center for christian leadership
The Center for Christian Leadership CWLC: women who lead by serving
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he Christian Women’s Leadership Circle (CWLC) was created in 2006 in part to encourage others to follow the lead of Sharon Schoeneck, a 1989 WLC graduate who established the Sharon A. Schoeneck Christian Women’s Leadership Scholarship with the assistance of Kris Metzger, of the college’s Office of Development. Since then, CWLC’s purpose, to develop and support leadership initiatives, especially for women in their roles as students, faculty, staff, and friends of WLC, has continued to expand. “For me, the beginning of the Leadership Circle was to advance
Whitewater. “My hope is that we can increase our membership and expand our resources. That will enable us to provide additional scholarships and grants, and to grow our partnership with WLC.”
Each year CWLC awards several grants to faculty, staff, and students. Leaders of 2013-2014 projects presented their results at CWLC’s April board meeting. CWLC president Pat Freer (center standing) thanked (l to r) Kelly Ramirez, director of the Pathways to College program, along with juniors Hailey Schwartz and Sierra Tackett, student project leaders.
More than 200 women attended the 2014 Butterfly Brunch and heard the motivational words of keynote speaker Geneva Johnson of Milwaukee, retired president and CEO of Family Service America, Inc.
information and awareness of WLC and to support the idea of women playing a more active role at the college,” said Marlene Schumacher, longtime supporter of WLC and one of CWLC’s founders. “Along with that, we wanted to help young women develop their full potential as Christian leaders.” Today, those goals remain at the core of CWLC’s mission. During its eight-year history, CWLC has hosted an annual, highly regarded and well-attended Butterfly Brunch event; awarded the Schoeneck Scholarship of $5,000 each March at the brunch; built a membership of nearly 100 annual or lifetime members; and created a board of directors, subcommittees, and multimedia communication materials. 12 | wlc.edu
In addition, CWLC has partnered with WLC to provide financial support for the Center for Christian Leadership’s new certificate program, for the Christian Leadership Speaker Series, and for numerous grants awarded to faculty, staff, and students whose projects focus on servant leader principles. Beginning in 2014-2015, CWLC will be establishing a second endowed scholarship while continuing to give a $1,000 annual scholarship. “This organization has just begun to realize its potential in making a difference in the lives of students at WLC,” said Pat Freer, current CWLC president, donor, parent of an alumna, and retired student affairs administrator at the University of Wisconsin-
As an indication of the value Wisconsin Lutheran College places on CWLC, President Daniel W. Johnson asked Freer to join the advisory committee for the college’s Center for Christian Leadership, and to represent CWLC as WLC continues to develop Christian leadership programs and initiatives. “CWLC is doing an awesome job of encouraging women to discover their talents to lead,” President Johnson said. “It is also providing them with opportunities to learn and grow as servant leaders who will have a positive impact on others.” “The vision of the Christian Women’s Leadership Circle has always been to be a partner with WLC,” said Freer. “Being recognized as part of the Center for Christian Leadership reflects that our programs and contributions are being seen as significant, integral parts of the college’s leadership initiatives. We’re very pleased to be part of this coordinated effort to intentionalize servant leadership across all parts of the college. “WLC has had Christian servant leadership as its foundation since its very beginnings,” Freer added. “I’m excited about the purposeful steps being taken that are moving this initiative forward – from a written statement to measurable aspects within all students’ academic coursework and experiential learning opportunities. Graduating seniors will truly understand the role they play as Christian leaders as they leave Wisconsin Lutheran College.” To learn more about the Christian Women’s Leadership Circle, visit 8 wlc.edu/cwlc.