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< January 2006
March 2006 >


Alumna and former ad exec becomes spiritual adviser
FEBRUARY 27, 2006 — St. Olaf alumna Krista Twedt Evenson, 46, had years of success in the competitive world of advertising, including a stint at the internationally known Fallon firm based in Minneapolis. But God called her to a different path, she says, and now Evenson is president of LifeWork, which helps integrate "the new spiritual essentials with business," she told a reporter for the Star Tribune. Evenson graduated from St. Olaf in 1982 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and religion.

St. Olaf continues focus on sustainability
FEBRUARY 27, 2006 — St. Olaf College will feature a number of events throughout the spring semester dealing with the theme of sustainability. Several guest lecturers, authors and politicians will visit campus to discuss sustainability issues of the 21st century.

Ceramics to be topic of second Flaten Memorial Lecture
FEBRUARY 27, 2006 — Kelly Connole will give a Flaten Memorial Lecture on ceramics at 7 p.m. in Dittmann Center, room 305. Connole, recipient of a McKnight Foundation Award and a Jerome Foundation Award, is a teacher and artist working with ceramics and small metals.

Norwegian classical guitarist Espen Jensen to give concert
FEBRUARY 26, 2006 — Norwegian classical guitarist Espen Jensen will give a concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26 in Studio A. The program will feature works by J.S. Bach, Kristensen, Piazzola, Marcussen, de Falla, Jensen, Barrios, Brouwer, and a recent work by St. Olaf music professor Justin Merritt. The concert is free and open to the public.

Alumnus named as COO at refurbished Walker Art Center
FEBRUARY 24, 2006 — To fans of the Minneapolis music scene, David Steglich '89 is a rock star, known as "Hellrocket" for his singing and trumpet playing onstage. Now, the lawyer and management consultant has taken on another artsy gig, as the newly named chief operating officer of Walker Art Center, according to an article in the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune. Steglich majored in mathematics and philosophy at St. Olaf.

Award-winning classical guitarist to play recital
Jensen
FEBRUARY 24, 2006 — A former first-prize winner at the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, classical guitarist Espen Jensen will play a program that mixes classical and modern selections Sunday.

Elizabeth Hutchins named distinguished librarian
FEBRUARY 24, 2006 — Former reference librarian Elizabeth Hutchins has been chosen to receive the 2006 Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award from the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Sixth annual conference on globalization to be held
FEBRUARY 24, 2006 — "The U.N. Millennium Development Goals: Keeping the Promise" will be the theme for the sixth annual globalization and social responsibility conference Feb. 24 and 25. A world-wide service fair, student poster session and guest speakers Francis Seymour, Ash Hartwell, Kari Hartwig, James Vigen and Robert Flaten highlight the two day conference. No registration is required.

Democratic Caucus training to be held
FEBRUARY 21, 2006 — The St. Olaf College Democrats and former St. Olaf alumna Kara Nelson will host a training session for the upcoming precinct caucuses at 7 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Black Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public. Individuals do not need to be registered to vote in Minnesota to attend. Caucuses play an integral role in determining which candidates the party will endorse for the fall elections.

Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow begins residency
Seymour
FEBRUARY 20, 2006 — Frances Seymour, director of the Institutions and Governance Program of the World Resources Institute, will be St. Olaf College's 2006 Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. The selection of Seymour emphasizes St. Olaf's continuing focus on environmental sustainability.

Finstad helps students take ideals into the real world
FEBRUARY 20, 2006 — The Finstad Office for Entrepreneurial Studies provides an extensive network of career-related services that helps Oles take advantage of a world of options during and after college.

Digital media to be topic of Arnold Flaten Memorial Lecture
FEBRUARY 20, 2006 — The first of this year's Arnold Flaten Memorial Lectures will be given by Piotr Szyhalski, teacher and artist, who came to this country from Poland in 1990. Szyhalski, well-known for his work "The Spleen" which has been featured in Wired, Hotwired, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Applied Arts, Minnesota Monthly, City Pages, Star Tribune and Pioneer Press, mentors graduate students, and teaches graphic design and illustration.

St. Olaf to host Globalization conference
FEBRUARY 20, 2006 — St. Olaf College will host the 2006 Social Science Globalization and Social Responsibility conference. The conference is designed to acquaint participants with the Millennium Goals focusing on eliminating or reducing inequality and poverty.

St. Olaf College Theater to present Pippin
FEBRUARY 18, 2006 — The 1982 New York Times Critics Pick Pippin will be presented by the St. Olaf Theater Department Feb. 10, 11, 16 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Theater Building, Haugen Theater. Pippin , taken from the book written by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, will be directed by Artist in Residence Dona Werner Freeman.

Faculty book selected as finalist for Minnesota Book Award
Titus
FEBRUARY 17, 2006 — Associate Professor of English Mary Titus' book The Ambivalent Art of Katherine Anne Porter is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award -- an unusual accomplishment for an academic book and one that Titus says is a tribute to her accessible writing.

Jazz I to open Twin Cities Jazz Society performance
FEBRUARY 17, 2006 — According to Dave Hagedorn, artist in residence in the St. Olaf Music Department, Twin Cities Jazz Society members are eager to hear the college's award-winning Jazz I ensemble that last year won first place at a University of Wisconsin jazz competition.

Guest dance companies to give performance at St. Olaf Colleg
FEBRUARY 17, 2006 — The St. Olaf College Dance Department presents an exciting and diverse evening of dance featuring Instinct Dancecorps, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Black Label Movement, a new company in Minneapolis. Each company will perform three pieces that highlight the work of five professional choreographers.

Gary Gisselman to give spring Mellby Lecture tonight
FEBRUARY 16, 2006 — The annual Mellby Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Gary Gisselman, artist-in-residence at 7 p.m. in Holland Hall, room 501. The title of the address is "Sustainability and the Theatre: Landscape, Intimacy, Sex and Violins." Gisselman has previously served as the founding artistic director of the Chanhassen Theatre, the Arizona Theatre Company and as a member of the artistic staff of Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Music faculty to perform Musique Francaise
FEBRUARY 16, 2006 — A recital featuring French music performed by St. Olaf music faculty members will take place at 11:30 a.m. in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall. The featured compositions range in date from the reign of Louis XV to the advent of WWII. Performers include Dan Dressen, tenor; Kent McWilliams, piano; Kay Sahlin, flute, Andrea Een, viola and violin; Elinor Niemisto, harp, Alison Feldt, soprano; Gerald Hoekstra, recorder; Catherine Rodland, harpsichord; David Carter, cello; Dana Maeda, oboe; Jo Ann Polley, clarinet; Gwen Anderson, horn, and Cindy Bailey, bassoon. The recital is free and open to the public.

Mary Kirchhoff to give lecture on Green Chemistry
FEBRUARY 16, 2006 — Dr. Mary Kirchhoff, acting director of the education division of the American Chemical Society, will give the first in a series of lectures for the W.M. Keck Foundation Green Chemistry Seminar Series at 3:15 p.m. in Science Center 378. Green chemistry addresses the need to produce the goods and services that society depends on in a more environmentally benign manner. This presentation will introduce the principles of green chemistry, provide examples of greener technologies and highlight the economic benefits of adopting environmentally friendly processes.

Homelessness to be topic of panel discussion
FEBRUARY 15, 2006 — A panel and small group discussion on causes and policy initiatives on homelessness will be held at 6:15 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. The panel participants will include people who have experienced homelessness, city-county coordinator on homelessness for Minneapolis and Hennepin County, representatives from Governor Pawlenty and the Continuum of Care Initiative of Southern Minnesota, and others. This event is free and open to the public.

Author Toril Moi to lecture on Ibsen
FEBRUARY 14, 2006 — Professor of Literature and Romance Languages at Duke University Toril Moi will give a public lecture on Ibsen, at 3:30 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. Moi's new book, Henri Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism: Art, Theater, Philosophy, will be published in September 2006 by Oxford University Press.

College announces faculty tenure, promotion decisions
FEBRUARY 14, 2006 — At its Feb. 9-10 meeting, the St. Olaf College Board of Regents approved tenure and promotion recommendations for several St. Olaf faculty members.

Guest recital to feature cello and piano
FEBRUARY 14, 2006 — A guest recital with Regina Mushabac, cello and St. Olaf music faculty member Nancy Paddleford, piano, will be held in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall at 8:15 p.m. Mushabac is professor of cello at Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music in Cleveland and a member of both Elysian and Coryton Trios. Paddleford, a member of the St. Olaf music faculty since 1974 is an active chamber and solo recitalist and has served as artist-in-residence at the University of Costa Rica.

PAG announces young alumni matching challenge
FEBRUARY 14, 2006 — Stanley '47 and Virginia Rifenbary Nelson '48 have offered to match any new gifts to Partners in Annual Giving made by alumnni from the classes of 2000-05 between now and May 31, 2006.

'Ever Present' faculty art show opens
Ewald
FEBRUARY 13, 2006 — A new exhibit featuring 13 members of the St. Olaf Department of Art and Art History opened Friday. "Visit galleries in the Twin Cities or Chicago or New York and find nothing more investigative, probing and engaging," says museum director Jill Ewald.

Choir concludes Winter Tour with 'Home' concert
FEBRUARY 13, 2006 — The St. Olaf Choir performed Sunday in Boe Memorial Chapel, the final performance of this year's 17-city tour. "This repertory is exciting and it celebrates... the heritage of this ensemble and the depth of the St. Olaf music program," says conductor Anton Armstrong '78.

St. Olaf mathematics professor edits two new books
Steen
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — The Mathematical Association of America has published two new books edited by Lynn Arthur Steen, professor of mathematics at St. Olaf College.

Professor to discuss ethnic cleansing and American Indians
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — Professor of History Gary Clayton Anderson, from the University of Oklahoma, will discuss 19th-century land struggles between Anglos and American Indians in his lecture "Ethnic Cleansing and the American Indian: Can the Case be Made?"

Hofrenning writes about the Catholic vote
Hofrenning
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — "Neither Democrats nor Republicans should ever mimic religious leaders, but they can find common cause with religious principles," wrote Dan Hofrenning in Tuesday's Star Tribune. His opinion piece, "The nation's changing Catholic vote," takes a look at the history of the Catholic Church in U.S. politics and how the two parties court the Catholic vote.

Book publication party to be held
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — A book publication party and celebration for Muscle and Manliness: The Rise of Sport in American Boarding Schools by Axel Bundgaard, and The Greatest Game: Football at St. Olaf College 1893-2003 by former football coach Tom Porter '51 and former sports information director Bob Phelps will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Buntrock Commons Heritage Room. The books are available for sale in the St. Olaf Bookstore.

Professor to discuss ethnic cleansing and American Indians
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — Professor of History Gary Clayton Anderson, from the University of Oklahoma, will discuss 19th-century land struggles between Anglos and American Indians in his lecture "Ethnic Cleansing and the American Indian: Can the Case be Made?"

Award-winning cellist to join Nancy Paddleford in recital
Mushabac
FEBRUARY 10, 2006 — Award-winning cellist Regina Mushabac will join St. Olaf Professor of Music Nancy Paddleford, piano, for a recital at St. Olaf College.

Gisselman to present spring Mellby Lecture
Gisselman
FEBRUARY 9, 2006 — Gary Gisselman, the St. Olaf Theatre department's artist in residence, will deliver this year's spring Mellby Lecture titled "Sustainability and the Theatre: Landscape, Intimacy, Sex and Violins."

Midwest Japanese Film Festival begins at Southgate Cinema
FEBRUARY 7, 2006 — The Midwest Japanese Film Festival, organized by the Japan Foundation, will present four recently released Japanese films at the Southgate Cinema in Northfield at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays during the month of February. The following movies are free of charge for students, faculty and the general public. Go directed by Isao Yukisada (2001, 123 minutes) will be shown Feb. 7.

Duke professor to deliver Ibsen lecture at St. Olaf
Toril Moi
FEBRUARY 7, 2006 — Toril Moi will deliver her lecture "Henrik Ibsen's Remarkable Modernity" on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Moi is the the James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke University.

Hindu scholar Rambachan to address World Council of Churches
Rambachan
FEBRUARY 7, 2006 — "I represent a Hindu perspective, but one that has been shaped by having grown up in the western world and teaching [at] St. Olaf," says Hindu scholar Anantanand Rambachan about his invitation to address World Council of Churches Assembly to be held later this month in Brazil.

Black History Month to be observed at St. Olaf
FEBRUARY 7, 2006 — This year's theme for Black History Month "The Core of Black History," will be carried out with a variety of events during February. The opening program featuring members of CUBE MSA and Karibu will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Crossroads. Other events include a book discussion, documentary film, lecture, panel discussion, chapel service, fashion show, DJ dance, concert by the St. Olaf Gospel Choir, banquet, movie and open mic night. All events are open to the public.

St. Olaf Band to perform
FEBRUARY 6, 2006 — The 90-member St. Olaf Band, conducted by Timothy Mahr '78, will present a "home" concert at 7:30 p.m. in Skoglund Center, as the concluding concert in their nine-city tour to Denver and back. Their program will feature the premiere performance of composer David Maslanka's Symphony No. 7, Overture to Colas Breugnon by Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky, and They Sing of Love,/i> by Mahr. The concert is free and open to the public.

St. Olaf Band performs home concert
Mahr
FEBRUARY 6, 2006 — The St. Olaf Band played for its hometown fans Monday with the final performance of this year's tour. "[Touring allows] our students to explore the depths of the music night after night, uncovering new artistic meaning with each performance," says conductor Timothy Mahr '78.

St. Olaf chosen to host Japanese Film Festival
Ito
FEBRUARY 4, 2006 — St. Olaf is one of only four schools to be chosen to host this year's Midwest Japanese Film Festival. "This gives us a great opportunity to introduce Japanese films and contemporary Japan through films," says event organizer Rika Ito.