Working Together

President Jenifer K. Ward

Dear Luther Community,

My, how time flies when students are being educated, buildings are being renovated, faculty members are catching up on research, staff are readying our spaces and programs for a new academic year, and a president is entering the bell lap of her time at Luther.

When I first came to Luther, I introduced a Civic Sustainability Initiative, because I felt so strongly that our survival as a world community depended on us being intentional about working with each other across ideologies, identities, and interests. The pandemic slowed us down, but as I enter my final year at Luther, I’m rededicating myself to supporting the Luther community in articulating five core values and reviewing our mission for this next generation. In this last year, I am one of fewer than 100 participants in the College and University Presidents for Civic Preparedness consortium, a growing movement of campus leaders dedicated to advancing critical inquiry, free expression, and civil discourse on campus.

There are many ways one might “bookend” a presidency. For me, as we consider Luther’s history and mission and the challenging state of a world seemingly growing ever further apart, I am gratified to be in a community where we understand that mutual respect and stewardship of what we call “the common good” cannot be taken for granted and require both attention and intention.

I look forward to this next year and to the many opportunities I hope to have with you, in which we break bread, share a cup of coffee, sit shoulder to shoulder at an event, and—regardless of other aspects of our histories or beliefs—unite over our love for Luther College.

Soli Deo Gloria,

President Jenifer K. Ward