January 8, 2024

News for and about the Illinois Wesleyan community

Gospel Fest and Campus Workshops to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Music, dance and spoken word performances will celebrate the 34th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival at Illinois Wesleyan University on Jan. 15.

The Wall Street Journal

Rod Adams '95, Talent Acquisition and Onboarding leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, spoke of earlier deadlines for students seeking internships in finance and accounting fields.

Marine Log

Megan (DeSerf) Davidson '02, chief people officer of logistics at marine shipping company Crowley, was named one of the top women in maritime for 2023.

Patch

Kaitlin Feely '20 will star as Kira/Clio in the Skylight Music Theater production of Xanadu Jan. 26 - Feb. 11 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

WGLT Radio

Illinois Wesleyan is among state employers implementing the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. IWU employees will receive an additional 40 hours of paid time off in addition to regular sick and vacation time through the new law.

The Pantagraph

Illinois Wesleyan will host the 34th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival in Presser Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 15.

WEEK-TV

Illinois Wesleyan Director of Financial Aid Scott Seibring '85 explains how changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could impact current and future college students.

WGLT Radio

Megan Koch '17 performed songs with the Illinois Symphony holiday program in December.

Better Business Bureau

Wayne Messmer ‘72 is featured as the cover story in the Fall edition of the Better Business Bureau Magazine. Messmer, the 2017 IWU Distinguished Alumnus, is profiled in a story highlighting his career as a singer, speaker and businessman and his inspirational comeback from a gunshot to the neck as a victim of a random act of violence that nearly took his voice and his life.

Happy New Year! Take time in 2024 to take care of you! Yoga will resume on Monday, Jan. 15. Classes will be on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:15-12:50 p.m. in the Shirk Center's Niepagen South Classroom. Hope to see you there. Yoga is for everyone!

We all know yoga is good for us. But did you know that laughter has health benefits as well? There's that old saying that laughter is the best medicine. Well it turns out it's not just a cute saying. It's actually based on truth. Studies have shown that laughter can help reduce stress and sooth tension.

Dr. Ann Stroink '76, Illinois Wesleyan's 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, retired as a neurosurgeon from Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal on Nov. 22, 2023.

The Illinois Wesleyan University Society of Physics Students (SPS) was named a 2022-23 Distinguished Chapter by the National SPS office. Professor and Chair of Physics Narendra Jaggi and Professor of Physics Gabe Spalding are co-advisors of the IWU chapter.

Robert Harrington Endowed Professor of Biology Edgar Lehr located a species of snake (Atractus dapsilis) in a new location in Suriname, along with Rawien Jairam of the University of Suriname. The record was published on Dec. 15, 2023.

Announcing Live ESI Employee Assistance Program Benefit Overview

These 30-minute sessions will be presented on Wednesday, January 10 from 1-1:30 p.m. by an ESI account manager who will discuss the many Employee Assistance Program benefits available to employees and their eligible family members. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqc-ivpj8sHdMQEE3YxQ9PxU15yH0WiqJS

New Employees - December 2023

• Greg Ditchen started Dec. 1 as a HVAC-R Mechanic
• Prospere Wenge started Dec. 11 as a Custodian
• Tammi Tomsha started Dec. 18 as the Administrative Specialist III in the School of Music

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.