Inside Gustavus September 16, 2010 | Volume 43, Number 3

President's Cabinet Summary

The President’s Cabinet met on Sept. 14, joined by Professors Steve Mellema and Sujay Rao, Faculty Senate chair and vice chair respectively. Items discussed include the following:

• Dr. Mellema and Dr. Rao briefly summarized the most recent Faculty Senate meeting.
• Assistant to the President for Special Projects Barb Larson Taylor joined the meeting to discuss the establishment of national advisory boards to further engage external constituencies in the life of the College.
• The group reviewed the agenda for the September meeting of the Gustavus Board of Trustees, including the initial meetings of the newly formed Board Groups.
• President Ohle gave a progress report on the searches for the provost and dean of the college and for the vice president for student life and dean of students.
• The Cabinet reviewed and approved the revised Guest House/Retreat Center guidelines. These guidelines will be available on the College's website for viewing by the campus community.

News & Announcements

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

• Thia Cooper, Religion
• Kate Knutson, Political Science
• Baker Lawley, English

Letters written on behalf of these candidates should be sent to Provost David Fienen and should address the criteria for tenure as stated in the Faculty Manual (see below). Letters are due by Monday, Sept. 27, at 4:30 p.m. All members of the Gustavus community are invited to submit letters. Candidates will have access to their letters. The specific criteria for tenure are as follows:

1. Excellence as a teacher as reflected in quality of and enthusiasm for work, effectiveness of methods, interest in subject matter, concern for student learning, effective advising of students within and outside the major and continued academic preparation and improvement.
2. An emerging pattern of professional activities as reflected, for example, by publications, presentations at scholarly meetings or conferences and, in the arts, by manifestations of creativity demonstrated through exhibits or performances; another example may be involvement in professional and/or public organizations, boards, and commissions related to one's academic fields or college assignments.
3. An emerging pattern of involvement in the activities of the College.
4. Continuing evidence of sympathy with the aims and purposes of Gustavus Adolphus College.

Homecoming Event Judges Needed... The Campus Activities Board is looking for volunteer judges for the Homecoming Competition 2010. Judges are needed for the Variety Show on Friday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m., and the Parade on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 11:30 a.m. Please contact Ellen Liebe and Ashley Neaton at s.events@gustavus.edu if you are interested.

Provost Search Consultants on Campus... Academic Search, Inc., has been engaged by the College to help with the search for the next provost and dean of the college. The consultants, Dr. Tom Courtice and Ms. Julie Tea, will be on campus next week visiting with a number of groups and individuals. They look forward to talking with you regarding your perspectives about future needs and priorities of the College that will be helpful in their work with the search committee and with prospective candidates. Two open sessions for faculty have been scheduled: Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 3:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room, and Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 10:30 a.m. in Linner Lounge. One open session for administrators and staff is available: Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 9 a.m. in Linner Lounge. We hope you will be able to attend one or more of these sessions.

Dig Out Your Dancing Shoes... The Campus Activities Board invites you to participate or to nominate a colleague to participate in the fifth annual "Dancing with the Profs." Dancing pairs will have the opportunity to select a local charity or non-profit they wish to raise money for. This will give the pairs the chance to invest themselves in the fundraising process for a cause they have a strong interest in supporting. The commitment to participate in Dancing with the Profs is 2-5 hours a week beginning early October through the event, which is Saturday, Nov. 6. These hours are flexible and students will work around your schedule and commitments. In the past four years, Dancing with the Profs has been wildly successful on campus, drawing crowds of 500 and raising more than $10,000. If you or someone you know on campus is willing to take the risk and dance in front of your colleagues, students, and community member to help a cause you are passionate about, please contact Ashley Neaton, co-executive, Special Events, at aneaton@gustavus.edu.

Vacation Donations Being Accepted... Employees who would like to donate vacation hours for a Gustavus employee who will be on an approved FMLA leave and will run out of paid-time benefits should complete and sign a request for transfer of vacation hours available at the Office of Human Resources (x7304).

Mentoring Program for First-Year Students of Color... Are you interested in working with first-year students of color to help them succeed personally and academically at Gustavus? If so, please consider joining the Diversity Center’s Mentoring for Academic Success program, which has paired first-year students of color with Gustavus faculty, administrators, and staff since 2006. Potential mentors will commit to meeting with their mentee regularly for the entire academic year; have a sincere interest in the life experiences and academic success of new students of color; and possess the ability to listen without judgment, offer encouragement when needed, and persist in sustaining the mentoring relationship. If you are interested in this opportunity, or have questions, contact Virgil Jones (vjones, x7449), Sujay Rao (srao, x7434) or Carolyn O’Grady (cogrady, x7454).

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. 17 - Chaplain Rachel Larson
• Sunday, Sept. 19 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Monday, Sept. 20 - Dag Hammarskjold Remembrance: Glenn Kranking (Scand. studies/history)
• Tuesday, Sept. 21 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Wednesday, Sept. 22 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Sept. 23 - Andrew Griesman (senior student)
• Friday, Sept. 24 - Thomas Crady (enrollment mgmt.)

Nobel Preview Slated for Friday Afternoon... Professor Ford Runge will help us prepare for Nobel Conference 46, "Making Food Good," with his lecture "Rivers of Gold: Where Does Corn Flow and Does It Make Sense?” on Friday, Sept. 17, at 2:30 p.m. in Wallenberg Auditorium. With his recent research on U.S.-European agricultural trade and comparative soil and water conservation policies, he plans to focus on the unusual relationship between the landlocked agricultural powerhouse of the Upper Midwest and the rest of the world. Professor Runge is a professor of applied economics and law at the University of Minnesota, where he also holds appointments in the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and the Department of Forest Resources. His teaching and writing interests concentrate on trade and natural resources policy.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Minnesota Welsh Hymn Festival Scheduled... This year's 75th anniversary of the Minnesota Welsh Hymn Festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 1:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Mankato. The nationally known festival conductor will be Harvard graduate and New England lawyer Meirwyn Walters of Boston, Mass.; the festival organist will be 1979 Gustavus graduate Karen Jones Wojahn, Windom, Minn.; and the festival pianist will be Ryan Jones, St. Peter. The performing choirs will be the Minnesota Valley Chorale and the Mankato Riverblenders Barbershop Chorus. Gustavus faculty and students may recall the annual St. David's Day in Chapel service at Christ Chapel on or around March 1 when four Welsh hymns were sung. The Sept. 26 event will focus on 16 hymns sung in parts by the congregation. The event is open to all who enjoy four-part congregational singing of traditional Welsh hymns sung mostly in English.

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Partners in Education presenters scheduled for this week include Darrel Jodock (religion) presenting "The Mystery of God" and "Understanding Christian Identity and Religious Pluralism" at Trinity Lutheran Church in Watertown, Minn., at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 19; Grady St. Dennis (church relations) at First Lutheran Church in Little Falls, Minn., at 8 and 10 a.m. 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 the following confirmation retreats this weekend: Peace Lutheran Church of Bloomington, Minn., Sept. 17-19; Faith Lutheran Church of Waconia, Minn. Sept. 17-18; Lord of Life Lutheran Church of Maple Grove on Sept. 19.

Events... The Office of Church Relations will be hosting a Seminary and Divinity School Day on Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Transportation is provided and there is no fee to attend. Lunch will be provided if you register by Sept. 23. Contact Ellen Miller (emiller7@gustavus.edu) with questions.

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

Safety Snips

Automated Lightning Detection System... The College has an automated Thorguard Lightning Detection System mounted on top of Lund Center and the football stadium building. The system is designed to predict a lightning strike within a defined geographical area (15 miles) and will provide advance warning even when there appears to be no evidence of lightning in the area. When the sensors detect conditions for a lightning strike, the automated system will sound 15-second blast from its horns to warn those working or playing outside to immediately seek shelter, and a yellow strobe will activate and stay on until danger has passed or at least 10 minutes after the last detection of lightning. Once the system has detected an all-clear, you will hear three short blasts and the yellow strobe will go off. The lightning detection is operational daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If the system activates, you should immediately go inside the nearest building. Do not seek shelter under trees or other tall objects, which can attract lightning. Motor vehicles can provide shelter; however, once inside the vehicle, do not touch any metal that is part of the motor vehicle frame.

 



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Inside Gustavus 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: Inside Gustavus, 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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