7 minute read
ON THE HILL
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Alumni panelists on campus to celebrate the new lab theatre space. L to r, top row: Robert O. Berdahl ’90, Cheryl Downey ’66, Peter Breitmayer ’87, Sara Brown ’01, Christian DeMarais ’11; l to r, second row: Britta Joy Peterson ’08, Nicholas Dillenburg ’09, Betsy Maloney ’97. Their credits include the Guthrie, the Met, the Kennedy Center, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the Director’s Guild of America, and numerous movie, television, and Broadway productions. They are talented, and they are Gusties. “Talent will get you a ways, but being a good person will take you so much farther,” said Peterson.
It was a who’s who of notable Gustavus Adolphus College Department of Theatre and Dance alumni as supporters and friends gathered in February to open the Rob and Judy Gardner Laboratory Theatre, the new 3,000-foot flexible space between Anderson Theatre and the addition to the Nobel Hall of Science.
The evening kicked off with a panel of alums from across the decades. Christian DeMarais ’11 (Netflix series Maniac) talked about successes, failures, and the importance of community instilled in him at Gustavus. “You can’t get through this without people around you, both on stage and off,” he said. Britta Joy Peterson ’08 (Director of Dance, American University in Washington, D.C.) cited the support of faculty members Michele Rusinko and Melissa Rolnick even after leaving Gustavus. “I invested in my body, I invested in my mentors, and I invested in my craft,” she said. Peter Breitmayer ’87 (the TV series Fargo, the movies Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man) honored professor emeritus Gardner, who gave him a sense of stability as a student. “He was a professor, but he was also like a father,” he said.
Rob and Judy were the stars of the event. Many in the crowd had taken classes or performed with Gardner during his 36 years at Gustavus. After the name unveiling, Gardner spoke warmly about his time at Gustavus as well as the role Judy played: She was present for every evening production.
The evening was capped by a special showing of You’re Invited! A New Creation by the Moving Company. It was devised by a team of students and the professional theatre group, led by Steve Epp ’80.
President Bergman recognized the support of Linda Gulder Huett ’66, whose generosity was instrumental in the creation of the theatre.
CAMPUS SOCIAL
@gustavus The Gustavus Women in Leadership student co-directors at the 10th annual conference. #whygustavus
Follow @gustavus @gustiealum The New York Times visited the Hillstrom Museum of Art’s most recent exhibit. The Secret World of Art Forger Elmyr de Hory: His Portraiture on Ibiza, is a first glimpse at the artist underneath the forger. #whygustavus
@gustavusadolphuscollege @gustieathletics INSTAGRAM
@gustavusadolphuscollege It’s the 25th anniversary of @gacbuildingbridges. This year’s theme was Climate Justice: Unearthing the Climate Crisis as an Issue of Human Suffering. Visit gustavus.edu/go/streaming to watch keynotes Dave Archambault II and Nnimmo Bassey. @gustavusadolphuscollege Two pieces of #gustavusearthday news: 1. The city of Saint Peter presented the College with a check for $186,388 in energy rebates, reflecting over 1,000,000 kilowatt-hours of energy savings —the result of the College’s good work managing the Nobel Hall expansion and renovation project with an eye toward energy efficiency. 2. The tulips
Follow /gustavusadolphuscollege /gustavusathletics /gustavusfinearts /gustavusalumni
are coming up in the Class Tulip Field.
10:00 a.m. Time for Reflection
—Actor Max von Sydow, who passed away in March. He visited Gustavus in 1995 as the Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence.
NOBEL CONFERENCE 56 CANCER IN THE AGE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Oct. 6 and 7, 2020 | gustavus.edu/nobel
What causes cancer? What are the biological mechanisms that cause cancer cells to grow? How can our own immune system protect against a disease that originates from our cells? Researchers have made great strides in understanding both the progression of cancer and the ways in which an individual’s immune system responds to it, including the development of therapies that strategically target cancer cells.
MOM’S CANCER BY BRIAN FIES THE 2020 READING IN COMMON
Setting the stage for the 2020 Nobel Conference, this graphic novel follows the author as he faces his mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. It is an unflinching, sometimes funny look at the effects of serious illness, and it raises important concerns about cancer treatment.
Gustavus incoming students will read and discuss the book, and the whole The complexity and specificity of these drugs increases effectiveness, as well as expense in developing, producing, and administering them. Advances also increase the number of people living with cancer, raising questions about how to effectively support long-term patients. Nobel Conference 56 will explore the science of new treatments and address structural and societal factors that influence who gets access to them.
Gustavus community is invited to read along. The book is available at the Book Mark: bookmark.gustavus/edu.
STAY TUNED FOR TICKETS
As concerns over COVID-19 continue throughout the summer, the College will update its website with the most current information on how the Conference will be delivered. For updates, visit gustavus.edu/nobel.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Hillstrom Museum of Art continues to accept submissions for its juried fall exhibition Cancer Never Had Me: Views by Artists, which coincides with the 2020 Nobel Conference. Works related to cancer, or by artists who have been affected by cancer, are welcome submissions. The extended deadline is June 15. More at gustavus.edu/finearts/hillstrom.
PRETTY GOOD NEWS
Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian and Gustavus alumnus James McPherson ’58 endowed a new professorship in American History with a $1 million gift. An acclaimed historian of the Civil War, McPherson is a professor emeritus at Princeton University and one of the most respected and widely read scholars of American history. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the bestselling Battle Cry of Freedom, regarded as the preeminent single-volume history of the Civil War.
The Gustavus Choir traveled the Midwest in February with performances in the Twin Cities, Mankato, and Alexandria before heading to South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. The repertoire featured the premiere of composer Elaine Hagenberg’s new work
“Alleluia” along with other sacred and contemporary pieces.
Maicy Vossen ’21 won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the United States’ premier undergraduate award for students pursuing research careers in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. A biology major and public health minor, Vossen is one of 396 U.S. students to receive the award.
Her research builds on that of another Gustavus Goldwater winner, Katie Aney ’18. In February, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra performed at the College Band Directors National Association North Central Division Conference at DePaul University in Chicago. In April, GWO released the album, Awakening. “From destruction comes healing; from death, rebirth; from separation, reconciliation; and from the end we must begin anew,” writes conductor James Patrick Miller in the album’s notes. The recording is available on digital platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. A CD can be purchased through the Book Mark. bookmark.gustavus/edu.
JUST A REMINDER OF OUR EXCELLENCE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS Top 30 in the nation in #whygustavus 1 Best Value Liberal Arts College in Minnesota (#22 in the nation) —U.S. News & World Report 5 Division III Best College for Sports Lovers —MONEY magazine/ Sports Illustrated first-to-second year retention rate—higher than the average of Minnesota Private Colleges, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and national peer institutions five categories —MONEY magazine $10 million grant expands the Center for Career Development $70 million expansion and renovation of Nobel Hall of Science, near completion 28 average ACT score of this year’s first-years, the Class of 2023; the high school achievement doesn’t end there—they also boast an average high school GPA of 3.66 $60 million renovation and expansion of Lund Center on the horizon 92%
