Rick Peterson

Author: Rick Peterson

ImprovisationaLU: Two-day festival features some of music world’s best improvisers

New York City’s Jen Shyu and England-born, California-based  guitarist/composer Fred Frith headline a two-day music festival at Lawrence University devoted to all things improvisation.

A photo of Jen Shyu plays "gayageum," a traditional Korean zither-like instrument.
Jen Shyu performs her “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths” on the opening night of the ImprovisationaLU festival. Photo: National Gugak Center.

Shyu and Frith will be among five artists performing Sept. 23-24 for the first “ImprovisationaLU” in the Warch Campus Center. All festival performances are free and open to the public.

Festival organizer Sam Genualdi, a senior from Evanston, Ill., said he wanted to showcase artists “who haven’t previously had a strong voice on campus.”

“These are people I’ve been listening to for a long time,” said Genauldi, who has played guitar with the Lawrence Faculty Jazz Quartet pm several occasions. “The festival is designed to provide a forum for artists who are pushing the boundaries of their musical communities. There will be something there for people who are already knowledgeable about improvised music as well as those who are simply curious about it.”

Shyu, an experimental jazz vocalist, composer, dancer and multi-instrumentalist, takes the stage Friday evening for a performance of her critically acclaimed composition “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths.” The personal story of loss and redemption examined through the lens of modern world hardships combines vocals and dance with a variety of instruments, including piano, the Taiwanese moon lute and gayageum (a traditional Korean zither-like instrument).

Classically trained in opera, violin and ballet, Shyu has recorded six albums, including her most recent, “Sounds and Cries of the World,” which the New York Times included on its list of “Top 10 Best Albums of 2015.” Music critic Ben Ratliff has called Shyu’s concerts “the most arresting performances I’ve seen over the past five years..she seems open, instinctual, almost fearless.”

A photo of Fred Frith with his guitar.
Fred Frith will perform a solo gig before teaming with White Out on Sept. 24.

Frith performs Saturday as a solo act as well as for the first time with the two-person experimental band White Out.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Frith has performed with numerous bands, including the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, Skeleton Crew and Keep the Dog. Best known for his genre-bending and innovative work with the electric guitar, Frith currently leads the Gravity Band and Cosa Brava, an experimental rock and improvisation quintet he helped found in 2008. He also leads Eye to Ear, which performs and records film and theatre music composed by Frith.

The schedule for ImprovisationaLU:

FRIDAY, SEPT. 23
8 p.m.-9 p.m. Matt Turner and Hal Rammel.  Turner, a 1989 graduate of Lawrence and current lecturer in the Lawrence conservatory, has established himself as one of the world’s leading improvising cellists. He has performed on more than 100 recordings with artists ranging from jazz violinist Randy Sabien and goth vocalist/pianist Jo Gabriel to punk artist Kyle Fische and alt-country band Heller Mason.

Rammel is a composer and improviser who performs on musical instruments of his own creation. In the 1980s, he was an active member of Chicago’s experimental and improvised music scene. In 2007 he organized the quartet The LOST DATA Project and founded the Great Lakes Improvising Orchestra in 2011 to explore large ensemble open form and structured improvisation.

• 9:15 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Jen Shyu, “Solo Rites: Seven Breaths.” Shyu will conduct an audience Q & A following her performance.

A photo of Minneapolis-based rapper/beatboxer Carnage the Executioner (Terrell Woods).
Rapper/beatboxer Carnage the Executioner kicks off the second night of the ImprovisationaLU festival.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 24
•  7:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m. Carnage the Executioner (Terrell Woods). Minneapolis-based Carnage is a rapper and beatboxer known for his lyrical dexterity and uncanny ability to compose musical symphonies with his mouth through beat boxing.

•  8:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Fred Frith

•  9:15 p.m.-10:15 p.m. White Out with Fred Frith. A product of the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, White Out is the husband-wife team of percussion maverick Tom Surgal and synthesizer artiste Lin Culbertson, who also plays autoharp, flute and mystery electronics while providing vocals. Musical experimentalists to the core, White Out released its seventh album, “Accidental Sky,” in 2015. With its “spiritual jams from the outer regions…spastic, feedback-laden licks and massaging and stabbing beats that resemble a voodoo ceremony,” it landed on the New York Observer’s 2015 list of “best experimental albums.

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.

Work of Lawrence student photographers featured in Trout Museum of Art exhibition

A photo of Lawrence University student artwork "Giza."
“Giza” by Torrey Smith

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.”

A photo of Lawrence University student artwork "8."
“8” by Regan Martin

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.

Annual matriculation convocation opens Lawrence’s 2016-17 academic year

A Head shot of Lawrence University President Mark Burstein.
President Mark Burstein

President Mark Burstein delivered his fourth matriculation convocation Thursday, Sept. 15, officially opening Lawrence University’s 168th academic year and the college’s annual convocation series.

The address, “Together, Against the Current,” was given at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Burstein spent nine years as executive vice president at Princeton University and 10 years at Columbia University as a vice president working in human resources, student services and facilities management before being named Lawrence 16th president in December 2012.

Joining him on Lawrence’s 2016-17 convocation series will be:

A Head shot of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey.
Natasha Trethewey

• Nov. 1 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey presents “The Muse of History: On Poetry and Social Justice.” The Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University, Trethewey was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 2007 for her third book, “Native Guard,” one of the works on the 2016-17 Freshman Studies reading list. Other works include 2012’s “Thrall,” a poetry collection that examines representations of mixed-race families, and 2010’s creative non-fiction “Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

Trethewey has been recognized with numerous awards, including being named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2012, induction in the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and Mississippi’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.

A Head shot of Lawrence University cello professor Janet Anthony.
Janet Anthony

• Jan. 6, 2017 Cellist Janet Anthony, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music at Lawrence, presents “Adventures in Music Making: 20 years of Cross-cultural Exchange in Haiti” in a rare evening convocation. A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1984, Anthony will provide a global perspective on music education in a celebration of her 20 years as a performer, teacher and mentor working with musicians and educators in Haiti.

In the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake that rocked the island nation, Anthony helped organized a benefit concert and collected needed supplies for the survivors, including gently used instruments. Since the quake, she has performed in four memorial concerts in Haiti.

A Head shot of award-winning author Andrew Solomon.
Andrew Solomon

• Feb. 2, 2017 Andrew Solomon, award-winning author, is a frequent lecturer/media commentator on politics, the arts, mental health issues and LGBT rights. His 2012 book, “Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity,” earned Solomon nearly a dozen literary awards, including a National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. His 2001 book, “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression,” also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center as well as a lecturer in psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical College. He was elected President of PEN American Center in March 2015.

A Head shot of Lawrence University history professor Paul Cohen.
Paul Cohen

• May 23, 2017 Paul Cohen, Patricia Hamar Boldt Professor of Liberal Studies and professor of history at Lawrence, presents “Presidential Manhood: Masculinity and American Politics in the age of Mass Media” for the college’s eighth annual Faculty Convocation. Cohen’s scholarship interests include masculinity and film in postwar Hollywood, history and film, intellectual history and modern France. Since joining the faculty in 1985, Cohen has been recognized with Lawrence’s Freshman Studies Teaching Award in 1999 and the University Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008. He is the author of the book “Freedom’s Moment: An Essay on the French Idea of Liberty from Rousseau to Foucault.”

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.

Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald remembered as “a deep ocean, reflecting what is real and true and kind in us all”

The Lawrence University community is mourning the passing of Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald, who died Sunday, Sept. 4 at his home with his wife, children and two of his siblings by his side. Patrick was 50 years old.

A Head shot of Lawrence University philosophy professor Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald
Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald

Patrick was best known for his extremely successful career as a member of the philosophy department at Lawrence. He served as the Edward F. Mielke Professor of Ethics in Medicine, Science and Society and Associate Professor of Philosophy. His courses were immensely popular and he was highly respected for his intelligence, thoughtfulness and brilliant scholarship. His great concern for ethical and humane treatment of all persons was deeply admired by all who knew him. Among his many contributions to Lawrence he served for a time as department chairperson.

Born in Marysville, Ohio, to Larry and Barbara Fitzgerald, he was the youngest of seven children. A member of Marysville High School’s class of 1984, he graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics. At the University of Arizona he earned a master’s degree in philosophy and began working on his PhD in philosophy. He attended Oxford University in England for two years where he earned an M.Phil. in politics. He met his wife, Miriam, while working as a research analyst for President Clinton’s Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, a bioethics committee charged with investigating the history of cold war human radiation experiments. Patrick returned to the University of Arizona and finished his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1994.

After completing his studies, Patrick taught philosophy and legal/medical ethics at Louisiana State University from 1994-2001.  He moved to Appleton in 2001 to begin teaching at Lawrence. He achieved tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor in 2005.

In 2002, Patrick and Miriam welcomed son Aidan and in 2011, son Finn into their family. They made many friends in Appleton and are very grateful to all who have supported them with seemingly unlimited help through Patrick’s lengthy battle with kidney cancer.

Patrick has been described as a deep ocean, reflecting what is real and true and kind in us all. His quiet, penetrating intelligence might have been intimidating, except that he was also full of wit and loved to laugh. He taught ethics by demonstration, modeling peace and forgiveness. He did not play by different rules in times of crisis — not even when the stakes were highest — and his writings were clear, compassionate road maps to creating positive change in the world from the inside out

He turned to science fiction and fantasy for play, where ethical dilemmas resolve in infinite outcomes and he was an unapologetic geek in facts and fantasy sports. He loved building things with his own two hands. Mostly, he loved — passionately, abidingly and completely — Miriam, Aidan and Finn, his family and friends, and beyond them, the world.

A memorial service celebrating Patrick’s life will be held on the Lawrence University campus at date to be determined.

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.

 

 

Welcome Class of 2020: Andy Wang an atypical typical Lawrence freshman

A photo of Lawrence University student Yuhan (Andy) Wang.
Yuhan (Andy) Wang ’20

Andy Wang’s college application looks impressively similar to most members of Lawrence’s class of 2020: high grade point average, challenging set of classes, participation in a theatre production, co-president of Model United Nations, a bevy of volunteer/community service projects, published author, charitable foundation founder.

Wait. Published author? Charitable foundation founder??

Okay, maybe Wang’s application has a few atypical highlights.

Charles Dickens was 24 when his first novel was published. Wang had his first book published at the age of 18.

Wang is one of approximately 380 freshmen arriving in Appleton for the start of new student orientation activities Sept. 6. Classes for Lawrence’s 168th academic year begin Sept. 12.

A native of Shenyang, China, a city of eight million people 500 miles northeast of Beijing, Wang chronicled his experiences as an international student attending high school in the state of Washington in the 2015 book “High School Encounter — Seattle.”

“I experienced a significant culture shock when I first came to the United States and writing became my therapy, a way of self-meditation and a process to explore my own identity,” said Wang, who applied to Lawrence on a recommendation from a family friend. He visited campus last spring and embraced the many opportunities he learned Lawrence could offer.

Wang said Chinese culture — where ranking of all things is rampant among young people and anyone or anything considered “the best” is overvalued —  contributed to his confusion in his adopted hometown of Burien, Wash.

“Nobody told me how to satisfy myself, so I used all kinds of activities to fill up my time,” Wang said. “Yet, the more activities in which I participated, the deeper the confusion grew. I was always trying to display to everyone the best version of myself, but I felt lost inside.

A phot of the cover of Lawrence University student Yuhan (Andy) Wang book "High School Encounter — Seattle."As time passed and I wrote my weekly thoughts, I discovered a deeper understanding of myself and this new world around me.”

A blog Wang started evolved into his book, which was published by the largest national book store in China. He then decided to donate all book sale proceeds to assist other students. In June, 2015, the “Andy Reading Fund” was born. Driven by the belief that nothing is more powerful than an educated mind, Wang established the charity to provide educational books and resources to rural students around the world.

“A friend told me recently that she found my book in a library of a small, distant town. I was really quite surprised by that,” said Wang, who wrote an article earlier this year for international students struggling in the culture gap that was carried by several leading Chinese media outlets and led to numerous interviews.

“I never turn down any chance to advocate for the reading fund, raise people’s attention on this topic and help students in need,” said Wang, an only child whose parents both work in the financial sector in China.

In little more than a year, he has raised more than $7,500 for the Andy Reading Fund, much of it from the sale of his book. He has used the funds to make donations to three elementary schools in rural China as well as send learning materials to 52 students at the Chinyaradzo Children’s Home in Harare, Zimbabwe. An anonymous gift provided support for winter coats and new shoes for students at the Zuoguyida Elementary School in Meigu, China.

“Among all the students we’ve sponsored, I remember Ying the most,” said Wang. “She was a young girl in the poorer Liangshan area who received funding to attend high school. Her family could not afford to support her for high school, so she was very moved when she received tuition from the Andy Reading Fund. She kept repeating through her tears ‘I am so, so lucky.’”

“The things that form the backbone of Andy’s story — curiosity, innovation, resilience, care for others — form the core of what we look for beyond all Lawrentians’ academic profiles.”
— Ken
Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid.

A photo of Lawrence University student Yuhan (Andy) Wang at talks to a woman at The Chinyaradzo Children’s Home in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The Chinyaradzo Children’s Home in Harare, Zimbabwe, was one of the beneficiaries of the Andy Reading Fund.

This summer, Wang launched a new initiative to recruit 100 student representatives to sponsor 100 students in need, providing a variety of resources, including the Andy Reading Fund website in both Chinese and English, updates on social media, marketing materials and fundraising guidance.

“Each representative will be asked to raise tuition for one student within a year,” Wang explained. “This project can offer more students an opportunity to do something to help the less fortunate and influence the people around them.”

As he prepares to embark on the college chapter of his life, Wang is looking forward to spreading the gospel of the Andy Reading Fund at Lawrence.

“It’s always a bit scary to come to a new place,” said Wang, who is mulling everything from international relations and gender studies to economics, psychology and mathematics as potential majors. “I still remember how hard I was trembling the first day at my high school in Seattle. But I’m ready to be a part of the Lawrence community.”

Ken Anselment, dean of admissions and financial aid, calls Wang’s story “extraordinary.”

“The things that form the backbone of Andy’s story — curiosity, innovation, resilience, care for others — form the core of what we look for beyond all Lawrentians’ academic profiles,” said Anselment.

Wang and all of this year’s new students were drawn from a school-record applicant pool of more than 3,500 — a 16 percent increase over the previous year. In addition to freshmen, Lawrence also welcomes 25 transfer students and eight visiting exchange students from Tokyo’s Waseda University and from the Netherlands.

Putting the class of 2020 under the magnifying glass reveals:

Geographically, they hail from 32 states, plus Washington, D.C. Thirteen percent of the freshmen are citizens of 23 foreign countries.

Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota were the top three Lawrentian-producing states. While Wisconsin once accounted for 50 percent of new students, this year only one-quarter of Lawrence freshmen are home grown.

A photo of Lawrence University students on Freshmen move-in day.
Freshmen move-in day is an annual rite of passage. This year’s happens Sept. 6.

• 23 percent of the freshmen identify as domestic students of color.

• With 19 students, China is sending more freshmen to Lawrence this fall than all but four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and California). Vietnam accounted for the second-most international students with nine.

Academically, one quarter of the freshmen ranked in the top five percent of their graduating high school classes.

The average ACT score was 28 among all students and 29 among those who submitted test scores for consideration for admission. Lawrence has been test optional since 2006.

“The folks around here get tired of hearing me say this,” said Anselment, “much as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a university to enroll a student. I’m grateful that the members of the Lawrence community — and those who support us — devote such great energy in helping us enroll students from all over the world who will thrive here. I’m especially grateful for the tireless work of our admissions and financial aid team’s outstanding effort this year.”

“And as we welcome the class of 2016,” Anselment added “we’re already in high gear working on 2017 and beyond.”

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.

Lawrence cited among nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review

A photo of the cover of The Princeton Review "The Best 381 Colleges 2017 Edition" book.Exceptional experiences in the classroom along with great financial aid, environmentally aware students and terrific food earned Lawrence University inclusion in the just-released 2017 edition of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 381 Colleges” book.

Only 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges which it considers the nation’s top schools are included in The Princeton Review’s 25th edition. The book, which was released Aug. 30, also includes “Top 20” lists in 62 categories based on surveys of students attending the colleges.

Lawrence was ranked 20th nationally in the best classroom experience category, based on student responses to survey questions regarding how they rate their professors, their classroom and lab facilities, the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion and the percent of classes they attend.

Using a scale of 60-99, Lawrence earned rating scores of 92 in quality of campus life, which measures students’ satisfaction with their lives outside the classroom, 92 in academics, including a 94 rating in professor’s accessibility, and an 89 in financial aid.

In its 2017 profile of Lawrence, The Princeton Review described the university as a “beautifully warm and positive community” that “encourages creativity and exploration.” It also cited the faculty for “an extraordinary amount of support and academic enthusiasm.”

Students who were surveyed called Lawrence a place “where you’ll find all sorts of people — homebodies, partygoers, musicians, athletes, scientists, gamers. You name it, we have it.”

A photo of Lawrence University students socialize on the quad.
The quality of campus life at Lawrence earned high marks in student surveys for the 2017 edition of The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges book. (Claire Francis photo)

Robert Franek, senior vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review and the book’s author, said outstanding academics are the primary criteria for inclusion in the book.

“We make our selections primarily based on data we collect through our annual surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges,”said Franek. “Additionally, we give considerable weight to observations from our school visits, opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board and an unparalleled amount of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

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.

Lawrence alumna named the university’s first dean of academic success

Lawrence University’s Center for Academic Success, a reorganized effort to help students realize their full potential will be led by an alumna with more than 20 years of experience working with undergraduates, especially those from non-traditional student populations.

Monita-MohammadianGray_newsblog-headshot
Monita Mohammadian Gray

Lawrence Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows has named Monita Mohammadian Gray as the college’s dean of student academic success. She begins her new duties Sept. 1.

It will be a homecoming on two fronts for Gray, who graduated from Lawrence in 1992 and later spent nine years (1996-2005) working in the Lawrence admissions office.

As dean, Gray will serve as a liaison between the Center for Academic Success and students, faculty, staff and other various offices that focus on student success during college as well as after graduation, including career and counseling services, residence life, multicultural affairs and academic advising.

The Center for Academic Success was created earlier this year by merging the Office of Student Academic Support with the Center for Teaching and Learning. The Center uses a “success” approach that regards each student as having the ability to take complete advantage of the Lawrence educational experience. It is based on the idea that many success characteristics are related and become integrated as each person develops as an individual with intellectual, creative and emotional abilities.

“I am extremely excited that Monita Mohammadian Gray is coming to Lawrence as our first dean of academic success,” said Burrows. “Her enthusiasm, background and commitment to student success will enrich our efforts to help all students get the full benefit of their Lawrence experience. Her focus on success as the driving force behind student support services will serve us all well.”

“Monita knows us inside and out, understands what it means to succeed as a Lawrentian…Throughout the years, she has led the charge on multiple initiatives targeting student retention and she has worked tirelessly to enhance the academic performance and college experience of key populations.”
— Rosa Tapia, search committee member

Gray said it was Lawrence’s philosophy toward student success that attracted her to the position.

“Lawrence is taking a more holistic approach to thinking about how students are performing in the classroom, how students are experiencing the university, how they are able to take advantage of opportunities,” said Gray, a native of Oshkosh. “The foundation of the position and the institutional support behind this work is what I found attractive.”

Kate-Frost_Center-for-Academic-Success-newsblog
Kate Frost, associate dean of academic success, will work with Gray to help students achieve their maximum potential.

“I think there is tremendous opportunity to collaborate with faculty, student affairs, athletics, diversity and inclusion, admissions, and all of the other units on campus to learn how we can support students and remove barriers to their success,” she added. “I see this position as a shift from a model where we tried to solve the problem of only those students who need the most help to one of helping all students, even high-achieving students, reach their maximum potential.”

Since 2005, Gray has held a variety of student-focused positions at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. For the past two years, she has served as Hamline’s assistant dean of students, providing strategic leadership of programs and processes related to the experience and success of transfer students, students with disabilities, veterans and first-generation students. She also spent six years directing Hamline’s Center for Student Success & Transition, working with students in difficult academic, social, emotional or personal situations to ensure their success.

Alan Sickbert, dean of students at Hamline, called Gray “a kind, bright, passionate and innovative leader who puts students first in her work.”

“She has been an innovator for better serving students who are often overlooked within the campus community, including first generation students, transfer students, veterans and commuter students,” said Sickbert. “She leads by example and she creates community and teams as part of her style of supervision and student development efforts. She will be greatly missed at Hamline, but we are happy that she is returning home to her alma mater to continue her career.”

Scott Corry, associate professor of mathematics who served on the search committee, cited Gray’s “wealth of experience in many areas crucial to academic success.”

“She is perfectly suited to help us transition toward a more holistic approach to student success,” said Corry. “Monita’s previous experience as both a student and staff member at Lawrence give her special insight into Lawrence’s culture, although she fully recognizes that Lawrence has changed over the years.”

In her new role, Gray will focus on all things that impact students and help them maximize their academic success.

“Students face many challenges that impact their ability to focus on fully engaging their college experiences,” said Gray. “They may have mental or physical health concerns, financial stress, family issues, or feelings of being overwhelmed by the academic expectations of their courses. I want to build on the strong programs, services and support that already exist to help students reach their full potential.”

Monita-Mohammadian-Gray_newsblog3Because of her past affiliations with Lawrence, Rosa Tapia, associate professor of Spanish and a member of the search committee, said Gray “will hit the ground running.”

“Monita knows us inside and out, understands what it means to succeed as a Lawrentian and already has strong connections and allies in our community,” said Tapia. “Throughout the years, she has led the charge on multiple initiatives targeting student retention and she has worked tirelessly to enhance the academic performance and college experience of key populations. I am thrilled to have Monita as a colleague and can not wait to start working together to strengthen Lawrence and our commitment to an engaged, transformational college experience for all students.”

Since 2011, Gray has served on Lawrence’s alumni board of directors, including the past two years as a member of the board’s executive committee.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lawrence, Gray earned both a master’s degree in educational policy and administration with an emphasis in higher education and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership and policy development from the University of Minnesota.

Gray and her husband, Jim, are the parents of two boys, Robert, 6, and Wyatt, 4.

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.

Lawrence recognized with national award as one of the country’s healthiest campuses

Lawrence University has been named a national recipient of the 2016 Healthy Campus Award, the only national recognition of its kind.

Lawrence was one of only six institutions in the country honored by Washington, D.C.-based Active Minds, the nation’s premier nonprofit organization for supporting the mental health of students.Healthy-Campus-Award_newsblog1

Announced Tuesday (8/23), the award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate excellence in prioritizing and promoting the health and well-being of their students.

“I am very enthusiastic about this award as Lawrence has been working hard to investigate and understand wellness behaviors on campus for the last several years,” said President Mark Burstein. “Creating a safe campus culture, where students look out for each other and are empowered to make healthy choices, ensures that our students can be fully present in their educational pursuits.”

Now in its second year, the Healthy Campus Award involves an extensive application process as well as multiple endorsements and interviews. Each applicant is assessed across eight criteria, with winners chosen by a panel of prominent researchers and health and higher education experts.

“Lawrence University stands out because it invests in students’ physical and mental health on a comprehensive scale and for the long term,” said Alison Malmon, executive director and founder of Active Minds. “Lawrence is a model of what’s possible when a college prioritizes a campus culture of health, safety and well-being.”

Erin Buenzli, director of wellness and recreation at Lawrence, called the national award “an exciting honor.”

“It is very gratifying to be recognized nationally for our efforts to improve the overall well-being of our campus community,” said Buenzli. “This recognition affirms the dedication of many people at Lawrence who have worked diligently together in making Lawrence a community that puts a high value on the importance of a holistic approach to wellness.”

Healthy-Campus-Award_newsblog2In selecting Lawrence for the national honor, the award’s review panel cited several steps Lawrence instituted that they considered “best practices”:

• Campus-Wide Collaboration: Eight years ago, Lawrence embarked on a more active role in the health and well-being of the campus, resulting in changes to its mission statement and strategic plan. A president’s committee was formed to address everything from alcohol awareness and mental health resilience to sexual assault prevention. Enterprising efforts helped fund additional staff to support healthy campus goals.

• Integrated and Centralized Services: Lawrence integrated its counseling, health and recreation services into a new centrally located Wellness Center, after which student use of health and wellness services increased by 300 percent. Alumni support enabled Lawrence to create an innovative Mind Spa Center that, among other programs, offers biofeedback sessions that teach students how to understand and control the body and mind’s response to stress.

• Healthy Balance Statement: As part of an effort to change an achievement-oriented and competitive culture around workload and stress levels, Lawrence now requires a healthy balance statement on all syllabi to reinforce the school’s expectation that students, staff and faculty consider wellness when making choices each day.

• Bystander Training: Students worked with the administration to require that anyone hosting a party on campus – whether or not alcohol is involved – complete a comprehensive bystander training program. Evaluations show that the training makes students 92 percent more likely to notice a safety problem and 85 percent more likely to intervene.

“Lawrence is a model of what’s possible when a college prioritizes a campus culture of health, safety and well-being.”
— Alison Malmon, executive director/founder, Active Minds

According to Active Minds, students enrolled at schools that focus on campus health often find that the programs and services offered there are life changing.

Healthy-Campus-Award_Max-Edwards_newsblog
Max Edwards ’17

“As a college athlete, mental and physical wellness is a huge part of my life,” said Max Edwards, a senior from Appleton, majoring in economics, who is a two-time all-conference runner on the cross country tream and a conference champion distance runner on the track team.

“Lawrence has helped me be my healthiest, happiest and most balanced self in the classroom and on the track,” Edwards added. “The wellness center’s biofeedback sessions helped me manage my pre-race nerves and other areas of my life.  I reached an unprecedented level of calmness and focus before my track races and was attentive and cool during high pressure academic exams.”

Joining Lawrence as a 2016 Healthy Campus Award recipient were California State University, Long Beach; Jefferson College; Sacramento State University; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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.

Nancy Truesdell looks forward to new role, responsibilities

During her 25-year career at Lawrence University, Nancy Truesdell has worn several different hats. At the end of the 2016-17 academic year, she will transition once again, moving from her current role as vice president for student affairs into new responsibilities as special assistant to university President Mark Burstein.

A Head shot of Lawrence University vice president for student affairs Nancy Truesdell.
Nancy Truesdell

The university will begin a national search for her replacement this fall. Once a new vice president for student affairs is hired, she will move to her new role, where she will lead efforts to improve administrative efficiency, update university policies and procedures, and help deepen the sense of community on the Lawrence campus.

“Working in student affairs provides a wonderful blend of daily student contact, administrative decision-making and interaction with dedicated staff and faculty who share my love of Lawrence,” said Truesdell. “It is an honor to work with bright, creative and hard-working Lawrentians. I have appreciated the opportunity to get to know generations of students, hire and train exceptional staff members, create programs and make changes that have enhanced the student experience. I’m excited to take on the challenge of a new role with new responsibilities. I plan to continue to do my best to serve this institution that means so much to me.”

Truesdell brought nearly 20 years of student affairs experience with her when she joined the university in 1991 as director of the Career Center. Since then, she has been involved with virtually every aspect of student campus life. She was named dean of students in 1997. Ten years later, she was promoted to the position of Vice President of student affairs and dean of students. In 2015, Curt Lauderdale was named dean of students while Truesdell retained her title and duties as vice president of student affairs.

“Nancy’s leadership and skill have strengthened Lawrence in innumerable ways,” said Burstein.  “Her focus on what is best for our students, on enhancing campus community, and on farsighted efforts to improve the education we offer have been a hallmark of her tenure.  I look forward to having her expertise and energy invested in new challenges that face the university.”

During her tenure, Truesdell was the driving force behind the creation of the university’s Diversity Center, Hiett Hall, which introduced suite-style living to the campus, and the Warch Campus Center. She organized the expansion of the Volunteer and Community Service Center, created the Health and Wellness department, directed the development of new orientations for students and parents, helped launch CORE, a student-mentoring program for freshmen and transfers, and led the establishment of the office of spiritual and religious life.

In 1998, she was recognized with the university’s Babcock Award, which honors a person whose involvement and interaction with students has a positive impact on the campus community.A photo of Lawrence University vice president for student affairs Nancy Truesdell and economics professor Adam Galambos with students.

Prior to Lawrence, Truesdell held administrative positions at Cornell University, Heidelberg College, Sweet Briar College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, among others.

Active in the greater Fox Cities community, Truesdell is a member and former chair of the board of directors of Harbor House domestic abuse programs, and a former member of the board of Appleton’s A Better Chance program.

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Ripon College with a degree in English and earned a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

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.

Eight tenure-track appointments joining the Lawrence faculty this fall

The Lawrence Symphony Orchestra will perform its next season under the baton of a new conductor.

Mark Dupere, who has co-conducted the concert orchestra at Michigan State University since 2013, joins the Lawrence University faculty as assistant professor of music and director of orchestral studies.

Dupere is one of eight new faculty members appointed to tenure track positions at the rank of assistant professor beginning with the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Fall term classes begin Monday, Sept. 12.

Joining Dupere will be Timothy Albright, conservatory of music (trombone); Israel Del Toro, biology; Thelma Jimenez-Anglada, Spanish; Constance Kassor, religious studies; Nancy Lin, art history; Graham Sazama, chemistry; and Becquer Seguin, Spanish.

“I am very pleased that we are continuing to add to the excellence of our faculty through the appointment of these talented teacher-scholars and teacher-performers,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows. “Each will add significant strength to our educational programs.”

A Head shot of Timothy Albright.• Timothy Albright, conservatory of music
A trombonist who has performed with artists as diverse as Barbra Streisand, Jay-Z and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Albright arrives from State University of New York – Purchase College, where he directed the trombone choir and coached small jazz ensembles. He also has taught at The Juilliard School. During an extensive performance career, he has played with the Metropolitan Opera Company orchestra, New York City’s Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Alan Ferber Big Band, the New York Chamber Brass and the Atlantic Brass Quintet, among others.

Albright has served as trombonist in more than a half dozen major theatre productions, including the Broadway shows “Evita,” “Spamalot” and “Amazing Grace.” His performances also include numerous film and television credits, among them the movies “Noah” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and Disney Channel’s “Little Einsteins.”

A native of St. Helena, Calif., Albright earned a bachelor of music degree in applied music-trombone performance and jazz and commercial media from Eastman School of Music.

A Head shot of Mark Dupere.
Mark Dupere

Mark Dupere, conservatory of music
Dupere brings international experience to his appointment as assistant professor of music and director of orchestral studies. A cellist, Dupere has performed professionally with more than a dozen orchestras, chamber ensembles and other groups in the United States as well as Belgium, England, France and the Netherlands.

Beside Michigan State University, Dupere has served as a masterclass conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival and guest conducted the Musica Redemptor Baroque Orchestra in Austin, Texas, the Cypress Symphony in Houston and a production of “Les Miserables” in Michigan, among others.

Dupere, who grew up in Phoenix, earned a bachelor’s degree in cello performance from the University of Texas, a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Baroque cello from the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands and a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from Michigan State.

A Head shot of Israel Del Toro.
Israel Del Toro

• Israel Del Toro, biology
A native of El Paso, Texas, Del Toro uses distribution and diversity of ant populations as models for the study of the effects of climate change on ecosystem processes, including soil movement and nutrient cycling. His research sheds light on how those changes can affect other plant and animal life in the area.

He arrives at Lawrence from the University of Copenhagen’s Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, one of the world’s leading research institutes on climate change, where he has been conducting research since 2014 as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow. In addition to the NSF, he has conducted research supported by a Fulbright Fellowship and grants from the Ecological Society of America, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History, among others.

Del Toro earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-El Paso and a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

A Head shot of Thelma Jimenez-Anglada.

• Thelma Jimenez-Anglada, Spanish
Combining scholarly interests in violence, human rights and migration, Jimenez-Anglada’s current research focuses on trafficking, specifically of narcotics and humans in Latin America and U.S. Latino communities.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who also has lived extensively in New York and Chicago, Jimenez-Anglada was the recipient of the 2015 Lectureship Award from the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. She has contributed to the Caribbean Foundation for the Humanities’ Digital Encyclopedia project, on slavery and the culture of the sugar plantation.

Jimenez-Anglada, who speaks five languages, earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctoral degree in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies from the University of Chicago, where she was a preceptor for its Center for International Studies.

A Head shot of Constance Kassor.• Constance Kassor, religious studies
Kassor, who specializes in the study of South Asian religions, with special expertise on Tibetan Buddhism, comes to Lawrence after spending the past two years teaching at Smith, Hampshire and Amherst colleges in Massachusetts.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Kassor has spent considerable time teaching and conducting research on 15th-century Tibetan Buddhism. She has studied and taught in India and Nepal, which led to several meetings with the Dalai Lama. She spent part of 2013 teaching a course on Buddhist key points at Kathmandu University’s Rangjung Yeshe Institute. She also directed Smith College’s Tibetan Studies in India program for three years.

Her scholarship has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Fulbright Institute of International Education.

Kassor earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Smith College with a certificate in Buddhist studies and a doctorate in religion from Emory University.

A Head shot of Nancy Lin.
Nancy Lin

• Nancy Lin, art history
A scholar of East Asian art, Lin’s research focuses on modern Japanese and Korean art (late-19th century to mid-20th century), with specialized expertise in painting. Lin, who grew up in Chicago, spent the past year as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Korea Institute. Previously she spent a year (2011-12) as a visiting scholar at Korea’s Seoul National University’s Kyujanggak Institute and the previous year as a researcher at Japan’s Tokyo University of the Arts.

A former deputy editor-in-chief of the Chicago Art Journal, Lin earned a bachelor’s degree in history of art & East Asian Studies at Bryn Mawr College, a master’s degree in East Asian languages and cultures from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago.

A Head shot of Graham Sazama.
Graham Sazama

• Graham Sazama, chemistry
Sazama joins the Lawrence faculty after three years as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An inorganic chemist specializing in material science and sensors, he is co-holder of a U.S. patent on the detection of amines.

A Wisconsin native who grew up in Chippewa Falls, Sazama has been the recipient of a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship and has previously taught as a Fellow at Harvard University. His research has led to seven co-authored published scientific papers and he has made nearly a dozen presentations at national and regional conferences.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and earned his Ph.D.  in chemistry at Harvard.

A Head shot of Bécquer Seguín.
Bécquer Seguín

• Bécquer Seguín, Spanish
A public intellectual who specializes in 19th-century transatlantic art and literature, Seguín comes to Lawrence from Cornell University’s Department of Romance Studies. He spent last fall as a visiting scholar at the Complutense University of Madrid and was previously a John E. Sawyer and Andrew W. Mellon Seminar Graduate Fellow at Cornell.

A prolific writer, Seguín has published more than two dozen academic articles, reviews and translations. He also writes regularly for The Nation, the oldest continually published weekly in the United States, and other magazines. Additionally, he has presented at more than 30 professional conferences throughout the United States and abroad.

Seguín, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and literatures (Spanish) from Whitman College and a master’s and doctoral degree in Romance studies from Cornell University.

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.