[Dialogue] Walter W. Leibrecht

Sat Apr 11 02:19:48 EDT 2009

Here is an interesting, albeit missing, piece of our common memory. Walter W. Leibrecht was the Dean of the Ecumenical Institute until he left form Rome, Italy to serve as an observer at the Vatican Council. Story begins when Joe Mathews was hired to succeed him as Dean. I always wondered what happen to him. Now I know Read on...

Dr. Walter W. Leibrecht was born on September 3rd, 1927 in Karlsruhe, Germany. His primary and secondary education took place in Lahr and in Heidelberg, where his father, Professor Dr. Philipp Leibrecht held teaching and executive administrative positions in the secondary school system. 

While still in school, together with his whole 11th grade class from the boys’ high-school, he was drafted into war service and served with an anti-aircraft unit in Mannheim. 

The war experience led him to choose theology as his subject for higher education studies. He enrolled in 1945 at the university of Erlangen-Nuremberg and later continued at the University of Heidelberg. During his studies he was selected as one of the first German students for a study abroad term after the war, at first at the University of Zurich, Switzerland and later at the University of Chicago. 
In 1953 he completed his studies with the Ph.D. exam and his doctoral dissertation on the philosopher J.G. Hamann.

He started his academic career as a research assistant at the theology department of the University of Heidelberg, and in 1953 accepted an offer by Columbia University to become a student advisor and hold the position of Minister of Students and lecturer at the Department of Philosophy there. 
Two years later he moved from New York to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he became the close friend and assistant of the famous theologian Paul Tillich and held the positions of Assistant Professor of philosophy of Religion and Director of Studies at the Harvard Divinity School.

Also in 1955 he married his wife Lydia, neé Brandstetter, and the young family, quickly enlarged by a pair of twins moved into the historical parish house of Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire, where Walter Leibrecht served as the minister for two years. 

The next steps in his academic career led him to the mid-west, where became the Director of the Ecumenical Institute in Evanston, Illinois and taught as Professor of Ecumenical Theology at the Garrett Theological Seminary, and later as professor at the University of Chicago. By this time the number of children had risen to five.

Dr. Leibrecht published several books, among them: Religion and Culture, Harper and Row, New York, 1958, a collection of essays on Paul Tillich’s works; and: Being a Christian in To-day’s World, Fortress Book Series / Muhlenberg Press, Philadelphia, 1962. Scholarly appointments brought him to several important international church assemblies, as well as to the function as an official observer of the 2nd Vatican Council for the Lutheran World Federation.

During his time as a professor and student advisor at Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern and Chicago Walter Leibrecht was often approached by young Americans who inquired about study abroad possibilities in his native country of Germany. 
These talks resulted in his developing a unique vision and putting this vision into reality by establishing his own college in Germany, which was organized and run according to the American system of higher education in such a way, that made it possible for American students to study a term, semester or year in Germany without losing any time or academic credit due to any differences which existed between the American and German academic systems.

In 1963 he established the first campus of Schiller College at the medieval castle of Ingersheim, near Stuttgart in Southern Germany and named it after the famous 18th century German poet who also is considered as a national figurehead for ideas of liberty and tolerance among nations. 
The college was very successful – soon several dozen, then up to three and four hundred colleges and universities all over the United States chose Schiller as their study abroad venue in Germany.

A second and third campus was opened in Germany and two years later Dr. Leibrecht’s vision of an international university grew beyond the borders of Germany, when a study center was opened in Paris, France, soon to be followed by campuses in Madrid, Spain and London, England.

Schiller International University, as the institution was named after becoming international, has expanded further. Today students from over one hundred different home countries are enrolled at the eight campuses spread across six countries, and his far-sighted international concept includes institutions such as the American College of Switzerland, London City College in the UK, a primary school in London, high-schools in Florida and Spain, and a chain of intensive language schools in five countries. 

Dr Leibrecht led Schiller International University from its main campus in Dunedin, and (since the move in Summer 2006) Largo, Florida.

Walter Leibrecht died, 79 years old, on February 24th 2007 in Dunedin, Florida, USA.
In addition to his wife, Lydia Leibrecht, he is survived by his five children Bettina, Thomas, Christoph, Markus and Harald, and seven grandchildren.

Here is an interesting albeit missing piece of our common memory. Walter W. Leibrecht was the of the the Ecimenical Institute before Joe Mathews.  