The Yellow Sheet for March 23, 2006March 23, 2006 | Volume 38, Number 24

News & Announcements

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout this year I've described the many planning processes underway at the College. One of the most significant aspects of this work has been an articulation of what we're calling our "defining traditions" -- our liberal arts focus and our relationship to the Lutheran Church.

I asked Eric Eliason to draft a document that explains the liberal arts at Gustavus, and I asked Darrell Jodock to draft a piece on what it means for us to be Lutheran church-related. These two have shared their drafts with smaller groups, whose feedback has led to several rounds of revision. In the coming weeks, these two documents need to be shared with a wider audience of faculty, administrators and support staff in order to benefit from their thoughtful reflection. To that end, I've asked the academic deans to help organize a series of dinner/luncheon conversations similar to the ones held several years ago regarding faculty development. The intention is simply to provide an informal and relaxed atmosphere for good discussion and feedback on important topics.

I am writing to you today to ask you to indicate your interest in attending such a luncheon/dinner, and/or your interest in hosting one of them. (Hosts will be reimbursed for costs associated with such an event.) Please e-mail Pat Leagjeld at pleagjel@gustavus.edu with your interest, so we can begin planning and coordinating the gatherings.

Certainly there will be other opportunities to contribute to this conversation, but I hope you can participate.

Thanks.

Jim Peterson, President

Johnson-Groh Stepping Down as Dean...

Dear Colleagues:

With this note and the attached letter from Cindy Johnson-Groh, I am letting you know that the three interim dean model is being altered. Cindy has declared her desire to resign from her responsibilities in the deans' office to concentrate on her teaching and new leadership role in the Linneaus Arboretum. This will take effect at the end of this academic year. Mariangela Maguire and Eric Eliason will continue their leadership roles as two interim deans through next year as the search for a new vice president for academic affairs takes place. We have reviewed the nature of what needs to be done during the second year of this transition time in the deans' office and I have total confidence in them, in their demonstrated capacity to do this work well, and in the strength of their commitments to carry us forward successfully. A new division of responsibilities will be communicated by Eric and Mariangela in the near future.

I am personally grateful for Cindy's efforts during this transition time in the deans' office. I respect her decision, and I know we all wish her well as she refocuses her work here at Gustavus.

Please contact me or the deans if you have questions.

Jim Peterson, President

Yellow Sheet Reminder... Due to Spring Break, The Yellow Sheet will not be published March 30. Publication will resume April 6. Also, due to Easter Recess, The Yellow Sheet will not be published April 13. Publication will resume April 20.

Friends of Sandi Francis (education) are offering opportunities to provide financial and emotional support in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis and recent death. The following options are available and proceeds will be matched by the St. Peter Thrivent Chapter.

• Purchase a family-size, one-topping Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza (cheese, pepperoni, or sausage topping) for $15: pre-sales will be taken through Friday, April 7 for pick up from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 outside the Evelyn Young Dining Room.
  
• Purchase Papa Murphy’s peel-a-deal discount cards for $5: available for sale through Tuesday, April 11. Discount card offers $20 in savings (8 stickers with $3+ savings on pizza choices plus free cheesy bread), no expiration date, at several Minnesota locations.
  
• Bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 outside the Evelyn Young Dining Room and during the pizza pick-up.
  

Individuals who are not contacted by someone in their building should feel free to contact Barb Rodning (x7617 or brodning@gustavus.edu) by Friday, April 7.

Spring Break Music Tours... The Gustavus Symphony Orchestra and the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band will leave Friday, March 24 on their Spring Break music tours.

• The Gustavus Symphony Orchestra will tour Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, with performances in Rochester and Duluth, Minn.; Ironwood, Manistique, and Mt. Pleasant, Mich.; Schaumburg, Ill., and Madison and Eau Claire, Wis.
• The Gustavus Jazz Lab Band will tour Minnesota, Nebraska, and Colorado, with performances in Eden Prairie and Fairmont, Minn.; Lincoln, Neb.; Littleton, Denver, and Lakewood, Colo.

Click here to view the complete tour schedules.

Parking Lot Closings... The college parking lots will be closed for overnight cleaning as follows. Vehicles parked in these locations during cleaning hours will be towed at the owner's expense.

• Lots closed from 11:30 p.m. Monday, March 27 until 7 a.m. Tuesday, March 28 are:
  
  • Norelius lot (green section)
  • Norelius lot (red section)
  • Arboretum lot (between Fine Arts and the Interpretive Center)
  • Sorensen lot (west of North/Gibbs/Sorensen)
• Lots closed from 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 until 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 29 are:
  • Visitor lot (north of Campus Center)
  • Lund lot (south of Lund Center)
  • Olin lot (south of Olin and the International Center)
  • Uhler lot
  • Swanson Tennis Center lot
  • Chapel Circle (west of Christ Chapel)
  • Stadium lot
• Lots closed from 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29 until 7 a.m. Thursday, March 30 are:
  • Nobel lot (west of Nobel)
  • Heating Plant lot (east of Heating Plant)
  • Rundstrom lot
  • Wahlstrom lot
  • College View lot
  • Bjorling lot (west of Bjorling and south of Prairie View)
  • Arbor View lot
  • Pittman lot
    

Those leaving a vehicle on campus during Spring Break must park in the Campus Drive lot (gravel lot), north of Southwest Hall. If that lot fills up, park in the yellow section of the Stadium lot (gravel part), directly west of the football stadium. Any vehicle not moved to one of these two locations during Spring Break will be subject to towing at the owner's expense. If questions, contact Safety and Security (x8888).

Faculty Promotion Reminder... April 1, 2006 is the deadline for faculty members to submit letters to Dean Eric Eliason indicating their interest for consideration for promotion to full professor in the spring of 2007.

Select Account Reimbursements... Since December, employees have seen slower processing of dependent care and medical reimbursement claims submitted to Select Account. While Select Account's goal is to process claims within five to seven workdays, the Gustavus contract with Select Account provides for a 30-day period after receipt of a claim for the initial review and determination. Heavier volume of submitted claims in December and January, coupled with some glitches in the installation of new technology to provide digital processing and storage of claim submissions, has resulted in the longer processing times. Select Account has employed additional claims processors; however, for the immediate future, please be prepared for longer processing times. If questions, contact human resources (x7304).

Spring Break Building Schedule... All academic buildings will close at 6 p.m. Friday, March 24 and reopen at 6 a.m. Sunday, April 2. Students requiring access to academic buildings will need a Permission for Admittance Card issued by a faculty or staff member. Additional cards can be requested from Deb Swanberg. Administrative buildings will close at 6 p.m. Friday, March 24 and reopen for normal business hours March 27 through March 31. If this schedule conflicts with programming needs, contact Swanberg. Hours for Lund Center and the library are listed below.

Nominations Sought for Diversity Award... The campus community is invited to nominate one faculty member, administrator, or support staff person and one student for the Diversity Honors Award. The award recognizes the assiduous efforts and accomplishments of those who embody and exemplify the values of diversity at Gustavus. Nominations must be received in the Office of Diversity by Friday, March 24. If questions, contact May Vang.

Nominations Sought for Paul Magnuson Award... All faculty members, administrators, support staff, and students are asked to submit their nominations for the Paul Magnuson Student Leadership and Service Award. This award recognizes leadership and service contributions made by students during the 2005-06 academic year. Nominate a student, event, or group/organization. The nomination form was distributed via campus mail and is also available in the dean of students' office. Nominations must be received in the dean of students' office by Wednesday, March 29.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Chapel Schedule... All are invited to the worship services at 10 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sundays in Christ Chapel. The upcoming schedule is as follows:

• March 24 -- Student Senate Induction
• March 26-April 2 -- Spring Break
  

April Continuing Ed Events... The public is invited to the following continuing education events that will be held in the Interpretive Center:

• An overview of "The World Council of Churches" will be presented at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 by students Erin Bettendorf, Tina Erickson, Lauren Fulner, and Laura Pierce. The students will give a slide presentation and speak about their recent trip to the ninth annual Assembly of the World Council of Churches conference in Brazil. The theme of the conference was "God in your grace, transform the world."
• "Picturing the Prairie" will be presented at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11. Gareth John, from the department of geography at St. Cloud State University, will speak on "George Catlin's Artistic Adventures in 1830s Minnesota." John will re-trace the routes of Catlin's 1835 and 1836 expeditions, re-live the wonder of his many "discoveries," and revisit the many sites and sights that he encountered.
  

The cost for each event is $5 per person and includes coffee and dessert. Pre-registration is required. Register at the office of St. Peter Community and Family Education, Suite 207, 600 S. Fifth St., St. Peter. Office hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday or register online. For more information, call 934-3048 and press zero for the operator. These events are Gustavus continuing education programs done in cooperation with the St. Peter Community and Family Education program.

Discuss Campaign Finance Reform April 6... Money in Politics: Boring? Learn why it is important to care about campaign finance reform at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6 in Linner Lounge. This event is sponsored by Democracy Matters. If questions, contact Andy Twiton.

Talk Shop April 7... Peg O'Connor (women's studies) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2005-06 academic year. Her talk, titled "Morality and Our Complicated Form of Life: Feminist Wittgensteninia Metaethens," will be presented at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 7 in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. Click here to view the abstract for this and future talks.

Off-campus Events of Interest

Extraordinary People

Jenifer Ward (modern languages, literatures, and cultures/German) has published an essay, titled "The Upside of 'Fit': A Cautionary Tale for Job Seekers," in Volume 37, No. 1 (Fall 2005) of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages Bulletin.

Obituaries

• Robert Francis, husband of Sandi Francis (education) died Saturday, March 18. His funeral service was held Wednesday, March 22 at First Lutheran Church in St. Peter.

New Faces

New Support Staff
Tim Traxler, Custodial

Position Openings

• Administrative Assistant, Community Service Center

Congregational Outreach

Funding Opps

• Academic Research Enhancement Grants Available... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers AREA grants in an effort to stimulate research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced training and have not been major recipients of NIH research grant funds. These grants support small research projects in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, either for feasibility studies, pilot studies, or other small-scale programs that would provide data preliminary to a traditional research project grant or as support for an ongoing program of research. The maximum project award is $150,000 in direct costs, plus facilities and administrative (indirect) costs and is available for a period of up to three years. The deadlines are June 25, Oct. 25, and Feb. 25. Please note that the deadlines are one month later than usual. Click here for more information, which includes a link to frequently asked questions.
  

In the Media

• On March 21, the Metro Lutheran published a front-page photograph, titled "By his stripes we are healed." It is a photograph of Paul Granlund's sculpture Crucifixion.
• On March 16, The Free Press of Mankato published an article titled "Gustavus combines a variety of dances in annual spring program." Featured on the front page of the Currents section, it included quotes by Michele Rusinko (theatre and dance) and a color photograph.
• On March 14, The Free Press of Mankato published a front page story about an idea to convert a former nursing home in St. Peter into an early childhood learning center that would utilize faculty and students from the College's kindergarten education program.
• On March 12, The Free Press of Mankato ran "Adoption-based photography exhibit stops at Gustavus," an article about the Minnesota Heart Gallery Exhibit that was shown on campus.

Anyone who has suggested additions for this list, suggestions for potential future media stories, or interest in being a media source should contact Director of News and Information Jonathan Kraatz (x7510 or jkraatz@gustavus.edu).

Hours

Lund Center Spring Break hours are: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, March 24; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 25; closed Sunday, March 26; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, March 27-Friday, March 31; TBA Saturday April 1; and noon-10:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2.

Telecommunications Updates

• Brett Christensen, Safety and Security, x8809, bchrist4@gustavus.edu (addition)
  
• Erwin Collins, Safety and Security, x8809, ecollin2@gustavus.edu (addition)
  
• Gregory Lang, Safety and Security, x8809, glang@gustavus.edu (addition)
  
• Tim Traxler, Custodial, x7655 (addition)
  
• Diane Becker, Custodial, x6230 (name change to Diane Wilson)
  

PLUGS:

For Sale: Seven-foot tall oak bookcase in like-new condition. Asking $80 (half the original price). Call Christine (x7652 or 931-0167).

For Sale: Weight bench in like-new condition. Incline, lateral pull, leg extension, preecher curls, and more. Asking $100. Contact Nicole Hoiland (934-3213 or nhoiland@gustavus.edu).

For Rent: Four-bedroom/den family home available now. Five-minute walk from campus; full bathroom; dining room; living room; kitchen with dishwasher; cable television; washer and dryer; and partially furnished. Rent is $990 per month. Contact Renee Schmidt (934-2548 or rschmidt@gustavus.edu).

For Rent: Three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow in the south Minneapolis Kingfield neighborhood available for the 2006-07 academic year. Hardwood floors, two-car garage, fenced-in yard, deck, and recently remodeled kitchen and second story. Walk to Lake Harriet, coffee shops, and restaurants. Rent negotiable. Contact Jill (x6226) or Eric (x6085).

Calendar of Events

To add or change items on the calendar, please fill out and submit a College Calendar event form. View the entire College Calendar online.