IWUAlumni – Page 4 – Alumni Blog

August 13, 2013

Regional Alumni Networks Underway

Alumni from across the region and nationally are beginning to organize locally. They are working together through diverse strengths and networking strategically to reach out and serve alumni.

Last year we added three groups. They include Indy North, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, OH yet many other alumni have hosted events in places like, Southern, CA; Atlanta, GA; Roanoke, VA; and throughout Florida. Alumni are finding these networks beneficial in helping to better serve the needs of local alumni.

We invite alumni to join or help start a regional network. “Alumni are a vital resource for students and fellow alumni,” says Rick Carder, IWU Alumni Director. The value of local alumni contributing to the growth of these chapters are the goals of organizers.

“Local volunteer leadership is an effective way to further the reach if the Alumni Association,” says Greg Smith, Alumni Board President. Alumni are encouraged to take charge of their networks and give leadership to others networks by sending a request to increase local opportunities beyond the classroom. Contact alumni@indwes.edu to lead these efforts.

August 11, 2013

Graduation – Alumni pinning

All over the IWU Marion campus there are Hooding Ceremonies, Dedication and Consecration Services, and Nursing Pinnings. It is exciting to participate in these special recognition events.

A small band of Alumni volunteers have the incredible opportunity to hand out the Alumni Pin and hear the alumni stories that demonstrate the Mission of IWU. During this special time the Alumni Association gathers unique stories of life-change, challenges, triumphs, and the impact from faculty, staff, and their Education Programs.

It is a wonderfully exciting time to spend with our newest graduates. This past weekend, our team met with hundreds of graduates with very uniques stories. One alum was near homelessness and graduated with an Associate Degree. Others with their Bachelors degrees spoke of the positive examples and influence from faculty in the classroom. They spoke of the challenges they faced balancing family commitments, work, life circumstances.

I met a few internationals that finished degrees that will enable them to accomplish more in their circle of influence.

One alum stated;

I hope to use my degree as I become a citizen of the United States so that I can make a difference in my place of work and community.

July 20, 2013August 11, 2013

Celebration of a final class

Often I will have the opportunity to visit the final class of a cohort group that meets at one of our education centers who are finishing the adult degree program. We have many who have graduated through education centers and online degrees as well as through the traditional education at the Marriott campus.

There’s nothing more exciting than to witness students of all ages as they complete their last class presentation. I’ve attended many of these throughout the years. The enthusiasm and joy filled the room as smiling faces and high-fives are seen in each classroom.

One student described this experience by saying,

Finishing this degree has made me a better person than when I began this journey. It has strengthened my faith, my family, and my profession.

Recently a student who graduated from her Associates Degree Who went on to finish a batch this degree set me a message saying,

I’m excited about finishing my second degree from IWU. I still have your business card and Alumni pin that I received when the alumni Association visited my class.

There are many stories and expressions of pride among our alumni from both the traditional and nontraditional programs.

July 14, 2013July 14, 2013

Dr. David Wright becomes President of IWU

IWU is called to make the world a better place by preparing students, faculty, and staff to live out the truths and the example of Jesus Christ in this world. – Dr. David Wright

Dr. David and Helen Wright become the President and First Lady of IWU effective July 1st. They bring a passion for people and Christian Higher Education.

The President’s Vision

Follow Dr. Wright through social media options.

Instagram – Twitter @IWUPresident

June 21, 2013

Mrs. Rita McCormack, who is Reading’s Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Reading 8th grade Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Rita McCormack, who is Reading’s Teacher of the Year and received the Celebrate Excellence Educator Award from the Hamilton County Education Service Center. The 26-year veteran teacher was honored on May 24, at Sharonville Convention Center with a breakfast and awards ceremony. She received her award from former Bengal and Hall of Famer, Anthony Munoz, who was the Master of Ceremonies.

“Rita McCormack is passionate about education and loves teaching. She sets high expectations for her students and challenges students to reach levels they never thought were possible,” said RMS Principal, Bob Longworth.

Mrs. McCormack is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and earned her Masters Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. While at Reading, she served as Student Senate Adviser for 18 years. Mrs. McCormack retired from teaching at the end of this school year. Students, parents, and her peers will miss her energy and enthusiasm.

“Mrs. McCormack is one of the finest teachers I have ever worked with in my career. She loves her students and they succeed because they know how much she cares and that she will never give up on them,” said Reading Superintendent, Scott Inskeep.

Article adapted from:
http://www.readingschools.org/docs/BlueDevileNewsMay2013.pdf

June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

Friends Are Friends Forever

“FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS FOREVER”

College friendships last forever. The song written by Michael W. Smith “Friends are friends forever” was the popular song the year we graduated and it truly spoke truth of our friendship.

“Friends Are Friends Forever, if the Lords the Lord of them. And a friend will not say never, cause the welcome will not end. Though it’s hard to let you go, in the Father’s hand we know, that a lifetime’s not too long. To live as friends.”

It all began during the years of 1983-1987 at Marion College then (now IWU). Six girls from different cities, different states with different majors. Deena Graf-Evans from Tipton, IN (nursing), Melodie Allison-Heer from Avis, PA, (Business), Colette Graber-Sylvester from Nappanee, IN (Med.Tech), Kathy Cady-Moorlach from McCordsville, IN (elementary education), Julie Green-Mowery from Flint, MI (Music/Business) and Dawn Woodard-Hobson from Indpls, IN (Social Work). At different times in our years together, we became roommates and suite-mates.

It has been 25 years since we have graduated and our friendship continues to grow in the Lord. We have shared in each other’s weddings, the births of our children, the trials and joys of raising our children, and now entering a stage of watching our kids graduate from high school and go to college.

Through the years we have taken several trips together besides the Spring Florida trips in college. Following graduation, we took a trip to Florida before starting our new jobs and some of us getting married that summer. We have met in Ft. Wayne, IN for weekends away of shopping and dinner and many laughs. Other trips include women’s retreats, a trip to Colorado when Melodie and her family moved away for a year. We frequent Applebee’s and BW’s in Marion for dinner during the week nights for those of us who live closer. We often close the place down with long conversations and many laughs. There have been times that we even included our husbands and children and have gone camping in Northern, IN and had parties at each others homes during the holidays. On one of our trips we decided to name our girls gatherings by using the first initial of our last names – thus originating the name “MESH.” Most recently this past February, we visited Julie & Erick Mowery in Cancun to see their ministry with Back2Back and were able to serve with them for a few days and get in some beach time.

Besides trips, email and Facebook have helped us tremendously in keeping in touch with each other’s lives. We are able to pray for each other and our husbands and children as we all go through different stages and different trials in our lives.

Deena (‘87), a nurse, and her husband Scott Evans (IWU alumni) moved a few years ago to Colorado Springs, CO, and have two boys -one working full-time and one graduating from H.S. Melodie (’85), a resource aide, and her husband Phil Heer (IWU alumni) moved back from Colorado and live in Fishers, IN. They have a boy and a girl in high-school and their oldest son, Matt graduated from IWU this past December. Julie (’87), a professional harpist, and her husband Erick Mowery (IWU alumni) lived in Caledonia, MI and have a girl who is a sophomore at IWU and a boy in H.S. However, Erick and Julie left the states to be missionaries with Back2Back Ministries serving in Mexico beginning when they dropped off their daughter, Eliza, to IWU on September 2, 2011. Colette (’85), a Med. Tech. and her husband Rob Sylvester live in Syracuse, IN and have a boy at IUPUI and a girl in H.S. Kathy (7), a homemaker, and her husband Rich Moorlach live in Fishers, IN and have a two girls in H.S. and a boy in middle school. Dawn (’87), a social worker, and her husband Jeff Hobson live in Wabash, IN and have a girl who is a sophomore at IWU and a boy in H.S. who is taking a class at IWU. Dawn’s daughter and her former roommate, Julie’s daughter were roommates their Freshman year at IWU.
Though distance divides us, our friendship that was started in 1983 at Marion College/IWU continues to be strong. We attribute this to our beginnings at Marion College/IWU and the strong bond we share in our Lord Jesus Christ and a vow to stay close. The tradition now continues with future alumni attending IWU currently.

Friends ARE Friends Forever when the Lord’s the Lord of them.

Written by IWU Alumnus, Dawn Hobson ’87

March 23, 2013March 28, 2013

Easter Basket Team Provide For 300 Children and SCAN

Three Church (Fairmount, Jonesboro. & Westview Wesleyan) and 10 volunteers partner with IWU alumni and package 300 Easter Baskets. Filled with shoes, shirts, and candy this year’s project completed over 13 years in helping to provide well over 1,500 baskets for local communities as well as Fort Wayne’s Stop Child Abuse Now needy children.

“We want to change lives and bless children,” says Janelle Randolph who led the local efforts. Janelle has worked to gather volunteers and gather materials from local businesses like CVS Pharmacy to benefit local Marion children. Included in the baskets are personalized materials, candy, toys, and shoes.

“Those who participated in this project are making a big difference in children” Reports Rick Carder, Director of IWU Alumni. “This is how we reflect the values and mission of the Alumni Relations Office and the IWU Alumni Association” Carder continues.

The volunteers serve proudly.

This project is also partnered with Fort Wayne Colleges and Universities as part of the Northeast Indiana Alumni Directors Consortium {NIADC}. Nearly 1,500 Baskets were delivered to SCAN in Fort Wayne.

March 16, 2013March 23, 2013

Students of IWU Prayer Walking

Students of IWU Prayer Walking.

With a passion for prayer, students walk as they pray for their city. This humble gathering of the student body from Indiana Wesleyan University take time to walk and bless their city in prayer.

Stretching over a city block the students unite their hearts together in their belief that God has something even better for our community. Joined with a few staff and administrators this parade of prayer is a belief that they can touch their city and make a difference in their community.

It was a definite blessing to be part of the prayer walking activities today

says Rick Carder, Director of Alumni Relations.

The power of prayer is effective and the outreach to our community is a witness of the love that the students have for their community.

Carder continues.

For more pictures go to www.Facebook.com/IWUAlumni

March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Andrew Hendricks ’13 – Head Coach of the Year

FRANKLIN COLLEGE’S HENDRICKS NAMED 2013 LIBERAL ARTS SWIMMING COACH OF THE YEAR

FRANKLIN, Ind.- Though the Franklin College men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs have a short history, each resembled a veteran program as both made a big splash at the 2013 Liberal Arts Swimming and Diving Championships this past week. Over the three-day competition, Franklin swimmers and divers brought home 29 medals and had 45 record swims in route to its fourth place overall finish out of 12 teams. Two years ago, Franklin finished 12th out of a 13 team field in its first year and followed that up in 2012 with a sixth place finish.
In a nearly unanimous vote, head coach Andrew Hendricks was named 2013 Swimming Coach of the Year. Hendricks has coached the Grizzlies since 2009. Within three years Hendricks has been able to build the program and finish the season with a winning record.
After the announcement Hendricks commented, “There are a lot of good teams represented by some great coaches here. We admire many of these programs. These athletes do all the hard work and simply make us (coaches) look good. I am so proud of our efforts. I revel in this moment simply because I care so much about this team. They have worked so hard this year. They are part of my family.”
Hendricks’ excitement was evident as the meet concluded with Franklin’s first gold medal in school history with the Franklin men winning the most contested and most prestigious event in college swimming, the 400 freestyle relay; a fitting ending to a great season.
Hendricks holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Indiana University, graduating as an Academic All-American Scholar. He recently completed his MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, earning a 4.0 GPA. In addition to coaching at Franklin, Hendricks serves as an adjunct instructor of mathematics and as the coordinator of student employment. He resides in Franklin with his wife and three daughters, who are all involved in swimming.
Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for challenging careers and fulfilling lives through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 28 majors, 36 minors and eight pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.franklincollege.edu.

March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Dean of Honors College – IWU Alumni

Dean of Honors College Announced at Azusa Pacific University

Provided by Azusa Pacific Press Release

It is my distinct pleasure to announce the appointment of IWU alum Dr. David Weeks, Ph.D., (1980) as dean of new Honors College. “I can think of no one more inherently qualified and committed to the vision and potential for this undertaking” says Mark Stanton, APU Provost. He begins his new role on July 1.

An advocate of “the arts of freedom,” David’s leadership, scholarship, and engagement challenge us to consider life’s greatest questions, exercise our full intellectual potential, and live a rich, faith-filled life. An APU professor for 30 years and a seasoned administrator for more than 20, he remains a student and a teacher at heart. As dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), he has fostered an environment in which others can do what he prizes, namely teaching and learning. This passion fuels a gem of our academy—the summer program he’s led for 17 years that brings together faculty colleagues as students to read and discuss great books by Plato, Confucius, Augustine, Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare, among others, as well as study the Qur’ān, St. Matthew Passion, and Sistine Chapel. He has served previously as the director of the Azusa Oxford Semester, chair of the Department of History and Political Science, and director of the General Studies program.

As the Honors College dean, he will draw upon the breadth of his experience leading CLAS to enrich the life of our academy. His passions and experience uniquely qualify David to develop the humanities-based curriculum recommended by the faculty Honors Program Task Force and endorsed by the Board of Trustees, President Wallace, and me.

The new college will attract the most academically gifted students to APU who seek greater rigor, intensity, and depth in their course work, and even closer faculty/student collaboration, while benefitting from the APU hallmarks of faith integration, service, and community. As Honors dean, David will champion opportunities that stretch them, from conference presentations and research to mentoring alongside noted experts. These emerging scholars complement the aptitude, skill, and character of the broader undergraduate population.

David’s academic interests include Christian liberal education, political philosophy, and American law and politics, especially the intersection of religion and politics. He has served as a scholar-in-residence at the Centre for Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford, England, and as a Salvatori fellow in Washington, DC, and has studied at the Harvard University Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, Koch Charitable Foundation, Louisville Institute, and the Earhart Foundation.

David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Religion/Philosophy from Indiana Wesleyan University, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago.

Dean Announced