31 March - Dr. O'Hara Accepts Roanoke Presidency

Dr. Sabine O'Hara announced today that she is leaving Concordia to become the 10th president of Roanoke College, effective in August. O'Hara has served as Concordia's dean and vice president of Academic Affairs since July 2002.

"It has been a privilege to be part of Concordia's tremendously talented and dedicated community of students, faculty and staff," says O'Hara. "We have accomplished much in a short time, breaking ground on exciting new initiatives to enhance Concordia's longstanding tradition of academic excellence.

"While our work together regrettably comes to a close because of my unexpected call to serve Roanoke, I take comfort in knowing that Concordia is well positioned to continue moving forward with great success. I am deeply grateful to the Concordia community for making my time here so meaningful and memorable. "

O'Hara will remain at Concordia into the summer. Interim President Paul J. Dovre will confer with the executive committees of the faculty and Board of Regents to determine plans for addressing leadership needs.

For more on O'Hara's appointment at Roanoke, visit www.Roanoke.edu later today.

Roger Degerman Senior

Director for Communications and Marketing

31 March - Special Message From President Dovre

It is with a mixture of regret and joy that I convey news that Dr. Sabine O'Hara has been named president of Roanoke College. The regret is in anticipation of the loss of a gifted, articulate and transformational leader, and the joy is in response to the splendid opportunity this appointment will afford both Dean O'Hara and Roanoke College.

During her two years in our academic community, Dean O'Hara has both embraced and enriched our tradition of academic excellence and our mission in the world. She has challenged us to rethink our practices and re-imagine our future-gifts that will have enduring impact. And she has done all of this with good spirit and prodigious energy. So we will bid Dean O'Hara farewell with deep gratitude and high hopes for both Roanoke and Concordia.

Paul J. Dovre 

Interim President

29 March - Faculty Senate at-large election results

Below please find the results from the Election of Senate at-large members. Congratulations to the newly elected Senate Members.

Vincent Arnold 

Polly Fassinger 

Joan Kopperud 

Mark Krejci 

Susan Larson 

Catherine McMullen 

Larry Papenfuss 

Elna Solvang

29 March - Student Lecture Series

Tuesday, March 30 - 7:00 p.m. - Birkeland Alumni Lounge

The Effects of Globalization on the Dalit Peoples of India

By Marie O. Reigstad '04

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Moore, Political Science

"The experience of the Dalit peoples of India constitutes one example of the uneven impact of globalization. While new economic opportunities and other influences related to globalization offer opportunity for Dalits to escape the oppression associated with their social status, recent trends are making their lives more difficult. Mass privatization and the entrance of large multi-national corporations have meant a loss of economic opportunity for Dalits because Dalits cannot, for social reasons, acquire the skills necessary for these jobs and because these corporations are not required to set aside jobs for Dalits. Efforts by Dalits to escape their place underneath the Hindu caste system have fueled the Hindutva movement, a Hindu nationalist program whose followers have committed numerous atrocities against the Dalits. On balance, what is the impact of globalization on the Dalit peoples? This question will be explored with reference to both the short and long-term implications of globalization."

29 March - Celebration of Excellence feedback

To: All Faculty

From: Academic Affairs Office

Re: Celebration of Excellence

The Academic Affairs Office would like your feedback about the Celebration of Excellence events. Please take 5 minutes to complete the online survey which is available at http://www4.cord.edu/assess/cel_of_excel.asp.  Your responses are confidential and a summary of results will be shared with the campus community.

Thank you.

Kay Schneider

29 March - Student Lecture Series--Call for Nominations

The Special Awards Committee asks faculty members to nominate students for participation in the Student Lecture Series for Fall Semester 2004. This series recognizes outstanding scholarly work done by students at Concordia College, providing them with an opportunity to discuss their findings with others in a public forum. Presentations of interest from students in all fields of study are welcome in order to represent the broad spectrum of student talents at Concordia. Lecture topics chosen previously for the Student Lecture Series include:

"Irish-Americans in the Civil War: The Path Toward Gaining Acceptance"

"Buddhist Psychology and the Cognitive Sciences"

"From Across the Sea. . . A Look at Two Deadly Tropical Diseases"

"The Mathematical Basis of Factorized Time Correlation Analysis"

Nominating Process All students who wish to participate must be nominated by a faculty member. Faculty members are requested to nominate students who are working on a class project or who have completed a project in a previous class. Nomination of a student or student group indicates a faculty member's willingness to be a resource person for the student lecturer.

In order to nominate a student or group of students, a faculty member should submit a letter of nomination that includes:

a) an evaluation of the quality of the proposed presentation, and

b) an assessment of when the project will be completed

The student(s) should submit:

a) a concise title for the presentation,

b) an abstract (150 words maximum) of the presentation suitable for publicity purposes, and

c) a 2-3 page summary of the presentation

The above should be submitted in both hard copy and electronic form.

Deadline: Please submit these materials to Sharon Hoverson, Chair of the Special Awards Committee, Library, hoverson@cord.edu, by Thursday, April 22, 2004. Notification of selections will be made by Thursday, April 29.

Criteria for Selection The Special Awards Committee of the Faculty Senate selects up to three students or student groups to give lectures each semester. Preference will be given to projects and presentations of quality that are likely to stimulate discussion in a general audience. An effort will be made to present a balance in the disciplines represented by the lectures.

Students or faculty members who have any questions about the nomination or selection processes may contact Sharon Hoverson, Chair of the Special Awards Committee, Ext. 3241 or hoverson@cord.edu

29 March - Reminder for Upcoming Meetings

An additional Senate meeting has been scheduled for Monday, April 5, 2004 from 4 pm to 5:15 pm in Birkeland Lounge. The regularly scheduled Senate meeting will be on Monday, April 19th.

Please also remember the scheduled Faculty-as-a-Whole meeting on Friday, April 16th during community time and the scheduled Divisions meeting on Friday, April 23rd during community time.

25 March - Honors Convocation

Today, Friday, March 26 at 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium, we will continue a tradition at Concordia College. The Honors Convocation will begin an impressive schedule of Celebration of Excellence events. Mr. John Ydstie '74, Economic Correspondent for National Public Radio, will be our guest speaker at the Convocation.

Please note that all classes scheduled between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. today, Friday, March 26, are canceled.

We look forward to joining you at the Honors Convocation and throughout this two-day event as we pay tribute to the excellence of student and faculty accomplishments at Concordia College.

18 March - Fall Symposium speakers

TO: CONCORDIA COMMUNITY

FROM: ARLAND JACOBSON, Symposium Chair

RE: FALL SYMPOSIUM

DATE: MARCH 19, 2004

The following is the current list of speakers for the 2004 Faith Reason and World Affairs Symposium "The Future of the Tradition: Contemporary Problems and Issues." Bishop Mark Hanson and Dr. Merold Westphal have confirmed their attendance. Dr. Musimbi Kanyaro and Bishop Munib Younan have tentatively accepted our invitation.

Influential leaders in the Reformation tradition are emerging throughout the world. In order for the Symposium to truly focus on the future of the tradition, an intentional effort has been made to look at this issue from an international viewpoint.

Dr. Musimbi Kanyaro, general secretary of the World YWCA in Geneva. (tentative) Dr. Kanyaro served for ten years as the executive secretary for Women in Church and Society at the Lutheran World Federation before taking her current position with the YWCA. She is the founding member and current coordinator for the Association of African Women Theologians. She has a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is from Kenya.

Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bishop Hanson is the elected president of the Lutheran World Federation. He was ordained in 1974 and served at congregations throughout the Twin Cities until he was elected as bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod in 1995. In 2001 he was elected to his current position as presiding bishop of the ELCA.

Dr. Merold Westphal, philosophy professor, Fordam University. Dr. Westphal will address intellectual/faith issues facing the Euro-American Reformation tradition. He serves on the editorial board of the journal "Faith and Philosophy" and the "International Journal of Philosophy of Religion." He has published several books and articles relating to philosophy and religious issues. He earned his B.A. from Wheaton College and a Ph.D. from Yale.

Bishop Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan. (tentative) Bishop Younan has emerged as an ecumenical leader in Jerusalem and has served as a passionate voice for peace, ecumenical cooperation and interfaith dialogue. Born of refugee parents and raised in Jerusalem, Younan has spent his life working toward a non-violent solution to the religious and political problems of his homeland. In 2003, Younan published a book called "Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and the World."

12 March - March Assessment Workshop

MARCH ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP

The March workshop in the "developing a complete cycle of assessment" workshop series is titled, "Overcoming Barriers and Addressing Challenges to Assessment."

Workshop sessions will be held: Wednesday, March 24, from 2:40 - 3:40 in Brown Hall Lounge Thursday, March 25, from 12:00 - 1:00 in Brown Hall Lounge

Please RSVP before Friday, March 19, to Pat Bastion at bastion@cord.edu so that box lunches may be ordered for the noon meeting.

Thank you. 

Pat Bastion

12 March - Faculty-as-a-Whole Meeting

Date: March 12, 2004

To: Faculty

From: Paul J. Dovre, President

Re: Faculty-as-a-Whole Meeting

There will be a meeting of the Faculty-as-a-Whole Meeting during Community Time on Friday, March 19th in the Centrum. I hope you will be able to participate. The Agenda will include the following:

Agenda

- Updating the constitution to include electronic voting

- Inclusion of graduate and off-campus program chairs

- Changes related to definition of membership of faculty, eligibility to vote and serve on committees

- Integration of division chairs into the constitution

9 March - Deadline To Drop A Full Semester Class

TO: Concordia Students and Faculty DATE: March 8, 2004

FROM: Carole Stalheim, Registrar

SUBJECT: Deadline To Drop A Full Semester Class

REMINDER: The last day to drop a full semester class is on Monday, March 15, 2004.

Please contact our office if you have any questions. We are located in Lorentzsen and our phone number is 299-3250.

8 March - New members of the Office of Academic Affairs

From Sabine O'Hara to the campus community.

Please join me in welcoming two new members of the Office of Academic Affairs.

Rebecca Amundsen has accepted the position of Assistant to the Dean. Rebecca comes to us from NDSU where she has been a faculty member in the Department of Apparel, Design, Facility & Hospitality Management. In addition, Rebecca has held various administrative responsibilities in the office of Academic Affairs, Residence Life, the College of Human Development and Education at NDSU and with the cities of Fargo & Moorhead.

Nonnie Tangen has accepted the position of Administrative Assistant in the Academic Affairs Office. Nonnie has previously served as Administrative Assistant/Financial Aid Advisor at Chapman University located in central California. She recently relocated to North Dakota at the beginning of the year.

Both Rebecca and Nonnie are excited to have joined the staff at Concordia this past week. Their offices are on the second floor of Lorentzsen. Please stop by and welcome them to our campus community.

8 March - Library Director Candidate

Dr. Kathy Enger, candidate for the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library Director position, will be on campus March 18 and 19. She will meet with Concordia College Faculty members from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, March 18 in the Library Classroom. Dr. Enger will speak about her vision of a library that places a strong emphasis on instruction. There will be time for questions.

Please join us in the Library as we meet our candidate. Dr. Enger's file will be on reserve at the Library Circulation Desk for you to read in preparation for her visit.

Connie Jones 

Search Committee Chair

8 March - Cultural Event

As part of the 2003-04 Cultural Events Series, Marco Granados and the Un Mundo Ensemble will perform tonight - Monday, March 8th - at 8:00 p.m. in the Knutson Center Centrum. Faculty, staff and students can get their free general admission tickets at Campus Information, Cultural Events or at the door this evening.

Lowell Larson 

Cultural Events

2 March - Freedom Lecture

Friends, 

You are invited to encourage your students to attend the Ninth Annual Communiversity/League of Women Voters Freedom Lecture (free to all). Of course, you are encouraged to come even if your students can't (and I'm aware that Concordia is on break). 

Topic: "The Rule of Power vs. the Rule of Law: Civil Liberties, Human Rights, and the Doctrine of 'Pre-emption'." (this replaces the preliminary title: "Civil Liberties Post 9/11") 

Time: Sunday evening, March 7, at 7 p.m. 

Place: Knutson Center Centrum, Concordia College 

Cost: Free 

Presenter: Prof. C. Peter Erlinder, Professor of Law at William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota. Erlinder has just returned from Africa, where he took part in the Rwanda war crimes trial. He is a frequent litigator and consultant in cases involving the death penalty, civil rights, and the criminal defense of political activists. He is a founding member, and former president, of the National Lawyers Guild, an activist organization whose goals include eliminating racism, protecting civil rights and liberties, safeguarding the rights of workers and minority groups, and using the law as an instrument for the protection of people. He will, of course, discuss the so-called "Patriot Act," but place it in a larger context. It will clearly be a presentation biased in favor of civil liberties and critical of alleged violations by governments. 

Dr. Arland Jacobson 

F/M Communiversity 

Concordia College 

Moorhead, Minnesota 56562