Inside Gustavus March 13, 2014 | Volume 46, Number 22

President's Cabinet Summary

The President's Cabinet met on Tuesday, March 11 and discussed the following items:

• Conversation was held regarding national enrollment trends and how we compare to our peer institutions. The decline in high school graduates in the Midwest and nationally will impact our strategies for the future. The discussion was based on a study by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education that noted a decline in the number of high school graduates beginning with the Class of 2012 with the largest decline of graduates in the Midwest and the Northeast. Discussion was focused on strategies to address this decline in high school graduates by paying close attention to regional demographics, working closely with high school counselors to include Gustavus in their discussion with students, broadening the base of recruitment to other regions of the country, expanding recruitment of international students, and developing a digital communication plan, which includes the admission viewbook application for Apple and Android devices.

• The April Board of Trustees meeting was discussed briefly, including inviting trustees to attend classes on Thursday morning, April 24.

• Members approved the hiring of a Campus Safety officer replacement position.

• Members approved the hiring of a sophomore FAIR replacement position.

News & Announcements

All-Employee Meeting...All Gustavus employees are encouraged to attend an all-employee meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 20 in Alumni Hall. All members of the President's Cabinet will be available to answer questions at the meeting. Please submit your questions ahead of time to Vice President for Marketing and Communication Tim Kennedy at tkennedy@gustavus.edu.

Guild of St. Lucia Nominations...The Guild of St. Lucia was established in 1958 to honor women who have achieved academic success, displayed leadership qualities, and provided service to the College and others. Fifteen junior women are elected in the spring of each year. Please send names of nominations with a brief explanation of your nomination to Barb Larson Taylor at btaylor@gustavus.edu by March 21.

Farewell Reception for Mike English...After 14 years at the College, Campus Safety Sergeant Mike English has announced he is retiring. A farewell reception will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 28 in the Three Crowns Room of the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center. All employees are invited to come and extend their good wishes to Mike in his new endeavors.

New USPS Rules...The U.S. Postal Service is implementing new rules designed to revise delivery expectations for some Standard Mail that will result in a more balanced distribution of volume throughout the week. With its new rules, USPS is extending delivery to four days for mail entered Friday or Saturday. USPS says this change will improve delivery efficiency and reduce the traditional heavy Monday workload by spreading the delivery of this mail over the week. The new rules will go into effect April 10.

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions…A TIAA-CREF representative will be on campus on
March 18, 19, and 20. Go online to schedule an appointment or contact (866) 843-5640, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

PTO/Vacation Donations Being Accepted...Employees who would like to donate paid time off hours/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 pto/vacation hours available at the Office of Human Resources (x7304).

Campus Happenings

Our Story Conference...The 2014 Our Story Conference, sponsored by the Pan Afrikan Student Organization, will take place from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 15 in Christ Chapel. This year's guest speaker is University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Lyombe Eko, who will explore the topic of Africa's representation in the media. The event is free and open to the public.

Insomnia Lunch & Learn Event...Gustavus Health Promotion invites faculty and staff to join Dr. Nidal Alkurdy from the Mankato Clinic Neurology Department for a Lunch & Learn on the topic of insomnia from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p..m in the Heritage Room. During his presentation, Dr. Alkurdy will provide an overview of insomnia and will discuss it’s possible etiologies, implications, and treatments. Those who pre-register for the event online on the GHP webpage will be entered into a drawing and will pay only $5 for the Three Crowns Buffet Lunch. Contact Laurie Kelly (x6145, lkelly@gustavus.edu) with any questions.

St. Peter Reads Book Festival...The third annual St. Peter Reads Book Festival will take place on Saturday, April 5. The event includes a 10 a.m. brunch at Gustavus and features a keynote by local author, Nicole Helget. This ticketed event also features several other authors in what is termed as a Moveable Feast. They will spend time at the brunch tables, meeting attendees and visiting about their respective books. Authors include Jan Dunlap, Becky Fjelland Davis, Connie Claire Szarke, Lori Sturdevant and Spike Carlsen, among others. All authors will be available following the brunch to sign their books, which will also be available for purchase. The public is invited to this time of book signing which begins at 12 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, visit the St. Peter Community and Family Education website, or call 507-934-3048. The cost of the brunch is $20 and seating is limited.

Forensics Showcase...The Gustavus forensics team will host a Pre-Nationals Showcase event at 5 p.m. Monday, March 17 in Alumni Hall. Team members will showcase some of their speeches that they will present at the upcoming American Forensic Association's National Individual Events Tournament.

Faculty Roundtable...Join Drs. Kathy Lund Dean, Barbara Zust, and Kyle Momsen for wine, cheese, and engaging conversation from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, March 14 in the St. Peter Room. The topic of the conversation will be "Letting Go for Learning: When Student Reciprocity Fails to Deliver." More information is available online.

Daily Sabbath Schedule... All are invited to the worship services at 10 a.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays in Christ Chapel. The upcoming schedule is as follows.

• Sunday, March 16: Fellowship at 4:30 p.m., Sunday Worship at 5 p.m.
• Monday, March 17: Glen Lloyd, Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement
• Tuesday, March 18: Neal Hagberg, Director of Tennis and Life Camps
• Wednesday, March 19: Lenten Taizé Service
• Thursday, March 20: Mimi Gerstbauer, Political Science; Music leadership from re:vive

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Day at the Capitol...On Tuesday, March 18, Gustavus students and staff will travel to St. Paul to meet with state legislators to show continued support and appreciation for the Minnesota State Grant Program. New to the Day at the Capitol event this year is a networking event which will take place from 4 to 6 p.. at the Lilydale Pool and Yacht Club. This event will give students attending Day at the Capitol an opportunity to network with Gustavus alumni who work in a variety of different career fields. You can register to participate in Day at the Capitol events by going online to gustavus.edu/events/capitol.

Closing Reception for Art Exhibit...A closing reception will be held from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 30 at the Waseca Art Center for Lois Peterson's (Art and Art History) exhibit, The Double Landscape Series. Peterson describes her recent large-scale drawings as being largely informed by her earlier ceramic work, which focused on surfaces made of clay. Her work addresses the interaction between color fields and the manipulations of space and the placement of lines. The exhibit is on display in the first floor gallery and will continue through March 29.

Gustavus Music Showcase...The 2014 Gustavus Music Showcase will take place at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16 at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi. This year's Music Showcase will feature the Gustavus Choir, Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band. The performance is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be received.

Passion for Lifelong Learning Lecture...Dr. Kathy Lund Dean (Economics and Management) will speak at the Gustavus Passion for Lifelong Learning event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20 at the American Swedish Insititute in Minneapolis. Dr. Lund Dean will talk about her research on how religious accommodation and discrimination disuptes in the workplace are being resolved by the courts. Cost is $10 per person and registration is available online or by contacting the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement at alumni@gustavus.edu or 1-800-487-8437.

Obituaries

• Donnas "Don" Preston Goodrich, the father of La Dona Lange (Custodial), passed away on Saturday, March 8 at the age of 84. He is survived by five children: La Dona (Paul) Lange of Mankato, Darell Goodrich, Kevin Goodrich, Julie Goodrich, and Cynthia Anderson; seven grandchildren; special friend Mary Katz; and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 15 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Danville Township. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, March 14 at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells.

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 jolene@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

Retreats...Church Relations in the Center for Servant Leadership will host a weekend confirmation retreat for Christ Lutheran Church of Arcadia, Wis., March 13-14. The retreat program is a resource offered to ELCA congregations that are members of the Gustavus Association of Congregations.

Partners in Education...Sarah Ruble (Religion) will be giving a presentation on "Hope in Times of Tribulation" at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, March 16 at Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley. Partners in Education is a program coordinated by Church Relations in the Center for Servant Leadership in which participating faculty and staff members prepare topical presentations for adult forums, workshops, and seminars in congregations of the ELCA.

Exploring Religious Questions Series...The mini-course "Christian Faith and Economic Justice" will conclude on Monday, March 17 from 7-9 p.m. in Olin 103. Mary Gaebler (Religion) will give a presentation on "Faith Active in Love: Theologically Informed Financial and Political Choices Today," while Marcia J. Bunge (Religion) will give a series conclusion. The mini-course is sponsored by Church Relations in the Center for Servant Leadership.

Preaching in Congregations...Nate Paulsen '15 will preach at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Gaylord for their Lenten service. The pulpit supply program is coordinated by Church Relations in the Center for Servant Leadership for Gustavus Association member congregations.

"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. For more information, contact Matt Thomas (mthomas@gustavus.edu or x7510).

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