Newsletter

Autumn 2001

Metzler and De Jager, Leadership Fellows for 2001
By David Mahan

One of the ways in which Au Sable seeks to bring healing to the biosphere is by training students through its academic programs. We assist students each year by providing scholarships to help defer a portion of their expenses. One or two students are recognized for scholarship support that possesses especially high potential for leadership in the area of Christian environmental stewardship. It is exciting to briefly report on the two students selected for this year to receive the Leadership Fellowship.

J. Michael Metzler is a senior at Messiah College with a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. As he demonstrated in courses last year in India and Washington, Mike is both an excellent student and a real leader among his peers. Because he loves to share what he has learned with others, he is considering a career in education. He has a real heart for the poor, and was challenged by his time in India. When asked about his greatest desire, Mike replied in his typical joyful, humble way, and said, 'I am challenged by the message of Isaiah 42, to be a worth servant of the Lord.' Mike was one of the student leaders in Messiah's student housing project called Green House, which served as a model for other students on campus in regard to meals, energy usage, and other practical stewardship applications.

Nathan De Jager recently graduated from Northwestern College (IA) with a major in Biology /Environmental Science. Nate has particularly distinguished himself by his leadership on campus and his work with a local soil conservation district in northwest Iowa. As coordinator for the Conservation Reserve Program for the Sioux County Conservation District, he has instituted a prairie restoration project, and even raised grant monies to support it. He has also served as the president of Northwestern College's student environmental organization, Terra Nova, encouraging both numerical growth in the group and their increased involvement in local conservation activities. Nate hopes to continue his studies by attending graduate school in ecology. His desire would be to promote the perspectives of Christian environmental stewardship within the field of natural resources conservation.

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