University Honors Program

Wingspread Fellows

The Melvin Brorby Wingspread Fellows program, begun in the 1970s, brings students from colleges and universities throughout the Upper Midwest to Wingspread conferences as observers.  These students - our future civic leaders- are given the opportunity to meet opinion leaders and share in the discussions at Wingspread. Students of all ages and backgrounds from 13 schools throughout the Midwest participate in the program, and Honors students at Iowa State University are fortunate to be part of this selective participant list. Students attend as observers to the deliberations, but have plenty of opportunity to interact with the experts on an informal basis.  In fact, it is not necessary to be majoring in the area of the conference topic.  The Foundation is interested in encouraging students to become educated citizens and, thus, have opened these conferences to any interested student.

The Fellows program is named in honor of the late Melvin Brorby, a member of the Johnson Foundation's Board of Trustees for more than 22 years. A founding partner in the Chicago advertising agency Needham, Louis & Brorby, Inc., (now DDB Needham) Brorby was an advisor and friend to H.F. Johnson, the founder of the Foundation. Brorby's insight into the importance of personal contact between students and leaders grew largely from his own travels as a young man. The experiences of living with people of different cultures provided Brorby with a global perspective which was immensely valuable to the Johnson Foundation.

The conferences are held at Wingspread, which was built in 1939 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Wingspread is located on Wind Point, a peninsula on the western shore of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.  For further information on the conference or facility go to http://www.johnsonfdn.org/tour.html . 

Please review the conference listings on the website and consider becoming a Wingspread Fellow.  ALL OF YOUR EXPENSES ARE PAID FOR THE CONFERENCES.  Contact Laurie Fiegel, lfiegel@iastate.edu, or 294-4292, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you are interested in attending any of the sessions to find out the application process.