By Alan Simmer ’07 | Illustration Claire Quelle
Vollmer Hall looked a bit different when students returned to campus this fall, with renovated rooms, new windows, and an expansion with community space on the northeast corner of the building. But there’s a deeper change that goes beyond the physical improvements: Vollmer Hall is now part of the Ubuntu Center, the new name for the Centennial Complex. Centennial Hall, which will undergo a similar makeover next summer, has also been renamed to Slife Hall (see sidebar).
Ubuntu is an African philosophy often expressed as “I am because we are,” which acknowledges our shared humanity and our obligations to each other. Though the core of this philosophy has been part of the Wartburg tradition for generations, the center’s name represents a new focus on how community is developed on campus.
“I continue to hear from students who don’t always feel welcome here,” said Krystal Madlock, director of multicultural student services. “Building a community where everyone can be themselves has to be intentional. It can’t happen just in the Ubuntu Center — every person and every department has to be involved.”
Faculty and staff have been engaged with that work since the Ubuntu Center, which comprises Slife, Vollmer, and Hebron halls, was announced on June 17. Following the announcement, Dr. Shuaib Meacham, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, presented professional development on diversity, equity, and inclusion centered on the ubuntu philosophy.
“So many organizations approach DEI as a separate category of work,” said President Rebecca Neiduski. “Instead, we’re building those values into the foundations of everything we do. This is important work to me and will be a focus during my time at Wartburg.”
Neiduski already has scheduled monthly forums with faculty and staff that include DEI-related professional development and recognition of employees living out ubuntu in ways big and small.
Other immediate initiatives include incorporating ubuntu into the coursework for IS 101, a required course for first-year students, and book discussions for faculty and staff. The addition to the Ubuntu Center, between Slife and Vollmer halls, includes a demonstration kitchen stocked with small appliances, tools, and ingredients from cuisines around the world, which is intended for students to share their cultures with each other.
“I love that the college is making ubuntu a focus,” said Joanna Towera Longwe ’23, who served on the art committee for the Ubuntu Center. “It was great to see everyone on the committee looking for ways to create a living space that would be welcoming for all students. From the fully stocked spice cabinets in the kitchen to the art pieces that will be hung up, the Ubuntu Center will be a great place to live, study, or just hang out.”
While students enjoy the new space, faculty and staff continue working on ways to build up the Wartburg community.
“There’s no cheat sheet or checklist for ubuntu,” said Madlock. “We all have different roles, so ubuntu won’t be the same from person to person. We’re helping everyone across campus figure out what it looks like for them.”
Dr. Debora Johnson-Ross, vice president of academic affairs, called on all first-year students and others in attendance at the college’s Opening Convocation to engage with members of the Wartburg community from South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Namibia who grew up in a culture of ubuntu.
“They can help expand your understanding of ubuntu. As an American scholar who studies Africa, I am very aware of one important thing. Ubuntu belongs to the African peoples with whom it originated. It is not ours, but it is shared with us because of the very nature of the word. It is both inclusive and expansive,” she said. “It acknowledges the humanity of us all.”