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< October 2007
December 2007 >


Chapel services will celebrate Christmas in Norwegian, German, Russian
NOVEMBER 30, 2007 — Christmas traditions from around the world will be celebrated at Boe Chapel this week, where services will be held in Norwegian, German and Russian. All services will be streamed online.

Christmas Festival on Minnesota Public Radio
NOVEMBER 30, 2007 — Listen to John Ferguson, conductor of St. Olaf Cantorei, tell MPR's Cathy Wurzer about what the St. Olaf Christmas Festival means to the college. And then tune in to MPR Sunday to listen to the performance, or see the simulcast in a movie theatre near you.

TPT talks to Johnson, Ferguson about Christmas Festival
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 — The hosts of Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac show talk with Professor of Organ Music John Ferguson and Manager of Music Organizations B.J. Johnson about the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, which will be simulcast Sunday to nearly 200 movie theaters across the country.

Pioneer Press spotlights simulcast
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 — The Pioneer Press notes that even if you don't have tickets to the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, which it says "has long been one of the hottest tickets of the season in this Land of 10,000 Holiday Events," you can still get "up close and festive" at a local movie theater.

Christmas Festival on YouTube
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 — View a brief video of this year's two-hour St. Olaf Christmas Festival before buying your simulcast tickets for Sunday's performance. Campus visitors during the weekend also will enjoy woodwind, brass and band performances, author signings and a selection of great food.

St. Olaf student receives Courage in Journalism Award
Sheforgen
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 — "We went through so much last year, so it was nice to be honored and recognized for the work we did," says Eric Sheforgen '11, who recently was honored by the Newseum for fighting censorship while working for his high school paper.

From hot dish to Thor
NOVEMBER 28, 2007 — A number of author-signing events featuring books with subjects ranging from hot dish to the Norwegian god Thor will be held at the St. Olaf Bookstore Thursday through Sunday.

St. Olaf filmmakers among top finalists in national competition
NOVEMBER 27, 2007 — A three-minute film a group of St. Olaf students created in just 24 hours to enter in Apple, Inc.'s Insomnia Film Festival placed in the top 1 percent of the nearly 2,000 entries submitted.

Final 'war' lecture Thursday
My Lai
NOVEMBER 26, 2007 — Faculty member Karil Kucera will present a talk about the memorial sites at Hiroshima, Nanjing and My Lai Thursday. "How do you bring the viewer to My Lai, Nanjing and Hiroshima into a different time and place and make them understand the horrors of what happened there?" she asks.

Marino reviews boxing books for New York Times
Marino
NOVEMBER 26, 2007 — St. Olaf College Professor of Philosophy Gordon Marino reviews two boxing books in Sunday's New York Times. "By the end, the reader will know precisely what it is like to listen to the Bill Walsh of boxing hold court on the exotic art of the cornerman," he writes about legendary trainer Angelo Dundee's memoir, My View from the Corner: A Life in Boxing.

Merritt earns award for string of successful compositions
Merritt
NOVEMBER 21, 2007 — Assistant Professor of Music Composition and Theory Justin Merritt has received an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in recognition of his compositions for choir, orchestra, band and electronic media.

Two St. Olaf students named Rhodes Scholars
NOVEMBER 21, 2007 — Two St. Olaf students, Ishanaa Rambachan '08 and Nicole Novak '08, have been named Rhodes Scholars for 2008. The two seniors are the college's eighth and ninth Rhodes Scholars since 1910, and the fourth and fifth since 1997.

Rhodes Scholar 'not only intelligent, but gracious'
NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — St. Olaf College student Ishanaa Rambachan '08 tells KSTP 5 that she simply "gave it a shot" when it came to applying for a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. The effort paid off for Rambachan who, along with fellow St. Olaf student Nicole Novak '08, won the scholarship.

"It's so humbling," Rambachan tells KARE 11. "I wouldn't be here without the professors who pushed me to apply and made me feel confident that I had a chance." Rambachan's modesty prompted KSTP 5 to describe her as "not only intelligent, but gracious."

St. Olaf students to present research at World Health Organization
NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — Three St. Olaf College students will leave this week for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where they will present research that will help experts measure and reduce foodborne disease.

Times asks O'Leary about consulate closure
NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — Norway's decision to close its consulate in Minneapolis next year has Professor Margaret Hayford O'Leary, chair of the Norwegian Department at St. Olaf College, wondering in the New York Times whether the Midwest will become "flyover land" -- even for Norwegians.

Star Tribune calls St. Olaf 'a colossus of Rhodes'
Rambachan
NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — "I was shocked," Ishanaa Rambachan '08 told the Star Tribune about learning that she had been selected to receive a 2008 Rhodes Scholarship. Rambachan and fellow St. Olaf College student Nicole Novak '08 are among 32 students from across the United States to receive the prestigious award.

Now showing in a theatre near you
NOVEMBER 20, 2007 — Fans of the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival might be surprised to see a preview for this year's simulcast event in their local cineplex. The trailer, which promotes the Dec. 2 live broadcast of this year's Festival, is showing on more than 8,500 screens around the country.

Allister receives Fulbright Scholar grant
NOVEMBER 17, 2007 — Professor of English Mark Allister has received a Fulbright Scholar grant that will allow him to lecture in Romania during 2007-08. "Romania interests me in particular because it's a developing country by European standards," he says.

American Studies Museum explores college subculture
NOVEMBER 17, 2007 — An annual exhibit put together by St. Olaf College students explores the deeper meaning of everyday objects ranging from the mini refrigerator to the Nalgene water bottle. It is open Monday, Nov. 19, from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in Buntrock Commons Room 142.

St. Olaf filmmakers enter national competition
NOVEMBER 16, 2007 — Six St. Olaf students worked to create a three-minute masterpiece in just 24 hours as part of Apple, Inc.'s Insomnia Film Festival. Their film, Nothing Gold Can Stay, follows a young woman as she dreams about time spent with her boyfriend and awakes to the realization that she has fallen out of love.

DuRocher presents, publishes, translates
DuRocher
NOVEMBER 15, 2007 — This past month St. Olaf Professor of English Richard DuRocher was the keynote speaker at a Milton conference, published three essays and completed part of the translation of an eight-volume Latin work.

St. Olaf senior wins $20,000 in scratch-off game
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 — Stephen Lindley '08 won $20,000 Friday, Nov. 3, playing "Lucky Stars," a scratch-off lottery ticket he bought at the AmCon gas station on Highway 3 and St. Olaf Avenue.

Lindley says he plans to use some of the money to finance his Interim study abroad program to the New Hampshire presidential primary elections and save the rest.

St. Olaf a leader in number of students studying abroad
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 — St. Olaf College ranked No. 2 among peer institutions in the number of students who studied abroad during the 2005-06 academic year, according to an annual study. The Star Tribune notes that St. Olaf was one of 18 institutions that said 80 percent or more of its students spend some time studying abroad.

St. Olaf to celebrate past, future Fulbright accomplishments
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 — Since 1995, 49 St. Olaf students have received prestigious Fulbright scholarships. St. Olaf is the current leader in Fulbright recipients among all Minnesota schools and No. 13 in the nation among baccalaureate institutions.

St. Olaf Mock Trial Team off to strong start
NOVEMBER 13, 2007 — Members of the new St. Olaf Mock Trial Team, which competes by trying hypothetical civil or criminal cases against other teams, won a trial round and impressed judges at the Macalester Invitational.

Photo exhibit challenges 'politicization' of motherhood
NOVEMBER 13, 2007 — "The show takes a stand against poverty and the political and economic powerlessness that accompanies those who live on the fringes," says Flaten Art Museum Director Jill Ewald.

Women's Cross Country team to run in NCAA championships
NOVEMBER 12, 2007 — The St. Olaf women's cross country team has been named one of 16 teams that will get an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships that will run Saturday, Nov. 17, at St. Olaf.

Miami Herald cites St. Olaf ethics requirement
NOVEMBER 12, 2007 — A story in Sunday's Miami Herald, "Colleges revive ethics in the age of Enron," cites the fact that St. Olaf requires "students to take ethics before they graduate."

Lecture to look at creation of atomic bomb
NOVEMBER 12, 2007 — "When World War II broke out ... scientists were forced to make decisions about what their own contribution to the war effort would be," says Assistant Professor of Physics Jason Engbrecht. "The decision they made led to the largest scientific program ever undertaken."

Annual Ole Artisan Bazaar to be held Friday
NOVEMBER 11, 2007 — Jewelry, scarves, baskets, cards, candles and lotions are just a few of the things that will be available at the annual Ole Artisan Bazaar, which will take place Friday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Buntrock Commons.

Installation artist Judy Pfaff to speak at St. Olaf
NOVEMBER 9, 2007 — Internationally known installation artist Judy Pfaff will speak at St. Olaf Monday about her work. St. Olaf faculty member Meg Ojala says that Pfaff "dissolves boundaries between media in inventive and evocative ways."

Professor of History Robert Entenmann to present Ly's lessons in Mellby Lecture
Entenmann
NOVEMBER 8, 2007 — For this fall's Mellby Lecture, faculty member Robert Entenmann will share his research on Andreas Ly, an 18th-century Chinese Catholic priest. "He was dedicated, devout and a little cranky, but someone with a lot of resilience," says Entenmann. "Not everyone got along with him."

Band Day to feature alumnus conductor
Hakoda
NOVEMBER 8, 2007 — Ken Hakoda '96 has been called a "quadruple threat" in music for his rare talent. And three of Hakoda's pieces will be performed during Saturday's concert, including the premiere performance of a piece that was commissioned for the event by the Miles Johnson Endowment. The concert will be streamed online.

Guest lecturer to help kick off Asian Conversation revival
NOVEMBER 7, 2007 — A revamped Asian Conversation program, to be launched in fall 2008, will show students "how much their language study contributes to their understanding of Asia," says faculty member Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak.

'theWeek' raises money, awareness for microfinance
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 — In the developing world, a few dollars can make a world of difference to a budding entrepreneur. theWeek is a series of events at St. Olaf that will take a closer look at microfinance initiatives in the developing world.

Narvaez receives two teaching awards
Narvaez
NOVEMBER 6, 2007 — St. Olaf Professor of Spanish Leon Narvaez received two notable awards recently: the Professional Teaching Award from the North Central Council of Latin Americanists and the Percy Fearing Award for excellence in the preparation of teaching materials from the Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures.

Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture Tuesday
Evans
NOVEMBER 2, 2007 — C. Stephen Evans, professor of philosophy and humanities at Baylor University and renowned Kierkegaard scholar, will deliver the second annual Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture, titled "Kierkegaard: Father of Existentialism or Critic of Existentialism?"

St. Olaf to celebrate Founders Day Tuesday
Dittmann
NOVEMBER 2, 2007 — The St. Olaf College community will celebrate the 133rd anniversary of the founding of the institution Tuesday, Nov. 6. With a focus on the college's immigrant roots, the chapel speaker that day will be Reidar Dittmann '47.

St. Olaf Magazine earns MMPA Excellence Awards
NOVEMBER 2, 2007 — St. Olaf Magazine, edited by Carole Leigh Engblom and designed by Don Bratland '87, recently took home six recognitions in the annual Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association (MMPA) Excellence Awards.

Blood Brothers audio interview
NOVEMBER 1, 2007 — The complex characters in the "urban domestic tragedy" Blood Brothers (opening Nov. 9 at St. Olaf) posed some challenges to the student cast. Listen to an interview with cast members to find out what they did to learn more about the people they're portraying in the play.