President's Message

A Warm Franciscan Welcome

On behalf of the cabinet and deans, I extend a warm Franciscan welcome to all new members of the Viterbo community. We likewise welcome those returning with our hopes that your summer has been restful and rewarding.

We concluded a very successful 2011–12 academic year and I anticipate this new academic year will likewise be one that continues to advance the university’s mission, proclaims its core values, and offers outstanding opportunities for our students to achieve their hopes and dreams. Achievements from 2011–12 have been compiled in the annual highlights report that was distributed Aug. 17 by electronic mail to all employees. These reports by the cabinet are a summary of accomplishments. They are not an exhaustive list but an excellent representation of the hard work, dedication and support of our faculty, administration, staff, trustees, alumni, and benefactors.

Please attend the university forum on Tuesday, Aug. 21 beginning with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the Fine Arts Center Lobby. At 9 a.m., we kick off the forum with introductions of new employees, followed by service awards for 32 employees celebrating benchmark service anniversaries. Following a short break, I will provide the State of the University address. At 11:30 a.m. we will assemble at the new Clare Apartments for a blessing and tour of this beautiful new living area for upperclass students. The apartments are full and you will see why.

After touring the apartments, we will walk across campus to see the stunning improvements to Brophy Center. The institutional advancement office has planned a picnic lunch there as a thank you for employee participation in the employee campaign. Throughout lunch, the faculty in the Dahl School of Business will be available to show the wonderful refurbishments made during this second phase of the repurposing project. We conclude the busy day with the annual community dinner, preceded by the social at 5:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Lobby and then a trip to the islands for dinner at the Mathy Center.

Please remember that wearing name badges is a demonstration of hospitality to our new employees and students.

Rick Artman
President

Doors Open at Clare Apartments, Blessing and Tours Aug. 21

The doors of Viterbo’s newest residential facility, Clare Apartments, will open with a blessing, time capsule dedication, and tours Tuesday, Aug. 21 beginning at 11:30 a.m.

I’m extremely pleased with the final product,” said Vickie Unferth, director of residence life. “I’m looking forward to seeing the reactions of the students when they arrive. I’m very excited to have this state-of-the-art housing option to offer students.”

The $8.8 million Clare Apartments offers upperclassmen the latest in apartment-style campus living. The facility houses 118 students in four-bedroom, two-bedroom, and studio apartments, each of which has single bedrooms, a private bathroom, air-conditioning, a kitchen, and is fully furnished. The building also has underground parking for 33 residents.

Occupants for Clare Apartments are selected using criteria of credits earned, GPA, living on campus, and disciplinary status.

“We want to provide a quality living experience for all residential students,” said Diane Brimmer, vice president for student development. “Our traditional undergraduate students who live on campus tend to be more engaged and do better academically during these important years. We want as many students to live on campus as possible so that they can benefit from all that the Viterbo experience has to offer.”

Rick Kyte Authors Ethics Book

Hot off the press is An Ethical Life: A Practical Guide to Ethical Reasoning, authored by Rick Kyte, director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership. Kyte, who also teaches philosophy, wrote the book over the course of two years and it is intended to be used as an introductory textbook for students delving into the topic of ethics for the first time.

“I had been dissatisfied for several years with the standard approaches to teaching ethics and over time had developed my own method and materials,” Kyte said of his decision to write a book. “Then about three years ago, Jerry Ruff from Anselm Academics contacted me to ask whether I could recommend someone to write an ethics textbook for them. I decided to submit a proposal featuring the method of ethical decision making I had developed, and fortunately they liked my proposal.”

Published by Anselm Academics, the book is expected to be popular because of its emphasis on taking a practical approach to looking at ethics which includes showing students how it is possible to work out complex ethical problems in dialogue with others.

“Why study ethics,” Kyte wrote in the preface. “The obvious answer is to become a better person, that is, to become a better citizen, neighbor, parent, co-worker, leader, teacher, or friend.”

The book is available on Amazon.com.

Campus Ministry –
Meet Emilio Alvarez

By Emilio Alvarez 

Greetings from Campus Ministry. I am Emilio Alvarez, the new assistant director of campus ministry. I hail from Aurora, Ill., where I was born and raised. I graduated in 2011 from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, with a degree in religious studies and philosophy.

Over the past year, I spent my time as a volunteer at Camp Gray in the Diocese of Madison. During this time, I made an attempt in becoming an expert with children, the outdoors, teambuilding activities, food eating competitions, snowshoeing, fire building, birds, and more. After much success and failure, I have learned that there is an abundance of knowledge and experience left to be gained.

I am very excited to be a part of the Viterbo community. I have been welcomed with open arms and in return I do the same. Your presence and involvement in campus ministry is welcomed and encouraged. One of campus ministry’s goals is to be a home, a resource, and an inspiration to people of all faiths and backgrounds. Your involvement in campus ministry activities will deeply impact the lives of the students and provide for them a living witness of authentic living.

Campus ministry will be providing a variety of opportunities including service trips, community prayer, worship, local pilgrimages, social events, bible studies, retreats, local service, and social justice events. The schedule of Mass times at San Damiano Chapel can be found at www.viterbo.edu/ministry.

For more information, or if you would like to be personally involved in campus ministry, contact me at ebalvarez@viterbo.edu.

Heaven is for Real Author Todd Burpo at Viterbo Sept. 6

Todd Burpo, author of the best selling book Heaven is for Real and pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Neb., will speak at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6 in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

Burpo will be joined by the acclaimed Read You and Me praise band for both events, which will include a presentation, music concert, and worship experience.

Tickets for the event are $10 for main floor and $6 for balcony seating, and are half price for students. Tickets are available in the Viterbo box office.

Heaven is for Real is the true story of the four-year-old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who, during emergency surgery, slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. Colton describes his experiences of heaven, deceased relatives, pets, and biblical characters.

Heaven is for Real Ministries, Inc. was established in May 2011 due to the overwhelming response to Heaven is for Real. The book has spent 88 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

This event is sponsored by Sand Lake Wesleyan Church and is hosted by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership.

Ethics Institute Awards Research Fellowships

Matthew Bersagel Braley, religious studies and philosophy: “Participatory Theological Ethics as a Regenerative Force in Health Care.”

Vicky Eiben, education: “The Effect of Educational Leadership in Poor Rural Communities.”

Lyon Evans, English: “Hedgehogs and Foxes: Ethical Implications of Postmodern Theory and Fiction.”

Recipients of the fellowship are named “Fellows of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership.” The purpose of the research fellowships is to increase the amount and quality of research conducted at Viterbo related to ethics in leadership. It is expected that award recipients will produce publishable research that is also relevant to courses taught by the faculty member in existing or proposed programs.

Viterbo Athletics Golf Scramble

Paul Patros, Herb Heili, Vic V-Hawk, Tom Munson, and Anne Cina enjoyed themselves at the 15th annual Viterbo University Athletics Golf Scramble Aug. 13 at the La Crosse Country Club.

Inservice Week Schedule

The complete inservice week schedule is available at www.viterbo.edu/inservice.
 

Summer Grades Due Tuesday

All grades for the summer term must be submitted in VitNet no later than noon Tuesday, Aug. 21. There are many processes dependent on all grades being finalized in the system.
 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Kori Salaski, registrar's office, and her husband Ben Salaski, Aramark, the proud parents of Camille Irene Salaski. Camille was born at 7:23 a.m. Aug. 9 and weighed seven pounds and two ounces and measured 20 inches long. She was born with a head full of blond hair.
 

Spirituality Center to Offer Leadership Program

The Franciscan Spirituality Center’s Spiritual Foundations for Leadership program being held this fall is ideal for community and business professionals who want to gain a greater understanding of leadership styles and discover how to serve others.

Registration deadline is Saturday, Sept. 1 and the class is limited to 16 participants. For more information visit www.viterbo.edu/uploadedFiles/
SFL2012flier71812[2].pdf.
 

Employee Service Recognition

Employees will be recognized for their years of service during the university forum Tuesday, Aug. 21. Congratulations to:

Five Years of Service
Ruth Badciong
Ken Barrett
Danita Doerre
Jeanne Donskey
Greg Erpenbach
Anthony Gerig
Herb Heili
Reta Keenan
Jared Manske
Jim Socha
Paul Wilhelmson
Caryn Witt
Catherine Wright

Ten Years of Service
Judy Casto
Susan Cosby Ronnenberg
Chad Gilbeck
Alida Herling
Gary Klein
Dorothy Lenard
Vee Luz
Andy Moore
Jessica Pintz
Jennifer Sadowski
Karen Sandblom
Judy Talbott

Fifteen Years of Service
Drew Crawford
Deb Daehn-Zellmer
Marlene Fisher
Amy Gleason
Ward Jones
Vickie Schaefer

Twenty Years of Service
Apryl Denny