“I just felt like I wanted to give more to the students here at the college.”

Written by Rachel Ashley ‘11

100 years ago, there were just a handful of faculty, staff and students at Marion College’s little campus. Now, on the namesake of this magazine—that “Triangle” of land alongside Washington Street in Marion, Indiana—there are more than 80 housekeepers, grounds workers and technicians at work every day building a safer, more beautiful IWU campus. Alongside Conference Services, they’re the people who enter quietly in the dark, turning on lights, bringing the campus to life each morning, and they’re the ones who come after the bustle to put it all back to sleep again.

At the center of campus, on the west side of the Barnes Student Center, you’ll find Jo Ellen Baas working quietly in what is known as the Commons. It’s a space outside of Baldwin Dining Hall and McConn Coffee Co. filled with tables and chairs, probably one of the most highly trafficked areas on campus where people all over the IWU community connect with each other over food and coffee and group projects. It has been the location for parties and student forums and career fairs and visits from Santa Claus at the employee Christmas party.

As a student, the Commons was where I made my first decisions about my plan of study. When I graduated, the Commons was the last place I visited before shuffling in line to the Chapel Auditorium for commencement.

Some people say the student center is the heart of campus, but I might argue that Jo Ellen’s workspace is its true location, and part of what makes it such a good place is Jo Ellen herself.

Jo Ellen has worked at Indiana Wesleyan University’s residential campus for 17 years, and she’s been a familiar face in the Commons since she started. She’s also been a committed donor to student scholarship funds. She started giving in 2005 and has been giving through payroll deduction since 2014.

To many students and employees, she’s more than just a friendly smile in passing—she’s become their friend and a permanent fixture of the Commons space. Jo Ellen even prays with students and has developed a sense of personal responsibility for their success as she’s worked around them through the years. It’s why she chooses to continue being a donor.

“I just felt like I wanted to give more to the students here at the college,” Jo Ellen said. “I’ve received letters from some of the students thanking me, just received one last week. I was really surprised that they took the time to do that.”

Employee investment in students is common in the IWU community. In fact, it’s difficult to find employees who aren’t involved in students’ success outside of their job duties. From mentoring and prayer to serving Thanksgiving dinner over the holidays, generosity is part of what makes the IWU–Marion campus a home away from home for residential students. In many ways, that generosity can also be seen at IWU–National & Global and Wesley Seminary through virtual channels like prayer over the phone and generous employee giving toward student scholarship funds.

For more than 100 years, this generosity has been a key segment of the community’s DNA, especially in those working behind the scenes and alongside students across IWU’s facilities. You’ll find them running sound for chapel, sanitizing entryways, managing labs, setting up meeting spaces, and clearing sidewalks of snow. You’ll also find them getting to know students, investing in scholarships, and, in general, making our campus a great place to be.

Jo Ellen is a representative example of the faithful commitment found in IWU staff, faculty and administrators to the Kingdom work of developing students in character, scholarship, and leadership. Their gifts of time, talent and treasure enable IWU to pursue its aim of defining greatness through servanthood. It is their passion that has helped build the foundation for the Redefining Greatness Campaign.