About the Wackerlin Center
Mission
The mission of the Wackerlin Center is to offer students and employees spaces and experiences that promote belonging and flourishing, solidarity and service, and reflection and purpose. We are a space, resource, and advocate that advances diversity, equity, and inclusion. We work to ensure that each individual at AU feels an authentic sense of connection and empowerment through our programming, events, training, and mentorship. As local and global citizens, students receive encouragement to engage the world through acts of solidarity and service. Through community projects and hands-on learning, we prepare students to be community leaders who stand with the socially vulnerable. The Wackerlin Center complements the efforts of other AU departments to better support a student’s vocational journey and meet their holistic needs.
History
Founded in 2001 with a generous gift from a 1918 Aurora College alumna and lifelong AU benefactor, Helena Zentmyer Wackerlin, the center builds on the university’s faith-based roots while reflecting today’s diverse student body. The Wackerlin Center moved into its current location in 2011 and was dedicated to the life and legacy of Helena, whose lifelong commitment to AU's Christian heritage represents a living testimony to the university motto of "Character and Scholarship."
Since 2011, the Wackerlin Center has taken advantage of the building’s unique design and natural setting to create a retreat-like space where members of the AU community can contemplate and discuss issues of faith, responsibility, and leadership. In 2017, through a gift from the Class of 1967, a beautiful labyrinth was built at the Wackerlin Center to complement and support the center’s focus on vocational exploration, understanding one’s personal journey, and discovering what matters. Libby’s Place, the on-campus food pantry for students, is also housed inside the center.
Our Home: The Goldman House
The Wackerlin Center is housed in the Goldman House, a mid-century modern residence with a rich history in Aurora’s community.
Constructed in 1951 by Marshall and Shirlee Goldman, the home served as the family residence for decades. Marshall worked for local lumber and construction companies and founded a few businesses, the most successful of which developed shopping centers. He was also a founding member of the City of Aurora’s Human Relations Commission. Shirlee was an active member of the National Council of Jewish Women and other charitable organizations. Together, they raised four daughters in the house and belonged to the B’nai Israel Temple in Aurora.
The Goldman House was designed by Chicago firm Keck & Keck, run by architect George “Fred” Keck and his brother William. Fred Keck was a significant residential architect in the 20th century noted for blending the aesthetics of the modernist International Style developed by European architects with the organic Prairie Style heralded by Frank Lloyd Wright. He experimented with innovations in building design and new materials, but always kept his clients’ needs and lifestyles in mind. As the firm often did for commissions, a representative of Keck & Keck lived with the Goldman Family for several days and spoke with all members of the family to make sure their new house accommodated and improved their lives.
Fred Keck was one of the first American architects to create “solar” houses that intentionally utilized sunlight and other technology to heat spaces in a cost-efficient manner. The Goldman House contains many of the “solar” design elements that Keck often used, including a layout that orients all rooms to the south, large south-facing windows, louver sunshades, louvered openings that allow fresh air inside, radiant floor heating, and a flat roof.
