Personality

By Elexis Baltimore, Editor So you got your cap and gown in the mail, maybe sent out graduation announcements, and have probably been asked about your “next step” more times than you can count… with graduation just around the corner some of us are wondering what happens next. In order to help answer this question and maybe give everyone a little peace of mind, I decided to check in with a few McKendree Alumni in what I am calling the McKendree Graduate Series! When Jenna Ritzheimer, then Jenna Wood, transferred to McKendree University she had no idea what she wanted to do. During her first few years in college Jenna realized that she had an interest in psychology and pursued her bachelor’s with that interest in mind. “I had no idea at the time if I would even work in that field,” Jenna sa...

From Editor, Zach Breeding Today marks the 13th anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson tragically taking his own life. There is, however, no sense wallowing in pity for a man who felt he lived 17 years too long, anyway. So, on this most auspicious of occasions I would like to present one of my favorite authors' take on a young man's life and what is truly important within it. Without further adieu, here is a letter from Thompson, then 17, to his friend who asked him for some advice:   Dear Hume, You ask advice: ah, what a very human and very dangerous thing to do! For to give advice to a man who asks what to do with his life implies something very close to egomania. To presume to point a man to the right and ultimate goal—to point with a trembling finger in the RIGHT direction is somet...

By Shelby Procko, Contributing Writer McKendree Senior Robert Watkins is both the president and founder of the McKendree chapter of Sigma Alpha Phi, also known as The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). He is a business administration major with a minor in leadership studies. When asked what he planned to do with his degree after graduation in December he shrugged and said, "I have no idea, I am still trying to figure that out." Grinning, he added, "If you figure it out, let me know." Rob is active in numerous other roles on campus including student government president, peer mentor, a job working in the IT department, and an intern for the Student Success Center doing data organization. He used to play for the McKendree Men’s Volleyball team but decided to sit his last ye...

By Magdalena Knapp, Editor Many McKendree students only know Dr. Dennis as the person who stands in front of the Bearcat Statue and hands out a cool cone of ice cream on a hot spring or autumn day. However, our President is much more intimately involved in the everyday life of his students and the minute-by-minute running of the university than most could ever imagine. Working at McKendree University for him is not simply a job, it is his Lebenswerk: A mission he has successfully been working to fulfill since 1994. After growing up in Los Angeles, California, and getting a degree in Education, JD - a nickname Dr. Dennis received in college - worked for seven years at the University of Southern California. In 1994, he was offered a job in the beautiful and historical city of Lebanon, Ill...