The Millikin University athletic director, with the approval from the vice president and president of the university, has made the decision to discontinue the school's wrestling program. 

Athletic Director Lori Kerans has explained that budget, Title IX, the number of wrestlers, success of the wrestling team, or success of the coaches were not reasons to drop the program. She has also explained that she is willing to explain and discuss her decision with anyone that is interested. 

Kerans explained that the reason for dropping the program was because of a lack of full-time coaches and a lack of wrestling facilities on campus.  She believes that wrestling at Millikin University should be dropped for lack of commitment from the university.  

The university is currently in the process of searching for a new athletic director.  The decision was made by Kerans, who resigned in January but is remaining athletic director until the university makes a decision on a new athletic director. 

The decision to drop the program was made some time ago, prior to many wrestlers, and their families, spending time and money to visit Millikin University.  Kerans allowed those families to come and visit Millikin University even with the knowledge that the wrestling program would be dropped.

The Millikin University wrestling program had low numbers this past season. In 2006, the athletic director asked the wrestling coaches to clean up the program and part ways with a few individuals.  She did not allow sufficient time for the rebuilding of the program. 

Recently, the program was making great strides in recruiting student-athletes. As of March 2008, the Millikin University wrestling program has commitments from nine student-athletes, six of which are honor scholars. The nine committed to wrestling are one-sport athletes.  This number does not including football, track, baseball, and other two-sport athletes that are also interested in wrestling at Millikin University.  

There have been a total of 35 campus visits from wrestlers this year.  The Millikin University wrestling peam has five wrestlers from the 2007-2008 season returning as well as three more wrestlers that did not compete during the 2007-2008 season.

Millikin University President, Doug Zemke, was CCIW Wrestling Champion for as a student at Millikin.  Please direct your emails, phone calls, and letters to his office.
	
Please HELP SAVE MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY WRESTLING in a positive, affective manner.  We need to group together and make positive effort to save this wrestling program.  In the past three years there has been four Illinois wrestling programs that has been dropped. 

Please direct your emails, calls, and letters to the people listed below:

Lori Kerans (Athletic Director)
-	Phone Number- Office number - 217- 424-6344
-	Email- lkerans@millikin.edu

Richard Dunsworth (Vice President)
-	Phone Number- office number 217- 424-6340
-	Email- rdunsworth@millikin.edu

Douglas E. Zemke (President)
-	Phone Number- (office number) 217- 424-6208
-	Email- dzemke@millikin.edu

Help save the Millikin University wrestling program!