Fall 2026
FISHER QUANTUM CENTER IWU is positioning undergraduate students to enter one of science’s most complex and promising frontiers.
CONTENTS
On the cover Alan and Ann Fisher
12 Fisher Quantum Center
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The Petrick Idea Center
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The Liberal Arts Solve Problems
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Alumni Award Winners
IWU Associates Connect Community and Campus
Titans Explore Careers Through the Career Immersion Excursion
DEPARTMENTS 1 From the Presidents Desk 2 Around the Quad 42 Athletics
46 Alumni Association News 48 Class Notes 52 In Memorium
VOL 35 | NO 01 | FALL 2026
IWU Magazine is published biannualy by University Marketing Communications in partnership with the Office of Advancement. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
FROM THE
PRESIDENTS DESK
Sheahon Zenger ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT
Val Hawkins CHIEF MARKETING & BRANDING OFFICER
Mark Gibson DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Ann Aubry ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Autum Kopp ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Emily Bollinger MAGAZINE EDITOR & COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Chris Francis '13 ART DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Nick Munafo ILLUSTRATOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
James McGurk PHOTOGRAPHER/ VIDEOGRAPHER
Adam Day CONTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATION & MARKETING
Katie Gonzales STUDENT WRITER
Emmeline Schubert '26 OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (309) 556-3181 Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine iwumag@iwu.edu P.O. Box 2900, Bloomington, Illinois 61702-2900. Periodical postage paid at Bloomington, Illinois, Post Office, and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine P.O. Box 2900 Bloomington, Illinois 61702-2900
s I enter my third year at Illinois Wesleyan, I continue to hold up a mirror to our incredible students, faculty, staff and alumni to celebrate how great this University is. It is clear to me that Titans embody the words of the late Minor Myers, jr., to live well, do good — and continually become more. You'll be seeing those words in what might be called our "brand expression"; the beauty is that we're articulating what is authentic to the spirit of Illinois Wesleyan and the lives that are shaped here. This spirit is giving shape to the Centers that I believe represent the distinctiveness of Illinois Wesleyan: The Center for Humanities, the Petrick Idea Center, the newly announced Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, and more to come! The Center for Humanities represents our bedrock in the liberal arts and humanities. It provides a central location and deliberate resources to promote encounters with the humanities for everyone. As Director and Professor of English Joanne Diaz says, the humanities "allow us to investigate what we value, what we believe in, how we express ourselves and how we imagine the world.” As an English major myself, this is close to my heart. After years of planning, the Petrick Idea Center was completed this summer, ahead of schedule, on budget — and true to its founding vision, is open to all. We're excited at the shared vision of our new director, Ben Hage. Ben recognizes entrepreneurship as the activity of addressing vital problems, which arise across all disciplines and are most creatively addressed from the wellspring of the liberal arts. The Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering was announced this spring, thanks to the generosity of our trustee Ann Fisher ’82 and Alan Fisher, and the life's work of Professor of Physics Narendra Jaggi. The Fisher Quantum Center is a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary undergraduate program that creates opportunities for students to explore quantum science early in their academic journeys, even if the traditional path into quantum wasn’t their intended field of study. The broader economic, ethical, environmental, and societal implications around quantum technologies make a
"Investigating values, addressing problems and discovering brave new technologies: we continue to empower Titans to go into the world and do well, but more importantly, to do good." liberal arts environment an ideal launch point for future careers in this rapidly emerging field. Investigating values, addressing problems and discovering brave new technologies: we continue to empower Titans to go into the world and do well, but more importantly, to do good. A common thread running through these centers is the idea that the most valuable skills in this changing world are curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to connect complex ideas. I hope this sounds familiar to all of you as Titans, because this readiness to meet the future has been our strength for 175 years. We are ready for the next 175! We hope you'll join us for Homecoming to celebrate all that's gone before and the exciting future to come, and that you'll participate in supporting the work of year 176 and beyond.
Printed by Taylor, Bloomington, Ill.
Sheahon Zenger Illinois Wesleyan University President FA L L 2026 | 1
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Key Donors Alan and Ann Fisher Pictured with ILLINOIS WESLEYAN LAUNCHES President Sheahon Zenger FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND INTERDISCIPLINARY UNDERGRADUATE QUANTUM SCIENCE May, Illinois Wesleyan AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM T hisUniversity announced the
Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering positions Illinois as a leader in next generation quantum education.
BY ANN AUBRY
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creation of the Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, a first-of-its-kind undergraduate program that brings together multiple areas of study to better prepare students for careers in this emerging field.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FISHER QUANTUM CENTER, VISIT WWW.IWU.EDU/FISHER-QUANTUM-CENTER.
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The Fisher Quantum Center will make Illinois Wesleyan the first undergraduate liberal arts university in the United States to offer an interdisciplinary quantum program, positioning both the University and the state as leaders in the quantum space. The Fisher Quantum Center is supported by a founding gift from Ann '82 and Alan Fisher, providing the resources to establish the center and launch programming. Ann is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and serves on the university’s Board of Trustees. "Ann and I are really excited about sponsoring this new and very innovative program here at Illinois Wesleyan," Alan Fisher told the crowd assembled in the Center for Natural Science Atrium for the announcement of the new Fisher Quantum Center. "A lot of folks have asked us, why quantum and why Illinois Wesleyan? Well, quantum is a new technology. It's both foundational and transformative in a number of different areas, ranging from science and engineering, biology and medicine, business and finance, art and education.
There's a lot of interaction and collaboration you can do in a small school environment like this that you really cannot do with a big school. If you go to a big school, you declare yourself to be a member of one department or the other, and your tribes never get together and collaborate. That becomes very, very difficult in a big school, but is very, very possible here at Illinois Wesleyan. "What really resonates with us about this new center is how it brings together the collaboration between both faculty and students, so that they can interact with quantum on their own terms and in their own areas of interest," Alan said. The Fisher Quantum Center is designed to grow in phases and will expand its curriculum, facilities, and partnerships over time. IWU President Sheahon Zenger said, “Quantum is reshaping industries and the way we solve complex problems, and this complexity is an ideal fit with Illinois Wesleyan's cross-curricular approach to undergraduate education. We are especially grateful to Ann and Alan Fisher for their generous gift that is making this distinctive program possible."
"The definition of liberal arts is interdisciplinary learning, and that's what this center is all about.
Ahnnika Hess '27 is greeted by Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady at the campus event announcing the new Fisher Quantum Center.
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What is Quantum?
Students will be able to engage with quantum in multiple ways, including through individual courses, Quantum science studies how matter and energy certificates, concentrations, hands-on experiments, behave at the smallest scale, where the differences can projects, faculty-mentored research, and internships. be used to create new, more powerful technologies. The Fisher Quantum Center is designed to be flexible, Because of this, quantum has a wide variety of realinclusive, and accessible to undergraduate students world applications and is poised to transform everyday from all areas of study to create a gateway into lives and revolutionize industries ranging from quantum for students who might not otherwise computing and cybersecurity to healthcare, finance, encounter the field. It will also serve as a hub for and agriculture. visiting scholars, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty to collaborate on strengthening undergraduate Most quantum programs are primarily offered at the quantum laboratories and infrastructure. graduate level and focus on a single area of study. The Fisher Quantum Center takes a fundamentally Beyond the classroom, the Fisher Quantum Center will different approach by focusing exclusively on support outreach initiatives to engage high school undergraduate education and bringing together teachers and students to strengthen pathways into physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, quantum and STEM fields. This past summer, Illinois biology, business, philosophy, and engineering into Wesleyan began hosting a fully funded Quantum Day one holistic curriculum. Instead of separating these Camp for high school STEM teachers and counselors from fields and narrowing the focus, it connects them to surrounding counties, with a residential Quantum Camp better reflect the broad applications of quantum. This for high school students anticipated for Summer 2027. first-of-its-kind approach prepares students not only with the technical skills for these emerging careers, At a time when Illinois is emerging as a national but with an understanding of the economic, ethical, hub for quantum innovation, the Fisher Quantum environmental, and societal implications of quantum Center will play a critical role in developing the next technologies. generation of talent, expanding awareness of quantum
"This is an exciting moment, not only for Illinois Wesleyan, but for the quantum innovation industry in our state" — Governor J.B. Pritzker
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careers and opportunities, and ensuring the state remains competitive in this rapidly evolving field. State of Illinois officials participated in the announcement, including Governor J.B. Pritzker, via a recorded video message of congratulations. "This is an exciting moment, not only for Illinois Wesleyan, but for the quantum innovation industry in our state," Pritzker said in his video remarks. "Our world-class universities, like Illinois Wesleyan, and our quantum research facilities, national laboratories and private sector partners have made our state the fastest growing hub for quantum innovation. We're pushing the boundaries of discovery and technology advancement every single day.
"Legacy is not what you leave behind, it's what you set in motion." —Dr. Narendra K. Jaggi
Professor and Chair of Physics
"The Fisher Quantum Center will attract the talent we need to vault our economy forward and ensure this industry's jobs and new companies are created right here. I want to thank Illinois Wesleyan University President Zenger, and especially Ann and Alan Fisher for their generosity, leadership and vision making this possible. In part because of the Fisher Center, Illinois will be at the forefront of quantum innovation, talent development and commercialization that will power our future." Preeti Chalsani, the inaugural Chief Quantum Officer for Illinois at the Illinois Economic Development Council, joined in the announcement and shared in the observation that quantum is not confined to a single discipline. "It requires collaboration across many fields: Physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and increasingly business and ethics and policy. The liberal arts model is powerful because it prepares students to think critically, adapt quickly, develop creative solutions, and work across disciplines. These skills are essential in the quantum economy and in any field," Chalsani said. "The future of quantum will depend on making these opportunities more accessible to students across our state and across academic backgrounds and
disciplines, and Illinois Wesleyan is helping lead that effort." Alan Fisher quoted the words of Professor of Physics Narendra Jaggi, who fostered the undergraduate quantum program at Illinois Wesleyan. "A very wise man once told me that legacy is not what you leave behind, it's what you set in motion. Ann and I are very confident that this center is going to provide many opportunities for student and faculty engagement for many years to come."
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D AY O F G I V I N G
RECORD-BREAKING $3.6 MILLION RAISED FOR ALL IN FOR WESLEYAN All In for Wesleyan was a recordbreaking day of philanthropy as well as a powerful demonstration of what is possible when the Titan community comes together around a shared purpose.
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uring Illinois Wesleyan University's 175th anniversary year, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends embraced the theme Make History, turning it into a collective movement that far exceeded expectations. More than 2,100 donors made gifts totaling over $3.6 million, setting a new record for higher education giving days in McLean County. Yet the true story of the day was not found in the numbers alone. It was found in the extraordinary generosity, pride, and investment of a community that believes deeply in the value of an Illinois Wesleyan education. “Our donors are the ones who deserve the credit for making history here at IWU,” said Dr. Jesse Meyer, VP for Advancement, “The world needs more liberal arts educated students who can think critically and solve problems. Our historic giving day creates more opportunities for current and future Titans.” All In for Wesleyan creates a unique kind of momentum and energy that exists beyond the boundaries of our campus. It is visible, contagious, and capable of bringing an entire campus community together. Throughout the day, students celebrated alongside faculty and staff, alumni reconnected through shared DONORS WHO MAY HAVE MISSED THIS YEAR’S ALL IN FOR WESLEYAN CAN STILL SHOW THEIR SUPPORT BY VISITING WWW.IWU.EDU/GIVE.
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“Our donors are the ones that deserve the credit for making history here at IWU. We saw an extraordinary response from our Titan Family, allowing us to set a McLean County giving day record in higher education. The world needs more liberal arts educated students that can think critically and solve problems. Our historic giving day creates more opportunities for both current and future Titans.” —Jesse Meyer Vice President of Advancement memories and purpose, and donors from across the country demonstrated their confidence in Illinois Wesleyan's future. Every gift, regardless of size or designation, represented a commitment to helping students along their journey to make a meaningful impact in the world. The energy generated through All In for Wesleyan fueled scholarships, athletic teams, academic programs, campus beautification, and facility enhancements. But, it also strengthened community, amplified campus pride, and reinforced the idea that IWU’s greatest achievements happen when Titans do more together. In a milestone year celebrating 175 years of excellence, the Illinois Wesleyan community did more than honor its history - it made history and invested boldly in the next chapter of IWU.
"This is my first All In for Wesleyan, and while I was confident in the generosity of Titans to reach our goals, the 2026 effort went above and beyond for scholarships, athletics, the Wesleyan Fund, and academic programs. While so much work goes into planning a giving day, ultimately, we succeed because our donors believe in IWU and what it can do for students, programs, and the future. This is a collective effort between our staff, faculty, alumni, students, and parents. This year's All In would not have been historic without the foundation of Titan pride, generosity, and investment that this community values and supports.” —Emily Kabbes Director of Annual Giving
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COMMENCEMENT
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN CELEBRATES CLASS OF 2026 COMMENCEMENT I llinois Wesleyan University graduates of the Class of 2026 were honored in a Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 3, in the Shirk Center.
For the first time at Commencement, the immortal words of the late IWU president Minor Myers jr. were performed by the Illinois Wesleyan Collegiate Choir in a recently commissioned work, their musical rendition capping the ceremony with its recurring theme: "Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, do good."
BY ANN AUBRY
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PHOTOS BY ADAM DAY, BETANIA CARVALHO AND EMILY BOLLINGER
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Scan the QR code to Register For more information or questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at (309) 556-3251 or check out the website at www.iwu.edu/homecoming/.
FISHER QUANTUM CENTER
With the new Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, IWU is positioning undergraduate students to enter one of science’s most complex and promising frontiers.
STORY BY CHRIS FRANCIS '13
“We are looking forward to creating a program that will be distinctive at the national level" — Dr. Narendra K. Jaggi
Fisher Q uantum C enter
Wanda Lindquist ‘26 has always had a mind for physics. “I remember, as a kid lying in my room at night, I would imagine balls bouncing around the room, thinking about what angles they would bounce at off the walls,” Wanda said. She always felt confident in her intuitions about the physical world that we can see and imagine, until she qualified that confidence with a caveat. “I had no idea we were going to have this whole ‘Quantumania’ thing,” she said, referencing the 2023 Ant Man sequel. Wanda's experience mirrors that of an entire field. For more than a century, physicists have peeled back layers of mystery as they explored the universe's fundamental building blocks. In the last decade, the field's practical applications have entered popular imagination, even as the science remains profoundly complex. That monumental challenge is why, as an IWU physics major, Wanda became among the first undergraduate students in the country to pursue quantum optics and computing at a liberal arts college, joining her classmates in earning multiple internships at nationally renowned programs and laboratories. Come next school year, she will be followed by the first students to perform coursework and research with the Center for Natural Sciences’ new Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, thanks to a $3.5 million gift from IWU trustee Ann Marquis Fisher '82 and her husband Alan. With a suite of cuttingedge technology enabling unique curricula and research opportunities within a liberal arts tradition, IWU aims to become a hub of quantum science and engineering in the Midwest and beyond.
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Quantum physics synonymous in popular culture with “mind-boggling science,” is more approachably described by Ames Professor of Physics Gabriel Spalding as “recognizing that the things you learned about in your pre-college education, like an electron or photon, were taught in a way that made sense because it was a simple model, but it wasn't the whole story.” The “whole story” of quantum physics has been most recently, and famously, hinted at in the Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer. The titular director of the Manhattan project and early quantum physicist finds himself in tense conversations with Albert Einstein, who is discomfited by Robert Oppenheimer’s field. “Here we are, lost in your quantum world of probabilities,” film Einstein says. He refers to the unintuitive strangeness of the universe at the very smallest scales. The particles that make up atoms and that carry forces across space and time appear to follow a different set of rules from the world as we experience it. Yet somehow, due to mysteries we have yet to solve, the rules of Einstein’s world of planets and stars emerge from the probabilistic quantum world. Despite the many remaining mysteries, physicists and engineers have used the known principles of quantum physics to create far more technologies than one may realize. From atomic bombs to MRIs to GPS navigation, a technological revolution has been steadily making its way through the last century of progress in a world of science we can scarcely imagine.
Physicists have peeled back layers of mind-bending mysteries as they dive deeper into the fundamental building blocks of the universe.
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Take, for example, the computer encoded information becomes a on your desk or phone in your hand. corrupted mess. The scales of quantum science If you can wrap your mind and engineering are beyond human around that, you have begun to intuition, but the field of quantum understand just one of the probcomputing might be best at show- lems quantum scientists and engicasing what IWU students will neers like Wanda are solving. pursue within the Fisher Center, especially since several IWU physics students have already contributed to research in the field. according to Professor and But it is especially useful for the Chair of the Physics Department rest of us because of the relatable Narendra Jaggi, “has acquired new problem that all computer engisignificance in the last quarter neers face: They are running out century because of the extraordiof space. Not space in the body of nary potential to solve problems the device on your desk but in the that mankind thought were imposgaps in the microchip transistors sible to solve.” that enable a computer to store In that time, the state of Illinois and process data. has become a global hub of quanEach transistor is basically tum science and engineering, not a gate that can open or close least Central Illinois, where the to control the flow of elecUniversity of Illinois Urbana Chamtricity through a microchip. paign hosts faculty and graduate Transistors being open or students working at the forefront closed, “one” or “zero,” of quantum engineering’s most make up the bits of binary exciting solutions. code, and the smaller Jaggi himself had the opportuthose transistors get, the nity to work with the U of I’s Nadya more bits can fit into Mason – one of the most promisomething like a laptop or nent researchers grappling with cell phone. the mind-bending physics of quanBut how small can trantum computers, delving into topics sistors get? as sci-fi-sounding as "two-dimenToday, transistors in sional superconductors” – and he consumer electronics are brought back to IWU a singular measured in nanometers, or ambition. billionths of a meter. A human “Four years ago, I decided we hair is about 100,000 nanometers were going to be a part of this,” he wide. The smallest transistors in said. Illinois Wesleyan was going production today are about three to become the one institution nanometers wide, or the width of that students from the Midwest about thirty hydrogen atoms lined and beyond would attend to study up side-by-side. quantum science and engineering When you start measuring as an undergraduate. distances in terms of a few atoms, That ambition began with Jaggi’s the rules start to change. The elec“intro to quantum physics” course trons that orbit those atoms begin for juniors and seniors, which to look less like a flowing current Wanda found herself accidentally of electricity and more like clouds enrolled in as her very first class of probability that might randomly session as a freshman at IWU. appear in places you can’t predict, “I met a lot of upperclassmen like the other side of a closed tranin the physics department in that sistor. Suddenly, what was once class,” Wanda said, “and they would a perfectly controlled system of
“The quantum revolution,”
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help me, because I needed some of quantum computing include help in the beginning, but I had fun “everything from chemistry, physics, the whole time.” materials, finance, climate science, The class introduced Wanda drug design, you name it,” Jaggi said. to quantum physics in intensely Any kind of problem that involves mathematical terms, accidentally astronomical numbers of unprethrowing Wanda into her first day dictable parameters interacting at IWU as a student with concepts with each other, whether it's modelfar beyond what she had encoun- ing combinations of molecules, tered before, but she had a leg up in atmospheric dynamics or financial feeling comfortable and confident transactions, quantum computers on campus. will be able to trivialize the process Wanda graduated from IWU of studying these phenomena. this past spring, but she has been That is the revolution that Jaggi, on the Illinois Wesleyan grounds the Fishers and the IWU physics ever since she was a child imagining department want the University to the trajectories of bouncing balls. be a part of. Being the daughter of IWU physics alum and chief information officer Rick Lindquist ’99, she is also one of Professor Narendra Jaggi’s “grandrather than repeating Wanda’s students,” as he calls them. fortunate mistake, can take a new “When I first talked to Professor “quantum physics for all” course Spalding on campus as a student, designed to be a gateway into the he told me, ‘I remember when you depth and breadth of quantum were this tall,’” Wanda said, holding science and engineering at IWU, out her hand a few feet from the facilitated by the Fisher Quantum ground. Center. About a decade after Spalding’s “We at Illinois Wesleyan have the recollection, Wanda emerged from first undergraduate level concenher first-year encounter with an tration in quantum science and upper-level quantum physics class technology in the Midwest,” Jaggi as a poster child for the future of said, accounting for the depth of quantum physics at IWU, and as a study our students have and will bright young scientist interested in achieve. the solutions that may make quanAs for breadth, “because we are tum computers a reality. at a liberal arts institution, this is “I like playing with lasers,” Wanda our philosophy, that we don’t teach said, “and doing things with lasers anything as a pure skill in a narrow happens to help people do quantum field,” Jaggi said. “The arc of the computing.” Specifically by “using program includes quantum physlasers to trap atoms.” ics, quantum chemistry, quantum Thanks to Wanda’s work in quanmathematics, ecological implicatum optics – the physics of light at tions of quantum technology and quantum scales – she has been able professions in quantum science and to complete two internships “playtechnology.” ing with lasers” at Argonne National The unique character of IWU’s Laboratory, one of the most preseducation has already drawn a vast tigious and advanced physics labs range of interdisciplinary interest in the world located in the Chicago to the field. Ben Heinz ’27, a double suburbs. She plans to continue her major in physics and music perforresearch this fall as a grad student at mance, conducted research on the the University of Arizona. environmental and ethical implicaIf the kind of work that Wanda is tions of quantum computing while doing bears fruit, the applications
Today’s first-year IWU students,
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Wanda Lindquist's research spans investigations of the Gouy phase shift, angular Doppler effect, photon bunching (a phenomenon in quantum optics), optical cloaking, and optical tweezer arrays (which offer quantum applications). While a student, Lindquist also developed research projects designed to introduce first- and second-year students to experimental optics.
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also completing an internship at Fermilab, the other internationally prestigious physics lab in the suburbs of Chicago. and Ahnnika Hess ’27, a physics and art double major, performed research at Northwestern University’s Center for Photonic Communication and Computing while being inspired by her study of quantum physics to create stunning glasswork art depicting a space-time singularity. “It's one of my favorite pieces, and I've gotten three commissions from it,” Ahnnika said. These are some of the students who have been able to make incredible achievements as physics undergrads even before the creation of the Fisher Quantum Center. With millions of dollars in investment, future students will have access to the same kinds of
lab equipment, visiting faculty, concentrations and research opportunities that are boasted by the R1 institutions of one of the most research-heavy states in the country. And they will do so while also becoming the thoughtful, persuasive and inspiring leaders that an IWU education creates. “I'm extremely grateful to the alumni who have supported us in building this program the last four or five years, and some of them have been extraordinarily generous,” Jaggi said. “We are looking forward to creating a program that will be distinctive at the national level, a program that will be recognized for the first of its kind in providing undergraduate education, instruction and research in quantum science that has both breadth as well as depth.”
Ahnnika Hess '27 is a physics and art double major. She also performs research at Northwestern University’s Center for Photonic Communication and Computing. Ben Heinz ‘27 studies quantum science at Ilinois Wesleyan as a double major in physics and instrumental performance (euphonium). He has also conducted research on the ethical implications of quantum computing. 17
STORY BY ANN AUBRY
THE PETRICK IDEA CENTER
Illinois Wesleyan has a rich tradition of innovation and has been long committed to bringing together the liberal arts, entrepreneurship and community connection under one roof.
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here are varying types of students who will be drawn to the new Petrick Idea Center as it opens on Illinois Wesleyan's campus this fall, as described by new director Ben Hage.
One is a problem seeker, who is trying to make a discovery they can offer to the world. Another is a solution seeker — those who know a specific problem, and are trying to solve it. Third are students with diverse talents and skills, who will be drawn to this environment of seekers and want to be part of something new. Hage describes the latter as cofounders. These students will converge and meet at Petrick. Still more students may be inspired by the unique spaces in Petrick as opportunities for public displays and presentations — venues to demonstrate their talents. "I want to help people imagine how to use the space," Hage said, noting that faculty will be the real drivers in attracting students to the new innovation hub. "The power of our ecosystem includes all our faculty and students.
"There are specific activities faculty can find useful at Petrick that they can't do to the same level at other buildings." This is clearly true for Byron S. Tucci Professor of Spanish Carolyn Nadeau, who will be using the food laboratory in Petrick as she innovates curriculum for her new course for nutrition majors on Food, Culture and Society. Previously, opportunities for experimentation and a sensorial, hands-on component in her classes exploring food cultures were severely limited, but the space in Petrick has opened up a literal world of possibilities for Nadeau and her students. And partly because she'll be situated at Petrick already, Nadeau's preceding language class will meet in Petrick, where she plans to make the most of the various spaces to help students expand their vocabulary by interacting with the environment, including crafting language-based games in the maker-space. "I'm excited to experiment with that and give them something tangible to help make the learning stick," she said. Hage was working to make connections on campus and help envision uses for the new facility even before he arrived at Illinois Wesleyan on June 1, as Petrick construction was nearing completion.
Marc Talluto '94, a foundational donor whose support helped bring the Petrick Idea Center to life. 19
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Hage was previously director of Innovate Springfield at the University of Illinois Springfield, with more than a decade of experience spanning both startup development and entrepreneurship education. "I am thrilled to be joining Illinois Wesleyan," Hage said as his appointment was announced. "It is an incredible opportunity to lean into a community where the Midwestern ethos meets the high-level critical thinking of a top-tier liberal arts university. When I visited campus, I felt a contagious energy that makes IWU the ideal place for students who want to bridge the gap between a strong liberal arts tradition and entrepreneurship." Hage's vision echoes that of foundational donor, the late David Petrick '67, who told architects "The most important thing is to make sure students from all disciplines are involved and feel welcome here. If they have an idea, they can create it at The Petrick Idea Center.” Recognizing problems, seeking solutions and having new ideas is not exclusive to those studying business. Hage said, "Business is not a pretext," noting innovators acquire necessary business knowledge through the activity of creating and finding ways of delivering value. Donor and serial entrepreneur Marc Talluto '94 has made a top priority out of supporting entrepreneurial endeavors for students at Illinois Wesleyan — as he said in his 2025 Commencement address — so "every major could understand what it would mean to make their passion their career." The nearly 15,000-square-foot Petrick Idea Center adjoins the Ames School of Art & Design, which was renovated to connect to the new facility. Provost John Miles said the center is designed to actively bring together students, whose grounding in the liberal arts will provide a springboard for creative problem solving and innovative thinking, and to serve the surrounding community.
Dave and Ellen Petrick
"The most important thing is to make sure students from all disciplines are involved and feel welcome here. If they have an idea, they can create it at The Petrick Idea Center.” David Petrick '67
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Illinois Wesleyan can be a thought leader in the realm of idea centers: Hage sees opportunities to host regional high school entrepreneurship competitions, where IWU faculty and students can add value by sharing their expertise and personal experiences. The University can also host events and seminars, offering knowledge, resources, connections and networking for local teachers and entrepreneurs. As home to the Illinois Small Business Development Center of McLean County, the IWU campus is ideally positioned as a community hub supporting innovation and new businesses. And "we have what other local places don't yet have: an alumni network, which can help connect them with investors," Hage noted.
The timing for the Petrick Idea Center coming to fruition also carries advantages, benefiting from the trial and error evidenced at similar types of hubs during the past 15 years. IWU can move directly and quickly to the best practices that have emerged, Hage said. "I think Illinois Wesleyan is at a place and time where we have tremendous opportunity to do something very meaningful in the idea space," he said. "Wesleyan is uniquely qualified for many reasons — the quality of our students, the quality of our faculty, and the willingness and engagement of our alumni network, leadership and Board in wanting something like this to be here on campus. We have all the ingredients: talent, experts and support."
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OUR STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE OUR ABILITY TO CONSISTENTLY INNOVATE. OF COURSE THEY DO, BECAUSE THE LIBERAL ARTS SOLVE PROBLEMS, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. — JOHN MILES PROVOST AND DEAN OF FACULTY
T he L iberal A rts S olve Problems
THE LIBERAL ARTS SOLVE PROBLEMS Provost John Miles on How Innovation Brings Us Back To Our Roots
STORY BY ANN AUBRY & CHRIS FRANCIS '13 ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMES MCGURK
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T he L iberal A rts S olve Problems
very business and organization in America has at least two problems: the world is changing fast, and thoughtful leaders who can navigate that change are hard to find. To that end, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has spent the last two decades surveying executives and hiring managers along two lines of questioning: What qualities make someone a desirable employee? And, once hired, what makes them successful? “The broad capacities developed through a liberal education,” writes AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella in the introduction of the latest report, “– critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication, teamwork, and the ability to adapt to new contexts – are precisely the qualities most needed to thrive in today’s economy and civic life.” Yet, “for years, economists and more than a few worried parents have argued over whether a liberal arts degree is worth the price,” according to New York Times reporter Anemona Hartocollis in a 2023 article. “The debate now seems to be over, and the answer is ‘no.’” IWU’s Provost and Dean of Faculty John Miles disagrees, and he believes that dispelling this misconception is more than possible as we find new ways to explain “why?” Why are liberal arts graduates as effective, productive and successful as we know they are? “The case to be made is simple,” he said. “Students from IWU solve problems in their community, their state and the world.”
NOW OVER ONE YEAR INTO HIS TIME AT IWU Miles came to the University from a long career in higher education administration. From 2008 to 2025, Miles served in positions as dean and provost in Georgian and South Carolinian institutions. Needless to say, the winter of 2025-2026 was his coldest by far. 24 | I W U M AG A ZI N E
THE CORE OF THE LIBERAL ARTS IS TO INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO THE COMPLEXITY OF SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND DEVELOP THE SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES TO BEGIN TO ANSWER THEM." — JOHN MILES PROVOST AND DEAN OF FACULTY
The newly transplanted Illinoisan is known to gush his admiration for IWU’s unique character and values, especially its history of adaptability and innovation fueled by its own liberal arts ideals. He has made it his mission to bring new insights and zeal to the argument for our unique value, which — as he would stress to those who believe “the debate is over” — includes economic value. “The core of the liberal arts is to introduce students to the complexity of serious problems and develop the skills and attributes to begin to answer them,” Miles said, and the core of any kind of productivity and success is in solving problems. “Coupled with these skills, the interdisciplinary nature of the liberal arts at IWU prepares our graduates differently and better.” This is proven by the University’s consistently stellar job placement rate for new graduates, with our most recent statistics showing that nearly 99% have either started their careers or are continuing their education within six months of graduation. Many don’t even wait for their diploma to discover interesting problems they can solve. “Elliott Notrica ’26 has been an incredible example, combining his love for the culinary arts and biological sciences to start his own genetic engineering firm, Symbio Bioculinary,” Miles said, “which uses newly accessible genetic engineering technology to design mold and bacteria for food production companies, turning byproducts that would be discarded into entirely new food products. Elliott is one of the first people in the world to jump on this opportunity, and he did so before he had even graduated.” As another example in the same class, “Celina El Ghosaini ’26, an English and philosophy double major, has given her fellow multi-lingual students the chance to serve the community and expand their resumes by accurately translating documents published by local government, non-profit and business organizations into more than a dozen languages,” Miles said. “She also happened to interview the current prime minister of Lebanon for her Eckley
T he L iberal A rts S olve Problems
Few undergraduate students can say they’ve met with a sitting prime minister for the sake of research. Celina El Ghossaini '26 did just that, connecting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as part of her 2025 Eckley Scholar project.
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T he L iberal A rts S olve Problems
Biochemistry major Elliott Notrica ‘26 started the consulting business Symbio Bioculinary to educate food companies on how to reduce food waste through fermentation. Photo courtesy of Symbio Bioculinary.
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T he L iberal A rts S olve Problems
Scholar research on complex gaps in international law.” In other words: The liberal arts solve problems. But they don’t just solve the problems we, as a society and economy, already know about and train people to handle. The purpose of a liberal arts education is to engage with problems that haven’t been answered, thought of, or yet come to exist, in any and all fields. The purpose of innovation is finding solutions to those problems. IWU is where those purposes converge.
INNOVATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY THINKING BETWEEN AND AMONG THE PROFESSIONS AND THE LIBERAL ARTS IS IWU’S MOST UNIQUE AND EXEMPLARY STRENGTH And, by the beginning of fall semester 2026, that unique synthesis is concentrated in the new Petrick Idea Center. “The Petrick Idea Center will provide students and faculty of all disciplines a lab for problem solving and innovation; a place to meet, think and access resources to collaboratively solve problems. It is living out our mission,” Miles said. On the other side of campus, a similar story is unfolding. “The Center for Humanities, operating right now in the Center for Liberal Arts, does the same by providing a space for all students to discover and collaborate on inspiring and challenging ideas,” Miles said. “It’s incredibly exciting to see this new round of investments into what has made IWU the institution that it is.” “As the future of higher education becomes even more competitive,” Miles concluded, “we will need to continuously make our case. In fact, that should be the easy part. Our students demonstrate our ability to consistently innovate. Of course they do, because the liberal arts solve problems, and it will continue to do so.”
CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES The Center for Humanities at Illinois Wesleyan is “a dynamic place on campus where the humanities are cherished and promoted with programming that invites everyone to expand their experience of the humanities as an essential part of a liberal arts education,” in the words of Joanne Diaz, Isaac Funk Endowed Professor of English, who serves as director of the Center. Programming organized by the Center for Humanities promotes what Diaz describes as fields of inquiry "that allow us to investigate what we value, what we believe in, how we express ourselves and how we imagine the world.” In other words, the beating heart of the liberal arts. Made possible through gifts to the Wesleyan Fund, the Center occupies a remodeled area on the first floor of the Center for the Liberal Arts (CLA), providing a space for hosting study groups, lectures, performances, readings, social gatherings and more — serving as an organizational nexus of educational, cultural and social programming in the humanities. “We’ve had those vibrant faculty members and dynamic programming for decades,” Diaz said. “That’s not new. What is new is that we have the opportunity to have a site-specific space.” The space is newly designed to be modular with a variety of furniture that can be easily moved or stowed. Whether it needs rows or circles of seating, nooks of upholstery, or an open area with tables of hors d'oeuvres, the Center for the Humanities can accommodate many modes for human connection, intentional or serendipitous. "The thing that you get from a casual visit with your professor, a casual encounter with a student worker, but also the singular events and readings and lectures and discussions that you can have with your fellow humanists that simply don’t happen elsewhere,” Diaz said. Social sciences such as history and political sciences are invited into the umbrella of the humanities, Diaz noted. A prime example is the launch of Titan Humanitas, an undergraduate academic journal sponsored by IWU Assistant Professor of History Alyssa Culp, whose first issue covers everything from medical history to Shakespeare. Even more broadly, representatives of all disciplines are encouraged to come to events sponsored by the Center. As a professor who regularly teaches general education classes, Diaz is moved by how profoundly even a brief brush with the humanities can affect students. “I teach intro to creative writing,” she explained. “Most people who walk into that class are taking it because they have to. They’re majoring in business, finance, nursing – creative writing is not why they came to college. And yet, by the time we’re in the fourth or fifth week of class, they are delighted and surprised by the fact that they are creative people.” “I’ll ask students, ‘When was the last time you were asked to be creative?’ and some of them will say middle school. That means that, as their brains are still developing, they might have gone five years without anyone asking them to make something creatively. That’s like a crime to me!” Diaz said. “They do it here, and they realize ‘I can and should do this all the time.’ That’s what happens in the classroom. Now we can also do that in the Center for the Humanities.”
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Every year, Illinois Wesleyan University recognizes the outstanding achievements of our alumni with the Alumni Awards. The winners are celebrated during Homecoming and Family Weekend at the Best of Illinois Wesleyan Awards Ceremony.
2026 ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS
STORY BY EMILY BOLLINGER
A lumni Award W inners
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD Dr. Bob Spear ’77 Dr. Bob Spear ‘77 built his career in pediatric critical care and anesthesiology, focused on improving clinical care and outcomes for critically ill children. He was a biology major at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was a threetime Academic All-American and a four-year member of the Titan men’s basketball team. He holds the IWU record for most men’s basketball games played, 115, and was a four-year teammate of Hall of Famer Jack Sikma. Spear credits Coach Dennis Bridges with supporting his academic priorities while he balanced athletics and preparation for medical school. He continues to support the Jack Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational and IWU men’s basketball. After graduating from IWU, Spear attended Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, graduating in 1980. He completed a pediatric internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami, followed by a pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital at Washington University. He then completed an anesthesiology residency and fellowships in pediatric critical care and pediatric anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Spear is board certified in pediatrics, anesthesiology and pediatric critical care. Spear served as Director of Pediatric Intensive Care at the University of California San Diego before joining Children’s Hospital of San Diego, where he worked as a pediatric ICU physician and pediatric anesthesiologist from 1989 until his retirement in 2018. Early in his career, Spear served on a large and historic surgical team led by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson during the separation of conjoined twins joined at the head. Throughout his career, Spear focused on advancing clinical care of children rather than conducting basic research, publishing more than 30 medical journal articles and book chapters. He was the first to describe the use of epidural anesthesia in premature infants for hernia repairs and other lower abdominal surgeries, helping reduce the need for general anesthesia in highrisk patients. He also contributed to studies on a new ventilator modality for critically ill children that significantly improved survival rates. Spear and his colleagues also performed the original studies on the use of propofol for pediatric procedural sedation, which later became widely used in procedures for children and adults. Outside of medicine, Spear has led humanitarian efforts through Limbs of Freedom, a joint project of the Rotary Club in Coronado and Club Rotario of Calafia-Ensenada that has provided nearly 500 prosthetic limbs to amputees in Mexico over the past 20 years. Spear’s career reflects a sustained commitment to improving pediatric care and expanding access to life-changing medical treatment; these values are recognized by the Distinguished Alumni Award.
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A lumni Award W inners
LOYALTY AWARD Alice Gruber ‘62 Alice Gruber ‘62 was among the first students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Illinois Wesleyan University's School of Nursing. She completed clinical training in pediatric nursing at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and psychiatry training at Peoria State Mental Hospital as part of her education. These experiences helped shape her commitment to patient care. After graduation, Alice worked as a nurse at several major medical and research institutions, including Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Stanford University Medical Center, Rockefeller University Hospital and Denver Children’s Hospital. Later, she earned an MBA in International Business and Finance from Saint Mary’s College of California and started to work in hospital financial management. During the final 15 years of her career, Alice focused on the development, training and implementation of electronic medical systems at the University of California San Francisco, Kaiser Hospitals, and as a consultant across many hospitals in the U.S. In retirement, Alice and her husband, pediatrician Dr. Howard Gruber, worked for Global Healing, a nonprofit organization that operated a pediatric clinic in a public hospital in Roatán, Honduras, serving more than 30,000 children. Alice has remained actively engaged with Illinois Wesleyan. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Nursing from the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University in 2011, is a participating member in the Northern California alumni chapter, served on her 50th Class Reunion Committee and continues to volunteer in support of the University community. Gruber’s career reflects a strong commitment to healthcare delivery and expanding access to care both in the U.S. and internationally. Her dedication to clinical innovation and engagement with Illinois Wesleyan exemplifies the qualities recognized by the Loyalty Award.
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A lumni Award W inners
ROBERT M. MONTGOMERY OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
Dr. Keith Carter ‘17 Dr. Keith Carter ‘17 has built a career dedicated to advancing mental health care through clinical practice, leadership, innovation and mentorship. He earned the Caroline F. Rupert Nursing Award in his graduating class at Illinois Wesleyan, recognizing exemplary performance and leadership within the nursing program. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Carter joined Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he worked in Pediatric Behavioral Health and Community Health. He developed interdisciplinary behavioral health interventions for children and families, including a pillswallowing program designed to improve medication adherence, while also supporting adults with chronic mental illness as they transitioned from nursing facilities to independent living. While completing his graduate education as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Carter was selected for the American Nurses Association Minority Fellowship Program, a national leadership initiative that prepares psychiatric nurses to advance behavioral health equity and strengthen the mental health workforce. Now, Carter is a PMHNP at Mind Body Co-op in Chicago, where he provides evidence-based psychiatric care across the lifespan. Beyond his clinical practice, he supervises and mentors graduate nursing students and earlycareer clinicians as they transition into the profession. Carter remains connected to Illinois Wesleyan by serving as a Nurse Buddy, where he guides future nurses as they begin their professional journeys. His commitment to patient care, leadership, innovation and empowerment for the next generation of mental health professionals reflects the qualities recognized by the Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
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STORY BY EMILY BOLLINGER
IWU Associates Connect Community and Campus
To learn more about the Illinois Wesleyan University Associates, membership details, and benefits, scan the QR code or visit iwu.mobi/Associates.
I W U ssociates Connect Commity and C ampus
O
n a May evening, community leaders, alumni and friends of Illinois Wesleyan University gathered for the IWU Associates' Bourbon & Champagne event. The celebration reflected the renewed momentum of an organization that is helping strengthen connections between the University and the McLean County community. Founded in 1953, the IWU Associates have long supported local students through scholarship funding. Today, membership is open to anyone who contributes $1,000 or more annually to the McLean County Scholarship, which helps make an Illinois Wesleyan education more accessible for local students. As the organization approaches 100 members, its mission is expanding beyond philanthropy. "Our goal is to primarily raise money for the McLean County Scholarships," said Associates President Andy Shirk, "but with the intent of also providing connections between local businesses and community leadership to the University."
That connection is increasingly important as community leaders work to address the shared challenge of retaining local talent. The McLean County Scholarship helps remove financial barriers for students who may assume a private university is out of the realm of possibility. In doing so, it encourages exceptional students to pursue their education close to home. For some Associates members, that investment is personal because they are alumni of Illinois Wesleyan, but others simply believe in the value of higher education and the University's role in the local community’s future. The Associates are not an alumni organization. Shirk himself is not a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan. Instead, the group brings together people who care about students, community development and the future of McLean County. Local employers recognize that students who study and intern in Bloomington-Normal are more likely to build careers here after graduation.
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I W U ssociates Connect Commity and C ampus
One example is Jacob Bickett ’25, a Central Catholic High School graduate who received a McLean County Scholarship before attending Illinois Wesleyan. After becoming deeply involved in student leadership and completing an internship with State Farm, Bickett accepted a full-time position with the company following graduation. Today, he serves as the youngest member on the IWU Associates board. For Shirk, Bickett's story represents the scholarship's broader impact of helping local students pursue their education close to home and ultimately contribute to the community's future. Another board member, Nancy Steele Brokaw ’71, spent decades supporting Illinois Wesleyan through alumni leadership, arts programming and community engagement. She sees the Associates as a way to invite more people into the University's story. "It's a story I'm proud to be part of,” Brokaw said. “Illinois Wesleyan is a vital part of this community that I love, and I want to help all
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that come together in any way I can." The organization also offers members the opportunity to be part of an impactful community of people. Associates gather throughout the year for exclusive campus events, professional networking and meaningful connections that enable them to directly influence the local workforce pipeline. Brokaw describes the Associates as "a super fun group" where members of different generations and backgrounds bring their ideas, talents and perspectives together. "I think it helps our community in some significant ways because we keep our talent local," Brokaw said. Ultimately, the IWU Associates are creating a dialogue between the campus and neighboring community. Through scholarships, relationships and shared investment, Associates members are helping ensure local students have access to a transformative education while strengthening the region they call home.
I W U ssociates Connect Commity and C ampus
I W U ssociates C onnect C ommity and C ampus | F ALL 20 26
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STORY BY EMILY BOLLINGER
Titans Explore Careers Through the Career Immersion Excursion A group of 23 humanities-focused students spent their spring break in Chicago engaging with alumni who work in the field.
F
or four days during spring break, some Illinois Wesleyan students spent their time away from campus getting an immersive preview at the professional world. They toured workplaces, connected with alumni and explored careers and industries that broadened their perspectives on what their futures could hold. The Hart Career Center’s Career Immersion Excursion (CIE) has become the University’s signature career exploration experience since its launch in 2016. Warren Kistner ‘83, Director of the Hart Career Center, said the program was designed to provide students with opportunities to explore careers through travel to various cities. “Each trip has a career focus and has included opportunities to connect with successful IWU alumni, visit organizations, attend panel presentations by alumni and other professionals in targeted fields, hear from young alumni who are in the early stages of their career and enjoy entertainment and educational opportunities in each city,” Kistner said. “Students have indicated that CIE trips have opened their eyes to career possibilities they had not previously
considered. We have also had students who secured internships with organizations we visited.” The program was made possible through a generous gift from Cathy T. Carswell ‘65, a former Illinois Wesleyan Board of Trustees member. Carswell entrusted the Hart Career Center with developing a program that would best prepare students for life after graduation. “Much appreciation to IWU alumna Cathy Carswell for her generous contributions that have made this program possible,” Kistner said. Thanks to Carswell’s ongoing support and the generosity of other donors, the program remains affordable for students and opens doors that might otherwise be unattainable.
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Recent graduate Valeria Suarez ‘26 started utilizing resources from the Hart Career Center her first year on campus before classes even began, knowing this was going to play a crucial part of her future career. “My relationship with the Hart Career Center has been more than professional,” Suarez said. “Ever since I got to Wesleyan as an international student, they
opposite page : A group of Illinois Wesleyan students tour the Chicago Field Museum.
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Titans Explore Careers Through the Career Immersion Excursion
have been there to help me navigate a system that I was not familiar with.” One of the career center resources Suarez used to help establish her future was participating in the Career Immersion Excursion. The experience was so transformative that she participated twice. This year’s humanities-focused excursion took 23 students to Chicago, where they explored a wide range of available careers. Stops included the Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, MacArthur Foundation, Newberry Library, Sourcebooks, theatres and networking events featuring Illinois Wesleyan alumni. The trip expanded Suarez’s aspirations for where her passions could lead. “We got to meet this amazing author who made writing her career. I always wanted to explore more about literature and editing and publishing,” she said. “It was so inspiring because she was so down to earth.”
“
Ever since I got to Wesleyan as an international student, they have been there to help me navigate a system that I was not familiar with.” — Valeria Suarez ‘26 One pillar of CIE is its emphasis on alumni mentorship. The trip begins with a panel of recent graduates who candidly discuss life after Illinois Wesleyan. Then, students spend an evening in small groups over dinner with alumni in professional fields. Suarez’s dinner host was Juan Salgado ‘91, chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago and a 2015 MacArthur Fellow. “Juan emphasized that there’s always the possibility to give back to your community while growing your career,” Suarez said. “It reminded me of why I chose Wesleyan in the first place. I want to be part of that alumni network someday and do something bigger than myself.” Participating alumni embrace the chance to reconnect with their alma mater while making a difference in the lives of younger Titans. For Jeff Schroder ‘97, public programs coordinator at the
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Chicago Field Museum, hosting students was an opportunity to showcase both his workplace and the flexibility of a liberal arts education. Schroder spent nearly two decades as a school psychologist before transitioning into museum education, where he now leads public engagement programs. “I felt pretty confident that I could transition into something different,” he said. “You’re getting a great education at Illinois Wesleyan. You can go into one field, switch around, look at different things and you’re going to be prepared.” Schroder sharing his career journey with the students reinforced one of the excursion’s central messages: careers rarely follow a straight line. “People in the museum field often didn’t start here,” Schroder relayed to the students. “Follow where your curiosity is leading you, even later in life.”
***
The humanities excursion intentionally challenged assumptions about where graduates can find jobs in the field. At the Field Museum, students toured public education spaces, met exhibition designers and anthropology staff and ventured behind the scenes into the museum’s underground collections areas.
below : Valeria Suarez '26 at The Art Institute
of Chicago during the CIE trip.
Titans Explore Careers Through the Career Immersion Excursion
Many students arrived expecting museum careers centered on research. Instead, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Field Museum exposed them to careers in exhibit design, education, conservation, public programming and community engagement. “I hope the students were inspired that you can take all sorts of different paths to get to a really incredible place like the Field Museum,” Schroder said.
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Wesleyan gives us so many opportunities on a silver plate, We just have to take them.” — Valeria Suarez ‘26
Suarez’s first excursion inspired her to pursue an internship with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, an opportunity she might never have considered otherwise. The experience broadened her skills and confidence while confirming that exploring unfamiliar paths could lead to unexpected opportunities.
Now, after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan, Suarez is preparing to begin a fully funded master’s program at the University of Cambridge focused on global risk and resilience. Looking back, she credits the Hart Career Center with being a constant source of support from the moment she arrived on campus. She now encourages every student to take advantage of the opportunities available through the career center. “Wesleyan gives us so many opportunities on a silver plate,” Suarez said. “We just have to take them.” That philosophy captures the spirit of the CIE trip. Nearly a decade after Carswell’s gift launched the program, alumni continue to volunteer their time, donors continue to make the experience possible and Hart Career Center staff continue to create opportunities for students to explore careers in meaningful ways. Students leave with expanded career possibilities and the confidence to imagine futures they may never have considered before.
caption : IWU students examine historical artifacts and documents at the
Newberry Library, an independent research library in Chicago.
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Hosted by
DEMETRIA KALODIMOS '81 & ANDY KREISS '86 The 1850 Podcast offers listeners an inside look at the ideas, achievements and personalities that make the University unique. The inaugural episode welcomes President Sheahon Zenger.
EPISODE
01
ATHLETICS Imani Ogunribido earned her second consecutive women's triple jump national championship at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship Saturday, May 23. She is the second Titan in program history to win back-to-back national championships.
ATHLETICS TITAN ATHLETICS’ CSC ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA TALLY CONTINUES TO RISE Coming off a record-breaking year in which 16 Titan student-athletes were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-America, Illinois Wesleyan produced nine Academic All-America honorees in the 2025-26 academic year. Women’s volleyball’s Kannyn Boyd ‘26 hauled in the award for the second straight season, while Sawyer White ‘26 became the ninth pick in IWU women’s basketball history. Mason Funk ‘27 increased the men’s basketball team’s nation-leading total to 27. Juney Bai '26 earned his third straight distinction and was joined by third team selection Pablo Castro '28 as men's golf reeled in two honorees. Emily Gastrau '27 and Grace Fagan '28 represented the women's golf program on the first and third team, respectively. In cross country and track & field, Adriana Crabtree '26 grabbed the prestigious honor for the second straight season with Mackenzie Huber '27 securing her first career recognition.
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN LEADS CCIW IN LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP STANDINGS For the 13th time in the history of the Division III Learfield Directors' Cup Rankings, Illinois Wesleyan University finished inside the top-30 as the Titans were slotted 29th in the 2025-2rankings. It marks IWU's second straight top-30 finish, while the department's 582.25 point total is its highest since the 2017-18 academic year. Over the course of the 2025-26 academic year, the Titans amassed 582.25 points across 12 sports. A successful spring sports season saw IWU garner points in men's golf, softball, women's track & field, women's
golf, and men's track & field. During the winter season, the Titans grabbed points behind men's basketball, women's indoor track & field, women's basketball, men's indoor track & field, and women's wrestling. Women's volleyball and men's soccer contributed points in the fall. Illinois Wesleyan was the highest ranked CCIW institution. IWU was one of three CCIW members to rank inside the top-100. In all, IWU notched 89 points in the fall, 235.50 in the winter season, and climbed the rankings with 257.75 points in the spring. Furthermore, the Titans' spring point total was higher than the overall total of five CCIW foes.
OGUNRIBIDO DEFENDS NATIONAL TITLE, TRACK & FIELD IMPRESSES AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Illinois Wesleyan closed out the academic year with a sensational showing at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships. Imani Ogunribido ‘27 repeated as the national champion in women’s triple jump. Adriana Crabtree ‘26 ran to a third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase, improving upon her seventh-place time from a season ago. Evan Lowder ‘26 placed eighth in the 400m race, picking up the sixth All-American honor of his career. Taylor French ‘26 snagged Second Team All-American status with a 12th-place finish in women’s javelin in her national championship debut. Mackenzie Huber ‘27 and Tori Brown ‘29 also qualified for the national championship meet. At the indoor rendition of the national championship, Ogunribido placed third in triple jump, while Crabtree, Lowder, and Huber joined her with All-American performances. Lowder crossed the finish line in third in the 400m run. Huber notched a fourth-place finish in the 800m dash, the highest finish
by a Titan in the event since 2013. Crabtree, who was voted the CCIW Track Athlete of the Meet, took 14th in the 3000m race. The national championships came on the heels of impressive CCIW showings, where IWU saw 14 earn individual conference titles and a total of 70 All-CCIW performances between the indoor and outdoor league championships.
MEN’S GOLF PLACES RUNNERUP AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS The Green and White took second-place at the NCAA Championship for the second straight season, earning the program's fourth banner finish since 2019. IWU carded a four-round total of 1135 to finish the 72-hole event tied for first before finishing runner-up via a playoff. Pablo Castro ‘28 tied for seventh and was joined by Michael Spitzer ‘26 and Ryan Andrews ‘29 inside the top-20. Castro, the CCIW individual champion and league’s men’s golfer of the year, grabbed PING First Team All-American honors with Spitzer snagging honorable mention. One of eight nationally to earn first team status, Castro is the first Titan to do so since 2021. Castro, Spitzer, and Aidan Healy ‘26 secured PING All-Region status, while Andrews was voted CCIW Newcomer of the Year. Jim Ott & company nabbed CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The Titans won their 27th CCIW Championship behind a 1-2-3 finish of Castro-Andrews-Spitzer. Healy tied for seventh at the league tournament, while Juney Bai ‘26 earned a share of 11th as IWU ran away with its 14th straight conference title.
BECKMAN WINS GOLD GLOVE, SOFTBALL ADVANCES TO REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The Titans claimed the CCIW regular season and tournament titles for the third straight year while finishing the campaign with a 31-15 record. IWU was led by CCIW Pitcher of the Year, Gianna Certa ‘26, as well as other First Team All-CCIW picks Claire Post ‘26, Casey Wissmiller ‘26, and Jillian Bollard ‘28. Grace Wilkens ‘28, Anna Beckman ‘26, and Kelsey Bartels ‘28 were named Second Team All-CCIW, while Tiffany Prager and staff were voted the league’s coaching staff of the year. Certa and Beckman added all-region honors to their resume, while Beckman closed out the year as a Division III Rawlings Gold Glove Award
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Anna Beckman Softball
winner at shortstop. She is the fourth Titan in program history to receive the prestigious distinction and follows Jen Kuhn '25 as IWU's second straight shortstop to secure the honor.
MEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS TO ELITE EIGHT Illinois Wesleyan put together its best season since 2022 as the Titans rolled to CCIW regular season and tournament championships. Noah Cleveland ‘28 made league history as the first to win the CCIW newcomer and most outstanding player award in the same season. He was joined by Mason Funk ‘27 on the All-CCIW First Team, while Karlo Colak ‘26 grabbed a second team nod. Ron Rose '88 & staff earned CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year. Cleveland was voted a First Team All-American by D3hoops.com and the NABC, while Funk reeled in Fifth Team status from D3hoops. Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022, concluding a storied season with a 26-5 overall record.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL COMPLETES HISTORIC 2026 SEASON In the program's sixth season, many records fell
Mackenzie Huber Track and Field
Adriana Crabtree Track and Field
and program-firsts were achieved as the Titans posted a program-best record of 22-6. Illinois Wesleyan finished second in the CCIW behind an 8-2 record, making its first postseason appearance and finishing as runner-up of the conference tournament. The Green and White landed a program-high three All-CCIW picks, as Ethan Kuziela ‘28 became the first player to achieve first team all-conference status. Aydin Provost ‘29 earned the first specialty award for the Titans as he was named CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year. Provost and Gavin Rohlwing ‘28 were named Second Team AllCCIW honorees, and the Titan coaching staff of Brandon Mueller, Mike Eastman ‘24, Alec Mucha ‘24, and Joe McDonagh were honored as the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year. Kuziela went on to become the first player to reel in AVCA All-Region and All-American honors, as he was a first team honoree after one of the best seasons in program history.
BARDIC & WHITE REEL IN HONORS AS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS CCIW TITLE The Titans posted a 23-6 overall record, winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season and tournament titles this past
Evan Lowder Track and Field
Pablo Castro Men's Golf
Ethan Kuziela Men's Volleyball
winter. Illinois Wesleyan was led by First Team All-CCIW picks Sawyer White ‘26 and Ava Bardic ‘26 along with Second Team All-CCIW selection Caitlin Leyden ‘29. White and Bardic went on to be named WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, with Bardic also securing Fourth Team honors from D3hoops.com. Leyden made history as the program’s first CCIW Newcomer of the Year award recipient.
ZERA NAMED CCIW WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE YEAR, TITANS TAKE 16TH Illinois Wesleyan maintained its place atop the CCIW with a clean sweep of the league’s postseason awards. Gigi Zera ‘28 became the third straight Titan to be voted the CCIW’s Women’s Golfer of the Year. Julia Henry ‘29 was named the league’s newcomer of the year, the second in program history, while Craig Onsrud’s staff was selected as the conference coaching staff of the year. Zera went on to be named WGCA All-Great Lakes Region for the first time in her career ahead of the national tournament. Illinois Wesleyan tied for 16th at the NCAA Division III National Championship and returns its entire lineup for the 2026-27 season.
Athletics
DAVEY HIGHLIGHTS MARQUEE SEASON FOR WOMEN’S WRESTLING Illinois Wesleyan women’s wrestling made great strides in 2025-26, highlighted by Alivia Davey ‘28 becoming the program’s first-ever national qualifier, the first to win a match at the NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, and the first to finish the season ranked in the top-15. Davey was joined by Jillian Giller ‘29 and Angel Hill ‘29 on the All-CCIW list, marking another program best. Giller and Simone Dyer ‘29 rounded out the accolades, being named to the National Wrestling Coaches Scholar All-American team.
BASEBALL RECORDS SECOND PLACE CCIW FINISH Another strong CCIW regular season was put together by the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team, finishing second in the CCIW. In Michael Kellar’s second season at the helm, IWU finished with an 18-22 record and closed its 20-game conference slate at 12-8. The Green and White were led by Jack Novak ‘27 and AJ Weller ‘28, who garnered all-region honors. Novak also earned First Team All-CCIW status, with Weller and Ben Ford ‘28 nabbing spots on the second team. Novak coupled D3baseball. com All-Region 8 First Team status with second team honors from ABCA/Rawlings. Weller was a third team pick by ABCA/Rawlings.
MEN’S WRESTLING MAKES STRIDES IN YEAR THREE The men’s wrestling team grew both in size and strength in its third season of competition. Austin Johnston ‘27 and Tyson Zvonar ‘29 earned all-region status and were named Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Zvonar also reeled in All-CCIW recognition with a third-place finish at 133 pounds in this year’s conference championships.
SENIOR CLASS LEADS WAY FOR MEN’S TENNIS The class of 2026 made up the top-four spots in the IWU lineup, as IWU raced out to a 5-0 start for the program's best since 2010-11. Ben Vigneri ‘26 led the way at the top singles spot, garnering Second Team All-CCIW recognition and two CCIW Player of the Week awards. Ian Turnbull ‘26 capped off his decorated IWU career with a CCIW Player of the Week nod, with his senior season propelling him into the program’s top-25 in both career singles and doubles wins.
A lumni A ssociation N ews
MY FELLOW TITANS, As another academic year begins, campus comes alive with the familiar energy that makes Illinois Wesleyan so special. New students are finding their place, returning students are reconnecting with friends, and the traditions that have shaped generations of Titans are once again in full swing. It’s a season that reminds us how quickly IWU becomes a lifelong home—and how those memories continue to connect us long after graduation. With Homecoming just around the corner, we look forward to welcoming alumni back to campus to celebrate the friendships, traditions, and experiences that unite us across generations. Whether you’re returning for the weekend or staying connected from afar, your Titan spirit continues to strengthen our alumni community. Here’s to another exciting year ahead, filled with opportunities to reconnect, give back, and celebrate all that makes Illinois Wesleyan extraordinary. In Titan Pride, Megan Howe ’05 Alumni Association President
COME BACK AND VISIT
Catch Up with Fellow Titans! Illinois Wesleyan events are more than gatherings, they are opportunities to reconnect with the people and experiences that shaped your time on campus. Whether you’re catching up with classmates, meeting fellow alumni who share your passions, or connecting with current students and faculty, IWU events help keep the Titan community strong. From Homecoming celebrations to regional alumni gatherings and campus traditions, there are countless ways to stay involved and continue building meaningful connections with IWU and each other. We hope to see you at an upcoming event soon! 46
ALUMNI AWARDS NOMINATIONS OPEN
Nominations Open for the 2027 Alumni Awards Illinois Wesleyan University is proud to recognize the recipients of the 2026 Alumni Awards. These distinguished alumni have made meaningful impacts in their professions, communities, and on Illinois Wesleyan itself, inspiring current and future generations of Titans. As we celebrate this year's honorees, we also invite you to consider the remarkable alumni in your own network whose stories deserve to be recognized. Each year, the Alumni Awards shine a light on Titans who are leading with purpose, creating positive change, and demonstrating an enduring commitment to Wesleyan. Nominations are now open for the 2027 Alumni Awards: •
•
•
Distinguished Alumni Award: Presented to alumni who have achieved professional distinction, demonstrated exemplary civic leadership, or made significant contributions to society. Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Named in honor of Robert Montgomery ’68, alumnus and former IWU alumni director, this award recognizes alumni who graduated within the past 15 years and have demonstrated exceptional professional success, civic engagement, or both. Loyalty Award: Honors alumni who have shown extraordinary dedication to Illinois Wesleyan through outstanding volunteer service, philanthropic support, or both.
CELEBRATE THE TITANS WHO INSPIRE US. Submit your nomination today
A lumni A ssociation N ews
OTHER RESOURCES
TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
Inaugural Titan Travel Program: Ireland 2027
Follow the Alumni Association on Social Media:
Explore the world in the company of fellow graduates, friends, and lifelong learners as we visit picturesque Ireland! Join us for the inaugural journey of our Titan Travel Program, when we’ll spend a week in the verdant Irish hills - the perfect place to sport your Titan green! Curated and led by EF Go Ahead Tours, this trip blends cultural discovery, intellectual enrichment, and the joy of shared experience. You’ll wander through the timeless emerald landscapes, cozy pub culture, and dazzling historical landmarks of Dublin, Cork, and Galway, side-by-side with your fellow Titans and experienced tour guides.
We highlight alumni success stories, campus and community events, throwback photos and videos, and more!
iwu_alumni
IWU Alumni Association
Illinois Wesleyan University Alumni Association
SPACES ARE LIMITED so don’t miss your chance to deepen your bond with the world and with Illinois Wesleyan. We can’t wait to see Ireland with you!
GET INVOLVED AND VOLUNTEER The possibilities are endless: join an affinity group, connect with Titans in your area, mentor future Titans, contribute to the Young Alumni Council, etc. Scan the QR code to see what interests you.
THE POWER OF STAYING CONNECTED
Find Your People at IWU This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Council for IWU Women (CFW) affinity group, a milestone that celebrates two decades of empowering women, fostering mentorship, and strengthening the Illinois Wesleyan community on campus and beyond. Through the sharing of time, talent, and treasure, the CFW has hosted networking events, provided student scholarships, and fostered meaningful engagement between alumni and students, which in turn has created lasting opportunities for Titans to connect and uplift one another. As we celebrate this anniversary, it is also a reminder of the power of affinity and shared experiences and passions within our alumni community and the opportunity to remain connected to IWU. If you are interested in getting more involved with CFW or another alumni affinity group, we invite you to fill out the Get Involved form and let us know how you would like to connect. Your engagement helps ensure the next generation of Titans continues to benefit from a strong and supportive IWU network.
GET CONNECTED fill out the form and find your people today!
47
CL ASS NOTES
Faculty and Friends Chris Sweet is the author of A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts, recently published by the University of Illinois Press.
1964 William Powers appeared in the 2026 Opera Festival of Chicago production of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini at the George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois. Powers portrayed Benoit and Alcindoro.
1966 Denny Matthews married Amy Matthews on November 15, 2025, one day after his 83rd birthday. The ceremony took place at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. Matthews has served as a Royals broadcaster since the franchise's inaugural season in 1969 and was recently inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
1972 Stan Broers was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on May 2, 2026, along with fellow Titans Adam Dauksas '06, Tom Gramkow '70 and Jordan Zimmer '12.
1975 Debra Burt-Frazier was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the teaching track at Central State University, where she has taught for nine years. She also serves on the Illinois Wesleyan University Alumni Board.
1976
Barbara J. Ford received honorary lifetime membership, the highest honor awarded by the American Library Association, at the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago in June.
Stew Salowitz, Illinois Wesleyan University's sports information emeritus, earned top honors in District 5 of the College Sports Communicators Fred Stabley Jr. Writing Contest. Salowitz won the historical feature category in the college division for his article, “30 Years of Shirk,” published in Illinois Wesleyan University Alumni Magazine.
1970
1980
George “Sonny” Freeman remains active in leadership training and mentoring undergraduate members of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He serves as assistant grand praetor of Sigma Chi's MidSouth Province, supporting chapters at Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, Cumberland University, Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky University. He also serves on the New Chapter Development, Chapter Enhancement and Significant Sig Selection committees. Freeman was inducted into the Clarke Memorial College Hall of Fame representing the 1960s. He and his wife, Susie, recently relocated to Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Bill Sunderland recently retired after a 40-year marketing career with Human Kinetics Inc. in Champaign, Illinois. During his tenure, he served as marketing manager, marketing director and bid administrator, overseeing state-level K-12 textbook adoptions in health, physical education, sports medicine and dance.
1968
48
Tom Gramkow was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on May 2, 2026, along with fellow Titans Stan Broers '72, Adam Dauksas '06, and Jordan Zimmer '12.
1985 Lynne Sekarski published a research paper, “Nosebleeds: A Symptom of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia.”
1992 Dean Miller was part of a team at Brookhaven National Labo-
▲ Robert Riseling ‘59 participated in the St. Thomas Art Guild Art Show April 21-23 and sold one piece. He prepared nine paintings for the Port Stanley Art Guild Show June 11-13 and was selected as the June Artist of the Month at the St. Thomas Public Library in Ontario. His work was featured on the library's 14-foot-by-6.5-foot art wall throughout June. The exhibitions coincided with the celebration of his and Judith (Judy) Johnson Riseling's 65th anniversary on June 11. ratory that received the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
1993 Patrick McGrath received the second annual RISE Above Award from Health Enterprise Partners in recognition of his leadership and commitment to clinical innovation. Mark Denzler received the President's Award from the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Thomas Patterson, author of American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana, received both the Landry Prize and the Louisiana
Endowment for the Humanities Book of the Year Award. He has also spoken on several podcasts, at the Louisiana Book Festival and the Chicago Literary Festival, and for other organizations.
1996 Leann (Swain) Landstrom earned a master's degree in education from Lipscomb University in May 2025. Following graduation, she founded The Maker’s Workshop, a nonprofit organization that benefits children rescued from human trafficking. Nancy (Nath) Tennicott '96, together with her husband, Matt
CL ASS NOTES
Tennicott '97, reunited with fellow Titans, Paul Konczal '97 and Amanda (Joswick) Konczal '98 at a Grinnell College football fan club event last fall.
1997 Deon Hornsby was elected as a new member of the National African American Insurance Association Chicago Board of Directors. Titan connections run deep in the middle of Iowa — supporting recently reborn Grinnell College football. Matt Tennicott '97 created a Grinnell College football fan club in 2023, dubbed the 1889 Club, and served as club president for three seasons. Last fall at an 1889 Club move-in day reception for football parents, Matt and his wife, Nancy (Nath) Tennicott '96, reunited with fellow Titans, Paul Konczal '97 and Amanda (Joswick) Konczal '98. With multiple Titans in charge of the Club, it had its best season ever in 2025, and Paul has been voted 1889 Club President.
1998
2002
Amanda (Joswick) Konczal '98, together with her husband, Paul Konczal '97, were reunited with fellow Titans, Matt Tennicott '97 and Nancy (Nath) Tennicott '96, at a Grinnell College football fan club event last fall.
Nicholas Brazis was promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer of Pentair. He previously served as senior vice president.
Bryan C. McCannon, dean of the IWU School of Business and Economics, had his research paper, “The Impact of Moving from FCS to FBS on the Institution,” accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sports Finance. Brian Udovich is serving as executive producer of a new police drama pilot ordered by HBO Max.
Adam Dauksas was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on May 2, 2026, along with fellow Titans Stan Broers '72, Tom Gramkow '70 and Jordan Zimmer '12. Jes Lothman was named vice president of Women in Public Finance's Wisconsin Chapter.
2007
Christina Vogel was elected the eighth county executive of Erie County, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2025. She was sworn into office January 5, 2026, and will serve a four-year term.
2000
2003
2009
Drue Anderson is the author of Truth & Tribalism: The Hypocritical Oath.
Andrew Schneider participated in the inaugural THE DARK Festival at PS21, featuring artists from around the world.
Margaret Kane ‘09 and Patrick LaClair welcomed Tiny Titan Phoebe Hope LaClair-Kane, born on October 17, 2025.
Peter Thoresen married John Haas on June 10, 2025. Peter serves on the voice faculty of the Pace University Musical Theater BFA program in New York, N.Y., where he also maintains a private voice studio, Peter Thoresen Vocal Studio. Peter is the author of the "Crossover Corner" column in Classical Singer Magazine, for which he’s written features and cover stories since 2014. In 2025, he earned the Certified Professional Coach credential, launching Peter Thoresen Life Coaching to help people thrive in the arts and beyond.
2010
1999
Kathleen (Gruzska) Wilkey started a new position as the Assistant Superintendent Chief School Business Official at Minooka High School.
Kramer and Daniel Witte '00 contributed to the Stillman Middle School Jazz Band performance at the Texas Music Educators Association. By competition, the band was chosen as the one middle school jazz band in the state invited to perform. Daniel wrote a piece for the band's performance, and Adam led the band in performing another original number.
John Hutchinson was promoted to president of Iroquois Farmers State Bank and CEO of its holding company, S&H Holdings Inc.
2006
Frank Mirandola received the Inclusivity Award at Mount Prospect's Shining Stars Gala for his work at Prospect High School. In 2016, he launched Prospect Gives Back, a community service initiative, and in 2022 organized the school's first Multicultural Fair.
Michael Sorich was named to the 2026 Illinois Super Lawyers list.
▲ In February, both Adam
Jeremy Coffman worked in Paris as stage manager for Les Producteurs (The Producers) by Mel Brooks, directed by Alexis Michalik, and for the musical revue Black Legends by Valéry Rodriguez, which begins a 21city arena tour across France and Switzerland in 2026.
ization's Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Marrakesh, Morocco, presenting the global employers' perspective on preventing and responding to child exploitation and abuse in digital environments.
Daniel Witte and Adam Kramer '96 both contributed to the Stillman Middle School Jazz Band performance at the Texas Music Educators Association in February. By competition, the band was chosen as the one invited middle school jazz band in the state. Daniel wrote a piece for the band's performance, and Adam led the band in performing another original number.
2001 Anuradha Thakrar is the author of Rise 'n' Shine: Breakfast and 'Tiffin' Specialties From Sunrises to Sunset.
2004 Kate (Olmstead) Morris was named assistant superintendent for student learning for District 99 in Downers Grove, Illinois. Lavagna Wijekoon spoke at the International Labour Organ-
Shannon O'Rourke Kasali contributed to the anthology Global Voices for Peace: An Introduction to Peacebuilders and the Hope They Bring, which received the Shirley Farlinger Award from the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace.
John Mastandona ‘10 and Caroline (McMahon) Mastandona ‘12 welcomed Tiny Titan twins Madeline Laurie Mastandona and Summer Susan Mastandona, born on December 2, 2025.
2011 Sara Ghadiri was named pro bono partner at Chapman and Cutler LLP.
2012 Jeremy Adams, CPA, was promoted to partner at Kerber, Eck & Braeckel LLP. Matt Hill welcomed Tiny Titan Kai Matthews Hill, born on July 20, 2025. Caroline (McMahon) Mastandona ‘12 and John Mastandona ‘10 welcomed Tiny Titan twins Madeline Laurie Mastandona 49
CL ASS NOTES
and Summer Susan Mastandona on December 2, 2025. Jordan Zimmer was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on May 2, 2026, along with fellow Titans Stan Broers '72, Adam Dauksas '06 and Tom Gramkow '70.
2013 Kevin Carey was named assistant dean and director of 4-H for University of Illinois Extension. Katja Liu married Martino Pilia on February 15, 2025, in Uppsala, Sweden. She is launching Sunshine Bridge Academy, a coaching business that helps students find academic programs and relocate to the European Union. Marc Prasse received an Emerging Leader Award from the Alltricity Network in 2025. He also helped commission one of the nation's first end-to-end renewable hydrogen production and storage systems powered by solar energy and designed for carbon-free electricity generation. Caitlin Shiga ‘13 and Mark Schmalzer ‘13 welcomed Tiny Titan Chloe Reese, born on October 31, 2025. Allyse Torres was featured in Spaceman at [producingbody] in Chicago from May 19 through June 13, performing as an ensemble puppeteer and portraying Ares.
▲ Amy (DeBoer) Thielen ‘15 married David Thielen on June 21, 2025.
2015
2017
2019
Michael Kistner is the author of Paying for the Party: How Fundraising Demands Lead to Less Productive and Less Representative Legislatures.
Preslav Mantchev joined Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel P.C. as an associate attorney.
Julie (Josten) Lyons ‘19 and Tom Lyons ‘19 were married October 10, 2025, in Larkspur, Colorado, surrounded by their Illinois Wesleyan family.
Austin Aldag accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position in public policy and administration at Mississippi State University after serving as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Muyi Yang '18 was selected as both a Kwok Scholar and a Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholar to complete a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford. Since then, he has focused on climate policy and urban resilience, working with the Mayor’s Office in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He recently completed a two-year term as one of three coordinators of the European Chapter of the Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association.
Elizabeth Keane welcomed Tiny Titan Connor James Keane, born on March 27, 2026. Megan Win officiated the wedding of Kristina Dehlin '16 and Jacob Swanson on November 1, 2025.
2018
Zachary Kuenstle ‘19 and Ella (Lindokken) Kuenstle ‘20 were married August 2, 2025, in Geneva, Illinois.
2020 Brianna (Fogo) Guingrich ‘20 and Richard Guingrich ‘21 welcomed Tiny Titan Liam Guingrich, born on October 12, 2025. Sydney (Alery) Parks ‘20 married Conner Parks on May 17, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mino Zaccaro ‘13 and Megan (Rogers) Zaccaro ‘14 welcomed Tiny Titan Leo Zaccaro, born on February 16, 2026.
2014 Todd Szerlong ‘14 and Megan Szerlong welcomed Tony Titan Carter Szerlong, born on January 17, 2026. Megan (Rogers) Zaccaro ‘14 and Mino Zaccaro ‘13 welcomed Tiny Titan Leo Zaccaro, born on February 16, 2026.
▲ Becca Yarnot ‘15 married Alexander Swanson. 50
▲ Kristina Dehlin ‘16 married Jacob Swanson on Nov. 1, 2025.
CL ASS NOTES
Ella (Lindokken) Kuenstle ‘20 and Zachary Kuenstle ‘19 were married August 2, 2025, in Geneva, Illinois.
Melanie Pelczynski ‘20 were married on August 23, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.
married Brett Huntley on Oct. 25, 2025.
▼ Benjamin Johnson ‘19 and
▼ Halley (Shanley) Huntley ‘18
Melanie Pelczynski ‘20 married Benjamin Johnson ‘19 on August 23, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.
▼ Haley Rojek ‘20 and Caleb Green ‘20 were married Nov. 2, 2025, in Estes Park, Colorado. The couple met at Illinois Wesleyan in a first-year economics class.
2021 Richard Guingrich ‘21 and Brianna (Fogo) Guingrich ‘20 welcomed Tiny Titan Liam Guingrich, born on October 12, 2025.
2022 Abigail Edwards earned a Master of Arts in school counseling on May 15 from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and was set to take the examination for licensure as a professional counselor. She accepted positions at Oak Lawn High School as a full-time substitute and the head dance coach.
2024 Henry Cartaya ‘24 and Molly Clemente ‘24 performed as understudies in a production of A Christmas Carol at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
▲ Haley (Steward) Clark ‘20 married Nathan Clark on Sept. 6, 2025.
SUBMIT YOUR
NEWS
your news to IWU Magazine, P.O. Box 2900, Bloomington, IL 61702, iwumag@iwu.edu, or via our website, at iwu.edu/magazine. Or scan the QR code to be featured in the next issue!
51
CL ASS NOTES
In Memorium Faculty and Friends
Diane (Meils) Streibich ’61 passed away on December 20, 2025.
Linda French passed away on November 9, 2025.
1962
Katherine Bradley passed away on December 21, 2025.
Edwin Phelps ’62 passed away on March 17, 2026.
Mark Hansen passed away on January 20, 2026.
Kent Capps ’62 passed away on December 22, 2025.
Bob Hippensteele passed away on May 15, 2026.
James Abbott ’62 passed away on December 7, 2025.
1949
Judson Lusher ’62 passed away on March 11, 2026.
D. Harvey Hodges ’49 passed away on November 6, 2025.
Ann Mapes ’62 passed away on February 24, 2026.
1950
Lola (Toigo) Lehman ’63 passed away on April 30, 2026.
Phyllis (Holforty) Zandi ’50 passed away on March 20, 2026. Marjorie (Peters) Watkins ’50 passed away on December 12, 2025.
1963 1964 Ingrid Schulz ’64 passed away on March 3, 2026.
1965
1951
Donna Naylor ’65 passed away on February 28, 2026.
Albert Cronkrite ’51 passed away on October 5, 2025.
1966
1952
Patricia (Ebens) Zambell ’66 passed away on January 16, 2026.
Louise (Sims) Dunavan ’52 passed away on January 5, 2026.
1953
Rhett Dawson ’66 passed away on February 16, 2026.
1967
Benjamin Snyder ‘53 passed away on June 15, 2025.
Dan Brintlinger ’67 passed away on January 28, 2026.
1955
1968
Marilyn (Forby) Whiteside ’55 passed away on January 25, 2025.
1956 Donald Setar ’56 passed away on January 5, 2026.
1957 Ellie Pray Meister ’57 passed away on January 2, 2026.
Paul Witt ’68 passed away on April 9, 2026. Karen (Anderson) Ostash ’68 passed away on February 7, 2026. Janet Trestik ’68 passed away on March 9, 2026.
1969 Gregory Allen ’69 passed away on December 25, 2025.
1958
Rebecca (Henrich) Lamb ’69 passed away on December 22, 2025.
Edgar Bantz ’58 passed away on December 19, 2025.
Stephen Tosh ’69 passed away on December 10, 2025.
Robert Bouck ’58 passed away on September 5, 2022
Thomas McGuire ’69 passed away on December 28, 2025.
1959 Ian Short ’59 passed away on January 9, 2026. Jane (Delores) Rutherford ’59 passed away on November 8, 2025.
1960 Margaret (Lakemacher) Hunt ’60 passed away on November 26, 2025.
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1961
1970 Sally Anne Neeld ’70 passed away on November 2, 2025. Thomas Cawley ’70 passed away on December 26, 2025. Roy Hankins ’70 passed away on January 1, 2026.
A LU M N I A S S O CCI AT L AI SOSNNNOETW ES
Ronald B. Cate ’54 passed away on March 24, 2026, at the age of 94. A dedicated student leader, accomplished business executive, and loyal supporter of his alma mater, Ron exemplified commitment and service throughout his life. Ron earned his B.S. in Business Administration at Illinois Wesleyan before completing graduate studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration in 1965. As an undergraduate, he served as class chair, reunion chair, and homecoming and Dad’s Day chair, and he treasured the lifelong friendships he formed through Sigma Chi fraternity. Ron and his wife, Donna Dorland ’53, began their life together as he embarked on a 35‑year career with Illinois Bell Telephone Company, retiring in 1989 as Vice President of Corporate Communications. Ron remained deeply engaged with Illinois Wesleyan, serving on the Chapel Fundraising Committee, the Phoenix Recognition Campaign Committee, and as Past President of the Alumni Council and Chair of the Wesleyan Fund Campaign. He received the Alumni Association Loyalty Award in 1976. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 2002, contributing to the Development, Academic Affairs, and Nominating Committees. He was named Emeritus Trustee in 2002 in recognition of his long and faithful service. In retirement, Ron and Donna divided their time between Arizona, and their beloved lake home in Wisconsin. Ron is survived by his sister, two daughters, six grandchildren, and four great‑grandchildren.
1972
1980
Carol Blake Mills ’72 passed away on January 16, 2026. Dave Breen ’72 passed away on November 4, 2025.
Michelle (Barbee) Flickinger ’80 passed away on December 9, 2025.
1973
1982
Jim Kallembach ’73 passed away on October 18, 2025.
1974 Bruce Parrish ’74 passed away on February 21, 2026.
1976 Captain William Busch D.O. ’76 passed away on October 26, 2025. Patty (Lasater) Gathman ’76 passed away on August 23, 2025.
Jolene (Barnlund) Bowen ’82 passed away on November 15, 2025.
1983 Kenneth Kleinfelter ’83 passed away on February 16, 2026.
1992 Michael Jeneary ’92 passed away on March 28, 2026.
1993
1977
Robert Dean ’93 passed away on January 1, 2026.
James Jensen ’77 passed away on March 21, 2026.
1999
1978
Dr. Caroline Ann Bacharz ’99 passed away on December 18, 2025.
Thomas Larey ‘78 passed away on March 16, 2026.
1979 Dr. Kevin Michael Sweeney ’79 passed away on October 20, 2025.
2003 Debra Feger-Majewski ’03 passed away on January 9, 2026.
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P.O. Box 2900, Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
A Closer Look A native bee gathers nectar among blooming flowers on Illinois Wesleyan's campus.