Inside Gustavus January 22, 2015 | Volume 47, Number 17

President's Cabinet Summary

The President's Cabinet met on Jan. 9 and Jan. 20 and discussed the following items:

• Members discussed the FY 2016 budget benchmarks and planning.
• Members reviewed the December 19, 2014 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education regarding Obam's new scorecard for higher education.
• Members approved the hiring of a full-time Dining Service replacement position (Rotisserie).
• Members approved the hiring of a full-time GTS replacement position (Associate Director of Instructional Services).
• An all-employee meeting was scheduled for February 13 at 2:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel
• Final details for the Jan. 22-23 Board of Trustees meeting were discussed.
• Members continued discussions regarding the FY 2016 budget benchmarks and planning.

News & Announcements

Website Redesign...Gustavus Technology Services and the Office of Marketing and Communication are planning to redesign the Gustavus website before September 2015. The first phase of this process will involve the collection of feedback and ideas from the community. To aid in the gathering of this information, an online form is now available atgustavus.edu/redesign. If you would like to discuss web design or the process, you are welcome to emailweb@gustavus.edu or call Jerry Nowell at x6365. Jerry would also be happy to meet with your department or any other group to further detail the effort and to answer any questions.

Singers Wanted...All staff and faculty are invited to be part of the choral leadership for several Wednesday Morning Praise services during Chapel sabbath time this coming semester. A core group of 8 - 12 singers would be fabulous, though the choir loft can support many more. This group would share the leadership of this midweek service in rotation with the other Gustavus choral ensembles. The first date is February 11; a rehearsal will be scheduled according to availability. Please contact Cantor Chad Winterfeldt, cwinterf@gustavus.edu or x7447.

Provost's Listening Post...Provost Mark Braun will continue a series of informal discussion opportunities with Gustavus students. The “Provost’s Listening Post” will be set up once each month at the tables in upper level of the Campus Center. The goal is to provide a relaxed, informal setting for student questions and discussion about the College. Spring dates and times are scheduled for:

• Thursday, February 19 at 10:30-11:30 a.m. (this Listening Post will take place in the D-Center)
• Wednesday, March 25 at 9-10 a.m.
• Tuesday, April 21 at 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Thursday, May 14 at 9-10 a.m.

Campus Happenings

Ferguson Teach-In...Join faculty, staff, and students for a teach-in on "Ferguson and Beyond: How did we get here? How do we move forward?" The event will begin in the Chapel at 10 a.m. and will move to Alumni Hall at 10:30. Snacks will be available. Faculty teaching during J-Term are invited to bring their classes to be part of the event. Please contact Thia Cooper with any questions. The entire schedule for the event can be found online.

Daily Sabbath Schedule... All are invited to the worship services at 10 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Services occur in Christ Chapel unless otherwise noted. The upcoming schedule is as follows.

• Friday, Jan. 23: Bishop Ake Bonnier of Sweden along with organist David Fienen
• Sunday, Jan. 25: Chaplain Brian Konkol
• Monday, Jan. 26: Rev. Thomas Van Leer, former Chaplain for the Minnesota Timberwolves
• Tuesday, Jan. 27: Fr. Todd Peterson, Catholic Church of St. Peter
• Wednesday, Jan. 28: Morning Praise
• Thursday, Jan. 29: Britta Powell '16, music leadership by Re:vive
• Friday, Jan. 30: Taize Contemplative Worship

Weekend Home Athletic Events

Support the Golden Gusties at one or more of these home athletic events this weekend:

• The gymnastics team will host UW-Stout at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23
• The women's hockey team will host St. Mary's University at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23
• The men's and women's swimming and diving teams will host the University of St. Thomas on Saturday, Jan. 24
• The men's hockey team will host St. Mary's University at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23

Obituaries

Steve Wilkinson, the longtime men’s tennis coach at Gustavus Adolphus College and founder of Tennis and Life Camps, passed away on Wednesday, January 21 at the age of 73 after courageously living with cancer for nearly seven years. Wilkinson spent 39 years (1971-2009) at the helm of the Gustavus men’s tennis program. He retired from the position as the winningest coach in the history of men’s collegiate tennis with 929 victories.

Wilkinson’s squads won two NCAA Division III titles (1980 and 1982) as well as 35 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles. His teams compiled an overall record of 929-278 (.769) and an MIAC mark of 334-1 (.997). In addition, his players claimed six national doubles titles, and four national singles titles. He coached 46 players to 87 ITA All-America honors, 103 players to 226 All-Conference honors, and five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year twice (1974 and 1984) and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Coach of the Year three times (1982, 2001, and 2003).

Along with his wife, Barbara, Wilkinson founded Tennis and Life Camps in 1977. For more than 35 years, the couple impacted generations of tennis enthusiasts by dedicating theirlivesto improving tennis performance of youth and adults and teaching life skills that can be used on and off the court. The Wilkinson’s gifted Tennis and Life Camps to the College in 2010, ensuring that the family’s legacy will be felt at Gustavus for decades to come. Steve and Barb also created an endowed position at Gustavus in sports ethics and men's tennis, which is currently held by head men's tennis coach Tommy Valentini.

Wilkinson also played a key role in the fundraising and construction of the Gustavus tennis facilities, which are considered to be among the finest in the nation.

Wilkinson was also an outstanding player in his own right. He played No. 1 singles at the University of Iowa and was one of the best players in the Big Ten. After college, Wilkinson played competitive tennis for many years and was ranked No. 1 in the United States in the 45, 50, 55 and 60-and-over divisions. He represented the United States in the Dubler Cup, Perry Cup and Austria Cup competitions, winning the world championship in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1989 and finishing second in Berlin, Germany, in 1992.

Wilkinson was involved in numerous national tennis organizations, serving on the executive committees of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), and the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He was inducted into the U.S. Professional Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame, the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame, the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame, the Northern Tennis Association Hall of Fame, and the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. He received the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis Educational Merit Award and The Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Iowa.

Wilkinson is survived by his wife of 48 years, Barbara, two daughters, Stephanie and Deborah, sons-in-law Scott and Jon, four grandchildren, Caroline, Eloise, Stephen, and Audrey, and many relatives and friends. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 in Gustavus’s Christ Chapel with Pastor Alan Bray of First Lutheran Church of St. Peter officiating. A luncheon will follow the service in the College’s Evelyn Young Dining Room. Visitation will take place from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 at First Lutheran Church in St. Peter.

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 St. Philip's Lutheran Church in Fridley on January 23-24. The retreat program is a resource offered to ELCA congregations that are also members of the Gustavus Association of Congregations.



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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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