Wartburg College will bestow a new endowed chair during the Kleinfeld Lecture in German History, Culture and Politics
Thursday, Oct. 22.

The Gerald R. Kleinfeld Chair in German History will be bestowed upon Daniel Walther, professor of history, at 7:30 p.m. in Saemann Student Center’s McCaskey Lyceum.

Walther, a Wartburg professor since 1996, has held the Gerald R. Kleinfeld Distinguished Professorship in German History since 2007. The position is being elevated to an endowed chair through an additional $500,000 commitment by Gerald Kleinfeld as part of the Transforming Tomorrow campaign.

“Wartburg has a rich history, and it has a great potential for a bright future. It is my goal as the endowed chair to continue to harness that heritage, to use it as a tool to establish new relationships and to create new opportunities for our students to prosper in a global community,” Walther said. 

Udo Michallik’s lecture, “The Unifications of Germany and Europe – 25 Years After. Beginning of a New World Order?” will address the transformation of Europe since 1989 and its significance to the U.S. Michallik is the secretary general of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the German States.

Kleinfeld is the founder and former executive director of the German Studies Association and a professor emeritus of history at Arizona State University. The Kleinfeld chair recognizes Wartburg as the last remaining German-immigrant-founded college in the United States that supports active programs and relationships with Germany and encourages those ongoing connections.