Amazing Alumni:

David Zersen, ’60, College of Arts and Sciences

Current life role:
President Emeritus – Concordia University Texas, author, world traveler

David Zersen, ’60, College of Arts and Sciences

Anyone who thought Dave Zersen would take his retirement from Concordia University Texas seriously doesn’t know this: he has an insatiable appetite for learning. This became apparent at Valpo when Zersen racked up three minors (theology, geography, German) along with his major (English) and has remained true throughout his career. The result: travel to 40 countries, 30 published books and articles, consulting work from Africa to Siberia. Did I mention Zersen is also the foremost U.S. scholar on the greatest Lower Sorbian poet, Mato Kosyk? It appears that retirement from Concordia University simply meant that Zersen would have more time for new projects!

“How I’ve spent my retirement …”
New projects have included teaching experiences in Ghana, Siberia, and Tanzania. Next fall Zersen will get his passport stamped for an assignment in South Africa.

“I’ve also just completed a book with a colleague called ‘Shaping Worship Space’ and am editing another one dealing with enculturation, tentatively titled ‘Foreign Seeds for Native Soil,’” he says cheerfully. Anything else along these lines? “Oh yes, I serve as assistant editor for Encyclopaedia of the Orient, an online resource dealing with ancient and modern issues in Middle Eastern countries.”

In more Internet-related activity, Zersen is responsible for providing English language sermons for Goettinger Predigten (www.online-sermons.info), an arm of the theological division of the University of Goettingen, Germany, where he studied years ago. The Web site has 60,000 visitors a month and provides the most-used free sermon series in the world.

And one more thing: Zersen felt a university should have a publishing arm, so he developed and now serves as the managing editor of Concordia University Press, publishing scholarly works in fields related to the university’s mission.

Coming on the horizon
Lest anyone thinks Zersen is ready for a break, he has plenty more projects on the front and back burners. He represents the works of Dr. P. Solomon Raj (a Lutheran theologian and artist in Vijayawada, India) in exhibitions around the world, including the current one at the International Center in Bethlehem, Palestine.

“I’m also interested in doing a photographic essay book on the life and worship of Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Orthodox people. Hopefully, they will still be around by the time I get to it,” he says with a smile.

Interestingly, Zersen connects much of this breathtaking activity to learning he did at VU. “Dr. Ed Schroeder, my teacher in Old Testament at Valpo, had a strong influence on my developing theology. Dr. Ferencz Kallay gave me a fascination with geography leading me to travel the world, and Dr. John Saveson told me that my writing style was horrible and challenged me to improve it – which I did!”