News Stories

Ellis Dibble, the 3-year-old daughter of Jim ’06 and Anna Beasley Dibble ’05, had a front-row seat as her parents renewed their wedding vows at Homecoming to mark their 10th anniversary.

In May, the College was able to return to an in-person Commencement. A total of 208 degrees were awarded, and 189 students were present to receive their diploma from President Wyatt. A crowd of about 1,100 witnessed the ceremony, which was a happy day for more than just the graduating seniors. “This was much needed after a year like this,” said Zach Harris ’21. “It was awesome to see all my classmates walk across the stage. I couldn’t help but keep smiling.” That sentiment was also shared by theatre professor Vanessa Campagna, as she congratulated new graduate Amelia Chavez ’21.

At the beginning of the M Club Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Director of Athletics Roger Haynes delivered an emotional speech as a memorial for the late Scots swim coach Tom Burek was unveiled.

There’s never been a Commencement ceremony quite like it. Monmouth’s Class of 2020 can say that not once, but twice. First, the class had a virtual ceremony in May 2020 due to being home for the pandemic. Then, over Homecoming weekend this fall, 59 of them gathered for their long-overdue in-person ceremony. “In the end, there is no substitute for the real thing,” said President Wyatt. “The (rainy) weather outside can do nothing to dampen the joy of this day.” Said Lucas Sondgeroth ’20, “It felt weird and odd to leave the way we did. It’s nice to come back and feel like home again.”

When the original owners of Galesburg’s iconic Innkeepers coffee shop announced their retirement, the alumni couple Ben ’16 and Jessica Irons Ketchum ’17 stepped up to take over operations.

Monmouth’s Light This Candle capital campaign continued to flourish in 2021. Highlighting the contributions were a $1.1 million cash gift to establish an endowment to support the Center for Academic and Career Excellence and a $1 million deferred gift to support three initiatives: an endowment for junior faculty development; an endowment for student support services; and an unrestricted amount to support the College’s greatest needs. As the year winds down, the campaign stands at $69,074,746 – which is 92% of its goal to raise a minimum of $75 million for Monmouth by Dec. 31, 2022.

As was the case with several campus traditions, an in-person Homecoming celebration took a one-year hiatus, but the big weekend returned Oct. 22-24 with all its usual trappings, including fireworks at the Friday night Spirit Shout (pictured), a Saturday morning parade down Broadway and a Fighting Scots football victory, part of their 8-2 season. Several award ceremonies were held, including Illinois State Sen. Mattie Hunter ’76 and Dr. Frederick Kaskel ’67 being inducted into the Hall of Achievement, the highest honor that Monmouth bestows upon its graduates.

Scots Nation pulled together to make Monmouth College’s fifth annual Scots Day of Giving the best one yet. The day of fundraising for the College saw new records established for both dollars raised and donors contributing. In all, 964 donors combined to raise $271,852. Earmarked to receive those funds were five initiatives: the Scots Care Fund for students in need; an outdoor Wi-Fi hotspot with the Parent & Family Council; the Champion Miller 1860 Fund, which promotes campus diversity (and was the subject of the interview captured in this photo); the Fighting Scots Society; and the Monmouth Fund.

Monmouth has a cozy coffee shop downtown, too, and Tin Cup’s outer wall now has a colorful mural, courtesy of alumni Kendall Thompson ’17 and Rebecca Quick ’21.

For the first time in several years, two Monmouth graduates were commissioned as officers after completing their ROTC training. Pictured are Brandon Graeff ’21 and Brock Crippen ’21.