2008 Year in Review

Wartburg College Receives $250,000 from Saemann Foundation

Wartburg College has received a $250,000 grant from the Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Foundation of Morrison, Ill. “We are grateful for this generous grant from the Saemann Foundation,” said Dr. William E. Hamm, interim Wartburg president. “The foundation provided support for Commission Wartburg, our first strategic planning process, and Commission on Mission continues that work. As a result, the Saemann Foundation is a natural partner with Wartburg as we embark upon Commission on Mission, an integral step in envisioning and securing Wartburg College’s future.” Since 1995, the Saemann Foundation has given more than $5 million to Wartburg. Those funds have primarily supported building projects that directly benefit students, including Grossmann Hall, the Vogel Library and Saemann Student Center.

The Saemann Foundation also underwrote Commission Wartburg, a yearlong constituent-based planning process that preceded the $90 million Campaign Wartburg fundraising initiative. In addition, the Saemann Foundation has provided student scholarships and support for the college’s annual fund and the endowment.

Irene List Saemann was the granddaughter of Wartburg’s founder and first president, the Rev. Georg Grossmann. Her niece, Joann Kilgus of Morrison, Ill., is a member of the Saemann Foundation board of directors and the Wartburg College Board of Regents. Kilgus is Grossmann’s great-granddaughter.

In addition to the Saemann Foundation grant, Commission on Mission is funded in part by a $50,000 grant from the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
July 22, 2008