January 29, 2007 - Viterbo University

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 20 A NEWSLETTER FOR THE VITERBO UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY JANUARY 29, 2007
Presidential Inauguration Set for March 30
Mark your calendars now for the
offi cial inauguration of Viterbo
President Rick Artman at
2 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center
Main Theatre
Friday, March 30.
The day will
begin with a
Mass at Maria
Angelorum Chapel at
St. Rose Convent at
11 a.m. followed by a university
lunch in Marian Hall dining room.
Academic regalia must be ordered
by Thursday, Feb. 15. Please contact
Stacey Rademaker in the bookstore at
ext. 3848 to order your gown and/or
hood. Regalia can be purchased or
rented. Stacey will need the name of
your graduating institution, the name
of your degree, color of degree, and
your school colors. For gowns, height
and weight are also needed.
The big day will be preceded by
a week of activities celebrating the
inauguration. Service projects are
also in the works and will be announced
when plans are fi nalized.
Watch for the new inauguration Web
site, complete with an inauguration
quiz, which will be online soon. More
details of the week’s events will be announced
as they become offi cial.
Hope and Help is the theme of the
event. “My theme for the inauguration
affi rms Viterbo as the University
of Opportunity and recognizes its distinctive
commitment to help students
of all ages achieve their hopes and
dreams,” said Rick Artman, president.
“The ampersand between Hope
and Help is a representation of the
Dancing Francis statue on the Viterbo
campus. Our Franciscan heritage appropriately
joins the hope of students
for a values-centered education with
the help of a dedicated cadre of
faculty, administration, staff, trustees,
alumni, and benefactors.
Joan and I look
forward to your
participation
in the special
university and
community
celebration.”
The inauguration week schedule:
Tuesday, March 27, 8:30–10 a.m.
Inauguration Celebration Grab and
Go Continental Breakfast
7 p.m. “Conversations on Hope”
with Rick Kyte and Tom Thibodeau
in the San Damiano Chapel
Wednesday, March 28, 3–9 p.m.
“Hope and Play” Student Laser Tag
in Mathy Center
Thursday, March 29, Noon–1 p.m.
“Hope—a Conversation with the
Viterbo Community” facilitated by
Rick Kyte and Tom Thibodeau in
the Reinhart Center board room.
7 p.m. “When you Believe—a
Celebration of Song” featuring
Viterbo alumni in the Fine Arts
Center Main Theatre
Friday, March 30, Inauguration
Day. Classes cancelled from
11 a.m.–5 p.m.
11 a.m.–noon, Inauguration Mass,
Maria Angelorum Chapel at St.
Rose Convent
University lunch in Marian Hall
dining room following Mass
1:30 p.m. Robing for installation processional
for faculty and staff members
in Reinhart Center 127 and for the
deans in Reinhart Center 130
2 p.m. Installation Ceremony, Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre. Public
Reception to follow
Theatre Department
to Present Anatomy of
Gray Feb. 1–3
The theatre department
will present a
staged reading of the
play Anatomy of Gray
in the La Croix Black
Box Theatre Thursday,
Feb. 1 to Saturday,
Feb. 3.
Rick Walters
“Anatomy of Gray is
a play that looks at the effect fear plays
in our daily lives and our reaction to
it, specifi cally when we’re confronted
with the unknown and our mortality,”
said director Rick Walters, theatre. “But
despite dealing with the fi ght for survival
and going on in the face of adversity, the
play has a very hopeful spirit.”
The author of the play, Jim Leonard,
wrote it in response to his friend’s death
from AIDS. It is being produced as a
staged reading by the Viterbo theatre
department, which places an emphasis
on the actors, the lighting, and sound
effects, Walters said.
“This play was chosen because it
lends itself to story-telling,” Walters said.
“The characters narrate and often speak
directly to the audience.”
The cast consists of nine Viterbo students,
with Jean Saladino handling the
music, and Chris Scheuermann putting
together the sound track.
“I think it will be interesting for audiences
to come and see a simply produced
piece of theatre,” Walters said. “This is
theatre at its essence.”
Each of the three performances of
Anatomy of Gray will be at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $8. For more information
contact the Viterbo University box offi ce
at 608-796-3100 or
www.vviterbo.edu/fi nearts1.aspx.

Don Frick shares a laugh with Dick Record, the
president and general manager of Family Radio
Inc., who was on campus for the latest Brown
Bag lecture Jan. 23. The audience was the largest
for the series thus far.
All Viterbo community members are
encouraged to attend the “Immigrants
and Refugees: The Global Movement
at Our Door” Humanities Symposium
Feb. 5–7.
Chechnyan trauma surgeon Dr.
Khassan Baiev and Rita Simon, professor
of public affairs at American
University in Washington, D.C., are
the keynote speakers at the event.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for
Viterbo community members and the
general public to hear about the various
aspects of global immigration,” said
Bill Reese, Viterbo religious studies and
philosophy professor and symposium
committee chair. “The symposium will
assist in heightening our sensitivities
as well as challenging our opinions on
what it means to be an American in the
21st century.”
Baiev will speak at 7 p.m. Monday,
Feb. 5 in the Fine Arts Center Main
Theatre. Simon will speak at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the Fine Arts Center
Main Theatre. They will be joined by
many other presenters who will share
their unique insights into what immigration
means to America, the world,
and the people involved.
Monday, Feb. 5
“A Refugee Doctor’s Perspective:
Health Crisis in the Aftermath of
War” 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center
Main Theatre with Dr. Khassan Baiev,
a Chechnyan physician, refugee, and
author of The Oath: A Surgeon under
Fire. This event is co-sponsored by the
Franciscan Skemp Foundation.
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Host a Russian Delegate
Hosts are needed for a delegation of
Russian professionals when they visit
the La Crosse area Thursday, March 29
to Thursday April 19.
For more information, or to volunteer,
contact Deborah Lutjen of World
Services of La Crosse at 608-781-4194
or dlutjen@worldserviceslax.org.
Tuesday, Feb. 6
“Welcoming the Stranger: A Christian
Response” 9:30 a.m. in the Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre with Patti
Hurd, director of Refugee and Immigrant
Service for Lutheran Social
Services of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
“E Pluribus Unum: Immigration and
Nativism in American History” 10:30
a.m. in the Fine Arts Center Main
Theatre with Michael Smuksta, Viterbo
history professor.
“Contemporary Sweatshops: American
Factories along the U.S. Border”
11:30 a.m. in the Fine Arts Center
Main Theatre with Carolyn Tuttle,
chair of the economics department at
Lake Forest College.
Panel Discussion: Immigration Close
to Home 1:15 p.m. in the Fine Arts
Center lobby with moderator Jason
Howard, Viterbo assistant professor
of religious studies and philosophy,
invited guests, and morning speakers.
Film Documentary: The Lost Boys of
Sudan 3:30 p.m. in Reinhart Center
board room. Discussion to follow with
Viterbo honors students.
“Immigration in the Context of
World Peace” 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts
Center Main Theatre with Rita Simon,
professor of Public Affairs at American
University in Washington, D.C., and
author of International Immigration:
The Female Experience; The Case for
Trans-racial Adoption; In Their Own
Voices; and The Ambivalent Welcome:
Adoption, Race, and Identity.
Morning Prayer Friday
Everyone is invited to attend the next
installment of Viterbo Morning Prayer
Friday, Feb. 2 from 7:30–7:50 a.m.
in the Reinhart Center board room.
Viterbo Morning Prayer is held the fi rst
Friday of each month. It is hosted by
the Mission Effectiveness Committee.
Attend Immigrants and Refugees Humanities Symposium Feb. 5–7
Wednesday, Feb. 7
“How American Legislation affects a
Foreign National” 9 a.m. in the Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre with Ira
Jay Kurzban, an immigration lawyer
in Miami and the author of Kurzban’s
Immigration Law Sourcebook.
“Latin American Immigration: A
Personal Story” 10 a.m. in the Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre with Jesús
Jambrina, Viterbo professor of world
languages.
“A Day in the Life of an Immigration
Attorney” 11 a.m. in the Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre with Magda
Montiel Davis, an attorney with the
American Immigration Lawyer’s Pro
Bono Project in Miami.
Panel Discussion: Latin American Immigration
Issues 1 p.m. in the Fine Arts
Center lobby with moderators Maribel
Bird and Vicente Guillot of the Viterbo
world languages department, invited
guests, and morning speakers.
Video Discussion: Maria Full of
Grace 3:30 p.m. in the Reinhart Center
board room. Discussion to follow
with Viterbo honor students.
The symposium is sponsored by the
Viterbo School of Letters and Sciences.
A free soup luncheon will be held
Tuesday, Feb. 6 and Wednesday, Feb.
7 in the Reinhart Center board room.
All events are free and open to the
public and registration is not required.
Poetry readings and prayer will precede
each speaker. If you have questions,
please contact Bill Reese at ext. 3708 or
wjreese@viterbo.edu. For more information,
www.viterbo.edu/Immigration.aspx.

Community Literacy
Coalition to Host
Scrabble Tournament
The Community Literacy Coalition
(CLC), a local group dedicated to
promoting literacy for all citizens in the
community, is sponsoring a Scrabble
Tournament Tuesday, Feb. 13 from
5:30–8:30 p.m. at the City Brewery’s
Hospitality Center.
Viterbo employees are invited to
enjoy complimentary food, wine, beer,
and soft drinks while engaging in the
brain-healthy game of Scrabble. Ideally,
a team of three or more from Viterbo
will compete against other company
teams.
The entry fee is $50 per person. Proceeds
will be used to sponsor the early
literacy course for parents and daycare
workers and for supplying free books
for low-income families. For more
information and a registration form,
contact Phyllis Blackstone, education, at
pablackstone@viterbo.edu or ext. 3386.
Kudos to…
Ward Jones, biology, who had his
manuscript, “Bovine Lineage-specifi c
Gamma Delta T-cell Antibody Cross
Reacts with Cell Surface Antigens on
Ovine and Caprine Lymphocytes,”
accepted for publication in Veterinary
Immunology and Immunopathology.
Diane Foust, music, who conducted
the Western Wisconsin Middle
School District Honor Choir
Jan. 20, in Westby. Selected students
of middle level choirs from Brookwood,
Cashton, DeSoto, La Farge,
Kickapoo, North Crawford, Viroqua,
and Westby middle schools sang in
the 75-voice choir.
Georgia Christensen, FSPA, who
presented sessions on facilitative
leadership and meeting management
and group dynamics at the National
Accelerated Schools Conference in
Memphis, Tenn. held last week.
Do you have kudos to share? Email it
to connections@viterbo.edu.
Focus on...
Marcia Brodt
Who I am: Marcia Brodt, receptionist
and switchboard supervisor.
What I do: Duties include: taking and
directing switchboard calls, greeting and
directing visitors, students, and staff,
overseeing parking permit sales, recording
all toll-free calls for various departments,
keeping current and updated employee
information for campus phone directory,
hiring and supervising work-study
students for the reception desk, coordinating
weekly Jeans Day participation,
maintaining the reservation schedule for
the fl eet of university owned vehicles, and
maintaining the daily and weekly campus
event calendar.
What’s new: Marcia and her husband celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary
recently and will celebrate with a two-week trip and cruise to Alaska in July.
Interesting facts: Marcia has 63 pairs of shoes and counting. Marcia loves to
decorate for every holiday and season, much to her husband’s dismay.
Nursing Commitment
Ceremony Feb. 3
The Viterbo community is invited
to attend the annual Nursing Commitment
Ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Fine
Arts Center Main Theatre Saturday,
Feb. 3.
The event is a celebration of sophomore
nursing students beginning the
professional nursing sequence. Students
will receive their offi cial Viterbo
University School of Nursing pins for
use at their clinical placements at the
ceremony. A reception will follow the
program.
“The Commitment Ceremony is
unique to the Viterbo University School
of Nursing,” said Stephanie Genz,
nursing. “Many schools have a pinning
ceremony at the end of the nursing
program, but few have a meaningful
ceremony such as this where students
commit to the profession of nursing
and the standards of practice as they
begin to care for patients in the clinical
setting.
Mathy Fitness Center
Do you want to stay fi t? Do you need to shed
those extra holiday pounds? Would you like to
look and feel better? The Mathy Center has a
walking track, a weight room, gymnasiums, not
to mention a wide variety of fi tness classes and
programs. Visit the Mathy Center, you’ll be glad
you did.
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campus ministry and mission
By Fr. Tom O’Neill
The nation’s nearly
8,000 Catholic schools
will celebrate Catholic
Schools Week
Jan. 28–Feb. 3. This
year’s theme is “Catholic
Schools: the Good
News in Education.”
National Appreciation Day For
Catholic Schools will be observed
Wednesday, Jan. 31. National Appreciation
Day was established to encourage
supporters nationwide to showcase the
great accomplishments and contributions
of Catholic schools to our country.
In Washington, a delegation of more
than 150 Catholic school students,
teachers, and parents will visit Capitol
Hill to meet with congressional leaders
to promote Catholic schools. They will
From the President
By Rick Artman
Enrollment report—The offi cial
winter semester enrollment report will
be released after the census Jan. 26.
Preliminary reports are very favorable
and suggest our tuition income projections
to date are on target. Thanks to
all involved in our recruitment and
retention efforts. Applications from new
and transfer students for fall 2007 are
slightly ahead of last year’s fi gures. Using
a football metaphor at this time of
the year seems appropriate—we’re still
in the fi rst quarter; thus we continue
to ask for your help with recruitment
programs and special initiatives for
freshmen and transfers.
Academic vice president search—the
search committee has developed its evaluation
rubric and is in the process of
reviewing credentials. About 30 applications
have been received. The schedule
calls for vetting the applicant pool in
the days ahead and selecting semi-fi nalists
and fi nalists in February. Thanks to
the committee and to Earl and Diane
for your continued leadership.
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hand-deliver letters from chief administrators
of Catholic education to their
representatives and provide a background
package on Catholic schools to
every congressional offi ce.
Groundhog Day is a traditional festival
celebrated Feb. 2 each year. It is a
cross-quarter day, midway between the
winter solstice and the vernal equinox.
In traditional weather lore, if a groundhog
emerges from its burrow on this
day and fails to see its shadow because
the weather is cloudy, winter will soon
end. If the groundhog sees its shadow
because the weather is bright and clear,
it will be frightened and run back into
its hole, and the winter will continue
for six more weeks.
University of Opportunity planning
team—this hard working group of 14 is
meeting weekly for 90 minutes. We’ve
completed a SWOT analysis (strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats)
and have drafted a preliminary set of
core values. Soon we’ll have a fi nal draft
of core values to share with you for your
feedback. We’re studying criteria for
good vision statements and reviewing
samples to stimulate our preparation for
creating a vision statement for the next
5–10 years. Thereafter, we’ll be focusing
on the short set of institutional priorities
for the next 3–5 years. My thanks
to Jo Ann Marson for her assistance in
co-facilitating our meetings. On a parallel
track to the meetings of the planning
team, I’m meeting with the faculty and
deans of each school to invite additional
perspectives on their vision for the university
and their respective schools.
Campus master plan—preliminary
steps are underway to identify and select
a fi rm to prepare a campus master plan.
External expertise will be engaged for
this purpose and the master plan needs
to be aligned with our strategic planning
efforts.
Many remember Saint Blaise’s feast
day Feb. 3 because of the Blessing of
the Throats that takes place on this day.
Two candles are blessed, held slightly
open, and pressed against the throat as a
blessing is said. Saint Blaise’s protection
of those with throat troubles apparently
comes from a legend that a boy was
brought to him who had a wishbone
stuck in his throat. The boy was about
to die when Saint Blaise healed him.
Since this feast falls on Saturday, we will
invoke the blessing of St. Blaise at noon
Mass Friday, Feb. 2, the feast of the
Presentation of the Lord.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of
Brett Magritz ’05; Danielle Gorectke,
the sister of Michelle Gorectke; and
John Wunnicke, the father of Chris
Sanger. May they rest in peace.
Salary and wage study group—Todd
Ericson is leading this effort and weekly
meetings have been scheduled. The
charge to the study group is to determine
the variables that best defi ne peer
institutions for salary benchmarking,
collect data, review the overall process
for use of the benchmarks, and make
recommendations to the Compensation
and Benefi ts Committee of the Board of
Trustees by May 2007.
A compassionate community
I’m grateful for the compassion and
concern that you have demonstrated
during recent tragedies that included
the fatal driving accident of alumnus
Brett Magritz (’05) and the untimely
death of the sister of Michelle Gorectke.
I’m certain their families have greatly
appreciated a Viterbo presence at these
funerals and the many expressions of
sympathy and support that have been
shared with them.
connections is published every
Monday of each academic year. Copy
deadline is noon, Thursday. 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