Celebration of Lifelong Learning: Wittenberg event showcases academic and co-curricular activites

2017 Mar 13

For the past four years, Wittenberg University has highlighted student success through a special Celebration of Lifelong Learning event designed to showcase academic and co-curricular activities from every department.

As part of this year's Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 7-9, Wittenberg will take the popular spring event and host it this fall so as feature alumni success, as well. Wittenberg alumni from across the United States have been invited to offer advice and knowledge to current student at the celebratory event.

Associate Professor of Business and Department Chair Wendy Gradwohl, along with Wendy Smiseck, director of Career Services; Meredith Level, coordinator for engaged learning for the Department of Business; Linda Beals, director of alumni relations; and Kenzie Kush '17, have organized the event.

"We thought it would be beneficial to have a collaborative event where alumni from all disciplines shared their stories," Gradwohl explained. "We tend to stick to our department and program silos for events like Homecoming, such as alumni career panels geared toward our own majors. But many of our alumni are working in fields that didn't intuitively align with their major. We wanted to show current students the wide array of vocational choices that are available to them."

Celebration of Lifelong Learning will bring together alumni from 14 different disciplines and majors and is co-sponsored by 16 different academic departments, the Calling Plan Partnership Project Mini-Grant, the Office of Advancement, and Career Services.

The day begins with a lunch for the alumni participants, followed by three panels where alumni will discuss why a Wittenberg education is important, what they learned pursing a career, and how they applied their Wittenberg education in a unique way. The event closes with a networking event, "Mingling & Mocktails."

"We hope current students walk away feeling confident that they, too, will have light to pass on to others, that they will be able to use their education to benefit organizations specifically and society in general," Gradwohl said. "The Witt Network is real and tangible. This event is an opportunity for alumni to share their experiences and have an impact on current students' futures."

-Camila Quinones '17, Office of University Communications