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FEATURE ARTICLE Board of Trustees Reorganization SPECIAL EVENT Purple & White Ball SPECIAL EVENT Walk of Honor Dedication “We’ve been known as one of the oldest institutions west of the Mississippi; now we are going to be known as one of the best.” PRESIDENT TITUS OCTOBER 21, 2017 VOL NUM FALL 59 02 17 In This Issue Strengthening International Bonds Forging Meaningful Partnerships FEATURES Learning & Community 12 Board of Trustees Reorganization Faith & Service IOWADiscovery & ActionWESLEYAN Courage & Passion SPECIALS AthleticsUNIVERSITY / Hall of Fame IS A 14 Homecoming Class Notes 17 Purple & White Ball TRANSFORMATIONAL 22 Commencement LEARNING 26 Peggy Whitson Record Breaker COMMUNITY WHOSE PASSION IN EVERY ISSUE 04 Student Success IS TO EDUCATE, 06 Academic Innovations EMPOWER 07 Adult & Graduate Studies 08 Generosity AND INSPIRE 10 Wesleyan | 2020 21 Calendar STUDENTS TO LEAD 28 Athletics MEANINGFUL LIVES 32 Class Notes AND CAREERS. MISSION TELL US WHAT YOU THINK 2 IOWA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | FALL 2017 PRESIDENT Dr. Steven E. Titus [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Meg Richtman [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Dr. DeWayne Frazier [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND TREASURER Christine Plunkett [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Dr. Wesley Brooks [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Nickolis Boone [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Vacant DIRECTOR FOR ALUMNI AND PARENT RELATIONS Holly Jones [email protected] DIRECTOR OF MARKETING/EDITOR Lori Baerg [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Amanda Rundquist [email protected] SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR Anna Jones Zander ’12 [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lori Baerg Amy Coffman Anna Zander ’12 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Amy Becker Rebecca Bender Dhasan Shrestha ’20 Carley Barlow ’17 PUBLICATION MANAGER STORY IDEAS? COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? CORRECTIONS? Lori Baerg WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! EMAIL [email protected] IW.EDU 3 STUDENT SUCCESS MEET MATT KLUNDT Lessons That Serve Well One of the many areas where Iowa Wesleyan excels is nurturing students to harness their passions to pursue a successful future. A shining example of this is our Coordinator for Student Engagement, Matt Klundt ’17. If you haven’t met him yet, you’ve surely seen him, because since 2013, he’s been all over campus, energetically serving in countless roles. Matt has been involved with Campus Ministry, Student Ambassadors, and orientation; he spent two years as an RA, was a student coordinator of intramurals, and delighted in evoking here, and it’s great. The other person would be Dr. Brooks. I’m laughter from many as Wesley the Tiger until just last fall. Klundt working under him in Student Development now, and being able to has also worked closely with the Mount Pleasant Parks & Recreation learn from him and his leadership in such a great environment...his Department in addition to being a personal trainer at the Mount presence just makes everything a little bit better.” Pleasant REC Center. “MATT KLUNDT IS THE KIND OF STUDENT THAT Now, with all of this, Matt, who’ll graduate this December, still manages to make the grade. With a double major in Physical ANY FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBER WOULD BE Education and Exercise Science, he spent the fall semester student PROUD TO CALL THEIR OWN. HE IS A GENUINE teaching and working fulltime in Student Development. LEADER WHO IS PASSIONATE AND CARES A Recruited by Coach Stubbs ’12 during a high school visit in GREAT DEAL ABOUT IOWA WESLEYAN AND THE Klundt’s home town of Andalusia, Illinois, Matt reflected on what made him decide to chose Iowa Wesleyan saying, “Football STUDENT EXPERIENCE. MATT IS SOMEONE THAT was what originally got me even thinking of Iowa Wesleyan, and YOU CAN COUNT ON, LEAN INTO, AND KNOW then I came to the campus. I really fell in love with the campus THAT HE WILL ALWAYS BRING HIS BEST INTO ANY and the small-town feel, and then I checked out the Education Department. One of the things that’s always stuck with me was SITUATION. THE UNIVERSITY IS VERY FORTUNATE what the admissions counselor said to me that day: ‘We want to TO HAVE A STUDENT AND PERSON OF HIS set you up for success, graduate and in a job upon graduation.’ So, CHARACTER AND QUALITY ON CAMPUS.” football initially got me looking this way, but it’s definitely the campus and education part that really sold it for me.” WESLEY H. BROOKS, PH.D. VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Ironically, even though football brought Matt to Iowa Wesleyan, after an injury during his freshman year he decided to stop playing Matt shared a few important lessons his parents taught him, which and focus, as he put it, on his whole life instead of just the next he thinks about daily and have served him well. “Work hard for your three years. And although he was sad not to be able to continue goals even though you are the only one that sees them, and out-kind playing, he’s happy to be where he is today and recognizes that everyone.” without making that tough decision he probably wouldn’t be. Although he is truly exceptional in so many ways, Matt is quick to When asked about those who’ve been supportive and inspiring, credit God, saying: “There’ve been a lot of individuals that have Matt said reverently: “God. I definitely wouldn’t be here without helped me get to this point, but I don’t know what kind of person Him, so all praise and glory to Him first. My parents - really I would be if I didn’t have Grace filling me up, and I know I fail just my family in general. I have such a supportive family and daily but that’s the great thing about Grace, I don’t deserve it but I probably couldn’t say enough about them to make people I get it anyway.” understand what they mean to me. School-wise, there are plenty more people who’ve helped me, but there are two who’ve just really, really helped me out. One is my advisor, Valerie Unkrich. She’s been a huge blessing in my life. She’s like another mom for me 4 IOWA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | FALL 2017 STUDENT SUCCESS MEET ALLEGRA COLLETTE Just Go For It While many of us look at Allegra Collette’s weekly schedule and marvel that she can find the time (and energy) to accomplish everything on her agenda, to Allegra this is simply the way she stays well-rounded. Collette, a junior from Thornton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, decided as a high school senior that it was important to her personal growth to attend an out-of-state university. As a varsity volleyball player throughout high school, Allegra was also in track and field all four years, played basketball for two years, was captain of both the volleyball and track and field teams, Then she obtained an internship for ESPN’s X Games in received Second Team All-Conference Honors. She investigated Minneapolis last summer, and loved it, which is just more many different colleges where she could continue to play volleyball. confirmation she made the right decision to go into Sports Management. Allegra shared more saying, “I was freaking out. I was thinking that I wasn’t going to play volleyball anymore, and I felt like that was my Currently, Allegra works in the OASIS (Office of Academic Success “in.” Then I talked to Coach Wagy. I absolutely loved the program, and Inclusive Support) as a tutor. so I committed. I’m glad I ended up here, that’s for sure.” Collette is a double major, earning her degrees in Exercise Science Iowa Wesleyan is glad too, because in the three years she’s been here, as well as Business with a concentration in Sports Management. As Allegra has proven to be exceptional in countless ways. if that isn’t impressive enough, she’s also on the Dean’s List. Allegra aspires to be a coach one day, but also knows that she doesn’t want to Allegra continued, “Immediately I knew I wanted to be a resident do just one thing for the rest of her life. assistant because my freshman year I had worked in student development for their work study position. I really valued the Allegra credits a number of people for her success including her residential life, getting more involved on campus, and helping parents, Coach Wagy, her best friend and IW student, Ariel Smale, students appreciate and meet new people. So, my sophomore year and all the incredibly kind and caring people at Iowa Wesleyan I applied and got the job.” which she considers family. Collette also did work study with Iowa Wesleyan Sports Information In the end, Allegra has some valuable words to share: Director Anna Zander ’12, taking stats for baseball and softball, “I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS JUST GOING FOR livestreaming all the basketball events, and helping in whatever ways she was needed. IT, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES ENOUGH TO EVEN TRY “ALLEGRA HAS BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO IOWA IT. THANKFULLY I WAS BLESSED WITH THE MOST WESLEYAN ATHLETICS. SHE WORKS JUST AS AMAZING PARENTS IN THE WORLD AND THEY’VE HARD ON THE COURT AS SHE DOES IN THE ALWAYS TOLD ME I CAN DO ANYTHING I PUT MY CLASSROOM. ALLEGRA IS ALWAYS WILLING AND MIND TO. I’M HERE AND BELIEVING IT AND STILL EAGER TO LEARN ANY AND ALL ASPECTS THAT PURSUING MY DREAMS AND MY PASSIONS.