October 2010

Month: October 2010

Kiplinger’s Names Lawrence University Among Nation’s Best Values in Private Higher Education

Lawrence University was named the best value for delivering a high-quality education at an affordable price among Wisconsin private colleges and universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance in the magazine’s 2010-11 rankings released Oct. 28.

Kiplinger’s ranked Lawrence 43rd nationally among 100 private liberal arts colleges in the country and first among three Wisconsin private institutions, ahead of Beloit College (59th) in the liberal arts college category and Marquette University (50th) in the universities category.

The schools on Kiplinger’s list were selected from a pool of more than 600 private institutions and were ranked by both academic quality and affordability. Quality accounted for two-thirds of the rankings’ weight.

“Obviously we are pleased to be included among the best educational values in the country, particularly since two-thirds of this ranking is based upon academic quality,” said Steve Syverson, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid. “Lawrence is proud of its long-standing commitment to providing access to the strongest students, regardless of their family’s income.”

Nearly a quarter of Lawrence’s domestic students qualify for federal Pell Grants, which provide need-based grants to low income students to promote access to post-secondary education. More than 90 percent of Lawrence students receive some form of financial aid, with nearly 70 percent receiving need-based aid. The average financial aid package for 2010-11 is $28,100.

Swarthmore College was top-ranked among liberal arts colleges on Kiplinger’s list while Princeton University was number one on the private university list, nudging out the California Institute of Technology, which had been top-ranked each of the past four years.

Lawrence Receives B+ on College Sustainability Report Card

Lawrence University’s grade for sustainability has improved to a B+, according to the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card, released today (October 22, 2010). GreenReportCard.org provides in-depth sustainability profiles for more than 300 colleges in all 50 U.S. states and eight Canadian provinces.  In contrast to an academic focus on sustainability in research and teaching, the Report Card examines colleges and universities, as institutions, through the lens of sustainability. The focus is on policies and practices in nine main categories:

  • Administration
  • Climate Change & Energy
  • Food & Recycling
  • Green Building
  • Student Involvement
  • Transportation
  • Endowment Transparency
  • Investment Priorities
  • Shareholder Engagement

Click here for the details.

Singer Luciana Souza, Trombonist Conrad Herwig Bring Latin Twist to Lawrence University Jazz Celebration Weekend

Expect things to be a little spicier for this year’s Lawrence University Jazz Celebration Weekend. For the first time in the concert’s 30-year history, Jazz Celebration Weekend goes all Latin.

Brazil’s Grammy-winning singer Luciana Souza and her trio open the weekend Friday, Nov. 5. Trombonist Conrad Herwig, who has recorded Latin-styled tributes to Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, takes the stage Saturday, Nov. 6.

Souza will be joined by the Lawrence Hybrid Ensemble, while the Lawrence Jazz Faculty Quartet, Jazz Ensemble and Trombone Ensemble perform with Herwig.

Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

“American jazz intersected with rhythms and forms from Brazil, Cuba, and Puerto Rico more than 60 years ago,” said Fred Sturm, director of jazz studies at Lawrence and JCW organizer. “Visionaries like Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Mario Bauza, Chano Pozo and Stan Kenton started fusing the diverse elements and saxophonist Stan Getz scored a global hit in the mid 1960s with his jazzy bossa nova “The Girl from Ipanema.” Jazz musicians today are as beholden to Latin music influences as they are to swing concepts. Souza’s Brazilian heritage and Herwig’s amazing Latin-styled CDs make them the ideal headliners for a Latin-themed jazz festival.”

Raised in a family of bossa nova innovators, Souza has emerged as one of jazz’s leading singers and interpreters, creating music that transcends traditional boundaries. She has performed and recorded with Herbie Hancock — winning a Grammy Award in 2008 for her work on “River – The Joni Letters” — as well as Paul Simon, Bobby McFerrin, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Her discography includes eight releases as a leader and more than 50 recordings as a side singer.

“Luciana is the personification of a musical ‘cross-over’ artist, equally comfortable singing Latin bossa novas, American popular standards, jazz, or classical chamber music,” said Sturm. “She’s a composer, a poet and a teacher who performs music about life and love. Her audiences get that immediately.”

The New York-based, 2005 Grammy Award-winning Herwig has created a highly identifiable niche in contemporary jazz with his series of “Latin Side” CDs honoring Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Miles Davis. His “Latin Side of Wayne Shorter” earned
Herwig a 2008 Grammy nomination and was cited on Downbeat Magazine’s “Best of 2008” list. He is a member of the jazz faculty at Rutgers University and also is a visiting professor of jazz studies at the Juilliard School of Music.

Professor of Music Nick Keelan, who teaches trombone at Lawrence, calls Herwig “a master” of the instrument.

“In his hands, the trombone has no limitations technically or musically. He plays the instrument so effortlessly. I place him in the top five of my favorite trombonists, alive and not, because of his creativity, musicianship, and great technical ability. Conrad’s music communicates with the listener because his pieces are interesting and engaging.”

In addition to the two visiting artist concerts, more than 1,000 university, high school and middle school instrumental and vocal jazz students will participate in daytime performances, educational clinics, and master classes on Saturday. All Saturday performances are free and open to the public.

“Jazz Weekend provides a jump start for school jazz programs across the Midwest,” said Sturm. “There’s no competition, no ratings, no awards. A team of the nation’s finest jazz educators offers joyful, inspired teaching, listening and learning.”

Since the inaugural Jazz Celebration Weekend in 1981, more than 20,000 students have participated in the event, directly impacting the quality of jazz education in Wisconsin and surrounding states.

Lawrence University LU-R1 Undergraduate Research Program Pairs Students with Leading Alumni Scientists

Lawrence University student Bennett Pang never imagined he would be isolating “natural killer” cells from human blood samples as an undergraduate. The biology major from Honolulu, Hawaii contributed to a novel immunology study this summer at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center.

Lawrence junior Grace Rothstein spent her summer at the University of Georgia’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center exploring ways to modify plant cell walls so they can be used more efficiently for biofuel production. Part of her responsibilities included creating a database for more than 2,000 plants.

Pang and Rothstein were among 11 students who participated in an innovative undergraduate research program launched by Lawrence: LU-R1: Partnership Opportunities for Students.

The program pairs qualified Lawrence students with Lawrence alumni scientists who are directing research laboratories at major universities (R1 institutions) across the country, including the University of New Mexico, Michigan State University, the University of Utah, the University of Pennsylvania and the Mayo Clinic, among others.

LU-R1 takes undergraduate research to the next level, providing significant opportunities typically reserved for graduate students at major universities, clinical research settings and government agencies, while strengthening ties between Lawrence University and its alumni. An ancillary goal of the program is to provide research experiences that can enhance students’ Senior Experience capstone projects.

“The LU-R1 program provides undergraduate students with innovative learning opportunities that are beyond the normal resources of most colleges,” said Lawrence President Jill Beck. “By tapping our alumni as distinguished mentors, we’re enabling our science majors to engage in cutting-edge questions, learn new methodologies and gain vital experience toward their graduate studies and careers.”

Dr. Stuart Winter '83 and Bennett Pang '11

Working under the direction of Dr. Stuart Winter, a 1983 Lawrence graduate and chief of pediatric oncology at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, Pang spent 10 weeks in the center’s hematologic malignancies research program. Pang assisted on a potential drug therapy for the treatment of leukemia that uses the body’s own immune system. Seeking alternatives to existing chemotherapy drugs, Winter began work on an “immuno-chemotherapy” model last spring.

“When I first arrived, I knew very little about immunology and leukemia. Now I have experience in both fields,” said Pang, who is considering biomedical research as a career option. “The LU-R1 program was an opportunity to participate in top-level research. I could see myself working in a lab like that some day.”

Winter admitted to some initial doubts, but discovered Pang was up for the challenge and was well-prepared by his Lawrence teachers.

“Bennett did a great job in the lab helping isolate the natural killer cells in the blood,” said Winter. “At the undergraduate level, a lot of learning is done around basic human biology concepts. This research takes those concepts and applies them to human medicine.”

Rothstein, a self-proclaimed science junkie from Whitefish Bay, Wis., says she came away from the experience “with a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who does research. How much work and independent study goes into everything isn’t necessarily something I would have known had I not had an opportunity like this.”

University of Missouri biochemist Scott Peck, a 1988 Lawrence graduate whose research focuses on boosting plant immunity against potential pathogens, sees training young scientists as future colleagues as an important part of his job. He served as a mentor for Lawrence biology major Jeff Nichols.

“This program is incredibly valuable on so many levels,” Peck said. “Lawrence students receive additional laboratory training that reinforces their excellent classroom education and makes them more competitive in the job market or in their applications to professional school while the host universities receive assistance in advancing our research.”

LU-R1’s potential bigger impact, says Peck, is helping the United States improve its position in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

“While STEM-related jobs continue to increase, the number of U.S. students pursuing careers in these areas continues to decrease. Bright, capable students interested in science often pursue careers as doctors. By exposing students to research and discussing career alternatives, we may open the door for a student to a fulfilling career that otherwise would have gone unconsidered.”

According to a National Science Foundation report, Lawrence University ranked 37th nationally among undergraduate institutions, per capita, in producing the most students who went on to earn Ph.D.s in engineering and the sciences.

At its core, LU-R1 is about energizing undergraduate students about science says Professor of Biology Nicholas Maravalo, the program’s director.

“One of the objectives is to have these students bring these projects back to campus, excite the other students and the faculty, bring the techniques and approaches back to campus and use them as a focus of their own Senior Experience.”

The LU-R1 program is supported by a gift from the estate of Maurine Mueller in memory of her husband, Robert, a 1936 Lawrence graduate, and other alumni donations.

A video of the program in action can be watched below:

Three Lawrence University Musicians Win State Competition

Lawrence University students Alenka Donovan, Kelly Eshbaugh and David Keep earned first-place honors Saturday, Oct. 23 in the 2010 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Wisconsin state competition conducted at Lawrence.

Donovan, a violin performance and history major from Washington, D.C., won the young artists (19-26 years of age) strings division. She is a student of Wen-Lei Gu.

Eshbaugh, a trombone performance and music education major from Greenfield, won the young artists brass division. She studies in the studio of Nick Keelan.

Keep, a piano performance major from Traverse City, Mich., won the young artists piano competition. Keep is the 11th Lawrence piano student in the past 13 years to win the Wisconsin MTNA piano competition. He is a student of Anthony Padilla.

Donovan, Eshbaugh and Keep advance to the MTNA’s five-state East Central Division competition January 7-9 at Ball State University. Winners at the division competition advance to the MTNA’s national competition March 26-30 in Milwaukee.

The Lawrence saxophone quartet — senior David Davis (soprano), Sussex, senior Sumner Truax (alto), Chicago, Ill., sophomore Phillip Dobernig (tenor), Mukwonago and junior Will Obst (baritone), St. Paul, Minn. — was the only entry in the chamber music division and also was selected to represent the state at the division competition. The quartet studies with Steven Jordheim.

Other Lawrence student recognized in the state competition included:
• Junior violinist Gina Bordini, De Pere, alternate in the young artists strings division.

• Freshman Anthony Capparelli, River Falls, alternate in the senior (15-18 years of age) piano Division.

• Junior clarinetist Kinsey Fournier, Conway, Ark., alternate in the young artist woodwinds division.

• Junior James Maverick, Baton Rouge, La., alternate in the young artists piano competition.

• Sophomores Andrew Kim, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Alex Hurlburt, Wausau, honorable mention honors in the young artists piano division.

Musicians selected as alternates will attend the January division competition if the winners are unable to. A total of 23 students from around the state participated in the competition.

Stephen Sondheim Musical “Into the Woods” Comes to Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre

Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical of what happens after “happily ever after” is explored in four performances of the Lawrence University production of “Into the Woods.”

The musical will be performed Oct. 28-30 at 8 p.m. with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

“Into the Woods” blends popular fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel with an original story of a baker and his wife, who attempt to reverse a curse that has been placed on them in order to have a child. The musical continues past the typical fairy tale ending to explore ideas of community responsibility and the consequences of one’s actions.

“Sondheim seamlessly weaves spoken words and song in such a way that the audience is carried from one storyline to the next with ease,” said Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, who is directing the production. “The final effect is that we witness a large ensemble cast grow from simple storybook characters to people like us, full of contradictions and unable to know what the future holds.”

Troy previously directed a production of “Into the Woods” for Attic Theatre in 1992.

“This has been a wonderful process of rediscovery for me,” said Troy. “I’ve matured and gathered both joyous and challenging experiences like the characters do in the course of the play. My responses to the material have deepened, and my appreciation for Sondheim’s extraordinary skills has equally appreciated since my first encounter with his work.”

Phillip Swan, assistant professor of music, serves as music director for the production, which features a double cast.  Junior Alex Wilson and senior Evan Bravos share the lead role of the baker, while seniors Amanda Ketchpaw and Chelsea Melamed sing the role of the baker’s wife.

The production features guest lighting by Jason Fassl, artistic associate for First Stage Milwaukee and the resident lighting designer for Renaissance Theaterworks, and guest costume design by 2001 Lawrence graduate Emily Rohm-Gilmore.

First performed on Broadway in 1987, “Into the Woods” was nominated for nine Tony Awards and earned Sondheim a Tony for best score. It also earned the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for best musical.

Lawrence University Receives $3.9 Million Gift from Two Former Students

A $3.99 million gift from the charitable trust of two former Lawrence University students who met on campus more than 75 years ago will provide significant investment in campus facilities as well as support for student scholarships and the endowment officials announced today.

One of the largest gifts in Lawrence history, the $3,997,319.72 bequest from the Paul and Katherine Schmidt Trust will be directed toward three main areas: improvements in the campus physical plant, including residence halls; the Paul and Kay Schmidt Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1989 to support students with interests in economics or business; and Lawrence’s endowment.

“We are deeply grateful to Paul and Kay Schmidt for their loving and generous support of Lawrence University,” said President Jill Beck in announcing the gift.  “They always were faithful donors to the college throughout their lifetimes.  Our alumni as a whole support the college and conservatory in innumerable ways, at different levels of funding but with equal passion for the experiences they had at Lawrence.  We hope the entire community feels affirmed through the recognition and magnanimous support of Paul and Kay Schmidt.”

Both members of Lawrence’s class of 1939, Paul and Kay Schmidt attended the college’s homecoming festivities together in 1935 as a first date.  They eventually married and shared more than 68 years of marriage together.

A native of Park Ridge, Ill., Paul Schmidt participated in an executive program at Harvard University after earning a degree in economics at Lawrence. He spent most of his career with the Harold F. Pitman Company, a printing business, rising to rank of chief executive officer and chairman of the privately-held company based in New Jersey.  He retired in 1982, having helped the company grow into North America’s leading graphic arts supplier. He died in November 2009 at the age of 92.

Kay, a native of Chicago, passed away in February 2009 at the age of 91.

The Schmidts established their charitable trust in 1994 during the five-year, $60 million “Lawrence 150” campaign celebrating the college’s sesquicentennial.

“Just as their initial gift provided momentum for the Lawrence 150 campaign, this latest gift is a great boost to our current More Light campaign,” said Cal Husmann, vice president for alumni, development and communications.  “Deferred gifts like the Schmidts’ are playing an increasingly important role in our campaign and other fund-raising efforts across the country.”

The $150 million “More Light” campaign, publicly launched in October 2008, has raised $137 million to date.  The campaign is expected to conclude in October 2011.