At the dawn of television, electronics consumed young Frank Philipp’s mind. His supportive parents supplied him with a box full of old radio parts. As an adult, a co-worker helped him pursue his goal. Philipp achieved his childhood dream - he is now an amateur radio operator.

And yet, this worthy accomplishment is not what brings Philipp recognition on the Dana campus. His recognition stems from breaking the gender barrier. As husband of President Janet Philipp, he stands as the first “first gentleman” of Dana.

Being First Gentleman of a college may seem rare, but it is becoming increasingly common, a trend noticed by Dana’s former first lady, Anne Christopherson. She looks with favor on the prospects of Frank’s position.

“I think it can work very nicely,” she said. “The environment of a Christian college leaves it open to be who you want to be.”

Of course, there is much more to Frank Philipp than first gentleman. An ordained Evangelical Lutheran Church of America pastor, he has served in several parishes throughout Iowa and Nebraska. In his younger years, Frank acted in touring theatrical productions. He even served in the Peace Corps, lasting all of 45 days. Most recently he has worked as a hospital chaplain.

What inspired him to uproot from Wisconsin and settle in Blair, Neb.?

“She got the job,” he said. To Frank it was as simple as that.

The Philipps’ marriage (31 years strong) has always been based on mutual support. This mutual support is a necessity when one is the spouse of a minister and the other the spouse of a college administrator. At current count, the couple has moved three times for Frank’s job and twice for Janet’s.

“We discussed how confining our roles could become if we didn’t continue to expand our credentials,” Frank said. “Either one could make the move, and the other would need transferable skills.”

And his transferable skills have definitely been called upon. He is currently volunteering his time to work for Dana’s church relations. In fact, he is the only worker for Dana’s church relations. His job involves contacting various churches and looking for ways to improve relationships with them.

Since Dana receives significant financial support from many of these churches, the contact is crucial. Frank also focuses on congregational youth groups, exploring the possibilities of outreach teams and lock-ins. This helps draw prospective students to Dana.

His contributions to Dana do not end once he leaves campus, however. Home is where much of his work as first gentleman begins. After perhaps cooking the meal, he serves as the dinner table confidante for the trials and tribulations of Dana’s president. Conveniently, his many years as a pastor have left him with a trained listening ear.

“I’m discovering more and more how we have to work together as a team,” Frank said. “Janet can’t be doing everything.”

Nor can he be doing everything. With Janet’s role at Dana, there is a great need for Frank to be involved. He said he doubts he has the time or energy to resume a chaplaincy. One can only hope his vestment in his other talents and interests, ranging from woodwork and stained glasswork to cooking and classical music, will not suffer too greatly.

When questioned about future goals, his answer was the epitome of selflessness. “My goal now is to support my wife and support Dana in any way I can,” he said.

After serving as first lady for 19 years, Christopherson can attest to the value of that encouragement. Much of her role included traveling and, through her mere presence, aiding in the social aspect of the presidency. “It was important for the president to have that support,” she said, “even if I didn’t say anything.”

Frank isn’t worried about how he will spend his time once his 6-month appointment with Dana is over.

“I have enough faith in God and the church that something will happen,” he said. “God has always had a sense of humor with where I’ve ended up.”