The Yellow Sheet for October 9October 9, 2008 | Volume 41, Number 6

Volume 41, Number 6

• News & Announcements
• Gifts & Grants
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• New Faces
• Position Openings
• Congregational Outreach
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

Prospective Students Visit Next Week... On Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16 and 17, the Admission Office will be hosting "Explore Gustavus." More than 400 prospective students, along with their families, will be visiting campus over the two days to take a look at Gustavus. This is an open house with visitors coming and going throughout the day, attending special interest sessions, touring campus and residence halls, and having lunch in the dining room. You're asked to make our visitors feel welcome with a smile or hello, as well as any assistance they may need as they navigate campus.

Chinese Culinary Resources Available at the Dining Service... Consider incorporating cuisine into your Global Focus Event. If you are planning a catered meal through the Dining Service this year, why not consider using the meal as an opportunity to explore China through some aspect of its cuisine? Many outsiders to China know something about the country's rich and varied regional cuisines—but our knowledge may not go very much beyond the offerings of the local Chinese-American restaurants. The Global Focus on China presents an opportunity to learn more about the country's cuisines, and the roles that food plays in other aspects of Chinese life. The Dining Service now has several resources available to help explore some of the culinary offerings of China. The office now has several highly-regarded Chinese cookbooks for English-speaking audiences. There is also a three-ring binder of photocopied recipes, organized by ingredient, and specifically chosen for their "user friendliness." (Translation: ingredient lists are fairly readily available, and the dishes will stretch Western diners' palates but won't intimidate them.) A list of additional textual resources is available on request from Lisa Heldke (heldke@gustavus.edu). Early planning and consulting with catering staff will ensure that your menu is feasible. Funds for this project made possible through the Sponberg Chair.

Church Relations and Religion Department Offer Bible Interpretation Course... Exploring Religious Questions Series, a five-week non-credit course, will be offered during the Fall 2008 semester by the Office of Church Relations with assistance from the Religion Department at Gustavus. The course will address issues in "Sorting Out Conflicting Approaches of Interpreting the Bible." When major public figures appeal to the Bible, they often come to quite different conclusions—about peace and war, for example; about the death penalty; or about marriage and divorce. Debates within and outside of churches often exhibit differing ways of interpreting the Bible. How do we sort out these conflicting interpretive approaches? This course will be offered Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 13, 20, and 27 and Nov. 3 and 10 in the St. Peter Room, Jackson Campus Center. Cost is $30 per person for the general public (no charge for Gustavus students and personnel). Pre-registration is required, extended to Oct. 10 for Gustavus. To register, call x7001 or e-mail mbeyer@gustavus.edu.

2009 Linnaeus Calendar Published... Linnaeus Arboretum's 2009 calendar, featuring photography by Anders Björling '58 and phenological notes by Jim Gilbert '62, is now available. Stop by the arboretum to purchase your copy for $16 ($15 for current members of Friends of Linnaeus Arboretum). Makes a great holiday gift!

Gifts & Grants

Nobel Conference Endowment Gift Announced... Gustavus Adolphus College has received an endowment gift of $2 million that will support the Nobel Conference. The gift, given by the Reverend Drell and Adeline Dekko Bernhardson, parents of four Gustavus graduates, will solidify the core funding of the conference and will give the College increased flexibility to respond to Nobel Conference-related initiatives as well as enhance the intentional relationship between the conference and science education at Gustavus.

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, Oct. 10 - Becky Carlson (senior student)
• Sunday, Oct. 12 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Monday, Oct. 13 - Coming Out Week: Tony Spain (senior student and former Student Senate co-president)
• Tuesday, Oct. 14 - Andrew Tengwall '01, Lutheran Volunteer Corps
• Wednesday, Oct. 15 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Oct. 16 - Vicar Peter Bauck
• Friday, Oct. 17 - Alice Musabende, Darfur Awareness

Euripides Scholar Here on Monday... K.O. Chong-Gossard, lecturer at the University of Melbourne, will present an invited public lecture on campus Monday, Oct. 13, titled "Pavane for a Dead Infant: Consolation in Euripides’ Hypsipyle." Chong-Gossard, who is currently working on the first major study of the Hypsipyle as a work of drama, will discuss the lesser known Euripidean tragedy, which is preserved only in fragments. The lecture is set for 7 p.m. in Confer Hall, Room 128. It is sponsored by the Department of Classics, the Department of Theatre and Dance, and Curriculum II.

McPherson to Present Lefler Lecture... Pulitzer Prize-winning American Civil War historian James M. McPherson '58 will deliver the 2008 Herbert P. and Mary Jane Lefler Lecture at Gustavus on Monday, Oct. 13. The lecture will take place in Alumni Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. and will address the challenges President Abraham Lincoln faced as he oversaw military strategy, contended with fractious, reluctant generals, and experienced both moments of defeat and victory during America’s bloodiest war.
     McPherson, a graduate of both St. Peter High School and Gustavus, where he received his bachelor of arts degree in 1958, is the George Henry Davis Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University and the author of several award-winning books. His 1988 work, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, won the Pulitzer Prize and has sold more than 600,000 copies. For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War was published in 1998 and won the Lincoln Prize for the finest scholarly work on Lincoln or the American Civil War. His 1964 dissertation, The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction, earned the Anisfield-Wolf Award for an important contribution to our understanding of racism. His latest book, Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief, was released Tuesday, Oct. 7, and will be available for sale and signing at the Lefler Lecture.
     In addition to the free, public lecture on the evening of Oct. 13, McPherson will visit several Gustavus classes and take part in an open discussion with the public on Lincoln, the Civil War, and Reconstruction on Tuesday morning, Oct. 14, in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

An Evening with the Sutter Brothers... The Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Ave, St. Peter) hosts "An Evening with the Sutter Brothers" on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The event includes performances by poet Barton Sutter and musician Ross Sutter. Tickets are available at the door ($12 adults/ $10 AC members/ $6 students/ children under 12 free).
     Barton Sutter is a Duluth-based writer whose poetry and prose often reflect his love of the North Country. He is the only author to win the Minnesota Book Award in three separate categories. Barton Sutter was also appointed poet laureate of Duluth, the first in the city's history. Primarily a poet, he works in a variety of genres and has published poems, essays, and stories in dozens of magazines and written six books. For several years, Sutter wrote and broadcast monthly commentaries for Minnesota Public Radio. The Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote that Sutter’s "Farewell to the Starlight in Whiskey" restores your "faith in the drumbeat of your own heart."
     Ross Sutter has built his reputation with fresh interpretations of Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, and Northern European songs and with his unique repertoire of children’s music. He plays an impressive array of instruments, including the guitar, bodhran, button accordion, dulcimer, and bones, but is best known for his singular baritone voice. Ross has toured around the country and Europe performing at festivals, clubs, and halls.

Prove You're Swedish... Scandian Grove Lutheran Church will host its annual Lutefisk Fall Supper on Saturday, Nov. 1. On the menu are meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, lefse, buns, apple and pumpkin dessert, milk, coffee . . . and of course lutefisk. They're actually open for both lunch and dinner, serving 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Cost is $14 for adults, $6 for children 6-12, and free for children 5 and under.

Extraordinary People

Brian T. Johnson (chaplains' office) served as worship coordinator and musician for the ELCA Division for Higher Education and Schools National Gathering in Nashville, Tenn.

New Faces

The following people have recently joined the Gustavus community:

    New Administrators

• Doug Minter, director, student financial assistance (enrollment management)

Position Openings

• Administrative assistant, Department of Safety and Security

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

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Presenters scheduled for this week include Garrett Paul (religion), who will be giving his talk, "God and Politics," at 9:45 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minn. Darrell Jodock (religion) is scheduled to speak at First Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, Minn., this Sunday, Oct. 12, at 11:15 a.m. He will also be giving the first part of his two-part lectures series on Jewish and Christian relations on the evening of Oct. 12 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, Minn. Partners in Education is a program coordinated by the Office of Church Relations for which participating faculty and staff members prepare topical presentations for adult forums, workshops, and seminars in congregations of the ELCA.

Pulpit Supply... The Rev. Grady St. Dennis (church relations) will be preaching at the 8 and 10:30 a.m. services at First Lutheran Church in Le Sueur, Minn., this Sunday, Oct. 12. This program is coordinated by the Office of Church Relations.

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Christ Lutheran Church from Faribault, Minn., on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11. Also on Friday and Saturday is a confirmation retreat for Peace Lutheran Church from Bloomington, Minn. Church Relations will host day retreats for First Lutheran Church from Le Sueur, Minn., and Cross of Peace and St. John's Lutheran Churches from Shakopee, Minn., this Saturday, Oct. 11. Lord of Life Lutheran Church from Maple Grove, Minn., will have a retreat on campus Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12. Church Relations will also host a retreat for St. Andrew Lutheran Church from Eden Prairie, Minn., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and Thursday, Oct. 16. The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a retreat for Bethany Lutheran Church of Judson from Lake Crystal, Minn., on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11.

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:

• Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)... The Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) program supports research for faculty members of predominately undergraduate institutions through the funding of 1) individual and collaborative research projects, 2) the purchase of shared-use research instrumentation, and 3) Research Opportunity Awards (ROA) for work with NSF-supported investigators at other institutions.  Please note that Gustavus faculty have secured ROA support to supplement their sabbatical leave salary. All NSF directorates participate in the RUI activity. The specific objectives of the program are to support high-quality faculty/student research; to strengthen the research environment in academic departments that are oriented primarily toward undergraduate instruction; and to promote the integration of research and education. The three RUI programs are described at http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf00144. For further information on the RUI program, contact the NSF program director of the research program to which a proposal might be submitted. To locate the appropriate program officer, click on http://www.nsf.gov/staff/.

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 locally, regionally, or around the nation:

• The Star Tribune printed a story in its Monday, Sept. 29, Metro section about the Nobel Conference. Karen Larson (sociology & anthropology, interdisciplinary studies) was quoted in the story.
• Gustavus was mentioned in a Tuesday, Sept. 30, Star Tribune story regarding trayless dining in college cafeterias. The story devoted three paragraphs to Gustavus. Steve Kjellgren (Dining Services) was quoted.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a news brief and photo about Out of Scandinavia artist-in-residence Lars Löfgren '58 on the front page of its Tuesday, Sept. 30, Currents section.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a front-page story previewing the Nobel Conference in its Thursday, Oct. 2, edition. 2008 conference chair Tim Robinson (psychology) was quoted in the story.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a story written by Tim Robinson about this year’s Nobel Conference in its Thursday, Oct. 2, edition.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a story about Homecoming/Family Weekend in its Thursday, Oct. 2, edition.
• KEYC-TV ran a story on its 6, 9, and 10 p.m. newscasts on Friday, Oct. 3, about the inauguration of President Ohle. Excerpts from Ohle’s inaugural address were aired.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story on the front page of its Saturday, Oct. 4, Valley Section about the inauguration of President Ohle. Ohle was quoted in the story.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a front-page story on Saturday, Oct. 4, about wind turbines. Gustavus was featured in the story and Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Education) was quoted.
• Chris Gilbert (political science) was quoted in a Sunday, Oct. 5, Star Tribune story about preachers endorsing political candidates from the pulpit.

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).

 



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 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 (waldo@gustavus.edu or x6413).

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