“Help! I’ve applied, but some of my documents are missing.”

December 7th, 2009 by Ken Anselment

If you have applied to Lawrence and, upon checking your Voyager account to track your application’s status, have noticed that some of your documents have not yet been received by Lawrence (even though you know they’ve been sent), please take a deep breath and relax. We tend to get backed up a bit around deadlines, and considering that our Early Action deadline just passed on Dec. 1, you can expect there to be a bunch of documents still waiting to be matched up with applications.

We are processing applications and supporting credentials as quickly as we can. If you have submitted your Common Application and Lawrence supplement and you still have some school documents missing, we will not hold it against you (or your school, for that matter). If, by the middle of December, the documents still appear to be missing, give us a call at 920-832-6500 and we’ll look into it. Please don’t request your school to send us additional copies until you confirm that we have, indeed, not received it.

Thank you!

Tags: ,
Posted in News | Comments Off

Warch Center is “Gold”

November 21st, 2009 by Ken Anselment

Lawrence University Warch Campus Center Wisconsin’s First Higher Education Facility Awarded LEED Gold Certification

APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University’s newly opened Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center is so “green” it’s gold.

So says the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which has awarded the 107,000-square-foot building LEED®-certified Gold status, the second highest designation on the green building four-level certification system. The Warch Campus Center is the first higher education building in Wisconsin to achieve LEED Gold certification.

“This is the news we were hoping for,” said Lawrence University President Jill Beck. “Lawrence is committed to the goal of sustainability and this building is evidence of that commitment. Responsible citizenship is one of the goals of a liberal education and in reducing our impact on the planet we are setting an example for our campus and our community.”

LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings and offers four levels of certification for new construction: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Each level corresponds to the number of points or credits accrued in various construction categories that positively impact the project itself and the broader community as verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

After an extensive review, USGBC determined the Warch Campus Center earned 43 points or credits on its certification scale. A minimum of 39 points is required to reach Gold certification.

“On behalf of the entire design and construction team, we extend our congratulations to Lawrence University on this remarkable achievement,” said Nat Stein, LEED accredited professional and the Warch Campus Center’s project architect for Uihlein-Wilson Architects, Inc., of Milwaukee. “We especially commend the students of Lawrence University who inspired and challenged us to create a building that is environmentally responsible, respectful and beautiful. We are thrilled to be a part of such a meaningful project.”

The $35 million Warch Campus Center is Uihlein-Wilson’s first Gold-certified project. The building’s environmentally friendly features include:

-a partially vegetated roof system of soil and green plants to absorb rainfall and decrease storm water runoff.

-low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent by standards mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

-heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems designed to be 21 percent more energy efficient than industry standards require.

-wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council that has been harvested with environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.

-more than 20 percent of all materials used in the building were extracted regionally (within a 500-mile radius)

-adoption of a Green Cleaning program which involves the use of LEED-certified cleaning products and recyclable paper products

-formaldehyde-free interior building materials to ensure healthful indoor air quality.

In addition, more than 96 percent of construction waste for the building — seven million pounds worth — was recycled and saved from being deposited in a landfill.

KSS Architects of Princeton, N.J. was the design architect of the campus center and Uihlein-Wilson Architects, Inc., the architect of record. The Boldt Company of Appleton served as the project’s general contractor.

Work on the center began in June, 2007. The building was officially opened Sept. 18, 2009.

Posted in News | Comments Off

Lawrence Videos

November 10th, 2009 by Ken Anselment

If you’re looking for videos about Lawrence (and, really, who isn’t?), you can find them here. The video image in the middle of the page has a scrolling feature that allows you to choose from the growing library of This is Lawrence videos we’ve been producing this year.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Video post | Comments Off

“The Real Best Colleges”

September 25th, 2009 by Ken Anselment

Yesterday, CBS’s Moneywatch explored the legitimacy of college-rank sources, such as US News and World Report, Forbes and The Princeton Review. The article endorses the Forbes ranking, “Despite its limitations, it comes closest to actually measuring the quality of the education at the nation’s best schools.”

CBS Moneywatch notes Lawrence as one of the “jewels [that scores] very well.”

Read the original article here.

Posted in News | Comments Off

Video: New Student Move-in Day at Lawrence

September 21st, 2009 by Ken Anselment

Wondering what move-in day looks like at Lawrence? Another entry in the “This Is Lawrence” video series gives you a brief (90 second) feel. Watch here.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Video post | No Comments »

Warch Campus Center Official Opening This Weekend

September 17th, 2009 by Ken Anselment

Lawrence University Officially Opens $35 Million Campus Center with Weekend Celebration

APPLETON, WIS. — After nearly 20 years of discussions, planning and revisions, the most ambitious building project in Lawrence University history and one of the most environmentally friendly higher education buildings in all of Wisconsin will bask in the spotlight of a grand opening ceremony.

Lawrence will commemorate the completion of the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center with a weekend celebration, culminating in a community open house on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 1-4 p.m.

A ceremony featuring Lawrence President Jill Beck, Board of Trustees Chairman Harry Kraemer and the Warches will officially open the $35 million, 107,000-square-foot campus center beginning at 5 p.m. Friday (9/18).

The building honors Lawrence’s 14th president, who led the college from 1979 until his retirement in 2004, and his wife. His 25-year tenure is second only to that of Samuel Plantz (1894-1924) in the college’s 162-year history.

In addition to tours of the building, the community open house on Sunday will feature student music and dance performances, an alumni art exhibition and a screening of the documentary film “Mary and Bill,” which tells the inspiring story of two remarkable athletes: Mary Stroebe, a 1940 Lawrence graduate who began competing in triathlons in her mid 80s, and Bill Wambach, a 1946 Lawrence graduate, who competed as a high jumper at the age of 83. Rik and Margot Warch will be on hand to greet guests from 2-3 p.m.

Lawrence will provide free shuttle bus service to the campus center for Sunday’s open house from the Soldier’s Square and City Center parking ramps in downtown Appleton. Signage will be posted at each ramp’s main entrance.

A complete weekend schedule can be found at http://www.lawrence.edu/alumni/DE09-165%20campaign%20invitation.pdf.

According to Beck, the building has surpassed expectations.

“The design of the campus center is so clever,” said Beck. “From the front, it blends magnificently with other campus buildings. From the back it almost blends seamlessly with nearby Sage Hall, and that’s helped with the sense of coherence. We’ve linked both sides of the campus together. We’ve got the academic hub and the social hub on each side of Lawe St. and the designs make it all seem very harmonious and attractive.”

With striking vistas of the Fox River and vast, light-filled spaces, the four-story building showcases the scenic beauty of its location. Among its amenities are:

• a 134-seat cinema, featuring state-of-the-art lighting, projection and sound

• a logo merchandise store

• a campus post office

• a convenience store and cafe

• dining services and catering facilities run by Bon Appétit Management Company

• meeting space for students and student groups

• 12 reservable venues to accommodate up to 500 guests

In planning the building, a goal of earning LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “Silver” certification was originally sought, but now college officials are hoping the campus center will receive “Gold” certification, the second highest designation on the green building four-level certification system. A review by the U.S. Green Building Council is currently underway and certification results are not expected for several more weeks.

If the Warch Campus Center is LEED certified Gold, it would become the first higher education facility in Wisconsin to achieve that level of certification and one of less than 25 buildings of any kind in the state to be certified Gold according to the Green Building Certification Institute, which administers project certification for commercial and institutional buildings.

LEED certification provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving energy savings and water efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions, improving indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources.

Among the Warch Campus Center’s environmentally friendly features are:

• a partially vegetated roof system of soil and green plants to absorb rainfall and decrease storm water runoff.

• low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent by standards mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

• heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems designed to be 21 percent more energy efficient than industry standards require.

• wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council that has been harvested with environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.

• more than 20 percent of all materials used in the building were extracted regionally (within a 500-mile radius)

• adoption of a Green Cleaning program which involves the use of LEED-certified cleaning products and recyclable paper products

• formaldehyde-free interior building materials to ensure healthful indoor air quality.

In addition, more than 96 percent of construction waste for the building — seven million pounds worth — was recycled and saved from being deposited in a landfill.

Construction of the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center is a key component of Lawrence’s current $150 million “More Light” capital campaign. It was made possible by a $16 million leadership gift from an anonymous donor in August, 2006. Work on the center began in June, 2007.

The campus center was jointly designed by Uihelin-Wilson Architects, Inc., of Milwaukee and KSS Associates of Princeton, N.J. The Boldt Company of Appleton served as the project’s general contractor.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

If you’re wondering about Lawrence’s response to H1N1

September 9th, 2009 by Ken Anselment

Yesterday, Lawrence’s 390 new students arrived for move-in day. Anticipating questions people may have about Lawrence’s readiness and response to a possible (and unwelcome) visit from the H1N1 virus, President Jill Beck released the following statement:

Dear Lawrence Community,

As our students return to campus, I write to update you on our continuing efforts to contend with the H1N1 (also known as swine flu) virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates a surge in the new H1N1 influenza, as well as in seasonal influenza this fall. While it is difficult to predict just what the impact on our campus will be, fortunately the vast majority of cases is mild, and consists of general flu-like symptoms. However, H1N1 does tend to impact children and young adults with greater frequency than other ages, and college-aged students are listed as a priority category for both contagion and vaccination.

Our plans follow closely the CDC guidelines. While we want to position ourselves to protect our community as thoroughly as possible from a possible outbreak through the use of common-sense efforts and vaccinations, we do not want to frighten individuals, or cause undue panic. We will continue to approach our work in a thoughtful and serious manner, reflective of our responsibilities to students, faculty, and staff, as well as to the larger community.

Over the summer, we have continued to monitor update reports from the Centers for Disease Control, the Appleton Health Department, and key resources in higher education health and safety. Under the guidance of the Crisis Management Team, Lawrence University has emergency plans in place to address on-campus crises, including health concerns.

Classes and Activities

Classes and other activities will continue as scheduled this term. Our Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor the progress and the severity of the H1N1 virus, and make recommendations regarding changes in campus operations and activities on the basis of any flu outbreak. Our off-campus study and study abroad programs follow the World Health Organization and CDC guidelines. After proper consultation with faculty, the Provost and Dean of Faculty will make decisions regarding any cancellation or suspension of classes. Any such decisions will be communicated to faculty, students and staff through email and other communications.

Public Health Precautions

We strongly recommend that all members of our campus community take the following common sense precautions:

- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw tissue away immediately.

- If tissues are unavailable, cough or sneeze into a sleeve or elbow.

- Wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaners.

- Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth as germs spread this way.

- Although the virus is airborne and does not live on surfaces, keep workspaces and living spaces clean.

- Practice social distancing (6 feet is recommended by the CDC); avoid people with influenza-like illness.

- Do not share food, drink, or utensils.

- Get the seasonal influenza vaccine.

- Get the H1N1 influenza vaccine when it is recommended.

- Treatment for symptoms and information about testing are available from the Health Center.

- If you are ill and traveling home, to contain the spread of the virus, do not use public transportation.

- If you feel ill, stay at home or in your room and rest. If you have a fever and/or flu-like symptoms, seek on-campus or community-based health care.

- Keep the Health Center informed if you are tested for or diagnosed with H1N1.

If you have been in contact with someone who has the flu, onset of the virus can take up to three days. If you experience any flu symptoms within this time period, please stay home to limit the spread of the virus. If you are pregnant or if you have a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, heart or lung problems, or a weakened immune system, you should consult with your physician or campus health services to see if an antiviral medication is recommended.

Medication and Vaccinations

Generally, Tamiflu, an antiviral medication, is prescribed for individuals with flu who are either hospitalized, have a chronic medical condition or have a suppressed immune system. Tamiflu is not a cure, but it does reduce the severity of symptoms and decreases the length of recovery time by about 24 hours.

The following vaccinations are expected to be available at Lawrence this fall:

Seasonal Flu Vaccine: The CDC recommends that all persons get vaccinated for the seasonal flu. See the following schedule for the seasonal influenza vaccine opportunities:

Wednesday 10/21/09

11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Rm 224 Warch Campus Center (Esch Studio)

Thursday 10/22/09

11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Rm 224 Warch Campus Center (Esch Studio)

Tuesday 10/27/09

7:00-9:00 pm

Rm 224 Warch Campus Center (Esch Studio)

H1N1 Vaccine: Recent recommendations from the CDC have placed individuals under age 24 in the top priority group for receiving the H1N1 vaccine. I will be in touch again in the coming weeks regarding when this vaccine will be available.

For updates about H1N1 on our campus, visit the focused Lawrence University website at http://www.lawrence.edu/news/H1N1, or wait for the H1N1 graphics to scroll across the page home page and click.

More information on the H1N1 flu is available on the following websites:

Centers for Disease Control

Pandemic.Wisconsin

All members of our community are strongly encouraged to take the standard precautions adopted during the flu season and to play an active role in our public health and flu-prevention efforts. Our efforts as a conscious and careful community could very well mean the difference between a mild and severe outbreak.

Sincerely,

Jill Beck, Ph.D.

Tags: , ,
Posted in News | Comments Off

Survey Results #35: Welcome to Lawrence!

September 4th, 2009 by Paris Brown

Move-in day and the start of welcome week for our incoming freshman is less than a week away. Between class registration, shopping for room essentials and reading the first freshman studies book (Which is King Lear, in case you didn’t know); we are sure that lots of anticipation and excitement has been building through-out the summer.

In a recent survey, we asked our incoming students: In regards to attending Lawrence, “what are you most excited about“? Normally we would only list the most interesting or quirky answers, but this blog entry will diverge from the norm and list every single response to this question in hopes that you will catch a glimpse of the variety and diversity of our student body.

———-

The people, students and staff alike/ New ideas/ I’m really excited to meet my fellow classmates and Lawrence faculty/ The people, the new campus center, the new dining hall, the weather/ The amazing conservatory, the community, college and learning/ the diversity of its student body, and the quality of student life at Lawrence/ Theater, and hopefully softball/ Crazy dance parties in my doom room/ Freshman studies/ Probably the classes. I love to learn/ Playing hockey in a new country/ new opportunities/ playing sports/ the jazz program and the classical and jazz artist series/ Free concerts and the brat/ The music programs/ Meeting new people/ A new life/ living on my own, joining clubs, and taking fun classes/ Being able to further my vocal talent and musicianship/ growing up/ being with people who are as excited about learning and life as I am/ The many opportunities to participate in music ensembles and other things relating to the arts/ Being independent/ Playing football/ Snow and meeting a lot of new people/ Being away from home/ Everything/ studying biology/ Going someplace new/ living with a roommate on campus/ student to teacher ratio/ the beginning of the end of finishing my undergraduate degree/ forming a band/ studying Russian and Arabic/ The trimesters/ Playing college baseball/ Discussion with professors/ Musical and intellectual stimulation/ Being able to go for walks and having a new cello teacher/ Meeting students from all over the country/ Drama and theatre/ playing tennis/ freedom/ the good food/ sleeping/ going to LUJE concerts/ Living with people who aren’t my parents/ Physics/ Swing dancing/ University life/ Doing my own laundry/ Developing awesome new social circles/ Making meaningful connections with other students and teachers/ Weather/ Janet Anthony/ Taking classes to improve my skills as a writer/ The psychology department, Sound Board/ Being challenged in Spanish/ New place, new people, new things to do.

The most exciting thing is that the students will have to opportunity to pursue each and every item on this list, should they choose to.

Feel free to search our website for more exciting opportunities.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Survey | Comments Off

Survey Results #34: Why Lawrence? (Part Three)

September 2nd, 2009 by Paris Brown

Below are the most common responses given by our incoming class of 2013, to the question of, “Why Lawrence”?

- Organic dining services

- Double Degree Program

- A New Student Center

- Soccer Team

- Beautiful Campus

- Abundant international population

- Trimester system

- Test-optional philosophy

Favorite response:

- Lawrence is “filled with possibilities, and even some impossibilites. In short, it’s just right.”

Want to discover your “why Lawrence” reason? Take a tour, sit in on a class and spend the night during one of our fall visit days.

Posted in Survey | Comments Off

Lawrence grad appointed acting head of Minneapolis Fed

September 2nd, 2009 by Ken Anselment

From Bloomberg News comes some exciting news for James Lyon, Lawrence (’74):

Minneapolis Fed Appoints Lyon as Acting President

By Vivien Lou Chen

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis named James Lyon as acting president to succeed Gary Stern, the central bank’s longest-serving policy maker and a critic of bank bailouts.

Lyon, chief operating officer, will lead the Minneapolis Fed bank until a successor is named, district bank spokesman David Fettig said. Lyon joined the Minneapolis Fed in 1977 as an attorney and has served as first vice president and chief operating officer since 2000, the bank said on its Web site. Stern’s tenure ended yesterday, it said.

The Minneapolis Fed spent years under Stern warning about the risks posed by financial institutions deemed “too big to fail,” the focus of three congressional hearings from March until May. The district bank’s committee leading the search for a new president is headed by James Hynes, chairman of the Minneapolis Fed’s board.

“The board wants somebody who is trained as an economist, somebody very knowledgeable about monetary policy and who will provide a lot of feedback,” said V.V. Chari, a consultant to the Minneapolis Fed who teaches economics at the University of Minnesota.

Lyon, 57, leads the district bank on an interim basis amid the worst recession since the 1930s and efforts by the Obama administration to turn the central bank into the supervisor for the largest, most interconnected financial institutions.

Coordinates Operations

Lyon is chairman of the Conference of First Vice Presidents, which coordinates the operations of the 12 regional Fed banks. He is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota Law School.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Posted in News | Comments Off

« Older Entries