Lawrence in the News: Spring 2009 and Summer 2009
A sampling of media clippings about Lawrence University, its faculty, students,
and alumni from Spring 2009 and Summer 2009. For more clippings, see the
Lawrence in the News index
page.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
September 17, 2009
Headline: G.I. Bill, Yellow Ribbon Program bring Iraq veteran to Appleton's Lawrence University
Byline: J.E. Espino
Excerpt: When Christopher Schmidt enlisted in the U.S. Army four years ago, as a high school senior, he kept telling himself his career path was certain.
In 20 years, I won't have to work ever again in my life," Schmidt, now 23, reflects about how he viewed his choice for a military career. "I thought I knew it all. That 20 years would be a cakewalk, and I was wrong."
Schmidt started classes last Friday at Lawrence University with an outlook on life no doubt shaped by his 15-month deployment to Camp Liberty on the western edge of Baghdad. He spent most days patrolling and training Iraqis but never really knowing what was next.
Schmidt is the only veteran attending Lawrence this fall, thanks to the federal G.I. Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program, which eases the tuition burden and gives veterans a shot at education in a private institution. Several of his combat buddies are exploring their options at colleges in Milwaukee and Oshkosh.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
September 15, 2009
Headline: Lessons turn to cell phone use and texting in Fox Valley schools
Byline: Sarah Riley
Excerpt: A ringing cell phone is dangerous in Jake Frederick's classes. The Lawrence University assistant professor likes to teach students lessons about history and, when the occasion calls for it, phone etiquette. In the latter case, students learn the hard way.
"I do make it a point to be kind of frightening. I pride myself on being cruel on the issue," Frederick said.
The first time in a semester the phone rings in class, Frederick will take it and answer the phone himself, saying the student "can't come to the phone right now." After that, everyone in class gets a pop quiz.
Frederick understands that his students have a hard time turning phones off.
"All of us get really addicted to these things. In some ways, I'm sort of sympathetic," he said. "I think students now kind of multitask all the time."
WBAY-TV 2 (Green Bay, Wis.)
September 9, 2009
Headline: Land Lines Disappearing from College Campuses
Byline: Jason Zimmerman
Excerpt: The number of college campuses offering land lines in dorm rooms continues to shrink. This fall, both Ripon College and UW-Stevens Point stopped providing the service. It's a trend students say isn't so surprising.
On almost every student at Lawrence University, the mobile phone is a constant life-line, especially after the college pulled the plug on dorm room land lines during the summer of 2008.
"If I didn't have my phone, I don't think I would be able to function. It's almost a way of life, I guess," freshman Jordan Burke said.
The university says the decision was made after conducting a survey. About 800 dorm rooms were disconnected, saving the school about $100,000 a year.
"Some of the money we saved in those land lines we've been able to re-direct for emergency telephones and public area phones, so each residence hall still has hallway phones or public area phones, a telephone at the desk, they can use to call out," Dean of Students Nancy Truesdell said.
About 99 percent of the students at Lawrence University have a cell phone.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
September 7, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University Finds Niche in Asthma Research
Byline: J.E. Espino
Excerpt: When Catherine Albright walked into Lawrence University professor David Hall's busy biochemistry lab complaining about a severe cold in early June, his eyes lit up.
Right away he ordered his pupil to give a sample. Albright, a junior this fall and one of nearly 60 students who participated in summer biochemistry research, dutifully used that sample, sending out for DNA sequencing to determine if it was a particular strain of the rhinovirus.
"It's actually my own DNA. I may be cloning myself," Albright joked.
For the past three years, Hall, an associate professor of chemistry, and several of those students have been examining how the rhinovirus causes asthma flare-ups, thanks to private and federal grants and Lawrence funding now totaling more than $236,000.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
September 6, 2009
Headline: Dying to learn my chances of living to age 85
Byline: Jim Stingl
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/57410762.html
Excerpt: it morbid if you like, but I've just been calculating my odds of reaching 85 before croaking. For white, male 55-year-olds like me living in Wisconsin, the numbers show that two-thirds of us aren't going to make it. For women my age, on the other hand, half will be around to blow out 85 candles and talk about how wonderful we men were while we lasted.
I've been playing with a new Internet toy called, cheerily, Death Risk Rankings. Try it yourself at deathriskrankings.org.
Among its developers is David Gerard, an economist and new associate professor at Lawrence University in Appleton. He was director of the Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where the site was created by profs and students who pulled together census numbers and mortality data for the United States and Europe.
Gerard's expertise is in risk regulation and how it affects public policy.
"When you do regulatory policy, you're making decisions about how much you should reduce risk, and what sort of price you should pay. This health care debate is the same way," he said.
Bloomberg News
September 1, 2009
Headline: Minneapolis Fed Appoints Lyon as Acting President
Byline: Vivien Lou Chen
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=akSLu7JaZOBA
Excerpt: The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis named James Lyon as acting president to succeed Gary Stern, the central bank’s longest-serving policy maker and a critic of bank bailouts. Lyon will lead the district bank on an interim basis amid the worst recession since the 1930s and efforts to turn the central bank into the supervisor for the largest, most interconnected financial institutions.
Lyon, 57, is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, according to his biography in Marquis Who’s Who.
Health News
August 31, 2009
Headline: Calculate Your Risk of Dying with New Online Tool
Byline: Madeline Ellis
Link: http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/calculate-your-risk-dying-new-online-tool-3638.html
Excerpt: Are you dying to know how much time you have left? Wondering how you will meet your demise? A new website call DeathRiskRankings.com can give you some insight. The program, created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, uses publicly available statistical information from the U.S. (CDC Wonder) and the European Union (Eurostat) to calculate the death risk rankings of up to 66 causes of death, including accidents, homicides, and various diseases, based on gender, age, race and geographic region.
A twenty-year-old U.S. woman has a one in 2,000, or 0.05 per cent, chance of dying in the next year, but by age forty, the risk increases threefold. By age sixty, it is 16 times greater, and by age eighty, it is 100 times greater, around 1 in 20, or 5 percent, which still means that “at eighty, the average U.S. woman still has a 95 percent chance of making it to her eighty-first birthday,” said David Gerard, a former professor at Carnegie Mellon who is now an associate professor of economics at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Gerard says that “most Americans don’t have a particularly good understanding of their own mortality risks, let alone ranking of their relevant risks.”
All About Jazz.com
August 31, 2009
Headline: Take Five With Adam Meckler
Link: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33997&pg=1
Excerpt: Trumpeter, composer and educator Adam Meckler graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI in 2007 with a degree in trumpet performance and an emphasis in jazz studies. He was a member of LU's Down Beat award-winning Jazz Ensemble (2007) and studied privately under the direction of critically acclaimed composer and educator Fred Sturm. He was the recipient of LU's prestigious jazz composition award being inducted in to the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's Leadership in Music award.
Teachers and/or influences?
Fred Sturm has been a huge influence on my improvising and composing. I got to study privately with Fred during my Junior and Senior years at Lawrence University.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
August 29, 2009
Headline: What are the odds you'll die this year: New Web site ranks your risk
Byline: J.E. Espino
Excerpt: Want to know what the chances are you could die within a year and by what cause? Millions do. Call it morbid curiosity.
David Gerard, a new Lawrence University associate professor says a calculator Web site crunching risks he and his former Carnegie Mellon University research colleagues and students launched Thursday has been an instant hit.
"We all die, and we all sort of think about (our mortality)," said Gerard, who last month left CMU to join Lawrence's economics department.
FOX NEWS.com
August 27, 2009
Headline: Death Calculator Predicts Your Odds of Kicking the Bucket
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,543502,00.html
Excerpt: A new web site claims to give the odds on you dying next year, or for whatever period you select, based on a few simple questions.
The site, DeathRiskRankings.com, is the brainchild of researchers and students at Carnegie Mellon University. It provides answers based on publicly available data from the United States and Europe, comparing mortality risks by gender, age, cause of death and geographic region. Put your info in, and it produces the probable causes of your demise and provides insight on the timing of that unfortunate event.
"Most Americans don't have a particularly good understanding of their own mortality risks, let alone ranking of their relevant risks," said David Gerard, a former professor at Carnegie Mellon who is now an associate professor of economics at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.
WFRV-TV CBS 5 (Green Bay, Wis.)
August 26, 2009
Headline:
Mercury Marine employees petition for second vote
Byline: Angenette Levy
Link: http://www.wfrv.com/news/local/story/Mercury-Marine-employees-petition-for-second-vote/5a8K4qkFkUGXaemIJlVBGA.cspx
Excerpt: Channel 5 news has learned that some union workers have circulated a petition at Mercury Marine, requesting a re-vote on concessions they voted down last weekend.
According to the union president, members cannot vote on the same contract without changes. It's not clear whether members can vote a second time on what Mercury Marine has labeled its “best, last and final offer.”
"Unions and managers have always fought over the issue of who will run the company, who will control the company,” said Jerald Podair, a professor of history at Lawrence University. Podair said General Motors won a similar fight over management rights in the 1940's, but the company had to offer employees more benefits.
It gives management much more flexibility in moving these temporary or supplemental workers around, which hurts the union and hurts their power, which is why they're as upset about it as they are,” Podair said.
Forbes.com
July 22, 2009
Headline: What Not To Wear To Work
Byline: Laura Sinberg
Link: http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/22/office-fashion-sexy-forbes-woman-style-clothes.html
Excerpt: Many professional women are guilty of multiple fashion faux pas without realizing it, and their lack of judgment can sometimes lead to being passed over for a job or promotion.
Dressing too sexy can also have psychological effects on your peers, according to Peter Glick, a professor of psychology at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. A study by Glick that was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly indicates that women in high-level positions who dress in what is seen as sexy attire are viewed as less competent--regardless of their skill sets. These women are passed over for promotions more often than their more modestly dresses female colleagues.
While women may have more options about what to wear in the workplace, they also have more room for misstep, notes psychology professor Glick. "What's a man going to wear, a pair of Dockers and a button-down shirt, as opposed to a tie and a shirt?" Pit that scenario against a woman whose maxi dress is semi-transparent and, well, the impact on their respective reputations hardly compares.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
July 20, 2009
Headline: In an Uncertain Summer, Colleges Try to Control Enrollment 'Melt'
Byline: Eric Hoover
Link: http://chronicle.com/article/In-an-Uncertain-Summer-Swe/47100/
Except: In the summer, what's true of Popsicles is also true of freshman classes: A little melt is fine, but too much can cause a real mess. Each year, admissions officers know that a small percentage of admitted applicants who sent deposits will not show up. The phenomenon, known as "summer melt," has many causes. Students might change their plans because they suddenly get off their first-choice college's waiting list—or because they opt to spend a year caring for penguins in Antarctica. Sometimes the arrival of the tuition bill convinces a family that it cannot afford a particular college after all.
At Lawrence University, in Wisconsin, students who work in the admissions office usually call prospective applicants during the summer. This year, however, the students are also calling all 360 incoming freshmen, just to say hello and ask whether they have any questions about the months ahead.
Meanwhile, Lawrence's admissions counselors have been conducting quirky e-mail surveys of incoming freshmen since late May. They asked students to name their favorite songs and sports, and to share their nicknames ("Creep" and "Debbielicious" were two memorable answers). There have also been weightier questions, like, "What is the greatest unanswered question?" The counselors post the responses on the university's admissions blog.
Ken Anselment, Lawrence's director of admissions, believes that even such small connections build a crucial sense of community. "Recruitment does not stop at the point of deposit—it never has," he says. "But it's never been more clear that recruitment is a perpetual activity. Colleges are going to be competing with each other even more to make sure that students are happy about their decisions."
'Students Expect More'
Lawrence typically loses about 5 percent of its freshman class over the summer. So far the university's melt is less than it was last year.
The Daily Mail (London, England)
July 20, 2009
Headline: Visible bra straps, teeny tops - this woman boss has had enough! Dress for the office girls, not a hen night!
Byline: Maureen Rice
Link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1200752/Visible-bra-straps-teeny-tops--woman-boss-Dress-office-girls-hen-night.html
Excerpt: The young woman sitting opposite me had submitted a pitch-perfect application letter and one of the best CVs I'd seen. She had been one of almost 70 applicants for a job on the magazine where I'm editor, and on her application alone should have been my star candidate. But the minute she walked into my office, and before she even opened her mouth, she failed the interview.
The more ambitious you are, or the more your job matters to you, the more seriously you should consider the messages your clothes and personal presentation are giving off.
Peter Glick, a psychologist at Lawrence University in the U.S., has researched the way women dress for work, and found some depressing - if unsurprising - results.
Sexy clothing and over-high heels, for example, are considered inappropriate for both senior and junior staff, but the senior woman will be more harshly judged for it, and seen as more threatening and untrustworthy, and less competent or intelligent - and that's by male and female colleagues alike.
The Washington Examiner (Washington, D.C.)
July 10, 2009
Headline: Renovated Ford's Theatre Museum lets visitors rediscover Lincoln
Byline: Nancy Dunham
Link: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/Renovated-Ford_s-Theatre-Museum-lets-visitors-rediscover-Lincoln-7949202-50397202.html
Excerpt: When the doors to Ford’s Theatre Museum are flung open Wednesday for the first time since it closed for renovations during August 2007, visitors will have an opportunity to view rare artifacts belonging to President Abraham Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
But historians and scholars note there is much more to be learned at the 144-year-old theater and museum than the details of these artifacts, including the derringer pistol used in the homicide, no matter how intriguing we may find the rarities.
“I would like it to draw attention to the vastly different worldviews of Lincoln and the man who assassinated him,” said professor Jerald Podair of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., who teaches history and American studies. “Lincoln believed in the “right to rise” for all human beings and in a society that removed artificial barriers — like slavery — to that end. Booth believed in a hierarchical society in which human beings were fixed in their places and where the lines of racial and class inferiority were well-marked and permanent.”
Examiner.com (Milwaukee, Wis.)
June 29, 2009
Headline: Land your fall internship right now
Byline: Heather Huhman
Link: http://www.examiner.com/x-828-Entry-Level-Careers-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Land-your-fall-internship-right-now
Excerpt: Although you might have only just started your summer internship, organizations have begun their hunts for fall interns. Ah, the role of a college internship seeker is never done because you better get your application materials in order once again if you plan to intern this fall. Positions are going fast!
I spoke with a number of experts about their advice for scoring a fall internship over the summer:
Grace M. Kutney, a career development professional at Lawrence University, adds, “Identify employers that interest you, but have not necessarily posted an internship vacancy. Tailor cover letter and résumé materials for these organizations, but mention in your cover letter that you are writing to be considered for an internship, should one become available.”
Charlotte (N.C. ) Observer
June 28, 2009
Headline: Eastway Park gets a colorful face
Byline: Karen Sullivan
Link: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/802486.html
Excerpt: Wisconsin artist Rob Neilson describes the 10-foot artwork to be displayed at Eastway Park as a monument, similar to the towering structures so often made in honor of famous people. Neilson created this one as a tribute to everyday people. The recently installed design has four brightly colored steel panels, each one bearing an image of a child who Neilson met while in Charlotte doing research for the project.
The sculptor hopes the children's faces will serve as a source of community pride once Eastway Park opens later this year on Eastway Drive.
“All of my work is site-specific,” said Neilson, 40, an associate art professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. “I wanted to take that a step further. I wanted to make it not just about the location but about the surrounding neighborhood and people who will use this facility.”
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
June 15, 2009
Headline: Rick Bjella leaves big shoes to fill in Fox Cities music community
Byline: Kara Patterson
Excerpt: In his Lawrence University office, Rick Bjella, the campus conservatory's choral studies director, keeps a plaque he received from a member of the community-based White Heron Chorale, which he directs.
The plaque reads "Ancora imparo," an Italian phrase the artist Michelangelo is said to have inscribed in the margin of one of his sketchbooks. Translated into English, it means, "I am still learning." Bjella's passion for learning, even as he serves as a role model for others, has impressed all those who are wishing him well as he prepares to move to Lubbock, Texas.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
June 15, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University grads urged to rise to their country's need
Byline: J.E. Espino
Excerpt: In a commencement speech to the Class of 2009, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert told Lawrence University graduates their generation faces a trio of tasks. They are: The worst economy since the Great Depression, two wars and a budget deficit "as far as the eye can see."
That message has been echoed across the country during commencement ceremonies as graduates brace for the real world.
Herbert, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters during Sunday's ceremony on the green lawn, called on graduates to rise to their country's need.
"This is your time. This is your era. If we're to do better as a nation, you are going to have to decide what kind of country you want the United States to be and what kind of message you're going to make to bring about the necessary improvements," he said. "Don't sell yourself short."
Washburn County Register (Shell Lake, Wis.)
June 10, 2009
Headine: Finishing Well
Link: http://www.wcregister.net/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=73&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=6320&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1142&hn=wcregister&he=.netExcerpt: Tera Reynolds, Shell Lake’s co-valedictorian in 2003, decided on a career in medicine. She wants to be a pediatrician. She knows that it’s a long road before her goal is reached with years and years of schooling. She’s already got four of those years under her belt by graduating, again with honors, from Lawrence University in Appleton, with a major in biology. She chose Lawrence because of their science program and their volunteer programs.
“Ever since I first met her,” said Wanda Zeug, family friend for years and Tera’s fourth-grade teacher, “she has always been a giver. I was impressed that not only was she independent and bright, but she also had the most contagious smile.” That brightness and giving nature had opportunities to shine at this university because all students lived on campus and all are encouraged to get involved with the community.
Reynolds chose not only Habitat for Humanity, but also Boys and Girls Club in Appleton. During her third year at Lawrence, she started thinking of expanding her volunteerism to something greater;
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
June 9, 2009
Headline: Unnamed donor gives $10 million to Appleton's Lawrence University
Byline: Kathy Walsh Nufer
Excerpt: To have an anonymous donor commit to bequeathing $10 million to Lawrence University is "stunning," particularly in a shaky economy, the grateful head of the liberal arts college said Monday.
"This level of generosity is absolutely staggering," said LU President Jill Beck.
The future estate gift, announced Monday, is second only to the $16-million gift another anonymous donor made in 2006 for construction of the Warch Campus Center.
This gift will support the college's endowment, including establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's conservatory of music.
University Business
June 9, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University Gets $10M Donation
Link: http://www.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.aspx?news=yes&postid=19379
Excerpt: A Lawrence University graduate has donated $10 million to the school, officials announced Monday.
The anonymous gift is the second largest in the university’s history, after the $16 million gift from an anonymous donor in 2006 for the construction of the Warch Campus Center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's conservatory of music. A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden, Lawrence's 425-acre "northern campus" in Door County, with additional funds from the gift designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations.
Chicago Tribune
June 8, 2009
Headline: Appleton college gets $10 million gift from grad
Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-lawrenceuniversit,0,1867530.story
Excerpt: Lawrence University officials say a graduate is giving $10 million to the Appleton school. The graduate chose to remain unnamed but the donation ranks second in school history only to $16 million given by an anonymous donor in 2006 for construction of a campus center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment and establish a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's Conservatory of Music.
A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden (beh-YORK'-luhn-den), Lawrence's 425-acre northern campus and retreat in Door County.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
June 8, 2009
Headline: Alumna leaves Lawrence $10 million gift
Byline: Erica Perez
Link:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/47267917.html
Excerpt: A graduate of Lawrence University has pledged to give the school $10 million - the second-largest gift in the school's history, officials announced Monday.
The gift is a bequest in the donor's will that will go entirely to support the college's endowment, including about $1.5 million to establish a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's renowned conservatory of music.
About $1 million will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden, Lawrence's 425-acre "northern campus" in Door County, with an additional $1 million designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations. The rest of the gift is unrestricted.
University officials said the donor did not wish to be named publicly.
"It's a staggering number," Lawrence President Jill Beck said. "What she's really doing is building a pipeline for the future of the college, and I'm hoping that other alumni will emulate this example."
WGBA-TV NBC 26 (Green Bay, Wis.)
June 8, 2009
Headline: Millions Given to Lawrence University
Link: http://www.nbc26.com/global/story.asp?s=10499457
Excerpt: Lawrence University officials say a
graduate is giving $10 million to the Appleton school.
The graduate chose to remain unnamed but the donation ranks
second in school history only to $16 million given by an anonymous
donor in 2006 for construction of a campus center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment
and establish a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's
Conservatory of Music.
A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment
for Bjorklunden (beh-YORK'-luhn-den), Lawrence's 425-acre northern
campus and retreat in Door County.
Lawrence President Jill Beck called the gift "remarkable in its scale and in the hopes it embodies for the future" for the liberal arts college and conservatory.
Milwaukee Business Journal
June 8, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University receives $10M bequest
Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/06/08/daily6.html
Excerpt: Lawrence University in Appleton has received a $10 million bequest from an anonymous donor, the university said Monday.
The pledge from the Lawrence graduate ranks among the largest commitments in Lawrence's history, second only to the $16 million commitment from an anonymous donor in 2006 for the construction of the Warch Campus Center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's conservatory of music, the university said. A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden, Lawrence's 425-acre "northern campus" in Door County, with additional funds from the gift designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations.
WLUK-TV FOX 11 (Green Bay, Wis)
June 8, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University gets
$10M donation
Excerpt: Lawrence University graduate has donated $10 million to the school, officials announced Monday.
The anonymous gift is the second largest in the university’s history, after the $16 million gift from an anonymous donor in 2006 for the construction of the Warch Campus Center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college's endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's conservatory of music. A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden, Lawrence's 425-acre "northern campus" in Door County, with additional funds from the gift designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations.
Marketplace Magazine
June 8, 2009
Headline: Anonymous donor gives Lawrence $10 million gift
Link: http://www.marketplacemagazine.com/blogs/blog1.php/2009/06/08/anonymous-donor-gives-lawrence-10-millio
Excerpt: A graduate of Lawrence University who has chosen to remain anonymous has made a $10 million commitment to Lawrence in the form of a bequest, Lawrence officials announced today.
It ranks among the largest commitments in Lawrence’s history, second only to the $16 million commitment from an anonymous donor in 2006 for the construction of the Warch Campus Center.
The $10 million future gift will support the college’s endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence’s conservatory of music. A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Björklunden, Lawrence’s 425-acre “northern campus” in Door County, with additional funds from the gift designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations.
WBAY-TV 2 (Green Bay, Wis.)
June 8, 2009
Headline: Anonymous, $10 Million Dollar Gift for Lawrence University
Excerpt: Lawrence University received a multi-million dollar gift. Citing a strong belief in what the Appleton university does and represents, a graduate of Lawrence, who chooses to remain anonymous, made a $10 million donation to the school.
University officials say it ranks among the largest commitments in Lawrence's history.
The donation will be used to support the college's endowment, including establishing a new professorship in the school's music program. The donor, who lives out of state, says Lawrence is dserving of the very best and hopes more people will make deferred gifts.
WLUK-TV FOX 11 (Green Bay, Wis)
June 6, 2009
Headline: Social media and business
Byline: Cameron Clark
Link: http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_appleton_Social_media_and_business_200906041730_rev1Excerpt: They have long been associated with college life, Facebook, Myspace and now Twitter. But Lawrence University senior Madhuri Vijay has noticed a changing virtual crowd.
"I'm friends with some of my employers, I'm friends with several of my parents friends," she said.
Vijay also works in the career center and says with so many more people looking at those websites, she warns students about what they put online.
"Pictures to videos, even wall posts...if you are in the market for a job you really want to think twice before you say anything that could be construed in a less than positive light," she said.
Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, Ontario)
June 2, 2009
Headline: Workplace cleavage: What's the limit?
Byline: Mary Nolan
Link: http://www.thespec.com/go/living/article/575793
Excerpt: It's spring, and everything is coming out of winter storage: The patio furniture, garden hose, the flip-flops and, uh, certain things that maybe shouldn't be flopping at all.
Not in the office, at any rate.
"There's a benefit and there's a cost to flaunting it," says psychology professor Peter Glick, referring to the vast expanses of female cleavage on display in the workplace these days.
The benefit is more attention, says Glick, who teaches at Lawrence University. The downside is the harm provocative attire can do to a woman's career aspirations.
"People don't see it as compatible with high-status jobs," says Glick, coauthor of studies on workplace cleavage and perceptions of sexy women in certain jobs.
WLUK-TV FOX 11 (Green Bay, Wis.)
June 1, 2009
Headline: Silent film's silence is
broken
Byline: Evan Perrault
Link: http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_appleton_silent_films_silence_is_broken_200906011645_rev1
Excerpt: The silent film "The White Sister" finally has a voice after 86 years without one, thanks to Lawrence University senior Garth Neustadter.
"My purpose as a composer is to try and bring a certain narrative and life to what's going on on screen and try and take their emotions to the next level and communicate those to the audience," said Neustadter.
This was his first venture into feature film composition, and it was a big one, about 2.5 hours of music, equaling a 450 page score.
"And probably over the course of writing for the film watched it 300-400 times," said Neustadter. "So I got used to every little nuance and what every little movement was going on on screen."
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 31, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University student composes score for silent film
Byline: kara Patterson
Excerpt: Lawrence University fourth-year student Garth Neustadter's versatility in the school's conservatory really came into play when Turner Classic Movies commissioned him to compose a score for a restored silent film. Neustadter, 22, a violin and vocal music performance major from Manitowoc, also has studied piano and wind instruments. One of his initial forays into music composition led to first-prize honors in the 2007 Young Film Composers Competition.
As one of five finalists in the 2007 competition, which required entrants to score a silent film clip, Neustadter traveled to Los Angeles to shadow professionals in the film scoring business. There, he met contacts who helped land him the commission.
TCM restores several silent films per year that were popular in the heyday of their genre. The restoration process involves scoring the films, because most of them originally screened with the accompaniment of a live orchestra.
Philadelphia Inquirer
May 26, 2009
Headline: Good-bye school, hello world!
Byline: Leslie Whitaker
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/jobs/CTW_jobs_20090526_Good-bye_school__hello_world_.html
Excerpt: This column is dedicated to all the newly minted college graduates who do not yet have a job offer in hand. What is a highly educated, unemployed person to do?
Networking with alumni, former employers and friends is another important step. For one thing, it may be the quickest route to an opening. “We work hard to connect students with our alumni because it’s wonderfully useful,” says Kathy Heinzen, director of Lawrence University’s Career Center in Appleton, Wis.
Secondly, if you have a fear of interviews, meetings with alumni can give you some practice. “Students have become so comfortable with electronic tools, we are seeing a need to help them with face-to-face meetings,” says Heinzen. “Just because you know how to speak doesn’t mean you know how to interview,” Wallace concurs, noting that interviews can be quite challenging, especially structured behavioral interviews and interviews designed to test problem-solving skills.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 21, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University students find their groove with Fatbook
Byline: Kate Baer
Excerpt: Reggae, rock, pop, jazz and even R&B can all be used to describe the sound of Fatbook, a band comprised of Lawrence University students that’s getting some notable recognition. One category just doesn’t seem to sum up the ever-evolving sound of Fatbook.
The seven-member band that formed in late 2007 recently gained national recognition through DownBeat magazine’s 32nd annual DownBeat Awards, an international student music competition focusing on jazz education. Fatbook took home top honors in the blues/pop/rock category along with the Funk Fusion Ensemble from the University of Miami.
Fatbook includes Harjinder Bedi, lead vocals and guitar; Jake Crowe, tenor saxophone; Ted Toussaint, vocals and trumpet; Nick Anderson, bass; Evan Jacobson, trombone; Dario LaPoma, keyboards; and Kyle Traska, drums/percussion.
“Lawrence University has a phenomenal student music program,” said Jason Koransky, editor of DownBeat magazine. “For such a small community it shows they have incredible instructors who are able to attract top-notch musicians.”
The Post-Cresent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 20, 2009
Headline: Burning questions: Lawrence grad has message of ‘warmth’
Byline: Laurie A. Kaiser
Excerpt: Jennifer Baumgardner, a writer and activist, has created a name for herself as "third-wave feminist" since graduating from Lawrence [University] in 1992.
She returned to campus Tuesday to speak at the university's Honors Convocation on "Climate Change We Can Live With: The Ecology of Justice."
After earning a degree in English, Baumgardner joined Ms. magazine, becoming its youngest editor. She has written for other national publications and penned two books with former Ms. colleague Amy Richards: "Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future" in 2000 and "Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism" in 2004.
She also wrote "Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics," in 2007 and "Abortion and Life," which was released in September 2008.
The Post-Crescent caught up with Baumgardner before her Lawrence presentation to discuss how feminism has changed in the past few decades. Following is an excerpt of the interview:
How has Lawrence changed and how has the concept of feminism changed since you graduated 17 years ago?
My freshman year was the first year the college offered gender studies. And even though it was just barely being developed, it had pretty big reverberations right away for the campus, just dealing with the ideas of feminism.
I've been back probably five times and this generation of Lawrence students much more "gets" feminism. Whether they use that term to describe it or not, it is part of men and women's expectations for themselves in that they have a wider range of roles that they can choose in their lives.
Chicago Tribune
May 17, 2009
Headline: Building Gorilla Haven
Byline: William Mullen
Excerpt: Welcome to Gorilla Haven, a sort of resort/foster home for hard-to-place zoo gorillas. The multimillion-dollar facility deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains was conceived, financed and painstakingly constructed by the Dewars, former Chicagoans. The haven, literally carved out of the forest, includes roads, underground infrastructure and 12 state-of-the-art zoo buildings, all devoted to the care and well-being of up to 20 captive gorillas.
It is an improbable place, and a dream come true for Jane Dewar, 55, who as a college student acquired a fascination for gorillas that came to dominate her life.
Jane Dewar grew up attending some of the world's best boarding schools, the daughter in what she describes as a well-to-do but troubled family. Majoring in German linguistics at Lawrence University in Wisconsin in the 1970s, her fascination with gorillas began one day when she visited the Milwaukee County Zoo and wandered into the ape house.
Air America Live/The Nicole Sadler Show
May 14, 2009
Excerpt: Nicole Sandler: "Helen (Boyd) is the author of two books: My Husband Betty as well as She's Not the Man I Married: My Life With a Transgender Husband."
She is the spouse of a transwoman, and so Helen Boyd and I have exchanged emails over the last 24 hours - and Helen, thank you so much for coming on the Air America with me today.
Helen Boyd: "Oh, thank you so much for having me."
Sandler: "Now, you're a teacher, but have you always been an educator?"
Boyd: "No, it's actually been kind of accidental. I was a writer really, primarily, who was a typical New York writer who worked lots of odd jobs as I could and then took time off to write or travel. And I wrote these books and started talking and doing lectures and, you know, doing a lot of peer support group stuff and had a background in gender, certainly in feminism with writing, in literature. And so now I'm teaching gender studies at Lawrence University out in Wisconsin and it's fantastic. The kids are great."
Sandler: "The younger they are the more open they are to differences and to inclusion, aren't they?"
Boyd: "Yes. It's actually kind of difficult sometimes to have to explain the arguments for why people weren't inclusive before, because they seem to be much more naturally inclusive and I don't want to necessarily introduce them to the logic of how not to be inclusive. It seems sort of counterproductive, but, generally speaking, when I'm teaching a course on transgender lives we do all the history as well."
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 14, 2009
Headline: Appleton’s Robert and Bonnie Buchanan’s $1 million gift a boost to Lawrence University
Byline: Pete Bach
Excerpt: An Appleton couple has provided a $1 million gift to Lawrence University.
Robert and Bonnie Buchanan, both 1962 graduates of Lawrence, established a fund that will provide four student scholarships initially of $12,500 beginning in fall 2010, the university said. Preference will be given to students from the Fox Valley and Michigan's Upper Peninsula who have an interest in English or economics.
Cal Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations, said the gift couldn't be more timely in the tough economy.
"It's incredible," he said. "It provides momentum for our ($150 million) campaign. But most importantly it's an investment in our students and future students that's really remarkable."
The Buchanans, who met at Lawrence, have been longtime supporters of the college and are active volunteers in the community. It's their second major gift to Lawrence. And it's the third gift $1 million or more the school has received in the last nine months for scholarship support.
Robert Buchanan, who graduated with a degree in economics, spent three years in the U.S. Air Force after graduation on a ROTC commission before earning a master of business administration degree from Dartmouth College.
Bonnie Buchanan earned a degree in English from Lawrence and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also was a director of the Lawrence Alumni Association from 1968 to 1971.
The two earlier gifts include $1.125 million from the trust of former longtime Appleton residents, the late Amond "Ralph" and Marjorie Ballinger, and $1.6 million from the estate of the late F. Stansbury (Stans) Young directed to the F. Theodore Cloak scholarship, said Lawrence spokesman Rick Peterson.
The Daily News (Newburyport, Mass.)
May 13, 2009
Headline: Pentucket arts spring shows on tap
Byline: Jennifer Solis
Link: http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_132234502.html
Excerpt: Each year Pentucket Director of Jazz David Schumacher features a guest artist at the spring session of Café Jazz. This year bassist and composer Mark Urness will lead workshops for teen musicians in the afternoon, then appear with the Jazz Combo at the evening performance.
An assistant professor at Lawrence University, Urness is an experienced orchestral, chamber, jazz, salsa and solo performer. He has served as principal bassist for the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre and for the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra. For three years, he freelanced in New York City playing with a variety of accomplished jazz musicians. His compositions have appeared on numerous recordings, and he was awarded first prize in the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition in 2001.
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
May 13, 2009
Headline: Appleton couple donate $1 million to Lawrence University
Byline: Erica Perez
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/44949547.html
Excerpt: An Appleton couple pledged a gift of $1 million to their alma mater, Lawrence University, to pay for annual student scholarships, officials announced Wednesday.
Robert and Bonnie Buchanan, both 1962 graduates of Lawrence, established the Bonnie Glidden and Robert C. Buchanan Scholarship. Beginning in fall 2010, the fund will provide four annual scholarships of nearly $12,500 each.
Preference will be given to students from the Fox Valley and Michigan's Upper Peninsula who have an interest in English or economics.
The Buchanans' donation is the third gift of $1 million or more Lawrence has received in the past nine months for student scholarship support.
"The timing of this gift is incredible," Cal Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations, said in a statement. "Given the current economic climate, this is testament to Lawrence's standing in the community that the Buchanans continue to support our students in good as well as difficult times."
The Buchanans met as students at Lawrence and have been longtime supporters of the college.
Bob Buchanan, who graduated with a degree in economics, is a member of the board of directors of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center and Green Bay Packers. A 31-year member of Lawrence's Board of Trustees, he served as chairman from 1984 to 1986.
Bonnie Buchanan earned a degree in English from Lawrence and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She served as a director of the Lawrence Alumni Association from 1968 to 1971.
In 1994, the Buchanans established the Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Chair in English Literature, an endowed professorship held by associate professor Tim Spurgin.
Marketplace Magazine
May 13, 2009
Headline: Lawrence gets $1 million scholarship gift
Byline: Steve Prestegard
Link: http://www.marketplacemagazine.com/blogs/blog1.php/2009/05/13/lawrence-gets-1-million-scholarship-gift
Excerpt: Lawrence University is receiving a $1 million gift to begin a scholarship.
Robert and Bonnie Buchanan of Appleton, both 1962 Lawrence graduates, have established the Bonnie Glidden and Robert C. Buchanan Scholarship with a $1 million gift.
Beginning in the fall of 2010, the gift will provide four student scholarships annually of nearly $12,500 each. Preference will be given to students from the Fox Valley and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who have an interest in English or economics.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 10, 2009
Headline: LU project gives volunteers a closer look at homelessness
Byline: Kara Patterson
Excerpt: Lawrence University's student chapter of Habitat for Humanity will be very visible on the downtown Appleton campus Saturday and May 17.
That's when teams representing clubs, fraternities and sororities, residence halls and other student groups will sit side-by-side on the campus' Main Hall green under many handmade roofs — "shacks" made of found and recyclable materials — to raise money for a Habitat build through Shackathon.
"I think that this fundraiser is particularly great because not only are we raising money to build a new Habitat for Humanity house, but in a way it's an advocacy and awareness event," said Lawrence sophomore Shannon Newman, co-coordinator of this year's Shackathon along with Lawrence junior Sarist Macksasitorn. "Students are learning more about the impacts of poverty housing and what homelessness is like."
WLUK-TV FOX 11 (Green Bay, Wis.)
May 7, 2009
Headline: SNC, LU graduation speakers announced
Excerpt: Excerpt: Haynes Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, will deliver the Commencement address at St. Norbert College May 17. At Lawrence University, New York Times op-ed columnist Bob Herbert is scheduled to address graduates June 14.
Herbert has written a twice-a-week op-ed column on politics, urban affairs and social trends for the Times since joining the paper in June 1993. Prior to that, Herbert spent two years as a national correspondent for NBC, reporting regularly on "The Today Show” and "NBC Nightly News." He launched his broadcast career in 1990 as a founding panelist of "Sunday Edition," a weekly discussion program on WCBS-TV in New York and also served as host of "Hotline," a weekly hour-long issues program on WNYC-TV. Herbert will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lawrence.
The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)
May 4, 2009
Headline: Lawrence University honors teachers from McFarland and Brookfield Central high schools
Excerpt: Lawrence University President Jill Beck honored two Wisconsin teachers as outstanding educators Sunday.
Robert Campbell, a physics and chemistry teacher at McFarland High School and Jason Gillette, a music teacher at Brookfield Central High School, were presented Lawrence's annual Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award. They each received a certificate, a citation and a monetary award. Their respective schools also will receive $250 for library acquisitions.
Inside Higher Education
May 4, 2009
Headline:
Early Admission From Waiting List
Byline: Scott Jaschik
Link: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/04/waitlist
Excerpt: The first week in May is traditionally the time that some private colleges turn to their waiting lists. If "yield" -- the percentage of accepted applicants who said Yes to the college -- is a little low, the waiting list is used to fill extra spots. This year that process started early at some colleges.
For most private colleges with competitive admissions, May 1 is the deadline by which those offered admission must have postmarked their replies, so this week would typically be the time period during which waiting list offers start to go out.
This year, Lawrence University, Union College in New York, and Washington University in St. Louis -- all institutions with competitive admissions -- turned to their waiting lists in recent weeks, before the final tallies were in on how many accepted applicants were coming.
Steven Syverson, vice president for enrollment at Lawrence, said that as it became clear two weeks ago that the university would have some extra slots, he decided not to wait until the arrival of mail from May 1, and to send out 15 more acceptance letters, taking people off the waiting list earlier than normal.
Syverson said that he has heard from colleagues elsewhere a growing interest in admitting from the waiting list prior to May 1 because the value of the list seems to "really dissipate" after May 1. Some applicants "simply are tired of the process and want to be done, so once they have sent a deposit somewhere, they're much less likely to be interested in a slot opening up."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
May 4, 2009
Headline: Need a job? Get social - in a networking kind of way
Byline: Erica Perez
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/44272772.html
Excerpt: When University of Wisconsin-Madison alum Rebecca Thorman went after a job leading Magnet, a nonprofit organization that seeks to attract and retain young professionals, her blog was key to snagging the position because it showed interviewers she was an expert on Generation Y.
Two years later, Thorman, 25, had developed a following and community for her blog, "Modite," with the help of tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. She leveraged those skills to land her new job in January as a social media marketer for the start-up Alice.com - a position she heard about after a high-profile blogger recommended her.
It's the kind of social networking that college career centers are urging seniors to embrace to set themselves apart and net that first job, particularly at a time when fewer companies are hiring.
They're encouraging students to start blogs, Twitter profiles and LinkedIn accounts to broadcast their skills and catch the attention of employers.
"What I try to explain to students is that social media accelerates professional networking," said Grace Kutney, career technology specialist at Lawrence University. "And since 85% of jobs are found through networking, and right now in the current market it's maybe 95%, if they can accelerate their professional networking through social media, they're better off."
Kutney, who has worked in career development for 11 years, also knows the networking potential of social media firsthand. She has become more active online - in her blog "Sweet Careers," Twitter and more - in the past six months.
"In that time, I've developed more and stronger professional contacts than I had in 10 years previous," she said. "I was able to connect with people who are like-minded in the industry and have learned a lot more about my field."
Of course, Web presence works both ways. Examples abound of people who have lost jobs because of information they posted online. That's why people including Kutney urge students to highlight their positive presence on the Internet.
"If there is some negative stuff out there about you on the Web, you can't get rid of it, but you can push it down," she said.
Wisconsin State Journal
May 1, 2009
Headline: McFarland physics teacher honored
Excerpt: McFarland High School physics and chemistry teacher Robert Campbell has been named a recipient of Lawrence University's 2009 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin award. The annual prize goes to two state teachers nominated by Lawrence seniors for their ability to inspire students and includes a $250 donation to the winners' schools for library acquisitions.
Allure Magazine
May, 2009
Headline: The Cleavage Myth
Byline: Lois B. Morris
Link: http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/05/the_cleavage_myth
Excerpt: “Does Cleavage Work at Work?" is the title of a study carried out by a team of researchers at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Their answer to that question is essentially — but not entirely — no. Led by Peter Glick, a professor of psychology, the investigators showed men and women one of four videos in which a purported saleswoman promoted an allergy medication. She was either buttoned up or revealing cleavage, and she was selling either a clearly effective product or a decidedly weak one. Evidently, dressing sexily did not help pitch the products. Yet when questioned later, the men generally "believed that using cleavage is effective when selling a weak product but counterproductive when selling a strong product," the researchers report—and men's opinion of the cleavage-baring woman's hireability varied accordingly, in contrast to that of female viewers. Despite cleavage's apparent lack of sales influence, "the belief in its power can create a reality in which male managers sometimes give preferential treatment and at other times discriminate against women who dress provocatively," the study authors note.
Summit Daily News (Frisco, Colo.)
April 28, 2009
Headline: From suffixes and syntax to the sexes
Byline: Robert Allen
Link: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20090428/NEWS/904289969/1078&ParentProfile=1055
Excerpt: Words, their sounds and the way people use them are to be addressed at this week’s Cafe Scientifique meeting in Frisco on Thursday evening.
“Language is always fascinating no matter what you’re dealing with — whether the sounds or grammatical form,” said Daniel Taylor, professor emeritus of linguistics.
He’s studied language more than 50 years and taught at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. for 34 years. Thursday’s discussion, “What is linguistics? Language, sound and meaning” is to include a wide spectrum of topics, from suffixes and syntax to the sexes.
“I’m trying to have fun while we do this,” Taylor said.
He said he plans to explain some of the differences between the way men and women speak. For example, he asks who can describe the color, mauve, and “nine females and one male, who’s probably a house painter,” raise their hands.
“Normally males don’t know mauve,” he said.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 26, 2009
Headline: Long shot, but they're up for it
Byline: Patrick McIlheran
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/43648057.html
Excerpt: You have to wonder about Vince Schmuki's sanity. He thinks he can persuade Wisconsinites to recall Gov. Jim Doyle. Though Schmuki, a Waukesha man, seems perfectly stable. So did about 100 people who showed up after work in Brookfield Thursday to hear how they might do what's been done only twice in U.S. history: recall a governor.
Schmuki, his co-agitators in Wisconsinites Interests Now and their semi-expert help from Citizens for Responsible Government figure they can.
The Progressives who installed recalls really meant it that way, say political scientists. Recalls, said Arnold Shober of Lawrence University in Appleton, "were always a political tool rather than a judicial tool." Progressives sought to empower people directly via recalls and direct legislation, as 9to5 just used in Milwaukee. The reason we've come to think recalls should be rare, says Shober, is simply because they've been rare.
And it is a long shot. Whatever Progressives wanted, voters are reluctant to recall. "People have to be very upset with the governor," said Shober, and while 45% approval is low, Doyle's long skated on middling ratings.
Metro Newspapers (New York, N.Y.)
April 22, 2009
Headline: Returning to their roots
Byline: Heidi Patalano
Link: http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/04/21/23/1448-77/index.xml
Excerpt: Shuffle through an indie rock fan’s iPod and his or her most played artists — Band of Horses, Animal Collective, Department of Eagles, Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Plants and Animals, Panda Bear — may look more akin to a zoological study than a hipster’s playlist.
With song titles such as “White Winter Hymnal” (Fleet Foxes) and “The Curious Butterfly Realizes He Is Beautiful” (Department of Eagles), these downtown favorites are decidedly rural-minded — embracing a naturalistic worldview that seems completely disconnected with the fast-paced, highly technological world in which we exist. So why this movement, and why now?
David Keenan, journalist for “The Wire” coined a phrase in 2003 that seems to encapsulate the phenomena. He called it “New Weird America” as a play on the phrase “Old Weird America” originally created by legendary rock scribe Greil Marcus when attempting to describe the connection between pre-World War II folk performers and Bob Dylan. The term’s parallel seems fitting, given that the aforementioned indie bands of late, frequently reference folk music from the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Jerry Podair, professor of American Studies at Lawrence University, offers some context for the communal movement of the late ’60s. “A lot of folks in the counterculture who were disillusioned with the way politics had turned out in the United States had decided to simplify their lives and go back to the land and in many ways turn their back on urban America and also turn their backs on the Nixon administration.”
Disillusionment with a corrupt government seems like a pretty familiar theme to today’s youth. Podair says, “To some extent, that might describe youth today who are turning their backs on the decadence and materialism especially of the Bush years — as long as they can keep their iPods and DVDs and do Facebook.”
WLUK-TV FOX 11 (Green Bay, Wis.)
April 21, 2009
Headline: Trash piles send Earth Week message
Byline: Monica Landeros
Link: http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/wluk_news_appleton_trash_piles_at_lawrence_university_200904211729_rev1
Excerpt: Trash is piling up in the middle of campus at Lawrence University in Appleton, but it's there for a reason.
It's part of Earth Week, to get students thinking about trash and recycling. It is hard to miss, while walking through campus at Lawrence University.
"This is Mount Trashmore," said Andrew Knudsen, Assistant Professor of Geology while pointing to the piles of trash on the campus lawn.
The two piles of garbage are each more than 5-feet tall and 10-feet wide. One dubbed Mount Trashmore, the other is called Recycle More Hill.
"It's the waste that's created on campus in a given day," Knudsen..
The project is part of an environmental initiative from the campus called Green Roots. Knudsen is helping run the project.
"The point is just to try to get us aware of how much garbage we are creating," said Knudsen who adds that food scraps are not in the piles.
WABC Radio, New York, N.Y. — The Curtis Sliwa Show
April 20, 2009
Excerpt: CS: Jerald Podair, history professor at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin. The people coming together at the various tea party gatherings around the country this week: is that a form of new populism, or as Axelrod said, is that potentially mutating into something that could be scary?
JP: Well, Curtis, it’s a new form of populism in the sense that it’s a middle-class populism. If you look at populism historically, let’s say in the 1890s Populist Party, or the 1930s of course during the Great Depression, now that’s a working class populism that’s directed at rich people and rich people only. But this populism, this 21st century version of populism, is directed both at people above and people below. The tea parties that we saw on April 15 really were directed more at people below the middle class on the socioeconomic scale, which is probably why Axelrod is so uncomfortable with it. In other words, there probably is some anger there against AIG. But the purpose of the tea party was to protest taxes and too much government spending. And that’s a middle class populism that’s really directed at people below them on the socioeconomic scale. I don’t know that Axelrod would have had that much difficulty with mass demonstrations against AIG. In other words, it depends on how you define your populism.
CS: S: Well, Ralph Nader just 2 weeks ago on the same airwaves, decried the fact that as he looked around the country, he saw few—if any—demonstrations, or people taking to the streets, protesting against the banks, financial institutions or Wall Street, as you have described—as what might have taken place in the ‘30s. Why do you think that is?
JP: Well, because we have a different America than the America that existed in the 1930s. And the real key is the existence of a large, stable middle class in this country, which you did not have in the 1930s. So you have a middle class, largely created by the New Deal, ironically, who have a stake in the system. You could say, well, why don’t we just nationalize all the banks, but I think most middle class people in the united states would rather that the economy improve so that their 401ks will go up again and they’ll be able to pay off the mortgages on their houses. You know, I always say that people with mortgages and master’s degrees make very poor revolutionaries.
The Wall Street Journal
April 17, 2009
Headline: They Don't Make Populism in the U.S. Like They Used To
Byline: Naftali Bendavid
Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123992058646826949.html
Excerpt: Since the financial crisis began, commentators have been tossing around the term "populism," saying it is responsible for anger about corporate bonuses, that politicians are caving in to it, that it endangers President Barack Obama's agenda.
A word that until recently was used for half-remembered political movements against the elite, like the campaigns of William Jennings Bryan, has been hauled out of storage, often paired with the word "rage." A recent Newsweek story was titled "The Thinking Man's Guide to Populist Rage" and featured a photo of a torch-wielding mob.
The country today is different. America has an enormous middle class that is heavily invested in the financial system and is hardly about to organize for its overthrow.
"What both the 1890s and 1930s had in common was an intense class anger, a stark division of the nation into 'bosses' and 'workers,'" said Jerald Podair, a history professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "I don't think this perspective applies to our present crisis."
Marketplace Magazine
April 14, 2009
Headline: Green U: Higher education makes a sustainable push
Byline: Lee Marie Reinsch
Link: http://marketplacemagazine.com/content/414_1.php
Excerpt: As if they weren’t already busy enough trying to attract new students, deal with budget cutbacks and stay out of the red, today’s institutions of higher learning are finding it necessary to go green, too. Going green means lots of things to different people, and it’s no different in the world of higher education. The term "sustainable" can have different meanings, as well — from promoting viability of a company to recycling soda cans.
Rewriting Lawrence University’s campus heating, ventilating and cooling policy is helping the school save 6 to 8 percent in energy costs.
"The policy now specifies that during the winter, our thermostats are set to 68, and 76 in summer," says Jeffrey Clark, associate professor and faculty associate to the president for Green Roots: The Sustainable Lawrence Initiative. Before Green Roots, the school had no policy on indoor temperature, he adds, but he estimates thermostats were set at 72 in winter and 76 in summer.
"Conservation isn’t particularly sexy but it sure as heck is cost effective," he says.
Lawrence’s new student center, to open later in 2009, will be LEED certified, either gold or silver, Clark says. It will also be trayless — a measure that will cut down on dishwashing and may cut waste by encouraging students not to take more food than they can eat
Indianapolis Star
April 12, 2009
Headline: When People Trust Wealth: As Marcus Schrenker's Plane Crashed, so did his High-rolling Image
Byline: Francesca Jarosz
Excerpt: Dave Smith first met Fishers financial adviser Marcus Schrenker in June 2004, when Schrenker flew his plane to Atlanta to discuss Smith's finances. Smith, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot who lives in Roswell, Ga., was blown away by Schrenker's immaculate appearance, expensive turboprop plane and apparent knowledge of Delta's financial problems.
He decided on the spot to invest with Schrenker, entrusting him to handle about $1.3 million in retirement savings.
Five years later, Schrenker, 38, is being held at the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, Fla., faced with federal charges that he tried to fake his own death in a plane crash after being accused of bilking hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors, including Smith.
"There's a general suspicion of American business at this point -- you'd see the same thing in the 1930s," said Jerald Podair, a professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., who teaches a course on the Great Depression and the New Deal. "It's the Schrenkers of the world that give people that suspicion. He built this lifestyle that was supposed to project the American Dream, but it was a warped version of it that was built on deceiving people."
