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< October 2006
December 2006 >


Book signing to be held for Doug Ohman and Jim Heynen
NOVEMBER 30, 2006 — Photographer Doug Ohman and writer Jim Heynen will offer a book signing at 6 p.m. in the St. Olaf Bookstore with the latest book Schoolhouses of Minnesota. The fourth book in Ohman's popular Minnesota Byways series, includes photos of Minnesota's last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Angle Inlet. Heynen, who learned to read and write in a one-room schoolhouse, brings back memories of the early days of Minnesota education, with his wit and down-to-earth style.

St. Olaf to break ground for Science Complex Friday
NOVEMBER 30, 2006 — With fundraising for Beyond Imagination: The St. Olaf Campaign for the Future of Math + Science gaining momentum and the St. Olaf Board of Regents confident that the college will reach its initial campaign goals of $22 million by January 2007, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Science Complex will be held on Friday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m.

Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera to be performed
NOVEMBER 29, 2006 — The St. Olaf Music Department will open its first lyric theatre season with a production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera.

Sending students far, far away
NOVEMBER 29, 2006 — Star Tribune South Reporter Emily Johns came down to St. Olaf recently to find out more about why St. Olaf remains the No. 1 college in the country for sending students abroad. "I was almost looking for some sort of culture shock, completely different from anything I knew or had seen before," says Mark Morris '07, who spent five months on St. Olaf's "Term in the Middle East."

Hot job market for college grads
Amy
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 — When USA Today needs information about the current job market for college graduates, they know whom to call: St. Olaf Career Counselor Sandra Amy. Amy, who worked for Target before joining St. Olaf, was one of a handful of professionals and students around the country who commented on the current "optimistic" job market, where employers are expected to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than in 2005-06.

Meidt remembered as Prep Bowl standout
Meidt
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 — St. Olaf head football coach Chris Meidt shares accolades with Twins' batting champ Joe Mauer and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis.

Kierkegaard Library celebrates 30th anniversary
Kierkegaard
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 — St. Olaf celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kierkegaard Library this fall with a series of events, including a lecture, a dedication and a visit from the Danish ambassador to the United States.

Guest recital to be given at St. Olaf College
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 — Four members of the Minnesota Orchestra will present a guest recital at 8:15 p.m. in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall. Performing will be Sara Kwak, violin, Sabina Thatcher, viola, Beth Rapier, cello, and Lydia Artymiw, piano. The recital is free and open to the public.

Homelessness to be topic of photo exhibit
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 — A photo exhibit "Portraits of Home: Families in Search of Shelter in Greater Minnesota" will be on display in the Telecommunications Hallway of Buntrock Commons through November 27, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

"The Lutheran" recognizes St. Olaf for international studies
NOVEMBER 22, 2006 — The Lutheran reports that St. Olaf College retains its position as the No. 1 baccalaureate institution in the United States in both number and percentage of students who studied abroad in 2004-05. Other ELCA schools include Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., ranked 7th, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, ranked 11th and Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., ranked 17th.

Bakko sustains green perspective locally and globally
NOVEMBER 21, 2006 — As curator of St. Olaf's natural lands, Professor of Biology Gene Bakko promotes habitat restoration on campus. He also shares his knowledge of one of the world's most distinctive environments by leading a Study Travel program in Australia.

Former CIA 'spook' Bob Baer shoots from the hip
Baer
NOVEMBER 20, 2006 — Star Tribune reporter Michael Bonafield interviewed author and former CIA employee Robert Baer last week during Baer's visit to St. Olaf for a talk sponsored by the student-run Political Awareness Committee. Baer, who spent some 20 years in the CIA as an operations case officer with field assignments in India, Lebanon, Tajikistan and Iraq, is not optimistic about America's involvement in Iraq. "There's no obvious way out," he says.

St. Olaf Philharmonia to present concert
NOVEMBER 20, 2006 — The 78-member St. Olaf Philharmonia, conducted by J. Robert Hanson, visiting professor of music, will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel. The program will feature "Overture and Allegro from La Sultane Suite by Francois Couperin, "Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra" by Claude Debussy, "Academic Festival Overture" by Johannes Brhams, selections from "The Firebird Suite No. 2" by Igor Stravinsky, and "Chorale Fantasy on Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland by the ensembles own conductor, J. Robert Hanson.

Concert to celebrate legacy of F. Melius Christiansen
Christiansen
NOVEMBER 19, 2006 — Five choirs, including the St. Olaf Choir, will gather today at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis for the F. Melius Christiansen 135th Anniversary Concert. The event will celebrate the life and accomplishments of Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf Choir.

St. Olaf Choir to perform in Orchestra Hall
NOVEMBER 19, 2006 — Five Minnesota Lutheran college choirs will unite to celebrate the living legacy of the father of American a cappella singing in a concert at Orchestra Hall. The colleges, Augsburg, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia University-St. Paul, Gustavus Adolphus and St. Olaf, will perform as a combined choir under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Kenneth Jennings, Professor Emeritus and former director of the St. Olaf Choir. Tickets for the concerts, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., may be purchased by calling the Orchestra Hall box office at 800-292-4141 or 612-371-5656. All seats are reserved.

Valhalla Band to perform anniversary concert
NOVEMBER 18, 2006 — The student-organized Valhalla Band, will present a concert in celebration of their 10th-year anniversary at 7:30 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel. Highlighting the program will be "Fanfare and Grand March," "An Outdoor Overture," "Elsa's Processional to the Cathedral," "Mar's, Briner of War," "Come Sweet Death," and more.

Urinetown, the musical to be presented at St. Olaf
NOVEMBER 18, 2006 — Urinetown, the musical, book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann, will be presented in Kelsey Theater on November 10-12 and November 16-18 at 7:30 p.m. The winner of three Tony awards, Urinetown, the musical will be directed by Associate Professor of Theater Karen Peterson Wilson. Tickets, $8, will be available two weeks prior to the production, by calling 507-646-8987.

Rippley's latest book reviewed in Minnesota History
NOVEMBER 18, 2006 — Professor of German LaVern Rippley?s lastest book, The Chemnitzer Concertina, A History and an Accolade (St. Olaf College Press, 2006 -- available from the St. Olaf Bookstore) is reviewed in the fall issue of Minnesota History magazine.

'New Ways and Means' art show to run through Dec. 10
Conley detail
NOVEMBER 18, 2006 — A new art show at St. Olaf features the work of Michael Hopkins and Cristine Conley. "These painters produce works that are at once abstract and representational," says museum curator Jill Ewald.

Hagedorn and quintet revive music of Eric Dolphy
Hagedorn
NOVEMBER 17, 2006 — Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Bands Dave Hagedorn, as part of the Out to Lunch Quintet, revives the sounds of jazz legend Eric Dolphy in a new live album.

Ole Artisans Bazaar
NOVEMBER 17, 2006 — St. Olaf will have its 7th Annual Ole Artisans Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17 in the Buntrock Commons Crossroads. Come join the St. Olaf community to admire and shop for art and craft pieces created by talented students, faculty and staff.

Critic finds thread that joins St. Olaf Choir and Air Supply
NOVEMBER 17, 2006 — "There is a vast space between the music of the St. Olaf Choir and Air Supply," writes Josephine E. Ayers, editor of a luxury living magazine, in The Anniston Star. "But as Air Supply rocked Woodstock Tuesday night, I searched for a thread which joins the two, and it was not so hard to find."

Former CIA agent to give lecture at St. Olaf
NOVEMBER 15, 2006 — Bob Baer, a former CIA agent and author will offer an analysis of the Middle East through the lens of his experiences as a CIA operative at a lecture at 7 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, the Pause. Baer's books See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil were the basis for the 2005 Academy Award-winning motion picture Syriana. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Author Paul Shepherd will present lecture at St. Olaf
NOVEMBER 15, 2006 — Paul Shepherd, author of More Like Not Running Away and winner of the 2004 Mary McCarthy Prize will give a lecture at 7 p.m. in Rolvaag Library 525. Shepherd is writer in residence and a former Kingsbury Fellow at Florida State University. His fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Crazyhorse, Fiction, Omni and Prairie Schooner. The lecture is free and open to the public.

A sleep out and panel discussion will focus on homelessness
NOVEMBER 15, 2006 — In conjunction with the photography exhxibit "Portraits of Home," a panel of formerly homeless individuals will discuss managing the transition into housing from homelessness. The discussion will take place in Buntrock Commons Valhalla room at 6:30 p.m.

A sleep out will be held at Riverside Park (adjacent to Veterans Park), beginning at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16. Community members are invited to join Jim Blaha, director of Northfield Community Action Center, in commemorating the plight of homeless individuals. The program also will focus on the issues of homeless veterans.

MPR interviews Ian Anderson '07... and his mom
Anderson
NOVEMBER 14, 2006 — "If you consider yourself a busy person," begins the latest media story on St. Olaf student Ian Anderson '07 -- this one from Minnesota Public Radio, "this story may redefine for you what that term means. Anderson has somehow managed to become a force in local music while maintaining a schedule as a full-time college student." Anderson's mom wishes he'd get more sleep, but she acknowledges that he's "just not wired" for a slower pace.

Syriana will be shown prior to visit by CIA agent
NOVEMBER 14, 2006 — The political activities committee is sponsoring the film Syriana to be shown at 7 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil written by Bob Baer, a former CIA agent, helped inspired the movie with George Clooney's character in the movie loosely portraying Baer's time with the CIA. Baer will be visiting the campus on Nov. 15 as he offers an analysis of the Middle East through the lens of his experiences in the field.

Honor House programs featured in article on student housing
NOVEMBER 13, 2006 — For years St. Olaf students have had the chance to live in a variety of "honor houses" near campus, provided the residents agree either to sponsor a community service project or to focus on the language and culture of another country. The Star Tribune featured that initiative in an article about unique trends in student housing.

Band festival to connect top high school, college musicians
Holtan
NOVEMBER 10, 2006 — St. Olaf Music Organizations on Saturday will host its annual Festival of Bands, which pairs top high school instrumentalists with the St. Olaf Band and the Norseman Band. Student participants will perform a concert under the direction of Lt. Col. Timothy J. Holtan, conductor of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point.

An informal dance showing of Dreams will be presented
NOVEMBER 10, 2006 — An informal showing of the master work "Dreams," choreographed in 1961 by Anna Sokolow and inspired by the Holocaust will be performed by student members of Companydance and Anthony Roberts, dance faculty.

The residency of "Dreams" is made possible through a grant from the American Masterpieces: Dance-College Component, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts. The finished work will be performed at the college in May 2007.

Hong Kierkegaard Library celebrates 30th anniversary
NOVEMBER 9, 2006 — In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kierkegaard Library, St. Olaf will host The Honorable Friis Arne Petersen, the Danish Ambassador to the United States. The Ambassador will be speaking at the 11 a.m. chapel service, followed by a reception in the Heritage Room at 11:25 a.m.

At 1:30 p.m. there will be a dedication of the Finholt House for Kierkegaard Scholars. The first annual Julia Watkins Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Robert L. Perkins, senior research professor of philosophy at Stetson University at 3 p.m. in the Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. The public is invited to attend any and all of these events.

Langerak talks about heart attack in Pioneer Press
NOVEMBER 9, 2006 — Professor of Philosophy Ed Langerak's experience with a cardiac arrest, and the actions his wife and family took to save him, are the focus of a recent story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

First Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard lecture to be given
NOVEMBER 9, 2006 — Robert L. Perkins, senior research professor of philosophy at Stetson University, will deliver the first annual Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture at 3 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. The title of his talk will be "With the help of the ideals -- against illusions: for eternity!" Kierkegaard's Critique of Christendom. The events of this day are to honor the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kierkegaard Library.

Choral Day concludes with a public concert
NOVEMBER 5, 2006 — The 104th annual St. Olaf Choral Day will conclude with a concert, free and open to the public, at 4 p.m. in Skoglund Center. The concert will feature high school singers along with the St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Anton Armstrong '78, and the Viking Chorus, conducted by Christopher Aspaas '95.

Mexican presidential election to be topic of lecture
NOVEMBER 2, 2006 — Dr. Roderic Camp of Claremont McKenna College, will give a lecture at 7 p.m. in Holland Hall 501. The talk entitled "Mexico's Presidential Horserace, Voters, Campaigns, and Democratic Transition," about the Mexican presidential election and why the candidate won, what voters expected, and how those preferences and expectations might affect the new president when he takes office in December. Much of the information will stem from a NSF international project on the role of campaigns in Mexican presidential elections, including original survey data. The lecture is free and open to the public.