Changing of the Guard

By Lindsay Dick - Campus Editor

These people represent the best of our mission,” said President Christopher Blake. “They are student-focused, promote social justice and live out the mission of the Sisters of Mercy everyday of their lives.”

Eight faculty and staff members will be retiring this year whose service to the college totals 221 years of dedication.

Jay Shuldiner has served the longest of this group. He came to Mount Mercy in 1967 to teach in the History department. Shuldiner considers his greatest accomplishment to be his participation in the Honors Program, where he partnered with another faculty member to develop three interdisciplinary honors courses.

John Rogers from the social work department has taught at Mount Mercy for 35 years. Rogers helped connect the Mount Mercy social work program to social work education on a national basis.

Buelane Daugherty came to Mount Mercy in 1976 to teach nursing. She has worn many hats throughout her time on the campus, the most recent being that of the special assistant to the provost.

Bob Naujoks has worked in the art department for 30 years. He developed the graphic design course at Mount Mercy and helped to implement graphic design as a concentration area of study. Bob has been hosting a jazz radio program for almost 20 years on KCCK 88.3 FM.

Constance Walther has been a great resource in the library for 29 years. She helped move the library from Lundy Commons to it’s current location and has worked as the media director/serials librarian ever since.

Throughout his career as a religious studies and philosophy professor at Mount Mercy, David Ard’s goal has been to “awaken students to consider the possibility that living a human life is a rare and great opportunity.” Ard has taught here for 24 years.

Joanne Daggit, director of counseling services for 15 years, said her fondest memories at Mount Mercy have been watching students walk across the stage that have had through very difficult experiences. “It’s very moving to see the strength of the human spirit,” she said. “They continue to work toward their goal to finish college no matter what. It’s truly awesome.”

Following his extensive work on the Core Curriculum committee this year, Tianzheng Wu will retire from the math and computer science department after 15 years at Mount Mercy. He helped to design eight new computer science courses during his time here.