Learning Center celebrates new location

By Deborah Lilly

The Kissinger Learning Center has moved from the little house on Walnut Street into the ground floor of the Nicholson University Library.

“We liked our house because it was cozy,” says Dianna Stankiewicz, director of the center. “But I think this location is more advantageous for our students.”

The Kissinger Learning Center was instituted at Anderson University in 1987. In the beginning, six students utilized the center’s learning disabilities program. Today there are 50. But the center does more than help students with learning disabilities. Between 300 to 500 students come to the Kissinger Learning Center each semester for tutoring, to join study groups, or for help with written assignments.

Maggie (Campbell) Rose AA ’91, BA ’93 was one of the first students to benefit from the Kissinger Learning Center. She suffers from nerve damage and especially has difficulty seeing to read. “I was a little nervous about college because people had told me it was going to be very hard for me to get through. Some people had even said I probably wouldn’t make it through college.”

But Rose found a great encourager in Rinda Vogelgesang, director of disabled student services. She worked with a peer tutor, attended study groups, and used the center’s computer lab. She graduated with self-confidence and degrees in early childhood education and social work. She worked as a pre-school teacher until the birth of her daughter.

“Learning disabilities are tough for some people to understand because you can’t see them,” says Vogelgesang, who began the learning disabilities program at AU. “You wouldn’t expect somebody to do something that physically they can’t do, but when you can’t see a learning disability and they walk and talk and look like everybody else, it’s hard to understand.”

The Kissinger Learning Center is open free-of-charge to all students on campus, even graduate students. As Stankiewicz explains, the Writing Center helps students with papers, reading comprehension, and English grammar skills. Through the Learning Assistance Program, students can come and get help in about any subject offered at AU. Stankiewicz also leads workshops on study skills, time management, learning styles, how to get the most information out of textbooks, notetaking, preparing for tests and dealing with test anxiety.

Over the years, the center has attracted its share of supporters, and it was the Leppien Foundation that made the move to the library possible. Since 1990, John and Cleo Leppien have given faithfully to the center. In the beginning, their support funded salary for additional staff. At one time when the center needed to grow, the Leppiens provided for the expansion of office and study space. And when it was no longer feasible for the Kissinger Learning Center to remain in its home on Walnut Street, the Leppiens graciously provided for the funds necessary to renovate a space in Nicholson University Library to house the center.

John is the president of Garr Tool Company, located in Alma, Michigan. The business was founded by John’s father, Fred, in 1944 and manufactures carbide cutting tools which are then distributed worldwide. The business hires 125 employees and produces 12,000 cutting tools a day.

Since the beginning of their marriage, John and Cleo Leppien have been dedicated to giving to charitable causes, especially those involving Christian ministries that positively influence the lives of children and youth. In addition to the renovation, the gift from the Leppiens provided for new furniture and new computer equipment.

Because of the Kissinger Learning Center, Anderson University has made it possible for students who may not have been able to attend college to graduate. The Kissinger Learning Center has alumni who are now working in the field of education themselves or are successfully completing master’s degrees on their own.

“I just think this place is special,” says Stankiewicz. “We build relationships with our students, and whether they’re a student or a tutor, they tend to stay in contact with us even years after they’ve graduated. That to me is an indication of the difference this place has made in their lives.”