Spring 2010 Gustavus Quarterly

8
NEWS FROM CAMPUS
Outstanding employees announced
by Matt Thomas ’00
Three members of the Gustavus
Adolphus College community were
honored during the Founders Day
chapel service in late October 2009 as recipients
of the College’s annual outstanding employee
awards.
Chris Blaschko, set-up operation coordinator
for the physical plant, received the 2009
Augusta Carlson Schultz Award, which is
presented annually to a support staff employee
who exemplifies outstanding dedication
and spirit of service. Blaschko is in
charge of set-up and tear-down of numerous
events at the College throughout the year, including
the Nobel Conference, Christmas in
Christ Chapel, and Commencement. He has
worked at the College for ten years.
Janet DeMars, director of the Swanson
Tennis Center, received the 2009 Eric Norelius
Award, given annually to an outstanding administrative
employee who has demonstrated
exceptional service and dedication to the
College. DeMars has served in her current position
for 15 years. She has also been a member
of the Gustavus Benefits Advisory Committee
since 2003, as well as serving as an adjunct
instructor for both the Gender, Women, and
Sexuality Studies program and the
Department of Health and Exercise Science.
Carolyn Dobler, professor of mathematics
and computer science, earned the 2009
Annexstad receives Horatio Alger Award
THE GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY
Janet DeMars, Chris Blaschko, and Carolyn Dobler
Faculty Service Award, given annually to a
faculty member whose service has benefited
the College. Dobler came to Gustavus in 1992
and has taught classes such as introductory
and applied statistics and probability. She
has served on a wide range of College committees
including terms on the Instructional
Infrastructure Advisory Committee, the
Personnel Committee, and multiple terms on
the Program Assessment and Development
Committee. Because of her expertise in statistics,
Dobler has been called on to do data
analysis of important internal surveys like the
Campus Conversation Survey for the College
Gustavus trustee and St. Peter native Al Annexstad has been
named a Horatio Alger Award recipient by the board of directors
of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished
Americans. Annexstad, chair and CEO of the Federated
Insurance Companies of Owatonna, is one of 11 outstanding individuals
recognized for accomplishing “remarkable achievements
through hard work, self-reliance, and perseverance.”
Among his fellow 2010 inductees are Condoleezza Rice, former
secretary of state and now provost of Stanford University, and
Gen. Tommy Franks, former commander-in-chief of the U.S.
Central Command.
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of
Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding
individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young
people to pursue their dreams through higher education, awarding nearly $7 million annually
through three scholarship programs.
New awardees will be inducted in April in Washington, D.C.
and the Shared Governance Survey for the
Faculty Senate. In addition, she was selected
by the administration for the Blue Ribbon
Task Force for Curriculum Review and the
Steering Committee for the most recent
North Central Association accreditation review.
She is also currently serving on the
Compensation Committee and is the faculty
representative on the Budget Committee. ■
Gubernatorial forum
On Nov. 9, 2009, Gustavus Adolphus
College hosted a nonpartisan forum for
officially declared Minnesota gubernatorial
candidates that brought 12 candidates
to the campus. The candidates—Margaret
Anderson Kelliher ’90 (DFL), Tom Bakk
(DFL), Leslie Davis (RPM), Susan
Gaertner (DFL), Mike Jungbauer (RPM),
Steve Kelley (DFL), John Marty (DFL),
Peter Roess (Green Party of Minnesota),
Tom Rukavina (DFL), R.T. Rybak (DFL),
Ole Savior (DFL), and Chris Wright
(Grassroots Party of Minnesota)—were
each asked to give a five-minute opening
statement highlighting higher education
policy, and questions from the audience
were directed to individuals by moderator
Kate Knutson, assistant professor of
political science.
Stacia Vogel