Inside Gustavus September 23, 2010 | Volume 43, Number 4

From the President's Desk

First, I want to thank all of you who were able to attend one of the sessions with the search consultants from Academic Search, Inc., who were on campus yesterday and today to begin the process of the search for the College's next provost and dean of the college. The provost and dean of the college serves as the chief academic officer and convenes the President's Cabinet when the President is not available to meet. Needless to say, the search process will be important to all of us, and it will be crucial for all of us to support the Search Committee in its work. Dr. Darrell Jodock, professor of religion and Drell and Adeline Bernhardson Distinguished Professor, was elected by the committee to serve as chair; his leadership and knowledge of the College and our community will be invaluable to the process. Other committee members are Sidonia Alenuma-Nimoh, assistant professor of education; Tom Annesley (board), professor of pathology, University of Michigan; Keisha Bates (student); Becky Bergman (board), vice president, new therapies and diagnostics, Medtronic, Inc.; Leila Brammer, professor of communication studies; Kirk Carlson, associate director of admission and financial aid; Eric Dugdale, associate professor of classics; Gwen Freed, vice president for marketing and communication; Maya Jayawardena (student); Steve Mellema, professor of physics; Doug Nimmo, professor of music; Jeff Owen, assistant professor of economics and management; Jeff Stocco, vice president for student affairs and dean of students; Linnea Wren, professor of art and art history; and Jolene Christensen, assistant to the president and secretary to the committee. I hope you will join me in thanking them for their willingness to serve. In the coming days and weeks, Dr. Jodock will share with all of us periodic updates on the progress of the committee's work. Thank you for your support of this important process. ~President Ohle

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.

Dean of Students' Search... The consulting firm of Spelman & Johnson has been engaged by the College to help with the search for the next vice president for student life and dean of students. The consultant, Peter Rosenberg, will be on campus next week visiting with a number of groups and individuals. He looks forward to talking with you regarding your perspectives about future needs and priorities of the College that will be helpful in his work with the Search Committee and with prospective candidates. One open session for administrators and staff is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 2:30 p.m. in the Three Crowns Room. An open session for faculty has been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 3:30 p.m. in the Three Crowns Room.
We hope you will be available to visit with the consultant about this important search.

Back by Popular Demand... The Hand-Felted Scandinavian Slipper Class will be held during the "Fall Fest at the Arb," Saturday, Oct. 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. Use natural fiber roving to employ a wet-felting technique and custom-make your very own slippers. This felting method does not require knitting. By the end of the class, you'll have a pair of slippers and enjoy warm feet for the winter. Dress for clean, wet fun. Instruction fee is $30, and roving will be available for sale. Contact Kathy at kerlands@gustavus.edu to register or call 507-933-6514 with questions.

Flu Shot Clinic for Employees... On Wednesday, Oct. 13, from 7:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., the College is offering a flu shot clinic for employees in Alumni Hall. The cost is $25, which may be paid by cash or check or billed to your insurance. If you would like the vaccine billed to your insurance, you will need to bring your card to the Flu Shot Clinic; you will also need to provide the policy holder’s name, address, and date of birth. Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents over the age of 18 may also receive the vaccine at the Employee Flu Shot Clinic. This year’s flu shot will protect against Influenza A, Influenza B, and H1N1 Influenza. The flu (influenza) is a highly contagious viral respiratory infection that is spread from person to person primarily when an infected person coughs or sneezes. After a person is infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear in 2-4 days. The symptoms include fever, chills, headache, dry cough, congestion, and muscle aches. Unlike the common cold, influenza can cause extreme fatigue lasting several days to more than a week. All flu shots administered will contain inactivated virus. You CANNOT get the flu from this. PREVENTION IS KEY!

• Get an annual flu shot.
• Wash hands FREQUENTLY! Use soap and water or an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough! Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve (not your hand).
• Avoid sharing food, drinks, water bottles, or personal items with others.
• Have tissues readily available.
• Stay home if you are sick. Do not “tough it out” and come to work, classes, or practice if you are ill, especially if you have a fever and are coughing or sneezing. You are exposing others when doing so.

Questions? Stop by Health Service or call (ext. 7630).

Photography Requests and Image Library... With the school year beginning, take a moment to think about the photography needs in your area for Gustavus marketing and communication purposes (e.g., external marketing pieces, such as brochures, ads, newsletters, or websites, that will enhance the image of Gustavus and especially help with recruitment and fundraising goals). As in the past, Stacia Vogel (mktng. & comm.) can work with you on such requests to meet your needs and the College's. To best fit the situation and the budget, it may mean hiring a professional from off campus, or assigning a student photographer from our area or another member of the marketing and communication team, or perhaps sharing one of the office's cameras with you (or another staff member or volunteer in your area). Stacia is happy to train you and others to use the camera equipment to shoot the images to meet your intended outcomes. To help with scheduling, please submit each photo request in a timely fashion using the online Photo Request Form at: gustavus.edu/marketing/photorequest.php. The form is very simple and only takes a few minutes. Please submit photography requests four weeks prior to the date needed. If it's less than a four-week window of time, please submit an online request and then follow up with an immediate phone call. If you have any questions, please contact Stacia directly. If you'd like to access Gustavus's online image library to look through some existing Gustavus photographs, please visit the website gustavus.widencollective.com, click on "Create User," and follow the prompts. Questions on either of these should be directed to Stacia Vogel (stacia@gustavus.edu, x6395) in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

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. 24 - Thomas Crady (enroll. mgmt.)
• Sunday, Sept. 26 - Chaplain Rachel Larson with the Choir of Christ Chapel, Patricia Kazarow, conductor
• Monday, Sept. 27 - Seán Easton (classics)
• Tuesday, Sept. 28 - Virgil Jones (Diversity Center)
• Wednesday, Sept. 29 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Sept. 30 - Commemoration of St. Francis: Blessing of the Animals
• Friday, Oct. 1 - TBA

Nationally Known Comedian Here... Twin Cities-based comedian Scott Novotny '75 returns to Gustavus this weekend as part of the College’s Homecoming weekend festivities. Novotny brings his “laugh out loud” act, filled with family-friendly characters, jokes, dancing, props, improvisation, and physical comedy, to the Björling Recital Hall stage Saturday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at gustavustickets.com and will also be available for sale at the door.

Trombones, Alums Mark Westside Quartet Appearance... The Department of Music hosts a special event when it presents the Westside Trombone Quartet (WTQ) and their special guest artists Kari Sundstrom and Doug Wright of the Minnesota Orchestra on Sunday, Sept. 26, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Björling Recital Hall. WTQ first came together in 2003 to play for an event organized by trombonist Matt James's wife. He knew fellow trombonists Dave Dahlgren and Lee Dummer (both of whom are graduates of Gustavus—'62 and '76, respectively). Sensing an opportunity to fulfill his hope of founding a trombone quartet, Dahlgren convinced Chris Fulton to fill the quartet. They have been playing together since that time. To assist in the program developed for this performance at Gustavus, WTQ has invited Minnesota Orchestra trombonists Kari Sundstrom and Doug Wright, and enlisted another Gustavus trombone alumnus, David Adolphson '03, and the chair of the Department of Music and frequent Minnesota Orchestra performer, Scott Moore, to participate. Gustavus Wind Orchestra conductor Douglas Nimmo will direct the octet. The first half of Sunday’s concert features the quartet in selections from their fall concert program, "Myths & Legends." Following intermission the quartet will bring its guest artists together. The concert is free and open to the public; a reception for the quartet and all of its guest artists will be held in the recital hall lobby following the performance.

McKay to Present Piano Recital... Pianist John McKay (music, emeritus) returns to Jussi Björling Recital Hall to present a Faculty Emeritus Recital celebrating the bicentennials of the births of Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann. The recital, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26, in Björling Recital Hall. In the first half of Sunday’s celebration, McKay will present two works by Robert Schumann. Following intermission, he will return to the stage to present works by Frederic Chopin, concluding with Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor, the Fantaisie-Impromptu and the Scherzo in C sharp minor.

Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott in Residence... Poet/playwright Derek Walcott, who received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1992, is on campus from Sept. 20 to Oct. 9 as the 2010 Drs. Robert E. and Susan T. Rydell Professor at Gustavus Adolphus College. He will present a public reading from his work in Jussi Björling Recital Hall at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 27, at which time the College will confer upon him an honorary degree. A question-an-answer session and book signing will follow his reading. The event is open to the public without charge.

Bless the Beasts... The annual Commemoration of St. Francis and Blessing of the animals will take place Thursday, Sept. 30, at 10 a.m. in Christ Chapel. All are welcome to attend this special service. If you are able, please bring your pets for a special blessing . . . "all creatures great and small." If you're unable to bring your pet, but would like him or her remembered in prayer, please send your pet's name(s) to Kathy Chalhoub (chalhoub@gustavus.edu).

Faculty Shop Talk... Rich Hilbert (soc. & anthro.) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2010-11 academic year. His talk, titled "How People Tell Dreams," will be presented on Friday, Oct. 1, 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 gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Fairgrounds Fundraiser Organized... You're invited to "Kick 'N Country" Friday, Sept. 24, from 4 p.m. to midnight at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds. BBQ meals, snacks, pop, beer, and Mike's Lemonade will be on sale. Dance to country music featuring Geoff Elvee. Tickets are $3 per person (12 and under free). All ages are welcome! The event will go on in the machine shed if it's raining. Bring your lawn chairs! Proceeds will help maintain and update the Nicollet County Fairgrounds.

St. Peter Choral Society Organizing for New Season... New and returning members of the Gustavus community are invited to join the St. Peter Choral Society to perform Haydn's oratorio The Seasons with orchestra next Feb. 5 and 6. Rehearsals are Monday evenings, 7:15 to 9 p.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church (511 S. Fifth St.). No auditions or membership fees are required. For further information, call John Holte (MCS), SPCS president, at 933-7465.

Obituaries

• Ruth Proft Dannehl, emerita professor of nursing (taught 1965 & 1967-1983), died on Tuesday, Sept. 21, in St. Paul at the age of 92. A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday at St. Stephanus Lutheran Church in St. Paul.
• Phyllis Young, former board member (1982-1988) and mother of Thomas Young (advancement), died this morning, Sept. 23, in Brainerd. She was 84. Funeral arrangements in Brainerd are pending.

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 Inside Gustavus or Summer Scoop. Notices for immediate family members of current employees will be published in the Inside Gustavus or the Summer Scoop unless they occur during a publication break, in which case they will be posted on employee-l.

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Presenters scheduled for this week include Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation). He will be speaking at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley on the topic "Caring for Creation" at 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 26. 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.

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

 



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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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