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MyLU Insider

Internal Communications

Experience the Lawrence Chamber Music Festival This Summer

The sounds of chamber music will fill the Fox Cities this summer as the Lawrence Chamber Music Festival (LCMF) brings world-class performances, community connections, and unforgettable musical experiences to audiences throughout the region.

From intimate concerts in historic spaces to special appearances during Mile of Music, LCMF offers opportunities for music lovers of all ages to experience the artistry and collaboration that make chamber music so special.

The festival opens Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. at Gibson Community Music Hall, followed by a series of performances in the beautiful setting of Lawrence Memorial Chapel:

  • Friday, July 24 — Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 25 — Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 7 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 26 — Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 1 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 29 — Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 1 p.m.

LCMF will also join the Mile of Music festivities with performances throughout Appleton from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1, bringing chamber music into new spaces and connecting with audiences across the community.

Festival highlights include:

  • Thursday, July 30 — Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 11 a.m.
  • Friday, July 31 — Music in Motion: Family Concert presented by Play Out, Harper Hall, 9 a.m.
  • Friday, July 31 — Hilton Hotel Ballroom featuring Ruby Mac, 11 a.m.
  • Friday, July 31 — Riverview Gardens featuring Buddy Red, 2 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 1 — Copper Rock Coffee Company featuring Ron Artis, 10:30 a.m.
  • Saturday, August 1 — Appleton Public Library featuring Gold Standard, 2:30 p.m.

Whether you are a longtime chamber music enthusiast or discovering the genre for the first time, LCMF invites you to celebrate the power of music, collaboration, and community all summer long.

Young musicians find inspiration, community at Lawrence Summer Music Institute

The Lawrence Conservatory of Music is once again filled with the sound of music as students from across the country gather for the Lawrence Summer Music Institute (LSMI). Throughout the week, talented high school musicians have immersed themselves in an inspiring environment of learning, collaboration, and performance through the institute’s Classical Voice and Piano & Strings programs.

Working alongside Lawrence Conservatory faculty and guest artists, students have spent the week refining their artistry through private lessons, chamber music, coachings, masterclasses, rehearsals, and workshops. Beyond developing their musical skills, participants have formed friendships with peers who share their passion for music while experiencing life on Lawrence’s campus.

One highlight of the week came Tuesday evening when Classical Voice students performed the national anthem before the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers game. Singing for a packed stadium gave students the opportunity to share their talents with the Fox Cities community while gaining valuable performance experience in a unique setting.

As the institute comes to a close this weekend, audiences are invited to celebrate the students’ hard work at a series of public performances showcasing everything they’ve accomplished throughout the week.

Upcoming performances include:

  • Saturday, July 11, 4 p.m. — LSMI Classical Voice Student Concert, Harper Hall (also livestreamed)
  • Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m. — LSMI Piano & Strings Student Concert, Harper Hall (also livestreamed)
  • Sunday, July 12, 10 a.m. — LSMI Piano & Strings Student Concert, Copper Rock Coffee Co.

These performances offer family members, friends, and the community an opportunity to experience the talent, dedication, and artistry of this year’s LSMI students. From expressive vocal performances to chamber ensembles and solo works, each concert celebrates a week of growth, collaboration, and the joy of making music together.

Help us keep track of the LU art collection!

If you are moving to a new building or office, please let the Wriston Art Galleries staff know if you take any artwork from the LU collection to your new space. It helps us keep track of artworks for inventory and insurance.

If you do not want to move the artwork in your current office, we are happy to come and pick it up—the same if you arrive in your new space and there are things you don’t want on the walls. If you aren’t sure if something is part of the collection, send us a photo. Just please don’t stash it in a closet or toss it out!

Send a note to: wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu

Thank you for helping us avoid artworks going missing (like this painting!) and keeping the art collection available for future Lawrentians to learn with and enjoy.

Need to Know: A Guide to Commencement Weekend 2026

Commencement Weekend is almost here, and Lawrence University is preparing to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026. From concerts and campus gatherings to reflection and celebration, the weekend offers a full range of moments for graduates, families, faculty, staff, and alumni to come together.

Baccalaureate Service

The annual Baccalaureate Service will be held Saturday, June 13, in Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Centered on reflection and gratitude, the service offers a meaningful pause in the weekend to look back on the Lawrence experience and the people who shaped it.

This year’s service will feature Connie Kassor, who will help guide the community in reflecting on time at Lawrence and the journey ahead. All members of the Lawrence community and guests are welcome to attend this moment of shared reflection and celebration.

Join the Community Cookout

Following Baccalaureate, seniors, families, faculty, and staff are invited to gather on Main Hall Green for a cookout from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The event will feature a performance by the Lawrence University Grad Band and offers a relaxed opportunity to connect and celebrate together before Commencement Sunday. In the event of inclement weather, the cookout will move to the Warch Campus Center.

Commencement Concert

The weekend begins Friday evening with the Commencement Concert, featuring members of the graduating class. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Lawrence Memorial Chapel and is open to the public.

Commencement Ceremony

The 177th Commencement Ceremony will take place Sunday, June 14, at 10 a.m. on Main Hall Green. The ceremony brings the weekend to a close as we celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2026. No tickets are required, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking and Transportation

Guests have several parking options available throughout Commencement Weekend. Free parking is available in all Lawrence campus lots, as well as on campus-adjacent streets. The Commencement ceremony will be held on Main Hall Green.

Several public parking ramps are also available in downtown Appleton, all within a short walk of campus. Metered parking can be found along College Avenue and surrounding streets.

For guests who prefer to park farther from the ceremony site, free remote parking will be available in the 1025 Building parking lot. Shuttle service will run from 8 to 10 a.m. before the ceremony and resume from 12:30 to 3 p.m. afterward. Guests will be dropped off at the Wriston Art Center, where golf cart transportation will be available for those with mobility challenges.

Please note that parking is not permitted in the Emmanuel United Methodist Church or Memorial Presbyterian Church parking lots.

Visit the Commencement website for more.

Keep It in the Community: Student Swap Returns This June

Moving out often means deciding what to do with items you no longer need. Instead of sending those belongings to a landfill, Lawrence students have an opportunity to give them a second life through the LU Swap.

Open to new, current, and graduating students, LU Swap encourages members of the Lawrence community to donate usable items and pick up things they can use. From mini-fridges, fans, and small electronics to hangers, school supplies, coats, and small furniture, the event helps reduce waste while supporting fellow students.

Donations and pickups will take place at the Wellness Center, Fox Commons, the Quad, and Colman Hall on June 7 and June 14. All donated items will be reviewed by event staff to ensure they meet event guidelines.

The LU Swap is a simple way to keep useful items in circulation, support sustainability efforts on campus, and help students save money. Whether you’re moving out, moving in, or just looking for a few essentials, consider stopping by and keeping it in the community.

Changes to Domestic and International Academic Travel Procedures

Please see the Academic Travel SharePoint for complete information about academic travel policies and procedures. Non-academic student travel is not subject to the procedures listed there.

In brief: to start the domestic or international travel process, group trip leaders/sponsors or individual students must complete a trip proposal form. The information submitted through the form will go to the Off-Campus Program staff. From there, OCP staff will collect the required travel forms (rosters, etc.).

Building administrators and the Associate Provost will no longer collect travel forms or keep them on file. The student information submitted through the a trip proposal form will be routed to the Dean of Students and Title IX office for approval or denial. The trip leader/sponsor will not need to contact the Dean of Students Office independently for conduct reviews.

Many thanks to Shannon Featherstone, Lezlie Weber, and Karen Brennan for their help streamlining this process.

Spring Term 2027 London Centre -Accepting Applications

There are still a few spots left in the Spring Term 2027 cohort for the London Centre, and Off-Campus Programs will be accepting applications on a rolling basis until spots fill. If you are interested, open an application today.

Next Spring Term will feature two classes offered by visiting professor Bob Williams, Professor of Education and Director of the Linguistics Program: COSC 300: Creative Minds in London and LING 300: The English Language. There are no pre-requisites for these classes; more information can be found here.

Other classes on offer for Spring Term will be ENG/THAR 170: Shakespeare in London; MUCO 131/431: The Grand Tour: Musical Taste and Concert Life in Europe 1600-1750; and HIST 272: The Empire at Home: Politics, Culture, and Society in Britain from 1914 to Present.

If you have any questions on the London Centre or the application process, contact Off-Campus Programs.

Street in Rye, East Sussex; taken by C. Guider.

Student Parking – Great New Changes!

You asked and we answered – There is a new easier process to register your vehicle and sign up for the lottery. Improvments that you can learn to love.

  1. Registration for next year will open on June 1. No more remembering to register your vehicle in the middle of the summer and being sad when you missed the lottery!
  2. Previously a tedius two-step process – Now it’s just one step! Register your vehicle and sign up for all the lottery drawings that you want to be a part of in one step. No more reminders to sign up for the lottery during the stressful week 9.

You may register your vehicle here, and the link is also available on the Student Parking webpage of the Lawrence website.

New to the process??? We’ve listed a few key points below.

PARKING ON CAMPUS: 

  • Students and staff share most of the available campus parking.
  • During business hours (7:30am-5:30pm), students may not park in a staff parking lot.
  • Beyond the Lawrence lots, there is also street parking which is free, but does not accommodate parking overnight. Overnight you will need to move your car to a Lawrence staff lot.    
  • Free overnight 24-hour parking for all students is available at our football field parking lot, called Banta Bowl. If you bring your car, you may park there for free (IF REGISTERED), all day and overnight.  Banta Bowl is about a 5-block walk from the edge of the main campus.
  • You can refer to a campus parking lot map here.

THE PARKING LOTTERY:

  • For Fall term – students must be registered by the last Thursday of July. 
  • For Winter and Spring terms – students must be registered by the Thursday of week 9 in the term prior. (register in Fall Week 9 for the Winter lottery drawing)
  • Every student may participate in the Parking Lottery which allows for a 24-hour spot on campus and has a fee of $75. 
  • Student lottery spots are good for 1 term. We run a lottery with each term so that an increased number of students can participate as winners. 
  • Students are notified by email in week 10 indicating if they are or aren’t awarded a lottery spot for the upcoming term. 
  • 24-hour parking allowances are non-transferrable
  • You may sign up for all of the lottery drawings at once when you register your vehicle. 

OFF CAMPUS PARKING:

  • The City of Appleton has a pay to park ramp a few blocks from campus, but you will need to contact them yourself. We cannot administrate that on your behalf. https://www.appleton.org/residents/parking/parking-permit-information
  • There is a church nearby that also has limited spaces for rent. They open their wait list in June, with permits being issued in August. Parking in the lot without an approved permit will result in your vehicle being ticketed and/or towed. Memorial Presbyterian Church of Appleton.  info@mpcappleton.org.  

These are the key points that you will need to remember as you manage your vehicle in the absence of a spot in the student lot.  You can also revisit the Student Parking page on our website and also the section within that page that’s marked “Current Students – Learn About The Parking Lottery and Rules For Parking On Campus”. This site requires your lawrence login for access.

Still have questions? Email Parking@lawrence.edu 

Spring Term WELLU massage sign up

Wellness Services is pleased to offer discounted full-body therapeutic massage services for Spring Term. Appointments are available for 50-minute table massages, and the cost is $35 on campus and at the YMCA. Sign up begins March 29th

Massages are available for all students and employees just once per term. On campus sign up, Mel or Ashley

You must sign up to be eligible for the discounted price at the YMCA. E-mail Erin Buenzli to schedule an appointment at the YMCA. Limit one per term.