Worth Repeating - Fall 2007 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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Worth Repeating

I used to think
of Wartburg’s mission statement as somewhat corny and clichéd. However, now when I look at this mission statement, I see a promise that Wartburg College made to me when I first stepped foot on this campus. This is a promise that this institution has followed through on, and then some.

– Vern Klobassa ’07, who was honored as outstanding history senior during the 2006-07 academic year, speaking at the annual senior dinner. After graduation, Vern received a fellowship for graduate study at Western Illinois University.

I arrived
in Qinzhou, Guangxi, delighted to be surrounded by green fields and green trees and green and green and more green instead of the gray of Nanjing. I already knew Qinzhou was the place for me. Then, lunch arrived: spicy jellyfish. I quickly rethought my initial enthusiasm and tried it. It was mercifully hot, so I was distracted from the texture and perhaps even enjoyed the jellyfish, though I didn’t dig in for seconds. … Qinzhou … is poor. It is refreshing to see such joy and hard work in the face of this poverty, and it has made me spend time reflecting on my position here as a teacher. Just a teacher. Don’t get me wrong; my respect for teachers has sky-rocketed in the last few months. I am thankful for each of my teachers and hope to encourage my students in the same way they have encouraged me. Education is sustainable, and I am honored to be a part of this.

– Kira Elliott ’07, who teaches English in China through Amity Foundation, from an e-mail she sent Sept. 14 to friends and family titled jellyfish, chopsticks and poverty

“Wartburg gave
me more than an education, it provided me an experience. It included more than academic and extracurricular activities. It included great faculty, staff and community members, who for me became role models, then mentors, and along the way, friends. Friendships that continue to this day, and I’m glad to see those retired and some still current faculty are here today to mark this occasion with me.”

– Gregory Schmitz ’83, president of Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa, on receiving his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college at the 155th Commencement May 27

“Five things
you need to do:

1. Register to vote.
2. Vote.
3. Find out what candidates are saying.
4. Follow up post-election to make sure they are doing what they said they would.
5. Tell your stories. Call your representatives. Tell them where you stand so they know how to help you.

– Anti-discrimination activist Judy Shepherd, whose son, Matthew, was beaten to death because he was gay, speaking at Convocation Sept. 25

As a first-year
student you are introduced to Wartburg and with your newfound independence you learn more about yourself and who you may become. As a sophomore, you begin to see the impact you can have on the community around you and begin to step into leadership positions. As a junior you find that Wartburg truly is an integral part of the Waverly community as well as many other parts of the world and become more engaged. Finally, as a senior you are able to look back and see where you have come from and look forward to the rest of your life—a life enriched by your experiences at Wartburg.

– Student Body President Eric Benson ’08 of New Hampton, Iowa, speaking Sept. 4 at Opening Convocation

Often when I meet
first-year students, I will ask them, ‘Why have you come to college?’ A common response has been ‘to get a job in the real world.’ If this sounds familiar, I would urge you to consider the possibility that college is the real world, and that your classroom experiences and what you may consider to be the outside world are inextricably linked.

– Dr. Penni Pier, associate professor of communication arts and
co-director of Engaging Students: First in the Nation, speaking
Sept. 4 at Opening Convocation

Many of us think
of community in a physical and linear sense. That is, we think of ‘communities of place’ that we inhabit. And when we move on, we move to different communities of place. … I would also like us … to consider and explore the meaning of ‘community’ in social, ethical and moral terms as well.

– Dr. Fred Waldstein, professor of political science, director of the Wartburg Leadership Education Institute, Burling Chair in Political Science and co-director of Engaging Students: First in the Nation, speaking Sept. 4 at Opening Convocation

What a great
opportunity (Wartburg College students) have. … You will have the opportunity here at Wartburg for an international education.

– Dr. Gerald R. Kleinfeld, $1 million donor who created a distinguished professorship in German History, speakingOct. 9 at the Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professors Convocation

Our community
has been struck, and motivated by your Mission Statement of leadership, service, faith and learning. Growing up on the New England coast, I recognize these values to be—as the nauticals would say—your North Star. The transformation you desire for all in your community creates what we at Franklin Pierce have come to know as ‘Leaders of Conscience.’ We believe that such leaders are essential to our democracy.

– Dr. George Hagerty, president of Franklin Pierce University, Wartburg’s partner in Engaging Students: First in the Nation, a collaboration focused on educating students and the public regarding the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary during the 2008 presidential election cycle, speaking at Opening Convocation Sept. 4

Our two states,
and I believe our two institutions, hold an important place in the presidential election in 2008. Both institutions have embraced our respective state’s historic ‘First in the Nation’ status to create a collaborative curriculum between our two campuses focused on the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. … Our institutions have the opportunity to engage voters 18 to 24 in an initiative that is non-partisan and far-reaching.

– Dr. Jack R. Ohle, Wartburg president, speaking Sept. 1 at Franklin Pierce University’s Academic Convocation

Wartburg College
is larger than the physical space it occupies.

– Dr. Daniel J. Walther, associate professor of history and Gerald R.Kleinfeld Distinguished Professor of German History, speaking Oct. 9 at the Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professors Convocation

One way
or another, the all too familiar ‘Wartburg tapestry’ has woven its ‘orangeness’ into our lives and gotten to each and every one of us. Whether you’re overflowing with school spirit or delighted at the thought of being finished with school and entering the ‘real world,’ the experiences and people within this community have impacted you. You are not the same.

– Lauren Vincent ’07, now pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at St. Louis (Mo.) University, speaking on behalf of the Class of 2007 at Commencement May 27

We are tied to
each other and to the rest of the world.

– Dr. Peter T. Nash, professor of religion and liberal studies and Franklin and Irene Saemann Professor of World Communities, speaking Oct. 9 at the Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professors Convocation

I would ask you
to consider what type of greatness you might achieve as someone who serves local communities and the world with a college degree. Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said you don’t need higher education to serve, but imagine what the possibilities will be for your life because you have the knowledge, skills and abilities of a college graduate. With your education, you will be able to advance great evil or serve the greater good. You will be able to focus on exclusively on your own wants and desires, or you will be able look beyond yourself to your neighbors—neighbors who may be next door or neighbors who may be on the other side of the globe.

– Dr. Lake Lambert III, associate professor of religion and philosophy, Regents Chair in Ethics and director of the Wartburg Center for Community Engagement, speaking Sept. 4 at Opening Convocation