Published January 15, 2022
Wittenberg Alumni & Friends,
We begin a new year at Wittenberg with a celebration. Our $100-million Having Light Campaign now stands at $91.2 million! This milestone would not be possible without your belief in our mission and vision, and so from all of us at Wittenberg, thank you. I also want to extend a note of thanks to Rebecca Kocher, vice president for advancement and alumni engagement, and her team, as well as to our Campaign Steering Committee, and everyone who has shared their light as a proud ambassador of this campaign. I am excited to start 2022 at this level, and I look forward to seeing our goal realized when the campaign concludes.
As for the start of classes, we find ourselves, like everyone else, facing another challenge with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. To ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, we decided to begin the spring semester remotely on January 10. Testing of all students will take place prior to the resumption of in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18. Employees were tested this past Tuesday. Face coverings are also still required in all classrooms and non-residential facilities. We are hopeful that these continuing mitigation efforts will allow our community to remain in-person for the duration of the spring semester.
While we know that COVID will remain with us, we are continuing to plan ahead as best we can, including preparing for our first-ever F.I.R.E. Week, February 28-March 4. Part of our new Connections Curriculum, this new initiative will provide opportunities for in-depth study with faculty off-campus, highlighting once again the power of a Wittenberg education to change lives. I encourage you to learn more below.
From our family to yours, Happy New Year. Tiger Up!
With gratitude,
Mike Frandsen
University President
Focused, Integrated, Reflective Experience
Students studying the land in nearby Yellow Springs, exploring art in Chicago, working with startups in Seattle, and creating science lessons for middle schoolers in Springfield, Ohio, will all be part of Wittenberg’s inaugural Focused, Integrated, Reflective Experiences or F.I.R.E week, February 28-March 4, 2022. This new offering will fulfill one of the experiential learning requirements in the Connections Curriculum, which debuted last fall.
Finding A New Alley
Wittenberg has added a new intercollegiate athletics opportunity with the introduction of a women’s bowling team, bringing the total number of programs offered to 26. Shannon Pluhowsky, a current member of Team USA and a six-time winner of professional championships on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association tour, has been selected as the program’s first head coach.
#Commit2Witt Ambassadors
Sign up to serve as a #Commit2Witt Ambassador by February 14 to receive your Ambassador Swag Pack. Learn how you can enhance your Swag Pack throughout the 1845 Minutes of Giving by using your personal link during the training call on February 24 at 4 p.m. EDT.
The Campaign for Wittenberg University
With a new year comes new excitement on the Having Light Campaign front. As President Frandsen shared above, we have now reached $91.2 million toward our $100 million comprehensive campaign goal. To all our alumni and friends who have generously donated, we offer our sincerest thanks. Please continue to keep the Witt light shining for generations through your gifts. Give Today!
Classroom "Light"
With help from the State Library of Ohio Board, and Kristen Peters, interim director of the Thomas Library, Jacob Durmis’ research paper on the impact of lightboard usage by teachers on student learning will come to ‘light’ this semester. The University will receive approximately $18,000 toward the creation of a lightboard studio in Thomas Library.
Alumni Postcard Project
It's once again time to register for the annual Alumni Postcard Project for the Class of 2026. Sign up to send a postcard to 10 applicants telling them your Wittenberg story and what makes the University special. Register here to participate. Alumni postcard packets will be mailed this month, and we ask that you write and mail your 10 postcards by March 1.
Inaugural Veler and Barker Chairs Announced
The Office of the Provost has announced that Cynthia Richards, professor of English, is the first holder of the newly established Richard P. Veler Endowed Chair in English, and that Kristin Cline, professor of chemistry, is the inaugural John W. Barker Chair in Chemistry. The Veler Chair was created by gifts from members of the Class of 1958, and the friends, students, and colleagues of Professor Emeritus of English Richard P. Veler to honor his legacy. Funded through an anonymous estate gift, the Barker Chair is for “a senior faculty member at the rank of a professor whose record indicates teaching excellence and distinction in the discipline.”
#LifeAfterWitt
With a passion for social justice, Phil Koch ’99 has spent years helping underserved communities through teaching, theatre, nonprofits, and community foundations.
Lauren Swanson ’15, executive editorial director of commerce for Merriam-Webster, has pursued a career that draws upon both her creative and analytical sides.