Foreign minister talks of war and peace during campus visitThe foreign minister of Norway, Jan Petersen, talked with students, faculty and administrators at PLU’s Wang Center for International Programs and delivered a campus address on Norwegian foreign policy April 13. Petersen visited campus with officials of the Norwegian foreign ministry, embassy, and office of the consul general. At the Wang Center, the delegation reviewed the Norway/Namibia Project, a partnership between PLU, Hedmark University College in Norway and the University of Namibia. The three institutions collaborate in the study of peace, democracy and development. Norwegian and university officials also discussed plans for the January 2005 public forum on the Norwegian approach to achieving world peace through conflict resolution, economic development and relieving global poverty. The Wang Center symposium, “Pathways to Peace: Norway’s Approach to Democracy and Development,” coincides with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Norway’s independence as a modern democracy. Petersen later spoke at a luncheon in the Scandinavian Cultural Center. He addressed Norway’s engagement in efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in areas of the world such as Sri Lanka, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. He also focused on Norwegian security and defense policy, including Norwegian involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. A copy of the address is posted at odin.dep.no/ud/engelsk/ At the luncheon, PLU President Loren J. Anderson publicly thanked the Norwegian Foreign Ministry for a grant of $40,000 in support of the Wang Center and the Pathways to Peace symposium. Jan Petersen has been minister of
foreign affairs for more than two years and leader of Norway’s Conservative Party since 1994. He has also served as a member of the NATO parliamentary assembly. Holocaust survivor among major lecturers on campus in springHolocaust survivor Charlotte Opfermann spoke about her wartime experiences at a banquet honoring the 2004 Raphael Lemkin Essay Award winners in April. Opfermann survived imprisonment in the Nazi concentration camps and the deaths of her family before coming to the U.S. in 1946.
Hubert Locke, author of “Learning from History: A Black Christian’s Perspective on the Holocaust,” spoke at the Lemkin lecture in February on “Confronting Evil: A Personal Odyssey.” Locke participated in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and co-founded the annual Scholars Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches in 1970. They were two of many speakers to address students, faculty and the community this spring. Michael Grossberg, a professor who has studied child protection, child labor, juvenile justice, school reform, disabilities and child abuse, presented the Schnackenberg lecture. Prominent writer and commentator Katha Pollitt spoke about activism, and Yale University professor and psychologist Robert J. Sternberg spoke about “cultural intelligence” and why smart people make such
bad decisions. International hall will expose students to language and cultureChinese, Norwegian, Spanish and other foreign languages will waft through the halls of the new International Hall this fall. The new residence, which will take over Hong Hall, will reinforce what students are learning about different languages and cultures. “The study of language is different from any other discipline,” said Tom Huelsbeck, director of Residential Life. “You really need to use the language outside the classroom if you’re going to have any level of expertise.” Up to 100 students learning different languages will live in Hong and share activities, such as discussing foreign films and preparing ethnic meals. Professors will hold some classes and seminars in Hong, as well as meet with students. Many activities will be open to nonresidents as well. The hall will also serve as both a preparation for study abroad and a way for students returning from overseas to ease back into American culture. The decision to open the International Hall came after testing the idea with the Chinese House, a wing that was located in Hinderlie Hall this year. “The success and experience of the Chinese House showed us what we can do,” Huelsbeck said. Hong was chosen because of its central location on campus and the amount of common space in the building for classes, seminars, study rooms, lounges and kitchens. Former Hong residents will be relocated to other halls. French, German, Norwegian and Chinese will each have one wing, and Spanish will take up a floor. According to Huelsbeck, Residential Life looked for a mix of students with different class levels and expertise. While he doesn’t expect the hall to fill up in the first year, Huelsbeck says he has no doubt it will be a success. “We have very active students laying the foundation for the future,” he said. Challenge Program allows more students chance for admissionStudents who otherwise might not be accepted to PLU will be able to enroll if they complete the new special summer and fall Challenge Program. Rick Seeger, Senior Advisor for Student Academic Success who runs the program, says the program will be “life changing” – both for the students involved and the instructors who work with them. The Challenge Program is geared toward students who are often denied admission, but who show potential for academic success. Up to 30 students will be conditionally admitted to PLU, with the expectation that they complete the Challenge Program. The curriculum will be a mixture of university-level and high school- level classes, as well as courses that teach skills to ease the transition to university life. During the summer component, upperclass peer coaches will live in the residence halls with the students, providing supplemental instruction, individual tutoring and personal support. During fall semester, students will not have live-in mentors, but Challenge Program faculty will be assigned as mentors and advisors. Completion of the program will result in full acceptance to PLU. Seeger said the selection of students will be based on “non-cognitive signs that these students can succeed” such as whether candidates have shown they are willing to challenge themselves, or if they are working to support themselves or their family. For this reason, special emphasis will be placed on encouraging applications from students who have been involved in programs like Washington Achievers (see story on page 10) and Upward Bound. For more information, contact Seeger at seegerra@plu.edu. Two leadership posts filled; tenure and promotion grantedAdministrators have been named to fill key leadership positions in business and admissions, and many faculty members have been granted tenure or promotion. James M. Clapper, 57, became dean of the School of Business June 1.
Granted tenure and promoted to associate professor were Joanna Higginson, sociology; Francesca Lane-Rasmus, technical services; Karen McConnell, physical education; Merlin Simpson, business; Samuel Torvend, religion; and Karen Travis, economics. Granted tenure were Chris Ferguson, dean of information resources; Jeffrey Stuart, associate professor of mathematics; and David Joyner, associate professor of music. Promoted to professor were Richard Nance, music; Bryan Dorner, mathematics; and Dean Waldow, chemistry. Value trumps perceived cost in admissions gameIn weighing options for a college education, many students and families are discovering that schools such as PLU may cost less and provide greater value than big state schools. “Tuition increases and enrollment limits at state schools, and increasing financial assistance offered by PLU, are trends that have converged, often to level the playing field on cost,” said Laura Majovski, PLU’s vice president for admissions and student life. “And the added value of small classes taught by professors, not teaching assistants, makes a real difference in our students’ success after graduation.” For most students at major public universities, state budget cuts and the lack of availability of classes make it difficult to fulfill graduation requirements within four years. Only 28 percent of students at big state schools graduate in four years. That translates into money – more tuition, more fees, more expenses, more years spent in school. Moreover, it is money not earned. The average starting salary for a college graduate is $30,000 – so every extra year it takes to graduate is lost real income. At PLU, 72 percent of students graduate in four years. “More than giving students the classes they want, when they need them, PLU faculty challenge and support students every step of the way. They are their mentors, role models and friends,” Majovski said. In a national study conducted by the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America, 82 percent of graduates from smaller universities such as PLU said their professors were interested in their personal and academic growth, compared to 35 percent of public university graduates. The study also shows that 63 percent of small college graduates said their college experience helped them develop as a leader and 76 percent said their college helped them develop a purpose in life. “That’s why PLU has been so successful in graduating students who define success beyond the bottom line – they make a difference in the world,” Majovski said. Heritage College founder inspires graduates at May CommencementA nationally known leader in higher education spoke to about 560 graduates and their families at Commencement May 23. Kathleen A. Ross, founding and current president of Heritage College in Toppenish, Wash., received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Ross has led the private four-year liberal arts college since 1982, when 85 students were enrolled. Today enrollment is 1,300, and the college offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Heritage College fulfills a unique mission that places it in the vanguard of bringing a quality liberal arts education to a multicultural population, including Native Americans and Hispanic Americans. The college is located on the Yakama Indian Reservation, where Ross has served as a consultant since 1975. She is nationally known as a leader in higher education, especially in the field of cross-cultural communication. She was one of three recipients in 1989 of the Harold McGraw Prize in education. In 1991, Georgetown University presented her with the John Carroll Award. In 1995, she was one of two people to receive the Washington State Medal of Merit award for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performing outstanding services to the people and state of Washington. In 1997, she was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Ross holds a B.A. from Fort Wright College, an M.A. in non-western history from Georgetown University, and a Ph.D. in higher education management and cross-cultural studies from the Claremont Graduate School. She is a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary/Washington province. KPLU celebrates 20 years of jazz throughout the yearMarking its successful shift to jazz programming 20 years ago is a year-long celebration for award-winning KPLU 88.5 FM. “Over the past 20 years, KPLU has become a force in jazz radio,” General Manager Martin Neeb said. “We are arguably one of the best jazz stations in the world, and that’s worth celebrating.” KPLU is consistently one of the top 10 listened to stations in the region and is one of the top ranked jazz stations in the country. As part of the anniversary celebration, the station held a live broadcast in April with special artists including nationally recognized jazz vocalists Tierney Sutton and Ernestine Anderson. Throughout 2004, KPLU will be tied to the most important regional jazz events, including Experience Music Project’s Jazz in January program, the ongoing Art of Jazz Series at the Seattle Art Museum, the Port Townsend Jazz Festival and Seattle’s huge Bumbershoot. The station will host the 14th season of its own Sunday brunch jazz cruises on Elliott Bay this summer. Jim Wilke, host of “Jazz After Hours” and “Jazz Northwest,” will lead listeners from the KPLU Travel Club to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest, and Program Director Joey Cohn will take listeners to the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in July. Cohn said the station wants to involve dedicated listeners and supporters in the celebration. “KPLU has the best audience,” he said. “They are involved in the community, they listen carefully, and they expect quality programming from KPLU. We can’t help but do our best work with that kind of motivation.” KPLU was founded by former PLU professor Theodore Karl in 1966 as a tiny 10-watt station on the air four hours a day and began to grow into Pierce County in 1972. In 1983, the station grew to 100,000 watts, and Neeb oversaw a switch to National Public Radio and jazz programming. A dual format was risky, but Neeb believed it would work, and he was right. Today, KPLU is the only authentic jazz radio station in the region and is heard worldwide through its incredibly successful Web streaming. The station has the top-rated jazz stream in the world, with nearly 200,000 people tuning in each month. Tune in or learn more at www.kplu.org. Retiring facultyRetiring faculty this year have more than 220 years worth of service to PLU between them. They are:
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