Dance marathon
lorian sports awards
Not for the first time, DM smashes records FTK, Page 3
The votes are in; who won this year’s awards? Page 13
May 7, 2015 — Vol. 93, Issue 16
Provost Cheryl Jacobsen to retire by seabelo montwedi | staff writer
Cheryl Jacobsen, provost and academic dean, joined Loras College in the fall of 2001 working in the Center for Experiential Learning Office. “I remember sitting in a committee meeting about general education and coming out and hearing about 9/11, and thinking that I don’t know this campus very well,” said Jacobsen about one of her first meetings at Loras. “I wondered how we were going to handle this horrendous thing that happened. What came out of September 11th was people taking care of each other and a lot of conversations about how to use education to help people understand what was happening. Although that was a very dramatic start to things, a lot of what’s happened since then was certainly less dramatic and positive in different ways.” This dramatic moment was just the beginning at Loras for Jacobsen, who later would take on the challenging responsibility of provost and academic dean. But after 14 years of serving the college, she is ready for a new chapter in her life. Although her move to Loras was inspired mainly by the new set of general-education requirements, Jacobsen also wanted to emphasize the value of creating a high-quality experience for students by improving the quality of instruction in the classroom. She has been a catalyst for some major changes designed to enrich the quality of learning. She is adamant about not take sole credit, saying she celebrates in the achievements of students and faculty. “We’ve done a number of things on the academic side to improve instruction and make courses challenging for students be-
Knights of Columbus raise money for Nepal by ava lalor | staff writer
This past Saturday, the Knights of Columbus held their biggest fundraiser of the year, Night With A Knight. In response to the recent earthquake, all the funds from the event will be donated to Nepal to help rebuild after the destruction. Night With A Knight is an auction in which students bid on a dinner with one of the Knights of Columbus. Emceed by sophomores Miranda Smith and Kenzie Elsbernd, each Knight was humorously introduced before the auction began. Seven dinners with seven knights were auctioned. Other items up for auction were a four-person meal with the FOCUS missionaries, a meal for two with President Collins and Debbie Gross’s famous scotcheroos. Just as the event was about to end, a surprise last-minute auction for a dinner with Grand Knight and sophomore Jesse Anderson was held. After an intense bid, senior Josh Link bid $200 to win the dinner. However, that is not the end of the story. “Josh Link bid $200 to eat with me,” said Anderson. “But he ended up giving his spot at the dinner to my girlfriend Amelia.” Amelia is a part of the Daughter’s of Isabella, the female auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, which also is present on campus. With this turn of events, it appears that the Night With A Knight turned into a Date With A Daughter. In all, the Knights of Columbus raised $640 for the people in Nepal. The Italian dinner will be held on May 10 andd will be organized by sophomore George St. John.
Fr. Wathier named interim VP for academic affairs Fr. Doug Wathier, professor of religious studies, has been named interim vicepresident for academic affairs. Fr. Wathier received his S.T.D. (Sacrae Theologiae Doctor) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, with an emphasis on the transmission of revelation and the act of faith. He previously was the director of the Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and Leaders program and has been a member of the religious studies faculty. photo by seabelo montwedi
cause students can always do more than they think they can,” said Jacobsen. One of the major changes was the introduction of J-Term, which was not an option before Jacobsen joined the college. With her previous experiences with both J-Term and May Term, she believed that J-Term would work better at Loras. “J-Term tapped into a lot of things that were already going on like experiential learning, study-abroad, and connection between service and learning,” said Jacobsen. Another fingerprint of Jacobsen is the newer Loras tradition of an opening convocation. “Opening convocation was something else that I started in part because we didn’t have any big way to welcome students back in the fall,” said Jacobsen. “For the first couple years I was here, students just trickled back, and it seemed to me we ought to make a big deal out of beginning the year.” Other changes that took place under Ja-
cobsen’s watch included a change in faculty load, from eight courses per year (divided equally between the spring and fall semesters) to seven (divided between the fall, spring and J-Term). This gave faculty time to develop their courses more deeply and allowed them to figure out how to include an experiential-learning component. Jacobsen approached her job with one major objective: integrity. In her own words, she approached her work by taking “care and thinking through a decision or process so that you get as close to being fair in that process and honoring other perspectives.” While her job, by definition, primarily involves working with faculty, her happiest memory was the first Legacy Symposium in 2014. “It was being celebrated when the college was old and the symposium was new, and there was a dynamic quality during the day in which students could talk about what
they were learning,” said Jacobsen. Over the past 14 years, a lot more than the curriculum has changed. These changes also have been matched by the physical changes of the campus. “I could look down over the hill of campus. I could see the clock tower in Hoffmann Hall and the banks of Mississippi on the Illinois and Wisconsin side,” said Jacobsen. Whether it is the physical layout of the campus or the college curriculum, Jacobsen recognizes the need to adjust and embrace change. “I hold an aspiration for the college to continue to create a high-quality experience by challenging students and yet giving them what they want,” said Jacobsen. “A liberalarts education is important in teaching students not only how to prepare for a career but also the different ways of thinking and adapting to change.” Post-retirement plans for the provost include reading, traveling and spending time with family.
Business Week puts networking first by claira sieverding| for the lorian
A very exciting week for many students is Business Week at Loras. The sixth annual Loras College Business Week is an opportunity for business and non-business majors to get firsthand stories and advice from professionals across all business departments. Not only is this a great way for students to get a look at what life after college might hold it provides students with an opportunity to network. Putting together Business Week is no small feat for the Business Department. It takes quite a bit of strategic planning on behalf of the professors. But in the end, it provides students with a lot of helpful knowledge. “Business Week benefits Loras students by providing them with an opportunity to have a conversation with recent alumni who just a few short years ago were anticipating the start of their own careers,” said Douglas Gambrall, professor of business and division head. “The insights garnered from these conversations, via the alumni panels, can aid students, regardless of major, as they prepare to enter a profession.” Recently, a book has been added to the collection for all of the business majors going through capstone: “A Catechism for Business.” This book enables students to see how Catholic Social Teaching and church documents can be utilized when making decisions in business. It was this book that Gambrall utilized as the perfect introduction to the first speaker of the week on Sunday night. “Since Dr. Murphy specializes in marketing and ethical issues in business, and in light of our focus on business practices through the lens of Catholic Social Doctrine, his presentation this evening was an appropriate way to kick off Business Week 2015,” Gambrall said. The finance panel consisted of Loras
photo contributed
alum Erin McGovern from Heartland and Jamie O’Donnell from Heacock & Jones. These two alumni offered a few overarching themes by relating their various experiences with job changes, ethics in business, and ever-changing technology. Another important theme coming out of this panel was the importance of using Loras’ alumni network throughout the country. McGovern said he has never obtained a job that did not involve Loras connections. In regards to finding a passion in life, the panelists agreed that students should strive to be passionate about things they also are skilled in, and just because a student is good at something does not mean they are passionate about it. The quarter of the Ballroom that held the marketing panel was filled with marketing majors and professors. This group had plenty of questions for the panelists. Sarah Link (’14), a member of the panel, said coming back so soon after graduating is odd because it wasn’t long ago when she was just in the same position that seniors are in now. Link also commented on never knowing for sure which connections you’ll need in the future or which will come to you, so students should take advantage of panels like this to learn from and engage with alums who
are particularly eager to help. The rest of the week included many more informative panels. On Tuesday, Christine (Steffen ’76) Korte, a financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. presented on “Why a Liberal Arts Education is Vital in Today’s Workplace.” Afterward, the accounting panel had the floor in Ballroom A, while the economics panel was formed down the hall. There also was a sports-management presentation in the adjacent ballroom featuring Matthew Garrett, professor of sport management, presenting on “Young Sport Management Graduates and their Career Trajectories.” Wednesday was a little less segmented than Tuesday with David Kordell (’91), president of River Valley Capital Group, presenting on “Drive and Ambition: Entrepreneurship as the Road to Success,” followed by panels for MIS and management. Business Week wrapped up on Thursday with Anthony Reardon (’72), chairman and CEO of Ducommun Incorporated, whose presentation was entitled “Leadership Development.” “The business faculty are very appreciative of Loras alumni giving of their time to participate in Business Week and thankful for the support of our sponsors, Dennis and Mona Houlihan,” said Gambrall.