A St. Olaf College newsletter for parents WINTER 2012 Alumni and Parent Relations 888-865-6537 alum-office@stolaf.edu Follow us: From the Desk of the Dean of Students When asked what our goals are, we at St. Olaf often talk about "working to prepare students for lives of worth and service." But we know we're not the only ones who have been involved in that effort, as parents have been working on it for about 18 years before dropping their kids off on Manitou Heights. Parents are a main source of inspiration, information, and motivation for the vocational interests and direction we see in our students, who are better connected to parents than earlier generations. Read more>> St. Olaf News Make connections that matter through Career Network for Oles Oles have a long history of helping one another. Career Network for Oles connects St. Olaf students with parents and alumni in substantive ways by giving students a chance to learn about careers, internships, and jobs through the professional experiences and expertise of parents and alumni. Read more>> Roll into 2012 with Target's 'Ole Goldberg' machine What do soup cans, flying toilet paper, and a disco ball have in common? They're all part of Target's impressive new Rube Goldberg-like machine constructed by a team of St. Olaf students and alumni. Learn more>> A cultural key to the corporate world Senior Tim Knutson's experience in China — along with the resources available in the St. Olaf Center for Experiential Learning — helped him land a full-time job half a year before graduation. Learn more>> Paws for finals Dogs barking or performing tricks might be the last thing you'd expect to see when entering the Lion's Pause student club at St. Olaf. But every year the venue hosts faculty and staff pets that gather to help relieve students of the stress of finals. Learn more>>   MORE NEWS >> Mark Your Calendar February 3 President Anderson's Lunchtime Live college update March 3 Black and Gold Winter Gala May 25-27 Commencement Weekend