Press Releases

APPLETON, WIS. — David McGlynn, assistant professor of English at Lawrence University, will conduct a reading from his first book “The End of the Straight and Narrow” Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in Main Hall, Room 201 on the Lawrence campus. The reading is free and open to the public.

Called “smart, sharp, soul-testing American fiction” by “Snow, Ashes” author Alyson Hagy, “The End of the Straight and Narrow” is a collection of nine short stories that examines the inner lives, passions and desires of the zealous and the ways religious faith is both the compass for navigating daily life and the force that makes ordinary life impossible.

Set in locales that range from the coastal highways of Southern California to the swampy bayous surrounding Houston, Texas, McGlynn’s stories often take place against a backdrop of disaster — a landslide, a fire, a drowning, a hurricane. His characters question whether faith illuminates the world or leaves them isolated within it.

McGlynn joined the Lawrence faculty in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of California, Irvine and a M.F.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. While a graduate student at Utah, he served as managing editor of Western Humanities Review.

His fiction and creative nonfiction works have appeared in numerous literary journals, among them Alaska Quarterly Review, Image, Mid-American Review, and Shenandoah.

APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University has been awarded a $350,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York City to support the implementation of its new Senior Experience program.

Members of the freshmen class that arrived this fall will become the first Lawrence students required to complete a Senior Experience project prior to their graduation in 2012.

Designed as a “bookend” to Lawrence’s nationally recognized Freshman Studies program, the new Senior Experience program will engage every graduating senior in a project that demonstrates proficiency in the student’s field of study. Each individual project will reflect an integration of knowledge and skills gained at Lawrence as well as the development of scholarly or artistic independence.

“The Senior Experience is the latest campus-wide commitment to individualized learning, which is a vital and distinctive part of the Lawrence liberal education,” said university President Jill Beck in announcing the grant. “This program will provide a culminating educational experience that is both personalized to each student as well as universal to Lawrence students in all disciplines and departments.”

The program will be phased in over the next three years, allowing individual departments to develop criteria for qualifying projects that are well integrated with their curriculum and tailored to the needs of their students. When fully implemented, every Lawrence senior will be responsible for planning and successfully executing a significant project, such as a major research paper, a collaborative creative work, an advanced, academically based field experience, or an exhibition or recital, as a requirement to graduate.

The Mellon grant provides student project support for supplies and materials, and travel to specialized libraries or to conduct field research. It also will support faculty scholarship and professional development to enhance faculty effectiveness as role models, mentors, and collaborators for Senior Experience projects.

Thomas Ryckman, professor of philosophy, has been appointed Senior Experience director. He will facilitate the program’s implementation and assist academic departments in planning and testing Senior Experience models as well as encourage cross-fertilization among disciplines. He also will work with Lawrence’s office of research administration to assess the impact of the Senior Experience program on students and faculty.

Formed in 1969, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awards grants in six core program areas: higher education and scholarship; scholarly communications; research in information technology; museums and art conservation; performing arts; and conservation and the environment.

The foundation seeks to build, strengthen and sustain institutions and their core capacities, develop thoughtful, long-term collaborations with grant recipients and invest sufficient funds for an extended period to accomplish the purpose at hand and achieve meaningful results.

APPLETON, WIS. – Like an aural buffet, the Lawrence University Kaleidoscope concert promises something delectable for every music lover’s taste.

Showcasing the talents of nearly all of Lawrence’s 350 music majors, the second Kaleidoscope concert will be performed Saturday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton.

A limited number of tickets, at $12 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and students, are available at both the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749, and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Box Office, 920-730-3760.

“The Kaleidoscope concert is designed to present an extremely broad cross-section of musical offerings for the listener,” said Andrew Mast, director of bands at Lawrence. “Virtually all areas of the Lawrence conservatory will be represented and audience members will be able to hear groups ranging in size from two to more than 200.”

More than a dozen student groups will perform “in the round,” producing music from all corners of the Performing Arts Center. In addition to the main stage and orchestra pit, students will perform from the side balconies, main floor and upper balcony. The 75-minute, non-stop musical tour de force will feature a program ranging from intimate wind chamber music to funky jazz, from choral music to opera, from rhythmic Brazilian percussion to grand orchestral masterpieces.

Program highlights include works by classical composers Gioacchino Rossini, Charles Ives and Johann Strauss as well as Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Dean of the Conservatory Brian Pertl will play the Australian didgeridoo with the Lawrence Jazz Ensemble in a performance of a composition written by Fred Sturm, director of jazz studies and improvisational music at Lawrence, while the women’s choir Cantala will perform “Quivi è la rosa,” a work composed by Assistant Professor of Music Joanne Metcalf.

The concert will conclude with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” performed by the full Kaleidoscope cast.

“Each performing group has selected repertoire intended to be accessible, entertaining and engaging,” said Mast. “Each piece is no more than four minutes in length with no breaks between them, so the fast pace and constantly changing staging guarantees a spectacular evening. This is truly a showcase concert, one that is as enjoyable for the performers as it should be for the audience.”

University President Jill Beck will open the evening with an introduction of special guest Jean Kraft, a 1948 Lawrence graduate and former mezzo-soprano star with the Metropolitan Opera.

Prior to the concert, members of the Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir – Bel Canto will sing in the area above the main lobby of the PAC. The lobby also will feature art displays created by Lawrence student artists and area elementary and secondary students participating in the ArtsBridge program.

The Kaleidoscope concert is sponsored by The Boldt Company. Lawrence University extends its deep appreciation to The Boldt Company for its generous support of this unique community arts showcase.

APPLETON, WIS. — Fiction writer Anthony Bukoski will read from his new collection of short stories, “North of the Port,” Thursday Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at Lawrence University’s Harper Hall in the Music-Drama Center. A reception and book signing will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

Bukoski

Released in May of this year, “North of the Port” is a collection of 12 short stories that focus on the lives and culture of members of the Polish community living in Superior, Bukoski’s hometown, where he is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, his alma mater.

Hailed as a “quintessential writer of place” by author Stuart Dybek, Bukoski has written three previous published collections: “Time Between Trains,” a 2003 Booklist Editors’ Choice; “Polonaise” (1999) and “Children of Strangers” (1993). His fifth book, “Twelve Below Zero,” is scheduled for publication this fall.

His stories have been featured on both Wisconsin and National Public Radio and have been performed live in the “Selected Shorts” series at Symphony Space in New York City.

Bukoski’s appearance is sponsored by the Gordon R. Clapp Lectureship in American Studies.

APPLETON, WIS. — In a move designed to be a more environmentally responsible citizen, Lawrence University has entered a partnership with Red Barn Family Farms, a new Appleton family-owned dairy company, to serve its premium brand of milk in both of the college’s dining halls beginning in early October.

“We’re constantly exploring ways to reduce our carbon footprint and become more sustainable. One of the best ways to do that is to purchase as many things locally as possible,” said Patrick Niles, Lawrence’s director of dining services. “Sourcing products close to home reduces gasoline use and emissions to get things here and it helps support our local economy, putting money into the pockets of those within our own community.

“It also allows us to provide more wholesome foods with better nutritive values to our students,” Niles added. “We have found that locally produced products are often superior in quality to those we purchase elsewhere. Red Barn Family Farms presented an opportunity for us to capitalize on all of those benefits.”

Passing a simple “taste test” also helped seal the deal.

“We felt the Red Barn dairy products were far superior in taste and quality to our current products,” said Niles. “We also liked the fact that their milk is rBGH free and is sourced very carefully from small Wisconsin farms that meet stringent animal husbandry standards for animal health and care.”

While classes are in session, Lawrence will purchase approximately 255 gallons of skim milk, 190 gallons of 2 percent milk and 85 gallons of chocolate milk per week from Red Barn.

Red Barn Family Farms was founded earlier this year by Seymour veterinarian Terry Homan, who wanted to provide transparency in how milk on store shelves is produced. The company began selling its milk in the Milwaukee market in April and has since made it available locally at Woodmans, Lamer’s Dairy Store and Arthur Bay Cheese Store. The milk is bottled for Red Barn at Lamers Dairy, a small, family-owned bottling plant in Appleton.

“Red Barn Family Farms is thrilled to have the opportunity to connect Lawrence University and its students with these local farms and the agricultural heritage that they represent,” said Homan. “We are looking forward to providing this premium quality milk to the Lawrence campus.”

Every dairy farm that supplies milk to Red Barn is certified by the American Humane Association. According to Homan, participating dairy farms must meet “The Red Barn Rules,” a strict set of criteria that routinely measures the physical health of each cow, the mortality rate of the herd, the health reflected in the milk and the cleanliness of the milk leaving the farm. Homan believes the Red Barn Family Farms are in the top 25% of the industry for each benchmark set forth in those rules.

“It’s not easy to be a Red Barn Farm. We set the bar high for our suppliers,” said Homan, who brings 12 years of dairy veterinary practice in rural Wisconsin to the business. “The goal is not all about making money. It’s about making a positive difference in the dairy industry.

“Our product fills a growing demand from consumers, who not only are demanding exceptional milk quality, but also are desiring quality animal care,” Homan added. “It’s simple — the cows that receive the best care produce the best milk.”

The partnership with Red Barn is the latest in a series of moves made by Lawrence dining services. In 2006, Lawrence established partnerships with local farmers at the Appleton Farm Market to supply tomatoes and peppers. Since then, Niles has expanded his local purchases to include apples, potatoes, spring mix and sprouts. Earlier this year, the college also entered into an exclusive partnership with the students maintaining the four-year-old Sustainable Lawrence University Garden — SLUG — to become their sole customer. All produce grown in the garden is now served in the Lawrence dining halls.

This fall, Lawrence is launching “Green Roots,” a campus-wide initiative designed to focus attention and education on environmental, cultural and social sustainability.

APPLETON, WIS. — Not only did Lawrence University officials close the books on the most successful fundraising year in the college’s history, they were rewarded with a 2008 Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for educational fundraising.

Although not a factor in the CASE award, Lawrence shattered its all-time previous fundraising record by raising $31.4 million in gifts and donations in fiscal year 2007-08. The June 30, year-end total represents an increase of 47 percent over the 2007 total.

“We are extremely pleased with and grateful for the level of support we receive from the thousands of people who believe in the mission of the college,” said Cal Husmann, vice president of development and alumni relations. “Fundraising is directly related to the quality of the educational experience at Lawrence. It is also a reflection and affirmation of the hard work and dedication of my colleagues on Lawrence’s first-rate alumni-development team.”

Lawrence was one of six institutions cited for “overall improvement” in CASE’s private liberal arts category, along with Coe, Hamilton, Haverford, Loras and Skidmore colleges. This year’s Circle of Excellence Awards drew 3,500 individual entries from 766 institutions.

The CASE Circle of Excellence Award winners are determined by a panel of judges based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s “Voluntary Support of Education” survey over a three-year period. Among the criteria considered are pattern of growth in total support, overall breadth in program areas and donor growth among alumni and other individuals. The 2008 winners were based on information from 2005-2007 and did not include Lawrence’s record-breaking fundraising year.

During the survey years, Lawrence increased total gift income from $7,474,000 in fiscal year 2005 to $21,345,000 in 2007. In that same time frame, Lawrence alumni participation rates averaged 49 percent. According to the 2007 Target Analytics Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance, national alumni participation rates for private institutions have declined six percent in the past two years to a national average of 26.8 percent in 2007.

“Our alumni participation rate continues to rank among the nation’s best, indicating an exceedingly high level of alumni satisfaction,” said Husmann. “We hear time and again how the Lawrence experience has transformed lives. We have seen generations of our alumni emerge as leaders in their communities and professions around the world. Since 90 percent of Lawrence’s gifts come from individuals who have been touched by their Lawrence experience, it’s clear that the upward trend in giving is linked to the quality and unique aspects of the institution.”

CASE is the largest international association of educational institutions, serving more than 3,300 colleges, universities and related organizations in 54 countries.

APPLETON, WIS. — Three community leaders, two faculty members and a student will join Lawrence University President Jill Beck in opening the college’s 159th academic year Thursday, Sept. 25 with a unique matriculation address that will help launch a new campus-wide initiative designed to focus attention and education on environmental, cultural and social sustainability.

The address, “A Sustainable Lawrence: Five Interlocking Perspectives” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public.

Jeff Clark, associate professor of geology and chair of Lawrence’s environmental studies department, opens the five-part program with the address “Green Roots: The Sustainable Lawrence Initiative.”

Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of The Boldt Company, presents “The New Lawrence Campus Center — Sustainable and LEED.” The Boldt Company is the construction manager of Lawrence’s $35 million, 107,000-square-foot campus center slated for completion next spring.

Community leaders Margaret Carroll and Pat Schinabeck, both members of the College Avenue Bridge Design Committee, will share the podium in delivering “A Landscape Collaboration: College-Neighborhood-Community.” Carroll, a 1961 Lawrence graduate who spent 29years on the college’s Board of Trustees, has worked with LEAVEN and served as an election inspector. Schinabeck is a former Appleton alderperson and member of the Appleton Redevelopment Authority.

Marty Finkler, professor of economics and John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System, whose research interests include the economic growth and development of China, presents “Water: Local and Global Connections.”

James Duncan-Welke ’09, current president of the Lawrence Community Council and a 2005 graduate of Appleton North High School, delivers the address “Engaging in Sustainable Lawrence.” He also served as Lawrence’s student representative on the College Avenue Bridge Design Committee.

The annual matriculation address also opens Lawrence’s 2008-09 convocation series. This year’s series speakers include:

• Frank Rich, author and New York Times op-ed columnist, “The Post-Bush Era Begins,” Dec. 2.

• Edith Widder, biologist and internationally recognized deep-sea explorer, “Eye in the Sea: What Does Deep Sea Exploration Tell Us About Marine Conservation?,” Feb. 3.

• Jennifer Baumgardner, author, activist,and documentary producer, “Climate Change We Can Live With: The Ecology of Justice,” May 19.

All convocations are held at 11:10 a.m. in Lawrence Memorial Chapel and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.lawrence.edu/news/convos/.

APPLETON, WIS. — A mid-career retrospective of noted abstract painter Leslie Vansen highlights the latest exhibition at Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center Galleries. The new exhibition runs September 26 – Nov. 2.

A professor of painting and drawing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Vansen will deliver the exhibition’s opening lecture Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. A reception with the artist will follow the address, which is free and open to the public.

Vansen’s acrylic abstract paintings on canvas and paper explore metaphoric investigations into the functions of work, time and repetitive figurative movement through space. Her work will be featured in the Hoffmaster and Kohler galleries.

A member of the UWM faculty since 1978 and an active member of the College Art Association, Vansen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and an MFA from the University of Colorado.

The exhibition also will include “Requiem” in the Leech Gallery. Organized by senior art major Andrew Kincaid, the display will feature works inspired by the pop, minimal and abstract expressionist movements from Lawrence’s own permanent collection.

Wriston Art Center hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from noon – 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays. For more information, call 920-832-6621 or visit http://www.lawrence.edu/news/wriston/.

APPLETON, WIS. — An eclectic mix of French cinema will be featured in the month-long Tournées Film Festival hosted by Lawrence University. The festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture.

A total of five films — in French with English subtitles — will be shown three times each at 7 p.m. in Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center auditorium. Admission is $4 for the general public, free for Lawrence faculty, students and staff. An informal discussion session led by a faculty member of the Lawrence French department will follow 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. Lawrence was awarded a grant to serve as a Tournées film series host institution for the third straight year.

The films and dates are as follows.

• Oct. 2-4 — Look at Me (“Comme une Image”), 2004, 110 min., Rated PG-13

Winner of best screenplay awards at the Cannes and Stockholm film festivals, the film paints a vibrant portrait of Parisian social life, including the undercurrent of backbiting and backstabbing that flows just beneath the glittering surface. The character-rich comedy follows 20-year-old Lolita, a stocky, dark-haired aspiring singer who is acutely aware she doesn’t fit into a world ruled by skinny blondes.

• Oct. 9-11 — Molière, 2007, 120 min., Not rated

A witty and suspenseful historical “fiction” that offers an explanation of the transformation of Jean Baptiste Poquelin from bankrupt and imprisoned theatre founder into the great French dramatist Molière.

• Oct. 16-18 — Delwende (“Delwende: lève-toi et marche”), 2005, 69 min., Not Rated

Winner of two Cannes Film Festival awards, this mother-daughter tale focuses on the injustice of some traditional African practices and women’s struggle for equality. Set in a small village in Burkino Faso and based on a true story, the film examines some traditional customs in Africa and the role women play in exposing the injustices perpetrated against them.

• Oct. 23-25 — The Duchess of Langeais (“Ne touchez pas la hache”) 2007, 137 min., Not Rated

Hailed as a “nearly impeccable work of art — beautiful, true, profound,” the film is set against the French Restoration, when hypocrisy, social niceties and appearances were the values of the day. A Duchess and a military general meet and instantly fall hopelessly in love with each other. But it is a doomed love, the Duchess bound by the rules of Parisian society and the general a free spirit unwilling to play games.

• Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — Heartbeat Detector (“La Question humaine”) 2007, 144 min. Not Rated

A psychologist in charge of human resources within a German multinational discovers company ties to the Holocaust. When he finds out he is being manipulated by the company, he confronts chilling questions about today’s society and the structures of modern big business.

APPLETON, WIS. — Nidal Kram’s journey to Lawrence University is measured in life experiences, not miles from home. And by that standard, it’s unlikely any of her first-year classmates have traveled farther.

Kram

“In many ways, I think I shouldn’t even be alive,” said Kram, one of 386 freshmen Lawrence officials will welcome Wednesday, Sept. 17 for the start of orientation activities before the start of classes a week later. “I think about how fortunate I am and wonder, ‘How did I make it? How did I survive?'”

Kram, the recipient of a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, comes to Lawrence from Fridley, Minn., via Dabri, a small village dotted with thatched huts caught in the crossfire of an ongoing civil war between Arab and Christian communities in central Sudan.

As a child, Kram witnessed horrific events. She saw her father and grandfather imprisoned by the government, an aunt shot and killed while she was in her company and an uncle sent into exile. Her year-old brother died without the benefit of any medical attention.

Her formal education, provided by her mother, a teacher in the village of 500 people, ended abruptly after the second grade when her family was forced to flee for their safety to Egypt. With the assistance of a United Nation’s relief organization, Kram, her parents and three siblings eventually were relocated in Minneapolis, where her uncle lived.

“It was very difficult at first,” Kram said of her transition to the United States. “We didn’t know the culture. We couldn’t speak the language. We didn’t understand how the system worked.”

Her perceptions of America were drawn largely from Arab-subtitled movies she had watched while in Egypt, among them “Mrs. Doubtfire.” One notable scene involving Robin Williams and a vacuum cleaner left a particularly sharp impression.

“I was amazed to find out there was a machine that picked up dirt,” said Kram, whose “yard” in Sudan had more chickens in it than grass.

She also was surprised to see other African-American students in her new classroom, but was confused as to why they couldn’t understand her even though they were dark-skinned like her. A year and a half of feeling out of place left Kram longing to return to her native Sudan, until the sympathetic ear of seventh-grade substitute teacher Melissa Crist helped her see the light.

“Third quarter of seventh grade. That’s when my life changed,” Kram said with the certainty of a certified public accountant. “Ms. Crist was the reason I found what I wanted. She listened to me. It was the first time I had a chance to tell things from my perspective.”

An ‘A’ grade on an after-school project she worked on with Ms. Crist — her first A after a string of Fs — instilled an indomitable sense of confidence in Kram.

“I had been so frustrated,” recalled Kram, who will make Lawrence history as the first student of Sudanese descent to attend the college. “But that grade made me feel so good. Suddenly I saw an entirely different world.

“Education became the key to what I could be,” she said of her epiphany. “I didn’t think I could learn English, but I did. I thought I’d never get an A, but I did. I started thinking, what else can I do.”

The answer, she discovered, was whatever she wanted. She graduated near the top of her high school class with a 3.89 grade point average, culminating in her selection as a Gates Scholar, a program established in 2000 by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda to support outstanding students of color.

From her childhood days in Sudan of school lessons conducted outside in the sand with fingers because notebooks and pencils were a luxury, Kram brings a life perspective to Lawrence she’s confident will help her tackle any challenge that lies ahead.

“When things get hard, I think this is nothing compared to where I’ve come from and what I’ve been through,” Kram says without a hint of her one-time East African accent. “I was able to overcome that, so I tell myself I’ll be able to overcome this, too.”

Kram, who says Lawrence was her first choice among eight colleges she applied to, is also part of a Lawrence’s largest-ever applicant pool. For the fourth straight year, Lawrence enjoyed a record-setting number of freshmen applications with 2,618.

While Lawrence maintained its traditional Midwest base, with Wisconsin accounting for slightly more than one-quarter of this year’s 386 freshmen, followed by Illinois (79) and Minnesota (35), the college’s national appeal stretched to both coasts, with New York (18) and California (16) home to the fourth- and fifth-most first-year students. China, surprisingly, tied neighboring Michigan for sixth most, with each sending 11 freshmen to Lawrence this fall.

Collectively, members of this year’s freshmen class represent 31 states, 31 foreign countries as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. That kind of broad geographic draw bodes well for Lawrence’s future according to Director of Admissions Ken Anselment.

“Over the next several years, the United States will see a demographic shift that will result in a significant decline in the college-bound population, particularly here in the upper Midwest,” said Anselment. “With Lawrence’s national and international student base, we’re in a good position to build on our successes.”

This year’s incoming class not only set application records, but is challenging Lawrence’s best-ever academic profile as well. The incoming freshmen boast an average 3.67 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, up from 3.60 a year ago, while nearly a quarter — 23.5 percent — of the incoming freshmen from ranking high schools come from the top five percent of their graduating classes, including 20 valedictorians, double the number from 2007. The average ACT score of 29.1 is the highest in the college’s history. In 2006, Lawrence adopted a test-optional admissions policy and 73 percent of this year’s incoming freshmen submitted a standardized test score as part of their application.

“Lawrence isn’t just on the map, it’s increasingly becoming a destination for top-notch students from all over the country,” said Anselment. “We’re thrilled about the intellectual and cultural diversity, as well as the unprecedented quality of this year’s incoming class.”

More than 90 percent of this year’s freshmen received financial assistance from Lawrence. The average need-based financial aid package exceeded $26,600.