Winter 2008-09
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Millikin Quarterly WINTER 2008-09 GETTING FESTIVE: HOMECOMING 2008 Millikin Quarterly Vol. XXIV, No. 4 Winter 2008-09 Produced by the Millikin University Offi ce of Alumni and Development. E-mail comments to: [email protected] Millikin Quarterly (ISSN 8750-7706) (USPS 0735-570) is published four times yearly; once during each of the fi rst, second, third and fourth quarters by Mil- likin University, 1184 West Main Street, Decatur, Illinois 62522-2084. Periodicals postage paid at Decatur, Illinois. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Millikin Quarterly, Millikin University, 1184 West Main Street, Decatur, IL 62522-2084. Telephone: 217-424-6383, or call toll-free to 1-877-JMU-ALUM. Millikin Quarterly magazine has been recognized with national APEX awards of excellence for three years in a row. FRONT COVER: Inset: Robert ’46 and Charlotte Beesley Moorehead ’47, who were named 2008 Alumnus of the Year, wave to the crowd after being recognized the Homecoming football game; the cam- pus statue with personality, Mr. B.B., gets ready out for the big weekend, thanks to some help from Millikin students. ON THIS PAGE: Blackburn Hall, a women’s residence hall. Winter 2008-09 Millikin Quarterly 1 Millikin contacts Millikin Administrators Alumni and Toll-Free Phone: Development Offi ce 1-800-373-7733 Toll-Free Phone: (locally, dial 424-6211) 1-800-JMU-ALUM (locally, dial 424-6383) President Douglas E. Zemke ’66 Peg Smith Luy ’75, [email protected] Vice President for Alumni & Development Marilyn Davis ’00, [email protected] Chief of Staff and Board Secretary Anne-Marie Berk ’88, [email protected] Director of Major Gifts [email protected] Peg Smith Luy ’75, Vice President for Dave Brandon, Alumni & Development Director of Development [email protected] [email protected] Karen Bethel, Dr. Jan Devore, Vice President for Finance Director of & Business Affairs Alumni Relations [email protected] [email protected] Dr. Donna Aronson, Louise Kidd, Vice President for Director of Alumni & Academic Affairs Development Services [email protected] [email protected] Rich Dunsworth, Deb Kirchner, Vice President Director of for Enrollment Communications [email protected] [email protected] Dr. Randy Brooks, Angie Hawk ’06, Acting Dean, College of Manager of Special Events Arts and Sciences [email protected] [email protected] Jenell Hironimus, Barry Pearson, Dean, Associate Editor College of Fine Arts [email protected] [email protected] Mandi Podeschi ’02, Dr. Kathy Booker, Dean, Associate Director College of of Development Professional Studies [email protected] [email protected] Carol Sampson, Dr. James G. Dahl, Dean, Associate Director Tabor School of Business of Research [email protected] [email protected] Dr. Anne Matthews, Dean Paul Scherschel ’04, of Teaching and Learning Associate Director [email protected] of Major Gifts [email protected] Stacey Hubbard, Dean of Admission Pattie Smith-Phillips ’96, and Financial Aid Associate Director [email protected] of Donor Relations psmithphillips@ Walter G. Wessel ’69, millikin.edu University Registrar [email protected] Dan Stuby ’07, Associate Director of Alumni Relations [email protected] At left: Gorin Hall Over the past several years, Millikin has and the current economic turmoil, there seen a continuous progression of positive are positive signs to indicate that Millikin changes that have strengthened academic will continue as usual to attract students programs, increased our pool of talented and draw support from alumni and friends. faculty and staff, updated and improved This fact, combined with our board of Othe grounds and buildings of our physical trustees’ strong engagement and personal campus, fortifi ed our fi nancial underpin- commitment to the university, bodes well nings, and completed the most success- for Millikin’s future. ful capital campaign in the history of the For example, the Millikin Fund, the university. donor-supported fund that provides a However, our university – along with needed supplement to the university’s an- the rest of the country – now must face nual operating budget, continues to garner the repercussions of a global fi nancial strong support. Gifts to the fund presently crisis that will affect all of us, in ways both run ahead of last year, including donations large and small. The near economic col- designated for support of specifi c universi- lapse of the U.S. fi nancial market and the ty priorities, such as student scholarships. immediate rippling effect felt throughout Here’s more good news. At present, the world’s economy has impacted higher applications from prospective fall 2009 education across the U.S. For students and freshmen have increased about 30 percent their families, it has become more diffi cult over last year. This signifi cant boost is a to manage college costs, even as they tap welcome and encouraging sign, although into their savings and take advantage of we do have some work to do in the area of what loans are available to them. Before student retention. An aggressive effort is this crisis, more than 97 percent of our underway to implement plans to help more President’s students already relied on fi nancial aid, of our students successfully complete including Millikin scholarships, to help fund their education at Millikin and counteract a Perspective their education. In the months ahead, resulting decline in enrollment within the scholarship support for deserving students constraints of a volatile economic climate. Douglas Zemke ’66, Millikin President – funded by our generous donors – will As a result, reductions are ongoing to become even more vital to help keep those the university’s fi scal year budget that students in the classroom. ends in June. The next challenge is to At institutions of higher education, create a balanced budget for the upcom- the changing world economy is perhaps ing fi scal year despite continuing uncer- most keenly observed at this point in the tainty about the impact of the economic decreased value of university endowments. downturn. It is imperative to put in place Most universities rely heavily on a percent- additional foundational fi nancial elements age of their endowments’ earnings to help that will enable the university to remain drive annual operating expenses, including stable and meet our mission. the scholarship support just mentioned. In the more than 100-year history of As a result, there is additional pressure on our university, there have been many chal- universities as they struggle to meet their lenges: wars, a depression, recessions and students’ fi nancial needs and balance their more. Through it all, Millikin leaders have annual budgets in the face of this decline. remained clearly focused on the univer- For Millikin, one bright spot has been sity mission while making the sometimes the diversity of our endowment holdings. diffi cult decisions needed to secure the Although the university’s endowment institution’s future viability. declined approximately 8.7 percent in This current economic situation will value since July 1, that’s still signifi cantly pass, but in the meantime, it will require less than the overall 17.7 percent average a diligent and steadfast effort to maintain decline to date for the U.S. stock market. the positive momentum we have experi- Millikin also has been blessed to receive enced, especially in recent years. As we gifts of farm property that have continued manage changes and adjustments in the to increase in value and help stabilize the allocation of resources, I know that the overall university endowment. leadership of our trustees, administrators “This current economic In addition, since I became president in and faculty provides the combined intel- 2003, we have reduced debt by nearly 45 ligence to make the right decisions for this situation will pass, but in percent, grown our endowment by nearly critical juncture and the resiliency to create the meantime, it will require 50 percent (before the market decline) and an even brighter future for Millikin. increased faculty and staff salaries to more It is with great respect for the institu- a diligent and steadfast effort competitive levels. Despite this progress, tion and its employees – those dedicated to maintain the positive mo- our point of most vulnerability continues to men and women who deliver on the be the fact that tuition alone accounts for promise of education for more than 2,400 mentum we have experienced, 75 percent of our annual budget revenue. students – that I rest my confi dence in especially in recent years.“ However, in the midst of this concern what lies ahead for Millikin. z CAMPUS NEWS Former governor to speak on campus Students bring international Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, who led the state through most of the 1990s, fl avor to campus department will present the 2009 T.W. Samuels The Tower of Pisa leans toward the Lecture on Monday, April 6, at 8 p.m. in window, as Michelangelo’s “David” Kirkland Fine Arts Center. The event is gazes longingly toward the Colosseum, free and open to the public. possibly listening to the operatic voices of the nearby Three Tenors. A couple OneVoice to perform dances the Argentinean tango near a at national conference mountain range, while, on the other Millikin’s own OneVoice, the award- side of the room, a French woman and winning student jazz ensemble, will per- the Eiffel tower exist in a world of form as a featured jazz choir at the 2009 their own. American Choral Directors Association These colorful, global images blend (ACDA) conference in March in Oklahoma in Shilling Hall’s modern language’s City. The group was founded in 1986 by lab in a mural dedicated to cultural Dr. Steve Widenhofer, the group’s musical awareness and education, the result of director and keyboardist, and has been collaboration between Dr. Eduardo Ca- praised by DownBeat magazine and brera, professor of Spanish, 13 graphic recognized at various conferences and jazz festivals.