Connections
A Newsletter for the Viterbo University Community
Vol. 14, No. 34 May 14, 2001
A Message of Thanks from the President
"Thanks for Another Successful Year"
I wish to thank all members of the Viterbo University community for their contributions in making 2000-01 such a successful yearour first year as a university.
Viterbo’s success is due to each and every member of this university community. This includes excellence in the classroom and the administrative offices as well as in maintenance and housekeeping. So congratulate each other on another wonderful year.
We continue to make progress in the strategic objectives in the VISION 2005: A Renaissance for Living and Learning in the 21st Century. There has been excellent progress on the interior design for the Center for Ethics, Science, and Technology. The science faculty and those on the building committee should be congratulated for their time and effort.
Again, thanks to each of you for your contributions to Viterbo University during this past year. I wish you a peaceful and enjoyable summer.
Best wishes to you always,
William J. Medland, Ph.D.
President
Viterbo Wired for the World
One of the La Crosse region’s first permanently installed stations which will provide outdoor access to the Internet is coming to Viterbo. Students enjoying the sunshine in V-Hawk Court will be able to check class assignments, send email, or connect to the web from any of 16 ports conveniently located at picnic-style tables. The sites are expected to be ready for testing this week and you will be invited to attend a demonstration of this new innovation.
Hearst Foundation Awards $100,000 to Viterbo for "First Generation" College Students
Viterbo University has received a $100,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to endow a new scholarship for first-generation college students.
The decision to fund the Viterbo scholarship was made after an official from the Hearst Foundation visited campus and met with university administrators, faculty, and students.
The scholarships will be particularly meaningful to those incoming students who are most unfamiliar with a university environment. According to the federal government, a first-generation college student is defined as a person neither of whose parents received a bachelor’s degree. If a student lives and receives support from only one parent, the student qualifies as first-generation if that parent did not received a baccalaureate degree.
Typically, students who fit this profile have required additional assistance in making an initial adjustment to the university environment.
According to Viterbo president William J. Medland, 66 percent of last fall’s freshman class was categorized as first-generation. “We have a long history of serving students who are traditionally under-represented in college student bodies and this certainly includes students from families who have not had exposure to higher education. Because of limited income, many of these students are unable to afford college.”
The Hearst Foundation was established in 1945 by philanthropist and newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. The foundation supports undergraduate education, most often though the establishment of endowed scholarships at private liberal arts colleges and universities.
“It is very exciting to be able to associate the William Randolph Hearst Foundation with Viterbo University,” Medland said. “This foundation is very prestigious and we feel very honored to receive a gift. We believe this will provide an impetus for more gifts and scholarships for first-generation students.”
Two Receive Staff Assembly Grant
Junior Jamie Daily, a social work major, and junior Brad Bowman, a management major, were named recipients of the 2001-02 Staff Assembly Grant at Honors Convocation.
The Staff Assembly Grant receives continued support through fundraisers, like Spirit Day, and gifts given by staff members through payroll deduction.
Staff Assembly began raising money for a grant in 1988, and began giving awards of $400 to one student. This year, they awarded $2,000 each to two students. The grant is awarded to a junior or senior in good academic standing who is nominated by a Viterbo employee. Nomination forms are given to all employees asking them to nominate any student they feel might need help in paying for their education. From those names, the Financial Aid Office helps rank them based on need. From there, the Assembly votes for a recipient(s).
Six V-Hawks Earn All-Conference Honors
Softball: The Viterbo University softball team landed four players and one coach on the Mississippi Classic Conference (MCC) All-Conference roster.
Head Coach Chris Helixon, who guided the V-Hawks to a record 17 wins with a 17-20 record and a (tied) 3rd place finish in the MCC, was named MCC Coach of the Year. The squad has compiled an excellent team batting average of .324 and committed the lowest amount of errors in three seasons.
Joining Helixon on the All-Conference roster are senior infielder Heidi Behnke, freshman infielder Nicki Robinson, freshman outfielder Angie Kronebusch, and freshman catcher Charlotte Koski.
Behnke compiled a .472 batting average as the squad’s first baseman. The senior from Reedsburg has earned 12 doubles, three triples and 16 RBIs. She also recorded a .989 fielding percentage. Robinson, a freshman from Eau Claire, charts a .439 batting average, has belted five home runs and 22 RBIs in her first collegiate season as shortstop. Kronebusch, a freshman from Altura, Minn., compiled a .327 batting average and a .941 fielding percentage as the squad’s centerfielder. Koski, a freshman from Oconto, also earned All-Conference honors as the V-Hawks catcher. Koski hit for a .443 batting average while slugging in a team high 34 RBIs.
Baseball: Viterbo’s baseball squad has landed senior pitcher Lucas Hoff on the All-Conference roster. The senior right-handed pitcher is 4-6 with a 3.01 ERA. Hoff, from Almena, recorded 57 innings, allowed 49 hits, and struck out 46.
Golf Scramble is August 20
Interested in doing a little golfing this summer? Then sign up for the Viterbo University Athletics Department Golf Scramble to be held Monday, Aug. 20, at the La Crosse Country Club. Golfing starts at 1 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. The cost is $100 for golf and dinner and includes 18 holes of golf with cart, dinner with cash bar, several contests, prizes, and drawings. A dinner only option is available for $30 and includes door prize drawings. The registration deadline is Aug. 13. For more information, contact Barry Fried, athletics director, at ext. 3812 or email bjfried.
Kudos to...
The following members of Administrative Assembly who were elected as officers or committee members beginning next academic year: Tim Posey, Administrative Assembly vice president; Amy Lane, Administrative Assembly secretary; Natalie McGarry, Nominations and Elections Committee; Georgia Christensen, FSPA, Deb Stover, and Tim Posey, Administrative Concerns and Development Committee (ACDC) (two-year terms); and Lynda Colbert, ACDC (one-year term).
See You in August!
With everyone busily planning for summer sessions and summer vacations, it’s hard to think about the start up of fall semester. But, here’s a preview of the plans for inservice week:
• Friday, Aug. 17new faculty and staff orientation.
• Monday, Aug. 20Lunch-on-the-River this year replaces the Day-at-the-Lake. There will be a 9 a.m. orientation to mission for new faculty, staff, and administrators at the Franciscan Spirituality Center; at 11 a.m. a welcoming rite and commissioning of new personnel will be held at Maria Angelorum Chapel (all Viterbo employees are welcome); and at noon will be an Island Girl boat ride and luncheon. Registration for the luncheon is required. Contact Jackie Lee at ext. 3001 or email jklee.
• Tuesday, Aug. 21individual school and department meetings.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22writing workshop for faculty from 9 a.m.-noon. Lunch will follow.
• Thursday, Aug. 23 Grant Smith, English, will conduct a syllabus-writing session for faculty from 9-11:30 a.m.
In addition to the above events, a faculty convocation, college forum, and community dinner will be scheduled. More details will follow prior to the start of that week. See you then!
News You'll Notice by Patrick Kerrigan, Communications & Marketing
Speaking With a Common Voice
Did you know that “Ford has a better idea.” That before smokers became virtually extinct, they used to enjoy saying “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.” Of course, everyone knows that General Electric likes to say, “We bring good things to life.”
Even locally, check out your downtown electronics store. It’s “Wettstein’s wow! Wettstein’s now!” At Gundersen Lutheran, you expect to get “the right care right here.” And at Franciscan Skemp the answer to your care needs is always, “Yes!”
While Viterbo is not a commercial, for-profit enterprise that needs to aggressively “brand” a product or service, the message we deliver to our community is powerful and needs to be continuously reinforced.
Just what do people think of when they hear the word, “Viterbo?” What is our “message” and how do we say it? Do we speak from a common vocabulary and emphasize themes which are strategic and campus-wide in application?
More then ever, colleges and universities across the nation are asking these very questions. Sometimes it’s because these institutions must confront enrollment shortfalls or a dramatic drop in fundraising success. Then the question gets asked: Do people know who we are and what is important to us and our students?
Fortunately, today, many more institutionssome very healthy onesare also exploring this same territory under the guise of a planning approach called integrated marketing. This process formalizes campus-wide marketing strategies and plans. With the introduction of many new programs and initiatives targeted to others beyond the traditional 18-year-old, the need for a uniform approach is imperative to assure the message doesn’t get fragmented.
At Viterbo, we also will begin planning for an integrated marketing strategy. Look for more details to be announced soon, along with the formation of a marketing committee to provide input and brainstorm strategies to advance that process.
Faculty Development
Congratulations to the following Viterbo faculty who have recently received Faculty Development grants:
• Earl Madary, religious studies, and Mike Smuksta, history, received $248.44 to present “Blending Technology with the Art of Teaching: Using Blackboard CourseInfo v. 4.0 to Improve the Undergraduate Survey Course” at the Ameritech Faculty Technology Program Best Practices State Conference in Milwaukee, May 21.
• Jackie Kuennen, nursing, received $1,000 to attend the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Master’s Education Conference June 21-23 in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Tom Bartel, art, received $680 to attend the NCECA Conference and to participate in two exhibitions in conjunction with that conference.
• Mike Lauer, biology, received $967 to attend a workshop on Conservation Biology May 30- June 1 at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Mass.
• Diane Foust and Tim Schorr, music, received $1,000 to invite Dale Beaver to Viterbo April 17-20 to conduct workshops and lessons on the Alexander Technique.
• Susan Rush and Jeff Stolz, theatre, received $754 to attend the National Conference on Masks of the Theatre at Iowa City, May 17-20.
• Stephanie Genz, nursing, received $500 to participate in the Wisconsin Homecare Organization’s Annual Convention, March 28-29, and the Wisconsin Public Health Association’s Annual Conference, June 14-15.
• Vicente Guillot, Spanish, received $620 to attend the Instituto Cervantes, a five-day seminar on new audiovisual technologies, in Alicante, Spain.
Campus Ministry by Fr. Tom O'Neill
Schedule Notes:
• May 16-18: No noon Mass in chapel
• May 20: 11 a.m. Mass only (no 6 p.m. during the summer)
• May 21-23: No noon Mass
• May 27: the Solemnity of the Ascension is observed
• May 28: Memorial Day, no noon Mass
• June 3: Pentecost
“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.....” Sue Ernster, FSPA is leaving us to return to graduate school at St. John’s, Collegeville, Minn. Sr. Ernster has worked in campus ministry as volunteer coordinator, in the registrar’s office, and as moderator of Circle K. Laurian Pieterek, FSPA is retiring after 28 years of service although she’ll still be a visible presence during summer graduate programs. On Sunday, she received professor emerita status. Let’s say goodbye one last time. Join us for a coffeecake reception, sponsored by the registrar’s office, campus ministry, and the academic vice president, in the MC conference room Tuesday, May 15, from 9-10 a.m.
Rest in Peace: Please remember those who have died and those who mourn their deaths: the father of Teri Kunavich. May he enjoy eternal rest.
Alfie Kohn to Speak at Graduate Program
Time magazine calls Alfie Kohn “the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades and test scores.”
Kohn, the author of The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and “Tougher Standards,” will speak to the Viterbo University Graduate Program in Education Pro-seminar students in the FAC Main Theatre on Friday, July 13, from 8:30-11:15 a.m.
Interested in attending? Get free tickets to his presentation by contacting John Schroeder, director of graduate studies of education at ext. 3093 or email jrschroeder.
Double Stop Goes Hoe-Down
The Preparatory School of Arts fiddle class, Double Stop, wants you to “swing your partners” at the Square Dance on Friday, July 20, at 6 p.m. in the Concordia Ballroom. Double Stop will be playing at the dance, which features live square dance calling and dance instruction. The at-the-door cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Children under 5-years-old get in free. For more information, contact Alex Wheat at ext. 3786 or email ajwheat.
From the Library
How does the library decide what to buy out of the thousands of resources published every year? Such choices could overwhelm us so we depend on you, the Viterbo community, to guide us. Every year, we take requests from the members of each department and order books, videos, CDs, journals, and subscription databases to support the course and research needs of Viterbo students and faculty.
Every few years, the library reevaluates its collection to see if it still fulfills the needs of the Viterbo community. This year the library has asked faculty for new ideas. Jim Braziel, library acquisitions coordinator, developed an email survey and sent it to all faculty members. In it, he asks about student research needs, notable researchers and authors, core book lists, and gaps in the library’s collection. He asks about ways to meet individual faculty and departmental needs with library purchases and ways to better communicate those needs with the library.
When we finish compiling the results of the survey, we will know how the library’s resources have helped the Viterbo community in the past year and how we can meet future teaching and research needs. Over the summer, we will develop overall goals and policies for developing each department’s share of books, CDs, videos, periodicals, and online resources. By fall we will all see the results of these cooperative efforts.
And so we say, “Thank you for your help and please return those surveys!”
Tickets on Sale Now
Bright Star and NexStar tickets for the 2001-02 season are on sale now. Call the box office at ext. 3100 for more information or to order tickets. To learn more about the performances, check out the web site at www.viterbo.edu, click on “Fine Arts Center” and then click on “Bright Star Season” or “NexStar.”
Summer Bus Passes
If you’re planning to take advantage of the monthly, unlimited-use, MTU bus passes this summer, please bring your payment ($8 per month) to Communications and Marketing, MC 228, by May 29 for a June pass; June 27 for a July pass; and July 27 for an August pass. Passes will be sent to your campus mailbox unless otherwise requested. This offer is available to all Viterbo employees.
Out & About
Special Tuesdays, weekly health and wellness programs held at noon at Gundersen Lutheran’s Rasmus Center, are free and open to the public.
Upcoming topics include:
May 15, “Spirituality and Wellness: You Can’t Have One Without the Other!” by Alice Dunlop, OSF, Gundersen Lutheran pastoral care.
May 22, “Arthritis-Sorting it Out,” by Guy Fiocco, MD, Gundersen Lutheran Rheumatology.
May 29, “End of Life Decisions,” panel discussion by a medical examiner and representatives from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Oak Grove Cemetery Association, Gundersen Lutheran Bereavement, and the Western Wisconsin Funeral Director Association.
June 5, “Our Kids and Water Safety,” by Brian Allen, DO, Gundersen Lutheran pediatrics.
June 12, “The Seven Dwarves of Allergy: Sneezy, Wheezy, Boggy, Soggy, Cloggy, Cranky, and Itchy,” by Todd Mahr, MD, Gundersen Lutheran pediatric allergy.
June 19, “Tune in, Turn on, But for Gosh Sakes, Don’t Drop Out (or even Down!),” Ken Merkitch, MD, Gundersen Lutheran obstetrics and gynecology.
June 26, “Parenting with Humor. Is It Possible?” video presentation by Loretta LaRoche.
Jeans Day
Don’t forget to wear jeans this Friday to support the food pantry. How? Wear jeans and pay $1 to Marcia Brodt at the MC reception desk or Tammy Edens in the admission office. Plus, don’t forget to wear jeans on Fridays throughout the summer. Support various Viterbo-related and La Crosse community-related causes by paying a $1 for the privilege to wear jeans each Friday to Brodt or Edens.
Classifieds
For Sale: 11,000 BTU window air conditioner (26” x 16-1/2”); Nordic Trek exercise equipment; Healthmax strength trainer; lined draw drapes (11’w x 6’h) and valance (11’ x 14”) with rods. Excellent condition. Contact Wayne Wojciechowski at ext. 3085.
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