Northland College

Northland College
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Admissions
  • Athletics
  • Centers
  • Sustainability
Search
  • Directory
  • Campus Map
  • Calendar
  • Alumni
  • Giving
  • News
  • COVID-19
More...
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
    • Faculty
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
      • Internships
      • Undergraduate Research
      • Study Abroad
      • Off-campus Learning
      • Student Jobs
    • Graduate Success
    • Course Catalog
    • Transcript Request
    • Commencement
  • Campus Life
    • Dining
    • Housing
    • Outdoor Orientation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Indigenous Cultures Center
        • Native Student Offerings
        • Powwow & Awareness
        • Community Outreach
        • Native American Museum
    • Get Involved
    • Bicycles & Gear Rental
    • Fitness Center
    • Services
      • Counseling Services
      • Accommodations
      • Health Services
      • Safety & Security
  • Admissions
    • Visit Campus
    • Tuition
    • Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Loans
      • FAFSA
      • Veterans
    • Enroll
    • Meet Your Admissions Counselor
    • College Fairs
  • Athletics
    • Athletic Website
    • Athletic Facilities
    • Varsity Club Membership
    • Buy Team Gear
    • Hall of Fame
    • Annual Golf Classic
    • Camps, Leagues, Tournaments
      • 3on3 Basketball Tournament
      • Basketball Camps & Leagues
      • Youth Soccer Camp
      • Softball Camp
      • Volleyball Camps & Leagues
    • Give to Athletics
  • Centers
    • Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
      • Our Work
      • Student Research Opportunities
      • Lab Services
      • Burke Center in the News
      • Water Summit
    • Center for Rural Communities
      • Rural Livelihood Initiatives
        • Quality of Life Database
        • Northwoods Community Survey
        • Opinion Polls
        • Local Food Systems
      • Human-Environment Connection
      • Publications
      • Data Visualizations
      • Student Opportunities
    • Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
      • LoonWatch
        • About Loons
        • Protect Loons
        • Get Involved
        • Loon Appreciation Week and Poster
      • Timber Wolf Alliance
        • Wolf Awareness Week and Poster
        • Learn About Wolves
        • TWA Speakers Bureau
        • Wolf Status Reports
        • Vision for Wolves
        • Great Lakes Wolf Symposium
      • Youth Outreach Programs
      • SONWA Book Awards
        • SONWA Press Kit
      • Sigurd Olson Legacy
      • Apostle Islands Stewardship Symposium
      • Intangible Magazine
      • Forest Lodge Educational Campus
        • Rental Information
    • Hulings Rice Food Center
      • Compost Center
      • Larson Food Lab
      • Campus Gardens
      • Student Opportunities
  • Sustainability
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Board
      • Alumni Awards
    • Get Involved
      • Ask Our Alumni Panels
    • Pride Pack, Apparel, and Merchandise
    • Class Notes
    • Transcript Request
    • Update Your Information
    • Events
    • Give
    • Oral History Project
  • Giving
    • Christopher T. Morgan Scholarship
    • Meet Our Team
  • About Northland
    • President Chadwick L. Dayton
    • Northland College Magazine
    • Campus Sculpture Tour
    • Advocacy & Public Discourse
    • Consumer Information

Giving Beyond the Classroom

Bruce and Ruth Goetz

November 9, 2021

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email

Northland College Professor Emeritus Bruce and Ruth GoetzIn 1991, Bruce Goetz, a professor of geology, and his wife, Ruth, gave the first $1,000 gift to the Tim Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Tim had been a student of Bruce’s in the 1970s—and Bruce wanted to do something to honor the young man he called friend.

“I have seen people do some very nice things for Northland and Northland people over the years,” Don Chase, assistant vice president of development wrote to the Goetzes. “Yours ranks right at the top.”

That’s how Bruce and Ruth roll.

Bruce came to Northland in 1969 to teach geology because he believed in the Northland mission—that students come first. “Fifty-two years later, I firmly believe that has not changed,” he said, sitting on his deck, a view to Garden Lake.

Bruce’s legacy is lasting. He was integral to the creation of several programs: environmental studies, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), outdoor education, and meteorology. He taught one of the first computer classes and carved the College’s mace used at formal ceremonies. “The beauty of a small college—adaptability,” Ruth commented.

Bruce traveled the country with students from the Tetons in Wyoming to the lava flows in Hawaii and down the Grand Canyon. In his forty-seven years at the College, his door was always open. “I was able to help students learn about the things I love,” he told a reporter in 2017 when he was awarded professor emeritus. “Right up to the end I was happy to see students learning and being enthused.”

Bruce and Ruth have retired to Garden Lake in Cable, where Bruce still bikes 20–40 miles a day—sometimes with his former colleague Tom Fitz, professor of geology—and socializes with former students. He also teaches the neighbors about the rocks in their yards.

Bruce and Ruth started giving to the College his teaching years and continue to give now. “I’m grateful I’m in a position where I can still help,” he said. “I spent my career at one place, and I want it to succeed.”

  • Mary Van Evera Visual Arts Center

    In Gratitude and Recognition

    After decades of generous support, The DeWitt and Caroline Van Evera Foundation will sunset their operations this year and make a final gift to Northland…

    In Gratitude and Recognition
  • Northland College Alumni Dinner 2019

    Fall Fest Returns September 21–24, 2022

    After two years without in-person reunions, Fall Festival is returning to campus September 21–24, 2022. “Reconnecting with the campus community is important for our alumni…

    Fall Fest Returns September 21–24, 2022
  • Portrait of Roger Dreher with canoe paddle.

    When Missions Align

    First, the loon report. Sitting on his back deck looking out at Lake Wilipyro near Drummond, Roger Dreher tells his guests about a pair of…

    When Missions Align
  • Carol and Monroe Sprague

    A Family Tradition of Knowledge and Self-Discovery

    In 1932, Milton Sprague had only two ways to get from his home in Washburn, Wisconsin, to Northland College. Milton either hopped aboard a train…

    A Family Tradition of Knowledge and Self-Discovery
  • Visit
  • Info
  • Apply

News

  • From the Archives: The Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership

    Chequamegon Bay and the wetlands and waterways associated with it are one…

  • For the Love of Learning

    In the spring of 1965, I graduated from high school and looked…

  • From the Archives: The Sigurd Olson Legacy Project

    In the fall of 1937, Sigurd Olson converted a one-car garage located…

  • From the Archives: Promoting Nature-focused Literature for Children

    In a 2003 press release, the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute announced that…

  • From the Archives: Lake Superior Programs at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute

    It’s just a short walk from the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute through…

  • The Company You Keep

    We usually think of a highway as straight. But the reality is…

  • From the Archives: Restoring Northern Forests

    The proceedings booklet for the September 2000 Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute workshop…

  • Northland College at 130 Years: Navigating the Highway Ahead

    Beginning January 1, 2023, Chad Dayton will serve as interim president of…

  • From the Archives: A Voice for Wilderness

    Sigurd Olson was born on April 4, 1899. One hundred years later…

  • A year after “Aversion to Diversion” White Paper, Bayfield County Maps Artesian Wells

    In September 2021, the Northland College Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater…

News Archive »

1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, WI 54806
(715) 682-1699 | Map
  • About Northland
  • Constitution Day at Northland
  • Consumer Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Take a Class
  • Employment
  • Campus Store

my.northland.edu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Northland College. All rights reserved.

https://www.northland.edu/news/giving-beyond-the-classroom

Our website uses cookies for necessary functions and to enhance your browsing experience. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Accept & Continue