Tuesday, Dec. 11 On campus -Last day of fall semester classes.
Dec. 13-15, 17-18 On campus - Final exams.
Saturday, Dec. 15
Kirkland Fine Arts Center - Two performances of the Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet, with live music by the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, 3 & 7:30 p.m.
Kirkland Fine Arts Center
For ticket info, call Kirkland Box Office at 217-424-6318.
Dec. 24-Jan. 1
On campus - The Millikin campus, including the alumni and development center, will be closed for holiday break.
Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008 On campus -First day of spring semester classes.
Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008
Decatur - Join the MCIA for the popular taco bar at Lock, Stock and Barrel, 129 S. Oakland, from 5-7 p.m. as a warm up for the Big Blue men’s basketball game versus the Illinois Wesleyan Titans at 7:30 p.m. in Griswold Physical Education Center.
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008
St. Louis -Join the Millikin Club of St. Louis for a social networking event from 6-7:30 p.m. at 5200 Shaw Avenue (The Big Club Hall building across from Giovanni's on the Hill), hosted by Jon Tiede '92 and Jump Co. Featured guest, Rick Bibb, associate professor of marketing. RSVP to the alumni office by Monday, Feb. 18.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Decatur -Join the MCIA for a wine and cheese party from 7-9 p.m. at the James Millikin Homestead. Kevin Graham ’76, Millikin’s director of counseling services and co-owner of The Decanter Fine Wines, will share his wine expertise as you enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship in the historic home of James Millikin.
Thursday, May 4, 2008
Decatur -Join the MCIA friends in the lower level of Richards Treat University Center for Sunday brunch, with entertainment from the School of Music. The cost for brunch is $12.For more info, contact the alumni office at 424-6383 (toll free dial 1-877-568-2586). After brunch, you're invited to attend the Department of Theatre and Dance's annual Equinox Dance Concert at Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Ticket price is $6. Contact the Kirkland Box Office for tickets at 217-424-6318.
May 21-June 1, 2008
Argentina Join alumni and friends for a trip to Buenos Aires! See more details at right. July 6, 2008
St. Louis - Millikin Day at Busch stadium. Join alumni and friends at the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs. See more details at right.
July 24-30, 2008
Danube bike trip
Join alumni and friends for a seven-day, six-night bike trip from Passau, Germany, to Vienna, Austria, on a flat bike path along the Danube. The cost is approximately $1,414 per person and includes hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, six evening dinners with three-course meals (including a farewell dinner at a Vienna wine cellar), guide and all transfers, including daily luggage transfers between route stops. A $50 gift in your name is made to the Millikin Fund for every trip booked. Airfare cost is still being finalized; be sure to look for updated details future issues of this newsletter. For info, contact Mandi Landacre Podeschi ’02 of the alumni and development office toll free at 1-877-568-2586 or send her an e-mail at apodeschi@millikin.edu.
Click here for the complete calendar of upcoming events.
Alumni performers, actors, artists and authors can post details of upcoming engagements or releases
on the
Millikin website: Add your event/release
View the list
Submit wedding photos for the online Big
Blue wedding album by e-mail,
or call toll-free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM for details.
Business
owners: Is your company listed in Big
Blue Biz, the online directory of alumni-owned businesses?Add your info
LEFT. RIGHT. RADICAL CENTER. Ted Halstead, founding president and CEO of the New America Foundation, presented the 2007 Ewing Lecture on campus last Tuesday, speaking on "The Future of American Politics: The Radical Center." MORE
Pictured above, from left: Millikin President Doug Zemke '66,
Ted Halstead and Congressman Thomas Ewing '57.
OH, THE PLACES THEY WILL GO.
Approximately 150 graduates will take part in Sunday's winter commencement ceremony at Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Theresa Rutherford '90, chief operating officer and chief nurse executive at Decatur's St. Mary’s Hospital, is the featured speaker, and Kathe Trusner of Bement, Ill., and Keith Chandler of Maroa, Ill., are the student speakers. MORE
KIRKLAND TO SHOWCASE ALUMNI ARTISTS. Starting Jan. 31, Kirkland Fine Arts Center will showcase work by alumni artists on their new alumni arts wall, located on the south end of the Kirkland lobby. Jami Andreasen Wong ’01 and Vitus Wong ’00 will open the showcase at the end of January. Pieces by alumni will be showcased for several months before moving to Millikin’s Blue Connection art gallery and will be available for purchase through the gallery's website. Visit www.kirk-out.com for updates on the alumni showcase and the artists to be presented.
If you are interested in learning more about having your work displayed, contact Kirkland Assistant Events Coordinator B.J. Warren at wwarren@millikin.edu.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN. The University Choir and Chamber Chorale will begin their annual tours in January and may be headed to a town near you! Click here to view the University Choir's 2008 tour schedule. Click here to view the Chamber Chorale's 2008 tour schedule.
GRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS
PRESENT RESEARCH AT SYMPOSIUM.
The School of Nursing hosted its first graduate nursing project symposium last Tuesday to recognize and honor the first eight graduates of Millikin’s master's degree in nursing program. The soon to be graduates exhibited posters and made presentations on their graduate level research project. Brooke Wilkey of Decatur was awarded the Dr. Mary D. Shanks and Dr. Linda K. Niedringhaus Excellence in Leadership Award for her research titled "Gender Difference in Quality of Life Among Adult Heart Failiure Patients." MORE
CHECK YOUR MAILBOX. The winter 2007-08 issue of Millikin Quarterly will be in mailboxes later this month. Some highlights include a feature on young alumni, the special Honor Roll of Donors section, honoring donors from July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007, an announcement of our readers survey and alumni "quick takes" drawing winners and Homecoming 2007 coverage. Be on the look out!
Can't wait? Click here to check out some candids from fall's homecoming festivities.
DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA. Learn to tango in the land where the tango originated! Join Millikin alumni and friends for a trip to Bueno Aires led by Dr. Eduardo Cabrera, associate professor of Spanish and a native of Buenos Aires. This unique travel opportunity will feature eight nights of all that Buenos Aires has to offer. The cost is $3,220 per person for double occupancy ($4,100 for single) and includes hotel accommodations, round-trip, non-stop airfare from O’Hare to Buenos Aires, an overnight trip to the popular Iguazuu Falls, all transfers, and a $50 gift in your name is made to the Millikin Fund for every trip booked. Want to know more or be put on the mailing list? Call Dave Brandon in the alumni and development office toll free at 1-877-568-2568 or send him an e-mail.
PLAY BALL! Join us for Millikin Day at Busch Stadium, Sunday, July 6, as the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs at 1:10 p.m. The seats are in the air-conditioned Bank of America Clubhouse and include a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet and beverages of the adult and non-adult variety. Cost is $115 per person. The perfect holiday gift for your Cards or Cubs fan! But act quick - we have a limited number of tickets available. For tickets or more info, call toll free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM.
Transportation to the game from Decatur is also in the works. Be sure to look for more details in upcoming issues of Out of the Blue.
INTERVIEW WITH A MERMAID. Sierra Boggess '04 - aka Ariel in the Broadway production of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" - was recently interviewed by WOR radio's Joan Hamburg about the show, her career and her alma mater connection with the original Little Mermaid, Jodi Marzorati Benson '83! Click here to listen to the interview. Additional, both Boggess and Benson were recently featured in the November 25 issue of Parade magazine.
AN ICY LOOK BACKOne of the worst ice storms in more than 30 years hit Central Illinois last December. Although Millikin's campus never lost power, classes were canceled the next day and several faculty and staff found their homes without power for several days. Click on the image above to take a look at an ice-covered Millikin just one year ago, created by former Millikin student Keith Stewart.
YOU WANTED MORE... and you got it! Click here to see more candids from Homecoming 2007.
'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, John?" 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.
SEASON'S GIVINGS. This holiday season, remember and honor your Millikin experience with a gift to the university that will help support current students. 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 2007 tax year deductions. Also, an IRA rollover provision that provides tax incentives for donors age 70½ or older will expire at the end of this year. MORE
READY FOR YOUR FINAL EXAM? No? Well, how about this month's commencement trivia: Approximately 150 students will cross the stage at Sunday's commencement ceremony. How many students were awarded degrees during Millikin's first commencement, held June 5, 1904?
A. 53
B. 3
C. 23
D. 103
Send your best guess
to alumnews@millikin.edu, and be sure to include your name and address. Five winners
will be selected in a random drawing of all who respond
correctly and each will receive a Millikin prize.
Last month's winners --
Steve "Doogie" Doores '95
Jim Fitzgerald '53
Cleo Johnson Jr. '87
Linda Rash
...each
won a Millikin leather coaster for correctly
guessing that the Millikin community raised 3,419 pounds of food for this year's Community Food Drive.
Happy Holidays from
the
alumni and development office!
Click here for a 2008 at-a-glance calendar -
our holiday gift to you!
KEEP
UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST MILLIKIN NEWS
We hope you'll explore our Alumni and Friends website. You can log on to Milli-Link XP, send us a class note item for possible inclusion
in an upcoming issue of Millikin Quarterly magazine, update your
address and other information for our files, order a copy of your
transcript and more. It's a great way to stay connected.
Copyright
2007 by Millikin University Board of Trustees
Those with questions or comments about this newsletter or
wanting to subscribe or unsubscribe should e-mail: alumnews@millikin.edu
Last Updated: 12-10-07
Millikin
University, Alumni and Development,
1184 West Main, Decatur, IL 62522
Toll-free 1-877-JMU-ALUM, Fax 217-424-3755
Text the alumni office at 217-620-9102 millikin.edu/alumni
Ted Halstead, founding president and CEO of the New America Foundation, presented the 2007 Ewing Lecture on campus last Tuesday, speaking on "The Future of American Politics: The Radical Center." 
Learn to tango in the land where the tango originated! Join Millikin alumni and friends for a trip to Bueno Aires led by Dr. Eduardo Cabrera, associate professor of Spanish and a native of Buenos Aires. This unique travel opportunity will feature eight nights of all that Buenos Aires has to offer. The cost is $3,220 per person for double occupancy ($4,100 for single) and includes hotel accommodations, round-trip, non-stop airfare from O’Hare to Buenos Aires, an overnight trip to the popular Iguazuu Falls, all transfers, and a $50 gift in your name is made to the Millikin Fund for every trip booked. Want to know more or be put on the mailing list? Call 
