According to LendEDU, Martin Luther College was ranked #49 when it came to small private colleges and universities with the lowest average student debt figures in the United States. The data is reflective of the Class of 2016.
Thank you to all who support MLC! It is because of your generosity that we are able to offer low tuition rates to our students.
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The Minnesota Academy of Reading (MAR) named Dr. Cindy Whaley DMLC ’76 (education) Professor of the Year for her contributions to the literacy community of Minnesota.
Due to our January blizzard, Dr. Whaley could not accept the award in person at the MAR Policies and Issues Symposium at Hamline University, but she did utilize Google Hangout to speak to the group and present her keynote address, “The Lifelong Journey of a Successful Reader.”
Whaley has previously won the “Celebrate Literacy Award” from MAR (2012) and the “Community Support Award” for New Ulm Public Schools (2015) in recognition of her work with iTutoring.
This feature was originally published in the MLC InFocus, Spring 2018 issue.
Grace Schultz (First-Lake Geneva WI) admits that scoring wasn’t always her thing. During her high school basketball career at Fox Valley LHS, her main role was defense. But that didn’t stop her from setting high goals for her college career.
One of those goals was reached on December 4, when Schultz became the third player in MLC women’s basketball program history to score at least 1,000 career points. Schultz joined Erica Babinec ’12 and Emma Babinec ’06 as the only players to reach that milestone.
Schultz says that was one of several goals she set before her debut season in 2014, and the feeling of accomplishment after reaching that goal was special.
“I sat in the locker room and just absorbed all that had just happened,” she said. “It took me a little while to register that I had actually accomplished a big goal of mine. Sitting there, I couldn’t help but think of all the teammates and coaches that had challenged me to improve in practice and games throughout my life, knowing that none of my personal successes would be possible without them.”
Schultz hasn’t allowed the other aspects of her game to suffer as her scoring role increased. This season, Schultz set a new MLC single-season record with 97 steals, and finished second in program history with 265 career steals. She also finished second in program history with 666 career rebounds, and ranks sixth with 210 career assists. She finished her career with 1,299 career points, and ranks third in both career field goals and free throws.
While she has established herself as one of the premier athletes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) during her career, Schultz credits her coach, Professor Dan Gawrisch ’08, and teammates for helping her game develop.
“I remember having conversations with Coach Gawrisch about what my role was on the team in every preseason meeting and how scoring became an important factor of my role,” she said. “Knowing his expectations and my own, along with hard work and a lot of shots in the gym, I have grown as a basketball player, and I give that credit to my coaches and teammates.”
Basketball is only part of Schultz’s athletic career at MLC. This fall Schultz finished her four-year career as a right-side hitter for
the volleyball team, where she was a two-year captain and finished with 436 career kills. During her career on both the basketball and volleyball teams, Schultz has helped her team qualify for the UMAC Postseason Tournament in all seven tries.
O
ne of the things that made her athletic career special is sharing her experiences with friends and classmates. Jade St. Germaine (St. Mark-Watertown WI), Kira Grev (Divinity-St. Paul), Taylor Weber (Bethlehem-Germantown WI), Heidi Moldenhauer (St. John-Manitowoc WI), Jenna Miller (Riverview-Appleton WI), and Rylee Weisensel (St. John-New Ulm MN) were part of a seven-player senior class on the volleyball team, while St. Germaine and high school classmate Hailey Johnson (St. Paul-Green Bay WI) played all four years with Schultz on the basketball team.
“As my eligibility decreased, my love for sports turned into a love for family, the family that was created through these sports,” Schultz said. “I still enjoy sports, but what I enjoy more are the memories and friendships that have been created. The special thing about MLC, besides training for a lifetime of public ministry, is that you realize how blessed you are to be surrounded by God-fearing friends and future colleagues every single day.”
This feature was originally published in the MLC InFocus, Spring 2018 issue.
Martin Luther College led all Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schools with 85 fall semester student-athletes named Academic All-UMAC, including 21 from the women’s soccer team alone. These student-athletes finished their semester of competition with a GPA of 3.5 or better.
The Knights also finished with the highest team GPA in four of the eight fall semester sports: volleyball (3.82), women’s cross country (3.78), women’s soccer (3.73), and men’s soccer (3.35). The three women’s teams—volleyball, cross country, and soccer—notched the top three team GPAs among all programs in the conference.
This feature was originally published in the MLC InFocus, Spring 2018 issue.
More than 40 speakers from all over the country, including David Gartner DMLC ’92, ’10 (St. John-Redwood Falls MN), came to campus January 10 to encourage these future called workers with tips for Christ-centered ministry through the power of the gospel.
“So many awesome presenters shared their experiences and stories with us,” said sophomore Anna Hemmelman (Trinity-Goodview MN). “Evangelism Day puts all of our time and studies here at MLC into perspective. It realigned my focus and got me excited about ministry!”
This feature was originally published in the MLC InFocus, Spring 2018 issue.
We thank Professor Erin Meissner (pictured) for her three semesters of service as interim director of instrumental music while Professor Miles Wurster pursued his graduate studies.
Here’s an excerpt of Professor Meissner’s departure letter:
“Within the rehearsal setting, concert performances, and interactions with one another, I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of music—as an edifying aesthetic expression and unifying force, certainly, but more significantly as a vehicle for the expression and profession of sincere faith.
At several points during the course of my three semesters at MLC I have remarked to my students about the privilege of teaching in an environment where all students share the same faith. We can speak it, sing it, play it, and pray our faith corporately. It is an awesome and profound blessing. . . .
I marvel at the young men and women the Lord is raising up to serve his people and at the talented and dedicated faculty and staff called to teach, direct, guide, and support them. I shall forever consider it a blessing to have served among you.”
