September 16 - 22

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Alumni, families, friends converge on campus

A boisterous mix of alumni, families and friends of the college descended on campus over the weekend for 2024 Beloiter Days.

They sat in on classes, took over C-Haus, marched in the parade, tailgated at Strong Stadium, and stuck around after the close homecoming game vs. Knox to see our own Ron Watson’s band (aka Mr. Pink) perform.

The Homecoming Parade was led by Grand Marshall Rae Miller, a Beloit alumna from the Class of 1949. The grand prize for parade entrants went to RAAS Beloit Dance Collective, winning the trophy for a second year in a row.

The Powerhouse served as an important gathering place for the weekend. President Eric Boynton updated a group of parents and alumni on a few of the college’s most important initiatives: Impact Beloit, the college’s four new schools, bringing food back to the academic side of campus, and revitalizing residence halls.

A full house saw four distinguished alumni recognized for both their success in their fields and to the success of Beloit College.

• Duncan Gillis’14, an award-winning soccer player and coach, was honored as this year’s Young Alumni Award recipient.

• Angela Russell’99, a visionary in early childhood development and Board of Trustee member, received the Distinguished Service Citation for the 25th reunion class.

• Mark Pence’74’s many contributions to his class and the college over five decades led to his receiving the Distinguished Service Citation, representing the 50th reunion class.

• Fred Burwell’86 received the Joe Kobylka Award for his long career of service to the archives and to the college, bringing its history to life for Beloiters past, present, and future.

The weekend was capped off by the Athletic Hall of Honor Lunch and Awards Ceremony, emceed by Athletics Director Dave DeGeorge. Inductees were Katelynn Rynders Ambrosini’07 (softball, volleyball); Michael Findley’07 (soccer); and Mike Kovach’11 (baseball).

Sports Recap 

Buccaneers football played its Homecoming game Saturday vs. Knox College in front of a boisterous Beloiter Days crowd. The game was back and forth until the final horn sounded, ending in a heartbreaking 17-13 loss when the Prairie Fire scored in the final two minutes.

Men’s soccer had another busy week with three games. They picked up a home win against Lakeland University, but dropped games vs. Wisconsin Lutheran 4-0, and Elmhurst, 2-1. They will be home Saturday and Sunday with 11 a.m. games each day.

Women’s soccer also brought home a win against Lakeland University, 4-0. They dropped a game to Wisconsin Lutheran 6-0, and played a close 1-0 loss against a talented University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point team. The team will host Kalamazoo College at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. 

Men’s and Women’s cross country competed in the Spartan Classic in Aurora, Illinois over the weekend. The men’s team placed ninth and the women’s placed fourth.

Volleyball had a busy end to the week, playing in three matches in two days at the Marilyn Scribner Invitational in Wheaton, Illinois. The team dropped matches against Concordia, Rose-Hulman, and Aurora, all three talented teams. This week, they host MSOE at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Dominican at 7 p.m. Thursday. 

Pathways to Public Service

While the notion of public service may seem quaint in this time of deep partisan divisions, the careers of these four alumni prove that there are many ways to work for the collective public good, and that the liberal arts and a Beloit education have always been invaluable preparation for that work. 

• Sept. 17: Voting - Do’s, Don’ts and Emerging Challenges
  12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., President’s Lounge, Chapin Hall (Commons)
• Sept. 17: Constitution 2.0 - Challenges and Changes for a New Century
  7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Science Center Atrium
• Sept. 17: [L] Beloit College Women’s Volleyball vs Milwaukee School of Engineering
  7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Beloit, Wis., Flood Arena (Sports Center)
• Sept. 18: Involvement Fair
  12 p.m. - 1 p.m., Chapin Quad
• Sept. 18: Research Forge: Navigate Your Library Account
  6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
• Sept. 19: Study Away Fair
  11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Turbine Hall, The PowerHouse
• Sept. 19: New Student Bonfire
  7 p.m., Aldrich Field
• Sept. 20: Know Your Employer - BrandLab
  12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., Science Center 249
• Sept. 21: Volunteer for the Rock River Clean-Up
  8 a.m. - 10 a.m., Riverside Park, Beloit, Wisconsin
• Sept. 21: [L] Beloit College Men’s Soccer vs Principia College
  1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Beloit, Wis., Strong Complex Soccer Field

Nominations for Beloit & Beyond Conference

Faculty and staff: nominate students for the annual Beloit and Beyond Conference, scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, Election Day!  Nominations are due Monday, September 23, 2024. Student registration and abstract submission are due Sept. 30.