The Ralph E. Otto Trust has provided Wartburg College with its largest-ever estate gift, a $4 million contribution that will support a scholarship for high-achieving science students and the Transforming Tomorrow comprehensive campaign.
Otto, a 1963 graduate, was a skilled cardiothoracic surgeon in the Chicago area and served on the Wartburg College Board of Regents from 1992 until his death in 2008.
The gift includes $3 million that will be added to the Professor A.W. Swensen Regents Scholarship, which Ralph and his wife, Diane, created in 1983. Now the college’s largest endowed scholarship, the fund was created to honor Swensen, the Wartburg chemistry professor Otto credited for much of his academic and professional success. Swensen taught on campus from 1921 to 1968.
“I know Dad credited Dr. Swensen with touching his life more than any other person or institution,” said Bill Otto, Ralph and Diane’s son. “What is impressive is that Dad had to complete 12 years of additional training and four years of military service after Wartburg before he began his practice, and yet Dr. Swensen is still the one Dad credits.”
The full-tuition scholarship will be awarded annually to the top incoming student in the sciences, with a special preference given to students majoring in chemistry. Swensen Regents Scholars can renew their scholarship for up to three additional years if stringent academic standards are met.
“These scholarships, along with our recently acquired pieces of instrumentation, will make Wartburg College even more attractive to high-achieving chemistry students,” said Shawn Ellerbroek, the Ralph E. Otto Endowed Professorship in Chemistry.
“Maybe Dad’s gift will remind Wartburg faculty of the profound effect they can have on students and remind everyone that, no matter the daily frustrations or difficulties, there are moments when a teacher can touch a student’s heart so profoundly that they can literally change a person’s life,” Otto said.
The remaining $1 million will benefit the college’s Transforming Tomorrow campaign.
In October, the college celebrated the Ottos generous support of the Wartburg community with the naming of Otto Science Hall in the Science Center.
“Ralph and Diane faithfully demonstrated heartfelt commitment to the mission of Wartburg College through generous philanthropy and service,” said President Darrel Colson. “We are grateful for the many ways the Ottos benefitted students, faculty and staff as champions for academic excellence throughout the college.”
Wartburg’s $75 million Transforming Tomorrow campaign includes $35 million for scholarship funds that will help make a Wartburg education more affordable for all students. This gift brings the total raised for scholarships to $24 million and the overall total to $63 million.