Residents of southern Iowa and northern Missouri will be seeing a new face of Graceland University at regional public schools' sporting/special events, and at community gatherings. A new Graceland Yellowjacket events trailer was rolled out for area 4th of July parades recently and GU Marketing Director Kirk Bjorland expects the "Blue and Gold" of Graceland to be appearing at events around the region in coming months.
"Graceland is truly an international university," Bjorland said. "This past year our students hailed from 40 countries and represented 47 states. People sometimes forget, though, that Graceland is very much a regional university. We draw students from all the regional high schools and we are very proud of that." Bjorland said the GU trailer will be a way for Graceland to show appreciation for all the regional schools and communities, and to our current students and alumni who grew up in those communities. (Bjorland is pictured here with the new events trailer during SPECTACULAR. That's Marketing Assistant Chauntel Ranney seated inside.)
A major use for the trailer will be a portable welcome center for Graceland campus visitors. Rain or shine, the trailer will be a visible focal point where bus drivers, parents, coaches, and teachers bringing young people to Graceland events can get directions and materials.
The side panel of the trailer pops up. At athletic games, performing arts concerts, homecoming and other events, you will find Graceland students on hand to offer shirts, hats, pennants, sweatshirts and more, all with familiar GU Yellowjacket logos. Information about the university will be available for high school students and parents who are looking for the right fit in an institution of higher learning.
Dozens of camps, conferences and events take place on campus each year and those attending often ask if mementos of their stay are readily available. Now they will be. "It means a lot to people to take home something to remember a place where they had a good experience," Bjorland said. "We want visitors to remember Graceland, and come back to see us."
Each July more than a thousand high school students converge at GU to attend the week-long Community
of Christ SPECTACULAR camp. Sports, academics, fine arts, fellowship and more await these young campers. The Yellowjacket trailer will be another way to generate energy during this action-packed week. The trailer is also equipped with a sound and public address system. If you are planning a school or community event and you think the Yellowjacket trailer would provide an additional attraction, contact the GU marketing office and talk to Kirk Bjorland. His number is 641.784.5145.
"Sometimes a place like Graceland, a household word for families in the region, might be taken for granted during the college search," Bjorland said. "Parents might think a private school is too expensive or that Graceland is too close to home," he said. "We want you to know that Graceland offers excellent value, with great scholarships and grants and other forms of financial aid. And, sometimes staying fairly close to home can be a good thing. Lamoni is a great small town to go to school."
Graceland University was established in 1895 as a non-sectarian liberal arts institution of higher learning. It operates campuses in Lamoni, Iowa and Independence, Missouri, and offers degree completion programs at three other sites - the Kirkwood Community College campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; the Indian Hills Community College campus in Centerville, Iowa; and the North Central Missouri College campus in Trenton, Missouri.
Students from around the world and around the region choose from 50 academic programs at Graceland. For information about attending GU, please view our website: www.graceland.edu, and follow the links to Admissions and Financial Aid, call 866-GRACELAND, or write to Graceland University, Office of Admissions, 1 University Place, Lamoni, IA 50140.
