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Category: Academics

The Task of Liberal Education Today, presented by Roosevelt Montas – 9/28

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing to invite you to a talk by Roosevelt Montas, Director for the Center of Core Curriculum at Columbia University. The event will take place on Thursday, September 28, at 4:30 pm in the Esch-Hurvis Room of the WCC.

Roosevelt’s talk “The Task of Liberal Education Today” will reflect on the place of liberal education in the undergraduate curriculum.  What does the current moment in the history of higher education and in the history the country demand of liberal educators?  What is the relationship between college education and civic culture?  How do we respond to the rapid changes affecting higher education and society more broadly?

After the talk, there will be time for discussion and Q&A. I’ve heard Roosevelt speak several times and he’s thoughtful, generous, and engaging. I’m hoping this will be an opportunity for faculty and staff to continue discussions about why we value critical thought and liberal thinking and what it means to be teaching Freshman Studies right now. Refreshments will be provided.

Hope to see you there!

Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth Carlson

Associate Professor of Art History

Director of Freshman Studies

Attention Rising Seniors! Scholarship Opportunities to study in the United Kingdom or Ireland!

Do you want to pursue your graduate degree in the United Kingdom or Ireland for free?  Then, check out these scholarship opportunities for full financial support to pursue a degree in the United Kingdom and Ireland!

  1. Gates Cambridge – Scholarships are available for a postgraduate degree in any subject at the University of Cambridge. Eligible students are any citizens outside the UK and have academic excellence, leadership potential, commitment to improving the lives of others, and a good academic fit with Cambridge. National Deadline: October 12, 2017.  Application opens:  September 5, 2017
  1. Marshall Scholarship – Finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in a United Kingdom institution in any field of study. Eligible students are U.S. Citizens and GPA 3.7 or above.  Campus Deadline:  September 20, 2017.  National Deadline: October 2, 2017.  The Application for the 2018 Marshall Scholarships will be available in late spring 2017.
  1. The Rhodes Scholarship –The oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. The scholarship provides full financial support to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Scholars are chosen for their outstanding scholarly achievements, their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.  Application is available each year in early July and due early October.  Please see Bruce Pourciau for more information. 
  1. The George J. Mitchell Scholarship – Provides tuition, accommodation, a stipend for living expenses and travel for one academic year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland (study in Northern Ireland is not currently an option through the Mitchell Scholarship). Potential students are U.S. citizens and have documented evidence of significant achievement in academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to community and public service.  Application Deadline: September 29, 2017.  2018-2019 Application Is Now Open!

Since Lawrence starts fall term relatively late, it is best to find out information and start preparing for these fellowship applications over the summer to meet the campus and national deadlines in the fall, if you are interested in any of these scholarships.  Please contact Kia Thao in Chapman Hall, 209, for questions and guidance through the process.

The 2018-2019 Fulbright U.S. Student Application Opens – International Study or Research Awards and English Teaching Assistantships Now Available

     

ATTENTION: Rising Seniors, Class of 2018

  • Are you highly motivated, open-minded, and are a flexible self-starter with a strong interest in promoting international mutual understanding?
  • Are you interested in an intensive cultural exchange program abroad?
  • Then, the Fulbright U.S. Student Fellowship could be for you!

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program selects participants through a competitive, merit-based application process, and offers several benefits during the period of the grant. These include funding for round-trip travel, living expenses for one academic year, and healthcare benefits.

Applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program must be U.S. citizens and hold a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) by the beginning of the grant period.

For more information, please visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website, http://us.fulbrightonline.org.

Students should contact Kia Thao, campus Fulbright Program Adviser for more information. Applications must be submitted electronically to Kia Thao by the campus closing date of September 20, 2017. Applications must be submitted by the October 6, 2017 national deadline.

In memoriam: Michael LaMarca

Michael LaMarca, the Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science and professor emeritus of biology, died Feb. 9 of complications from a stroke in Rochester, Minn. He was 85.

A specialist in reproduction and developmental biology, LaMarca joined the Lawrence faculty in 1965 and taught with distinction until his retirement in 1995. His career as a scientist and teacher was distinguished by his legendary commitment to the disciplined study of the living world. He was recognized with Lawrence’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1983.

From the study of amphibians to the exploration of human reproduction, LaMarca guided students for 30 years in both the technical and ethical investigation of biological science. His enthusiastic teaching style impacted thousands of students, especially those he mentored through independent study, many of whom went on to distinguished careers of their own as doctors, researchers and educators.

He served as the scientific director of the in vitro fertilization program at Appleton Medical Center from 1985 to 1995 and his guidance was critical to the impressive successes of northeast Wisconsin’s first such program. Under LaMarca’s tutelage, numerous Lawrence students were able to begin their own research careers there.

LaMarca’s own research earned him a place of influence and honor in the scientific community and took him to laboratories and research centers around the country, including Argonne National Laboratory, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harvard University School of Medicine, among others.

A native of Jamestown, N.Y., LaMarca was the first member of his family to attend college, earning a degree in biology from the State University of New York at Albany. He spent four years in the Air Force during the Korean War, serving active duty stateside as a meteorological officer while achieving the rank of lieutenant. He went on to earn his Ph.D in zoology at Cornell University and spent two years teaching at Rutgers University before joining the Lawrence faculty.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joan LaMarca, daughters Cathy Stroebel, Rochester, Minn., and Nancy Gordon, Eden Prairie, Minn., and four grandchildren: Ben, Hannah and Andy Stroebel; and Zach Gordon. He was preceded in death by his oldest daughter, Mary LaMarca.

The family has requested memorials be directed to the National Science Teachers Association or the National Academy of Sciences.

Remembering Adam Clausen and Shannon O’Leary

Friends and colleagues of Shannon O’Leary and Adam Clausen:

On Dec. 26, we lost our dear friends in a car accident. Many of us have treasured memories of Adam and Shannon’s years in Appleton. Please join us for a remembrance and celebration of their lives Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Viking Room at 4:30 p.m. This will be a casual gathering where we can share stories, memories and photos. If you have photos you would like to share, please send them to Matty.

Yours,

Matt Stoneking, Dominica Chang, Matty Wegehaupt, Doug Martin and Jeff Collett

Rethinking Mentoring

Rethinking Mentoring

Thursday, Jan. 19
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Lunch will be provided
Esch Hurvis Room, Warch Campus Center
Presenter: Mindi Thompson, associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

This session is designed to start a new type of discussion about mentoring by describing the common problems that pre-tenure and post-tenure faculty members experience and why traditional mentoring programs fail to meet those needs. We propose an alternative framework for mentoring that focuses on needs assessment and shifts the idea of mentoring from a relationship between two faculty members toward building a broad network of support, community and accountability. The workshop concludes with a presentation of best practices in mentoring pre-tenure, underrepresented and mid-career faculty.

Please RSVP to michelle.l.lasecki-jahnke@lawrence.edu before Thursday, Jan. 12.

In memoriam: Shannon O’Leary and Adam Clausen

The Lawrence faculty and staff community is saddened by the tragic deaths of former colleagues Shannon O’Leary and Adam Clausen. They were killed Dec. 26 in a car accident in Oregon.

Clausen was a visiting assistant professor of physics at Lawrence from 2007 to 2011, while Shannon held a fellowship at Lawrence from 2008 to 2011. Their 4-year-old son Felix survived the accident, and a GoFundMe campaign has been created to support him.

Save the date: Jan. 6 Convocation

What do Assistant Professor José Encarnación, current student Irene Durbak ’17, alumna Carolyn Armstrong Desrosiers ’10, former non-degree-seeking student Christopher Ducasse, journalist Fritz Valescot, LUCE (Lawrence University Cello Ensemble) and the Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra all have in common?

Find out Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Chapel when Janet Anthony, George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music, speaks about her 20 years of music-making and cross-cultural exchange in Haiti.

There will be performances of Haitian music, including two works composed by non-degree seeking students at Lawrence, short film clips from Kenbe La directed by Armstrong Desrosiers and Stephan Anunson, and reflections on the transformative power of music.

We hope to see you there!