Fall 2018

Greetings Classmate,

I hope this finds you and yours well and happy. Summer is nearing its end and signs of fall are beginning to appear. The sumac around us are beginning to change to their beautiful deep reds.

I want to begin with a big “shout out” to Luther’s Dorian Summer Music Camp. Not surprisingly, this iconic Luther tradition was started by Weston Noble in 1949, to bring together young students of voice and instruments to learn theory and technique, to perfect performance and to celebrate the joys of music. To date, 90,000 middle school and high school students have experienced Dorian Summer Music Camp. It’s amazing, and bodes well for the future of music in our churches and communities.

For the past six years Dick and I have had the pleasure of being Dorian Grandparents. Our grandsons, Dane and Barrett Edwards of Grinnell, Iowa, and our granddaughter, Madelyn Worthington of Riverside, California, have attended Summer Dorian. Each will attest to the value of all they have learned and the friendships they have created, all around music, and their intent to return year after year. Their end-of-camp concerts – choir, band, orchestra, ensembles – are very impressive.

This summer Dorian offered something new – Dorian for Adults. 200+ adults – some Luther choir alumni, community and church choir members, folks who simply enjoy singing - came to campus for three days to learn theory and technique and, like the younger Dorian, to celebrate the gift of music. Dorian for Adults also culminated in an awesome concert.

Learn more about Dorian Summer Music Camps on their website luther.edu/music/dorian. Encourage youth in your area to attend a camp. Attend yourself. Consider a gift to the student scholarship program to help kids with limited resources experience Dorian. Yes, we are Big Dorian Fans!

Now, to catch-up on other good things happening at Luther…

It’s the start of a new school year at Luther, one that promises to be as wonderfully action-packed as ever. In August, the college welcomed 575 new students to campus. Over the summer, they read a book that many Luther grads will remember from Paideia: The Odyssey. This year’s edition comes with a twist: it’s the first English translation by a woman, Emily Wilson, and by all accounts it’s a vivid, engaging, and sprightly retelling of the classic homecoming story. If you’re up for a return to your Paideia roots, you can join the fun through Luther’s reading guide to the book: luther.edu/paideia/program/summer-reading/the-odyssey.

Speaking of homecomings, this year we’ll celebrate two important milestones during Luther’s Homecoming Weekend, October 26–28. First, the Black Student Union (BSU) commemorates its 50th anniversary this fall. There are several events planned during Homecoming and throughout the year to celebrate the founding of the organization—including forums, lectures, a brunch, and a BSU reunion—so mark your calendars. Luther’s Nursing Department also observes a birthday—its 40th—this fall. Homecoming Weekend, Kris Dreifuerst ’85 will lead a workshop for nursing educators and deliver the Ironside Distinguished (Alumni) Lecture in Nursing, which will be followed by an open house at Luther’s simulation lab.

In addition to Homecoming lecturers, Luther will welcome other notable speakers to campus this season. On October 23, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt will deliver the Farwell Distinguished Lecture, “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure.” His book of the same name, published earlier this month, explores how the cultural climate of “safetyism” on college campuses across the U.S. interferes with the healthy development of students. He argues that recent social and cultural trends are setting children up to fail as healthy, autonomous, adaptable adults. If you don’t have time to read the book, you can get a snapshot through Haidt’s Atlantic article: theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356.

Finally, most have heard that President Paula Carlson will retire at the end of the 2018–19 academic year. During her time at Luther, President Carlson added several academic programs to the college, renewed outdoor facilities, expanded Luther’s Career Center services, developed and launched the “Next Steps for Sophomores” program, added a dean of institutional equity and inclusion to Luther’s staff, and achieved Luther’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 50 percent by the end of 2015, among other things. Luther’s Board of Regents is taking the necessary steps in the presidential search process with the hope of transitioning leadership over the course of next summer and having a new president in place for the 2019–20 academic year.