Mary Ann Gschwind, FSPA, will present “The Story of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

The FSPA established St. Rose of Viterbo Convent in La Crosse in 1871 when 65 Sisters, 12 novices, and 12 postulants moved to the city from Milwaukee. In 1878, they began the practice of perpetual adoration (praying), which they continued without interruption for 141 years, until Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. They now pray every day from 6 a.m.–10 p.m.

Sr. Gschwind, who serves as the archivist for her religious order, will share the history of the FSPA from their humble beginnings, to establishing enduring institutions in health care, education, and spirituality, to their present ministries.

The...

Tom Thibodeau and students in his homelessness class spent this night outside Feb. 27–28. It was the 33rd annual vigil.

The Viterbo University D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s spring lecture series will continue at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, as actor and historian Joe Wiegand presents “An Evening with Teddy Roosevelt” in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

Wiegand is considered the world’s premier Theodore Roosevelt repriser, and his portrayals of Roosevelt in live performance, on television, and in film are amazing. Wiegand has been featured as President Roosevelt in The Men Who Built America on the History Channel, served as the model for the newest Roosevelt sculpture at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and has a feature role in National Parks Adventure, a film about U.S. national parks still showing in IMAX theaters throughout the country. He has also...

Viterbo Rec Sports is holding a “Boost Your Wellbeing” employee wellness challenge Monday, March 23–Sunday, April 17.

Each week will have a different focus/intention focusing on a different dimension of wellness. The purpose of this challenge is to help participants discover new avenues of health and how to better “level-up/boost” their health habits so that they may live out a strong and healthy lifestyle. 

Tasks will vary each week with the general goal to be intentional behavioral awareness. Engagement in the Facebook group is encouraged to connect with other ideas and discoveries of self and accountability.

Register at the Mathy Center front desk. The cost of the challenge is $5. Participants are eligible to win prizes each week, with the opportunity to win one grand prize...

Fr. Conrad Targonski places ashes on the forehead of a student during Ash Wednesday Mass in San Damiano Chapel Feb. 26.

Nominations are open for the Viterbo Spirit of St. Francis Sustainability Award.

Last year’s winners were Dorothy Lenard and Alexis Bird. Nominations are due Thursday, April 2. The award be presented on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22.

The exhibit Configuration of Self featuring the art of Viterbo students Aaryn Jones, Caitlin Parish, and Elise Topoloski opened with a reception Feb. 26. The show runs until Wednesday, March 18.

Payton Harper (Viola), Gavin Mason (Sebastian), and Gemma Cooper (Feste).

Viterbo students will present William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in a theatre for young audiences format at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 1 at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts.

Twins separated during a shipwreck, mistaken identity, and role reversals—no one does it better than Shakespeare. Audience members will follow Viola and a group of other adventurous characters as they explore friendships, romance, and hilarious hijinks.

“Twelfth Night is a fun play filled with humor and themes of love, identity, and finding one’s own in society,” said Rick Walters, the Viterbo theatre and music theatre faculty member who is directing the production. “It examines the...

By Michael Ranscht and Rick Trietley

The Space Allocation Committee has again been meeting regularly since the beginning of the semester. Work on the space needs survey launched last semester continues as we review current and future needs based on the strategic plan and the priorities established last semester while also looking at the historical use of spaces. Office moves continue to be regularly approved by the committee.

The priorities established in conjunction with President Glena Temple last semester include moving the student affairs staff from the current Student Development Center to other locations on campus. As a result of the committee’s work and consultation with others, the counseling staff will move to the third floor of Murphy Center so all student-focused...

Viterbo will offer a bachelor degree completion program in social work beginning in fall 2020.

The program is designed for people who have an associate degree in human services or a related field who want to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in social work within two years. Classes are offered in a combination of on-campus evening and online hybrid format ideal for working professionals.

“Earning a bachelor’s degree and becoming a credentialed social worker opens up great career opportunities,” said faculty member Jennifer Anderson-Meger, the director of the Viterbo social work program. “Social work is a very holistic profession, and social workers are needed in medical settings, community-based services for the elderly, and disabilities, mental health, substance abuse, and child...

The art of Viterbo seniors Aaryn Jones, Caitlin Parish, and Elise Topoloski will be featured in an exhibit opening with a reception from 5–6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the Viterbo University Gallery in the Fine Arts Center.

The show, entitled Configuration of Self, will include paintings, photographs, prints, and some three-dimensional works. It will run until Wednesday, March 18.

The image is The Lion by Elise Topolski (conte crayon on paper).

By Sarah Bearbower

A number of departments have made the transition from external (www) pages to internal SharePoint sites. SharePoint sites require an @viterbo.edu login and can be made available to all student, employee, or subsets of users.

As we continue to develop our internal portal, work to streamline how end users navigate is being considered.

Currently there are a variety of ways to get to SharePoint sites.

1. From the MyVU page click on VU Portal.
2. Navigate to Viterbou.sharepoint.com
3. Log into any Office365 tool (Outlook, calendar, etc), click SharePoint from the App Picker.

From any of these starting points, you can use the search box to find specific departmental or committee sites to which you have permission.

Microsoft is in the process of...

Congratulations to the newest members of the Viterbo athletics Wall of Fame, Chad Miller ’02, baseball coach; Steph Wisen ’15, women’s soccer; Katie Flock ’15, women’s volleyball, and Joe Dunham, benefactor support.

The acclaimed Artaria String Quartet will present the complete cycle of 17 string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven in six concerts in celebration of the composer’s 250th birthday Saturday, Feb. 22–Monday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, March 22–Tuesday, March 24 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall.

The 17 string quartets of Beethoven’s monumental canon span 36 of his 57 years and represent, perhaps better than any other of his works, the revered Early, Middle, and Late periods of his compositional life. These so-called “periods” are not mere academic divisions but rather a glorious arc of Beethoven’s work. So, too, they encompass his deafness from its beginning to its final and awful silence. Within the Artaria String Quartet’s six programs of the complete...

Enjoy an evening of swinging jazz music with Two and the Night and the Music: An Evening of Jazz with Dave Marck and Tim Harrison at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall.

The concert, which will include a wide variety of tunes from Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Miles Davis, and others, is a fundraiser for Viterbo’s Platinum Edition Show Choir.

“Dave and Tim bring great joy to their music making and their high level of skill and musicianship is outstanding,” said Nancy Allen, Viterbo music faculty member and director of Platinum Edition. “And their spontaneous spirit of creating music on the spot is truly inspiring.” 

A native of La Crosse, Marck is a professional musician based in New York City...

Viterbo University is participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) spring semester 2020. The survey will help university officials learn more about our student’s engagement in their learning and what they have gained from their college experience.

Students can provide input about the level of academic challenge, their experience of active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, and the campus environment.  

All undergraduate first-year students and seniors will receive an email invitation for the survey Thursday, Feb. 20.

Viterbo participates in NSSE every three years, along with approximately 700 colleges and universities across the nation, which provides benchmarking on a national level. An additional benchmark group will be...

Caitlin Locy, admissions, took home the Honors Program Chili Cookoff trophy for the third year in a row. She was presented with the award by Matthew Bersagel Braley and honors students. Locy took first place out of 16 entries. The event raised $200 for the organization of her choice, the Viterbo food pantries.

Danessa Brocks, the 2020 Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse Youth of the Year, was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Viterbo University at a signing event in the Mathy Center Feb. 5. Also pictured are Viterbo President Glena Temple and Jake Erickson, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse. Click to view more photos from the event, and read or watch Brocks’ story.

The Viterbo community is invited to celebrate Homecoming Saturday, Feb. 15.

Saturday, Feb. 15

10 a.m. Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony – Fine Arts Center FSPA Lobby. Being honored are Joe Dunham, benefactor support; Katie Flock ’15, women’s volleyball; Chad Miller ’02, baseball coach; and Steph Wisen ’15, women’s soccer.

11:45 a.m. Alumni Women’s Basketball Game

1 p.m. Alumni Men’s Basketball Game

4 p.m. V-Hawks Women’s Basketball 

6 p.m. V-Hawks Men’s Basketball Game. Special halftime recognition of the Men’s Soccer 1999 Team.

A social will follow the V-Hawk Men’s Basketball Game in the Skogen Family Welcome Center in Reinhart Center. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. RSVP by calling 608-796-3076.

Read about three Viterbo DNP students who provided care at the scene of a car accident as originally published by In the Loop from Mayo Clinic.

Viterbo career services is collecting business professional and casual clothing for the 2020 Suits for Success event. 

A collection box is located in Murphy Center 374, or email argostonczik@viterbo.edu for pick up at your office.

The Viterbo Fine Arts Center Dick Record Entrance was formally dedicated at a ceremony Feb. 6. From left are President Glena Temple, Eva Marie Restel, executive director of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, and Dick Record, a longtime supporter of the arts at Viterbo. Click to watch the WKBT story.

By Mary Rieder, library

With almost 68,000 streaming videos covering subject areas such as business and economics, education, science, nursing, counseling and therapy, classical music, sports medicine, theatre, engineering, religion, and LGBTQ studies, you may have already used the library’s subscription to Academic Video Online (AVON) for class assignments, but did you know it also has many videos you can watch just for fun? Included in the collection are videos from the A&E television network, the BBC, PBS, the History Channel, London’s Royal Opera House, Live from Stratford-upon-Avon the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Discovery Channel, just to name a few.

To sample some of these more entertaining videos, I asked several library staff members what some of their...

The top five finishers in the annual Health Science Scholarship competition are pictured with Viterbo President Glena Temple. From left are Grace Stockwell, fourth place ($10,000), Karn Vethe, second place ($12,000), Tristan Meighan, winner, (full tuition), Megan Huss, third place ($12,000), and Cameron Zimmerman, fifth place ($10,000). Twenty-five finalists participated in the event, and places 6–25 received a $4,000 scholarship. All scholarship amounts are over four years.

Congratulations to the top finishers in the Nightingale Nursing Scholarship competition Jan. 31. From left are faculty members Kristin Roslansky and Mary Therese Rinzel, Hailey Erdmann, second place ($16,000), winner Tasha Koeshall ($24,000), Gabrielle Cornell, third place, ($8,000), and Martha Scheckel, dean of the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Behavior.

The WorkForce Career, Internship, and Graduate School Fair Tuesday, Feb. 18 in West Allis isn’t just for students. Viterbo Career Services is sponsoring a bus for students and faculty who are interested in attending the fair to network and build connections with Wisconsin employers. 

The bus will leave campus at 11:30 a.m. and return about 9:30 p.m. Your “ticket” includes a free lunch. See the organizations attending at WorkForce Career, Internship, and Graduate School Fair. Sign up for a seat by emailing Alyssa Gostonczik.

If you have an extra five minutes or more of class you would be willing to spare between now and the fair, a career services staff member would be happy to come and talk to your class about the benefits of attending the fair. They are also available to do...

Check out the latest edition of the Viterbo Alumni Association monthly e-newsletter, which includes information on Homecoming and the Wall of Fame induction, Distinguished Alumni Award nominations, and Courtyard Carni memories. 

Share ideas for alumni features and other stories for the newsletter by emailing Randy Erickson.

By Heather Butterfield, human resources

The Franciscan recognition program is off to a great start. Thank you for everyone who have already submitted names of coworkers to be recognized. Each month, we will share the stories of the employees who have been recognized. Click here to see the January Employees who were recognized.  

As a reminder, the Franciscan Recognition program offers the Viterbo community a way to acknowledge good work and extend appreciation to employees who live the Franciscan mission and values in their daily work. Recognition can be provided by peers, students, supervisors, or external community members. The Viterbo community wants to hear about and recognize all the wonderful things our employees are doing.

To recognize an employee, complete the online...

This is one in a series of student profiles to be featured in Connections. The profiles are part of a project to articulate the Viterbo difference through storytelling. Have a student story worth sharing? Email stories@viterbo.edu

By Eric Timmons

On a typical day in her life as a Viterbo University business student, you might find Taylor Wiedemann meeting corporate customers as part of her internship at Trane, or back on campus working on a market research project for an innovative local start-up.

The practical focus of her studies appeals to Wiedemann, a senior from West Salem who is double-majoring in marketing and management and leadership at Viterbo’s Dahl School of Business.

“It’s been a really great experience,” Wiedemann said of her internship at Trane in La Crosse. “I...

By Sue Danielson

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in hundreds of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan, with additional cases being identified in a growing number of countries internationally, including in the U.S. and Canada. There are ongoing investigations to learn more. There are indications that this virus is now spreading person-to-person. Of most concern at this time are travelers who may have been in the epicenter of the outbreak or in contact with an infected individual.

Six cases have been identified in the U.S. and 241 people are being...

Viterbo University students will present the heartwarming drama Failure: A Love Story Friday, Jan. 31–Saturday, Feb. 1 and Friday, Feb. 7–Sunday, Feb. 9 in the Fine Arts Center LaCroix Black Box Theatre.

Failure: A Love Story is the whimsical and musical tale of the Fail sisters: Nelly, Jenny June, and Gerty, as they live out their lives above the family clock shop near the Chicago River. By the year 1928, their time will unexpectedly run out, but not before this fable proves that the power of love is far greater than any individual’s successes or failures.

“Failure is a delightfully fun and charming story—the perfect heartwarming show for these chilly winter months. I think audiences are really going to enjoy it,” said Erin Jerozal, Viterbo theatre and music theatre faculty member...

Employees are invited to attend a professional development session on mindfulness and work life balance from 10:30–11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 in the School of Nursing Building room 202.

Stephanie Helmers, owner of Zen and Pow Fitness and Yoga will give the presentation. She will speak as part of the Leadership at Noon from noon–1 p.m. that day in the Fine Art Center FSPA Lobby.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students will present their DNP project defenses Wednesday, Jan. 29 in the School of Nursing Building room 207.

The Viterbo community is invited to attend. Click for the full schedule and list of topics.

The internationally acclaimed German a cappella quintet Calmus conducted a workshop for members of four local high school choirs in the Vitebro Fine Arts Center Main Theatre Jan. 22. Calmus performed the next evening as part of the university’s Bright Star Season.

Business expert, author, and renowned speaker James Hunter will present “Servant Leadership: Creating a Culture of Excellence” at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

For more than 30 years, Hunter has presented to audiences around the world on the topics of leadership and developing high performing teams. He also assists organizations in creating a culture of excellence by growing leaders and building community. Hunter’s clients include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Servant Leadership is a values and relationship-based approach to leadership that seeks to create a high trust culture. It...

By Mary Rieder

Welcome back to campus. The library has implemented some new Circulation Policies this semester, which will expand the amount of time you can check out several collections.

The biggest change is that you can now check out reference materials, which formerly did not circulate at all. They can now be checked out from the library for three days. The only exception is a small Ready Reference collection located behind the Reference Desk.

Additionally, DVDs and videos can now be borrowed for seven days, up from the three days they were at previously. This matches the circulation period for music CDs. 

Finally, Career Collection materials now circulate for 30 days for both students and faculty instead of the week they were at before.

For more information about...