Reflecting on Thomas Tredway’s 39 years at Augustana
(Editor's note: This profile was published in Augustana College Magazine, Winter 2003, on the occasion of Dr. Thomas Tredway's retirement. He died on April 10, 2022.)
When Dr. Thomas Tredway walks around campus for the last time this spring as president of Augustana College, it will be a dramatically different place than when he took office 28 years ago. A new library, college center and two academic buildings, complemented by hundreds of new trees and shrubs, will certainly be part of the Tredway legacy. But what is equally remarkable is what has not changed. With Tredway at the helm, the mission and identity of Augustana as a liberal arts institution have remained clear and steadfast in often uncertain times.
"Tom always had a vision of the school as a place where students learn how to think critically and act responsibly," says the Rev. Richard "Swanie" Swanson ’54, former college chaplain and a longtime friend. "He looks for people who can help students achieve that, and he sees the buildings and the grounds as the environment where that can take place. That's always been at the top of his agenda."
In a sense, Tredway helped define Augustana as what a liberal arts college is and should always be. And he did so in a difficult period. In the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, small colleges across the country struggled over whether to become more specialized at the expense of their liberal arts programs, according to Dr. Nils Hasselmo ’57, president of the Association of American Universities in Washington, D.C.
"Augustana stayed with its liberal arts program, and today is in a stronger position," Hasselmo says. "Specialization diffuses a school's mission and diverts resources. Other colleges lost their focus, but Augustana resisted the trend — and very wisely so."
In fact, when Tredway became president, Augustana offered six degrees, including two master’s degrees. He's pleased to point out that Augustana now awards only one degree, a bachelor of arts degree.
"I felt we ought to be good at one thing and stake the college's life on being a strong residential, undergraduate liberal arts college — and we've done that," Tredway says. "Now we've undergone a revision of the core curriculum, and we have a strong commitment of the faculty to this new program. I think it's a reaffirmation of the fact that you don't have to be a trendy boutique. We’re single purpose. We offer a strong liberal arts undergraduate education to everybody, whether you go on to med school or become an accountant or teach English. And that works for us."
"Genius of sorts'
Originally from North Tonawanda, N.Y., near Buffalo, Tredway came to Augustana in 1955 to study history, transferring from North Park College in Chicago. One of his classmates there, Dr. Timothy Johnson '58, transferred to Augustana the following year.
"Right from the get-go, it was blindingly obvious that Tom was no bumpkin from Buffalo, but rather a seminal genius of sorts," says Johnson, the network medical editor for ABC News. "He absorbed knowledge and life in huge gulps and digested it in thorough and thoughtful fashion — but always with a unique 'Tredway Twist.' It was obvious to me from Day One he would wind up in academia — and Augie has been remarkably lucky that he landed there."
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Augustana in 1957, Tredway earned a master's in history at the University of Illinois, a bachelor of divinity at Garrett Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in philosophy at Northwestern University. In 1964, he found himself back in Rock Island teaching history at Augustana.
Tredway's specialty was Western Civilization and modern European history with an emphasis on intellectual currents during and since the Reformation. In 1969, he was named the winner of the Senior Recognition Day Speaker Award by members of the senior class. The award recognizes a professor's teaching effectiveness, his contribution to college life, his scholarship and his helpfulness to students. One of his former students, Nancy Rohkohl ’70 Sims, still vividly remembers Tredway's "sweeping dramatic moves, his passion and knowledge for his subject matter and his way of involving students in his lectures.”
"It was the winter of 1968, when the U.S. was awash in foreign and civil wars in Vietnam and on the streets of its own cities,” Sims recalls. "Within the confines of a second-floor classroom in Old Main, another war was played out before my eyes. The cunning and crafty Medicis in Florence were undermining rivals, the Pope and neighboring states. Tredway made those wintry days come alive as he darted about the room, failing arms and without notes, urging us to witness the sneaky treachery that was enveloping Florence.”
On a visit to Florence years later, as Sims stood in awe of the Palazzo Vecchio, she breathed in the history of Lorenzo the Magnificent and was reminded again of Tredway's vibrant lectures, his empathy for historical figures and his dramatic flare for bringing them to life. Parts of that, she says, she has incorporated into her own teaching style.
Other Tredway attributes are in a class by themselves. His memory, for instance, has amazed more than a few students and colleagues through the years. He's well-known for his ability to take the podium and speak as eloquently as if he's reading from a prepared speech; yet he has few, if any, notes with him. During convocation talks, his recall of scriptures has sent listeners to their Bibles to check his accuracy, only to find he does know many verses word for word. In the history courses he continued to teach through most of his presidency, students were treated to a mosaic of references from classical and contemporary sources, all rendered as if the texts were in his hands.
“He has literally memorized hundreds of old hymns, and he can rattle off poems he heard as a child,” Swanson says. “He never forgets anything … and sometimes I wish he would.”
Beyond the classroom
Without a doubt, teaching has always been Tredway’s first love. Dealing directly with students and helping them discover the world — and themselves — have given him great satisfaction through the years. His move into administration simply came out of his desire to elevate those ideals.
“I had an office in Old Main,” Tredway says, “and I used to look out the window and see the lights on in Founders and think ‘I wonder what those guys are doing. I sure would like to be in on the decision making.’ The tradition of this college was not one of a strong faculty governing the institution. And I really felt it was important for the faculty perspective to be heard.”
In 1970 Tredway joined Augustana’s administrative ranks as vice president of academic affairs and dean. Five years later, he was declared the seventh president of Augustana from among 109 candidates for the job. At age 39, Tredway was one of the youngest chief executives in college history: Dr. Gustav Andreen was 37 when he became president in 1901, and Dr. Conrad Bergendoff was 39 when elected to the office in 1935.
Tredway’s inauguration on the lawn, just south of Old Main, was fairly simple compared to traditional inaugurations. It was described as understated, a reflection of the man himself. The Observer student newspaper predicted the atmosphere would be scarcely more formal than an all-school picnic. The ceremony was, in fact, followed by a lawn picnic.
In some respects, that inauguration set the tone for a presidency in which more people have a voice in decisions and where as much business gets done “on the sidewalk” as in the office. Augustana’s tradition of patriarchal leadership was near its end because Tredway knew from the beginning that this was not his style.
“I’ve gotten away with not doing that, and have probably disappointed some people,” he says. “But one of my deepest convictions is that leadership is a matter of working together with other people and listening to them. Many, many times, by getting a sense of what the faculty, administrative leaders and trustees wanted, we’ve made better decisions than if I had done what I thought we ought to do from the beginning.”
Then, with a laugh, he suggests that perhaps his commitment to a collegial style of management was essentially a virtue of necessity.
"I really wanted this job, but I was so scared when I got it," Tredway says. "I knew I didn't have the gifts or the smarts to do it by myself. I felt really blessed that there were these other good people here, and they and I could work together.”
During Tredway's presidency, a system of collective governance was developed. Most crucial decisions are made by people who represent the whole campus community, not simply administrators. That's true of personnel decisions, revisions in curriculum and the development of campus. And he feels good about that.
"That isn't to say that there are times when something happens, and I don't like it, that I call up and try to get it fixed in a hurry," he says. "But for the most part, those are usually incidental and peripheral. On the bigger issues, it's always a better decision when you talk to other people."
Tredway believes that one of the most important changes during his years as president has been the wider and deeper involvement of the board of trustees in planning for and supporting the school's future. "I've never been so confident that the board is ready to take the college to higher ground as I am now," he says.
From the board's perspective, Chair Brenda Czajka '75 Barnes applauds Tredway for his leadership and his passion for Augustana.
"Tom has always been a step ahead of what the next challenge or opportunity is that we should be focusing on," Barnes says. "He's very open to ideas and to new ways of doing things, and he has pushed us to think of our school in bigger ways. He has always been committed to attracting and retaining a great faculty, in developing programs that distinguish the school and in fostering the relationship with our Lutheran heritage. I'll miss working with him.”
‘A pastoral heart'
According to Augustana's constitution, the president is responsible for the spiritual life of the college. The years since Tredway became president have seen dramatic changes both in the church, highlighted by the 1987 merger that created the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and in the varying church identities of the ELCA's colleges and universities. And with Lutheran students now in the minority within Augustana's enrollment, some have wondered whether there's been a weakening in its church relationship.
"On the contrary," says the Rev. Richard Priggie ’74, college chaplain since 1999. "Dr. Tredway truly understands and endorses the church-relatedness that is Augustana."
The Augustana Lutheran Church, the national church body out of which the college was founded in 1860, was ecumenical in its outlook, which was a rarity at the time. The college has never seen its mission as something for Lutherans only, Priggie says. Rather, it is a gift to the wider society, and because of this awareness of what it means to be a college of the church, all segments of church and society are welcomed at the college.
In addition to his understanding of the founding principles of the college, Priggie says Tredway's academic background, specifically his knowledge of the Lutheran Reformation, has become a part of him — his faith and his view of life. "The realistic outlook that Lutheranism has, and the reliance upon God's grace … that characterizes Dr. Tredway," Priggie says.
In the three years Priggie has served at Augustana, the office of Campus Ministries has doubled in size. Besides Priggie and Sister Marilyn Ring, two others — Larry Peterson, director of music, and Associate Chaplain April Johnson — now serve the pastoral needs of students and the entire campus community.
Of the 28 ELCA universities and colleges across the country, Augustana is the only one to have three people devoted exclusively to pastoral duties. "And the only reason it has happened here is because of Dr. Tredway's intervention, and his efforts to make Campus Ministries a strong and vibrant part of life at Augustana," Priggie says.
Swanson, who worked at the college from 1966 to 1999, echoes his successor's praise of Tredway's advocacy: "He's deeply ecumenical and has a pastoral heart for the people of the college. I was a pastor serving under a pastor, and it doesn't get any better than that."
On the sidewalk
Unless it's 10:30 on a Tuesday morning when one can be certain Tredway is at chapel, it's often difficult to find him because he's usually not in his office.
"My wife has an MBA, and she says I have an MWA-Management by Walking Around," Tredway says. "But I've learned that when someone is in your office, you often can't get them out. My style is to go to the other guy's office because you can leave. I've heard that people say ‘He's always coming down to Old Main … well, guess why."
Tredway also keeps his own schedule, carrying a small appointment book in his pocket. When he has a "formal" appointment, he writes it down. For other conversations about college business, he records it with a "PH" or "SW" after the name. "PH" indicates a phone call, and "SW" stands for sidewalk, which literally means a chance meeting on the sidewalk or an impromptu conversation in the cafeteria or Old Main. He estimates two-thirds of the entries in his book are followed by a "PH" or "SW."
Crafting the campus
Part of a college president's job involves speaking to various groups about the school. Tredway appreciates the fact that whether he's talking to a high school senior and her parents on the walkway outside Founders or to a room full of businesspeople in Chicago, he doesn't have to change his message. Augustana’s straightforward identity as a church-affiliated, undergraduate liberal arts college allows him to “say the same thing about Augustana to everybody.”
The vindication of having a clear purpose and a single mission, he says, was the $7.5 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation to build a state-of-the-art educational technology center.
The award followed a series of meetings involving Augustana representatives at the Olin Foundation’s offices in Manhattan and Minneapolis, and a three-day visit to campus by the foundation’s officers. “They met with faculty, students, trustees and administrators, and then they gave us the money because we seemed to be what we said we were,” Tredway says.
It was one of his most gratifying accomplishments. “To get that endorsement and to do it in such a competitive environment meant a lot to me,” Tredway says. “I can tell you 10 other college presidents who called me the day it was announced and asked, “How did you guys do it?’”
Tredway downplays his personal role, but Augustana’s Vice President of Development Al DeSimone says Tredway’s leadership was key to obtaining the grant. “Two things made it possible for us,” DeSimone says. “The institution itself and Tom Tredway. For the most part, the Olin people deal with a school’s president, and Tom connected with them. He was able to communicate what we’re all about.”
The Olin Center is one pillar in a colonnade of new buildings completed during Tredway’s tenure. During the 1990s alone, Augustana invested more than $50 million in new construction and building renovations. The Olin Center and the $23 million science building were dedicated in 1998. The buildings’ proximity to the library, completed in 1990, is significant because it links the sciences and the humanities, symbolizing Augustana’s mission as a liberal arts college. The College Center, located at the north end of campus, opened in 1979.
What’s next
“If somebody asked me, what standards, principles or criteria have you lived by or done this job by, it wouldn’t be a very clever or original list,” Tredway says. “I believe in the glories of youth, the potential and possibilities. I love being around kids. That’s why I got into teaching in the first place. I believe in the disciplined life of the mind, and that’s true for a chemist, or for a person in English lit or philosophy. I believe in reading books, and exploring new ideas and new places.”
Does he have any advice for his successor? Yes, to take a greater interest in tooting the college’s horn. His biggest failure as president, Tredway says, is that he wasn’t concerned enough about marketing the college.
“I’ve always believed that if a place is a good place, then people will find out,” he explains. “But we probably could have been more aggressive in letting the world know about our achievements and virtues. It isn’t true the world will always beat a path to your door. Sometimes you’ve got to advertise that you’ve got the better mousetrap.”
And while the college has seen a near twenty-fold increase in its endowment, Tredway predicts another challenge for the next president will be the continued building of the school’s financial base.
LIfe after Augustana, for Tredway, probably will include a move to Galena, Ill., where he and his wife Kate (Catherine Craft ’83) have been fixing up a 160-year-old home. The form that this post-presidential life takes will be slightly different than anticipated because of a December accident in which Tredway was struck by a vehicle while bicycling. With physical therapy for his injured knee, it’s hoped he will soon be back to his biking, hiking and canoeing. All three activities have long been passions of Tredway’s, but none more so than biking; it wasn’t uncommon for him to put in 30 miles before arriving at his office in the morning.
During his presidency, Tredway tried to stay current in his own academic field of Reformation history and European history. He’s been offered a couple of short-term teaching positions at other institutions. He’s also thinking about writing a book, but not one most people would expect.
“I’m toying with the idea of writing a short novel about academic life,” he says. “It’s the most wonderful life in the world, and part of its delight is that it’s so comical sometimes. It would have a serious storyline, and I hope it would obtain moments of genuine satire. I don’t presume I’m capable of it, but if I were ….”
This may sound like Tredway is ready for a new challenge, consistent with the ideals of a perpetual student, one who is always exploring and challenging oneself. It is a faithful trait that has helped guide Augustana to a leading role among small colleges nationwide. It’s a consistency that, no doubt, Tredway will take into his retirement.
For as his good friend Swanson says today: “He’s the same guy I met in a canoe 36 years ago.”
Come this spring, Tredway will spend his last days as Augustana’s president, walking down the green and storied paths of the campus, perhaps passing some of the trees and shrubs he bought and planted himself. He’ll log more “SW” encounters in his appointment book than space will probably permit. Friends and colleagues will celebrate the end of a memorable chapter in Augustana’s history in both its growth and vision for the future. Then at the age of 67, Dr. Thomas Tredway will be back in his canoe, guiding the vessel toward new and uncharted waters.