Wheaton College Alumni Association 2024–25 Annual Report
Wheaton College Alumni Association Board of Directors
Photo by Mike Hudson
Row 1 (L to R): Alicia Vallejo Gorski ’82, Allison Haugen Borton ’04, M.A. ’13, Doug Goebel ’90, Jerard Woods ’12, Eric Fowler ’81, Courtney Holt Crowder ’94, Naïssa Charles ’21.
Row 2 (L–R): Noah Chung ’12, Mark Nelson ’91, Priscilla Barclay Kibler ’12, Jim Hawthorne ’88, M.A. ’92, Celeste Elsenheimer Barnett ’04, Lisa Biehle Files ’83, Cynthie Hall Haag ’75, Mark Hilde ’04.
Not pictured: Brent Armstrong ’91, Jim Black ’94, M.A. ’99, Hannah Tan Follett ’06.
Each year, the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors awards financial and nonfinancial grants and awards to faculty, students, and alumni. Funds for these grants flow from the annual Wheaton Fund, which also supports every faculty member’s salary and every student’s academic program.
ALUMNI FACULTY GRANTS AWARDED FOR 2025–26
Dr. Raymond Lewis | Biology
Sabbatical support for ongoing research with marine algae.
Dr. Emily McGowin | Biblical and Theological Studies
Sabbatical support during a fellowship at the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and the Common Good.
Dr. Benjamin Lovaasen | Chemistry
Sabbatical support to implement and further develop the Classroom Protocol for STEM (COPUS), providing Wheaton STEM faculty with data about their teaching styles and student engagement.
Dr. Daniel Horn | Conservatory of Music
Support for producing a professional-level recording of piano music by American composer Richard Danielpour.
Dr. Adam Miglio M.A. ’01 | Biblical and Theological Studies
Support to present on an international panel at an Assyriology conference in Prague, Czech Republic, and to publish a paper.
Dr. Carleigh Schoenleber ’07 | Education
Support to continue using alumni survey data to strengthen the Wheaton College Education Department, especially with research on technology integration in the K–12 classroom, and to further develop WheConnect, a mentorship program started last year.
Science Division Block Grant for Faculty/Student Summer Research | Math and Computer Science
Wheaton College’s ten-week Summer Research Program provides opportunities for Wheaton undergraduates to conduct independent and collaborative research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors.
JUNIOR ALUMNI FACULTY GRANTS
Dr. Smyrna Khalaf | School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
Dr. Carleigh Schoenleber ’07 | Education
Dr. Ki Chae | School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
FACULTY MISSIONS PROJECT 2024–25
Dr. Jim Beitler ’02, M.A. ’04 | Wade Center
Travel funds to give a keynote talk in Romania at the Conference of the C. S. Lewis & Kindred Spirits Society for Eastern and Central Europe.
Dr. Brian Howell | Anthropology, Sociology, and Urban Studies
Travel funds to work with a Christian retreat center and coffee farm in Ecuador, and to connect with a local parish.
Dr. Alan Seaman | TESOL and Intercultural Studies Programs
Travel funds to meet with local leaders in Nepal, Myanmar, and Thailand, and provide counsel on teacher training, curriculum, and language education.
2025 ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO SOCIETY
Dr. Bong Rin Ro ’62
Read his feature profile, “A Father of the Faith.”
2024 ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO ALMA MATER
Paul Ericksen M.A. ’82
Read his feature profile, “Stewarding Wheaton College’s Evangelical History.”
JUNIORS AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THEIR SENIOR YEAR IN 2025–26
Grace Chen ’26, Seattle and Taiwan
Anthropology
Samuel Fleisher ‘26, Greenville, SC
Classical Languages
Anna Ritzema ’26, Lincoln, NE
Psychology
Nathaniel Lee ’26, Woodbury, MN
Health Science
Row 1 (L to R): Anna Ritzema, Samuel Fleischer, Nathaniel Lee, Grace Chen. Row 2 (L–R): Hannah Tan Follett ’06, Jerard Woods ’12, Mark Nelson ’91, Alicia Vallejo Gorski ’82.
Photo by Kayla Smith
