Tuesday, Dec. 27 - 
Thursday, Dec. 30
San Diego, Calif. - Cheer on the 2005 national championship women's basketball team as they compete in the Surf 'N Slam Classic. The team will face St. Norbert College Dec. 28 at 2:15 p.m. (PST) at Point Loma Nazarene University. An alumni gathering with the team will be held at 7 p.m., Dec. 27, in the lobby lounge of the Westin Horton Plaza, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego. It features free appetizers and will be followed by a pay-as-you-go dinner. RSVP by Dec. 23 by calling Coach Lori Kerans at 217-521-1470 or send her an e-mail at lkerans@millikin.edu.

Wednesday, Dec. 29 - 
Thursday, Dec. 30
Bluffton, Ohio - Alumni and friends in the area are invited to see the men's b-ball team take on Tiffin University in the Bluffton University Holiday Tournament at 6 p.m. on Dec. 29 at Founders Hall on the Bluffton campus. The Big Blue will play at either 1 or 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 depending on that first game's outcome.

Thursday, Jan. 5 - 
Saturday, Jan. 7
Washington, D.C. - Support the Millikin alum vocal group Chapter 6 as they perform in "The 1950s: The Golden Age of Black and White" with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Millikin alums and friends in the DC area are encouraged to meet prior to the Jan. 7 performance, by gathering at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Head statue. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance may be purchased at www.kennedy-center.org  
and range from $20-80. RSVP by Jan. 3 by e-mail to Mandy Wimmer '01 or call her at 202-258-0419. The MU group will reconvene at the statue after the show to head out for appetizers and a drink. Interested in meeting for dinner before the show with other MU alums? Let Mandy know.

Wednesday, Jan. 11
Decatur -  Millikin Club of Central Illinois hosts a pre-game Italian buffet at Tuscany Steak and Pasta House, 1099 W. Wood Street, for alumni and friends from 5:30 to 7 p.m. before the men's basketball game against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Saturday, Jan. 21
Chicago -  Join the nationally recognized Millikin University Choir in Chicago for a 7:30 p.m. performance at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 700 W. Adams, and stay for the free alumni and friends reception following the performance. For more info, about the choir's tour, click here. If you are interested in hosting individual choir members for the night, call alumni relations director Jan Devore at 1-877-JMU-ALUM. 

Saturday, Feb. 4
Chicago - The defending women's basketball national champions will play North Central at 2 p.m. The men's basketball team will also be playing North Central at 7:30 pm. Join us between the games from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for dinner at The Lodge at Four Lakes Village and a chance to meet the women's team and celebrate their 2005 national championship. The cost for dinner is $8. per person. Please RSVP by Jan. 30 to Jan Devore, director of alumni relations, or call toll-free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM. 

Click here for the complete calendar of upcoming events.

Hot links
FREE MU desktop 
wallpaper for your 
computer here. Be sure to check out the new winter additions for this month.


Are you a Big Blue sports fan?  Check out the Athletics website for complete details on all 15 MU sports. 

Big Blue wedding album. Submit wedding photos and info for our online album by e-mail, or call toll-free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM for details. 

Business owners: Add your company's  information to Big Blue Biz, our online directory of  alumni-owned businesses. Click here to add your info.

Shop online: 
Blue Connection art gallery
First Step Records
Millikin bookstore 
Get your Millikin wear here!
First Step Publishing

Learn about Millikin history through Staley Library's archives website.

What are your thoughts about Homecoming? Click here to take our  homecoming survey to help us make Homecoming 2006 the best event yet!

All alumni actors, artists, writers, singers, dancers and musicians: Send us details of upcoming engagements or releases for the Millikin website. Drop us an e-mail, or fax your performance schedule to 217-424-3755. Click here to see where your fellow alums are appearing. 

MU BIZ TEAM RANKS FIRST IN NATION.
A group of MU students finished a business simulation ranked number one in the nation in a competition that pitted their business skills against 986 other teams from around the country. MORE

A MAJOR CHANGE.
Millikin's Tabor School of Business has added a new entrepreneurship major. MORE

STUDENTS GIVE IT UP FOR OLE MISS.
Fifteen Millikin students are giving up a week of their winter break to assist in disaster relief for the Gulf Coast in Moss Point, Miss., in early January. The trip is part of Millikin's BreakAway program, a group that serves communities and people in need. MORE 

AFRICAN MUSIC EXCITES AIRWAVES.
As a part of their final class project for the music course, "African Music in the Americas," several students gave radio broadcasts of their research accompanied by traditional African music. The programs aired in early December on the campus radio station, WJMU-FM 89.5. MORE

ARE THEY SINGING IN YOUR STATE?
Alumni and friends in several states will have the opportunity to hear the beautiful sounds of Millikin's University Choir and Chamber Chorale this season as each group goes on tour in early January. For the University Choir's schedule of performance dates and locations in Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, click here. For the Chamber Chorale's schedule of performances in Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Indiana, click here.

THEY'RE COMMENCING 
WITH LIFE AFTER MU.
Winter Commencement for approximately 170 December grads will be held Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Tickets are required at attend. MORE

PROFESSOR APPOINTED 
TO STATE COMMISSION.
Sharon Alpi, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Assistant Professor of Management, has been appointed to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. MORE

WE'VE GOT SPIRIT ... HOW 'BOUT YOU?
Calling all true blue fans! We need pictures of you in your Millikin gear showing the world your school spirit. Send us photos of you in Millikin gear in front of Mount Rushmore or another scenic landmarks, or at work or at the airport or in other countries, with other alumni ...well, you get the idea. Pretty much anywhere. E-mail your pictures to Quarterly@millikin.edu.

'TIS THE SEASON ...TO MENTION MILLIKIN.
The holidays are a time to catch up with friends and family, gather in front of a fireplace and ask age-old questions like, "Have you decided where you're going to school next fall, Johnny?" It's the perfect time to encourage your children, cousins, nieces, nephews or anyone else preparing for college to consider Millikin. Do they know that success after graduation is nearly guaranteed? Do they know that just as it was when you attended, Millikin is known for its friendly campus and one-on-one attention to students? Be sure to share that there's no application fee and online applications can be submitted at any time. Just remember www.millikin.edu and you'll point them in the right direction.

START PLANNING YOUR SUMMER! 
Ready for that relaxing summer vacation? We have the trip for you! Join alumni and friends as they travel through the Canadian Rockies, June 22 to July 1, 2006. Destinations on this 10-day vacation include Vancouver, B.C.; Kamloops, B.C.; Lake Louise in Banff; and Calgary, Alberta. Experience the icefield glaciers, view Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and stay at the highly praised "Castle in the Mountains." The cost of the trip includes a $50 gift to the Millikin Fund that will be matched by the travel agency. For complete info, click here for a pdf file of the brochure, or call or e-mail Jan Devore, director of alumni relations, at 1-877-JMU-ALUM. An initial $100 per person deposit is due by Jan. 22, 2006. 

ITALIAN FOOD AND GREEN WIENIES. 
IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.
The Millikin Club of Central Illinois will host a pre-game Italian  buffet for alumni and friends from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Tuscany Steak and Pasta House, 1099 W. Wood Street, Decatur. The gathering is just prior to before the men's 7:30 p.m. basketball game against Illinois Wesleyan (AKA the Green Wienies). For complete details, click here. 

SEASON'S GIVINGS.
Now's a great time for holiday giving. As you make your plans for charitable donations this season, you're asked to consider Millikin as one of your giving options. It's especially easy and secure to give online. But hurry! Gifts must be submitted online or postmarked by Dec. 31 to be eligible for 2005 tax year deductions. MORE

A SMALL CHIP OFF 
THE BIG TRIVIA COOKIE.
Our most delicious trivia question yet. Millikin's Christmas Cookie Party has been a university tradition for more than seven decades. In fact, we just enjoyed our 72nd annual Cookie Party last week. According to Staley Library's archives, what was the record number of cookies baked by one person for a single Cookie Party?

A. 200
B. 500
C. 1000
D. 350

Send your guess to alumnews@millikin.edu and be sure to include your name and address. Five winners will be selected from a random drawing of all who respond correctly and each will receive a prize! 

Last month's winners --

Jean Cornwell Parker '50
Soraya Santoyo '04
Dale Kenyon '52
Maj. J.R. Cooper, '81
Jen Lawrence '97

...each won an MU leather coaster for correctly guessing that Delta Delta Delta began at MU as Chi Sigma Phi.

Please note: The Alumni and Development Office will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 6. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays!