Enhancing Experiential Learning through Collaboration

Annual Report 2007–08
Center for Experiential Learning

Contents

The CEL Team ...................................................................................................2
Reflections from the Executive Director.................................................................3

Program Highlights
Civic Engagement ..............................................................................................4
International Academic Internships.......................................................................5
Fulbright Symposium ..........................................................................................5
Making It in the Arts Conference .........................................................................6
Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship................................................................6

Academic Program Collaboration
Collaboration with Academic Departments and Programs ......................................8
Academic Internship Program Highlights ............................................................11
Other Academic Collaborations..........................................................................12
Lilly Program Collaborations .............................................................................14

Student Programs
Scholarships ...................................................................................................15
Co-Curricular Civic Engagement Activities .........................................................16
Entrepreneurship Activities ...............................................................................18
Advising and Educational Programs....................................................................19
Job Search Initiatives ......................................................................................22
Community-Based Work-Study Program............................................................23
Lilly Program Activities ....................................................................................23
.
Community Initiatives
Corporate Partners .........................................................................................25
Northfield Community......................................................................................26
St. Olaf Community ........................................................................................27

 

THE CEL TEAM

CEL Staff Members
Kirsten Cahoon ’98, Senior Associate Director, Career Connections
Diana Dargen, Community-Based Work-Study Coordinator
Bruce Dalgaard, Executive Director
Kris Estenson, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Coordinator
Andrea Kubinski, Program Assistant and Technology Coordinator
Nate Jacobi, Assistant Director, Civic Engagement
Sandy Malecha ’01, Assistant Director, Internships
Sian Muir, Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies
Megan Rivera, Assistant Director, Career Connections
Paula Schanilec, Program Assistant and Budget Coordinator
Pat Smith, Director
John Stull, Entrepreneur-in-Residence
(The professional development activities of CEL staff can be seen in Appendix A.)

Faculty Advisory Board
Mary Cisar, Romance Languages; Registrar (HUM)
Jim Farrell, American Studies (IGS)
Dana Gross, Psychology (NSM)
Dan Hofrenning, Political Science (SAS)
Steve McKelvey, Mathematics (NSM)
Kent McWilliams, Music (FA)
Jean Porterfield, Biology and Biomedical Studies (NSM)
Steve Soderlind, Economics; Associate Dean of Social and Applied Sciences (SAS)
Bill Sonnega, Theater/Media Studies (FA)
Mary Titus, English (HUM)
Soveig Zempel, Norwegian; Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS)
Arnie Ostebee, Assistant Provost, ex-officio

Reflections from the Executive Director

I am always amazed when I look at the work accomplished by the gifted members of the Center for
Experiential Learning (CEL) team. This year is no exception. There were so many great programs, such
devotion to students’ needs, and such diligence and hard work. Beyond this, though, I am struck by the
advances the CEL has made in the years since its inception. Clearly the work of the CEL is seen as
enhancing the college’s academic goals, and the CEL’s professional staff are viewed as partners in the
curricular and co-curricular work of the college. It seems that a major contributing factor in the success of the CEL is the way the professional team interacts with faculty and students. We have focused our attention on collaboration, partnering with faculty to implement experiential learning programs, and engaging students in relationships where they assume responsibility for their learning through reflection.

As the CEL has expanded its connections with the academic program it has become essential to find ways to do more, to do everything better, and to accomplish our goals with limited human and financial resources. Our work has been advanced by numerous gifts and grants and we will continue to seek external funding to help our students better accomplish the goal of ‘living their learning,’ but most of these resources do not provide for more staff. For the most part we have attempted not only to work harder, but also to work smarter. An emerging collaborative approach to our work is one of the major results of trying to work smarter.

Enhancing experiential learning through collaboration means engaging our faculty colleagues in a partnering relationship. Experiential learning is not an ‘add on’ or a supplement to the course work of departments and programs, it is an integrated part of the teaching and learning. Also, collaboration means working with faculty to allow them to envision how experiential learning will fit into their courses, to provide tools that will connect the experiential components of a course to its academic goals, and to reinforce the importance of student reflection in creating substantive and worthwhile experiential learning.

There are numerous examples of how this collaboration works to achieve our goals of advancing experiential learning in the curriculum. I would draw your attention to the section of the report where we highlight international internship activities. As students have become more interested in designing their own international internships, it has been our goal to be sure faculty are involved in rethinking the relationship between our office, the learning goals of an internship, and the ways faculty can engage with students during the off-campus experience. International internships have also brought the CEL into a closer working relationship with International and Off-campus Studies. Another example of this collaboration is the Civic Engagement Summer Institute. Nine faculty members, several CEL staff, and several community partners collaborated to create ways for faculty to work with the community to provide engaging and enriching experiential opportunities for students. One final reference is CEL’s work with the Exercise Science program. Faculty in that program area involved CEL staff from the very beginning of the program’s development, inviting presentations on how experiential learning could enhance the program, consulting with CEL staff on course requirements and learning outcomes, and including CEL staff in various in-class presentations.

This annual report is written to give readers insight into the breadth and depth of CEL program activities. It certainly highlights the array of ongoing and new initiatives that put experiential learning at the center of the college’s academic program.

Program Highlights

Civic Engagement Initiatives
A newly invigorated Civic Engagement Program supported students in developing the skills, knowledge and experience necessary for engaged and responsible citizenship through both curricular and co-curricular civic engagement initiatives. Academic civic engagement supports faculty in developing and integrating communitybased research, service-learning and public scholarship activity into courses. Co-curricular civic engagement provides opportunities directly to students in order to foster a greater capacity to understand and effectively address issues of social and public concern.

Civic Engagement Faculty Institute
Nine faculty members participated in a four-day workshop in June to think and learn about enhancing their courses with civic engagement components. The institute was funded through a $13,000 Post-Secondary Service Learning Grant awarded by the State of Minnesota. Eric Fure- Slocum (History and Lilly Fellow) and Paul Schadewald ’91, Associate Director of Civic Engagement at Macalester College, assisted with planning and facilitation of the institute.

Key components included:

 Development of partnerships with local community leaders
 An urban civic engagement experience (Lake Street)
 Conversations with faculty from Macalester College
 Overview and tour of Northfield
 Development of academic civic engagement project ideas

Faculty participants: Mary Carlsen (Social Work), Chris Chiappari (Anthropology), Eric Fure- Slocum (History), Karen Gervais (Philosophy), Dana Gross (Psychology), Dan Hofrenning (Political Science), Naurine Lennox (Social Work), Paul Roback (Statistics), and Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak (Political Science).

Community organization participants: Cannon River Watershed Partnership, Centro Campesino, HealthFinders Collaborative, Northfield Community Action Center, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Rice County Growing Up Healthy, Three Rivers Community Action, and Wellstone Action.

Outcomes: Each of the faculty participants will integrate civic engagement projects into one or more of their courses during the 2008-09 academic year. The CEL will provide support by assisting with syllabus development, community partnerships, logistics, reflection and assessment.

Leaders for Social Change Summer Internship Program
Nine students completed academic internships with Northfield-area nonprofit organizations and participated in regular reflection activity, retreats, and educational seminars while living in an intentional community of learners. This program is a collaborative effort between the CEL’s Civic Engagement and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs.

Other New Co-Curricular Initiatives
Ideals to Action Retreat, Political Action Fair, and a Homeless Immersion experience.
(See Co-Curricular Civic Engagement Activities for fuller description of initiatives.)
The Center for Experiential Learning Annual Report, FY 07-08 5

International Academic Internships

Early in spring 2007, a striking number of students were already expressing plans for international academic internships during Interim 2008. Reacting to this growing trend, faculty members raised serious concerns about the existing international academic internships registration and orientation/preparation process, citing liability and safety as primary issues to be addressed.

Improvements were identified and a new process implemented through a series of meetings in the early fall. The timing of these meetings was fitting: The number of students doing international academic internships grew from 16 last academic year to 43 during 2007–08, with expectations for continued growth.

Highlights of the improvements:

 Waiver Forms were reviewed by legal counsel and updated to reflect risks involved with international travel
 A mandatory orientation was implemented for students completing internships abroad
 Paperwork deadline was moved to an earlier date than for domestic internships to signal to students
the seriousness of traveling abroad to work and to allow time for preparatory activities
 Reflection became a more structured and intentional component of the international academic internship experience

Enhancements were primarily the result of:

 A series of six meetings attended by 11 people including St. Olaf faculty representing six academic departments and staff members from the CEL, Provost’s Office, Registrar’s Office, and International& Off-Campus Studies
 Survey of MIAC colleges in summer 2007 related to international academic internship program/ process structure at their institutions
 Meeting in January 2008 with staff from MIAC schools to discuss in person best practices for international academic internships

The St. Olaf faculty and staff group met again in May 2008 and formulated a thorough list of suggested
preparatory activities for faculty supervisors and students to use in preparing for their experience abroad. These were posted on the CEL’s internships web page as well as incorporated into the Academic Internship Learning Agreement & Plan.

Fulbright Symposium

The first Fulbright Symposium, planned in conjunction with the Fulbright program advisor and committee
and held during International Education Week, recognized and celebrated the College’s successes with the program. The symposium included:

 A community time poster session of current Fulbright applicants highlighting individual proposals.
 A keynote address by Karen de Bartolomé, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Regional Center, Institute of International Education (IIE), entitled “Fulbright and St. Olaf: A Rich Story to Tell,” providing a historical perspective on the Fulbright program.
 A faculty/staff dinner bringing together college administrators, former Fulbrighters, post-graduate scholarship advisors, and those heavily involved in international education. Opening remarks were made by Phyllis Larson, Asian Studies.
 A panel featuring St. Olaf/Fulbright alumni highlighting their individual experiences. Panelists included:

-Russ Johnson ’06, Research Associate, University of Melbourne. Field: Biology, Country: Australia
-Karin Holt ’99, Law Clerk for the Honorable Susan R. Miles, Washington County Government Center. Field: Political Science, Country: Norway
-Michael Shoemaker ’04, Technology Alliances Representative/Consultant, Personnel Decisions International. Field: Sociology, Country: Colombia
-Brian Andersen ’05, M.D./Ph.D. student, University of Minnesota. Field: Biology, Country: Norway

Making It in the Arts Conference

The inaugural 'Making It in the Arts' conference in October featured 15 art professionals (including St. Olaf faculty and alumni) as presenters and panel participants, providing a forum for cross-disciplinary discussions on issues facing performing, visual and literary artists.

Keynote speaker: Ward Sutton ’89, freelance artist in New York City. Sutton has created cartoons and
illustrations for many major publications, including the New York Times and Rolling Stone. His book Sutton Impact: The Political Cartoons of Ward Sutton was published in 2005. He also has created concert posters for such musicians as Beck, Pearl Jam, and Phish.

Panel topics: “Be Creative with Your Arts Degree: Unconventional Arts Careers,” “Innovation in Arts
Management,” “Recent Grads Working Their Art” and "Funding your Work." P.J. Tracy , the mother-daughter writing team of Patricia Lambrecht ’68 and Traci Lambrecht ’89, discussed their writing process. P.J. Tracy are winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book awards, and have seen their mystery novels (Monkeewrench, Live Bait, and Dead Run) become international bestsellers.
Other presenters:

 David Rose ’89, CEO, Ambient Devices
 Kristin Solid ’94, animator on feature films such as Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,
Night at the Museum and Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning remake of King Kong
 Todd Boss ’91, director of external affairs at the Playwrights' Center
 Cynthia Grzanowski ’88, director of marketing for the Minnesota Orchestra

Organizing committee: faculty from music, art, theatre, English, and dance.

Funding: CEL, Fine Arts Faculty, SAS Faculty, Art, Dance, Music, English, Boldt Chair. Matching funds
from Self Employment in the Arts (SEA).

Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Support and input from faculty members and administration helped shape evolving ideas for a potential social entrepreneurship program. Presentations to the CEL Advisory Board, a faculty breakfast meeting and individual conversations with the following faculty members were conducted throughout the year: Jim Farrell, Mary Carlsen, Eric Fure-Slocum, Solveig Zempel, Jeane DeLaney, Steve Soderlind, Susan Carlson, Mary Cisar, and Arnie Ostebee.

Investigation into the growing field of social entrepreneurship and its potential for the college addressed three questions:

 What is social entrepreneurship and how should it be defined at St. Olaf College?
 How will social entrepreneurship support the core values of the college?
 How will social entrepreneurship be offered to St Olaf students, faculty, staff and alumni?

Extensive work was done to compare social entrepreneurship programs at other colleges and universities, including a visit to North Carolina to meet with faculty members from Wake Forest University, University of North Carolina, and Duke University. Of particular note was a meeting with Greg Dees, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University. Dees is a leading voice in the social entrepreneurship movement and has agreed to visit St Olaf in September 2008
.
Implementation Strategies:

 Ideals to Actions: Cultivating Social Change

A comprehensive, interdisciplinary course will allow students to explore social change through historical analysis, case studies, ethical reflection and experiential application. Eric Fure-Slocum will teach the course beginning Spring Semester 2009. It is intended to be a cornerstone course for both the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship program and the Civic Engagement program.

 Academic Internship Experiences

The Civic Engagement and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs worked together to create the Leaders for Social Change Summer Internship Program. (See Co-Curricular Civic Engagement Activities section for program description.) By working directly in the community and having opportunities for discussion and reflection, students in the inaugural summer 2008 program gained a better understanding of the complexities of social issues as a means of formulating solutions for change.

Other academic internship experiences related to social innovation and entrepreneurship include the January Interim programs at the School for Social Entrepreneurship in England and Opportunity International in Nicaragua. Many of the independent international internships also support social entrepreneurship.

 OASIS (Oles Advancing Social Innovation and Sustainability)

Beginning in the fall of 2008, a group of approximately 12 students identified by faculty members will unite as the OASIS Leadership Team. This group will work throughout the year to define the purpose and structure of future OASIS teams. This “learning community of change agents” will also include several alumni who are actively engaged in social innovation and entrepreneurship. The mission of OASIS is to build and strengthen the capacity of individuals to develop innovative solutions to social problems for a more just, sustainable world.

Through monthly seminars, site visits, guest speakers and group projects, the OASIS Leadership Team will learn about social entrepreneurship and its capacity to bring sustainable change to the world. Together, they will identify unmet social needs and develop strategies to address these needs.

Academic Program Collaboration

Collaboration with Academic Departments and Programs

In total, the CEL partnered with 16 academic departments or programs across the five Faculties, providing 22 classroom presentations and 24 department/program-affiliated workshops. Details of those partnerships can be seen below.

Art

Alumni Panel, Wendell Arneson: Organized and facilitated “Careers in Art.”

Asian Studies

Asian Studies 275, Kris MacPherson: Organized and facilitated a panel discussion with Asian Studies alumni to provide students with information on career options.

Biomedical Studies

Multiple Collaborations across Concentration:

 Presented workshops to assist students in exploring the many career options in the field of health, encouraged learning outside of the classroom, and helped students prepare for the professional school application process.
 Contributed career development materials to Ted Johnson’s new resource for students, “Finding Your Way to a Career in the Health Professions.”
 Contributed key feedback to Biomedical Studies Director as Intended Learning Outcomes for the program were developed.
 Created a Bioscience Internships Directory that is now posted for students from the Biomedical Studies Program web page.

Computer Science

Support for Major/Minor Program: Worked extensively with the department chair and CS faculty to explore factors affecting decreasing enrollment, particularly among women, in their academic program. Conducted student focus groups, summarized and presented findings to department.

Dance

Dance 399, Anthony Roberts: Delineated short- and long-term career goals, strategies, and resources (including workshops on resumes, cover letters, interviewing) for transitioning out of St. Olaf and for successful career management.

Economics

Alumni Panel, Dave Emery: Facilitated “Healthcare Management Careers.”

Education

Education 389, Bob McClure: Presented information on resources and strategies for the job search within the traditional structure of K-12 institutions.

English

Workshop, Jan Hill: Developed and facilitated a greatly improved “Internship Search for English Majors” workshop which incorporated search strategies and resources that allow English majors to highlight the distinctive skills they wish to apply in their internship experiences. Jan Hill contributed key information about English department guidelines for academic internships.

Exercise Science

Exercise Science 390, Cindy Book: Presented internship, job, and graduate/professional school search resources. Reviewed senior research presentations.

Exercise Science 374, Sean Goldsworthy: Delivered course content on researching careers and planning for graduate/professional school as part of a required course project.

Support for Major/Minor Program: Formulated a strategy with department chair and faculty to support the department more extensively through course presentations, workshops, and advising on academic internships. Identified ways to embed required experiential learning activities into the exercise science curriculum. Shared resources and information related to including an internship requirement for the major. Piloted an “Internship Search for Exercise Science Majors” workshop which included handouts specially designed for students in the major.

Family and Social Service

Social Work 120, Mary Carlsen: Introduced students to the concept of vocation through varied activities during a classroom presentation and follow-up journaling assignments. Worked with students in follow-up sessions to identify their passions and their giftedness. Directed students to resources on various helping careers. Helped students craft vocational mission statements during an all-day retreat.

Family Studies 242, Sharon Powell: Presented the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as it relates to family systems theory, using type to understand the interplay of personalities within the family unit.

Social Work 254, Naurine Lennox: Administered the MBTI as an instrument to examine one’s own giftedness and its relationship to the many facets of social work.

Social Work 261, Naurine Lennox: Provided guidance on presenting oneself as a professional to prepare social work majors for their search for a practicum site.

Social Work 381, Mary Carlsen: Brought senior social work majors, who had completed an intensive practicum experience, and alumni who are social workers together to reflect on and discuss “their path of authentic service” and how aspirations to serve have been impacted by the realities of service work, during the annual spring “Conversation on Social Work, Service and Vocation,” funded through the Lilly grant.

Fine Arts

Career Resources for Students: Partnered with the fine arts departments to bring Springboard for the Arts, an organizational resource for artists, to campus to provide students with two workshops:“Funding Your Work” and “Presenting Your Work.”

Management Studies

Mgmt 256 and Mgmt 257: Taug ht by Sian Muir under a joint appointment in Management Studies and the CEL.

Mgmt 251, Rick Goedde: Presented the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as one lens for understanding personal giftedness and examining team strengths.

Mgmt 229, Sian Muir: Presented information on career options in the arts. Identified best practices in establishing a career in the field.

Mgmt 231, David Emery: Administered and interpreted the Campbell Interest and Skills Survey as part of a career exploration research project. Delivered sessions on resume writing, interviewing, and resources for career exploration.

Support for Concentration: Assisted in modifying the integrative folder requirement for the concentration. Conducted two information sessions to inform students of these requirements.

Mathematics

Math Colloquium: Facilitated presentation of Catastrophe Modeling by Jon Christianson ’02 of Collins Associates, Inc., as part of the colloquium series.

Media Studies

Information Sessions, Bill Sonnega: Partnered with faculty to deliver the following sessions:

 Media Studies information sessions - overview of concentration and Q&A on the program
requirements
 Electronic Portfolio Sessions - help sessions for senior concentrators on how they can
reflect upon, organize and articulate their media-related learning
 Internship Reflection Session - an opportunity for students completing their academic
internship to gather and reflect upon their experience
 Electronic Portfolio Reflection Session - an opportunity for senior concentrators to receive
narrative feedback on their portfolio, and articulate the impact of their academic and
experiential learning in an integrated way

Psychology

Psychology 241, Jessica Pleuss and Dana Gross: Delivered lecture on the young adult developmental stage, focusing on undergraduate education and liberal arts learning.

Psychology 375, Molly Kodl: Presented on careers in career counseling and career development work within an experiential learning context.

Workshop and Supplements: Enhanced and presented an internship search workshop to Psychology Club members and psychology majors. This was supplemented by the creation of a Psychology Internships Directory, now posted to the Psychology Department’s web site.

Academic Internship Program Highlights

Growth in Numbers, Widespread Faculty Involvement

2007-08 Academic Internships, Student Participation

 

Academic Internships
Term	Number, 07-08	Number, 06-07
Fall Interim Spring Summer	11	16
	97 (35 abroad)	61 (15 abroad)
	26	29
	67 (8 abroad)	43 (1 abroad)
TOTAL	201 (43 abroad)	149 (16 abroad)

2007-2008 Academic Internships by Faculty Supervisors' Department Designations
Fine Arts	2%
Humanities	8%
Natural Sciences and Mathematics	26%
ID & General Studies	30%
Social Sciences	35%

 

Nearly 70 faculty members representing over 30 academic departments took part in supervising one or multiple academic internships this year.

Academic Rigor and Faculty Workload

Presented academic internships data to faculty at two forums:

 Dean’s Council Meeting
 CILA Lunch, “Experiential Learning that Counts: Internships and Academic Outcomes”

It then became evident that faculty members have a great interest in examining how different departments address guidelines for and faculty supervision of academic internships, as well as how the College recognizes supervision of academic internships as an integral part of faculty workload. CEL staff followed-up with faculty members throughout the year to discuss these issues, developing a general template on guidelines for academic internships, which was used as a tool for discussion within departments and provided a means of ensuring academic rigor in internship activities.

Faculty Workload
Submitted a proposal to the curriculum committee chair suggesting that the committee discuss including academic internships in the current policy limiting the number of IS/IR projects a faculty member may supervise per term. Also suggested an addition to the internship policies that appear in the Academic Catalog to include the provision that the faculty supervisor and site supervisor roles may not be served by the same person.

International Academic Internships

Following are noteworthy activities in addition to those delineated in the Program Highlights section.

Reflection Session for Interim International Interns
Coordinated, in partnership with Tom Williamson, a reflection session attended by students, faculty and staff from various departments and offices. Students who traveled over Interim to countries in Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and Europe had an opportunity to debrief with their faculty supervisors and other staff on campus interested in hearing their stories. Students were invited to think about how they might build on their international internship experiences on campus. Many students took advantage of the opportunity to share their experiences with other students during this year’s international internships poster session, held
during the “Going Global” series.

Consultation and Support of New International Internships
Participated in discussions as three new international internship opportunities were coordinated by various faculty members on campus:

 Interim opportunity with ISLA in Nicaragua, Ted Johnson and Mary Carlsen, along with
alumna Nancy Carlson ’82
 Summer internship program through the German Department coordinated with the
University of Paderborn, Karl Fink
 Summer internship opportunity in Japan to explore an ongoing program with the Asian
Rural Institute, Kris MacPherson

New Academic Internship Programs

 Developed internship opportunity at the School for Social Entrepreneurs in London,
Interim 2008
 Proposed and helped coordinate team internship at Lemhi Ventures, Interim 2008
 Collaborated with the CEL’s Civic Engagement Program to develop the Leaders for Social
Change Program, Summer 2008
 (Program described under Co-Curricular Civic Engagement Activities.)

Other Academic Collaborations

Civic Engagement Faculty Institute (See Program Highlights section of report.)

Pre-Law Advising

Co-led with Doug Casson a pre-law committee comprised of Karen Cherewatuk, English; Steve Hahn, History; Anthony Rudd, Philosophy; and Liz Reppe, Reference Library. Worked with committee members to produce the following pre-law services:

Tailored workshops/events:

 Law School: Options and Applying
 Law Internship Advising Drop-in Hours
 Law School Quick-Stop Walk-in Hours
 LSAT practice exams and strategy sessions
 Law School/Criminal Justice Fair, Coffman Memorial Union, University of MN

Pre-Law Programming:

 “Constitutional Limits in a Time of War” student panel, moderated by Doug Casson
 “Liberal Arts in a Time of War” speaker, Stephen Spelman, Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve, Acting Chief of U.S. Army Trial Defense Service/Head of General Petraeus’ Law and Order Task Force
 Roundtable discussion with alumna Christa VanGundy, ADA, County Attorney’s Office, St. Cloud, MN, specializing in child criminal sexual conduct cases, child pornography, and sex offender registration violations
 Law School Alumni Panel, moderated by Liz Reppe, Reference Instruction Librarian

Other:

 Served as the law-related job and internship clearinghouse
 Hosted pre-law advising groups from the University of MN-Twin Cities, the College of St. Benedict, and St. John’s University to share our advising model and best practices

Mayo Scholars Program

Coordinated participation of two student teams of four students in the Mayo Scholars Program, offering students an opportunity to be involved with projects emanating from the Mayo Office of Intellectual Property and to experience the business side of the medical world through interdisciplinary academic internships during Interim.

 Project: Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) with Continuous Central Venous Oximetry and Proximal High Flow Port. Students investigated whether an exclusive or nonexclusive license should be pursued for this technology, as well as what factors should be
considered when looking for licensees and commercial partners. The team consisted of students with academic backgrounds in biology, chemistry, biomedical studies, economics and math.

 Project: Distal Interphalangeal Ring Extension Splint. The team determined the occurrence of both mallet finger injuries and deformity due to patient noncompliance in order to assess the market for this new splinting technology. The team consisted of students with academic
backgrounds in biology, physics, mathematics, statistics, economics and finance.

Faculty-Led Civic Engagement Initiatives

Participated in and contributed to a committee of faculty members and administrators who explored opportunities for enhanced civic engagement at St. Olaf. Collaborated with Dan Hofrenning in promoting events associated with the Civic Engagement in the Liberal Arts Semester. Sponsored a faculty discussion entitled “Civic Engagement in the Liberal Arts: A View from Macalester,” with Paul Schadewald ’91, Associate Director of Civic Engagement at Macalester College.

Globalization Conference

Participated in the planning committee of “Working for the Common Good,” the 2008
Social Science Globalization and Social Responsibility Conference. Invited and introduced one of the breakout session presenters, Jesús Torres, from Centro Campesino.

Coordinated the “Express Yourself for a Better World Photography, Creative Writing and Film Contest;” the winning submissions were displayed during the globalization conference.

Pre-Pharmacy Advising

Collaborated with Doug Beussman, pre-pharmacy advisor, to solicit feedback from pharmacies in Northfield and surrounding communities in order to create an experiential learning resource for students interested in exploring the pharmacy track. The resource includes guidance on St. Olaf courses, internships, career exploration, and professional school planning. It appears on the Chemistry Department and Biomedical Studies Program web pages.

Lilly Program Collaborations

Teaching Fellows

Lilly funding provides selected faculty one course-release to reflect upon and prepare teaching and other materials relating to the concept of vocational discernment. The Lilly Teaching Fellows are involved in intentional conversation with each other and CEL staff several times during the year. This year’s Lilly Teaching Fellows and their projects were as follows:

 Thomas Williamson (Sociology/Anthropology) extended his "vocational discernment presentation," currently incorporated into all his courses, to wider audiences; he integrated vocational conversations more comprehensively into his anthropological theory course.
 Mark Pernecky (Economics) incorporated topics related to vocation into his Labor Economics course, considering how creativity, control, compensation and conscience enter into labor market decisions.
 Diane Leblanc (English and Interdisciplinary Studies) redirected her GE 111 course, newly entitled “Family, Vocation and Work,” to incorporate the topic of vocational discernment into the discussions of work and family.

Vocational Scholars

For 2007-08, the Lilly grant provided for two Lilly Vocational Scholars. Each pursued academic scholarship on vocational topics within his/her field and provided inspiration and intellectual leadership to the campus community in the consideration of vocation.

 Carol Holly (English) included an expansion of her ongoing research into 19th-century New England writer Rose Terry Cooke. She examined, among other things, the vocation of writing and the role of religion in 19th-century literature. Holly also formalized some of her existing explorations into teaching as a vocation by reflecting on her own experiences, interviewing colleagues, and engaging the community in conversations about this important topic.
 Dan Hofrenning (Political Science) investigated several related threads of inquiry. He replicated research from his earlier Interim course on the vocation of citizenship and politics and also expanded his preliminary research into political participation and students' feelings of efficacy and cynicism. Both of these investigations will help inform scholarly inquiry and
practical programming, addressing ways in which St. Olaf fosters a vocation of citizenship and politics within its student body.

Student Programs

Scholarships

Post-Graduate Scholarship Programs

Acted as clearinghouse for post-graduate scholarship information and materials on campus; developed a web-based resource detailing programs and advisors.

Facilitated post-graduate programs on campus:

 Coordinated support for the Fulbright Program, with the CEL handling information dissemination, coordination of student advising/mentoring by the faculty advisory team and compilation of applications. The Fulbright Symposium is detailed under Program Highlights.
 Played a primary role in the British Marshall and the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship programs.
 Assisted with the following: Harry S. Truman, George J. Mitchell, and Luce programs, as well as the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, and the Martin Luther Schule Teaching Award (Rimbach, Germany).
 Advised the Rotary program.

Undergraduate Scholarship Programs

Acted as repository of information and coordination for a number of college scholarship programs. Maintained web site as primary source of information, including application instructions. Involved in selection process. Scholarships administered in 2007–08 include the following:

Service and Social Justice Undergraduate Scholarships

Interim 2008
 Rachel Bean (African Impact, Livingston, Zambia, Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship)
 Bethany Birkelo (African Impact, Livingston, Zambia, Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship)
 Polina Bugayev (Interfaith Service to Latin America, Jalapa, Nicaragua, Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship)
 Katie Dobie (Laogai Research Foundation, Washington, D.C., Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship)

Summer 2008
It was decided that students receiving scholarships for summer initiatives must receive academic credit (typically in the form of an Academic Internship).
 Hashim Yonis (Somali Youth, Nazareth, Ethiopia, Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship)
 Katherine Tecku (Washington Environmental Council, Seattle, Washington, Kloeck- Jenson Scholarship)
 Daniel Nierengarten (Foundation for Sustainable Development, Masaka, Uganda, Melvin George Scholarship)
 Jacob Schlichting (American Dance Festival, Durham, North Carolina, Joy Korda Schaefer Scholarship)
 Emily Tremblay (Washington Semester Summer Internship, Washington, D.C., David Minge Scholarship)

Phillips Scholars Program

Assumed leadership in promoting the Phillips Scholars Program, a unique opportunity administered by the Minnesota Private College Fund, recognizing and rewarding private college students who strive to make life better for those with unmet needs. Solicited review committee, advised student applicants and participated in selection of the St. Olaf finalist. Review committee included: Kathy Glampe, Director, Student Support Services; Bill Green, Assistant Dean for Community Life & Diversity /Director of MACO; and Sharon Powell, Assistant Professor of
Family Studies.

Jenny Kramm ’10 was selected as a 2008–2010 Phillips Scholar and will receive a $15,250 award. Jenny will implement a service-learning program with Northfield middle school students during the summer of 2009. Jenny is the first St. Olaf student to be recognized as a Phillips Scholar since 2002.

Other Undergraduate Scholarships

 Rebecca Klaetsch ’09, Jay Jovick ’09 & David Narvaez ’09 (Federated Insurance Leadership Scholarship)
 Andrew Foxwell ’08, (James Braulick Entrepreneurial Scholarship)
 Saman Bemel-Benrud ’09 & Alexander Mitchell ’09 (Herbert M. Stellner Scholarship)

Co-Curricular Civic Engagement Activities

Leaders for Social Change

The new Leaders for Social Change internship program provided nine students the opportunity to develop and apply leadership skills related to understanding social problems, formulating solutions, and mobilizing others for social change.

Key components of the program included:

 academic internships with local community-based organizations
 civic engagement seminars with local nonprofit leaders and St Olaf faculty (weekly)
 intentional community living arrangements in a St. Olaf Honors House
 shared meals and reflection meetings (weekly)

Interns examined and addressed issues such as poverty, community and economic development, environmental sustainability, immigration, youth empowerment, and healthcare. Through their internships and civic engagement seminars, students learned about the root causes of various social problems and about the policies influencing these issues. Students contributed to their host organizations through direct service, research, and other project work. They also further developed many of the communication and leadership skills necessary to address community issues and bring about positive social change.

Faculty Supervisors for the LSC Program:

 Mary Carlsen, Social Work
 Eric Fure-Slocum, History
 Heather Campbell, Education

2008 Leaders for Social Change Summer Interns and their respective placement sites:

 Michelle Anklan, Centro Campesino
 Ryan Doyle, Center for Sustainable Living
 Maren Gelle, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative and Summer Ventures
 Katlin Greene, Upward Bound
 Chad Goodroad, Valley Creek Community Farm
 Laura Guzman, HealthFinders Collaborative
 Wade Hauser, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative and Summer Ventures
 Monika Hartsel, Northfield Community Action Center
 Andrew Nussbaum, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Summer Ventures and the
Key (Union of Youth)

Civic Engagement Week

Sponsored a Civic Engagement Week, including the following events and activities:

 “The American Labor Movement: Dingbats, Dinosaurs, or Dynamic Duo” with Bob Muehlenkamp
 Conversation on the Labor Movement and Civic Engagement in Higher Education with Bob Muehlenkamp
 “Israel/Palestine: An Inside View” with Lynne Rigg
 “Activism for Social Change,” an event in which 10–12 student organizations shared information about opportunities to get involved with activism relating to various social issues
 Worldwide Service Fair introduced students to both full-time and part-time service opportunities in over 20 organizations
 Hall display to educate students about civic engagement at St. Olaf

Transforming Privilege: Ideals to Action Retreat

Worked with five student leaders in the Cooperative Justice Honors House and the Diversity Awareness Honors House to develop and sponsor the Transforming Privilege Retreat, which took place at the Good Earth Village. Met regularly with student leaders to conceptualize, plan, and facilitate the retreat. Primary goals of the retreat: 1) to provide students with opportunities for personal reflection, 2) to facilitate stronger relationships among students and the cross-sections of their ‘issues’ (diversity, sustainability, and social justice) and 3) to nurture in the participants an increased capacity to act as allies and agents of social change. Alejandra C. Tobar from the Fellowship of Reconciliation
served as the primary facilitator of the retreat. Thirty-two students participated in the 24-hour retreat. As an outgrowth of the retreat, student participants organized a number of follow-up activities including a series of potluck dinners.

Day in the Life Homeless Immersion

Sponsored a day-long immersion program, providing the opportunity for 10 students to connect with individuals who have experienced urban poverty and homelessness, to reflect on their experiences, and to explore possible responses. As part of the experience, students visited numerous social service organizations including People Serving People, Access Works, the Salvation Army, and Sharing and Caring Hands. Human rights advocates from St. Stephen’s Human Services facilitated the event. A
student leader, Erica Naylor, provided leadership in coordinating and promoting the event.

Political Action Fair

With the support of Don Ostrom, Visiting Faculty in Political Science and Lilly Fellow for
Fall 2008, collaborated with the Political Awareness Committee, College Democrats, and the College Republicans to sponsor the “Political Action Fair: One Year Before the 2008 Elections.” Approximately 18 campaigns and political organizations staffed tables and seven representatives gave short campaign speeches. Dan Hofrenning shared opening remarks.

Public Service as Vocation

With the support of Don Ostrom, Political Science, sponsored a panel of current and former governmental officials who spoke on “Public Service as Vocation.” Panelists included Ember Reichgott Junge ’74, former Democratic State Senator, Steve Sviggum ’73, former Republican Speaker of the House, and Kari Nelson, Northfield Schoolboard Chair.

Homeless Awareness Sleep-Out

Collaborated with the Northfield Community Action Center and several student leaders to sponsor the Homeless Awareness Sleep-Out at Bridge Square in downtown Northfield. Event included a presentation by Jim Blaha, Executive Director of the Northfield Community Action Center, and reflection and conversation on the reality of poverty and homelessness in our society.

Other On-Campus Civic Engagement Events/Initiatives

Sponsored the following events to provide opportunities for students to learn about and reflect on various social issues:

 “Environmental Sustainability Efforts in Northfield” with David Legvold, Executive Director of the Cannon River Watershed Partnership; coordinated by Hannah Clark, CEL Peer Advisor.
 “The Call to Service and Solidarity in Honduras” with John Donaghy, which focused on John’s personal vocation as an educator, campus minister, social justice advocate and lay missioner in Honduras.
 “St. Stephen’s Human Rights Campaign” with Joshua Lang and four staff
members/volunteers from St. Stephen’s Human Services.
 “Puente”- Advised a student group focused on connections with the Latino community in Northfield; group met regularly throughout the year and involved other students through conversation and awareness-raising events.

Entrepreneurship Activities

Finstad Grants
Awarded seven grants to 11 students totaling $19,000 (recipients listed in Appendix B). Grant recipients supported with monthly educational seminars on topics such as taxation, marketing and strategic planning. Since 1992 the program has given more than $500,000 to more than 220 students to begin new ventures.

Programs

“What’s Hot & What’s Not,” a panel presentation highlighting hot careers. Panelists:

 Sean Benson ’90, Co-founder and Vice President of Technology for ProVation Medical
 Jodi Hubler, Managing Director of Lemhi Ventures
 Kristine Johnson ’73, President of Affinity Capital Management
 Mark Johnson ’82, Founder and CEO of Four51
 Erik Knutson ’84, Co-owner and Executive Vice President of Baltix Sustainable Furniture

“Beyond Law and Compliance: Creating an Ethical Culture in the 21st Century”

 Speakers: Stephen Rondestved ’85, federal felon & disbarred attorney, and Hank Shea, former Assistant U.S. Attorney
 Panelists:

-Judge Joan Erickson ’76, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
-Ron James, President and CEO of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures
-Judge John Tunheim, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
-Mike Hemesath, Professor of Economics, Carleton College

Other

 Ole Ventures Speaker: Tom Whaley, Executive Vice President of the St. Paul Saints
 Virtual Entrepreneurship Internship Fair: Coordinated summer internships in eight alumni-owned entrepreneurial businesses in a virtual fair format. Five students were placed as a result.
 Site visit: College City Beverage

E-Week Events

 Braulick Speaker: Jacquie Berglund, Co-founder and President, Finnegans Inc.
 OleVentures Business Plan Pitch Competition judged by:

-Sean Benson ’90, Co-founder and Vice President of Technology for ProVation Medical
-Jodi Hubler, Managing Director of Lemhi Ventures
-William McCormack ’69, Executive Vice President Schwan Food Company, President, Schwan’s Development Corporation

 Social Entrepreneurship Panel:

-Mark Crea, Executive Director of Feed My Starving Children
-Clea Dezio, Development Director at the Cookie Cart
-Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Latino Enterprise Center LEC)

Advising and Educational Programs

“Going Global” International Series

Coordinated a series of events to inform students of the possibilities and process involved in building international careers.

Classroom presentations:

 Erin Vos ’00 - Env Studies 276, Environmental Politics, Dan Hofrenning, and Env Studies 222, Campus Ecology, Jim Farrell
 Erik Cleven ’87 – P Sci 284, Ethics of Citizenship in Age of War and Terror, Paddy Dale, and P Sci 382, Geopolitics of Eurasian Energy, Paddy Dale
 Tim Holtz ’86 – Bio 391, Molecular Mechanics of Diseases, Mara Robu
 Richard Rortvedt ’69 – Env Studies 399, Senior Seminar, John Schade

Informal conversation with students based upon individual areas of expertise:

 Erin Vos ’00 - Environmental policy, environmental education, marine mammal conservation
 Erik Cleven ’87 - Peace building, conflict transformation, international conflict resolution
 Tim Holtz ’86 - Global health concerns, health and human rights issues, responding to biothreats
 Richard Rortvedt ’69 - USDA and economic policies in Latin/South America, free trade agreements, sustainable agriculture
 Synneva Zempel ’97 - Finding international work, working through the VISA maze, getting abroad after graduation

Vocations of Global Citizenship: Stories of Alumni with International Careers; panelists:

 Erin Vos ’00, Head of Education and Community, The Wildlife Trust, United Kingdom
 Erik Cleven ’87, Project Coordinator, Nansen Dialogue Network; PhD candidate, Purdue University
 Timothy Holtz ’86, Medical Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
 Richard Rortvedt ’69, Special Assistant to Deputy Administrator-retired, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
 Synneva Zempel ’97 – Travisa Corporation

Other:

 Community time poster session by 15 students who completed an Interim international internship.
 Faculty/staff dinner to foster interaction with alumni participants.
 Chapel talk by Erik Cleven ’87.
 Workshop for students exploring international internships and careers that provided information on logistical considerations, visa/work authorization requirements, search resources and application considerations. Workshop facilitated in partnership with the IOS Office.
 “Oles Gone Global,” online profiles of alumni with international careers.

Workshop Series

The third year of the developmental workshop series provided a means of presenting basic information in a small-group setting, freeing counselors for more substantive appointments with students. (Workshop calendars for Fall ’07 and Spring ’08 can be seen in Appendices C1 and C2.)

Attendance at CEL’s workshops totaled 1,475 and at other events equaled 861 (note that we do not attempt to take attendance at our open house events). 1,148 individual students across the four class years attended: 285 first-years, 231 sophomores, 289 juniors, 334 seniors, and 9 alumni. (Detail on workshop and event participation can be found in Appendices D1 and D2.)

Several of the workshops represent a new focus for the CEL and merit mentioning.

 “Invest in Yourself: Job and Internship Search Strategies” Video Online Workshop Series was developed to increase accessibility for students and efficiency for staff. Tailored search information and handouts are available for the general search, the fields of art, business, communications, international, nonprofit, science and math, and the gap year.
 Jodi Hubler, Managing Director of Lemhi Ventures, shared tips and advice on acing a professional interview in “Presenting a Professional Image.” The event was provided in response to feedback received from recruiters during the fall 2006 recruiting season who indicated that our liberal arts students would benefit from expressing greater confidence
during interviews.
 A new Internship Orientation workshop centered on helping students understand perceptions of the millennial generation in the workforce, how to dispel myths, and how to succeed and leave a lasting positive impression during their summer internships.
 “Interviewing Skills for Medical and Dental School” was designed to meet the needs of students planning to attend medical and dental school.
 “Pathways to Careers in the Biosciences,” a collaborative effort among Minnesota’s private colleges, presented alumni panelists working in careers in Clinical Research/Regulatory
Affairs, Food Science/Personal Care, Medical & Pharmaceutical Sales & Marketing, Research & Development/Lab Science.

Individual Student Contacts

Student appointments:

 1,274 individual appointments with 547 individual students June 2007–May 2008 (compared to 929 individual appointments with 483 students in 2006–07)
 60.51% of students who scheduled appointments were females
 47.84% were from the class of 2008; 28.66% were from the class of 2009
 (See appendix E1 for a breakdown of counseling appointments by major.)

Walk-in Service:

746 students across all four class years, representing more than 40 different academic programs
received individual service from Peer Advisors on a walk-in basis. (Walk-in data is outlined in
Appendix E2.)

Alumni Service:

 77 individual alumni were provided with guidance; 48 of those alumni graduated between 2004 and 2007 and constitute the alumni population identifies for continued service
 79% of the 117 advising/counseling contacts provided were with the newer grads
 37% of the alumni contacts were by appointment, 35% were via email and another 28% by
phone

Peer Advisor Program

Coordinated a developmental work-study program to provide students the opportunity to expand their
self-understanding and skills while serving in a peer advisor role.

 Employed 15 students, primarily juniors and seniors, in leadership-oriented advising and project management roles with increasing amounts of responsibility. Students served as the first line of contact for any in-person and phone inquiries, and were trained and well-versed enough with resources to assist students with such topics as choosing a major, career exploration, internships, job searches, résumé and cover letter critiques, the graduate school
application process, volunteer opportunities, interviewing, and alumni networking. Provided students with referrals to professional staff for further assistance.
 Provided two days of training at the beginning of the year and subsequent monthly training meetings throughout the year.
 Involved all members of the staff in aspects of fall training and development to familiarize students with the notion of a holistic experiential learning program.
 Adapted program to meet the changing needs of student clients. As CEL programs evolved, PAs have become more instrumental and specialized. For example, PAs were highly
successful in providing walk-in hours by topical area (i.e., Graduate School, Nonprofit/Social Service, etc.). PA’s were also able to deliver a greater range of workshops than in past years.

Focus on First-Years

Coordinated the “Game of Life” as the Focus on First-Year event introducing first-year students to the CEL’s programs; 111 students attended the open-house-style event. Follow-up programming by Peer Advisors in each of the five first-year halls attracted 80 students.

Job Search Initiatives

OleRecruiting

Utilized CEL’s web-based internship and job search database and recruitment management tool to provide job and internship information for students and alumni:

 Posted 1,255 positions, 867 jobs and 388 internships, from 570 organizations
 Top six industries: 1) Nonprofit – Community Organizations/Activism, 2) Religion, 3) Recreation/ Parks/Sports, 4) Non-Government Organizations, 5) Finance/Banking – Financial Services/Planning, 6) Technology – Software
 Top six job functions: 1) Administrative/Support Services, 2) Teaching/Education, 3) Research, 4) Marketing, 5) Management, 6) Social Work

On-Campus Recruiting

Tabling Outside Stav Hall

 23 organizations tabled, promoting their summer, volunteer, or other opportunities to students
 8 graduate schools tabled to promote their program
 (See Appendix F1 for a listing of organizations that tabled.)

Information Sessions

 21 organizations (13 in the fall, 8 in the spring) representing nonprofit, corporate, and service/volunteer programs presented one-hour sessions
 234 participants in fall information sessions; 88 in the spring, totaling 322 participants
 117 seniors, 65 juniors, 47 sophomores, and 21 first-years attended the sessions.
 (See Appendix F2 for organizations/student participation in information sessions.)

Interviewing on campus

 396 resumes (188 fall, 208 spring) were submitted to 34 organizations recruiting for 64 positions. 180 applications were received for full-time positions, 216 for internships.
 185 interviews were conducted on-campus during fall (112) and spring (73) recruiting.
 Out of the 185 interviews, 96 interviews (81 in the fall, 15 in the spring) were for full-time post-graduate positions; 89 interviews (31 in the fall, 58 in the spring) were conducted for internships.
 (See Appendix F3 for a listing of on-campus interviews by organization and position along with student participation data.)

Corporate Partners/Alumni Recruiting On Campus

 Best Buy: Mark Prichard
 Cargill: Chad Cliff
 Federated Insurance: Doyle Johnson, Paul Droher, Troy Sorenson
 General Mills: John Haugen, Lance Paradis, Jennifer Reilly, Steve Peterson
 Piper Jaffray: Jon Salveson
 Target Merchandising: Kristen MacVey
 Target Technology Services: Jean Guezmir
 MSI Systems Integrators: Kevin Casson
 Health Care Futures: Craig Pederson

Job and Internship Fairs

A broad base of job and internship fairs complemented the above job search programs. The CEL was directly affiliated with six fairs over the 2007–08 academic year, targeting jobs and internships from the
government, public service, private, and education sectors. Fairs included:

 MN Private Colleges Job and Internship Fair (112 participants)
 St. Olaf’s Summer Job and Camp Fair
 St. Olaf’s Worldwide Service Fair
 MN College and University Career Services Association (MCUCSA) Education Career Fair
 MCUCSA Government Job and Internship Fair
 Idealist.org/Working for Change Fair.
(See Appendix G for a list of organizations participating in the CEL-coordinated fairs: Worldwide
Service Fair and Summer Job and Camp Fair.)

Community-Based Work Study

(Note: The Community-Based Work Study position is not allocated to CEL FTE though its coordinator is housed in the CEL.)

Offered students expanded off-campus work-study opportunities through newly created Community-Based Work-Study Coordinator position. This collaborative position between St. Olaf and Carleton united both colleges’ off-campus work-study programs—Northfield Reads and Counts previously an Americorps position) and Community Work Study in Non-Profits (previously coordinated by Financial Aid). Key procedural components of the were added, revised, and implemented in order to foster and support students and community partners, as well as to ensure compliance with Federal Program Regulations. A strengthened partnership with the Northfield Public Schools enriched the tutoring program for students, providing additional training at the outset of the tutoring experience
and support throughout the year, in addition to a streamlined communication process with individual schools. Primary emphasis for the new position was development of work-study positions in local
non-profits; statistics provide a snapshot of the growth in that area but do not fully demonstrate the partnerships that were initiated during year to lay groundwork for work-study positions in fall of 2008.

	2006-2007	2007-2008	% Increase
St. Olaf Reads & Counts	27 student tutors	27 student tutors	0%
St. Olaf Community Work Study	7 student workers	17 student workers	59%

Lilly Program Activities

Summer Vocational Interns

Placed students in urban congregations, through a collaborative effort with the Office of Church Relations, to help students explore ideas of vocation while completing an academic internship; students lived at Luther Seminary. Randy Nelson, emeriti Director of Contextual Leadership at Luther Seminary, provided a unique mentoring opportunity by bringing students together regularly to reflect on their work and its meaning in their lives.
Seven students participated in the summer 2007 program:

 Erin Armstrong, Galilee Lutheran Church, Roseville
 Jonathan Holtmeier, Calvary Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
 Kathleen LaRochelle, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
 Abby Matthews, Augustana Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
 Denise Miller, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
 Nathaniel Preisinger, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul
 Peter Schattauer, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, St. Paul

Vocational Reflection in Social Work

Vocational reflection has become important in two components of the social work program.

 Facilitated content in Social Work 120, the Interim course “I Want To Help People,” to help students explore their interest in helping others, either as a career or in a volunteer capacity.
 Co-facilitated the “Conversation on Social Work, Service and Vocation” in Social Work 381 to engage senior social work majors in vocational reflection on their chosen field.

Identifying Vocational Interest Workshop Series

Sequence of three workshops served as one of the primary means for engaging students in discussion and reflection on their “calling.” In the first workshop, students explored their passions, values, skills and abilities, and developed a mission statement to guide them through their St. Olaf years and into their post-college years. Upon completion of the workshop, students were invited to take the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) which were interpreted in the subsequent workshops.

International Summer Service Learning

The Lilly Program funds summer international service-learning opportunities for groups of students led by faculty or staff in church-related or service-based institutions. During summer 2007, 6 students traveled to Honduras for a three-week service-learning experience hosted by La Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras and led by staff member David Wagner ’03, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, and alumna Lindsay Mack ’02. The experience focused on service to congregations and communities throughout the country.

Service learning involved volunteering with the Health for Life program, leading and participating in worship, working with youth and women’s groups, engaging in fellowship, participating in educational programming sponsored by churches, volunteering at a local kindergarten, and interacting with pastors and leaders in local communities. Students had the opportunity to reflect on personal vocation by journaling, leading conversations, and facilitating educational activities that are related to their own area of study.

Lilly Program Bible/Church Camp Stipends

Stipends totaling $12,400 were offered to 14 students to supplement their earnings from camp positions during the summer of 2007.

Ole Spring Relief Trip

115 students took part in the Ole Spring Relief program, again offering assistance and support along the Gulf Coast. Students traveled with two seminarians from Luther Seminary who led devotionals nightly and assisted the group with vocational reflection. A student leadership team worked with the Lilly Program Committee to integrate targeted journaling into the service components of the trip; 75 students responded to questions developed in conjunction with the evaluation component of the grant.

Co-curricular Civic Engagement Programs funded by the Lilly Grant

(See details above under Co-curricular Civic Engagement Section of report.)

 Leaders For Social Change Summer Internship Program
 Transforming Privilege: Ideals To Action Retreat
 Day In The Life Homeless Immersion

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

Corporate Partners

General Mills

 Case Challenge - John Haugen ’86 and Mark Skeba ’05 led the “marketing” Oles at
General Mills in development and presentation of a case challenge to introduce 20 students to the complexities of marketing. Michelle LaBerge ’06 presented an actual marketing case from the Big G Cereal division along with background material on the sector; student teams had four weeks to analyze the challenge and develop solutions. The teams then presented case solutions to a team of Ole judges at General Mills headquarters. The presentations were followed by a lunch that included Oles at General Mills.

 GMI Finance Emerging Leaders Program - Gretchen Ista Johnson ’97 invited
sophomores and juniors to apply for a two-day event at General Mills headquarters
introducing students to the field of corporate finance. Two students - Nate Black ’09 and
Kayla Benson ’10 - were selected.

Target Corporation

Foundation Grant - The CEL formed a stronger, more intentional working relationship with SSS staff and students through a $5,000 grant from the Target Foundation. (See details of the SSS Incentive Plan under St. Olaf Community, Student Life Division initiatives.)

 January Internships - In a continuing program developed exclusively for St. Olaf, Target provided two junior students with January academic internship opportunities: one Merchandise Planning/Business Analyst Internship and one Technology Leadership Internship. The Target Technology Services January internship program is a new initiative
this academic year.
 Case Challenge - Target offered a case challenge to 16 sophomores and juniors again this year. Student teams were presented with a “Connecting with Multicultural Shoppers” case study based on the marketing challenges faced by the digital media industry. Teams had
approximately 4 weeks to develop a solution to the case and to prepare a professional presentation of their solution for Target recruiters at corporate headquarters. The presentation of the case solutions was followed by a networking session with Ole alumni at Target.

Wells Fargo Corporate Site Visit

Beth Opperman ’93, Senior Director of Investments at Wells Fargo, hosted a group of 40 students at the corporate office in Minneapolis. She organized presentations and panels by 7 Wells Fargo employees/St. Olaf alumni working in a range of finance roles, including retail banking, specialized finance, wealth management, home and consumer finance, institutional trust, and institutional planned giving. Students were able to see first-hand what a business environment would entail, and gather information on the organization and its job and internship possibilities. Afterward, Beth organized a networking reception for the students with 20 additional Wells Fargo/St. Olaf alumni hosted by
President Anderson.

Federated Leadership Scholarships

Federated Insurance awarded three scholarships (one more than in previous years) to juniors in Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Management Studies with at least a 3.0 GPA through a competitive essay process. Doyle Johnson ’86, Paul Droher ’72 and other Oles at Federated reviewed the essays of applicants. As an organization that prides itself on equity, teamwork, integrity and respect, Federated Insurance requires the applicants to demonstrate their commitment to these“cornerstone” principles in their essays. Federated Insurance has a long history of community leadership and service to others and, as such, is looking to reward students who demonstrate a similar
orientation.

Northfield Community

Community Outreach Breakfast

Hosted a breakfast information session/discussion attended by approximately 40 local business and organizational leaders in order to build and strengthen college-community partnerships and enhance student opportunities for experiential learning. The agenda consisted of two primary activities:

 Sharing information about the Center for Experiential Learning: A PowerPoint presentation served as the framework for introducing CEL staff/programs and less familiar concepts of experiential learning - service-learning, community-based research, etc. - along with traditional approaches such as internships. Created a brochure outlining these concepts as well.
 Gathering information on community interests and needs: Table discussions and a follow-up questionnaire were vehicles for helping community members generate and communicate ideas for partnerships, and share defined and emerging needs.

The “Community-Based Organizations Questionnaire” formed the basis for the CEL’s commitment to contact attendees in a timely manner to discuss in greater detail specific ideas for CEL-community partnerships and ways that students might apply academic learning in local businesses and organizations.

The College Board of Business Consultants
Provided leadership to the College Board of Business Consultants (CBBC) in its third year. Eight St. Olaf and Carleton students volunteered to assist area organizations through the collection and analysis of research data. This year, a half-credit internship option was offered as an option to the St. Olaf students. The CBBC is sponsored by the First National Bank of Northfield, Community National Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank; the Northfield Enterprise Center administers the program. To date, over 30 local businesses and nonprofits have benefited from student projects.

Community Relationships

The CEL’s internships, civic engagement, community-based work-study, and entrepreneurial studies programs collaborated with a number of Northfield community organizations to create meaningful learning experiences for students in a variety of nonprofit and business settings. (See Appendix H for a list of these organizations.)

St. Olaf Community

Admissions

“Live Your Learning: Internships and More” presented to admitted students and their parents as part of Accepted Student Day hosted by Admissions. Moderated a panel of 4 students who had integrated a variety of experiential learning activities into their academic program, demonstrating how experiential involvement complements a St. Olaf education.

Alumni and Parent Relations

“Exploring Majors and Careers” presented to parents of first-years during Homecoming and Family Weekend. The varied services of the CEL were highlighted with particular emphasis on exploration resources and strategies.

Student Life Division

SSS Incentive Plan:

 Proposed and managed SSS Incentive Plan, funded by Target Foundation grant. Initiated in January to connect first-years through seniors to vocational exploration activities, and develop tools and skills essential to future pursuits.
 To fulfill the requirements of the plan, students were required to:

-Attend a Choosing a Major or Identifying Vocational Interest Workshop and actively
explore their major and/or career ideas
-Identify three potential careers and write summaries of each
-Create a resume and cover letter
-Attend two CEL events or programs
-Prepare for informational or professional interviews

 Upon completion of the plan, students were awarded a stapler, pen and notepad, jump drive, packet of resume paper, St. Olaf leather portfolio, and a $50 gift card to Macy’s to help purchase professional attire. Seven SSS students have completed the plan; many more are in
progress.
 Worked with the incoming SSS students in August with an exercise in thinking strategically about and developing an experiential learning plan. Additional programming focused on the graduate school application process and timeline, choosing a major, and searching for summer jobs and internships was delivered to SSS groups as part of their required events. Many SSS students were also required to attend several of our graduate school and internship workshops as part of the McNair Scholars program.

Other Activities:

 Participated in monthly student life directors meetings.
 Participated in the JC Information Fair during training.
 Participated in seminar for the parents of graduating seniors, answering questions about the transition their students, during Commencement Weekend.

International and Off-Campus Studies

Presented information on how to explore and maximize experiential learning opportunities while studying abroad to all students participating in spring programs at the fall IOS Orientation Retreat.