The Yellow Sheet for February 21February 21, 2008 | Volume 40, Number 21

Volume 40, Number 21

• News & Announcements
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• Student News
• Position Openings
• Congregational Outreach
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Postal Pointers
• Plugs
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

Support Letters Due... Letters written on behalf of the five candidates seeking promotion to full professor in 2008 are due by Monday, Feb. 25, 2008, by 4 p.m. All members of the Gustavus community are invited to submit letters to Provost Mary Morton. They should address the criteria for promotion to full professor as stated in the Faculty Manual.

Spong Book Group Meets Tonight... Former Episcopal Bishop of Newark John Shelby Spong, a liberal theologian, biblical scholar, religion commentator, and author, is scheduled to visit Gustavus in April. In preparation for his visit, the Chaplains' Office is hosting a book group using Spong's Why Christianity Must Change or Die. The group is open to any current student or employee, and will convene on the following Thursdays, from 7-8 p.m., at Chaplain Brian Johnson's home (430 S. 7th St.): Feb. 21 and 28 and March 6 and 13. E-mail Kari Lipke, klipke@gustavus.edu, to sign up and receive your book.

Humphrey Institute Graduate Program Information Session Scheduled... The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs will be hosting a graduate program information session at Gustavus on Monday, Feb. 25, in the Heritage Room (upper level of the Campus Center), at 11:30 a.m. Korey Garibaldi, the Humphrey Institute recruitment coordinator, will be at the session to provide information about the Institute's Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), and Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (MS-STEP). Students and faculty are encouraged to attend. Pizza and beverages will be served. Contact Jeff Stocco (Career Center) at stocco@gustavus.edu if you have any questions.

Tickets Available for Music Showcase... The 2008 Gustavus Music Showcase will be held at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 9, at 2 p.m. The Gustavus Choir, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and the Gustavus Wind Orchestra will each perform in concert at the event, and a reception in the Orchestra Hall lobby following the concerts will allow the audience to meet the performers. Tickets ($22 general admission, $12 for students age 18 and under) are available through the Orchestra Hall box office (612-371-5656, 800-292-4141, or minnesotaorchestra.org/boxoffice).

Leadership and Service Award Nominations Sought... The Paul Magnuson Student Leadership and Service Award was established in 1991 to recognize leadership and service contributions made by current Gustavus students. Nominations are currently being sought for student-planned events, programs, or individual expressions of leadership by students during the 2007-08 academic year. Nomination forms for the Magnuson Award are available in the Dean of Students' Office or at the Student Activities Desk. Nominations must be returned to the Dean of Students' Office by Tuesday, April 1, 2008, to be given consideration. Contact Assistant Dean of Students Steve Bennett (sbennett@gustavus.edu or x7739) if you have any questions.

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, Feb. 22 - Patrick Quade (international education)
• Sunday, Feb. 24 - Chaplain Lachel Larson
• Monday, Feb. 25 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Tuesday, Feb. 26 - Garret Paul (religion)
• Wednesday, Feb. 27 - Lenten worship
• Thursday, Feb. 28 - TBA
• Friday, Feb. 29 - St. David's Day

February Fireside Chat... On Friday, Feb. 22, at the Melva Lind Interpretive Center, Steve Kjellgren (Dining Service) and Lisa Heldke (philosophy) will discuss the work of the Kitchen Cabinet Committee. Short presentations with time for questions will be held at both 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Some lunch options are available for purchase, or bring your own and join in this interesting discussion.

Musical to be Performed on Anderson Stage... The Department of Theatre and Dance will present Stephen Sondheim's hilarious musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in seven performances on two successive weekends: Feb. 22, 23, and 24; and Feb. 28, 29 and March 1 and 2. Performances in Anderson Theatre begin at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available by calling the Gustavus Ticket Center at 507-933-7590.
     Director Henry MacCarthy has moved the prologue from its original location in ancient Rome and transformed it into a vaudeville style theatre set just before the turn of the 20th century. This setting provides an atmosphere conducive to the bawdy nature of the musical. MacCarthy's efforts are supported by an array of talented associates, including Christina Smith (music director), Michele Rusinko (choreographer), Andrea Gross (costume designer), Micah J. Maatman (set designer), and senior Michael Rueckert (lighting designer), as well as 20 performers onstage and a small orchestra. Tickets are available at the Gustavus Ticket Center (x7590).

Multi-media Bach... An all-Bach piano recital featuring Gustavus keyboard faculty David Fienen, Yumiko Oshima-Ryan, and Esther Wang will be presented Saturday, Feb. 23, at 4:30 p.m. in Björling Recital Hall. The three will perform selections from J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. This is a multi-media presentation including information on Bach as a composer and teacher. The program is dedicated to Barbara Kaiser (math), a fan of Bach, and is open to the public without charge. A reception follows in the Björling lobby. Enjoy the glory of Bach!

Winter Warmer... Friends of Linnaeus Arboretum is hosting its 2008 Winter Warmer on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 12:30 p.m. at the Melva Lind Interpretive Center. Following a luncheon, Cindy Johnson-Groh (biology/Linnaeus Arboretum) will speak on "Lions . . . Elephants . . . and 15 Students: An African Safari in Tanzania." Her presentation makes the point that preserving wildlife in the context of mounting human populations and land-use pressures poses a significant dilemma for conservationists worldwide, "but [it] is no more evident than in Tanzania." Join the Friends on a photographic safari of this wonderfully diverse country. To make reservations or obtain more information, contact Shirley Mellema (x6181 or shirley@gustavus.edu).

35th St. David's Day in Chapel on Feb. 29... All faculty, administrators, staff, and students are invited to attend and participate in the 35th annual St. David's Day in Chapel. This unique ethnic event focuses on the four-part hymn singing of Welsh hymns. A 200-voice student massed choir will lead the congregation in singing four great hymns: Sandon (Lead, Kindly Light), Aberystwyth (Jesus, Lover of My Soul), Calon Lan (I Seek Not Life's Ease and Pleasures), and, as usual, Cwm Rhondda (Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah) with full organ and chapel brass accompaniment.

Peace Studies Program Sponsors King Lecture... On Monday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall, Professor David Cortright of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, will give the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture, "The Power of Nonviolence: Effective Strategies Against the Global Terrorist Threat." Cortright is the author of Gandhi and Beyond: Nonviolence in an Age of Terrorism (2006). This lecture is sponsored by the Peace Studies Program, which annually sponsors the King Lecture by a leading peace activist or scholar to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.

'Building Bridges' Addresses Genocide... The 13th annual student-led "Building Bridges" diversity conference will be held on campus on Saturday, March 8. The theme of this year's conference is "Genocide Awareness: How Will History Judge Us?" Paul Rusesabagina, who gained international fame when his life story became the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, will deliver the keynote address at 10 a.m. in Christ Chapel. Afternoon workshops are also scheduled. The conference is open to the public, but tickets are required and may be purchased in advance from the Diversity Center (x7449, or visit gustavus.edu/diversity/buildingbridges). Tickets are $8 per person but are complimentary for Gustavus students, faculty, and staff with a valid I.D., for students from other colleges and universities, and for high school students.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

State Sesquicentennial Forum Scheduled for Tonight... The City of Saint Peter and the State's Sesquicentennial Commission are co-sponsoring a "Plan for the Future: Many Voices, One Minnesota" public forum for Nicollet County in St. Peter tonight (Thursday, Feb. 21). At the forum, sesquicentennial planners will attempt to get an idea of which direction Minnesotans desire to see their state head in the next 150 years. The forum will be held at the St. Peter Community Center's Senior Meeting Hall, from 6 to 8 p.m. It is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. There will be light refreshments and souvenir Sesquicentennial coins for those who stay until the end of the meeting. For more information, contact Jonathan Hammel, intern with the Region Nine Development Commission by phone at 507-389-8886 or e-mail at jonathan.hammel@mnsu.edu.

Events Complement New Group Show at Arts Center... "Furniture & Fiber" opens on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Avenue) and will run through March 30. The public is invited to a reception on Saturday, March 8, 2-4 p.m., for the four artists featured in the exhibition—furniture makers Mark Kreykes, Adam Marti, and Douglas Nimmo (music), and fiber artist Shelley Cords-Swanson. For more information, contact the Center by e-mail (gallery@artscentersp.org) or by phone (507-931-3630), or visit www.artscentersp.org.
     On Sunday, Mar. 9, at 1 p.m., the Center has scheduled a gallery talk by Cords-Swanson, who is showing her quilted map art pieces in the show. Cords-Swanson, who has a degree in geography with a specialty in cartography, taught for many years at Minnesota State University, Mankato, in the Geography Department. Her interest in creating quilted maps grew out of her love of map making as she transferred her cartographic skills to a fiber medium.
     Other opportunities to view the exhibition are during Arts Center hours Tuesdays through Sundays, 1-5 p.m., and Thursdays, 1-8 p.m. The Center is closed Mondays. There is no fee and the community is encouraged to attend the showing and the reception.

Extraordinary People

Jennifer Ackil (psychology) presented findings from her research in a poster titled "Is forced confabulation more dangerous than memory implantation?" at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society in Long Beach, CA.

Scott Bur (chemistry) was awarded a research grant from the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund. The $65,000 grant lasts three years and will support student research during both the summer and academic year. The research involves finding less resource-intensive ways to make molecules of pharmaceutical interest.

Barbara Fister (library) published "Face Value," an op/ed article in Inside Higher Ed on Feb. 18 on the subject of Facebook, identity, and intellectual property. It's available online at http://insidehighered.com/views/2008/02/18/fister.

A haiku by Horst Ludwig (MLLC) appeared in the February 2008 English haiku section (No. 704) of the Mainichi Daily News, one of the largest Japanese newspapers.

Douglas Nimmo (music) served as a guest conductor and clinician for a conference session titled "Chosen Gems," at the Minnesota Music Educators Midwinter Clinic, held in Minneapolis on Feb. 14-16.

Student News

Forensics Team Wins State Championship... The Gustavus Adolphus College forensics team placed first out of nine schools competing at the Minnesota Collegiate Forensics Association State Championships held on Feb. 16-17 on campus. With multiple top-five finishers in every event but one, Gusties placed 1st in eight of the twelve events, and 2-3 in three others. The team also was awarded the Greg Lapanta Quality Award, which is awarded based on the number of points earned divided by the number of slots entered; Gustavus averaged 10.18 points per event entered.
     For the second consecutive year, both Minnesota representatives qualifying for the prestigious Interstate Oratorical Association National Contest are from Gustavus: sophomores Mary Cunningham and Emma Moreau will represent Minnesota this year at the contest, the oldest annual speaking competition in the nation. (This also marks the fourth straight year that Gustavus will have a representative at the IOA National Contest, an unparalleled accomplishment among Minnesota colleges and universities. Gustavus has a remarkable record at the IOA contest, with more than 25 qualifiers dating back to 1913 and a number of top-five finishes, including national winners in 1953 and 1966.)
     At the state meet, Gustavus won the overall team sweepstakes with 499 points (Minnesota State, Mankato was second with 397). Gusties took six of the top ten places in individual sweepstakes: Emma Moreau was 1st, Mary Cunningham 2nd, Christopher Hunt 5th, Kavan Rogness 6th, Maria Siegle 7th, and Tasha Carlson 10th. Individual event champions were Hunt (after-dinner speaking), Lovdahl (communication analysis), Lovdahl and Carlson (dramatic duo), Moreau (impromptu speaking), Siegle (informative speaking), Moreau (program oral interpretation), Carlson (prose), and Cunningham (oratory, qualifying for the IOA contest along with Moreau, who finished 2nd as Gusties swept four of the top five places).

Position Openings

• Vice President for Institutional Advancement (advancement)

For more information on the aforementioned position(s), call human resources (x7304).

Congregational Outreach

Retreats... The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a church council retreat for St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church from Waseca, Minn., on Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23. The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Vinje Lutheran Church from Willmar, Minn., on Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23. Church Relations will also host a retreat for All Saints Lutheran Church from Norwood, Minn., on Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24; this student retreat will include programming provided by Gustavus Youth Outreach.

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:

• NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes Deadline Reminder... This is a reminder of the upcoming deadline to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar or Institute. The application deadline is March 3, 2008. The program offers college and university faculty opportunities to study humanities topics in a variety of summer seminars and institutes. The topics, dates, location, and duration of each project for summer 2008, along with application information, are listed at http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-university.html. All faculty selected to participate in a seminar or institute will be awarded a fixed stipend of $1,800 (2 weeks), $2,400 (3 weeks), $3,000 (4 weeks), $3,600 (5 weeks), or $4,200 (6 weeks) to help cover the costs of travel, books and other research expenses, and living expenses.

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:

• Minnesota Public Radio broadcast a story on Feb. 15 about about Minnesota colleges reacting to the Northern Illinois tragedy. Ray Thrower (safety and security) was interviewed for the story.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story on the front page of its Feb. 16 edition about campus safety in the wake of the Northern Illinois shootings. Ray Thrower was quoted extensively in the article,
• The Mankato Free Press printed a news brief on the front page of its Feb. 16 Valley section about the Ben Folds concert scheduled on campus for April 19.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story on the front page of its Feb. 19 Currents section about Gustavus participating in the National Campus Energy Challenge. Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation), Chuck Niederriter (physics), and student Lauren Fulner were quoted.
• KEYC-TV ran stories on its 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts on Feb. 19 about Sen. Amy Klobuchar's campus visit.
• On. Feb. 20 the Mankato Free Press printed a front-page story with photos about Sen. Klobuchar's visit to Gustavus.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a news brief on Feb. 20 about Gustavus hosting a town meeting to discuss the possible future installation of wind turbines 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 Marketing and Communication (x7520 or ga_news@gustavus.edu).

Postal Pointers

USPS Increases Take Effect in May... On May 12 the United States Postal Services will adjust prices for mailing services — First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Special Services. The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Select prices:

• First-Class Mail letter (1 oz.) 42¢
• First-Class Mail letter (2 oz.) 59¢
• Postcard 27¢
• First-Class Mail large envelope (2 oz.) $1.00
• Certified Mail $2.70
• First-Class Mail International letter to Canada and Mexico (1 oz.) 72¢
• First-Class Mail International letter to all other countries (1 oz.) 94¢

Plugs

House for Rent: August 2008-June 2009 (dates negotiable). 3-4 bedroom, 3-bath home located on the ridge east of St Peter; 2 acres of woods, great views and birdwatching abound. Preference is to rent the home furnished, but this is negotiable. Wonderful neighbors in a private, quiet, kid-friendly neighborhood approx. 4-5 miles from Gustavus. Contact Jeff Jeremiason 507-933-6235, jjeremia@gustavus.edu.

For Sale: 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander LS (SUV) AWD, silver, 66,300 miles. One owner; looks great! $8,900. Call Janine at 934-5925.

"Plugs" is maintained as a forum by which members of the Gustavus community may offer goods and services to others in the community, or seek the same from them. It is not meant to accommodate ads or announcements from area businesses such as real estate agents and retailers, although from time to time such announcements may be published when deemed to be of particular interest to the community.

 



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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