The Masters of Tomorrow
November 22, 2023
Commencement weekend 2023 at Wartburg was one for the history books, and Felecia Boone ’93, ’23 M.A. came dressed to impress: peacock blue shoes to match the color of her new academic hood.
Boone and her 14 classmates proudly hold the honor of earning the first master’s degrees awarded by the college after finishing the two-year Master of Arts in leadership program. The graduates received their academic hoods at a special ceremony May 27 before crossing the stage May 28 to receive their degrees. The hood color represents public administration, which is closely associated with leadership.
“It was an incredible moment to see the inaugural cohort of Master of Arts in leadership students donned with Wartburg College hoods and to give our first graduate-level diplomas,” said Wartburg President Rebecca Ehretsman.
The graduate students came from as far away as Copley, Ohio, and Oak Park, Calif., and represented an array of work sectors, including business, K-12 and higher education, public administration, the military, agribusiness, and faith communities.
Tara Price Winter ’01, ’23 M.A. is the college’s executive director of admissions and was chosen by her peers to speak at the hooding ceremony.
“We all know Wartburg has done leadership well. It’s a pillar of our mission statement. The opportunity to align my career and this program simultaneously has been a tremendous asset for my learning, growth, and productivity in my role on campus,” said Winter.
Student projects included bettering team culture and morale, maximizing workflows across a family of banks, and improving a workplace employee evaluation system.
Kayla Vale ’13, ’23 M.A. created a professional development program for paraeducators in her school district as her master’s project. It was so successful her principal offered her an additional paid position to continue running it.
“They are even back-paying me for the work I put in this school year,” she said. “It is fantastic to see the importance of my project and the value behind it.”
Dr. Michael Gleason, associate dean for graduate studies and director of the Institute for Leadership Education, said the program’s emphasis on real-world project implementation makes it valuable not only for students but also their communities and workplaces.
“From the beginning of the program, we ask students to think about deep, complex issues they would like to address in their workplace or community,” Gleason said. “This way our students are seeing the relevance of what they are learning in our program in their own workplace and communities every day.”
The Program
The Master of Arts in leadership online degree program was designed for working professionals and provides a deep foundation of problem-based learning about leadership from different perspectives. It builds on the college’s longstanding commitment to leadership education, which includes a thriving undergraduate minor, the Irving R. Burling Distinguished Professorship in Leadership held by Dr. Michael Gleason, and the college’s Institute for Leadership Education.
The cohort model helps students develop deep relationships and learn from classmates with different perspectives, and the online, primarily asynchronous delivery model allows working professionals to fit coursework into their schedules.
Tuition discounts are available for Wartburg alumni and those employed by a member of the Wartburg Learning Alliance.
Felecia Boone ’93, ’23 M.A.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant, Hennepin County
Minneapolis, Minn.
Why I chose Wartburg:
“The stars aligned: the timing, the fact that it was virtual, and being an alum with a discount. It all just came together.”
Bradley Fasse ’03, ’23 M.A.
Senior Business Application Analyst, USAA
Grimes, Iowa
“I’ve tried to do something big, more or less, with each decade of my life. So when I turned 40, I was contemplating, what am I going to do? It was during the pandemic hitting, and between reading some books and good marketing on Wartburg’s part, this was presented to me and I thought, ‘That is a direction that I want to pursue.’ The fact that it’s the first [master’s degree] in school history, that was appealing to me, being a third- generation Wartburg graduate.
“I was prepared for the papers. I was prepared for reading the textbooks and everything. But getting input and sharing input through the entire learning process over the last couple years with the group was just my absolute favorite.”
Bradley Fasse ’03, ’23 M.A.
Senior Business Application Analyst, USAA
Grimes, Iowa
“I’ve tried to do something big, more or less, with each decade of my life. So when I turned 40, I was contemplating, what am I going to do? It was during the pandemic hitting, and between reading some books and good marketing on Wartburg’s part, this was presented to me and I thought, ‘That is a direction that I want to pursue.’ The fact that it’s the first [master’s degree] in school history, that was appealing to me, being a third- generation Wartburg graduate.
“I was prepared for the papers. I was prepared for reading the textbooks and everything. But getting input and sharing input through the entire learning process over the last couple years with the group was just my absolute favorite.”
Kayla Vale ’13, ’23 M.A.
Special Education Teacher, North Linn Community School District
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
“I’ve come out of my shell a lot. I’ve had to be very, very vulnerable.
I’ve had to explore my leadership style a lot, and that has really helped me in my profession.”