Morningside Connect

Greetings! We have had three very successful Chapters that have been launched this year, Denver, San Francisco and Kansas City. As I look back at these events, and talk to those who attended, I am very excited about the future of the Chapters program and the positive impact that it is going to have on our Alumni and on Morningside College.

The success of this program is a testament to the incredible Alumni we have, who have volunteered their time and efforts to make this endeavor possible. From the very inception we have had Alumni help with the structuring of the program, organization of events, making of phone calls and so much more. This Chapters program is truly a Volunteer driven program.

At the Kansas City chapter launch we were privileged to have some prospective students and parents join us. Throughout the course of the evening they got an opportunity to meet Alumni and hear many stories about Morningside and the experiences that Alumni had while on campus. They were able to get a firsthand look at what the Morningside experience is all about, without even stepping foot on campus. This is what it’s all about. “…to give Alumni a variety of opportunities to interact with each other while engaging with the College in meaningful ways.”

We are continuing to evaluate this program, and are putting together tools that will help our existing chapters, and are looking at new cities around the country to launch Chapters. If you have any questions about this program, or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at: nathaniel@morningside.edu or 1-800-831-0806, ext. 5295

In closing, I would like to thank all our great Alumni volunteers who have helped make this program, and Morningside College, a great success. Without you, this type of endeavor would not be possible.

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for your overwhelming response to our first Alumni E-Newsletter!  Lots of great responses.

I want to thank all of you who took the time to respond to our electronic survey.  I know it was probably a little long and, in some cases, it was hard to log-on to the survey page.  Thank you to all who stuck with it!

As I look back on this year – it has been an amazing one!  So many of you joined us in various places and attended our alumni events.  From our choir tour throughout the upper Midwest, to our rollout of our new Applied Agriculture and Food Sciences program at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, to our annual trek up and down West Lake Okoboji, to the unbelievable turnout for all the events at Homecoming (especially The Taste of Morningside), to the unveiling party in Des Moines for Connie Wimer’s new publication, to all of our Young Alumni Events in Sioux City, Sioux Falls and Omaha, to our Chapter events in Denver, San Francisco and Kansas City – and to Christmas at Morningside.

You, our alumni, are the people that made the events so very special.  Thank you for your continued love and support of Morningside College!  May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

On Thursday, November 6, Morningside College hosted a young alumni event at McCarthy & Bailey’s “The Snug.” We had multiple classes represented from the 2000’s. All excited about the great things happening at Morningside!

It was particularly gratifying for me to listen to alumni and friends share their love for Morningside and the experiences they had. Each has a fun story about their college days. Thanks so much to those of you who were able to attend. Those of you who were unable to make it, we hope you plan to attend our events in the future!

Molli Ginger

Morningside College

Development Officer/Alumni Relations ‘03

The Hanging of the Greens is a tradition in Dimmitt Hall that started in 1950 and is one of the oldest traditions on campus. The festivities include decorating the Christmas tree, singing carols, hanging wreaths, and the lighting of the Yule log. The first Yule log came with a group of seven freshman girls from Spirit Lake and was lit at the first Hanging of the Greens. Today students still love participating in the Hanging of the Greens tradition.

Not many people in this world can boast that the friends they made at Morningside College nearly 75 years ago….are not only still living ….but remain their “best buddies” to this day.  This is a short story about the “Grammer Girls.”

This summer four of the “Grammer Girls” paid a visit to campus.  They were Annette Gray Carlson, Audrey Hughes Goodrich, Doris Peterson Markland and Ellen Westergaard Jackson.  They wanted to see the changes that have taken place since their days on campus.  To be sure – they were very impressed.

For years I have heard a great deal about these ladies. They shared with me their story.

In the fall of 1942, a group of fourteen young ladies met at Morningside College.  Nothing too unusual about that.  Back then the campus was alive with men and women and as I’m told, Sadie Hawkins Days was a big deal.  Street cars buzzed up and down Morningside Avenue.  There were four buildings – Charles City Hall, Lewis Hall (Old Main), The Library (the Gym) and Dimmitt Hall.  And in the winter of ‘42, the “Grammer Girls” recall slipping and sliding on the sloping sidewalk from Dimmitt Hall. Again, nothing unusual about that!!

The fall of 1943 brought a huge change.  The Army Air Corps cadets took over everything…the dorm…the streets and the sidewalks!  The young ladies were placed in designated housing with a designated teacher/housemother!!  This was all part of the war effort.  Fourteen lively ladies were assigned to live with Miss Lois Grammer – a professor of music education.

As one can imagine, 14 young ladies in one house with a professor brings about special challenges.  In fact, it is said that Miss Grammer after a week of having the girls at her home said with some amusement, “Why me?”

One of the activities that brought the young ladies closer together was their love of music.  As the ladies said, “As many of us were music students, or at least in the choirs, there are special memories of ‘Mr. Mack’ (Dr. Paul MacCollin) – chair of what was then the Music Conservatory.  He was so good but he also had a challenge since so many of our boys went off to war leaving gaping holes in the choir.  The same was true for the orchestra and frankly, the entire college!”

The “Grammer Girls” survived the war years with most graduating in 1946.  In 1944, one left to marry her airman-sweetheart in Tucson, Arizona; another had a Christmas wedding held by the fireplace in Dimmitt Hall.

Husbands and babies were soon added to the group, with the men justly called “The Grammer Guys.”  And in the convening 70 years plus since starting their journey at Morningside, they have not missed getting together.  Early on it was all of the girls and their families.  Their children grew up knowing one another. They too bonded into the “Grammer Girls Family.”

The “Grammer Girls” were not all that different from others on campus. But, there’s something about how they have managed to stay so close.  Certainly their shared war experience, similar backgrounds, and intense zest for life is, perhaps, what has kept them together.  As one of the ladies said, “We were grateful and lucky to have been squeezed into that little house where we borrowed clothes, toothpaste, corsages, shared cadets from the dorm, shared our letters from our servicemen.  Yes, there were tears but oh, so many joys in those war years.”

What a remarkable group of ladies – “The Grammer Girls!”

Hello!  I am the Career Counselor here at Morningside College.  I have been in this position for a little over 9 years, and thoroughly enjoy working with students to pursue their personal and professional goals and aspirations.  As the face of Morningside College to employers, I get lots of requests to promote job opportunities with alumni.  Currently, we promote these in three ways: on our job posting site at www.collegecentral.com/morningside (alums can register for free), on our Twitter feed at msidecareers, or on our LinkedIn group page (Morningside College Career Services).  I will also occasionally post updates on the Morningside College Alumni Facebook page about jobs for alums as well.  Finally, if your organization is looking for part-time employees, full-time employees, or interns, please feel free to contact me or provide my information as a contact!  I am located in the new Krone Advising Center, so if you are ever on campus, please stop by!

Stacie Hays

hays@morningside.edu

What was one of your fondest memories of Homecoming at Morningside College?

Comment below to share with us. We can’t wait to hear your story!

Life after college can seem overwhelming. Whatever you plan to do next, whether it’s starting a career, continuing your education, moving to a new city or something entirely different, you are sure to face a challenge or two on your path to success. Luckily, you’re not alone.  This is a time of excitement and opportunity, and the Morningside Alumni Relations Office will be there every step of the way.

There are many ways to stay connected with the Mustang Family. Morningside’s Young Alumni participate in social, educational and networking opportunities with fellow alumni and students. Past events include Business After Hours, hockey and football games, concerts, Homecoming and so much more.

Below is a list of the cities where we are going in the next year, so please be on the lookout for emails and invitations regarding some great events. You won’t want to miss these opportunities:

Omaha – February 2015

Des Moines – April 2015

We look forward to seeing you in these cities in the coming year!

Molli Ginger

Alumni Relations ‘03

Greetings from Morningside College!

The Alumni Chapters Program was established in order to engage alumni who live outside Iowa and its contiguous states. A collaborative effort between the Alumni Board of Directors and Office of Alumni Relations, chapters are centered on alumni who volunteer to run events in their own communities. It provides opportunities for alumni to maintain an active role in leadership and engagement with Morningside.

The goals of the Alumni Chapters Program are to establish and maintain a closer connection between the college and alumni, to keep alumni updated and informed about the progress and changes at the institution, and to give alumni a variety of opportunities to interact with each other while engaging with the college in meaningful ways.

We began work on this program in October 2013. As the Chapter Advisor for this program, I work closely with Julie Eickhoff ’89, who is the Chapter Liaison and a part of the Alumni Executive Board. By July 2014, we had launched the Denver Chapter. This Chapter is led by Jim Guttau ’00 and Phil Lieder ’07. We held the first event at the Four Seasons hotel and experienced a positive turnout. In September, we launched the San Francisco Chapter, which is led by Brian Clarke ’97.

The latest chapter we launched was in Kansas City this past weekend. We had a great turnout of alumni, friends, and prospective students. The Kansas City Chapter activities are coordinated by Jan Harris ’84, Aaron Lukken ’93, Bart Winter ’00, Paul Berger ’03, and Alex Hirt ’14.

Our goal is to launch 10 Chapters around the country by May of 2015. We are very excited to work on this initiative and look forward to connecting with as many of you as possible at these events. Our hope is that in the next couple of years the Chapters will be self-sustaining with local alumni leadership and become an extension of Morningside College.

If you have any questions about this program, or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at: nathaniel@morningside.edu or 1-800-831-0806, ext. 5295.