| Summary: | CONCORDIAN the CAMPUS NEWS FRIDAY APRIL 13 ' 20 I 2 4 Faculty, admin selections underway Three dean of arts and sciences Field of potential music finalists visit, meet campus ensemble directors narrows BY MELISA BARISH StaffWriter The search for a new dean of arts and sciences is nearing its completion after campus visits were con-ducted in March by the three final candidates. The com-mittee responsible for the search is currently reviewing the responses of faculty, administrators and students who attended these campus visits. Michael Wanous was the first of the three candidates to visit campus. He is cur-rently the associate dean at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. He is also part of their biology department. Some of his achievements there include creating a faculty mentoring program and requiring pre-mentoring teaching observation to im-prove the quality of faculty within his department. "I wanted our faculty to be really great teachers," Wanous said during one of his sessions with Concordia staff. Wanous also stressed the importance of his work during his time as chair of Augustana's natural science division. While in that posi-tion, he helped to create and implement a biochemistry major, and he repurposed some unused space into a research space for the chem-istry department. "I feel like Concordia's in a great place," Wanous said. The second candidate to visit campus was Anne Hiskes, the current interim dean for interdisciplinary programs and faculty de-velopment at the University of Connecticut's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has also worked in the areas of philosophy and history, especially with the subject of philosophy of sci-ence. In fact, she has made several international presen-tations on the subject. "I. believe that faculty have a responsibility to ap-proach their own teaching with a scholarly attitude of inquiry, self-assessment and improvement," Hiskes said in the resume she sent to Concordia. The final candidate to visit campus was Daniel Ho-frenning, a Concordia alum-nus from the class of 1980 who is currently Associate Dean of the Social Sciences at St. Olaf College in North-field, Minn. Hofrenning is a member of the political sci-ence department at St. Olaf and has published a variety of works in the area. Hofrenning explained that he was attracted to Concordia for many of the same reasons he is attracted to St. Olaf: strong religious identity, a continuous preser-vation of tradition and high value placed on good educa-tion. He is also attracted to Concordia's Christian association and the steps that are being taken to facilitate interfaith dialogue. "I think it's a good challenge for Lutheran students to understand other traditions as well as their own," Hofrenning said. "We would be doing a disser-vice if we only sought our mission in a more narrower way." Hofrenning also stated that the standard Concor-dia sets for itself should be continuously examined. "I think we should have a harder, stronger conversa-tion about what we can do better than anywhere else because of our unique set- The three candidates each had three open sessions to meet faculty, administra-tors and students. At each of the sessions, attendees were asked to fill out a form with their reflections and questions for the candidates. These forms are now being reviewed by the search com-mittee. Cindy Carver, who chaired the committee to find the new dean of arts and sciences, gave some information on how the pro-cess worked. She and four other faculty members were first voted into the commit-tee, which also includes the provost. They then made advertisements and asked for nominations and suggestions for potential candidates. From over two dozen can-didates, the committee then chose the final three who came to campus to visit. "The search commit-tee is really pleased with the quality of the candidate pool," Carver said. The currentdean of arts and sciences is James Aageson of the religion department. Aageson agreed to hold the position for three years and is now moving back to the religion depart-ment because his term is up. "I've enjoyed this job. but I am looking forward to going back and working with students and colleagues," Aageson said. His current position involves working with all of the academic programs "from art to women's stud-ies" minus the school of business and the athletics department. Aageson is responsible for a variety of activities including hiring staff, course scheduling, fac-ulty evaluation and budget managing. In addition, the academic division chairs all report to him. BY JACOB AMOS Contributing Writer The search for new personnel to succeed Con-cordia's departing ensemble directors has borne fruit of late. The music department has announced choir direc-tor Michael Smith's succes-sor and has narrowed the candidates for band director Scott Jones's down position to three finalists. The two departures come during a particularly unique period of transition for the music department, as just last year, orchestra direc-tor Bruce Houglum retired after 16 years at the college. Over the course of two years, the music department will have lost three promi-nent conductors, to say noth-ing of the departures of pi-ano instructor Peter Nygaard and associate voice professor June Rauschnabel. Though a transitional time it may be, those involved in the search maintain a pos-ture of hope and promise for what they expect in the years to come. "What you see in light of these departures is a strong effort on the part of the college to keep music a close part of Concordia," said President William Craft. Jones, also bidding fare-well to Concordia after this year, observed, "across the country there's a big swath of people at retirement age." "That moment of tran-sition," he continued, "is a real gift." His colleague, Mr. Smith, who directs Manner-chor, Cantabile, and Chapel Choir, is retiring after his sev-enth year at Concordia. He was about to retire from his job at Brainerd High School when he came to Concordia. "My wife says I flunked retirement," he said. Since assuming his role at Concordia in 2005, he has only been able to see his wife on the occasional breaks and weekends, as she continues to reside in Brainerd, where they have a granddaughter and a newly remodeled place on a small lake in Baxter, just west of Brainerd. "When I go back to Brainerd, it's hard to leave," he said. "I love it here, but there are some things I want to do on my bucket list." Among the items on that bucket list, he said, are visit-ing his kids more and travel-ing to such places as Ireland, Scotland and the Holy Land. Upon Smith's departure, Concordia alumnus Michael Culloton will be taking the reigns. Culloton is the artistic director and conductor of the Choral Arts Ensemble in Rochester, Minn., a 40-voice choral ensemble founded in 1985 that puts on free weekly concerts. Craft, a reputed and self-proclaimed music enthusiast, said Culloton is a great hire. He proceeded to refer to Smith's successor as one of the best up-and-coming cho-ral directors. Under whose baton Concordia's bands will play next year is still a mystery, however. Current director of sev-en years, Jones, far from retir-ing and claiming to have 20 years of teaching left in him, is leaving for a position at his alma mater, The Ohio State University. "It's a real gift to be able to return to my alma mater," he said, "as both a way of paying back the institution that gave me legs for my pro-fessional development and paying forward to that next generation." The search for his suc-cessor has been narrowed to three finalists, all of whom have been to campus, inter-viewed and interacted with students. All that remains is the search committee's final selection. While not at liberty to disclose the names of those under consideration, search committee members offered insights into what criteria they are primarily evaluating. "First and foremost, [we are looking for] a very capable musician who is also an ex-cellent teacher," said Robert Chabora, music department chair and search committee member. Foster Beyers, Hou-glum's successor as The Con-cordia Orchestra director, made clear that the criteria do not end there. From his experience in the search com-mittee, he said they're looking not only for someone who understands what kind of place Concordia is but also what the school values. Also factoring consider-ably into the decision is how the students take to the can-didates. 'We solicit student feedback at every step in the process," Beyers said. "You better believe the search committee values that feed-back." Though it remains un-clear exactly when the new band director will be an-nounced, the department maintains an optimistic out-look for its candidates. "I can't remember a year when the search has gone so well," Chabora said. "We have people that could hit the ground running." FOR RENT Going fast - reserve for 2012-2013 school year before it's too late! Many 3,4, & 5 bedroom houses to choose from! One and two-bedroom apartments. Near MSUIV and Concordia Did you know. The life of a common housefly is 14 days? A dog was the first ani-mal in space? Denmark has twice as many pigs as there are people? Crocodiles cannot move their tongues? Camels spit at people? The length of an elephant is the same as the tongue of a blue whale? The South American Giant Anteater eats over 30,000 ants, per day? Source: www.factsabouta-nimals. net BY SEAN PLEMMONS Contributing Writer The trees pass by, the lights pass by. It is all a blur, but from the back seat of the car, it is so familiar. Every bump in the road is made crystal clear by the car's suspension. The build-ings seem to blend together as the speed in-creases. The car accelerates quickly, without a hitch. As the numbers on the odometer climb higher, it creeps further away from the recom-mended oil change mileage printed on a sticker in the corner of the car's window. The car: A 1998 Honda Civic. The owner: Concordia College sophomore Jeremie Bur. Bur, along with many other car owners, is joining in the increasingly common practice of not changing his oil every 3,000 miles, even though it has been a written rule for many years that car owners should do so. However, this rule no longer needs to be followed with today's oil and today's technology. According to a recent study conducted by The NPD Group, a leading market re-search group, the number of Americans who change their oil after 3,000 miles has in-creased since 2007. When the study was first conducted in 2007, 59 percent of Americans believed they should change their oil every 3,000 miles, while 33 percent believed they should wait until after 3,000 miles. In 2011, the number of people who change their oil every 3,000 miles dropped to 51 percent, while the number of people who change their oil after 3,000 miles jumped to 49 percent, a 16 percent increase. Ray Bernard, owner and mechanic at Ray's Auto Repair in Moorhead, said that the 3,000-mile guideline dates back to when oil was not as advanced as it is now He said that if the oil were left in the engine too long, it would start to degrade and cause a buildup of sludge. The motor oil of today does not break down as uicldv and some oil can To as lon as 25,000 miles without getting changed. Bur read that he no longer needed to lis-ten to the advice of mechanics; his car man-ual said that he could wait every 7,500 miles before he needed to change the oil, so that is what he is doing now "The car shop said I must abide by their guidelines," But said. "That was 7,000 miles ago and I have not had a problem. I still have 500 miles to go, and I will milk it for all it is worth." Concordia sophomore Michael Schuldt follows suit, despite what he has been taught. "One of the first things my father taught me about cars was to check the oil and the dip-stick," Schuldt said. "My dad said to change it every 3,000 miles. I just can't do that, not from what I have learned." According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, there is a "3,000- mile myth." In a recent study, they urged driv-ers to wait longer in between oil changes, ex-plaining that motor oil is one of the largest hazardous waste streams in the United States. The study said that drivers can reduce their consumption by waiting longer between oil changes. Bur, who lives in Michigan when not at Concordia, was one of the drivers who de-cided to reduce his waste. "Driving back and forth between Minne-sota and Michigan really racks up the miles," he said. "1 would have to change my oil at least twice a semester if I was adhering to the 3,000- mile rule." Dan Duggan of Duggan's Auto Service in Moorhead recommends that drivers follow the rules that the owner's manual has set out. "Many cars have many different guide-lines," Duggan said in an e-mail interview. "I have seen cars with recommendations as far as 10,000 miles. It all depends on the type of driv-ing you do." More OIL N Page I 0 RKAK Realty & Property Management, Inc. Phone: 218-227-0000 www.rkakrentals.corn Finalists for the dean of arts and sciences position, Daniel Hofrenning, Michael Wanous and Anne Hiskes, visited campus before Easter break. 3,000 miles no more Car owners delay oil changes past recommended mileage
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