June 2017 E-Alum Report

Three ACES Alumni Award opportunities await!  Do you know a deserving ACES alumn to be nominated today?!
Deadline has been extended to Monday, June 19, 2017.

ACES Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Each year the College of ACES Alumni Association honors up to three outstanding graduates of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, or through outstanding leadership or service have significantly enhanced or improved the lives of others.

Guidelines for Nomination:

• Nominees must have received a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree from the University of Illinois College of ACES.
• Nominee must be under the age of 40 on January 1, 2017.
• Nominee should be able to attend the ACES College Connection event on September 8, 2017 to accept the award.
• A minimum of two letters of reference and a maximum of four, in support of the nomination. One letter of reference should be from a University of Illinois faculty or staff member. Names and addresses must be included on reference letters.
• Attach resume of nominee (no vitas please).

ACES Family Spirit Award

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Family Spirit Award recognizes those family members who have demonstrated their support of the College as alumni and/or current students. Selection will be based on, but not limited to a display of sincere dedication to the College of ACES and significant connections to the College and University. Awardees will be honored during the ACES Alumni Weekend activities in Fall 2017.

Guidelines for Nomination:

• Nominee should be able to attend the ACES College Connection event on September 8, 2017 to accept the award.
• A minimum of two and a maximum of three letters of reference, in support of the nomination. Either the nomination or one letter of reference must be from a University of Illinois faculty or staff member. Name, addresses, and email addresses must be included on reference letters.
• Nomination packet
• Deadline has been extended to Monday, June 19, 2017.

ACES Career Achievement Award

The University of Illinois College of ACES Alumni Association Career Achievement Award was created in 2017 by the College of ACES Alumni Association to recognize graduates from the College of ACES who have had exceptional professional achievement and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions.  Distinctive from the Award of Merit, which recognizes an individual’s combined body of work, this award recognizes a more focused, exceptional contribution or achievement.

Eligibility Criteria

• Is a graduate of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) or a predecessor college (College of Agriculture or the School of Human Resources and Family Studies/Home Economics) receiving a bachelors, masters and/or doctorate degree(s) AND
• has contributed significantly to his/her profession, industry, and/or the greater community; OR
• has a record of outstanding personal and professional accomplishments; OR
• has made extraordinary contribution via volunteer or humanitarian efforts resulting in meaningful or life-changing impacts for a significant population.
• Award of Merit recipients are not eligible for this award.
• Can be recognized at ACES College Connection on September 8 or if the recipient is unavailable to attend, another appropriate time and location for recognition will be determined.

The selected individuals will also become Round Barn Society members and will be pinned when receiving their recognition. 

Deadline has been extended to Monday, June 19, 2017 to the ACES Alumni Association, 124 ACES Library or email to Tina Veal, Director of Alumni Relations at vealt@illinois.edu

Nomination forms can be found online:  https://acesalumni.illinois.edu/awards/nominate

The College of ACES Alumni Association will host the ACES Family Academies program on July 13-14, 2017.  Participants will be able to check in on the evening of July 12. Alumni are invited to bring youth ages 8-13 years old to campus for a 2 day educational experience while spending time together on the University of Illinois and College of ACES campus.

Participants will enjoy the college experience living in a residence hall, eating in the dining facilities and participating in educational classes on the College of ACES campus. This program will give alumni the opportunity to relive and share their college days as well as create new memories with their little Illini.

This is a great opportunity to promote to alumni to return to campus with their children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews to share in this experience!

Registration Deadlines: Registration is open to alumni and non-alumni from May 15 to June 16.

Register Today!

Cost:  $195.00 per person

Volunteers will be needed to assist with the programming as hosts, photographers, moderators, etc. Volunteer Registration can be found online

Please help us in promoting this great event for alumni to engage with the College of ACES this summer! 

Special Thanks to Farm Credit for their support as an exclusive sponsor!

The College of ACES Alumni Association invites you to join us for an ACES in Places event.

Share your Illini Spirit in Kent, IL at Lawfer's Willow Valley Dairy Farm, a robotic dairy farm. You will have an opportunity to tour the farm and see the Lely robotic milking system, network, meet Dean Kim Kidwell and enjoy a short program from the College of ACES. Come sit, relax, and enjoy the views at the farm on a summer evening!

We hope you will join us for an evening to network and celebrate agriculture with the College of ACES.

We look forward to an evening to share Illini Spirit!

Hosted by Jim Endress, District 1 Director ACES Alumni Board of Directors.

Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Location: Lawfer's Willow Valley Dairy Farm
4389 South Willow Road, Kent, IL

Time: Registration 5:00 p.m.
Dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a short program and a tour of the farm

Cost: $20.00

Register online by June 1- www.acesalumni.illinois.edu/events

Please share on social media or with alumni you know in the area.

Congratulations to Colleen Callahan Burns '73 Ag Comm for being recognized as the 2017 UIAA Distinguished Service award winner during Commencement weekend.  Colleen Callahan Burns has been an active supporter of Illinois, serving in leadership positions with the College of ACES Alumni Association, Fighting Illini Pork Club and UI Alumni Association. Additional accomplishments include the expansion of the Salute to Agriculture Day and the creation of the Dr. Jim Evans Endowed Chair position in the Colleges of ACES and Media. Colleen was recognized during the University of Illinois Commencement on May 13 and the ACES Commencement on May 14.  Congratulations Colleen!

Learn more

Dawn Jackson Blatner, B.S. '97 HDFS served as the ACES Commencement speaker on Sunday, May 14 at the State Farm Center.  She challenged the students "don't wait for an invitation" in life or in your career.  If you have a passion to try something new or find a way to be "part of the team", challenge yourself to think outside of the box to make a difference! 

Dawn Jackson Blatner is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics. Dawn is the nutrition consultant for the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, a food and nutrition blogger with Huffington Post, and a nutrition expert on the advisory board of SHAPE Magazine. She is the author of two award-winning books: The Flexitarian Diet, ranked a top plant-based diet by US News & World Report and The Superfood Swap. Dawn recently starred in (and WON!) the hit primetime ABC television show called, My Diet Is Better Than Yours. She currently is hosting S·E·E·CHICAGO on WGN TV.

Over 1500 ACES graduates and their families attended the ACES Tassel Turn Reception at Memorial Stadium's Colonnades Club on Sunday, May 14. The ACES Alumni Association along with the ACES administrators, faculty and staff congratulated graduates and welcomed them to the ACES Alumni Association!

Students had the opportunity to have a green screen photo taken to cherish this special day, receive their first ACES Alumni t-shirt and visit the memorial stadium columns. A cake and punch reception was also available.

Congratulations to the ACES Graduates!

The College of ACES Alumni Board of Directors is seeking a Crop Sciences Vocational Director.

Nominees must have received a degree in a course of study or shall have pursued a vocation or profession which involves the course of study within Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

The nominating committee requires the following information:

• A letter outlining why the alumnus or alumna wants to serve in this capacity and the skills or experiences that the alumnus or alumna will bring to the Board of Directors.
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• One letter of reference and two additional names which may be contacted.

Please submit all materials via mail or email to:
Tina Veal, Director
ACES Alumni Association
124 ACES Library, Information & Alumni Center
1101 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Email: vealt@illinois.edu 

To see a full role description

Deadline:  July 10, 2017

The ACES Alumni Board of Directors represents all aspects of the College of ACES. The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Alumni Association Board of Directors is comprised of a president, vice-president, immediate past president, seven vocational directors, 2 department representatives in Ag Education and Ag Communications, eight district directors, a University of Illinois Extension Director, two young alumni directors, and two undergraduate students who also serve as the vice-chair for alumni relations on the Student Advancement Committee and a representative to ACES Council. Members are elected to serve two-year terms by the ACES Alumni Association. A person shall not be elected for more than three consecutive terms (6 years). 

ACES Alumni Board Members include:

Executive Board

District Directors

Vocational/Career-Oriented Directors

Save the Date for ACES Agronomy Day 2017!

Agronomy Day is a collaborative field day hosted by the Department of Crop Sciences in partnership with several academic units in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). From nitrogen management to drone demonstrations Agronomy Day shares cutting-edge research with practical implications for your farm or business. CEU and CCA credits are available during tour stops.

Date:  August 17, 2017

Time:  7am - 2pm

Where:  Crop Sciences Research and Education Center, 4202 South First Street, Savoy, IL  61874

Learn more

As we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the College of ACES Alumni Association we reflect on the storied history of our ACES Family. The traditions we’ve shared over the past 60 years have allowed us to impact student success, recognize alumni achievement, and provide timely programming for our alumni and friends of the College of ACES.

Today, we are proud of each and every one of our 37,204 alumni living across Illinois, throughout the US, and in every corner of the world.

We’re proud to have awarded over 380 members of our family with Young Alumni Recognitions, Family Spirit Awards and the Award of Merit – the highest award our college can bestow. 

Each and every day, we are honored to connect with, and serve, our alumni; and share in our Orange and Blue ACES pride!

Learn more about the $60 for 60 campaign.

June 1, 2017               ACES in Places: Lawfers Registration Deadline

June 6, 2017               ACES in Places: Lawfers Dairy, Kent, IL

June 16, 2017             ACES Family Academies Registration Deadline

June 19, 2017             Outstanding Young Alumni Nominations Due

June 19, 2017             ACES Family Spirit Nominations Due

June 19, 2017             ACES Career Achievement Nominations Due

July 13-14, 2017         ACES Family Academies

August 12, 2017          4-H Hall of Fame, Orr Building Illinois, State Fairgrounds 4-6pm

August 17, 2017          U of I Agronomy Day – 7am – 2pm

August 29-31, 2017     Farm Progress Show, Decatur, IL

September 8, 2017      ACES College Connection – tentative

September 9, 2017     Salute to Ag Day

To keep up to date with the ACES Alumni Calendar online

**If you have alumni related events you would like the ACES Alumni Association to help promote, please let us know!  We are happy to add to the calendar of events online and promote via social media.**

Were you a member of 4-H?  The University of Illinois Extension, Illinois 4-H, and the Illinois 4-H Foundation invite you to join the newly formed Illinois 4-H Alumni Association. A free life-time membership is available online @ go.illinois.edu/4Halumni. We hope your 4-H memories bring a smile to your face. We're creating memories daily with today's 4-H members.

Do you have an updated email address on file? Do you have an email you prefer to receive correspondence too? Did your email address recently change?

We want to stay connected to you!

All invitations to events and college updates will be sent via email only. Please update your email address to stay connected today!

With the rising cost of postal mail, email communication is a cost effective way for the ACES Alumni Association to stay connected and provide updates, event announcements and invitations to you as our alumni. Please feel free to share your email address with us by sending it to acesalumni@illinois.edu.

Online social networking is a great tool to stay in touch with alumni and friends from the College of ACES! We want to stay connected to you!  We post regular updates about activities, alumni profiles, on campus happenings, etc!  Stay connected with us!

ACES Alumni Association hosts the following groups online:

ACES Alumni Facebook - www.facebook.com/acesalum

College of ACES Facebook - www.facebook.com/UofICollegeofACES

Twitter - www.twitter.com/acesalumni

Linked In - go.illinois.edu/ACESAlumniLinkedIn  

YouTube - www.youtube.com/user/acesalumni

Flicker - www.flickr.com/photos/acesalumni/set

Instagram - www.instagram.com/acesalumni

Check out Class Notes online -

https://acesalumni.illinois.edu/news

Be sure to share any special times in your life with the ACES Alumni Association to keep your fellow alumni updated! Newly married? New job? Promotion? New book? New baby? We hope to hear from you.

Do you have a favorite University of Illinois memory to share at the UI Sesquicentennial celebration? As the University of Illinois Alumni Association creates a Welcome Center for 2017, the Student Life and Culture Archives is collecting and cataloging objects and images that capture the essence and diversity of your Alma Mater experience.

Looking for an Illini Network? Join the University of Illinois Network! Stay up to date with the University of Illinois activities, events near you or join a local Illini Club!
The Illini opportunities await you! Get involved!

www.uialumninetwork.org/index.html

Many of our Departments in the College of ACES provide alumni newsletters online.

Please be sure to bookmark your department alumni connection:

• Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
• Department of Agricultural Communications at Illinois
• Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
  •  Alumni Newsletter
• Agricultural Education
  • Alumni Newsletter & Alumni Profiles
• Department of Animal Sciences
• Department of Crop Sciences
• Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
• Division of Nutritional Sciences