Among the best Midwestern undergraduate colleges, U.S. News & World Report ranks Trine:

• 13th for graduates carrying the least amount of school debt.
• 27th in graduation rate.
• 33rd in average amount of need-based aid awarded.

• Homecoming Highlights
  Alumni and friends had it all Homecoming weekend Sept. 26 and 27—beautiful weather, good friends, a revitalized campus to admire, and a football win against nationally ranked Franklin College on Saturday. Supporters got the first look at Trine’s new Golf Course Village student apartments, attending a dedication Saturday and then touring the freshman honors residence on Zollner Golf Course. A look into the future of campus athletic facilities was provided by Trine President Dr. Earl Brooks at a groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the planned Athletic and Recreation Center (ARC). The new center will include a 200-meter indoor track, practice facilities for tennis and baseball, and recreation opportunities for all students.
• Class of 1958 Reunion

  Over 20 members from the class of 1958 returned to their alma mater to celebrate their 50-year reunion. The alums had such a great time reminiscing during the annual Touchstone Dinner, some even extended the evening by returning to their fraternities and joining in on some fun with the students. Everyone who returned received a commemorative 50-year medallion. During the Saturday awards breakfast, the class presented the university with an endowed scholarship. The Class of 1958 Endowed Scholarship will benefit students for years to come.
  
  
  Touchstone Dinner

  The Friday night Touchstone Dinner honored notable alumni benefactors, including Dr. Robert L. Jannen, a 1950 chemical engineering graduate, and Dr. William Gettig, a 1949 mechanical engineering graduate, with the Pillar of Success Award, the university’s highest distinction. Both chairs emeritus of the board of trustees, the men have benefitted the university in innumerable ways. Trine faculty member Dr. Dolores Tichenor earned the 2008 Woman of Distinction Award, which recognizes the contributions of women in the areas of philanthropy, business, and education. Tichenor is assistant vice president of study abroad, director of institutional planning and analysis, and professor of mathematics.
  

  
  
  Homecoming Awards Breakfast

  The Homecoming Awards Breakfast Saturday morning recognized alumni elected by the Alumni Board of Governors for outstanding service to community, professional achievement, and supporting university ideals. William Lusk and Al Dausman, who graduated with civil engineering degrees in 1970 and 1977, respectively, received Outstanding Achievement Awards. Distinguished Service Awards went to Trine Trustee Mitchel Rhoads, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1966, and James Krzyzewski, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1971. Joseph D. Miller and Ruth Wertz, who completed mechanical and civil engineering degrees in 1992 and 2002, respectively, received Distinguished Service Young Alumnus Awards.
• Save the Date
  Trine University’s Homecoming weekend is set for Oct. 2 and 3 in 2009. Plan now to attend and celebrate a very significant event in our history—125 years as an institution of higher learning!
  
• IRA Rollover Passes for 2008-2009
  In "Division C -- the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008" of H.R. 1424, Congress extended an excellent charitable planning opportunity for both 2008 and 2009. This act permits an IRA owner age 70½ or older to make a direct transfer to charity. The transfer may be up to $100,000 in one year. For more information, please contact Ray Stuckey in the Alumni and Development department at 260.665.4115
  
• Lilly Endowment Helps Out ­ Again
  A $375,000 Lilly Endowment grant will expand relationships and implement new strategies to engage Trine University students in experiential learning assignments which lead to employment in Indiana. Partnerships with area employers and the Steuben County Economic Development Corp., Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Small Business Development Center, the Angola Area Chamber of Commerce, the Steuben County Industrial Guild, the Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board and others will be strengthened, and new connections between Trine students and industries will be made through Trine’s Office of Career Services. [ more ]
  
• CE Department Takes Reiners name
  Thanks to a $1.5 million gift from Larry and Judy Reiners of Tulsa, Okla., to the Department of Civil Engineering, Trine’s CE students will have more resources for their studies and the CE master degree program will be enhanced. Larry Reiners completed a bachelor of science in civil engineering at TSC in 1965. The department will be known as the Larry and Judy Reiners Department of Civil Engineering in recognition of the couple’s dedication to the institution. [ more ]
• Serendipity
  Tri-State grads Kelli Burkhardt, BS 1987, and Terri Sedam, BS 1988, had an unexpected brush with greatness Aug. 31, when presidential nominee Barack Obama and his vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden, stopped at Pier 32 restaurant on Hamilton Lake in Steuben County. When Burkhardt, and Sedam heard of the pending Pier 32 stop, they rushed eight miles from Edon, Ohio, to Hamilton with Burkhardt’s parents, grandmother and visiting aunt. Hundreds of people, including reporters and Secret Service men, crowded the restaurant and parking lot, but Obama and Biden sat down with Burkhardt and Sedam’s group, chatting, sampling appetizers, and questioning them about their lives. “It lasted for about 10-12 minutes of conversation. Regardless of any of our politics and the outcome of the election, this was truly an amazing experience to be part of,” Sedam said.