Engaging with Illinois Tech, Near and Far

Morton Nemiroff
Morton Nemiroff

Staying connected to your alma mater after graduation can be tough. The “real world” beckons—you begin your career, maybe start a family, and priorities constantly shift. While it may be hard to find the time to come back to campus, there are ways to remain a part of Illinois Institute of Technology long after graduation that don’t even involve leaving your hometown.

Morton Nemiroff (CHE ’50) lives in Hawaii and hasn’t let a little thing like distance get in the way of staying connected. He has participated in recruitment activities for Illinois Tech for the last 40 years, making it his priority since 1990. Although he is more than 4,000 miles away, he is the university’s chief contact in Honolulu and has made a habit of spreading the word about Illinois Tech across the Pacific. Nemiroff is an Admission Ambassador, visiting high schools throughout the island of Oahu, coordinating alumni representation at college fairs, and ensuring that high school guidance counselors have plenty of Illinois Tech materials to share with their students.

“I had an excellent education at IIT,” Nemiroff says. “I want to make sure that these kids don’t miss out on a great opportunity just because we’re so far away.”

Illinois Tech needs alumni representatives on the mainland, too. Admission Ambassadors share their IIT experiences and knowledge of the university with prospective students and their parents, providing a first-hand look at life as a Scarlet Hawk. They help recruit future alumni who will continue Illinois Tech’s traditions.

“I like to tell students about IIT’s educational opportunities in addition to their basic training, like the IPRO Program. IIT helps enrich their minds, expand their views, and prepare them for postgraduate experiences,” says Nemiroff.

The Admission Ambassador program is based on Nemiroff’s efforts and needs your help to keep the success going. We would love to have “a Mort in every port”!

To get involved with the Office of Undergraduate Admission, contact Al Nunez, alumni engagement consultant, at nunez@iit.edu or 312.567.3154. Visit admissions.iit.edu/undergraduate/alumni for more information.


You Can Contribute to Illinois Tech’s Recruitment Efforts by

  • Referring qualified students: go.iit.edu/ras
  • Communicating with admitted students by phone, mail, or email
  • Attending regional college fairs and visiting high schools
  • Attending events for admitted students and their families
  • Staying up-to-date on what’s happening at Illinois Tech
  • Becoming part of the formal organization that recruits future alumni by joining the Admission Ambassadors program: admissions.iit.edu/undergraduate/alumni

IIT Chicagoland Alumni Chapter

Chapter Officers

Chair: Steve Nargang (ME ’96)—snargang@hawk.iit.edu

Vice Chair: Robert Meder (M.Arch. ’10)

Chapter Secretary: Natalie Hammer (EE ’09, M.A.S. PWR ’14)

Communication Chair: Lauren Joyce Hensel (PTC ’06)

City of Chicago Branch
Director: Vacant—Please email Zach Rus at zrus@iit.edu to get involved.

North Suburban Branch
Director: Vacant—Please email Zach Rus at zrus@iit.edu to get involved.
Assistant Directors: Brett Champlin (M.B.A. ’90), Thomas Hutch (M.S. BIOL ’00)

Northwest Suburban Branch
Director: Bruce Meier (MATH ’76)—brucemeier5540@gmail.com
Assistant Directors: Luke Dykstra (CPE ’00, M.S. CS ’01), Dave Kamath (M.S. IE ’73)

West Suburban Branch
Director: Joe Koblich (BA ’88) joe@koblich.com

South Suburban Branch
Director: Jerry Wilks (MET ’72, M.A.S. MET ’82, M.A.S. CHE ’05)—gwilks@citgo.com
Assistant Directors: Rob Besecker (BA, MM ’96), Marlene Lojas (CHE ’91)

Stuart Alumni Committee
Chair: Patrick Bourbon (M.S. FIN ’00) patrick.bourbon@gmail.com


U.S. Chapters

Volunteers who enjoy connecting IIT graduates to their alma mater manage each chapter. Domestic chapters and their leaders are:

Austin: Arun Prakash (AE ’99) prakaru@gmail.com

Bay Area: Shailvi (CPE ’07) and Govind (EE ’08) Wakhlu shailvi@gmail.com

Dallas: Lisa Marszalek Wright (AE ’01) lisa.a.marszalek@gmail.com

Detroit/Ann Arbor: Alex Rasmussen (EE ’00) aprasmussen@gmail.com

Houston: Victoria Meyer (CHE ’90) vkmeyer@sbcglobal.net

Minneapolis: Harley Feldman (CHEM ’69) harleyfeldman@gmail.com

New York City: Hector Guillen (M.Arch. ’91) hguillen@jankorasic.com

Philadelphia: Heather Weaver (PPPS `00) hlweaver035@gmail.com

Phoenix: Peter Koliopoulos (ARCH ’86) peter@circlewest.net

San Diego: Crystal Sargent (M.S. MCOM ’02) csargent@torreypinesbank.com

Seattle: Mike Wayte (ME ’61) mikejwsr@hotmail.com

Southern California: Benny Jones (MATH ’94) bennyjones.iit@gmail.com

Washington, D.C.: Vacant—Please email Zach Rus at zrus@iit.edu to get involved.


Global Chapters

China: General Secretary Jennifer Meng Xia (M.P.A. ’07) gyxiameng@hotmail.com

Hong Kong: Victor Lo (DSGN ’73) victor_lo@goldpeak.com

India: Thiruvengadam Ashok (M.S. CS ’01) ash@stagsoftware.com

Japan: Tetsuyuki Hirano (ARCH ’79) tetsu-hirano@hd-group.co.jp

Korea: Jongsub Moon (Ph.D. CS ’91) jsmoon@korea.ac.kr

Taiwan: Steve Chun Pan (M.S. IE ’77, Ph.D. MSC ’88) chun@uch.edu.tw

Thailand: Paiboon Pongchairerks (M.S. IE ’75) paiboopo@gmail.com

If you live in any of these areas and want to get involved, contact the chapter chair or email the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@iit.edu.