JUNE 1, 2012

WARM SUMMER, COOL MILLION

Carroll is pleased to announce that the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has awarded the college $1 million under its Undergraduate Science Education Program for Baccalaureate and Master’s Colleges and Universities. Carroll Professors Grant Hokit, Jennifer Geiger and Sam Alvey (photo at right, right to left) will be using this award over the next four years to conduct student research into infectious disease ecology, in collaboration with a consortium of three Montana tribal colleges and Montana State University. For Carroll, the award builds on existing grant-funded research into West Nile Virus that has been ongoing over the past few years. The award is one of the largest single private donations in our history.

Thanks go out to Dr. Hokit, program director for this grant, and Vicki Kirk, our grant writer. Both of their efforts resulted in this outstanding development for our future. Thanks also to Drs. Geiger and Alvey for their leadership, and to all those who have advanced our natural sciences excellence and reputation over the years, from alumni to donors and certainly our professors. Their work, accomplishments and belief in Carroll paved the way. Much more on what we will be doing with this grant is online at: http://www.carroll.edu/about/pressreleases.cc?pid=3180

NINETEENTH IN THE NATION

Carroll’s Talking Saints forensics team finished its 2011-2012 season with four national awards, including the team placing 19th in the US during tournament sweepstakes at the National Parliamentary Debate Association debate championships in March. A few weeks later, Carroll senior Sarah Brown was named to the All American National Individual Events team at the championships held in Texas.

Meanwhile, Carroll seniors Ryan Lorenz and Forrest Laskowski won two national debate awards. They reached elimination rounds at both the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence held at Western Washington University this spring and at the National Parliamentary Debate Association national tournament. Lorenz and Laskowski are the first Carroll team to win awards at both tournaments. For more, including news about a big change to the program starting this fall, read: https://www.carroll.edu/about/pressreleases.cc?pid=3185

PASSING THE BATON

Next Friday, June 8, Carroll Interim President Paula McNutt and incoming President Tom Evans will host a reception to informally “pass the baton” as the latter begins his work and the former thanks everyone for their support and encouragement over the course of this transition. The event starts at 3 p.m. in the Fortin Science Center Scola, where snacks and beverages will be on hand.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME ENCOUNTER WITH THE LOVE GODDESS

This event really is one of those rare ones you could fall in love with: the transit of the planet Venus across the sun on June 5, as seen from the US. Carroll’s Neuman Astronomical Society and its partner, the Helena Astronomical Society, will be teaming up to show this phenomenon to the public free of charge next Tuesday evening, starting at 4:30 p.m. at the PE Center parking lot. The party goes on until sunset (around 9:15 p.m.), and telescopes will be on hand to offer spectacular views while safeguarding everyone’s eyesight (do NOT look at the sun without proper filters!). The event is weather permitting: cloud cover will spoil the show. This event is suitable for all ages. If you miss this Venus transit, you may very well be out of luck: the next one rolls around in 105 years. Thanks to Carroll Athletics for allowing this event to occur at the most popular gathering place in Helena.

Also on transit night, Carroll math and astronomy professor Dr. Kelly Cline (right) will be giving a talk on the subject at ExplorationWorks science museum, just across the highway from Carroll's campus. Admission is $5 for members, $8 for non-members (evening events are geared to adults); Dr. Cline's presentation starts at 7 p.m. until close at 9 p.m. See details at the museum's website:http://www.explorationworks.org/

THEY GOT LOTS OF BAGGAGE

For our dining services' final  2011-12 Academic Year Community Service Project, Sodexo sponsored "2x Clean Today - Cleaner Tomorrow" to mark Earth Day in the proper style. A total of 41 Carroll students, alumni and employees picked up 58 large bags of trash—with each bag holding 60 gallons, they darn near collected 3,600 gallons of castoffs from six different Helena locations. This was an advance from last year’s Sodexo Clean Up Helena Day, where 34 Carroll volunteers gathered 98 bags of garbage from public spaces. Helena is now cleaner, thanks to Sodexo’s volunteers and thanks to locals who appear to be more committed to keeping the capital city clean.

Sponsors include Power Townsend, Home Depot, Murdoch’s and Carroll Facilities for contributing gloves and bags, and Pepsi for donating the beverage station that Sodexo used at the celebration BBQ after the work was done. Class of 2010 alumnus Mason Siddick did the PR and designed the T-shirt for the event, while a number of energetic student organizers charged forward with great organization on this and other socially responsible and sustainable Sodexo projects all year: Dana Miller, Katie O'Leary, Anthony Rosales. Nikole Drummond and Allie Winkler (who joined the crew after returning from an internship with Disney in January). 

KYRGYZ ON CAMPUS

On May 23, a group of 16 military nurses from Kyrgyzstan toured Carroll College and enjoyed a lunch with college leaders, with the focus of the day our state-of-the-art nursing laboratory and teaching facilities. The Kyrgyz medical professionals were led around campus by Saints 1984 alum and board of trustees member Dr. Albert Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon from Kalispell. The Kyrgyz delegation came away deeply impressed by our nursing facility and educational offerings. Chart more details at:  http://helenair.com/news/

STUDENT NEWS

Carroll’s archaeological field school was again in the news, this time the Helena Independent Record, for unearthing the clues left behind by early residents of our nearby Big Belt range, around 3,000 or more years ago. Lab analysis on the remains found at the site continues, and the Forest Service is making a documentary film about the dig. Scoop up more evidence (and the Helena IR's photo album) at: http://helenair.com/lifestyles/

Carroll is proud to announce that out of nine Gates Millennium Scholarship winners in Montana, three will be attending Carroll starting this fall semester. The outstanding Treasure State high school seniors coming to Carroll with full scholarships thanks to Gates are: Sapphire Carter, Logan Lefler and Tyler Krell.

ALUMNI NEWS

Summer Picnics

Join Carroll alumni, current and new students, parents and college friends at the upcoming summer picnics hosted by the Carroll Alumni Office. Please bring a salad or dessert to share, and RSVP to Kathy Ramirez on-line at www.carroll.edu/alumni or email alumni@carroll.edu

Spokane: Wednesday, June 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Manito Park

Flathead Valley: Monday, July 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lawrence Park with special guest Head Football Coach Mike VanDiest

Portland: Monday, July 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mtn Tabor Park

Seattle: Tuesday, July 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mercer Island Community Center Terrace

Billings: TBA

Travel

As part of Carroll’s Alumni and Friends Alaska Cruise voyage, our new president Dr. Tom Evans and his family will be on board and joining the party during Carroll gatherings in Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. For details visit www.carroll.edu/alumni or contact Kathy Ramirez at alumni@carroll.edu

Awards

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Alumni Hall of Fame and/or the Young Alumni Award has been extended until June 10.  For details on how to nominate an alum, visit: http://www.carroll.edu/alumni/awards.cc

Coming Events this Fall

Save the date for the September 1 Carroll Fighting Saints football game at Portland State, starting at 6 p.m., and don’t forget Homecoming is September 22-24.

In the News

Michelle Sides, class of 2010, has been named sales manager at the Red Lion Colonial Hotel in Helena. She will be responsible for creating sales strategies for groups, meetings and special events, with an emphasis on customer satisfaction. She has professional background in the federal, state and private sectors and has worked for the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., and for the Washington state senate.

FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS

Fond Farewells

Kent Lindsay, Carroll’s Corette Library and St. Albert’s Hall custodian and a college employee for 16 years, is retiring, with his send-off party today, June 1, in the Corette Library starting at  3:30 p.m.

Joan Stottlemyer, leader of our Academic Resource Center, is also retiring, with her last day June 15.

Welcome Aboards

Patty White (left), class of 1982, will be returning to Carroll to take on the role of director of marketing starting June 18. Her office will be in St. Albert’s Hall. She has most recently served as the marketing and communication director for the Montana Nonprofit Association in Helena. She also worked as the associate director of the Holter Museum of Art for a year after serving as Carroll’s marketing director in 2005-2006.  She has been the executive director of the Helena Symphony, a Helena City commissioner, and from 1999 to 2004 was Carroll’s director of information technology. For eight years, Patty has also taught at Carroll as an adjunct professor in computer science, visual art and desktop publishing.

In the News

Associate Professor of Music Lynn L. Petersen (right) has had her composition Whirlwind Duo published by Augsburg Fortress in the collection Pipings for Flute and Organ, edited by flutist Dr. Teresa Bowers of Gettysburg College.  The collection includes pieces by eight contemporary American composers, literature intended for concert or church use.  Included with the volume is a CD of the compositions recorded by Dr. Bowers and organist Dr. Bruce Neswick at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.  Petersen composed Whirlwind Duo with funding from a Myrna Loy Center’s Grants to Artists program, with the piece having been performed multiple times since its Helena premiere in 2004.  More information on Dr. Petersen’s publications with Augsburg Fortress can be found at http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/contributor/5173/Lynn+L.+Petersen.

CAMPUS MINISTRY

The Rev. Jerry Lowney will be celebrating Mass at 12:30 p.m. each weekday during summer in Borromeo Hall’s St. Joseph’s Chapel. He will notify campus of times he cannot celebrate Mass due to special obligations off campus. All students and employees are welcome.

For all Campus Ministry news, Mass and sacraments schedules, homilies and much more, go to: http://www.carroll.edu/ministry/

ATHLETICS

Sports Camps

A variety of summer sports camps for youth are being offered by Carroll College. Football, soccer, basketball, swimming and volleyball, all expertly coached by Saints staff, are available for an array of ages and with overnight and day-only options. Registration for all camps is available online at www.carroll.edu/athletics/camps.cc

In the News

Lots of headlines for Saints Athletics, starting with track and field, which just returned from NAIA outdoor track and field championships. Sophomore Easton Padden (top far left) finished fifth for the second consecutive year in men’s pole vault and is now a three-time All-American. Freshman Kathleen Mulligan (right) finished second for the second time this season at a national championship event and is now a two-time All-American. Ben Cutler (near left) was among 243 men’s track and field student-athletes named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Nominees are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 and achieve a junior academic status to qualify.

And, in golf, Carroll’s team was second among the teams that missed the cut for the final round of the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships. The Saints finished the season ranked 19th in the nation. For more, read: http://helenair.com/sports/

Team members brought home high honors: Pete Markuson (above right) and Nick Shull (above left) were among 133 named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes in men's golf, and Saints Meghan Innes (right) and Cassandra Slayton (left) are among 105 named to the 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes list of women’s golf standouts.

Wrapping up the golf news, Saint extraordinaire Jim Mee was the subject of a feature story in the Helena Independent Record, offering highlights of his stellar career on the green at: http://helenair.com/sports/

For all Athletics news and game schedules, visit www.carroll.edu/athletics

COMING EVENTS

July 13-29: Summer Theatre returns to Carroll with the world premiere of The Collar – A Musical!, a story about a priest’s fractured love for two women: Angela and the Holy Mother Church. Magical music by international composer Eric Funk guides the story of a passionate but prayerful priest who struggles with doubt and isolation. Written by Carroll 1964 alumnus Dr. Frank C. Seitz and directed by Professor Chuck Driscoll. Performance dates: July 13-14-15, 19-20-22, 28-29 at 7:30 p.m. for all shows. In the Carroll College Theatre. Tickets are $16 each and available at the door on the night of the performance you choose to attend; call to reserve seats on a particular date at 406-447-4304. 

July 21: Symphony Under the Stars, on its traditional grounds at Carroll College near Guadalupe Hall. Free, this year’s concert is entitled “The Wild, Wild West” and features world renowned violinist and fiddler Mark O’Connor, plus the season’s finest fireworks display. A feature story on the event, which is also a food drive for Helena Food Share, is at: http://helenair.com/news/

July 25-27: Ballet Montana, in residence at Carroll College, presents its 17th summer season performances of “Voices in Hand” at the Myrna Loy Center, 8 p.m. Professional dancers from around the nation will present the original choreography of Ballet Montana Director Sallyann Mulcahy and troupe veteran Nathan Powell.

July 29-August 4: The 28th annual Carroll College Gifted Institute, an in-residence program for gifted students entering 5th through 9th grades, on campus.