Alumni Blog

The Residential Class of 2014 celebrates together for a final class dinner hosted by the IWU Alumni Association. The dinner included giveaway items, prayers, Friday Night Live (FNL) video flashback, President Dr. David Wright speaking and a closing prayer by Millie Troyer, Alumni Director Emeritus. Keith Newman, CEO Residential Education, Executive Vice President also added comments and offered his best wishes.
Dr. Jim “Umfundisi” Lo, Dean of the Chapel at IWU offered an opening prayer for the student body;

Dear Father, I thank you for these, whom we love, who will be graduating in a few days. I pray that you will continue to give them direction, purpose, and perseverance as they enter the next phase of life.
Today is like numerous other days. The sun came up over the horizon and in a few hours, will hide itself as the moon makes its appearance. People were born. There were individuals who laughed, cried, worked, studied and even passed on. Today, as “chronos” time, is as it has been ever since You gave it its beginning and it will be as it is until it comes to an end by Your command.
But today is also full of freshness and newness; like no other day in history. Today is “kairos”; time which is full of wonderful opportunities. Today is, for these students who will be graduating, a passage from one adventure to another. Kairos is a wonderful gift which you offer to each one of us. Therefore, help each of us to comprehend the wonder of this gift and then seek to take hold of it.
Today we pray for all these who have completed their studies. Because of this, they now have a new “kairos” that awaits them. Firstly, I offer thanks to You, O Lord for helping them to be successful as they journeyed here at IWU. What a great accomplishment for them to reach this milestone of graduation.
I want to also take a few moments praying for their tomorrow. Praying for these soon to be graduates as they will be entering another door to another context and perhaps, even another culture. As you have led them in past days, please Lord, continue to guide them into the future. Give them clearness of mind to move forward into the plans and purposes that You have for them. I pray that they will have the boldness to stand up for what is right wherever they are “planted”. Give them wisdom to live their lives wisely, in ways that will glorify You.
I pray the words of scripture over them: “Bless them indeed. Expand their territory. Let Your hand be with them.
Grant them success for their efforts at every turn and guide their feet to follow Your ways. May they be eager to do good and not evil all the days of their lives. May they always sense Your smile of pleasure upon them. In Jesus’ Name I pray this prayer, amen.

Dr. Wright offered words of encouragement by reminding the students to look for the “beacons” in their lives that would help to provide direction and hope in their future. He encouraged them that the relationships at IWU are some of those beacons. He encouraged them to stay connected.

Millie Troyer shared a prayer with the students at the end of the event.

Graduation will be held at the Chapel-Auditorium on Saturday, April 26th.

Today, March 24, 2014, two more alumni received the distinction of Alumni World Changers. Alumni World Changers are Marion College or Indiana Wesleyan University Alumni who have made a difference and have helped to shape their part of the world. They are people to whom current students can look up to as students prepare to go out and become world changers themselves. This year’s inductees were Dr. Howard Noggle and Doris Wall.

Dr. Howard Noggle enrolled as a student at Marion College in 1936. He was the son of one of the founding members of the school. Upon enrolling as a student, Howard would never leave the college. After graduation, he began a career that would last 64 years and through five College Presidents. He worked his way up from Field Representative to Director of Alumni Relations to Director of Church Relations to Special Assistant to the President, earning himself the nickname Mr. Marion College. On June 30, 2004, Howard Noggle retired as an employee, yet continued to promote the school. Sadly, Dr. Noggle passed away on June 11, 2007, at the age of 88.
Doris Wall graduated from Marion College in 1974. She then worked for 40 years as a Global Partners missionary in Guyana—a small South American country. During her time there, Doris served as a nurse and midwife for the Patamuna and Akawaio people. She delivered hundreds of babies, some of whom grew up to become nurses, teachers and church leaders in Guyana. In the interior of the country, Doris established and taught a Bible school. Later on, she would coordinate the revision of the Patamuna New Testament done by Patamuna mother tongue translators that was completed in 2011. Doris Wall spoke to the IWU student body during the chapel service honoring the inductees. She encouraged the students to remember that true happiness comes by following God’s plan; He will provide and direct us in the way we should go.
Inductees are honored by a plaque at the entrance of the Jackson Library.

Do you remember the Titans? This past weekend the IWU community did. To kick the celebration off, over forty alumni joined the current Wind Ensemble for a special concert. The performance featured pieces such as “God of Our Fathers,” “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” As well as a commissioned work called “Two-Lane Blacktop.” Classes as far back as 1972 were represented by the alumni who came from as far away as Delaware.

In addition to the concert, over thirty alumni joined the pep band at the Remember the Titans Men’s Basketball game, a yearly tradition. Representing the athletes who went before them and began the athletic legacy of IWU, the team wore throwback Marion College Titan jerseys (though thankfully, in my opinion, without the short shorts). More than 60 of those athletic alumni came back to watch and to cheer on the new generation.

It was an exciting game with the Titans winning 79-66 against Mount Vernon Nazarene from Ohio. The gymnasium was full and enthusiasm surged through the air as fans and alumni of all ages came together. The Titans stayed in the lead the entire game, only letting Mount Vernon come within 8 points. History was also made Saturday as senior guard Jordan Weidner became just the fourth Wildcat/Titan to score 2,000 career points. At the top of the list, Titans Perry Frank (1983-86) with 2,452 points and Durand ‘Speedy’ Walker (1979-82) with 2,409 points continue to hold on to their records.

Even if you didn’t get a chance to see the Titans/Wildcats play last weekend, you still have a few more chances to see them this season. So come and cheer on the team!

Wildcat Game Schedule can be found at: http://www.iwuwildcats.com/

Eric Key graduated through Wesley Seminary. Recently he and a few friends organized their own alumni gathering. This is a blog update about the alumni retreat that met personal and spiritual goals for he and his classmates. – Rick Carder, Director of Alumni.

Written by Eric Keys.

When I started my seminary journey I often heard others refer to it as “cemetery.” What they meant was that instead of being the place to deepen your relationship with God and develop skills to serve the Kingdom, seminary was the place you went to lose your faith—the place to bury all of your hope in the grave of doubt. My experience was different and here’s why:

Mission: Right from the start the purpose of our education at Wesley Seminary was clear; as pastors we were part of God’s mission. The point of all the study and work wasn’t to become skeptical it was to build our faith upon what God had already done, what He is doing, and what He will do in the future.

Formation: Underneath the current of mission ran the attitude that leaders are only capable if they are first followers. I’m not sure about other seminaries but the professors at Wesley Seminary were very intentional about shaping us as believers—even to the point of pain (physical, emotional, spiritual) as we held a light to all of the darkest areas of our lives.

Fellowship: Probably one of the most important aspects of my experience was the cohort model. I spent an entire day, every week, for three years with a group of people who were drastically different from me yet called to the same mission. Did we always get along? No. But by the time we completed our education we had become a group of guys who were committed to one another. All of the competition that you find among pastors had gave way to the knowledge that we would go farther together. My classmates became brothers.

At graduation we knew we had a choice; we could wish each other well and move on or we could continue to deepen the relationships we had with one another. We chose the latter. As a result we have been intentional in scheduling an annual retreat together. This year we went to A Quiet Place, a retreat center in Kentucky that is free to pastors. We spent two full days together catching up, talking of books we had read, praying together, and helping one another to set goals for the future.

Obviously, this retreat was deliberate on our part. We had to plan for it and make space on our calendars. We had to invest in food and travel. But the professors and administration were still invested in us even after we graduated. Continuing to care for our souls one professor made a video to challenge us to press on toward the goal. Another administrator sent personal notes to inspire us. The Alumni Association provided gifts. All of that from a place that I was warned would destroy my faith.

I have no knowledge about what other cohorts are doing or have done after graduation. But I would challenge them to think of their education as a lifelong experience, to reunite and refuel one another. Maybe what you get out of your seminary experience has a lot to do with what you put into it?

Thanks to all of the people who have poured into this cohort!

– Rev. Eric Key

Those attending the retreat were: Eric Key, Joel Liechty, Aaron Gross, Tony Bye, Johnnie Blair, Dustin Jones, and Keith Blackburn.

Growing up, Paul Brondhaver lived a simple life. His mother worked hard and did her best to provide for her family, but in the eyes of society they were considered poor. To pay for college, he joined the army at 17 and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Science from the University of Cincinnati, in 1991. He married his high school sweetheart Lisa Callebs, with whom he has three children.

For 21 years, he served the army. Over time, Paul Brondhaver was promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSG). His military service took him all over the world—Honduras, Germany, Panama, Kuwait, and Iraq—where he served on active duty for 19 different missions and operations. Sadly, his military career came to an end in July 2004. North of Baghdad, Iraq, SSG Brondhaver’s patrol unit came under attack with small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade that exploded near his Humvee. His body was perforated with over 300 pieces of shrapnel and 29 bullets. Twice, SSG Brondhaver flat lined and still he suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury, severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as Survivor’s Guilt—a fellow soldier and friend was killed in the attack. Physically, he continues to suffer with continuous headaches, pain, arthritis and vertigo. But coming home and watching buddies commit suicide and reading far too many eulogies at funerals, has hurt even more. He says, “Even though this took place in my life, my cup is still half full, never half empty. I don’t complain about anything.”

In 2011, SSG Brondhaver stepped out of his comfort zone and became a part of Team MBA 705 at Indiana Wesleyan’s Cincinnati Regional Education and Conference Center. He speaks highly of his experience with IWU. “During the program I had some medical situations, but the staff adjusted and was caring and acted just like Jesus would have acted. They responded with love, sincerity, and encouragement.” With the knowledge he gained, SSG Brondhaver decided to start a business. He is still working on getting it off the ground thru the Center for Veteran Enterprises, along with the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business organization. Yet he states, “because of IWU my future is looking brighter and brighter every day. I have been so blessed by IWU. I am so very grateful for all the patience, commitment, and determination that all the staff gave each and every day.”

​The Alumni Office would like to say thank you to SSG Paul Brondhaver, and all other servicemen, for their service and sacrifice. God Bless!

God made His presence known this week on the IWU campus, and it was amazing. Students came together for Summit: a three-day, conference-like event put on by the Office of the Chapel. Twice a day for each day of Summit, the student body gathered in the chapel to worship God and hear a message from His word. Pastor Kyle Ray, an engineer turned pastor from Kentwood Community Church near Grand Rapids, MI, was this year’s speaker, and God used him in a special way to reach this community.

With Jeremiah 1:4-10 as the theme passage, Pastor Kyle challenged us to be listening for God’s call in our lives, because God has called each and every one of us for a special purpose. We need to lay down our excuses and be on fire for Christ and His Kingdom. On the last night, we were called, once again, to be world changers; not just in the future, but right now—on IWU’s campus and in the Marion community.

Not only did God move through the speaker, but also through the worship time. Hundreds of students poured out their hearts to God in song, praising Him. I can’t begin to describe it; it was awe-inspiring and some saw it as a glimpse of Heaven. At the end, Dr. Jim Lo (the Dean of the Chapel) reminded us that Summit was not about the singing or the preaching—although those were wonderful—it was about what Jesus did; all glory goes to Him.

Below are comments students made through social media in response to Summit:
• Raleigh Macon ‏@Rawls_Mac- “Words cannot express the awe I’m in with God right now. Seeing how He’s working in people’s lives has renewed my own faith. #iwusummit2014”
• Taylor Showley ‏@tshowl- “I stand in awe at all God did this week. Thank you Lord…..thank you. #IWUSummit2014 @IWUChapel”
• Shayna Furney ‏@shaynapaige2013- “#IWUsummit2014 wow. @IndWes is such a blessing. We are so privileged to live and breathe in this #ChristCentered atmosphere everyday.”
• Austin Frederick ‏@Austin1405- “World changers ask two questions: why? And why not? IWUSummit2014 @IWUChapel”
• Matthew Hagelin ‏@MattHagelin- “Hearing hundreds of voices joining together to simply say glory to God is a very powerful sound #viewofheaven #iwusummit2014”
• Cyle Warner ‏@CChistian16- “God, you are so good!! Thank you so much for making your presence known to me. I am no longer in control!”

God has done great things on this campus in the past and I look forward to seeing what He will do in the next few months to come!
– Hannah, Student Contributor

Nowadays, students at IWU are presented with three questions nearly every time they meet someone new. What is your name? What is your major? And where are you from? Since this is my first time meeting you all, I’ve decided I should probably answer these questions.

My name is Hannah. I am currently a freshman here at IWU, and I love it! I am studying to be a high school Spanish teacher (one of maybe ten total on the whole campus) with a TESOL minor (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Finally, I call the beautiful city of Grand Rapids, MI, home (It was recently named the number one place to visit and I would highly recommend you taking a trip there at some point in your life). Some professors will make you add an interesting fact about yourself to the whole spiel; mine is that I love dogs. I have always owned a dog, and haven’t gone longer than a few weeks without one.

Now, I’m sure you must be asking why a current student would be writing for an alumni blog. The answer to that question is simple. I work in the Alumni Relations Office as a student worker, which means I get to tackle whatever task may be thrown my way. However, it’s not a bad thing, as no day is exactly the same as the others and I work with some great people. Besides that, I get to see a different side to IWU that many students do not see until after they graduate. My latest assignment is getting to contribute to this blog and allow you all a student’s insight into what is going on here at your alma mater. Perhaps my contemplations will stir up memories of when you were on campus—spending time with friends, getting involved in organizations, going to chapel and, of course, those lovely things called classes. For now I’ll say adios, until next time!