By Emily Christensen   |   Photo Julie Pagel Drewes ’90

When Krystal Madlock came to Wartburg, she never expected to spend the next 20 years helping shape the campus into a community and safe haven for students.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in communication arts, Madlock took a position as a Wartburg College admissions counselor.
This opened her up to a whole new world in student affairs, and she began to spend more and more of her time talking to students about their classes, how things were at Wartburg, and what their transition from high school to college was like. Somewhere along the way what began as “just a job” developed into her passion.

“Interacting with students and watching students grow from their first to fourth year is what keeps me here. It feels like a big family,” said Madlock.

This new-found passion made Madlock’s transition from Admissions to Student Life in 2000 a natural move. In her new role, she was given the opportunity to interact with students even more through her responsibilities with campus programming. Today, as the director of multicultural student services, she does less with programming and more with serving as a secondary adviser to all American-multicultural students. She also advises several student organizations and tackles the big-picture issue of diversity and inclusion on campus.

“As chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council, I spend a lot of time looking at the community piece of diversity and inclusion and making sure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable at Wartburg,” Madlock said.

As for what diversity looks like on campus, Madlock said a lot has changed since 1998.

“I remember when I first started here and American-multicultural students would say they were the only ones in the classroom and weren’t really sure how to feel about that. You can’t say that anymore,” Madlock said. “We have definitely grown more racially diverse on our campus. It’s almost like it’s done a total 180 when it comes to the diversity we see on our campus. It’s amazing being in Waverly, Iowa, you know? Things have definitely changed.”

Many alumni and students give Madlock at least partial credit for their success at Wartburg. Bree Primous ’19 sought Madlock’s guidance early in her college career. As a first-year student, she was struggling to find her place on campus and worried about her mother, who was battling breast cancer back in St. Louis. She started spending more and more time in Madlock’s office, a habit that continues today as Primous prepares for graduation.

“I know it’s not her job to be our counselor or our financial aid adviser, but she has the knowledge and she’s someone we feel comfortable talking to,” said Primous, this year’s student body vice president. “She’s there to tell you when you are right, and she’s there to tell you when you are wrong.”

The Student Life Office honored Madlock’s Wartburg anniversary by raising money for the Friendship Fund, a reserve fund started years ago to assist students in need. To date more than $65,000 has been collected.

“I don’t do the things I do on a daily basis for the recognition by any means, but I truly appreciate it and I’m grateful,” Madlock said. “When you’re in the field of helping others, you may not immediately hear someone say ‘thank you,’ but it’s interesting because down the road people express it.”

Madlock loves the duality of the nurturing and challenging environment at Wartburg that encourages students to step out of their comfort zones while maintaining a strong foundation.

“I look at Wartburg as a community, so the opportunity for diversity and that inclusion piece is really important. The students live in residence halls and a lot of people say that’s your home for four years. When you’re at home, you want that sense of community, and that’s the nurturing piece that we provide. I hope I help students understand that we all belong here at Wartburg and how that works. I love that challenge. And what better place to start than at Wartburg?”