Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 27

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left to right:
Wheaton rises to
victory over Carthage
College in February.
Dr. David Lauber ’89
and Dr. Emily Langan ’94
gather with members
of the men’s soccer team.
Dr. Emily Langan
cheers on the men’s
basketball team
in their victory over
Carthage College.
Dr. Daniel Burden
joins a Wheaton
volleyball huddle.

A new program aims to strengthen
relationships between faculty members and
student athletes, promoting balance
between academic and athletic pursuits.
with their athletic development. “Jane is a great example of a godly
woman. I have been blessed by her friendship and this opportunity to
learn from her,” she says.
Forging dynamic, mutually beneficial relationships has also been
a hallmark of the experience for Drs. Dan and Lisa Burden, who
partnered with the women’s volleyball team. Lisa, guest associate
professor of chemistry and biology, and her husband, Dan, professor of
chemistry, made supporting the team a family endeavor. They hosted a
post-training kick-off party for the women, and a team dinner before
Thanksgiving. They also regularly brought their children to help
cheer at games. Their daughter Hannah, a high school softball player
interested in a career in athletic training, has benefited right alongside
members of the team.
Volleyball players like Samantha Hedlund ’16 value the family’s
support and encouragement, as well as the opportunity to learn outside
the classroom. “Because of my relationship with the Burdens, I
will be more likely to try to get to know my professors in the future,”
she says.
Applied health science major Kelli Manning ’16 adds, “My
friendship with Drs. Dan and Lisa Burden has boosted my confidence
and created a more comfortable environment within the science
department.”
Wheaton football team members expressed similar appreciation
for faculty partner David Lauber ’89, associate professor of theology.
An alumnus of Wheaton football, David serves as chair of the
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Intercollegiate Athletic Committee.
“I would not have made it through my senior football season
without Dr. Lauber’s friendship,” says outside linebacker Luke Johnson
’14. “Whenever I was struggling with the balance of classes and
practice, Dr. Lauber was always willing to meet for lunch. Humble
and discerning, he knew when I needed deeper answers and when
I needed someone to simply stand next to me and say, ‘Yes, I’ve been
there, that’s rough.’”
For fullback Dom Barrale ’14, one of the biggest blessings
of spending time with faculty partner Dr. Lauber has been the
opportunity to connect with a professor in a relaxed context.
“Getting to know Dr. Lauber has helped me appreciate that my
professors are regular people just like me with whom I can have real
conversations,” says Dom.
These experiences and more represent just the sort of outcomes
Dr. Langan, the program’s co-developer, hoped for these partnerships.
“Before we as faculty can speak into students’ lives, we must have
relationships with them,” she says. “My hope and prayer is that, as we
continue to build upon this season, my student athletes will know
that I care about them in and out of the classroom.”
As for the faculty partners, she says, “I hope we model for all
students (not just athletes) what it means to lean into one’s
passions, to use one’s talents to support others, and to respond to the
opportunities that God gives, no matter how unplanned
or unconventional.”
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3/20/14 12:41 AM