Seminary Salute

New scholarship fund honors retiring Rokkes

After hearing of Dr. Ervin J. Rokke’s plans to retire from the presidency of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary, the board of trustees of the Seminary have created a scholarship in honor of both Rokkes: the president and his wife, Pam.

Money to endow the fund has come from the active members of the Seminary board, who raised more than $55,000 in pledges by October 18. Additional gifts are expected.

“I’m grateful to the Rokkes for being strong supporters of the Seminary, its programs and its mission,” said Lyn Trodahl Chynoweth ’68, chair of the Seminary board. “This is a small token of appreciation to help the legacy of the Rokkes live on.”

The Erv and Pam Rokke Scholarship Fund will provide support for students enrolled at the Seminary beginning in the fall semester of 2006.

“There is no better legacy for a departing president,” says President Rokke. “It’s hard for me to describe adequately how much it means to Pam and me. Over the past eight years, Pam and I have developed close friendships with [the Seminary trustees]. They also have taken what I would call an activist approach in their oversight responsibilities, continually prodding us toward higher levels of excellence and showing incredible generosity with their time and resources.

“The result is that we have a thriving Seminary, with students, faculty, trustees, and staff stepping a little higher these days.”

Pam Rokke has been a participant in the Seminary community since the Rokkes’ arrival in 1997. She often has attended the Seminary’s continuing education programs and chapel services and is currently auditing her second graduate course, with a third planned in the spring semester.

“I have loved being a part of the Seminary community,” she says. “The diverse student body, professors, and trustees make it such a dynamic place to be. You can feel the energy as soon as you walk in the door. I will greatly miss my connection to the Seminary when we move next summer.”