Be All In
For over 175 years, Beloit College has transformed lives. The Be All In Campaign is our call to support the college for the next 175 years.
Why they are all in
Cecily Majerus'80
Government
Professor Milt Feder’s free-wheeling classroom discussions made you realize that, in life as in international relations, things are not black and white. They’re complicated, and often there’s no right or wrong. Yet no matter how intense the debate, he sprinkled in humor and showed respect for everybody’s opinion, quite eye-opening for someone fresh out of high school like me.
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Phil “P.G.” Kraemer'88
Psychology & Classics
While I was struggling in Professor Ranjan Roy’s mathematics class, I went to him for help and he kindly suggested changing course to pursue my real academic passion — the Classics. It was life-changing advice.
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Bob DiLeonardi'81
English Composition & Psychology
Professor Tom McBride inspired me to appreciate the power of good writing. Thanks to his help I learned to write well, a skill that opened the doors to a variety of interesting opportunities over the years. I still use every day the basic writing and analysis skills I learned from Professor McBride 40 years ago.
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Cameron Dieter'16
History & Political Science
A political theorist, Professor Jill Budny arranged to hold a small off-campus seminar with students, including a number of graduate students, from two other Midwest colleges to compare and contrast Shakespeare as a political strategist with Machiavelli and others. She invited me and a few other students along, and then quizzed us on the salient points of the discussion during the two-hour ride home.
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Tom Mullaney'61
Economics
In the fall of 1958, I was a transfer student to Beloit. Professor Les McAllister, as my advisor, was the first staff I met. Other than U.S. Economic History, I can’t remember any other economics courses I took my first semester, but eventually I took all of his. He gave me an interest in economics that continues to this day.
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G. Robert Brakenridge'75
Geology
Professors Hank Woodard, Dick Stenstrom, and John Burger taught the courses I took and led the field trips. They worked together, they had high expectations, and they helped us live up to them. Then at graduation, when I had the opportunity to thank “The Chief,” Hank told me that it was all my own doing, my own hard work. Not true, but what great words to send a new grad off with!
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Harold Mayer'64
Economics
The day a freshman English paper was due, Professor Bernie Morrissey called on me to read mine in class. But I had been so busy with Homecoming, I only had a rough draft. Instead of putting me on the spot, he invited me to his office, where he spent two hours going over what I had written. And then he accepted it late.
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James Ettorre'77
Student
Professor Tom McBride was an inspiration. It is thanks to him that I can express myself clearly with the written word. I remember one class where he analyzed a single page of a memoir, demonstrating why it was so persuasive and focused. My head was spinning by the end of the class. I learned how to dive deep into writing to understand its effect.
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Mike Knapton'97
Elementary Education
Professor Tom Warren introduced me to a plethora of educational tools to use inside the classroom to help engage students with all types of learning styles. He taught me that meeting their individual needs in the classroom was essential to effective learning. I have been a special education teacher for over 15 years. The experience and knowledge of the education department helped me with preparing to be a good educator.
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Jishnu Guha'13
Media Studies
Professor John Kaufmann’s infectious enthusiasm, passion, and commitment while directing me in several Beloit theater productions such as Kid Simple: A Radio Play In The Flesh and The Lady From The Sea. That is why I’m a filmmaker today.
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Maddie Ipsen'17
Psychology
Suzanne Cox and Kristin Bonnie were two of my professors in the psychology department. I don’t think I would be where I am in my career as a therapist without their guidance and support. They challenged me to improve as a student while supporting me each step of the way.
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Tori Key'03
Economics & Management
As director of the McNair Scholars Program, Associate Dean DeVon Wilson’90 was a fierce advocate for first-generation minority students like me to work through our self-doubt and go on to graduate studies, many as Ph.Ds.
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Allan Dalcher'70
Psychology
Professor Chad Walsh’s book Nellie and Her Flying Crocodile was one of the first books I ever read. As a freshman in his creative writing class, the topic of children’s books came up, and he said he had no experience in that field. I had to stand up and ask, “What about Nellie?” and he blushed. Never have I witnessed such modesty. He made me a writer.
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Lois More Overbeck'66
English Literature
I had an advanced class with Professor Marion Stocking my freshman year. After graduate school and a few decades of life and family, we met again in her retirement haven in Maine. She also visited my office at Emory University to see the legacy her own teaching, editing experience, and friendship had influenced: The Letters of Samuel Beckett, which I was co-editing for Cambridge University Press.
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Jim Winter'97
Creative Writing
Professor Tom McBride taught me to think differently about the world. His approaches to sharing his vast knowledge with us were unorthodox but always entertaining. He challenged me to see the world differently and consider all perspectives. His unique combination of matter-of-factness and dry humor made learning from him all the more enjoyable.
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Are you All In for Beloit?
Did becoming a Beloiter change your life?
Did you find your path, your soulmate, your direction, your purpose by being a Beloiter?
Was there one professor, advisor, or alum who went out of their way to see you succeed, or engage you in a transformative conversation you remember to this day?
Do you want to see Beloit thrive?
Then we invite you to Be All In for Beloit College right now.
Why now?
Over the past few years, Beloit has taken the bold step of strengthening its financial position while facing increasing competition for students and highly qualified professors.
The College paid down most of its debt and its leadership drafted the Beloit Action Plan, aimed at making the highly individualized education that sets Beloit apart even more relevant in today’s fast-changing world.
Beloit is now offering more intense student mentoring, a powerful program connecting college to careers, and bigger financial aid packages to help students and their families keep pace with today’s cost of higher education.
The Be All In Campaign
In February 2020, Beloit publicly launched its extraordinary fundraising campaign: Be All In to raise $54 million in unrestricted support over the next five years.
The response from alumni and friends, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been extraordinary, indeed.
Your gifts to the campaign allow our students opportunities that will serve them for the rest of their lives—just like your Beloit experiences have served you.
What’s Included in the Be All In Campaign?
With your investment, Beloit will be here another 175 years.
The changes are paying off
The college has devised a strong five-year financial plan to address the headwinds. Enrollment growth will take several years, so in the meantime, we are asking our alumni and friends to join us in building the runway on which to taxi, until our numbers and net tuition revenue bounce back.
The great news? The plan is already working.
- We’ve received extensive national attention for our COVID response and success, and our happy and participatory students: we are a success story and still the same adventurous, resilient community as always
- Our retention rates have averaged 98% in the past two years, a sign of huge student satisfaction
- We were ranked #5 Most Innovative Colleges by USNews.
- Giving and engagement are growing.
But there is more to be done. For Beloit to fully implement its Action Plan, it must cover existing financial gaps until enrollment and net tuition revenue fully rebound.
We want the best and brightest to have access to the experiences that only Beloit provides. Today, more than 99 percent of Beloiters receive financial aid—nearly $30 million annually. This support is provided through the generosity of the college’s alumni, parents, and friends: Beloiters supporting Beloiters.
Beloit is the oldest continuously operating private college in Wisconsin and, with your investment, we will be here for the next 175 years.
We invite you to join us with your gift for this extraordinary campaign and Be All In for Beloit College.