McKendree University Parent Association

05/10/2026

💜 Happy Mother’s Day to all of our amazing McKendree moms and families!

Thank you for the endless love, support, encouragement, and care you give your students every step of the way. We hope you feel celebrated and appreciated today and always!

05/04/2026

🎓 Commencement Day is almost here!

On Friday, May 8th, your Bearcats take the stage and officially become McKendree alumni 💜🐾 What an incredible milestone for the Class of 2026 and for the families who have supported them every step of the way.

Commencement will take place on the front lawn where they started their journey and now where they will celebrate its completion ✨

📅 Commencement Ceremony Schedule:
🕙 10:00 AM – College of Arts & Sciences & School of Education
🕜 1:30 PM – School of Business & School of Nursing and Health Professions
🕟 4:30 PM – Graduate Students

We can’t wait to celebrate with you and your graduate today 💜

04/24/2026

💜What an incredible Academic Excellence Day at McKendree!💜

Yesterday, our campus was filled with pride as students showcased their scholarly and creative work during the 2026 Academic Excellence Celebration at McKendree University. From research presentations to inspiring projects, it was a true reflection of the hard work and dedication to our Bearcats.

We also had the opportunity to recognize students for distinguished achievement in their majors and graduate programs, while celebrating new members inducted into various honor societies.

Academic Excellence Day continues to be one of the highlights of the year, bringing together our campus community to celebrate student success both inside and outside the classroom.

📸 Check out photos from the day here: https://www.mckendree.edu/photos/

02/19/2026

💜🐾 Bearcat Families, we’re SO close! 🐾💜

One McKendree Giving Day is still going strong, and we’re just steps away from reaching our goal of 600 gifts! Every gift helps support the opportunities, experiences, and moments that make McKendree feel like home for our students.

Let’s finish strong and cross the finish line together! Help us reach our goal! 🙌

🔗 www.mckendree.edu/onemckendree

🔥🐾 WE ARE SO CLOSE 🐾🔥

The thermometer is rising and we’re just 50 GIFTS AWAY from reaching our goal and unlocking $200,000 for McKendree students and programs!

And right now, your impact goes even further. 💥
Thanks to The Big Roar Challenge, every gift to the Annual Fund is being amplified 5X — making this the perfect moment to help push us over the finish line.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time… this is it.
Be one of the final 50 and help us Raise the Roar in a BIG way.

👉 Give now and help us cross the line:
🔗 www.mckendree.edu/onemckendree

02/19/2026

💜🐾 Power Hour Match is LIVE! 🐾💜

From 4:00–8:00 PM today, every gift to the Annual Fund will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $12,000) thanks to the generosity of President Dan Dobbins ’81 and Mrs. Mickey Dobbins ’81! Double your impact and help support our Bearcats during One McKendree Giving Day.

🔗 www.mckendree.edu/onemckendree

🚨 CHALLENGE ALERT 🚨
⚡𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 is Now Live!⚡

Ready to double your impact, Bearcats? 🐾💜

During the Power Hour Match, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫-𝐟𝐨𝐫-𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 thanks to the generosity of 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑫𝒂𝒏 𝑪. 𝑫𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒔 ’81 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒓𝒔. 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝑫𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒔 ’81.

🕓 February 18 | 4:00–8:00 p.m. (CT)
💥 All gifts matched up to $𝟏𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎

Your gift during this four-hour window goes twice as far in supporting students, programs, and the areas of greatest need across campus. Don’t miss your chance to help us Raise the Roar!

🔗 www.mckendree.edu/onemckendree

02/18/2026

💜🐾 One McKendree Giving Day is HERE! 🐾💜

Today is a special opportunity for our Bearcat families to come together and support the experiences that make McKendree feel like home. From friendships and mentorship to unforgettable moments on campus, every gift helps create opportunities that impact our students each day.

Let’s show our Bearcat pride, make an impact, and Raise the Roar together! 🎉

🔗 www.mckendree.edu/onemckendree

02/17/2026

🍩 What a 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 day on campus! 💜

As part of Founders Week, we hosted our annual 𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑫𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒔 event, bringing together students, faculty, and staff for a fun and meaningful way to engage in philanthropy and give back. Thanks to the incredible support of our Bearcat community, we 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝟒𝟐𝟎 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬, making a big impact toward One McKendree Giving Day!

A special thank you to Sugar High for the delicious donuts and for partnering with us to make this favorite tradition possible!

Moments like these show the power of coming together to support what makes McKendree special!

Let's keep Raising the Roar!🐾

01/21/2026

💜 It's that time of year again! 🐾

McKendree University Career Services is hosting the annual Career Fair and Education Fair on Wednesday, February 18, and we encourage families, supporters, and mentors to remind their Bearcats to take advantage of this important opportunity.

These fairs provide students with the chance to connect with employers and schools, explore career paths, practice professional networking, and take meaningful steps toward life after graduation.

Your encouragement makes a difference!
Please remind your Bearcat to:
▪️ Dress professionally
▪️ Bring copies of their resume
▪️ Be ready to ask questions and build connections

Whether your Bearcat is exploring career options or preparing for what's next, this is a great opportunity to build confidence and career readiness.

01/13/2026

✨ Happy New Year, Bearcat Parents! ✨

As we welcome 2026, we’re excited to have classes back in session and students returning to campus. It’s great to see McKendree buzzing with energy again! Wishing your students a successful and rewarding spring semester! We’re looking forward to a great one ahead. 💜🐾

New semester. New routines. Same McKendree spirit. 🐾

📸 Tag on Instagram and use in your January photos for a chance to be featured on McKendree’s social pages this month.

10/28/2025

We’re keeping the celebration going! 🎉

On Friday evening, we celebrated our 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬
𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 💜✨It was an incredible evening honoring our distinguished alumni and their outstanding achievements.

⭐ 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬: Taylor Ganz ’20, Zach Loehr ’17, and Hailey (Porter) Traub ’18
📚 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Dr. Khalilah (Graham-Hyatt) Doss ’03
🎭 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Ryan Furniss ’00
🖋️ 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Jill (Schlueter) Dorries ’91
🔬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲: Dave Dillenberger ’87
💜 𝐋𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: Dave ’70 and Mary Philip ’66
🏆 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: Jeff ’85 and Marcy Lanter

Congratulations again to our 2025 Alumni Award winners—thank you for continuing to make McKendree proud! 🐾🎉

📸 See more photos from the celebration here ➡️ mckendree.edu/photos