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HOME > COMMISSION ON MISSION
by Karris Golden ’98
The college launched “Commission on Mission: Wartburg College’s Commitment to Living Out its Mission” in October 2007, an initiative focused on discussion of the four key concepts embodied in the mission statement—leadership, service, faith and learning. This three-year strategic planning initiative will provide a collaborative process for all Wartburg constituents to consider the fundamental concepts embodied in Wartburg’s mission of “challenging students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.” “Our mission is the cornerstone of all we do. If the college remains true to its mission, the evidence will be found in the lives of its 18,000-strong-and-growing alumni base living around the world,” said President Jack R. Ohle. “Preparing students for ‘lives of leadership and service’ means preparing alumni to go on to positively impact their families, workplaces, children’s schools, places of worship and broader communities as a ‘spirited expression of their faith and learning.’” Commission on Mission is focused on considering the ways in which these missional concepts impact the broader college community and are evidenced in the lives of its graduates, Ohle added. “The commission process is arguably as significant as the college itself,” he explained. “Wartburg readily attributes its success to knowing who it is, where it came from and where it is going. Commission on Mission will build on those strengths and positively impact the college for years to come. The Board of Regents initiated this project and appointed faculty, staff, alumni, students and friends to serve on four task forces and lead the process.” Sixty individuals were asked to serve on the task forces, each devoted to one of the missional concepts. A member of the Board of Regents and a faculty member serve as co-chairs of each group, with six faculty members, three alumni, two staff members and one student rounding out each task force. Board of Regents member Mike McCoy, Elison Bay, Wis., retired vice president and Hormel Foods chief financial officer, serves as Commission on Mission national chairperson. Project co-directors are Janeen Stewart, assistant to the president, and Dr. Lake Lambert III, associate professor of religion, director of the Wartburg Center for Community Engagement and Board of Regents Chair in Ethics. Each Commission Wartburg task force will receive and review the comments from the national summit meetings. Each will plan a symposium related to its specific missional concept and prepare material for a publication. Finally, each task force will make recommendations to the Board of Regents regarding integration of its specific missional concept. The Board of Regents will receive the task force recommendations, determine appropriate actions and make referrals for implementation. Commission on Mission marks the second time the college has used a constituent-based strategic planning model, which Ohle developed and implemented at institutions he served at prior to being named Wartburg president. Wartburg’s first use of the model was “Commission Wartburg: Identifying Strategies for the Future, Enlightened by a Rich Heritage,” it launched in April 1999 by the Board of Regents. It was singled out for a case study in 2003 by Harvard University’s Graduate School for Education because of its unique, constituent-based focus. By its conclusion in October 2007, Commission Wartburg resulted in 266 “Priorities for the Future,” 97 percent of which have been completed. Those recommendations were the basis for Campaign Wartburg, which exceeded its $88 million goal, raising more than $90 million for the college’s endowment, facilities, special projects and Annual Fund. Golden edits Wartburg Magazine.
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