The Yellow Sheet for September 27, 2007September 27, 2007 | Volume 40, Number 4

Volume 40, Number 4

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

News & Announcements

College Retains A3 Rating... Moody’s Investors Service recently affirmed the A3 long-term rating on Gustavus Adolphus College’s Revenue Bonds issued through the Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority. The Moody report detailed several financial strengths of the College which led to the favorable rating, including a stable market position due to steady enrollment and increasing admission applications, broader geographic recruitment, favorable cash flow generation and operating performance, and growth in financial resources. According to the Moody’s website, an A rating means an institution’s financial obligations are considered upper-medium grade and subject to low credit risk.

New Law Takes Effect... Effective Oct. 1, 2007, the Minnesota “Freedom to Breathe Act” prohibits smoking in indoor public places, on public transportation, and in nearly all places of employment. The ban includes “any indoor area at which two or more individuals perform any type of a service” for payment, notably including “employee cafeterias, lounges, auditoriums ... [and] restrooms, elevators, hallways.” and vehicles “used in whole or in part for work purposes ... during hours of operation if more than one person is present.” (Minn. Stat. § 181.938)

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

Deadline Deviation... Due to all the activity surrounding the Nobel Conference on Oct. 2-3, the deadline for next week's edition of the Yellow Sheet will be 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1.

Holiday Schedule... The College will observe the following holidays for the remainder of 2007:

• Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007
• Day after Thanksgiving - Friday, Nov. 23, 2007
• Floating Holiday - Monday, Dec. 24, 2007
• Christmas Day - Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007
• Floating Holiday - Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2007
• *College Open - Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007*
• *College Open - Friday, Dec. 28, 2007*
• Floating Holiday - Monday, Dec. 31, 2007
• New Year's Day - Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008

*Employees may work or may request a PTO/vacation day.

Employee Award Nominations Due... Nomination forms for the Augusta Carlson Schultz and Eric Norelius awards should be turned in to the Office of Human Resources by October 5.

Second Annual Passionately Pink for the Cure Day... Go Passionately Pink—join in the fight to end breast cancer! Breast cancer touches millions of lives and is diagnosed every day in our community. The Dining Service is supporting the fight against breast cancer by going Passionately Pink for the Cure on Thursday, Oct. 11. By wearing pink and making a donation to "Susan G. Komen for the Cure," you'll be making a difference in the lives of millions. Donations to the Dining Service team may be made in advance (see Candy Witte) or at the Market Place cash registers on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Grant News

A Major Instrumentation Gift for the Chemistry Department... Bill Soderlund and Soderlund Village Drug of St. Peter have made a major gift of $205,000 to the Department of Chemistry to enable the department to purchase a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometer, to be used in instructional laboratories and in faculty/student research projects. The instrument helps to identify and quantify trace levels of organic compounds. It is particularly well-suited for investigating pesticides and the byproducts of their breakdown (both chemical via microorganisms in soils and waters, and with light in rivers and lakes). It is also the method of choice in nearly all studies of pharmaceutical metabolism and the analysis of impurities in medications. In the environmental field, this instrument helps analyze organic compounds at concentrations below the 1 part-per-trillion level and detection of some materials at levels of about 100 parts-per-quadrillion (that's 1 followed by 15 zeros...). In addition to making this gift, Soderlund Village Drug is one of the corporate sponsors of next week's Nobel Conference, “Heating Up: The Energy Debate.”

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. 28 - Patti Kelly (student affairs)
• Sunday, Sept. 29 - Chaplain Brian Johnson, Holy Communion
• Monday, Oct. 1 - Tim Robinson, Nobel Conference preview
• Tuesday, Oct. 2 - Nobel Conference (no Chapel)
• Wednesday, Oct. 3 - Nobel Conference (no Chapel)
• Thursday Oct. 4 - St. Francis Day, Blessing of the Animals
• Friday Oct. 5 - Vanessa Young, ELCA Global Mission

First Fireside Chat Set for Friday... 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 Friday ... Tickets are still 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 are available online or by calling 507-933-7590. Tickets remaining at concert time will be available at the door.

43rd Nobel Conference Begins Next Tuesday... There may be a couple of tickets still available for the Nobel Conference beginning next Tuesday morning, Oct. 2, at the Lund Center Arena ... but not many! We’re approaching the 6,000 mark in tickets given out and have been selling “overflow seating” tickets for Lund Center Forum since last week ... and the telephones in the Office of Marketing and Communication just keep on ringing. A full detailed schedule of the two-day conference can be viewed at gustavus.edu/nobelconference. 1997 Nobel laureate in physics Steven Chu opens the conference on Tuesday with a talk on “The World’s Energy Problem and What We Can Do about It,” and noted polar explorer Will Steger will present “The Front Lines of Global Warming - Will Steger’s Eyewitness Account” at the Nobel Conference Banquet on Wednesday evening. So, if you can’t find a seat in Lund Arena, there might be room for you in Alumni Hall, Wallenberg Auditorium, Lund Center Forum, or Olin 103 ... or tune in to Channel 8 or gustv.gac.edu.

Nobel Conference Concert Echoes Energy Theme... John Mason, anchor, KSTP-TV, will narrate the 2007 Nobel Conference Concert, Tuesday, Oct. 2, beginning at 8:15 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The concert, complementing the energy theme of this year's Nobel Conference, will feature a 1956 industrial cartoon titled "Energetically Yours," which was funded by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. Mason will narrate the film with music provided by the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra and conductor Warren Friesen. The Gustavus Choir and two student quartets will also participate in the concert, performing works by Alberto Grau, Eric Whitacre, Gustavus alumnus Steven Heitzeg, and David Dzubay. The concert is free and open to the public.   

Bless the Beasts... Christ Chapel will host an Animal Blessing Service on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 10 to 10:20 a.m. October 4 is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, lover of all creation, champion of justice, and patron saint of animals and the environment. The Animal Blessing Service is a regular daily chapel service, including hymns, prayers, and a brief homily. All companion animals are invited to attend and receive a special blessing. Human companions may notify the Office of the Chaplains about pet attendance (klipke@gustavus.edu or x7446) or simply show up on the 4th. Please use leashes or other methods of appropriate containment. If your pet cannot attend, but you'd like its name included in the prayers, please e-mail that information to klipke@gustavus.edu.

Ceramicist to Present Demonstration and Lecture... On Friday, Oct. 5, Liza Domeier will be presenting a demonstration and lecture on her ceramic sculpture in the ceramic studio in the Schaefer Art Building. Her work is nature-based, a lot of it influenced by her farming. She will be on campus from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. All of the campus community is welcome.

Tree Class, Part Two... The second tree class, titled "Tree: Growth, Wood Characteristics and Uses," will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon in Linnaeus Arboretum. Trees are amazing architects of form and function. In this class you will learn how a tree grows and produces wood and bark. We will investigate the different types of wood and their uses. Participants will learn to identify commonly used woods. Participants should be dressed to be outside. Fee is $12.00 for the public (pre-register at the St. Peter Community and Family Ed. office) and free for Gustavus faculty, staff, and students (pre-register by e-mailing shirley@gustavus.edu).

Journalist to Lecture on Campus... New York Times editorial board member Verlyn Klinkenborg will visit the campus on Tuesday, Oct. 9. He will deliver a lecture titled “The De-Democratization of the American Landscape,” at 7 p.m. in Room 103 of F.W. Olin Hall.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

'Stompin' At The Grand Terrace'... On Saturday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m., jazz pianist and vocalist Carolyn Wilkins and poet and writer Philip Bryant (English) will pool their talents to perform an evening of jazz and poetry at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Avenue, St. Peter), as they present “Stompin’ at the Grand Terrace” a suite of music and poems that celebrate what some have called the only truly American art form, jazz. Wilkins has been an active participant in the Boston music scene for over 13 years as a performer, educator, and composer. She has released four critically acclaimed CDs of her original compositions and has composed music for The Search Goes On, an original musical performed at First Night 200 for the NPR adaptation of Langston Hughes’s Tell Your Mama. Bryant is a poet and author of Sermon On A Perfect Day and Blue Island. This is their second collaboration; the first produced “Southside Suite,” performed in Björling Recital Hall in 1996. Tickets are $7 adults, $6 members, and $5 students and are available at the Arts Center of Saint Peter. This activity is made possible by a grant provided by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council from funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and the McKnight Foundation, also with funds provided by Gustavus Adolphus College Writing Center and Cross Curriculum Programs.

Welsh for a Weekend... The Minnesota Gymanfa Ganu Association's fifth annual Welsh Weekend of Song is slated for Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30. The weekend is highlighted by a concert of classical music in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. featuring pianist Nathan Knutson, with flutist David Ross, tenor soloist Ryan Perry, and collaborative pianist Esther Wang. 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, at which the Minnesota Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines will present several selections. 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 (Welsh tea) complete with Welsh cakes. For those wishing to learn the Welsh pronunciations for the great Welsh hymns, an hour-long Welsh ysgol gan (singing school) will be held 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.

Alum’s Film to Premiere at St. Peter’s Cinemagic Theater... The Haunting of North 3rd Street, a true-life docu-drama produced by Jon Hyers ’85 about the Conrad Hyers family’s nine-month experience of living in a haunted house in St. Peter, will premiere in St. Peter's Cinemagic Theater on Oct. 19 and run through Oct. 25. Conrad Hyers was a professor of religion at Gustavus from 1977 to 1997. While their new home was being built the fall of 1977, the Hyers resided for nine months in a 1850s-era home on North 3rd Street. During their stay, a range of unexplainable events happened that would lead many people to conclude the house was haunted. The movie, produced entirely on digital video, contains riveting interviews of family members recalling very vivid events each family member witnessed, and the filmmaker sets forth some possible explanations for the events. See the theater's website, www.cinemagictheatres.com, for show times.

Extraordinary People

On Sept. 23, Roland Thorstensson (Scandinavian studies) and Anders Björling (finance office, ret.) took their multi-media program on Carolus Linnaeus on the road. They were featured presenters at a celebration of the 300th anniversary of Linnaeus's birth at San Diego State University, the first public event sponsored by the new Swedish Center San Diego.

Nancy Hanway (MLLC) and Cecil North were married on Sept. 22 at the Virginia Street Swedenborgian Church in St. Paul.

Obituaries

• Cleone Rans, mother of Carol Solberg (Dining Service), passed away at the Prairie Home Hospice House in Marshall, Minn., on Saturday, Sept. 22. A funeral service was held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Marshall on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Memorials have been designated for the Prairie Home Hospice House.

To inform the campus community of the death of a current student, employee, or trustee; an emeritus professor or trustee; or an immediate family member of a current employee, contact the Office of the President (x7538 or pleagjel@gustavus.edu). Death announcements and funeral notices for students, current and emeritus faculty and employees, and trustees will be sent to the community via written notice from the president, posted on community-l, the official campus-wide e-mail list, and published in the Yellow Sheet or Summer Scoop. Notices for immediate family members of current employees will be published in the Yellow Sheet or the Summer Scoop unless they occur during a publication break, in which case they will be posted on employee-l.

New Faces

The following people have recently joined the Gustavus community:

New Support Staff

• Kay Koehler (Dining Service)

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Presenters scheduled for this week include Jim Gilbert (environmental studies), who will be speaking on "Care of God's Creation" on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Wayzata, Minn., and Casey Elledge (religion), who will be giving his talk, "Dead Sea Scrolls," at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minn. 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.

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Lord of Life Lutheran Church from Maple Grove, Minn., on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Special Event... Nathan Dungan, one of the national media's go-to experts on family finances, hyper-consumerism, and the effects of mass marketing on young people, will be presenting a one-day seminar in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is $15 and includes lunch and materials. Call the Office of Church Relations at Gustavus (507-933-7001) for more information or to register.

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:

• American Association of University Women Fellowships and Publication Grants... The American Association of University Women (AAUW) offers Post-doctoral Research Leave Fellowships and Summer/Short-term Research Publication Grants. The former provides $30,000 for one year of support for women in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The latter provides $6,000 to support eight consecutive weeks of final writing, editing, and other preparation of research for publication. All applicants must have received their doctorates by the application deadline of November 15. For more information, please see http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/american.cfm.

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:

• Nobel Conference presenter James Hansen appeared on Minnesota Public Radio on Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to noon to discuss the Nobel Conference and issues regarding global warming. Gustavus and the Nobel Conference were mentioned at least seven times during the hour program.
• The Mankato Free Press printed an article on the front page of its Currents section on Tuesday, Sept. 25, about author Tracy Kidder’s visit to campus. Leila Brammer (communication studies) was quoted extensively in the story.
• The Mankato Free Press previewed the Nobel Conference in a Sept. 22 article. Conference chair Jeff Jeremiason (chemistry/environmental studies) was featured in the story.
• The Mankato Free Press previewed the Minnesota Energy Forum that will take place during the Nobel Conference in a Sept. 22 article.
• Director of Safety and Security Ray Thrower was quoted in a Chronicle of Higher Education story regarding the shootings at Delaware State University.
• The Mankato Free Press printed two color photos on the front page of its Valley section on Sept. 20 of the building of Adirondack chairs by many members of the Gustavus community including Aaron Banks’s (HES) First Term Seminar class.
• The St. Peter Herald printed an article in its Sept. 20 edition about the Lefler Lecture. Darrell Jodock (religion) was quoted.
• The St. Peter Herald printed an article in its Sept. 20 edition about the upcoming Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert.
• The St. Peter Herald printed an article in its Sept. 20 edition about author Tracy Kidder’s visit to campus.
• The blog "The Energy Independent" posted an item regarding the Nobel Conference on Sept. 24.
  

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"

• Ryan Kirk, geography (delete)
• Kay Koehler, Dining Service, phone: x7608 (addition)

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

Plugs

For Sale: Weber-type grill. Several years old, not used much, in good condition. $15. Child's red wagon. Has been stored in garage for years. There is some rust on the rear wall of the bed. $5. Remington Rand Selectric typewriter. Very clean. Extra type balls and spare ribbons. $25. Folding lawn chair and folding lawn chaise. Basic aluminum tubing and plastic green and white tape. $5 each. 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 break, 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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