The featured speaker was Dr. Christopher Young, assistant professor and chair of the history department at MacMurray. His address was titled, “Nothing new under the sun – except you!” (Download pdf format)

    Jacksonville – MacMurray College held its 159th Opening Convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 23rd, at Annie Merner Chapel in Jacksonville.

     During the program, the Presidential Honor Scholarship recipients were announced by Dr. Parris Watts, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of the College. These included:

     Named scholarships, given by alumni and friends of the college. These are awarded to new students who have an ACT score of 28 or above and they are: Lela Baum Brown Scholarship: Danielle Bird, English major, Harvard

     Named scholarships, given by alumni and friends of the college. These are awarded to new students who have an ACT score of 28 or above and they are:
Lela Baum Brown Scholarship: Danielle Bird, English major, Harvard
Mildred Dinwiddie Scholarship: Danielle Koschik, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Hickory Hills
Emily Allen Fay Scholarship: Matthew Postma, special education major, Palatine
Elizabeth Brown Henson Scholarship: Erik Tylkowski, secondary education major, Gurnee

     Freshman scholarships, awarded to new students who have an ACT score of 25 or above (there are also high school GPA and class rank requirements) and they are:
Susan Braden, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Waterloo;
Anna Crenshaw, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Des Moines, IA; Jessica House, ITP (Interpreter Training Program) major, Reynolds;
Jonathon Ingram, history major, Mt. Sterling;
Jeff Ithal, English major, Alsip;
Logan Jones, accountancy major, Gillespie;
Sara Russwinkel, social work major, Jerseyville;
and Clare Worman, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Troy.

     Transfer scholarships, awarded to transfer students who have a GPA of 3.5 or above and they are:
Kalena Beckley, psychology major, Central City;
Laura Humphreys, junior physical education major, Danville;
Kristen Rucks, sophomore elementary education major, Mt. Pulaski;
Wanda Streeter, junior criminal justice major, Winchester;
and Brianne Taylor, freshman deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Vandalia.

     Also awarded during the convocation were the special scholarships for fine arts and music and they are:
James Beckstein, freshman business major, Springfield;
Susan Braden, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Waterloo;
Jessica Ellerman, art major, Riverton;
Abigail Moore, junior art major, Auburn;
Laura Schuh, deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, Woodridge;
and Joshua Stout, freshman art major, Pontoon Beach.

     New officers of the MacMurray Student Association (MSA) were also installed. They include: Jenna Goewey – president, senior criminal justice major, Griggsville; Tonya Holland – vice president, junior deaf and hard of hearing/teacher education major, East Moline; Carlleen Bell – secretary, sophomore special education major, Winchester; Molly Welty – treasurer, junior (undecided major), Amboy; and Brian Gazdziak – parliamentarian, junior social work major, Chicago.

     The featured speaker was Dr. Christopher Young, assistant professor and chair of the history department at MacMurray. His address was titled, “Nothing new under the sun – except you!” Dr. Young was recently honored by the College with the 2005 Dewey E. Wilkins Award for Excellence in Teaching.

     Located in Jacksonville, Ill., MacMurray College is a private, four-year, liberal arts, coeducational college, founded in 1846, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its friendly, informal environment stresses academic excellence, personal attention, career experience, and well-rounded development of each individual.