Come Home to "the Hill" for Graceland's Homecoming 2011. That's right, Homecoming is almost here - Friday October 14 to Sunday October 16 - and all of us at Graceland would love to see you come home for what is shaping up as a very memorable weekend. You can read all about the events and festivities planned by clicking on Horizons Magazine. There you will find stories about the Graceland Forever Capital Campaign Launch planned for Saturday and you can view the complete list of where and when you want to be. You can also go directly to our Alumni & Friends web pages which feature everything you will want to know about Homecoming 2011.

This year's honor classes are 1951, 1961, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991 and 2001. Lots of Gracelanders have already signed up but we still have room for you. Please register online at Honor Classes, and don't forget to make your dinner reservations. The homecoming play this year is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and the theatre department has been working hard to make it a first class production. It will take place in the venerable surroundings of the MSC Main Room, a nostalgic step back in time because of the tremendous renovation/transformation taking place on the Shaw Center. You will have an opportunity during the weekend to take a look at the amazing construction taking place on the Lamoni campus, including the just-completed 'Small' and 'Thomas' Apartments on north campus. Remember, you can study the entire homecoming schedule at Homecoming 2011. This year's Homecoming theme is Building a Great Forever. Nothing could be more true.

Vote now in the Alumni Board Elections. Every Homecoming the Alumni Board of Directors conducts an election for new members. The ballot this year includes outstanding candidates and we urge you to vote. If you would like to cast your ballot right now, click on Alumni Board Election 2011.

The Alumni Programs office would like to brag about you! Please send us a quick two-paragraph career recap to alumni@graceland.edu. This is for our "Where Have Our Graceland Graduates Gone?" project. We want to publish on our Web site some of the career bios of the many great people who have gone on to successful careers. Please tell us what you majored in, what you do for a living, and share a few words about how Graceland prepared you for the real world. We know our current students, and prospective students, will be inspired by your stories.

New Graceland Web Site is now online. If you haven't already noticed, take a look at the university's new Web Site. We think you'll agree that it is colorful, informative, easy to navigate, and a lot of fun. We continue to build new features into the site. Go see what the new virtual face of Graceland has to offer.

Kansas City Golf Outing Draws 60 Gracelanders. President John Sellars joined a large group of golfers, including many alumni and friends, in August at the Drumm Farm Golf Club for the 2011 Graceland University Golf Classic. There were 20 corporate and individual sponsors for the event and $8,500 was raised to fund furnishings for the Graceland Student Government office in the MSC and textbooks for students. There are some pretty good golfers in the Graceland community. They all had a great time, and they enjoyed doing their part in funding a campus improvement project.

Team McDole Lady Jackets Volleyball Receive Top Academic Honor. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has honored the Graceland Women's Volleyball program and veteran head coach Stew McDole '65 with an AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2010-2011 academic year. The award was initiated in 1992 and honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that have displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 GPA. Graceland had a significant number of student athletes (30) named as Academic All Americans last year. "Our team has typically been known for its academic success," McDole said. "We have had some outstanding scholars over the years. This is a great testimony of our program and particularly of these well-deserving student athletes." This is Stew's 30th year coaching at Graceland. He is one of the most-recognized and respected volleyball experts in America. Keep in touch with Stew at mcdole@graceland.edu.

Community of Christ Initiatives Making an Impact. Initiatives to make a Graceland University education more affordable for Community of Christ students are truly making a difference. This fall, the number of incoming students who are members of Graceland's sponsoring church has increased by approximately 30 percent over last year's number. These increases were made possible primarily by two programs: 'Study and Faith' scholarships and the Graceland University Congregational Representative program that has created a network of Graceland reps in congregations around the country. They inform Community of Christ students about Graceland happenings and why GU is a good choice for them. The 'Study and Faith' scholarship program makes the cost of a Graceland education within reach of each student. If you would like to know more about either of these programs, contact Greg Sutherland at Greg.Sutherland@graceland.edu or by phone at 641.784.5470.

Nate Myer Wins Prestigious Rotary Scholarship. Nate Myer, a 2010 Graceland graduate, has been named a $27,000 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship recipient for the school year 2012-2013. He is pictured here with Terry Geiger, of Leon, District Governor Elect for 2012-2013. There are 63 Rotary clubs in District 6000 covering the southern half of Iowa. The Rotary Club of Decatur County sponsored Nate. This is a first for the Decatur club and the first time a student from Graceland University has ever been selected for this coveted scholarship. Nate has not yet been assigned but he will be studying in Argentina, Chile, Peru or Colombia.