2025 at Carthage: The year in review
As the anticipation builds for another great year in 2026, let’s recap some of ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝â€™s most memorable moments from the past 12 months.
January
2030 VISION
President John Swallow outlined his bold vision for the next five years at Carthage with a Q&A in The Carthaginian magazine. That vision hinges on meeting four concrete goals by 2030: growing total enrollment to 3,000; raising the retention rate to 85 percent with no equity gaps; boosting fundraising to $10 million per year; and upgrading several programmatic buildings while beginning to modernize the legacy residence halls.
STUDY ABROAD RANKING
As shown in the latest “Open Doors” report from the Institute of International Education, Carthage ranked No. 8 in its category for the number of students taking part in short-term study abroad. This recognition underscored the massive popularity of the College’s faculty-led J-Term study tours.
NSF GRANT
Chemistry professor Erin Weber received a National Science Foundation grant worth $498,000 to develop tools that detect a devastating potato virus. The grant funds summer research students, new high-end lab equipment, a research technician, and students’ travel to professional conferences.
News release | Carthage research website
February
OVATION AWARD
The Kenosha Area Business Alliance presented a Forward Award to Carthage for driving progress and fostering growth throughout the county. President Swallow accepted the award during KABA’s annual Ovation Awards ceremony on Feb. 6.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS
For the first time since 2010, the men’s basketball team won the outright conference championship and made the NCAA Division III tournament. The Firebirds finished 14-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and 21-7 overall to complete a four-year turnaround under Coach Steve Djurickovic.
|
DRONE COMPETITION
Twenty teams of middle- and high-school students showcased their drone piloting skills in the inaugural Wisconsin Aerial Jam, which the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (based at Carthage) and NASA Langley Research Center co-hosted at the TARC. The event returns to campus Jan. 31, 2026.
Ready to make your own memories?
March
PASTORAL ENDOWMENT
Donors established the Dudley Riggle Endowed Chair for Campus Ministry to strengthen the College’s spiritual foundation, and Carthage formally installed the Rev. Adam Miller-Stubbendick as the first recipient. The endowment’s namesake, a beloved retired pastor and professor, attended the installation ceremony and took part in a panel discussion.
VERBATIM THEATRE AT 10
The sold-out premiere of “Terminal Exhale,” an original play derived from interviews with healthcare workers who treat victims of gun violence, marked 10 years of Carthage’s Verbatim Theatre Project. About 50 regional professionals attended a companion seminar, “Healing the Healers,” on campus March 29.
Story | Theatre program website
April
COACHING MILESTONE
When the Firebirds won the nightcap of an April 8 doubleheader against Augustana, it gave head softball coach Amy Gillmore ’94, M.Ed. ’04, her 600th career win in her 28th season. Her leadoff hitter, Clare Rettler ’26, hit .618 to repeat as the NCAA Division III batting champion.
|
May
LARGEST GRADUATING CLASS
The Class of 2025 received a rousing sendoff during Commencement weekend, as activities moved to the higher-capacity TARC Field House. Including students who finished requirements over the summer, 650 students completed their studies during the 2024-25 year — Carthage’s largest-ever graduating class.
Hired Before Graduation feature | Commencement photo albums: | | |
CHAPEL RENOVATIONS
A.F. Siebert Chapel reopened after being offline for much of the spring while workers upgraded the sound system and replaced a pair of air handling units for heating and cooling. Kenosha philanthropist Grace Kolakowski funded the project with a $2 million commitment.
Faith and spirituality website
See the Carthage community up close!
June
MISS WISCONSIN
Just weeks after graduating from Carthage, Willow Newell ’25 made history as the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Wisconsin. After representing her state in the Miss America competition, she resumed her yearlong term, promoting inclusion in the arts as her service initiative.
Story |
NURSING LAB
Renovations got underway on the lower level of Hedberg Library, where a new $2.6 million nursing lab was made possible by a grant from the state of Wisconsin and a generous matching gift from Tom and Jan Duncan. The lab will supplement the Nursing Education Center in Lentz Hall. The addition will more than quadruple Carthage’s total nursing space, and the campus community should get its first look in February.
GENEROUS GIVING
The fiscal year concluded with record-setting fundraising success, including $16.4 million in new commitments to the Light that Travels campaign.
2025 Impact Report | Give Today
July
SCHOOL OF HEALTH LAUNCH
To meet the rising demand for healthcare workers, Carthage announced plans to open a School of Health, which brought thriving academic programs like nursing and neuroscience together under one umbrella and paved the way for new offerings in emerging fields. The new school’s dean, Paul Martino, and other leaders met with 75+ community stakeholders to gauge workforce needs. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for April 23, 2026.
NEW BOARD CHAIR
The Carthage Board of Trustees elected community leader and retired businesswoman Gina Madrigrano Friebus ’76 as chair for the next three years. Ms. Madrigrano Friebus joined the board in 2011, the same year she received the Distinguished Alumni Award. She succeeded Jeff Hamar ’80 as chair.
FIRST ENGINEERING CO-OPS
Halfway through their yearlong engineering co-ops, a feature story highlighted Savannah Reisner ’27, Blake Norgaard ’27, and Rodolfo Martinez ’27 as the first students in the optional add-on program. During a co-op year, engineering students gain full-time, paid work experience with local companies while taking a pair of two-credit courses.
Story |
BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Carthage introduced a major and minor in biotechnology, one of the faster-growing areas in scientific research. Program coordinator Emily Wollmuth noted the proximity to industry-leading companies like Lilly, the developer of drugs like Zepbound, which plans a massive expansion just miles from campus.
August
RECORD ENROLLMENT
While other schools in the region continued to report sharp enrollment declines, Carthage welcomed a record-setting first-year class in fall 2025. The official census count on Oct. 15 showed 926 freshmen and 101 transfer students. Total full-time undergraduate enrollment, which has risen 9% over the past six years, reached an all-time high with 2,873 students.
MENTORING PROGRAM
The Aspire Center and Office of Advancement matched 60 alumni volunteers with students for the 2025-26 cohort in a growing mentorship program. The pairs meet virtually throughout the academic year, culminating with an in-person event that will be scheduled in spring.
NEW COALITION CHAIR
The Business and Professional Coalition welcomed a new chair, highly accomplished Kenosha Area Business Alliance president Nicole Ryf. Under the theme “Wisconsin Horizons,” the coalition’s 2025-26 programs have already explored labor economics and the healthcare industry’s educational needs.
Recording: | Recap: Healthcare panel
Hibernating for the winter?
September
HEALTHCARE PARTNERSHIP
In partnership with Froedtert South healthcare system, Carthage began offering both scholarships and assurances of employment to students in the monthlong Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training program and the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. A financial commitment from retired hospital administrator Tom Duncan and his wife, Jan, made this possible.
HOMECOMING EXPANSION
For the first time, Carthage held class reunions in five-year increments during Homecoming and Family Weekend, giving many more alumni a chance to reconnect. Volunteers from class years ending in 1 or 6 are already planning activities for the 2026 celebration.
|
YOUTH SPORTS CLINICS
A new Carthage Athletics initiative, “Train Like a Firebird: Ember’s Sports Clinics,” kicked off with free 90-minute sessions at the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha for young athletes (grades 1-8) of all skill levels. More than 220 kids signed up for three fall clinics, and families can still register for several in spring.
October
NASA RESEARCH PRIZE
A research team led by Carthage professor Kevin Crosby won a NASA TechLeap Prize worth up to $500,000, funding development of potentially important technology for future space exploration. Their project, one of 10 selected in the Space Technology Payload Challenge, involves an innovative method designed to make in-space refueling more efficient.
Story | Space sciences website
AIDES TO TEACHERS
The Education Department launched an AA to BA plus licensure pilot program that creates a pipeline for school paraprofessionals to become full-time teachers. Taught by Carthage faculty, seven Milwaukee Academy of Science teaching assistants are working toward their bachelor’s degrees.
Story |
November
CROSS COUNTRY STAR
On Nov. 1, Jacob Curulewski ’26 won the individual conference title in men’s cross country, breaking North Central runners’ 15-year streak at the Nov. 1 CCIW meet. Three weeks later, he finished eighth at the NCAA Division III championships to become the program’s first All-American since 1973.
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORS
Community members gathered Nov. 17 to honor Julius Crump, the first appointee to the Rev. Raymon L. Pedersen Distinguished Professorship in Social Change. Carthage trustee LeAnn Pedersen Pope ’79 committed $1.5 million for the endowed position. A similar event was held earlier in the year for Joey Tenuta, the College’s new Rogers Palmer Distinguished Professor in Business.
FACULTY FULBRIGHT
Alongside Carthage’s extensive track record of student fellowships, psychological science professor Melanie Nyhof was selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. Since arriving in Indonesia in November, she’s been researching children’s beliefs about death and the afterlife in the distinctive Tana Toraja region.
Story | Student fellowship website
Support our educational mission!
December
WASSAIL WONDERLAND
The 151st annual Carthage Christmas Festival featured access to the new Wassail Wonderland before each performance. Attendees who selected that ticket package enjoyed a glowing forest of Christmas trees, festive food and drinks, creative activities, regional vendors, and holiday photo spots.
Photos: |
To all of the Carthaginians who made 2025 so impactful, thank you and Happy New Year!