Inside Gustavus February 17, 2011 | Volume 43, Number 21

 

President's Cabinet Summary

Summary of the February 15, 2011, President's Cabinet meeting: 

• Professors Steve Mellema and Sujay Rao, Faculty Senate chair and vice chair, respectively, gave a brief report regarding the Feb. 11 Faculty Senate meeting, including the discussion concerning the Faculty Manual amendments. President Ohle asked Provost Fienen to work on finding a date to meet. President Ohle will follow up with Chair Bernhardson concerning the Faculty Senate’s questions and to clarify the rationale for the resolutions approved by the Board of Trustees at its January meeting.
• Drs. Mellema and Rao also gave an update on the recent discussions concerning possible changes in course offerings during J-Term.
• President Ohle and Vice President Young gave an update on recent alumni gatherings and cottage meetings in California, Arizona, and Colorado. President Ohle also commented on recent meetings for college presidents.
• The hiring of a part-time replacement position in Lund Center (information desk) was approved.

 

News & Announcements

Good Food for All Packs Meals, Educates Participants... On Feb. 12-13, Gustavus Adolphus College, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and Feed My Starving Children collaborated to host an event on the Gustavus campus that addressed the complexities of food security and local and global hunger through speakers, advocacy work, and an emergency food pack. More than 1,000 volunteers—Gustavus students and faculty, members of church congregations from within 30 miles of campus, local Girl Scouts, and local high school organizations such as the National Honor Society—came to Gustavus between 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and from noon until 5:30 p.m. During six two-and-a-half hour shifts, the volunteers prepared 256,608 meals to feed starving children worldwide. The weekend was full of education: There were a handful of guest speakers and numerous stations where people could learn about a variety of food and hunger topics or causes. All who volunteered for the food pack—regardless of age—learned that the food used was specifically designed to be culturally sensitive for anywhere in the world. Trucks pulled away from campus Sunday night, Feb. 13, with 36 pallets of food . . . enough to fill one large container that within two weeks will be on its way to people in need.

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 may complete and sign a request for transfer of vacation hours available at the Office of Human Resources (x7304).

Promotion Letters Due... Letters written on behalf of faculty promotion candidates Mark Bjelland (geography) and Pamela Kittleson (biology) are due to Provost David Fienen by Monday, Feb. 21, at 4:30 p.m. All members of the Gustavus community are invited to submit letters; tenured department colleagues are expected to do so. They should address the criteria for promotion as stated in the Faculty Manual. Candidates will have access to their letters.

Farewell Reception... The Office of Alcohol/Drug Education and the Peer Assistants cordially invite you to a bon voyage party for Deb Reichel, their long-serving administrative assistant, on Friday, Feb. 18, 3-5 p.m. in the Dive.

Staff Reclassification Committee... The next meeting of the Staff Reclassification Committee will be held on March 30 to evaluate requests for grade changes for support staff positions. In order to be considered at this meeting, a complete request for position review must be received in the Office of Human Resources by March 23.

Retirement Reception in the Dive... Members of the College community are invited to a "Retirement" reception for Patricia (Pat) Stevensen on Friday, Feb. 25, 10-11 a.m. in the Dive. Pat worked in the Dining Service for 10 years ans has been the switchboard operator for 17 years. All are welcome.

Bible Study Fellowship Meets to Plan Spring Semester... The Bible study fellowship for Gustavus staff, administrators, and faculty will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 12:30-1:15 p.m. in the Leadholm Room of Jackson Campus Center. Ideas for the spring semester and beyond will be discussed

 

Campus Happenings

Rydell Professor's Origami Featured at Hillstrom Museum of Art... Two new exhibitions have been mounted in the Hillstrom Museum of Art. Many-Fold Manifolds: Engineered Origami by Robert J. Lang and Look! Works from the Hillstrom Collection, are on view from Feb. 14 through April 21, with a public reception scheduled for Monday, March 7, 7-9 p.m., when Rydell Professor Lang returns to the campus. Many-Fold Manifolds features over 50 of Lang’s origami masterworks. Among the works on exhibit are numerous insects (a favorite subject of the artist), a variety of abstract works related to mathematical concepts and ideas (a particular interest), and a large, multi-part installation piece created specifically for this exhibition, Vertical Pond, featuring 19 individual koi, each fish folded from a single sheet of hand-made mottled paper created for Lang’s use in collaboration with master papermakers. Lang, who holds a Ph.D. in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology, has been an avid artist of origami, the art of paper folding, for over 40 years and is today one of the world’s leading masters of his art form. He was one of the artists profiled in the award-winning 2008 documentary Between the Folds, recently featured on PBS’s Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens. The 56-minute film will be shown continuously in a space adjacent to the exhibition, through the generosity of its writer and director Vanessa Gould. Lang, who holds the Robert and Susan Rydell Professorship of Gustavus Adolphus College for 2010-11, will give a gallery talk as part of an exhibition reception held at the Museum on Monday, March 7, 7-9 p.m. Also in conjunction with Many-Fold Manifolds will be dance performances of works choreographed by students in the Dance Composition class taught by Melissa Rolnick (theatre/dance). Their program, titled Enfolded Precision: Embodied Interpretations, will be presented in the Museum on April 8 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and April 9 from 3 to 4 p.m.

Faculty Shop Talk... Margaret Bloch-Qazi (biology) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2010-11 academic year. Her talk, titled “’Between the potency and the creation’: female influences on sperm fate,” will be presented on Friday, Feb. 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed at http://gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

Knoepfel Presents His First Gustavus Faculty Recital... Justin Knoepfel, instructor of violin and viola and conductor of the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra, will present a violin/viola faculty recital Saturday, Feb. 19, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Jussi Björling Recital Hall. For his first faculty recital at Gustavus, Knoepfel will open with Mozart's Sonata in E minor for Violin and Piano and Bach's Sonata in G Major for Viola da Gamba and Keyboard. For this performance, Justin will be accompanied by pianist Beth Winterfeldt. The performance is free and open to the public.

Schubertiade To Be Presented Saturday... Guest tenor vocalist Kurt R. Hansen and guest pianist Karina Kontorovitch join with pianist, GSO conductor, and Assistant Professor of Music Ruth Lin on Saturday, Feb. 19, to present the music of Franz Schubert in a Schubertiade in Jussi Björling Recital Hall. The evening performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Kontorovitch, who immigrated from Russia in 1991, and Lin, who immigrated from China at the age of 10, both attended Northwestern University, and while there they formed the Lin-Kontorovitch Piano Duo. Kontorovitch continues to work in the Chicago area, primarily at Northwestern University in the voice studio of Kurt Hansen. Lin is in her first year as Conductor of the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Music. Kurt R. Hansen’s long and distinguished career spans over 30 years, on four continents. He is on the faculty at the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where he is coordinator for the Voice and Opera Program. He has recently formed a new ensemble, The Chicago Piano Vocal Score, which includes himself and pianists Kontorovitch and Lin with Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Tracy Watson, mezzo-soprano; and Douglas Anderson, baritone.

Flute Recital on Sunday... The Department of Music presents a faculty flute recital, Dedicated to French School, by Adjunct Professor of Music Barbara Leibundguth, Sunday, Feb. 20, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Björling Recital Hall. Leibundguth has performed as principal flutist with major orchestras in Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Houston, and was a member of the Minnesota Orchestra for 20 years, including 14 as co-principal. For this recital, she has selected works influenced by the composers of the "French School." She will be accompanied by pianist Sonja Thompson for this performance, which is free and open to the public.

Zen Scholar and Philosopher Visits... Author and Professor Thomas Kasulis, Ph.D., will visit Gustavus Feb. 21-22 to engage in conversation about the meaning of a liberal arts education. He will give a public lecture, titled "From the Love of Wisdom to the Wisdom of Love: Rethinking Thinking," Monday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in Old Main, Room 05. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, Kasulis will be available for two open discussions. The first is 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Leadholm Room in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center. For the second, he will join the discussion in religion professor John Cha's Zen class from noon to 1:20 p.m. in Old Main 04. Visitors are welcome at both sessions. Kasulis will also have discussions with Gustavus faculty members from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Monday about the purpose of liberal arts education in a globalized world. Kasulis, the author of Zen Person, Zen Action (1989), Intimacy or Integrity: Philosophy and Cultural Difference (2002), and Shinto: The Way Home (2004), is professor of comparative studies at Ohio State University where he teaches courses in comparative studies, philosophy, and East Asian languages and literatures. His lecture and other activities are free and open to the public. His visit to campus is sponsored by the Hanson-Peterson Chair of Liberal Studies with support from the Department of Philosophy. For more information, contact Deane Curtin (philosophy), Hanson-Peterson Chair of Liberal Studies, at curtin@gustavus.edu or 507-933-7644.

Children's Literature Expert to Lecture... Debra Mitts-Smith, Ph.D., author, professor, and expert on children’s and young adult literature, will give a public lecture at Gustavus Adolphus College at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Room 127 of Confer Hall. Mitts-Smith’s talk will focus on her recent book, Picturing the Wolf in Children’s Literature. She will discuss her research on the visual images of the wolf in children’s books published in Western Europe and North America from 1500 to the present. Mitts-Smith is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois, the University of Minnesota, and Dominican University. Her lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; the Department of English; Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library; and the Curriculum II program. For more information about this event, contact Nancy Hanway (MLLC-Spanish) at nhanway@gustavus.edu or 507-933-7388.

Artist Series Brings Cantus to Campus... Cantus, named the “premier men’s vocal ensemble in the United States” by Fanfare magazine, will perform at Gustavus at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at Jussi Björling Recital Hall. Cantus’s appearance at Gustavus is part of a tour of greater Minnesota funded through Minnesota Public Radio’s Artists-in-Residence program and a Minnesota State Arts Board grant. The tour includes concerts in Ely, St. Peter, Grand Rapids, and Crookston, Minn. Tickets for the Feb. 27 concert are available online at gustavustickets.com or by calling 507-933-7590. With underwriting from Minnesota Public Radio, tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for MPR members, and $5 for students. Tickets remaining on the day of the concert will be available at the door.

Grad Will Deliver Kendall Lecture... Kathleen Vohs, Ph.D., Land O’ Lakes Professor of Marketing and McKnight Presidential Fellow in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota (and a 1996 Gustavus grad), will present the 2011 John Kendall Lecture Series address at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, in Wallenberg Auditorium in the Nobel Hall of Science. Her lecture, titled “Small Reminders of Money Produce Big Changes in Behavior,” is free and open to the public. Vohs, an internationally recognized leader in the field of psychology, applies her understanding of psychological science to business issues in order to advance new areas of marketing research. Her research specialties include self-regulation and self processes (such as self-esteem), the effects of making choices on self-regulatory ability, and the effects of the mere presence of money, among other topics. She has written more than 110 scholarly publications and served as the editor of three books. The John Kendall Lecture Series was established to honor the late psychology professor and former president Dr. John Kendall for his contributions to the Gustavus Department of Psychology and for his support and influence on the careers of his students. Funding for the public address and classroom visits is provided through the John Kendall Lecture Series Endowment, established in 1985 through the efforts of departmental faculty and the financial contributions of psychology majors when Kendall was teaching in the department. The department welcomes any continued support of this fund.

Spring Dance Concert Will Feature Guest Choreographers' Work... The Department of Theatre and Dance presents Balance Off Center: The Gustavus Dance Company in Concert on March 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m. The annual spring dance concert is co-directed by Assistant Professor Melissa Rolnick and Visiting Assistant Professor Jeffrey Peterson.  The concert includes a diverse range of choreography by faculty, selected students, and guest artists including Joe Chvala and members of Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater. Tickets are available online at www.gustavustickets.com or by calling the Gustavus Ticket Center at 507-933-7590. Gustavus students and staff are admitted free of charge with ID. Tickets not purchased in advance may be purchased at the Anderson Theatre Box Office beginning one hour prior to curtain.

WinterRead Brings 'Blind Your Horses' Author to Town... The eighth annual WinterRead, sponsored by Unity in Community/St. Peter Reads, welcomes author Stanley Gordon West to speak on March 8 at 7 p.m. in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center. West is the author of the recently published Blind Your Horses. One of his earlier novels, Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse, was adapted as a made-for-TV movie. His talk is open to the public without charge.

Dead Sea Scrolls Is Topic of Visiting Lecturer... Alex Jassen, Ph.D., assistant professor of Early Judaism in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota, will give a presentation titled "What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Are They So Important?" The lecture will take place on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Olin Hall 103. Dr. Jassen's research and teaching concentrates on the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient Judaism; he is a member of the international editorial team for the Dead Sea Scrolls. His lecture is sponsored by the Gustavus chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

'Building Bridges' Tackles Slavery Past and Present... Gustavus Adolphus College will host its 16th annual Building Bridges Conference on Saturday, March 12. This year’s conference, with the theme “I’m Not For Sale: Slavery Past and Present,” will provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in dialogue about the effects of the slave trade from a historical perspective as well as a modern-day one. Featured speakers for this year’s conference will be Joy DeGruy, Ph.D., author and assistant professor of social work at Portland State University, and Joy Friedman, a sex trafficking survivor who is women’s program manager for Minnesota-based Breaking Free, an organization whose mission is to educate and provide services to women and girls who have been victims of commercial sexual exploitation. In addition to the featured speakers, there will be workshop sessions in the afternoon. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to attend three different sessions on various aspects of modern-day slavery, including human trafficking within Minnesota, the Polaris Project, the commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian women and girls in Minnesota, and more. There will also be opportunities for attendees to take action by donating supplies and assembling care packages for women in the Breaking Free program.  Similar to last year’s conference there will be a walk-through action piece where attendees will be able to interact with members of the Gustavus social justice theatre troupe I Am We Are, who will portray different stages and forms of modern-day slavery. The schedule for the day is as follows:

• 9 a.m. - Registration (in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center)
• 9:30 a.m. - Opening remarks by co-chairs and performance by I Am We Are
• 10 a.m. - Keynote Address by Joy DeGruy
• 11:30 a.m. - Lunch Break
• 12:15 p.m. - Highlighted Workshop by Joy Friedman
• 1:30 p.m. - Break
• 1:45 p.m. - Workshop Session #1, or "Joy and Joy" joint Q&A session
• 2:45 p.m. - Workshop Session #2 or Action Piece
• 3:45 p.m. - Workshop Session #3 or Action Piece
• 4:45 p.m. - Action Piece
• 5:45 p.m .- Action Piece

The conference is open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets are $10 per person, but are complimentary for college and high school students with a valid student I.D. as well as for Gustavus employees who have a valid I.D. For more information and to register for the conference, visit the conference website at gustavus.edu/diversity/buildingbridges or contact the Gustavus Diversity Center at 507-933-7449.

 

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Hymn Festival at First Lutheran... “Build on the Rock That Will Not Move” is the theme for a service of hymns and readings at First Lutheran Church (1114 W. Traverse Road, Saint Peter) beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20. Organist Chad Fothergill (cantor of Christ Chapel) will lead the congregation, choirs, and handbells in a festive celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Hendrickson Organ at First Lutheran. All are welcome.

Benefit for the Jeff Lau Family... A turkey dinner organized to benefit the late Jeff Lau (physical plant), his wife, Cindy, and the Janesville Youth Programs is scheduled on Sunday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Janesville American Legion Post 281, The Purple Goose. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for children under 12. There will also be a silent auction during the dinner to benefit the Lau family. Anyone willing to donate auction items or bake pies for the dinner, or wanting to purchase advance tickets, may contact Amy Brown (ajbrown@gustavus.edu) or Nancy Petrich (npetrich@gustavus.edu). Tickets will also be available at the door.

 

Births

• Laney Sue Thomas was born to Molly (Pederson) and Matt Thomas (mktng. & comm.) at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 3:45 p.m. She tipped the scales at 6 lb. 11 oz. Big brother Luke is excited.

 

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Grady St. Dennis (church relations) will be speaking at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mapleton, Minn., on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 9:30 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.

Events... Exploring Religious Questions start its winter series next week. The topic is "God's Purpose and Our Role in the World." Darrell Jodock (religion) will be leading this class, which meets every Monday night from 7 to 9 p.m. The dates for the class are Feb, 21 and 28 and March 7, 14, and 21. The class will be meet in Olin Hall, Room 103. Exploring Religious Questions is a program sponsored by the Office of Church Relations that allows people from campus and the local community to come and learn about topics that are relevant to today's world. Those interested in attending are asked to register through the Office of Church Relations (x7001).

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host two confirmation retreats this weekend. A group from Prairie Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie and one from St. John's Lutheran Church in Mapleton will be on campus from Friday to Saturday.

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

 

Plugs

Jewelry Sale... On Friday, Feb. 18, from 4 to 7 p.m., Teri Baumann (GTS) will be hosting a jewelry sale at her home (1117 S Washington Ave, St. Peter) featuring hundreds of pieces of Lia Sophia jewelry that are no longer available for catalog purchase. Most pieces are marked off up to 70% of their original retail value. There will be sample pieces from five consultants, from catalogs dating back four years. Come early for the best selection.

"Plugs" is maintained as a forum by which members of the Gustavus community may offer goods and/or 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 or retailers, although from time to time such announcements may be published when deemed to be of particular interest to the community.



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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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