Lawrence Today, Volume 93, Number 1, Fall 2012

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Lawrence Today, Volume 93, Number 1, Fall 2012
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Lawrence Today
Fall 2012 www.lawrence.edu
“ IS a Lawrence
educatIon StILL
worth It?”
lawrence: The college
oF The 21sT cenTury
President’s 2011–12
AnnuAl rePort to
Alumni And donors
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Lawrence Today conTenTs From the presiDent
Fall 2012 Vol. 93, number 1 1
From the President
2
The College of the 21st Century
3
Liberal Education in the 21st Century
6
The Only Life: Liberal Arts and the Life of the Mind at Lawrence
ART DIReCTOR 8
Liz Boutelle Education in Tins
10
ASSOCIATe VICe PReSIDenT OF COmmunICATIOnS Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Lawrence
12
Craig Gagnon ’76 A VORPed View of Liberal Education
14
eDITOR Embracing the Residential College Dear Lawrentians,
marti Gillespie 16
D arn that Al Gore and his Infernal Interwebs
GRAPHIC DeSIGneR 18
Tammy Wagner Student-Athletes of the 21st Century For more than two thousand years, service partnerships that ask students to think like strategic leaders
20 the liberal arts—literally, the studies rather than short-term volunteers, to new modes of experiential
VICe PReSIDenT FOR ALumnI, DeVeLOPmenT The 21st Century Conservatory of free people—have been the gold learning that turn alumni into guest teachers and turn class projects
22
and COmmunICATIOnS Working Toward Wellness standard for developing active, into internships or entrepreneurial ventures—Lawrence is bringing
Cal Husmann 23 engaged and informed citizens. the traditional rigor and breadth of a Lawrence education to bear
Practicing—to be Well
against the challenges of the new century in distinctive, creative ways.
PHOTOGRAPHY 24
Life After Lawrence NOW! Lawrence has been a leading voice in
Liz Boutelle, Rachel Crowl, marti Gillespie, David e.
26 that proud tradition for 165 years, and The real magic of these new approaches is that, far from
Jackson, emma moss ’14, mathias Reed ’14, Thompson Traversing Technology
tens of thousands of Lawrence alumni have diminishing Lawrence’s historic commitment to the liberal
Photo Imagery, Joe Vanden Acker, John von Dorn, 28
Paul Wilke The Library in the 21st-Century College regarded their education as a wise investment. arts, they intensify it. As it always has, Lawrence uses small
30 classes and close interactions with faculty to challenge students
WRITeRS A Commitment to Community But the 21st-century landscape is very different. Today’s to build intellectual sophistication and autonomy. Its rich and
32
Ken Anselment, John R. Brandenberger, R einventing “Town and Gown” Relationships for the 21st Century marketplace demands graduates who are more job-ready and multidisciplinary liberal education aims not to prepare students
Dave Burrows, Ádám Galambos, David Gerard , 34 technically literate than ever before. Accelerating change makes for a particular trade or profession, but to empower students
Peter Gilbert, marti Gillespie, Julie A. Haurykiewicz, Lawrence: A Favorite of White House Hopefuls
the standard of what a college graduate should know, and be able to educate themselves for the rest of their lives.
Patty Leiker, David mcGlynn, mary meany ’83, 36
Exceptional Educators to do, an ever-moving target. Higher education of every type is
Brian Pertl ’86, Rick Peterson, Jerald Podair, Jeff Stannard,
46 becoming more and more expensive, and is commonly viewed as Lawrence is innovating within the tradition of liberal learning
Jenna Stone ’00, mike Szkodzinski, nancy Truesdell, Financial Report
an economic investment on which good (and quantifiable) returns to prepare students for lives of achievement, responsible and
Joe Vanden Acker, J.R. Vanko ’13 47
Admissions Report are expected. meaningful citizenship, lifelong learning, and personal fulfillment
FOR CHAnGe OF ADDReSS 48 in a world that does not yet exist, a future they will shape.
Development Report
Office of Alumni and Constituency engagement In this new context, parents, students and community leaders are
49
711 e Boldt Way SPC 18 2011–12 Roster of Donors rightly asking, “Is a Lawrence education still worth it?” But Lawrence cannot do it alone. The college’s success, current
Appleton WI 54911-5699 49 Major Gifts for Endowment and Facilities and future, depends on the thousands of alumni, parents and
920-832-6549 The answer of the Lawrence community is, unequivocally, “Yes.” friends who give generously to support the work of students
50 Lawrence-Downer Legacy Circle
[email protected] and faculty. This “President’s Report” issue of Lawrence Today
53 Estates and Trusts
Indeed, we believe it is clear that a Lawrence education can be the recognizes the innovative, collaborative work being done to
TO SuBmIT IDeAS 54 The Founders Club best possible preparation for success in a rapidly changing world, lead Lawrence as a college of the 21st century, and honors the
Lawrence Today 58 The Boynton Society in which competitive advantage belongs to those with the ability generosity of the volunteers and donors who make it possible.
Office of Communications 60 Lawrence Alumni to learn quickly, to adapt, to ask insightful questions and devise
711 e Boldt Way SPC 39
84 Milwaukee-Downer College creative solutions.
Appleton WI 54911-5699
920-832-6593 87 Parents
[email protected] 94 Friends Lawrence is evolving. From reinventing the library for a digital world, Jill Beck, Ph.D.
to classroom technologies that enhance liberal learning; from President
97 Gifts in Honor and in Memory
Opinions expressed in Lawrence Today do
100 Corporations and Foundations
not necessarily represent university policy.
102 Trustees, Directors and Staff
Lawrence Today (uSPS 012-683) is published three
times a year by the Lawrence university Office of
Communications. non-profit postage paid at Appleton, A Responsible ChoiCe
Wis., and additional mailing offices. Being a good steward of the environment is the responsibility of all
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On THe COVeR:
President Jill Beck
The College of Liberal Education
in the 21st Century
the 21st Century
By Dave Burrows, provost and dean of the faculty
The demise of higher education has been a much-discussed topic of conversation in recent years. But just
as Mark Twain once said about reports of his own death being greatly exaggerated, so too, it seems, are the
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are characteristic of what we do. Whether a student is doing a new
dire predictions about the future of liberal arts education—especially a Lawrence liberal arts education. impossible” —Lord Kelvin painting, performing in a symphony, generating a new theory of
economic behavior, analyzing the results of a new experiment, or
“I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but making a new interpretation of a body of literature, that person
In a 2012 article in Inside Higher Education, the authors claim America’s crisis in higher education is due to
of the World” —Socrates is acting creatively. Lawrence’s Senior Experience program
an academy that lacks “a serious culture of teaching and learning.” The skills they claim graduates lack—
encourages students to go beyond current knowledge to construct
critical thinking, an ability to speak and write cogently, and effective problem-solving—are all the core The world is a rapidly changing place. something that is new; even more, it is something new that is
principals of a Lawrence education. Accepted truths disappear quickly—even those student defined. When a student has an idea for a project and
uttered by eminent scientists—and we must be able works on that project, he or she is doing something that no one

to understand and adapt to change. The world is also becoming else has ever done before, and the skill at doing that will foster
Since its founding in 1847 Lawrence has fostered a unique model of learning that is innovative and highly a smaller place, where what happens in areas remote from our intellectual and creative tools that last a lifetime.
adaptive to meet the needs of a constantly evolving workplace. Lawrence graduates are well equipped own environment can have profound effects on our lives. It is the
task of liberal education to prepare persons for a world that is both thought into ACtion
with the tools and the confidence to face today’s challenges.
more interconnected and more fluid than ever. What does this The emphasis on ideas and intellectual skills does not mean that
mean for the 21st-century curriculum? liberally educated persons exist in a vacuum, unable to translate
In this issue, Lawrence Today invited a cross section of the Lawrence community to share their individual their ideas into action. On the contrary, American
AdAptAtion to ChAnge higher education has long emphasized the
perspectives on Lawrence as a college of the 21st century.
In all of our courses, Lawrence needs to importance of active engagement. This means
One of the great
provide students with the ability to understand putting our ideas to work, but it also means having
As their voices came together, the answer to the question “Is a Lawrence education still worth it?” became both how things change and the structure challenges to liberal our work help shape our ideas. Lawrence has a
abundantly clear: resoundingly “Yes!” and functioning of those things that are new. education is to tradition of connecting theory and practice. In the
A strong emphasis in each of our courses is Conservatory of Music, students learn theory and
on higher-order thinking: this means being show that it can be engage in actual, high quality performance. In our
able to analyze critically, to formulate and test English department, courses on creative writing,
useful as well as
new ideas or processes, and to judge the whether prose or poetry, are connected to courses
success of new ideas. Rather than memorize intellectually and in literary criticism. Often putting thought into
current knowledge, students must be able to action takes the form of learning by doing. This is
artistically fulfilling.
use current knowledge to construct what is characteristic of laboratory work in the sciences
new. An important part of this concept is the or social sciences, in studio art and theatre and in
ability to take specific knowledge, abstract environmental action. One of the great challenges
its essential characteristics and apply these characteristics to new to liberal education is to show that it can be useful as well as
situations. For example, a student studying the Civil War learns intellectually and artistically fulfilling. An increased emphasis on
general principles of human conflict that can be applied to other being able to act, to learn by doing, and also to learn what to do
wars in other times. We begin the process of learning higher-order does not mean we are abandoning the ideals of liberal learning.
intellectual skills in the Freshman Studies program and continue it By melding theory and practice we can continue to have each
throughout the curriculum. These skills do not mean abandoning strengthen the other. Just as ideas can drive effective action, good
what has been learned before. They build on what we already know. practice can generate new ideas.
Those with the ability to apply knowledge to new settings will be
better prepared when rapid changes occur. ACtion in the ContemporAry World
As leaders, liberally educated persons have a responsibility to
CreAtivity engage in effective, ethical action in the contemporary world.
One way to adapt to a changed world is to be actively involved in We want our students to use their knowledge to address
shaping it. Those who can create what did not exist before will be environmental issues, or devise ideas for reducing human conflict.
active leaders in change and not passive responders. Creativity— We also want them to teach others about the beauty of literature
the ability to construct what did not exist before—is a defining and the fulfillment of experiencing great music. Regardless of
2 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 3
a person’s interests, each Lawrence student has something mentioned above are infused throughout the curriculum. Many
LawrenceU
important to offer to contemporary life, and an emphasis on active activities, such as laboratory work in the sciences, have been part
engagement is increasingly a part of our education. The Center of our curricula throughout Lawrence’s history. The new century
for Community Engagement, a joint effort of the academic and brings a new set of emphases that grow out of, and build on, what
student affairs areas, encourages active participation, particularly we already do. Do these emphases answer concerns about the
where engagement grows naturally out of what is learned in the relevance of liberal education? The value of liberal education looms
classroom, studio or laboratory. Socrates advanced the idea of larger than ever. The abilities to think with agility, to create what
world citizenship centuries ago. It will be an essential part of the is new, to use ideas effectively—in short the ability to be ready
21st century. for anything—have never been more important. The new century
has brought new issues, but the essential characteristics of liberal
Does all of this mean we are abandoning our curriculum and education that have existed since its invention will continue to be
replacing it with a new one? Certainly not. All of the emphases of critical importance. ■
Coming to Lawrence May 3, 2013
In keeping with the theme for the 2012–13 academic year, colleges is viable in the 21st century, and whether the
“Thought Into Action,” Lawrence University is taking an organizational model needs radical reform.
active role in leading a national conversation on the future
of liberal education. Specifically, Lawrence is hosting The organizing team has been hard at work to make this
TEDxLawrenceU: Reimagining Liberal Education, an event meaningful and stimulating, and we have already
intensive, daylong discussion, debate and collaborative confirmed several distinguished speakers:
networking event on May 3, 2013.
Bradley W. Bateman, Provost, Denison University
Jill Beck, President, Lawrence University
TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment,
liz Coleman, President, Bennington College
Design—is a prestigious annual event where speakers
rick davis ’80, Professor of Theatre, Associate Dean,
from all walks of life present “ideas worth spreading.”
CVPA and Executive Director of the Hylton Performing
Past TED speakers include Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane
Arts Center, George Mason University
Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon and Sir Richard Branson.
Jenny Kehl, Director of the Center for Water Policy,
TEDx, an extension of TED, is a program of local, self-
School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin–
organized events that bring people together to share a
Milwaukee
TED-like experience. At TEDxLawrenceU, videos of original
TED talks and live speakers will spark deep discussion and mark montgomery, Wilson Professor of Enterprise and
connection in a small group. Leadership and Professor of Economics, Grinnell College
robert F. perille ’80, Managing Partner, Shamrock Capital;
Founder, Lawrence Scholars in Business Program
Lawrence chose to focus its first TEDxLawrenceU event on
the future of liberal education, a topic that is the subject Brian pertl ’86, Dean of the Conservatory of Music,
of heated debate, and frequent and sometimes fervent Lawrence University
commentary these days. It is, of course, a subject near and Jeff Selingo, Vice President and Editorial Director,
dear to the hearts of many of us who believe passionately The Chronicle of Higher Education
in the fine tradition of liberal education that Lawrence
has sustained for many decades. TEDxLawrenceU will For additional information, including an updated list of
assemble intellectual leaders, doers, pioneers and speakers, visit www.TEDxLawrenceU.com or follow us on
critics, whose talks and rebuttals will spark conversation, Facebook. TEDxLawrenceU will be webcast, and all talks
collaboration and ultimately perhaps some constructive will be available on YouTube soon after the event.
changes at liberal arts colleges. Speakers and audience
members will ask how the liberal arts college can remain
organizing team: Garth Bond, John R. Brandenberger,
relevant to a changing society; they will examine issues
Scott Corry, Craig L. Gagnon ’76, Adam Galambos,
such as whether online education is a threat to liberal
David Gerard, Monica Rico and Timothy X. Troy ’85.
education, whether the financial model of liberal arts
To learn more, visit www.tedxlawrenceu.com
4 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 5
-
The Only Life: and Chuang Tzu, and Einstein, and the life of
the mind over the master of the discrete task.
Because when they have a difficult assignment
and not much time, and need to be somewhere
else in five minutes, they’ll want to leave it
Liberal Arts and
with someone used to big questions, not small
ones; broad perspectives, not narrow ones.
And they’ll want to leave it with someone
who’s been asking “why?” and solving
the Life of the Mind problems for years before he or she came on
board. They’ll want to leave it with Einstein,
not Dilbert.
Don’t lose faith in the life of the mind. When
at Lawrence
the American economy turns around, and
it will, you’ll get the job and make yourself
indispensable. The life of the mind will see
you through.
So … you’ll get the job and you’ll make money.
But of course there’s more to it than that.
Excerpts from a Lawrence University Honors Convocation address delivered in May 2012 by Because even if it yielded no practical benefits,
the life of the mind is of value on its own terms
Jerald Podair, professor of history and Robert S. French Professor of American Studies
and for its own sake. … Even if it never makes
you a penny, it is worth it—worth the struggles
No, they haven’t. Because you actually But of course that’s anecdotal and and the demands, worth the hundreds of pages
have what employers want … exactly impressionistic, so let me give you some hard of reading, worth the experiments that last
what they want. I once shared a taxi with data. This year, the Social Science Research into the night, worth the writing and rewriting,
The “life of the mind,” the life every the man in charge of corporate training Council published a study that found that worth the ambiguities and paradoxes and
Lawrence student lives in the course at a company my law firm represented. students who had mastered the ability to outright contradictions of the “why?” questions
of liberal arts study at this university, I asked him, “What are you looking for in think critically, reason analytically and write that you are constantly trying to answer. Life
is a life that is under intense attack one of your trainees, the ones right out effectively by their senior years—in other has limitations, but the life of the mind has
today. From politicians demanding that of college?” Then, trying to answer my words, exactly what the life of the mind is here none. It knows no boundaries. It is ongoing
universities be run like “businesses.” own question with my own assumption, at Lawrence—were three times less likely to and increasing, with a Lawrence education
From journalists looking to break the I continued, “I guess you want someone be unemployed than those students who hadn’t representing only its first chapter.
latest story about soaring tuition rates
mastered those abilities. It also found that
or dumbed-down course offerings. From
the critical thinkers, the analytical reasoners In the May issue of The Atlantic, an article
technocrats insisting that only specialized
and the effective writers—in other words, the appears that refers to Kanye West as an
education imparting specific, targeted Life has limitations,
liberal arts students—were “far less likely,” “American Mozart.” Now, from what I’ve heard
skills will prepare students for the but the life of the mind
about 30 percent less likely, to have taken on from Mr. West he is quite talented, but could
demands of a global economy. And even
has none. It knows no credit card debt. They were also half as likely we check back in, say, 50 years before making
from other academics concerned only
boundaries. It is ongoing to be living with their parents—and if there is a that judgment? It was once said that “all books
with “measurables,” with what can be
stronger argument for living the life are divisible into two classes: the books of the
standardized and quantified and counted. and increasing, with
of the mind, I am not aware of it. hours, and the books of all time.” And if we
a Lawrence education
broaden our perspective from books alone,
All of them argue that the life of the representing only its And here is another heartening finding about this too is what the life of the mind is about. It
mind is now a luxury. That it had its time, first chapter. the life of the mind, this finding specific to means searching—with our eyes, our ears, our
but that time is over. That it just doesn’t Lawrence. A recent survey found that by the minds and our hearts—for what will transcend
“work” anymore, not for students, mid-points in their careers, 15 years out of “the hours” and serve for “all time,” to guide
and not for employers. And, of course, college—when the problem-solving skills of the us, teach us, inspire us and perhaps most how, Toor wcoaltdc ho ar pviudreeoly o ff uthnec tHioonnoarl sd ata.” Students, Pope Benedict maintained, should be
the economic times we live in seem with a business degree, someone who life of the mind have had a chance to grow and important, challenge us. Because the life of the seekCinogn v“oscoamtioenth, vinisgi tm wowrew l.olafwtyr eanncde c.eadpua/ble of embracing the full measure of what it is
to support them in their doubts. Every majored in business, right?” He dismissed mature—Lawrence graduates earned higher mind abhors complacency. The life of the mind, to ben hewums/acnon.”v Tohse/1y1 -s1h2o/puoldda, ihr.esh stmaild, be “set on the path toward the truth.” The life of the
senior here is familiar with that feeling of that almost as soon as the words were out median salaries (almost $90,000 a year) than then, allows you to be more truly alive. mind, then, is capacious enough to unite Plato and the Pope—ancient thought and modern
gnawing uncertainty: What is my liberal of my mouth: “No, no,” he said, “That’s graduates of any other college in the state of thought, polytheism and monotheism—into the most powerful life-affirming impulse
arts degree going to be worth “on the the last thing I want. The last thing. Give Wisconsin. Yes, including UW–Madison. And If you don’t believe me, then take it from we know.
market” … in this kind of “market”? Do me a good, smart liberal-arts kid with an Lawrence also ranked 12th overall among all someone who speaks with more authority and
I have anything to “sell”? Will a graduate imagination and some creativity, and I can Midwestern schools in this category. who is more than a few steps closer to the ear We are leaving Plato and Shakespeare and Chuang Tzu and Einstein and Bach and Mozart
with a more specialized degree beat me teach him the business in three months. of God, Pope Benedict XVI. In a speech last and Miles Davis and Billie Holiday and John Ford and Akira Kurosawa and John Milton and
out? Has the life of the mind, as taught After those three months the liberal-arts So, with all the talk about technical education year, after quoting Plato’s admonition to “seek Langston Hughes and Phillis Wheatley and Lorraine Hansberry and Nelson Mandela and
and learned here at Lawrence, let me kid will run rings around the business- and specialized training and “what can you truth when you are young, for if you do not, it Frantz Fanon and Mary Wollstonecraft and Betty Friedan and Isaac Newton and Enrico
down? Have Plato and Shakespeare and major kid. Give me the liberal arts kid possibly do with a liberal arts degree?,” when will later escape your grasp,” he said, “This lofty Fermi and Frida Kahlo and Jorge Luis Borges and Niccolo Machiavelli and maybe someday
Chuang Tzu and Einstein and the “ancient every time—he doesn’t always need to be employers actually get to choose, they confirm aspiration is the most precious gift you can give even Kanye West—we are leaving all of these, and thousands more, in your hands. You
courts of ancient men” that so captivated told what to do.” what the corporate trainer told me in that cab in to your students, personally and by example. It are their heirs. Fight for them. Fight for all of them. Fight for the life of the mind. We’re
Niccolo Machiavelli—have they let me down? New York. They’ll take Plato, and Shakespeare, is more important than mere technical know- counting on you. ■
6 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 7
The Power of
Education in Tins
Individualized Learning
Lawrence’s focus on “The Power of Individualized Learning” is
not a new thing for the college. In fact, Lawrence was talking
about individualized learning long before viewbooks were
By David McGlynn, associate professor of English
even invented. There are century-old Lawrence brochures that
discuss the importance of ensuring that a college be “not too
large for personal attention” (1909). In the 1950s we focused
on the importance of “tutorial study … in the junior and senior
year.” In 1998, as today, we were proud to report that
“more than 90 percent of Lawrence students choose
to work one-on-one with a professor.”
Bear with me a minute and I promise I’ll explain that what I’m
about to say has to do with The College of the 21st Century. But
first, a word about poetry—to be precise, one of T.S. Eliot’s notes
to The Waste Land:
218. Tiresias, although a mere spectator and not
indeed a “character,” is yet the most important
Education highlights Georgia Tech’s experiments with “massive
personage in the poem, uniting all the rest. Just as the
open online courses,” which can reach 150,000 (or more) students at
one-eyed merchant, seller of currants, melts into the
a time. 1
Phoenician Sailor, and the latter is not wholly distinct
from Ferdinand Prince of Naples, so all the women are
one woman, and the two sexes meet in Tiresias. What Online courses efficiently impart knowledge to large numbers of
Tiresias sees, in fact, is the substance of the poem. people in much the same

way that tins efficiently help
That’s quite a statement, if you think about it: The greatest contain and distribute food. The magic of learning
poetic achievement of the 20th century, a poem famous for its But college professors depends on human
endless literary allusions and multiple, disconnected voices, has don’t merely stand at the
interaction, on students
at its center—indeed, at its exact center—its “most important front of the room and
and professors
personage” who “sees” nothing less than “the substance of the dispense information;
poem.” It almost sounds as though Eliot is telling his readers how we prod students into struggling toward a
to read the poem. Perhaps he is, if we look at what Tiresias is thinking, into responding, shared understanding,
actually seeing: into challenging their arguing their way to
assumptions, and, as
deeper comprehension
I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives, a result, into trying out
of a text, a problem set,
Old man with wrinkled female breasts, can see new ideas. And like many
At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives professors at Lawrence, a musical composition.
Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea, I believe I do some of
my best teaching one on
The typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, lights
one, sitting with a student in my office, or in the campus café,
Her stove, and lays out food in tins. (l. 218-223)
talking about what’s really important to him or her and why. The
magic of learning depends on human interaction, on students and
In addition to sailors following the setting sun home to port,
professors struggling toward a shared understanding, arguing their
Tiresias sees a lonely typist—a woman whose livelihood is tied
way to deeper comprehension of a text, a problem set, a musical
to her little clicking machine—returning to her cold apartment,
composition. I often find myself learning from my students as much
her dinner of canned food. Such an image, for Eliot, suggests the
as they learn from me, as my students challenge me to clarify or
horror of modernity in the aftermath of World War I. Food, the very
rethink or expand my interpretations of the books I teach.
“substance” of life, has been separated from the places where
it is grown and the kitchens where it ought to be prepared, and
instead made nonperishable, portable, packaged for the masses. Advanced technology, including Internet and remote access to
seminars on advanced subjects, have its place in higher education
as surely as canned food has its place in our cupboards. But just
Ninety years since the publication of The Waste Land, American
as the best “food in tins” will never rival an actual meal made
higher education finds itself at a similar crossroad. An increasing
of fresh ingredients prepared by the hands of a master chef,
number of colleges are shifting to an education model that, like
a canned education can never truly supplant the intimacy and
the typist’s dinner, seems stuffed into tins—accessed remotely via
energy created in a classroom. Creating intimate and energetic
the Internet by dozens, if not hundreds, of students at once. More
classrooms is what Lawrence does best. We must ensure we
than one pundit has declared online courses the future of higher
continue to do so, for this century and the next. ■
education. Online classes allow for a greater number of students
to be educated by a smaller number of faculty, thereby increasing
tuition revenue while trimming personnel costs, as well as allowing
1 Parry, Marc, “Could Many Universities Follow Borders into Oblivion.”
students to attend classes on their own schedules, from their own Weblog entry. Wired Campus: The Latest News on Tech and Education.
homes and offices. A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher March 7, 2012. http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/could-many-
universities-follow-borders-bookstores-into-oblivion/35711
8 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 9
Innovation and
Entrepreneurship
InveSTIng In InnovATIon
at Lawrence “The more things change, the more they stay
the same,” goes the saying, and it’s true of
colleges, too. The Lawrence curriculum, for
example, is constantly being reviewed and
refreshed to reflect advances in knowledge,
pedagogy and technology. Yet the heart of the
By John R. Brandenberger, Alice G. Chapman Professor Emeritus of Physics and Ádám Galambos, assistant professor of economics curriculum is constant—a vibrant and rigorous
liberal education.
Burcu Bakioglu teaches at the intersection of
A new initiative at Lawrence that embraces the study and Senior Seminar. A new and innovative theatre course, Start-up
the liberal arts and futuristic technology, in
pursuit of innovation and entrepreneurship is now four years Theatre, is under development and likely to be offered next year.
her role as the ACM-Mellon Fellow in New
old, but it is continuing to expand based on the premise that
Media Studies. In her courses, students apply
Lawrence graduates of the 21st century are increasingly likely From these courses arise a wide range of student projects. For the intellectual toolkits of liberal learning to a
to find themselves involved in innovative and/or entrepreneurial example, the IlLUminate music agency was formed to connect scholarly exploration of how digital technology
opportunities. Formally known as the Innovation and Entrepreneurship student musicians with paying gigs at on- and off-campus events, affects the human experience.
(I&E) program, this venture is both curricular and co-curricular, and while the Rabbit Gallery, a pop-up art gallery, has twice hopped
it aims to make the Lawrence education more distinctive, relevant into empty College Avenue storefronts to exhibit and sell works by For example, government major Siddhant
and viable while all the time embracing the basic principles of student, faculty, and community artists. dayal ’11 and organ performance and
liberal education. Although elements of this program are appearing economics double-degree student daniel
in increasing numbers of courses and majors at Lawrence, the o’Connor ’13 have teamed up to develop
Among the most notable student enterprises so far is the media
Department of Economics is leading this university-wide effort, a business venture called FLICkEY™. The
distribution venture FLICKEY™, begun as a project in the In Pursuit
in part because it is a natural extension of its own new focus on aim of this very ambitious undertaking is to
of Innovation course. Since then, the FLICKEY team has continued
innovation and entrepreneurship. revolutionize the distribution of media globally.
to work with faculty and alumni advisors, trademarked the FLICKEY
name, and just weeks ago took delivery of a prototype FLICKEY
Big, ambitious student projects are frequent
As the Lawrence economists are eager to explain, however, the MovieStation made possible by NCIIA seed money. FLICKEY’s
these days, thanks to Senior Experience and
I&E program that they are creating builds squarely upon and founders have been seeking venture capitalists and angel investors
an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant. The
enhances the Lawrence tradition of liberal education. By design, so as to explore opportunities to take their product to market.
three-year grant—the second award Mellon
the I&E program at Lawrence is distinctive when compared to
has made for Senior Experience—encourages
innovation and entrepreneurship offerings elsewhere by virtue
In projects such as these, students get a chance to gain valuable faculty and students to bring big ideas to life.
of the joint emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, by its
hands-on experience with identifying and pursuing opportunities, a Katie Van Marter-Sanders ’12, a history and
thorough immersion in the liberal arts, and by its reach across
chance to put their passion to work. In the process, they learn how biology double-major, was thinking big when
much of the Lawrence curriculum. More than a dozen members
to fail constructively, to persist, to work in interdisciplinary teams, she proposed novel research on trichinella
of the Lawrence faculty are currently involved in the program,
to persuade, and to translate their liberal education into creating spiralis for her biology Senior Experience.
and they are convinced that a strong I&E program at Lawrence
value for society. Since a Biosafety Level 2 lab is required to
will contribute significantly to positioning Lawrence as a leader in work on T. spiralis (the parasite that causes

liberal education in the 21st century. trichinosis in humans), katie couldn’t do the
I&E continues to grow, as more faculty members become ABovE LEfT: FLICkEY™entrepreneurs Siddhant Dayal ’11 and Daniel O’Connor ’13 along research at Lawrence; Mellon funds helped
One of the basic tenets of this program is that it will enable engaged and partnerships are built with Career Services, the with advisor John Brandenberger, professor of physics emeritus, proudly show-off a new her get to Cornell University, one of the few
Office of Engaged Learning, and the Alumni & Constituency FLICkEY MovieStation specially designed to distribute movies and TV shows.
students to connect their education with action and thereby university labs in the country that works with T.
increase the likelihood that, as graduates, they will contribute Engagement office to open new doors for experiential learning spiralis. As katie put it, “Mellon funds made an
to significant changes in the world. Grants from the Coleman in classrooms, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. impossible project possible.”
Foundation and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators
Alliance (NCIIA) have helped develop a rich program: several President Beck has identified the I&E program as one of her While playing the major role in building the I&E program at Lawrence, With Innovation & Entrepreneurship, curriculum
core courses in I&E, various non-core courses that contain I&E priorities for her final year at Lawrence University, and she has the Department of Economics is also engaged in an extensive revision enhancements like Senior Experience, and
components, and multifaceted support for experiential learning been working with I&E faculty on developing a capacity-building of its own curriculum. Innovation and entrepreneurship are increasingly a Fellow in New Media, Lawrence remains
projects involving I&E. strategy for the program. As part of that strategy, Lawrence recognized as major drivers of economic growth and prosperity worldwide, faithful to the tradition of liberal learning even
is seeking funding in two forms: a five-year “launch fund” to as it innovates within that tradition.
and yet comparatively few undergraduate economics curricula place
support program development, and an endowed professorship in
At present the three core courses are: In Pursuit of Innovation, appropriate emphasis on these topics. The Department of Economics
economics. The launch fund will spark exciting new opportunities
The Art of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship and Finance. has therefore embarked on a major effort to address this shortcoming
for students and allow the I&E faculty to undertake multi-year
The first two attract students from a broad variety of majors, by incorporating I&E into its revised curriculum in a major way. Besides
planning and program development, while the professorship
while the third is a relatively advanced course in economics. developing new I&E offerings that focus on economics at several levels,
will address a long-standing need in economics and enable that
More specialized courses in I&E include Financial Accounting, the economists are also assisting in the incorporation of I&E exposure in
department to sustain the I&E program without any sacrifice in the
Entrepreneurial Ventures and The Entrepreneurial Musician. other departments as well. Participants in the program foresee Lawrence
Entrepreneurial components have also been incorporated into quality of the economics curriculum. as becoming a national leader in this overall effort. ■
three studio art courses: Digital Processes, Printmaking and
To learn more about I&E at Lawrence, visit
www.lawrence.edu/academics/IandE.
10 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 11
A VORPed View of Changes in Wages for Full-time, Full-year male

u.S. Workers, 1963–2008
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tIh aemir poaftreenn tass wkehde tbhye pr rao slibpeercatli veed sutcuadteionnt sis a “nwd orth tBrauiinldiningg? aH bititgingge rt,h bee wtteorr kropolamce i nu pmoonm g raanddu adtaindg’s h higohu ssec,h mooaly?b e Ijonbd eperods, pseoc It sw iinll pthuet i2t 1as lti tctleen dtuifrfey raernet lny.o Tt hteh e ositio
p
it.” After all, every day we see stories about job with its own kitchenette? same as those of yesteryear. In their very m
o
prospects for college graduates not keeping pace with insightful (and highly recommended) analysis C
the price of attending college. And I ask myself, can I in There isn’t much question with respect to the college versus of the emerging relationships between workers
good conscience advise these students that a liberal education will give no college decision: college graduates enjoy a hefty wage and machines, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew
them a leg up in the dynamic, fast-changing 21st-century workplace? premium. Inflation-adjusted wages for college-educated McAfee argue that people still have some Source: The Atlantic Monthly
workers have been growing steadily, whereas workers without decisive advantages: “For all their power and For further explanation, see Lawrence Economics Blog.
So, as I often do when life’s important questions confront me, I tuned a college education have been stagnant or even declining for speed, today’s digital machines have shown
in to ESPN’s Sportscenter for answers. the better part of 40 years (see chart on right). In short, going little creative ability. They can’t compose very
to college has a high VORP. good songs, write great novels, or generate
This particular night, the anchors were unveiling good ideas for new businesses.”
one of these new-fangled baseball statistics, the Our graduates This is not to say that going to college is
kind that prompt old-school fans to shake their certain to lead to financial largesse, as What matters is the generation and application
increasingly need to The IMporTAnce of phILAnThropY
heads in disgust. But thanks to Michael Lewis’s there is no shortage of evidence that many of ideas. Our graduates increasingly need to
bestseller Moneyball and Brad Pitt’s inspired identify the value of graduates struggle to find work or get stuck identify the value of their own specialized skills
In a time of rising costs, many college students face uncertainty regarding
performance in the movie of the same name, a their own specialized in low-paying jobs. and figure out where and how to deploy them.
the funding of their education. Thanks to gifts from many alumni and
new generation of scouts, coaches and fans are Some people call this entrepreneurship, some
skills and figure out donors, Lawrence students have these concerns lessened through named
applying quantitative metrics to assess player So what’s going on here? call it innovation, some call it taking thought
performance. where and how to into action, but whatever it’s called, it will be scholarships. Two such scholarships that continue to help Lawrence
move forward and continue to attract a diverse and talented student base
deploy them. According to economists Claudia Goldin increasingly important for workers in the future.
include the peter and tamara musser endowed Scholarship and the Frank
The statistic under discussion was the Value and Lawrence Katz, “Simple supply and The VORP here, we believe, is that students in
and Carol Adams Svoboda Scholarship Fund.
Over Replacement Player, or VORP for short. The demand specifications do a remarkable a setting like Lawrence University will develop
VORP is not an absolute measure of performance, but rather it compares job of explaining the long-run evolution of the college wage an entrepreneurial mindset, develop character,
the peter and tamara musser Scholarship was established
a given player to a hypothetical replacement player. So, for example, if premium.” Wages rise in sectors where the relative increase and build confidence that will help them to
in 2011 by peter musser ’78 and his wife Tamara. While at
the Milwaukee Brewers lost its star Ryan Braun for some reason, the in the demand for certain skills has gone up faster than the envision and create their own space in an
Lawrence, Peter participated in a diverse group of activities,
team wouldn’t just supply of workers with those skills. Nobody gets rich by increasingly unforgiving global economy. including membership in Phi Delta Theta fraternity and men’s
leave his position in offering skills that many other people have. track and field. After graduating with a degree in economics
left field vacant— So, does any of this help answer our original he earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. His
the manager would Aha, you say, the trick is to pick the right sector, perhaps some question—is the liberal education still worth it? wife, Tamara, works as a special education teacher, having
send some other vocational training that can plug you into that high-paying job. received degrees in education, psychology and sociology
guy out there to play. Depends on whether you share my VORPed from Lewis and Clark College, as well as a master’s degree
Braun’s value to the Not so fast. perspective. ■ in education from Portland State University.
Brewers, then, is the
difference between It turns out that many technological advances over the past The Frank and Carol Adams Svoboda
You can read Professor Gerard’s review of Moneyball and
his performance and 30 years have been of the skill-replacing rather than the skill- Scholarship was established in 2003 by Frank ’55 and Carol
more interesting information at the Lawrence economics
what that other guy augmenting variety. That is, new technologies can decrease Adams Svoboda ’57, as a reflection of their philanthropic
blog: http://blogs.lawrence.edu/economics
brings. demand for, or entirely wipe out, entire segments of the skilled spirit and a demonstration of their commitment to
labor market. References and suggested readings: perpetuating a liberal education for future generations
To convince myself Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, Race Against of Lawrentians. Frank and Carol have expressed a
that there is indeed This is where the liberal education comes in. The party line The Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating longstanding philanthropic commitment to Lawrence with
Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly
a sports metaphor for schools like Lawrence, and one I happen to believe in, is Transforming Employment and the Economy, Digital gifts of time and financial support. Through this particular
fund, they are enabling current and future Lawrentians to
for everything in that the liberally educated—those who have “learned how to Frontier Press, 2011
experience the same high quality liberal arts education that
life, I applied the learn”—are better able to move from one market to the next
Claudia Golden “The Human-Capital Century and enriched their own lives.
VORP logic to the amid these disruptive changes. The skill that provides Value
American Leadership: Virtues of the Past”, Journal of
question of the value Over Replacement is, in fact, the ability to learn new skills. Economic History, v 61, n 2 (June 2001) pp. 263-92 Scholarships such as these are extremely important in
of a liberal education.
assisting talented and deserving students from all interests
First I considered So is the message that the liberal education is that you will still Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz, The Race between
Education and Technology. Cambridge: Harvard University and backgrounds.
alternatives to such be able to find a new job when you are replaced
Press, 2008
an education. What by a computer or a robot? That seems pretty bleak.
are they? Vocational
12 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 13
Embracing the
Residential College
By Nancy Truesdell, vice president for student affairs and dean of students
Today’s college students (and certainly The overachieving students who often expect perfection in
Lawrentians) are as smart, motivated, talented themselves struggle with failure (or what they perceive to be failure)
and caring as ever—perhaps more so. But they and disappointment which contributes to the increasing number
come to us in the context of a nation and world and intensity of health and mental health problems of today’s
where financial, health, political and societal issues college population. Each year we see more students come to
are prevalent and sometimes overwhelming. It results college on medications to help them deal with depression, anxiety,
in an interesting dynamic in which students are trying to make a stress, eating and sleep disorders, and attention-related learning
difference through increased volunteerism, greater attentiveness disabilities. The number of students requesting living or classroom
to environmental concerns and reaching out to their friends in accommodations due to health and mental-health issues is at an all-
need; at the same time they have to focus on themselves as time high—everything from asthma, allergies, digestive problems,
individuals struggling with stresses of the classroom or studio, diabetes and food intolerances to social phobia, bipolar disorder and
financial pressures, family and personal problems, and life autism-spectrum diagnoses.
in general.
The good news is that students coping with such challenges are
connecTedneSS And coMMunIcATIon actually able to attend colleges like Lawrence where they can
pursue and earn a degree in a supportive and caring environment;
Without a doubt recent technological changes have had a major
the bad news is that such a student’s energy, time, attention and
impact on college students’ lives. Through Facebook, texts, tweets
money must be divided between the desire to do well academically
and blogs students have an immediate source of news, gossip,
and the need to address and cope with sometimes extraordinary
debate and support. Classroom dialogue is extended beyond class
physical and personal challenges. Fortunately, there is more
time through Moodle and chat groups in addition to the more
good news.
traditional dining-hall-table discussions and late-night residence
hall room “bull sessions.” Students can conduct research, seek
cArIng cAMpuS coMMunITY
an internship, consult with mom or dad or procrastinate by playing
a computer game with an opponent across the world at any time From all I have read from The Lawrentian issues of decades past,
LEfT To rIgHT: Izzy Vaintrub ’14, Eli Edleman ’14, Jon Stombres ’14, Brianna Schmidt ’14, Sarah Buksa ’14, Bennett LaRene ’14, Cayla Rosche ’13,
of the day or night. from all I have observed in my 20 years at Lawrence (first as Justin Gingrich ’14, and Lauren Schulte ’14 (under the sign)
director of the Career Center and now as dean of students), and
While in the past college students were focused on connecting from all my daily interactions with students, I am impressed that
with and getting to know those in their immediate campus one thing has not changed: Lawrence continues to be, above all
environment, students today are linked to high school and else, a caring college community made up of caring, compassionate
hometown friends, family members however far away they and conscientious students, faculty and staff, administrators, alumni the Fox Cities area will see our students on campus for only $8 implement Step-Up, which is a program to teach bystanders how
may be, as well as all their new college friends, who may be and trustees. Although today’s students face difficult financial, a visit (and the doctors have for years returned a portion of their to intervene safely to prevent escalation of negative individual
studying abroad or just across campus in another residence hall. health and personal hardships, the programs, support services and compensation to provide a campus wellness fund); staff members or group speech or behavior. And finally, Lawrence has widely
The immediacy of such a broad set of communications adds responses from all campus constituencies have been remarkable from departments and offices all across campus make personal embraced a whole series of programs and activities to address
simultaneously to the support students receive and the stress and inspiring. connections with students, helping students feel “at home” even issues of wellness on campus.
they carry around. when they actually may be hundreds or thousands of miles away
The fact that Lawrence continues to embrace and strengthen its from home. So while the problems facing today’s college students have grown
chALLengeS mission as a residential college speaks volumes about the way in prevalence, scope and intensity, so have the involvement and
we care about our students. While other colleges rightly claim to As a sign of the changing times, more than 400 Lawrence support of all members of the campus community grown in
Lawrence students, like their peers across the country, begin be residential with a two -or three-year residency requirement, students, faculty and staff have been trained to recognize and response. Students of the 21st century may be more challenged
college life under burdens and stresses of a scope and nature more than 95 percent of Lawrence students live on campus for all respond to students who may be exhibiting signs of suicidal by the pace and complexity of the world around them, but the
different from those of previous generations. The economic four years (and a number of five-year double-degree candidates behavior through a program called QPR (Question, Persuade, part of their world that is Lawrence continues to offer academic
problems of our country hit home for our students as they seek choose to stay on campus for their fifth year as well). Our most Refer) as part of a Department of Education “Lifeline” grant that and artistic challenges within the framework of a residential
larger loans to attend college: they may have an out-of-work sophisticated learners completing Senior Experiences, honors is intended to raise awareness and lower stigma associated with community marked by personal attention and a caring spirit. ■
parent, and all the associated costs of an excellent education projects and senior recitals or art shows are mixed in with our college students’ mental health issues. Plans are underway to
continue to rise. Many students work multiple campus jobs and/or
newest Lawrentians, guaranteeing informal mentoring that
have off-campus employment, and balancing academic demands
augments all the ways in which students are advised and coached
with making money can be a time-management challenge. In
both in and out of the classroom, including formal tutoring sessions
addition to work, things like athletics, leadership roles, involvement
and the efforts of our residence hall staff. Lawrence community
in campus clubs and organizations, and volunteer commitments
members take seriously their obligation to one another: students
can leave little time for nurturing friendships, just “hanging out”
will consult with a Counseling Services staff member if they sense
and relaxing, or reflecting upon the things they are learning and
a friend is overwhelmed or troubled; faculty will reach out to a
the experiences they are privileged to enjoy.
student who missed class to see how they can help; doctors from
14 Fall 2012 President’s annual rePort 2011–12 15