Fall 2024 Issue

Central College rolled out a localized version of Handshake to promote employment opportunities for students with Pella area businesses and organizations.

Central Offers Handshake

Matching local businesses that need employees with Central College students is easier than ever with Handshake. Students can find internships and full-time positions on the platform as they have in the past. New in the 2024-25 academic year, part-time employment on campus and in the community and volunteer opportunities are also on the platform, coordinated through Central’s career development and civic engagement office.

Jodie Smith, director of career development and civic engagement, works with students and businesses to place students in internships and service opportunities that enhance student experiences at Central and build engaged citizens.

Businesses interested in signing up for a Handshake account or learning more about Imagine More initiatives may contact Carol Williamson, director of the Imagine More initiative at Central, at 641-628-7667 or williamsonc@central.edu.

Harry Smith ’73 is the newest executive-in-residence at Central College.

Welcome Home, Harry

Harry Smith ’73 returned to Central in Fall 2024 as its newest executive-in-residence after almost 40 years of anchoring and reporting the news on national television and radio.

His course, Commencement: The Beginning, focuses on curiosity, adaptation, potential, passion and resilience. He also planned for guest speakers to come to campus to share their world views and experiences with Central students.

“The courses taught by our executives-in-residence give Central students the unique opportunity to engage with leaders of such talent and experience,” says Mary E.M. Strey, vice president for academic affairs. “Central is grateful for our alumni from a variety of disciplines who spend time inspiring the next generation of engaged citizens.”

This is the 44th annual assemblage of remarkable Central College student work that covers a wide array of academic disciplines and the second year of publication as Synaptic.

Displays of Creativity

Synaptic, the 44th edition of the creative works of Central students, was released and is available online for viewing. This edition includes a score for a musical composition, a prop design from the musical theatre production of “Young Frankenstein,” ceramics and short stories.

Each year, the John Allen Award recognizes a student-written piece the selection panel considers having superior rhetorical competence, high levels of readability, originality and insight. Jessie Pospisil ’25 received this honor for her work, “Chaos Is Not Wished Away.”

Synaptic was founded in 1981 as The Writing Anthology by Walter Cannon, professor emeritus of English, as an annual assemblage of remarkable student work that covers a wide array of academic disciplines. The current issue may be viewed at central.edu/writing-anthology.

Central College wins gold award in CASE’s Circle of Excellence Awards for Forever Dutch^® Lager launch.

Case Gold Award

Central received a gold award in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Circle of Excellence Awards. The award-winning entry was “Forever Dutch^® Lager” in the marketing/marketing initiatives category.

Judges commended Central, stating, “… The enduring brand recognition of Forever Dutch underscores its evolution from a fundraising tool to a symbol of lifelong commitment. Seamlessly blending local heritage with college pride, the name resonates on shelves and menus alike. Remarkably, Central’s marketing team orchestrated every aspect, leveraging small-town synergy to craft compelling, creative assets. Their deep collaboration yielded a triumph of innovation and community connection.”

Central was the first private college in Iowa to partner with a local brewery to offer a signature craft beer. More importantly, 15% of sales of Forever Dutch Lager go toward the Journey Scholarship Fund. The partnership between Central, a local brewery (Gezellig Brewing Co. in Newton) and a local business partner (Pella Hops Co.) is a testament to a community coming together to support the next generation of Central students. From concept to launch, Central and its partners had four months to develop, brand and market Forever Dutch Lager publicly.

Van Zantes Endow Full-Tuition Scholarship

Central announced the creation of a full-tuition scholarship in the name of Shirley and Dirk Van Zante ’52. This new scholarship brings Central’s total to 37 full-tuition scholarships awarded to students each year.

Van Zante grew up in Pella and graduated from Pella High School in 1948. At Central, he studied chemistry and was a member of Beta Kappa Epsilon, YMCA and the KEBS radio station.

After graduating from Central, Van Zante earned a Doctor of Law degree in 1955. He started practicing law at Van Zante and Klyn in 1955 with his father. While working in Pella, Van Zante served as the Pella city attorney. He and his father opened their own law firm where he practiced until 1971 when he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to become the head of probate in the trust department of Central National Bank, now known as Bank of America.

Van Zante married Shirley Borland in 1970 and they shared 38 years together before he died in 2009. Shirley earned a bachelor’s degree from Drake University with majors in English and journalism. She entered the magazine world and excelled, rising to the furnishings and design editor of Better Homes & Gardens magazine in 1975. She passed away in 2022.

Ryan Rumery ’99 Wins a Tony

Ryan Rumery ’99 earned the national spotlight for sound design of a play, “Stereophonics,” during the American Theatre Wing’s 77th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Award^® ceremony. He is the first Central alumnus to earn a Tony award.

Along with playing drums with Gabriel Espinosa ’79 and Espinosa’s band Ashanti, Rumery was a writer, copy editor and layout assistant for The Ray. The communication studies graduate also was a student ambassador and was highly involved in fine arts at Central, especially theatre productions.

Congratulations, Ryan!

To read full articles and other news, go to Central’s news site at central.edu/news.