Gift Makes the World a Classroom at Wabash College
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind., Nov. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- John and Diane Schroeder hope to change the lives of Wabash College students through their gift to expand and endow immersion learning.
Immersion learning gives students at Wabash the opportunity to engage in coursework, not only in the campus classroom, but also in communities across the globe—connecting deeply with the sights, sounds, and experiences that bring course content to life.
The semester-long courses typically include one to three weeks of off-campus immersion with past trips heading to Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and all across the U.S.
Wabash College President Gregory Hess calls John and Diane, "selfless leaders who want to make the world a classroom for our students." Thanks to the Schroeders' generous gift, every future Wabash student now will be guaranteed a fully-funded immersion opportunity during his college career.
John, Class of 1969, president and CEO of Wabash Plastics in Evansville, Ind., was elected to the Wabash Board of Trustees in 1994. Diane, an honorary Wabash alumna of the Class of 1999, founded the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and served as Board Chair for the Evansville Philharmonic.
Classics Professor Jeremy Hartnett has taught numerous immersion courses and sees first-hand impact on students, "Even in the best professor's hands, the ancient world can feel like fantasy only encountered in the library. Actually stepping foot in these ancient cities makes the Greeks and Romans real. You feel their looming presence standing below a towering temple, hearing the acoustics of a theater, or feeling the roughness of their roads. The students come away from these courses empowered and itching for more."
The Schroeders' gift will help offset nearly $700,000 of immersion learning expenses annually.
"At Wabash we are committed," says Professor Hartnett, "to making immersive learning the purview of every student, rather than just those who can afford it."
The Schroeder gift is part of the largest comprehensive fund-raising campaign in Wabash's 186-year history. The "Giant Steps" campaign seeks to raise $225 million for four specific areas: student scholarships; faculty support; capital projects and the Annual Fund; and providing domestic and international immersive learning experiences for all students including traditional study abroad, semester-long courses, or other immersive experiences. The campaign, launched November 9, raised $150 million in the leadership phase, more than any previous campaign in Wabash history.
SOURCE Wabash College
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