Inside Gustavus December 16, 2010 | Volume 43, Number 15

President's Cabinet Summary

The President’s Cabinet met on Dec. 7, 2010, and discussed the following items:

• Faculty Senate Chair Steve Mellema and Vice Chair Sujay Rao joined the meeting. They gave a brief update on the activities of the Faculty Senate, including progress on Faculty Manual amendments, to be recommended to the Board for final review/approval at its January Board meeting, and potential nominees for appointment to Board of Trustees Subgroups/ Committees.
• Discussion was held concerning developing an electronic alumni database to facilitate increased alumni engagement with the College.
• Vice Presidents Freed, Westphal, and Stocco shared drafts of all-College policies concerning social media and trademarks. The development of these policies will continue with input from various constituents on campus.
• Several West Mall preview sessions with the architects were scheduled on Dec. 13.

News & Announcements

Publication Reminder... Due to the end of fall semester and the holiday break, Inside Gustavus will not be published for the next two weeks. The next Inside Gustavus will be posted on Jan. 6, 2011.

Parking Enforcement over Winter Break and January Term... Regular parking will be enforced for the duration of the winter break and January term. Student vehicles left unattended over Christmas recess must be parked in the Björling Lot (gravel section only), directly west of the music building. Vehicles left in Red or Yellow parking lots will be towed at the owner's expense. Any employee vehicles left overnight need to be parked in designated Green-permit overnight parking in the Stadium Lot. Please contact Campus Safety (x8809) if you have any questions.

January Reading Group to discuss 'The Heart of Higher Education'... All faculty and staff and are invited to join a January reading/discussion group focusing on Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc's new book, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call To Renewal. Co-sponsored by the new Center for Servant-Leadership and the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning, and facilitated by Carolyn O'Grady (CICE, education) and Chris Johnson (CVR, CSL), the group will meet each Wednesday throughout the month at 3:30 p.m. in the Jackson Campus Center's Faculty-Staff Lounge. Books and refreshments will be provided. The book discusses integrative education, a model of liberal-arts learning that "engages students in the systematic exploration of the relationship between their studies of the 'objective' world and the purpose, meaning, limits, and aspirations of their lives." Faculty, please contact Cathy in the Kendall Center (cblaukat) to reserve a copy of the book; staff and administrators, please contact Amy in the CVR (apehrson).

And a Second Reading Group... Looking to add to your “teaching toolbox”? Faculty are invited to participate in a discussion of Teaching at its Best: A research-based resource for college instructors, a recently revised handbook for faculty by Dr. Linda B. Nilson (Clemson University). The third edition of the best-selling handbook offers faculty at all levels an essential toolbox of hundreds of practical teaching techniques, formats, classroom activities, and exercises, all of which can be implemented immediately. Discussions of participant-selected sections of the handbook will be facilitated by Jen Ackil (psychology) and Margaret Bloch Qazi (biology, Kendall Center) each Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Faculty-Staff Lounge. Books will be provided to the first ten individuals to register. To reserve a place and receive a handbook, please register with Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat) by Wednesday, Dec. 22.

Christmas Sale at the Book Mark... The Christmas sale at the Book Mark, which began on Friday, Dec. 3, continues until the store closes for the Christmas holiday at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 23. Most items are 20 percent off.

Bring Your Food Shelf Donations to the Staff Christmas Party... A collection for the St. Peter Food Shelf will again be taken at the annual Staff Christmas Party on Tuesday, Dec. 21. Bring non-perishable items to the luncheon. Gift certificates or cash will also be accepted and greatly appreciated. The College will match our donations to around the same amount that was given last year. Thank you in advance for your generosity during the holiday season.

Poinsettias and Christmas Trees for the Taking... Monday is the last day of chapel for the fall term. After the service the poinsettias and Christmas trees that have decorated the chapel during the Christmas season are available for the taking.

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, December 17 - Taizé
• Sunday, December 19 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Monday, December 20 - Litany for Travelers

GHP Programs during January... A number of exercise classes are being offered during the January Interim. These classes are free of charge and available to all Gustavus employees and their spouses/partners. If you have any questions about any of the offered programs listed below, contact Rachelle Dosch at x6468.

• Qi Gong - Mondays, 11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m., Lund 224
• "The Movers" Walking Club - Mondays, 12:40-1:20 p.m., Meet at Red Desk in Lund
• "50/50 Mixx" - Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 a.m., Lund 224
• Afternoon Interval - Tuesdays, 12:40-1:20 p.m., Lund 224
• Water Aerobics - Wednesdays, 11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m., Lund Natatorium
• Yoga Flow - Wednesdays, 12:40-1:20 p.m., Lund 217
• Boot Camp - Thursdays, 12:40-1:20 p.m., Lund 224
• "Fun Friday" - Fridays, 12:40-1:20 p.m., meet at Red Desk in Lund (Activities scheduled for January are walleyball on Jan. 7, badminton on Jan. 14, volleyball on Jan. 21, and tennis on Jan. 28.)

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... As part of the Partners in Education program, the Rev. Grady St. Dennis (church relations) will be speaking at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minn., at 8:15 and 9:15 a.m. on Jan. 2 on the topic "Observing the Speed Limit of Life." 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.x

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will be hosting a retreat from Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Circle Pines, Minn. on Jan. 7-8.

Events... The Trinity Institute will be holding its National Theological Conference from Jan. 19 through 21. The focus of this year's conference is reading scripture. The speakers will be answering multiple questions about reading scripture and how we can read scripture together. The deadline for registration is Jan. 14, and pre-registration is necessary. Cost is $25 per person, but that cost is waived for Gustavus students, faculty, and staff. The conference will be available via live Web broadcast. Contact Marilyn Beyer (church relations) at x7001 with questions. This event is hosted by the Office of Church Relations and the Center for Servant-Leadership.

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

Facility Hours

Library Hours during Finals and Christmas Break... The library has extended its hours for finals: Wednesday, Dec. 15, through Friday, Dec. 17 — 8 a.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 18 — 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 19 — 8 a.m.-2 a.m.; and Monday, Dec. 20 — 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. The library is also open following finals from Tuesday, Dec. 21 through Thursday, Dec. 23 — 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. The library will be CLOSED from Friday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 2, reopening on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Web Tips

Blogs Are Incredible... Blogging is the perfect way to keep fresh content on your website and engage your visitors. Your posts will be syndicated all over the Gustavus website (like calendar events), and we can pull them onto your homepage or wherever you want them. Blogs are very easy to use and ridiculously flexible—we are using them for so much these days. All of the news on the whole website is powered by blogs. The Philosophy Department is using blogs in an interesting way: they have a category set up for “Where are they now?” posts about alumni. We then pull random posts from this category onto the Philosophy website (in the Aux Box—the green area at the bottom—in this case).



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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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