LETTERSA publication of The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program at Eureka College

LETTERS

PREMIERE ISSUEFall/Winter | 2010PREMIERE ISSUEFall/Winter | 2010

A publication of The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program at Eureka College

LeadershipLeadership

VISIONEureka College President

> Dr. J. David Arnold

Dear Friends,

Welcome to this inaugural issue of Leadership Letters: A

Publication of the Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program at

Eureka College. This publication will focus on topics and

issues related to the development of leadership during the

college years of young Ronald (“Dutch”) Wilson Reagan and

how these leadership lessons are still relevant for today’s

young people as they prepare to face new challenges in the

21st Century.

The virtue of studying the development of leadership in one

great leader and extrapolating these findings to proactive programs to cultivate leadership in

the next generation is not a new or novel idea; however, it is what we uniquely call “Reagan

Forward” at Eureka College.

For over 150 years, Eureka College has been focused on cultivating excellence in learning,

service, and leadership. In 1982, when President Reagan lent his name to establish a new

leadership program at Eureka, it was with the understanding that graduates would lead and

serve their professions, their communities, and their country with quintessential American

ideals that were forged from their family, faith, and educational experiences. He believed that

young people must serve to lead and that leadership requires action.

Throughout his life, Ronald Reagan was a prolific letter writer. He used letters not only to

maintain lifelong friendships, but also to recognize service and leadership in his fellow Ameri-

cans and other world leaders. Each issue of Leadership Letters will focus on moving the

Reagan leadership legacy forward to new generations of young people as they develop their

own leadership vision and voice.

Yours in Reagan Forward,

J. David Arnold, Ph.D.President

Voice

3

&8 PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP: Former & Current Reagan Fellows

> Corrie Heck & Seth Quansah

14

2

contents

2

10

MUSEUM COLLECTION SELECTION > Dr. Brian Sajko

4

Managing Editor J. David Arnold Contributing Editor Jay F. Hein Writer Sara Browning Copy Editor Michele Lehman Art Director Malone Sizelove

Leadership Letters A Publication of Eureka College and The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program, is published biannually through

The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College. ©2010 Eureka College, Eureka, Illinois 61530.

3VISION & VOICE > Dr. J. David Arnold

THE LEADERSHIP LESSONS OF RONALD REAGAN > General Edwin Meese III

PRACTICE POINTS: Guiding the Leadership Journey > Dr. Michael Thurwanger

12POLICY POINTS: The Great Health Care Debate? > Jay F. Hein

The Reagan Leadership Program itself is such a fitting tribute to the leader-ship point of view of Ronald Reagan. It was at Eureka College where he learned how to be a leader.

“

“ IAM SO HONORED TO RECEIVE THIS FIRST-EVER

HONORARY FELLOWSHIP FROM THE REAGAN LEADER-

SHIP PROGRAM AT EUREKA COLLEGE FOR SEVERAL

REASONS. First, it has to do with Ronald Reagan. It has

been my life’s privilege to work with a man so honorable, so

kind and so important to our nation’s history.

Second, this award has to do with Eureka College. The College

left an indelible mark on President Reagan. I can tell you that

working for him for 31 years, starting in Sacramento, Eureka

was a common topic of our conversation. Indeed, as White House staff, we

knew that if anyone from Eureka College was anywhere in the vicinity of

Washington, D.C., we better be prepared to schedule an Oval Office visit.

These reunions gave the President a great boost of energy as he basked in

warm nostalgia of the place and time in his life that prepared him for his

life’s work.

FEATURE STORY

The Leadership Lessons of Ronald Reagan > from General Edwin Meese III

4 5

On March 18, 2008, Edwin Meese III was honored by

Eureka College as the first Honorary Reagan Fellow of

the College’s Ronald Reagan Leadership Program. The

award was presented at a gala dinner held at the historic Willard Hotel in

Washington. The venue was selected to memorialize a

September 23, 1986 dinner at the Willard featuring President Reagan. The

hotel was then celebrating its grand re-opening and President Reagan agreed to be the honored guest under the condition that the occasion be used to

promote Eureka College. The 1986 dinner featured a who’s who of the Washing-ton establishment: Reagan

administration cabinet members such as Caspar Weinberger and Malcolm

Baldrige alongside members of Congress and national business leaders. One of

the prominent guests that evening was Attorney

General Ed Meese, who had served as one of Ronald

Reagan’s most trusted aides since their days together

in the California governor’s office. At the 1986 dinner,

President Reagan recalled how “My family couldn’t af-

ford the schooling” let alone such luxuries as a class

ring. Ever grateful for the financial support provided

by the College during his student days, the President

was quoted as saying “I think I’m going to cry” when

presented a 1932 class ring at the Willard event. Upon

receiving the Honorary Reagan Fellowship at the

2008 dinner, General Meese reflected on his service to Ronald Reagan, the 40th president’s lifelong affec-

tion for Eureka College and the College’s irreplaceable

contribution to the living legacy of Ronald Reagan.

An abridged version of his remarks is presented here. >>>

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(Reagan’s) lessons of vision, communication, conviction, courage and perseverance are traits that every good leader needs today.

Few agreed with his approach.

Skeptics scoffed and his own Secretary of

State doubted the strategy would work.

And initially, if predictably, the Soviets said

“No.” This led the president to install some

missiles yet he kept his “no missiles on the

border” offer open to Soviet leadership.

When conditions were right, and thanks

to his perseverance, President Reagan and

General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev took

down the missiles in the first-ever denucle-

arization effort in Europe.

These lessons of vision, communication,

conviction, courage and perseverance are

traits that every good leader needs today.

And I commend you for making these quali-

ties inherent in the “leadership and service”

mandate of the Reagan Leadership Pro-

gram. You are training tomorrow’s doctors,

teachers and servant leaders. Ronald Rea-

gan said at the previous Willard dinner that

we remember tonight, “I pray that there will

always be a Eureka College.” Our future will

be made better if that will be so.

Edwin Meese presently serves as the Ronald

Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy at

The Heritage Foundation. Visit The Heritage

Foundation website (www.heritage.org/About/

Staff/M/Edwin-Meese) for a complete biography

of Mr. Meese.

It was here that the habits were born that defined his

treatment of others and his judgment of what was right

and meaningful.

I’m often asked what it was like to serve under

Ronald Reagan’s distinct style of leadership. In other

words, how did the lessons of Eureka translate to a con-

sequential life of leadership in the national stage?

Well, let’s begin by taking stock of just how

relevant his leadership is, now twenty years following his

leaving office. In the recent presidential campaign, his

name was invoked by presidential candidates more than

any other past president; and by both political parties,

I might add.

Why is this so? We were given a great gift recently

with the publication of the Reagan diaries. Scanning

these pages remind us that Ronald Reagan had an abid-

ing optimism and cheerfulness that lifted the nation’s

spirit. He believed strongly in a core set of principles yet,

like Lincoln, he was willing to achieve great accomplish-

ments in manageable increments.

Take his strategy of dealing with the Soviet

Union, for example. He established a belief over his lifetime

that communism could not co-exist with democracy.

He observed the communists’ attempted takeover of

Hollywood and later their unreliability as treaty partners

and their imperialist march into Afghanistan. He under-

stood that we operated on a different moral plane and

that ours was both preferable and the only one sustain-

able because it was formed in the belief that citizens

matter more than the state.

As president, he simply acted on that conviction.

And believe me, some thought he was very simple in his

beliefs. Yet, his confidence was secure because it was

Third, this Reagan Leadership

Program itself is such a fitting tribute to the

leadership point of view of Ronald Reagan.

It was at Eureka College where he learned

how to be a leader. He found his voice for

inspiring a group toward common purpose

and developed the skills that he would later

hone in the Army and as head of the Screen

Actors Guild before he became California’s

governor in 1967.

It should be said that Eureka

College continues to play an important part

of Ronald Reagan’s living legacy. I believe

that there are three institutions in America

which best carry forward the memory of

Ronald Reagan. The presidential library illu-

minates the official Reagan, of course. You

can find all his important public documents

there from the California state house to the

White House.

Rancho del Cielo, or “Ranch in the

Sky,” is the place that captures the per-

sonality of Ronald Reagan. I’ll never forget

images of this beautiful space on top of the

mountains with horse trails overlooking the

Pacific Ocean. To know Ronald Reagan is

to understand how he could find happiness

in such splendor but also contentment in a

one bedroom abode. I often chuckle to con-

sider what Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail

Gorbachev thought when they toured the

ranch house. They spent their weekends at

places like Windsor Castle and an elaborate

countryside dacha. President Reagan, who

attended Eureka College during the De-

pression, refused to upgrade from his black

and white TV since it worked perfectly fine.

National Security experts therefore learned

that 1980s satellite images displayed prop-

erly on 1960s television technology.

This frugal character was formed

in his Illinois youth and thus Eureka College

represents the formation of such character.

“ “ 6 7

formed over many years of vision creation. Good ideas

don’t happen overnight; they are slow cooked by wis-

dom gained through experience and values.

Which brings me to another quality: communi-

cation. Ronald Reagan had a way of speaking that made

people listen and understand. He is fondly remembered

for his good humor. But it was his artful use of story that

went well beyond a joke to warm up his audience. He

used modern day parables to illustrate deep philosophi-

cal truths or complicated policy. He never lost his every-

man’s touch.

Another indispensable leadership trait is cour-

age. I’ll always remember the 1981 air traffic controller’s

strike. He knew it was our duty to uphold the law and it

was unlawful for federal employees to strike. So when

the federally-employed air traffic controllers threatened

to do just that, he had no option but to refuse their

threat. However, it is important to remember the pain

young Ronald Reagan felt and the hardship brought on

his own family when his father came home distraught

over losing his job. This experience made it very difficult

for him to ever fire anybody.

To make matters worse, the air traffic controllers

were one of only a handful of unions that actually supported

his presidential campaign the year prior. Nonetheless,

President Reagan gave them 48 hours to rescind their

threat or else he would replace them. They did not bend

and Reagan knew he was duty-bound to uphold the law.

He found replacements from supervisors, the military,

and those workers who returned. Air travel went on

without a hitch.

A close cousin to courage is perse-

verance. He used to say that if congress only

gave him half a loaf, he would take it and

go back for more. This typified his relation-

ship with the Soviet Union, as well. You may

recall that the Soviets established a set of

intermediate range missiles across the border

from our key Western European allies. NATO

recommended that we set up a counter-

balancing number of missiles pointing back at

them but President Reagan strongly believed

in a zero tolerance strategy.

Photo: Dirck H

alstead/Getty Im

ages

profiles

Former & Current Reagan Fellows> Corrie Heck & Seth Quansah

Journalist Susan Sunderland of MidWeek

calls CORRIE HECK a “ball of fire” in a

2009 article detailing the development of

the first International Women’s Leadership

Conference in Hawaii, which Corrie orga-

nized. Today, the Eureka College alumus

(Class of 2006) calls herself an “ideas

person” who strives to gather resources,

make connections and see things through to

unfailing success.

An aspiring young woman and an Illinois native

originally from Galesburg, Johanna Corinne “Cor-

rie” Heck served as Senior Class President while on

the Eureka campus and was elected Communica-

tions Student of the Year. She presently serves as

Chief Communications Officer to Governor Linda

Lingle of Hawaii. Corrie credits her stellar career

to her personal and academic development at

Eureka College where she graduated with a

degree in Communications and Political Science.

“Aloha in Hawaii is a word that encompasses love

and a spirit of family and community. And that

same sentiment is what I felt at Eureka. I felt it in

my heart. I knew Eureka was the place I needed

to be.”

in Leadership

“I submitted my application and then went to

Reagan Weekend. And it was like—Wow! My par-

adigm shifted completely! There was something

special about Eureka. I was ecstatic when I re-

ceived a letter two weeks later telling me I had been

accepted as a Reagan Fellow to the College.”

The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program,

made possible through benevolent donor and

alumni contributions, was the impetus that set

Corrie upon the pathway to her career and

opened doors of discovery. “My freshman year

we went to London and Paris. The summer after

my junior year I interned at the Ronald Reagan

Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.”

But it was a sophomore year mentorship in Ha-

waii that served as the catalyst for a life rich in

reward. Corrie spent three months as an intern

at the Office of the Governor, a season in her

life she describes as a “tremendous experience.”

“I accompanied Governor Lingle to different

events and developed a really close relationship

with my mentor. After graduation, I got a call to help

the governor in her run for re-election. I moved to

Hawaii in July 2006 and served as her Deputy

Communications Director. Now, I oversee all the

projects of the Communications Department.”

Corrie says the Leadership Program caused

her to realize that anything is possible. “The

Program changes your mindset about what you

can and supposedly can’t do and helps instill

an understanding in you that you can do great

things. For me, the Reagan Program started my

career—and it changed my world!”

Reagan’s story—both unique and central to the

college—has an irrevocable impact on students

such as Corrie. “To be a Reagan at Eureka and to

be associated with his story makes me feel like

I have a stake in history. To be named a Reagan

Fellow is an honor.”

Corrie says her experience in the Reagan

Leadership Program has been “incomparable.”

“Had I just been a student at Eureka, I would

have been grateful. But to be a student and a

Reagan Fellow—that’s as good as it gets! The

Fellowship gives wings to your education. Life is

really good for me right now, and it’s because of

Eureka College.”

…that was SETH QUANSAH’s first impression of Eureka

College after coming to the United States from West Africa when

he was fourteen years of age. Seth “Kobe” Quansah was an 8th

grader living in Ghana when a life-changing decision brought him

overseas. He entered a foreign exchange program sponsored by

NASA and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to

travel in space, and was selected to represent Ghana and move to

the United States to attend high school and college through The

Earth We Share Foundation.

Seth says he wouldn’t trade the “Eureka experience” for any other college

career. “Eureka is like the valley where there are lush plants and trees and

everything is good—not like the mountain tops where it’s rocky and cold.

Eureka is definitely the right place to be at this point in my life.”

The student diversity and small campus Eureka College offers are advan-

tages for Seth. “People come from all over—small towns and big cities—and

it’s very easy to get to know them. I have friends who come from Chicago

and Minnesota. The Eureka community is very welcoming. You get to know

them at a much more personal level than you would at a big college. They

are really like my family.”

The story of Ronald Reagan, interlaced within the tapestry of Eureka College,

has helped Seth to realize that anything is possible. “The story of Ronald

Reagan is a story of hope. It’s a story of encouragement that lets you know

that anyone can accomplish and achieve the goals set before them.”

9

Like Corrie, Seth came to Eureka on a full-

year, full-tuition scholarship as a Fellow of the

Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program. “The

Reagan Leadership Program has enhanced my

experience here by 600 percent!” Seth says.

“We have opportunities to travel and mentor

overseas, and we have great directors who

are dedicated to work with you and help you

achieve your goals.”

A chemistry and pre-med major with a minor

in sociology, Seth finished his first mentor-

ship in Ghana this summer where he received

hands-on experience in the medical field.

“I worked in the Tema General Hospital and

the Narh-eita Hospital as a nurse, taking blood

pressure, temperature and making rounds with

the doctors. I observed a few surgeries and did

some research on hypertension.”

The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program

also gave Seth the opportunity to travel

to London his freshman year when he vis-

ited Bath, the National Art Gallery and Stone

Hedge. In February, Seth traveled to Tampico

and Dixon, Illinois, where Reagan was born and

raised, respectively, and was also privileged to

meet Mikhail Gorbachev when he visited Eu-

reka College in the spring.

Vice President of his class his freshman and

sophomore years, Seth was a member of the

Black Student Union and currently participates

in Maroon and Gold Service in the community.

He also attends leadership conferences, which

emphasize both leadership and teambuilding

skills. A junior at Eureka, he looks forward to

attending medical school after graduation.

Seth says he never takes the opportuni-

ties the Ronald W. Reagan Leadership

Program has given him at Eureka for granted. “I

really appreciate the leadership program. It’s

a springboard for people like me. My fam-

ily would not have been able to provide me

with my incredible educational experience

without the funding Eureka College gives to

students for financial aid. It really makes a dif-

ference. I want to thank Eureka College for

keeping the Ronald W. Reagan Leadership

Program alive!”

“ “ Big things come out of unexpected places…

8

Jay F. Hein, President, Sagamore Institute,

Reagan Leadership Program Class of 1987

Dr. Gawande tested every conceivable hypothesis for this

skyrocketing growth. A comparison with neighboring El Paso

found equal technological capacity; however, El Paso spent

far less per Medicare enrollee with significantly better health

outcomes. There was no evidence of widespread fraud or

redundancy in McAllen and their medical professionals were

experts.

What could possibly account for their expensive adequacy?

Simple: overutilization of medicine. McAllen was ordering up

tests and performing procedures at rates that far outpaced

other places. Consider Rochester, Minnesota which spent

more than half of McAllen’s rate per Medicare patient even

though Mayo Clinic boasts the world’s best technology.

Even more troubling than runaway costs, overutilization does

not translate into healthier people. White House budget

director Peter Orszag has remarked that one-third of our

nation’s health care bill would be eliminated if places like

McAllen reduced spending to lower cost areas.

Dr. Gawande dismisses the direction of Washington’s re-

form effort by concluding that “universal coverage won’t be

feasible unless we control costs.” McAllen may be the most

prolific violator but the same practice can be found in ev-

ery community. This suggests that real reform must consider

policies to reward opposite behavior. In defense of McAllen’s

physicians, the current system incentivizes their test-happy

practices. It is time to turn down the rhetoric in Washington

and turn up the volume of change agents across America

who desire to maintain our preeminence in innovation within

cost structures that are sustainable. This is a noble goal befit-

ting a nation aspiring to be compassionate and competitive.

Indeed, that is the hallmark of our republic and a prescription

for keeping her healthy.

On the positive side of the ledger, America is the un-

disputed leader in quality and scientific advances. For

instance, U.S. companies are responsible for more than

80% of the world’s medical innovation. Quality of life con-

tinues to increase and new services abound for the aging

Baby Boomer generation.

So how do we fix the cost problem without compromis-

ing quality standards and innovation? Well, that’s the trillion

dollar question (indeed more than that; U.S. health care

expenditures exceed $2 trillion per year). The question

also underscores what’s wrong with the Washington

debate. The President’s plan is focused on expanding

coverage through insurance reform and increasing expen-

ditures rather than dealing with the cost issue head-on.

Reasonable people can disagree on the merits of pub-

lic versus private options and we all should agree that

reliable health care should be within the reach of every cit-

izen. But we cannot afford (literally) to disregard the cost

conundrum any longer. In a March speech at the White

House, President Obama agreed: “The greatest threat to

America’s fiscal health is not Social Security. It’s not the

investments that we’ve made to rescue our economy dur-

ing this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our

nation’s balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care.”

In a splendid article for The New Yorker this past summer,

surgeon and scholar Atul Gawande visited the city with

the lowest household incomes and highest health care

expenditures in the country to illustrate how we got into

this mess. McAllen, Texas lies along the Mexican border

and its location for “Lonesome Dove” suggests its remote

and rural profile.

Yet, to stroll through McAllen’s gleaming medical com-

plexes offers stark contrast to its dusty image and

provides clear insight into the greatest threat to the U.S.

health care system. In 1992, McAllen’s residents received

$4,891 per Medicare enrollee. Fifteen years later, the cost

has escalated to $15,000 per Medicare enrollee, twice the

national average and $3,000 more than the city’s average

individual income.

11

POLICYpoints.

G ENERAL MEESE’S REFLECTIONS

ON RONALD REAGAN—not to mention his own life of

exemplary public service—underscore the only sure route to

effective policy innovation: principled thinking and practical

action. President Reagan understood that communism could not

be sustained because it denied human dignity. To win the Cold

War, he needed to make this case with artful rhetoric and Realpolitik.

Another great debate that began in World War II, albeit without resolution, was the

question of how to provide health care to all Americans. President Obama has pledged

passage of the most significant health care legislation since the Roosevelt administration.

But while the proposed legislation does indeed move toward universal access, it aims to

fix one problem at the expense of a bigger one. And while there is a daily diet of health

care commentary, the chatter is too often relegated to partisan bickering or Capitol Hill

minutiae.

In other words, the health care debate of the 21st-century needs a new prescription of

purpose and focus. We all can agree on the fundamentals. Americans spend one in six of

their hard earned dollars on doctors, medication and hospitals. Medicare’s insolvency is

measured in years not decades and Detroit’s Big Three infamously spends more per car

on health care than steel.

with Jay F. Hein

points.

10

THE GREAT HEALTH CARE DEBATE?

“REASONABLE PEOPLE CAN DISAGREE ON THE MERITS OF

PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE OPTIONS AND WE ALL SHOULD AGREE

THAT RELIABLE HEALTH CARE

SHOULD BE

WITHIN THE REACH

OF EVERY CITIZEN.”

to develop mentoring relationships with accomplished leaders.

The formal mentorship may be relatively brief, lasting only a week

or two, or extend over several months. Fellows are encouraged

to seek experiences that test and reinforce their own leadership

aspirations while moving them outside their comfort zones. This

often requires students to seek international and cross-cultural

experiences.

While we pride ourselves in looking back on the service and

leadership exhibited by President Reagan, we also look to the

living legacy he left this campus, this nation and the world. That

legacy resides in more than a quarter-century of Reagan Scholars

and Fellows who are alumni of the program and are pursuing their

own leadership journeys. For each of them, just as in the case

of that young freshman on a Chapel stage, the journey began

here. With the resources made available through the foresight

of President Reagan and others like him, who recognized both

the need and the promise of developing the future leadership of

America, we are continuing the legacy that first took root on that

crisp November evening on a small stage on the Eureka College

campus.

12 13

THE JOURNEY TOWARD MATURITY in leadership is long and tenuous, forged

by the experience, education and guidance we gather along the way. One

need look no further than the example of a young Ronald Reagan who, as

a nervous young freshman, embarked on his own leadership journey with

a speech from the Chapel stage on campus here at Eureka College. That

experience of addressing fellow students taught him that his voice could

influence others to follow, especially when he offered them a clear vision

forward. The education, experiences, and relationships he built during his

years on campus provided the firm foundation on which he built a lifetime of

leadership and public service.

The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program was launched more than a

quarter-century ago to offer future generations of promising young students

the foundation to launch their own leadership journey. Inspired by his story

and success, the program provides opportunities and resources to accelerate

leadership development in students selected on the basis of their demonstrated

leadership potential.

Within the Reagan Leadership Program, Fellows explore leadership in the

context of Greenleaf’s Servant Leader model that positions enlightened

leadership in the context of service to others with leaders drawing their

motivation not from a sense of personal ego or accomplishment but as

a response to the call to serve. That exploration is expanded to delve into

other current leadership models and theories. Discussion takes place during

workshops as well as bi-weekly informal sessions, typically focused on a

selected topic. Planning is underway for expansion into a more formal structure

of classroom seminars incorporated into the college curriculum. This approach

is firmly grounded in the liberal arts mission of the College, which provided the

basis for academic inquiry and critical thinking President Reagan often cited

as essential in molding his own leadership style.

Reagan Fellows are also given opportunities to

interact in small, intimate exchanges with speakers,

authors, and other prominent figures who regularly

visit the campus. During these informal sessions,

Fellows are encouraged to ask questions and seek

the insights of these leaders as they relate to their

personal vision, experiences and philosophies.

Recent sessions have included meetings with

Ambassador Barbara Barrett; General P.X. Kelley,

former Commandant of the Marine Corps; and former

President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.

To provide context and a personal testing ground

for their own leadership vision, Reagan Fellows are

required to engage in service at several levels. As a

group, Reagan Fellows support several organizations

and events throughout the year including a day-long

workshop for high school students. Individually, high

expectations are placed on Fellows to be active

throughout the campus and serve as student leaders

in a variety of capacities. Each Fellow is also required

to implement a personal service project

during the year and is encouraged to seek

opportunities that present new challenges.

As they progress through their four years at

Eureka College, they are pushed to expand

their level of service to take on growing

leadership responsibilities.

The third component of the Reagan

Leadership Program is an emphasis on

mentorship. Just as President Reagan

recognized the critical insight and guidance

received from key people throughout his life,

unique opportunities for Fellows are created

Dr. Michael Thurwanger, Director of

The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program

at Eureka College

The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program | GUIDING THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY > Dr. MICHAEL L. THURWANGER

PRACTICEpoints.

THE ROOTS OF RONALD REAGAN are firmly planted in the rich liberal arts soil of

Eureka College where our founding principles center on the “mutual development of

intellect and character” and the entire college experience represents the classroom and,

indeed, the world. When Reagan graduated in 1932, he carried with him a unique edu-

cation which tied together theory and practice. The EC experience was and is based in

experiential learning full of leadership opportunities and Ronald Reagan’s education was

filled with the liberal arts ideal of discovering his vision and voice—from academics to

athletics to student government to the arts— Reagan did it all. His degree in Economics

(Money) and Sociology (People) was taught in tandem because Money affects People.

This Eureka College lesson did not stop at the classroom door. This experience was real

and tangible to the poor kid from Dixon who Eureka believed in, supported, nurtured

and challenged. Reagan never forgot this and lived according to these still living Eureka

College leadership lessons. Theory and practice is what EC is all about.

President Reagan’s legacy continues to inspire others—especially the students of Eureka

College. Offering unique insights into the authentic foundation of the man who would

become President of the United States of America, the Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka

College contains over 10,000 items in its archives with over 3,000 on display that exude

Reagan’s love and respect for his Alma Mater and answer our questions about the for-

mation of this American Icon. Ninety percent of the items were donated to Eureka by

President Reagan himself in order to inspire future Eureka graduates and show us the

core of the man.

YOU ARE INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER Please join hundreds of other leaders like you who value the lessons of Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Become a member of The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College and help support scholarships for

the Reagan Fellows, funding for the Reagan Museum and Peace Garden, Visiting Reagan Scholars, and the

continued study and teaching of the same leadership lessons Ronald Reagan learned from Eureka College.

Ronald W. Reagan Society benefactors and major donors receive many benefits for their annual support.

Contact John D. Morris, Director of Development

The Ronald W. Reagan Society

to learn more about the benefits of membership.

jmorris@eureka.edu, (309) 467-6477

www.reagan.eureka.edu/society

reagan.eureka.edu

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Ronald Reagan’s Eureka College Diploma: Joint Degree in Economics and Sociology

Dr. Brian Sajko, Founding Curator, Reagan Museum at Eureka College

Curator’s Collectionfrom the T H E

Ronald W. ReaganSOC I E T Y

300 East College Avenue | Eureka, Illinois 61530-1500

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDEureka, IL

Permit No. 6