Remarks from the President
From the President's Desk
Illinois Wesleyan Univeristy Magazine - Summer 2022
It’s great to be back in person! On May 1, we held Commencement on the quad for the first time in three years. Our gamble was that rain would not mar the ceremony for the Class of 2022. Happily, that proved true. But we hadn’t quite anticipated the freezing wind! While the gathered crowd grabbed jackets, towels, beach blankets — anything they could find — to stave off the cold, the mood remained warm and spirits were high. This class was one of our largest recently; almost 400 happy grads walked across the stage.
Commencement does not mark a lull in activities on campus. May Term began on May 4. In addition, for the last two years, we have also been holding June and July terms. These offer opportunities for students to branch out, catch up, or move ahead in their studies, and summer enrollment has been growing each year.
In addition to summer classes, this year a number of faculty and staff members are involved in planning efforts for the future. The provost has established several working groups, focused on topics of significance for future planning, such as mental health policy, adult education, and transfer policies. Task forces are also advancing research on potential campaign initiatives to enhance our strengths, for example, in the areas of nursing and health sciences, business-related disciplines, and continuing development of The Petrick Idea Center.
The loosening of COVID restrictions has also brought the welcome opportunity for me to travel again, visiting alumni across the country. In a sense, this is the “presidential tour” that wasn’t possible to have three years ago. IWU Connections have already taken place in Florida, Arizona, Champaign, Chicago, Springfield and Washington, D.C. — with more to follow this summer and fall in Denver, Seattle, St. Louis and Dallas. It has been wonderful to finally meet so many alumni in person. Everywhere I find such pride in Illinois Wesleyan and appreciation, both of the fine education IWU has provided and the lifelong relationships the University has fostered. Our alumni have so much experience and expertise, and it’s my hope to engage folks even more in the life of the University and of our current students.
We’re also already excited about the Homecoming that will be held on campus Sept. 23-25. As always, this will be preceded by the Scholarship Benefactor Dinner, a wonderful event when scholarship donors are able to meet the students they are supporting, to see firsthand what a difference their generosity makes. We’re planning a great Homecoming weekend, after the forced hiatus of the pandemic, and we hope to see many alumni coming back to campus this fall.
S. Georgia Nugent
Illinois Wesleyan University President