Calendar of Events
Dec. 12
on campus- Last day of classes.

Dec. 14-16, 18-19
on campus- Final exams.

Dec. 23-Jan. 1
on campus- The Millikin campus, including the alumni and development center, will be closed for holiday break.

Dec. 29 and 31 -
California - The Big Blue men's basketball team plays in the Gold Rush state. On Friday, Dec. 29, the Big Blue take on West Coast Baptist at 7:30 p.m. in Lancaster, Calif. On Sunday, Dec. 31, MU plays Laverne in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. (Both times listed are PST.)

Jan. 5 -
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007
Midwest and Eastern U.S. - The University Choir makes its annual winter tour. Free receptions with the choir for alumni and friends follow some performances. Click here for complete details, as well as info about the January Chamber Chorale tour.

Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007
Tucson, Ariz. - Alumni and friends of all ages are invited to the home of Larry and Ann Haab, both class of '59, for a 6-8 p.m. reception also hosted by Millikin President Doug Zemke '66 and his wife, Ellen. Reservations are requested so there will be enough refreshments for all. Please r.s.v.p. to Angela Hawk '06 in the alumni and development office by calling toll free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM or send her your reservation by e-mail.

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007
Los Angeles - Alumni and friends in the area are encouraged to attend the 8 p.m. concert by Grammy-award winning recording artist Sting in Walt Disney Concert Hall. Millikin Professor Daniel Carberg, assistant professor of music, is a member of the Concord Ensemble, which has been invited by Sting to perform onstage with him that evening.

Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007
Washington, D.C. - A buffet luncheon with the choir for alumni and friends follows the University Choir's appearance at the Washington National Cathedral Click here for a pdf with complete details on the Choir's performances in the D.C. area, plus a registration form you can print out and send in to make your reservation for the buffet.

Tuesday, Jan. 23
on campus - The James W. Moore Lecture. You're invited to this free 7:30 p.m. lecture by Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Dees battles against prejudice and hatred and has bankrupted the KKK and neo-Nazi groups with a series of historic lawsuits. Today, he focuses his attention on anti-government militias. Tickets are required for this event; call Kirkland Box Office at (217) 424-6318 for details.

May 22-30, 2007
Beijing, China- Millikin does China! Join alumni and friends for a nine-day trip to the Far East. To view a pdf with details, click here. Reservations still being accepted.

Nov. 1-11 , 2007
Tuscany, Italy - Join alumni and friends for a trip to this golden land. To view a pdf with more details, click here.

Now through Dec. 31
As you make your plans for charitable donations this holiday season, consider Millikin as a giving option. It's easy and secure to give online. Gifts must be submitted online or postmarked by Dec. 31, 2006, to be eligible for 2006 tax year deductions. This year, a new IRA rollover provision signed into law Aug.17 provides tax incentives for donors age 70½ or older to contribute IRA assets to educational institutions and other nonprofits without having to cash out the IRA and treat the proceeds as income. MORE

Click here for the complete calendar of upcoming events.

Shop Millikin
this Christmas!
Shop for Millikin-related
holiday gifts online at one
of these retail outlets: 
* Blue Connection gallery.
Purchase art, jewelry, photographs and more online through this student-run gallery featuring the works of current students, faculty and alumni. Currently featured: a 2006 limited edition etched glass Vespers ornament showcasing this year's concert theme, "Tidings of Great Joy." The cost is $15.

* First Step Records
Music recordings by Millikin students, faculty and alumni.

* Millikin bookstore
Wouldn't he love to have a new Big Blue sweatshirt under the tree?


Hot links
Milli-Link XP is your connection to your fellow alumni. Check out our online directory today!

FREE MU desktop wallpaper
for your computer.

Big Blue wedding album.
New photos just added! 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.

Tell prospective Millikin students to become members of the Big Blue VIP program! They will receive personalized information about admission to Millikin and the programs and activities most important to them. The next admission open house will be Monday, Jan. 15, 2007. For more info, call 1- 800-373-7733, ext.5, or click here to send an e-mail.

Athletics website. Season tickets are on sale now!

Staley Library's archives website

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. (Be sure to let us know when things change!)

WINTER COMMENCEMENT
KEEPS GROWING.
Approximately 150 graduates will take part in Millikin’s winter commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 17, in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Tickets are required for this event. Julie Roe, a member of the Millikin board of trustees and a 1997 graduate, is the commencement speaker. MORE

NESSIE PUTS MU
ON THE HONOR ROLL.
Millikin again scored well on the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) report that gives schools an idea how well students are learning and what they are putting into and getting out of their undergraduate experience. MORE

A SWEET EXPERIENCE
FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS.
Students in Millikin University’s International Business Consulting course are getting some real world business experience while working on a consulting project for a Korean based company. MORE

MILLIKIN OPENS ITS HEART AND
CAMPUS TO THOSE WITHOUT POWER.


One of the worst ice storms in more than 30 years hit Central Illinois Nov. 30. Although Milikin's campus never lost power, classes were canceled the next day and several faculty and staff found their homes without power for several days. Millikin administrators acted quickly, and several grateful employees and their families were given temporary housing in residence hall facilities. As one administrator said:

"My words can't express how truly grateful we are to be in a warm, comfortable place. In the season of giving, you have given us a great gift! Our power hasn't been restored, but we are hopeful and happy to be surrounded by a community of caring people, especially my 8 year old little boy, who is getting a little education on dorm life. He loves to sit on his bunk bed and look at all the happenings. What an incentive! You give new meaning to the word 'hospitality.'"

Above, the harsh beauty of a campus tree encased in ice, just one of thousands like it found throughout the Decatur last week.

THE HOLIDAYS ARE A GREAT TIME
TO CONSIDER GIVING TO MU.
The Millikin Fund is enjoying great momentum toward its $2.1 million goal thanks to generous alums, parents, non-alumni friends, corporations and foundations who continue to recognize Millikin as an excellent investment for their charitable dollar, according to Amanda Podeschi, associate director of development. “We want to thank, in advance, our devoted Millikin alumni and friends who support their alma mater financially, and ask those who are fulfilling pledges and making gifts to consider doing so on or before Dec. 31, 2006,” Podeschi says. Gifts must be submitted online through MU's secure site or be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2006, to be eligible for 2006 tax year deductions. Podeschi adds, “If you’re planning to make a gift of appreciated securities, Millikin must receive the shares in one of its brokerage accounts on or before Dec. 31, 2006, as well, in order for the gift to be claimed in the 2006 tax year.” Questions about year-end giving? Send an email to Podeschi or to Dave Brandon, director of development, or call them toll free at 1-877-568-2586.

KEEP UP WITH BIG BLUE
BASKETBALL AS IT HAPPENS.
View live play-by-play action and statistics for Big Blue basketball during each of the Big Blue's home games. To access the new feature, visit Millikin's men's or women's basketball website and click on the Live Stats link. MORE

Y DON'T U TXT MU 2DAY?
Got a Millikin-related question for our office? We're experimenting with offering texting as a service for our alumni, so send a text message to 217-620-9102 if you have a Millikin-related question or comment. Be sure to give your name so we'll know it's you.

'TIS THE SEASON ...
TO MENTION MILLIKIN
The holidays are a time for gathering with friends and family and asking age-old questions like, "Have you decided where you're going to college next fall, Johnny?" Ask the teens in your family to consider visiting Millikin so they can check out our friendly campus, personal attention to students and high success rates after graduation. 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.

CAN YOU NAME THIS YEAR?
This month marks one of Milllikin's oldest traditions, the holiday Vespers concert, which has been an annual event on the Millikin campus for more than 45 years. Each year, four performances are held for sold-out audiences, and this year was no exception. This month's trivia question marks a memorable moment in Vespers history.

The Sunday afternoon Vespers concert came to a surprising halt when the electricity went off unexpectedly in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. The singers managed to serenade the audience with a few Christmas carols before everyone headed home. What year did this happen? (Hint: It happened to be the first year that Vespers was under the direction of a new professor on campus, Dr. Brad Holmes.)
A. 1989
B. 1985
C. 1991
D. 1996

Send your answer 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 were:

Phil Pursley '67
Jerry Cross '72
Donald James Perry '58
Susan Munsie Stupp '64
Dawn Sanner '86

Each will receive a leather Millkin coaster for correctly stating that The Winery, located just a few steps from campus, is the local hangout famous for its burgers and and still going strong after 73 years in business. By the way, that trivia question received more responses than any other question in the history of this newsletter, which means we have a good guess what many of you were doing when you should have been studying or going to classes!

AND SPEAKING OF VESPERS...
Blue Connection, Millikin’s student-run art gallery, is offering a 2006 limited edition Vespers ornament. The etched glass ornament showcases this year's Vespers concert theme, "Tidings of Great Joy." The cost is $15, and it may be purchased online at www.millikinblue.com. The ornament is just one of many gallery items available for online purchase, including paintings, jewelry, photographs and stationary. Who knows? You might be able to get all your holiday shopping done with just a few mouse clicks.

Happy Holidays from the
Alumni and Development Office!