Edlo Solum, a longtime physical education instructor who served as St. Olaf College's first Title IX coordinator, died Thursday. She was 98.

Professor of Philosophy Charles Taliaferro has two new books coming out this fall — The Golden Cord and The Routledge Companion to Theism — as well as an essay in a new book titled The Hobbit and Philosophy.

As part of a summer research program at the University of Michigan, St. Olaf College history and classics major Collin Moat '13 transcribed a Latin document written in a British monastery more than 500 years ago.

A $250,000 gift from the Boldt family will support programs and activities in the college's Piper Center for Vocation and Career that enhance career opportunities for students and alumni.

A five-year grant totaling $1.1 million will support St. Olaf College's TRiO McNair Scholars Program, which aims to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students who go on to graduate school.

Serena Xiong '13 combined her passion for public health with funding from the Phillips Scholarship to design, implement, and manage the "Hmong and Latino Radon Education Project," which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of radon exposure.

A mutual interest in the historical intersection of science and religion led Christophe Porot '13 and Associate Professor of Political Science Douglas Casson to team up on a research project that enabled Porot to spend the summer at the University of Oxford.

This summer a team of students led by Associate Professor of Physics Jason Engbrecht designed and built a highly sensitive robotic arm able to make sugar cookies — research that provides a foundation for robots that interact with humans in household settings.

St. Olaf College recently welcomed a talented, diverse group of 865 new first-year students from 516 high schools in 47 states and 51 countries.

As a student at St. Olaf College, Bobby Hunter '08 received an education that prepared him well for a career in finance — and support from alumni eager to help him network. Now he's using his position at UnitedHealth Group to recruit and hire new employees like Michael Rahman '12.

The new Poetry House — one of 18 on-campus honor houses — will provide St. Olaf College students and the surrounding community with a gathering place to engage in exciting dialogue and creative expression.

With more than 200 student organizations on campus, Oles can pursue interests both serious and quirky. "Because of the speed and ease of creating an organization, niche-oriented groups have really grown," says 2011-12 Student Organizations Committee Coordinator Roderick Gui '13 (left).