Lawrence University News

For the ninth year in a row, Lawrence University has been named to the annual President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Lawrence is one of only two Wisconsin institutions to be cited every year by the Washington, D.C.-based Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) since the honor roll program was launched in 2006 in response to the relief efforts of thousands of college students who traveled to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. It recognizes the nation’s leading higher education institutions and their students, faculty and staff for their commitment to improving their communities through service.

Among the initiatives for which Lawrence was cited:

The President’s Honor Roll program recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities on a broad range of issues. Honorees are chosen on the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

“Lawrence’s many organizational partnerships in Appleton and the surrounding communities have long been an important ingredient in the transformative education that we provide for our students,” said Mark Jenike, Pieper Family Professor of Servant Leadership and director of the college’s Office of Community-Based Learning and Research. “We also strive to support opportunities for volunteering, internships, community-based research and coursework, and community-oriented performances that have positive impacts on our neighbors and on the city and region in which we live. We are grateful to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for recognizing our accomplishments in these areas.”

Among the initiatives for which Lawrence was cited:

• Self-Agency in Youth (SAY) Program. Created in the fall of 2012, the SAY Program partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley to run two empowerment groups for local teens:  the Beautiful You African American Girls’ group and Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment (HYPE) group. Using the support groups and a tutoring/mentoring initiative, the SAY Program helps teens gain ownership over their post-high school futures. More than 60 volunteers — students, staff members, faculty, community members — were involved with the program that served more than 65 teenagers. By helping connect and build on the strengths of local youth from low-income backgrounds, the SAY program has helped these young people build their own communities where they find the support they need to thrive. The program now consists of Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment (HYPE), Black Youth Empowerment (BYE) and the Organization of Latin@American Student (OLAS).

• Music for All. Led by Lawrence conservatory faculty members Michael Mizrahi and Erin Lesser, the Music for All initiative strives to increase access to, and inclusion in, classical chamber music performances for children and populations who ordinarily do not participate. Performances have been conducted at Riverview Gardens, the Fox Valley Warming Shelter and Jefferson Elementary School. The program was founded on the belief that communities are strengthened through positive interaction and shared experiences and music has the power to connect people, transcend social barriers and provide meaningful emotional experiences.

• Riverview Gardens Partnership: Lawrence students contributed more than 1200 hours of service at Riverview Gardens in support of its mission of combating root causes of hunger, homelessness, and unemployment. Lawrence has been closely connected to Riverview Gardens since the start of its operations in 2012. The first garden manager and other members of the garden staff have been Lawrence students or alumni; the fruit and vegetable gardens were designed and created by graduates of Lawrence’s own sustainable garden; students and faculty have applied their expertise in geology, terrestrial ecology and botany to plan and implement conservation and habitat restoration on the 72-acre property.

For the 2015 President’s Honor Roll, 785 members of the Lawrence community provided more than 12,000 hours of volunteer service to 144 local agencies. Many of Lawrence’s service initiatives are targeted towards addressing areas of need, including arts opportunities for youth, academic help for low-income kids, transitional housing and adult literacy and life/work skills identified in a report by The Fox Cities Community Foundation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service compiles the President’s Community Service Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

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.

To help raise awareness about Indigenous Peoples Day, Lawrence University, is hosting a Native American Pow-wow demonstration Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

The program will feature the award-winning Menominee Nation Smokeytown singers and drum group along with local tribal dancers, sharing their unique history and musical traditions. The pow-wow is part of a national effort to reimagine the traditional Columbus Day holiday, shifting it from a celebration of colonialism into an opportunity to focus on the many positive contributions of indigenous people in America.

“My hope is for our audience to get a first-hand glimpse of the resiliency and sheer beauty of our culture that sometimes gets overlooked in school curriculum and national media,” said Brigetta Miller, associate professor of music education and ethnic studies at Lawrence, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee (Mohican) Nation and an organizer of the event. “Pow-wows are a wonderful time for us to connect and come together as a community.”

The pow-wow is collaboratively supported by the Lawrence Diversity Center, Lawrence University Native Americans (LUNA), Goodwill NCW and the Appleton Area School District.

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.

An Appleton education center that helps establish the foundation for young children to reach their full potential was honored Sept. 21 by Lawrence University during the college’s eighth annual Report to the Community.

Recognized for being “a catalyst for positive change in our community,” the Community Early Learning Center (CELC) received the seventh annual Lawrence University Collaboration in Action Award. The 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.

Lawrence faculty members Beth Haines, associate professor of psychology, and Adam Loy, assistant professor of statistics, along Kathy Phillippi-Immel, associate professor of psychology at UW-Fox Valley, presented the award. Accepting the award on behalf of the CELC were Jon Stellmacher, board president of the CELC, Lee Allinger, superintendent of the Appleton Area School District, Dr. John Mielke of the Mielke Family Foundation and Nicole Desten, director of the Bridges Child Enrichment Center.

Launched in 2014 in the former Catholic Central
 Elementary School in downtown Appleton, the CELC brought five nonprofit and public organizations together under one roof: Bridges Child Enrichment Center (formerly Project Bridges), Appleton Area School District Birth–5 Programs, Even Start Family Literacy, Outagamie County Early Intervention and the UW–Oshkosh Head Start program.

The one-time independently operating organizations now share space, data and resources to serve children from birth to age five. Each focuses on different aspects of early childhood development and intervention to ensure that all children — especially those from low-income backgrounds — have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

According to Burstein, this kind of collaborative investment in early childhood education “keeps our community on the cutting edge of education research and best practices.”

“Collaboration with Appleton and the greater Fox Cities has never been more important to Lawrence,” Burstein added. “The Report to the Community allows us to deepen the conversation among all partners and provide a moment to celebrate recent accomplishments.  Lawrence is thrilled to award the Collaboration In Action prize to the Community Early Learning Center this year.  The Center’s impact on the educational environment in the Fox Cities is powerful and our work together has provided wonderful learning experiences for our students and faculty as well as hopefully an opportunity to enhance what the CELC has to offer.”

Lawrence faculty and staff have been involved with the CELC since its founding. Haines and David Burrows, provost and dean of the Lawrence faculty, served on the planning and implementation team during the CELC’s early stages. Haines, who chairs the center’s research committee, led efforts to create an ongoing assessment plan. Haines, Loy and Phillippi-Immel also helped develop a shared database for the five agencies.

Under Haines’ guidance, Lawrence students have conducted screenings and data analysis each summer since the CELC opened. They also have gained real-world experience working in CELC classrooms.

“It’s really nice for them to be able to not just read about why these programs are in place, but to actually help out,” says Haines. “When they do fieldwork, they volunteer. They’re not just observing.”

Through the integration of applied research and collaborative program planning, Lawrence enables the CELC to make the most of limited staff time and money, allowing  the CELC to maximize the benefits to area young children and families.

“Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of quality early care and education in improving social and emotional development and school readiness, helping reduce the costs of remediation and increasing the benefits of a productive citizenry,” said CELC Board President Jon Stellmacher. “As we elevate attention to the importance of the early years and their long-term impact on school and life success, we add one more excellent reason why this is a wonderful community in which to live and work.”

The CELC joins Mile of Music (2015), Riverview Gardens (2014), Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Cities (2013), the Appleton Area School District (2012), the YMCA of the Fox Cities (2011) and the Mielke Family Foundation  (2010) as previous winners of Lawrence’s Collaboration in Action Award.

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.

The photographic talents of 10 Lawrence University students are featured in the exhibition “Out of the Darkroom” in the Regional Artist Gallery at The Trout Museum of Art in downtown Appleton.

Featuring a variety of works ranging from tableau and portraiture, to landscape and still life photos, the exhibition opens Friday, Sept. 16 and runs though Dec. 31.

The students whose work is featured in the exhibit are: Natalie Cash ’18, Michael Hubbard ’17, Cherise John ’17, Regan Martin ’17, Glenn McMahon ‘17, Nick Nootenboom ’17, Penn Ryan  ’18, Torrey Smith ’17, Chloe Stella ’16 and Sadie Tenpas ’17. All are students of Associate Professor of Art John Shimon.

“What interests me here is how the students respond to, and utilize, this medium of light-sensitive materials,” said Shimon. “Established as the primary image-making tool of the 20th century, it was early in these students’ life times that these processes were replaced with digital technologies.

“Now the darkroom has become solely the domain of artists, with a rich history to respond to and extend,” Shimon added. “There is a freshness in viewpoint here as these students are distanced from the practical applications of analog photography.”

The materials needed to create the exhibition’s body of work were fully funded through generous donations to Julie’s kindness project in memory of former Lawrence associate professor of art Julie Lindemann, and through the efforts of 2015 Lawrence graduate Lucy Bowman, who helped secure a grant from the Reva and David Logan Foundation that allowed students full access to darkroom facilities.

The Regional Artist Gallery is open free of charge to the public during museum hours. The gallery is a community-oriented space celebrating and exhibiting high quality artwork from regional artists. The Regional Artist Gallery, an extension of The Trout Museum of Art, is located on the third floor of the Fox Cities Building for the Arts, 111 W. College Ave., Appleton.

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.