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n September, Matthew Burow (left) of Slinger, Wisconsin, and Steven Boettcher (right) of Mequon, Wisconsin, were nominated and elected to its Board of Regents. Burow is the president of Catalyst Construction in Milwaukee. Boettcher owns BT Media in Thiensville. Both business owners have been supportive of college initiatives and programming for several years.
Kruse retires
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n June, Merlyn Kruse announced his retirement from WLC, effective July 2012. He accepted a full-time call to WLC in 2006 to serve as the college’s major gifts officer for the Office of Institutional Advancement. He also worked to formalize the Center for International Education, secured grants for its growth, and directed its development. Kruse then was asked to become the interim vice president of institutional advancement, a position he fully assumed in 2008. Early in 2011, he decided to retire from full-time ministry and served in a part-time role at WLC, continuing as the administrative leader for the Center for International Education and the English Language Institute until this past June. “We thank God for Merlyn’s past service at WLC as well as for his ministry impact upon our Lutheran elementary and high school system,” said President Daniel W. Johnson. “We wish Merlyn and his wife, Lee, the Lord’s richest blessings during their retirement years.”
Faculty promotions Wisconsin Lutheran College announced the following faculty promotions effective July 1: Dr. Kevin Glaeske (left) to professor of chemistry, Dr. Robert Balza Jr. to associate professor of biology, Dr. Stacy Hoehl to associate professor of communication, Dr. Kristen Meyer to associate professor of mathematics, Dr. Andrew Mundt to associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Aaron Palmer to associate professor of history.
Seven professors joined faculty in 2012 Prof. Kevin Fedewa ’08, China studies: Fedewa earned his M.A. in Chinese studies from Valparaiso University, then taught English as a Foreign Language in South Korea. After a year abroad, he returned to WLC to teach English as a Foreign Language as well as Mandarin, and during the last academic year served as a full-time instructor of Mandarin Chinese. Prof. Sheena Finnigan ’06, history: Finnigan (left) earned her B.A. in history and theology from WLC and her A.M. in the Master of Arts program in the social sciences, with an emphasis in history, from the University of Chicago. Finnigan was the registrar and an adjunct professor of history at AmeriTech College in Draper, Utah. Dr. James Henkel, biology: Henkel earned his Master of Clinical Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse while studying the West Nile Virus. He earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Medical College of Wisconsin, then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Bethesda, Maryland, at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Prof. Aimee Lau ’03, communication: Lau earned a B.A. in both communication and psychology from WLC then received her M.A. in communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Since 2006, Aimee has served one year at WLC as a full-time instructor and several years as an adjunct instructor. Prof. Lisa LeBlanc, nursing: LeBlanc (left) received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University in 2007, with a minor in family studies. She began her nursing career at St. Joseph Hospital in Milwaukee in 2005 and specializes in obstetrics. LeBlanc has served in an adjunct role of clinical instructor for WLC since 2011. Prof. Gregg Pfarr, business: Pfarr earned a master’s in banking from the Executive Banking Institute, in affiliation with the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking. For the past 12 years of his 34-year banking career, he has worked as a senior vice president at Southport Bank in Kenosha. Over the last two semesters, Pfarr has been an adjunct instructor at WLC.
Merlyn Kruse (fourth from left), who traveled regularly to China, was instrumental in creating a partnership with Jiangxi Normal University and WLC in 2009. Several representatives of the Chinese university visited WLC in 2010 to meet with Kruse and other administrators.
Dr. John Werner, biology: After working for three years in the biotech industry, Werner attended Arizona State University, where he received his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology. He spent the past six years performing postdoctoral research at Princeton University. This work entailed characterizing the inner workings of bacteria to potentially identify new antibiotic targets. Wisconsin Lutheran College | 17
faculty & staff
Business owners join Board of Regents