34 minute read
SHINE PROFILES
SHINE: : COLLEEN STOCKMANN COLLEEN STOCKMANN
Everything Connects
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FOR THIS NEW GUSTAVUS PROFESSOR AND ART HISTORIAN WHO STARTED TEACHING IN HISTORIC TIMES, ADAPTING TO CHANGE IS NOTHING NEW.
“It was 10 years between when I fi nished undergrad and when I started graduate school — absolutely the right amount of time for me.” — absolutely the right amount of time for me.”
At Stanford University, San Francisco, and across the country, their work spanned art At Stanford University, San Francisco, and across the country, their work spanned art galleries and museum collections during those 10 years. A path to professorship slowly galleries and museum collections during those 10 years. A path to professorship slowly emerged out of curation, as Stockmann discovered a love for educating and mentoring emerged out of curation, as Stockmann discovered a love for educating and mentoring young people. “Helping them shape a project, research in the collections, and do young people. “Helping them shape a project, research in the collections, and do something innovative in the gallery space was so exciting. My PhD arose as the next something innovative in the gallery space was so exciting. My PhD arose as the next step to do more of that.” step to do more of that.” Now, as an assistant professor in art and art history at Gustavus, Now, as an assistant professor in art and art history at Gustavus, Stockmann uses their skills as a curator to build a curriculum that links Stockmann uses their skills as a curator to build a curriculum that links the past and present. “Sometimes students come in thinking they’re the past and present. “Sometimes students come in thinking they’re going to get art history like a Ken Burns documentary,” when in going to get art history like a Ken Burns documentary,” when in reality, discussion topics evolve based on current events or student reality, discussion topics evolve based on current events or student interests. That responsiveness to changing times is a core element of interests. That responsiveness to changing times is a core element of Stockmann’s teaching philosophy, especially as an art historian. “Art is Stockmann’s teaching philosophy, especially as an art historian. “Art is not a refl ection of what’s happening in the world; it’s part of the world not a refl ection of what’s happening in the world; it’s part of the world and always has been.” and always has been.” Stockmann began teaching at Gustavus during the COVID-19 pandemic, when responding to change was critical. Despite the pandemic, when responding to change was critical. Despite the obvious challenges, they’ve found some positives in the new reliance obvious challenges, they’ve found some positives in the new reliance on digital study materials that students can share and build upon. At on digital study materials that students can share and build upon. At the same time, they recognize that reliable access to online resources the same time, they recognize that reliable access to online resources can’t always be assumed. “From an equity perspective, it’s a good reminder can’t always be assumed. “From an equity perspective, it’s a good reminder that some of the things that get masked in a pre-pandemic semester are getting that some of the things that get masked in a pre-pandemic semester are getting unmasked in a way that should stay transparent.” unmasked in a way that should stay transparent.” To Stockmann, the best teaching relationships happen when both parties learn To Stockmann, the best teaching relationships happen when both parties learn from each other, including through mentoring. Whether through a student from each other, including through mentoring. Whether through a student presentation or an unfamiliar pop culture reference, Stockmann consistently presentation or an unfamiliar pop culture reference, Stockmann consistently fi nds joy in learning something new about their favorite research topics. fi nds joy in learning something new about their favorite research topics. “That’s why I’m in education. I want to continue to learn forever.” “That’s why I’m in education. I want to continue to learn forever.”
“A majority of my students come to class not feeling comfortable with the idea of museums,” Stockmann says. That’s a jumping o point to talk about problematic issues. Opening the door to conversations about such challenges opens the door to possibility. “The future is theirs, and if a museum is a space
they want to fi nd magic in, they have the power to do that.”
JUSTICE
SHINE: AUDREY OCHTRUP-DEKEYREL AUDREY OCHTRUP-DEKEYREL
“I want to teach at a school like Gustavus.”
FROM FARMHAND TO FOOD RESEARCHER, GUSTAVUS PLANTED THE SEED FOR A NEW CAREER PATH—THAT OF PROFESSOR.
A “terrible, bratty child” when it came to helping on her family’s farm in southeastern Minnesota, a younger Ochtrup-DeKeyrel couldn’t have imagined making a career out of agriculture. Now, shaped by her upbringing and her experiences as an environmental studies and geography double major, she plans to pursue graduate and PhD studies related to food geography, with the hope of teaching at a small liberal arts college.
Thanks to the student-centered ethos among Gustavus faculty, OchtrupDeKeyrel was able to develop meaningful connections with professors who felt passionate about research. Her junior year, she conducted her own research on the impact of Minneapolis urban gardening. “I thought, ‘wow, this is really where it’s at.’” Later research courses sparked questions that she plans to explore in graduate school, such as how to make sustainable growing practices more accessible to farmers. It’s a subject that hits close to home. “Farming gets a bad rap for its environmental toll, but accessibility and a ordability stands in the way of farmers being able to use regenerative growing practices.”
To Ochtrup-DeKeyrel, addressing these types of social issues is part of what makes an e ective professor. “We’re lucky to be equipped with an education, and we have a duty to use that education outside of our institution to a ect positive change,” said Ochtrup-DeKeyrel, who’s already put her education into practice as a sustainability intern and co-president of Big Hill Farm. “It’s up to a professor to help students determine how.”
Empathy is another key trait of a great professor. She’s seen it time and again in her Gustavus professors, from their support during the COVID-19 pandemic to their jokes that brighten students’ days. Those connections are what made Ochtrup-DeKeyrel’s time at Gustavus special, and she looks forward to making those same connections with students as a professor.
She’ll never be too far from the farm, though. “Sometimes I think about how ironic it is that arguably my father’s one child who seemed the least interested in farming is now pursuing graduate studies in his fi eld. I think he’s pleased to see me come full circle.”
COMMUNITY
To Ochtrup-DeKeyrel, sustainability isn’t just about the environment; it also applies to life as a Gustie. One of her biggest accomplishments as a senior has been breaking away from grind culture to focus her energy on the projects and people that matter most to her. “There’s always the importance of networking, but the connections that will sustain me beyond any job I will have are the friends I’ve made at Gustavus.”
NowWhatDoWe
by Stephanie Wilbur Ash, Bruce Berglund, and Emma Myhre ’19
The Role of the Professor in a Rapidly Changing World Challenge. Prepare. Show them why, and how to care.
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2022 “We’re here to teach you to think critically, not just know the structure of an amino acid.” —Brenda Kelly, provost CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT, wrote Greek philosopher Heraclitus more than 2,500 years ago. Presumably things moved a lot slower then, what with no Facebook or Bitcoin, no cathode-ray tube or phonograph, not even the mechanical reaper, a disruptive technology that predates Gustavus by 31 years.
Not even the internal combustion engine or printing press. Now, the all-electric Tesla Model 3 goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.
We watch armed confl icts happening all over the world in real time from devices in our pockets roughly the size of a Pop-Tart, which also did not exist when
Heraclitus called life a river fl owing in fl ux. It is widely assumed that life in the future will be done in signifi cantly di erent ways than today. Such change can happen quickly, even in less time it takes for a fi rst-year to graduate. Consider how often you had virtual meetings in 2019 compared to now. To quote another great philospher, Sam Cooke, “Change gonna come.” Blink and you’ll miss it on TikTok. What does all this rapid change mean for the future, and for our professors (and alumni professors) charged with educating the people who will run the future? Here, some of those profs weigh in on the shifting sands. Interestingly enough, some things remain the same. The Socratic Method of inquiry, critique, and dialogue is still foundational to Gustavus liberal arts, expanding instruction beyond content, teaching to change, toward actions that will address the great challenges of our time. (Note: Socrates was a student of Heraclitus.) The Doc Martens, Birkenstocks, and Chuck Taylors of yore are still popular on campus feet. And our profs still believe their relationships with students are core to students’ development as intellectuals, leaders, and people. Says Provost Brenda Kelly, “The reasons we teach at Gustavus are because of our relationships with students, and because we love to teach.”
Now
“This is a place that cares about teaching people, not just teaching about subjects.” —Sarah Ruble, religion “I am here to help students recognize how they connect to their environment and then use it to build selfknowledge.” —Nick Darcourt, art and art history “We will always have change. Employers want students that are curious and willing to learn.” —Cathy Harms ’85, economics and management
HELP OPEN THE DOORS Carlos Mejia Suarez spans disciplines to teach students (in the words of Paradiso) “to be open before a wonderful world.”
THE GREAT CHANGE
When I first started teaching [in Bogotá, Colombia and at the University of Iowa] more than a decade ago, the role of the professor was much more compartmentalized, limited to classroom interaction and grading. Then, when I came to Gustavus, I started to incorporate content to the teaching of language. Now we embed the language in multiple academic aspects and subjects—politics, cultural studies, religion, as well as others.
IT ALL CONNECTS
I feel what I’m doing right now is integration of language, leadership, culture, literature, and overall curiosity in the field of culture and languages. I teach in Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Spanish; LALACS; Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies; and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. This has meant that I have become involved in interdisciplinary fields, plus introductory courses like the First-Term Seminar. It’s about adapting. The more you close doors, the more you isolate. My role as a professor is about avoiding enclosure.
THE WAY HE SEES IT
As a professor, I allow for certain doors in subjects to open, and then guide students to open their own doors. Professor show students the ways in which different fields, disciplines, and economic interests work, and then we point them to alternative ways and possibilities for themselves. This entails helping students to see that they are a part of a community, that there are many different people in the world, and that you should treat with equal respect the ones you do and don’t identify with right away. We teach students to approach others—and themselves—with curiousity. I always ask these questions: Of those relationships you have with communities, what do they tell you about yourself? How does that help you become the citizen you will be? Or that you want to be?
New Challenges, New Curriculum
IT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR A WORLD THAT’S INFORMATION RICH, DEEPLY DIVERSE, AND TRULY INTERDISCIPLINARY.
The new general education curriculum, the Challenge Curriculum, is not a checkbox approach. “We don’t live in a checkbox world,” says Provost Brenda Kelly. Changes include U.S. Identities and
Difference courses, which examine social constructions of identity; and Global
Affairs and Cultures courses, which examine topics with global reach; plus new focus on information literacy to discern and critically analyze sources and information. Then there is the Challenge Seminar, a capstone that ties all of a student’s general education learning together as a framework to take on a great challenge of our time. The Class of 2024 is the first under the new curriculum. “It requires faculty to rethink how content feeds into new learning outcomes,” says Kelly. There will soon be an inaugural Challenge Curriculum director, as 15 faculty leading the Challenge Seminars gear up to see those seniors through.
$500K
approximate amount of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to support multiple Gustavus projects, including student-faculty collaboration and a Humanities Research Lab pilot.
“Taking Gusties to work in schools on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten during January was pretty awesome. I mean, look at us!”
Encourage Risk
FIRST TERM SEMINAR DIRECTOR LAUREN HECHT PUSHES PATHS UNPREDICTABLE.
Tell the Truth. Stay Passionate.
LISA DEMBOUSKI READIES THE WORLD’S BEST NEW TEACHERS.
INTERRUPT My research and teaching center around teacher preparation, inclusion, disability studies in education, and global education opportunities during student teaching and J-Term. But my main gig is preparing teachers. I see myself as an interruptor. I like to challenge what I and others think we know about something, inspect it carefully, change minds, and then move forward with more equity, justice, and joy. For everyone. ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS I try to understand you and what you believe, and I hope you’ll do the same for me. What I think students need from me today is a willingness to tell the truth about the challenges inherent in their future careers, while keeping them passionate about teaching and learning, and confident that they’re prepared for a profession I’m proud of and that needs them dearly.
Teach Process
NICOLAS DARCOURT TEACHES CREATIVE APPLICATION IN ART/LIFE.
THE NEW FUNDAMENTALS
Career boundaries are fading. From restructuring in corporations to thriving in a gig economy, those in developing careers now wear many hats. What is fundamental is the ability to be self-confident, selfreliant, and creative in developing ideas, problem solving, and applying solutions.
THE CONDUIT
I teach toward the creative process and the application of genuine ideas. The art materials are simply the conduit. I am committed to giving students the opportunity to develop a skillset of techniques required to manipulate material to express ideas, along with an understanding of contemporary art issues and conversations. This prepares those who have chosen to follow a career field in the visual arts. For those choosing other careers, my hope is that they gain a healthy respect for the role of the artist and an interest is supporting the arts.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVISING
As a first-generation college student, I had a limited view of my potential career paths. My undergraduate advisers inspired, encouraged, and supported me. By sharing their knowledge, gifts, and talents, I found mine [as a professor of psychological science].
With every student I teach or mentor, I hope I live up to their legacy.
SAY YES TO NEW THINGS
I advise students to get out of their comfort zones. Whether or not they come in with a specific goal, now is the time to really take some risks and learn something new. You never know what you might find around the corner.
GO BEYOND THE FACTS Biology professor Laura Burrack leans into her own undergraduate liberal arts experience to teach the implications of science.
THE ROLE OF RESEARCH
My teaching spans several areas of biology including microbiology, cancer biology, molecular genetics, and the interdisciplinary borders between biology and society. A central theme in my teaching is e ectively assisting students to learn how to ask and answer questions. A primary goal is to guide students towards asking questions that engage their curiosity, expand their knowledge, and integrate information from di erent aspects of their education and/or experiences. In many courses, we take these questions one step further to conduct research that expands not only the students’ knowledge but also discovers new knowledge.
WHAT THE FACTS MEAN
It is important to me to help students think critically about biological processes and the implications of science in society, rather than simply to have them memorize facts. An essential component of asking and answering questions is the evaluation of information, the integration of prior knowledge and experiences, and the communication of questions and answers with others.
HER INTERDISCIPLINARY ORIGINS
My own undergraduate experience at a liberal arts college was essential to shaping my academic journey. I had my fi rst research experience in an undergraduate lab, and I was encouraged to explore as many di erent disciplines as possible. The classes I took in history, anthropology, and many other areas were essential foundations for my interdisciplinary teaching and engagement at Gustavus. I fi nd it so exciting to see students make connections between concepts in class or in lab and other classes or experiences. I love seeing them develop confi dence as they start to fi gure out how all of the pieces fi t together and how to apply knowledge to new situations.
Build It Up
LUND CENTER + NOBEL HALL
The new Nobel Hall of Science isn’t just for science majors. It’s a place where all can learn and do science. The new Lund
Center isn’t just for varsity sports. It’s a place where all can learn and experience health and wellness. Both projects are testaments to the interdisciplinary, inclusive nature of Gustavus liberal arts.
And both are the result of professorial insight in how our spaces can best serve students who will serve the needs of today’s world. The Nobel Hall project doubled the building’s footprint, connected theatre and dance programs with a state-of-the-art performance space, and reimagined labs for accessible, collaborative science. In the Lund Center expansion and renovation project, a new academic wing will house improved classrooms, faculty o ces, and a 120seat lecture hall. The Human Performance Lab will grow by two-and-a-half times, and the open workout facilities by even more. (See back cover.) Both projects rival those of other top liberal arts colleges in the nation.
Remove the Barriers
JILLIAN DOWNEY ’08 MAKES STATISTICS COUNT FOR ALL.
EVERYONE CAN DO IT
My teaching philosophy is hinged on the idea that everyone is welcome in my class and everyone is capable of being successful in my course. This underlying idea has led me to adopt inclusive teaching practices, such as varied forms of instructional delivery and chances for students to demonstrate understanding. This idea has also pushed me to evaluate what content is necessary for students to be successful.
HER GUSTAVUS
I was a mathematics major at Gustavus but I was able to take courses in statistics which sparked my interest. I was lucky enough to have strong, intelligent women mentors, including Carolyn Dobler. She encouraged and supported me academically, but also personally.
ADDRESSING INEQUITY
The biggest change in my work as a professor in recent years has been my focus on equity and inclusion in my teaching. This focus is related specifically to the discipline of statistics— discussing biased sampling techniques or the history of eugenics in statistics, for example, as well as to general pedagogical techniques like collaborative learning opportunities and utilizing standards-based grading. I believe that my students—and the world—need me to address the inequities present in so many of our educational practices and do what I can to remove these barriers in my classroom.
Make them Work
CATHY HARMS ’85 BRINGS THE REAL WORLD.
THE JOB IN THE CLASSROOM
We do marketing projects that help companies, non-profits, and organizations of
Gustavus alumni. This real-life experience is great for the students and clients. My students have helped 180 different organizations over the last 5.5 years. I have a flipped class where my lectures are recorded and students come ready to discuss how the content applies to their projects.
MARKETABLE SKILLS
I tell Gusties to be flexible and improve their ability to adapt. The jobs in the world are changing fast. The key skills to gain include written and oral communication skills, problem solving, critical thought, data analysis, team experience, and how to interact with others.
3 skills
employers want from employees today: dependability, communication, and problem-solving, says a 2021 Monster.com report.
63%
of employers said they would hire employees for those skills, as well as other transferrable ones (teamwork, time management, leadership) and train for the technical aspects of the job. Truly Tangible Change
• Fixed seating moveable workspaces • Labs with definitive outcomes experiments of discovery • Grading on midterms and tests group projects, feedback, and real-world application
FLIP THE CLASSROOM Chemistry prof Dwight Stoll makes research as coursework, and “good work” the standard by which one lives a good life.
RESPONDING TO CHANGE
My teaching style is changing rapidly, in part due to the pandemic, in part due to shifts in higher education. About 10 years ago, I started “flipping” my classroom [using class for interactive problem solving, with students absorbing content outside of class]. One of the more innovative things I do is a collaboration with Professor Jeff Dahlseid ’90. Jeff teaches a Proteins course and I teach Instructional Methods. We offer a mashup where each week both classes meet and learn from each other. It’s fun, hard at times, and a lot of work. And students benefit from it in multiple ways.
“RESEARCH” WITHIN THE LIBERAL ARTS
I’m pretty good at asking questions and designing experiments that lead to new understanding that pushes my field forward. At Gustavus, I get to engage students in that process. Formally it is called “research,” but to me it is just an extension of the classroom. The cool thing about doing this in the context of the liberal arts, of course, is that we can blend in topics such as ethics, economics, and leadership with the science.
YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE
Good teaching and mentoring is hard work. You have to put in the time. I feel fortunate to influence the trajectory of science, and to support the next generation of scientists.
WORDS FROM A NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
The best advice I ever heard was from a Nobel laureate in chemistry: “Stay focused on doing good work, and the rest will take care of itself.” I tell students this all the time, because this has worked out incredibly well for me in many ways, many times.
Do the Research
QUESTION. CREATE. CONNECT. THOSE ARE THE THREE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND RESEARCH AT GUSTAVUS.
Throughout the academic year and summer, hundreds of students collaborate with faculty on research and creative projects. Additionally, there are ample opportunities for faculty to build on their prior research or explore new avenues. Research and creative inquiry take place in classrooms, laboratories, studios, theatres, and the community.
Gustie students and faculty carry out field research, such as collecting data on fish populations on the open seas, excavating Roman villas, measuring glacial melt in the Andes, and interviewing local farmers. Such research extends beyond the sciences into the humanities, including recent student-professor research on Minnesota immigrant history, Gustavus indigenous relations, cancer narratives and dance, sensory storytelling and climate change, and the streaming platform Twitch.
Like it Was Push the Conversations
SARAH RUBLE PUSHES A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PAST.
HERE IS THE TRUTH
As a professor of American religious history, my role is to be someone who works to tell the truth as best as I am able. History is a discipline in which we try to tell true stories about the past. Telling those truths can be uncomfortable, but it enables us to make sense of where we are now.
BECOMING TRUTH SEEKERS
Today I am more aware of the importance of formation. How do we become people who can tell hard truths? We have so many incentives today for ignoring or refusing what is challenging about the past and so many ways to do it. We all have our own echo chambers. Why you would want to be
a person who cares about telling as true of a
story as you can, and what it takes to become that sort of person, strikes me as particularly urgent today.
FOR PAMELA CONNERS, TO DISCERN AND DISCUSS INFORMATION IS DEMOCRACY. TO RESEARCH, CREATE, AND CONNECT
IS SCHOLARSHIP.
IN IT TOGETHER
I view teaching as a process of shared investigation and discovery. My primary goals as a teacher are to foster a love of learning in my students, to introduce them to new ideas and perspectives, and to encourage them to see the resonance between their coursework and their civic lives. I teach courses about rhetoric, argument, democratic deliberation, civic leadership, and advocacy. I continually strive to ask, investigate, and answer critical questions in collaboration with my students, my colleagues, and my community.
THE INSPIRATION
My research investigates how deliberation enhances learning among students and members of a community, and how public discourse shapes the development and implementation of public policy and democratic decision-making. I also examine how public discourse and decision-making processes invite or dissuade people’s civic participation.
THE INSPIRATION
I direct the Public Deliberation and Dialogue Program, in which students research and design communication strategies to address pressing issues and make reasoned, community-based decisions. For instance, “Bridging the Divide” facilitated dialogue among college students representing rural and urban communities—a partnership with Minneapolis Community and
Technical College. The Youth Leadership and Dialogue Program brought together students in dialogue around achievement and intergration in three local school districts. With the project, “Addressing Challenges Together: Conversations between Educators & Immigrant Families,” students consider how to address educational challenges facing immigrants.
The Public Deliberation and Dialogue program equips students and community partners with skills in deliberation, decision-making, and advocacy.
Pamela Conners (top right) is the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity faculty associate in the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning, which supports faculty in achieving their potential as teachers and scholars. Kendall ’49 was a psychology professor and the 12th president of Gustavus.
MEET STUDENTS WHERE THEY’RE AT A conversation with Chia Youyee Vang ’94, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee history professor and Vice Chancellor, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Alumni
GQ: Walk us through your academic career.
CV: Well, I came to the U.S. when I was nine and started school for the first time. At Johnson High School in St. Paul, civics was my favorite subject, and I loved to read and write.
Being a refugee child who went to inner city schools, I came to Gustavus a motivated student. Norm Walbek in political science was my thesis professor, and I loved talking with him. I did my thesis on U.N. Peacekeeping in Cambodia, and he told me it was one of the best he’d read in his career. He made me feel like I could do anything. Ron Christenson [political science] and Lisa Heldke ’81 [philosophy] also opened doors for me that I didn’t expect. I learned a lot about French history and culture from Anne-Marie Gronhovd, my adviser for my French major. I decided to go to the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. After my M.A. degree, I worked for six years before pursuing a PhD in
American Studies. My research focused on the Twin Cities Hmong community and how refugee settlement there compared to other cities. In 2006, I was recruited by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to join the history faculty.
GQ: When did you realize education was your path?
CV: While I was working as a community researcher, I remembered a note I wrote to myself in a journal in eighth grade. I didn’t know how to read until I was almost 10, but in middle school, I noticed I was getting ahead of my peers. I wrote that I would get my
PhD by the time I was 25. Obviously, I didn’t know how long it took to get a PhD.
GQ: What do you focus on in your research and teaching?
CV: My students come from a variety of backgrounds. I try to be as approachable and accessible as I can. My teaching reflects my research interests. I teach graduate seminars and undergraduate classes covering such topics as the U.S. as a global power during the 20th century, the Vietnam War, and Asian American/Hmong history. For over a decade, I lead a short-term study abroad course to Southeast
Asia where students get to learn and interact with people in other cultures. 80%
The graduation rate of federal Pell Grant recipients at Gustavus, the same as the College’s overall graduation rate. Gustavus is tied as the best national liberal arts college in Minnesota for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report, 2021.
GQ: You’re also the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. How do you prepare students for a changing world?
CV: We have so much access to knowledge. The tricky part is deciphering what is “good” information. I teach my students to balance the information that we have, dig through the soundbites, and have conversations. We’ve always lived in divided times, but we have to prepare students to talk to those they disagree with in meaningful ways.
Stay Connected. Pass it on.
JEAN-PAUL NOEL ’12 | INTERNATIONAL BRAIN LAB | CENTER FOR NEURAL SCIENCE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Chemistry researcher Rindelaub in New Zealand repping his home state in zebra-printed Vikings pants and hockey mullet.
Joel Rindelaub ’09 | School of Chemical Sciences, University of Aukland
After Gustavus, Rindelaub kicked o an international adventure as a professional hockey player, top research chemist, and—surprise!—a rapping public health advocate. He creates content for news, music, and theater to make science accessible, and he’s been seen or heard on nearly every media platform in New Zealand. His research investigates the chemistry of the air, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he cocreated the rap video Vax the Nation. It went (so to speak) viral. “The world is a complicated place,” he says. “Us science nerds don’t have all the answers, but we do have a pretty good system to search for them.” And in a media-saturated world, “a scientist’s communication skills are more important than ever.” Along with chemistry, Rindelaub teaches his students video production, media relations, and of course, critical thinking. “The ability to recognize quality data is a key component to an informed and engaged society. In fact, our collective future depends on it.” Have Critical Conversations Michael Jirik ’12 took classes on civil rights and African American history, which inspired him to think di erently about the narratives he was raised with in rural Minnesota. Now a fellow at the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard, his research includes Black activism during the early days of U.S. higher ed. He teaches students to have robust, critical discussions. Regarding racial equity in education, “It has been a long series of struggles led by generations of Black activists.” After graduating from Gustavus, Noel received a Fulbright to study at the Swiss Institute of Technology, where he worked with researchers to build robotics for neuroscience research. He returned to the U.S. to fi nish his PhD in human neuroscience at Vanderbilt University. While developing virtual reality programs for Facebook in Seattle, he reconnected with Whitney O’Connell ’12, who was working for Teach for America there. They’re now married. Today, Noel works to understand how our brains paint a mental picture to map space and objects around us. The wisdom he passes on to the students he works with is that which his Gustavus professors gave to him: Remember the humanity in science, focus on the big picture, and know how to learn. “In a rapidly changing world, you need tools to prepare you to keep learning,” he says. “At Gustavus, I had to work on my own, trailblaze my projects, fi nish things. Plus, I had to know how to make connections. That has made my work easier.” He’s since used his connections to help other Gusties fi nd research opportunities. Matt Broschard ’16 conducted research at Vanderbilt University and Jack Wiessenberger ’22 at NYU, thanks to Noel.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PROFESSION Thomas Nelson Laird ’95, professor of higher education and student affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, on the myth of the lazy professor. Alumni
Laird spent more than six years directing the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington. He is also the principal investigator for the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement.
GQ: In your research, what practices do you see among today’s professors that strike you as particularly positive?
TL: One of the myths about professors is that they’re disinterested in teaching. They have put in their time, earned tenure, and now they just lecture from old, yellowed notes. In collecting data from faculty for 20 years, I have found that’s just not true. Professors care a lot about teaching, and they care about their students. My research shows there is a lot of interest in improving teaching practice. Professors are using more interactive techniques with their students. And there is greater diversity within the faculty. Schools are still learning how to effectively support women and faculty members of color, because they do face challenges. This is one area where Gustavus can be a positive light. One of the helpful aspects of the Swedish Lutheran tradition at
Gustavus is the understanding that, if we want to learn, we shouldn’t just gather only
Swedish-Lutheran people. This openness is important.
GQ: What’s so great about a liberal arts college like Gustavus?
TL: At a place like Gustavus, an undergraduate student will have their core group of close friends. Along with that, there are other groups: classmates in your major, people on your team or in your choir, people you work with as a tutor or CF. At
Gustavus, unlike at a big university, these groups overlap. These circles are also connected by the sense that they are part of something bigger, that there is a unifying idea. To me, this is what we’re all aiming for in higher education.
25%
difference in the median 40year return of a degree from a liberal arts college compared to all colleges, according to a 2020 Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce study.
Don’t Forget the Basics
Chenyu Yang ’10 | Economics professor, University of Maryland Yang’s favorite classes teach the fundamentals of statistics, economics, and storytelling, all basics still essential in a rapidly changing world. “I tell students to find a specialty they care about, and learn to communicate what they learn. You have to be able to communicate your ideas.”
Work for the Public Good
KARL SELF ’81 | DIRECTOR, DENTAL THERAPY PROGRAM/INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEAN OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS | U OF M
Tim Johnson ’93 | University of Minnesota Paul Djupe ’93 | Denison University Chris Gilbert | Gustavus Adolphus College Dave Peterson ’95 | Iowa State University
Johnson, Djupe, and Peterson established the Chris Gilbert Heritage Scholarship in honor of their mentor. “I’m a professor because of a class on campaigns and elections I took with Chris,” Peterson says. When Peterson wrote about the rhetoric of third-party candidates, Chris said that his observations could be tested with survey data. “We plotted out a research plan for exploring rhetoric and voting patterns for Wallace in 1968, John Anderson in 1980, and Perot in 1992. Eventually, Tim and Paul got involved.” By the time Peterson was in graduate school, the research had turned into a study of the role churches play in politics by mobilizing support for third party candidates. Then, the four of them wrote a book about it together, Religious Institutions and Minor Parties in the United States. “One of the things I like about my job is that I get paid to be professionally curious,” Peterson says. “There’s always something in the back of my brain, about what research projects I might develop, or what advice to give a student, or how I can improve my classes. Chris is the person who taught me this is the life of a professor.” Self remembers Gusties who supported him as a student, like his chemistry professor, Tom Gover. After graduating from the University of Minnesota Dental School, Self worked in private practice in Kansas City until an opportunity at a community dental clinic in the Twin Cities that provided care for uninsured, underserved patients brought him back to Minnesota. At the clinic, Self noticed a gap between clinic policies and patient needs. “All of the people making decisions were people with business backgrounds, not healthcare backgrounds. I wanted to be a person who could walk in both worlds to positively affect change.” He earned his MBA while working there. Self’s leadership in non-profit dental settings, and his advocacy for public health, has led him back to the U of M Dental School, where he teaches and advocates for addressing disparities to advance public health. “Only one percent of all dentists are involved in public health nationally,” he says. In 2009, Minnesota became the first state to grant licensure Meet the Demand for Innovation to dental therapists, who are Reg Penner ’83 | professor, chemistry, oral health professionals that University of California Irvine serve low-income, uninsured “I’d never met a scientist before Gustavus,” Penner says. and underserved populations. Today, as a researcher, he focuses on nano-materials charged Self was an advocate at the with electrical currents to detect cancers. As a professor, he forefront of that legislation prepares undergraduate and graduate students for the Silicon and has been a leader in the Valley job market. The culture of academia is changing, and implementation of this new he feels energized preparing his students for it. “It’s rewarding profession. He has directed to train students to meet the strong demand for innovation.” the U’s dental therapy program since its inception.
