Published October 10, 2020
Wittenberg Alumni and Friends,
A week ago, we hosted our first-ever Virtual Homecoming experience. Sharon and I certainly missed everyone on campus, but I want to applaud our Alumni Engagement team for providing a range of virtual activities designed to highlight teaching excellence, alumni success, and 175 years of passing our light. Congratulations to all our Alumni Achievement Award recipients, and sincere thanks to the alumni, faculty, and staff who gave wonderful Zoom presentations throughout the weekend. Links to our winners and our presenters can be found below.
I also want to extend words of gratitude to social change leader Derrick Braziel 鈥�09, who serves on our Campaign Steering Committee. Derrick spent several hours with us to bring our story to life in a special video, and he joined us for the Live Toast, October 2, along with multiple alumni and friends. Thank you, Derrick.
In this, our 175th year, may you continue to embrace your Wittenberg connections, take pride in your University, and keep passing on your inspiring light. Enjoy the following video.
Best regards,
Mike Frandsen
175th Anniversary Virtual Homecoming Weekend
Thank you for all of the ways you celebrated 175 years of Wittenberg during virtual Homecoming Weekend! We appreciate you showing your Tiger pride while participating in virtual events, celebrating #WittWed stories in our virtual Alumni Homecoming Court, honoring alumni excellence as a part of our annual Alumni Achievement Awards, and toasting with President Frandsen in an incredible show of support to honor the legacy of Wittenberg. We are pleased to offer recordings of many of the weekend's events in case you were not able to join us in real-time, and hope that you enjoy watching them as your schedule permits on our special Homecoming website.
Please save the date for Homecoming 2021, October 8-10, when we hope to see you all on campus!
McClain Center Director Appointed
Wittenberg is pleased to announce that Corrine Witherspoon is the new director of the William A. McClain Center for Diversity in the Office of Student Development. She is a veteran higher education administrator with 15 years of experience in the areas of diversity, inclusion, gender, and social justice training, fiscal allocation and management, student advising and support, and personnel management.
New Alumni Board Members
Six new members will join the Alumni Board later this month. The Board works to encourage alumni engagement in the life of the University and in support of its mission and goals. "We're proud of the work we do to support our beloved Wittenberg and are eager to welcome this new slate of Alumni Board representatives," said Alumni Board President Jenn Ramage '00. Learn more about the incoming members here.
Opening Doors for Advanced Student Research
Recently awarded two grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), physics professors Elizabeth George and Paul Voytas are providing unique opportunities for students to investigate a fundamental problem in physics. Students will develop and use state-of-the-art research equipment, while honing computational skills and applying concepts they鈥檝e learned in the classroom to a real-world research project.
#LifeAfterWitt: Peter Tyksinski '91
From studying abroad in Wales as an undergraduate to traveling internationally as an attorney with a Japanese law firm, Peter Tyksinski 鈥�91 continues to explore his dual passions for the English language and other cultures, which he developed at Wittenberg.
Marine Science Student Earns Scholarship
Biology major and marine science minor Taylor Adams 鈥�21 is spending the fall semester at Duke University Marine Lab in Durham, North Carolina, after receiving a scholarship to pursue research in various marine microbes. She is the first student from Wittenberg to receive this distinction.
Virtual Alumni Events
Alumni Tiger Talk with Allie Beebe '15
First Time Homebuyers
11 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. EDT
Saturday, Nov. 7
Refer Students
Those who know Wittenberg the best make the best ambassadors for the University. It鈥檚 why we need you to refer students to us. What鈥檚 more, if you refer a student to us prior to them applying to Wittenberg, the student will receive a $1,000 Wittenberg Referral Award. Refer a student today at www.wittenberg.edu/refer or contact Linda Beals at lbeals@wittenberg.edu or by phone at 937-327-6324.