Lutheran College Washington Semester

Pentagon and Holocaust Museum Visits

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:37:00 +0000

9/11 Memorial at The Pentagon

The last two student events have brought our students to two of the most famous places in the DC area. On Wednesday, February 8th the spring group had the opportunity to tour the world's largest office building, also known as The Pentagon. Located less than a mile from where the students live, the Pentagon is the main office location for the United States military. Because of it's obvious pentagon shape which gives the building it's name, the design creates it so any person could walk just about anywhere in the building, from point to point, in less than 15 minutes. Considering the building is essentially a city in itself, housing offices for 25,000, more at times of war, that's quite the feat. Students were given tours by military personnel who spoke not only about the building itself but in part about the military. Some of the highlights included the chapel and the 9/11 Memorial located on the grounds just outside where the attack took place. The memorial is open 24/7 year round and is a moving reminder of the tragic events from that day.

After our tour students returned to the LCWS office to hear guest lecturer Colonel Maurice Clemmons of the US Army speak about his 26 years in the service. Colonel Clemmons has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was in the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9/11. Colonel Clemmons account of 9/11 gives a moving account of the day's events and provided students with a truly unique perspective. Students were also shown an excellent grouping of pictures detailing the events of that day. We thank Colonel Clemmons for taking time to meet with out students and for serving our country in the military.

On Wednesday, February 15th the weekly student event was held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the National Mall. Students arrived early and had a chance to hear a Holocaust survivor speak, giving her accounts of what it was like in Germany and what she endured during that time in history. Students then had a chance to walk through the four-story museum getting an opportunity to read documents, watch movies, and see artifacts giving an excellent account of the Holocaust. It's always one of the more emotional events of the semester which speaks to the excellent work done by the museum and it's staff. There really is no better way to learn about the Holocaust and World War II and we appreciate the museum working to accommodate our students.

N St. Village

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:03:00 +0000

As you may or may not know, part of our program is each week we conduct events or field trips with our students. Some of these are fun and light-hearted while others show more of a serious side to DC. This past week was a little more serious as we introduced the students to a wonderful program in NE DC called N Street Village. In their words:

"N Street Village is a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. With comprehensive services addressing both emergency and long-term needs, we help women achieve personal stability and make gains in their housing, income, employment, mental health, physical health, and addiction recovery."

N St Village was founded in 1972 by members of Luther Place Memorial Church and they've been helping people everyday every since. We like taking the students there because they're good people, doing good work, and it helps show our students that there are many layers to Washington, DC. Plus, a lot of our students end up doing community service work with N St. and our tour serves as a volunteer orientation. We thanks N St. Village for opening their doors for us, again, and helping to educate our students.

Later today we'll be hosting a panel discussion with service organizations about community involvement and career opportunities after college. More details on that later!

First Week in DC for Spring '12 Students

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:31:00 +0000

The 2012 Spring semester at LCWS has begun and we are off to a flying start! Looking back I'm sure the students (and staff for that matter) are tired since so much has happened but it's been a lot of fun.

Students started arriving to DC on Saturday to pick up their keys and move-in. It's always interesting to see everyone lugging around suit cases, bags, and boxes trying to figure out where to go. Laura and Douglas were here to greet them, hand out keys and orientation packets, and get them pointed in the right direction. Everyone made it to DC without any issues so the weekend was a huge success.

Monday we conducted orientation starting off with introductions from our Dean, Dr. Nancy Joyner. Brett Parson, a DC police officer then took over and spoke to the students about safety in the Nation's Capital. Sgt. Parson is always entertaining and he delivered yet again. We broke for lunch and then Laura and Douglas finished up orientation and made sure to answer any remaining questions.

Classes kicked off on Monday and most of the students started their internships on Tuesday. Nothing quite like getting right into the action but the students handled it well and were excited to see what their internships were like.

Wednesday is our day for events and this week we took the students to tour the US Capitol Building and the US Supreme Court. Talk about a welcome to Washington! Hard to beat seeing the building home to politics followed up by sitting in the courtroom of the highest court in the land.

Now as the weekend approaches it seems the students are worn our from all the excitement of the first week and seeing all the new places along with their new apartments. It's been a fun week though and we have thoroughly enjoyed meeting our new students. It looks like it's going to be a great spring in DC!

Next week we're inviting all the students to come to the office for President Obama's State of the Union address. It's Tuesday at 9 pm and we'll be serving pizza for everyone. Then Wednesday we're off to N Street Village so students get a chance to see a different aspect of DC and to see some truly good works being done.

DC in the Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:22:00 +0000

As the spring semester approaches rather quickly we thought it might be fun to talk about what kind of events are going on in DC this spring. It's always an active time and some of the year's biggest events happen in the spring.

Maybe the biggest event of the spring is the National Cherry Blossom Festival starting on Saturday, March 25th and running through Sunday, April 8th. Japan donated trees to the United States that were planted around the Tidal Basin and they reach full bloom during the festival providing DC with unbelievable beauty. Over 3,000 cherry trees blossoming at once is quite a sight and also marks the beginning of tourist season.

Some other fun events for the spring in the nation's capital are:
*January 29th - Chinese New Year (Parade and celebration in China Town)
*February 11-13 - Washington Food and Wine Show - Huge showcase of some of the areas best in wine and food held at the Reagan Building a block from The White House.
*Events in mid-February for President's Day, Washington's Birthday, and Lincoln's Birthday.
*February 29 - March 5 - Washington, DC Independent Film Festival
*March 3-4 - Chocolate Lover's Festival in Fairfax
*Celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr, Valentine's, St. Pat's and Easter
*March 31st - National Kite Festival on the National Mall
*Sporting events like the Washington Capitals hockey, Wizards basketball, and Nationals baseball starting up with opening day on April 13th.
*Ice skating at the Sculpture Gardens on the National Mall
and many, many more.

And these are just a few of the events going on in the area. We'll be doing stuff with students as well like trips to the Capitol, Supreme Court, Pentagon, and taking in a theater show at one of the many local playhouses. This is just a taste of what's going on this spring so it's going to be a fun semester and a great time to be in Washington!

A look back at 2011...

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:13:00 +0000

The year of 2011 was a good one for LCWS but like any year, we had our ups and downs. That said, it was definitely a year of more ups then downs so we would like to take a moment to reflect on the year and touch on a couple of highlights....

Spring 2011 Students at Supreme Court

Our spring 2011 semester went well and had a great group of 41 students. The semester started off with a bang, literally, as we attended a performance of STOMP. Other highlights from the semester included a talk with Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, some students participated in a flash mob at Lincoln Memorial, and some participated in the Honor Flight program welcoming military veterans to DC. Of course there were the usual events which in DC may be normal, but none of these events or places are normal. Visits to the Capitol, Supreme Court, Newseum, and many others can only be described as normal in DC.

In the spring we also were able to upgrade both our wireless internet service and improve our television service to include full High Definition stations with each condo having flat panel TVs providing students with much nicer services in both areas. We also completed renovations of the student condos in North 1009, East 1203, and remodeled the kitchens in East 1204 and West 1013. Just another step forward in an effort to keep improving our program.

Alyssa Wehr

During the summer Alyssa Wehr announced her resignation as she ventured north to Boston College to pursue a master's degree in social counseling. After four years of faithful service to LCWS we were sad to see her go but we're so happy to get updates from her from time to time and it's great to hear she is enjoying life in Boston.

Laura Groth with Dr. Nancy Joyner

So if Alyssa leaves, we need a new Director of Internships... and hence, the hiring of Laura Groth. Laura returned to DC after once being a student at LCWS in the spring of '08 and haven received a bachelor's and master's at Valparaiso University. Laura hit the ground running, is doing a wonderful job, and keeps us laughing around the office.

Dr. Chris Joyner

Of course with any year you have sad moments and this year LCWS suffered through one of the biggest loses to ever hit our program with the passing of Dr. Chris Joyner. Chris taught Global Agenda for us for over 20 years and was one of the first professors at LCWS. He also taught at Georgetown University and his passing was a great loss. He not only was a great professor but a loving husband to our Dean, Dr. Nancy Joyner, as well as a tremendous friend to us all. Dr. Kate Kidd stepped in for Chris with the Global Agenda class and Dr. Kidd has been a wonderful addition to the LCWS family. Our thanks again to her for being so great in helping out this fall.

Fall 2011 students with Ms. Brimmer

Speaking of fall, what a great fall 2011 semester we had! Our students started the semester by visiting the Instiutue of Peace and meeting Assistant Secretary of State Esther Brimmer. Other moments outside the normal events included seeing a performance of Les Miserables at The Kennedy Center and having a career counseling day with the communications staff at The White House.

Also during the fall semester our board member from Valparaiso University, Dr. Jim Kingsland, resigned as he is retiring from teaching this year. Dr. Kingsland served on the board for many years and we appreciate his efforts to help LCWS become a better program. His departure means a new board member and we were happy to have Dr. Amy Atchison join us as the new Valparaiso representative.

Two last bits of fun info to close out the year...
We were happy to hear about the engagement of Magie Anderson and Aaron Smith, both of Luther College, who started dating while attending the fall '10 semester. Aaron proposed to Magie when they were recently visiting DC and we pass along our congratulations and best wishes to them both!

And not quite as big as an engagement but fun nevertheless, we introduced a new logo for the program. We felt a new logo more representative of DC and our program was in order and with the hard work of the LCWS staff and graphic designer (and friend of the program) Kelly Goffiney, we were able to come up with a new look. Our thanks to Kelly for her patience and hard work.

The year provided tons of excitement and stories to last a lifetime... can't wait to see what 2012 will bring us! Our eternal gratitude goes out to the staff, faculty and board of LCWS for doing such a wonderful job with the program. Of course the real star of the show is the students and we were blessed to have such wonderful individuals be part of the program in 2011. We thank you all for joining us in DC during this past year and look forward to hearing many great stories from you all in the future. Happy New Year's to you all and may 2012 bring you good health, wisdom beyond your years, and more fun than you've ever had!

New logo

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Today we are pleased to announce that the Lutheran College Washington Semester has a new logo. After an exhaustive process of designs, designers, ideas, debates, and philosophies we have attained a new logo. The previous logo was a square block of the acronym for the program, LCWS. It sometimes confused people and didn't tell as much of a story as we were hoping for. So we created a new one that list the name in a cirlce around in interior area of our acronym, LCWS, and then three of the most iconic images, not only in DC, but America... the Washington Monument, The White House, and the Capitol Dome. We are staying with the same color scheme with a new font. We hope the new logo will be easier to understand, look fresh and new, and help students understand this program is about being in Washington, DC. We welcome any feedback so don't be shy letting us know what you think of it.

End of Semester Luncheon

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:26:00 +0000

Students having lunch at Whitlow's

It's become tradition at LCWS to take the students out for lunch on the last Wednesday of the semester and for the last several years, that lunch has been at Whitlow's. The students have worked hard, done a lot, and seen so much that we like to come together as a group, say thanks, and get a chance to have fun together. This group's lunch was no exception as we, as a staff, had a chance to say thanks to the students for making this a wonderful semester and then we ended up swapping stories and remembering things that happened during the semester.

Laura and Dr. Joyner at luncheon

It seems like yesterday when the students were coming in to get their keys unsure of what the upcoming semester would hold. It was a great semester though with things like meeting Assistant Secretary of State Brimmer, seeing Les Mis at The Kennedy Center, tours of The White House, Pentagon, and Capitol, briefings from military from the Pentagon and also from the Dept. of State, as well as a career counseling get-together with members of the communications staff at The White House. This says nothing of all the events and happenings that went on outside of the LCWS program that the students attended and did on their own.
The semester was busy, it was jammed pack with events, it was educational, it was memorable, but most of all it was fun. We wish our best to the graduating seniors and good luck to all of those returning to their campuses. Be safe, have a wonderful holiday season, and stay in touch!! Thanks for a great semester!

Renovating East 1203

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:44:00 +0000

LCWS owns thirteen condos that we use for housing students and over the past three years we have been in the process of renovating each condo. Any home owner will tell you, there is always something to work on, and considering the buildings here are sixty years old, that's especially true for us. East 1203 is the latest condo to get a facelift and we're proud to announce the condo has been completed.

The condo had an enormous amount of work done to it especially in the kitchen and living room area. Two walls were torn down to expand the kitchen doubling both the cabinet space and counter top area. New recessed lights were added to a new ceiling and new appliances were added in the kitchen. The carpet in the living room, dining room and kitchen were replaced with hardwood floors and new furniture was added in the living room, dining room, and bedrooms. This is only the second condo to have hardwood floors installed but plans are being made to use them more. A ceiling fan was added to the living room as well as fans being installed in both bedrooms. A chandelier was installed over the dining room table and the new lighting was put in throughout the condo. The bathrooms were about the only rooms not to see changes as they had previously been updated. There is still some things we could change but for now we're happy with the outcome and are proud to have our students using the condo. Make sure to check our Facebook page to see more pics of the renovation.

Eisenhower Institute and Heritage Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:21:00 +0000

On November 9th the LCWS students visited the Eisenhower Institute for a luncheon and seminar given by Susan Eisenhower, President of the Eisenhower Institute and granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. Ms. Eisenhower spoke on the topic "Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times". The Eisenhower Institute is a program started by Gettysburg College (Member school of LCWS) and is designed to bring together top policy makers and undergraduate students. LCWS currently has two Gettysburg students this fall and we were proud to introduce the other students to the Eisenhower Institute and their wonderful programs. Please visit www.eisenhowerinstitute.org for more information.

Students also recently visited The Heritage Foundation on Wednesday, November 16th for the event “Central America’s Ambassadors Speak: Next Steps Toward Central American Security.” Ambassadors from El Salvador, Costa Rico, Honduras and Nicaragua came together to speak of the challenges Central America faces and what they are doing, not only as individuals, but also together, to combat security issues in their region. Drugs, crime, and terrorism are problems each county faces and being stuck between producers of drugs in South America and a huge market in North America, it places Central America in an awful position. Factor in a lack of technology, money, and other resources and it leaves these countries with an unenviable task. The Heritage Foundation is a world-known conservative think-tank focused on research and education. You can visit www.heritage.org for more information about The Heritage Foundation. Video of the event should be available shortly on The Heritage Foundation event web site mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph.

Catching up on the Latest Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:21:00 +0000

It's been a couple of weeks since we published so let's get you caught up. Recent field trips have included the Newseum, an excellent briefing on Muslim faith and the Sharia aspect of the faith, a tour of The White House and a career development session at the Old Executive Office Building with members of the communication staff from The White House. It's been a busy few weeks!

The Newseum is a private museum located on Pennsylvania Avenue, a short distance from the Capitol, that is focused on media and news. The museum is 4 floors of interactive exhibits, movies, displays, and even works as a studio for some television shows. One of the main exhibits is the 9/11 feature showing a piece of the World Trade Center Building and newspaper headlines from all over the world from that day. The Newseum also has an interactive TV studio so you can try your hand at being a news reporter as they give you a script and put you in front of a green screen so it looks like you're actually reporting. It's a wonderful museum that educates on the history of the media and provided additional education for our Photojournalism class that met in the Newseum that day.

At the end of October LCWS hosted Alejandro Beutel from the Muslim Public Affairs Council to speak with the students. Beutel was excellent at giving a background in Islam as well as explaining the Sharia aspect of the faith. He provided a wonderful explanation helping to dispel rumors and myths about Islam and Sharia and took plenty of time answering questions to make sure students understood. Our thanks to Alejandro Beutel and the Muslim Public Affairs Council and we hope to work with them again soon!

Then last week the students had an exciting day at The White House. First up was the tour, and let's be honest, it's maybe not the most exciting tour at first glance but it's amazing when you consider the history and who lives there. Students entered through the East Wing, walked through the Blue, Green, and Red rooms before seeing the State Room and walking out the front door. Yes, it's self-guided and can be quick but when you stop and realize the history of the building and who lives there you realize how lucky you were for doing it. Following up with the tour, we had a career development session with some of the communication staff next door in the Eisenhower Old Executive Office Building, commonly known as the OEOB. Students received advice on careers and heard what it was like working at The White House. Staffers told their stories and how they ended up there and then broke into groups working with students.

Next up is a trip to the Eisenhower Institute for a luncheon with Susan Eisenhower entitled "Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times".

Pentagon and Briefing

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:25:00 +0000

This week the fall students got a chance to peek into military life by visiting the Pentagon on our weekly field trip and then attended a briefing from a military officer at the LCWS offices. The Pentagon is located here in Arlington just a short trip from Rosslyn and the LCWS housing. Students were given a detailed tour walking through 4 levels and several rings of the building. Highlights of the tour included features on the different branches of the military, history of the building, and the 9/11 Chapel and Memorial inside the building. After the tour students had time to visit the public 9/11 Memorial on the outside grounds if they wished. The public 9/11 Memorial is open 24/7 every day of the year and is a beautiful tribute to those that perished. The tours were given by officers currently serving in the various branches of the military and were great resources for providing information and answering our student's questions.

Colonel Clemons speaking with Fall students

After returning from the Pentagon students were treated to a briefing from Colonel Maurice Clemons of the United States Army. Colonel Clemons has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and provided students with a first-hand account to what it's like and what serving in the armed forces is like. Colonel Clemons also is a minster and was able to speak on a various number of issues that affect our soldiers from religious beliefs to experiencing gunfights and mortar attacks. We thank the Pentagon and Colonel Clemons for an enlightening afternoon and wish all our military personnel and their families the very best.

Les Miserables at The Kennedy Center

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:24:00 +0000

Every semester LCWS always makes sure to take students to see a show and we were fortunate enough this fall to catch a classic. The students attended a performance of Les Miserables at The Kennedy Center on Thursday night. Les Miserables is known throughout the world quickly turning into a favorite of many theater goers and the performance at The Kennedy Center did not disappoint. Les Mis is a moving tale set during the French Revolution that evokes a wide range of emotions from laugh out loud humor to drama that leaves your face soaked with tears. The actors were excellent and their singing was phenomenal. Les Mis has a large cast and they moved quickly about the stage with fast scene transitions that moved with precision. Without a doubt the stage production and design was brilliant and almost stole the show. As if the performance wasn't enough, to be in the Opera House at The Kennedy Center was an added treat that made the whole evening a night not to forget. Afterwards speaking with students it seemed most of them loved the performance and this has been one of the strongest reactions to a show we've attended yet. If you get a chance we highly recommend the show so try to see it if you're in DC!

State Department

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:01:00 +0000

This week's field trip landed the students at the United States Department of State where they attended a briefing by Jane Mosbacher from the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. During Mosbacher's four years at the State Department she has worked closely with other agencies, advised senior officials, and managed large amounts of money of counterterrorism program funds. She has also worked to help promote the roles of women in her field by traveling to Afghanistan and being featured in publications in India, Yemen, and Iran. She has been featured at international women's forums and has written editorials featured in the Houston Chronicles.

The students were able to spend some time with Ms. Mosbacher hearing about counterterrorism, the role of the US State Department, Mosbacher's job duties, and how the US is doing internationally. Students also had a chance to ask questions and get a chance to spend time in the State Department main building in downtown, DC. Thanks to Ms. Mosbacher and the US State Department for taking time to visit with us!

Luncheon with Board of Directors

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Dr. Gooch presenting Dr. Kingsland with a plaque of appreciation

Twice each year the LCWS Board of Directors gathers at the LCWS offices and we always make sure to have a student luncheon so our board members get a chance to meet with their students and also meet students from other schools. This past weekend our board members, which are made up of a representative from each of the 13 schools plus our Dean, met for their fall gathering. The highlight of the luncheon was the announcement of Dr. James Kingsland stepping down as Valparaiso University's representative. While students had a chance to eat on finger foods, veggies, shrimp and other goodies, Herb Gooch (CLU) and Dean Joyner presented Dr. Kingsland with a plaque of appreciation of service to the LCWS Board and thanked him for his years of service. Dr. Kingsland has served with the board for 9 years and Dr. Amy Atchison will now be stepping in to take over as Valparaiso University's representative. We wish Dr. Kingsland the very best on his future endeavors and are excited to welcome Dr. Atchison to the LCWS program!

N. Street Village

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:34:00 +0000

On Wednesday, September 21st the fall group found themselves visiting N. Street Village in the northwest section of the District. N. Street Village is an organization created to help empower homeless and less fortunate women through educational programs, providing temporary shelter, and providing medical benefits. LCWS has been taking students to N St Village for years because we feel it's important to provide students a different kind of look at DC and it gives them a chance to see how an organization can give back. The tour also serves as an orientation session for our students which allows them to go back to do community service with N St Village. Every semester students end up there helping out doing various jobs and on some occasions even spending the night to help overnight. For more information on the good work going on be sure to check out the N St Village web site!

Memorial Details for Chris Joyner

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:01:00 +0000

A memorial service will be held for Dr. Christopher C. Joyner on Friday, September 16, 2011, in Copley Formal Lounge on the campus of Georgetown University. The family will receive friends from 3 to 4pm with the memorial service to begin at 4pm. All are welcome to attend. Copley Formal Lounge is located in Copley Hall on 37th and O St. NW. For directions please see the Copley Hall section of the Georgetown University web site. (Here)

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to two memorial funds that have been created to honor Chris Joyner.

The Lutheran College Washington Semester has established a memorial fund in honor of Christopher C. Joyner that will be used to help future LCWS students attending the program. Checks should be made out to "LCWS" and please designate "Joyner Memorial" in the memo section of your check. Please send to:

LCWS

1025 Arlington Blvd.

Arlington, VA 22209

The Christopher C. Joyner Fund at Georgetown University has been established to recognize an outstanding graduate student in the field of international law. Checks should be made out to "Georgetown University" with a memo noting "Joyner Memorial" and sent to:

Nancy Barone

Georgetown University Office of Advancement

PO Box 571401

Washington, DC 20057

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and continued support during this tough time for the Joyner family and the entire LCWS community.

Students visit Holocaust Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:48:00 +0000

This week's field trip led the Fall students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a tour and a special visit with a Holocaust survivor. Students had a chance to meet the survivor and spend time talking with her for about an hour. After hearing her story and asking questions, the students then had a chance to walk through the four story museum dedicated to what happened during that horrific time. The museum can be an emotional experience for visitors as it has some of the largest collections of items. The museum has movies, displays, and an overwhelming amount of information that takes you back to a time that can hardly be imagined. The museum focuses on not only remembrance, but also research and education in hopes future genocide and antisemitism can be avoided. Please take time to visit their web site at http://www.ushmm.org/ and plan to visit if you are ever in DC.

Chris Joyner: A Tribute to a Wonderful Man

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:50:00 +0000

Friends,

I'm saddened to inform you we've lost our friend and colleague Dr. Chris Joyner. He passed away last night surrounded by family after a brief battle with an illness that could not be beaten.

Dr. Chris Joyner

Chris was a teacher by profession but he always found a way to be so much more. Having taught at Georgetown University for the past 22 years as his daytime job, he always found time to come to LCWS and teach his Global Agenda class to our students. Having previously taught at George Washington University, the University of VA, Dartmouth and Muhlenberg College, Chris leaves an immeasurable number of enriched lives left behind. He taught in the international law department at Georgetown and co-founded the Institute for Law, Science and Global Security. He was an expert on Antarctica that was clearly on display anytime you talked to him about penguins or bothered to look closely at his ties. He had written numerous books and authored hundreds of papers and taught all over the world. Each year Chris would astound me by the stories of places he had traveled and the people he had taught.

Chris had a true love for sports having played football in high school until a knee injury sidelined him for good. That never stopped him from following sports as he was a loyal Hoya fan. It didn't matter if it was basketball, soccer, field hockey, men's or women's, you could always find him in the stands at the sporting events wearing his Georgetown hat.

He always had a great sense of humor and started his classes at LCWS with jokes every night. Some were corny, some were pretty good, but to Chris it only mattered if he could get a smile out of you and possibly a chuckle.

A true love of his was autographs and the story he always got from receiving an autograph. I didn't get this at first but after a visit to his home, what he called the "Joyner Galleria", it was easy to see what he loved about it. It was a two hour guided tour, longer if you were lucky, through history as Chris shared stories about his 1930's NY Yankee baseball signed by Babe Ruth and other greats, or his entertainment section with autographs from stars like Judy Garland, Bob Hope, or The Beatles. He even had autographs from great military leaders and unbelievable giants like Mussolini. For every autograph there was a story. My personal favorite is hearing him talk about being 17 and showing up before the band at concerts, dressing in a suit, and claiming to be part of the advance team making sure everything was ok for the band. They would wave him through with his clipboard that he would later use to hold the paper the band would sign. Or the time he got Frank Sinatra as he was getting into an elevator going to his room after coming off stage. Chris showed no fear, congratulated him on his recent marriage to Mia Farrow and Sinatra told his bodyguards to let him through. I'll treasure the time Chris took me backstage at The Kennedy Center to meet Henry Winkler and John Ritter as I helped him add autographs to his collection. Chris always had a good story.

I've been lucky to get to know Chris over the past 11 years. I've worked with him at LCWS and I've been particularly lucky that he shared his family with me during that time as well. The way he would talk so highly of his family, even bragging about his wife and kids was constant. His wife, Dr. Nancy Joyner, is my boss, and he would talk about her achievements and her adventures before he would ever talk about his own. The love for his kids was never ending expressing how proud he was of his daughter being a fellow teacher and working hard for disadvantaged kids and how proud he was of his son for graduating from Georgetown and growing into such a fine young man. We would talk for hours over crab legs at Outback about family, life, and adventures. I'm going to miss those chats, corny jokes, and crazy stories.

I'm certainly not the only one as he will be sorely missed by thousands of students, colleagues, faculty and countless friends. Chris was a teacher to some but a friend to all. May you rest in peace and we'll see you again one day on the other side.

Funeral arrangements are currently pending. Please direct any questions to the staff at the LCWS offices.

Remembering 9/11 at LCWS

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:58:00 +0000

Waking up today wasn't that different than waking up 10 years ago on this day. I looked outside and saw a big beautiful blue sky with plenty of sunshine. It's amazing how much has changed though. Ten years ago I had been with LCWS for a little over a year and had just gotten back from a weekend trip to NC. I had stayed late the night before to have dinner with a friend and didn't get back to DC until around 6 am. I got a couple hours of sleep, a shower and some food and headed to work. It was about 8:50 am when I parked at the office and walked in to start the day. Back then you could see the top of the Pentagon from our office as we were only about a mile away but as usual, I didn't think anything of it.

I went in, got my computer going, and started planning out the day. Didn't take long before those plans were changed. A friend of my sent me an instant message shortly after 9 am asking if I had heard about the plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I hadn't. In those days we didn't have a radio, much less a TV, in the office. My first instinct was that a small cessna type plane had clipped the building as an accident. Then she sent back word that the second plane had hit and I knew this was no accident. It was shortly there after that I learned the Pentagon had been hit and that's when the day got hectic.

My co-worker at the time, Christy, was taking morning classes and arrived shortly after the attack on the Pentagon. We were both shaken by it but knew that our sole job was the safety of our students. We had a couple of students that were at the office, either because they weren't working that day or had seen the attacks and not gone in. We sent them up to go through the condos one by one getting a head count. Then Christy and I began tracking down students at their jobs.

Throughout the day we received phone calls from parents, news reporters, and schools checking in concerned about their kids. We worked together finding students and guiding them one by one back to their condos in VA. Some walked home, some got a bus, some hitch hiked, and a couple used the metro. It was chaotic and hard to manage at times but slowly we tracked students down and made sure they were safe. Rumors continued to fly around during the day of different buildings being hit in the DC area from The White House to the Capitol and even at one point, the USA Today buildings. The USA Today buildings was sort of funny to me simply because at the time, they were right next to where I work. I remember walking outside, looking up at the two 30+ storied buildings going, "umm, nope, still there". Weird what you find funny during a tragedy. It wasn't until about 4 pm that we found our last one and finally got a chance to take a deep breath.

During the day a couple of things came up. I had just learned to use the web site some and I was able to use our site to share information, make announcements, and help coordinate efforts. It was this day that I truly learned the power of the internet and what a web site can do. Then about lunch time we had someone come in the office telling us to move our cars because a lady on the 8th floor was throwing furniture off her balcony. It came out later she had mental issues and I have no idea if the events of that morning set her off but I'm sure it didn't help. Unfortunately Christy's car caught a coffee table with it's hood. It was a perfect shot, right smack dab in the middle. No big damage though and insurance later took care of it. Just part of the craziness of the day.

The next day we gathered the students and took some time to reflect on what had happened and what they experienced. It was a time to try to gain some understanding and make sure everyone was okay. I remember the room being pretty quiet and I think everyone was still in shock not sure what to say or even feel. The one light part of the day was sharing some birthday cake as my birthday was that day, the 12th, and that seemed to pep the students up a little bit. It was a normal thing, a birthday, and that was something the students seemed to know how to handle.

In the 10 years since a lot has changed but a lot is still the same. Our office remains in the same complex with students living in the same condos. We're still a mile from the Pentagon and every day we try to help students see DC and take in the magic the city has to offer. Our preparedness changed drastically and we definitely have learned from the events of 9/11. We now have an emergency alert system that contacts students through text messages, emails, and even runs an alert on their desktop computers in their condos. This means we can contact all of the students in less than a minute and make the process of getting students home much, much faster. The web site is more up to date and will hopefully be taking a big jump forward soon to get even better. We now have a couple of TVs in the office and make sure to turn them on anytime there is breaking news. The LCWS program continues to be as strong today as it was then and are proud to keep hosting students in the Nation's Capital. We also see how DC is safer than ever before everyday as we're watched over by some of the top law enforcement officials in the country. Security techniques and technologies have changed but DC is still the great city it always was.

On this day it's tough to remember those events and anytime I go to the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon it always tugs at my heart in a way no other monument does. I have pictures in my office that I took showing the devastation and the smoke from the Pentagon not long after the attack. On our wall in one of our classrooms hangs a piece of the Pentagon ruble presented to us in our continued support of the Pentagon from taking students there every year. These are at times hard things to look at but also a huge source of pride. To rise up from the ruble and to still enjoy the freedoms and things I enjoy today just like I did 10 years ago is pretty special. Like I said, some things have changed, some haven't. Make sure to go out and celebrate the day as a triumph and make sure to come visit Washington, DC when you get a chance. It's a beautiful, clean, and safe city with a tremendous 9/11 Memorial. Best wishes to you all!

Douglas Stewart
Operations Manager

Things to Do (TTD) - 9/11 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:38:00 +0000

It's the first full weekend for our fall students so we thought it might be nice to list a few things to do this weekend. Obviously, with the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, there are quite a few things going on around town. Here's just some of the highlights...

Featured Event: Activities for 9/11
About.com has created a nice list of events featured in Washington, DC during this weekend so instead of trying to list them all here and creating the longest blog post ever, we decided to provide you the link.
http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/Sept11Memorial.htm Just so you know, the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon is open 24/7 year round.

Arts on Foot, Saturday and Sunday, Chinatown Metro Stop – arts market, interactive crafts, music, dance, theater, film…etc! http://www.artsonfoot.org

DC Shorts Film Festival , through September 18 at multiple locations including the Artisphere in Rosslyn – Dozens of short films compiled into 90 minute segments http://www.dcshorts.com/

Rosslyn Jazz Festival, Saturday 1-7pm, Rosslyn’s Gateway Park – this annual festival is FREE to the public! http://www.rosslynva.org/play/calendar/jazz-festival

“Wine in the Water Park”, Crystal City, Friday 7-10pm – a celebration of wine, jazz, and great food! http://www.crystalcity.org/do/wine-in-the-water-park5

Weather Forecast: FRI: Showers ending in the afternoon 82/69 - SAT: Partly Cloudy with a possible stray shower 81/68 - SUN: Scattered T-Storms possible (40%) 81/68

Be safe and enjoy the weekend!

A visit to the Institute of Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Brimmer speaking with students

On Wednesday the LCWS students had their first field trip which found us visiting the US Institute of Peace for Assistant Secretary of State Esther Brimmer's policy speech concerning the United States global leadership and priorities at the United Nations. The US Institute of Peace is an organization working around the world to promote peace by providing analysis, training, and tools to prevent and end conflicts. Occasionally the Institute will host speakers and events at it's headquarters just across the street from the US Department of State and the LCWS students were fortunate enough to attend Ms. Brimmer speech on Wednesday. The Institute held a reception afterwards and Ms. Brimmer was nice enough to take a few minutes to speak with the students and even posed for a picture with the group. The students also had a chance to meet with a representative from the Institute who helped explain the Institute's mission and explain what they do. We would like to thank Ms. Brimmer for her time and the Institute of Peace as well for the way they welcomed us and helped introduce our students to policy makers in Washington, DC. We look forward to visiting their wonderful headquarters again soon!

Assistant Secretary of State, Ester Brimmer, with the LCWS Students

In the Beginning...

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Everywhere I look I see suitcases being dragged, exasperated parents carrying boxes for their children and people looking around trying to figure out if they're lost. I guess that means it's the beginning of another Washington semester. Students have been arriving in DC this Labor Day weekend as we prepare to start the Fall 2011 Semester. While the students start to unpack and get settled in, we are preparing for orientation today at 4pm in the LCWS offices. We'll be going over what they can expect in the coming months and serving up some food and drinks for them as well.

Tomorrow morning the students will be meeting with a DC Metro Police officer to go over safety issues and discuss what they can do to protect themselves. It's a great way for students to hear about DC and realize things are a little different here. The briefing always proves to be entertaining and I have quite a few former students who tell me they still remember what they learned from their safety briefing.

Then in the afternoon we are taking the students to the Washington Nationals baseball game at Nationals Park. What better way to spend Labor Day then watching the Nats take on the Dodgers? I'm sure we'll have a few California Lutheran students wearing some Dodger blue but hopefully the home team comes away with the victory. As long as I get a Ben's Half-Smoked Chili Dog then I'll consider it a huge success!

Classes begin tomorrow (Monday) night as Global Agenda kicks things off followed by Photojournalism starting on Tuesday, Conflict & Compromise on Wednesday, and American Diversity on Thursday. Most students start their internships on Tuesday and then Wednesday the students will be visiting the Institute of Peace for a briefing and reception. Then next weekend will definitely be busy as Washington, DC will be full of events commemorating 9/11 but more on that in a later post.

So off we go... looks like another great semester at LCWS!

Last Minute Advice for Incoming Students

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Hi Fall 2011 Students!

While you’re all getting ready for the semester, we wanted to share some some last minute advice for coming to LCWS. We may have mentioned some of these details before, but some are new, so bare with us. And as always, don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.

Maps: Don’t forget to have your maps from Laura's emails handy when you arrive. If you’re planning to take a cab, it’s still a good idea to have a map of the River Place complex with you, and make sure you write down the River Place address, 1025 Arlington Blvd, Rosslyn, Arlington. (Arlington is the city/county and Rosslyn is the area within Arlington) Most cabbies in Virginia know River Place Apartments by name, which if you're not familiar, is where the LCWS offices are located.

To bring and not to bring: The condos are fully furnished, but don’t forget to bring linens, toiletries, and hangers. Also, please do NOT bring candles, weapons, or pets of any kind. If you need to buy anything when you get here, you can find almost most necessities at the CVS right next door to River Place or one of the local shopping centers.

Your roommate assignments, condo address, and course listings were attached in recent emails sent out by Laura. Let us know if you don't have this information or have questions.

Keys: Laura and Doug will be at the LCWS office from 9am-3pm Saturday and Sunday to distribute keys. If you plan to arrive after 3pm on Saturday, make sure you let us know so we can leave your key packet in the office for you to pick-up.

Driving: If you are driving to LCWS and are planning to park to unload your things, ask for a loading dock pass as you enter through the front gate of River Place. Give us a call if you have any problems with finding the River Place neighborhood or the LCWS offices.

Internships: The first day of your internship will be Tuesday, September 6. Make sure you confirm with your supervisor the expected arrival time, location, and dress code. If your internship information has changed, please let Laura know as soon as possible. Also, if for some reason your internship has you scheduled not to start on Tuesday, September 6, please let Laura know as well.

Orientation schedule: Don’t forget to be ready for ORIENTATION at the LCWS office on Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. We’ll feed you dinner and will go over what you can expect during your semester in Washington. Then Monday at 9am we’ll be meeting again at the LCWS office for a safety briefing with a DC Metro police officer. Our final orientation event will be the Nationals vs. Dodgers game Monday afternoon! You’ll receive a more detailed schedule when you arrive.

Let us know if you need anything and we're looking forward to welcoming you to DC in just a couple of days!

Things to Do (TTD) - July 8 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Here's some ideas for things to do this weekend!

Featured Event- A Talk for World Peace - The Dalai Lama is in town to deliver the Kalachakra, a series of Buddhist meditative sessions through July 16th. This Saturday at 9:30 am the Dalai Lama will speak on the topic of World Peace from the west lawn of US Capitol Building. FREE (Info)

Alexandria's Birthday Celebration - This Saturday Alexandria will celebrate wits birthday with a festival in Oronoco Bay Park. The festival runs from 4 pm to 10 pm with live music, birthday cake, and fireworks. FREE (Info)

Folklife Festival continues this weekend and wraps up on Monday. This year's festival focuses on the food and culture of Columbia, the legacy of Peace Corps and its efforts to promote peace, and the history of American Rhythm and Blues. The festival is free and runs from 11:30 am until 5:30 pm with some special events happening in the evening. FREE (Info)

Capital Fringe Festival - Tickets vary but typically cost $17. Events are held around Washington giving artist a chance to showcase talents through an exploration of different types of shows. It's typically referred to as a mix of offbeat art, music and theater. The festival runs from July 7th through July 20th. (Info)

Oklahoma! - The popular American play begins its second run at Arena Stage today. The show will run through October 2nd and tickets range from $46 to $106. (Info)

Sports: The Washington Nationals host the Colorado Rockies for a weekend series at National Park.

Weather: FRI-Cloudy with T-Storms expected in the afternoon. Flash Flood Watch in effect until 8 pm. 86/72. SAT- Mostly sunny 91/73. SUN- Sunny 91/74.

There's always plenty of other great things to do so make sure to get out and take advantage. Don't forget about the wonderful Capital Bikeshare program that allows you to rent a bike for the day. You can pick one up here in Rosslyn and drop it off at any of the other numerous Bikeshare stations. Have a great weekend!

LCWS Names Next Director of Internships

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Stewart) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Laura M. Groth

The Lutheran College Washington Semester is pleased to announce Laura M. Groth as the next Director of Internships.

Ms. Groth, who is currently the Coordinator of Student Services and Support in the Valparaiso Graduate School, will be responsible for placing students with internships, maintaining relationships with employers, organizing events and field trips, housing and class assignments, as well as coordinating other student related activities.

Ms. Groth is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in communication law and humanities and a master's degree in international commerce and policy from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. She is an alumna of the spring 2008 Lutheran College Washington Semester and interned with Congressman Peter J. Visclosky while studying in DC.

Ms. Groth brings not only her wonderful Valparaiso education back to Washington, but also great communication skills, enthusiasm, and experience assisting students, creating marketing strategies, working with regional employers and placing interns.

We look forward to Laura joining the LCWS staff later this month as the current Director of Internships, Alyssa Wehr, prepares to head to graduate school this fall in Boston.