2012

Year: 2012

Lawrence University Names Princeton University EVP the College’s 16th President

The Lawrence University Board of Trustees has named Mark Burstein, executive vice president of Princeton University, the college’s 16th president.

Burstein takes office July 1, 2013, succeeding Jill Beck, who is retiring June 30 after nine years as the college’s president. She was appointed the first female president in Lawrence’s 165-year history in 2004.

“I was drawn to Lawrence’s rigorous academic environment, its commitment to providing an individualized learning experience to all students and its unique combination of a strong liberal arts education with a nationally-recognized conservatory of music,” said Burstein.

President-elect Mark Burstein
President-elect Mark Burstein

“Through the dedication of its faculty, Lawrence provides an educational experience that literally changes lives, setting its graduates on a trajectory of success and continued exploration. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to ensure Lawrence’s tradition of excellence. I am thrilled to be joining an institution with a history of storied presidents, including my two immediate predecessors, Jill Beck and Richard Warch.”

Terry Franke, chair of the Lawrence University Board of Trustees, cited Burstein’s breadth of leadership and deep higher education experience across multiple institutions among the reasons he stood out from more than 100 candidates identified by national search firm Isaacson, Miller, which assisted the college’s own search committee.

“Along with my fellow Trustees, I am delighted to welcome Mark to Lawrence University,” said Franke, a 1968 Lawrence graduate. “Mark brings with him a unique set of experiences in public service, finance, consulting as well as leadership with two of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions. This background positions him to be a great leader and president. We are very impressed by Mark’s collaborative style of leadership, in addition to the depth of his operational and management expertise.

“Mark has an affinity and passion for the academic mission of the liberal arts and embraces the transformative experience for Lawrence students as they prepare for their future,” Franke added. “His liberal arts experience at Vassar and now his Board service at Vassar provide him a unique perspective on the liberal arts. We have every confidence that Mark will lead Lawrence to future greatness, building on the momentum and innovation of President Jill Beck.”

Dale Schuh, who served as chair of a 15-person committee consisting of trustees, faculty members, representatives of the student body, alumni and administrative staff that conducted an extensive national search, said Burstein was the unanimous recommendation of the search committee.

“Mark has a distinctive combination of talents and experience that jumped out immediately from the candidate pool,” said Schuh, a 1970 Lawrence graduate. “He understands the liberal arts and the residential college experience plus brings broad experience in operations, finance and strategic institutional planning to the table. He’s smart, engaging, thoughtful, respectful, articulate and self-assured without being arrogant. I’m confident we have found an exceptional leader for Lawrence.”

Ivy League Connections

Burstein, 51, brings a strong Ivy League connection along with an extensive background in higher education leadership, government service, investment banking and consulting to Lawrence.

Named executive vice president at Princeton in 2004, Burstein led efforts to enhance campus life and modernize the university’s operations and infrastructure. His responsibilities include overseeing a $200 million budget and a staff of 1,800 in the areas of student life, public safety, university audit and compliance, human resources and facilities.

He played a prominent role in developing priorities for a $1.88 billion fundraising campaign and assisted in securing gifts to support academic initiatives, campus life and athletics.

Among Burstein’s recent accomplishments:

  • Creating an award-winning master plan for Princeton’s 500-acre campus and establishing a real estate strategy for the university
  • Drafting a sustainability plan for Princeton that integrates teaching and research with administrative initiatives
  • Launching, with the Dean of the College, a four year residential college system
  • Developing, with colleagues, initiatives in diversity, wellness and childcare to improve campus culture

He also played lead roles in managing various trustee committees and served as chair of numerous university committees including ones that manage efforts to increase efficiency across academic and administrative departments, that strengthen the university’s safety environment and risk management efforts, and that integrate fundraising, budget and facilities issues for the athletic department. Burstein is presently teaching in Princeton’s freshman seminar program.

Search Committee Chair Dale Schuh ’70, President-elect Mark Burstein and Board of Trustees Chair Terry Franke ’68

“It is a great pleasure to welcome my colleague Mark Burstein into the ranks of university and college presidents and to congratulate Lawrence University on a wonderful choice,” said Princeton President Shirley Tilghman. “Mark has been a stellar leader as Executive Vice President at Princeton. He combines a deep commitment to the liberal arts, forged during his undergraduate education at Vassar College, with extensive experience as a senior administrator at Columbia and Princeton. There is no aspect of university life that has not benefited from his stewardship. He will be greatly missed at Princeton.”

Prior to joining Princeton’s executive team, Burstein spent 10 years at Columbia University in several senior positions: first as acting vice president of human resources, then as the university’s first vice president of student services and, his last five years there, as vice president of facilities management. During his tenure at Columbia, Burstein developed a plan for a new campus located in Harlem, acquired more than $250 million of real estate for academic development, oversaw $1 billion in construction, provided financial, health, housing, registrar and retail services to a 20,000-student community and directed benefits, compensation and labor relations for the institution.

“I believe a liberal arts education provides an excellent foundation for future success and is the most effective way to ensure that social mobility continues in American society,” Burstein said.  “Education has been the cornerstone of my career – just as a Lawrence education has allowed its alumni to thrive in their chosen professions.  Given the challenges that face society today, I expect the value of a liberal arts education and specifically the Lawrence experience will only increase in the years ahead.”

Earlier in his career, Burstein helped found New York City’s recycling program as a senior leader in the sanitation department, and funded moderate income housing as an associate in the public finance department of Bear, Stearns & Company.  He also worked with clients on strategy and organizational development initiatives as a consultant at the Center for Applied Research in Philadelphia.

A native of Cedar Grove, N.J., Burstein earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and independent studies at Vassar College, where he was awarded the Catlin Prize for outstanding contributions to the college community.  He earned a master of business administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he was a Henry and Marcelle Morgenthau fellow.

Burstein has served as a member of the Vassar Board of Trustees since 2009 and recently served on the New York City Mayor’s Applied Sciences Advisory Board.  He spent two years as chair of the board of directors of the Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based national political action committee.

Burstein will be joined in Appleton by his spouse David Calle, who is the Global Chief Financial Officer of Unilever’s Food Solutions business.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

Lawrence University Hosts Traveling Exhibition on Lincoln’s Constitutional Challenges of the Civil War

Lawrence University will serve as an eight-week host of a traveling exhibition that examines how President Abraham Lincoln used the U.S. Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the Civil War: the secession of Southern states, slavery and wartime civil liberties.

The 1,000-square-foot exhibit, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” will be displayed on the second floor of Lawrence’s Seeley G. Mudd Library.  The exhibition, which opens Dec. 14 and runs until Feb. 8, is free and open to the public.

Lawrence is the first of four stops the exhibition will make in Wisconsin between now and the end of 2015.

Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of America’s greatest presidents, but his historical reputation is contested. Was he a calculating politician willing to accommodate slavery, or a principled leader justly celebrated as the Great Emancipator?

The exhibition encourages visitors to form a nuanced view of Lincoln by engaging them with his struggle to reconcile his policy preferences with basic American ideals of liberty and equality. The exhibition develops a more complete understanding of Lincoln as president and the Civil War as the nation’s gravest constitutional crisis.

Each section of the exhibit highlights different aspects of Lincoln’s presidency, such as slavery, which examines the various policy options Lincoln once embraced and how his thoughts about slavery evolved over time.  The exhibition is composed of informative panels featuring photographic reproductions of original documents, including a draft of Lincoln’s first inaugural speech, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment.

Elected president in 1860 when the nation was on the brink of civil war, Lincoln struggled to resolve the basic questions that divided Americans at the most perilous moment in the country’s history: Was the United States truly one nation, or was it a confederacy of sovereign and separate states? How could a country founded on the belief that “all men are created equal” tolerate slavery? In a national crisis, would civil liberties be secure? As president, Lincoln used the Constitution to confront these three crises of war, ultimately reinventing the Constitution and the promise of American life.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Lawrence will hold a three-member panel discussion on constitutional issues Thursday, Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Auditorium. Panel participants will include:

• 1981 Lawrence graduate James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln Collection in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill.

• Jerald Podair, professor of history and Robert S. French Professor of American Studies at Lawrence.

• Arnold Shober, associate professor of government at Lawrence.

“We are delighted Lawrence has been selected as a site for this exhibition,” said Peter Gilbert, director of the Mudd Library. “Not only does the exhibition dovetail nicely with the library’s own Lincoln Reading Room and its important collections, but the content of the exhibition is still relevant today. The exhibition highlights Lincoln’s struggles with issues of secession, slavery and civil liberties — all questions the Constitution left unanswered. I think it will be terrifically interesting and informative.”

The National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office organized the traveling exhibition, which was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life. The traveling exhibition is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence University Mourns the Loss of Football Coach, Athletic Director Ron Roberts

Former Lawrence University athletic director, long-time football coach and Professor Emeritus of Physcial Education Ron Roberts passed away Sunday, Dec. 2 in Oshkosh. He was 81 years old.

An icon in the annals of Lawrence athletics, Roberts joined the athletic department in 1963 as the football team’s offensive line coach under another Lawrence legend, Bernie Heselton. Roberts also coached the wrestling and men’s tennis teams upon his arrival on campus.  He later served as athletic director for many years, overseeing the introduction and expansion of varsity sports for women.

Ron Roberts

Named head football coach in 1965 — the year the Banta Bowl opened — Roberts won his first of six Midwest Conference championships the following year, compiling a 7-1 record. In just his third season, the 1967 squad finished 8-0, becoming only the fourth unbeaten/untied team in school history en route to another conference title. Roberts’ teams would go on to win Midwest Conference titles in 1975, 1979, 1980 and 1981.

A 45th-year reunion honoring Roberts and the members of the 1967 undefeated football team was held on campus in October, an event he called “one of the best evenings of my life.”

Gracious in victory and uncomplaining in defeat, Roberts posted 14 winning seasons in his 20-year football coaching tenure. During an impressive 10-year stretch (1974-83), the Vikings never lost more than two games in a season and posted a 77-15 record that included a school-record 18-game winning streak.

The 1981 season was arguably the pinnacle of his coaching career. Lawrence won the Midwest Conference championship and finished with a 9-0 regular-season record, becoming the first Midwest Conference team selected for the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Vikings  became the first Midwest Conference team to host and win a NCAA playoff game, defeating Minnesota-Morris 21-14 in overtime. Lawrence reached the NCAA national semifinals, the only Midwest Conference team ever to advance that far in the Division III playoffs.

A tireless recruiter and an unabashed optimist, Roberts stepped away from football after the 1983 season but returned as the team’s head coach for a final season in 1992 before retiring. When he ended his football coaching career, he had amassed the second-most wins in the history of the Midwest Conference.

He owns the Lawrence school record with 121 victories and his 121-54-1 record upon retirement was the 12th-best winning percentage (.690) in NCAA Division III football history at the time. Nearly two dozen players who played for or were recruited by Roberts earned all-America honors.

He coached the wrestling team for 19 seasons in three different stints (1963-69, 1972-74, 1985-93) and the men’s tennis team for six seasons from 1964-69. His 1968 tennis team won the conference championship.

A charter member of Lawrence’s athletic Hall of Fame, Roberts also was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996.

Born in Chicago, Roberts was a standout football player and wrestler at the University of Wisconsin. He helped the football Badgers reach the 1953 Rose Bowl and was selected as an alternate to the U.S. wrestling team for the 1956 Pan-Am Games in Mexico City.

Roberts earned a bachelor’s degree in history and physical education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Wisconsin, an advanced degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Brigham Young University.

He began his coaching career at his high school alma mater, Crane Tech, taking over a program that had not won a game in three seasons before he arrived. Roberts’ first team won a divisional championship and advanced to the city playoffs three consecutive years under his guidance. He also coached three seasons at East Leyden High School in suburban Chicago before coming to Lawrence.

He is survived by his wife, Marlene, three children: Ron Jr. ’84, Appleton; Carrie ’86, Lombard, Ill.; and Elizabeth (Fredrick) Leijonhufvud, Stockholm, Sweden; and two grandchildren, Lovisa and Matilda.

A visitation will be held Friday, Dec. 7 from 4-8 p.m. at Wichman Funeral Home Tri-County Chapel, 3212 S. Oneida St., Appleton. A celebration of Ron’s life will be held Saturday, Dec. 8 at Calvary Bible Church, 1450 Oakridge Road, Neenah. Visitation at 1 p.m. until time of service at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Kingston Cemetery, Prairie du Sac, Wis.

Memorials can be directed to the Lawrence University Athletic Department, 711 E. Boldt Way, SPC 18, Appleton, WI  54911 or the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy Research Association, P.O. Box 105, Glenolden, PA 19036.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

 

Values, Customs, Beliefs Explored in Academy of Music Girl Choir Concert

This year’s Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir’s annual December concert will have a personalized meaning for the more than 300 young voices in the program.

Two performances of “I Believe” will be staged Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.  Tickets, at $12 for adults and $8 for students/seniors, are available through the Academy, 100 W. Water St., Appleton or 920-832-6632.

Using choral music as the lens through which to explore individual and community values, beliefs or customs, five choirs will sing a variety of sacred and secular repertoire. Program notes will explain how each selection was used within the rehearsal process to explore the concert’s “I Believe” theme.

“As we move into the darker months of the year, people tend to be more reflective and introspective,” said Karen Bruno, director of the Academy of Music and conductor of the Bel Canto choir. “Preparing for this concert gave the girls an opportunity to explore what they stand for, what they hold dear and how the compositions they sing connect to those ideas.

“We look forward to sharing the emotions, ideas, and values expressed within the repertoire and within our community of singers with our audience,” Bruno added.

The concert features girls in grades 3-12 in five different choirs, including the high school component Bel Canto Girl Choir (grades 9-12), which earned second-place honors in the 2012 national American Prize in Choral Performance competition and the Cantabile Choir (grades 7-9) which performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 2011 as part of the National Youth Choir.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Sustainable China: Lawrence University Interdisciplinary Initiative Awarded $400,000 Grant

Few places on the planet offer the complexity of environmental and economic governance as does China. Competing and overlapping bureaucracies with environmental officials at the prefecture, county and township levels often answering to local officials rather than superiors in the central environmental bureaucracy, create opposing perspectives on the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability.

A $400,000 grant from the New York City-based Henry Luce Foundation will support Lawrence University’s long-standing commitment to engaging students with East Asia through the college’s distinctively integrated, multi-disciplinary initiative “Sustainable China: Integrating Culture, Conservation and Commerce.”

The four-year implementation grant builds on two previous Luce Foundation planning grants for $50,000 and $30,000 that helped Lawrence lay the groundwork for the development of courses, study-abroad opportunities and collaborative research projects examining critical issues in sustainability.

Awarded through the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE), the grant also will enable Lawrence to expand partnerships with two Chinese institutions. Guizhou Normal University, located in the provincial capital city of Guiyang, is home to the Institute of China South Karst. Lawrence and the Karst Institute have successfully collaborated previously to improve understanding of how culture, conservation and commerce must be integrated for true sustainability. The award-winning Linden Centre in Yunnan province serves as a retreat for those studying how traditional Chinese culture meshes with modern economic development in an ecologically responsible way.

The Linden Center was created by Brian and Jeanee Linden, who also operate the Linden Gallery in Ellison Bay, which specializes in Asian art. The gallery is not far from Lawrence’s Door County Bjorklunden estate.

A Three-Prong Approach

Associate Professor of Chinese Jane Parish Yang

Lawrence’s “Sustainable China” initiative is a multi-disciplinary collaboration among the college’s East Asian Studies and Environmental Studies programs, including faculty in biology, Chinese and Japanese language and culture, economics, government and history. As China and its environmental concerns loom larger on the world stage, the program provides opportunities for student engagement with issues of economic growth, environmental sustainability and a shifting cultural landscape.

The program’s mission is threefold:

• broaden and deepen Lawrence student engagement with China through the curriculum

• diversify and expand opportunities for students to gain first-hand experience with China

• promote mutually beneficial partnerships with organizations in China.

“This grant offers our students first-hand experiences in China with study tours to both rural and urban sites as well as research opportunities on environmental and cultural issues, such as ethnic minorities and economic development, ” said Jane Parish Yang, associate professor of Chinese at Lawrence, who will co-direct the “Sustainable China” program for the first year. “Our students also will be able to study at Guizhou Normal University and receive internships, including post-graduate positions. We hope these opportunities encourage students to pursue Chinese language study in conjunction with coursework related to China in environmental science and the social sciences.”

Three “Cs” of Sustainability

The program approaches China’s competing and conflicting perspectives on development and the environment by focusing on three ” Cs” of sustainability:
•  Culture — language, history and the roles of ethnic minorities.

•  Conservation — the importance of establishing governance systems and social institutions that encourage both public and private actors to be good stewards of natural resources.

•  Commerce — an alliterative substitute for economic vitality, reflecting the perspective that environmental sustainability should be pursued in ways that also drive broader prosperity and economic sustainability.

Professor of Economics Marty Finkler

“In today’s world it is vitally important students grapple with the complexity of sustainability, transcending the purely scientific and environmental issues to encompass economic, political and cultural factors as well and China offers an ideal context for such study,” said Merton Finkler, professor of economics and John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System who will co-direct the program its first year. “The interdisciplinary nature of our program offers a distinctive lens through which our students will study China, one based on the assertion that sustainability must address various perspectives for how scarce resources are allocated and managed.”

Last November, a Luce Foundation grant supported a 19-day study tour to China for 13 students and four faculty members for an investigation of water resource management issues.

The Henry Luce Foundation was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., to honor his parents who were missionary educators in China. The Foundation builds upon the vision and values of four generations of the Luce family: broadening knowledge and encouraging the highest standards of service and leadership.  It seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding, and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

Five Lawrence University Students Win State Titles at Annual NATS Competition

Tory Wood won her third consecutive state title and Ian Koziara won his second straight as Lawrence University claimed five first-place finishers at the 2012 Wisconsin chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition held Nov. 2-3 at UW-Whitewater.

Wood, of Escanaba, Mich., shared first-place honors with classmate Anna Valcour, Burr Ridge, Ill., in the senior women’s division. Both are students of Joanne Bozeman.  Koziara, Wheaton, Ill., won the junior men’s division.  He studies in the voice studio of Steven Spears.

Also earning first-place awards in their respective divisions were Garrett Medlock, Bloomington, Ill., freshman men and Luke Randall, Edina, Minn., senior men. Medlock and Randall are students of Spears and Kenneth Bozeman, respectively.

Forty-seven Lawrence students participated in the competition with 16 of them advancing to the finals. In addition to the five winners, five Lawrence students earned second-place honors and five were awarded third place. The first-place finishers each received $150 for their winning efforts, while second- and third-place finishers received $125 and $100, respectively.

The 2012 auditions drew nearly 400 singers from around the state. The competition features 20 separate divisions grouped by gender and level. Depending upon the category, NATS competitors are required to sing two, three or four classical pieces from different time periods with at least one selection sung in a foreign language.

Other Lawrence finalists with their place finish, category and (teacher) include:

Second–Place Honors
• Brian Acker, upper college music theatre (Karen Leigh-Post)
• Alex York, junior men (Steven Spears)
• Graycen Gardner, junior women (Joanne Bozeman)
• Martin Kulstad, sophomore men (Steven Spears)
• Elizabeth Vaughan, sophomore women (Joanne Bozeman)

Third–Place Honors
• John Canfield, junior men (John Gates)
• Zoie Reams, junior women (John Gates)
• Joshua Eidem, sophomore men (Steven Spears)
• Kirsten O’Donnell, sophomore women (Teresa Seidl)
• Paul Gutmann, freshman men (Steven Spears)

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Election Night: College Democrats, Republicans Host Returns Viewing Party

In a display of true bipartisanship, members of the Lawrence University College Democrats and College Republicans will co-host  a “Rock the Results” event Tuesday, Nov. 6 on the second floor of the Warch Campus Center beginning at 8 p.m.

The entire campus community is invited to this “working together across the aisle” event to watch the election returns as they’re announced. In addition to a large map to track vote tallies, red/blue states and electoral college tote boards, the evening will feature live music, food and prizes.

“Rock the Results is designed for the entire Lawrence community and is an example of great collaboration between the Lawrence University Community Council, the LU College Democrats and the LU College Republicans,” said Curt Lauderdale, assistant dean of students for campus life. “Everyone involved with organizing this event hopes that the Rock the Results party can be an opportunity to celebrate not only the act of voting, but also demonstrate what it means to be part of a respectful and engaged community.

“Everyone who is eligible to vote is encouraged to participate in this critical election by casting their ballot,” Lauderdale added. “And everyone is invited to come and rock the results.”

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Jazz Celebration Weekend Welcomes Kurt Elling Quartet, Maria Schneider Orchestra

It’s encore time for two multi-award winning artists making return appearances at Lawrence University for the college’s 32nd annual Jazz Celebration Weekend.

The Grammy Award-winning Kurt Elling Quartet opens the two-concert weekend Friday, Nov.  2 with the world-renowned Maria Schneider Orchestra closing the weekend Saturday, Nov. 3. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors and $17-15 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 920-832-6749.

13-Time Male Vocalist of the Year Winner

Kurt Elling

No less an authority than the New York Times has hailed Elling as “the standout male vocalist of our time.” He will combine his vocal virtuosity with the talents of the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. In addition to a 2009 Grammy Award for his “Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman” CD, Elling has won the DownBeat Critics Poll “Male Vocalist of the Year” Award an unprecedented 13 years in a row (2000-2012). He holds the distinction of having each of his first nine albums earn a Grammy Award nomination.

This will be Elling’s second Jazz Celebration Weekend appearance, having first performed here in 2003.

“I’m thrilled that one of my vocal jazz heroes will be making another visit to Lawrence,” said Phillip Swan, associate professor of music and co-director of choral studies at Lawrence. “Kurt’s improvisational skill and musical creativity continues to draw me to his recordings and live performances. I’m really looking forward to hearing him collaborate with the LU Jazz Ensemble.  The combination of those two forces will create a memorable musical experience.”

Elling’s latest release, 2012’s “1619 Broadway – The Brill Building Project,” pays tribute to the New York workplace where dozens of composers and lyricists generated some of America’s most popular music over the course of four decades.

His prolific career includes collaborations with diverse artists ranging from Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy, seven-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Al Jarreau and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. He has written multi-disciplinary works for The Steppenwolf Theatre and the City of Chicago and was the featured performer at the Obama administration’s first state dinner.

Maria Schneider

Composer and conductor Maria Schneider’s ascent to international jazz acclaim began shortly after forming her 17-member orchestra in 1993. A weekly performer at Visiones in Greenwich Village early on, the orchestra has since become a staple at concert venues around the world, earning 2005’s “Large Jazz Ensemble of the Year” award from the Jazz Journalists Association.

The 21st Century’s Premier Composer for Large Jazz Ensemble

Schneider, who closed out Lawrence’s 2006-07 Jazz Series with a June concert, scored an awards trifecta in 2005 for “Concert in the Garden,” earning  composer of the year, arranger of the year and best jazz recording honors from the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalist Association.

An unabashed fan, Fred Sturm, Lawrence’s own award-winning composer and conductor who collaborated with Schneider in the creation of “Maria Schneider: Evanescence,” a 1995 Universal Edition text featuring her original scores, calls Schneider, “the premier composer of music for the large jazz ensemble in the 21st century, and her Jazz Orchestra is among the finest big bands in the world today.”

“Maria’s original works contain the most artistic renderings of melody, harmony, orchestration, and structure created by composers in all jazz-related genres over the past decade,” said Sturm, director of jazz studies and improvisation music at Lawrence and founder of Jazz Celebration Weekend. “Her scores and recordings have dramatically impacted the evolution of the jazz composition art form worldwide.”

Schneider’s extensive list of compositions includes commissions by the Danish Radio Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra, Stuttgart Jazz Orchestra, Orchestre National de Jazz, Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

In addition to the two headline concerts, Lawrence will host more than 30 university, high school and middle school ensembles on Saturday that will participate in daytime performances, educational clinics and master classes with some of the finest jazz educators from across the country. All Saturday daytime events are free and open to the public.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Lawrence University Students Earn Musical Accolades

Alto saxophonist Joe Connor ’15

Lawrence University student saxophonist Joe Connor won first-place honors Oct. 20 in the college division at the Green Bay Civic Orchestra’s 2012 Miroslav Pansky Memorial Concerto Competition. A sophomore from Oregon, Wis., and the only saxophonist in the competition, Connor received a $500 cash award.

He will reprise his winning performance of Darius Mihoud’s “Scaramouche” in a Feb. 16, 2013 concert with the Green Bay Civic Orchestra.  The Pansky competition is open to vocalists and orchestral instrumentalists through the age of 21 from Northeast Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, Connor performed as guest artist with the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble after earning second-place honors in the 24th annual Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Young Artist Competition held last November in Manitowoc. He is a student of Professor of Music Steven Jordheim.

Tubist Trevor Litsey, a junior from Birmingham, Ala., earned second-place honors in the Pansky competition for his performance of Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “Concerto in F minor for Tuba.” He is a student of Instructor of Music Marty Erickson.

The Pansky competition is open to vocalists and orchestral instrumentalists through the age of 21 from Northeast Wisconsin.

Dan O’Connor ’13

Daniel O’Connor, a senior from Dallas, Texas, has been awarded $3,000 for winning the 2012 Ruth and Paul Manz Organ Scholarship. The national competition is conducted via submitted recorded audition.

Conducted annually since 1992, the Manz scholarship was established by Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn., to honor 37 years of service of Paul and Ruth Manz to the congregation.

The Manz scholarship is the latest among numerous awards O’Connor has earned for his musicianship, including:

• first-place honors in the 2009 American Guild of Organists’ regional competition for young organists in Albuquerque, N.M.

• first-place honors in the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists’ 2010 young artists organ regional competition in Minneapolis, Minn.

• first-place honors in the 2011 Wisconsin National Federation of Music Clubs’ Biennial Student/Collegiate Competition.

He is a student of university organist Kathrine Handford.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

“This is Lawrence” Videos Recognized with Two CASE Awards

A pair of Lawrence University videos have been recognized with a 2012 “Pride of CASE V Award.”

Rachel Crowl

Web content and new media coordinator Rachel Crowl earned a Silver Award in the Teresa Du Bois Exline Award for Best Practices in Communications and Marketing category for her “This is Lawrence” video series installment “A Place Transformed,” which showcased the successes of Lawrence’s $160 million “More Light!” campaign that concluded in October 2011.

Crowl and video editor Anna Ryndova, also earned Bronze Award honors in the Best Video Features category for “Glamour Gals,” which documented the efforts of Lawrence student volunteers who provide manicures and listening ears to local senior citizens.

This is the second year in a row Crowl was cited by CASE for her video work. She received a Gold Award in 2011 in the Best Video Features category for her video on Lawrence’s “compassionate manhole covers” art department project.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) honors institutions and individuals for outstanding achievement in the concept and execution of advancement programs and communications.

Crowl and other winners of the Pride of CASE V Awards will be recognized Dec. 10 at the 38th annual CASE V conference in Chicago.  District V includes institutions in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.