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
Alfonso Colasuonno'06
Creative Writing
DeVon Wilson’90, Lee Gray’98, Nick Ewoldt, and Phyllis Hill from Beloit’s TRIO and McNair programs inspired me to set my aspirations high in life. I could relate to them because they showed that a commitment to low-income, first-generation students like me wasn’t just “lip service,” but that they truly cared and wanted the best for me and everyone else. Throughout my entire time they set the bar high and inspired me to make my dreams a reality, while also making the most of my education and time at Beloit.
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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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Steven Soli'22
Biology
Coach Kevin Lerg came in for my senior year season for lacrosse as the third coach our senior class had while playing lacrosse at Beloit. He immediately brought the team together and established a culture while trusting myself and the other seniors to lead the team. He gave us the chance to meet with multiple recruits off the field and teach the young players how to play the game fluidly on the field. He is a man of few words but someone who knows what to say when. I looked up to him and want to emulate him as a person and aspiring physician.
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Katelynn Sinclair'20
Anthropology
My friends were incredibly supportive of me for all four years and beyond. I can’t imagine having anyone better in my life. I’m so happy that we’re still gathering and supporting each other, like at Megan Pollpeter Cullison and Alex Cullison’s wedding with Andy Rich, Lydia Travers, and me (all from the Class of 2020).
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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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Penelope Althoff'68
Geology & Anthropology
Dr. Hank Woodard was an exciting, in-depth, fun professor of geology from whom I learned so much and became a PhD geologist thanks to him. I’ve enjoyed a wonderful career in geological teaching and consulting in my own business.
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Cam Murray'80
Chemistry
Dr. Phil Straffin’s willingness to block out an afternoon to tutor me on trigonometry allowed me to get into the chemistry program, which led to my career as a polymer chemist.
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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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Hannah Yee'19
Psychology
Professor Ron Watson guided my Honors Term Project, which focused on the intersection between Rock County’s rate of sexually transmitted infections and the opioid epidemic. He pushed me to collaborate with community organizations, collect ethnographies and use my findings to inform the work of the Beloit Public Health Initiative.
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David Eisenberg'77
Economics
Jerry Gustafson and Les McAllister were amazing professors and mentors. They encouraged their students to challenge themselves in economics and to capture the full breadth of a liberal arts education. Importantly, they both also encouraged leadership and engagement with the broader community as well. I still value their lessons today. (The attached photo is from my graduation, with Dr. Gustafson standing to my right.)
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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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Alfred Kraemer'73
English Literature & Philosophy
When my father died unexpectedly during my senior year, I hurried home to be with my family. When I got there, Professor Scott Crom had already sent a telegram telling me to stay home as long as I needed and that he and Professor Chad Walsh would talk to my professors. Both men were gentle, caring people who treated students with respect and affection.
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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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Audrey Grettie'99
Anthropology/Art History
Ian Nie, Tamara Hamlish, Nancy Krusko, Jo Ortel, and so many others made my Beloit experience special. I was a naive and sheltered suburban kid when I stepped onto Beloit’s campus in 1994. While I was there, I was introduced to ideas, art, cultures, and people from around the world. I was taught to think critically about world events, the human condition, and ethical issues. It has forever shaped how I move through my life.
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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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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.