Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Tournées Film Festival Returns with Diverse Mix of French Cinema

The annual Tournées Film Festival brings a diverse mix of French cinema to the Lawrence University campus during a month-long screening of five films. The festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture.

Each film — in French with English subtitles — will be shown three times (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) at 7 p.m. in Lawrence’s Warch Campus Center cinema. Admission is $5 at the door. An informal discussion session led by a faculty member of the Lawrence French department follows each Saturday evening screening.

Launched in 1995 by the French-American Cultural Exchange and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the Tournées festival provides colleges and universities access to new French films that are normally only distributed in major cities. This is the fourth straight year Lawrence was awarded a grant to serve as a Tournées film series host institution.

The films and dates are as follows:

• Jan. 14-16 — “The Class” (“Entre les Murs”), 2008, 128 min., Rated PG-13

Based on the best-selling book by real-life teacher François Bégaudeau, the film follows Bégaudeau’s attempts to teach French to a class of multi-ethnic students at a diverse Parisian junior high school. Bégaudeau wrote the screenplay and stars as himself in this unsparing, unsentimental film about a teacher and his students.

• Jan. 21-23 — “A Christmas Tale” (“Un conte de Noël”), 2008, 152 minutes, Not Rated

When mother Junon discovers she has leukemia, the family’s Christmas gathering is spent discussing who will be the most compatible marrow donor. Set in a small city in northern France, this film follows the Vuillard family in an expert depiction of the volatility of family dynamics.

• Jan. 28-30 — “The Secret of the Grain” (“Le graine et le mullet”), 2007, 151 minutes, Not Rated

After Slimane, the patriarch of a large, vivacious North African family, loses his job, he decides to restore an old boat in the harbor into a floating couscous restaurant, relying on the help of his entire family. But the powerful white townspeople hold the bureaucratic keys needed to make Slimane’s dream a reality.

• Feb. 4-6 — “Fear(s) of the Dark” (“Peur(s) du noir”), 2008, 80 minutes, Not Rated (some sexual content and violence)

Six leading graphic artists and cartoonists turn their personal terrors into reality in this nightmarish animated anthology. Narrated by well-known French comedians, the six interlocking stories bring to life fears of the dark, injections, pursuit and more as reality crosses over into the unknown.

• Feb. 11-13 — “Blame it on Fidel!” (“La faute á Fidel!”), 2006, 99 minutes, Not Rated

Nine-year old Anna’s stable life goes awry when her uncle is killed and her parents suddenly become left-wing revolutionaries. Anna struggles to hold on to the comfort she is used to in the midst of these changes, while attempting to make sense of the larger political events that have shaken her life.

International Lecture Series Opens with Examination of Germany 20 Years After Fall of Berlin Wall

Jon Greenwald, a former U.S. foreign service officer and witness to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, opens Lawrence University’s annual Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies Thursday, Jan. 14 with the address “The Unification of Germany: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective.”

The presentation, at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium, is free and open to the public.

Jon-Greenwald_web.jpgStill active in foreign affairs, Greenwald is vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Crisis Group, the world’s leading conflict prevention non-governmental organization. He served as head of the U.S. Embassy’s (East) Berlin political section throughout the tumultuous period of the fall of the Wall and Germany’s reunification. He is the author of the 1993 book “Berlin Witness: An American Diplomat’s Chronicle of East Germany’s Revolution.”

In his presentation, Greenwald will share an eyewitness perspective on how and why the Wall fell, explore what Germany is 20 years later and discuss what role it may play today on such issues of concern to the United States as the building of the European Union, the war in Afghanistan and the nuclear crisis with Iran.

The address brings Greenwald back to the Lawrence campus, where he held the college’s Scarff Professorship for the 1998-99 academic year.

During a distinguished diplomatic career Greenwald held embassy and consular posts in Belgrade, Budapest and Madrid in addition to East Berlin, where he supervised the incarceration of Nazi leader Rudolf Hess. In the early 1990s, he served in the Department of State’s Office of Counter-Terrorism, where he devised diplomatic strategies for dealing with Libya, negotiated U.N. sanctions against Mu’ammar Qadhafi for the Pam-Am 103 bombing and led a State Department/CIA/Special Forces response team on a classified counter-terrorism mission during the Gulf War.

The lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Lawrence Molecular Biologist Named to Genetics Society of America Board of Directors

Beth De Stasio, professor of biology and Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Genetics Society of America.

Beth-DeStasio_web-II.jpg

In announcing her appointment, the GSA cited De Stasio’s commitment to “training undergraduate students — both majors and non-majors in science — to become more conversant and comfortable in understanding recent advances in biology.”

A 1983 graduate of Lawrence, De Stasio joined the Lawrence faculty in 1992 under the auspices of a $700,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to establish the college’s first program in molecular biology. Her research interests focus on muscle function and the maintenance of nerve function during aging. She was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Fellowship in 2009 to conduct research at the Karolinska Institutet near Stockholm, Sweden.

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America is the professional membership organization for geneticists and science educators. With more than 4,000 members, the GSA works to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. It promotes research in genetics and facilitates communication among geneticists worldwide on current and cutting-edge topics in genetics research.

“Mary & Max” Opens Lawrence University Term II Independent Film Series

Lawrence University continues its independent film series with 10-movie line-up during Winter Term. All films are shown at 8 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema, 711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 920-832-6837.

• January 6 — “Mary & Max” (2009): A claymated tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and Max, a 44-year old, severely obese man living in New York City.

• January 13 — “Paper Heart” (2009): Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand: love.

• January 20 — “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” (2008): Award-winning documentary that chronicles the inspirational story of courageous women of Liberia, whose efforts played a critical role in bringing an end to a long and bloody civil war and restored peace to their shattered country. A panel of Lawrence faculty and students will lead a discussion of some of the issues raised in the film following the screening.

• January 27 — “It Might Get Loud” (2009): A documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White.

• February 3 — “Food Inc.” (2008): Robert Kenner uncovers the large corporation-controlled underbelly of our nation’s food industry and the effect it has on our country.

• February 10 — “No Impact Man” (2009): A man attempts to eliminate his personal impact on the environment for one year — all while living in Manhattan with his wife and two-year old daughter.

• February 17 — “Fuel” (2008): An award-winning journey through a history and drama of America’s oil use and abuse and the potential of other wide-ranging energy solutions.

• February 24 — “The Cove” (2009): The amazing true story of a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, revealing a dark and deadly secret.

• March 3 — “Taking Woodstock” (2009): Interior designer Elliot Tibner moves back home to help save his parents’ hotel and inadvertently plays a role in making the Woodstock music festival the huge event it was.

• March 10 — “Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (2009): Set in 1987 Harlem, the story follows Clareece “Precious” Jones, a 16-year-old overweight, illiterate African-American teen pregnant for the second time by her absent father, who is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes her life can head in a new direction.

Memorial Service Celebrates the Life of Lawrence Professor Bertrand Goldgar

A celebration of the life of Professor of English and John N. Bergstrom Professor of Humanities Bertrand A. Goldgar will be held Jan. 9 at 2 p.m in Stansbury Theatre, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Everyone is welcome and a reception will follow in the Music-Drama Center lobby.

Professor Goldgar, the longest-serving full-time member of the faculty in Lawrence history (1957-2009), passed away Oct. 14, 2009 at the age of 81.

Lawrence University Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Richard Long

I write to share with you today the sad news of the death of Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Richard Long. Professor Long passed away Dec. 21, 2009 in Sun City, Ariz., after a lengthy illness. He was 78 years old.

Richard-Long_web.jpg Professor Long joined the Lawrence faculty in 1969 and taught in the mathematics department until his retirement in 1993. Described by colleagues as a quiet, gentle, generous, unassuming person, he was one of the founding fathers of Lawrence’s computer science program, was among the first to teach Lawrence’s statistics course, and was particularly encouraging of mathematics students in the actuarial sciences.

He was respected for his extraordinary patience, support, and nurturing of students as well as his innovative efforts to introduce the application of mathematics across the curriculum. In the 1970s, he established math workshops for Lawrentians and worked with minority students in summer enrichment programs. He was well-known for his extraordinary ability to connect with diverse personalities and nontraditional learners.

Prior to joining the Lawrence faculty, Professor Long taught mathematics for eight years at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., and later spent four years in a variety of leadership roles with the Math Association of America, where he oversaw the production of a number of mathematics films.

A native of Dallas, Iowa, he attended Grand View Junior College in Des Moines, Iowa before earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Reed College and his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Washington.

In retirement, he split his time between a cottage on Lake Superior in Marquette, Mich., and Sun City, Ariz., pursuing his many and varied interests, among them bow hunting, golf, genealogy, gem cutting, pottery, and woodworking.

He is survived by his wife, Gretchen; sons Christopher, Albuquerque, N.M., and Timothy, ’83 Appleton; daughters Gillian Phelps, Albuquerque, and Hillary Long Villa, Thousands Oaks, Calif.; and stepchildren Tim Lutey, Christine Lutey, and Phil Lutey, all of Marquette, Mich.

Contributions in Professor Long’s memory can be made to the Hospice of the Valley, 10323 W. Olive Ave., Peoria, AZ 85345.

Sincerely,

David Burrows

LU’s Boyd Featured Guest on SistersTalk Radio Program

Helen-Boyd_web_II.jpgHelen Boyd, lecturer in Lawrence’s gender studies program, will be a guest of Genia Stevens on SistersTalk Radio Wednesday , Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. SistersTalk Radio is an online radio show that focuses on LGBT issues. Boyd is the author of the books “My Husband Betty” and “She’s Not the Man I Married.” Listen to a podcast of the 30-minute interview here.

Lawrence University Mourns the Death of Jane Koopman

I write with the sad news of the passing of Jane Koopman, a former lecturer in the Conservatory of Music. Jane began her time at Lawrence in 1990 and retired in June 2000. She was married to John Koopman, who retired as a Professor of Music in 1994 after 34 years of service to Lawrence University.

The words below express memories of Jane from some of her Conservatory colleagues.

“The Conservatory acquired Jane Koopman’s services in 1990 after her retirement from a highly successful career as an elementary music specialist in the Appleton Public Schools. She developed an outstanding sight-singing curriculum for the Conservatory, and for 7 of her 10 years at the Conservatory taught every music major for a 5-term sequence, and for the last 3 taught approximately 2/3 of the music majors in the same sequence – more than 700 students. The impact she had on the Conservatory was almost incalculable, in developing the musicianship of all students, instrumentalists and singers alike, and in being a superb role model for students and faculty as a music educator who truly loved teaching and communicated her subject at the highest level.

Before joining the Conservatory faculty, Jane contributed to Lawrence’s professional music education curriculum as an elementary specialist with particular reference to the Kodaly method, and frequently as a supervising teacher of choice for student teachers. Her experience with children and her success in enriching the creative experience of her pupils was well-known in the community and recognized throughout the state, and that experience translated well into her program at the Conservatory. She also taught effectively at every age-level, including graduate students in the Silver Lake College Kodaly certification and masters degree programs.”

Jane passed away peacefully with her family by her side on December 30, 2009. Memorial services are pending.

Sincerely,

David Burrows

Warch Campus Center Cited in Annual “Great Spaces Great Places” Contest

Lawrence University’s Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center has been cited by FOX CITIES Magazine in its annual “Great Spaces Great Places” contest. The Warch Campus Center, which graces the cover of the magazine’s December issue, was voted the winner from among eight nominees by a panel of five community judges in the “Best New Construction” category. The $35 million, 107,000-square-foot building, which opened in September, was recently awarded LEED-certified Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainability and environmentally friendly features.

Tom Miller, one of the Great Spaces Great Places judges, said the Warch Campus Center, “blows it out of the water. Eighty years from now, the building will look just how it looks now.”

The award was the second for a Lawrence building in the four-year history of the magazine’s contest. In 2007, venerable Alexander Gymnasium was named co-winner in the “Best Historic Landmark Building” category, which recognizes buildings at least 75 years old and considered “icons of the Fox Cities.”

Lawrence University Recognizing Film Producer, Philanthropist Abigail Disney with Honorary Degree

Award-winning film producer, activist, and philanthropist Abigail Disney will be recognized Thursday, January 28, 2010 by Lawrence University with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Abigail-Disney_web.jpg As part of the degree-granting ceremony in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Disney will deliver the convocation “Peace is Loud,” an address based on her award-winning 2008 documentary film “Pray the Devil Back to Hell.”

“Lawrence University is proud to be welcoming a woman of Abigail Disney’s passion, abilities and stature to campus and presenting her with an honorary degree,” said Lawrence President Jill Beck. “As we prepare our students for lives of achievement and meaningful citizenship, Ms. Disney epitomizes the ideals to which we hope they will aspire.”

In conjunction with Disney’s address, multiple showings of the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” will be held in the Warch Campus Center cinema in January: 1/7, 12 noon; 1/12, 7 p.m.; 1/20, 8 p.m., 1/28, 1 p.m. A special panel of Lawrence faculty and students will discuss issues raised in the film following the 8 p.m. screening on Jan. 20. All events are free and open to the public.

“I am so thrilled and honored to have been chosen for this honorary degree,” said Disney. “It was a bolt from the blue and a shot in the arm, to mix a couple of metaphors and I am so happy that it came from a wonderful and vibrant institution like Lawrence.”

praythedevilbacktohell_poster.jpgDisney’s film chronicles the inspirational story of the courageous women of Liberia, whose efforts played a critical role in bringing an end to a long and bloody civil war and restored peace to their shattered country.

She served as the producer of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which earned critical praise and collected more than 15 awards, including the Best Documentary Award at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival, the Cowboy Award Winner – Audience Choice Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, the Social Justice Award for Documentary Film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Golden Butterfly Award at the Movies that Matter Festival.

Disney founded and serves as president of the New York City-based Daphne Foundation, which supports grassroots and emerging organizations that deal with the causes and consequences of poverty, focusing on the creation and implementation of long-term solutions to intractable social problems.

She also has played a leadership role in a number of other social and political organizations, among them the New York Women’s Foundation, from which she recently retired as chair, the Roy Disney Family Foundation, the White House Project, the Global Fund for Women, the Fund for the City of New York and the Ms. Foundation for Women. In 1998, when the foundation’s namesake publication, Ms. Magazine, faced financial hardship, Disney joined with magazine founder Gloria Steinem and a group of other investors to form Liberty Media for Women, which secured the magazine’s future.

The grandniece of Walt Disney, founder of the Disney media and entertainment empire, she is the vice chair of the board of Shamrock Holdings Incorporated, a professional investment company that manages more than $1.5 billion in assets.

Disney earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from Stanford University, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University.