Month: May 2025

Luther College graduating senior Madelyn Kaasa received the college’s Elizabeth A. and Paul G. Jenson Medal for the class of 2025. The announcement was made during the Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 25.

“I feel honored that my classmates picked me,” Kaasa said. “I’ve gotten to meet so many awesome people while here. I just loved Luther and the Luther community. The Jenson Medal is really special and I feel really loved.”

Madelyn Kaasa, a graduating senior, received Luther’s Jenson Medal at Commencement on May 25, 2025.

Luther’s Elizabeth A. and Paul G. Jenson Medal is presented each year to an outstanding senior, selected by the graduating class, who best demonstrates the ideals of the college through service to students and the college community. Established through an endowment gift from Luther alumni Paul, class of 1948 and Elizabeth (Dybdal) Jenson, class of 1949, of Vassalboro, Maine, the Jenson Medal supports Luther College’s mission of service.

Reneé T. Watson, interim dean of student engagement, had the honor of notifying Kaasa that she would receive the 2025 Jenson Medal at Commencement.

“The Jenson Medal holds special significance as it honors students who lead with heart — those who are fully engaged, support others and leave a lasting impact. As is tradition, this year’s honoree, Maddie Kaasa, was nominated by her peers and endorsed by faculty — a powerful reflection of the relationships she has built and the respect she has earned across campus,” Watson said. “This recognition highlights Maddie’s enduring contributions to the Luther community and exemplifies the very best of what we hope—and believe—our students have become.”

Fifth-generation Norse Kaasa enrolled at Luther intending to study visual communication because she was the editor of her high school yearbook in Delaware, Ohio. But before the end of her fall semester, Kaasa changed her mind. She decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pursue a career in teaching. She is the daughter of Melissa Miller and Brad Kaasa.

Kaasa graduated magna cum laude with a double major in elementary education and Nordic Studies. She has a heart for children with behavior and learning disabilities and plans to earn a special education endorsement.

With a passion for making connections and the skills for building community, Kaasa served as president of PALS, a mentoring program that pairs elementary students from local schools with Luther students.

Kaasa joined a student-led effort to reactivate the Alpha Beta Psi (ABY) sorority and grow membership. This year, the sorority grew from 16 to 54 women. Kaasa served as vice president of the sorority during her senior year.

She was the organizational team lead for the Student Senate, treasurer of Norse Against Sexual Assault (NASA) and treasurer for Luther Disability Alliance. She is also a member of the Student Philanthropy Council.

“Student organizations are one of my favorite things about Luther,” she said. “It’s how I have fun here at Luther.”

Kaasa attributed her involvement with student organizations to the encouragement she received from her friends. Her roommate and best friend, Chloe Rozga ’25, was the president of Luther’s Senate Senate this academic year.

“If it wasn’t for my friendship with Chloe, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with student organizations,” Kaasa said. “We both want Luther to have these fun spaces for students. We want NASA to flourish. We want to make the Student Senate into something awesome. Our friendship has been really special and I cannot imagine what my Luther College experience would have been like without her.”

Elliott Johnson, assistant professor of education at Luther, was Kaasa’s advisor.

“We are so proud of Maddie Kaasa and all her achievements during her time at Luther College. Her work in her education courses developed her educational philosophy that growth happens most through inclusive and engaging environments. Her work with Student Senate, PALS, and the sorority, ABY, allowed her to share her gifts and philosophy with her peers,” Johnson said. “She will be a fantastic future educator.”

Kaasa’s next step is to complete her student teaching in Oslo, Norway.

“It’s the perfect combination of my majors. I’m going to be in a first grade classroom in an international school,” she said.

The Luther College Concert Band, under the direction of Cory Near, will embark on a tour of Japan from May 28 through June 9 — the ensemble’s first international tour since 2017.

The Concert Band last toured Japan in 2010 under the late Fred Nyline, its longtime director, and this year’s trip builds on that history.

“When discussing locations, we decided returning to a country that the ensemble has traveled to in the past would be a great opportunity for our students, and also pay tribute to the years of history and planning this ensemble has with Japan,” Near said. “I was fortunate to have many conversations with Professor Nyline about those experiences. Professor Nyline spoke highly of not only the musical opportunities our students can and will experience, but also the culture of Japan, which will undoubtedly shape our students for years to come.”

The Luther College Concert Band will embark on a tour of Japan from May 28 through June 9 — the ensemble’s first international tour since 2017.

Nyline served as guest conductor for the Musashino Academia Wind Ensemble in Tokyo for five semesters, explained Susan Potvin, director of programming and outreach at Luther College. Because of Nyline’s connection, the Concert Band traveled to Japan five times between 1993 and 2010.

“It’s significant and special to have the band return to Japan on its first international tour since Mr. Nyline’s passing,” Potvin said. Nyline died on Nov. 16, 2022.

The band, which is made up of 60 Luther students, will perform in Kyoto, Hakone, Nagoya and Tokyo. The ensemble will perform in several exchange concerts with musicians from four high school bands and one university band. This tour includes many culturally significant stops, including Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi and the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

The tour’s performance program, titled “Friends: Old, New, and Remembered” opens with Nicole Piunno’s “Bright Shadow Fanfare,” a piece that the Concert Band performed in the fall and was selected by peer review to be included in a showcase at the College Band Directors National Association’s National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, in March.

The band will also perform “Furusato,” a well-known Japanese children’s song, and Catherine Likhuta’s powerful “Bury and Rise,” which was the composer’s response to her mother’s passing in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Switching gears, the Concert Band will perform the energetic “In Living Color” by Katahj Copley, and Carter Pann’s brilliant “The Three Embraces.” The band will close with James Barnes’ epic “Finale” from Symphony No. 3.

“This piece was Professor Fred Nyline’s favorite composition, so it felt fitting to travel across the world and bring ‘Finale’ to life in his honor in a country that meant so much to him,” Near said.

Seventeen Luther alumni, friends and Concert Band family members will tour Japan along with the band by attending performances and taking in scenery and architecture of the country.

Concert Band was formed in 1878, laying the foundation of what would become the college’s long-standing tradition of musical excellence. Concert Band is now one of the oldest touring organizations in the nation and ranks among the country’s outstanding undergraduate college bands. Concert Band is Luther College’s principal band ensemble.

From its beginnings as a student-directed brass and percussion ensemble formed with instruments from a discontinued community band, Concert Band rose to its current position of prestige through the influential directorships of Carlo Sperati (1905–1943), Weston Noble (1948–1973), Nyline (1973–2011) and Joan deAlbuquerque (2011–2020).

Since 2020, the Concert Band has been under Near’s direction. Near earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He holds a master’s degree from Temple University. His undergraduate degrees are from Ohio State University, where Near studied music education and tuba performance.