Decatur franchise would play summer baseball at Millikin's Workman Family Baseball Field

Millikin University and the Prospect Collegiate League have reached a memorandum of understanding to permit the league to explore the establishment of a franchise, team that would play summer baseball at Millikin's new Workman Family Baseball Field starting in 2020. The deal is contingent on the Prospect League assembling an ownership group that can reach a lease agreement with the University.

The Prospect League is a highly competitive wooden bat league featuring the top collegiate players from around the country. When the Workman Family Baseball Field is completed, Millikin will feature one of the top baseball facilities in all of NCAA Division III. A partnership between Millikin and the highly regarded summer collegiate league seems to be a natural fit, especially considering the proximity and location of Decatur with the current footprint of the Prospect League.

The Workman Family Baseball Field, located south of the Decatur Indoor Sports Center (DISC), will include an all-artificial turf field, stadium seating (including some seat back chairs), clubhouse, lights, press box, concessions and batting cages.

"We believe the Workman Family Baseball Field will be a great showcase for baseball," said Dr. Craig White, Millikin Director of Athletics. "With the facility hosting the Millikin Big Blue, our College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) competitors and the top collegiate players in the Prospect League, Decatur and Millikin University will become a destination location for great baseball action."

Millikin President Patrick White noted, "Having the Prospect League play at the Workman Family Baseball Field would bring new people and business to Decatur and add to the quality of life for our community, while spreading the good word about Millikin University's vitality."

At the announcement of the agreement, Prospect League Commissioner Dennis Bastien commented, "It is with great pride that I represent the members of the Prospect League in welcoming the Millikin community, the wonderful city of Decatur and all of the citizens and potential fans of Macon County and this region into the fold. As we grow and expand, Decatur, with its' long and enduring history of baseball, was a logical and perfect fit for us. After finding out that the Workman family made such an amazing contribution to help build such a remarkable small college facility for the baseball program here, I contacted Millikin Head Baseball Coach Brandon Townsend, then Craig White, which began the process that we are celebrating today."

"With Springfield (Ill.) and our newest franchise at the Corn Crib in Normal (Ill.), a rivalry should highly develop between them," added Bastien. "I foresee an I-72 Showdown or Route 51 Fracas annual challenge for a Mayoral bet or something similar. The economic impact, the addition of a unique quality of life venue and the most inexpensive three hours of G-Rated family entertainment will make attending a Decatur game each summer a made-for-memories event."

The Prospect League was formed in 2008 when a group of teams from the Frontier League, teams from the 45-year old Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) and several new teams joined forces. The Decatur Blues played in the CICL from 1986 to 2003. Former Millikin Baseball Coach Galen Woods was the founder of the Decatur Blues and served as general manager for several years. Woods led Millikin's baseball program from 1974 to 1989.    

The 2019 Prospect League season will begin in late May and runs through early-to-mid August. Twelve teams across five states will play a 60-game schedule that includes 30 of those games at home. The Prospect League is one of the top collegiate wood-bat summer leagues in the country and strives to create a minor-league type experience for players and fans alike. Professional baseball prospects from the college ranks from around the country and beyond fill Prospect League rosters each summer. Last season, Prospect League teams averaged more than 1,000 fans per game.

In 2019, the league will feature three new teams including the Cape Catfish (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), DuPage Pistol Shrimp (Lisle, Ill.) and Normal CornBelters. The league includes the Springfield Sliders, Danville Dans, Hannibal Hoots (Hannibal, Mo.), Quincy Gems, Lafayette Aviators (Lafayette, Ind.), REX (Terre Haute, Ind.), Champion City Kings (Springfield, Ohio), Chillicothe Paints (Chillicothe, Ohio) and the West Virginia Miners (Beckley, W.Va.).

Student animations provide new attraction for zoo visitors

Scovill Zoo visitors can witness the impressive animation work of Millikin University Arts Technology students as they enter the park this summer.

On May 14, students from Millikin's Motion Graphics Animation course unveiled their artistic creations on an LED multimedia canvas called "Leaning Curve" made by Aaron McIntosh. Learning Curve is located at the edge of the sculpture park, near the entrance to the Scovill Zoo in Decatur, Ill.

This is the second time students from the course have exhibited their work on the canvas. In April 2018, Millikin and the Decatur Park District established a new partnership that highlights the work of Millikin arts technology students at Scovill Sculpture Park.

In an interview with NowDecatur.com, Jessa Wilcoxen, associate professor and chair of the Arts Technology Department at Millikin, said, "The pieces that were chosen from the media committee came from three students: Stephen Gardner, Allison Brannon and Carrie Thompson. We are very honored that their pieces were selected to be shown on the sculpture."

Stephen Gardner, a senior graphic design major from Illiopolis, Ill., created an animation feature about a man stranded on an island after an airplane crash. The feature also includes sound effects.

In an interview with the Herald & Review, junior Carrie Thompson, a graphic design/computer art major from Carbondale, Ill., said she was surprised to find out her piece would be included.

"Coming into Millikin, I didn't think I would have something this big, in the middle of Decatur," she said. "I created a poem based on late-night drives with my friends. I then made an animation based off of each stanza and line and added music to it."

At 20 feet tall, "Learning Curve" was unveiled in October 2017 and features an LED screen curved over a square pool of water. McIntosh said his vision was to have something that peeled up out of the ground to reveal more about the local community.

Throughout the Motion Graphics Animation course, students learned visual storytelling techniques, abstract shape creation and how to blend those with music and sound.

"The students had to pitch a theme and they chose the theme of 'Stories' which is something they felt would be great for the younger audience that attends the zoo," said Wilcoxen.

Allison Brannon, a junior graphic design major from Spring Valley, Ill., aspires to pursue a master's degree in animation after she graduates from Millikin. Her favorite technique is frame-by-frame, a technique that creates the illusion of movement by making incremental changes between every keyframe.

"This is the biggest thing my art has ever been on," Brannon said. "I'm glad I can contribute to the community."

Graduating senior plans to build upon repertoire of landscape paintings

Millikin University's Art Department and Center for Entrepreneurship have named Stephen Gardner the 2019 Robert Harrison Crowder Artist-in-Residence at Blue Connection, Millikin's student-run retail art gallery.

Gardner is a graduating graphic design and painting major from Illiopolis, Ill., working under the guidance of Professor Lyle Salmi, chair of the Art Department, and Ed Walker, associate professor of art, who teaches the Blue Connection course at Millikin. Gardner will showcase his work from May 20 – June 30 with After 5 Live showings on Friday, June 7 and Friday, Sept. 6. His gallery hours will be 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday – Friday.

"I would like the work I create over the summer to be expressive and convey feeling and emotion," says Gardner.

During his residency, Gardner plans to build upon his repertoire of landscape paintings, exploring interesting area buildings as the subject matter of his work. Additionally, he plans to organize a traveling show of the artists represented by Blue Connection to spread awareness of the gallery.

"When painting, my primary goal is to evoke emotions," said Gardner. "I try to do this through the elements of art as opposed to subject matter, particularly through color. Landscape is, to me, the most freeing subject matter, for it can be abstracted and pushed while still maintaining its representational qualities, and I also like to focus on the local landscape."

As a graduating senior, Gardner feels Blue Connection is something that has defined his college experience.

"I believe my experience with Blue Connection will give me a unique perspective this summer," said Gardner. "I have been the student manager for Blue Connection the last two semesters, and I organized a traveling show in Lincoln (Ill.). I would love to continue this idea and do another traveling show during my residency, for I think it would help spread the community's awareness of how special the Blue Connection gallery is to Millikin, its students, and the Decatur (Ill.) community. I am excited to finish my Millikin experience through creating artwork as the 2019 Crowder Artist-in-Residence."

The late Mr. Crowder, a member of the Millikin class of 1933 and a native of Bethany, Ill., owned his own art production firm in Los Angeles and specialized in Japanese-style painting that garnered a Hollywood clientele that included Elizabeth Taylor, among others. Today, his name lives on through his successful company, Robert Crowder & Associates. The design firm is now owned by Mr. Yasumasa Tanano, who established the Blue Connection Artist-in-Residency in memory of his mentor and former employer.

Kate Flemming, program coordinator for Millikin's Center for Entrepreneurship said, "The Center for Entrepreneurship, Art Department, and Alumni and Development Office are excited for Stephen's residency. He is a talented artist that has made many connections in the community during his time at Millikin. We are excited to see the outcomes of his final engagement with the gallery to explore his paintings and promote the work of his peers, faculty and area artists."

Blue Connection

Opened in 2003, Blue Connection is Millikin University's student-run retail art gallery located in the Madden Arts Center in downtown Decatur and is currently led by Associate Professor of Art Ed Walker. Focused on arts and specialty businesses, the retail location is used by students in Millikin's Arts Entrepreneurship Program to grow their businesses.

Millikin's Arts Entrepreneurship Program is a six-credit course sequence providing learning-based business opportunities for students to practice self-employment. The program utilizes curricular-based, experiential activities and student-run ventures to give students a live laboratory experience in developing, launching and growing an arts-based business.

Visit Blue Connection on Facebook or contact the gallery at 217.428.0112.      

Millikin students use project to inform Latino population of health issues

Every course at Millikin University has an objective that students are expected to reach. Some course objectives include community engagement or service-learning, leading to high-impact experiences.

Dr. Julio Enríquez-Ornelas, assistant professor of Spanish at Millikin, is incorporating that same "service-learning" initiative in his course, Spanish for Health Professions. During the course, students learn and use the vocabulary of the health professions, and analyze health issues in the U.S. and other countries.

The culmination of the course is an in-depth project about a health issue. This year, in keeping with Millikin's Performance Learning mission, Enríquez-Ornelas and his students organized a health fair for the Decatur (Ill.) community which was recently held on May 11.  

The goal of the project was to inform Decatur's Latino population about multiple health issues including diabetes, nutrition and mental health. The health fair was a platform to reach out to the Latino community members that might not have had the opportunity to learn about those health issues previously.

Students had the opportunity to practice their Spanish by educating the community members that attended the health fair. Maggie Baltz, a sophomore elementary education major and Spanish minor from Millstadt, Ill., enjoyed the opportunity to speak to the different attendees.

"When we were first assigned this project, I was really nervous because I had never planned an event quite like this," Baltz said. "Seeing our ideas and plan in action was a really neat experience. This project taught me a lot about health topics and event planning, but it also gave me the opportunity to practice my Spanish outside of a classroom environment."

In addition to educating the community members about various health issues, the class was able to provide resources with help from Decatur Memorial Hospital, The Good Samaritan Inn and Kroger.

"One of the best parts was that we were able to offer free health screenings, gifts and a bag of food for people to take home," said Marlen Zarate-Zapien, a sophomore human services and Spanish double major from Oakland, Calif.

For Astrid Calixto, a sophomore nursing and Spanish double major from Decatur, Ill., the health fair was more than a class assignment.

"To me, this wasn't just a service-learning project," Calixto said. "As a little girl, I would see all of the struggles that Latino families went through, even for my own family. Experiences like this remind me why I chose to pursue my education in nursing and Spanish."

For Professor Enríquez-Ornelas, the project was an opportunity for him to step back and watch his students perform. Overall, the students were able to engage in not only furthering their education in Spanish, but understanding marketing, event planning, healthcare, education and entrepreneurship.

"True Performance Learning to me is being able to step back as a professor and let my students take the project how they see fit. The event was very well thought out and organized. It was truly rewarding to see the outcome of this project," said Enríquez-Ornelas.

New Millikin graduates told "Now is Your Time"

Gabby Catlin stood at the podium in front of a packed Decatur Civic Center, overlooking more than 300 graduates at Millikin University's 115th commencement ceremony and asked, "What legacy are you leaving behind?"

Serving as the student speaker for commencement, Caitlin and the Millikin Class of 2019 walked across the stage to earn their degrees on May 19. For Catlin, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a minor in Communication, and will be attending Kent State University in the fall to pursue a master's degree in higher education administration and student affairs.

The Noblesville, Ind., native was homeschooled prior to attending Millikin where she became the first female resident assistant in Aston hall, an all-male residence hall. When referring to her legacy, Catlin said she wants to be remembered for her resiliency and caring for others.

"I wanted to fit in and be normal – little did I know that normalcy is not what success looks like," Caitlin said. "At Millikin, I leave behind a legacy of firsts – not only as the first female resident assistant in Aston Hall, but more importantly as the first person to have shown public care for some of these gentlemen."

Many of the residents in Aston Hall are student-athletes, and Caitlin made it a point to attend at least one game for each of the sports represented. "I wanted them to see me on the sidelines cheering them on, saying their name – people want to be acknowledged," she said.

Caitlin then asked the audience another question, "Do you know how much it costs to care about someone? Nothing," she said.

"It costs nothing to care for people and it's worth everything. I've been at Millikin from 2015 to 2019, and I've seen a lot of growth and change. You have the power to change your life and take it in whatever direction you want."

Among the graduates was Trevor Stout, of Decatur, Ill., who earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance. A trumpet player, Stout plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to earn a master's degree in jazz studies.

"You try not to look at college in a negative way, because it's the time where you grew and the time where you really became an adult," Stout said in an interview with the Herald & Review. "I think for me, it was kind of like managing social time, money, all that kind of stuff."

Breana Bagley, also of Decatur, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and plans to attend law school this fall at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Bagley is interested in practicing disability law.

"My mother was diagnosed with a chronic illness, and that's when I decided I wanted to do disability law," said Bagley. "I want to help people, like my mother, and give back."

Decatur native Judge Lisa Holder-White, appellate justice for the Fourth District Appellate Court, also delivered some words of wisdom for the audience during her commencement address titled "Now is YOUR TIME." Holder-White emphasized the pivotal role the newly minted graduates would have in shaping and determining the direction of the country and the world, and the importance of serving others in their community.

"Serving as the commencement speaker is a personal highlight that I will forever treasure," said Holder-White. "In this community, Millikin University stands as a beacon of knowledge, a beacon for transformation – a place for hope and opportunity."

In her view, Holder-White told the graduates why they are uniquely qualified to make a difference. She also offered advice on how to avoid a common pitfall and a secret to "making the best of life."

"You are ready and able to lead us, and we need you to do just that," Holder-White said. "Your extensive racial and gender diversity, along with your willing acceptance of others, creates the perfect environment to solve the current climate of divisiveness that threatens to destroy our fundamental core values of human decency and respect."

Holder-White added, "As you go forward, now is your time to draw on connections, those relationships, and the lessons learned during your time at Millikin to guide you as you make your impact on society. Now is your time to utilize intrinsic, unique qualities of your generation to make the world a better place."

Congratulations, Millikin Class of 2019

Dr. Monroe to serve two-year term as President of ISHS

Dr. Dan Monroe, associate professor of history and chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Millikin University, has been elected president of the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS). Dr. Monroe will serve a two-year term as president of the ISHS.

The Illinois State Historical Society was founded in 1899 to support the Illinois State Historical Library and to encourage research and writing on subjects of Illinois history. For more than a century the ISHS has fostered awareness, understanding, research, preservation and recognition of history in Illinois. The Society is a not-for-profit organization which depends solely on membership dues, gifts, bequests and foundation grants to support, preserve and disseminate the story of Illinois and its people.

"My first professional presentation occurred in 1990 at an Illinois State Historical Society conference. Many of my faculty mentors as a graduate student were Society members, and one is a former president," said Monroe.

"It is therefore a great privilege and honor to serve as the Society president and to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that has been so nurturing to me."

Throughout his career, Dr. Monroe has been actively involved in celebrating Illinois' rich history. In January 2017, he was appointed chair of the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council for the 2017-2019 term. Before his appointment as chair, he previously served on the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Board for a three-year term, including one year as chair.

In February 2018, Dr. Monroe was elected to the Board of Directors of the Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA), and is currently serving a three-year term. The Association observes each anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, to preserve and make more readily accessible the landmarks associated with his life, and to actively encourage, promote and aid the collection and dissemination of authentic information regarding all phases of his life and career.

Dr. Monroe received a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998 where he worked with Robert W. Johannsen. Dr. Monroe was the John C. Griswold Distinguished Professor of History at Millikin from 2008-2010. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Illinois History and is the author of three books: "The Republican Vision of John Tyler" (2003), "At Home with Illinois' Governors: A Social History of the Illinois Executive Mansion" (2002) and "Shapers of the Great Debate on the Civil War: A Biographical Dictionary" (2005), with co-author Dr. Bruce Tap.

Dr. Monroe received the Heiligenstein Award for Teaching Excellence and was a fellow at the Virginia Historical Society and Lincoln Legal Papers. He has been a faculty member of Millikin's History Department since 2006.

Millikin's Exercise Science and Sport Pavilion – a Performance Learning Center

Millikin University has transformed its Exercise Science and Sport Pavilion into a Performance Learning center where students can prepare for their careers in one centralized location on campus. Renovations and new equipment were added to the Pavilion thanks to the generosity of dozens of donors and the efforts of countless faculty members, students and volunteers.

In a recent interview with the Herald & Review, Dr. John Storsved, chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Sport and director of Athletic Training at Millikin, went into detail about how the space impacts student learning.

"The space is where teachers-to-be will work on their lesson plans," Storsved said. "They need a lot of room to try out games and activities in the new facility."

Located in the building currently known as West Towne Square, the facility cost about $1 million to renovate. "The renovation was completed, and we got access to it in November," Storsved said. "Performance Learning is a noted feature of a Millikin education, which gets students out of the classroom and into hands-on activities to practice what they've learned."

Storsved added, "Most of our majors have a lab or a practicum-based component, so they're hands-on occupations and skills."

The lower level of the Pavilion has a lab for exercise physiology, outfitted with the latest equipment as well as an athletic training room that serves as a classroom for students. It also includes a weight room area that has a flexible floor. A large open area on the lower level offers training opportunities for students who want to become physical education teachers.

The upstairs floor in the building features classrooms and collaborative spaces for learning. The floor also includes the BOD POD which is one of the most accurate tests for assessing body fat and lean body mass. The feedback from the BOD POD can be used to measure a client's current health and where the client wants to be in the future.

Personal training students, who will work in places like the Decatur Indoor Sports Center (DISC) one day, also use the space to practice their skills.

"All four of our majors utilize this space for whatever practical or movement activities they have to use," Storsved said. "We're trying to reach out to more folks in the community, whether they're disabled veterans or just want to start exercising. In our senior classes, there are opportunities to work with them on fitness assessment, fitness enhancement, looking at where they are."​

Shae Giovanni, of Johnsburg, Ill., and Jennifer Miller, of St. Louis, Mo., both sophomore athletic training majors, use the space constantly. "I want to work with high school athletes. The hands-on practice at the new pavilion is giving me the experience I need," said Miller.

Miller added, "Using the tools I've been given in the program, I want to start implementing them in the real world. If an athlete were to get injured, I'd know how to respond quickly and efficiently."

The Department of Exercise Science and Sport at Millikin prepares students to provide leadership within the fields of exercise, fitness, health and management. Programs are designed to follow educational tracks in strategic support of professional goals, each equipping students with Performance Learning opportunities which combine classroom theory with hands-on field experience.

Areas of study include: Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Health Promotion, Physical Education, Sport & Recreation Management, a Nutrition Minor and a Health & Wellness Coaching Minor.

Millikin theatre students team up with WJMU to develop voiceover skills

A career in voiceover work could lead to many exciting and creative opportunities for performers, including different kinds of projects, from audiobooks to animations.

This spring, Millikin University Assistant Professor of Theatre Elisa Gonzales used her Voiceover course to help theatre students not only develop voiceover reels, but apply their voiceover techniques to real world experiences.

"As part of the course, the students apply various voice and acting techniques to several areas of voiceover - including commercial work, gaming and animation, industrials, narration and promotional voiceover," said Gonzales. "It's a skill-building class, however, I wanted the students to engage in Performance Learning by applying classroom work to practical experiences."

Each week during the semester, the students were given a different voiceover theme to produce, such as commercials, animation or video games. "We would learn all the skills on Tuesday, go home, and record ourselves, edit, turn the project in and get feedback," said Mackenzie Barnett, a senior musical theatre major with a dance and communication minor from Spring Hill, Tenn.

Barnett says many audition tapes for voiceover work are recorded at home, and the students recorded as many as 15 voiceovers throughout the semester. Every student did the same theme, but each student could pick their own script using online resources like Edge Studio.

"It's very important to know how to record yourself," said Barnett. "I learned how to venture out into different things, like making noises for a video game or making your voice sound like a particular character for a commercial – I've learned how to stretch my voice."

One of the core learning goals for students in Millikin's School of Theatre & Dance is collaboration, and this was evident in Gonzales' course as the voiceover students had the opportunity to team up with students from WJMU, Millikin's student-run radio station, to further develop their voiceover projects. The students also worked with Professor Kevin Guarnieri, director of Millitrax Studio, and his students from Millikin Arts Recording Studio (MARS).

"The scope of the projects was decided by the voiceover students and the students working at WJMU – some of them worked on promotional public service announcements (PSA), others worked on a weekly radio drama program with WJMU called Owl Stretching Time," said Gonzales.

Meghan Whitlock, a senior communication and music double major from Moseley, Va., was one of the WJMU students who helped record, edit and even write some of the voiceover content. "One of the themes we did was event promotion. I would have the theatre students write the script to get that experience and then I would record it."

Senior Frank Macaluso, a theatre major from Chicago and production director for WJMU, produces Owl Stretching Time – a program that employs voice actors. "In terms of a voice actor, I look for versatility. My show is a sketch comedy and people have to play many different characters. I also look for amiability – someone who has enthusiasm and can take direction easily."   

Hannah Haedike, a senior theatre major from Weldon Spring, Mo., has recorded voiceovers for Macaluso's sketch comedy in the past. "Working with WJMU has been the cherry on top. Realizing that there are these scales of pitches and different ways you can manipulate your voice in a technical way opened a whole new world for me. I'm working on a character reel and a commercial reel that I will submit to open calls. I see more opportunities with this because there are so many new avenues that you can go on."

While working with Professor Guarnieri, the voiceover students had the opportunity to record commercial copy at Millitrax Studio. Professor Guarnieri's students ran the sessions and helped edit the projects. Each voiceover student had a professional quality 30-second audio file of a commercial spot made following their sessions at Millitrax.

"The class has made me realize that voiceover work is something that I want to do," said Barnett. "With voiceover work, you realize how important acting training is – it's a great way to get your name out there and practice."

Gonzales says the objective of the collaboration is for the voiceover students to engage in Performance Learning outside of the classroom.

"The students have the opportunity to apply techniques, learned in voiceover class, to various projects," said Gonzales. "This course teaches them an increase in flexibility, understanding risk-taking in acting choices, and developing collaboration skills in working with creatives of various backgrounds." 

Dr. Mark Tonelli performs alongside Lexi Walker at Devon Amphitheater grand opening

The Decatur (Ill.) community celebrated the grand opening of the Devon G. Buffet Amphitheater at Nelson Park during Memorial Day Weekend. The performing arts facility, made possible by a generous donation by the Buffett Foundation, is a destination for live, outdoor entertainment during the summer months. 

The venue sits along the shore of Lake Decatur as part of Lakeshore Landing nestled inside historic Nelson Park. With a capacity of 4,000, the venue offers a wide range of entertainment including music of many genres, comedians and community movie nights. 

The facility features 360 fixed seats, with cupholders; a pit area that can fit 300 people standing next to the stage; a terraced, turf-covered area that can hold 460 people; and a lawn that holds 3,000.

To kick off the festivities, Sony Records artist Lexi Walker was invited to perform the National Anthem, followed by performances from CJ Solar and 38 Special.  

Walker, an American singer and social media star, is best known for playing Princess Elsa, the famous character from the animated film, "Frozen." Walker has 18 million views on YouTube of her rendition of the National Anthem which she performed with an orchestra.

For her performance at the Devon Amphitheater, Walker's artist management was seeking an "exceptional guitarist" to accompany her on stage and was referred to Dr. Mark Tonelli, assistant professor of applied guitar at Millikin University. Tonelli helped develop the arrangement for Walker's performance.

The rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was captured on video during soundcheck which can be seen on Facebook and YouTube. This is the first time Walker has performed the National Anthem with just guitar, as both Walker and Tonelli were the first performers to grace the stage of the Devon.

Dr. Mark Tonelli is an active guitarist, composer and author who has built a career spanning nearly three decades performing with artists such as Clay Aiken, Jon Faddis, Rita Moreno, Carol Channing and Lynn Seaton. His music has been featured on National Public Radio's (NPR) "All Things Considered." He has been a winner or finalist in the Billboard Magazine World Song Contest, USA Songwriting Competition and The Great American Song Contest. His large jazz ensemble arrangements are published by UNC Jazz Press and FJH Music and are performed by collegiate and high school bands across the country. His music for guitar ensemble is published by Guitar Chamber Press.

Before Millikin, Tonelli was the guitarist for the West Point Band's Jazz Knights for 10 years, touring and performing in some of the nation's top venues, including Jazz Standard, Blues Alley, Avery Fisher Hall, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Midwest Clinic.

Blue Review: All Access

I had the absolute pleasure of spending an afternoon with President Patrick White, drinking hot chocolate, asking him a few of my burning questions, and getting a glimpse of the man behind the presidency. I was surprised by his soft-spoken, quiet nature, as I have heard him fill the Kirkland Fine Arts Center with speeches of insight, wisdom, and great pride for Millikin. Over laughs, jokes and stories, I got a small look into the life of our leader.

(Note: we were welcomed with warmth and hospitality at The River Coffee Company, and were deeply saddened when the building was lost to a devastating fire only a week later. Our afternoon spent enjoying the cozy comfort of easy conversation, sipping our drinks, shaking hands with friends and neighbors, and relaxing into a short relief from daily hustle will be a memory we will both keep.)

Me: Have you ever pulled an all-nighter as President? How late have you ever had to stay up working?

President White: I thought that when I got to grad school, I wouldn't have to pull all-nighters. (Wrong.) I thought when I became an Assistant Professor I wouldn't have to pull all-nighters. (Wrong.) I thought becoming an Associate Dean would mean I wouldn't have to work weekends. (Wrong!) In truth, I pull very few no-sleep-at-all-all-nighters, but there are way too many nights when I maybe get three hours a sleep. That's nuts! I'm not proud of that and certainly don't recommend it.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Millikin students?

President White: Oh it's impossible to say. One of many things is that I am constantly astonished at what our students are capable of. We teach by practice and performance, and that results in extraordinary courage. A good education gives students power over their own future and their own lives, and Millikin does that. When students graduate they aren't afraid about what's next. They're able to embrace uncertainty. People call it confidence, but I prefer the word courage.

Me: How did you meet Mrs. White? What has been her favorite part of Millikin involvement?

President White: I met Chris 49 years ago at my brother's wedding. I was the best man. I walked into the church, saw the back of her head with this beautiful long blonde hair, and I asked somebody, "Who is that?!" Turns out she was one of the bridesmaids. We danced and talked, and before the night was over I said, "I probably won't see you again, huh."

She smiled and replied, "You'll see me again."

Her favorite part of being involved with Millikin, like everybody, is meeting the students. She loves the incredible performances, the music and theatre, the athletics, and hosting students in our home. Tomorrow night we're having the wrestling team over to celebrate because three of them made it to nationals. At Millikin, there is good faculty and good friends, but it's always about the students.

Me: Describe your favorite college memory.

President White: My college days were spent reading (I was an English major), and playing guitar with my friends. I owned a $25 guitar that my dad bought for me when I won the National Merit Scholarship. We would gather and sing folk songs, and at that time, each year Chicago hosted a huge folk festival. They would bring in people from all over the world who were genuine folk and blues artists. I got to experience performances from some of my favorite music heroes.  

Me: In 15 years, if you run into a Millikin graduate, what would you ask them? What would you hope they would say to you?

President White: I would hope that they would say, "Millikin transformed my life." I would hope they would still be actively involved and engaged with the Millikin community, and feel they are still a part of our University. Long after they've left campus as students, I want Millikin graduates to feel pride and ownership of our successes.

When I run into a grad, I want them to ask me, "Have you been back, President White? Have you heard what our music department is doing now? Have you heard what our philosophy department is doing now?" To me, that would imply that not only are they proud of their own time at Millikin, they're proud of present-day Millikin. That demonstrates investment.

Me: What are you most proud of as President?

President White: I'm a hard grader of myself. I would say I think I've helped Millikin discover some of its possibilities. The "Ah, there you are Millikin" phrase shows that our identity is wrapped up in the best version of ourselves. I hope Millikin is a braver place than it was a couple of years ago. I think I've helped the board feel courageous as they've worked to help fund the new buildings we need. I think I've helped some of our colleagues think of the possibilities to grow our programs.

Everyone is curious about the cap. I bought it years ago, just before a trip to Chicago. I wanted people to stop me and say, "Where is Millikin?" And I'd say, "You've never heard of Millikin University?!" 

Millikin really does deliver on the promise of education. And I'm proud when people feel a strong sense of competitive energy to make Millikin even better.

Me: What do you worry about?

President White: I worry about a sense of shortsightedness in our culture and our lives; this sense of antagonism towards each other. People say that we've never had so many troubles, but being a liberally-educated person gives you a sense of time, space, and perspective. Millikin's best days are ahead of us. We've got to be thinking about the future. And to do that you have to understand the past. Some people would have you believe there's never been this kind of conflict in America. But the truth is we have seen worse. And we've endured. That's where courage comes in.

Me: What are you most excited about?

President White: Millikin's future is built on the decisions we're making today. There's a lot of pressure around that, but there's enormous excitement and belief. And that excitement is reborn every time I interact with a student. I might be walking out of my office wondering, "What are we going to do about the budget?" and bump into a student whose concert I enjoyed the evening before. I get the chance to celebrate with that student and affirm that student's sense of belonging and worth. Our students deserve that from me, and I get excited about that opportunity every single day.

President White is the quintessence of what makes Millikin the place that it is. His genuine passion for Millikin is undeniable, his commitment to Millikin is unwavering. And his belief in the future of Millikin is nothing short of inspiring.   

It was a conversation I'll treasure the rest of my days.

Burgett's music career has a "Big Blue" connection

Building on the success of his previous single "Town You Never Heard Of," 2012 Millikin University graduate Eric Burgett is releasing music with his new record label, Bow To Stern Group. His debut single "Swing Low, Sweet Old Cadillac" was released on June 3, 2019, and an EP is slated to release in Aug. 2019.

Eric Burgett's "Swing Low, Sweet Old Cadillac," produced by fellow Millikin alumnus Matt McClure '92 (Lee Brice, Dylan Scott, Kellie Pickler) is a small town anthem about a fun summer night out on the town, kicking it back with friends in an old classic.

Country music artists have a long-standing love affair with the six-string guitar. However, a select few have chosen a different path. Following in the footsteps of legends like Charlie Rich, Ronnie Milsap and Phil Vasser, Eric Burgett has taken the 88 key torch and is blazing his own trail of standout country music.

Burgett grew up on the family farm in Latham, Ill., performing on an old upright piano at his parents' tavern, The Korn Krib, along with Sunday services at the Latham United Methodist Church. Burgett earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Millikin in 2012, and shortly after, made the move to Nashville, Tenn., along with friends and fellow Millikin graduates Adam Cunningham '12, Sean McDonald '12, and Jake Widenhofer '12, who all performed on "Swing Low, Sweet Old Cadillac."

While pounding the pavement networking, writing songs and playing any show he could, Burgett completed his master's degree at Belmont University. During that time he became friends with Matt McClure who eventually signed Burgett to an exclusive management deal. Burgett was then assigned Alex Kidd, a 2015 Millikin graduate, as his day-to-day manager. Shortly thereafter, he began working with McClure on his first Nashville album.

When asked about the process of making his soon-to-be released record, Burgett says, "It only felt right to make this record with my old friends. We all started in the small town bars together and it's exciting that years later we are all still making music together."

In 2018, Burgett was named a social media brand ambassador for Hardee's Corporation. A music video created in conjunction with Hardees and Burgett's new single will be released the week of June 3.

Burgett currently serves as a studio accompanist for The School of Nashville Ballet, music director for Glencliff United Methodist Church, accompanist at Belmont University, and adjunct piano instructor for Belmont's pre-college program, Belmont Academy. Recently, he was featured in Billboard's "615" Section as an up-and-coming artist, as well as Performer Magazine, discussing "The Art of a Dance Accompanist."

Burgett has opened for artists such as Lee Brice, Chris Stapleton, Rodney Atkins and Phil Vassar. His music can be found on major digital outlets including: iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, GooglePlay, Pandora and TouchTunes Jukeboxes nationwide.

Burgett will be radio touring and performing shows across the country over the next few months promoting his new music. For more information about Burgett, including his tour schedule and latest updates, visit ericburgett.com.

Big Blue Softball players recognized for performances on the field and in the classroom

Millikin University senior Taylor Jordan, a physical education secondary teaching major from Moweaqua, Ill., and junior Kalli Farmer, a sport management major from Columbia, Ill., were named to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Softball Team, selected by CoSIDA. The team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Jordan was selected to the Academic All-America® Second Team at Designated Player and Farmer was named to the Academic All-America® Third Team infield.

The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Taylor Jordan hit .336 for the Big Blue this season with 16 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Jordan was a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) All-Conference First Team Selection in 2018. Jordan is an outstanding performer in the classroom as a physical education major with a 3.98 grade point average.

This season, Kalli Farmer was named to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin All-Conference First Team for the second straight season. Farmer led Millikin with a .438 batting average with 17 RBI. She had a .545 on-base percentage and was 15-15 in stolen bases.

Farmer had the fourth highest average in the CCIW and was second in the league in runs scored with 38. Farmer, a Millikin Presidential Scholar, excels in the classroom with a 3.99 grade point average majoring in sport management.

The Division II and III Google Cloud Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2018-19 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.

Dr. Laura Zimmerman elected new chair for Macon County Democratic Party

Dr. Laura Zimmerman '05, assistant professor of biology at Millikin University, has been elected the new chair for the Macon County Democratic Party becoming the first woman to hold the title. Dr. Zimmerman has a strong interest in science policy and is also a member of the Macon County Board serving on the Environment, Education, Health and Welfare Committees.

As a faculty member at Millikin, Dr. Zimmerman's research interests include ecological immunology and aging of the immune system. She uses turtles to examine the effects of the environment, age and other factors on their immune responses.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to lead the Democratic Party," Zimmerman said in a statement to the Herald & Review. "I feel we have a lot to offer and I look forward to sharing our ideas and values with Macon County."

Dr. Zimmerman joins an all-female leadership team for the local party organization. They are Executive Vice Chair Amy Rueff, Secretary Helena Buckner and Treasurer April Kostenski.

A 2005 graduate of Millikin University, Dr. Zimmerman majored in biology with a minor in chemistry as an undergraduate. She earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Biology from Illinois State University. While at Millikin, she was a member of the 2005 National Champion Millikin University women's basketball team.

Music camp teaches children how to express themselves through music

The Preparatory Department in the Millikin University School of Music is hosting several summer music camps this June. 

Among the variety of summer music experiences for children of all ages includes Summer Sings, the annual children's choir camp. Each year, the camp takes on a new theme and includes daily choral practice, a variety of electives and a combined finale concert.

In a recent interview with NowDecatur.com, Cora Herek, Millikin adjunct faculty member said, "It's a one-week long summer camp for kids who are learning how to sing in a group, listen to each other and sing in harmony. Just like every summer camp, it gives kids an opportunity to meet kids from other schools."

Summer Sings is open to all students entering grades K-6 during the 2019-2020 school year. All students sing music with a camp theme, participate in electives or learn dances and games, and participate in a concert. About 50 children are participating in this year’s camp.

"It's a pretty big turnout for this year's camp. We've had anywhere from 30 to 100 children participate in previous camps," said Herek. "The students have definitely brought their musical talents and are sharing them at the highest level."

Christine Smith, music teacher at Maroa-Forsyth Grade School and Millikin adjunct faculty member noted, "We give the students an opportunity to learn music. It's important to reach everyone and to let everyone shine."

New Director's academic and experiential background will serve to support School of Education mission

Dr. Pamela Barnes has been named director of the School of Education at Millikin University. She will begin her appointment at Millikin beginning Aug. 1, 2019.

Dr. Barnes comes to Millikin University from the School of Education at McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., where she taught in both the undergraduate and graduate teacher preparation programs, and in the curriculum and instruction doctoral program. Her work at McKendree also has involved edTPA preparation with teacher candidates.

Dr. Barnes' academic and experiential background will serve to support both the mission of Millikin University and the mission of the School of Education.

"I am thrilled to have Dr. Pamela Barnes joining Millikin University as the new director of the School of Education," said Dr. Deborah Slayton, dean of the College of Professional Studies at Millikin. "Dr. Barnes' interactions with students and faculty colleagues demonstrate that she is knowledgeable, collaborative and goal-directed. Pamela is enthusiastic about the successful initiatives ongoing in the School of Education and very excited about the opportunity to launch a new graduate program in education at Millikin University in the very near future."

Prior to her time at McKendree, Dr. Barnes served for two years as the institutional researcher at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill. Prior to Shawnee Community College, she was on the faculty of Southeast Missouri State University, where she was director of certification and assessment and the accreditation coordinator for the College of Education. She was also an adjunct faculty member at William Woods University. The former elementary school teacher and principal also holds an Illinois Superintendent certificate.

Dr. Barnes was also named President-Elect for the Illinois Association of Teacher Educators.

"We are all deeply appreciative of the outstanding work Dr. Christie Magoulias has done as Director of the School of Education at Millikin, but look forward to working closely with Dr. Barnes as her successor in that role," said Millikin Provost Dr. Jeff Aper. "Dr. Barnes brings a wealth of educational experience and accomplishment that will complement and enhance our substantial strengths in Teacher Education. To top it off, she will be another strong advocate for Performance Learning, which is the hallmark of our approach to student learning and development."

Dr. Slayton added, "Through her external service as President-Elect for the Illinois Association of Teacher Educators, Dr. Barnes will be in a unique position to advocate for teacher education programming across the state in ways which pragmatically and ethically help to ameliorate the growing teacher shortage in Illinois. I am confident she will embrace Millikin University and its external constituents and educational communities as her own."

I am an advocate for students learning through real-world activities that reinforce their classroom experiences. Therefore, Millikin University is the right place for me to continue my career.

Dr. Barnes earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri with concentrations in Special Education and Psychology. She also holds a Master of Education in Educational Administration and an Ed.D. in Education and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri.

"As the new Director of the School of Education at Millikin, I have very big shoes to fill in replacing Dr. Magoulias," Dr. Barnes said. "Her commitment to assisting me with the transition into the role is greatly appreciated and speaks to the professionalism she exhibits and that is fostered at Millikin. Also, my thanks goes to the Search Committee, students, faculty and upper administration in selecting me to fill this very important role within the School of Education."

Dr. Barnes added, "I look forward to joining the leadership team and will strive to fulfill the mission and vision that exemplifies Millikin University. Philosophically, I am an advocate for students learning through real-world activities that reinforce their classroom experiences. Therefore, Millikin University is the right place for me to continue my career."

The Millikin School of Education seeks to create communities of learners and learning environments that demonstrate values of diversity, inclusion and active learning. Students benefit from small class sizes, experience in the field beginning their first semester, co-teaching training and continual opportunities for Performance Learning to apply learned skills.

Research project puts Big Data Technologies into Millikin curriculum

"Big Data" has emerged into an important aspect for businesses when it comes to measuring analytics and success. It's changing the way that businesses can market their brands, helping drive more awareness to customers as well as helping companies understand what their customers want.

Some background on big data; it's a field that treats ways to analyze, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with data sets that are too large to be dealt with by traditional data-processing application software. The amount of data circulating today is growing at an exponential rate bringing change to areas like marketing, personalization and business intelligence.

Because of the big data emergence, it's becoming more apparent than ever for information systems (IS) students to understand big data technologies as they enter the workforce. Millikin University graduate Justin DeBo '18 recognized this and decided to use his James Millikin Scholar (JMS) project, while enrolled as a student, to extend Millikin's Management Information Systems curriculum to include more hands-on education related to big data. The idea was formed during DeBo's internship at State Farm Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.

"During my internship at State Farm, I worked on the Big Data Platforms support team," said DeBo. "While there, I observed that even experienced IT professionals were inexperienced with big data technologies. I knew that if we could get these technologies integrated into our curriculum, it could help position our IS majors to be able to step into those kinds of jobs."

DeBo incorporated his research with Millikin's Business Intelligence and Big Data course, led by RJ Podeschi, associate professor of information systems and chair of the Tabor School of Business Undergraduate Programs. The course provides students with hands-on experience in data warehousing, data analytics and executive dashboards through real-world data sets and applications.

"We got to a point in the class where we could discuss how things were structured, but we were in a situation where students didn't have experience dealing with an open-source framework called Hadoop," said Podeschi. "Justin felt like we could do more with this class in which we could introduce some hands-on labs."

For his research, DeBo wanted to evaluate two different methods of providing students exposure to Hadoop through either an on-premise cluster or virtual machines. Hadoop is a framework that uses a network of many computers to solve problems involving massive amounts of data.

Through corporate donations and departmental funds from State Farm, the class acquired two used HP servers and sufficient hard disk storage and memory for the on-premise Hadoop Cluster. For the virtual machine, the class used Cloudera QuickStart, a free virtual software platform for data engineering and analytics.

Both environments allowed students to see how the Hadoop ecosystem functions.

"During these labs, students got the chance to experiment with data management and analysis tools to get an end-to-end view of how a big data application would be implemented," said DeBo.

Podeschi implemented the hands-on activities during the fall 2018 semester. "There are some pieces that went well and some pieces that need be adjusted, but it's something that I continue to plan on incorporating into the course," said Podeschi.

After weighing the pros and cons, it was determined that a Hadoop cluster was too administratively taxing to manage, making Cloudera QuickStart better suited for students to gain initial exposure to Hadoop as well as other tools such as Hive and Apache Spark.

"What the students found was that it wasn't as foreign to them as they thought," said Podeschi. "A lot of the things that happened in this big data environment had language that was similar in the database class."

DeBo and Podeschi co-authored and submitted their research to the EDSIG Conference on Information Systems and Computing Education in May 2018. They presented their research at the conference in November 2018 in Norfolk, Va., and based on the results, their research was accepted for publication in the Aug. 2019 edition of the Information Systems Education Journal, a peer-reviewed academic journal published by information systems and computing academic professionals six times per year.

To have a published article, all submissions must go through a rigorous evaluation process involving at least three blind reviews by qualified academic, industrial or governmental computing professionals.

"I was incredibly proud, not only because it was recognition of the work RJ and I did putting it together, but because it was validation that other schools saw the value in the skills we are trying to prepare our students with at Millikin," said DeBo.

When asked about the importance of understanding big data as an undergraduate, DeBo said, "I think in general our IS coursework is centered mostly on traditionally IT skills (software development, database management, infrastructure, etc.). I think by incorporating new technology like Spark and Hadoop into courses, it makes the curriculum more agile and sets it up to better adapt to the ever changing technology landscape."

DeBo added, "I'm thrilled about how successful the project was, but it wouldn't have been possible without the experience I gained during my internship, and the strong and supportive partnership between Millikin and State Farm."

DeBo currently works as a software developer for State Farm helping support the company's test data management applications.

Millikin students build global branding strategy for Ecuador tourism

The words "biggest consulting project" may seem intimidating, especially for a group of college students asked to conduct a real-life project for not just a company, but a government.

Over the past few years, Dr. J. Mark Munoz's International Business Consulting course at Millikin University has been providing students with many unique learning experiences. For example, students from a previous course worked with the African country of Zambia to develop a microenterprise zone to help the country's economy.

Two years ago, the class worked with the government of Ecuador to develop a U.S. market entry strategy for Ecuadorian handicrafts. Flash forward to 2019 – the government of Ecuador once again approached Dr. Munoz to have his class take on a branding strategy project for the Ecuadorian province of Imbabura to help boost tourism.

But as conversations about the project went on with Borys Mejia, trade commissioner of Ecuador, the project evolved into something more.

"Borys informed us that the head of tourism for the country of Ecuador got wind of the Imbabura project and asked us - How would you guys like to do the branding strategy for the whole country instead?" said Munoz, professor of management. "The tourism director was interested in what we've done in the past and they wanted to elevate the project from a province to the whole country. We decided to go for it – it's the most ambitious project ever in terms of our consulting work at Millikin."

In 2010, Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign called "Ecuador Love Life" to promote the nation as a destination for tourists. The campaign highlighted Ecuador as a place with four worlds where visitors could have different experiences and "love life." The promotion results were successful.

Since then, "Ecuador Love Life" has been the slogan to promote exports and tourism, and attract investments. This year, however, the Ecuadorian government decided to modify the country brand in order to refresh the image of the nation – enter Dr. Munoz's International Business Consulting class.

Tasked with the project, the class, consisting of eight students, began working on the new brand strategy in January.

"The students did a lot of primary research. In the past, we relied a lot on secondary research to get our work done. This project offered a little more value because we did the research ourselves," said Munoz.

During the semester, the students conducted a focus group discussion for U.S. consumers and a focus group discussion for frequent travelers and high level executives to get their perspectives on Ecuador. They also conducted a survey covering the entire U.S. with over 100 respondents, as well as an online survey for Ecuador with help from the Ministry of Tourism.

"We covered a lot of data points, but we also interviewed many branding experts from around the world such as Spain and London. These were CEOs who have created branding strategies for other countries," said Munoz. "We also interviewed diplomats and investors."

The objective of the project was threefold: to help the country export more products; to improve tourism; and attract investments.

After months of research and preparation, four students from the class presented the branding strategy on May 22 in ADM-Scovill Hall on Millikin's campus. Millikin business faculty members, including Ecuador Government official Nel Mosquera, vice consul general, were in attendance as well as other Ecuadorian Government officials who joined via Skype and by phone.

The Millikin students who presented were Olivia Brewer, a senior entrepreneurship major from Moweaqua, Ill.; Loren Agee, a senior business management major from Maroa, Ill.; Luka Lubecki, a senior accounting major from Janesville, Wis.; and Michael Covelli, who recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management, from Lockport, Ill.

"From the beginning, our goal has been to showcase how Ecuador can transform its global positioning through tourism, investment and trade," Brewer said during the presentation. "We firmly believe that Ecuador has a huge opportunity to enhance its global position and we hope you leave here today excited to turn this vision into a reality."

The end result of the students' work was a strategy called "Ecuador Evolves: A Global Branding Vision."

"Ecuador has evolved in recent history. From the interconnectedness that results from tourism, to dollarizing the economy in response to globalization, Ecuador has made positive changes," said Brewer. "However, in order to maintain a competitive global position, Ecuador must continue its forward progress."

Throughout the presentation, the students provided an assessment of the country – looking at international market demands, primary research, investments and impact. The students found four key assets to include in the "Ecuador Evolve" brand. Among those assets was Ecuador being an ideal ecotourism destination due to its diverse culture.

In an interview with the Herald & Review, Loren Agee says she enrolled in the class because she thought it would be a good resume builder and an exciting opportunity. "It did a lot for my confidence in being able to produce a report that size," she said. "It developed my presentation skills to create something for an entity as large as the Ecuadorian government."

Olivia Brewer said the group put in countless hours of work leading up to the presentation. 

"We believed in the project and the fact that it was a bigger project than most undergraduates have the privilege to do, that kept us going," she said.

The feedback from the government officials was positive, noting that the strategy could be used as a framework to build a branding campaign.

"The Tabor School of Business allows for this type of project to happen and not many schools have these type of opportunities," said Munoz. "The report was timely in the sense that they're trying to come up with their own branding company and wanted to know what are the things we should be thinking about? It's a unique experience for the students."

Olivia Brewer added, "This was an experience where we were completely submerged in the process for the very first time. I've always enjoyed consulting and taking a lot of information, finding the key points, and transforming that into a vision. This was a large-scale way to test that out."

Summer program at Millikin teaches hip-hop music

Many might assume that summertime at most universities can be a quiet time as classes have wrapped up and graduation ceremonies are taking place – this isn't the case at Millikin University.

Even though most students are gone for the summer, the Millikin campus community is staying active with different camps, conferences, workshops and immersion courses.

The month of June is particularly busy in the music sector as the Millikin School of Music Preparatory Department is hosting five camps for children of all ages. Among those camps is Music Alive! where students can explore their musical creativity using cutting edge media technology. However, this year's camp went a new direction with the help of 2018 Millikin graduate Kaream Williams.

Kaream Williams is a music teacher at Dennis Lab School and Garfield Montessori in Decatur, Ill., as well as a signed artist and producer under the artist name TaQsem. The Millikin School of Music asked Williams to return to his alma mater for one week (June 10-14) to lead the Music Alive! camp. Williams saw this as an opportunity to give students a chance to create hip-hop music and study the hip-hop culture.

"My style involves string sections and brass sections, and I want to incorporate all that stuff into hip-hop music or reggae as well," Williams said in an interview with WAND-TV. "I have a very unique sound when it comes to making music. It's kind of hard to find people who make music just like me."

Williams added, "I've made it a mission to teach students how to make beats, write music and analyze lyrics."

Williams has taken a different approach with the camp by not just showing students how to create music using production software such as GarageBand, but by teaching the history of hip-hop and elements that make up the large ever-changing culture.

"I'm trying to get the students to listen past what's on the radio and understand the bigger meaning behind the music," said Williams. "I'm encouraging them to understand new perspectives such as the struggles of losing somebody or growing up in a neighborhood that you want to save but doesn't necessarily want to save you."

Focusing on beat making, rapping, social justice and art, students are getting the opportunity to express themselves using the culture as both listeners and creators.

"I hope I'm inspiring them," Williams said.

Watch some of the best moments from Millikin's 2019 Commencement

In May 2019, more than 300 Millikin University graduates crossed the stage at the Decatur Civic Center to receive their degrees and begin the next chapter of their lives.

It was a momentous time for the Class of 2019 highlighted by incredible speakers, including Gabby Catlin, who asked her fellow graduates, "What legacy are you leaving behind?" As the student speaker, Catlin said she wants to be remembered for her resiliency and caring for others.

"It costs nothing to care for people and it's worth everything," Caitlin said. "I've been at Millikin from 2015 to 2019, and I've seen a lot of growth and change. You have the power to change your life and take it in whatever direction you want."

Commencement speaker Judge Lisa Holder-White expressed her views on the important roles the new graduates would have in shaping and determining the direction of the country and the world, and the importance of serving others in their community.