- Sculpture dedicated in memory of Jim Holloway
- Diverse and dynamic speakers fill Fall Lecture Series
- New students benefit socially, academically from program
- Morken Center construction starts with drilling
- Norwegian art and music subject of seminar
- A new generation discovers the joys of knitting and crocheting
- Lutes pay off their loans at a greater rate than national average
- PLU 2010, university’s long-range plan, nears completion
- From Christmas to spring, Encore! will be there
The sculpture in honor of Jim Holloway is entitled "Excellence,"
and depicts his many passions.
Sculpture dedicated in memory of Jim Holloway
A sculpture in honor of the late Jim Holloway
now stands outside the Mary Baker Russell music building.
The sculpture, designed by Kathryn Sparks, curator for visual arts at PLU,
was dedicated in October. Kathryn and her husband, Dick, former director of
choral activities at PLU, were good friends with Holloway and his wife, Judy
Carr. Sparks designed the piece in Holloway’s memory based on artwork
she did for the invitation to Jim and Judy’s wedding. Sparks brings her
close friendship and respect for his artistry to the tree-shaped sculpture.
It depicts the life of a brilliant and caring teacher, an inspiring colleague, a trusted friend and a great and gifted servant. Beyond that, Sparks wanted her metal and glass sculpture on a brick base to show Holloway’s many loves, which ranged from music and cooking to family and the Lord. Holloway, who was killed May 17, 2001, was an assistant professor of music and university organist.
Diverse and dynamic speakers fill Fall Lecture Series
Compelling speakers on topics ranging from landmines to the Holocaust drew
crowds to the 2002 Fall Lecture Series.
Susannah
Heschel of Dartmouth College opened the series with her presentation,
"The Failure of Dialogue: Jewish-Christian Relations from the Jewish
Point of View." Her lecture was also the annual Raphael Lemkin lecture,
presented annually on a topic relating to genocide, and the keynote address
for an international Holocaust conference held on campus in late September.
Gordon
Lathrop, professor of liturgy at the Lutheran Theological Seminary of
Philadelphia and former PLU campus pastor, presented the Lutheran Heritage
Lecture with his talk, "Do Not Harm the Trees: The Ritual Care of the
Earth." Per Lønning, retired bishop of Bergen, Norway and a member
of the Norwegian Parliament, presented "Between Fundamentalism and Relativism."
An extraordinary witness to modern Chinese history, visiting professor Sidney
Rittenberg presented "Whither China," drawing on his experiences
living in China for 35 years after the Revolution of 1949.
Lectures organized as part of a series sponsored by the Students
of Peace working group and the Wang Center for International
Programs also were included in the series. Panel presentations and discussions
were held on "Iraq: The Human Costs of Sanctions" and "Landmines:
The Human Costs
of War."
New students benefit socially, academically
from program
New student orientation now lasts through January, rather than just the first
four days of school. A new component, Quest, is a series of programs running
through fall and J-Term that complement the First-Year
Experience. Students attend keynote programs with discussions in September,
October, November and January that highlight key aspects of PLU’s mission:
inquiry, care, leadership and service.
"The first four days students are on campus are important," said
Kathleen Farrell, director of Student Involvement and Leadership, "but
it is not enough time to cover everything students need to know."
Quest is intended to take orientation a step further by presenting information
when it is relevant. It will assist students in their transition and help
them appreciate the support and spirit of the PLU community.
The program brings new students together more regularly, which helps socially
but also offers greater access to faculty and administrative resources. PLU’s
support services gain more insight into student needs by increasing their
interaction with them. Organizers of Quest and the First-Year Experience program
will work together to encourage more participation and find ways to integrate
keynote programs and courses.
The Student Life office hopes common experiences among the incoming class members will help build community with shared references, discussions and memories.
Morken Center construction starts with drilling
No, the drilling rig on lower campus that has been churning away for the
past several weeks is not an attempt to enhance the endowment by striking
oil. But it could mean more money for the university nevertheless.
The drilling is part of the first phase of construction for the Morken
Center for Learning and Technology. Eighty, 300-foot deep vertical bores
will form the working end of a ground-source heating and cooling system for
the building.
The system and other energy efficiency measures included in the design of
the Morken Center will save the university about $20,000 per year in utility
costs alone. Maintenance costs will also be lower.
Instead of using a chiller to provide chilled water for air conditioning and
a boiler to provide hot water for heating, the system extracts heat from the
ground in the winter, to heat the building, and sheds the building’s
heat to the ground in the summer, to cool the building.
Timing of construction of the final phase of the project, including the building, depends on fund-raising progress. To date more than $12 million has been raised for construction of the $19 million facility.
Norwegian art and music subject of seminar
Norwegian teachers on campus for an annual seminar in October were treated
to great music and art, as well as the traditional lectures.
Following the theme "Norwegian Culture Today," the annual conference
of teachers of Norwegian from the U.S. and Canada, included great performances.
Jon-Roar Bjørkvold, a
popular music professor and author from Norway, presented a musical lecture.
"Music and Culture: A Journey into the Creative Powers of Human Communication,"
was the annual Harstad lecture, established in memory of PLU’s founder,
Bjug Harstad. His family created an endowment to fund the lecture series and
help carry out Harstad’s wish that Scandinavian Americans not lose touch
with their ancestral culture and traditions.
The jazz of Norwegian vocalist Solveig
Slettahjell also charmed audiences at Lagerquist Concert Hall. She is
becoming increasingly popular with the release of her CD "Slow Motion
Orchestra."
Also, the artwork of acclaimed Norwegian landscape photographer Asle Svarverud
was on display in the Scandinavian Cultural Center.
His exhibit, "Norwegian Landscapes: Intense, Secluded, Majestic"
included 35 mostly black-and-white photographs of some of Norway’s prettiest
places.
Other presenters included Asmund Thorkildsen, director of Drammen Museum;
Eva Bratholm, foreign correspondent for Dagbladet, one of Norway’s leading
newspapers; and Audun Eckhoff, director of Bergen Art Museum.
The Norway Seminar is held on a different North American campus every year. PLU’s Audun Toven, chair of Scandinavian Studies, organized this year’s seminar.
A new generation discovers the joys of knitting and crocheting
(Left to right) Jenne Heu-Weller, Andrea Hively and Amanda McCarty, all '04, knit in the UC
Knitting and crocheting have become the new trendy activities for students’
free time – for both men and women.
Jenne Heu-Weller, Andrea Hively and Amanda McCarty, all ’04, started the PLU Knitting and Crocheting Club this fall. The three have been knitting or crocheting together for years and thought others might like to get into it. Still, they were surprised to have 35 people at the first meeting.
The goal is simply for people to have fun, learn to knit and do something productive and stress-free.
McCarty credits the interest in the club to the stress-relieving qualities
of knitting and crocheting. "It’s a mindless activity that gives
you something to do with your hands," she said. Hively said knitting is addictive. "When you see
something that you’ve created and you can wear it or you can give it
away, I think it makes you want to do it again," she said.
The club plans to integrate service projects in the spring, such as making
baby hats to be donated to mothers at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Tacoma.
Students will also have the opportunity to knit alongside the elderly in nursing
homes and to donate their finished projects to the homeless.
By Christina Frederick ’05
Lutes pay off their loans at a greater rate than
national average
The U.S. Department of Education announced that for the first time in a decade
the national rate at which borrowers default on student loans rose in the
2000 fiscal year, to 5.9 percent from
5.6 percent.
That’s far from the case for PLU graduates. The university’s loan
default rate dropped to record lows for 2000, to only 1.2 percent. That’s
down over a full point from the previous year. What accounts for this counter
trend? What does it say about PLU people?
"PLU graduates have consistently demonstrated that they are very responsible
citizens—more than the graduates of most other universities," said
Kay Soltis, director of financial aid.
"Every year our graduates beat the national student loan default rate
by several percentage points, and 2000 was a particularly good one,"
she said.
Soltis also credits the job her office does to counsel graduating seniors on the realities of financial responsibility outside the Lutedome.
PLU 2010, university’s long-range plan, nears
completion
Throughout the summer, a writing team was charged with preparing a planning
document that distilled the work of the four PLU
2010 study commissions (Academic Distinction, Community, Fiscal Strategies
and Identity & Constituency). The end result will be the January final
report for PLU 2010: The Next Level
of Distinction.
Major topics in the final report include a framework for distinction as a Lutheran university in the Pacific Northwest; articulation of PLU's vision and aspirations; a focus on students; the cultivation of intellectually vibrant, creative and connected faculty and staff; and the understanding of knowledge and learning in carefully selected dimensions of its academic program, particularly international education and undergraduate student research and creative projects.
The 2010 draft report debuted at September’s University Conference. The fall allowed for additional drafts, opportunities for departments and divisions to review the document, and two campus forums.
The final draft will be completed in January and presented to the Board of
Regents at its winter meeting.
"The PLU 2010 plan is so important because students are encouraged to
seek their life dreams as they consider the larger issues of vocation,"
said Patricia Roundy, director of advising, who was on a panel reacting to
the plan, at the fall conference. "This is a special place because this
kind of dialogue doesn’t happen everywhere."
Visit the PLU 2010 Web site to read more on the report.
From Christmas to spring, Encore!
will be there
By Drew Brown, online editor
There have been great responses to the redesigned Scene, and the ever-changing
Encore! In the last edition, we introduced our new
format for Scene online, took you through the first semester with the This
Week at PLU page and the seasonal Photo Album. And as usual, More Encore!
will provide links to further information in this edition of Scene. Keep
those comments and story ideas coming--Scene and Encore! are always looking
for story ideas and your feedback has been superb. Here are some highlights
of this edition:
Life of the Mind
You may have noticed a new edition to the Scene sections called "Life
of the Mind," that focuses on the academic pursuits of the faculty
and the students at PLU. With this edition of Scene focusing strongly on academics—the
First Year Experience, Alternative Routes to Education and Peace Studies—Encore!
will look at these programs and further explore PLU’s academic pursuits
beyond the classroom. Who at PLU is publishing and what are they writing about?
What PLU programs are the hallmarks of innovation? These are some of the areas
Encore! will explore.
KPLU headlines More Encore!
It’s been a year since More Encore!
debuted, and the section continues to grow. Get links to more online information
from articles you’ve read in Scene: from this edition’s cover story,
visit KPLU’s Web site, and read about the university’s prized radio
station’s local impact; learn more about PLU’s involvement in the
Salishan Housing Project; and find out ways to contribute to PLU so you can
make next year’s Honor Roll of Donors.
Encore! keeps you up to date
Encore! continues to bring readers two services that are updated frequently
every month, This Week at PLU and the
Photo Album. Check back every other Wednesday to find a new story on PLU,
from an event on campus to a PLU newsmaker halfway around the world. Great
events are happening at PLU—from Sankta Lucia in December to Family Weekend
in early March—and Encore! has the pictures to prove it.