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Traveling National Exhibition on Lincoln Makes Six-Week Stop at Lawrence University

A traveling exhibition examining President Lincoln’s efforts toward the abolition of slavery during the Civil War will make its only appearance in Wisconsin during a six-week stay in Lawrence University’s Seeley G. Mudd Library.

Lawrence, one of only 40 sites in the country the exhibition will visit, hosts “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” Jan. 21, 2004 – March 5. The exhibition will be located on the south end of the library’s second floor.

Displayed on two 75-foot-long sectioned panels, the exhibition features reproductions of rare historical documents, period photographs and illustrative material, including engravings, lithographs, cartoons and miscellaneous political items.

The exhibition is divided into distinct sections starting with young Lincoln’s America in the early 19th century. Covering the next 30 years, it also chronicles the spread of slavery into the western territories, the war to preserve the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation, the role of black soldiers in the Civil War and the final months of Lincoln’s life. Enhancing the exhibition will be a display of collections from Lawrence’s own Lincoln Reading Room.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Lawrence is sponsoring a series of public lectures, highlighted by an opening address by noted historian and author Ronald C. White, Jr.

Based on his best-selling 2002 book of the same name, White will present “Lincoln’s Greatest Speech,” Thursday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. A professor of American intellectual and religious history at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, White has drawn critical praise for his book, which takes Lincoln’s brief — it was only 701 words in length — second inaugural address of 1865 and places the remarks in historical context, demonstrating how Lincoln attempted to shape public sentiment through the power of eloquent and carefully calculated rhetoric.

In addition to White’s address, two other public lectures will be conducted during the exhibition’s stay. Lawrence University associate professor of history Jerald Podair will present “Back Door to Freedom: The Paradoxes of the Emancipation Proclamation” Feb. 3, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wriston auditorium. Lawrence assistant professor of English Faith Barrett will deliver the address “Drums Off the Phantom Battlement: American Poets and the Civil War,” Feb. 10, 2004 at 4 p.m. in the Wriston auditorium.

In collaboration with the Appleton Public Library, a series of book discussions, led by Lawrence faculty members, also will be held while the exhibition is here. The schedule includes: Jan. 28, James McPherson’s “Ordeal by Fire,” led by historian Rex Myers; Feb. 18, Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” led by assistant professor of history Monica Rico; and March 10, Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” led by Susan Richards, director of the Lawrence library. All three programs will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Appleton Public Library’s lower level.

“We are certainly excited about the many opportunities the ‘Forever Free’ exhibit provides, both for our students and the community at large,” said Richards. “Through the format of a traveling exhibit, we are able to support teaching and learning in a way we typically haven’t done before while also enabling us to showcase some of the outstanding books and documents in our own Lincoln Reading Room.

“We hope that the topic itself, Abraham Lincoln’s own struggle to come to terms with the abolition of slavery, will entice interested members of the community to visit the Lawrence library, see this high-quality exhibit and hear some excellent speakers. It has been fun working with the Appleton Public Library on this project as well and we look forward to joining forces with them again to provide the Fox Cites with other unique opportunities like this in the future.”

The exhibition itself and all other lectures and events associated with it, are all free and open to the public.

The “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” exhibition has been organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The exhibition was been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in the humanities.

Lawrence University Graduate Confirmed as New Ambassador to India

David Mulford, a 1959 graduate of Lawrence University, has been named the United States’ newest ambassador to India.

A well-known investment banker and current chairman of Credit Suisse International, Mulford was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate this week to serve as the next American envoy to India. He replaces Robert Blackwill, who left New Delhi after a two-year term, to join the National Security Council.

Nominated for the ambassador’s post by President Bush in November, Mulford previously had served as under secretary for international affairs in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.

A native of Rockford, Ill., Mulford earned a Ph.D. from Oxford University after leaving Lawrence and has written two books on Africa. In 1984, Lawrence awarded Mulford an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at its commencement ceremony. A standout football player and track athlete as an undergraduate, he was inducted into Lawrence’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Before joining the government, he was the chief investment adviser to the Saudi Arabia Monetary Fund and a consultant on foreign debt issues.

BusinessWeek Cites Private College Tuition Plan Among Best of 2003

Lawrence University is among a group of colleges that was collectively cited in the December 15 issue of BusinessWeek for launching what the magazine hails as one of the best new products of 2003.

The Independent 529 Plan, a tax-advantaged plan for families to save for tuition at more than 200 participating private colleges, was one of 30 new products highlighted by the publication in its annual list of new and innovative products.

Lawrence was among an original consortium of 50 institutions involved in designing the financial plan, which was launched in September, 2003 after winning approval from both Congress and the IRS.

“In spite of the widespread availability of financial aid, families were growing increasingly uneasy about their ability to finance a high-quality education at Lawrence or one of the other top colleges in the nation, so we felt this program would allow them to secure today’s tuition prices for their children’s future educations,” said Steve Syverson, dean of admissions and financial aid at Lawrence. “The program takes a lot of the guesswork out of planning for financing a top-notch private education.

“We are naturally delighted that BusinessWeek has chosen to include this program on its Best of 2003 list,” Syverson added. “Obviously they join us in seeing this as a real winner of a concept.”

Lawrence is one of only three private colleges in Wisconsin currently participating in the Independent 529 Plan. For more information, visit www.independent529plan.org or call toll-free 888-718-7878.

Lawrence University Biologist Awarded $200,000 Grant for Zebra Mussel Study

The impact of the exploding non-native zebra mussel population on the ecosystem of the bay of Green Bay will be the focus of a three-year study conducted by Lawrence University associate professor of biology Bart De Stasio starting in March 2005. The research project will be funded by a $206,000 grant De Stasio was awarded by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.

A specialist in aquatic biology, especially predator-prey interactions, De Stasio will combine advanced computer modeling with field study research to determine the effects the exotic invader is having in Green Bay on the populations of phytoplankton, benthos, zooplankton and fish species.

Widely considered one of the most productive fisheries in the Great Lakes, Green Bay had been studied extensively prior to the invasion by zebra mussels. But De Stasio’s study will be the first to explore the dramatic changes the coastal ecosystem of Green Bay has undergone since zebra mussels were first discovered there in 1992 and only the third of its kind on the entire Great Lakes basin.

The research project will have three main objectives. One will be to identify information gaps in existing data by conducting field studies on key components of the lower food web at sites that were investigated extensively prior to the zebra mussel invasion as well as analyzing unpublished data from that time period.

The research project will have three main objectives. One will be to identify information gaps in existing data by conducting field studies on key components of the lower food web at sites that were investigated extensively prior to the zebra mussel invasion as well as analyzing unpublished data from that time period.

The study’s third objective will involve the construction of a dynamic energy/mass balance-flow ecosystem model of Green Bay that can be used for comparison with current modeling efforts done for the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake in New York.

“Green Bay is an ideal site for this project because of the abundance of good data that had been collected by other scientists and researchers prior to the arrival of the zebra mussel,” De Stasio said. “This study will provide a great opportunity to collect new data and create ecosystems models that will be invaluable to others who are also studying this problem. We want to establish collaborations with researchers at Cornell University and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources so we can determine the impact the zebra mussel is having on similar ecosystems not just in northeast Wisconsin but throughout the entire Great Lakes region.”

The grant will enable two Lawrence students to join De Statio as technicians and summer research assistants each year of the study as well as support one graduate student at UW-Green Bay.

With the support of a 1995 National Science Foundation grant, De Stasio previously established a baseline data set for ecological and genetic dynamics to measure the impact of zebra mussels on the Lake Winnebago watershed.

Native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia, the fingernail-sized zebra mussels are believed to have arrived in the Great Lakes via ballast water discharged from a transoceanic vessel into Lake St. Clair, near Detroit in 1988. Since their discovery, they have spread rapidly to all of the Great Lakes and waterways in many states, as well as Ontario and Quebec. By 1998, they had reached Lake Winnebago.

While most of the biological impacts of zebra mussels in North America are not yet known, information from Europe suggests zebra mussels have the potential to severely impact native mussels by interfering with their feeding, growth, locomotion, respiration and reproduction. They are notorious for their capabilities to colonize water supply pipes of power plants, public water supply plants and other industrial facilities, constricting flow and reducing the intake capacity in heat exchangers, condensers, fire fighting equipment and air conditioning and cooling systems.

A 1982 Lawrence graduate, De Stasio earned his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University. He joined the Lawrence biology department in 1992 and was named a recipient of the Appleton Joint Rotary Clubs’ 1998 “Cutting Edge” award for leadership and innovation in education.

Two Lawrence University Actors Selected for Irene Ryan Regional Competition

Exceptional performances in Lawrence University’s recent production of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” have earned students Brendan Marshall-Rashid and Matt Murphy invitations to the 2004 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition as part of the annual American College Theatre Festival.

Marshall-Rashid, a senior from Petoskey, Mich., and Murphy, a sophomore from Eagan, Minn., will be among 200 student actors participating in the five-state regional competition January 13-18, 2004 at Illinois State University in Normal, Ill.

In Lawrence’s four-show production staged last month, Marshall-Rashid played the leading role of Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, while Murphy portrayed Autolycus, a vagrant thief who ends up aiding the princess of Sicilia and the prince of Bohemia.

Participants in the regional acting audition vie for two $500 scholarships and the chance to advance to the ACTF’s national auditions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., next spring.

The ACTF was founded in 1969 to recognize and celebrate the finest and most exciting work produced in college theatre programs and provide opportunities for participants to develop their theatre skills. Conducted since 1972, the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship was established in the will of the late actress, best known for her role as the lovable and feisty Granny Clampett on the TV hit show “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

Lawrence University Violinist Wins State Strings Competition

Lawrence University violinist Claude Halter won the senior division of the 2003 Wisconsin American String Teachers Association (ASTA) competition Saturday, Nov. 8 held at the University of Wisconsin. A junior from Vicennes, France, and a student of assistant professor Stephane Tran Ngoc, Halter performed the first movement of the Sibelius’ “Violin Concerto” and Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz-Scherzo.” He earned $100 as a first-place prize.

By winning the state competition, Halter qualifies for the semifinals of ASTA’s national competition, which will be conducted by audio tape of state performances. A jury will select participants to perform in the national finals, which will be held March 11-13, 2004 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

National Survey Reaffirms Lawrence University’s Excellence in Undergraduate Education

Lawrence University ranks among the top schools in the nation when it comes to providing a high quality undergraduate educational experience according to a just-released national study of effective educational practices.

The 2003 Report of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), co-sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning, details the results from a nation-wide survey of 185,000 first-year students and seniors at 649 four-year colleges and universities.

The student engagement survey was developed by education assessment experts as an alternative to the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, which have been criticized for placing too much weight on institutional reputation and selectivity in admissions rather than on actual educational outcomes.

The survey annually provides comparative standards for determining how effectively colleges and universities are contributing to student learning based on five measured benchmarks: level of academic challenge; active and collaborative learning; student-faculty interaction; enriching educational experiences; and a supportive campus environment.

Lawrence scored high on all five benchmarks, regularly outscoring the composite mean for the national comparison group of all colleges and universities participating in the survey. Lawrence placed in the top 20 percent of all institutions in all but one instance and in the top 10 percent for the measures “level of academic challenge” and “enriching educational experiences.”

The NSSE benchmark measures assess the extent to which undergraduate students are involved in educational practices empirically linked to high levels of learning and development. Research over the past 30 years has shown that student engagement is critical to successful educational outcomes at the undergraduate level and that colleges and universities that encourage close student-faculty interaction, student involvement in collaborative learning and research, and active engagement in extra-curricular activities offer the most effective educational environment for student learning.

“A demanding and rigorous liberal education, fostered through individual engagement, close interaction between students and faculty members, and a supportive campus environment, is the essence of a Lawrence education,” said president Richard Warch. “Having Lawrence place among the top colleges and universities that participated in a national survey on effective educational practices, one that measures how students are actually learning, is a satisfying reaffirmation of what Lawrence does best.”

Among the NSSE’s specific findings were:

On the measure “enriching educational experiences,” Lawrence scored higher, for both first-year students and seniors, than 90 percent of the 649 four-year institutions participating in this year¹s study.

On the measure “level of academic challenge,” Lawrence’s score, for both first-year students and seniors, was better than 90 percent of the institutions participating in the study.

On the measure “student-faculty interaction,” Lawrence’s score was higher than that of 90 percent of the participating institutions for seniors, and higher than 80 percent for first-year students.

On the measure of a “supportive campus environment,” Lawrence’s score, for both first-year students and seniors, was greater than approximately 80 percent of the institutions participating in the study.

On the measure “active and collaborative learning,” Lawrence’s score for seniors was higher than 80 percent of the other institutions. The first-year student score was higher than approximately 60 percent of the comparison group.
Additional information on the National Survey of Student Engagement may be found on the NSSE Web site at www.iub.edu/~nsse.

Ross, Soler Share 2003 Lawrence Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Title

Sophomore pianist Joseph Ross and junior violinist Vincent Soler were named co-winners of the 10th annual Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra concerto competition and will perform as soloists in upcoming concerts.

Ross, who studies in the studio of associate professor Michael Kim, will play Bach’s “Concerto no. 1 in D minor” during the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra’s Jan. 31, 2004 concert. Soler, a student of assistant professor Stephane Tran Ngoc, will be the featured soloist in the May 1, 2004 LSO concert, performing “Poeme for violin and orchestra” by Chausson.

Ross, a graduate of Appleton West High School, and Soler, a native of Montbonnet, France, were chosen as this year’s winners from a field of nine finalists. Lawrence conservatory faculty members serve as judges for the competition. Each finalists is required to memorize a full concerto and then play up to 15 minutes worth from memory any part or parts of the concerto chosen by the judges.

The Lawrence concerto competition was started in 1994 to give students the opportunity to perform a full-length work with the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra.

Lawrence University Students Earn Six Firsts at State Singing Competition

Lawrence University conservatory of music students earned first-place honors in six divisions, including both music theatre categories, at the 2003 Wisconsin chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) audition competition held Nov. 7-8 on the Lawrence campus.

Senior Jacob Allen, who finished second a year ago in this competition, and sophomore Jennifer Nummerdor won top honors in the upper college division and lower college music theatre categories, respectively.

Other winning performances included Julie Silver in the sophomore women division; Matthew Vitti in the sophomore men division, Pete Petersen in the junior men division and Patrick Ireland, a 2001 winner in the sophomore division, in the senior and continuing senior men division. Allen, Vitti, and Ireland are students in the voice studio of professor Ken Bozeman. Silver and Nummerdor study under voice professor Karen Leigh-Post and Petersen is a student of Joanne Bozeman.

In addition, Alisa Jordheim, a senior at Appleton North High School who studies with Lawrence voice professor Patrice Michaels, placed first in the high school music theatre division. First-place finishers were awarded $100 for their winning efforts.

A total of 49 Lawrence students and two Lawrence Academy of Music students participated in this year’s NATS competition, with 18 of them advancing to the finals. Second-place honors went to sophomore Brad Grimmer and seniors Ricardo Lesperance (graduate division), Matt Schafer and Rachel McNeill while Andria Helm and Elaine Moran earned third-place honors in the senior women and upper college music theatre divisions, respectively.

The 2003 NATS competition featured 425 singers from colleges and high schools throughout Wisconsin. Depending upon the category, 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. Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Brunssen, a voice professor at Northwestern University, served as guest judge for the competition.

Lawrence University Extends Smoke Free Policy to All Campus Facilities

Citing considerations for the health of students, faculty, staff and campus visitors, Lawrence University President Richard Warch announced Friday that the college would broaden its current non-smoking policy to include all Lawrence-owned facilities beginning July 1, 2004.

The new policy will extend a smoke-free designation to all student residences, college-owned guest houses, the Viking Room in the student union, Lawrence’s study center in London and college-leased vehicles.

Beginning in 1994 with Kohler Hall, a student residence, Lawrence has progressively increased the number of buildings designated as smoke free. Since 2000, smoking has been prohibited in all Lawrence academic buildings and administrative offices, as well as any new or renovated campus buildings.

“As we all know, smoking and second-hand smoke create significant health risks,” said Nancy Truesdell, dean of students at Lawrence. “As a residential institution, of higher education, we want to insure that we are providing a healthy environment for students, employees and those who visit Lawrence.”

When the new all-buildings policy goes into effect, Lawrence will join Cornell, Macalester and St. Olaf colleges as the only institutions among the 14 members of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest to have a ban on smoking in all campus buildings.