From the President

MISSION STATEMENT

Wisconsin Lutheran College, affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is a Lutheran liberal arts college for Christian men and women. The college is committed to providing quality teaching, scholarship, and service that are rooted in Holy Scripture; promoting the spiritual growth of students, faculty, and staff; and preparing students for lives of Christian leadership.

PRESIDENT

Dr. Daniel W. Johnson

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT

Richard Mannisto ’94

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Melanie Buellesbach Lindsay Carr ’07 Dr. Jarrod Erbe Adam Heinzen ’06 Lisa Leffel ’98 Jonathan Lorenzen ’11 Alissa Rauh ’17 Curtis Wech ’09, MA ’16 Jeff Wilson

DESIGNER

Amy Kuether ’96

Wisconsin Lutheran College Magazine is published for and distributed free of charge to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college. For more articles and photos, visit WLC Magazine Online at magazine.wlc.edu.

All letters, news, corrections, and comments should be directed to WLC’s Office of Marketing & Communication, 8800 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, publicaffairs@wlc.edu.

If you prefer to receive WLC Magazine electronically or need to update your address, please email friends@wlc.edu. To receive regular enews updates from the college, please share your email address at friends@wlc.edu. Dear Friends of WLC,

As the academic year drew to a close in May, we gratefully acknowledged our many blessings. Wisconsin Lutheran College remained open for in-person instruction as scheduled throughout the academic year, and our mission thrived. How great is our God!

In June, we presented Tim Tebow with our fourth Divine Servant Award at celebration event that was held at our Outdoor Athletic Complex. Tim exemplifies the values that WLC instills in all of its students, including Christian servant leadership and positively impacting the world through his Christian witness. It was a terrific event that allowed us to raise more than $578,000 for scholarships so that more students can attend WLC. It is vital to ensure that students have access to a world-class education in a Christian setting. The first step to making that possible is guaranteeing that our college is affordable.

During the past academic year, we enjoyed amazing enrollment numbers in the midst of a pandemic. We are expecting another solid enrollment in August, thanks to our gracious God. This fall, we are striving to get back to normal on campus, which will mean no masks and no physical distancing. What an incredible sight it will be to see wonderful smiles at our opening worship service on Sunday, August 29.

This summer, the campus is open, and we are ready to give tours, as we always enjoy welcoming future Warriors to WLC. We pray for a growing number of Warriors who will learn and become successful Christian servant leaders ready to impact their families, churches, workplaces, and communities within these challenging times. However, we cannot accomplish our goal for growth without your help, so please continue to share this magazine and news about WLC with your family, friends, and co-workers.

Thank you for your support and prayers for the mission of WLC. We will continue on a courageous path of boldly sharing the message of Jesus and preparing Christian servant leaders for such a time as this.

Blessings,

Dr. Daniel W. Johnson President, Wisconsin Lutheran College

President Johnson with his son, Connor, WLC Class of 2021

2 From the President 4 Congratulations, Graduates! 6 Celebrating Christian Servant Leadership 9 School of Business Updates 10 Research Collaboration Benefits Students, Faculty, and the Planet 12 Faculty Authors 14 Student Service Projects and Recognition 16 Athletics News 19 Fine Arts News

Summer 2021 | Vol. 33, No. 2

ON THE COVER: WLC’s first class of neuroscience majors graduated in May 2021. Pictured with Dr. Megan Slaker (center), Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, are (left to right) Grace Asplin, Alyssa Leitzke, Brandon Kennedy, Ben Petersen, Kaylyn Shevey, and Ashley Bischel.