Calendar of Events
Tuesday, April 17
Godfrey, Ill. -Millikin Jazz Band I gives a free 7 p.m. concert at Lewis and Clark Community College's Hatheway Cultural Center, 5800 Godfrey Road.

Thursday, April 19
campus -Honors Convocation (see at right)

Saturday, April 21
Houston, Texas - Visit with President Doug Zemke '66 and enjoy food, fun and Millikin memories with fellow Houston alumni and friends. Our hosts Robert '50 and Emily Hanna, along with President Zemke, his wife Ellen, and Director of Major Gifts Anne-Marie Proske Berk '88, invite you to a complimentary dinner at the Petroleum Club in Houston, 800 Bell St., 43rd floor. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 p.m., with dinner to follow. Seating is limited, so please RSVP by Tuesday, April 17, to Angela Hawk '06 in the alumni office toll-free at 1-877-568-2586, or send her an e-mail.

Monday, April 23
Dallas, Texas - Alumni and friends in the area are invited to join hosts Trustee Gary '68 and Stephany Griffith, President Doug Zemke '66 and his wife, Ellen, and Director of Major Gifts Anne-Marie Proske Berk '88 at a complimentary dinner at Sevy's Grill in Dallas, 8201 Preston Road, #100. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. Seating is limited, so please RSVP by Tuesday, April 17, to Angela Hawk '06 in the alumni office toll-free at 1-877-568-2586, or send her an e-mail.

Friday, April 27
On campus - Open house for high school juniors.

Monday, April 30
Decatur - Founder's Day, with ceremonial wreath-laying at the tomb of University Founder James Millikin.

On campus - GOLD lecture by Adina Boyd '03 (see at right)

Tuesday, May 1
On campus - Deadline to make a reservation for the November alumni and friends trip to Tuscany (see at right)

Saturday, May 5
On campus - Millikin CIA (Central Illinois Alumni) event precedes the Millikin production of "A Chorus Line" In Kirkland Fine Arts Center (see at right).

Saturday, May 19
On campus - PACE and MBA commencement ceremonies in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Tickets are required for the 7 p.m. ceremony.

Sunday, May 20
on campus/Decatur - Baccalaureate will be held at 10 a.m. in Kirkland Fine Arts Center and traditional commencement ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m. in the Decatur Civic Center. Tickets are required for the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Thursday, May 24
Chicago - Annual Chicago Business Forum and Networking Luncheon for alumni and friends, Union League Club. Click here for details.

Saturday, Aug. 11
Chicago - Join our alumni and friends’ pre-race gathering before Sunday’s Chicago Distance Classic at Buca di Beppo restaurant at 6:30 p.m., Dutch treat. Click here for more info.

Sunday, Aug. 12
Chicago's Grant Park- Millikin hosts an alumni and friends event at the Chicago Distance Classic, a half-marathon and 5K race organized by running expert John "The Penguin" Bingham '70. Join us for a gear check prior and goodies after the race in the MU tent, which is sponsored by Bingham. Click here for more info.

Sunday, Aug. 12
St. Louis - Millikin Day at Busch Stadium (see at right for details).

Oct. 5-7
On campus - Save the date for Homecoming 2007. It's a great time to revisit campus.

Nov. 1-11
Tuscany, Italy - More than 20 alumni and friends have already signed up for a fall trip to Tuscany. Won't you join them? For a pdf with details, click here.

Click here for the complete calendar of upcoming events.

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.
Submit wedding photos 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, an online directory of  alumni-owned businesses. Click here to add your info.

Shop online: 
Blue Connection art gallery
First Step Records
Bronze Man Books
Millikin bookstore 

Encourage prospective MU students to join the Big Blue VIP program! They will receive personalized info about admission to Millikin and the programs and activities most important to them.

Money for school: Children and grandchildren of MU alumni are eligible for a $1,000 Legacy scholarship. Also, families with two or more children attending MU at the same time are eligible for a sibling scholarship. Click here for details.

Learn about Millikin's history.

Attention alumni actors, artists, writers, singers, dancers and musicians: You can post or update details of upcoming engagements or releases for the Millikin website. Click here to add your event. Click here to see where your fellow alums are appearing.

CHI-TOWN FORUM: NETWORK AND LEARN FROM AN ALUMNI PANEL OF EXPERTS.
Catch the spirit: Even if you don't own or aspire to own your own business, you'll want to catch the spirit of this year's annual Chicago Business Forum and Networking Luncheon focusing on how entrepreneurship skills can help you advance in any career. This May 24 event, open to alumni and friends of the university and held at downtown Chicago's Union League Club, features a panel of three alumni business experts -- Lou "Mr. Fix-It" Manfredini '87, Nike Smyth Whitcomb '66 and Mikel Briggs '79 -- moderated by Bruce Nims '72. MORE '72Annual Chicago Business Forum ab

THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST TAKE A BOW.
More than 75 students will receive awards and two professors will be recognized for teaching excellence at the 2007 Honors Convocation, to be held on campus April 19. Dr. Ralph Czerwinski, retiring dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will present the Distinguished Faculty Lecture. MORE

ALL THOSE YEARS OF PRACTICE PAID OFF.
Senior saxophonist Doug Neff of Decatur was named the winner of the School of Music’s Hollis Prize after a March 31 recital competition. MORE

2003 GRAD GIVES GOLD LECTURE
AT THE BIG BLUE.
Adina Boyd '03, a Ph.D. candidate at Rice University, is the speaker for the first Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Lecture, sponsored by the student chapter of the American Chemical Society and held on campus April 30. The lecture is free and open to the public. MORE

MARRIED, WITH MARKETING EXPERTISE.
A married couple, both professors of marketing at the University of New Mexico, will speak on professionalism and integration at the 2007 Tabor School of Business Conference, to be held April 20 on campus. MORE

PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED.
A retiring Millikin professor was recognized for nine years of service as the national executive director of Sigma Zeta, a national science and mathematics honor society. MORE

THEY HOPE YOU'LL "GET IT."
Last week, Millikin’s First Step Records celebrated the release of "Get It," the debut recording of 5one, a musical group formed at the university. MORE

TURN THE BEAT AROUND.
Gloria Estefan sang it: Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat on the drum. Now you can hear two upcoming concerts that give student percussionists their chance to shine. MORE

In other music matters, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and University Symphonic Band performs April 22 in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. MORE

SURE, WE'VE GOT YOUR TICKET.
Tickets to Busch Stadium, home of the 2006 World Series Champs, are hard to get, but don't worry. We've got 'em. Bring your friends and join us for Millikin Day at Busch Stadium, Sunday, Aug. 12, as the St. Louis Cardinals take on the LA Dodgers at 1:15 p.m. The seats are in section 259 with access to the air-conditioned Bank of America Clubhouse. Tickets include an all-you-can-eat buffet, plus free beverages of the adult and non-adult variety. Cost is $90 per person. Less than 100 tickets are available, so call soon! Toll Free: 1-877-JMU-ALUM.

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF BIG BLUE SPORTS?
Then you need to check out MU's new athletics history website, where you'll find photos and info on top Big Blue athletes through the years, including captains, MVPs, and an index and photos of Athletic Hall of Fame recipients. Click here and start reminiscing. Comments and questions about the site should be e-mailed to BigBlueHistory@millikin.edu.

AND SPEAKING OF SPORTS...
The editors of Millikin Quarterly magazine are searching for Big Blue alumni who have achieved success as coaches after graduation -- specifically those coaches whose teams have won state or national titles in recent years -- for a feature article in an upcoming issue. Got a tip? Send an e-mail with the info to MillikinQuarterly@millikin.edu.

WALK ON ... WITH HOPE IN YOUR HEART.
Millikin's Greek community will host a noon to midnight walk-a-thon at Frank M. Lindsay Field this Friday, April 20, to benefit Decatur youth athletics through the Rodney T. Miller Foundation (Miller, a police officer and 1988 Millikin graduate, was killed in an automobile accident last May.) Teams of four to six are being formed now; each team must raise a minimum $20 donation. For info, send an e-mail to Kaylin Downour, president, Greeks United for a Cause.

LAST CALL FOR ONE SINGULAR SENSATION.
Decatur-area alumni and friends: Join the Millikin CIA (Central Illinois Alumni) for the theatre and dance production of "A Chorus Line" at Kirkland Fine Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 5. Come early for "One Singular Sensation," a pre-theatre party hosted by MCIA members, in Kirkland's band room (K136). Cost is $30 per person and includes pre-party admission and a theatre ticket. Ticket packages available through the Kirkland Box Office at 217-424-6318.

WRAP YOURSELF UP IN IT.
Her artwork has been compared to a beautiful patchwork quilt. The watercolor landscapes of Carole Hennessy are on display this month in Kirkland Fine Arts Center’s Perkinson Gallery. MORE

LIVE AND LEARN (AND TRAVEL, TOO).
Several summer 2007 immersion courses are open to alumni and friends of the university; many of the courses combine travel with education for a culturally fulfilling experience. Click here to see various locations and dates.

YOU'LL LAUGH; YOU'LL CRY; YOU'LL WISH EVERYONE COULD BE THERE.
Ask anyone who has attended the annual Homecoming awards dinner recognizing alumni who have made a difference with their lives: "How did you feel at the end of the night?" Those who attend walk away feeling great about the chance to see deserving alumni receive a a little glory and hear how Millikin shaped them to be the people they are today. The Friday night dinner is open to all alumni and friends and is just one of more than 40 events scheduled for Homecoming 2007, Oct. 5-7. Complete schedules will be mailed to all alumni this summer.

Have a Homecoming question or idea in the meantime? Drop a line to uber-friendly Alumni Relations Director Jan Devore.

THANKS A LATTE.
Alumni and friends of the university who make a new or upgraded donation to the Millikin Fund to support the university's annual operating budget will receive a coupon for a complimentary latte from the campus coffee shop, Common Grounds. MORE

ITALY CALLED.
YOU'RE INVITED OVER THIS FALL.
More than 20 alumni and friends have already signed up for this fall's 10-day trip to Tuscany, Nov. 1-11, including stops in Rome, Florence and Pisa. Other highlights include a wine tasting and viewing Michelangelo's "David." To view a pdf with details, click here.

TIME FOR AN MU TRIVIA QUIZ? YOU BET!
Ready for this month's trivia question? Remember the rush to get your books at the start of classes? Close your eyes now and think of those glory days once more...

In 1997, the campus bookstore moved to a new location inside the just-opened Jack C. Dolson Hall (formerly known as Oakland Hall). Where was the bookstore located for several years prior to the move?
A. Top floor of RTUC
B. Lower level of Aston Hall
C. Lower level of Shilling Hall
D. Millikin didn't have a bookstore before that time.

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 --

Jen Pickerill '03
Jim Fitzgerald '53

...each won a leather Millikin coaster for correctly guessing that 1920 was the correct answer to last month's quiz.