Calendar of Events

Tuesday, Feb. 19
On campus- Tonight's final home women's basketball game of the season is senior night and the last Millikin game for four players, including standout Lindsey Ippel, who has set 17 Millikin basektball records in her career for the Big Blue. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 21
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 today to the alumni office.

Thursday, Feb. 28
Decatur - Hey young alumni, how well do you know your wines? Join us for a young alumni wine tasting at The Decanter Fine Wines, 215 N. Main, at 6:30 p.m. 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 a casual evening of fun and fellowship. Appetizers provided. RSVP to Mandi Landacre Podeschi '02 of the alumni and development office by Monday, Feb. 25.

Friday, Feb. 29
Chicago - Join the Millikin Club of Chicago for a NetBlue social networking event with fellow alumni and friends at John Barleycorn , 658 W. Belden Ave. (Lincoln Park location), from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. A great MU event for everyone, regardless of age or occupation! Appetizers provided with a cash bar and a full menu available. RSVP by Monday, Feb. 25, to 1-877-568-2586 or send an e-mail to alumnews@millikin.edu.

Friday, March 14-
Wedneday, March 19
Wind Ensemble tour to Chicago suburbs and southern Wisconsin. Click here for details.

Saturday, March 15
Pasadena, Calif. - Join your hosts Millikin President Doug Zemke '66 and Dave Brandon of Millikin's alumni and development office for an 8 p.m. concert of Mozart concertos by the Pasadena Symphony at Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Tickets only $10 per person and include special pass to the Gold Room for VIP intermission and post-concert reception. You're also invited to a complimentary pre-concert dinner hosted by Nancy '53 and Don '52 McIntyre in their home at 5:30 p.m., just minutes from the concert hall. To RSVP for the concert and/or dinner, call Darice Bailey '00 at 626-793-7172 , ext. 15, by March 10.

Monday, March 17
New York- The annual theatre and dance student showcase will be held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at York Theatre (at St. Peter's)
619 Lexington Ave (corner of 54th and Lex), followed by the annual showcase party from 9 to 11 p.m. at the Paramount Hotel bar, 235 W 46th Street, (between Broadway and 8th). MU alums and friends are invited to come see some of MU's top talents perform before they become stars! To RSVP that you will be attending the showcase. send an e-mail to Sean Morrissey, artist -in-residence for MU's theatre department.

Thursday, March 27
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. Cost is $15. RSVP to the alumni office.

Saturday, March 29
Decatur - Join alumni and friends for the annual Penguin in the Park 5K run at 9 a.m. in Fairview Park. A 10:30 a.m. awards ceremony will feature running expert and motivational speaker John "The Penguin" Bingham '70 of Runner's World magazine. Other highlights include a post-race party in Griswold Physical Education Center. Alumni, students, faculty and staff receive a discount if they register by March 22. For complete details, click here.

Thursday, April 10
Indianapolis - Join alumni and friends for a 5:30-7:30 p.m. gathering hosted by the Millikin Club of Indianapolis and coordinated by Julie Roe Lach '97 at the Rathskeller, 401 E. Michigan Street. Entertainment by Milliikin's award-winning OneVoice vocal jazz ensemble. Free appetizers. RSVP by Monday, April 7, to the alumni office by calling toll free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM (568-2586). Need directions? Click here.

Tuesday, April 15
Nominations due for Homecoming alumni awards and Athletic Hall of Fame nominations.

Thursday, May 4
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
Argentina
Join alumni and friends for a trip to Buenos Aires! See more details at upper right.

July 6
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 upper right.

July 24-30
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 costs $1,275 additional. For info or to reserve your spot, 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. Or click here for more details.

Oct. 10-12
On campus - Homecoming 2008! Classes ending in three or eight, get ready for your reunion! Have ideas? Contact the alumni office at 1-877-JMU-ALUM.

Jan. 3-12, 2009
Galapagos Islands
Join Millikin alumni and friends for a cruise to the Galapagos Islands led by Dr. David Horn, associate professor of biology. Visit Fernandina, Floreana and Espanola islands to explore caves and underwater life, including dolphins, sea turtles and mola-mola, an elusive ocean sunfish. The cost is $5,950 per person for double occupancy ($8,258 for single) and includes hotel and cabin accommodations, round-trip airfare and coach travel from Central Illinois, admission to Galapagos national park, all meals and transfers, and a $50 gift is made to the Millikin Fund for every trip booked. A $250 early bird discount is available to those who book before April 3.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 at
dbrandon@millikin.edu.


Hot links
Online resources:
Milli-Link XP, online directory
Millikin Quarterly magazine
Wallpaper for your desktop
Listen live to WJMU-FM
Young alumni news/info
History of MU.

Support MU:
The Millikin Fund,
The Big Blue Club, Millikin's official athletic booster club.

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

Help a future student:
Big Blue VIP program.
Legacy scholarship.
Sibling scholarship

Tell us about yourself:
Submit a class note
Update your info

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. 

MILLIKIN ALUM IS A FINALIST ON "AMERICAN IDOL."
Hit the remote.
Text your friends.
Call your mom.
A Millikin graduate has made it to the finals of FOX TV's "American Idol." Be sure to tune in at 7 p.m. (CST) tonight, Feb. 19, to see Luke Menard (at left), a 2001 MU graduate, perform live as one of the top 12 men finalists for the title of American Idol. Menard auditioned for the show in Omaha, Neb., and made it through the judging at the Hollywood auditions on last week's show.

Local alumni and friends are invited to an American Idol viewing party on Tuesday from 6:30-9 p.m. in the East Room of Lower RTUC. And since America's call-in votes determine the winner, everyone is encouraged vote for one of Millikin's own to be the next American Idol.

Other Millikin alumni are also appearing in some national venues, among them: Hedy Burress '95 guest starred on the Feb. 14 episode of the new ABC-TV series, "Eli Stone," and Emir Yonzon ’98 appears in “Witless Protection,” a new movie due in theaters on Feb. 22. Know of more? Let the alumni office know so we can get the word out.

SPREADING THEIR ROOTS.
Grammy award-winning hip hop band The Roots will perform in concert at Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Saturday, March 29, at 8 p.m. as this year's UCB Big Event. MORE

WOMEN'S SPORTS PIONEER DIES.
Longtime women’s basketball coach and administrator Harriett Crannell (at left), a pioneer for the field of women's sports, died Jan. 24 after a three-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. MORE

IT'S REALLY WIN-WIN.
Kirkland Fine Arts Center’s community learning program, KirkOut, invites patrons to join its "Catch 22" book club in conjunction with the Feb. 23 Kirkland performance of "Catch 22" by the Aquila Theatre Company. MORE

Additionally, Kirkland has begun showcasing work by alumni artists on their new alumni arts wall. The works of Jami Andreasen Wong ’01 and Vitus Wong ’00 opened the showcase in January. Visit www.kirk-out.com for updates on the alumni showcase and the artists to be presented. Pieces by alumni will be showcased for several months before moving to Millikin’s Blue Connection art gallery and are available for purchase through the gallery's website.

Interested in learning more about having your work displayed? Contact B.J. Warren, administrative assistant and events coordinator for Millikin's College of Fine Arts, at wwarren@millikin.edu.

MONEY FOR COLLEGE.
Know a high school senior in your family who is still trying to decide about college -- and how to pay for it? Millikin offers legacy scholarships to the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Milikin alumni. Get an application here.

SEVERAL EVENTS HELD
FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
Cordell Ingram '95 is one of the featured speakers during Black History Month events held on campus throughout February. Ingram's talk on Feb. 21, “The N-Word and All That It Brings,” will discuss the history and modern usage of the N-Word and its implications on American society. For the complete list of Millikin events held in recognition of Black History Month, click here (pdf format).

START WHEN YOU'RE READY.
PACE, the university’s evening adult degree completion program will host an open house on Thursday, Feb. 21, from 5-7 p.m. for prospective students. New classes start every five weeks. MORE

SINGING WITH THE SYMPHONY.
The Millikin University Choir, Millikin Chamber Chorale and several Millikin faculty members are the featured vocalists during the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center. MORE

LAST CALL FOR BUENOS AIRES IN MAY.
Reserve your spot by Feb. 21: Join Millikin alumni and friends for an eight-night trip to Buenos Aires, May 21-June1, including a cultural and educational look at Argentina through the eyes of Dr. Eduardo Cabrera, associate professor of Spanish and a native of the city. 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 by the travel company for every trip booked. Call Dave Brandon in the alumni and development office toll free at 1-877-568-2568 or send him an e-mail.

CUBS, CARDS, FOOD, 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND:
WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK?
How about air conditiong at the ball park? You got it. Join us for Millikin Day at Busch Stadium, Sunday, July 6, as the St. Louis Cardinals take on top rival Chicago Cubs at 1:10 p.m. The seats are right outside and include access to the air-conditioned Bank of America Clubhouse. Cost is $115 per person and includes a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet and beverages of the adult and non-adult variety. For tickets or more info, call toll free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM.

Transportation to the game from Decatur is also in the works if enough interest is expressed. Be sure to let the alumni office know if you are interested.

LET'S GO FOR A SUMMER RIDE ALONG THE RIVER.
It isn't too late to sign up for a July bike trip along the Danube with other Millikin alumni and friends. Only four airline spots remain if you wish to travel with the group. See details at left or click here.


Not your thing? How about a cruise to the Galapagos Islands next January instead? Not your typical cruise, this one is designed more for adventure enthusiasts and led by a Millikin biology professor. See details at lower left.


IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE PRESENT THIS MONTH'S TRIVIA QUESTION.

What African-American poet laureate was conferred an honorary degree by Millikin in 1972?

A. Claude Brown
B. Gwendolyn Brooks
C. Amiri Baraka
D. Maya Angelou

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 --

Jen Pickerill '03
Steve Doores '95
Tara Williams '97
Gretchen Fritz '95
Julie Bottorff Wharram '94

...each won a Millikin luggage tag for correctly guessing that N Da Mix was the name of the on-campus diversity newsletter that premiered in 1991.