Academics

Category: Academics

Exceptional student research showcased in annual Harrison Symposium

Nearly 50 students will make research presentations on topics in the humanities and social sciences Saturday, May 19 during Lawrence University’s 21th annual Richard A. Harrison Symposium.

Showcasing exceptional student research, the symposium presentations begin at 9:15 a.m. in various locations throughout Main Hall. A complete schedule of all presentations can be found here. All sessions are free and open to the public.2018 Harrison Symposium Logo

The symposium features 20-minute presentations arranged by topic or field. Each series is moderated by a Lawrence faculty member and includes a 10-minute question-and-answer session following the presentations. Symposium participants present their work in the format used for professional meetings of humanities and social sciences scholars.

Among the 48 scheduled presentations are: “Julius Caesar, Last Republican Man or First Emperor?”; “Creativity and Mental Illness in Vincente Minnelli’s ‘Lust for Life’”; “Jackie Kennedy: A Reflection of the 1960’s Changes in Women’s Societal Roles through Fashion”; “Do Minority Women Elicit Benevolent Sexism Differently Than White Women?”; “Understanding Zika Virus in Rural Costa Rica”; and “The Sects Talk: How Religious Differences Shape Political Conflict Between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”

First conducted in 1996, the symposium honors former Lawrence Dean of the Faculty Richard Harrison, who died unexpectedly the following year. The symposium was renamed in his honor to recognize his vision of highlighting excellent student scholarship.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

Public policy scholar examines tension between Trump administration, implementation of regulatory policy

A public policy expert examines the growing political tensions between the Trump administration and administrative agency expertise and special-interest group influence in the development and implementation of U.S. regulatory policy in an address at Lawrence University.

Susan Webb Yackee
Susan Yackee

Susan Yackee, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at UW-Madison, presents “Rulemaking and Presidential Control in the Trump Era” Monday, Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Yackee’s scholarship focuses on U.S. public policy-making process, public management, regulation, administrative law and interest group politics. With the support of a $500,000 Regulatory Science Award, she is conducting a study on regulatory policymaking at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Widely published in public administration, public policy and political science, Yackee was recognized with a national award in 2017 for her article, “Clerks or Kings? Partisan Alignment and Delegation to the U.S. Bureaucracy.” She is an elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration.

A former legislative research assistant to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Yackee began her academic career at the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy and joined the faculty at UW-Madison in 2007. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Education scholar discusses role of information in school choice decisions in Lawrence presentation

TMI, a popular expression for more information than one might want to know, might apply to issues related to school choice options according to recent research.

Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj
Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj

Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, shares the results of her study she co-authored involving New York City students who were making decisions on which high school to attend and how the results of those decisions could help guide other school districts with school choice programs around the country in a Lawrence University presentation.

Sattin-Bajaj presents “Reducing Overload to Improve School Choices: How Targeted Information Shapes Students’ High School Choice in New York City” Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in Thomas Steitz Hall of Science 101. The event is free and open to the public.

The study was designed to help low-income middle-school students in New York City navigate their choice to attend one of the city’s 400-plus high schools. Some students from the 165 schools involved in the study received customized, user-friendly information as opposed to the exhaustive amounts provided by the city’s Department of Education.

It found that the students who received simplified information were more likely to choose schools with higher graduation rates and schools where they were more likely to get in, raising a cautionary tale of the importance of avoiding information overload.

Sattin-Bajaj’s research focuses on Latino immigrant-origin families’ experiences negotiating education systems with an emphasis on school choice and points of educational transition. She is the author of the 2013 book on high school choice in New York City “Unaccompanied Minors: Immigrant Youth, School Choice and the Pursuit of Equity.”

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

What really works? “The Why Axis” author shares insights on solutions to social, business, economic issues

How effective can incentives be in motivating people to change their behavior?

John List in a classroomJohn List, one of the country’s leading e experts on experimental economics and a pioneer in the use of field experiments, examines the things that really work in addressing major social, business and economic issues in a Lawrence University address.

Based on his book of the same name, List presents “The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life,” Tuesday, April 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Based on research conducted in factories, offices, schools and communities across the country and abroad, where real people live, work, and play, List observed people in their natural environments without their knowledge they were being observed. In his quest for better understanding of what motivates people and why, among the findings he discovered were ways to close the gap between rich and poor students, stop inner city school violence, correctly price products and services and the real reasons why people discriminate.

Book cover of "The Why Axis"Originally from Wisconsin, List is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics 
and chair of the economics department at the University of Chicago. He is a former senior economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and was twice named a top 50 innovator (2016, 2015) by Non-Profit Times Power & Influence.

List earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UW-Stevens Point and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wyoming. He’s been recognized by both institutions with Distinguished Alumnus awards.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

University convocation celebrates the international contributions of Lawrence cellist Janet Anthony

The third installment of Lawrence University’s 2016-17 convocation series will celebrate the musical and educational career of Professor of Music Janet Anthony in a rare evening presentation.

A Head shot of Lawrence University cello professor Janet Anthony.
Janet Anthony

Anthony presents “Adventures in Music Making: 20 Years of Cross-Cultural Exchange in Haiti” Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The event, free and open to the public, also will be available via a live webcast.

The program will feature performances of Haitian music, including two works composed by non-degree seeking students at Lawrence, by the Lawrence University Cello Ensemble and the Lawrence Symphony Chamber Orchestra as well as remarks by 2011 Lawrence graduate Carolyn Armstrong Desrosiers, Lawrence jazz studies program director Jose Encarnacion and Haitian journalist Fritz Valescot,

Anthony, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music, was chosen as the co-recipient of Lawrence’s annual Faculty Convocation Award, which honors a faculty member for distinguished professional work. She is the eighth faculty member so honored.

A cellist who joined the Lawrence conservatory of music faculty in 1984, Anthony has been making annual trips to Haiti since 1996 to conduct, perform and teach at music schools there.

Since making her first trip, more than 50 Lawrence students and faculty colleagues have accompanied her to teach in some of the many music programs with which she has been involved. Anthony also has assisted in bringing key Haitian music teachers and students to the United States for short-term professional development.

Following the devastating 2010 earthquake that devastated parts of the country, Anthony helped organized a benefit concert in Appleton for Haiti and collected needed supplies for the survivors, including gently used instruments. She has since performed numerous memorial concerts in Haiti, including one in 2011 on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake.

Anthony is the co-founder and current president of Building Leaders Using Music Education (BLUME)-Haiti, a Fox Cities-based nonprofit organization that works with Haitian and International partners to develop and support music education for youth and young adults in Haiti.

A photo of Lawrence University cello professor Janet Anthony playing her cello.Desrosiers, an Appleton native who has made multiple trips to Haiti with Anthony, co-produced and co-directed a documentary film — “Kenbe La” — which explores the transformational power of music programs in Haiti.

An active soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, Anthony has toured with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Austrian Radio Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna Symphony. She also has performed or taught in Argentina, China, Curacao, Japan, Venezuela and Vietnam and, as a member of the Duo Kléber, she has performed in England, France, Italy and Bosnia Herzegovina.

A frequent performer on Wisconsin Public Radio, Anthony earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in music from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She also studied at Vienna’s famed Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

 

 

Lawrence names Catherine Gunther Kodat new provost, dean of the faculty

Lawrence University President Mark Burstein has announced the appointment of Catherine Gunther Kodat as provost and dean of the faculty.  She also will join the Lawrence English department as a tenured professor.

A photo of Lawrence University provost and dean of the faculty and english professor Catherine Gunther Kodat.
Catherine Gunther Kodat will join the Lawrence administration as provost and dean of the faculty July 1.

A scholar of 20th-century English literature and American studies, author and former newspaper reporter, Kodat is currently the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of English at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. Kodat will officially join the Lawrence administration on July 1, 2017.

Kodat will succeed David Burrows, who announced in March he will return to the faculty at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. Burrows joined the administration in 2005 and will remain with the university, teaching in Lawrence’s psychology department and leading efforts to enhance pedagogy.

As Lawrence’s chief academic officer, Kodat will share responsibilities for long-range financial planning, enhancing the campus’ intellectual climate, recruiting, retaining and supporting faculty, strengthening instruction and research, fostering curricular innovation and promoting campus inclusivity.

In announcing her appointment, Burstein called Kodat’s academic background, accomplishments and interests “a perfect fit” for Lawrence.

“Katie’s interest in Lawrence drew early attention from the search committee and our interactions with her only increased our desire to have her join us,” said Burstein. “From the beginning, it was clearly a difficult task to find someone who had the temperament, experience and love of the liberal arts to carry forward the very successful tenure of Dave Burrrows. I think we have found such a person in Katie.”

Kodat joined the Lewis & Clark administration from the University of the Arts, a visual and performing arts institution in Philadelphia, where she served as acting provost and dean of the school of arts and sciences.

Prior to Lewis & Clark, Kodat spent 17 years at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., where she rose from assistant to full professor, chaired the English and creative writing department and served as director of the American studies program. She was recognized with Hamilton’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. She also has taught at Boston University, Boston College and Tufts University.

“Katie brings so much to the table: a deep appreciation and love of the arts, a strong commitment to scholarship and teaching, and tremendous warmth and humor.”
     — Tim Spurgin, chair of the search committee

She is the author of the 2015 book “Don’t Act, Just Dance: The Metapolitics of Cold War Culture” and more than two dozen published scholarly articles, book chapters and reviews.

Before beginning her academic career, Kodat was a metro reporter and dance critic for the Baltimore Sun in the 1980s.

Kodat said the job description was one of the things that first attracted her to Lawrence.

“The posting said Lawrence was looking for ‘a leader with a strong vision and a humane, personal touch,’” said Kodat. “Most of these job descriptions sound a lot like one another, but that line was unique. It caught my attention and told me something about Lawrence that certainly was consistent with my view of the world.”

“The prospect of joining an intellectual community where music plays such a central role, both academically and in the everyday life of the campus, is tremendously exciting to me,” Kodat added.

She began her undergraduate career as a piano performance major at the Peabody Institute before earning a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in English at the University of Baltimore. She earned a master’s and doctorate degree in English from Boston University.

“Katie brings so much to the table: a deep appreciation and love of the arts, a strong commitment to scholarship and teaching, and tremendous warmth and humor,” said Tim Spurgin, Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Professor of English Literature and associate professor of English, who chaired the search committee. “She has held senior leadership positions at two distinguished institutions, working on everything from budgets to curricular review and reform. All of this, combined with her early experience as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, will serve as excellent preparation for her work here.”

Kodat’s husband, Alexander, is a senior product architect and software engineer at Rocket Software. They are the parents of triplets: Axel, a 2015 graduate of Swarthmore College; Dexter, a 2015 graduate of Occidental College; and Madeleine, a senior at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

 

International scholar David Reynolds examines WWII’s “Big Three” in history presentation

A Head shot of Cambridge University professor David Reynolds.
David Reynolds

David Reynolds, one of the world’s most acclaimed diplomatic historians, presents “Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin: The Big Three in World War Two” Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center auditorium.

A public reception with Reynolds will be held at 4 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center lobby prior to his presentation. Both events are free and open to the public.

A professor at England’s Cambridge University, Reynolds will discuss the complex and fascinating relationship between the three world leaders, who were allies against Hitler, but who could not agree about the post-war world.

The presentation is based on Reynolds’ current project in which he is  collaborating with colleagues in Moscow to publish a book on the wartime correspondence of the “Big Three” that is drawn from American, British and Russian archives.

Reynolds was the recipient of the Wolfson Prize for History in 2004, which is awarded annually in the United Kingdom in recognition of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. The following year he was named a Fellow of the British Academy.

He is the author of 11 books including 2007’s “From Munich to Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt’s America and the Origins of the Second World War,” “In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War” and mostly recently “The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War for the Twentieth Century.”

Reynolds also has written 13 historical documentaries for the BBC, including the trilogy “‘World War Two” about each of the Big Three leaders.

A Head shot of Winston Churchill.
Winston Churchill
A Head shot of Franklin Roosevelt.
Franklin Roosevelt
A Head shot of Joseph Stalin.
Joseph Stalin

The presentation will be filmed by Wisconsin Public Television for future rebroadcast on its “University Place” program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Annual matriculation convocation opens Lawrence’s 2016-17 academic year

A Head shot of Lawrence University President Mark Burstein.
President Mark Burstein

President Mark Burstein delivered his fourth matriculation convocation Thursday, Sept. 15, officially opening Lawrence University’s 168th academic year and the college’s annual convocation series.

The address, “Together, Against the Current,” was given at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Burstein spent nine years as executive vice president at Princeton University and 10 years at Columbia University as a vice president working in human resources, student services and facilities management before being named Lawrence 16th president in December 2012.

Joining him on Lawrence’s 2016-17 convocation series will be:

A Head shot of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey.
Natasha Trethewey

• Nov. 1 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey presents “The Muse of History: On Poetry and Social Justice.” The Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University, Trethewey was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 2007 for her third book, “Native Guard,” one of the works on the 2016-17 Freshman Studies reading list. Other works include 2012’s “Thrall,” a poetry collection that examines representations of mixed-race families, and 2010’s creative non-fiction “Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

Trethewey has been recognized with numerous awards, including being named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2012, induction in the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and Mississippi’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.

A Head shot of Lawrence University cello professor Janet Anthony.
Janet Anthony

• Jan. 6, 2017 Cellist Janet Anthony, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music at Lawrence, presents “Adventures in Music Making: 20 years of Cross-cultural Exchange in Haiti” in a rare evening convocation. A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1984, Anthony will provide a global perspective on music education in a celebration of her 20 years as a performer, teacher and mentor working with musicians and educators in Haiti.

In the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake that rocked the island nation, Anthony helped organized a benefit concert and collected needed supplies for the survivors, including gently used instruments. Since the quake, she has performed in four memorial concerts in Haiti.

A Head shot of award-winning author Andrew Solomon.
Andrew Solomon

• Feb. 2, 2017 Andrew Solomon, award-winning author, is a frequent lecturer/media commentator on politics, the arts, mental health issues and LGBT rights. His 2012 book, “Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity,” earned Solomon nearly a dozen literary awards, including a National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. His 2001 book, “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression,” also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center as well as a lecturer in psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical College. He was elected President of PEN American Center in March 2015.

A Head shot of Lawrence University history professor Paul Cohen.
Paul Cohen

• May 23, 2017 Paul Cohen, Patricia Hamar Boldt Professor of Liberal Studies and professor of history at Lawrence, presents “Presidential Manhood: Masculinity and American Politics in the age of Mass Media” for the college’s eighth annual Faculty Convocation. Cohen’s scholarship interests include masculinity and film in postwar Hollywood, history and film, intellectual history and modern France. Since joining the faculty in 1985, Cohen has been recognized with Lawrence’s Freshman Studies Teaching Award in 1999 and the University Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008. He is the author of the book “Freedom’s Moment: An Essay on the French Idea of Liberty from Rousseau to Foucault.”

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Wriston Art Center galleries’ summer exhibition series features painters Lichtner and Grotenrath

The work of “Wisconsin’s first couple of painting” — Schomer Lichtner and Ruth Grotenrath — will be featured in Lawrence University’s third annual summer exhibition series at the Wriston Art Center galleries. The exhibition opens July 15 and runs through Aug 14.

A photo of Schomer Lichtner screenprint "Untitled."
Schomer Lichtner, “Untitled,” 1980, screenprint, Collection of Lawrence University.

In conjunction with Appleton Downtown Inc.’s “Art on the Town” event, the Wriston galleries will be open Friday, July 15 from 6-9 p.m.

The galleries’ summer series is designed to engage the Fox Valley community in conversation about Midwest artists and artworks.

Married in 1934, Grotenrath (1912-1988) and Lichtner (1905-2006) became known as “Wisconsin’s first couple of painting” for their prolific work. First employed as artists by the Works Project Administration during the Depression, they painted Regionalist style murals in U.S. post offices throughout the Midwest. They later taught art and design for many years in Milwaukee.

Inspired by Japanese and Persian art and culture, many of Grotenrath’s still life paintings reflect her interest in intricate patterns, bold colors and playful shifts in perspective. Lichtner’s work reveals his interest in pastoral scenes, dance and the figure. He was especially fond of incorporating ballerinas and Holstein cows in his paintings and prints. They are often shown joyfully frolicking together in a Wisconsin meadow.

During the exhibition’s run, Lawrence will host a pair of Art@Noon tours, 20-minute guided tours of the exhibition, on Thursday, July 21 and Thursday, August 11.

The works featured in the exhibition “The Artwork of Ruth Grotenrath and Schomer Lichtner” were donated to Lawrence by the Kohler Foundation, Inc.

The Wriston Art Center galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon – 4 p.m.; closed Mondays. For more information, call 920-832-6890.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Environmental law professor discusses renewable energy strategies, challenges in presentation

Integrating cleaner energy into the existing infrastructure and strategies for new facilities to incorporate renewable energy will be explored in a Lawrence University science hall/economics colloquium.

Elizabeth Wilson
Elizabeth Wilson

Elizabeth Wilson, professor of energy and environmental policy and law at the University of Minnesota, presents “Remaking Energy: Creating Sustainable Electricity Systems” Monday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public.

Wilson’s research focuses on the implementation of energy and environmental policies and laws. She studies how institutions support and thwart energy system transitions, focusing on the interplay between technology innovation, policy creation and institutional decision making.

Her most recent research has examined how energy policy stakeholders view the opportunities and challenges of decision-making within Regional Transmission Organizations and creating smart grids. RTOs currently manage the transmission planning, electricity markets and grid operations for more than 70 percent of North America.

Wilson was awarded a 2015 an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship that will support research in Denmark, Germany and Spain of their energy systems, which include high levels of renewable resources as well as nuclear policies and electric grid architectures different than the United States.

She is the co-author of the 2015 book “Smart Grid (R)Evolution: Electric Power Struggles” and the 2014 book “Energy Law and Policy.”

A former employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wilson spent a year as a visiting scholar in China at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and also has worked in Belgium, Burundi and Tanzania. She earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in engineering and public policy.

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 book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.