Author: Luther College News

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, will come together with world-renowned epidemiologist Michael Osterholm ’75 for the Roslien Distinguished Lecture entitled “Pandemic Economics” at Luther College. In the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life, Kashkari will answer questions posed by Osterholm regarding the economic ramifications stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Covid has had terrible, and very uneven, impacts on the economy,” said Steve Holland, professor of economics at Luther College. “I am looking forward to hearing what Neel Kashkari has to say on these issues. As the president of the Minneapolis Fed, he’s been at the center of research and policy discussions about the impacts of the pandemic and will be able to share insights we could not get anywhere else.”

Holland also mentioned various ways he has observed the pandemic’s impacts on labor markets. “So many people lost their jobs or had to go to work despite the fear of COVID-19, while others were easily able to transition to remote work. The pandemic may have also been a big contributor to the “Great Resignation” or the “Great Rethink” that has workers reassessing what they want out of a job and how work fits into their lives. These shocks are having ripple effects for families, businesses and the economy that we are only beginning to understand,” said Holland.

Kashkari has served as the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis since 2016. Additionally, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee, bringing the Ninth Federal Reserve District’s perspective to monetary policy discussions in Washington, D.C.

Osterholm, a 1975 Luther College graduate and current regent, works as regents professor and director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota. In November of 2020, he was named to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board.

Later in the session, Kashkari will answer the questions of Luther College students.

The event is open to the public with no charge for admission. To view via livestream, visit luther.edu/events for the link on the day of the event.

This event is sponsored by the Dr. David J. Roslien Distinguished Lecture in Science and Leadership, which aims to bring internationally recognized individuals who have made impacts on society through the use of cutting-edge science or global leadership in policy and programs to campus to engage with faculty and students.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Luther College will host “Building a World that Includes Disability,” a lecture by Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thompson. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, in the Jenson-Noble Recital Hall. The event is open to the public with no charge for admission.

            “Dr. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson is one of the most important disability studies scholars in the world. What’s so exciting about having her at Luther is that her expertise has really developed from a place of liberal arts engagement: she’s a professor emerita of English and bioethics, but her work is informed by so many other fields, including identity studies, the health sciences, religion and philosophy,” said Marie Drews, president of the Luther College Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

            During her presentation, Garland-Thompson will take a look back in time to demonstrate the resourcefulness, resilience and accomplishments of those with disabilities. She poses the questions: What would our world be like if it fully welcomed and included people with disabilities? How could we build that world to share and live in together? and Why would that be a better world for us all?

In her 2016 editorial “Becoming Disabled” Garland-Thompson points out that disabled people can often be overlooked. The current infrastructure of society is not built for, and in most cases not remotely accessible to people with disabilities. This lecture will highlight the prevalence and presence of disability and will explore ways in which the world can shift in order to better accommodate every person.

“Disability is everywhere once you start noticing it. A simple awareness of who we are sharing our public spaces with can be revelatory. Wheelchair users or people with walkers, hearing aids, canes, service animals, prosthetic limbs or breathing devices may seem to appear out of nowhere, when they were in fact there all the time,” wrote Garland-Thompson.

Garland-Thompson is a bioethicist, author, educator, humanities scholar and thought leader in disability justice and culture. Her work develops the field of critical disability studies in the health humanities to bring forward issues regarding disability access, inclusion and identity to a broad range of institutions and communities. Her “Becoming Disabled” editorial was published in the New York Times and became the inaugural essay in their ongoing weekly series written by and about people with disabilities. Additionally, Garland-Thompson co-edited, “About Us: Essays from the New York Times about Disability by People with Disabilities,” and authored “Staring: How We Look,” and “Embracing Our Humanity: A Bioethics of Disability and Health.”

Luther is one of the select higher education institutions in the United States with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a scholastic organization that recognizes students who have achieved distinction in the liberal arts and sciences. With a mission of contributing to the academic life of institutions and facilitating the exchange of ideas between scholars and students, the Phi Beta Kappa Society has offered the Visiting Scholar Program since 1956. Hosted by Phi Beta Kappa chapters, participating scholars travel around the country to participate in discussions with students and to present lectures to the public.

For questions and accommodation requests contact Drews at [email protected]. Visit luther.edu/events to explore other viewing options.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

The Luther College Concert Band, one of the Midwest’s touring collegiate wind ensembles, will present their Homecoming Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.

Among the performers are Lily McGohan and Meg Sessions from Decorah.

The concert comes after several tour stops in Long Lake and Rochester, Minnesota and includes pieces by Cait Nishimura, Erika Svanoe and Karl Husa. The event is open to the public with no charge for admission.

The Luther College Concert Band was formed in 1878, laying the foundation for what would become the college’s long-standing tradition of musical excellence. Directed by Cory Near, Concert Band is one of the oldest touring groups in the nation and ranks among the country’s outstanding undergraduate college bands.

Concert Band has risen to its current position of prestige through the influential directorships of Carlo Sperati, 1905-1943; Weston Noble, 1948-1973; Frederick Nyline, 1973-2011; and Joan deAlbuquerque, 2011-2020. 

Throughout its long history, Concert Band has enjoyed performance opportunities in the United States, Western Europe and Japan. The ensemble tours annually, including an international tour every four years. In 2013, the band toured Iceland and Norway, 100 years after its first Norwegian tour. In 2017, the ensemble traveled to Spain. The next international tour for Concert Band will occur in 2025.

About Luther College Music

Luther is home to one of the largest undergraduate music programs in the nation, with five choirs, three orchestras, two bands and two jazz bands. One-third of all Luther students participate in music, including large ensembles, faculty-coached chamber groups, private lessons and master classes. Nearly 175 music majors study music theory, ear training, history, education, composition, jazz, church music and performance. Learn more at luther.edu/music.

Luther College will host the Price Distinguished Lecture “Etched into Place: Radicalized Landscapes, Embodied Movements and Solidarities along Central American Migrant Journeys,” by Wendy A. Vogt in recognition of Women’s History Month. The lecture will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, in Room 102 of the Franklin W. Olin Building.

            During her lecture, Vogt will discuss forms of solidarity and place-making within the often violent and racialized landscapes of migrant journeys, much of which is covered in her book, “Lives in Transit: Violence and Intimacy on the Migrant Journey.” In this award-winning work, Vogt draws from her long-term ethnographic fieldwork and chronicles the dangers faced by Central American migrants as they journey through Mexico, investigating how “economies of violence, intimacy and care develop along these transit routes.”

            “I’m talking about economies based on the kidnapping of migrants or holding people ransom or forcibly recruiting people to work for the drug cartels, but also the way local communities and local people are making their living selling everyday items or food to the migrants passing through their towns,” said Vogt of her research in a 2020 interview.

Vogt is an associate professor of anthropology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. As a sociocultural anthropologist, her work aims to utilize both feminist and political-economic approaches in understanding methods of mobility, violence, security and humanitarianism in Europe and the Americas. Her current research in Spain examines transatlantic mobilities and the strategies of movement and unity that are created by migrants.

            “Wendy Vogt’s work is extremely relevant to understand the transit journeys of migrants, both the violence they experience and the immense acts of solidarity that are concentrated in migrant shelters along the way,” said Anita Carrasco, associate professor of anthropology. “As a community, Luther College has had the honor to host Jason De Leon’s traveling exhibit entitled Hostile Terrain. In it, our students have been able to honor migrants whose lives were lost in the desert by filling out name tags of the dead. I see professor Vogt’s contribution as an important addition that brings light to these issues by expanding the scope of our understanding of the migration problem beyond the US/Mexico border.”

The event is open to the public with no charge for admission. To view via livestream, visit luther.edu/events for the link on the day of the event. It is sponsored as part of the Lucille Brickner Brown Price Distinguished Lecture Series, which supports speakers who illustrate women as leaders in today’s society. It is also sponsored by Luther College’s Identity Studies program and by Minnesota Public Radio.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Now through April 29, the public is invited to view the Stitch Their Names Memorial Project on display at Luther College on the Center For the Arts Gregerson Gallery Wall. The Stitch Their Names Memorial consists of two large quilts featuring 116 cross-stitched portraits of Black people who died as a result of racially motivated attacks. The portraits were stitched by close to 100 volunteers, then compiled into the two beautiful quilts.

            One of those creators is Nori Hadley ’97, alumna and C-Store manager at Luther. She contributed her talents to the memorial by stitching two of the portraits included in the quilts.

“Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, I saw a fellow crafter call for volunteers on Instagram to help her stitch the portraits of people of color who were victims of police brutality, institutional racism and hate crimes,” said Hadley. “I was told these portraits would then be combined and crafted into a quilt, which really resonated with me and so I decided to get involved.”

The exhibit includes those whose stories are well known, but it also features portraits of lesser-known victims including Randy Evans, a ninth-grader from Brooklyn who was shot by a police officer in 1976, and Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old who was lynched outside of the Palmdale City Hall in California in June 2020. Fuller’s half-brother, Terron Boone, was shot and killed a week later in a deputy-involved shooting. The inclusion of these names serves to memorialize and honor every victim of race-related violence.

“I stitched the portraits of Keaton Otis and James Chaney. Each crafter was sent a biography of the person they were to stitch and basic dimensional guidelines, but the rest was left up to the artist’s creativity. For me, this was really the first time I was able to use my crafting talents for a bigger purpose, and I am really proud of what my fellow crafters and I were able to accomplish,” said Hadley.

Since the quilts were completed, they have traveled around the country to be displayed in various museums, activist organizations and colleges. It was Hadley’s idea to bring the quilts to Luther, so she reached out to the Center for Intercultural Engagement and Student Success and the Black Student Union on campus. Guy Nave, faculty advisor of the BSU, took a position of support in getting this memorial to campus.

“In the Black community, quilting has often functioned as a way of  ‘documenting’ history. These quilts do a powerful job of humanizing and honoring the legacy of Black individuals killed as a result of racism and racialized violence,” said Nave.

            Following the display at Luther, the quilts will be in Hadley’s possession and she plans to display them in downtown Decorah.

“I hope that this project will spark community engagement and activism, and inspire the students of Luther and people of Decorah to participate in various methods of social justice activism,” said Hadley.

To view the list of people being honored on these quilts, along with their biographies, photographs and a picture of their stitched portrait visit the Stitch Their Names Memorial Project website.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

For some students of color, it can be difficult to find a barber who is experienced in cutting their hair. That’s why Luther College contracts with a service called ClipDart, which, according to its creator, is the equivalent of “an Uber for barbers.”

            “For several years we worked with local businesses to find solutions to the lack of barbers and hairdressers who could work with black hair. Unfortunately, all efforts failed to produce tangible sustainable results,” said Wintlett Taylor-Browne, director of the Center for Intercultural Engagement and Student Success at Luther College. “Fortunately, in the spring of 2021, we were able to start a barbershop pilot program at Luther utilizing ClipDart. The student’s response was so overwhelmingly positive that we decided to continue offering the service.”

            Something seemingly superficial, like not being able to get a haircut, can have a negative impact on one’s well-being. “Not being able to get a haircut genuinely puts me in a mood that ‘isn’t me’ and my friends and teammates notice the drop in my energy and confidence,” said Myke Shed, a junior at Luther College.

            Daniel Webster, another junior at Luther, echoes that sentiment. “When I finally do get a cut, it boosts my emotional well-being and improves my self-image.” He says prior to this service, the closest barber he felt comfortable with was at least an hour and 30 minutes away. Webster also points out that this service has helped him financially as Luther foots the bill.

            Gill Jordan is the master barber behind the chair at Luther; a chair he donated to the college in order to expertly provide his services. Jordan makes the trek from his barbershop, Uncle Gill’s Cutz, in Rochester, Minnesota, to Decorah every other Monday to cut hair and connect with a full schedule of students.

            “I feel like an uncle to them. That’s why I named my barbershop Uncle Gill’s. I love to be inspiring and to be that person they can talk to,” said Jordan.

            Shed appreciates the connection as much as the haircut.

“For me, barbershop talk is much more than sports, work, and guy talk. Back home, my barber and I talk about life, business opportunities, relationships, politics, religion, school, stocks, literally everything under the sun. I can’t even begin to describe how much I appreciate him and our relationship,” said Shed. “The relationship I have with my barber back home is the relationship I’m starting to gain with Unc [Jordan], as each time I’m scheduled to get a cut our conversations get deeper and more genuine, and that is something I feel makes the whole barber-client relationship unique.”

Luther College, in partnership with ClipDart, is proud to continue to provide this service to its students of color now and into the future.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, the Luther College Center Stage Series presents the Brubeck Brothers Quartet.

            Chris and Dan Brubeck are the sons of jazz giant Dave Brubeck and have been making music together their whole lives. With Dan on drums and Chris on bass, trombone and  composing for the group, the brothers make up the base of the esteemed quartet. Completing the group’s unique sound are Mike DeMicco on guitar and Chuck Lamb on piano.

“I grew up with the music of Dave Brubeck and am so excited to hear his sons take on some of my favorite tunes,” said Kristen Underwood, director of campus programming. “The quartet is rooted in straight-ahead jazz, with influences of funk, blues and world music. Audiences can expect an evening of world-class artists at the top of their game.”

 Sixty years after their father’s U.S. State Department goodwill tour to Europe during the Cold War, the Brubeck Brothers Quartet commemorates their musical legacy through performances played with uncompromising dedication to melody, rhythm, culture, technique and the spontaneous spirit of jazz.

            These versatile musicians collaborate with or­chestras across the U.S. and internationally. Past performances include features with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra, as well as chamber music collaborations with musicians from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Russian National Symphony Orchestra.

Arrive early to enjoy the Sip and Shop in the Luther College Book Shop from 6-7:15 p.m. Present a “Brubeck Brothers Quartet” ticket and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine while you browse.

Tickets are on sale through Luther’s Ticket Office and online at tickets.luther.edu, by emailing [email protected], or by calling (563) 387-1357.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Luther College’s seventh annual Giving Day campaign was a major success after raising more than $1.1 million dollars to support students on March 10.

            “I want to express my deepest gratitude to those who decided to give a gift to Luther College this Giving Day,” said President Jenifer K. Ward. “Watching gifts come in and talking with folks who decided to invest in this institution is such a powerful reminder of all who care about and love Luther College. The combination of generosity of tangible gifts and generosity of spirit of the Luther community will inspire me as we go forward this semester and into the future, and for that, I am very grateful.”

 In total, Luther raised a preliminary amount of $1,143,556 from more than 1,550 gifts. These donations to the Luther Fund support just about everything students need including scholarships and financial aid, field study trips, music tours, student organizations, volunteer opportunities in the community and more.

Leading the effort is Megan Torkelson, director of annual giving. She looks forward to this event each year because of the energy it creates across campus.

“Giving Day really epitomizes the idea of ‘being community’ here at Luther College. The development and alumni team works all together in Gnome Base (our big board room) and throughout the day we help energize and encourage each other. Students flow in and out as they deliver thank yous to faculty and staff across campus. Visitors stop by to say hello and share their Luther stories. Giving Day is meant to be a day to celebrate the Luther community and we truly see it come to life here in Loyalty Hall as our Gnome Base becomes a hub of activity and Luther love,” said Torkelson.

Giving Day 2023 is set for Thursday, March 9.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Coming off their first tour since 2019, the Luther College Jazz Orchestra will perform their Homecoming Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, in the Center for Faith and Life on the Luther College campus. Hitting the road for the first time since 2019, the members of the band and their conductor, Juan Tony Guzmán, invite you to attend this high-energy performance. 

The Jazz Orchestra spring tour includes stops in Chatfield, Minnesota; Roseville, Minnesota; Annandale, Minnesota; Johnston, Iowa; and Menomonie, Wisonsin. 

Luther’s Jazz Orchestra is one of the premier collegiate instrumental ensembles in the United States and one of four major touring ensembles on campus. The group travels regionally each year and abroad every four years. Their spring tour repertoire includes highlights from Duke Ellington, Gordon Goodwin, Astor Piazzolla and Wynton Marsalis. Students from a variety of academic programs perform with the Jazz Orchestra and will be featured as soloists throughout the event.  

The concert is open to the public with no charge for admission. 

Luther is home to one of the largest undergraduate music programs in the nation, with five choirs, three orchestras, two bands and two jazz bands. One-third of all Luther students participate in music, including large ensembles, faculty-coached chamber groups, private lessons and master classes. Nearly 175 music majors study music theory, ear training, history, education, composition, jazz, church music, and performance. Learn more at luther.edu/music.

A Luther College professor will have his work featured on Wisconsin Public Radio this month. Beginning on Monday, March 14, WPR will feature “As the Twig is Bent: A Memoir” on its “Chapter a Day” program. The book, by Wallace Byron Grange, was co-edited by Joseph L. Breitenstein, Luther College professor of psychology.

“Along with my co-editor, Richard Thiel, an accomplished naturalist in his own right, we are honored that ‘Chapter a Day’ selected ‘As the Twig is Bent: A Memoir.’ This program has been a mainstay of Wisconsin Public Radio since it was first broadcast in 1931,” said Breitenstein. “When editing this book, Richard and I agreed early on that our main goal was to bring attention to Grange’s life work. His observations about saving the environment are more salient than ever, and we are very appreciative that WPR’s audience will be able to hear about this amazing man.”

            The memoir elicits admiration for a largely self-taught man whose early relationship with nature formed him into a pioneering conservationist, including leading the fight to ban DDT.

            “The book we edited is essentially a memoir of Grange’s childhood placed in the context of his entire life. The most important years of his childhood were spent in Northern Wisconsin where he lived at the nexus between pristine forests and devastation from clear-cut logging. How to nurture damaged land back to productivity became Grange’s life work,” said Breitenstein.

            This project allowed Breitenstein to channel his psychological interests in personal development, environmentalism and politics. He collaborated with other faculty experts at Luther College to gain necessary technical information including Mark Eichinger and Tex Sordahl of the biology department.

            Read by Norman Gilliland, “As the Twig is Bent: A Memoir” can be heard at 12:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on WPR’s Ideas Network Monday, March 14, through Friday, March 25.  Episodes are available online a week after being broadcast.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.