Publications

Connections A Newsletter for the Viterbo College Community       Vol. 11   No. 35  May 4, 1998   Nurses’ Week

During Nurses’ Week, May 6 - May 12, the La Crosse District Nurses’ Association (LDNA) is sponsoring several events to honor nurses in the area. These events are open to members and non-members of the Association. Nursing majors are also welcome.

To open Nurses’ Week, Mayor John Medinger will read a proclamation at City Hall at noon on Wed., May 6. A special flag donated by the LDNA which reads, “Registered Nurses, Caring For You” will be raised. From 4:30 to 9 p.m. a reception with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be held at Albert’s on Pettibone Island. Entertainment and story telling is also planned at this event.

Senior Class Gift

Congratulations to the Class of 1998 on this year’s senior class gift project. The class has received over $26,000 in pledges from 130 seniors, a new all-time record! The gift, accumulating over a five-year period, will be an endowed scholarship to be awarded to a senior.

Thanks to the Steering Committee and the 30 volunteers who solicited these gifts. Committee members are Jason Blasiola, chairperson, Deb Clements, Dan Fuchs, Jeff Kuhn, and Maggie Reinert.

To the College Community at Viterbo

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express particular gratitude and appreciation to everyone in the college community for a very successful year. Without a doubt, you have proven yourselves in countless ways, and most notably as an authentic Christian community at the time of Nathan Kapfer’s death. Your realization of the mission of Viterbo College is also highly evident in the commitment to academic excellence as teachers and learners.

The Board is especially grateful to anyone who spent time in responding to the December 1996 Board directive to develop a proposal for merit pay at Viterbo. We are grateful for your study and insights on the project. The in-depth discussion of the matter at the last board meeting led to the realization that the Board itself needs to refine the question and its own understanding before proceeding further. To that end, a Board Task Force will be appointed to study employee compensation. Certainly, the Task Force will be cognizant of the work you have achieved thus far and will be in communication with various constituencies as it continues its study. Your good will, hard work, and efforts of integrity in responding to the directive are commended and sincerely appreciated. Thank you!

Enjoy your summer months as you go your various ways. We all look forward to the convergence of the college community for a new academic year in August.

Peace and all good,

S. Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA
Chair, Board of Directors

Memos only
From: The Mission Effectiveness Committee

To: Faculty, staff and administrators

You are cordially invited to coffee, juice and rolls from 9 to 11 a.m. in the MC lobby on Mon., May 11, to celebrate a year completed and the joys of summer. Please stop by.

Kudos to…

The Lumen  for placing first in the American Scholastic Press Association’s School Newspaper awards scoring 885 out of a possible 1000 points. Congratulations!

Have news about your department or students’ accomplishments? Share your achievements with the campus community by sending us a note via “Connections.” We’ll help you spread the word.

Viterbo College announces most prestigious academic awards

Three of Viterbo College’s most coveted awards were bestowed during the annual Honors Convocation April 30.

Wendy Wegner, Viterbo alumna and nursing faculty member for 20 years, and assistant professor in the School of Nursing, received the 1998 Outstanding Teacher Award for exemplary teaching.

Tom Thibodeau, community speaker and faculty member in the religious studies department since 1984, received the Father J. Thomas Finucan Award, given annually to a member of the college community who embodies qualities exhibiting Viterbo’s mission and values.

Peter Fletcher, art department chair and faculty member for 11 years, received the Alec Chiu Memorial Award for excellence in teaching, which is named after long-time philosophy instructor Alec Chiu, who died in 1995.

In other awards conferred at Convocation, three service awards were given to Dave Hendrickson, Amy Danckwart, and Beth Moore, and four Leadership awards were presented to Anita Beskar, FSPA, Bobbi Vandenberg, Julie Rubenzer, and Jason Blasiola.

Arts & Entertainment

The All-Student Exhibition is open until Wednesday, May 6. There is a larger range of art work than in previous years, and the Art Department hopes people will find the time to see it before it comes down. The gallery is located, on the third floor of the FAC and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Music Recitals this week:
May 6 Prep. Faculty Recital, Brad Lebakken, viola with Karl Wohlwend, guitar, 7:30 p.m. Recital Hall (RH).
May 7 Music Theatre Studio Recital, 7:30 p.m.RH.
May 8 Prep. Senior Recital by Students of Busya Lugovier, 6:30 p.m. RH
May 10 Spring String Recital by the Students of S. Marcella Steffes, 6 p.m. FAC 435.
May 11 Flute Recital by Polly Steffes, Michelle Ecklor, Sharon Martin with Carol Rhodes, piano; Rob Griepentrong, violin; David Snyder, cello. Call music office 796-3760 for more information.
May 15 Prep. Piano Recital by Students of Karla Wakeen, 6:30 p.m. RH.

Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre, May 11, 9:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

Campus Ministry News by Father Tom O’Neill

We extend our hearty congratulations to those of you who are graduating. We thank you for your presence and support, your time and your talents which you have so generously shared with this faith community. We wish you every blessing and want you to know that you are forever a part of the Viterbo family. Visit us often!
 
 The May food of the month at WAFER is spaghetti sauce and spaghetti. Remember to support our other food pantries: Viterbo FAC pantry (open during the summer) and Place of Grace. Items may be left on the tables at the entrance of the College Church and they will be delivered to the pantries.
 

The College Church is open each day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition to the main church there is a meditation area at the opposite end of the church’s front/main entrance. Please feel free to use either area for personal quiet time.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following students of S. Kathleen Kenkel who have had their scripture prayer reflections accepted for publication by St. Mary’s Press, Winona. The collection of prayers and reflections for college students written by college students will be published some time this year:

Kelly Benson, Jodi Lee Bodenberger, Jennifer Lynn Duckwitz, Jessica Nita Hains, Jennifer Kulzer, Christine Melko, Melissa Meyer, Andrea Kay Nelson, Jaimie D. Okusko, Christine Papke, Stephanie Anne Persick, Ann B. Schinderle, Krista K. Webb.

Meredith Zondag also submitted a prayer to St. Mary’s Press which was accepted.

Ctab results
Results of the Critical Thinking Assessment Battery that Viterbo freshman and senior students took last fall showed Viterbo students on the average did better than students at other four-year institutions who took the tests. Students are to be commended on their achievements and the faculty on their teaching efforts. Individual profile results will be sent to each student's permanent address. If you have questions on the CTAB, please contact Wayne Wojciechowski, x3085.

Institution Performance Summary Critical Thinking Assessment Battery (CTAB)

	Viterbo College  Average Score	All 4-year Institution  Average Score
Persuasive  Writing
Total Score (Score range: 1-36)	23.6	21.8
Subscores:
Audience (Score range: 1-12)	8.3	7.7
Organization (Score range: 1-12)	7.5	6.9
Language (Score range: 1-12)	7.8	7.2
Critical Thinking
Total Score (Score range:1-32)	21.6	20.0
Applied Reasoning
Total Score (Score range:1-96)	60.6	54.9
Subscores:
Social Reasoning (Score range: 1-32)	21.1	19.3
Scientific Reasoning (Score range: 1-32)	20.6	18.8
Artistic Reasoning (Score range:1-32)	19.1	17.5

Viterbo people
Congratulations and welcome to new Viterbo employees:
John Coughlin, custodian, , started 4/27.
Rick Nichols, Custodian, started 4/29.

A set of ten small drawings and one large composite drawing by Peter Fletcher, art & art history professor has been acquired by Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago for permanent display in the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. This selection was made from the one-person show which Peter has had there from Feb. 20 until May 15.

Special thanks
A very special thanks to each person, group, and organization for your efforts to raise money for the bakery project in rural Mexico.

As many of you know, these valiant women have a dream for a better life, but lack any kind of resources to make that dream become reality.

We will personally give your donation to Salvador and Oralia so that the bakery project can begin!
In the name of these rural Mexican women, thank you for making their “impossible dream” a reality.

With love and gratitude,

Marie DesJarlais, FSPA
Cecilia Corcoran, FSPA.

News you’ll notice by Jack Havertape

The 1997/98 academic year is almost history. It turned out to be an unusually busy one, and a good one. I want to thank our faculty, administrators and staff for their contributions. The year of the NCA report is drawing to a close. Thanks to all who have given their time to work on the committees. Special thanks to Grant Smith for his perseverance in pulling the work together. Think of him over the summer as he continues to slave over the draft.

The close of the year seems a good time to give thanks, express gratitude and recognize some of those people who make Viterbo the place that it is. Ever since I came to Viterbo I have felt that the college’s major strength and asset is its people—people who are committed to students and the values that Viterbo represents. We help great students do great things.

I would like to congratulate Viterbo's Teacher of the Year, Wendy Wegner who has been doing a great job at Viterbo for 20 years. She received the award and her 20 year pin on the same day. Congratulations to Peter Fletcher, who was presented the Alec Chiu Award, and to the Finucan Award winner, Tom Thibodeau. Congratulations to Bobbi Vandenberg, S. Anita Beskar, Julie Rubenzer, and Jason Blasiola who received leadership awards and Dave Hendrickson, Beth Moore, and Amy Danckwart who earned service awards. These are all Viterbo people worthy of recognition and represent many other terrific people.

The enrollment day held on Sat., Apr. 25 was a very successful. The hours of planning and preparation for the event were apparent. In our desire to be as good as possible we know there are always areas for improvement but we should also recognize a job very well done. Thanks to all who made this a good experience for new students. Special thanks to Wayne Wojciechowski and Jan Linderbaum for untold hours of preparation and work in reviewing and preparing files; and to Lori Lewis, S. Jean Moore, Mort Morehouse, Michael Smuksta, F. Tom O'Neill, Jane Eddy, Linda Malick and Beth Moore who provided workshops for parents. The day would be very difficult to manage without your help. Many thanks to: the personnel in the Learning Center who helped coordinate the testing and advise students; the English Dept. faculty who were holed up for the morning reading all those essays for the Placement Tests; the faculty advisors for meeting the students and assisting them in selecting classes.

The Music dept. is about to go abroad. The Concert Choir and Ninth Street Singers are leaving for Europe on May 12. They have been busy with raising funds for the tour. One of these was a farewell concert held on Apr. 26. The concert was terrific. The repertoire was exciting with much variety. Europe is in for a real treat. Bon Voyage and best wishes to the conductors and students.

Hillary says it takes a whole village to raise a child. I think we can say that it takes our whole community to run a college. Thanks to all. Enjoy your summer, get some rest and look back with satisfaction on a year well spent.

Golf outing

All Duffers, Weekenders, and LPGA/PGA “Wannabees” are welcome to attend the Seventh Annual Sister Doctor Dean Jean it will not rain Golf Outing at Valley High Country Club Hokah, Minn. 3:30 p.m., Tues., May 12.

Dinner (center cut steak/fish /vegetarian) and Golf $17.00; 9 holes of golf only-“Front 9,” $13.00; Dinner only: $12.00; Car rental for 2 $10.65.

Non-golf option: Cards and games at the clubhouse. Bring your own cards. 4-6:30 p.m. Free!
To register call S. Jean, x380,1 by May 8.

World’s shortest love story… about golf
I hate golf. I hate golf. I hate golf.

“Nice shot.”

I love golf.