Wartburg College has received two gifts totaling $1.5 million to further enhance the work of Iowa’s oldest accredited undergraduate social work program.

Jack and Sarah Salzwedel of Middleton, Wis., both 1982 Wartburg graduates, are giving $1 million to establish the Slife Institute for Social Work Consultation, Research and Training, named in honor of her parents, Harry and Polly, who were prominent community leaders in the Cedar Valley.

O. Jay and Pat Tomson of Mason City are donating $500,000 to sustain and strengthen the social work program’s nationally recognized curriculum and faculty. In recognition of the Tomsons’ longstanding commitment to the college, the Wartburg Board of Regents has created the Tomson Family Distinguished Chair in Social Work — the college’s first distinguished chair. The Tomsons previously endowed a social work professorship.

Their daughter, Sara Tomson-Hooper, a 1989 Wartburg graduate, is an executive with Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta and received a 2010 Wartburg Alumni Citation for her impact on the social work profession.

The social work institute will enhance the department’s ability to provide consulting services, do research and help train professionals. The distinguished chair gives the department additional time and resources to oversee the work of the institute, including field experiences for the college’s 58 social work majors.

The Slifes —  Cedar Falls residents who died Jan. 2, 1994 in a car accident east of Decorah — were honored in 1988 as Eastern Iowa’s “Outstanding Philanthropists.” Harry Slife had been president of Rath Packing Co. and Black Hawk Broadcasting (KWWL), a state senator, served on the state Board of Regents (1973-79), and was a Wartburg regent (1980 until his death).

The gifts were announced Thursday night at a special dinner celebrating the social work program and the annual President’s Convocation earlier in the day.

Jack Salzwedel, currently a Wartburg regent, is chairman and chief executive officer of American Family Insurance. O. Jay Tomson, a regent from 1989 to 1998, is chairman of First Citizens National Bank of Mason City.

Sarah Salzwedel, Pat Tomson and Sara Tomson-Hooper all have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.

“Jack and I think this is a great thing for the college — for its mission of challenging and nurturing students for lives of leadership and service,” Sarah Salzwedel said. “This is another element of education that has real world applications. It encourages people to pursue their passions and make a difference in the world.”

“It’s a chance to see Wartburg continue to build and certainly fits well within the scope and mission of a Christian liberal arts college,” Pat Tomson said. “Wartburg’s social work department serves our communities well and equips its students to attend some of the best graduate schools.”

“These are two wonderful and generous gifts,” said Wartburg College President Darrel Colson. “One honors Harry and Polly Slife, a couple whose distinguished and philanthropic service to the Cedar Valley is legendary. The other extends the Tomson family’s abiding and heartfelt support for Wartburg.

“What makes the gifts even more meaningful is that they provide substantial support for our social work program, which embodies so many of the fine qualities of a Wartburg education — academic rigor, experiential learning and a focus on preparing the world’s future servant-leaders.”

Among its many initiatives, the social work department has helped area foster parents by establishing a respite program that trains students and other volunteers to care for foster children when the parents are away.

The department has conducted research on behalf of the Black Hawk County Juvenile Court Services to gauge the effectiveness of agency services and assessed disaster relief efforts following the 2008 flood in Waverly.

In addition, it has held workshops for health-care professionals in partnership with Covenant Clinic and developed video training for the Bremwood Children’s Home staff in Waverly on the use of behavior modification techniques.

Dr. Tammy Faux, associate professor of social work, will hold the distinguished chair.

“These gifts will allow us to hire more students to conduct summer research projects, expand the number of community agencies we’re involved with and help students attend conferences and make presentations,” Faux said.

“It’s particularly important in regard to research,” she added. “The movement in all fields is toward accountability. It’s no longer good enough in any industry to say, ‘My program works.’ You now have to have the data to back up the fact that you’re using resources well.  We find ourselves and the institute helping agencies do program evaluations to meet grant requirements.”

Sarah Salzwedel, who earned her master’s degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin, said her family’s gift was an appropriate way “to honor my parents, their legacy and the way they tried to make their community a better place.”

Harry Slife was a Cedar Valley economic development leader as the area recovered from the 1980s recession. He was involved in fundraising efforts for many community endeavors, including KBBG, AfroAmerican Community Broadcasting, in Waterloo. He resigned from the state senate to devote more time to his community work.

He also got to know Wartburg firsthand as a professor.

“He really enjoyed teaching business law at Wartburg,” Sarah said. “He got a really good energy from the students and discussing ideas with them. It happened later in life, but he really loved that experience.”

Polly was president of the P.E.O. Chapter LK and United Methodist Women, a Sartori Hospital board member and an advocate for the Girl Scouts and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra.

“My mom  quietly went about doing what she could to make situations better — not to make a big splash, but as a day-to-day effort to get things done,” Sarah Salzwedel said.

The Slifes’ other daughters, twins Polly McDonald and Peggy Gaard, are 1977 Wartburg graduates. The Salzwedels have two sons at Wartburg — Luke, a senior, and Tyler, a sophomore. Jean Voelkel, Jack’s sister, is a 1979 graduate.

The Tomson Professorship in Social Work was established in 1995, and the Tomsons have actively supported experiential learning in the department for nearly two decades. Their $500,000 gift, combined with resources from the former professorship, increases the endowed fund to $1.5 million; the college will seek additional gifts to allow the distinguished chair to reach $2 million.

Pat Tomson, a former member of Wartburg’s National Social Work Advisory Board, earned her bachelor’s degree at St. Olaf College and her master’s at the University of Northern Iowa. Sara Tomson-Hooper, currently a member of the college’s National Social Work Advisory Board, earned her master’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis.

“The Tomsons have been gems to work with,” said Dr. Susan Vallem, professor of social work. “They have allowed us to use the money for the endowed professorship however the professor designates it, including money for projects in the department. It’s always what’s in the best interests of our students. This is going to make a difference in the program, for the students in particular.”

“We keep in close touch,” Pat Tomson said. “Susan had been so good about showing us the work and research the social work program has done. It’s been exciting to see the research being done by undergraduate students.

“The work with the elderly has really excited me. Last year they worked with the churches on what kind of services local congregations could provide. I don’t know many schools that have an emphasis on working with the elderly, but Wartburg has done such a nice job.”

The Tomsons also played a leadership role in establishing the James Leach Chair in Banking and Monetary Economics at Wartburg. O. Jay Tomson was a member of the Commission Wartburg Task Force on Academic Programs in 1999.