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WARTBURG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026 DIGITAL ISSUE

One final assignment: Go see the world

A gift from the estate of longtime professor Janice Yee will help Wartburg students pursue immersive experiences far beyond campus

March 12, 2026

Student and staff pose in front of an brightly colored exterior wall in Colombia that reads Smile in Medillin

Dr. Janice Yee may have taught economics during her 16 years at Wartburg, but she believed the most meaningful lessons often happened far from campus. Whether she was leading students on unique excursions through China during May Term or encouraging others to immerse themselves in unfamiliar cultures as the co-director of Global & Multicultural Studies, Yee made it her goal to help students experience the joys of immersive learning.

“Most colleges offer some sort of overseas study opportunity, where students may travel to other countries,” said Janice in a 1995 Wartburg Magazine piece. “From the beginning, we have gone a step further, encouraging students and faculty to become involved at a grassroots level in whatever off-campus site they’re located — whether that’s a village in Tanzania, a Hispanic-American community in Denver, or wherever they may go. We want them to get to know the culture, rather than simply observe it.”

Now, through a gift from her estate, she will help future Knights pursue study away and other life-changing experiences.

Janice Yee
Janice Yee

“She was just dedicated to teaching,” said Kathy Traetow, a longtime friend and co-worker. “Higher education was very important to her.”

Janice was at Wartburg from 1991 to 2007 and led the Global & Multicultural Studies program for much of her tenure. A lifelong learner, she spent the 2000-01 school year at Nankai University through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and authored a paper about the changing roles of women in the Chinese economy.

“Janice is somebody who traveled and lived in other places — she had that in her own background. Obviously, she found some benefit in that that she wanted students to have, presumably opening up their worldview,” said Kathy. “It was a natural fit that she led May Term courses and exposed the students to very unique opportunities while they were abroad.”

Janice’s endowment gift will support the Knight’s Experience Fund, which provides students up to $1,500 for study away and other experiential learning opportunities like those May Term courses.

The Knight’s Experience Fund gift is a fitting tribute, said Jay Boeding ’99, the college’s senior gift planner. He worked with Janice’s family to find a use for the bequest that would carry on Janice’s values.

“As someone who encouraged and facilitated so many students to travel and study in other places, the Knight’s Experience Fund made perfect sense,” said Boeding. “We’re deeply grateful for Janice’s generosity, which will enable more of our students to have amazing experiences that prepare them to lead after graduation.”

Future support from Janice’s gift will offset costs for students like Leah Cherry ’26, who recently completed an internship in Alaska. (Read more about her experience.)

“The Knight’s Experience Fund was a big reason why I accepted this opportunity. I don’t know that I could have done it without the extra financial help,” said Leah. “The Knight’s Experience Fund helped make the cost of travel — with gas and hotels — and the cost of living in Alaska manageable.”

Kathy noted that Janice is survived by two daughters, so “I naturally assumed that she didn’t leave things for Wartburg. But knowing Janice, of course she did. It’s exactly who she was.” The Knight’s Experience Fund is a priority of Our Brightest Days: The Campaign for Realizing Purpose & Leading Change.

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