Servant Leadership
The Ethos of an Undergraduate College
Gustavus Adolphus College was founded one hundred fifty years ago in 1862 by an immigrant Swedish Lutheran pastor, the Reverend Eric Norelius. Pastor Norelius lived out his life as a servant-leader ministering to Swedish immigrants living in communities throughout southern Minnesota. He founded multiple churches; a “college for the Swedes,” which was permanently named Gustavus Adolphus College in 1876; and the forerunner to what we know today as Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota. He rode his blind horse throughout southern Minnesota helping Swedes understand the importance of justice and service for all. He was a true servant-leader.
When I became the sixteenth president of Gustavus Adolphus College in 2008, I learned immediately that there was something very special about the College’s mission of service and leadership and its core values of excellence, community, service, justice, and faith. They have been part of the institution’s DNA since its founding and live on in the ethos of the College today.
To prepare for the College’s Sesquicentennial in 2012, the Board of Trustees established Commission Gustavus 150, a constituent-based strategic planning initiative that engaged hundreds of alumni, friends, faculty, staff, students, and church leaders to share their individual and collective dreams for the College’s future. The work of eight task forces culminated in 263 recommendations. Those recommendations gave us a roadmap and enabled us to think about the next one hundred fifty years. Gustavus is an institution that is already recognized for its academic excellence, outstanding faculty and committed staff, and a student body that finds direction in a community through service. Participating in service opportunities on and off the campus while attending college gives them, as graduates, a platform for living out their values and “Making Their Lives Count.”
More than sixty of the recommendations of Commission Gustavus 150 clearly stated that the College should continue to seek ways to better integrate the experiences of students, both in and out of the classroom. We appointed a working group to examine those recommendations that focused on the principles of leadership and service and brought together thought leaders to discuss how we could possibly make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The rest is history. We integrated four separate but similar programs and office staffs to establish a Center for Servant Leadership.
In the introductory comments that follow, you will read thoughts from a number of contributors. I want to personally acknowledge two of them. First, Richard Leider, a 1966 graduate of Gustavus who serves as an adviser to his alma mater, helped us see how the pieces could be put together to build upon the College’s mission and core values and the principles developed by Robert Greenleaf. Second, Larry Spears, who served for years as director of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership before establishing the Spears Center for Servant Leadership, was introduced to us by Richard Leider. After thoughtful discussion and debate led by Richard and Larry, we created the new Center for Servant Leadership by bringing together the separate but similar parts.
I know you will enjoy reading the writings of the contributors in this first such journal at an undergraduate liberal arts college. The articles discuss the importance of servant-leadership in an undergraduate setting. Today we celebrate the integration of those aspects of a college education that help graduates see purpose beyond their college days and learn how to live out their own values in an ever changing world.
It is my distinct honor and privilege to serve with dedicated faculty, staff, and students at Gustavus Adolphus College. I learn every day from alumni and friends how they have lived lives of service and leadership. We are pleased to present this first edition of the Undergraduate Journal of Servant Leadership.
Jack R. Ohle
President
Gustavus Adolphus College
About the Author
JACK R. OHLE was named the 16th president of Gustavus Adolphus College in 2008 and immediately set an ambitious agenda to assure the future of the College. He was educated at Ohio Northern University, Ada; Hamma School of Theology in Springfield, Ohio; Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio; and holds two honorary doctorate degrees.
In his time at Gustavus, President Ohle has spearheaded several important initiatives, including the Commission Gustavus 150 strategic planning process, the construction of the newest academic building Beck Academic Hall, the creation of the Center for Servant Leadership, and the celebration of the College’s Sesquicentennial in 2011-2012. A fundraising campaign was kicked off at the start of the Sesquicentennial with the goal of $150 million. As of August 31, 2012, gifts and pledges to the Campaign total $96 million.
President Ohle has spent 40 plus years in higher education administration. He is the most senior president continually serving as president of a college or university related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He has served, and continues to serve, on local, state, and national not-for-profit boards during his professional career.
President Ohle is married to Kirsten (Kris) Lindquist Ohle. The couple has three adult sons: Robert, John, and Thomas.