President’s Letters, Speeches, & Correspondence

Dear Lawrentians,

Like many of you, I have been carefully following the global outbreak of coronavirus or COVID-19. This past week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed this country’s strategy from one of outbreak containment to acknowledgement that this goal is no longer possible. We must now work to mitigate eventual spread of the virus throughout the United States. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the virus had reached pandemic status, and last night President Trump suspended all travel from Europe, excluding Great Britain, for a 30-day period. 

Our goals as a university are first to protect the health and safety of the campus community, including those members who are at high risk for severe complications from the virus, and to sustain the teaching and learning that are a hallmark of all that we do at Lawrence. Our community prides itself on the enduring relationship between faculty and students, and frequent personal interaction is core to this relationship. But this is difficult to sustain in an environment that asks for limiting in-person interaction.

I write today to share with you updates on how the University plans to address these priorities and ensure that we remain true to our core community values of compassion and respect. While there are currently no known cases of COVID-19 on the Lawrence campus, we recognize that we can no longer continue as usual and still protect all members of our community, especially those most at risk. As a result, and in consultation with faculty, students, and staff, we have determined that the best course of action for Lawrence is to move to distance learning starting Spring Term. This was an extraordinarily difficult decision to make. 

Here is what this decision means for our campus:

Spring Break

Spring Break will begin on March 19, as planned, and will be extended until April 5 to provide faculty and staff additional time to prepare for distance learning. All University-sponsored spring break trips, both domestic and international, are canceled. Students are welcome to stay on campus for spring break, but they cannot travel outside of the immediate vicinity. 

Spring Term Classes

Spring Term (or third term) classes will begin on April 6. Spring Term will end as-scheduled on June 10. Classes will be taught via distance learning. What we mean by distance learning is the delivery of instruction and participation in courses through the use of technology. We recognize that some courses, such as research laboratories, studios, or ensembles, will not easily translate to this format, and we are working closely with faculty to resolve these issues prior to the start of the term. The Provost or individual faculty will be in touch with their students before classes resume. No study abroad programs will run during Spring Term. 

Students can apply to the Dean of Students through this webform to remain on campus for Spring Termif returning home is impossible for various reasons. All other students will be expected to leave campus for the remainder of the academic year by April 5 and will need to plan accordingly. More information regarding move-out is available on the website.

Financial Assistance

Our goal is to ensure individual finances do not impact the important choices that lie ahead for each student and their family. For students who leave campus and complete Spring Term from home, we will remove all on-campus related fees from your bill for the third term such as the final remaining room, board, as well as the student activity fee. Third term tuition still applies. Your financial aid will be adjusted proportionately to reflect the remaining amount due. For students who remain on campus, there will be no change to your third term bill or the financial aid you have already been allotted. We encourage all students to contact Financial Aid if they have any questions regarding their financial need, including their ability to travel home.

University Operations

The University will remain open to provide our students with needed support, including academic and career assistance. Staff will continue to work scheduled hours and will receive regular pay. We will issue guidance for University employees no later than March 19. If staff have any questions in the meantime about remote working options, leave, pay, or other issues, please contact your direct supervisor or Human Resources. 

University-Related Travel

All international travel on behalf of the university is canceled. Domestic travel is allowed only for essential purposes as approved by a member of the President’s Cabinet. Any individual who recently returned from a Category Level 2 or Level 3 country as defined by the CDC is required to self-isolate at an off-campus location for 14 days upon your return. Please note that the CDC recently designated continental Europe as a Level 3 area. Information on self-isolation and monitoring is available on the CDC website. 

Campus Events 

Campus events, such as lectures, theatre productions, musical performances, art exhibits, or other large public gatherings, are canceled for Spring Term. Information regarding Admission visit programs can be found on the website.

Commencement

I realize the decision to move to distance learning impacts the senior class in a unique way. The last term provides time to celebrate a glorious set of cumulative accomplishments. We are committed to helping each senior to complete their Lawrence requirements in time for graduation as well as ensure all students progress towards their degree of choice. Commencement and its surrounding events may need to be modified. We are working to finalize these decisions as quickly as possible and will share our final plans with the senior class and their families by April 15. I promise you that we will do our best to recognize your achievements and celebrate your graduation, even if we cannot all be together on the Main Hall Green.

Due to the rapidly changing nature of this global pandemic, I recognize these changes may elicit many questions. If you have any questions regarding our path forward, please email coronainfo@lawrence.edu, and we will do our best to answer them in a timely fashion.

We will host two live question and answer sessions tomorrow: one for Lawrence faculty and staff at 1:00 p.m. CDT, and one for Lawrence families and students at 3:00 p.m. CDT. Please use this form to submit questions in advance of the webinar.

Also, starting Friday, March 13, through Thursday, March 19, a call center will be dedicated to answering your questions. Please call 920-832-6576 weekdays between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CDT. In addition, please visit the COVID-19 News blog for all recent updates and resources. 

I recognize this decision presents many challenges to our students, faculty, and staff. We have always risen to the challenges that face us with resilience and ingenuity. I know, as we have in the past, we will rise to this challenge and ensure that Lawrence continues to create a learning environment second to none. Thank you all for your patience, dedication, and, most importantly, your tireless work to support our institution. 

Please take care of yourselves, and each other.

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark Burstein

President, Lawrence University

Sampson House, 711 E. Boldt Way | Appleton, WI 54911-5699 | Office 920.832.6525

Dear Lawrence Community,

2020 brings two important moments in civic life: elections at the national, state, and local level, and the completion of the 2020 Census. I want to share information about both of these critical exercises and to ask all members of our community to participate in these important civic events. As we approach this next year we need to commit ourselves to upholding our value of civil discourse and debate as we seek understanding. We also need to respect the free expression of political views by all members of our community.

The 2020 Election Cycle

The 2020 election cycle is in full swing. Iowa holds caucuses today, and the New Hampshire primary is not far behind. They will be followed by dozens of states across the nation in the coming weeks and months. Wisconsin’s presidential primary is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7. Our home state is set to be a battleground in this year’s presidential election. Several important state and local offices are also up for election on April 7, including the mayor of Appleton and a state supreme court justice. These two positions have direct impact on our daily lives here in Appleton. The primary for these state and local races is on February 18. One of the central responsibilities of being a citizen of this country is participation in the democratic process. I encourage all Lawrentians who are eligible to exercise their constitutional right to vote in these important upcoming elections. To be eligible to vote in Wisconsin, you must be at least 18 years old, be a U.S. citizen, and have lived in Appleton for at least 10 consecutive days.

As was the case in previous national election cycles, many politicians or their representatives may visit the Fox Cities, including Lawrence’s campus as they seek to share their message with voters. Lawrence is committed to the free expression of political views by members of our community; the university values civil discourse and debate as an essential underpinning of a liberal arts education. We must also ensure that any political activity on campus complies with state and federal law; the University’s policy governing campus involvement in electoral activity reflects this commitment. Please review this policy and understand our procedures, especially if you belong to an organization or department that is interested in hosting a campaign event on campus. The opportunity to engage with candidates for office provides all Lawrentians with a unique educational experience. I hope to see such opportunities available to our community in the coming months.

The Census

This year offers us the opportunity to exercise another important civic duty: the completion of the 2020 Census on April 1. The census is conducted every 10 years. It counts everyone who currently lives in the United States, regardless of citizenship status. Its results are the basis for congressional representation and help determine how more than $675 billion in federal funds is distributed each year to support vital programs in states and communities across the nation. These funds shape our local health care, housing, education, transportation, employment, and public policy. The better our census completion rate, the more funding our community is eligible to receive.

Lawrence is partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the census, and a campus committee is currently working to get the word out about this important initiative. Please stay tuned in the coming week for more information about the voter registration process and the 2020 Census to be shared via email, in the LU Insider, or through other communication channels.

We must engage compassionately with community members during this election season. We live in a truly polarized moment for our nation. It is difficult to find objective news sources; at times it can even be hard to converse respectfully with friends, family, and colleagues.  In this environment, we must uphold the tenets of our community: respect for others; openness to different, challenging ideas; and reliance on research and non-partisan sources to help determine our decision.

I look forward to connecting with our campus, local, and national communities in the coming year as we engage in the democratic process and help to set the course for our collective future.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the news that Terry Franke ’68 passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 73 with family at his side. Terry served as the chair of Lawrence’s Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2015, a capstone to five decades of service. During this extraordinary service to his alma mater he provided calm, insightful leadership and mentored countless students, alumni, and fellow Board members. 

Terry’s passion, unbounded energy, and strategic vision have carried Lawrence successfully forward. As Board chair, he delivered steady guidance during a time of great transition. His connection to Lawrentians on and off campus and his persistent support of many aspects of our learning community has had an extraordinary impact on the University. As Board chair during the presidential transition, Terry’s leadership ultimately brought me to the Lawrence community in 2013 as the University’s 16th president. He provided an essential sounding board during my first years in role. I know many Lawrentians join me in remembering moments when Terry’s advice offered exactly what you needed to hear to be the best version of yourself.

During his 16 years as a trustee, Terry chaired the Board’s Investment Committee during a critical time period, stewarding the endowment through the Great Recession of the late 2000s. His recruitment of many talented Lawrentians to that Committee fostered a decade of sustained endowment growth through appreciation and new gifts. Thanks to his leadership and the efforts and investments of many others, our endowment doubled during this period to more than $350 million today. It was also during his time leading the Board that we launched the Full Speed to Full Need campaign to support student scholarships. Upon leaving the Board four years later, he was honored by an anonymous donor, who gave a $1 million gift to establish the Terry and Mary Franke Scholarship Fund. 

Terry was a dedicated member of the Lawrence community from the moment he stepped on campus as a student in 1964. Since graduating in 1968, he fostered and maintained connections, sharing his time and knowledge with alumni, as well as current and future Lawrentians. He was always ready to lend a hand as an event volunteer, an admissions volunteer, and a member of reunion committees. He took particular joy in mentoring student interns at his consulting businesses. As a proud member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, he connected often with past and current fraternity members. 

Terry spent most of his professional career at Hewitt Associates, where he was a senior partner. He also served as a senior consultant for Productive Strategies Inc., a management and marketing consulting firm based in Northfield, Illinois, and Franke Associates, a consulting firm focused on clients in the higher education sector.

You can read more about Terry’s service to Lawrence in a moving tribute to his life and service here. We will share details on a Lawrence gathering to celebrate his life at a later date.

On a personal note, I will miss Terry immensely as a mentor, sounding board, and friend. I will especially miss seeing him hold court in the Viking Room during his frequent visits to campus. I know I am joined by many others in our community, as well as his family, friends, and colleagues, in mourning this loss and celebrating the life of this true Lawrentian.

Sincerely,

Mark

Dear Campus Community,

On November 12, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Lawrence was one of 164 colleges and universities from across the country who signed an amicus brief in support of the litigation to uphold the program. While the Supreme Court could issue a ruling any time until the end of June 2020, many of us on campus are reading news stories that attempt to discern the court’s potential leanings. I can only imagine how unsettling this news may be to members of our community whose life at Lawrence and beyond could be affected by potential changes to this program.

In light of this uncertain moment, we encourage members of our community to share any questions or concerns about your status or the DACA program with Kimberly Barrett, vice president for diversity and inclusion, Brittany Bell, assistant dean of students and director of the Diversity and Intercultural Center, or Leah McSorley, associate dean of students for international student services. Resources for students, faculty, and staff are also available on our website. Confidential counseling is also available at the Wellness Center and at the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.

The university remains committed to supporting every student on our campus regardless of their immigration status. We will continue to offer institutional financial aid for students who do not hold a U.S. passport. We will continue to recruit faculty and staff from around the world, and we will continue to provide support and resources to undocumented students and ones with global backgrounds.  

A core value of this university is to ensure that Lawrence remains open to academically prepared students from all backgrounds. We are proud of our immigrant community and we are proud to support the national efforts to sustain their opportunity to succeed and thrive here at Lawrence. In the words of the brief we signed, “[We] have seen firsthand the positive effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals… [T]housands of talented and hard-working young people have made significant and wide-ranging contributions to [our] campuses. They form a key part of our campus life and as institutions we benefit greatly from the energy and academic excellence they bring.”

Yours,

Mark

Our weather is starting to cool down now, but fire has been on my mind and in the news this summer. Over the past two months the world has become aware of the significant increase in fires that threaten the Amazon. The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research as of August 23rd tracked close to 73,000 fires in that country since the beginning of this year. More than half occurred in the Amazon. The equivalent of one and a half soccer fields of rainforest have been consumed every minute of every day this year, an 80% increase from last year. Many tie these events to both the pressure for additional grazing land for cattle which provides critical livelihood for local inhabitants, and the now implicit support of this land usage by a new federal government in Brazil.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Amazon spans eight countries and covers 40% of South America – an area that is nearly two-thirds as large as the United States. This forest absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and produces about 20% of the earth’s oxygen. Many refer to the Amazon as “the planet’s lungs”. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe the Amazon fires will have a devastating impact on the Earth’s ability to produce oxygen and to generate rain – including the precipitation essential for farms here, in the Midwest. These fires also impact biodiversity. The Amazon is home to large numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, most of them unique to the region. A new plant or animal species is discovered there every two days.

Other parts of the world are also burning. Hotter, drier weather has created fire conditions from Alaska and the Arctic to the Canary Islands and California. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the global temperature for the month of July was the highest since recording began in 1880.
In addition to the environmental impact of these fires, the spectacular pictures brought to mind the scholarship of Lawrence Professor of History and Latin American Studies, Jake Frederick. He teaches us that fire through history has represented domestication, conflict, and consumption. But these fires which consume many parts of the world fall into a different category he suggests, fire as foe.

July in Appleton was hotter than usual, but we felt the impact of the climate crisis more directly this past winter when a polar vortex descended in late January. It brought temperatures lower than 40 below, which established new records throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. The Governor declared a state of emergency. Schools were closed and basic services like the US Postal Service ceased.
Some of us, expecting the planet to be warming not cooling, did not immediately connect our arctic weather with the climate crisis. But some climatologists now believe that warming air in the Arctic forced colder conditions south into the Upper Midwest.

The inconveniences we experienced last winter, missed classes and practices, frozen pipes and ears – paled in comparison to the challenges that face people in other places. The citizens of island countries in the Pacific, for example, directly confront the problem of rising oceans, because their island homes crest only 3 to 4 feet above sea level. As the ocean rises, some countries have begun to try to raise land levels or to plan for total and permanent evacuation of their island homes.

Weather related events have displaced an average of 24 million people every year since 2008. The World Bank estimates that another 143 million people will be displaced by 2050 in just three regions: sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. According to estimates from Swiss Re, an insurance company, natural disasters caused 165 billion dollars of economic losses worldwide in 2018.

These losses and displacements illustrate the impact of a global climate crisis. Increased frequency of destructive storms, rising water levels due to melting ice caps, and changing weather patterns now affect millions of people every year. Twenty years ago, I worked in West Harlem with Peggy Shepard, executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice and recipient of a Lawrence honorary degree in 2018. She taught me that the impact of the climate crisis hits low income populations the hardest. According to a study by the World Bank, 100 million people could be forced into extreme poverty by 2020 as their home environments deteriorate due to climate induced changes in weather patterns.

As an institution that prepares students to be citizens of this nation and others around the world, we have developed many initiatives that offer insight into this central global challenge. Our Environmental Studies program provides excellent opportunities to learn about environmental systems from economic, policy, cultural, biological, chemical, and geoscience perspectives. Thanks to a grant from the Margret A. Cargill Foundation, and leadership by both special assistant to the president, Professor Jeff Clark, and our sustainability coordinator Kelsey McCormick, we are turning the Appleton and Door County campuses into living laboratories. Within these communities we have opportunity to learn about the choices we make through daily habits that affect the environment. They also lead the University’s effort to conserve resources and lessen our environmental impact on our surrounding communities. We have hosted numerous speakers who work on this central issue – including our own David Gerard, the John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System, who gave a convocation in 2015 that helped us understand the economics of climate change.

But our efforts and those of colleges across the country to clarify the most important challenge the human race will face over the next decade are easier said than done. Researchers help us to understand the forces that work against our best efforts. Riley Dunlap and Aaron McCright among others have shown that political and economic forces have worked to discredit climate science. In an article entitled “The Politicization of Climate Change and Polarization in the American Public’s View of Global Warming,” they detail the effect of those forces on our awareness of this problem. Using the Gallup Organization’s annual environmental poll for a ten year period, Dunlap and McCright also clarify the impact of both political beliefs and college education on people’s views on climate change.

Dunlap and McCright found that 82% of college graduates who identified as liberals or Democrats believed that climate change existed, and that human activity is a contributing factor to climate change. 62% of liberals or Democrats without a college degree had the same view. Among those with a college degree who identified as conservative or Republican, 43% believed that climate change existed. 42% of conservatives or Republicans without a college degree had the same view.

There are at least two remarkable aspects of this data. First, political beliefs significantly influence one’s view of the climate crisis. Second, and maybe even more important for us, a college education has little impact on students’ understanding of climate science if they identify as conservative or Republican. I am concerned the Lawrence community may follow both of these patterns, in which political belief supersedes scientific facts.

But even those who agree that a climate crisis is real approach the issue now with an incapacitating fatigue. In Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, Bill McKibben stated “Climate change has become such a familiar term that we tend to read past it – it’s part of our mental furniture, like urban sprawl or gun violence.”
To correct this attitude the American Meteorological Society now suggests using the phrase “climate crisis.” Even though extreme weather has become common place, they ask that descriptions include the unusual nature of events. For example, there are locations in the US that now, repeatedly, experience what was once considered a flood that should happen only every 500 years. They ask meteorologists to describe such events so that all of us will understand what should be extraordinary has now become ordinary. But no amount of improved communication seems to weaken the feeling that this crisis is inevitable. That nothing we do can change the course of this unfolding natural disaster. This attitude prevents important interventions.

Dunlap and McCright finished their study in 2011, but the division between those who do and those who do not accept the urgency of the climate crisis has persisted. A survey completed by the Yale program on Climate Change Communications in 2018 continued to find stark differences in people’s views according to their political affiliation. They found that 52% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats believe that global warming is happening. It appears that our deeply divided social environment continues to extend to views on the climate crisis. In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece Jim Mattis, President Trump’s first Secretary of Defense, described our situation this way: “We are dividing into hostile tribes cheering against each other, fueled by emotion and mutual disdain that jeopardizes our future, instead of rediscovering our common ground and finding solutions.”

This adversarial approach that ignores the need for policy to protect our environment is a relatively new phenomenon. For generations, leaders of the United States held a more common view of environmental issues. When asked who the “greenest” president of the United States was, leaders of twelve national environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, The Nature Conservancy, and the Sierra Club chose Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama as the top four presidents, in that order. Two Republicans, and two Democrats. Conservation was central to Teddy Roosevelt’s vision for America’s future. He preserved land and natural beauty at the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and hundreds of other locations across the country. Richard Nixon founded the Environmental Protection Agency, banned DDT, and created the regulatory infrastructure that continues to this day. But this public consensus is disappearing.

The lack of consensus brought Frank Bruni to suggest in an opinion piece in the New York Times that “Dogs Will Fix Our Broken Democracy.” His recent experience as a dog owner made him realize that dogs provide the impetus to interact outside of one’s prescribed group. People are no longer conservatives or progressives. Instead, they are “Bandit’s” owner or pet sitting “Daisy.” As a new dog owner myself, I agree with Bruni that owning a dog widens your social circles immensely and scooping up poop is a great social leveler. But I do not believe that requiring every Lawrentian to own a dog is the right solution for our community.

So, if dog ownership will not energize every Lawrentian to engage more deeply with the climate crisis – then what should we do to more fully embrace our central role in fostering an educated citizenry? We need to continue to believe in the power of the role we play. As one of our founding fathers, James Madison said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

I believe we must first acknowledge the challenge to reach ALL members of our community. Will Happer’s year-long term as science advisor to President Trump brought home to me the importance of acknowledging this challenge. Will was a colleague during my time at Princeton. A well regarded physicist whose research focuses on optics, Will rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. During my time at Princeton I spoke with climate scientists there, some of them international leaders in their fields, about how to engage Will on this topic. Their response was: he is a physicist, not a climate scientist; no one will take him seriously. Well, he set our country’s carbon policy for the last year.

It is crucial that we engage with those who dismiss the findings of 97% of climate scientists who now confirm that a climate crisis has begun, and that human activity is a root cause. We need to continue to broaden the learning opportunities we offer and to avoid partisan framing of the climate crisis if we aim to reach all of our students, faculty and staff. Thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the Environmental Studies program we offer a wide array of learning opportunities for students to consider how human activity impacts the natural world. But I think that other avenues of exploration are also available to us.

Direct and sustained experience of the natural world can open our minds to how human activity impacts the environment. Experiences can sensitize us to the deep and far reaching effect that the climate crisis will have. My year as a farmer during a break between high school and college changed my views and established conservation as central to my personal values. Living directly in the cycle of a dairy farm significantly influenced the way I thought about the natural world.

I am sure each of you have your own connections to nature. Could we find additional ways to encourage all of us to explore the rich natural resources of Northeastern Wisconsin and Door County? Could this be a way to reach students who might otherwise avoid enrolling in an Environmental Studies course or joining an environmental organization? Are there ways we can more closely tie the prodigious natural world that surrounds us into our curriculum?

Science continues to be a central avenue to help us understand the climate crisis and to recognize the ways our own human activity impacts the natural world. According to our General Education Requirements we believe that every student should “learn to use their understanding of a scientific concept to interpret a natural phenomenon and to draw reasonable conclusions from scientific data.” I applaud colleagues working to redesign our introductory science courses with the support of a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. As we rethink pedagogy, sequence, and content could we also rethink this core graduation requirement to ensure that all of our students will graduate understanding basic scientific facts?

Aside from curricular requirements, could we provide more ways to engage with science on our campus? Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring helped an entire generation understand the harmful impacts of pesticides by giving the lay reader access to the science involved. I was very pleased to see The Death and Life of the Great Lakes selected as a community read last year and to have its author Dan Egan join us on campus for a talk. As a non-scientist he allows the reader to understand how human activity is killing the world’s largest freshwater system. Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can help Save the World, written by our own Marcia Bjornerud, the Walter Schober Professor of Environmental Studies offers a different and important frame within which we can consider the climate crisis.

Can we find new paths to access the ways scientific knowledge unlocks our understanding of the world’s present and future?

For many humanists, like me, other avenues to comprehend the climate crisis are also important. The relationship between humans and the natural world has fostered essential values for many cultures and religions. Native American, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and many other traditions provide clear direction. For example, when Pope Francis declared a “climate emergency” this past spring he said, “Future generations stand to inherit a greatly spoiled world. Our children and grandchildren should not have to pay the cost of our generation’s irresponsibility.” Pope Francis echoes many Native American traditions; for example the Iroquois have a saying, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

Hinduism teaches that all living things – human, animal vegetable – are sacred because they are part of God. They must be shown respect.

Can we provide more access to these and other teachings that encourage us to consider the place and responsibility of human beings within the natural world?

Maybe most difficult for those of us who believe the climate crisis is the central challenge facing society today is to approach this crisis with consideration for the skeptics – the members of our community who do not accept climate science. One of the tasks I had when I joined the New York City Department of Sanitation in the 1990s was to write the commercial recycling laws with colleagues. The team comprised members who represented business interests and others who held fervent environmentalist beliefs. Some argued all garbage must be recycled; others believed mandatory recycling would place an undue burden on commercial establishments, especially ones that were family owned. I asked all committee members to tone down the accusatory rhetoric and to consider options that would work for all parties. In the end we agreed to mandate recycling only of material whose beneficial reuse ensured that recycling would be less expensive than disposal. It was hard for me to modify my passionate commitment to this project. But to get all on board I needed to moderate the conversation so all could participate and find the middle ground. For us, now, to engage our entire community, we must provide a learning environment in which we can all participate without criticism or rejection.

I am sure that within this community there are many other ideas that would help us to deepen our learning of the ways human activity impacts the environment. I hope you will commit yourselves, with me, to making sure that this generation of Lawrentians will graduate with the knowledge, the tools, and the energy to provide leadership on the most important challenge that faces all of us in this century.

I look forward to hearing your reactions, disagreements, and responses to my words today. Good luck in this new academic year. Thank you for creating this learning community we call Lawrence. It is a pleasure to have you all back here in Appleton.

Dear Lawrence Community, 

Appleton received a heartbreaking loss last week with the death of Firefighter Mitchell Lundgaard, a 14-year veteran of the Appleton Fire Department and the first to be killed in the line of duty since 1933. Firefighter Lundgaard was one of the responders to a medical call at the Valley Transit Center in Appleton on May 15. This event escalated and was the cause of last week’s LU Alert. 

Mitch was a member of the firehouse that serves Lawrence University. He was a regular presence on our campus, responding to medical calls, fire alarms, and participating in routine safety inspections. Many of us on campus knew him as a colleague or simply remember seeing him during his visits to campus. We join our friends and colleagues at Station 1 and the entire Appleton Fire Department in mourning his loss. We also hold all those effected by this tragic incident in our thoughts.

For members of the Lawrence community who would like to discuss this event with someone, please reach out to Counseling Services, the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, or contact Human Resources to connect with Employee Assistance Program resources. A funeral procession will take place beginning at 1 P.M. today, and will pass nearest to campus at the corner of Drew and Atlantic Streets near the fire station. A public visitation will be held from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. at Appleton Alliance Church, 2693 Grand Chute Boulevard, and an ecumenical community prayer gathering will also be held this evening in City Park at 7:30 P.M. 

Please join me in honoring Firefighter Mitch Lundgaard, a dedicated community servant and an extended member of the Lawrence family.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

Following our announcement of a change of venue for Commencement 2019, we heard from many members of the graduating class and their families. They were concerned about the plan to move Commencement to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (PAC). Several administrators and I met with Senior Class officers, Miranda Salazar and Hoa Huynh, on Tuesday. We agreed to hold a forum that afternoon for the graduating class to ask questions and better understand the factors at play in the decision.

The discussion was representative of the best of Lawrence. Students engaged thoughtfully with this important issue and, together, we came to a better understanding of our different priorities. The University administration had prioritized ensuring a quality of experience defined primarily by sheltering participants and guests and mitigating issues around accessibility—even at the expense of potentially limiting in-person attendance. Forum participants expressed different priorities, specifically, providing a location that supports open, in-person, attendance and keeps Commencement in its traditional location of Main Hall Green.

Because not all members of the graduating class were able to attend the forum, and not all participants shared their preference publicly, we agreed to poll the entire class. The poll contained context about the pros and cons of each viable option. We were clear both in the forum and in the poll that the choice of Main Hall Green at this point means the vast majority of seating will not be covered by a tent; this might lead to a delay of Commencement exercises in the event of inclement weather. Furthermore, the condition of the Green may still be soft or muddy in places depending on weather leading up to the event. This said, we heard loud and clear from the class that they want as many family and friends as possible to watch them walk across the stage, to witness in person the culmination of their Lawrence experience. They also want the University to arrange for a rain site to prevent outright cancellation of Commencement in the event of sustained inclement weather.

The poll closed at 12:00 p.m. yesterday, and we met with Miranda and Hoa to discuss the outcome. The results revealed a resounding preference for Main Hall Green: 202 for the Green, 69 for the PAC, total participation rate of nearly 80% of the graduating class. In light of this feedback, we will plan for Commencement 2019 to be held on Main Hall Green on the same date, at the same time as originally announced: June 9, 10:00 a.m. CDT. Please plan for an open-air event.

In addition to making technical arrangements to hold the ceremony on the Green, University staff and faculty have begun arranging a viable rain site in the event of inclement weather on the day of Commencement. Please note that any rain site option will require tickets. These will be distributed to graduates at the Commencement Rehearsal on Friday, June 7, regardless of the forecast for the day of the ceremony. Please watch for additional communication about this change.

As a learning institution, civil discourse and learning from differing perspectives are essential elements of the education we provide and the values we uphold. We thank the Senior Class officers for organizing these important discussions—the perspectives and insights expressed by students helped us work toward a shared goal of making Commencement 2019 a memorable event for all.

Please remember to visit go.lawrence.edu/commencement for information regarding Commencement, including updates to the schedule or other important news. Thank you for your patience. I look forward to celebrating with you in June.

Sincerely,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

I write to share important changes to Lawrence’s 2019 Commencement exercises on Sunday, June 9.

The venue for this year’s Commencement ceremony has been changed to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Downtown Appleton. The time of Commencement will remain as scheduled: 10 a.m. CDT. This change is required due to an unexpected complication with the Commencement tents and the condition of Main Hall Green resulting from an unscheduled infrastructure repair. We are confident that the PAC will deliver an excellent experience as we gather to celebrate the Class of 2019.

Seating capacity in the PAC’s Thrivent Hall, where the ceremony will be held, requires us to issue free tickets, which are free of charge, for in-person attendees. Each graduate will be issued 4 general admission tickets for their guests to be seated in Thrivent Hall. Graduates and faculty and staff who are a part of the Commencement procession do not need tickets. A web form to claim tickets will be sent directly to graduates in the coming days. Any unclaimed tickets will be made available to graduates on a first-come, first-served basis on or after May 15.

For those individuals who do not have a ticket, general admission seating will be available in the PAC’s Kimberly-Clark Theatre, where the event will be live-streamed. The livestream will also be available via the Commencement website at go.lawrence.edu/commencement.

We recognize that this news will impact the plans that many members of our community have already made for Commencement weekend, and we apologize for any inconvenience this change will cause. We will do all that we can to ensure that the weekend will be a memorable one for graduates and their families.

Please be sure to visit—and bookmark—go.lawrence.edu/commencement for current information. We will continue to update all relevant information, including a Commencement FAQ, on this page as it becomes available. If you have any questions regarding these changes or Commencement in general, please email commencement@lawrence.edu or call 920-832-6525.

The Lawrence community looks forward to celebrating the Class of 2019 during the entire weekend of events.

Yours,

Mark

Dear fellow Lawrentians,

I would love to simply welcome you back for spring term but again world events have taken center stage in our lives.  The break gave me, and probably many of you, time to contemplate the horrendous acts of savagery that took place in New Zealand at the end of finals week.  As the days unfolded, I watched with respect and admiration that country’s efforts to mourn and respond.  Fifty people died and as many were wounded by a gunman who invaded two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and shot congregants engaged in Friday prayers.  Sadly, these two attacks on innocent people singled out for their beliefs and identity reminded us of the many terrorist attacks that have come before, both in this country and around the world.  We dare not grow numb to this violence.

The people of New Zealand have shown us that we are all victims of these acts: we need to respond.  As Gamal Fouda, an Imam of one of the target mosques, said at a prayer vigil of over 40,000 held one week after the attack, “This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology that has torn the world apart – but instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable.”

In her responses to this tragedy Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, echoed Imam Fouda’s call for a universal view of these events.  In a comment soon after the attacks she said, “Many of those who will have been directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to New Zealand; they may even be refugees here.  They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home.  They are us.”

The Lawrence community will gather this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center’s Esch Hurvis room to commemorate the lives lost in the attack and to join other communities around the world in a clear statement that this violence has no place in our community and in our world.  As Prime Minister Ardern said, the response must be a “global one.”  “This [terrorist] was an Australian citizen, but that is not to say that we do not have ideology in New Zealand that would be an affront to the majority of New Zealanders, that would be utterly rejected by . . . the vast majority of New Zealanders.  But we still have a responsibility to weed it out where it exists, and make sure that we never create an environment where it can flourish.” 

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday and around campus in the coming weeks.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Campus Community,

I write today to inform you that we were recently made aware of a few troubling instances on campus that violate our community’s values.  Last weekend, hateful language directed at queer community members was found in a residence hall bathroom.  Earlier in the term, a student discovered a library book with hand-drawn swastikas, and a racial slur was overheard in an academic setting.  Bias incident reports were filed in all three instances, and our Bias Response Team is working with faculty and staff to develop strategies to address and prevent these actions in the future. 

Mutual respect, justice, and the dignity of all human life are core values of Lawrence University.  We do not tolerate hate speech or acts of intolerance.  As a community, practicing empathy towards our fellow Lawrentians is one of the most important actions we can take, remembering that the daily struggles of our peers and colleagues may not always be visible.  End of term stress can exacerbate any issues an individual is struggling with, so being kind to each other at this point in the academic year is even more important.  If you witness a bias incident, I encourage you to fill out a bias incident report  or to contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Campus resources are available if you need support processing these events.  Dr. Barrett can be reached through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.  Dean Morgan-Clement, Associate Dean Winston and Dr. Ratzman can be reached through the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.  Dean Lauderdale and the Residence Hall Directors, as well as Counseling Services and other members of the Student Life team, are available for students.  The Employee Assistance Program is available for faculty and staff.  I also encourage you to take advantage of the learning opportunities that are offered by these colleagues as we work to develop the skills that will ensure our campus community is one in which we can all thrive.

Thank you for joining me in our efforts to ensure a safe, respectful, and engaged campus for all.  Please feel free to contact me directly if I can provide additional support.  I hope you all have a successful end to winter term.

Yours,

Mark