The Yellow Sheet for Sept. 20, 2007September 20, 2007 | Volume 40, Number 3

Volume 40, Number 3

• News & Announcements
• Grant News
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• Student News
• Congregational Outreach
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Telecommunications Updates
• Plugs
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

Letters Still Sought for Tenure Candidates... The following members of the faculty are currently being considered for appointments with continuous tenure:

• John Clementson, education
• Patricia English, communication studies
• Patric Giesler, sociology & anthropology
• Deborah Goodwin, religion
• Elizabeth Jenner, sociology & anthropology
• Jeffrey Jeremiason, chemistry/environmental studies
• Yumiko Oshima-Ryan, music
• Matthew Panciera, classics
• Alisa Rosenthal, political science
• Esther Wang, music
• Janine Wotton, psychology

Letters written on behalf of these candidates should be sent to Provost Mary Morton and should address the criteria for tenure as stated in the Faculty Manual. Letters are due by Friday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. As a reminder, tenured faculty members in a candidate's department are expected to submit letters.

Emergency Notification System Reminder... The College's new emergency notification system was announced in the YS last week. All employees and students are reminded to go online to the electronic Gribly (https://secure2.gac.edu/gribly/) to update their information and provide additional information, particularly cellular/mobile telephone numbers. In the event of a major emergency, the College will need this information to contact you through a new emergency notification system that maximizes a variety of channels, including land lines, mobile phones, text messaging, and e-mail. This advanced, multi-layered system will depend, in large part, on the accuracy of the contact information provided.

Student Services Reception... The Career Center, Community Service Center, Counseling Center, and Office of Residential Life invite the Gustavus community to meet and greet their new employees. A gathering will be held on Mon., Sept. 24. from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Linner Lounge for Kristen Hartz, Sara Anderson, Mark Nelson, Lisa Rinehart, Rachel Slater, and Jody Goldie.

Scarecrow-Building Contest... The Linnaeus Arboretum is hosting the second annual Fall Fest Scarecrow-Building Contest. Gather together your department, student organization, or friends and start brainstorming a creative scarecrow idea. Prizes will be awarded to the teams that have constructed the most original scarecrows. Straw will be provided at the Borgeson Cabin starting Wednesday, Oct. 10 for your scarecrow-building needs. The scarecrow should be positioned near the Borgeson Cabin ready for judging by 9 a.m., Friday Oct. 12. Please notify Emily Hoefs (ehoefs) of your intent to build a scarecrow by Monday, Oct. 8, to ensure an adequate straw supply.

Grant News

Gustavus Part of Alliance Receiving Major NSF Funding... Gustavus Adolphus College is one of 16 higher education institutions in Minnesota that, along with the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA), have been awarded a five-year, $2.45 million grant to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in baccalaureate education. The National Science Foundation will fund this strategic program through its Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Partnership (LSAMP) program. Gustavus is one of five private colleges in the alliance, along with Augsburg, Carleton, Macalester, and St. Olaf. The University of Minnesota is providing project leadership for the alliance and overall fiscal oversight.

The funded project is a multi-faceted, comprehensive program designed to significantly increase the number of underrepresented minorities graduating with a baccalaureate degree within the grant period. The primary goal of the Minnesota alliance in the next five years is to double the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by minority groups that are historically under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These specifically include African American, Hispanic/Latino American, and Native American students.

Examples of funded initiatives include community-building conferences, bridge programs, peer-to-peer learning and mentoring, undergraduate research opportunities, industry internships, and course development workshops. The grant program’s first activities will take place at Gustavus during the upcoming Nobel Conference on Oct. 2-3. Eligible LSAMP students from each of the participating colleges and universities will attend the conference and begin to establish a sense of community among the individual campuses through a number of planned activities.

Faculty or others who have questions about this grant program or the College’s participation in it, should contact Brenda Kelly (biology/chemistry), who is coordinating LSAMP activities at Gustavus, at bkelly@gustavus.edu or 507-933-7039.

Mayo Internships Announced... Gustavus is proud to announce eight internship positions with the Mayo Scholars Program, a new internship program affiliated with the Mayo Office of Intellectual Property, Mayo Medical Ventures, The Minnesota Private College Consortium, and the Medtronic Foundation. The internships are designed to give students first-hand research and marketability experience with leading inventors and researchers employed by Mayo. At this time, Gustavus has been granted a Pharmacogenomic Discoveries project requiring 3 to 4 economics students and 4 to 5 science students to conduct SWOT analyses for several U.S. patents pending. Ideally, the projects will start as soon as possible and conclude by early March. All students are expected to present their findings at a conference at Mayo Clinic in Rochester on Tuesday, March 11, and Wednesday, March 12. This opportunity is open to juniors and seniors only; a minimum GPA of 3.5 is required. Students must register for a semester internship credit and/or a January Term Career Exploration. Questions, including a detailed project description, can be directed to Brian Koeneman (Career Center) at x7532 or koeneman@gustavus.edu, or Sanjive Qazi (biology) at sqazi@gustavus.edu.

Campus Happenings

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:

• Friday, Sept. 21 - Amy Pehrson, CVR
• Sunday, Sept. 23 - Chaplain Rachel Larson, Holy Communion
• Monday, Sept. 24 - John Cha, Religion
• Tuesday, Sept. 25 - Kari Lipke, Community Service/Chaplains' Office
• Wednesday, Sept. 26 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Sept. 27 - John Haught, Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology, Georgetown University
• Friday, Sept. 28 - TBA

Organ Recital Celebrates Buxtehude... Chad Winterfeldt, assistant organist at Christ Chapel and director of music at First Lutheran Church in Saint Peter, will present a recital on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 3:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. In celebration of the tercentenary of the death of acclaimed Lutheran musician Dietrich Buxtehude, the program will include works by Buxtehude and J.S. Bach and an "Homage" by the contemporary Czech composer Petr Eben. The second part of the program features music by American composers. The program is free and open to the public.

Recital Features Works by Contemporary Japanese Composer... Yumiko Oshima-Ryan (music) will present a piano recital in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on Sunday, Sept. 23, performing works by Bach, Chopin, and Liszt as well as five pieces from Tapiola Visions for Piano by contemporary Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu. Oshima-Ryan has been performing contemporary Japanese music internationally, including world premieres of new works by Japanese composers. Her CD, From Afar, solo piano works by contemporary Japanese composers, is available in the Gustavus Book Mark. Her solo recital begins at 3:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

GLA Memberships Provide Special Library Support... Gustavus Library Associates will host a Membership Tea at the campus home of Jim and Susan Peterson on Monday, Sept. 24, 10-11:30 a.m. For more than three decades, GLA’s primary mission has been to raise funds for acquisitions and endowment purposes in an effort to facilitate student learning and make the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library one of the premier liberal arts college libraries in the Midwest. Membership gifts are directed to the acquisitions budget line, whereas proceeds from the biennial Royal Affair events are designated for the library endowment. Although there are several membership giving levels, the Acquisition level is set at $65—the present cost of acquiring and readying a book for the library shelf. Your membership is welcomed anytime; your attendance at the tea is welcomed on Monday. Contact the Office of Marketing and Communication at x7550 for further information.   

Lefler Lecture Slated for Sept. 26... Theologian John Haught, a featured speaker at the 2003 Nobel Conference, returns to Gustavus to deliver this year's Lefler Lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Haught, a Roman Catholic theologian and the Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology at Georgetown University, is considered one of the nation's leading experts on the evolution versus creation debate.

Fireside Chats Are Back... The Linnaeus Arboretum is gearing up for another busy year of programming. Fireside chats are back and better than ever! These are informal opportunities to learn and socialize during your lunch break. The first Fireside Chat of the 2007-08 academic year will be held on Friday, Sept. 28, with two sessions—one starting at 11:30 a.m., the other at 12:30 p.m. Presenting will be the Sacred Space Committee of Linnaeus Arboretum. This is a great opportunity to learn about and give feedback on the plans for a new meditation garden in the Arboretum. Sandwiches, chips, fruit, and beverages will be available for purchase.

Faculty Shop Talk... Karl Larson (HES) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2007-08 academic year. His talk, titled "Hochbaum, Kholberg, Brain Development, and Student Health Behavior," will be presented on Friday, September 28, at 4:30 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed at, http://gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Here on Sept. 28... Tickets are available at the Information Center in the Jackson Student Center for the opening Artist Series event of the 2007-08 year. Grammy Award-winning South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform in Christ Chapel on Friday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. More information and tickets for each event are available online or by calling 507-933-7590. Tickets remaining at concert time will be available at the door.

Consumerism Seminar for Students Announced... Nathan Dungan, one of the national media's go-to experts on family finances and the effects of mass marketing on young people, will be speaking in Björling Recital Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29. In a one-day seminar, Dungan will address hyper-consumerism in America and the pressures to spend more than we earn. This will be an intergenerational event. Dungan is the author of Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to be Your Child's ATM. The cost is $15 per person in advance or $18 per person at the door. Each paid youth can bring one adult free. Lunch and materials are provided. For more information or to register, contact the Office of Church Relations at 507-933-7001 or e-mail church-relations@gustavus.edu.

Tuesday Evening at the Nobel Conference Is Mix of Art, Music, Conversation... Opening day for this year’s Nobel conference on energy is Tuesday, Oct. 2. The College will welcome nearly 5,000 visitors to the opening ceremony, at which Nobel laureate Steven Chu will be awarded an honorary degree. Conference planners have organized an interesting schedule of Tuesday evening events:

• Art at the Nobel Conference: "The Art Students League of New York: Highlights from the Permanent Collection" and "Selections from the Hillstrom Museum of Art Collection," Hillstrom Museum of Art, Jackson Campus Center; Nobel Conference reception, 6-8 p.m.
• Minnesota Energy Forum: Two concurrent sessions will feature Minnesota-based energy research and innovations. Sessions begin at 6:15 and 7 p.m. in Lund Arena and Alumni Hall. (Also, a display of Minnesota-based energy initiatives will be open in the Lund Forum during the day.)
  * 6:15 p.m., Lund Center Arena: "Care for Our World’s Resources: A Biblical Perspective," Bishop Craig Johnson, Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA
  * 6:15 p.m., Alumni Hall: "Community-Based Energy: Local Ownership of Renewable Energy," Dan Juhl, DanMar and Associates, Woodstock, Minn.
  * 7 p.m., Lund Center Arena: "Global Warming: Minnesota Impacts, Minnesota Solutions," J. Drake Hamilton, Fresh Energy, St. Paul
  * 7 p.m., Alumni Hall: "Advances in Biofuels: Ethanol and Beyond," Doug Cameron, Khosla Ventures, Menlo Park, Calif.
• Music at the Nobel Conference: "Energetically Yours," Christ Chapel, 8:15 p.m.

Bring a friend or two from off campus to join in the Tuesday Evening at the Nobel Conference events. All Tuesday evening events are open to the public without charge; no ticket is required. Contact the Office of Marketing and Communication (x7520) for more information.

The Arboretum Needs Your Help... On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Arboretum will host a Chinese Elm Removal Party. Chinese elm is an alien species that is not native to Minnesota, but which readily seeds in many places where it is not wanted, namely the Linnaeus Arboretum. The elms are abundant and prevent native plants from getting established, hence the need to control them. The task is simple: cutting and treating the stems of pre-marked trees. No need to know how to identify them—arb staff will show you what to do! It's a great opportunity to get some exercise and do a good deed. The “party” (might as well have fun with this!) will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome to chip in for an hour or so. We ask that people “register” by e-mailing Emily Hoefs (ehoefs@gustavus.edu) or Shirley Mellema (shirley@gustavus.edu) to better anticipate equipment needs. (Of course, if you wake up on Oct. 6 and feel the need to do a good deed that day, they'll welcome your participation!) Volunteers should report to the Melva Lind Interpretive Center for “duty." In the event of rain, the party will be moved to Sunday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 5.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Advance Tickets for VINE Waffle Feed Still Available...  Dad's Belgian Waffle Feed will be held from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 23, at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter. Tickets are $7 at the door, but $6 advance tickets are available from Lynn Boehne (x7686 or lboehne@gustavus.edu) in the Office of Admission. All proceeds benefit VINE Faith in Action, an interfaith volunteer caregiver program serving St. Peter and rural Nicollet County.

Music Professor Featured in Lakeville Chamber Series... The Lakeville Area Arts Center is launching a new "Making Beautiful Music Together" chamber series, which features three married musical duos. Leading off the series on Tuesday, Sept. 25, is the Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, featuring Rolf Erdahl (music), double bass, and his wife, Carrie Vecchione, oboe/English horn. Tickets are available at the center (20965 Holyoke Ave, Lakeville; telephone: 952-985-4640) at $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Other concerts in the series are scheduled for Nov. 6 and March 11. All concerts will start at 7:30 pm in an intimate, tableside cabaret setting at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, with refreshments to accompany the informal and informative conversational recitals.

Arts and Crafts at the Community Center... Gretchen Koehler (HES, emerita), Dee Engebretson, and Dorothea Carlson are featured artisans at the eighth annual Unique Indoor Arts, Crafts, and Antiques Sale to be held on Friday, Sept. 28, 1-6 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the St. Peter Community Center.

Sing like the Welsh... The Minnesota Gymanfa Ganu Association announces its fifth annual Welsh Weekend of Song, Sept. 29 and 30. The weekend is highlighted by a concert in Björling Recital Hall on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. featuring pianist Nathan Knutson, with collaborative pianist Esther Wang, flutist David Ross, flutist, and tenor soloist Ryan Perry. Tickets for the Saturday evening concert are $12 for adults, $5 for students, and are available at the ticket center in Jackson Campus Center. On Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., a Welsh gymanfa ganu (hymn sing) is scheduled at First Presbyterian Church in Mankato. There is no admission charge for the Sunday event; however, a free will offering to offset expenses will be taken. Sunday's hymn sing will be followed by a "Te Bach," or Welsh Tea. For those wishing to learn the Welsh pronunciations for the great Welsh hymns, an hour-long Welsh singing school will take place in Schaefer Fine Arts Rm. 214 on Saturday at 4 p.m.

A Moveable Feast... Artists from the greater St. Peter/Mankato area—including College community members Doug Nimmo (music) and Patricia Freiert (classics, emerita)—and several sponsoring eateries and galleries are opening their doors on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 6 and 7, for the second annual "River Crossings Art Fair in Motion." The weekend event (10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday) offers the public an opportunity to visit up to 23 different locations to purchase one-of-a-kind fine art, tour artist studios, view demonstrations, attend workshops, and listen to poetry, music, and theater. More information is available at rivercrossingsart.org, or e-mail bridge@hickorytech.net. River Crossings is a collaborative effort of the Bridge in St. Peter, the Arts Center of Saint Peter, and Twin Rivers Center for the Arts in Mankato and is made possible by a grant provided by Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council from funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature, by the McKnight Foundation, and by funds provided by the St. Peter Tourism and Visitors Bureau.

Extraordinary People

Laurent Déchery (French) presented a paper at the 80th American Association of Teachers of French Annual Convention in Baton Rouge, La. (July 12-15 2007). The title of his paper was "Paris in 1913: Presenting Modernity in Painting, Music, and Literature."

Suzanne Wilson (sociology/anthropology) presented a paper, "Friend or Foe?: The Colombian State and the Paramilitaries (1982-2006)," at the Latin American Studies Association in Montréal, Canada (Sept. 5-8).

Joel Carlin (biology) led a workshop on Web pages and online data management at the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in San Francisco, Calif.

Gretchen Koehler (HES, emerita) has donated key elements of a meditative "reflection space" to Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in memory of her brother, George Koehler, a 1962 graduate of the Winona technical school's electronics program. Koehler, who uses the Chinese elements, fung shui, and the medicine wheel to create sacred and meaningful garden, home, and office spaces, had her installation for Southeast Technical unveiled during a dedication on Sept. 6 on the technical school campus.

On Sept. 9 and 16, Darrell Jodock (religion) taught adult education classes at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. The topics were "What is Distinctive about a Lutheran View of the Bible?" and "What Should We Expect When We Read the Bible?" These served to keynote a yearlong emphasis on exploring the Scriptures. On Sept. 16 he did double duty by teaching a second adult education class at First Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, also on a Lutheran view of the Bible.

Pamela Kittelson (biology) and two of her students, Jim Eckberg '04 and Beth Bockman '04, had their article, "Adding Nitrogen Controls Invasive Yellow Sweetclover (Minnesota)," accepted for publication in the December issue of Ecological Restoration. This research was funded by the Gustavus chapter of Sigma Xi and a Rockfeller Brothers Grant from Environmental Studies.

Student News

On September 13th, Brad Utecht, senior geography and history major, and Mark Bjelland, (geography) gave a presentation to the Synod Council meeting of the Minneapolis Synod of the ELCA. They presented results of their summer research on spatial patterns of church membership and the changing social geography of Twin Cities neighborhoods.

Congregational Outreach

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church from Waconia, Minn., on Friday, Sept. 21, and Saturday, Sept. 22. Church Relations will also host a confirmation day retreat for St. John Lutheran Church from Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Sept. 22. The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a retreat for the Southeast Minnesota Synod ELCA Lay School of Theology on Friday, Sept. 21, and Saturday, Sept. 22. Guest speaker Linnea Wren(art) will be with them on Saturday.

Music in Worship... Any Gustavus music ensemble or soloist is welcome to perform in congregations. For more information, contact Marilyn Beyer (x7001).

Funding Opps

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations' weekly program or funding opportunity highlight:

• Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)... The National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of research and education by providing instrumentation for research-intensive learning environments. This program assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation that is, in general, too costly for support through other NSF programs. The maintenance and technical support associated with these instruments is also supported. Awards for instrumentation range from $100,000 to $2 million. Proposals requesting less than $100,000 will be considered only from non-Ph.D. granting institutions, and from the disciplines of mathematical science or social, behavioral, and economic science at any eligible institution. The next deadline for this annual competition is Jan. 24, 2008. For more information, please see http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07510. Please check this site in late October, when it is anticipated that a new program announcement will be posted.

For more information on grants or proposal preparation, contact Bob Weisenfeld in the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (x7049 or bweis@gustavus.edu).

In the Media

Here are some noteworthy Gustavus-related stories that recently appeared in print or broadcast media around the nation:

• The upcoming (Sept. 28) Ladysmith Black Mambazo performance received front page coverage in the September edition of Applauze.
• Cindy Johnson-Groh (biology) was quoted in a Sept. 15 Mankato Free Press article about this summer’s drought and its toll on fall colors.
• John and Mig Najarian, Susan Wilcox, and Marge Pihl all appeared on Jearlyn Steele's WCCO Radio program on Sept. 16 to talk about GLA's Royal Affair.
• St. Peter Herald reporter Kurt Hildebrandt wrote a column in the Sept. 13 edition about the new football stadium. Hildebrandt lauded the stadium and specifically the work ethic of Sports Information Director Tim Kennedy.
  - The St. Peter Herald printed a story in its Sept. 13 edition about the $1 million gift to the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning from the Moe Family.

Anyone who has suggested additions for this list, suggestions for potential future media stories, or interest in being a media source should contact Marketing and Communication (x7520 or ga_news@gustavus.edu).

Telecommunications Updates

The following are changes and additions for the "Personnel Phone Directory 2007-08":

• Peter Shea, philosophy, phone: x7649, e-mail: pshea (addition)

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

Plugs

For Sale: 2003 Honda Element, excellent condition. Contact Lois Peterson, 934-6955.

For Sale: Upright piano, Henry F. Miller manufactured 1903-04. In excellent playing condition; holds tuning very well. A steal at $200 but you have to move it. Contact Tom Gover, 934-1895 or gover@gustavus.edu.

Wanted: Tom Gover is seeking place to store a canoe in the Twin Cities. "Mary and I are moving to a condo in Richfield and would like to keep our canoe but must find a place to store it. If you have a place, a garage with high rafters or a place outside off the ground, please let me know. In exchange you will have free use of a 17-ft. Grumman standard weight (78 lbs.) most of the time. We use the canoe only a few times in the year." Contact Tom Gover, 934-1895 or gover@gustavus.edu.



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

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The Yellow Sheet is a newsletter for Gustavus Adolphus College employees produced by the Office of Marketing and Communication. It is published weekly during the academic year (except during the week of Thanksgiving, the Christmas breqk, Touring Week, and the Spring and Easter breaks). Anyone may submit items by filling out an online submission form. While online, e-mail submissions are preferred, items may also be submitted typewritten on a letter-sized sheet of paper. Send "snail mail" items to: The Yellow Sheet, Office of Marketing and Communication. Items must reach the office no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication. The week of Nobel Conference the deadline is 4:30 p.m. Monday. For more information, contact Steve Waldhauser (ga_news@gustavus.edu or x6413).

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