December 8. 2008 - Past and Present - Viterbo University

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 16 A Newsletter for the Viterbo University Community DECEMBER 8, 2008
President’s Holiday Dinner
Jackie Kuennen, Linda Schams, Chris Sanger, and Bobbie Wilson were four of the many volunteers
who served students during the annual President’s Holiday Dinner Dec. 3.
Christmas Greeting
On behalf of the cabinet and deans, I wish to extend to
you and your families blessings for a beautiful Christmas.
Likewise, I offer our seasonal greeting to those who
celebrate other faith traditions at this time of the year.
May these days of celebrating faith and traditions with
family and friends bring you much joy and happiness, and
a respite from the frenetic pace of end-of-semester pressures
and activities. We thank you for your commitment
and concern for the university, to its mission and values,
and to one another. Joan and I wish you a safe recess, a blessed Christmas, and a
wonderful New Year.
Pax et Bonum,
Rick Artman
Winter Commencement
is Dec. 13
One hundred twenty-nine students,
110 undergraduate, 14 graduate, and
fi ve associate degree, will be candidates
for graduation at Viterbo’s winter
commencement ceremony Saturday,
Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m. in the Fine Arts
Center Main Theatre.
Faculty should line up in the Fine
Arts Center Recital Hall lobby. There
will not be secure storage for personal
items, so please leave handbags and
other personal items in your vehicle
(ideally locked in your trunk or someplace
that is not visible).
The same tips that apply to graduates
wearing their caps and gowns also
apply to wearing the regalia—gowns
should be pressed and worn with dark
slacks or hosiery, and dark shoes; caps
should be worn level (not tipped back);
no jewelry or other adornments should
be worn with the gowns.
Jan Janiszewski, president of the
faculty assembly, will serve as master
of ceremonies, and Michael Dreger,
an arts administration major from St.
Germaine, will give the senior address.
continued on page two
Merry Christmas
The communications and marketing
staff would like to wish the Viterbo
community a Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year. This is the fi nal issue
of Connections for the semester. Publication
will resume Monday, Jan. 12.
Thank you to columnists Rick
Artman, Kim Olson-Kopp, Fr. Tom
O’Neill, Sue Danielson, and everyone
who made contributions to Connections
this semester.

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Making Christmas Merrier
Deb Daehn-Zellmer and members of the social work club spent part of the afternoon of Dec. 3
wrapping Christmas presents for two local families they have “adopted.” This project is sure to make
Christmas much merrier for both families.
Winter Break Fitness
Classes Offered
Would you like to shed some holiday
pounds or just get some exercise? The
Mathy Center has a class for you.
Register today at the Mathy Center
for winter break group fi tness classes.
Classes meet at noon in the Mathy
Center for three weeks—Monday, Dec.
8–Friday, Dec. 19 and Monday, Jan.
5–Friday, Jan. 9.
Classes are $30 for all participants.
The schedule: Monday, Pilates; Tuesday,
Strength; Wednesday, Cardio; Thursday,
Strength; Friday, Zumba.
Classifi eds
For sale: 2002 Grand Prix GT. Black,
new tires, sunroof, CD player, cruise
control, great condition. $4,800.
Contact Kim Hendricks at 317-0050
or kmhendricks@viterbo.edu.
SAL Classes to
Open for Traditional
Undergraduates
Notice to faculty members and advisors:
All School of Adult Learning spring
semester courses, including Fast Track
and possibly a small number of online
courses, will be open to traditional students
beginning Friday, Dec. 12.
The opening date of Dec. 12 is earlier
than the date of Thursday, Jan. 1 as
published in the class schedule.
To register for any of the courses,
students need to fi ll out an add form in
the registrar’s offi ce. No signatures are
necessary. As with other Viterbo courses,
there must be space in the class and
the student should have completed all
required prerequisites prior to enrolling.
It’s also important for students to be
aware that most School of Adult Learning
courses are accelerated and meet for
seven weeks and that they should check
class beginning and ending dates.
January Birthdays
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jay McHenry
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Medland
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcella Steffes, FSPA
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Ellen Haupert
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Loretta Penchi, FSPA
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Kulas
14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diane Haugen
14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tina Johns
14 . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne Wojciechowski
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Bauer
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Walsh
18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheryl Jacobson
19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bobbie Wilson
20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Janice Glass
20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barb Schroeder
21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lesley Stugelmayer
24 . . . . . . . . . . Naomi Stennes-Spidahl
30 . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernyne Stark, FSPA
31 . . . . . . . . Jennifer Hedrick-Erickson
Rose Sale to be Held at
Commencement
The School of Adult Learning will be
holding a rose sale in the Fine Arts Center
atrium at Winter Commencement
Saturday, Dec. 13.
Roses will be sold as singles ($5) or in
bunches of three ($10), six ($15), or 12
($20). Proceeds from the sale will benefi
t the Sr. Elissa Kamaka Scholarship,
which is awarded annually to a student
in the School of Adult Learning.
Graduation, continued from front page
Kathy Ivey ’85, will deliver the alumni
welcome. President Rick Artman will
confer the degrees and Rev. Thomas
O’Neill, vice president for mission and
ministry, will give the benediction.
During a special presentation, the
university will confer the title of Chancellor
Emeritus upon former president
and chancellor Bill Medland and faculty
members Richard Morehouse and Bob
Richgels will be granted the title of
Professor Emeritus.
The day will begin with a Baccalaureate
Mass at 9 a.m. in the Maria Angelorum
Chapel at St. Rose Convent. Fr.
O’Neill will preside at the liturgy.

Upcoming Mathy
Center Hours
Finals week
Monday. . . . . . . . . . . . .7 a.m.–11 p.m.
Tuesday . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Wednesday . . . . . . . . . . .7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thursday. . . . . . . . . . . . .7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Dec. 22–Jan. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed
Jan. 15–21
Monday–Friday. . . . . . . .9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday. . . . . . . . . . . . Closed
Kudos to…
Tom Thibodeau, religious studies,
who was named Man of the Year
at Mary Mother of the Church’s
Patronal Feast Nov. 16.
The members of the Lugovier
String Quartet for performing at the
National Philanthropy Day program
Nov. 14. Quartet members include
students of the Viterbo Preparatory
School of Arts and their teacher,
Busya Lugovier, on violin.
Dave Bauer, psychology, who attended
the Society for Neuroscience
annual convention in Washington,
D.C., and presented a poster on his
dissertation research entitled “Alteration
of Dendritic Spine Morphology
in Prefrontal Cortex Following
Cerebellar Dentate Nuclei Lesions in
Rats.”
Ward Jones, biology, and the members
of the Natural Science Division
for hosting the Seven Rivers Undergraduate
Research Symposium.
Jennifer Anderson-Meger, sociology,
social work, and criminal
justice, for her presentation last week
at the Wisconsin Coalition Against
Domestic Violence Conference in
Madison. The title of the presentation
was “What Does the Board Do?
Theory and Practice of Effective
Non-profi t Boards.”
Order Your Christmas
Cookies and Candies
Today
Would you like some help with your
holiday baking? Aramark’s baker,
Sherry, has been working hard and has
created a wonderful selection of holiday
cookies and candies.
Cost is $6.95 per dozen. Orders are
due by Wednesday, Dec. 10, and they
can be picked up in the Marian Hall
Dining Room anytime before Thursday,
Dec. 18.
Call Carma at ext. 3831 to place an order.
Deb Daehn-Zellmer, sociology,
social work, and criminal justice, for
completing six years of service on the
Executive Board for the Wisconsin
Council on Social Work Education.
She served as the secretary for the
organization for the past three years.
Also, kudos to her for organizing
the recent Women’s Clothes Closet
fundraiser.
Lyon Evans, English, for serving as
a board member of the Wisconsin
Newspaper Association Partners
Committee, which organizes outreach
activities for high school and
college student newspapers and
journalism programs.
Jesús Jambrina, world languages,
for participating in the Workshop
for Latino Americanists in Wisconsin
organized by the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Karla Hughes, music theatre, who
sings the female lead of Yum-yum on
a new recording of Gilbert and Sullivan’s
The Mikado on an international
release by Albany Records.
The members of the hospitality
committee, who recently held a
successful food drive for the Viterbo
food pantry in conjunction with
their soup lunch.
Employee Christmas
Social Dec. 12
The annual employee Christmas social
is Friday, Dec. 12 from 3–4:30 p.m. in
the Fine Arts Center Lobby.
The event will feature an assortment
of hors d’oeuvres, holiday refreshments,
and holiday music.
Retirement Reception
for Bill Medland Dec. 9
The Viterbo community is invited
to attend a retirement reception for
chancellor Bill Medland, Tuesday, Dec.
9 from 3–4 p.m. in the Reinhart Center
Board Room.
Everyone is welcome to stop by to
extend best wishes to Bill for his exceptional
service to Viterbo as president
and chancellor.
Medland, who was recently named
Professional Fundraiser of the Year by
the Association of Professional Fundraisers,
will begin working part-time
as Development Director for Catholic
Charities Friday, Jan. 2.
Employees Invited to
Come and Join the
Morehouse Transition
Team
By Richard “Mort” Morehouse
Most of the heavy lifting as been
completed—offi ce moved, retirement
letter accepted, fi nal grades posted,
Blackboard (electronic and slate) wiped
clean, and the route to south Texas
highlighted in dayglow yellow.
All that’s left to do is celebrate the
transition. You only need to bring good
cheer and conversation. Signifi cant others
welcome.
Join us at Houghton’s
Sunday, Dec. 14
From 4 p.m.–?
Pizza and beverages provided
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campus ministry and mission
By Fr. Tom O’Neill
Immaculate Conception:
Today is a
holy day of obligation
celebrating the Feast of
the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. There will
be Mass at noon in the San Damiano
Chapel.
Advent Penance Service: A communal
service of penance and reconciliation
will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in San
Damiano Chapel.
Advent Prayer: Slow us down, O Lord,
this Advent, so we may understand the
darkness we are in, the darkness of fear
that comes with wanting more, and the
fear of having less. Grant us the light of
transformation, as we wait for your true
abundance—the love of the Incarnation,
a love that brings us true dignity and security,
a love that embraces all, that enriches
all, that calls us all to share justly and
celebrate joyfully. – Jane Deren
A Franciscan Christmas Blessing
for Justice and Peace: May God bless
you with discomfort...at easy answers,
hard hearts, half-truths, and superfi cial
from the President
By Rick Artman
Crèche
In a unique collaboration of entities,
a new Christmas crèche (manger/crib)
will soon be placed in the entrance area
to Murphy Center. The idea for the
crèche came at a recent dinner of faculty,
administrators, and staff who have
participated in a Franciscan pilgrimage
to Assisi/Rome. Our interest was to tell
the story of Francis and the fi rst nativity
scene that he orchestrated in Greccio,
Italy in 1223. Fr. Tom explored some
religious catalogues and consulted with
Frank Ludwig, theater department, for
some “set design” advice. Thereafter,
Josh Gates in the institutional advancement
offi ce proposed the funding of
the new nativity scene to a benefactor
wishing to honor his deceased father in
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relationships. May God bless you so that
you may live from deep within your heart
where God’s Spirit dwells. May God bless
you with anger...at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people. May God bless
you so that you may work for justice, freedom,
and peace. May God bless you with
tears...to shed for those who suffer from
pain, rejection, starvation and war. May
God bless you so that you may reach out
your hand to comfort them and turn their
pain into joy. And may God bless you with
enough foolishness to believe that you can
make a difference in this world, in your
neighborhood, so that you will courageously
try what you don’t think you can
do, but, in Jesus Christ you’ll have all the
strength necessary. May God bless you to
fearlessly speak out about injustice, unjust
laws, corrupt politicians, unjust and cruel
treatment of prisoners, and senseless wars,
genocides, starvations, and poverty that is
so pervasive. May God bless you that you
remember we are all called to continue
God’s redemptive work of love and healing
in God’s place, in and through God’s
name, in God’s Spirit, continually creating
and breathing new life and grace into
everything and everyone we touch.
a special way. Thus, the stars aligned,
perhaps as they did for the Magi more
than 2,000 years ago! My thanks to all
involved in this endeavor. Fr. Tom will
plan a blessing and dedication as soon
as the display is assembled.
Festivities and Farewells
Thanks to the more than 50 faculty,
administrators, and staff who served
more than 500 students at the President’s
Holiday Dinner Dec. 3. This
event is greatly appreciated by the students,
made especially meaningful by
your hospitality and fun interactions
with them. Thanks to Diane Brimmer,
Denise Homstad, and Aramark dining
services for your planning and service.
Special thanks to our choirs and music
faculty for bringing the Christmas
spirit, along with beautiful singing
and caroling, to the members of the
There will be no Christmas Eve or
Christmas Day Mass at San Damiano
Chapel. Mass will be held each Sunday
at 11 a.m. during the holiday break.
The 6 p.m. Sunday Mass resumes on
Jan 11.
Prayer for the New Year: In the year
ahead, Lord of new beginnings, stretch our
souls and move us into new awareness of
the human family, their needs and their
longings. Make these into our needs, our
longings so we move more confi dently from
our small selves to a deeper sense of community
where our resolutions refl ect our
interdependence. Help us recognize the
possibilities you have offered to us as a
people, so we can commit to practice the
Hope that happens when we gather gratefully
in your name and we hold up to you
this fragile, precious world. Grant us all
the grace in this year ahead to sow the
seeds of justice and to gather peace in our
day. Amen – Jane Deren
A blessed Christmas and a joyous New
Year to you all. Have a wonderful holiday
break.
FSPA at St. Rose Convent and Villa
St. Joseph Dec. 2. Also, thanks to all
who planned and participated in the
annual Festival of Lights festivities on
Dec. 5.
Our farewell wishes are more symbolic
than real, as we expect we will continue
to see Bill Medland, Mort Morehouse,
Bob Richgels, Shirley Frick,
Kathy Schams, and Denise Probert
around the campus and the community.
Thank you for your many years
of leadership, service, and dedication
to Viterbo.
connections is published every
Monday of each academic year. Copy
deadline is 4 p.m., Wednesday. Email
copy to connections@viterbo.edu or
send interoffi ce to the offi ce of
communications and marketing,
RC 007. Visit us on the Web at
www.viterbo.edu/connections.aspx