Concordia Alumnus Gary Spiller Speaks on Culture and MLK’s Legacy

Senior Laura Sattler creates a charcoal piece on stage in Weller Auditorium while Gary Spiller speaks to the Concordia community. Photo by Kim Sleeper.

by April Bayer

Students, faculty and Seward community members gathered in Weller Auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to listen as Concordia alumnus Gary Spiller delivered his presentation “Keeper of the Dream,” which focused on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and shared his own experiences working with a diverse range of students as an educator in the St. Louis area.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Spiller also visited various education classes and gave two more presentations about the importance of cultural proficiency in school settings.

“A lot of (students) come from similar backgrounds and don’t have much experience in diverse environments,” sophomore Johanna Ragland said. “It helped a lot to learn from someone who has also been (at Concordia) and has had that kind of experience…Not everything (in our future workplaces) is going to be like it is here.”

Spiller graduated from Concordia in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He then obtained his master’s degree in administration from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. His past positions include mentor, coach, teacher, alternative education administrator, assistant principal and high school principal in both Los Angeles and St. Louis.

Spiller is working toward completing his Education Specialist degree at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. He resides with his family in Illinois and serves as the Executive Director of Student Services and Innovation for the School District of University City in St. Louis.

Spiller focused on the ideas of “unflinching courage, transformational love and servant leadership” during his presentation. He believes that these concepts embody King’s message and explained how listeners can incorporate courage, love and service into their own lives.

“I challenge you (to) learn from somebody different. Sit with somebody different when you’re in Janzow,” Spiller said. “There’s a whole network of people you need to tap into so you can grow. This is about networking and growth so you can be something, do something in your life and make things better not just for you, but for the next generation.”

Spiller also told stories about his experience as an African American student at Concordia in the late 1990s. He said he believes that the school’s approach to diversity has improved since that time, but that progress can still be made. He illustrated this by explaining that while only 4 percent of Concordia’s total student population consists of minority groups, 50 percent of the names on the attrition list are those of minority students.

Senior Laura Sattler stood onstage and created a charcoal art piece inspired by the conversation between Spiller and the audience throughout the presentation.

“I was thrilled that Gary could be here to talk to the students about the legacy of Martin Luther King, especially how through working together we can make a difference in the lives of other people,” Assistant Professor of Global Studies Tobin Beck said. “Gary very clearly and very forcefully connected the students (to) the impact they have on the world.”