New Student Orientation is a time for our newest students and our University community to start getting to know each other.
On that first day, as we gather under a big tent on the Mall, I learn about what our students are looking forward to, their big and little plans, and their families’ hopes for them.
Orientation celebrates the beginning of the relationship we form with our students—one that deepens during their time here, and that they’ll carry with them after they graduate and become alumni. The attentive stewardship of those relationships, one of our core values, is at the heart of this issue of Prospect.
In one of our feature stories, you’ll meet some of the leaders who bring boundless enthusiasm to New Student Orientation, providing an unforgettable experience that sets up our newest Bluejays for success throughout their Elmhurst experience.
In our other features, we’ll introduce you to Christine Akoth ’26, whose remarkable journey from a village in Kenya to the Elmhurst campus has been captured in an award-winning film. And we’ll catch up with Joe Rau ’13, whose experience as a wrestler at Elmhurst started him on a path to the Summer Olympics in Paris.
I like to think we’re traveling alongside Joe, Christine and all of our former and current students, continually inspired by what they have and will become.
TROY D. VANAKEN President
THE CLASS
From Aliens to Zombies: Exploring Identities in Horror
THRILLS AND SKILLS
THE PROFESSOR
Carolyn Ciesla
DIRECTOR, A.C. BUEHLER LIBRARY
First-Year Seminar students examine tales that are uncanny, spooky and just plain gross as they learn more about themselves, one another and what it takes to succeed in college.
THE ATTRACTION OF HORROR
I’m a lifelong horror fan. To me, horror is like riding a roller coaster. It gives us a chance to experience an emotion that we would not want to in real life. We have that adrenaline rush, yet we’re safe.
I wanted to bring into the classroom a discussion about the role of identity in horror. A lot of it is allegorical or metaphorical, positioning “the Other” and showing how we as a society deal with that.
I appreciate how different populations are represented in horror and how horror is used to tell stories of feeling othered, ignored, maybe misrepresented. Telling stories through atypical characters or situations lets people approach the message from a different angle.
RESOURCES AND REFLECTION
Because the course is a First-Year Seminar, we also spend time examining how to be a college student, with a focus on time management, note-taking, the resources available on a college campus. The idea was: What if they could get all of that information but still talk about werewolves and zombies and aliens?
The class is also an introduction to literary lenses. We talk about examining stories through a gender lens, a feminist lens, and racial and ethnic identity lenses. Students reflect on the idea of identity in their own lives. Where do you fit in the world? Is there a horror story that helps you talk about how you operate?
ADAPTING TO CHANGE
I’ve organized the class into nine types of horror. We start with the book Dracula, which represents gothic horror. It’s a great practice text to examine through queer and feminist lenses. Was Bram Stoker, the author, trying to talk to us about how queer individuals operated in society at that time?
We end with body horror and the film The Fly. That one is great because it prompts discussion about what happens when your identity changes. It’s also super gross.
My goal is for first-year students to consider what it means to enter this new phase in life. By opening a discussion of these stories and how students see themselves in them, I want students to feel heard and accepted. When educators talk about keeping students engaged in learning, that sense of belonging is essential.
THE STUDENT VIEW
“In class, we’ve read some of Dracula and discussed different points of view about horror. I’m learning that a writer or director could have a totally different intention about a work from how I perceive it. I might be thinking a movie is just a regular horror story, but the director could be trying to shed light on how queer creators think. I’m hoping this class will open my eyes not just for horror movies, but for films as a whole.”
— ELISHA HANNON ’28 NURSING MAJOR
CAMPUS TREES
Near the north edge of campus, two Alaska yellow cedars give off a spooky vibe with their shaggy, drooping evergreen foliage. Also known as false cypress, these trees are native to the Pacific Northwest, where they often grow to great heights and can live as long as 1,200 years. Their wood, which is bright yellow, is prized for its durability and strength.
FACULTY
Q&A
Prospect recently spoke with Carroll, professor of management and former executive director of the Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence, about what’s kept him at Elmhurst for more than half a century.
What brought you to Elmhurst?
As I moved through my life it became clear that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives—to help them reach their full potential. Elmhurst gave me a way to do that at a place of high character that aligned with my values. I started teaching a management class for evening students in 1970, and four years later I joined the full-time faculty.
In 1997, you helped launch what is now the Weigand Center. What was the impetus for that?
From the beginning, our goal was to help students become true professionals in their field of interest. We expanded internships, study abroad opportunities and community service. I was there for 21 years, and we built something really powerful. The center has evolved, of course, but it gave us the core of what we want to do as an institution, and it continues to set Elmhurst apart.
What has kept you at Elmhurst for all these years?
The opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, especially students, is what has kept me here. In addition,
After 54 years at Elmhurst, Larry Carroll is retiring and moving on to his next adventure.
the legacy of Reinhold and H. Richard Niebuhr, prominent theologians who graduated from Elmhurst in the early 1900s, gives us something special. The Niebuhr brothers focused on serving others and creating social impact, and Elmhurst is unique in offering what I call a “Niebuhrian” education.
In addition to all you’ve given Elmhurst as a faculty member and mentor, you've also been making financial gifts for nearly 40 years. Why is that important to you?
Since the 1970s, Elmhurst has done a really good job of educating firstgeneration students and moving them forward—and it still does today. If there’s any way I can help these young people and support the institution, I want to do it. I can’t give a lot, but I give what I can give and I will continue to do that. I truly believe in Elmhurst University.
HAS HTAG
HIGHLIGHTS
Campus isn’t the only place to experience the Bluejay spirit. Whether we’re celebrating National Mascot Day or playing College Football 25 online, you’re sure to hear about it on social media.
elmhurstparkdistrict Celebrating National Mascot Day with Eco, Victor, and Duke! These iconic mascots from the Elmhurst Park District, Elmhurst University @elmhurst.university, and York High School @yorkd205 decided to beat the heat and are having a splash-tastic time at Smalley Pool. #MascotMania #PoolPartyPals #SummerSplash #FunInTheSun #MascotMadness
eu_osi Celebrated National Dog Day (and the first day of classes) with our sweet comfort dog, Poppy .
elmhurstbluejays We’re in the game Search “Elmhurst Bluejays” in the download center to play as the Bluejays in @easportscollege! #FlyJaysFly
WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
Everyday activities such as getting dressed or driving a car rely on an array of conscious and subconscious actions. When that balance is disrupted, occupational therapists help individuals reengage in meaningful activities. Check out this story and more at elmhurst.edu/Blog.
The Elmhurst University Arboretum is a showcase of natural beauty and a living reminder of our deep commitment to taking care of the resources entrusted to us.
YEAR ESTABLISHED
1966
VARIETIES OF TREES AND SHRUBS IN 1966
65
NUMBER OF TREES TODAY
857
CUMULATIVE VALUE OF THE TREES
$1.7million
YEARS ON THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION’S TREE CAMPUS LIST
14
TONS OF CARBON OFFSET EACH YEAR
22.5
SPECIES OF NATIVE PLANTS IN THE PRAIRIE GARDEN
75
elmhurstu_wlax Morning yoga
RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE
Each year, Elmhurst University recognizes two faculty members with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Students nominate faculty for the award, and winners are ultimately chosen by President Troy D. VanAken. This year’s winners were Kyle Bennett and Jessica Sim.
Bennett is an associate professor in the Department of Biology. Nominating students noted that his dedication and exceptional teaching foster “unique and everlasting connections” with his students, making them feel welcomed and affirmed.
Sim, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, researches the impact of prejudice, stereotyping and social identity. The graduate students who nominated Sim called her an “exceptional example of servant leadership” who demonstrates authentic care and concern for students.
ELMHURST IS ONE OF THE MOST TRANFERFRIENDLY schools in the country, according to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s 2024 Transfer Honor Roll.
RED-CARPET PREMIERE
During a glamorous red-carpet evening at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre on June 5, seven Chicago middle school students premiered original songs and music videos they had created as part of a yearlong project with Elmhurst digital media students and faculty.
The event was the culmination of a partnership between Elmhurst University and The BASE Chicago, a nonprofit in the city’s West Garfield Park neighborhood that uses sports, academics and the arts to get students invested in finishing high school and serving their communities.
The middle school students wrote and recorded original songs with the help of mentors from The BASE , and then Elmhurst students and faculty helped them turn their songs into music videos.
“I hope there were people in the room that night who looked at what we did—Elmhurst and The BASE—and it inspired them to go back to their own communities and find ways to create partnerships,” says Kristyn Jo Benedyk, associate professor and director of Elmhurst’s digital media program and a leader of the partnership. “Our world needs positive change, and I believe the way to do that is to start by recruiting your own community.”
SENIOR LUCIA ZDENAHLIK ’25 has been awarded a prestigious Udall Undergraduate Scholarship that will support her studies and introduce her to change makers working in environmental careers.
AMAR RAJPUT ’25 spent three weeks in Scotland as part of the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes program. The first Elmhurst student ever chosen for the program, he studied at the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde.
TWO NURSING STUDENTS won the highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Seniors Karen Alvarez (pictured left) and Kaitlin Heimbach (right) are using the scholarship funds to participate in Elmhurst’s study abroad program for nursing students in Ireland.
BEST FOR VETS
Elmhurst University is the top school in the Midwest for veterans, according to U.S. News & World Report, and No. 7 overall among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest.
The publication’s latest rankings, released on Sept. 24, also place Elmhurst at No. 8 among Top Performers on Social Mobility, No. 8 for Best Undergraduate Teaching and No. 12 for Best Value Schools.
Elmhurst’s rankings reaffirm the University’s values and commitment to student success, said President Troy D. VanAken.
“Academic excellence, professional preparation and social responsibility are central to who we are and how we can best equip our students to thrive, not only on campus but wherever their paths lead them next,” he said.
A GAME TO REMEMBER
In the run-up to a momentous presidential election this fall, Elmhurst University launched ElmU Votes, a comprehensive campaign to help students register to vote, learn more about the candidates and make informed decisions.
The campaign kicked off at the end of August. Constance Mixon, professor of political science, gave two Voting 101 presentations, and Rev. H. Scott Matheney, University chaplain, held weekly reflections designed to foster education and caring. Finally, stress relief activities and a comfort dog, Poppy, helped students manage heightened feelings brought on by a particularly tumultuous election season.
FACULTY BOOKS
Nancy C. Lee, professor of religious studies, is the author of Song of Songs & Lamentations (Smyth & Helwys, 2024), a commentary on two poetic biblical books, including Hebrew evidence for a female composing tradition.
Elmhurst University took home the Cottage Hill Cup in June, winning the annual “Town vs. Gown” Vintage Baseball Game, which pitted elected officials, staff, commissioners and volunteers for the City of Elmhurst against Elmhurst University faculty, staff, trustees and alumni in an old-fashioned baseball game played by 1858 rules. The competition was lively, with the University winning 13-12.
Sponsored by the Elmhurst History Museum, the Vintage Baseball Game took place on the Elmhurst University Mall.
Debra K. Meyer, professor of education, is a coauthor of Classroom Research Partnerships: Collaborating with School Communities for the Common Good (Routledge, 2024), which provides guidance for academic researchers on collaborating with school communities.
Theresa Y. Robinson, associate professor of education, is an editor and chapter author for Black Women Mothering & Daughtering During a Dual Pandemic: Writing Our Backs (Information Age Publishing, 2024), a book that explores the challenges and triumphs of Black women during an unprecedented crisis.
The Elmhurst History Museum's Dave Oberg (left) presents Trustee Emeritus Russell Weigand with the Cottage Hill Cup.
FACULTY
ON THE MOVE
At the March meeting of the Elmhurst University Board of Trustees, several faculty members received a promotion, tenure or both.
Faculty promotions
Samuel Rush Department of English, senior lecturer
Beverly Troiano School of Education, professor
Deirdre Zerilli Department of Communication and Media, senior lecturer
Faculty tenure
Simeon Stumme School of Education, associate professor
Faculty promotions to associate professor and tenure
Avraham Baranes School of Business
David W. Brown Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
Andrea Krieg Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Sandra McCormick Department of Nursing and Public Health
Amy Lyn McDonald Department of Theatre and Dance
Kelly Mikenas Department of Biology
Emily Navarro Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Jessica Sim Department of Psychology
Andrew Sobol Department of Art
A NEW VP
Lia Kampman joined the University in November as vice president for institutional advancement. Selected in a nationwide search, Kampman previously served as interim vice president for college advancement at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. “Elmhurst University is an incredibly welcoming community,” Kampman says. “I look forward to getting to know everyone who cares about the University.”
FACULTY FAREWELL
At a meeting on May 14, the Elmhurst University faculty said a fond farewell to two retiring colleagues and presented each with a resolution in recognition of their commitment to the education of Elmhurst students.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, SHERRY SMOAK, assistant professor of business and economics, stepped up to train and support colleagues who had minimal experience in virtual teaching. That kind of service was typical of Smoak’s 22 years at Elmhurst, according to the resolution prepared by Sondra Simpson, associate professor of marketing and director of the Elmhurst Management Program.
At Elmhurst, Smoak served as director of the D.K. Hardin Center for Market Research, was assistant director of the MBA program, and set up scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students through Hardin Center funding to support marketing students.
In the classroom, Smoak used her experience at Allstate and Townsend Agency to bring marketing and marketing research alive to students. She “continually leverages her professional contacts for high-quality experiential learning and networking opportunities for our students,” Simpson wrote.
Since joining Elmhurst 25 years ago, BRUCE FISCHER has worn many hats in the School of Business, but his most important role was nurturing his students’ potential.
In her resolution, Simpson wrote that Fischer “has been masterful at identifying promising undergraduate students in his classrooms and inspiring them. He came in as an adjunct to keep himself busy and loved us so much, he never left.”
Fischer joined the Elmhurst faculty after retiring from the State of Illinois Higher Education system. He has served as director of the master of project management program; director of the graduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship; advisor for Delta Mu Delta; and planner of the School of Business annual honors and awards ceremony.
SUPPORTING THE
HEALTH SCIENCES
As the new Health Sciences Building takes shape next to Memorial Hall, two nursing alumnae are providing valuable fundraising support.
Jacque Hulslander ’77, ’82, and Jeanne Burda ’82, have built strong ties with the University’s nursing alumni as co-chairs of the Nursing Alumni Committee. This year, excited about the new Health Sciences Building, they encouraged their classmates to participate in #JayItForward Giving Day on April 4.
The response was enthusiastic: Nursing alumni accounted for about 30% of gifts designated for the Health Sciences Building Fund on Giving Day. Pleased with their success, Hulslander and Burda continued to build support for the initiative during the nursing reunion at Homecoming on Sept. 27.
The state-of-the-art facility will be a multidisciplinary hub for Elmhurst’s programs in nursing, public health, occupational therapy, and communication sciences and
disorders. Expected to open in June 2025, the building is well underway.
“We really wanted to bring nursing alumni together to support the new building,” Burda said. “The building is such an important opportunity for us to be at the forefront of providing a great education and continuing to launch terrific nurses.”
HONORING THE
BLUE PROMISE
The DuPage County Board honored Elmhurst University’s Center of the Blue Promise (El Centro de la Promesa Azul) in a proclamation celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
At a Sept. 10 meeting, board member Cindy Cronin Cahill introduced the Center as “a culturally inclusive space” that nurtures success among the University’s Hispanic, underserved and first-generation college students.
“The idea was to create a space where everyone on campus is welcome,” she said. “We are proud to honor the staff and students who make the Center a success.”
Since opening in fall 2023, the Center has facilitated 1,000 student visits, provided 70 tutoring sessions and offered support for 23 students to engage in “high-impact” experiences such as internships, undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities.
MISSION EMISSIONS
A Jans STM Internship at Argonne National Laboratory supports Tyler Posch’s career goals—and the environment.
The transportation sector is the largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, with cars, trucks and other vehicles accounting for nearly two-thirds of U.S. petroleum use.
Senior Tyler Posch has spent the past two summers helping cut down on those emissions. As a programming intern at Argonne National Laboratory, he was closely involved in building out AFLEET, an online tool that enables organizations to analyze—and then reduce—the environmental impact of their vehicle fleets.
An information systems major, Posch worked on several aspects of the tool, including configuring a backend database, fixing display issues and other bugs, and supporting search engine optimization. Along the way, he learned valuable lessons in research, analysis and software development.
“My experience at Argonne was transformative for me in terms of my programming and software development skills,” he says. “And it was gratifying to work on a project that supports companies in making better-informed decisions on how we use our natural resources.”
Both of Posch’s summer internships at Argonne were made possible by the Jans STM Internship program, which supports students pursuing internships in science, technology or mathematics at military-related organizations. The fund was launched by Tim and Robert Jans, brothers with multigenerational ties to Elmhurst University, and offers a stipend for eight- to 10-week internships.
“We are thrilled that we had a chance to help facilitate this amazing internship opportunity with Argonne,” says Patrick Yanahan ’94, MBA ’10, executive in residence at the
Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence and director of the Jans STM Internship program. “These opportunities are hard to get due to the limited number of available slots, and we couldn’t be happier that Tyler was selected out of a very competitive candidate pool.”
With two summers of high-level internship work under his belt, Posch says he has the experience he needs to launch a rewarding career in software engineering after he graduates. And he’s grateful to the donors who made those internships possible.
“The support, encouragement and mentorship I received from the Jans brothers played a big role in my success,” he says. “I owe them an immense thanks for giving me the opportunity to hone not only my technical skills but also my professional skills—and to work on a project that has a very positive impact in the world.”
PHOTO BY BOB COSCARELLI
FACULTY
Armed with their best marketing ideas, the student team presents their pitch to the client—a local business owner looking to increase sales.
As part of their class on advertising and integrated marketing campaigns, the students have done the research, honed their ideas and practiced their presentation. But after the pitch is over, the client has a budget question. The students glance at each other. Who should respond? After a beat, one student offers an answer, and the rest breathe a sigh of relief.
But instead of relaxing, “the other five should be thinking of how to improve on that answer,” says Bob Vevang, assistant professor of marketing, recalling the scene. “That way they can strengthen the pitch for the client.”
With more than three decades of marketing experience, Bob Vevang prepares students to put classroom lessons into action for clients.
MARKETING MINDSET
With more than 35 years of multichannel marketing experience under his belt, Vevang understands that students must learn the soft skills they’ll need after graduation. “Putting learning into doing,” he calls it.
Vevang came to Elmhurst as a mentor seven years ago and joined the faculty two years later. Now he connects local businesses with “tomorrow’s brightest minds,” teaching students how to develop great marketing ideas that they are passionate about and then pitch those ideas in a professional manner. “I’ve seen clients tear up after these presentations. They get so excited,” he says.
“It is inspirational to watch students know they make a real difference for businesses.”
As the new director for the D.K. Hardin Center for Market Research, Vevang will give students even more opportunities to work with local
organizations in volunteer consulting groups. Their newest client is Northlake Public Library, which hopes to increase participation by local teens and Hispanic residents.
“Elmhurst is a designated Hispanicserving institution, so that seemed like a great fit for us,” he says.
The Hardin Center is part of the new Institute for Professional and Community Engagement—a hub that offers opportunities for students to develop professionally and give back to society—which launched this fall.
Still a marketing consultant, Vevang regularly shows his students his client status reports and offers anecdotes about his work on projects across the financial services, logistics and consumer packaged goods industries.
“They get a behind-the-scenes look at what agency life is all about,” he says.
“I lecture, but then I say, ‘Let’s roll up our sleeves and do this together.’”
PHOTO BY BOB COSCARELLI
WOMEN'S WRESTLING
NEW TO THE BLUE
One of America’s fastest-growing sports has come to Elmhurst, creating an opportunity not to be missed for Cha’anna Kassim.
Cha’anna Kassim ’27 thought she had given up wrestling for good.
An accomplished grappler at south suburban Hillcrest High School, Kassim hung up her wrestling shoes upon arriving at Elmhurst in 2023. As a first-year student, she channeled her love for the sport into a role as student manager for the men’s wrestling team.
But when word went out last spring that Elmhurst was launching a women’s wrestling program, Kassim knew that the time had come for her to get back on the mat.
“The new team is giving me a second chance to compete in the sport I love,” says Kassim, a double major in psychology and communication sciences and disorders.
Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, with the number of girls’ high school teams quadrupling in the past decade, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Kassim was part of that dramatic growth at Hillcrest. She wrestled on the boys’ team as a freshman and sophomore, becoming the first girl in the school’s history to win a wrestling match. Then she competed on her high school’s newly formed girls’ team her junior and senior years, winning a conference title as a senior.
Now she’s joining a new team at Elmhurst, where women’s wrestling has become the University’s 21st varsity sport. Elmhurst’s is the 62nd NCAA Division III women’s wrestling program.
Kassim and her new teammates are competing against more established programs just months after the team was announced and coach Andrew Demos hired.
“I love a challenge,” Demos says of the rapid launch.
“And I’m grateful to have the opportunity to build a championship culture here.”
Kassim is excited to be a part of the building process. During the run-up to the team’s debut season, she organized weight training sessions with her teammates. Even in her role as manager for the men’s team last year, where her duties included shooting video of matches, her passion for wrestling was evident. Kassim says she often encouraged the Bluejay wrestlers so loudly that she had to be asked to hit the video mute button.
“Working with the men last year was a great experience,” but nothing compares to the thrill of competition, she says:
“We are the newest team at Elmhurst, but we’re going to work just as hard as any athletes on campus.”
PHOTO BY BOB COSCARELLI
WHERE YOU BELONG
For this year’s Homecoming musical, director Amy Lyn McDonald wanted to break with tradition while honoring Elmhurst’s long history of musical theatre. The result: Where You Belong: A Homecoming Cabaret, an event that bridged decades and allowed students to highlight their unique abilities.
“I liked the idea of doing a cabaret that features lots of different students but all with the theme of homecoming— belonging and welcoming and family and always having a place here,” says McDonald, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and dance coordinator
for the theatre program. “There’s so much musical theatre repertory that has that theme that I thought, ‘This is gold.’”
The title of the show was inspired by the song “Where Do You Belong?” from Mean Girls. Other songs included “When You’re Home” from In the Heights and “Side by Side by Side” from Stephen Sondheim’s Company.
The performance, which ran Sept. 26–29 in the Mill Theatre, was the first cabaret in McDonald’s 19 years with the theatre program. Breaking from the format of a
PHOTO BY BOB COSCARELLI
A homecoming cabaret united Elmhurst singers and dancers across musical eras.
traditional musical gave students the opportunity to find their own emotional connection to the music.
“Since they didn’t have to embody the characters these songs were created for, the format gave students the artistic freedom to have a voice in what they were saying and what that meant to them,” McDonald says.
McDonald welcomed alumni in her opening speech and even brought them into the show. During the closing piece, “We Go Together” from Grease, student performers bounded into the audience, inviting alumni to join them
in their dance. Projections and photographs showing Elmhurst alumni and campus history supported the goal of connecting generations.
McDonald says she was proud to showcase the talents of current students for the audience, but she also aimed to give her students a stronger sense of how they belong. “I wanted them to see that the community they’re stepping into is so much bigger than the people who share the stage with them,” she says. “They have also become part of the history of this institution.”
BY AMY MERRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB HART
FLOCKING TOGETHER
Student orientation for Elmhurst’s newest Bluejays is all about welcome and belonging.
Under a cloudless blue sky, Elmhurst’s orientation student leaders (OSLs) are putting on a show. As first-year students eat a picnic lunch and watch, the student leaders race into the tent, music blaring, and leap, somersault and dance through their introductions. Their joyful performances set the tone for the next few days of orientation activities.
Jenna Smolen and Ava Arthur, two incoming students, sit side by side as they look on. They are new residents of Schick Hall, Elmhurst’s largest and oldest residence hall, and while they didn’t know each other before arriving on campus, they bonded over bingo the previous evening.
“It’s been fun,” Smolen says, “and I already have a friend group.”
Orientation is designed to build a strong sense of community among incoming students.
An Adrenaline Rush
For many first-year students, a highlight of orientation is flying through the treetop rope course at Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park. The experience helps students get to know each other while challenging them to step outside their comfort zone.
“Students say afterward, ‘I didn’t think I could do it, and I did,’” says Samantha Migatz, assistant dean of students. “It’s a fun way to teach students how to be adventurous and vulnerable.”
FLOCKING TOGETHER
These kinds of attachments are exactly what Samantha Migatz, assistant dean of students, is hoping orientation will foster. “For the first-year students, we focus heavily on helping them connect with peers,” Migatz says. “Knowing a couple of people makes them more comfortable that first week, and it keeps them coming to class.”
Elmhurst’s three-day orientation for first-year students is designed to build community right from the start. Students learn about each other through humorous icebreakers, challenge themselves on a zipline course (see “An Adrenaline Rush,” facing page), participate in a service project, and get acquainted with the campus. Families are also welcome to participate in select activities on the first day.
For transfer students, the goals of orientation are similar, but the timeline is condensed to a single Saturday, with more emphasis on introducing students to academic resources.
promoted to coordinator of the other leaders. At orientation, he seems to be everywhere, making sure other student leaders are in place, answering questions, and preparing to ring the bell at New Student Convocation, when first-year students march into Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel as the OSLs cheer them on.
Sawyer’s own experience at orientation inspired him to get involved. “My OSL was very welcoming and very inclusive. It was a good representation of the University spirit: community building and bringing people together,” he says. “The OSLs are the face of the campus, especially in the first few weeks. I wanted to be a part of that as well.”
“Transfer students most often have some kind of integrative experience at a different school before they come here,” Migatz says. “They also tend to be a little busier, so we focus on giving them an immersion for one day.”
The Face of the Campus
Working with first-year students, OSLs are responsible for keeping spirits high. Alfred Sawyer ’25, a music education major, spent two years as an OSL before being
For Smolen, who is from Whitehall, Mich., and plans to study political science and education, orientation sessions reinforce the positive feelings that started when she was recruited by the women’s track and field team. “Right off the bat, I loved the campus and felt at home,” she says. “I love the people and the vibe.”
Her friend Ava Arthur, sitting near Smolen at lunch on the second day, has a similar response. “When I came and toured, I just knew this was the right place for me,” says Arthur, a Downers Grove, Ill., resident who plans to study secondary education and English. “Everyone was so welcoming, and I felt there were a lot of people I would want to spend four years with.”
Orientation leaders included Samantha Migatz, assistant dean of students (front row, left), and Alfred Sawyer (back row, left).
Incoming students packed more than 330,000 meals as part of a community service activity for Feed My Starving Children.
Opening
Up
Orientation is a time for fun, but it’s also a time for students to learn how to communicate respectfully about challenging topics—a skill they’ll rely on in the classroom. Activities for first-year students include writing a poem about where they’re from and sharing a
detail about their lives in a conversation called “If You Really Knew Me.” The activities help students develop a support system, says Alfred Sawyer ’25, an orientation student leader: “Everyone wants to see each other succeed, and we are all there for each other.”
FLOCKING TOGETHER
Arthur’s mother, Michelle, sits near her at the lunch table. “I’ve been super impressed from the get-go,” she says of orientation. “The school makes such an effort to welcome the kids.”
Michelle has just dropped off Ava’s twin brother at another university, so she is feeling sentimental. How is she coping? “I put my sunglasses on,” she jokes. “You’ve just got to let them go.”
Letting Go
After lunch, it is indeed time for parents to let their children go. Students and parents separate for afternoon activities, with first-year students attending “Choose Aloha, Choose Love,” a keynote session presented by motivational comedian Kevin Wanzer.
Wanzer’s message is about using humor to connect with others. He describes keeping a journal about funny things that happen in his daily life, and he shares a couple of embarrassing stories to help loosen up the students.
“The coolest part of my job is watching the growth of my first-years into seniors,” says Shawna Armstrong, assistant director of athletics. “I remind them, ‘You are now your own biggest advocate.’ Some of our strongest people are those who do seek help.”
The parent sessions demonstrate Elmhurst’s spirit of hospitality and support for students. “Everyone on campus is so friendly, and the students guiding you are really personable,” says Andy Robles, of Carol Stream, Ill., the father of a first-year student.
As first-year students continue through orientation, they participate in activities alongside classmates from their First-Year Seminar (FYS), an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to liberal arts studies at the college level and gives them time to learn about Elmhurst resources such as the library and academic advising.
“His presentation forces students to move seats and start talking to one another through different games,” Migatz explains. “It’s focusing on a message while having fun.”
Meanwhile, parents attend a “How to Support Your Bluejay” panel with Elmhurst staff. Here, the questions are more practical, revolving around textbooks, parking, and encouraging independence.
Meeting their FYS group during orientation ensures that students will see some familiar faces on their first day of classes. Each group is led by an OSL like Sawyer, who will facilitate conversations and continue to check in with students throughout their first semester.
“We’re making them feel comfortable, so they know they’re an integral part of our campus,” Migatz says. “We’ve been able to track some data, and students who attend orientation, especially all three days, are much more likely to stay here because they feel connected.”
Parents participated in their own orientation activities, getting tips on supporting their Bluejays and letting go.
OLYMPIC
JOE RAU’S JOURNEY
The former NCAA Division III wrestling champ overcame a decade of disappointments to realize his dream of representing the United States in the Olympics.
BY ANDREW SANTELLA
After 10 years of trotting the globe on an international wrestling circuit that took him from Buenos Aires to Budapest, Joe Rau ’13 knows a thing or two about rough road trips.
But when he traveled to Paris last summer, he knew it had all been worth it.
Rau was part of the U.S. Olympic team that competed in the Paris Games, where he finished ninth in his weight class in Greco-Roman wrestling, coming within one match of competing for a bronze medal. When not wrestling, Rau embraced the Olympic experience with characteristic gusto. He mingled with celebs like Snoop Dogg, made his national television debut and found plenty of content for his thousands of Instagram followers. His livestream of the opening ceremony from his vantage point among his U.S. teammates in the Parade of Nations in the Trocadero proved to be must-see IG.
Yet amid all the fun, it was not lost on Rau that his experience in Paris was the realization of a lifelong dream—one that had cost him more than a decade of heartache.
AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
“Everyone at the Olympics has sacrificed to get there, but I worked for so long and overcame so much that I can’t tell you how much it meant to be there,” says Rau, the first Elmhurst alum to compete in the Olympics. “It was an incredible journey.”
‘I Am an Olympian’
After his ninth-place finish in the 97 kg weight class for Greco-Roman wrestling at the Paris Olympics, Rau posted from his heart on Instagram: “One thing I have to be proud of is that I kept coming back for more. … I looked for the best competitors, and whether people thought I belonged or not, I stepped across the line from them. Even when it hurt, even when I didn’t want to. I did that. … And I am an Olympian.”
Joe Rau celebrates his 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championship title with coach Steve Marianetti.
JOE RAU’S OLYMPIC JOURNEY
There were plenty of times when it looked like Rau would never reach his destination.
When he graduated from Chicago’s St. Patrick High School, no one would have pegged him as Olympic material. In fact, he was recruited to wrestle by just one college. But it was at that school, Elmhurst, that Rau would emerge as a uniquely driven and accomplished wrestler.
His impact was immediate. Beginning with a breakout first year, he piled up conference titles (four), All-America honors (three) and national tournament appearances (three). He closed his Elmhurst career by winning the NCAA Division III Championship in the 184 lbs. weight class as a senior in the 2013 season, in the process helping the Bluejays to a second-place team finish nationally. His career winning percentage remains the best of any Elmhurst wrestler ever.
“The way he worked to improve himself from year to year, you could see his love for wrestling,” says Bluejays coach Steve Marianetti, who recalls Rau driving around the Midwest in the offseason to visit wrestling clubs in search of the best practice competition. “You’d have to love it to work as hard at it as he did.”
“The way he worked to improve himself from year to year, you could see his love for wrestling,”
— STEVE MARIANETTI, BLUEJAYS COACH
Rau’s record-setting Elmhurst career might have been enough for most wrestlers, but he was not yet satisfied. As his classmates marched off to start careers, Rau decided he would continue training and competing to qualify for the Olympics. Even Rau’s closest supporters worried that he might be biting off too much. His family had questions: How will you support yourself? What if it doesn’t work out?
Rau, not discouraged, took his meager savings (“I think I had $75 in my bank account”) and moved to Minnesota to train with a highly regarded club there. He slept on friends’ couches. He endured bitterly cold winters in barely insulated rentals. He took on manual-labor jobs to pay bills.
“A lot of success involves being willing to do what others aren’t willing to do,” Rau says.
Chow-Down Champion
Joe Rau has wrestled in the Olympics and won an NCAA national championship. But what about his other hugely impressive accomplishment? We’re talking about his record-setting conquest of the Gambling Man Banana Split at Buckaroo Bill’s in West Yellowstone, Mont., a frozen mountain of a treat that Rau consumed in just five minutes and 10 seconds a few years back. (Pro tip: He used his bare hands.)
Rau’s food-focused Instagram account chronicles this and other dining adventures in locales as various as Stari Bar, Montenegro (lamb stew in pastry), and Buenos Aires (roast guinea pig, including the eyes and brains). “Our host said the eyes were the best part,” Rau recalls. “But he said that about every part.”
Rau’s sacrifices brought him tantalizingly close to his Olympic dream—not once, but twice. In 2016, he won the U.S. Olympic trials but did not qualify in his weight class for the Olympics. His dream deferred, he doubled down, kept training and set his sights on the next Olympiad. He was well positioned to earn the right to represent the U.S. in Tokyo in 2021—but lost that year’s Olympic trials final amid officiating controversies. Disconsolate and angry, Rau briefly retired from competition and took a coaching position at Northwestern University.
AN OLYMPIAN AT LAST
But it turned out he wasn’t ready to give up on the Olympics. He soon returned to competition, funding his own travel to Europe to compete in top tournaments.
“I went back to the school of hard knocks,” Rau says. And when he won the U.S. Olympic trials for the 97 kg weight class early last year, he became—at long last—an Olympian.
“A lot of success involves being willing to do what others aren’t willing to do.”
— JOE RAU
In Paris, Rau found himself sometimes getting as much notice for his Instagram account as for his wrestling. Other athletes in the Olympic Village approached him to tell him they loved his posts, an outlet for his adventurousness (See Joe perched at the edge of a waterfall!) and his playful sense of humor (See Joe challenge a roommate to a footrace in flip-flops!). An Olympics announcer even referred to Rau as “noted internet food critic”—a nod to his “Chow With Rau” posts that featured him sampling everything from Uzbek kurt (hard, salty balls of dried cheese) to guinea pig.
“The attention was great, but I was like, ‘Hey, I’m also a wrestler!’” Rau laughs.
An Olympic wrestler, to be exact. In fact, having finally realized his dream, Rau is now weighing a run at qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. It would be an undeniable long shot and would require four more years of physical punishment for Rau, who will be 37 when the L.A. games kick off. But none of that is likely to discourage him. Rau has learned to value adversity.
“The hard times I’ve been through are what I’m most proud of,” he says.
THE GIRL FROM THE VILLAGE
Christine Akoth’s journey from Kenya to Elmhurst inspired an award-winning film.
Growing up in the small village of Dago, Kenya, Christine Akoth ’26 dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon.
She had both the drive and the academic ability: When she took the standardized test for admission to high school, her scores were high enough to gain entrance into one of Kenya’s prestigious national high schools.
But her family could not afford the school’s fees. Like her neighbors, Akoth grew up in a mud hut without electricity. Her family and others in Dago survive on an income of a few dollars a day.
Help came in the form of an award from the Weiss Scholarship Foundation. Founded by Naperville resident Brett Weiss, the foundation helps fund tuition, supplies and
support for Kenyan students. Weiss based his foundation in Dago after traveling there 15 years ago.
“Christine really stood out,” he says. “She had by far the highest score that anyone in the village had ever had, and she’s very outgoing. I knew she could handle whatever came her way. And in high school, she was ranked one of the top 30 girls academically in the country.”
But high school was just the beginning. Akoth dreamed of attending college in the United States. Weiss and his foundation went to work, helping her apply to colleges across the country. In 2022, she traveled on an airplane for the first time to reach her new home for the next four years: Elmhurst University.
Christine Akoth with her late father near their home in Dago.
THE GIRL FROM THE VILLAGE
Billy Sturges in Kenya filming Christine’s story.
INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
On the other side of the globe, Billy Surges ’11 had a different sort of dream growing up. He discovered a love for acting and theatre in high school, and enrolled at Elmhurst in 2008 to embark on a career in entertainment. He acted in campus productions—Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was a particular favorite—and got into the film business after graduating in 2011. (His first gig: stunt double for Zac Efron.)
“We decided to film Christine’s story because she was really special,” Surges says. “We wanted to document her opportunity to come to the U.S.”
Akoth was excited for her new life at Elmhurst, but she had many questions, including how far from campus the river was so she could plan her trips there for laundry.
“As much as it was a culture shock for me to be in Dago, I knew it was going to be an even bigger culture shock for her to leave her entire life and start again somewhere new,” Surges says.
He eventually started his own company, Surging Films & Theatrics, and one day got a call from Weiss, his former high school history teacher. Weiss wanted to create a film to tell the story of his foundation’s success in Dago.
In 2022, Surges and Weiss traveled to Dago, and Surges began filming life in the village. Soon after, they began to focus on Akoth’s journey to college. Weiss and foundation staff had helped her apply, and Elmhurst had offered her a generous financial aid package.
AN AWARD-WINNING FILM
The journey to Elmhurst led to several firsts for Akoth: first time on an escalator and on an airplane; first time using a shower. But the biggest shock was the food. “American food is greasy,” Akoth says with a laugh. “And such large portions.”
In addition to providing financial help to Akoth, Weiss pestered the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi until they finally awarded Akoth a student visa—three days before school was set to start. He met her at the airport and
‘ A GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM ’
When Christine Akoth ’26 arrived on campus, she was surprised at how many people offered to show her around and support her as she transitioned to a new culture. “I was so naive. I didn’t know anything,” she says. “The school had a great support system to help me.”
Now she tries to do the same for others. When Kenyan students are accepted to the school, Akoth offers them advice on everything from what clothes to bring (a warm winter coat) to what they can take on airplanes. “So many international students come here, and they don’t know what to expect,” she says. “I want to thank the school for the opportunity to learn here by helping others.”
even helped her with a Target run to stock her dorm room.
Surges continued filming Akoth as she adjusted to her new life during her first several months at Elmhurst. “I was nervous, and I had to explain to everyone in my classes why there were cameras there,” Akoth says. “But it became part of my normal life.”
Brett Weiss welcomes Christine at Chicago O’Hare International Airport at the start of her Elmhurst journey.
The result was The Girl From the Village: A Story of Hope, a documentary film finished earlier this year. The film has garnered several accolades, including from the International Independent Film Awards, the Santa Barbara Indie Film Festival and the Stockholm City Film Festival.
“I’m thrilled with how it turned out,” Weiss says. “We want people to know Christine’s story, and we want them to know that there are millions of other Christines out there in the world who never get to go to high school.”
AN INDEPENDENT LIFE
In her first two years at Elmhurst, Akoth has found both successes and challenges. It has been difficult to make
FUNDING DREAMS
The Weiss Scholarship Foundation has helped students in the small village of Dago, Kenya, achieve their educational dreams. While most adults in the village have no education beyond primary school, children now have a path to continue their education through high school and beyond. Since 2011, the foundation has awarded scholarships to 228 students and more than doubled the number of students in Dago who graduate from high school.
friends with people in classes here, she says. Still, she found a close group of friends, joined the Christian student club Cru, and found an on-campus job that covers her living expenses.
And she observes that the professors and staff are much friendlier than in Kenya, where teachers act more as disciplinarians than a support system. “I like how professors are close to their students here,” she says. “So many professors have asked if I need anything.”
Though she visited Kenya after her father passed away, she has no plans to return after graduation. A biology major, she’s intending to apply to medical school.
She still gets support from Weiss and his family, though he has stepped back to give her the space to grow independently. “It has been so much fun to share these new experiences with her, but I don’t want to intrude on her life,” he says. “Now we’re hoping to bring more Kenyan students to the U.S. for college.”
GET IN THE SPIRIT
Support Elmhurst during this season of giving
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ALUMNI NEWS
CELEBRATING OUR AWARD WINNERS
Elmhurst University’s Founders Medal and Alumni Merit Awards honor outstanding contributions by alumni and friends to the University and the world. This year’s winners were recognized at the Founders Recognition Evening on Oct. 10.
FOUNDERS MEDAL
One of the University’s most prestigious honors, the Founders Medal celebrates individuals who have distinguished themselves through philanthropic or personal service to the University.
This year’s medal honors Trustee Emeritus Thomas Kloet HD ’18 and his wife, Margaret Kloet, longtime supporters of Elmhurst University who have contributed to the Annual Fund, the athletics program, the Elmhurst University Jazz Band, the new health sciences building, scholarships and more over the past 20 years. Most recently, the Kloets made a $500,000 gift to the University to establish the Kloet Student-Managed Investment Fund.
ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS
The Alumni Merit Awards celebrate Elmhurst graduates who have made exemplary contributions to the community and their alma mater.
This year’s Distinguished Young Alumni award went to George Martinez ’20, a regional enrollment manager at the University of Dayton who has remained actively engaged with Elmhurst as a graduate intern in the Weigand Center for Professional Excellence.
Michael Lyskawka ’22, MSN ’24, won the Distinguished Service to Alma Mater award. A registered nurse in pediatrics at Advocate Children’s Hospital and an adjunct faculty member at Elmhurst, he continues to be a mentor to students and serves as the faculty advisor for the University’s music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
The Distinguished Service to Society award honored Christy Whitney Borchard ’76, retired president and founding CEO of HopeWest, a community-owned nonprofit organization devoted to health and community services in Western Colorado. Since 1979, when she founded an all-volunteer hospice in Durango, Colo., Whitney has been a leader in many areas of nursing.
Did You Know?
In 1948, enrollment was soaring and student housing was tight. The school couldn’t afford a new residence hall, so President Henry Dinkmeyer hired contractors to dig a large hole on the north side of campus and put up a sign: “A Hole to Be Filled by Faith for a New Dormitory.” Donations came rolling in, and the building now known as Lehmann Hall opened in 1951.
George Martinez (left) and Michael Lyskawka received Alumni Merit Awards at a recognition event in October.
Homecoming 2024 featured class reunions, a traditional bonfire and pep rally, a laser light show, a parade and a decisive football victory over the North Park Vikings. We can’t wait to see you at next year’s gathering!
A FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
For the CLASS OF 1964, Homecoming 2024 was about more than remembering 60 years of camaraderie and friends. It was also about securing the future of Elmhurst University. As part of the class’s 60th reunion celebration, Russ Weigand (top photos) and Bill Sir (bottom photos) encouraged their classmates to support the University with estate commitments or gifts to the 1964 Class Scholarship, which Weigand and his first wife, the late Rose Weigand, established 50 years ago in honor of their 10-year reunion. “The value of the fund now is just more than $200,000,” says Weigand, a trustee for 30 years, a 2023 honorary degree recipient and a generous supporter of the University. “We have awarded about 60 scholarships to relatives of the Class of 1964 and other students.”
At Homecoming, the Class of 1964 toured campus, took a bus tour of the city of Elmhurst, heard from international students about their journeys from Kenya and Palestine, and ordered takeout from Hamburger Heaven before watching the football game. Afterward, Weigand and his wife, Joyce Slone Weigand , hosted a dinner at their home featuring pizza from Roberto’s.
Knowledge that Goes Fa r.
KNOWLEDGE TO GO FAR.
Our flexible graduate programs and expert faculty will prepare you for professional success with strong support from Day 1. No matter which course of study you choose, you’ll acquire timeless knowledge and versatile skills that will endure throughout your career.
SUPPORT TO DO WELL.
Join us for “Cocoa and Conversation” on Thursday, Jan. 9, at our Graduate Programs Winter Open House. You’ll have the chance to connect with faculty and learn more about our graduate programs. RSVP today at elmhurst.edu/ChooseElmhurst or by using the QR code below. ASK US ABOUT ALUMNI BENEFITS! CONNECT WITH A GRADUATE COUNSELOR TODAY. admit@elmhurst.edu 630-617-3400 elmhurst.edu/Admission/ Graduate-Students/ RSVP
JAN 9 6:30 p.m. Cocoa and Conversation Frick Center, Founders Lounge
CLASS NOTES
1907 Henry Armin Fleer ’07 and some friends celebrated Thanksgiving together on Nov. 28.
1948 On snowy winter days, Elmhurst students enjoyed ice skating on campus.
1966 The Bluejays were so popular that some football games were standing room only.
1950s
Rev. Victor M. Frohne ’51 celebrated the 70th anniversary of his ordination, while his wife, Marydel Frohne, celebrated the 71st anniversary of her commissioning from Eden Seminary. The couple also celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Aug. 15. Their three children include two Elmhurst graduates: Mary Frohne ’78 and Esther Frohne ’85.
Victor’s and Marydel’s fathers, Rev. Victor P. Frohne and Rev. Henry Damm, respectively, were also Elmhurst graduates.
Rev. Bob Anderson ’56 and Dot Anderson ’58 celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary with their children on July 26 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Charles Kniker ’58 is a coauthor, with Dianne Prichard, of the book Raising America: Building a More Perfect Union (2024).
Rev. Dr. John Modschiedler ’59 recently participated in a Zoom reunion with four high school friends in four time zones. In addition, he and his wife, Christa Modschiedler ’67, celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.
1960s
Rev. Dr. Frank Dietz ’62 and his wife, Karen Pantermuehl ’63 , welcomed a great-granddaughter, Magnolia, on July 24.
Rev. Dr. James Mennerick ’64 and Ruth Kolze Mennerick ’64 celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with their children at Cape Albeon Retirement Community in Valley Park, Mo.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Bentz ’66 has poems published in Delaware Bards Poetry Review 2024 and Gathering 2024 (Local Gems Press).
Terry Sullivan ’67 completed his 22nd year as a scout with the Boston Red Sox. He has been a professional baseball scout for 25 years, with experience working for four major league teams. Terry’s off-season occupation is managing Walk Chicago Tours, a private walking tour service, which earned a certificate of excellence from Tripadvisor.
Teresa Werth ’69 presented an exhibition, “Common Things Transformed,” at View Arts Center in Old Forge, N.Y. As the “pandemic dust” settled, Werth says, she found a new and unexpected connection with nature. Her exhibit includes four works in memory of Big Moose Inn, a 120-year-old Adirondack camp on New York’s Big Moose Lake that burned to the ground in April 2023. She created the tribute works using burned remnants of the building and other natural materials.
CLASS NOTES
1970s
Edward Snively ’77 is an active member of the Columbus chapter of the American Council of the Blind of Ohio, having served terms as both vice president and secretary. A visually impaired person, he is also an active member of North Congregational Church, where he serves on the deacon board and helps serve Communion.
1980s
Robert Bayer ’81 retired from Arizona State Prison in Kingman, Ariz., after 15 years at the facility. He served as a correctional officer for his first five years and spent the next five years teaching art to inmates as the institution’s first official art teacher. He was later promoted to senior instructor.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
For Bill and Laura Hoglund ’74 , Christmas is a year-round celebration. Known as the HoHoHoglunds, the couple are in their 10th season as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, bringing holiday joy to the Chicago area. In 2023, their busy schedule included an appearance at Chicago’s annual tree lighting at Millennium Park. They flipped the switch to light the tree and then Mayor Brandon Johnson danced with Mrs. Claus as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” played. The Hoglunds expect to make about 70 appearances this holiday season.
Stacey Walgreen-Magnusson ’82 completed the real estate training for CREN (Certified Real Estate Negotiator) as well as the highly soughtafter Ninja Installation training for Realtors.
Gail Vandon ’84 received the Silver Measure Award from the Elmhurst Symphony Association on May 4. This prestigious award is the Elmhurst Symphony’s highest honor for outstanding service to the organization.
David MacKenzie ’85 retired on Jan. 5 after 37 years with the DuPage County Clerk’s office.
Rick Ponx ’85 accepted a position with Benedictine University’s football team as a run game coordinator/special teams coordinator.
activities such as hosting the Manga Lunch Bunch, selecting annual book lists for classroom libraries, serving as a standard-bearer against censorship, hosting comic book giveaways, sponsoring the chess club, and building a collection that meets the emotional and social needs of his students.
Eric Fuglsang ’94 rejoined Quarles & Brady in Chicago as a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group. Fuglsang helps clients navigate all aspects of their real estate assets, investments and transactions, including commercial leasing, asset management, acquisitions and dispositions, commercial finance, and development.
Kirk Steinbruecker ’92 started a new job in March as the compliance coordinator for FirstKey Homes in Lombard. He specializes in working with Housing Choice Voucher Program participants and local housing authorities.
2000s
Karyn Romano ’88 was appointed to the board of the DuPage Water Commission in September 2023. She serves on the board with Jim Zay ’95 , chair of the Water Commission.
1990s
Kateri Weibler ’90 received a certificate in baking and pastry arts from College of DuPage in spring 2019. In Feb. 2022, she helped a good friend open Auntie Amy’s Home Cooking in Burr Ridge, a 100% gluten-free carryout restaurant offering entrées, salads, soups and desserts. The business has been open for two and a half years and is growing every day.
Alan Holtz ’93 was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education with a Those Who Excel Award of Special Recognition for the services he performs as librarian at Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook. The award honored his efforts to include every student in the school’s library through
Craig Tiede ’04 graduated from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in May with an MBA.
Paul Norwich ’09 earned a Ph.D. in leadership with a specialization in reading, language and literacy from Concordia University in December 2022. His dissertation was titled “Skills and Strategies That Bring Success: Content Area and Disciplinary Literacies and Their Effect on Struggling Readers in a Suburban Middle School.”
2010s
Jamilya Dickens ’11 joined the Della School of Coding & Design in Columbus, Ohio, in August as director of operations. Dickens, who is married to Thomas Dickens ’11, spent time raising the
couple’s three children (ages 8, 3 and 7 months) before joining Della. She also completed her master of arts in communication and leadership from Gonzaga University in December 2020. She says this new role allows her to use the skills learned during both her undergraduate and graduate educational experiences.
Megan Streit ’12 and her husband, Matthew Streit ’12 , welcomed their third daughter, Everly Grace Streit, on June 10.
Rev. Ally Vertigan ’12 married her partner of six years, Erin Malcolm, on June 1. In attendance were Emily Labrecque ’10, Rebecca Ross ’11 and Noah Carson Nelson ’12
Brooke Perlman Schrager ’14 and Ella Bracero ’16 cofounded Cadence Music, a Chicago-based nonprofit, in 2022. Since then, the organization’s scholarship program has funded more than 700 private music lessons for 20 students, and one scholarship recipient is now a music education major at Elmhurst. Cadence’s executive board and committees have many Elmhurst-affiliated members, including Clay Corso ’19 , Nicki Denofrio ’11, Anthony Essenmacher ’17, Taylor Okey ’12, T. Duncan Parker ’12 , Jennifer Parker (Wiczer) ’10, Mary Thompson ’12 , Jesse Stellwagon ’09 , Laura Stellwagon (Chambers) ’10, Stanley Washington ’14 , and Donna Peterson Tallman, retired choral director and professor of music education.
Joe Wais ’15 was recognized as Mandolin Player of the Year at the 2024 Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards, where his bluegrass band, The MilBillies, won the folk/Americana Band of the Year. The MilBillies also won the John Hartford Memorial Band Contest in Indiana in
2022 and were featured as an International Bluegrass Music Association showcase artist in Raleigh, N.C. Based in Milwaukee, the band has toured nationally, played at some of the biggest festivals and venues for the genre, and released two studio albums.
Ricardo Rodriguez ’16 received a master of arts in trauma-informed leadership from Dominican University in January.
2020s
After graduation, Alexandria Schultz ’20 worked for a law firm that paid for her to get certified as a paralegal. While working, she took classes full time at the local community college and completed the program in less than a year. She says the foundation she got at Elmhurst contributed to her success in her further education.
Christopher Halka ’22 recently graduated from the medical laboratory science program at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and started his new job as medical laboratory scientist at the same hospital.
Katarzyna Koziol ’22 is in her final year of the MRI tech certificate program at RUSH University. She says she could not have done it without the dedicated teachers who helped her throughout her Elmhurst journey.
Christofer Cooney ’24 has been working as an environmental scientist at Tetra Tech in Lombard, Ill., since graduation. He has traveled to neighboring states to work on environmental projects through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and he has been trained on new equipment that will help him in the field.
A FEAST FOR A JOURNALIST
Eric Lutz ’11 spent two weeks this summer covering the Democratic and Republican National Conventions for Vanity Fair magazine. “For a journalist, it was a little bit like Thanksgiving,” says Lutz, who graduated with an English degree. “You have a full spread of stories before you. They were the biggest spectacle I’ve covered.” A contributing editor at Vanity Fair, Lutz has had previous experience at Newcity, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other publications. He says his time at The Leader, Elmhurst University’s student newspaper, inspired him to pursue journalism as a career. “Working at The Leader was the best journalism experience I could have had,” he says.
EXPLORING LEGACIES
Rev. John Clifford Helt ’73 spoke at Elmhurst on Sept. 27 about his book Lydia Hosto Niebuhr: The Buried History of an Evangelical Matriarch (Pickwick Publications, 2024), which explores the life and contributions of the mother of theologians Reinhold Niebuhr (Class of 1910) and H. Richard Niebuhr (Class of 1912). He was joined by Conrad Kanagy, the book’s editor and the author of Walter Brueggemann’s Prophetic Imagination (2023), a theological biography of Brueggemann ’55 , an influential Old Testament scholar. An endowed chair has been established in Brueggemann’s honor; to contribute to the Walter Brueggemann Endowed Chair in Biblical Studies, go to elmhurst.edu/Give.
Image: Vanity Fair
IN MEMORIAM
TEACHER AND HUGGER
Beverly Hamowitz Kolwitz ’49, a teacher for many years, died May 20, 2023, at age 94. Kolwitz was born in Chicago but grew up in Elmhurst, where she eventually earned her biology degree at Elmhurst University and met LeRoy Charles Kolwitz. They married Dec. 18, 1948. After graduating, Kolwitz taught grade school and then raised the couple’s four children. She returned to teaching later in life and relocated to Plano, Texas, with her husband before moving to Holly Lake Ranch, Texas. A soprano, Kolwitz enjoyed performing in musicals, plays and church choirs. She always advised people to “hug a lot.”
HALL OF FAMER
David Charles Yates ’92 died June 11 at age 54. A basketball coach at Fremd High School in Palatine, Ill., Yates was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024. Over the course of his career, his teams won one state championship, 13 conference titles, 11 regional titles, five sectional titles and five supersectional titles. As captain of the men’s basketball team at Elmhurst, he led the Bluejays to their first NCAA tournament appearance.
Vernon “Bud” H. Branneky ’49
March 30, 2024, Chesterfield, Mo.
Rev. Ralph C. Faisst ’50
April 23, 2024, West Bend, Wis.
Rev. Robert J. Mueller ’51
June 27, 2024, Norway, Mich.
Marian Tiedemann ’51
July 3, 2024, Roseville, Calif.
Walter J. Herrscher ’55
May 31, 2024, Green Bay, Wis.
Jack D. Reed ’57
May 9, 2024, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Rev. George R. Kuebler ’58
July 5, 2024, Sugarland, Texas
Rev. Charles W. Ross ’58
June 7, 2024, Vancouver, Wash.
Jo-Ann Margaret Hatch ’59
June 19, 2024, Carmel Valley, Calif.
William C. Baur ’61
April 24, 2024, Schaumburg, Ill.
Charles Kindermann ’61
June 2, 2023, Indianapolis
Shirley M. McFadden ’63
March 1, 2024, Sequim, Wash.
Alice Stratemeyer ’63
Aug. 22, 2019, Shorewood, Ill.
Joanne E. Skinner ’64
Feb. 25, 2024, Murrieta, Calif.
Rev. Jean Eyrich Pennell ’69
April 20, 2024, Sherman, Ill.
Cynthia Salmon ’69
June 14, 2024, Peabody, Mass.
Kathleen M. Graham ’71
July 12, 2017, Elmhurst, Ill.
Jeanne M. Warp ’71
June 30, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Albert D. Thomas ’73
July 27, 2024, DeKalb, Ill.
Barbara L. Stonikas ’75
March 14, 2024, Tallahassee, Fla.
Janet Marie Durr ’76
May 17, 2024, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Nancy S. Seyfert ’77
Dec. 6, 2003, Elmhurst, Ill.
Elizabeth Zuniga ’77
July 8, 2024, Wheaton, Ill.
Robert T. Scafe ’79
July 2, 2024, Lincoln, Calif.
Keith H. Vrchota ’80
July 17, 2024, Neshkoro, Wis.
Linda S. Jontry ’84
June 10, 2024, Lisle, Ill.
Rev. Nancy L. Neal ’84
April 28, 2024, Tulsa, Okla.
Michele S. Choma ’85 July 23, 2024, Shoreline, Wash.
Karen F. Dombrowski ’86
July 29, 2024, Burr Ridge, Ill.
Benjamin M. Taylor ’87
June 23, 2024, Oswego, Ill.
Victor A. Zitzer ’88
Sept. 9, 2024, Lombard, Ill.
Lois I. Lescelius ’92 May 8, 2024, North Aurora, Ill.
Janet L. White ’95
April 25, 2024, Valparaiso, Ind.
Sheryl A. Minjares ’98
Aug. 11, 2024, Round Lake, Ill.
Arlana M. Zaborowski ’99
Aug. 8, 2024, Wauconda, Ill.
Bethany A. Buonsante ’23
April 22, 2024, Bartlett, Ill.
SPIRITUAL ADVISOR
Rev. Dr. Joseph John Richardson Sr. ’89, a fixture on campus for decades, died Sept. 8 at age 94. As spiritual advisor to the football team, he made a lasting impact across the Elmhurst University community. In 1989, he joined the staff as cochaplain. The football locker room was renamed in his honor in 2000, the same year he earned the title of honorary athletic chaplain. He was a dependable part of Homecoming Week for 25 years, hosting an annual pizza party for the football players. In 2017, he was inducted into the Elmhurst University Athletics Hall of Fame. He also was the recipient of two of the University’s highest honors, the Alumni Merit Award and the Founders Medal.
“The Elmhurst University athletic family is deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Rev. Joe,” said Glen Brittich, director of athletics. “We will forever be grateful for his prayers, passion and support of our university and student-athletes.”
RELATIONSHIP BUILDER
Longtime staff member Beverley Krohn ’10 died Sept. 8. She was 65. Krohn joined the Elmhurst University staff in 2003. In her 16 years at the University, she served as assistant director of the Frick Center, assistant director of alumni relations, associate director of annual giving, and director of conference and event services. Known for cultivating strong relationships on campus, she married head football coach Paul Krohn in 2011 in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel.
Charlie Roumeliotis ’14 on following the puck from WRSE to WGN Radio.
HAT TRICK
I knew at a young age that I wanted to do sports broadcasting. My dad took me and my brother to Blackhawks games as a kid. I liked the pace of it, the atmosphere. Sports was my passion. At home, I would steal my dad’s copy of the Chicago Tribune so I could read the sports section.
I’m a triplet, and in high school, my brother and then my sister committed to Elmhurst. So I followed them. During the first week of college, I heard about the campus radio station, WRSE. I asked them, “Can I have my own sports talk show?” They said, sure, pick a time slot. I also covered sports for The Leader.
During my senior year, my brother applied for an internship with what became NBC Sports Chicago. They called him in for an interview that day, so I applied too. We both got internships, which led me to a part-time job there as a digital media producer during my senior year. I was also working as the station manager for WRSE and as sports
editor for The Leader. Juggling all those balls prepared me for my career, and I will always be grateful for those opportunities that Elmhurst gave me.
When the Blackhawks were deep in the playoffs in 2015, one of the NBC writers left, and I pitched myself to take that role. I got it, and in 2019, I became NBC’s official Blackhawks Insider, which involved writing, doing podcasts and being on air.
This fall, I became the studio host of WGN Radio’s Blackhawks pregame and postgame shows. Running the show is going to stretch a different part of my brain. I grew up listening to the play-by-play by John Wiedeman and color analyst Troy Murray—and now I get to work with those guys. That part is going to be really special for me.
My brother had that internship with me, but he got out of the business. I’m so invested, it never feels like a job to me. I still love hockey.
Elmhurst University
190 Prospect Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296
THE 58TH ANNUAL ELMHURST UNIVERSITY
THURSDAY, FEB. 20–SUNDAY, FEB. 23, 2025 HAMMERSCHMIDT MEMORIAL CHAPEL
