Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Video Series Honored with CASE Circle of Excellence Award

Lawrence University’s weekly video of the people and programs that make the college distinctive has been recognized with a 2010 Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District V.

The “This is Lawrence” video series received a silver award in the best practices in alumni relations category for colleges and universities with less than 3,000 students. The CASE Circle of Excellence Awards honor innovative and effective programs and projects in nearly 50 categories, including fundraising, alumni relations, advancement services programs and publication/web design.

The series grew out of a pair of on-campus student video contests, the first conducted in the spring of 2008 to produce a promotional piece to be used with Lawrence’s $150 million “More Light” capital campaign. A second contest, in the spring of 2009, promoted sustainability initiatives at Lawrence.

The weekly, two-minute videos highlight distinguished facets of Lawrence. They are distributed to approximately 15,000 members of the Lawrence community, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the college. TIL videos have featured topics ranging from Bobby McFerrin’s performance of Professor Fred Sturm’s composition “Migrations” to a behind-the-scenes look of a theatre production to an astrophysics lesson on the sidewalk.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by CASE for the ‘This is Lawrence’ video series,” said Cal Husmann vice president for development and alumni relations. “It has been a terrific and fun way to engage our alumni, parents, friends, students, and prospective students while reinforcing the many ways in which Lawrence’s mission is being realized in the lives of our students. We aren’t aware of any other colleges or universities using video in this fashion, so it is exciting to be a pioneer in this regard.”

Alex Bunke, a 2009 Lawrence graduate and winner of the first video contest, served as the original creator/producer of the series and was later joined by Rachel Crowl, web content and new media coordinator. Crowl, in conjunction with videographer Danny Ceballos, currently produce the series. Nearly 75 videos have been produced for the series.

Winners of the Circle of Excellence Awards will be recognized Dec. 12-14 at the 36th annual CASE V conference in Chicago. District V includes institutions in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.

LU Honor Society Wins National Award

Lawrence University’s chapter of Lambda Sigma honor society — Alpha Pi — was recognized recently (Oct. 30) with the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award by the national executive board at the organization’s President’s Conference in Louisiana.

Lawrence was selected for the honor from among 39 colleges and universities in the United States whose Lambda Sigma chapters include members of the top 10 percent of each school’s sophomore class. The organization’s mission focuses on leadership, scholarship, fellowship and service.

According to chapter president Jaclyn Kottman, Lawrence’s 2009-10 chapter of 34 sophomores contributed more than 1,500 hours of community service last year on projects ranging from a canned food drive in the Fox Cities to making holiday cards for local nursing homes and hospitals to serving healthy snacks to students studying in the library for final exams.

Alpha Pi also received Honor Chapter status at the conference while Cam Blegen ’12, Whitefish Bay, co-chair of the chapter’s service committee, was awarded one of five $500 scholarships presented to an outstanding Lambda Sigma member.

Linda Fuerst, volunteer coordinator of alumni and constituency engagement, serves as the chapter’s advisor.

Six Students Earn Top Honors in State Singing Competition

Highlighted by Evan Bravos’ second straight state title, six Lawrence University students earned first-place honors at the 2010 Wisconsin chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition held Nov. 5-6 at UW-Milwaukee.

Bravos, of St. Charles, Ill, won the men’s Upper Level Music Theater Division, after winning the senior men’s division in 2009.

Also winning their respective divisions were Alex York, Muskego, freshman men; Tory Wood, Escanaba, Mich., sophomore women; Luke Randall, Edina, Minn., sophomore men; Rachel Graber, St. Paul, Minn., junior women; and Ally Kunath, Park Ridge, Ill., junior women.

Thirteen of Lawrence’s 61 student entries advanced to the competition finals. In addition to the six winners, four Lawrence students earned second-place honors and two were awarded third place. The first-place finishers each received $150 for their winning efforts, while second- and third-place finishers received $125 and $100, respectively.

The 2010 auditions drew more than 500 singers from around the state who competed in 20 separate divisions by gender and level. Depending upon the category, NATS competitors are required to sing two, three or four classical pieces from different time periods with at least one selection sung in a foreign language.

Lawrence place winners with their category and (teacher) include:

First-Place Honors
• Alex York, freshman men (Steven Spears)
• Tory Wood, sophomore women (Patrice Michaels)
• Luke Randall, sophomore men (Ken Bozeman)
• Rachel Graber, junior women (tie) (John Gates)
• Allie Kunath, junior women (tie) (Joanne Bozeman)
• Evan Bravos, upper level music theater men (Ken Bozeman)

Second-Place Honors
• Ian Koziara, freshman men (Steven Spears)
• Anna Valcour, sophomore women (Joanne Bozeman)
• Clare Bohrer, junior women (Patrice Michael)
• Sarah Brannon, senior women (Ken Bozeman)

Third-Place Honors
• Zoie Reams, freshman women (John Gates)
• Stefan Egerstrom, senior men (Ken Bozeman)

Former U.S. Ambassador, Visiting Scarff Professor Discusses Status, Future of Eastern Europe

With the perspective of a 35-year career as a U.S. foreign service officer, former Ambassador Rudolf Perina shares his insights on the current state of affairs and prospects for the future for Eastern Europe in the opening address of the 2010-11 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies.

Perina presents “Europe’s Post-Cold War Conflicts: The Prospects for Peace in the Successor States to Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union,” Monday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Ambassador Rudolph Perina

Drawing upon his experiences as head of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade in the mid-1990s and as U.S. Special Negotiator for Eurasian Conflicts from 2001-04, Perina will discuss the major regional wars — the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Transnistria conflict in what is now Moldova, the Abkhazia conflict in Georgia, and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — which accompanied” the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.

The talk also will explore what the conflicts shared in common and examine the prospects for the future given the varying degrees of stalemate and uneasy truce that exists in the region.

Perina is spending the fall term teaching in the Lawrence government department as the Distinguished Visiting Scarff Professor. The professorship was established in 1989 by Edward and Nancy Scarff in memory of their son, Stephen, a member of the Lawrence class of 1975, who died in an automobile accident in 1984. It brings civic leaders and scholars to Lawrence to provide broad perspectives on the central issues of the day.

Born in Tabor, Czechoslovakia, four months before the end of World War II in Europe, Perina immigrated to the United States with his family in 1951. Growing up in New York, Cleveland and Seattle, he graduated from the University of Chicago and earned a Ph.D. in European history from Columbia University. Inspired by German-born Henry Kissinger, he joined the U.S. Department of State in 1974, specializing in Russian, East European, German and NATO affairs.

During his career, he served in Moscow, Berlin and Brussels and spent 1998-2001 as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

Perina retired from the U.S. foreign service in 2006, but continues to accept occasional assignments from the state department. Earlier this year he served two months as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Other career appointments include:
• U.S. Embassy in Ottawa (1975-76)
• State Department NATO desk (1976-78)
• U.S. Embassy in Moscow (1979-81)
• U.S. Mission in Berlin, 1981-85,
• U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, 1985-87
• Director, European and Soviet Affairs, National Security Council staff, 1987-89
• Deputy Chairman, U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Confidence & Security Building Measures in Europe, 1989-1992
• Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, 1993-96
• Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, 1996-97
• Deputy Director, State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, 2004-06
• Chargé d’Affaires, U.S Embassy, Chisinau, Moldova, 2006
• Chargé d’Affaires, U.S Embassy, Yerevan, Armenia, 2007
• Senior State Department inspector, 2008

Annual Lawrence University Alternative Giving Fair Offers Humanitarian Gifts, Hope

Shoppers can get a head start on their holiday gift giving Sunday, Nov. 7 at Lawrence University’s fourth annual alternative giving fair in the Warch Campus Center. The fair, which runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., is free and open to the public.

The fair features a marketplace of booths with more than two dozen opportunities to support grassroots organizations involved in humanitarian projects around the world through the “purchase” of alternative/nontraditional “gifts.” Shoppers can donate to organizations involved in a wide range of projects that provide meals for children in Indonesia, medical supplies for children’s hospital in Kenya or solar-powered computers for a rural school in Honduras.

Cards with inserts that describe the cause the shopper chooses will be available so that the purchaser can present them to family and friends in the form of an “alternative gift” for the holidays.

“The alternative giving fair is designed to get the holiday season off to a hopeful and positive start,” said Laura Streyle, president of the organization Students Working Against Hunger and Poverty (SWAHP), which is sponsoring the event. “The amount of collaboration across campus and between Lawrence and the Fox Valley community to nurture the fair will hopefully provide satisfying fruit for all who attend.”

The fair also features tangible gifts hand-crafted by artisans in developing countries such as baskets, jewelry, scarves and hand bags provided by Globally Sound as well as other fair trade items. Live music will be performed by Lawrence students throughout the day and refreshments will be available.

Lawrence Helps Commemorate 20th Anniversary of Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities Program

Lawrence University will host a series of events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Fox Cities-Kurgan, Russia Sister Cities Program Nov. 4-5. All events are free and open to the public.

The 30-member University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra performs Thursday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center. The orchestra performs with traditional Russian instruments, including the bayan, balalaika and the domra.

Three presentations will be conducted Friday morning, Nov. 5 in the Warch Campus Center.

Long-time Lawrence administrator Chuck Lauter, one of the founders and former president of the Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities program, and is wife, Estella, share stories of Russia and her people in the presentation “Reflecting on Past Years of Friendship” at 9 a.m. Chuck Lauter spent 31 years at Lawrence as dean of students, dean of off-campus programs and international student advisor, before retiring in 2000. He has led numerous trips to Kurgan.

Two faculty members of Kurgan State University, Larisa Zhirova, senior lecturer of English and Natalya Bochegova, dean of the philological department, present “Perspectives on Change” at 10:30 a.m.

A panel discussion and audience question-and-answer session featuring Zhirova, Bochegova, Kurgan city councilman and head of the Kurgan Small Business Development organization Ivan Kamshilov and journalist Elena Ovchinnikova, chairwoman of the Kurgan Journalism Union, will be conducted at 11:15 a.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Receives B+ on College Sustainability Report Card

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

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

Click here for the details.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Stuart Winter '83 and Bennett Pang '11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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