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December 2008 >


Alumnus will provide White House with National Thanksgiving Turkey
NOVEMBER 26, 2008 — Paul Hill '67 has the honor of presenting President George W. Bush with the 2008 National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate at an official White House ceremony Nov. 26. Hill and his family raised the turkeys at their farm in Ellsworth, Iowa.

Milkweed Press to publish Schwehn story
NOVEMBER 24, 2008 — In December, Milkweed Press will publish an anthology titled Fiction on a Stick: New Stories by Minnesota Writers. One of the included authors is Kaethe Schwehn, visiting assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies at St. Olaf.

St. Olaf student named Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Hill
NOVEMBER 21, 2008 — Susan Hill '09 will spend a year studying at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, after receiving a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. Her studies will focus on anthropology and Eastern European culture.

Polls, cell phones and the Minnesota recount
Chapp
NOVEMBER 21, 2008 — Mara Fink '11 talks with St. Olaf Assistant Professor of Political Science Christopher Chapp about split-ticket voting, the effect of "cell phone" voters on the national election, the value of polls (including the exit polling he conducted with one of his classes) and, of course, the Minnesota senate recount.

Inside Higher Ed, New York Times note rise in St. Olaf early decision applications
Gueldenzoph
NOVEMBER 21, 2008 — The New York Times and Inside Higher Ed both report that, contrary to expectations, St. Olaf and other private colleges are seeing significant increases this year in "early decision" applications. "Whatever the reason ... I'd love to bottle it," St. Olaf Dean of Admissions Derek Gueldenzoph told IHE.

Science Museum president to speak on campus Thursday
Jolly
NOVEMBER 20, 2008 — Eric Jolly, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota, will deliver a lecture on campus Nov. 20 titled "STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as an Essential Literacy for a Healthy Society."

St. Olaf alumni, professors featured in local art exhibit
NOVEMBER 20, 2008 — "The Twenty Views of Dundas," which will be on display through Dec. 7 at ArtOrg in Northfield, features the work of Kari Alberg '81, Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History Mac Gimse '58, and faculty members Meg Ojala and John Saurer.

Students tackle crises in Horn of Africa, gain global perspective
NOVEMBER 19, 2008 — St. Olaf students in Assistant Professor Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak's international relations class took on the roles of leaders from the Horn of Africa and held a three-day summit where they discussed issues ranging from border disputes to drought and worked to foster peace and stability in the region.

A colossus of computing
NOVEMBER 19, 2008 — St. Olaf has created a new computer system that can condense work that would normally take 37 hours into just one hour. What makes the program even more impressive, though, is that students can use the computers to check their e-mail or type papers at the same time as the machines are processing enormous amounts of data.

Muir on Malt-O-Meal
NOVEMBER 19, 2008 — For a story about the ongoing success of Northfield-based cereal company Malt-O-Meal, Minneapolis ABC TV affiliate KSTP asked St. Olaf faculty member Sian Muir to comment on why the company is doing well in the current economic climate.

Merritt receives prestigious composing award
Merritt
NOVEMBER 18, 2008 — Assistant Professor in Music Theory and Composition Justin Merritt has been chosen for the 2008 Aaron Copland Award residency, which means he'll spend three weeks next summer working on his music in the restored home of famed American composer Aaron Copland in New York's Lower Hudson Valley.

Student initiative, tenacity bring mock trial to St. Olaf
NOVEMBER 18, 2008 — In just its second year of existence, the St. Olaf Mock Trial Team is proving it can hold its own against colleges with established programs. After a solid finish at the Macalester Invitational, team members have their eyes set on the national competition.

St. Olaf celebrates 40-year partnership with Chiang Mai
NOVEMBER 17, 2008 — Four decades after a group of St. Olaf students visited Chiang Mai University in Thailand on the first Global Semester, President David R. Anderson '74 and other college officials traveled to the university to celebrate the partnership and sign an agreement extending the relationship.

'St. Olaf Wrestles With Milton's Angel, and Prevails'
NOVEMBER 17, 2008 —

"Whenever you encounter a word you don't know, that's a word to pronounce with special certainty," Professor of English Richard DuRocher told the assembled John Milton aficionados roughly halfway through their marathon reading of Paradise Lost. "It's probably best to mispronounce demonic names anyway."

Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture to be held Tuesday
Kirmmse
NOVEMBER 14, 2008 — Connecticut College Professor Emeritus of History Bruce H. Kirmmse will deliver the third annual Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture Tuesday. His address is titled "Poetry, History, Humanity: A Historian Reads Kierkegaard."

May named American Philological Association VP
May
NOVEMBER 13, 2008 — The American Philological Association has announced the election of St. Olaf Professor of Classics James M. May, who also serves as provost and dean of St. Olaf, as its next vice president for professional matters.

From the Desk of the Dean of Students
Kneser
NOVEMBER 13, 2008 — When I watched a video clip recently that showed the number of hours students spend each day doing everything from sleeping to surfing the Web to studying, I wasn't surprised that it added up to 26.5 hours a day. St. Olaf students pack each day with a full schedule of studying, working and volunteering.

St. Olaf introduces single-stream recycling
NOVEMBER 12, 2008 — Recycling is now even easier at St. Olaf, which recently implemented a new all-in-one or "single-stream" model that largely eliminates the need to separate different types of recyclable materials. One of the goals of the new system is to increase the number of people who recycle.

Minnesota Orchestra premieres Merritt composition
Merritt
NOVEMBER 11, 2008 — The Minnesota Orchestra recently premiered a new piece by St. Olaf Assistant Professor in Music Theory and Composition Justin Merritt -- one of seven composers featured during the performance. "Merritt's piece was the standout," concluded the St. Paul Pioneer Press review.

'Spring Awakening' play opens
NOVEMBER 11, 2008 — Performances of Spring Awakening, a play that tells the story of four young adults struggling to understand their sexuality in 19th century Wilhelmine Germany, will be held Nov. 14-16 and 20-22 in St. Olaf's Kelsey Theater.

Marino on 'business ethics'
Marino
NOVEMBER 11, 2008 — "As moralists like Bishop Butler and Soren Kierkegaard have made plain, our capacity for self-deception, and for rationalizing what amounts to greed, is boundless," writes St. Olaf faculty member Gordon Marino on Slate.

Wilson to deliver fall Mellby Lecture
Wilson
NOVEMBER 11, 2008 — St. Olaf College Professor of Religion and Associate Dean for Humanities Charles A. Wilson '69 will deliver the fall Mellby Lecture Thursday, Nov. 13, with a presentation titled "Inventing Jesus."

Student singers perform well in state audition
NOVEMBER 11, 2008 — St. Olaf student singers including six finalists performed well at the National Association of Teachers of Singing-Minnesota Chapter annual student voice auditions held at St. John's University Nov. 7-8.

Filmmaker Ali Selim settles in at St. Olaf
Selim
NOVEMBER 10, 2008 — Ali Selim, the writer, director and producer of the critically acclaimed independent film Sweet Land, has been sharing his filmmaking expertise with St. Olaf students this semester. He shares what brought him to campus, how teaching compares with filmmaking and his two best pieces of advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Men's cross country team sees champion, coach of the year
Ruon makes an "O" for Olaf.
NOVEMBER 7, 2008 — First-year head coach Phil Lundin has been named MIAC cross-country coach of the year while individual champion Dubuol Ruon '11 became athlete of the year after each helped St. Olaf to a team title at the MIAC Championships.

A discussion on making a deal
Hayes
NOVEMBER 7, 2008 — Science writer Brian Hayes -- who sparked a discussion among mathematicians recently when a book review he wrote referenced the Monty Hall dilemma, a probability puzzle generated by the old game show "Let's Make a Deal" -- will speak at St. Olaf Tuesday.

Lundin named coach of the year
NOVEMBER 7, 2008 — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has named Phil Lundin cross-country coach of the year.

St. Olaf to celebrate Founders' Day Thursday
NOVEMBER 5, 2008 — In honor of the Norwegian Lutheran immigrants who founded St. Olaf 134 years ago, a number of special events are planned Nov. 6 to celebrate Founders' Day.

Dance Department to present 'Fresh Space' concert
NOVEMBER 5, 2008 — The St. Olaf Dance Department will present an informal dance concert Nov. 8 titled "Fresh Space." The show will include modern, international, ballroom, hip-hop and contact improvisation dance.

Annual Ole Artisan Bazaar to be held Nov. 13
NOVEMBER 5, 2008 — The handiwork of St. Olaf College students, faculty and staff will be on display Thursday, Nov. 13, during the annual Ole Artisan Bazaar. The event will feature more than 20 vendors selling products ranging from jewelry to baskets to candles.

'The Power of 2' opens in Flaten
NOVEMBER 4, 2008 — "The Power of 2: Drawing and Dialogue," will open this week at the Flaten Art Museum in Dittmann Center at St. Olaf College. The exhibit features the work of Connecticut artists Joseph Byrne and John Willis, whose work emerged from a six-year dialogue.

Election keeps Hofrenning busy
NOVEMBER 4, 2008 — During the election season St. Olaf Associate Professor of Political Science Dan Hofrenning has had numerous dealings with the media. Most recently he took part in a BBC panel discussion that was broadcast worldwide.

Analyzing the election
Black
NOVEMBER 3, 2008 — Two St. Olaf College classes will host a panel discussion Sunday, Nov. 9 to digest the results and meaning of this year's election. MinnPost blogger and former Star Tribune reporter Eric Black will be on hand to offer his analysis.