Millikin University

Millikin University
Motto	In His Plenitudo Vis
Established	1901
Type	Private coeducational
President	Harold Jeffcoat
Admin. staff	1,393, full and part-time
Undergraduates	2,400
Location	Decatur, Illinois, USA
Campus	City, 75 acres
Sports mascot	Big Blue
Colors	Blue & White
Website	http://www.millikin.edu/

Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs (PACE) and graduate programs in business administration and nursing. Millikin's campus is in Decatur, Illinois and serves approximately 2,400 students with student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1 and an average class size of 23 students. The school was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin.

Media

Decaturian

The Decaturian, also known as the Dec (official nickname), is the bi-weekly student newspaper. The Decaturian was established in 1903 and its issues are archived online from 1903–1951, made possible by the Digital-Decaturian Project.

WJMU 89.5 The Quad

WJMU is Millikin University's student-operated freeform format radio station. In addition to its musical responsibilities, WJMU also creates its own public service announcements, liners, news, Millikin sports programming and promotional materials.

Fraternities and sororities

Male

• Alpha Tau Omega
• Delta Sigma Phi
• Omega Psi Phi
• Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Tau Kappa Epsilon
• Sigma Lambda Beta

Female

• Alpha Chi Omega
• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Delta Delta Delta
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Pi Beta Phi
• Sigma Alpha Iota
• Sigma Lambda Gamma

Co-Ed

• Alpha Phi Omega (service)

Athletics

Millikin University teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Big Blue are a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). Prior joining the NCAA Division III and the CCIW in the 1946-47 season, Millikin primarily competed as an Independent of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) back since their first year of athletics in the 1903-04 academic year. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Notable alumni

Actors and musicians

• Emerson Swinford is a professional guitarist and composer living in Hollywood CA. He has written and performed with many artists including Rod Stewart and composed/performed the theme and score for TV shows including Hot In Cleveland starring Betty White.
• Jodi Benson — Actress: voice of Ariel in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid
• Sierra Boggess — Actress: originated the role of Ariel in the 2007 Broadway production of The Little Mermaid
• Lindsey Ridgway, Reality show personality, MTV's Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods
• Hedy Burress — Actress: Wyleen Pritchett in Boston Common; voice of Yuna in Final Fantasy X
• Annamary Dickey - Actress/Singer: portrayed Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner in the original Broadway production of The King and I when Constance Carpenter left the role.
• Luke Menard — Singer: American Idol season 7 (top 16). Also, member of a'capella group Chapter 6.
• Tad Hilgenbrink — Actor: Matt Stifler in American Pie: Band Camp
• Annie Wersching — Actress: portrays FBI Agent Renee Walker on the television show 24
• Matthew West - Contemporary Christian artist
• Timothy Shew - Actor: Portrayed Jean Valjean in the Tony Award winning Les Misérables in the late 1980s-1990s. Has appeared in various other musicals, films and TV shows such as The Radio City Christmas spectacular where he portrayed Santa Claus, The Producers, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
• Katelyn Epperly — Singer: American Idol Season 9 (top 16).
• Mark Roach — Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter.

Athletes and coaches

Millikin University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1910 to 1937.

• Lance Brooks (born January 1, 1984) is an American discus thrower who has qualified to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He graduated from Millikin University in 2006.
• George Corbett - football player: Chicago Bears running back from 1932-1938.
• Fred T. Long - Negro Leagues baseball player and college football coach: played four seasons in the Negro National League and amassed a 227-151-31 coaching record from 1921-1965 at various colleges including three Black college football national championships (1928, 1932, 1945)
• Harry Long - college football coach won a Black college football national championship in 1924 as coach of Paul Quinn College and was assistant coach to his brother Fred for his 1932 & 1945 championships
• Danny Moeller — Major League Baseball player, 1907–1916, with Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators
• Marcia Morey - US Olympic Athlete/Swimmer at Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 in the Women's 100M Breaststroke and 200M Breaststroke; also former American Recordholder in the 200M Breaststroke
• George Musso — football player: Chicago Bears lineman from 1933–1944; nine-year team captain, elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982
• Jeff Query — football player: former Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver. Totalled 141 receptions for 1865 yards and 11 touchdowns in 84 career games. Led the 1993 Bengals in receptions and yards.
• Mike Rowland — pitcher for San Francisco Giants, 1980–1981
• Don Shroyer - college football coach at Millikin University and Southern Illinois University
• Virgil Wagner - Canadian Football League player: Montreal Alouettes halfback from 1946–54; elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
• Jeff Monken - Current Head Football Coach at Georgia Southern University
• Chuck Martin - Former Head Football Coach of the Division 2 National Champions Grand Valley State, current Assistant Coach at Notre Dame

Authors and media figures

• Alice Ambrose (1906–2001) — American philosopher, logician, and author
• William A. Bennington (1914-2010) - Emmy award-winning television director and producer of sports and special events, including Wide World of Sports, college football, the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics, the Rose Parade, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• Steven R. Hurst — Associated Press Iraq bureau chief
• George Irish — president of Hearst Newspapers and senior vice president of The Hearst Corporation
• Lucille Ryman Carroll — Hollywood Talent Executive during early 20th century
• Sean Michael Thomas — International News Correspondent for Russia Today and Children's book author and illustrator

Business figures

• Douglas R. Oberhelman — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Caterpillar Inc.
• Clarence 'Red' Jonhson - Former Chief Executive Office of Borg Warner, Inc.,

Politicians

• Rodney L. Davis - United States Representative for Illinois' 13th Congressional district.
• Thomas W. Ewing — former United States Congressman (R-Illinois)
• Melvin R. Laird, Sr. -Wisconsin State Senator and clergyman
• John MacWherter - former mayor of Springfield, Illinois from 1951-55.
• James Benton Parsons - former Federal judge; the first African-American US District Judge with life tenure

Scientists

• Harold V. Lichtenberger - Member of Enrico Fermi's team at Chicago Pile-1 reactor and participant in the first artificial, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction there on Dec.2, 1942; project engineer at Experimental Breeder Reactor I and pulled the switch at 1:50pm on December 20, 1951, when it became the world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant.
• John Leighty -Became attracted to chemistry after performing undergraduate research and was graduated from Millikin in 1931. He matriculated at Purdue University, where he received both his Master's and Ph.D. degrees. Upon completion of his doctorate, Dr. Leighty began a career at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. He was a member of the team that first produced penicillin for the company in the 1940s and was involved in developing, producing and supervising the production of such pharmaceuticals as erythromycin, vancomycin, streptomycin and propoxyphene. His 33-year career was capped by his tenure as Executive Director of Scientific Research, a position which made him responsible for 650 Lilly scientists in seven research divisions.

See also

• National Bird-Feeding Society (NBFS)

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Center for Entrepreneurship
• Kirkland Fine Arts Center
• WJMU 89.5 The Quad
• The Decaturian