In some ways, the seminary is ever growing and changing. To be sure, the Word of God never changes, and so the seminary’s Scripture-centered mission won’t either. In other ways, though, especially when viewed over decades, growth and change are hard to miss.

This past school year, we said farewell to two men who have witnessed the seminary growing and changing even as it remained rooted in the never-changing Word. Retiring after the first semester of the 2024–2025 academic year was Professor John Schuetze, who began teaching at the seminary in 1997. Professor Bill Tackmier, who began as seminary professor in 2010, retired at the conclusion of the academic year. Both men will remain busy, but they look forward to the more flexible schedules they’ll be able to enjoy during retirement—John and Joan Schuetze in Tennessee, Bill and Dorcas Tackmier in Indiana.

As they each begin a new chapter in life, Κηρυξατε asked them about changes they witnessed during their time at the seminary.

One change that both men noticed during their time teaching was the role of technology. Prof. Tackmier recalled, “Shortly after I entered the ministry in 1990, my associate, Jon Balge, and I bought our first computers.” Prof. Schuetze remembered when technology entered the seminary classroom: “When I started at the seminary, the main visual media was the overhead projector. When I retired, we were using smart boards. I can remember debating in a faculty meeting what place laptops should play in the classroom and it was quite a change when we began requiring them. . . . When I started at the seminary no one had a smartphone and few had a cell phone. But the present generation of students can’t remember life without laptops or smart phones.”

Prof. Schuetze took special note of a positive development during his years of service. “The other big change is in the area of mental health. We are doing a much better job addressing those needs which have only increased over the years.” Prof. Schuetze served as campus counselor for many years, assisting students personally or referring them to other counselors when they faced mental health challenges. (Prof. Joel Russow is now serving in this role.)

Have seminary students changed over the years? Yes and no. Prof. Schuetze observed, “Students have changed a lot over my nearly three decades of teaching. I had to keep reminding myself that the student I faced in the late 90s was much different than the student I have in 2025. It’s not that one was better than the other, they were just from a very different generation.” On the other hand, in one respect students have remained the same despite the changing times. Prof. Tackmier noted, “The thing that has consistently struck me during my fifteen years here is how serious students take their education at the seminary.” While every student is unique, and some seminary students are still not sure that the public ministry is what they want to do, all seminary students display a desire to learn.

When asked to recall their first days after arriving on campus as a professor, both remembered some trepidation.“ Could I measure up?” said Prof.Tackmier. “A group of solid, long-time Old Testament professors (Westendorf, Brug, and Bivens) would soon retire. Would I be able to fill their shoes?” Prof. Schuetze recalled wondering how he would manage to master the subjects he would be teaching. Presently it is standard practice to give new professors a few months to audit classes. But things were different then. Prof. Schuetze recalled, “I was installed in January and by March I was in the classroom teaching.” With the Lord’s help, the new professors dove in and took up their teaching responsibilities, growing more comfortable and confident each semester.

What will they miss about the seminary? One thing is the beautiful setting. Prof. Schuetze shared a perspective on the seminary grounds that’s perhaps one-of-a-kind. “I am probably unique in this area, but I spent over 50 years on the seminary campus—as a prof ’s kid, as a student, as a governing board member, and then as a professor. I know the campus and the woods inside and out. I have seen many changes and improvements over those 50 years. This eighty-acre ‘park’ is a beautiful place to live.” What will Prof. Tackmier miss most about living here? “The people! It’s been a little taste of heaven living with people who all share the same faith and the same goal of sharing the gospel.”

We asked if any favorite memories stood out in their minds. Coincidentally, each happily recalled a memory that involved students and food—though in different ways. Prof. Schuetze recalled chatting with a middler class one day about where to find the best pizza in the Milwaukee area. “A couple weeks later it was a beautiful spring day, and we decided to have class outside in the circle. The students surprised me with pizza. They apologized that it wasn’t from my favorite restaurant. They tried, but it didn’t open until 4 p.m. The fact that they even looked into it and bought pizza anyway was pretty amazing.”

Prof. Tackmier’s standout memory involved food, too—but not food to eat. It happened during the 2020–2021 school year, while the world was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. “I was going between classes. The previous hour I had been teaching in the auditorium. (One class had to meet in there because of the need for social distancing.) A group of students had gathered out in front of the tower for a breath of fresh air between classes. They had a katana [a long, Japanese sword] and a watermelon. There was a popular fad at the time of splitting fruit in midair with katanas. They cajoled me into it: ‘Come on, Professor. Split a watermelon!’ One student threw the watermelon up in the air while another one videoed me hacking the watermelon in two. We all had a huge laugh. It was a perfect lighthearted moment in the midst of the heaviness of Covid.”

Finally, we asked if these seasoned servants of the Lord had any final words of advice to offer seminary students. Prof. Schuetze shared some advice, once given to him, which he has passed along to many seminarians.“ It was the fall of 1977 (my junior year at WLS) and I was leaving to conduct liturgy for the first time. As I was leaving my father caught me and said, ‘Remember this is a great privilege and a great responsibility.’ That comment made a deep impression on me. It set the tone for my ministry.” Prof. Tackmier offered an outlook for the future, with all the changes that will bring for each seminary student. “Be open to what God has in store for you. It’s better than you could ever have imagined. Growing up on a farm in Wisconsin, I never imagined living in suburban Washington, DC—until I got called there for vicar year. Nor did I ever imagine living in California—till I got called there as a pastor. But in both cases, it was not the places so much as the people there that made those experiences great. Be open to where God calls you. He has some incredible surprises in store for you.”

We thank the Schuetzes and Tackmiers for decades of faithful service to the Lord and to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. May the Lord give them joy and contentment in this new chapter of their lives.

Elizabeth Borgwardt is the wife of Jacob Borgwardt, a 2025 seminary graduate.