Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Student Produced Civic Life Project Documentaries Receive Public Screening Oct. 30 at Fox Valley Technical College

Fox Valley Technical College will host a free public screening Wednesday, Oct. 30 of a first-of-its kind video project designed to spark community dialogue on social issues ranging from sex trafficking to homophobia.

Civic-Life-Project-logo_newsblogFive short documentary videos produced by Lawrence University students for the university’s Civic Life Project will be shown from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Commons on the FVTC campus, 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., Appleton. (South Parking Lot – Entrance 6).

As part of the screening, short audience discussions facilitated by Lawrence students will be conducted after each video.

The program also will include brief remarks by FVTC President Susan May and Lawrence President Mark Burstein.

The Civic Life Project is an innovative educational tool created by award-winning documentary filmmaker and 1972 Lawrence graduate Catherine Tatge and her husband, Dominique Lasseur. It is designed to challenge students to learn about civics and democracy in a unique way, discover more about the community in which they reside and find their own individual voice through the creation of documentary videos.

Topics for the videos grew out of conversations Tatge conducted with numerous Fox Cities community leaders to identify issues of local concern. Three-member teams of Lawrence students shared roles of writer, editor, producer, director and videographer in creating the documentaries.

The titles and topics of the videos to be shown include:

• “Muted,” a look at victims of sex trafficking in Appleton.

• “Walking Alone,” an examination of homophobia and its consequences seen through the eyes of teenagers who suffer the brunt of its isolation and rejection.

• “Adelante” (Forward), which explores the plight of undocumented teen immigrants.

• “Rooted,” which documents the challenges of balancing assimilation with maintaining cultural identity in the Hmong community.

• “Homeless Veterans of the Fox Valley,” a look at the daily struggles facing some who have served our country when they return home.

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Camilla Grove, a 2013 graduate, worked with a local Hmong family while filming “Rooted,” a look at the challenges of balancing assimilation with cultural traditions.

“The Civic Life Project has been a transformative experience for Lawrence students, showing them that they have a voice in our democracy,” said Tatge, who is in her third year as an artist-in-residence at Lawrence. “I hope these films spark meaningful dialogue throughout the community and help the Fox Valley become an even more welcoming and healthy place to live.”

The Civic Life Project at Lawrence is modeled after a similar program Tatge and Lasseur launched in 2010 in their home state of Connecticut. The program starts in the classroom with an examination of the structure of democracy and ends in the theater with the screening of the documentaries the students create. Since it began, the program has been incorporated into the curriculum at 10 Connecticut high schools.

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 2014 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.

Senior Ian Koziara Advances to Regional Level of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

It is on to St. Paul, Minn., for Lawrence University senior Ian Koziara.

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Senior Ian Kozaira was among five winners at the recent Wisconsin District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

The voice performance major from Itasca, Ill., was one of five singers from the recent Wisconsin district selected by judges to advance to the second round of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

A tenor, Koziara next competes at the Upper Midwest Region auditions Feb. 1, 2014 in St. Paul for the opportunity to sing in New York City for the Met’s national semifinals.

Koziara was among 36 singers from throughout the Midwest who competed in the 52nd edition of the annual district auditions Oct. 19 at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield. A student in the Lawrence Conservatory of Music voice studio of Teresa Seidl, Koziara received $2,000 as a district winner.

Justin Berkowitz, a 2011 Lawrence graduate, also competed in the Wisconsin District Met auditions and was a awarded a $500 Appreciation Award by the judges.

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions are designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 13 regions of the United States and Canada. There are 40 districts within these regions, providing opportunities for singers to enter the auditions at the local level.

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 2014 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.

 

 

Wisconsin Public Radio Broadcasting Live from Harper Hall Today (Oct. 28)

Norman Gilliland comes to Lawrence Monday, Oct. 28 for a live broadcast of his show “The Midday” from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in Harper Hall in the Music-Drama Center. The public is invited to attend, admission is free. Doors will close at 11:45 a.m.

Norman-Gilliland.newsblog
Norman Gililland, host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Midday Program,” will broadcast his show live from Lawrence University’s Harper Hall on Oct. 28.

The broadcast will feature three musical performances by Lawrence students:

• Jonathan Fagan, jazz and classical piano

• the Quartet Masque  —Andrea Johnson and Sophie Yang, violin; Kyle Stalsberg, viola and Mariatonia Longhi, cello

• the bluegrass quartet Involuntary String Band — Martha McDonnell, fiddle, Davey Harrison, mandolin, Ilan Blanck, guitar and Nick Allen, bass.

Gililland also is expected to chat with Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory of music.

The program will be taped by Wisconsin Public Television for a future broadcast.

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 2014 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.

Theatre Arts Professor Tim Troy Discusses “War of the Worlds” Hoax; WPR Comes to Lawrence Oct. 28 for Live Broadcast

Lawrence theatre arts professor Tim Troy will be the guest on this Sunday’s (Oct. 27) broadcast of Wisconsin Public Radio’s “University of the Air.”

Tim-Troy_Newsblog
Professor Tim Troy talks about the “War of the Worlds” broadcast Sunday, Oct. 27 on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “University of the Air” program.

Troy joins hosts Norman Gilliland and Emily Auerbach at 4 p.m. for an hour-long discussion of one of broadcasting’s greatest hoaxes, Orson Welles’ broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the famous Oct. 30, 1938 Mercury Theatre airing of an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel “The War of the Worlds.”

Check your local listing or listen online at http://www.WPR.org/

Norman Gilliland will come to Lawrence on Monday, Oct. 28 for a live broadcast of his show “The Midday” from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in Harper Hall in the Music-Drama Center. The public is invited to attend, admission is free.

The broadcast will feature three musical performances by Lawrence students:

• Jonathan Fagan, jazz and classical piano

• the Quartet Masque  —Andrea Johnson and Sophie Yang, violin; Kyle Stalsberg, viola and Mariatonia Longhi, cello

• the bluegrass quartet Involuntary String Band — Martha McDonnell, fiddle, Davey Harrison, mandolin, Ilan Blanck, guitar and Nick Allen, bass.

The program also will be taped by Wisconsin Public Television for a future broadcast.

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 2014 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.

Weekend-long Festivities Celebrate Inauguration of Mark Burstein as Lawrence’s 16th President

He was elected Lawrence University’s new president December 13, 2012 and assumed office July 1. This weekend, Mark Burstein officially will be installed as the college’s 16th president.
Mark-Burstein_InaurugationNewsblog
Mark Burstein will be officially installed as Lawrence’s 16th president Saturday, Oct. 26.

Delegates, including 13 presidents, representing more than 60 colleges, universities and higher education consortia from across the country, MIT, Stanford and Yale among them, will participate in the inaugural procession along with Lawrence faculty,trustees and alumni.

Terry Franke, chair of the Lawrence Board of Trustees, will deliver the inauguration’s welcome. Community greetings will be presented by Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna.

Additional remarks will be delivered by Shirley Tilghman, president emerita and professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, Burstein’s previous institution, and Catharine Bond Hill, president and professor of economics at Vassar College, Burstein’s alma mater. Other program speakers include faculty, student and alumni representatives.

Burstein will present the inaugural address “Frontier: A State of Mind.”

The inauguration ceremonies will be available via live webcast.

“A presidential inauguration is a special moment in any college’s history and Mark’s is certainly an exciting and important one for Lawrence,” said Franke, a 1968 Lawrence graduate. “This is really an occasion to celebrate the college’s past and excitingly look to its future. A change in leadership naturally inspires optimism and brings a dynamic new energy to the institution.”

The inauguration ceremony is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. Contact the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Inaugurations of college and university presidents trace their roots to 17th-century America. The custom was established by the country’s nine colonial colleges as a way of formally acknowledging a change in leadership at a school’s highest level within a context of tradition and continuity.

As part of the weekend festivities, Lawrence will hold a pair of panel discussions on Friday, Oct. 25 in Stansbury Theatre of the Music Drama Center — “Civil Communities in an Age of Incivility” and “The Issue of Difference and the Liberal Arts” — at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively.

ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent and 1982 Lawrence graduate Terry Moran, fresh off assignment in Syria, will serve as moderator of the first panel. Admission to the panel discussions is free, but a ticket is required and can be obtained through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Lawrence’s vast and varied musical talents will be on full display Friday (10/25) evening in a unique format. Visitors are invited to enjoy a leisurely stroll around campus and experience the distinct sounds of the Conservatory of Music. From funk and rock to classical and jazz, talented musicians will perform in familiar as well as non-traditional campus venues. Continuous performances will be conducted from 8-10 p.m. at these locations:

• Main Hall Portico—brass

• Music-Drama Center—classical and jazz

• Science Hall Atrium—winds

• Memorial Hall and Viking Room—funk and rock

• Seeley G. Mudd Library—acoustic, bluegrass and singer/songwriter

• Wriston Art Center Galleries—chamber music

Specific information for “Lawrence Performs” will be available in the lobby of the Music-Drama Center.

The inauguration weekend wraps up on Sunday with members of the Lawrence community volunteering from 11 a.m-3 p.m. at Riverview Gardens, Appleton’s urban garden.

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 2014 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.

 

 

Pianist Elizabeth Vaughan Wins State Music Competition

Lawrence University pianist Elizabeth Vaughan earned first-place honors Saturday, Oct. 15 in the 2013 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Wisconsin state competition conducted at UW-La Crosse.

Elizabeth-Vaughan_newsblog
Elizabeth Vaughan ’15

Vaughan, a junior voice and piano performance major from Highland Park, Ill., won the Young Artist (19-26 years of age) competition. She advances to the MTNA’s five-state East Central Division competition Jan. 10-11 at Baldwin Wallace University. Winners at the division competition advance to the MTNA’s national competition March 22-26, 2014 in Chicago.

Vaughan is the 13th Lawrence student in the past 15 years to win the Wisconsin MTNA piano competition. She is a student in the studio of Professor Catherine Kautsky.

Lawrence pianists dominated the competition, which featured a total of 12 students. Besides Vaughan’s first-place finish, senior Thomas Lee, Chicago, Ill., earned alternate (second place) honors while seniors Max Feldkamp, Appleton, Jonathan Gmeinder, Hartland, Daniel Kuzuhara, Madison, and junior Laetitia Lehman-Pearsall, Bainbridge Island, Wash., each were accorded honorable mention honors.

Gmeinder and Laetitia also study in Kautsky’s studio. Lee, Feldkamp and Kuzuhara are students of Associate Professor Anthony Padilla.

The MTNA performance competitions recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.

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 2014 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.

50 Years Ago: A Surprise Announcement that Changed Lawrence

October 22 is one of the most important dates in Lawrence’s history. Fifty-years ago today, an announcement was made 100 miles away in Milwaukee that helped transform Lawrence College into Lawrence University: Milwaukee-Downer, an all-women’s college would close its doors and consolidate with Lawrence.

Milwaukee-Downer-Newblog
Milwaukee-Downer students react to the announcement Oct. 22, 1964 that their college would be consolidating with Lawrence College in Appleton.

In 1964, Downer’s 43-acre, east-side Milwaukee campus was sold to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and 49 female students and 21 faculty members transferred to Lawrence. Forty-four of the original 49 Milwaukee-Downer students eventually earned bachelor’s degrees from Lawrence, and 11 of the faculty members remained at Lawrence until their retirement.

Lawrence archivist Erin Dix ’08, recounts the news of that surprising, and stunning, announcement on its 50th anniversary in today’s Archivist blog.

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 2014 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.

 

 

 

Lawrence University Honoring Boys & Girls Club at 5th Annual Report to the Community

A Fox Cities partnership that has grown steadily stronger for 15 years will be honored Tuesday, Oct. 22 by Lawrence University during the college’s fifth annual Report to the Community.

Lawrence President Mark Burstein will present the annual Lawrence University Collaboration in Action Award to the Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Cities in ceremonies that begin at 8 a.m. in the Warch Campus Center.

Boys_Girls-Club_newsblog3Brian Pertl, dean of the Lawrence conservatory of music, will serve as the event’s emcee and Ron Dunlap, retired administrator for the Appleton Area School District and current CESA 6 state coordinator of CREATE Wisconsin, will share thoughts on the state of education in the Fox Valley as the program’s keynote speaker.

Lawrence’s Collaboration in Action Award recognizes an individual or organization, who, in partnership with Lawrence, has provided exemplary service to the Fox Cities community through strategic vision, leadership influence, long-standing commitment and enthusiasm, financial contributions and/or volunteerism.

“We want to thank the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley for their long and substantial collaboration which has provided Lawrence students with learning experiences and opportunities to serve the greater community,” said Burstein. “We are confident their volunteer activity has made a positive impact on their programs and those they serve.  We hope this service will be a basis for future collaborations.”

Since opening in 1998, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley has established itself as a leader and advocate for youth development throughout the Fox Cities. Lawrence, with its own mission of developing young people into responsible, engaged citizens, has long sought ways to complement and enhance the efforts of the Boys & Girls Club. The mutually beneficial relationship has enriched youth programming at the Club, while providing Lawrence students with valuable leadership and experiential learning opportunities.

Making Lives Richer, Brighter

During the 2012-13 academic year, 173 Lawrence volunteers, interns and students were involved in community-based learning activities at the Club.

“From the waves of students who came to inform and inspire on Martin Luther King Day this past year to the academic research conducted by students and professors on the impact of the Club on young lives, from powerful mentorship to young people in need through groups like Beautiful You African American Girls’ Group, to the many Lawrence students who have chosen to learn about human services and work at one of our Club locations, the contributions have been many,” said Greg Lemke-Rochon,  chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club. “They’ve surprised us by their generosity and creativity, and they’ve made the lives of those we serve richer and brighter.”

The Lawrence partnership with the Boys & Girls Club reached a new level four years ago with a concerted focus on increasing enrichment activities for K-12 youth. With support from the Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholar AmeriCorps Program, Lawrence placed a student volunteer coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club, which helped increase the number of students engaged in a diverse range of programming. The Self Agency in Youth (SAY) initiative, launched in 2012, provides tutoring and mentoring through two support groups — Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment (HYPE) and Beautiful You African American Girls Group — for the Clubs’ ethnically diverse teenagers.LU_Boys-and-Girls-Club_newsblog2

Approximately 20 Lawrence students volunteer each week with the SAY program, which offers minority teens a sanctuary for self-expression and open discussions of their futures without fear of being judged by their ethnicity or background.

Beautiful You African American Girls’ Group provides African American teen girls a supportive environment for discussing self-respect, self-confidence and race, while also learning about resume writing and college visits. HYPE offers Hmong youth a similar support network.

“Helping “Break the Cycle”

Jerry Overstreet, The CLUB Teen Center coordinator, called the Lawrence student volunteers “a tremendous addition to all of our current The CLUB Teen Center programs and mentoring relationships.

“Our relationship with Lawrence has provided low-income and at-risk youth with socialization skills, academic guidance and positive role models that we hope can help them ‘break the cycle,'” said Overstreet.

Previous winners of Lawrence’s Collaboration in Action Award include the Mielke Family Foundation (2010), YMCA of the Fox Cities (2011) and the  Appleton Area School District (2012).

Previous winners of Lawrence’s Collaboration in Action Award include the Mielke Family Foundation (2010), YMCA of the Fox Cities (2011) and the  Appleton Area School District (2012).

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 2014 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.

 

Lawrence Cited Among Nation’s Best Values by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Lawrence University has been named one of the country’s best values among private colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance in its 2014 annual list of the top 100 private universities and top 100 liberal arts colleges from among the nation’s more than 2,100 four-year, not-for-profit, public and private colleges.

Best Values NewsblogLawrence, ranked 96th, and the other schools selected for the 2014 list, represent the colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost. Kiplinger’s draws its list from colleges that exemplify the attributes parents and students look for in higher education, including small class sizes, a good freshman retention rate and a high four-year graduation rate.

“It may seem counterintuitive to have so many private colleges—which generally look quite expensive—listed as ‘values,’” said Ken Anselment, Lawrence’s dean of admissions and financial aid, “but Kiplinger’s has hit the right notes in their assessment by shining a light on the return on the investment. It’s a subtle, but important shift in perspective.”

In compiling its rankings, Kiplinger’s measure academic quality and affordability. Academic criteria include the student admission rate, the test scores of incoming freshmen, student-faculty ratio, and the four- and five-year graduation rates. On the cost side, Kiplinger’s measures the sticker price, the availability and average amount of need-based and merit-based financial aid, and the average student debt at graduation.

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 2014 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.

Lawrence University Convocation Features Cartoonist, Author Alison Bechdel

Award-winning cartoonist and author Alison Bechdel discusses her life and career in the Lawrence University convocation “Drawing Lessons: The Comics of Everyday Life” Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. She also will conduct a question-and-answer session at 2:30 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema. Both events are free and open to the public.

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Alison Bechdel

Bechdel’s work includes the groundbreaking comic “Dykes to Watch Out For” and the graphic novel memoirs “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic“(2006) and “Are You My Mother: A Comic Drama” (2012).

Featuring a cast of quirky fictional characters navigating life’s daily struggles, “Dykes to Watch Out For,” is drawn from Bechdel’s own experiences as a politically active lesbian. It has enjoyed nearly three decades of syndication in more than 50 alternative newspapers and magazines. Ms. Magazine deemed it “one of the preeminent oeuvres in the comics genre, period.”

Bechdel’s national profile rose with the release of “Fun Home,” a book-length autobiographical work in which she explores her relationship with her closeted, bisexual father and his apparent suicide. It became the first graphic novel named Time magazine’s Best Book of the Year. It also was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, won the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work and has been a required text for students in Lawrence’s Freshman Studies course since 2011.

Her most recent work, “Are You My Mother,” complements “Fun Home,” with reflections on her fraught, complex relationship with her mother.

Beyond her self-syndicated comics and memoirs, Bechdel has drawn for Slate, McSweeney’s, The New York Times Book Review and U.K. literary magazine Granta. She was awarded a 2012-13 Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts and edited “Best American Comics 2011.” Other honors include a seat on the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary in 2006, a fellowship at the University of Chicago and the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement, which honors LGBT writers.

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 2014 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.