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Several weeks ago we welcomed over 640 new freshmen and transfers representing over 50 nations to campus, and also many of their parents. The student-led Orientation Committee, supported by Student Development and the Parent Council was encouraged by the readiness of our newest students to transition into life at Wheaton College, and by the thoughtful questions and comments of parents—who are also in a life transition.
Of particular encouragement were the prayers of our parents at the closing program on Saturday night, when they shared Scripture passages for their students through their college years. May our gracious God answer your faithful prayers for your student as well as for the daily educational and co-curricular work at Wheaton.
Some of you have asked for access to comments I shared during Orientation about Wheaton's commitment to Christ-centered higher education and living well in diversity; we are happy to share them. We look forward to supporting your student throughout the coming semester.
In Christ's service,
Philip G. Ryken
We in Parent Engagement, together with the Parent Council, look forward to welcoming ALL families back to campus November 11-12 for Family Weekend!
Visit our Family Weekend webpages for a preview of weekend events and links to area activities and hotels. Registration opens on Monday, September 19. More details, including a direct link to the registration page, will be coming to your email.
Introducing the new Director of the Wheaton College Center for Vocation and Career
After a thorough national search, Wheaton College is pleased to announce that Ms. Dee Pierce has agreed to serve as the permanent director of the Center for Vocation and Career (CVC), effective immediately. Hired in 2011 as a career counselor and events coordinator in the CVC, Dee has served the CVC as interim director since March 2015 and has proven to be a strategic thinker, excellent implementer, innovative change agent, skilled connector, and a highly effective leader and people manager. What is more, she is deeply committed to preparing our students for success after they graduate from Wheaton.
The appointment of Ms. Pierce is just one of the bold, proactive steps the College is taking to help students prepare for life after Wheaton. We are actively seeking to create an innovative, state-of-the-art Center for Vocation & Career that will equip students to find and thrive in careers that reflect kingdom values, empower students to understand how their gifts and interests will help them answer God's call on their lives, prepare them to articulate their skills and interests, and see the integration of their faith and work.
Christ at the Core
Core Book: We invite you to read along students, staff, and faculty the novel Silence by Shusaku Endo, as part of Wheaton College's Core Book program. Join with us in considering the literary and theological implications of Endo's powerful novel about the persecution of 17th-century Japanese Christians. Visit www.wheaton.edu/corebook for a variety of resources including a Silence reading guide, discussion questions, and the online exhibit, Stepping into Silence: An Exhibition and Meditative Journey into Shusaku Endo's Silence with Works by Makoto Fujimura.
The flu shot will arrive at Student Health Services this week. This year SHS has a quadrivalent (four of the most prominent viruses) preservative and latex free flu vaccine. Students may walk into SHS during our open hours for this vaccine, call to make an appointment or visit us at one of the flu clinics around campus during the months of September and October.
The vaccine is available for all active students and their spouses for a cost of $23. Student's accounts will be billed for the cost. They will receive a "walk out statement" in their CPO box to submit to their insurance companies for possible reimbursement.
SHS has numerous other medical and non-medical services which are available to all active students regardless of their health insurance.
SHS provides health preventive and promotional activities throughout the year. Destress Fest if around the corner on October 6. This is a popular annual event for students to "destress" through activities such as badminton, spike ball, making s'mores, and petting a therapy dog. More information will be posted on our website in the near future.
Feel free to contact us if you have questions about our services at Student.Health.Services@wheaton.edu or (630)752-5072.
Wheaton Graduate School Receptions
The Wheaton College Graduate School invites your student to attend one of their Academic Program Receptions. These receptions consist of a meet and greet time, which allows for a unique chance to connect with faculty members, current students, and other visiting students who are interested in a similar academic path.
Wheaton students can RSVP for the following department receptions:
Psychology – Oct. 21
M.A. in Teaching – Oct. 27
Intercultural Studies – Oct. 28
Biblical and Theological Studies – Nov. 3
Christian Formation and Ministry- Nov. 10
Food and refreshments will be provided. Contact graduate.admissions@wheaton.edu or call (630)752-5195.
The Wheaton Fund: Invest in Affordability and Excellence
Every year hundreds of parents like you help make the Wheaton experience possible for students when they support the Wheaton Fund. Your support for the Wheaton Fund is an investment that immediately impacts the affordability and excellence of the Wheaton experience, and we are very grateful!
The Wheaton Fund works to keep the College affordable by funding areas that are not supported by tuition alone. This support reduces the overall cost of attending for every student and fosters excellence in liberal arts instruction and student programming by providing competitive faculty salaries and supporting student development experiences.
A student from Phonathon will be calling you soon to talk more about what the Wheaton Fund means to them and to invite your investment. You can also give online to start supporting the Wheaton experience through the Wheaton Fund today.
A Helpful Resource for Wheaton Parents
Have you joined the Wheaton parent Facebook group? This social network group is a great place to connect with fellow parents, to ask questions of the Wheaton parent community, and to reach out for advice on anything related to your student's Wheaton experience. To join, log on to Facebook and request to join.
The Fall 2016 season of Wheaton Athletics is underway. Four of Wheaton's seven College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) sports are fall sports (football; men's soccer; women's soccer and women's tennis). Thunder fans can watch many home events on the Wheaton Thunder Sports Network or by downloading the Livestream app on ITunes, Google Play or Roku Store.
Seniors Peter Gibson and Zach Lindquist earned preseason All-American recognition for the Thunder football team this summer as head coach Mike Swider's team is ranked eighth in the D3football.com Preseason Poll. The Thunder men's soccer team is picked as the CCIW favorite this year and ranked seventh in the NSCAA Division III Preseason Poll.
Wheaton women's soccer team opened its season last weekend as did the Thunder volleyball program. Men'sand women's cross country will open the season on Sept. 19 at Aurora University's Spartan Cross Country Classic, while women's tennis and women's golf also opened last weekend.
For complete information on Wheaton's 21 varsity athletics teams be sure to visit athletics.wheaton.edu for schedules, recaps, videos and much more. Sign up for text alerts from Wheaton Athletics and be sure to follow Thunder Sports on Facebook (facebook.com/WheatonAthletics), Twitter (@Wheaton Thunder) or Instagram (@Wheaton_Thunder)
For information on Wheaton's club sports be sure to visit the club sports website.
If you plan on attending a variety of Thunder sporting events at home, season passes for the 2016-17 campaign are available here.
How can you pray for Wheaton this month?
Pray for students as they explore extra-curricular activities, church fellowship, and service opportunities available to them. Pray that they find a balance of work and recreation that helps them live well.
Pray for President Ryken, the members of his Senior Administrative Cabinet, and Chaplain Blackmon. Pray that God will give these leaders grace in their work and in their lives outside of work.
Pray for our families who enter this school year feeling financially challenged or burdened by concerns of health or relationship. We are mindful of the personal story each of our students brings to campus, and lift these needs to Christ.
Wishing you a good September.
The Wheaton College Parent Engagement team
parents@wheaton.edu