Realtor with ASAP Realty Inc. Sharon plans to establish a satellite o≈ce in the LaGrange area in late 2016.

Roberta G. Vondrak ’94, MA, LCPC, CADC, has worked as a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) for 19 years. For the past six years she has been in private practice in Clarendon Hills and Bolingbrook, together with her husband, Ross, a licensed massage therapist who retired from AT&T. Roberta and Ross celebrated their 40th anniversary this year and have five grandchildren, including new additions Emily Lauren and Jacob Ross.

Daniel Fries ’99, a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor, was recognized by Barron’s as one of America’s Top 1,200 Advisors in the state for 2016. With more than 15 years of experience, Daniel was named on Wall Street’s “Top 40 Advisors under 40” in 2013 and 2015.

He has also appeared in Barron’s “Top 1,000 Financial Advisors” and Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” in 2012 and 2014. Daniel and his team specialize in comprehensive financial guidance, legacy implementation, estate coordination, risk and debt management, and tax minimization strategies to accomplish a holistic wealth management approach. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, boating and following the NFL. He lives in Chicago.

Marilynn Ward ’01 recently completed a twoyear instructional contract with the American School of Kuwait in Hawalli, Kuwait. Working with a population of dual language learners, Marilynn engaged students through the use of puppetry, poems, songs, role plays and American Sign Language. She achieved her literacy goals, with 98 percent of her students reading and writing at or above grade-level expectations.

To submit your news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/classnotes.

Jason Churchill ’03 has been called to serve as pastor at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

Daniel Dorman ’05 is the director of patient safety for Advocate Health Care. He recently returned to Elmhurst College as an adjunct faculty member for the graduate program in nursing.

Scott Tharp ’05 published an article, “Using Critical Discourse Analysis to Understand Student Resistance to Diversity,” in the fall 2015 issue of Multicultural Education.

Henry Rauschenberger ’06 was selected to serve as articles editor for Volume 77 of the Louisiana Law Review.

Erin (Joyce) Jackson ’07 opened a law firm in Evanston with her husband. She specializes in business and healthcare entity formations, real estate, zoning and business litigation. Erin spoke recently at the American Physical Therapy Association's annual 11,000-member conference, and she is the author of a forthcoming law review article.

SteΩani (Schneider) Zavala ’08 and her husband, Luke, bicycled across the country this summer to build houses through the Fuller Center for Housing.

Anna Cramer ’09 graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an MBA in May 2016. In July she began a new position as development manager with Des Moines Performing Arts.

Bethanie (Purin) Gelement ’09 is in her third year of teaching kindergarten. Her husband, James Gelement ’08, works in the banking industry. The couple welcomed a son, Cooper, in January 2016, and recently built a house.

Tristan Hunt ’09 works as an IT specialist at Boston Consulting Group. He also plays amateur baseball for the Chicago River Bandits and has appeared as a top Chicago bachelor on the Steve Harvey Show.

FYI/Fall 2016

Allison Molloy ’10 was honored in August for earning tenure in Community High School District 128, where she teaches visual art at Vernon Hills and Libertyville High School.

She also printed and published her first book as an artist with her partner, Zeeshan Iqbal.

Andrea Cladis ’11 teaches English and history to juniors and seniors at St. Charles East High School. She also works part time as a professional and personal trainer, teaching high-intensity bootcamp classes, cycling and Zumba. Continuing to pursue her passion for writing, she is working toward an MFA at Fairfield University.

Her first full-length Christian book will be released in the fall of 2017.

Alexis Ross ’11 teaches piano to more than 40 students, half of whom have special needs.

Nearly two years ago, Alexis was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left her with a fractured right pelvis and left collarbone, as well as six fractured vertebrae, two torn eye muscles and massive bleeding in the brain, resulting in traumatic brain injury. Her recovery has been slow but steady. Alexis says the experience has sparked a new appreciation for students with special needs: “My patience was pretty good before the accident, but now it’s at a new, higher level.”

Deaths J. Paul Stumpf ’39, of Hamburg, New York, on February 1, 2016 Carole M. (Long) Weise ’39, of Turlock, California, on April 28, 2016 August Kluge ’42, of Liberty Hill, Texas, on September 2, 2016 Lucille (Mardaga) DuΩy ’43, of Northridge, California, on July 31, 2016 Helen “Jean” McKinley Popp ’44, of Columbia, South Carolina, on June 19, 2016 Paul Daussman ’46, of Villa Park, on July 20, 2016 William R. Kahn ’46, of Chuluota, Florida, on April 2, 2016 Donald Davidsen ’47, of Houston, Texas, on February 17, 2016 Lois (Rautenberg) Matheson ’47, of Friday Harbor, Washington, on January 14, 2014 Winifred (Schultz) Daussman ’48, of Villa Park, on August 6, 2016 August Molnar ’49, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, on August 30, 2016 Ronald Wilson ’49, of Hudson, New Hampshire, on March 13, 2016

Christopher Kirkpatrick ’13 has been hired as Elmhurst College's new oΩensive line coach and run game coordinator for football. He’s also finishing a master's degree in sport leadership.

Clarence Kohring ’50, of Centerville, Ohio, on August 9, 2016

Jenni McCarthy ’13 completed her MFA in theatre at Northern Illinois University this spring. She is now an instructor of theatre at the University of West Georgia.

Warren Meyer ’50, of Woodland, California, on April 8, 2016

Clare Bukowski ’14 graduated with highest distinction from Valparaiso University with a master’s in sport administration. She also helped lead the Valpo softball team to a Horizon League Tournament Championship.

Gordon L. Martz ’50, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, on November 25, 2015

Georgia (Levin) Robinson ’50, on May 3, 2016 Dawn Sieg Hall ’50, of Glennville, Georgia, on November 9, 2013 Morton Whitney ’50, of Lebanon, Oregon, on August 1, 2016 Richard H. Blankshain ’51, of Parrish, Florida, on March 21, 2016 Ruth (Boyer) Blankshain ’51, of Parrish, Florida, on July 12, 2016

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alumni catching up

32

John Floros ’51, of North Riverside, on October 27, 2015

Charles J. She≈eld ’56, of Spring Hill, Florida, on March 13, 2012

Alfred Paul ’63, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, on February 18, 2016

Ronald Fritz ’51, of Carmel, Indiana, on February 14, 2016

Gerald Dean Trudell ’56, of Lexington, South Carolina, on August 1, 2016

John L. Mathe ’65, of Naperville, on November 19, 2015

Charles Hartman ’51, of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, on February 11, 2015

Burt Dannov ’57, of San Jacinto, California, on February 22, 2016

Diane Foster-Montero ’66, of Elk Grove Village, on June 2, 2016

William Hinckley ’51, of Atlanta, Georgia, on May 24, 2016

Marilyn (Rappuhn) Gale ’57, of Westerville, Ohio, on May 13, 2016

Daniel B. Mell ’66, of Las Vegas, on November 18, 2015

Carl Metzger ’51, of Tucson, Arizona, on November 8, 2015

Marion Pocker ’57, of Woodbury, Minnesota, on May 4, 2016

Albert Sponzilli ’66, of Aurora, on November 15, 2015

Zoltan Morvay ’51, of Bradenton, Florida, on May 16, 2016

William “Bob” Smith ’57, of Chicago, on June 19, 2016

Suzanne (Martschinke) Kouns ’66, of Glen Ellyn, on May 27, 2016

Glenn E. Rhodes ’51, of Battle Creek, Michigan, on November 22, 2015

Bernard P. Carolan ’59, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on February 4, 2016

Anna Allison ’69, of Mattoon, on April 15, 2016

Norris Dougherty ’52, of Rockford, on October 5, 2014

Norman E. Lenz ’59, of Winfield, on May 5, 2016

Robert Quackenbush ’69, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in 2015

Richard N. Barry ’53, of Napoleon, Ohio, on June 16, 2016

Muriel (Weeks) Bednarek ’60, of Mesa, Arizona, in April 2016

John Rooney ’69, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on June 4, 2016

Alan Ferguson ’53, on February 18, 2016

Gertrude Scheible ’60, of St. Louis, on February 29, 2016

James Konrad ’53, of Washington, Missouri, on April 25, 2016

Wayne Gatzke ’61, of Dillsboro, Indiana, on October 29, 2015

Richard Brueseke ’54, of Owensville, Missouri, on August 31, 2016

Norman Hill ’61, of Sun Lakes, Arizona, on May 4, 2015

Mary Bullock ’54, of Geneva, on August 20, 2016

Georgia (Barnes) Jenkins ’61, of Freeport, on August 15, 2016

Shirley (Heck) Fisher ’54, of Homewood, Illinois

Ronald Koeppl ’61, of Geneva, on March 10, 2016

James Gleason Bauer ’55, of Elmhurst, in January 2016

Roger Paldauf ’61, of Algonquin, on February 6, 2016

Robert Johnson ’55, of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, on May 17, 2016

David Parker ’61, of Riverside, on December 15, 2014

Thomas McLean ’72, of Fort Myers, Florida, on August 16, 2015

John Bartmann ’56, of Denver, Colorado, on July 17, 2012

John Panagakos ’61, of Oak Brook, on April 2, 2012

Peter Osebre ’72, of Dover, New Jersey, on March 14, 2016

Elroy Brittain ’56, of Las Vegas, on August 20, 2012

Richard Winkelman ’61, of Chicago, on August 16, 2015

Rowena (Bonde) Pro≈tt ’72, of Glenwood, West Virginia

Gaylord Hinman ’56, of Wheaton, on December 14, 2014

Ronald Maxon ’62, of Newton, on May 2, 2016

James Quilty ’72, of LaGrange Park, in January 2016

Marilyn (Dimmitt) Nolte ’56, of Weems, Virginia, on July 11, 2016

Harry Petersen ’62, of Advance, North Carolina, on June 30, 2016 Virginia (Pemberton) Leibner-Amen ’63, of Chesterfield, Missouri, on January 19, 2016

Marcia (Mahn) Weaver ’69, of Dubuque, Iowa, on January 12, 2016 Dolores Brewington McMillan Trimiar ’70, of Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2015 Martin Zupan ’70, of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, on January 1, 2016 Paul Barnett ’71, of Venice, Florida, on February 9, 2016 Richard Hotz ’71, of Mission, Texas, on July 8, 2016 Patricia Bell Palmer ’71, on August 9, 2016

Daryl A. (Fox) Florio ’74, of Clearwater, Florida, on April 20, 2016

For more alumni news, go to www.elmhurst.edu/classnotes.

Andrew Turner ’74, of Council BluΩs, Iowa, on May 5, 2016

Lisa (Bednarke) Pryor ’87, of Elgin, on July 9, 2016

Guyla (Lindsey) Kryka ’76, on April 24, 2016

Patricia (Schneeweiss) Chimack ’88, of Bartlett, on July 31, 2016

Claude Sinclair ’76, ’77, of Marlborough, New Hampshire Edward Wiacek ’76, of Hinsdale, on July 5, 2016 Patricia Wilson ’78, of Darien, on December 11, 2015 Louis E. Grassi ’79, of Chicago, on July 15, 2015 Margaret Kilroy ’79, of Schiller Park, on June 5, 2016 John Siler ’79, of Johns Creek, Georgia, on June 12, 2013 Shiela Rensberger ’80, of Oak Brook Terrace, in May 2016 Wenda (VanCamp) Stephens ’80, of Weare, New Hampshire, on October 6, 2015 Allen Edwards ’81, of Crown Point, Indiana, on May 25, 2016 Steven J. Brown ’82, of Darien, on February 16, 2013 Beverly Chamberlain ’82, of Riverside, California, on December 17, 2015 John J. Smetana ’82, ’86, of LaGrange Highlands, on November 18, 2015 Richard J. “Dick” Fontecchio ’83, of Bonita Springs, Florida, on September 8, 2014 Teresa Kaye (Ebright) Holliday ’83, of Sycamore, on June 12, 2014 Susan (Tolios) DeSensi ’84, of Bartlett, on July 2, 2016 Kendall Fliehler ’84, of Oak Park, on May 13, 2015 Judith (Harper) Heider ’85, of Coral Springs, Florida, on May 19, 2015 Marta S. Vincent ’85, of Sycamore, on August 17, 2015 Deborah E. Patrick ’86, of Wheaton, on December 14, 2015 FYI/Fall 2016

Alice (Wlodarski) Vander Veen ’88, of Orland Park, on November 1, 2014 Tracy Bucciarelli ’91, of Indian Head Park, on August 10, 2016 Barbara Lynn (Hudgins) Rogers ’91, of Shreveport, Louisiana, on June 16, 2016 Arthur McGinnis ’95, of Schiller Park, on March 14, 2015 Lisa Johnson ’97, of Lombard, on June 27, 2016 Roosevelt “Rosie” Gallion ’07, of Chicago, on May 11, 2016 Peggy Ann Brainerd Way of Nashville, an adjunct faculty member at Elmhurst College and a longtime professor at Eden Seminary, on July 9, 2016

Writing a New Career Alexander Rassogianis ’69 always wanted to be a writer. But his career, first as a high school history teacher and then as a labor investigator for the U.S. government, didn’t leave him much time.

So when Alex retired in 2011, he devoted himself to writing full time.

His first book, Return to Glenlord: Memories of Michigan Summers, was published in 2013, followed two years later by The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Greek Immigrant in Chicago, Illinois: 1900–1930. Now, he’s gearing up for the publication of his third book, Rainbow over Portland.

Alex’s first two books are works of nonfiction that draw on the experiences of Greek immigrants to this country, tapping into his own childhood memories and telling the stories of Greek businesses. His third book, on the other hand, is a novel.

“It’s about a guy from Chicago who meets a girl from Ireland on the train to Seattle,” he says. “She gets oΩ the train in Portland, but they keep trying to get together. Eventually it evolves into a story of deception, betrayal and murder.”

Alex says his roots as a writer go back all the way to Elmhurst. “As a history and political science major, I was writing 30-page papers all the time,” he recalls. “By the time I graduated, I knew how to write.”

Today, Alex volunteers at the College as a mentor to current students.

“Elmhurst had a big influence on my life,” he explains. “So it’s a pleasure to give back.”

33

faculty o≈ce hours

A Global Perspective Interview by Megan Kirby

34

Mary Kay Mulvaney fell in love with international travel on a study-abroad experience in England during her own college years. Today, as an English professor and director of the Honors Program at Elmhurst, she regularly leads students on overseas adventures. Here, she talks about the importance of seeing the world.

What are some of the most memorable moments of your trips with students?

On one trip, we arrived in Paris and everyone was tired after a long day of travel. We got there, we got settled in the hotel. This was in January, so it was cold but not as touristy. We walked over to the Seine, and the sun was just starting to set against the backdrop behind the EiΩel Tower. It was so iconic—just a magical moment. I remember that sense of awe.

Some of the most powerful moments have occurred during the course on the Holocaust. The emotional impact of walking through some of the former concentration camps and having face-to-face time in a small setting with a survivor, or the child of a survivor—it’s so powerful for the students to experience.

What do you try to impress upon your students during these trips?

I’m trying to get students to think about worlds beyond what they immediately know—to challenge them to understand that there’s not just one way to go through this life. The more experiences you have with diΩerent cultures, the more you understand.

What draws you to traveling?

I travel in order to get insights into the way other people live. It’s always fascinating to me that each of us occupies one tiny dot on this planet, while simultaneously, millions and billions of people are living on other dots on the planet, in diΩerent ways with diΩerent resources. No matter how much you see, you realize how much more there is to see. Every time I go to someplace new, I get that feeling all over again.

Where have you taken your students, and what did you teach?

I co-developed a course called City as Text, which gives students the opportunity to study urban life in Europe. I’ve taught that class eight times—four times in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague; and another four times in London and Oxford. I also teach two courses on the Holocaust that take students to places like Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

In January I’ll co-teach my 13th international course for Elmhurst, which I developed with the support of the Andrew J. Prinz faculty development grant. For this course, I’ll take a group to Martinique to study the island’s journey from slave colony to tourist destination.

Why is it important for students to study abroad?

We can’t have forward-thinking, ethical leadership for our future world unless those leaders have a global perspective. When people have a limited perspective, they build up fears, they build up stereotypes, they approach the world with a very myopic vision of things. The results can be terrifying. The greatest thing I can bring students as an educator is to enlarge their world. We can read texts together, I can lead discussions, I can talk about things in a classroom, but there’s no substitute for actually going to a new place in the world.

As a seasoned world traveler, do you have any tips about packing for a trip?

You can always get by with less than you think you can. Less is more.

Don’t worry about repeating outfits. There are things you can leave at home that you think you can’t live without.

fyi in this issue

02 02 WHAT’S NEW ON CAMPUS Homecoming 2016 Plus: A significant gift for the CPE, two beloved faculty members retire, and more.

12 THE SPORTS PAGES High Hopes Star baseball player Ben Havel hopes to close out his baseball career at Elmhurst with a CCIW championship—and then go on to the big leagues.

12

14

14 FACE TO FACE Imagining Elmhurst FYI sits down with President Troy D. VanAken to talk about why he chose Elmhurst, what he’s learned so far and his vision for the future.

COMING SOON:

ALUMNI DIRECTORY!

18 UP CLOSE The First 100 Days President VanAken began his term as Elmhurst College president on July 1. Here’s a look at what he’s been up to since then.

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20 AN OFFICIAL CEREMONY The Inauguration of a President Elmhurst celebrated the inauguration of Troy D. VanAken on October 22 with a ceremony, a reception and an inaugural ball.

24 ALUMNI IMPACT Changing Lives The College launches an unprecedented campaign to fund scholarships for undergraduates and make an Elmhurst education more accessible.

29 CLASS NOTES Where Are They Now? Catch up on what’s new with your classmates, and share your news with us.

34 OFFICE HOURS A Global Perspective Mary Kay Mulvaney, professor of English and director of the Honors Program, leads students on overseas adventures.

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Elmhurst College is working with PCI (Publishing Concepts Inc.) to compile a new version of the Elmhurst College Alumni Directory.

Published every five years, the directory will help you reconnect with friends and network with fellow alumni.

In the next few months, PCI will ask you to update your contact information. The more alumni who participate, the more complete the directory will be—so we encourage you to provide as much information as possible.

Questions? Call (630) 617-3600 or email alumni@elmhurst.edu.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

elmhurst college alumni news fall 2016 Office of Alumni Relations 190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296

For a full list, visit us at www.elmhurst.edu/events.

You also can follow us on facebook.com/elmcol or twitter.com/elmhurstcollege

events coming up

Save the Date!

The 50th Annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival February 23–26, 2017 Elmhurst marks the 50th anniversary of its renowned Jazz Festival with an all-star lineup including Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Shew and more.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend September 29– October 1, 2017 Reconnect with classmates, cheer on the Bluejays, and get an inside peek at campus life today. Mark your calendar for Homecoming 2017!

President Troy D. VanAken takes office and sets a course for the future of the College. elmhurst college alumni news fall 2016

Lessons and Carols Friday, December 2, 2016 Chapel Services: 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Alumni Cocktail Party: 8:30 p.m.

Celebrate the holiday season with our traditional service of choral music and scripture readings, then join us at a special gathering for alumni.

Imagining Elmhurst