Luther College News
On June 10, 1912, in the town of Villisca, Iowa, eight residents, including two parents, their four children and two youth visitors, were enigmatically slaughtered. Luther College Professor Emeritus and Villisca historian Edgar Epperly will present a lecture based on the early investigation of the 1912 Villisca axe murders at the emeriti colloquium at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Mott Room in Luther’s Dahl Centennial Union.
Recent Luther College graduate Kristen Carlson was selected for a 2018-19 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to Latvia from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Carlson will support the teaching of English at JÄzeps VÄ«tols Latvian Music Academy and Riga Teika Secondary School in Riga, Latvia, as part of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.
Asking Muslims to condemn terrorist acts can lead to racist scapegoating, an act which prevents majority populations in the West from coming to terms with their own violent past and their ongoing complicity in a violent world order, according to Todd Green, Luther College associate professor of religion.
A new water quality research project investigating water-borne disease-causing agents in Winneshiek County is underway. Eric Baack and Jodi Enos-Berlage, both professors of biology at Luther College, were recently awarded a $39,938 grant from the Iowa Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants that will allow them to quantify levels of harmful bacteria and viruses in both ground and surface waters. Luther is the first small college to receive this grant in CHEEC’s 30-year history.
Suicide attempt survivor Dese’Rae Stage seeks out other attempt survivors in order to give insight to the other side of a suicide attempt and begin a conversation about suicide attempts and loss in the documentary “The ‘S’ Word.”
The Norwegian-American Historical Association is pleased to name Anna M. Peterson, Luther College assistant professor of history, as the Association’s new editor. For the past decade Peterson has been an active scholar in the field of Norwegian-American history. She will hold the two roles concurrently.
Four Luther College faculty were named to endowed positions at the college’s Opening Convocation Thursday, Aug. 30. Maren Johnson, Luther College assistant professor of Scandinavian studies, was named the director of Luther’s new Richard L. and Judith A. Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies; Steve Holland, Luther professor of economics, was named the Bert M. and Mildred O. Dahl Chair in Economics; Anna Peterson, Luther assistant professor of history, was granted the Nena Amundson Distinguished Professorship; and David Thompson, Luther professor of Spanish, was granted the Dennis M. Jones Distinguished Teaching Professorship in the Humanities. The four have already begun preparing for these new roles.
What does it mean to find harmony in relationships? Can individuals create it or is it necessary to have a cooperative partner? Why is having harmonious interactions with others important?
The Luther College Board of Regents announced the members of the presidential search committee who will lead the process to identify Luther College’s 11th president. In May, President Paula Carlson announced she will retire after the conclusion of the 2018-19 academic year.
Luther College President Paula Carlson gave her final State of the College Address Thursday, Aug. 23, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall on Luther’s campus. After welcoming faculty and staff to the Service of Dedication, President Carlson spoke on the completion of the current strategic plan and the launching of the new strategic plan, Inspired. Empowered. Engaged., gave updates on the enrollment and the budget, and closed with a thank you to the campus and community. Wendy Davidson, Luther Board of Regents Chair, also gave remarks on the legacy of Luther, today’s realities and a forecast of where Luther is heading.