The Yellow Sheet for April 27, 2006April 27, 2006 | Volume 38, Number 27

News & Announcements

Cookbook Submissions Needed... The new Gustavus community cookbook needs the campus community's help. Recipes may be submitted to the Book Mark or to Karri Anderson. Please include your name, phone number, department, pan size, oven temperature, and amount of servings. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks, after expenses, will go back to the College, possibly to the endowment fund.

Reminder for Saturday Spring Clean-up... The Community Service Center and VINE Faith in Action are looking for volunteers for yard clean-up on April 29. This is an opportunity to help elderly St. Peter residents clean up their yards, and will include tasks such as raking, gutter cleaning, preparing gardens, moving lawn furniture, and cleaning porches and garages. The project replaces this year's St. Peter GIVE (Gusties in Volunteer Endeavors) Day. Gather a group of friends and sign up ahead of time by contacting Paige Petersen (934-1666 or paigepetersen@vinevolunteers.com) or Kari Lipke (x6077 or klipke@gustavus.edu).

President's Corner

I would like to thank all of you who participated in the two employee meetings this week. There were good questions both during and after each meeting from faculty, administrators, and support staff. The following is a summary of the information presented for those who were unable to attend.

Open and frequent communication has been a common theme from Community Conversation I and II, student surveys, and surveys of faculty, administrators and support staff. This report to the community has been scheduled in support of that need. The three main points for this meeting are planning for the future (the state of our strategic planning process), building leadership for the future (changes in the leadership portfolios), and budgeting for the future (next year’s budget).

The framework for strategic planning has been developed to help us determine as a College: who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. Two years ago six areas of focus were identified in numerous venues both on and off campus:

• Strengthening the academic program
  
• Enhancing diversity
  
• Improving technology
  
• Strengthening our relationship with the Church
  
• Executing facility priorities
  
• Building our revenue base.
  

Progress has been made on several of these issues and current, more focused planning efforts will refine these and related initiatives. A summary of these planning efforts can be found online. Responses to these documents and comments in general are welcome and encouraged

This leads into the second item – changing leadership roles in positions that will continue to shape the future and play important parts in leading the College.

• Vice President for Academic Affairs – The College will assume a model that includes a vice president and two deans. I will chair a search committee comprising four faculty members, two administrators, a student, and a trustee. This search effort begins in May.
  
• Vice President of Administration – This position as currently configured will be eliminated with the retirement of Owen Sammelson. The Offices of Admission and Financial Aid will be overseen by Mark Anderson. The athletic program and Swanson Tennis Center will temporarily report to Ken Westphal, legislative liaison work will be done by Robert Helgeson, Kirk Carlson will handle tuition benefit responsibilities, and David Menk with help from Jolene Christianson will take on additional data-related responsibilities.
  
• Vice President for Church Relations – Duties and responsibilities of this position and other church-related functions have been reviewed by both and external and internal task forces. Additional input has been sought from the Gustavus Association of Congregations and finally now from the Board of Trustees. This has been a very long process, and decisions will be made on this position very shortly.
  
• Vice President for Marketing and Communication and Outreach – This position is being created based on the findings of both self-study and external review. This will split off all marketing-related functions from the fundraising area in order to create a greater focus and accountability, consolidate resources, and better serve campus constituents. Neuger Communications has been retained to help with the initial implementation of these changes and a search will begin immediately.
  

During last week’s Board of Trustees' meeting, the board approved the College’s proposed budget for next year. Spending priorities this year included compensation, student financial aid, facilities (including debt service and utilities), marketing and public relations, and technology. On the revenue side this included tuition increases, fundraising expectations, and growth of the College’s endowment. For more details on the budget or budget process contact the Finance Office.

Thanks,

Jim

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:

• April 28 -- Arbor Day, Mark Bjelland, Revelation 22: 1-7
  
• April 30 -- TBA
• May 1 -- Chaplain Brian Johnson
• May 2 -- Easter Hymn Sing
• May 3 -- Morning Praise
• May 4 -- TBA
• May 5 -- Casey Elledge

Lecture on Peace in Columbia Thursday... The public is invited to a lecture, titled "Kathy Hollander's Journey into Colombia: One Citizen's Faithful Advocacy in U.S. Foreign Policy," at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27 in the Three Crowns Room. Hollander will talk about her advocacy efforts as part of the Sal y Luz partnership for peace in Colombia and about her trip to Colombia in February. She is an incredible example of citizen activism and is an engaging and knowledgeable speaker on Colombian issues and how to effectively lobby for a change in U.S. foreign policy. This lecture is sponsored by the Peace Studies program.

Lecture on Manhattan Project Thursday... Dick Fuller (emeritus professor of physics) will present a lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27 in Olin Hall, room 220 on the history of the Manhattan Project. This presentation is free and open to the public.

Arbor Day Friday... The Arbor Day schedule is:

• 10 a.m. -- Daily Chapel in Christ Chapel
• 10:30 a.m. -- Tree planting ceremony outside, near Christ Chapel
• 10:45 a.m. -- Reception at Eckman Mall
• 11 a.m. -- Tour of campus trees, with biology students as hosts

"Trees for Heart, Trees for Mind, Trees for Spirit" sessions continue. Attend one or all sessions; registration is not required. Sandwiches and beverages will be available for purchase, or bring your own lunch. This is an opportunity to visit the Melva Lind Interpretive Center to check out the new interpretive displays, frost your own tree cookie, and sign up to join the Friends of Linnaeus Arboretum at a special introductory rate. So, make like a tree and 'leaf' your office for a walk in the arboretum!

• 11:30 a.m. -- "Explore the Linnaeus Arboretum" by Jim Gilbert
• Noon -- "Poetry" by Chaplain Brian Johnson
• 12:30 p.m. -- "Green Poetry" by Joyce Sutphen
• 1 p.m. -- Prairie Project -- bring garden gloves
  

Talk Shop Talk Friday... Mike Hvidsten (mathematics and computer science) will present the last Faculty Shop Talk of the 2005-06 academic year. His talk, "Concrete Axiomatics: Designing Software for the Study of Non-Euclidean Geometry" will be presented at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. Click here to view the abstract for this talk.

Vesak Celebration Saturday... This year marks the 2,550th Vesak Celebration or Buddha Day, a commemoration of the life of the Buddha -- his birth, enlightenment, and death. The College will host a celebration Saturday, April 29 in the International Center. The schedule includes:

• 9-11:20 a.m. -- Meditation
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. -- Luncheon with Buddhist monks
• 12:30-2 p.m. -- Movie: "Life of the Buddha"
• 2 p.m. -- Speaker Doug McGill
• 2:45-4 p.m. -- Chanting and blessings
• 4-5:30 p.m. -- Light festival and closing
  

This event is sponsored by Gustavus and the Triple Gem of the North, a non-profit organization that studies and practices the teachings of Buddha. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required for the luncheon. If questions, call the Gustavus Office of Diversity (507/933-7449).

Student Recitals This Weekend... The public is invited to the following free student recitals this weekend in Jussi Björling Recital Hall:

• At 11 a.m. Saturday, April 29, senior pianists Trevor Potter and Karin Hedstrom will perform works by French composer Claude Debussy. Their solo performances include Debussy's Deux Arabesques, Minstrels, La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin, and Valse Romantique and a duet, Petite Suite for Four Hands.
  
• At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, soprano Heather Danckwart and mezzo soprano Kendall Svobodny will give their senior voice recital, accompanied by pianists Ben Marti and Lindsey Reimnitz. Danckwart and Svobodny will present classical works by Rossini, Schumann, and Schubert, as well as works for musical theatre by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Schwartz, and Alan Menken.
  
• At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Katie Fillius, soprano, will present her senior voice recital, accompanied by Ana Sietsema. Her program includes works from Handel's Messiah, Leo Delibes' Sous le dome epais from the opera Lakme, Una donna a quindici anni from Mozart's opera Cosi fan tutte, and contemporary works by Jake Heggie and Edwin Penhorwood.
  
• At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Brittany Krusemark will present a flute recital, accompanied by pianist Dawn Gehlhar. Krusemark will perform C. P. E. Bach's Sonata in G, Syrinx by Claude Debussy, Eldin Burton's three-movement Sonatina for Flute and Piano, and Allegro Assai movement from Friedrich Kuhlau's Duo Concertante, Op. 10, a duet performed with fellow musician Sarah Alyce Johnson.

Receptions for the performers will be held in the recital hall lobby following each recital.

Ensemble Concerts This Weekend... Concerts scheduled for this weekend in Jussi Bjorling Recital Hall include:

• At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, the Adolphus Jazz Ensemble and the Gustavus Chamber Singers will perform a distinctly jazz-oriented concert. The Adolphus Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Steve Wright, will perform Lennie Niehaus' Catch As Catch Can, jazz standards Lush Life, Nutville, Alamode, What's New, and Mark Taylor's Turnaround. The Chamber Singers, under the direction of Greg Aune, will present I'm Beginning to See the Light, If I Fell, and Lullaby of Birdland, in addition to As You Are, You Are the New Day, and Voice Dance II.
• At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, three brass ensembles will perform the annual Brassworks! concert, directed by Scott Moore. The Gustavus Brass Choir will perform works by Ralph Vaughn Williams and Charles Knox, Designs for Brass and Coro Spezzato by Palestrina; the Christ Chapel Brass will perform the Quintet No. 1, Op. 5 by Victor Ewald and the Don Gillis arrangement Just a Closer Walk; the Tuba-euphonium Ensemble will present works by John Cheetham, Lennie Niehaus, Benedetto Marcello, and a Lois Alexander's Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

The concerts are free and open to the public.

Gustavus Choir and Orchestra to Perform Sunday... The Gustavus Choir and the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Greg Aune, will perform W.A. Mozart's Requiem at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30 in Christ Chapel. The choir and orchestra will perform the work in Latin. Soloists for the performance are for members of the music department: soprano Christina Smith, mezzo soprano Patricia Snapp, tenor Nicholas Wayne, and baritone Michael Jorgensen. The performance is free and open to the public.

Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Lecture Monday... Ronald Graham, professor of computer and information science at the University of California, San Diego, will visit Gustavus as part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar program. He will give a free, public lecture, "Mathematics in the 21st Century: Problems and Prospects," at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 1 in Olin Hall, room 103, as well as speak with classes and student groups. His lecture will describe math problems that are difficult to solve and discuss the possibility that computers of the future might or might not aid in the solving of them. Graham worked as a researcher at Bell Labs for 37 years, while holding visiting positions at Princeton University, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Los Angeles, and working as a part-time University Professor at Rutgers University. At the University of California, San Diego, he holds the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Chair of Computer and Information Science. Among the many awards he has received are the Pólya Prize in Combinatorics from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society's Steel Prize for lifetime achievement.

TIAA-CREF Counseling Sessions... A TIAA-CREF representative will be on campus for individual counseling sessions from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 4 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 8 in the Board Room. To schedule a counseling session, sign up on the TIAA-CREF website or call Sue at 1/800-877-6602.

Off-campus Events of Interest

Extraordinary People

Patric Giesler (sociology and anthropology) and anthropology student Darin Faber presented papers in the same session at the meeting of the Central States Anthropological Association April 6-9 in Omaha. Giesler reported on one of his comparative studies in Brazil in a paper titled "When the Thaumaturge Becomes Millennial Prophet: A Comparative Study of the Early Stages of Backlander Brazilian Revitalization Movements." Faber developed his own theoretical angle on an aspect of Giesler's dissertation research in a paper titled "African Slave Identities in the Colonial Period as Reflected in Brazilian Candomble's Syncretic Variations."

Brian Koeneman (career center) gave a presentation, "Job Search Resources & Strategies," at the "Working for Change" Conference at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. The conference was sponsored by the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs addressing careers with a focus on social justice, nonprofits, and other organizations that represent pathways to careers in social change.

Scott Newstok (English) organized and moderated a plenary session on the use of Shakespeare in the contemporary military at the Shakespeare Association of America's annual meeting. Participants in the roundtable exchange included a director, a consultant to the Air Force, a professor of ethics at the U.S. Army War College, and two scholars of Renaissance pacifism and militarism.

Chuck Niederriter (physics) gave an invited talk at Minnesota State University, Mankato. His talk, "Will the Gustie Wind Ever Turn Into Electricity at Gustavus?" focused on the physics behind the wind power study.

David Rudek (psychology) will present his paper, "Mental Verb Use During Reminiscing is Associated with Children's Early Memory Skills," at the 18th annual conference of the Association for Psychological Science to be held May 25-30 in New York.

Mary Solberg (religion) is one of twenty North American seminary faculty and professors of religion accepted as participants in a seminar sponsored by the Committee on Church Relations and the Holocaust of the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum May 17-23 in Washington, D.C. The seminar, titled "Complicity and Confession: Post-Holocaust Christian Interpretations of Guilt and Forgiveness," comprises lectures and discussions on the behavior of Christian clergy and theologians in Nazi Germany, and the legacy of this behavior for post-war Christian theological discourse.

Katy Stenger (political science) presented a paper, "Breaking the Chains? Constraint and the Political Rhetoric of Religious Interest Groups," at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association.

Obituaries

To inform the campus community of the loss of a current student or employee or trustee, an emeritus professor or trustee, or an immediate family member of a current employee, contact the president's office (x7538).

New Faces

New Support Staff
Cindy Enter, Community Service Center


Support Staff Transfer
Rebecca Welp to Office of the Registrar

Congregational Outreach

• Chris Johnson (vocational reflection) will present "Vocation: Seeds, Seasons, and the Undivided Life" Sunday, April 30 at East Union Lutheran Church in Carver
  
• Steven Haggmark (religion) will present "Understanding Islam" Sunday, April 30 at Christ Lutheran Church in Glencoe
  
• Garrett Paul (religion) will present "God and Politics" Sunday, April 30 at St. John Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine
• Jim Gilbert (environmental studies) will present "The Care of God's Creation" Sunday, April 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter

Partners in Education is a program coordinated by the Office of Church Relations in which participating faculty and staff members prepare topical presentations for adult forums, workshops, and seminars in congregations of the ELCA.

Preaching in Congregations... Mark Granquist (religion) will preach Sunday, April 30 at Trondhjem Lutheran Church in Lonsdale. This program is coordinated by the Office of Church Relations.

Retreats... The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host the following:

• Church staff retreat April 30-May 1 for St. James Lutheran Church from Burnsville
• Confirmation retreats this weekend for:
  • April 28-29 for Trinity Lutheran Congregation from Minneapolis and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church from New Prague
  • April 29 for Cross of Peace Lutheran Church from Shakopee and Messiah Lutheran Church from North Mankato.
    
• Confirmation-GYO retreat this weekend for Trinity Lutheran Church from Minneapolis
  
  

Funding Opps

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipends... The National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipends program provides individuals with an opportunity to pursue research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities. Each stipend provides $5,000 for two consecutive months of full-time independent research and writing. Summer Stipends support projects that can be completed during the tenure of an award or those that are part of a long-term endeavor. Applicants must be nominated by their institutions; only two faculty members may be nominated each year, at least one of whom should hold the rank of instructor or assistant professor. The online application deadline is Oct. 2. Click here for more information.

*Faculty interested in submitting an application should send an e-mail so indicating to Bob Weisenfeld by July 1. In the event that two or more faculty wish to be nominated, Weisenfeld will follow up in July with those who have indicated an interest.

In the Media

The May 2006 issue of the Metro Lutheran featured the following stories:

• "Gustavus and St. Olaf nursing students get an introduction to nursing in a Third World setting," referring to their January 2006 trip to Tanzania, an article in which President Jim Peterson, Paula Swiggum (nursing), and student Audrey Lenoch were quoted
• Jim Gilbert (environmental studies) was featured in an article announcing that he will be the keynote speaker at Metro Lutheran's annual Gold Pen Award dinner

The April 2006 issue of Lutheran World Relief's TOTO (To others, through others) magazine featured a story on student Luke Royer, titled "College student helps 'World in Need' through concert to benefit LWR." Royer raised approximately $7,000 at a concert he organized in December on campus.

KEYC-TV (Ch. 12, Mankato) recently aired the following stories:

• On April 24-25, "Former NFL Player Discusses His Homosexuality," a story on the appearance of Esera Tuaolo on Monday, April 24 on campus
• On April 23, "Not the Average Sport," a story on the Gustavus ultimate Frisbee team
• On April 19, "Gustavus Adolphus College Holds 26th MAYDAY! Peace Conference"

On April 25, The Free Press of Mankato published "Former Viking spreads message of tolerance: Tuaolo was in NFL nine years." Robert Irvin (modern languages, literatures, and cultures/Spanish) and student Carly Ernst were quoted in the article.

On April 23, The Free Press of Mankato did a feature on the front page of the Sports section on the Gustavus ultimate Frisbee team's Thrill on the Hill tournament that took place last weekend on campus. The story included two color photographs of students Nick Palmer and Trevor Potter and quotes by students Peter Hughes and David Garfunkel.

On April 22, The Free Press of Mankato featured Jim Gilbert (environmental studies) on the newspaper's front page. "Elementary school says farewell to college professor: Gustavus' Jim Gilbert 'our friend, teacher, mentor,' says principal" included quotes by Gilbert and a color photograph of him.

On April 21, Robert Gallo was a featured guest on Minnesota Public Radio's "Midmorning" program. Gallo's connection to Gustavus and the Rydell Distinguished lectureship were mentioned.

On April 20, The Free Press of Mankato published a front page story on this year's MAYDAY! Peace Conference. The feature, "AIDS Research Pioneer Addresses Gustavus Conference: The unfolding crisis," included two color photographs and quotes by Robert Gallo (2006 Rydell Distinguished Professor).

On April 13, the St. Peter Herald ran "Gustavus students honored at conference" in its Region Roundup column. The article explained that students Mohamed Hussein, Amran Farah, and Carla Smith returned with honors from the National Black Graduate Student Conference.

The following articles were published on the Jazz Lab Band's Spring Break tour visit to Denver.

• Rocky Mountain News published information on the band's concert on Thursday, March 30 at SoulFunktion in the newspaper's Club Jazz-Blues column
• YourHub.com, produced by the Rocky Mountain News, has published the following:
  
  • On March 23, "Jazz band tour benefits area youth," a concert at St. Philip Lutheran Church that mentioned two jazz band students from Denver, Mark Iverson and Erik Mahon, as well as director Steve Wright
  • On March 16, "Jazz benefit features an eclectic musical mix," included mention of Iverson, Mahon, and Wright
• On March 24, eConnection, the eNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Synod, published "Gustavus Adolphus College Jazz Band Concerts," referring to two concerts the band performed to support youth group fundraising efforts to attend the 2006 ELCA Youth Gathering in San Antonio, and mentioning Iverson and Mahon.
  

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).

Telecommunications Updates

• Rebecca Welp, registrar, x7684 (change)
  
• Steve Wilkinson, athletics, 931-1614 (change)
  

For further information or corrections, contact Laura McCabe in telecommunications (x6261 or
lmccabe@gustavus.edu).

PLUGS:

For Rent: Two-bedroom apartment with attached garage, central air, dishwasher, living room, kitchen, washer and dryer; about one mile from campus. Contact Joe (joe@gustavus.edu).

For Rent: Home in Northfield from end of June until first week of August. Central air, hardwood floors, plenty of gardening possibilities. No pets, please. Looking for one or two adults; rent negotiable, as is the rental period. Contact Esther Wang (507/645-9212 or ewang2@gustavus.edu)

For Sale: Small, apartment size, upright General Electric freezer in excellent condition. Asking $50. Contact Tom Gover (x7319, 934-1895, or gover@gustavus.edu).

For Lease: A beachfront two-bedroom home on Lake Washington available for lease to a Gustavus staff member for the 2006-07 academic year. The lease is for $800 per month. This includes all utilities: heat, electricity, cable TV, snow removal, etc. It is available partly to totally furnished. E-mail mbiehn@peoplepc.com or call 952/758-3430.

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.