Nottingham’s Kate and
David Juggins to receive
Spirit of Luther Award
April 24, 2008
Good neighbors honored for 20 years service and support to college’s study abroad program
Luther College President Richard Torgerson will present the college’s Spirit of Luther Award to David and Kate Juggins, neighbors and friends of the Luther Nottingham program, on Sunday, May 18 during the college’s 2008 commencement ceremonies.
The Jugginses, who live next door to the Luther study abroad director’s house in Nottingham, England, have been loyal friends to the program’s students and directors for many years. The award will honor their generous assistance in helping Nottingham program participants learn and transition to the culture of the community and gain the greatest educational and vocational benefit from the Nottingham experience.
Established in 2001, the Spirit of Luther Award recognizes and honors individuals who provide significant, sustained service to the college. Award recipients demonstrate a personal commitment to Luther’s mission, quality and character.
“David and Kate Juggins exemplify the qualities that define the Spirit of Luther Award,” said President Torgerson. “Their selfless contributions and commitment to the Nottingham program and Luther community abroad have truly enhanced the quality of life and learning for students and representatives of Luther College.”
The long relationship between the Jugginses and the more than 200 Luther students and faculty who have taken part in the college’s annual, one-year study abroad program in Nottingham is one of friendship and goodwill. The Jugginses say that, although they were at first apprehensive 20 years ago when they learned that the newly purchased house next door would be used to house the directors of an American study abroad program, the experience has given them a wider sense of the world, a greater clarity about England itself and enriching friendships.
Luther professors of English Mark Muggli and Carol Gilbertson, directors of the 2006-07 Nottingham program, say the Jugginses serve as advocates for the program, providing support and advice in many areas.
“The job as Nottingham director is, right now, almost inconceivable without the Jugginses’ friendship,” stated Gilbertson. “With amazing reserves of energy and even-handed good will, they have opened themselves to every new director and are keenly aware of the program’s purpose as education.”
The Jugginses help students feel a part of a city neighborhood. As “surrogate parents” to Luther students staying for the year, the Jugginses provide advice and counsel on issues that range from homesickness and individual challenges to local history and cultural opportunities. They are regular guests at the Nottingham apartment residents’ annual Thanksgiving Day dinner – even though United States’ Thanksgiving tradition is not celebrated in the United Kingdom.
“David and Kate seem to consider their work with the program a vocation, seeing themselves as the oral memory of the program,” said Muggli. “They are invested in the students as individuals and as a group, and the students respond with whole-hearted affection.”
In addition to Luther students’ personal relationships with the couple, the college’s study-abroad program and its facilities have benefited from the close relationship with its Nottingham neighbors. In addition to counseling Nottingham participants in local customs, social activities and decorum, they also assist in the upkeep of Luther’s Nottingham property, regularly advising directors on quality and value among local services.
The facilities are used during the summer months by the Luther nursing program, and the Jugginses have also helped the summer program directors in numerous way.
“They have done their extensive, dedicated work for Luther without expecting any reward or remuneration except the friendship of each year’s directors,” said Gilbertson. “Giving that kind of regular, daily support to the directors and students is deserving of the Spirit of Luther Award’s public recognition.”