Higher education
Community connections H
ELCA colleges make life better for their neighbors By Elizabeth Hunter
aving a college or university in your town can be a financial plus, and the ELCA’s 26 colleges and universities are no exception. Take Midland University, which injects $44.3 million (including $15 million in wages and salaries) into the Fremont, Neb.-area. Or California Lutheran University, which pumps $142 million into Ventura County. But even these numbers don’t reveal what such communities know best: in often unquantifiable ways, ELCA schools make life better for their neighbors, especially those who might otherwise be forgotten.
‘A suspension of disbelief’ “What does a liberal arts education mean today? Where does our col- lege’s money go? What’s the eco- nomic impact? What [community] projects are our students taking on?” asks V. Scott Koerwer, president of Newberry [S.C.] College. Noting that colleges should ask these questions as they grow, he added, “We prepare students for citizenship and to be part of a community. Our students should be able to go to the mayor and say, ‘Why can’t we have a bowling alley?’ or ‘Why can’t we do something with these empty storefronts?’ ” That happened at Newberry, where students and staff helped the adminis- tration decide not to build a new dorm on campus. Instead, the college went out of its way, at no small expense, to work with the town of Newberry and local construction companies to renovate an abandoned mill property that had driven down housing prices.
Hunter is an associate editor of The Lutheran. 38 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
While they were at it, they put $1.5 million into repairing streets, lighting and a community’s self-esteem. Now the college wants to relo- cate its bookstore to the town’s main street. It’s also working with public schools to renovate an abandoned school for Newberry’s teacher educa- tion program.
“It takes a suspension of disbelief,” Koerwer said. “But all of this interac- tion adds up to a greater whole.” Belief is also behind several innovations at Finlandia University, Hancock, Mich. Communities of the Upper Peninsula knew hard times long before the rest of the nation expe- rienced the 2008 economic downturn. Yet Finlandia’s programs, students and staff have brought hope, business and even beauty to the region. Its Jutila Center for Global Design and Business helps local artists start successful businesses, allows stu- dents to combine art and business, and provides artists affordable studio and shop space. Some of the most beautiful artworks come out of this small entrepreneurial initiative. It’s also home to Finlandia’s School of Art & Design. A main goal is “creating jobs in our economically depressed rural area,” said Finlandia communication direc- tor Karen Johnson. But that’s just one piece of Fin-
landia’s overall effort to care for its neighbors. Philip R. Johnson, univer- sity president and an ELCA pastor, “made it a priority to actively join our campus with Hancock and the surrounding communities, especially through the initiative ‘Campus and Community: Together for Good.’
[This] includes tuition remission awards for Hancock High School graduates and the improvement of two properties [including] an athletic complex,” said Karen Johnson (no relation).
For Finlandia, it means space for health sciences offerings and NCAA Division III athletic programs. For the local school system, it means millions in scholarships for high school gradu- ates and educational services for stu- dents and residents.
“Hancock and Finlandia face many common challenges for growth in a context where resources are not in abundance,” Philip Johnson said. “These shared challenges invite, even urge, shared solutions.”
Doing justice
Doing justice comes naturally to Jeri Erickson and Katie Wilson, seniors at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, who are raising interreligious aware- ness on campus and in the community. Erickson founded the university’s Student Peace Alliance two years ago after traveling to South Africa for a class on peace and nonviolence. She and Wilson led other students in creating Capital’s annual Anti- Islamophobia Week, partnering with the Muslim Student Association at nearby Ohio State University to offer the community speakers, discussions, a visit to a mosque and more. Acts of Faith also became a mandatory freshman read and its author, Inter- faith Youth Core founder Eboo Patel, spoke at Capital Sept. 27, in a talk open to the public. Campus pastor Amy Oehlschlae- ger said Capital “is looking to partner
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76