October 27, 2025

News for and about the Illinois Wesleyan community

Brenda Lessen Knoll '89 Receives Most Prestigious National Honor in Nursing Field

Associate Professor of Nursing and Illinois Wesleyan alumna Brenda Lessen Knoll '89 was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), the most prestigious national honor in the field of nursing, on Oct. 18 at a ceremony hosted in Washington, D.C.

James Plath Offers Glimpse Into Former Home of Mark Twain in Poetry Book ‘At Quarry Farm’

While visiting the place where Mark Twain penned some of his most famous tales, Illinois Wesleyan Professor of English James Plath couldn’t help but be inspired. 

Galesburg Community News


Rick Yemm '78, a longtime Galesburg business owner and community advocate, has been chosen by the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association as its nominee for the 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year award, one of the automobile industry’s highest honors recognizing leadership and public service.

Campus Events

Campus events can be found in MyIWU under the Events & Calendars tab.

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New Employees - October 2025

• Anyssa Hampton started Oct. 6 as Social Media Manager in Office of Communications
• Amiri Myers started Oct. 10 as a Custodian
• Mamie Emungu started Oct. 10 as a Custodian
• Emily Purdy started Oct. 12 as Multifaith Engagement Coordinator in the Office of Multifaith Engagement
• Christine Kirk started Oct. 20 as Administrative Specialist IV for Natural Sciences
• Paige Leverton started Oct. 20 as Application Coordinator in Admissions
• Keisha Brown started Oct. 23 Director of Enterprise Systems in IT
• Keyla Rivero started Oct. 25 as a Custodian

Find these newly hired faculty and all employees in the IWU Directory Search.

Free yoga classes for faculty and staff take place on Mondays and Thursdays in the Shirk Center Niepagen South Classroom from 12:15 to 12:50 p.m. with Penny Brooks. Mats are provided.

"If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you'll always be in the same place." - Nora Roberts

Campus Weekly is an electronic newsletter from Illinois Wesleyan's Office of Communications, edited by Julia Perez, assistant director of communications. To submit items of interest, email webedit@iwu.edu.