Morningside Connect

In June of last year, the president formed a Task Force designed to explore just what the college ought to be doing between now and 2025. In the case of the Alumni Office – exciting additions that call for your help!

As you may recall, John Reynders, president of Morningside College, commented in his column in The Morningsider about a recent survey. The survey inquired about your satisfaction with your experience at Morningside College. The survey also explored ways in which you would like to be involved with us. Involvement is what I want to follow-up on.

Beginning this fall, the Alumni Office will be working with other college offices to build awareness of the alumni function among students. The idea is to build awareness of the Alumni Office throughout the students’ time at the college. Part of that building process will involve you.

We are investigating the following: 1) a simple mentorship program; 2) a series of alumni and student panels exploring pertinent things students need to know before they graduate; 3) a Friend Family program for international students; 4) a series of dinners with alumni at the president’s house for all first-year students; 5) a series of “fireside chats” with classes and affinity groups designed to keep them in the alumni loop. All of these programs are new initiatives that we are developing, more information to follow.

As I said, we will need your help in doing this! If anything at this point trips your trigger in any of the above areas, please get in touch with me right away. Would love to chat with you.

Gene Ambroson

At Morningside College, we strive to provide students with meaningful experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, that will supplement their academic preparation, as well as prepare them for the ever-changing world of work.  Specifically, I love to see students experience Happenstance. Think back to your own time as a college student. Surely there were experiences you participated in that ended up being much more impactful than you thought they would be. The theory behind Happenstance is participating in random events, with little to no expectation, and then being blown away by the spark of a new career, interest, or academic major. You can be a part of Happenstance experiences for students as well, through a variety of opportunities, both on and off campus. Here are some ideas:

• Do you volunteer in the community? Find out what the organization’s specific needs are or if they need help for a large-scale event.
• Are you willing to mentor a student? Mentoring a student takes very little time, but it is very meaningful to students in learning more about the lives they want to live, both personally and professionally.
• Does your organization have job shadowing/observation activities or internship opportunities for students? Or do you know of organizations with these kinds of opportunities?

I’m happy to field these kinds of requests and make connections between students, alumni, and the community to build opportunities for Happenstance (hays@morningside.edu). Happenstance changes people’s lives every single day, and it is truly rewarding to be a part of that.

Finally, be sure you stay connected to campus. We have tons of speakers and programs that are open not only to students on campus, but alumni and community members.   Students love talking with alumni and getting their perspective, and maybe you will experience your own kind of Happenstance moment!

Stacie Hays

As many of you have probably seen or heard, Dimmitt Hall is progressing through its remodel. Most of the new windows have been placed, floors are being laid in the residents’ rooms, heating and cooling units are being installed throughout the building, and landscaping has begun on the outside. The progress is coming together pretty quickly. Some halls are even getting their final coats of paint.

Dry wall is being hung in the formal lounge.

Landscaping outside is still in the early stages but coming along quickly.

On one side of Dimmitt, the new carpet was laid.

The entire third floor has the theme of one side of the hall painted blue. The second floor recently revealed the theme of maroon. The other floors have yet to make it to the painting stage.

The new elevator shaft.

Morningside College’s football field was stripped of its old turf and replaced with new turf and a paint job. However, the football and soccer teams aren’t the only ones benefiting from the new field.
The college donated the old turf to the Nebraska Humane Society. The NHS will be laying it in their yards so their dogs can get some exercise.

The turf will also help with a drainage problem that led to having muddy pups and dogs. The money the NHS saved by having the turf donated can now be spent on buying medical supplies and caring for their animals.

The Betty Ling Tsang Fine Art Series recently had its first performance of the summer. The first performance was the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” on June 19 and 20. Also performed was the Holiday Pops Concert with the Sioux City Symphony on June 27.

“Cats” Performance.

“Cats” performance.

“Cats” performance.

Holiday Pops Concert.

President Reynders and his wife waving the American flag along with other attendees of the Holiday Pops Concert.

Holiday Pops Concert.

Holiday Pops Concert.

After the Holiday Pops Concert, there was a fireworks display on Bass Field.

Morningside College is home to many students with diverse hobbies and interests. The college has students that have passion for ceramics, writing novels, sports, farming, and medical care. They all come together here – sharing experiences and passions while learning.

Student Garrett Wall shares his passion with Morningside College. He gets up and travels to various towns in the Midwest for rodeos. And he doesn’t just watch them; he rides in them.

Wall rides bulls, ropes calves, and gets on bucking horses.

“When you ride bulls, they say it’s 85-90 percent mental and the other is physical. You’ve got to be 100 percent,” said Wall. “It’s a goal that never ends; you can always do better. There is no such thing as a perfect ride on a bull. You could have always done a little bit better and you can always work on something, and you can always strive to be better.”

Last year he was the Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association (IRCA) Reserve Champion, and he won the IRCA Finals.

“I have been going to rodeos for as long as I can remember,” said Wall. “When I was really little, I would go to pro rodeos with my mom and dad.”

Wall’s dad ropes calves, and in his younger years, he rode bulls and bareback horses. He rode professionally for around 20 years.

“I was pretty good at riding horses by the time I was seven or eight years old,” said Wall. “I could rope pretty decent by the time I was twelve. I probably got on my first bull when I was about ten years old.”

Rodeo season goes from mid-May into parts of August, making Wall’s summer packed with rodeos. He’s at around three different shows a weekend.

“It’s a lifestyle,” said Wall. “The people are great. Everyone is the kind of person that would give their shirt off their back for you.”

He even gets on a few bulls during the winter. However, his school schedule limits his time dedicated to riding bulls. Besides riding in rodeos, Wall also is a middle distance runner on the Morningside College track team. He is working towards a degree in agriculture with a minor in biology. He doesn’t know for sure what he wants to do after college. He might go work for a co-op but his dream would be to ride bulls professionally. His goal for this year is to win the IRCA Finals and try to make the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals.

Morningside College had a number of literary societies that often sponsored debates and created an intellectual and social life on campus. The one in the photo was known as the Hawkeye Literary Society. This particular event was chaperoned by Miss Dimmitt and Miss Fischer on February 28, 1916, at the West Hotel. These groups were once wildly popular on campus, but their membership started to decline when sports and other group involvement became more popular.

Marty Knepper Class of 1972

One could say that going to college is a circle of life in itself. You venture out to find an education, spend four years constructing bonds with professors and friends, and after the time is up, you venture out into the world with a degree in hand to start again. Hopefully, you never quite lose those bonds that were created during your time at Morningside College.

Marty Knepper is a Morningside College 1972 graduate. She was heavily involved with campus life. Knepper was in multiple honors organizations and play performances, and she was a resident assistant and an orientation director, plus more.

After graduating from Morningside College, she headed out with her degree in hand to continue her education and get her M.A. and Ph.D. in English. After receiving them, she started out into the world of teaching. Knepper started teaching at Southeastern Community College in Keokuk and then moved on to teach at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. When Morningside College had an opening, Knepper took it.

“Having a job here was a big incentive!” said Knepper. “But, even before I returned as a faculty member, I kept up with friends, former faculty members, and the college.”

Knepper not only teaches English but also chairs the English and Modern Languages Department. She is the faculty advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta, a freshman honor society.

“I always enjoy advising and mentoring students and seeing all the wonderful things they do with their lives after leaving Morningside,” said Knepper. “I also enjoy programming events on campus and working to create strong academic programs.”

She fondly remembers her time her as a student along with her newer memories as a teacher.

“I remember wonderful theatre friends and experiences,” said Knepper. “I remember meeting my husband, John, early in my sophomore year during a moratorium march protesting the Vietnam War.”

Her newer memories are filled with Friday is Writing Day, trips to Spring Green for classical plays in the woods, and her Composition and Communication class on Harry Potter.

“What pleases me most is that, while any small private college faces threats to its existence on various fronts, Morningside has had strong leadership in fiscal management, admissions, academics, and institutional advancement to keep us strong and growing,” said Knepper. “The campus is more beautiful than ever before in my memory.”

Knepper has enjoyed serving on national, state, and community boards along with writing about popular culture topics. She recently co-authored a book with John Lawerence called The Book of Iowa Films.