ARCHIVE

< August 2005
October 2005 >


Former members of Limestones to reunite for benefit concert
SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 — The Limestones, a male a capella ensemble, will perform in a benefit concert on Friday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. to support the Bob Gilhoi Endowed Scholarship.

Partners in Annual Giving will be 'dialing for dollars' this month
SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 — Partners in Annual Giving, which solicits gifts that are given and spent within the course of one year, sponsored its annual phone drive in September. Students called alumni to solicit contributions for instruction, financial aid and student scholarships, among other good causes.

Tonight's Limestones concert promises laughter, great music, good cause
SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 — A fixture at St. Olaf for nearly two decades, the Limestones -- featuring nearly all 50 past and current members of the a cappella male singing group -- will perform a reunion concert tonight, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pause. Tickets will be available at the door; the event is intended to raise money for a college scholarship.

Rayna Green of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History to speak at St. Olaf
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 — The David L. and Marjory Ostrum Scheie Lecture Series presents Rayna Green, director of the American Indian Program at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History at 7:30 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. Green's presentation is titled "Pocohontas, Miss America and Eskimo Barbie in Love: A TragiComedy in at Least Four Acts, with Indians, Patriots and Notorious Impersonators Live and On Stage." The public is welcome.

A Scandinavian Guest Recital will feature Marit Osnes Aambo and Conny Karlsson
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 — A program consisting of both traditional folk songs and classical music written in Norway and Sweden between 1905 and 2005 will be the highlight of a guest recital by Marit Osnes Aambo and Conny Karlsson. The recital will be held in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall at 8:15 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Rayna Green canceled
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 — The lecture by Rayna Green, director of the American Indian Program at the Smithsonian Institution, has been canceled. Look for a rescheduling of the event for later this year...

Bon Appetit features 'local lunch'
SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 — Bon Appetit, the award-winning food service of St. Olaf, participated in the company's national "Eat Local Challenge" Sept. 29. The event featured food prepared with ingredients from within 150 miles of campus.

Ojala earns McKnight fellowship
Ojala
SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 — The University of Minnesota Department of Art and the McKnight Foundation have announced that St. Olaf Professor of Art/Art History Meg Ojala is one of four recipients of the foundation's 2005 fellowships for photographers.

Associate Professor of Music David Carter to give cello recital
SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 — Associate Professor of Music David Carter, will perform three cello works by Johann Sebastian Bach in Studio A at 8:15 p.m. "Suite #3 in C major," "Suite #4 in E flat major" and "Suite #5 in C minor" are the pieces to be featured in the faculty recital which is free and open to the public.

Minneapolis String Quartet to present concert
SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 — The Minneapolis String Quartet will perform a concert in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall at 8:15 p.m. The program includes pieces by Shostakovich, Mendelssohn and Beethoven. All four members of the Minnesota String Quartet are members of the Minnesota Orchestra. The concert is free and open to the public.

St. Olaf Dance Department to host Seattle professional dance company
SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 — Lingo Dance Theater will perform Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Wagner/Bundgaard Studio One in the Dittmann Center. Both performances are free and open to the public. During the week of Sept. 26 the St. Olaf Dance Department will host Lingo Dance Theater from Seattle, Wash., in concert and as they conduct master classes. Choreographer, artistic diretor, teacher and performer K.T. Niehoff founded Lingo Dance Theater in 1996 and was Artist in Residence at St. Olaf in 2004-05.

Kathryn Ananda-Owens to give piano recital
SEPTEMBER 25, 2005 — A faculty recital featuring Kathryn Ananda-Owens, pianist, will be presented at 3:15 p.m. in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall. Ananda-Owens is the winner of first prize in the 1993 Neale-Silva Young Artists Competition and a laureate of the American Pianists Association Biennial Fellowship Competition. Her program will include The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Conference to help celebrate unique friendship between Norway and St. Olaf College
SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 — On Sept. 24, a day-long conference "Norway and the United States: 1905-2005, a friendship and its future," will be held at St. Olaf College Buntrock Commons. The event will feature guest speakers, music and a banquet. Online registration will be available at www.stolaf.edu/summer. There will be an opening reception Friday, Sept. 23, from 7-9 p.m. at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Concert to be performed this weekend
SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 — Pause for Hope: a Hurricane Katrina Relief concert will be performed in Buntrock Commons, The Lion's Pause Mane Stage Saturday at 9 p.m. by Unmundane Johnny Hot Tub Sasha. Donations (suggested donation is $5) will go to the Salvation Army. The public is welcome.

Norwegian conference celebrates ties between Norway, St. Olaf and the U.S.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 — As part of Norway's yearlong centennial celebration, St. Olaf College and the Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA) are offering a unique, one-day conference today, "Norway and the United States, 1905-2005: A Friendship and Its Future." Lectures by renowned Norwegian speakers, moderated by St. Olaf faculty, highlight developments in contemporary society and community, business and industry, and science and technology.

Cellist Anthony Arnone to perform guest recital
SEPTEMBER 23, 2005 — Anthony Arnone, cello professor at the University of Iowa, will present a free recital in Urness Recital Hall at 7 p.m. Arnone will play works by J.S. Bach and Gaspar Cassado. Arnone, a native of Honolulu, received his bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Colin Carr. In summer, he teaches, conducts and performs at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C., and the Stony Brook Summer Music Festival in New York.

Umbanhowar addresses Constitutional issues during nation's first Constitution Day
Umbanhowar
SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 — Charles Umbanhowar Sr., professor emeritus of political science at St. Olaf and an expert on Constitutional law, presented his timely lecture, "Keeping a Constitution in Wartime," as part of the college's observance of the nation's new Constitution Day.

St. Olaf faculty, staff featured in Women on the Move
Reichgott Junge
SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 — Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Diane LeBlanc and TRiO academic adviser Katie Olives will be interviewed this afternoon by St. Olaf alumna Ember Reichgott Junge '74 during Women on the Move, a live internet talk radio program produced and hosted by Junge. LeBlanc will talk about her experience as a first-generation college student. Olives will discuss the St. Olaf TRiO programs that provide academic support to first-generation and low-income students.

Constitution Day to be observed on campus
SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 — Constitution Day will be celebrated with a lecture by Charles Umbanhowar, Sr., professor emeritus of political science, at 11:30 p.m. The title of his lecture "Keeping a Constitution in Wartime," will focus on the continued vitality of the Constitution, especially during wartime, for over 200 years.

St. Olaf women are on the move
SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 — Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Diane LeBlanc will be interviewed Thursday, Sept. 22, on the Women on the Move live internet talk radio program produced and hosted by St. Olaf alumna Ember Reichgott Junge '74. Professor Leblanc will talk about her experience as a first generation college student.

Also appearing tomorrow, Sept. 22, on Women on the Move will be St. Olaf TRiO staffer Katie Olives. Katie, an Educational Talent Search academic adviser and a licensed teacher, will represent the St. Olaf TRiO programs ( Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, Student Support Services) which help first-generation and low-income students through the doors of higher education and provide academic support during their college career.

Women on the Move is on AM 950, Air America Minnesota, from 1 to 2 p.m. You can join the conversation at Voice America. If you can't tune in at 1 p.m., all of the Women on the Move programs are archived online at Voice America.

Michael Dennis Browne to conduct poetry reading
SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 — Michael Dennis Browne, University of Minnesota professor of English and author of six collections of poetry will give a poetry reading at 7 p.m. in Rolvaag Library, room 525. His most recent poetry collection is entitled, Things I Can't Tell You, will be available for purchase.

St. Olaf hosts University of Minnesota Professor, Poet Michael Dennis Browne
SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 — The St. Olaf Department of English will host Michael Dennis Browne, a University of Minnesota English professor and author of six books of poetry, who will read from his own work at 7 p.m. this evening in Rolvaag Memorial Library, room 525. Following the reading, his books will be available for signing and for purchase. The event is free and open to the public.

Eunice Belgum Lecture Series to feature Jonathan Lear
SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 — Jonathan Lear, the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor at the Committee on Social Thought and in the department of philosophy at the University of Chicago will deliver two lectures as part of the Eunice Belgum Memorial Lecture Series. "The Collapse of Civilization: After that, nothing happened" is the title of the first lecture at 7 p.m. in Holland Hall, room 501. His second lecture "The Collapse of Civilization: Living at the abyss" will be on Thursday, Sept. 22, 3:45 p.m. in Holland Hall, room 501.

Three science professors awarded distinguished appointments
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 — Three well-known St. Olaf science professors have received distinguished appointments, as approved by the Board of Regents.

David Van Wylen '80, associate dean for natural sciences and mathematics at St. Olaf College, announced the following appointments in September: Professor of Biology Ted Johnson to the Paul and Mildred Hardy Distinguished Professor of Science; Professor of Physics Bob Jacobel to the Grace Whittier Endowed Chair; and Professor of Chemistry Gary Spessard to the Edolph A. Larson and Truman E. Anderson, Sr. Chair of Chemistry.

No. 1 ranking for town-gown relations draws interest from less-lucky campus
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 — The Princeton Review recently named St. Olaf College No. 1 in "town-gown" relations -- our collaboration with the community of Northfield. The seventh-worst rating bestowed on Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., inspired that university's newspaper to call our communications office for advice.

Professor's book lauded for dealing with racial tensions head-on
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 — Associate Professor of English Joseph Mbele has published a provocative, straightforward book on the tensions between Africans and Americans. Subtitled "Embracing Cultural Differences," Mbele's book "doesn't pull any punches," says a recent review in the Minneapolis-based Spokesman-Recorder. "It deals with these tensions head-on, sometimes to the dismay of the African American reader." Mbele, a native of Tanzania, has taught at St. Olaf since 1990.

Belgum Lectures features University of Chicago Professor Jonathan Lear
Lear
SEPTEMBER 19, 2005 — This year's Belgum Lecture Series will feature University of Chicago faculty member Jonathan Lear, who will present two lectures on the theme "Ethics and the Collapse of Civilization." Both lectures are free and open to the public.

St. Olaf junior heads to Washington D.C. for Arctic Refuge Action Day
SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 — When hundreds of college students and citizens concerned about the environment gather on the west lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. this weekend to participate in the Alaska Coalition's Arctic Refuge Action Day rally on Sept. 19 and 20, St. Olaf junior Amber Collett will be with them. An environmental studies major and co-leader of the St. Olaf Environmental Coalition and Volunteer Network, Collett interned this past summer for the Alaska Coalition, a non-profit organization of more than 700 individuals, groups and clubs opposed to drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and logging in the Tongass National Forest.

The only St. Olaf student making the trip, Collett's summer internship clarified her feelings about drilling along Alaska's Wildlife Refuge coastal plain. During the rally, Collett will talk with congressional representatives about the budget reconciliation bill that would open Alaska's Arctic Refuge for oil drilling. She credits St. Olaf with giving her a strong background in environmental policy and she is concerned about how drilling for oil will affect the birthing grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. "For me," says Collett, "nothing is worth destroying the crown jewel of America's national park system for an unknown amount of oil that won't be available for 10 years."

St. Olaf to sponsor women-oriented Internet radio show hosted by Distinguished Alum
SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 — St. Olaf has signed on as a major sponsor of "Women on the Move," the Internet radio talk show hosted by St. Olaf alumna and former Minnesota State Senator Ember Reichgott Junge, a 1974 graduate of the college.

Four new music faculty featured in first of Faculty Artist Concerts
SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 — The first of five Faculty Artist concerts will take place in Christiansen Hall of Music, Urness Recital Hall at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15. This concert will feature the four new music faculty: Christopher Aspaas (tenor), Christopher Atzinger (piano), Andrew Hisey (piano) and Mark Calkins (tenor). Aspaas takes over the direction of the St. Olaf Chapel Choir this fall. The next concert in the series is October 27.

Intellectual Takeout website cites St. Olaf for 'liberal bias' on campus
SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 — Intellectual Takeout is a new website that aims to counter the "narrow spectrum of liberal ideas" that the group believes is too prevalent on college campuses. As reported in the Star Tribune and elsewhere, Intellectual Takeout "takes aim" at St. Olaf and its requirement that this year's first-year students read a paper about sustainability.

Student-run PAC to bring Wheels of Justice to campus Thursday
SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 — The Political Awareness Committee (PAC) is a student-run and -sponsored organization at St. Olaf that brings in speakers of a variety of political views. This Thursday evening, PAC will sponsor a lecture by Wheels of Justice, a Wisconsin-based grassroots group that seeks to end war and violence in Iraq and Palestine.

St. Olaf Dance Department receives $10,000 grant
SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 — Originally choreographed in 1961, Anna Sokolow's dance work about the Holocaust, Dreams, remains one of the most impressive works of contemporary dance theater. The founding director of Sokolow Dance Foundation will reconstruct the famous piece at St. Olaf this year.

Evening lecture examines China's energy woes and why America should care
SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 — An illustrated lecture by Alex Potter '03, "Beijing and Beyond: China's Energy Woes and Why We Should Care," is offered this evening at 7 p.m. in Dittmann Center, room 305. Potter, an Asian Studies and biology double-major, spent 2004 at Beijing University on a Fulbright scholarship studying energy issues. Since then he has been working in Beijing as a consultant and translator for the World Bank and other organizations. Asian Studies, Environmental Studies and the Luce Foundation sponsor tonight's lecture.

New St. Olaf music faculty members perform Northfield debut
SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 — Four new St. Olaf music faculty members recently performed their Northfield debut during the "New Faculty Showcase" recital. The event was the first in this year's lunchtime Faculty Artist Series.

President Thomforde announces leadership program for faculty
Thomforde
SEPTEMBER 12, 2005 — Fifteen faculty and staff members will get a chance to develop or enhance leadership skills through the President's Leadership Experience Program, which President Thomforde is launching in October. Alumni could play a special role as mentors, he says.

Bakko launches 'sustainability' theme for academic year
Bakko
SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 — In keeping with this year's academic theme of "sustainability," Professor of Biology Eugene Bakko -- under whose supervision an estimated 40,000 trees have been planted across campus -- presented "Sustainability and Serendipity" during Opening Convocation.

Opening convocation to feature St. Olaf's curator of natural lands
SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 — Opening convocation for the 2005-06 academic year will feature Professor of Biology and Curator of the St. Olaf natural lands Gene Bakko who will address ongoing campus conservation and environmental efforts at 11:10 in Boe Memorial Chapel. Efforts by the college to encourage environmentally friendly projects and programs are paying ecological, economic and economic dividends. These efforts will continue as St. Olaf embraces sustainability as the college-wide theme for this year.

President Thomforde proposes numerous hurricane relief options for St. Olaf community
Thomforde
SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 — President Christopher Thomforde has announced that member institutions of the Minnesota Private College Council are investigating how they can assist Gulf Coast students directly, and he urges members of the St. Olaf community to make donations to various relief organizations -- all while stressing the importance of prayer.