Connections
A Newsletter for the Viterbo University Community
Vol. 16, No. 24 March 17, 2003
Strategic Planning Moves Forward
Due to a scheduling conflict which required me to be in the Twin Cities, I was unable to present at the March 6 campus forum. My thanks to Jack Havertape for his willingness to step in and share the good news regarding the status of our strategic planning process. A complete summary of your comments and input from the inservice this fall at the Radisson is on reserve in the library.
The National Advisory Council and Board of Advisors also has provided initial “outside” perspective to the process. This fall, we will be moving to the next phase, which will include another all-campus gathering to examine student demographics and characteristics and the changing components to be included in a new vision and mission. Strategic priorities will be further discussed and modified from those included in Vision 2005.
Throughout September to March of the 2003?04 academic year, the Planning Council will further refine the outcomes and solidify additional input. Finally, in April 2004, the Cabinet will review the final documents and send them on to the Board of Directors for collective approval at a June retreat. The entire culmination of the work will then be consolidated into a final written document with distribution in April 2005.
My sincere thanks to all members of the Viterbo community who participated in the fall inservice that formally started our strategic planning process. Your input provided valuable insight and direction, which allows us to move forward to plan, write, and embrace, a new strategic direction that will be critical to all we do for the decade to come.
Bill Medland
Honor Students Planning to Teach
The Viterbo Community is invited to attend the Teacher Education Admission Ceremony, honoring students admitted to the Teacher Education Program and/or student teaching.
The event will be held on Thursday, March 20, in the FAC Lobby at 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Viterbo's is Only Accredited Social Work Program in SW Wisconsin
An answer to the La Crosse area’s regional shortage of professionally trained social workers is in sight with the recent accreditation of the Viterbo University Social Work Program. The program was granted four-year initial accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education in November 2002.
“I’m so pleased that the Council granted our accreditation. Our social work program is not only strong, but it meets a regional need. Part of the reason we developed the program was to meet a defined need for social workers in the southwest corner of Wisconsin,” said Deb Daehn-Zellmer, director of the program.
The accreditation team cited Viterbo University for its “impressive” and “extensive” 1997 regional survey that still holds true today. The survey, performed by Daehn Zellmer, explored the need for professionally trained social workers in La Crosse County and the 24 surrounding counties. Among the 384 social service agencies surveyed, 56 percent of the agencies responding found it somewhat or very difficult to fill their growing social work job vacancies—48 percent of which required a bachelor’s degree in social work and certification.
One of the factors contributing to this shortage is the lack of accredited programs in our region. In 1997, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse closed its social work program, which had historically graduated 30 students each spring. Outside of La Crosse, the closest programs are at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and Winona State University in Minnesota. Within Wisconsin, the closest programs are in Madison and Eau Claire.
Another contributing factor in the shortage of social workers is the enactment of Wisconsin legislation in 1992 that required individuals applying for certification to have a social work degree from an accredited program or face additional course work to attain certification.
“Add to this, a range of social problems that are prevalent in the region—including an aging population, child abuse and neglect, domestic abuse, and increased marginalization of low-income families caused, in part, by Wisconsin’s welfare reform program—and the need for a regional, accredited social work program becomes obvious,” said Daehn Zellmer.
The program has 51 students in it and an anticipated fall 2003 class of more than 18. Its unique features include small class sizes allowing faculty to personally know each student and place them in internships based on their individual professional development needs. In addition, the program has an extremely strong collaborative relationship with the professional community. Representatives from local agencies serve on the Viterbo’s Social Work Advisory Council, share their expertise in the classroom, and offer job shadowing experiences and internships. “We hear from agencies that have students from multiple programs that they see our students as being very strong in values and ethics,” said Daehn Zellmer, adding, “We actually have agencies calling us and asking to be developed as a field site.”
Correcting the Change
The new phone number that was reported for Jessica Pintz, Advance program, in the last issue of Connections has again changed due to on-campus dialing problems. Her new number is 796-3379 or ext. 3379 on campus. The phone number 796-3370 and ext. 3370 will take the caller to the School of Extended Learning phone tree.
Connect for Mr. Deeds
Viterbo students and employees are invited to view the movie Mr. Deeds in the FAC Recital Hall on Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m. This is one of Connect Club’s free Friday video events.
RSB Presenters Take Top Honors
By Jason Ramaker, Residence Life
The Resident Student Board (RSB) recently attended the Wisconsin United Residence Hall Association (WURHA) Conference held at UW-Whitewater. Freshman Seth Kesler and sophomore Vicky Morphew were honored with a Top 10 Program for their creative and energetic session—“When You’re too Ghetto to go to Target: Decorate Your Dorm Room on a Budget.”
Over 50 programs were presented by resident students from universities and colleges across the state. RSB will be hosting the next mini WURHA conference at Viterbo on April 25?26.
Title IX Talk
What are you doing for lunch today? Bring your lunch and join Marlene Fisher for a Seventh Day Discussion on “Title IX: Have Women Achieved Equity in Sports at the Expense of Men’s Programs?” The talk will be from noon?1 p.m. in MC 409 C.
The next Seventh Day talk will be on Wednesday, March 26, when Earl Madary, religious studies, discusses “Meditation: Healing the Body and the Soul” at noon in MC 419 C.
Ethics and Boundaries Conference is April 17
The D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership is focusing on “Service: Being with/Doing for” as the topic of its 2003 Ethics Across the Disciplines Conference at Viterbo University, April 10?12.
Kicking off the conference is Notre Dame University theology professor Rev. Michael Baxter who will discuss “Present Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice: A Theology for Those Doing More than ‘a Year of Service’” on Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Viterbo University FAC Main Theatre.Working from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Baxter offers a theology of service based on an integrated conception of justice and love, one that calls upon Christians to repeat, in their lives, the priestly offering of Christ for the sake of the world.
The rest of the conference, Friday, April 11, through Saturday, April 12, brings scholars from throughout the nation into conversation with students, faculty, staff, and other members of the La Crosse community to discuss traditional, ethical values and practices that are fundamental to the Franciscan and Catholic heritage of Viterbo. In addition to hearing from higher education scholars from throughout the country, attendees will hear from Viterbo speakers who include: Galadriel Chilton, library; Deb Daehn Zellmer, social work; Earl Madary, religious studies; Eric Manchester, philosophy; Pam Maykut, psychology; Richard Morehouse, psychology; and Tom Thibodeau, religious studies.
The keynote address is a free talk and is open to the public. The conference costs $15 per person, but is free to students. One does not have to be registered for the conference to attend Baxter’s talk. For more information on conference events, explore www.viterbo.edu/Institute/conference. To register, contact Richard Kyte at ext. 3704 or email ethics@viterbo.edu.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Legends about Patrick (415?-493?) abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.
Details of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland; Cumberland, England; or in northern Wales. He called himself a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.
After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish.
In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision as a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts.
campus ministry
By Fr. Tom O'Neill
Happy St. Joseph’s Day: March 19: The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” One, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we are lovable when we are not. By saying Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God. The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
Lent 2003: Ashes to Easter: Collaborating with the Religious Studies Class, “The Search for Human Christian Values” we will be sponsoring the “Ashes to Easter” program. This program endeavors to raise $1 per week of the six weeks of lent from every member of the Viterbo community. There are drop boxes for your donations at the MC Reception Desk, the Student Union Desk, the BNC Office, and San Damiano Chapel. You can pick up brochures and envelopes for donations at the same locations.
Prayer for Lent: God of times and seasons, you have brought us again to Lent—for the study of your Word, for the remembrance of the temptation of your Son, and for the contemplation of his cross. Grant us a Lenten blessing, and may no one miss this time of growth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. © WLP
Creating a Place for Peace: Being a Christian is a challenge. Jesus said we must forgive our enemies and do good to those who hate us. If we forgive terrorists, are we unpatriotic? If we don’t, are we un-Christian? The large task of peacemaking needs a beginning in the places we create for peace in our own lives. Let’s make this Lent a journey in that direction. Please see the “Creating a Place for Peace” link on the campus ministry home page. Each day of Lent will have a scripture reference and short daily reflection.
We remember those who have died: FSPA: Sr. Renee, Sr. Norine, and Sr. Veronita. May they rest in peace.
Tony Melendez: Get Your Tickets While You Can!
Tickets to the Monday, March 31, “Tony Melendez: A Gift of Hope Concert,” are now available to the general public. If you are interested, see Marcia Brodt at the switchboard for a ticket. The concert, which is free, will be held in the FAC Main Theatre beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tony and his band will be joined on stage by Earl Madary in an evening comprised of story and music. Melendez and his band perform in Branson, Mo., and he was recently selected “new entertainer of the year” for that area.
Calling All O'Leaders
By Anne Ellefson, Student Development Center
Thirty to 35 students are needed to serve as student leaders for Orientation 2003. An informational pizza party for students interested in serving as O’ Leaders next fall is scheduled for Thursday, March 20, at 8 p.m. in the Union. The application deadline is April 4.
Faculty members, work-study supervisors, and club advisors are asked to encourage students to consider volunteering to be an O’ Leader. It’s an excellent initial leadership experience that provides students with demonstrated skills and experiences in group facilitation and program planning.
O’ Leaders have been instrumental in the success of recent orientations. The position involves the following responsibilities:
• Attending six hours of training related to communication skills and group process, either on Saturday, April 26, from 8:30 a.m.4 p.m. or on Tuesdays, April 15 and 22, from 36 p.m.
• Returning to campus on Aug. 20.
• Befriending and assisting new students and their families on move-in day, Aug. 22.
• Leading assigned groups of new students, “O Families,” through structured educational and recreational activities scheduled on Aug. 2224.
• Offering support and advice to new students.
• Serving as a role model and mentor.
Interested students who are not able to attend the March 20 meeting may call Anne Ellefson at ext. 3807 for an O’ Leader application or pick one up at the SDC or the display booth in the Union.
Title III Application Completed: Finally!
President Bill Medland and Institutional Advancement’s Bobbie Wilson share their delight over the completion of the $1.7 million Title III grant request that was sent via UPS to the Department of Education in Washington D.C.
Completion of the request for the five-year grant was the result of almost a year of planning, writing, and editing...and rewriting. The proposal is entitled, “Becoming Learner-Centered: Improving Academic Quality through Outcomes Assessment and Active Learning Strategies.”
A number of individuals were involved in the process from providing input, to chairing a subcommittee associated with the grant, to writing sections of the proposal. Special thanks to the following for their involvement: Bobbie Wilson, Mary Hassinger, Sr. Georgia Christensen, Jack Havertape, Jan Eriksen, Mark Franz, Glena Temple, Gary Klein, Todd Ericson, Sr. Jean Moore, Pat Wessels, Paul Sannerud, Sue Batell, Bob Dean, Carl Koch, Dave Schulz, Amy Lane, Pat Kerrigan, and John Schroeder.
Rent Your Regalia By March 31
By Deb Randall Anderson, Extended Learning
The Spring Commencement Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 11 and the Commencement Committee is busy planning the ceremony details, which include:
Saturday May 10
5:30 p.m.—Baccalaureate Mass-Maria Angelorum Chapel
Sunday May 11
9:45 a.m.—Faculty line-up hallway at La Crosse Center
10 a.m.—Ceremony, La Crosse Center
Regalia: Contact the bookstore (ext. 3848) by March 31 to order your cap and gown.
Other Apparel: Shoes and other articles of visible apparel worn by faculty and staff should be of dark colors that harmonize with the academic costume. Nothing else should be worn on the academic gown.
Additional Information: Students and faculty can find additional Commencement information on the Web site: http://www.viterbo.edu/alumni/Commencement.htm. Any other questions can be addressed to Amy Gleason, commecement chairperson, ext. 3182.
from the library
By Galadriel Chilton
Visit Our Virtual Drafting Table! As we review and revise plans for the library expansion project, blueprints will be posted online at www.viterbo.edu /library/whatsnew.htm. Please send your comments and suggestions to reference@viterbo.edu.
Get the Best of Both Sides: Civil liberties, welfare reform, and physician-assisted suicide are just a few good topics for lively conversation and argumentative essays. With abundant resources available on such issues, what is a good way to explore experts’ opinions of both sides? Come to the library and check out these publications:
At Issue: Affirmative action, hate crimes, and professional wrestling are examples of the 38 titles from this series.
Opposing Viewpoints Series: From paranormal phenomena to biomedical ethics, the library’s Opposing Viewpoints Series collection currently explores 97 topics.
Current Controversies: 44 books for this series are available, covering issues like computers and technology, drug legalization, and violence in the media.
Not only does each short book (usually around 250 pages) contain good information, but is also designed to sharpen critical thinking and information evaluation skills!
For a complete list of topics covered, visit the library’s catalog (http://library.viterbo.edu/) and enter a series name as a title search. For example, entering At Issue in the title search box retrieves titles for the 38 At Issue books in the library.
Get Pi for the Price of "e"
Pamela Burgess, VROOM President
Mentioned as early as 1650 B.C. in the Egyptian Rhind Papyrus, pi has intrigued mathematicians and plagued students of geometry ever since.
Not only is pi used to relate the diameter of a circle to its circumference, pi pops up in the normalization of the normal distribution and in the distribution of primes. Archimedes of Syracuse (287212 B.C.) was the first to approximate the value of this little number. His guess was only off by 0.002, not bad considering algebra hadn’t even been invented yet! This irrational number that seems to go on forever has been calculated to over a billion digits. The world record for number of digits memorized by a human being now totals over 40,000 digits!
Another number that has pulled at the mathematician mentality, though not quite as old as pi is “e.” This number shows up in statistics as well as business mathematics as exponential decay. First discussed in the late 17th century, the letter “e” wasn’t given to this constant until the 1700s by a 21-year-old mathematician, Leonhard Euler. Taking a rectangular hyperbola, the area under the graph from one to the number “e” is equal to one. Euler gave an approximation for “e” to 18 decimal places. Unlike pi, “e” has not been calculated out as far as a billion digits, but as of 1999 over a million digits have been confirmed.
What do pi and “e” have in common? Euler’s equation states that...Even better than that, Viterbo’s Revolutionary Order of Mathematicians will be selling pi for the price of “e”! Stop by the MC Lobby on Tuesday, March 18, from 11 a.m.2 p.m. to get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a piece of homemade pie topped with whipped cream for only $2.72.
Habla Espanol?
By Stacey Scott, Spanish Club
The first issue of Spanish Club’s Spanish-language campus newspaper, Rompiendo Fronteras (Breaking Borders), will be available the week after spring break.
The paper will include articles about Spanish Club events, international news, critiques of books and movies, features on Spanish students, and other topics. Look for Rompiendo Fronteras around campus after the break!
Touchstone Honored
Last year’s issue of the student art and literary magazine, Touchstone, won a first place award from the American Scholastic Press Association!
The magazine won a first place award for colleges and universities with an enrollment of 1,7012,500. Congratulations to English Advisor Bill Stobb and former Advisor and Art Instructor Ed Rushton as well as Art Editor Mandy Timm, English Editor Matt Metzger, and Assistant English Editors Renee Arndt and Amanda Blank.
kudos to...
Peg Haggerty, graduate nursing program, who had two posters accepted for presentation at the AACN Masters in Education Conference, Feb. 27March 1 at Amelia Island, Florida. One was on her doctoral dissertation titled, “Learning Outcomes in a Web-based Nursing Leadership Course,” and the second poster was on the newly developed MSN Nursing Leadership in Health Care Track titled, “Development of a Nursing Leadership in Health Care Track.”
human resources
Viterbo University extends a warm welcome to new employee David Banner, Director of the MBA Program in the Dahl School of Business. He began working on March 6.
Get Your Tickets to a Southern Lunch
Enjoy some down-home cooking during the “Flavor of Soul” lunch on Wednesday, April 2, from 11 a.m.1:15 p.m. in the Marian Hall Dining Room. Savor praline chicken, baked cornmeal catfish, sweet potato fries, collard greens pecan pie, and much more. Tickets are $6.25 per person and must be purchased by March 28. Get tickets at the MC Reception Desk, Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.3 p.m.
The lunch is held in conjunction with “An Evening with Thea,” held at 7 p.m. that day. Author and famed artist Michael O’Neill McGrath will honor the late Thea Bowman, FSPA in the talk. An art and book signing follows. A free will offering will be accepted at the door and will be applied to a Thea Bowman Scholarship fund at Viterbo University.
Viterbo Lives It Up on Fat Tuesday
The Social Committee’s Mardi Gras Lunch for all employees was last Tuesday, March 4th. About 50 people enjoyed a meal of jambalaya, cornbread, and salad along with jazz and a festive atmosphere. Deb Kappmeyer was the lucky person to find the token baked into the King Cake. She won a $20 gift card to Target. A special thank you goes to Mike Raymond and Campus Dining from the Social Committee for the great food and beautiful decorations.
focus on...
By Megan Voeltz ’06
Name: Linda Schams
Title: Lab Instructor
Dept: Biology
Family: She and her husband, Ronald, have twin sons-Greg and Charles. Greg is studying music education at Viterbo, and Charles works at WKBT as a floor director.
Education: She received her Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education with a minor in biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Hobbies/Interests/Enthusiasms: Linda enjoys reading, cross-stitching, quilting, and outdoor activities.
Adventures and Travels: When she was in college, Linda went to Italy with her high school Latin Club. She and her husband have traveled to southwest Arizona, California, and New York.
Future Hopes and Plans: Next January, Linda and her husband will be going to the western Caribbean on a four-day cruise. She is excited for the new building to be finished, so she is able to teach more courses, since there will be more space. But, first, she needs to undergo hip surgery.
Little Known Fact(s): Linda went to high school with Mark Lee (an astronaut from Viroqua).
Chart Toppers, The Nylons, Take the Viterbo Stage March 22
The Canadian quartet, The Nylons, will present their unique style and high energy in a performance at Viterbo University Saturday, March 22.
With rave reviews from around the globe, The Nylons are hitting the stage with a fresh sound and new, original material. Tenors Claude Morrison and Garth Mosbaugh, bass Arnold Robinson, and baritone Mark Cassius will knock your socks off with dazzling renditions of old favorites like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” as well as an a cappella interpretation of music by artists Hall and Oates, The Beatles, and George Michael. The Nylons have moved doo-wop from street corners and put it on stage with high energy and an a cappella sound that has allowed them to redefine a genre.
This a cappella style doo-wop group formed in 1979 and is one of the most popular quartets to come out of Canada. The Nylons have sold more than two million records and gone to the top of the charts. The group’s first album, The Nylons, went gold in Canada in just two months and, over the next seven years, The Nylons went on to record six albums for Attic Records.
The Nylons are sponsored by Classic Hits 94.7 and supported, in part, by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin.
Show time is Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are$24/18. For information, contact the Viterbo University Box Office at ext. 3100.
Theatrical Anti-war Protest Draws Full House
By Rick Walters, Theatre
On Monday, March 3, the Viterbo Student Theatre Board’s staged reading of Lysistrata played to the delight of a sold-out house in the FAC Recital Hall. The performance was part of a worldwide theatrical event known as the Lysistrata Project, in which theatre artists in 59 countries and in all 50 United States produced over 1,000 readings of the play to voice opposition to the looming war with Iraq.
The Viterbo reading raised over $230 that will be donated to Doctors without Borders. This international organization delivers emergency aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics and natural disasters and to others who lack health care due to social or geographical isolation. The organization also works to raise awareness of the plight of populations by bearing witness, giving testimony to the United Nations and conducting educational campaigns.
Thank you cast, crew, and directors for making this event a success. And, thanks to all who supported this effort with your presence and your monetary contributions.
Arts for Young America Presents The Witch and the Magic Mountain
Stocked with drama, laughter, and music, The Witch and the Magic Mountain brings its exciting journey and message about the importance of family to the Viterbo stage on Sunday, March 30, as part of the Arts for Young America series.
The tale is about three children who set out to find the Bird of Light and save the life of their mother, the Queen. Each phase of the journey is a story within the main story, with its own unique mood and atmosphere. There’s the knockabout comedy of the robbers in the Forest of Night, the spine-tingling mystery of the secret of the Sea Serpents, and a final, dramatic encounter with the witch, whose power to turn children to stone is overcome by the heroine’s own power to enchant the witch by telling her stories.
The Witch and the Magic Mountain is sponsored by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Wisconsin, Inc. and is supported, in part, by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin.
Show time is 3 p.m. and tickets cost $10 for adults and $8 for children under 12. For more information, contact the Viterbo University Box Office at ext. 3100.
connections
connections is published every Monday of each academic year.
Copy deadline is noon, Thursday.
Email copy to: connections@viterbo.edu or send interoffice to the Communications & Marketing Department, MC 228.
Visit us on the web at: www.viterbo.edu/ campnews/camppub/connections/.
Return to Viterbo University Home Page