Ethan Blass
The distinguished professorship, elevated through a $1 million gift from Gerald Kleinfeld in honor of his parents, provides expanded support for teaching, research and learning within the German major.
Kleinfeld said his parents always loved that he went on to become a professor because education was important to them. He is the founder and former executive director of the German Studies Association and a professor emeritus at Arizona State University.
“Language and culture are an important part of individual identity. When we understand another language and another culture, we can better understand ourselves as well as other people,” Kleinfeld said. “German is a global language, and German culture and history have significance for our society, our own history and how we interact with others. By establishing this distinguished professorship, I hope to help Wartburg students and future graduates to be successful in any field or profession that they choose.”
Blass joined the Wartburg College German faculty in 2021and is particularly interested in the history of the German language and its development through the centuries. He earned his Ph.D. in Germanic studies from the University of Chicago. His bachelor’s degree in German and Russian comes from Middlebury College. He has spent semesters abroad at the Johannes Gutenberg Universitat in Mainz, Germany, and at Irkutsk State University in Russia. His dissertation explored how imagery in the poetic works of Johann Wolfgang Goethe reappears in cinema, most notably in the films of Alfred Hitchcock.
“Gerry’s support for German at Wartburg has been truly inspiring. It has already created countless ways for our students to engage with German both here on campus and in Germany,” Blass said. “When one talks with Gerry, his profound sense for the significance of language and culture becomes immediately clear. The new distinguished professorship will help Wartburg instill an appreciation for language and culture in generations of its students. I am tremendously honored to be the inaugural holder of the position.”
Recognizing the college as the last German-immigrant founded college in the United States that still supports active programs and relationships with Germany, Gerald Kleinfeld has supported Wartburg in numerous ways through the years, including leadership gifts in support of scholarships. He also contributed to the college’s last capital campaign, earmarking his donation for the creation of study rooms as part of the renovation of Slife and Vollmer halls. He was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Wartburg in 2008.
“The elevation of the Kleinfeld professorship to distinguished status represents a transformative investment in Wartburg’s academic excellence. Dr. Kleinfeld’s expanded commitment not only honors his parents’ legacy but strengthens our distinctive German heritage while preparing our students for global citizenship,” said Rebecca Ehretsman, Wartburg College president. “This distinguished professorship enables us to attract and retain exceptional faculty like Dr. Blass. We are profoundly grateful for Dr. Kleinfeld’s support, which will enrich our curriculum and expand opportunities for generations of Wartburg students.”
For more information on endowed faculty positions at Wartburg College, visit www.wartburg.edu/chairs.