Alumni

General Information • Application • Current Members

Alumni Council

Made up of 24 alumni appointed to three-year terms and the president of the Student Alumni Association, this board meets four times a year. Members represent the interests of alumni and serve as liaisons to 25 University areas. The council assists in the recruitment of students, selects Alumni Award recipients, and was instrumental in establishing the Student Alumni Association.

WIU Alumni Association Survey - Alumni Council President Eldon Brown '96

eldon

Dear WIU Alumni-

The WIU Board of Trustees is seeking input on an important decision regarding the University's leadership. Since April 1 of this year, Dr. Kristi Mindrup has been serving as the interim president. The Board will decide in December whether to name Dr. Mindrup as the permanent president or to conduct a nationwide search.

We, along with other University stakeholders, have been asked to provide input on this decision. I have worked closely with the Executive Committee of the WIU Alumni Council to create a survey to collect your feedback. We will send the results of the survey to the Board of Trustees to inform their decision.

Please complete this survey by November 12. At that time, we will send the total counts for each option to the BOT for their decision in December. Additional details are contained in the survey itself.

Click here to complete the survey.

Your feedback is important in helping shape the future of our alma mater. With over 140,000 alumni, our collective voice is vital in this conversation.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions or comments at eldonbrown@gmail.com.

Go Necks!

eldon

Eldon Brown `96

President, WIU Alumni Council

Interested in joining the Alumni Council?

The WIU Alumni Association is looking for dedicated leaders of all ages, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, career fields, etc. to serve on the WIU Alumni Council. The Alumni Council strives to include a broad range of members that accurately reflects our student body and alumni community. Applicants are evaluated based on a number of factors, including engagement since graduating (e.g. attendance, giving back to WIU financially, referring students, returning to campus to speak to classes, offering career mentorship, etc.) and general Leatherneck Pride. If you or someone you know is an active alumnus that would be a good candidate, please fill out our online application form. The deadline is April 1.

2024-2025 Alumni Council Meetings

  • Saturday, January 18, 2025
  • Saturday, April 12, 2025

2023 - 2024 Council Members

Alumni Council Featured Member

Victoria Kappel 2016, 2018


Degree: BS in Communication Sciences & Disorders in 2016, BA in Spanish in 2016 and MS in Communications Sciences & Disorders in 2018 from WIUVictoria

Business Information: Medical Speech Language Pathologist for Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, Illinois

Advice for Freshmen: WIU is a catalyst for success. If you: have a passion, see a need for a call to action, need advice from a professor, do it. Some of the most influential people I have in my life (mentors, best friends, colleagues,etc.) are from WIU and the Macomb Community. Use your resources!

Favorite WIU Memory: Most favorite: The day I found out I advanced to the interview rounds for the Rhodes Scholarship...but golly I can’t pick just one! Overall LOVED being able to represent WIU on the soccer pitch for 4 years, giving the Honors Convocation Graduation Speaker in 2016, being a teaching assistant in the Department of Communication for Public Speaking, the WIU football tailgates, WIU football conference victories, CONNECKS (organization for individuals with special needs) events.

Family Information/Special Interests and Hobbies: I currently live in the Chicagoland suburbs with my mini Goldendoodle, Oliver. When not working at The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Rehabilitation Hospital or in the private practice setting, I stay very involved with my passions: sports, outdoor activities (running, hiking, kayaking, skiing,etc) music (piano & cello), traveling (everywhere!), reading, healthy cooking, and watching ‘The Housewives’ on Bravo, to name a few. I am a coach for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) for soccer players who have dreams to play at the national level. In addition, I volunteer and look for every opportunity to help individuals with special needs by volunteering for Special Olympics. I thrive on living life to the fullest and embrace life’s most simple but amazing moments with the people I love and cherish. GO NECKS