Franciscan spirit evident at Briar Cliff in past and present

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
September 8, 2004

The students, faculty and buildings have changed through the years at Briar Cliff University but the Franciscan spirit remains.

"It is very clear to me that this is a Catholic, Franciscan institution," noted Beverly Wharton, president of Briar Cliff. "It's even evident in the way we recruit students. We talk about the Franciscan values of respect, care and compassion. It is part of our culture at Briar Cliff and those values permeate the entire campus. It has stayed with us through the years."

In referring to the theme of the 75th anniversary celebration - A History of Forward Thinking, A Legacy of Commitment - the president of Briar Cliff University said when the three-person committee selected that theme they said it reflected the spirit of the Sisters of St. Francis.

"With the establishment of Briar Cliff University as a women's college in 1930, right after the beginning of the depression, it really was a reflection of individuals who were forward-thinkers. The work that it took to establish Briar Cliff showed the commitment of the individuals involved," noted Wharton.

Through the years, the institution has taken steps to evolve and update to meet the needs of the students.

The college started as a two-year institution in 1930, but in 1937 Briar Cliff became a four-year institution.

Sister Jordan Dahm, a past president of Briar Cliff, attended Briar Cliff as a student from 1952-1953. She returned in 1955 and was at the school for 17 years, 10 of which were as president of the college.

"The years that I served as president were from 1962 to 1972. During those years, within the church we had just had Vatican II and in the nation we were coping with student unrest with the war efforts in Vietnam. Those two trends and environments influenced the college in healthy ways," she noted.

Thanks to Vatican II, she said they moved to a more participative spirit in the church community and that flowed over into the college spirit.

"We more broadly involved not only administration, but the faculty, staff and students. Everyone was a part of the college - involved in formulating the goals and articulating values as opposed to the hierarchical, top-down focus. There was a very strong collaborative spirit," said Sister Jordan, who now resides in Dubuque.

That type of spirit, she noted, is the Franciscan way. They related to one another as brother and sister.

"There is a focus on equality and reference for the gifts that everyone brings to a common cause," she said. "It is still strongly there."

During those same years Briar Cliff converted from a women's college to a co-educational college because she said "a number of the young men were coming back from military service seeking a college education."

She pointed out that "The Cliff" has always been very resilient in the way in which the educational experience was offered to its students in every generation.

"I think the way in which Briar Cliff educates students now is appropriate to the global needs - the responsibilities that young people have as part of a global society," said Sister Jordan. "I think that was true in every generation. Even when we moved from a woman's college to co-ed, we did so because it was a way in which we could strengthen the educational experience both for women and men by bringing them together in a learning situation. We kept responding to the signs of the times."

Sister Grace Ann Witte, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, first came to Briar Cliff as a sister student in the fall of 1958 when it was still an all women's school. She graduated in January of 1960. After just a few short years, Sister Grace Ann returned in the fall of 1964 to teach.

"I was away for two years to get my doctorate at the University of Notre Dame and I was a visiting professor at Western Carolina University in North Carolina, otherwise I've been at Briar Cliff," she noted.

Some of the most visible changes she witnessed at the school were in the campus buildings. As a student, in 1958 BC was completing construction of the library and chapel. When she came back in 1964, they were completing construction of Alverno Hall.

"In some sense, I have been here for the addition of all the buildings except Heelan Hall and North Hall. (The two original buildings,)" she explained.

She recalled how the original dorm quarters were in Heelan Hall.

"My room, when I was here as a student, was on second floor because in those days the sisters were still in the cloister. I was a sister, but came out here to finish my college after I was professed," explained Sister Grace Ann.

One thing that stands out in her memories is the fact that many of the sisters were still in "mourning" due to the trees that had to be cut down to build the chapel.

"They had experienced the difficulty of growing trees on this hilltop, in this soil. To build the chapel they had to cut down a whole set of trees," she said. "These were sisters who had to carry buckets of water to get the trees started in the dry years of the '30s and had nursed the trees along. Here they were thriving."

When she returned to the college as an instructor she noted that in her first year Briar Cliff was still women-only and it was on the semester system. In the second year, Briar Cliff went to the three-term system and the following year the school accepted men for the first time. Soon after the men's dormitory, Toller Hall was built. It was finished in 1967.

"I don't think we've been a place that has tried to put on airs. I think we've always tried to be honest about what we could or couldn't do for students," said Sister Grace Ann. "We haven't tried to do something we couldn't do well. I think I found that when I came here and I think it's true still true in general."

She pointed out that Briar Cliff is probably more "consciously Franciscan now" than when she first arrived. When she came in 1958, it was hardly ever spoken of but was just taken for granted. There was no marketing plan that verbalized it. Through the years, the Franciscan spirit has remained but it is articulated more today than in the past.

As many of the Franciscan sisters have been educated and worked at Briar Cliff, Sister Grace Ann said many of them feel a sense of belonging and ownership for the school.

"Many have put in their sweat equity to keep the place going," she said. "It has been a great privilege to work at Briar Cliff."

The current president, Wharton, made history herself when she became the first lay woman to serve as president of Briar Cliff. In 1972, Dr. Kasper Marking became the first male and first layperson to become president of the school.

Wharton pointed out that one of the changes she witnessed first-hand was the switch from college to university status.

"We became Briar Cliff University on my first day of work," she noted. "It was June 1 of 2001. The establishment of a university allowed us to organize internally in a way that allowed us to be more responsive to our students."

The university structure not only allowed Briar Cliff to continue to have school of undergraduate studies focusing on the traditional students from high school but allowed it to offer graduate studies in continuing education. Presently, BCU has three master's degrees - Master of Arts in education, Master of Science in nursing and Master of Arts in human resources.

In recent years, the university has placed more emphasis on developing the programs and class schedules that are conducive to the adult learner who may also be holding down a full-time job.

Wharton pointed out that when this year's freshmen students participated in Welcome Week activities, it was a chance for them to discover some of the history of their new school. Part of what was presented to the students were historic classroom photos and photos of classrooms today.

"When you look at the photos, they are really not that different. It still shows a faculty member interacting with a student and that was in the '30s and that is what happens today," said the current university president.

The clothes may have changed, but the foundational components remain the same.

"The basic mission of Briar Cliff University has not changed. Yes we have changed with technology in our world and we are now a co-ed institution, but the commitment to our mission and our Catholic, Franciscan heritage has not changed," she said.

Wharton acknowledged that the number of sisters who are present at the university has declined over the years but there are still 11 Franciscans who are affiliated with Briar Cliff as teachers, working in the library or in campus ministry. The sisters' presence at the school is just one way that makes it clear to BC students that it is a Franciscan university.

At the same time, she added, that the lay faculty members are very committed to their students.

"They exhibit the Franciscan values of care, compassion and respect for individuals in their work in the classroom," said Wharton.

She added that Briar Cliff not only remembers its past and traditions, but looks to the future. The school recently completed a two-year process to develop a five-year plan.

Six strategic goals were identified: 1) Deepen and give witness to the Catholic and Franciscan heritage, 2) Advance holistic student learning, 3) Educate to acquire and respect a sense of place, from the prairies of Iowa's Loess Hills to the global arena 4) Achieve and sustain optimal enrollment, 5) Build and maintain campus facilities that will support the Briar Cliff community and 6) Assure financial health.

"We are recognizing this milestone right now - the 75th anniversary - but we are always planning for the future," said Wharton.