Appleton

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.

APPLETON, WIS. — A $2.5 million bequest from an anonymous donor has given Lawrence University’s scholarship funds its third million-dollar-plus gift in the past six weeks the college announced today (9/11).

The donor, a long-time Wisconsin resident who graduated from Lawrence in 1936, designated the gift for the college’s general scholarship endowment.

Cal Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations, said the donor was a product of “the greatest generation” who enjoyed quietly helping others.

“She was very appreciative of her Lawrence education and took a lot of pride in Lawrence’s standing in the community. She had a high regard for the quality of the people associated with Lawrence,” said Husmann. “Throughout her life she was very supportive of Lawrence, her church and numerous other organizations, but never liked any special attention or fuss made about her. She was especially happy she was able to help out her alma mater with a gift of this magnitude that will assist future generations of students obtain a Lawrence education.”

Three gifts totaling more than $5.2 million have been donated for Lawrence scholarship support since August 1. Lawrence officials previously announced gifts of $1.6 from the estate of F. Stansbury Young, a 1936 graduate and a $1.125 million gift from the trust of Amond “Ralph” and Marjorie Ballinger, two long-time Appleton residents. These gifts are added to the college’s endowment, with approximately 5 percent of the endowed funds used each year for scholarship support.

“Lawrence’s endowment is directly related to our future vitality,” said Husmann. “We are honored that these donors have decided to invest in Lawrence in this most thoughtful fashion.”

APPLETON, WIS. — For the 10th consecutive year, Lawrence University has landed among the top quarter of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 “America’s Best Colleges” report released today (8/22).

Lawrence was the top-ranked institution in Wisconsin and 56th overall among 248 national colleges and universities in the magazine’s “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category.

Among the factors used in determining the rankings, Lawrence again had strong showings in the areas of graduation rate (79 percent), acceptance rate (56 percent), percent of classes with fewer than 20 students (75 percent) and alumni giving rate (46 percent).

“We’re happy that U.S. News continues to recognize Lawrence as being among the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges,” said Director of Admissions Ken Anselment. “But we also remind students that these rankings — while interesting and fun to talk about — never give you all the information you need to make a good decision about a college. Campus visits are a much better way for students and their families to evaluate whether a college’s academics, community and environment are the right fit.”

In its report, U.S. News also includes lists and rankings of a wide variety of other niche categories. In a survey of guidance counselors from America’s best high schools who were asked which liberal arts colleges they think offer the best education to their students, Lawrence was ranked 42nd nationally. And in a reaffirmation of its status as a residential campus, Lawrence tied for 29th nationally in the percentage of students (97) who reside in university-provided housing.

Williams College, the top-ranked institution the past five years in the national liberal arts college category, shared the no. 1 ranking this year with Amherst College, last year’s runner-up. Swarthmore College was ranked third. Ivy Leaguers Harvard, Princeton and Yale were ranked first, second and third, respectively, in U.S. News’ national universities category.

In compiling its annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide, U.S. News & World Report evaluates nearly 1,500 of the nation’s public and private four-year schools, using data from 15 separate indicators of academic excellence such as peer assessment, selectivity, graduation rates, student retention, faculty resources and alumni satisfaction. Each factor is assigned a “weight” that reflects the magazine editor’s judgment as to how much that measure matters. Each school’s composite weighted score is then compared to peer institutions to determine final rankings.

Institutions are divided into several distinct categories. In addition to the best liberal arts college category that measures national institutions like Lawrence, other rankings are based on universities that grant master and doctorate degrees and colleges that are considered “regional” institutions.

APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University is the top-ranked undergraduate institution in Wisconsin and 68th best in the nation according to a recently released report on America’s top colleges by Forbes.com.

Hailing it as “an alternative” to the annual rankings done by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes has ventured into the college rankings business for the first time with the release of its own “America’s Best Colleges” list.

The Forbes.com report ranks 569 of the nation’s 4,000 colleges and universities without regard for size. Forbes.com says it used data from a variety of sources to help answer questions from a student’s perspective: How good will my professors be? Will the school help me achieve notable career success? If I have to borrow money to pay for college, how deeply will I go into debt? What are the chances I will graduate in four years? Are the students and faculty recognized nationally, or even globally?

In addition to finishing first among 10 ranked Wisconsin institutions, Lawrence also was ranked on Forbes.com’s list ahead of such traditional heavyweights as the University of California-Berkeley (73), Duke University (80) and the Ivy League’s Cornell University (121) and Dartmouth College (127). Princeton University, California Institute of Technology and Harvard University were ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the report.

“We’re happy that Forbes has discovered what a lot of people already know about Lawrence: with our excellent faculty and extraordinary focus on individualized learning, Lawrence is a place that has a meaningful and transformational effect on its students,” said Ken Anselment, director of admissions. “Of course, no ranking report — no matter how favorable — is a substitute for a thoughtful college search that includes visits to the campuses a student is seriously considering.”

In compiling its rankings, Forbes.com applied a strong student perspective, basing its points system on the quality of the education the college or university provides and how much their students achieve. Its methodology was developed by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder in conjunction with researchers at the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

Three factors determined the remaining 50 percent of an institution’s score: the average amount of student debt at graduation held by students who borrowed; the percentage of students who graduated in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards such as Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

Forbes.com used seven million student evaluations of college courses and professors from the Web site RateMyProfessors.com, for 25 percent of the score. The remaining quarter of the score was based on the number of the school’s alumni, adjusted for enrollment, listed in “Who’s Who in America.”

Generally speaking, smaller liberal arts colleges, with their personal attention and strong faculties, fare well in Forbes.com’s rankings, while larger state schools performed poorly. Eight liberal arts colleges were ranked among the top 20 institutions nationally, including two in the top five, Swarthmore (4) and Williams (5). Many of the large state universities landed well down Forbes.com’s list, including UW-Madison (335), the University of Arizona (383) and the University of Minnesota (524).

APPLETON, WIS. — A gift of more than $1.6 million from the trust of a family with deep roots to Lawrence University will help future generations of students interested in the theatre obtain a Lawrence education college officials announced today (8/14).

The gift from the estate of F. Stansbury (Stans) Young will be directed to the F. Theodore Cloak Scholarship. It was the second gift of more than $1 million for scholarship support Lawrence has received in the past month.

The Cloak Scholarship, established in 1969, honors former professor Ted Cloak, the founder of Lawrence’s theatre department and supports theatre arts majors with financial need on the basis of talent and promise.

Cloak, who taught at Lawrence from 1929 until his retirement in 1969, was a close friend and mentor to Young, who enjoyed a long career with Thilmany Pulp & Paper Company in Kaukauna. Young died in 2003.

“The Young family’s ties to Lawrence span nearly the entire history of the college,” said Calvin Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations. “Stans’ years working at Thilmany and staying in touch with his alma mater and his home town prompted his desire to carry forward his family’s impressive tradition of giving to the college. We are deeply grateful for Stans’ years of generosity and this ultimate gift to benefit students studying theatre at Lawrence.”

F. Stansbury Young, who earned a degree in chemistry from Lawrence in 1936, has extensive family connections to Appleton and the college dating to his grandparents. Emory and Mary Anne Phinney Humphrey Stansbury were both trustees of Lawrence in the late 1800s. In 1859, Mary Anne Stansbury became the 24th graduate in Lawrence history — and at age 16, also its youngest.

In 1996, Young established the Carmen N. and F. Stansbury Young Scholarship in honor of his wife, a 1931 Lawrence graduate. Young went on to name a space in Lawrence’s new Science Hall in the late 1990s. Young’s uncle, Karl Stansbury, established several funds at the college, as well as named the Stansbury Theatre in Lawrence’s Music-Drama Center.

APPLETON, WIS. — A $1.125 million gift from the trust of two former long-time Appleton residents will provide financial assistance to Lawrence University students from low-income families college officials announced today (8/1).

The Raymond C. Krueger Industrialist Scholarship will be established by a gift from the trust of Amond “Ralph” and Marjorie Ballinger. The scholarship honors Marjorie’s father, a 1914 graduate of Lawrence.

“This gift was really like an unexpected Christmas present,” said Calvin Husmann, Lawrence vice president for development and alumni relations. “It is gratifying to know that the Ballingers felt such passion for ensuring students with financial need would have the opportunity to receive a Lawrence education. Their action is evidence of what thoughtful members of the Fox Valley community can do for students wishing to study here at Lawrence.”

The Ballingers spent most of their lives in Appleton and were generous supporters of many Fox Valley organizations, including the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin and the Appleton Medical Center Foundation as well as The Post-Crescent-sponsored Backpacks for Kids program and the Stock the Shelves Campaign for area food pantries. They also were long-time members of First United Methodist Church, where they first met at a singles gathering in 1948.

Marjorie Ballinger was a 1928 graduate of Appleton High School and earned a degree from Bowlby’s Business College. She enjoyed a 30-year career with Fox River Tractor Company, retiring in 1970. She died last August at the age of 87.

Amond Ballinger, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, spent 28 years with the United States Department of Defense, retiring as a quality assurance specialist. He served as a supply officer for the Outagamie Chapter of the American Red Cross for more than 12 years. He passed away at the age of 84 in March of this year.