President Carter helps launch Jewell’s Center for Justice & Sustainability

President Jimmy Carter joined about 50 friends, students and faculty members of William Jewell College at a luncheon April 3 celebrating the founding gift for the College’s new Center for Justice and Sustainability. The private event was held in the Yates-Gill College Union on the College campus.

William Jewell College President David Sallee announced that a founding gift has been made by alumna Dianne Shumaker ’66 to provide significant funding for the new College program.

“Institutions of higher learning have the responsibility to produce thoughtful, compassionate leaders who possess the commitment, the competence and the confidence to address significant issues related to social justice and the environment,” Dr. Sallee said. “Dianne’s generous gift represents a major step toward William Jewell’s fulfillment of that responsibility.”

Believing that justice and sustainability issues must be addressed by a well-educated and motivated populace, William Jewell College established in 2008 the Center for Justice and Sustainability in order to develop in its students the ability to address significant issues in human communities and in social, economic and ecological systems.

“One of the highlights of my visit has been meeting with Dianne,” President Carter said. “I admire her passion for promoting issues related to peace and sustainability.”

Carter noted: “I come here with some credentials as an alumnus of William Jewell. I feel at home here, and it is good to be back with you.” Carter received an honorary doctorate from the College during an appearance on campus in 1986. The former president’s work since leaving the White House has focused on issues related to human rights, social justice and affordable housing.

Dianne Shumaker, a member of the William Jewell class of 1966, has been a generous benefactor to the College. In addition to her founding gift for the Center for Justice and Sustainability, she has made major contributions to the College’s Jewell Fund and to Shumaker Hall, the Sorority Complex and Greek Common project currently under construction.

“The Center for Justice and Sustainability at William Jewell is at the heart of the College’s mission to cultivate leadership, service and spiritual growth,” Dr. Sallee said. “The Center’s role in this mission is to raise awareness of social, economic and ecological challenges within our world in order to invite students to spend their lives creating solutions to these complex and interconnected issues.”

Dr. Sallee noted that William Jewell students have a longstanding commitment to service. During the 2007-08 school year alone, students contributed more than 44,000 hours of service to the community.

“William Jewell recognizes that there is a greater common good—greater than our own selves—that must be served,” Dr. Sallee said. “Establishing the Center says that this common good has a central place in students’ lives, and that their education is meant to benefit others as well as themselves.”



In order for students to better understand justice issues, the Center will sponsor projects that put education into practice. Local action projects will involve students in justice and sustainability work on campus and in the Kansas City region. The first grants for Justice and Sustainability Projects were awarded to two Jewell students and one academic department. Students envision and design their own projects to address justice and sustainability issues around the world. The grant competition will fund two or three projects each year. The College is currently seeking additional funding to expand the grant competition.

The Center for Justice and Sustainability’s signature event will be an annual Summit. This two- to three-day gathering will celebrate current students and Jewell graduates who have committed their careers to social, economic and ecological justice. The annual Summit will feature national speakers and workshops and will be open to community members.

“Our goal will be for participants to leave the Summit energized about putting their own ideas into action,” Dr. Sallee said. For more information about the Center for Justice and Sustainability, go to www.jewell.edu/cjs/

William Jewell receives funding for life sciences research

Funding to enhance collaboration between William Jewell College science faculty and students and members of the Kansas City area life sciences research community was included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed by Congress March 10. The bill was signed into law by President Obama March 11.

The $190,000 in funding will be used to purchase state-of-the-art laboratory instrumentation that will enhance collaboration between science faculty and students at William Jewell and members of the Kansas City area life sciences research community. The funding will allow William Jewell faculty and students to advance research specifically in the areas of coronary artery disease, brain cancer, colon cancer, protein folding disorders and microbial infections.

“We appreciate this recognition of the good work that William Jewell College is doing in the arena of faculty-directed research,” said Dr. David Sallee, president of William Jewell College. “The Kansas City metropolitan area is poised to be a major international contributor in research for the life sciences, and William Jewell is pleased to be a part of that extended community. This project will contribute to an increase in the quantity and quality of the Kansas City area life sciences workforce, in addition to improving the area’s scientific infrastructure.”

Dr. Sallee said that the College was appreciative of the support received from U.S. Congressman Sam Graves in obtaining funding for the research project. “Congressman Graves has been extraordinarily supportive in his efforts to secure funding for research in the life sciences,” said Dr. Sallee. “This work will ultimately benefit not only area residents, but those throughout the region and the country as well.”

Rep. Graves noted: “This will allow today’s students to start working on tomorrow’s cures. It is one more piece in making the Kansas City region a destination for research companies that are performing ground-breaking work and creating new high-paying jobs.”

Jewell signs agreement with Chinese institution

Dr.Timothy Fulop (left),Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs at William Jewell, with Shao Jia Zhang,Vice President and Provost,Northeast Normal University

William Jewell College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China, to pave the way toward future cooperative efforts that will be of benefit to both institutions. Dr. Timothy Fulop, Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs at William Jewell, recently completed a week-long visit to China to meet with representatives of the comprehensive university located in the Jilin province of northeast China. Dr. Fulop met with deans of schools at NENU, in addition to visiting area high schools to speak with students and build the foundation for future relationships. William Jewell will seek to recruit superior students from these top Changchun high schools.

“William Jewell has been a strong advocate of study abroad programs for more than 30 years,” Dr. Fulop said. “This agreement allows us to continue the rich tradition of expanding the horizons of Jewell students while increasing the cultural diversity of our college community.”

The agreement will allow the two schools to move forward on plans that would allow Chinese students to complete two years of course work at NENU and then transfer to William Jewell College. The agreement also provides for the possibility of faculty and student exchange programs and summer study programs for NENU students and faculty at William Jewell. NENU presently comprises 19 schools, 56 undergraduate specialties and a graduate school, which offers 145 M.A. degree specialties and 77 Ph.D. degree specialties. There are 22,221 full-time students and 1,294 full-time faculty members.

Hall Distinguished Lecture

Dr. Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, delivered the Hall Distinguished Lecture October 16 in John Gano Memorial Chapel on the William Jewell campus. Dr. Ferguson’s lecture was entitled “Sinking Globalization: What Could Go Wrong?”

Dr. Ferguson served as the Hall Distinguished Visiting Professor at William Jewell College. In addition to serving on the faculty at Harvard, Dr. Ferguson is also a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

A prolific writer, he is a regular contributor to television and radio on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2003 he wrote and presented a six-part history of the British Empire for Channel 4, the U.K. terrestrial broadcaster. The accompanying book, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power (Basic), was a bestseller in both Britain and the United States. The sequel, Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire, was published in 2004 by Penguin. His latest book is The War of the World: Twentieth Century Conflict and the Descent of the West, which was published to critical acclaim in September 2006 and was adapted as a television series for PBS in 2008. He is currently completing a biography of Siegmund Warburg and has recently begun researching the life of Henry Kissinger. A regular commentator on contemporary politics and economics, Dr. Ferguson writes and reviews for the British and American press. He is a contributing editor for the Financial Times. In 2004 Time magazine named him as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.

Binns Lectures

William Jewell College hosted The Binns Lectures on the Sacred and Secular, and Power and Justice in Society October 28 and 29, both in John Gano Memorial Chapel. Guest speaker for the event was Dr. Amy Jill Levine, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Dr. Levine's topics were “Understanding the Jewish Jesus” and “The Women Who Followed Jesus.”  

Pryor Leadership observes 15th anniversary
The Pryor Leadership Studies Program celebrated its 15th anniversary with a reception, dessert and coffee bar November 7 in the Yates-Gill College Union. The evening concluded with student presentations on their Outward Bound experience. Alumni from the past 15 years were present.

Munro offers Willard Lecture
Dr. Ian Munro, professor of English at William Jewell College and recipient of the Carl F. Willard Distinguished Teacher Award, presented “Re-imagining communities and geographies: World Literature in the 21st Century” November 12 in the Gill Family Meeting Room of the Yates-Gill College Union.

Journeys of Mind and Faith
Dr. Ann Marie Rigler, college organist, offered reflections on the relationship between musicians and the church in “From the Bench,” a Journeys of Mind and Faith presentation November 11 in Yates-Gill College Union. Also on the Mind and Faith series, Dr. Elizabeth Hoyt, assistant professor of business administration, spoke on “A Religious Outsider’s Journey of Mind and Faith” on March 31.

Jewell alum offers ‘Christmas Lecture’
Dr. William Spencer, a member of the William Jewell College class of 1952 and a world leader in semiconductor research, addressed the topic “Science is fine, but what about the rest of my life?” on December 1 in White Science Center.  The annual lecture is sponsored jointly by the science and mathematics student societies at William Jewell, including the Society of Physics Students, the Beta Beta Beta biology honorary, the Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honorary and the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates. The Jewell lecture is modeled on the annual Christmas Lectures held by The Royal Institution of Great Britain.

New Board of Trustees Member

The William Jewell College Board of Trustees has named William Gautreaux ’85 to its governing board. Gautreaux received his B.A. in history from William Jewell, studied at Oxford University in England and was named an Oxford Scholar.

He serves as Vice President, Supply, Risk, and Marketing for Inergy, LP. He was a founding member of Inergy in 1996 and has played a significant role in executing the development and management of Inergy’s propane business units, growing the company into a broad, diversified energy infrastructure and distribution company. Prior to joining Inergy, Gautreaux co-founded LPG Services Group and served as its Vice President. He began his career at Ferrellgas in Liberty.

Projects for Justice and Sustainability

The first Projects for Justice and Sustainability grants have been awarded through the College’s Center for Justice and Sustainability.

• A grant will allow the department of music to sponsor a choral competition. The goal of the project is to solicit and select a choral music composition for public performance that has as its inspiration and text some connection to the concepts of justice and/or sustainability. The composer of the selected composition will receive a prize and will travel to campus for the final rehearsals. The selected composition will be performed by Jewell students in the choral studies program at the annual summit sponsored by the Center for Justice and Sustainability.
• Alaina Barclay, a junior nonprofit leadership major from Kansas City, Mo., received a grant to travel to Mozambique, Africa, for three weeks this summer to work at the Carolina Belshe Orphanage.
• Abigail Pratt, a sophomore religion major from Liberty, received a grant to travel to central and eastern Uganda for three weeks with a group of undergraduate students sponsored by the “student.go” program of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Cope Lecture Series on Science, Technology and the Human Experience
Dr. Ken Miller, Brown University biology professor and expert on evolution, intelligent design and creationism, presented the Cope Lecture March 26 in John Gano Memorial Chapel.