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Luther starts search to replace retiring faculty
Departments have begun organizing search committees to replace at least seven faculty members who will retire following the 2014-2015 school year. Retiring professors include Professor of Chemistry Carolyn Mottley, Associate Professor of Music Jim Griesheimer, Professor of Biology Tex Sordahl (‘73), Associate Professor of Nursing Donna Kubesh, Professor of Education Odette Bruneau and Professor of English Nick Preus (‘69). Professor of Political Science John
Moeller will partially retire. “A wise use of new talent allows for the adaptation of the curriculum to allow for a successor to bring special gifts and interests to the college,� Griesheimer said of the search. For the departments that have chosen to replace the retiring faculty, the decision will need final approval from the dean, the president and the Board of Regents, according to Kubesh. “The departments have to go through a process of submitting a proposal for why the person should be replaced,� Kubesh said. “Some departments may have already decided that they don’t
Religion forum series continues MAGGIE STEINBERG STAFF WRITER
need to replace, but the departments that were wanting to replace needed to submit a proposal.� Each department follows a general search plan, but there are some slight differences. For example, the English department has chosen to search for a replacement as a whole department, while the political science department will be forming a smaller committee containing just a few political science faculty. Most departments will also bring in a faculty member from another department to aid in the search.
The religion department has been hosting a series of forums titled “Teaching Religion at a College of the Church,� featuring panelists from within and outside the department. The most recent forum, held Nov. 18, explored the role of religious studies at a liberal arts institution, and focused on what constitutes as “evidence� in various departments on campus. Panelists included Professor of Biology Jodi EnosBerlage, Assistant Professor of Religion Todd Green, Professor of Religion Gereon Kopf and Associate Professor of Communication Studies Derek Sweet. The forum was moderated by Professor of Religion Guy Nave. The panelists spoke to the nature of evidence in their fields and took questions from the audience. “As a religion major, I think these forums are essential because they allow a transparency not only between the department and its students, but between the department and other faculty and the community,� Lexie Polk (‘16) said. In his past research, Sweet studied the way people react to perceived divine symbols such as the face of Jesus appearing in a grilled-cheese sandwich or Mary appearing in a salt stain under a bridge. “What I’m absolutely fascinated by is the way that people take that salt stain, insert it into their everyday lives and use it to inspire themselves and talk about their relation to God,� Sweet said. Enos-Berlage used her background in biology to talk about the nature of evidence in the field of science, particularly when discussing evolution and creation. According to EnosBerlage, the tension between science and religion comes from the fact that science can only speak to things that can be tested. “Evolution is a testable hypothesis,� Enos-Berlage said. “No one has figured out a testable experiment to do on creation, so it’s outside of the realm of science in that way.� Green uses written texts such as diaries or theological and philosophical texts to better understand how humans have made sense of themselves in the past.
RETIREMENTS, PAGE 4
RELIGION FORUM, PAGE 4
SHE’S NO DUMMY. (From left) Associate Professor of Nursing Donna Kubesh assists nursing majors Paige Johnson (‘17) and Jacqueline Schnier (‘17) in a class exercise. Makeda Barkley / Chips MAKEDA BARKLEY STAFF WRITER
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Immigration panel features students, visiting faculty LAURA HAYES STAFF WRITER Student organization HOLAEnlaces hosted their first immigration panel of the year on Nov. 19 entitled “Children in Immigration.� The panel featured Marlon Henriquez (‘15) and Pedro Lopez (‘17), who spoke on their experiences as immigrants who came to the United States as children, and Visiting Assistant Professor in Spanish Megan Strom, who discussed how immigrant children are represented in the media and her own experiences with migrants. Lopez and Henriquez told
similar stories, describing how and why they crossed into the United States. “I still have memories from the trip,� Lopez said. “I remember that at one point we were in a big great van—a caravan van—and the seats were stripped out so that more people could come in. We were bouncing around and my mom was having a hard time trying to keep me in her arms. So she handed me over to a man, a complete stranger, but they had that immigrant relationship, to keep me safe.� IMMIGRATION, PAGE 4
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