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< September 2007
November 2007 >


Noted Islamic scholar to discuss interpretations of jihad
Hashmi
OCTOBER 30, 2007 — Sohail Hashmi, associate professor of international relations at Mount Holyoke College, will speak Thursday about contemporary interpretations of the Islamic concept of jihad -- a concept used by Muslims in discussions of the justice and validity of war.

President Anderson notes college's 'energy and momentum'
Anderson
OCTOBER 30, 2007 — A recent posting by St. Olaf President David R. Anderson '74 highlights a few developments that he calls good indicators of how St. Olaf students and alumni feel about their college.

Young alumnus wins economics award for paper
OCTOBER 30, 2007 — David Vock '07 recently won first place in the annual writing contest sponsored by the Minnesota Economic Association for his paper, "The Effect of School Inputs on Dropout Rates in Minnesota School Districts."

Halloween fun will be hosted by Volunteer Network
OCTOBER 29, 2007 — St. Olaf's Volunteer Network will host a night of Halloween fun on campus Wednesday. The party will include cookie making, fortune telling and haunted musical chairs.

St. Olaf community mourns tragic death of young alumna
OCTOBER 27, 2007 — Members of the St. Olaf community were shocked to learn recently of the tragic death of Katherine Ann Olson '06. The news, says College Pastor W. Bruce Benson, has settled like a weight on every heart.

Dancer Keith Johnson and company to perform at St. Olaf tonight
OCTOBER 26, 2007 — Johnson, professor of dance at California State University at Long Beach, has received numerous awards. As a guest teacher he has traveled widely and taught at many institutions, including The Julliard School, Dartmouth College and LaSalle College of the arts in Singapore.

One-hundred ninety-six and counting
OCTOBER 25, 2007 — The November issue of The Lutheran magazine has taken note of the fact that the number of movie theatres around the country that will carry the simulcast of this year's St. Olaf Christmas Festival has reached nearly 200.

Hollywood animator Kristin Solid '94 on campus Friday-Saturday
Solid
OCTOBER 25, 2007 — St. Olaf students, faculty and staff are invited to an informal conversation with cinematic animator Kristin Solid '94, who has worked on such blockbusters as King Kong and Night at the Museum.

Boe's Holtkamp organ breaks out
OCTOBER 24, 2007 — The Holtkamp organ in Boe Memorial Chapel recently cut its first non-St. Olaf recording in a project that was a collaborative effort of the American Guild of Organists, Augsburg Fortress Publishers and St. Olaf College.

Star Tribune notes passing of Northfield artisan, alumnus
OCTOBER 24, 2007 — Northfield stained glass artist David Kjerland '65, who recently restored the century-old Steensland Hall skylight on the St. Olaf campus that was destroyed in the 2006 hailstorm, died Oct. 15.

Gov. Pawlenty praises alumnus during Indian trade mission
Chaudhary
OCTOBER 24, 2007 — During a ceremony on Oct. 23 to sign India's first sister-state agreement that tied Minnesota to the Indian state of Haryana, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty publicly praised state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary '91 for his role in the historic agreement.

St. Olaf to host entrepreneurial arts conference
Sutton
OCTOBER 24, 2007 — The first conference of its type at St. Olaf, Making it in the Arts will feature keynote speaker Ward Sutton '89, whose illustrations have graced the pages of The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Nation, The Onion and Entertainment Weekly.

Former Hussein confidant to speak at St. Olaf
Sada
OCTOBER 24, 2007 — Former Iraqi general Georges Sada, who at one point was the No. 2 man in the Iraqi Air Force, will speak in Boe Chapel Tuesday. He is author of the book Saddam's Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein.

Standing together for peace, justice
OCTOBER 23, 2007 — "We are caretakers, stewards of this life," Lowell Erdahl '53 recently told the Star Tribune. Erdahl and his wife, Carol '54, recently were recognized by the Hawkinson Foundation for Peace and Justice for the 42 years they have spent "speaking out against injustice, marching for peace and working toward change."

Many-handed 'Monster' concert Thursday
OCTOBER 23, 2007 — St. Olaf College invites the college community and the public to a Halloween-themed piano recital that will feature eight costumed pianists playing four pianos in a performance on Thursday.

Thinking outside the water bottle
OCTOBER 22, 2007 — Members of the student-led Peace and Justice Network encourage community members join supporters of "Think Outside the Bottle" in a nation-wide effort to support the consumption of public tap water over bottled water.

Rutgers University professor to speak on protection of noncombatants in contemporary warfare
OCTOBER 18, 2007 — James T. Johnson, professor religion at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., will discuss the moral and legal erosions of protecting noncombatants in contemporary warfare Tuesday as part of the college's current academic theme that looks at Liberal Arts in Times of War.

Visiting professor to present inaugural lecture in Norwegian Studies
OCTOBER 17, 2007 — The University of Oslo's Professor Ingeborg Kongslien will present the first annual Frederick Gaylord Grose Lecture in Norwegian Studies tonight, when she discusses "Literary Voices of the Immigrant Experience."

St. Olaf Theatre to welcome David C. Mann
Mann
OCTOBER 17, 2007 — Actor, director, playwright David C. Mann brings his one-man show, Revelations of Mann, to St. Olaf for one night only on Oct. 23. The performance is open to the public and tickets are available now through the St. Olaf Theatre Department box office.

Alumna returns home to White Earth Reservation
Kupcho
OCTOBER 15, 2007 — Rachel Kupcho '99 is featured in a Star Tribune story about how the White Earth reservation recently welcomed back some of the thousands of Indian children adopted off reservations under a decades-long federal policy. The all-day healing ceremony was perhaps the first of its type in the nation.

Alumnus' research cited in congressional testimony
Bad Wound
OCTOBER 15, 2007 — "St. Olaf was where my research interests began," says Adam Bad Wound '02, whose bibliographic database was recently cited by an economist during congressional testimony. "My focus is rooted in the global perspective that I gained by attending St. Olaf."

Postlethwaite reviews new Sebold book
Postlethwaite
OCTOBER 13, 2007 — "I wanted to love it," writes St. Olaf Professor of English Diana Postlethwaite in the Star Tribune. "With a first print run of 750,000 copies, Alice Sebold's second novel, The Almost Moon, is what they call in the book biz 'highly anticipated.'"

Penz is semifinalist for prestigious Draddy Trophy
Penz
OCTOBER 12, 2007 — Senior quarterback Matt Penz was one of 24 Division III football student-athletes honored as semifinalists for the all-divisions Draddy Trophy and National Football Foundation 2007 National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

St. Olaf Lyric Theatre to present Carmen
McKeel
OCTOBER 12, 2007 — "One of the rewards of music directing a classic piece of opera like Carmen with a young and talented cast of singer-actors," explains Music Director James Mckeel, "is watching the youthful energy they bring to the characters while challenging themselves to successfully fuse the elements of text, music, character and dance into an effective performance."

St. Olaf Chapel Choir to present 'Living Water' vespers service
Aspaas
OCTOBER 12, 2007 — "The feast and famine of our summer season has been difficult for so many folks," says conductor Christopher Aspaas '95, who hopes audience members affected by the drought and floods will find comfort in the music and words of the service.

St. Olaf Band to visit Great Lakes cities during fall tour
Mahr
OCTOBER 11, 2007 — This year's St. Olaf Band tour program will include two premieres of works composed and conducted by seniors Jonathan Bartz and Gregory C. Sylvester. "Both Greg and Jonathan have created very engaging works," says conductor Timothy Mahr '78.

Minnesota National Guard Sgt. John Kriesel speaks at St. Olaf
Kriesel
OCTOBER 11, 2007 — Sgt. John Kriesel, who lost both of his legs in an explosion that killed two of his friends, spoke at St. Olaf on Oct. 17. His visit was part of the college's current academic theme that looks at Liberal Arts in Times of War.

NPR's Fresh Air hosts Gretchen Morgenson '76
OCTOBER 10, 2007 — Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Gretchen Morgenson '76 was the guest on National Public Radio's Fresh Air program Wednesday evening. She spoke with host Terry Gross about the subprime mortgage crisis.

'St. Oluf' team wins bee
OCTOBER 9, 2007 — Once again, the "St. Oluf" team won the recent annual Northfield Adult Spelling Bee sponsored by Friends of the Library. The event raised about $5,000 that will go toward enhancing the Northfield Public Library's children and teen literature sections.

Shhh ... alumnus attorney keeps a secret
Renz
OCTOBER 9, 2007 — The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog recently profiled Christopher Renz '98, and his involvement in a little court case that involved a U.S. senator and an airport restroom. "When the story leaked, I found it remarkable that Chris had known about this for months and never told anyone," says Renz' boss.

Law enforcement expert to discuss terrorism, community policing
Kelling
OCTOBER 8, 2007 — George Kelling '56 is the co-author of "Broken Windows," an article that has been highly influential since its 1982 publication in The Atlantic Monthly. He'll speak at St. Olaf Oct. 9 as part of this semester's academic theme.

U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken to speak at St. Olaf
Franken
OCTOBER 7, 2007 — U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken will speak at St. Olaf Tuesday in a public event sponsored by the St. Olaf College Democrats.

'Hi, Mom!' webcam makes appearance on NBC
OCTOBER 5, 2007 — In a recent feature story about "helicopter" parents, NBC's Today show highlighted St. Olaf's new "Hi, Mom!" webcam as an innovative way for parents to keep in touch with their kids in college.

Matthew Johnson '85 appointed Minnesota Court of Appeals judge
Johnson
OCTOBER 5, 2007 — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has appointed three new judges to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, including Matthew Johnson '85. Pawlenty has praised Johnson's intellect, legal abilities and passion for law and justice.

St. Olaf Board of Regents welcomes new members
OCTOBER 4, 2007 — Three new St. Olaf Regents will join veterans of the group Oct. 4 -- the first meeting of the year: Eric Hanson '76, Philip Milne '81 and Mary Rand Taylor. Additionally, two current members have been formally elected.

African dance-drum performance Friday
OCTOBER 3, 2007 — Internationally renowned performer Christian Yao Adeti, director-choreographer of the West African dance-drum company Titambe, will come to St. Olaf with African drummers Friday.

Renaissance ensemble Piffaro to perform at St. Olaf
OCTOBER 2, 2007 — The Philadelphia-based instrumental ensemble Piffaro will present a recital -- their first at St. Olaf -- of Renaissance-era music Friday. The seven-member ensemble will perform a variety of works by 16th-century Flemish composers, including chansons, dances and mass movements, on traditional wind, string and percussion instruments.

Alumni, students recognized by Hawkinson Foundation
OCTOBER 2, 2007 — Oles Lowell Erdahl '53, Carol Erdahl '54, Chloe Stull Lane '07, Vera Belazelkoska '09 and Laura Groggel '08 have been recognized by the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace and Justice.

Pioneer Press examines Apple's resurgence on campuses
OCTOBER 1, 2007 — "I never hear students who have switched to a Mac saying they are going back to Windows," Roberta Lembke, director of Information and Instructional Technologies at St. Olaf, recently told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for a story about how Apple computers are regaining a foothold on Minnesota campuses.

Performance poet Ed Bok Lee to hold one-day residency
Ed Bok Lee
OCTOBER 1, 2007 — "I'm writing basically naked and just trying to tell the stories of the people and their lives and events that make them who they are in this world," says Ed Bok Lee, author of the award-winning book Real Karaoke People. He'll visit St. Olaf Thursday.