Corbett is a vice president at CRST, a Cedar Rapids trucking company owned by fellow Cornellian John Smith ’71. He was elected to the Iowa House in 1986 and served seven terms before stepping down to take the job of president/CEO of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. While serving in the House he was speaker for five years. Corbett has never lost an election for public office.

Corbett defeated City Council incumbent Brian Fagan. With 90 percent of precincts reporting as of Tuesday night, Corbett had 13,418 votes to Fagan’s 7,742.

Gazette election coverage

Gazette profile on Corbett

Gazette story on football careers of the three mayoral candidates

Music Mondays concerts are at 7:30 p.m. in King Chapel on the Cornell campus. General admission is $10 at the door and $5 for students. Admission is free to Cornell students, faculty, staff, emeriti faculty, and retired staff, and to Purple Pass holders.

A preview of the kind of high-energy Latin jazz Tiempo Libre will bring to King Chapel can be seen on “Dancing with the Stars” on Tuesday, Oct. 27, where the band will perform “Tu Conga Bach” from their latest album “Bach in Havana,” a fusion of Bach and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

The Miami-based Tiempo Libre hails originally from Cuba, where they were classically trained at La ENA, Cuba’s premiere conservatory. Twice-nominated for a Grammy, Tiempo Libre mixes jazz, classical works, and the musical traditions of Cuba to create a group that was named “Best Latin Band 2008” by the Miami New Times.

For more information on Tiempo Libre, visit their Web site.

The rest of the 2009-10 Music Mondays schedule is:

Monday, Feb.  8, 2010
Quink, five-member Dutch a cappella vocal ensemble

Monday, March 8, 2010
The all-female Moscow String Quartet

“Country club universities.”

That’s how one Iowa newspaper described the state’s Regent institutions in a piece about how our state performs when it comes to higher education for the most needy.

We don’t go that far with such a moniker, but are disappointed that our state seems to have strayed from the point of taxpayer-supported higher education – education for all. At the same time, we’re thankful that institutions like our own Cornell College have been continuing to meet the needs of all students.

The issue, as reported in a recent edition of the Des Moines Register: Iowa is the fourth worst place in the country when it comes to the number of needy students in state universities. Specifically, the story told of a study based on Iowa’s share of Pell Grant recipients. Federal Pell Grants are for “low-income undergraduate” students to “promote access to post-secondary education.”

Data from the study shows that fewer students are using Pell Grants at state universities, while more and more are using the federal dollars at community and private colleges. Twenty-six percent of Pell Grant recipients in Iowa used the funds at public universities in 2007-08, down from 33 percent 10 years before then. By comparison, Pell Grant recipients using the funds at private colleges has held steady at 29 percent. In other words: Private colleges have consistently educated 29 percent of Iowa’s lower-income students, compared to 26 percent being educated by public universities.

We taxpayers spend oodles on the Regent institutions in Iowa – about $500 million a year. Sure, part of that is a worthwhile investment in research, job creation, economic development, etc. But the heart of the investment is in public education. Each of our students should have a shot at that.

But not as many are getting that shot.

Instead, they’re turning to places that receive little, or no, state funding.

That’s where Cornell enters the picture.

Jonathan Stroud, Cornell’s vice president for enrollment and dean of admission, said the college is “need blind” when it comes to admissions. It’s not focused on families’ abilities to write a check for tuition.

“We have enough faith that we can make it financially feasible for all,” Stroud said.

That’s because of a solid endowment and strong financial support of the college by alumni and friends. The result: Most students pay the same out of pocket as they would at a state school.

“Our student body is as socioeconomically diverse as any public institution,” Stroud said.

We’re grateful for those who donate to Cornell to make sure students have access to a high quality education – including low-income students.

Even though we frown at the numbers – Iowa’s low ranking in our public universities’ service to low-income families – we grin at places like Cornell.

After all, it should be clear that private places like Cornell aren’t “too expensive” or “unaffordable.” We’re not talking about a country club.

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel named Mount Vernon one of “America’s Coolest Small Towns” for its artistic community, culture, and food.

The magazine complimented Mount Vernon’s artistic community, cited the “Chalk the Walk” festival and, of course, cited the Lincoln cafe, and called Fuel “The unofficial clubhouse for Mount Vernon’s creative types.”

Photos for the article were also taken by Cornell art professor Sandy Dyas.

Mount Vernon’s ascension up the ladder of cool was also documented by the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Cornell’s homecoming celebrates the reunion classes of 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004. Events begin Friday, Oct. 9, and include a pep rally and fireworks in Ash Park, starting at 9 p.m.

Three alumni will be honored at convocation in King Chapel at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Stephen Grummon, a 1969 graduate, will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award for his notable career  in foreign affairs. Jerry Ringer, class of 1959 and trustee, and Elizabeth Hoyer Beeman, class agent for the class of 1969, will receive the Leadership and Service Award for their many years of service to the college.

Also being recognized during Homecoming is Dyan Smith, wife of John Smith, Class of 1971 and chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees, who will receive Honorary Alumni status Friday during the Alumni Board Luncheon.

New to the slate of events this year is a 5k run Saturday morning beginning at Ash Park at 8 a.m. Registration starts at 7 a.m.

Following the convocation, there will be an open house at the Paul K. Scott Alumni Center at Rood House from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Also on Saturday, Cornell Professor Emeritus of English and Poet-in-Residence Robert Dana will hold a book signing on the Orange Carpet in The Commons from 11 a.m.-noon.  There will be a Homecoming Studio Art Faculty Show reception from 3-5 p.m. in Peter Paul Luce Gallery, McWethy Hall on Saturday. At 2:30 p.m. on Saturday the Faculty Blockbuster Lecture for the One Book, One Campus, One Community Book The Zookeeper’s Wife will be held in Hedges Lounge in the Commons.

Other special activities include the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame  Induction Ceremony Saturday at 8 a.m.; a memorial for Ed Rogers Saturday at 9 a.m. in Allee Chapel; historic campus tours with student re-enactors at 3:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and the homecoming football game against Luther, kicking off at 1 p.m. in Ash Park.

Ackerman will participate in a range of activities open to the community, starting with the Opening Convocation Lecture in King Chapel at 11 a.m.

The author will also hold an evening reading in Hedges Conference Room at 7:30 p.m., followed by a reception and book signing at 8:30 p.m. in Shaw Lounge, both in the Commons. All three events are free and open to the public.

The Zookeeper’s Wife documents the true story of Warsaw zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who in the aftermath of Germany’s invasion of Poland saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish citizens. In 2008 it received the Orion Book Award for being “a work of art, an act of conscientious objection to the destruction of the world, and an affirmation of hope and human decency.”

“One Book, One Campus, One Community” is a program founded with the goal of creating opportunities for life-long learners to come together to talk about a fantastic book. Last year’s selection was The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere by Debra Marquart.

Ackerman has been consistently recognized for her prose. She received an honorary doctorate of literature from Kenyon College, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the John Burroughs Nature Award, and the Lavan Poetry Prize. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Parade, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and many other journals. She received an M.A., M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Cornell closed out the 2008-2009 year strongly, raising $9.8 million in gifts, pledges, and grants, including nearly $1 million for the environmental studies program and $2.2 million for the annual fund. Nearly 4,000 donors contributed to funds that allowed students to study overseas, renovated dormitories, created new classes and programs, brought in lecturers and provided student scholarships.

“Once again I am humbled by the tremendous generosity from friends and alumni of Cornell College. In a difficult financial year when less than 50 percent of non-profits reported an increase in donations our generous supporters propelled the Hilltop to an increase of nearly $1 million.” said Vice President for Alumni and College Advancement Peter Wilch. “There are many charities our alumni and friends choose to support and I am grateful so many count Cornell as a top priority for their philanthropy.”

These funds are creating opportunities for students that make the Cornell experience exceptional. Over 20 classes were held overseas this year, nearly 30 students had funded Cornell Fellowships all around the country, and renovations were completed that created or upgraded residential living spaces, improved offices and services, and created classroom and study spaces.

“I’m especially grateful to those who supported us in a very challenging year,” said Cornell College President Les Garner. “These gifts strengthen us in many ways, most importantly by allowing our students to pursue a truly distinctive liberal arts education.”

Many of these opportunities were made possible by donations to the Annual Fund, the yearly trust that creates an immediate and profound impact, enriching the lives of every student and faculty member, every day, in all corners of the college, through scholarships, improved teaching environments, and classroom improvements.

“We had an incredible response to the Annual Fund this year,” said Annual Fund Director Trish Kohl. “That so many stepped up and contributed in such a difficult year shows how much people care about Cornell and our students.”

This was also a banner year for the environmental studies program. The program, one of the first in the nation when it was formed in 1975 by geology professor and alumnus Herb Hendriks, received nearly $1 million in support this year from the Cornell College Class of 1958, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“Environmental studies at Cornell is a program with extraordinary potential,” said Garner. “It typifies what a liberal arts education should look like.”

This year also marked the completion of renovations to Pfeiffer Residence Hall, The Paul K. Scott Alumni Center at Rood House, and The Peter Paul Luce Admission Center at Wade House. All of these renovations were made possible by generous gifts from Cornell donors.

Cornell is distinctive in U.S. higher education in offering the combination of liberal arts and science study within the One Course At A Time framework in an active residential community. Cornell is featured as one of 40 institutions in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives,” was cited by the New York Times as one of 20 “stealth powerhouses,”  and has consistently ranked among the best liberal arts schools in the country according to the U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Magazine, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

On Cornell’s One Course At A Time calendar, students study a single subject for a 3 1/2-week term. The average class size is 16. Nine terms are offered each year, enabling students to pursue multiple internships and international domestic off-campus programs during the year.

The Smiths, who have donated millions to Cornell over the years, are at the forefront of “Block by Block,” a program aimed squarely at speeding up neighborhood recovery in flood-damaged areas of the Cedar Valley. The program was recently featured in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

According to the article: “By Christmas, Block by Block will have mobilized most homeowners on eight flood-damaged city blocks to agree to finishing work on their houses. Heavy lifting will come from $1.9 million in cash donations, $100,000 or more in donated materials, and countless hours of volunteer help.”

The heavy lifting on the $1.9 million is being done by the Smiths, who are contributing $1 million to the effort that came about when the couple approached Jim Ernst, president/CEO of Four Oaks about doing more the hasten the recovery.

The Block by Block program, despite its name evoking the Cornell Block Plan, is not actually affiliated with John Smith’s alma mater. Like Cornell, however, the program has Methodist ties, as it was largely founded by The Rev. Clint Twedt-Ball, a Methodist minister who runs a non-profit neighborhood effort called Matthew 25.

More information on Block by Block can be found at www.blockbyblockcr.org or by calling (319) 350-2252.

Music Mondays concerts are at 7:30 p.m. in King Chapel on the Cornell campus. General admission is $10 at the door and $5 for students. Admission is free to Cornell students, faculty, staff, emeriti faculty, and retired staff, and to Purple Pass holders.

Other groups performing this season include Tiempo Libre, a two-time Grammy nominated Latin group, Quink, a Dutch vocal ensemble, and the Moscow String Quartet.

The schedule for the 2009-10 season is:

Monday, October 12, 2009
Georgia Guitar Quartet

Monday, November 2, 2009
Tiempo Libre

Monday, February 8, 2010
Quink

Monday, March 8, 2010
Moscow String Quartet

Garner posits that the new economic reality facing the country will have lasting impact, on Cornell and on the nation. Working within that framework will take the support of alumni, friends, faculty, and staff alike. The message also addresses the specific changes Cornell will take in order to meet these pressing challenges.

Message to the Cornell Community
March 2009

Several months ago I wrote to you about the college’s well-being in these challenging times. It is clear that we are facing a recession unlike any we have encountered in decades. In this letter I report on the continuing impact of the downturn on the institution and the steps we are taking to ensure the viability of the college.

Like every other institution of higher learning, Cornell is facing a new economic reality. Our endowment declined by 30 percent during 2008, and current giving to the annual fund is, to date, lower than expected. Together, endowment income and annual giving account for 24 percent of our 2008-09 operating budget.

Applications for next year are strong, and student retention appears to be on a par with recent years. However, even if we meet our enrollment goals, we expect that our operating revenue will be no greater than in the current year. We have announced an increase of tuition and fees of 5.75 percent, which, with a modest increase in enrollment, is only enough to make up for the loss in endowment income and for needed increases in financial assistance. To accommodate other increases in costs, many of which are beyond our control, we anticipate making reductions in the range of 3-5 percent in most areas of the budget.

As we make these difficult choices, our commitment to the quality of teaching and learning on campus remains strong. The education of our students will always be our first priority. To the extent that we are able to strengthen the quality of teaching, for example in the addition of two new members of the full-time faculty, we are doing so by making reductions in other areas.

I am encouraged by the fact that the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign continues to make progress toward its goal of $92 million. The pace of that progress has slowed in recent months. We now have $87 million in commitments and believe that we can reach our goal by the target date of December 2009. Many of the gifts to the endowment have been pledged to be paid in future years, giving us the opportunity to benefit from the recovery in the financial markets.

We continue to make progress on major facility projects funded through the campaign. Students moved into a renovated Pfeiffer Hall in January, and work is under way on the renovation of Rood House. Additions and renovations to The Commons will not be undertaken until we have pledges to cover the costs of the project and sufficient cash in hand to minimize the impact on the operating budget of any interim financing.

I believe that the financial plans we are developing in concert with the Board of Trustees will allow us to emerge from this crisis as a strong institution. Our commitment to our students will not waver, but we will need the continuing support of the full range of our alumni and friends to sustain that commitment. Thank you for all that you do for this wonderful institution.

Les Garner
President

For more information on how you can help, visit our giving page.

“I’m excited about the new position and am looking forward to beginning my work at Cornell and Cole Library,” said Whisler. “Our family looks forward to living in Mount Vernon and being part of this wonderful community.”

Whisler’s husband, Bruce, is a trumpeter and music instructor. Their daughter, Katherine, is nearly 7 and “looks forward to second grade in her new school,” said Whisler.

Whisler earned a B.A. in music at Earlham College, an M.A. in music at Pennsylvania State University, and an M.L.S. at Indiana University. She has held administrative positions in libraries the past nine years, and currently serves as the assistant director of library services and reference librarian at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C.

Greg Cotton served as interim college librarian while the search was undertaken.

Stewart will present “”Feast, Flood, and Famine: Zora Neale Hurston’s Search for African American Folk Culture,” at libraries across the state of Iowa as part of The Big Read, a grant-funded initiative from the African American Museum of Iowa intended “to restore reading to the center of American culture.”

Published in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God chronicles the fictional life of Janie Mae Crawford. Janie narrates her life story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Although this novel is not an autobiography, it is inspired by Hurston’s life, including the hurricane Hurston survived in 1929.

The public is invited to the kick-off event on Wednesday, January 28, at 6:30 p.m., at the Davenport Fairmount Street Library (3000 N. Fairmount Street, Davenport, Iowa), where Stewart will deliver her talk. Other dates included:

Jan. 19: Fort Dodge Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 20: Waterloo Public Library 6:00 p.m.

Jan. 21: Des Moines Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Keokuk Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: Cedar Rapids Westdale Mall Community Room, 2600 Edgewood Rd., SW, 1 p.m.

Jan. 28: Davenport Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: Mount Pleasant Public Library 7 p.m.

For more information about upcoming Big Read programs, visit: www.davenportlibrary.com or www.blackiowa.org.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Roemer served as congressman from the third district of Indiana from 1991-2003, and was a key sponsor of the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission.

Since leaving Congress in 2003, Roemer worked for the Center for National Policy, a non-partisan public policy organization concerned with global security. He has promoted ideas on national security issues on NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX, NPR and in the pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, and others.

Roemer holds a Ph.D. in American Government from the University of Notre Dame. Roemer also earned his M.A. from Notre Dame and received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

The Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy is the centerpiece of a distinctive academic program that provides students with exceptional training in applied economics and public policy, with a special emphasis on experiential learning. It seeks to teach students how economic analysis is applied to decision-making in business and the public sector. The objective is to enhance the ability of Cornell students to bridge the gap between theory and practice in their academic program. In doing so, Cornell produces first-rate liberal arts graduates who are well-prepared to enter the workplace, and embark on successful careers in business and public policy. The Berry Center has previously hosted Nobel Laureate Robert Solow, Jesse Shapiro, Emily Oster, and Kevin Murphy, among others.

Garner stresses that the college’s core values will not change in the face of national economic instability. Furthermore, he states that, while the college may be faced with difficult challenges ahead, “our commitment to teaching, learning, and the liberal arts will not waver. With the confidence and support of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, this institution has overcome greater challenges than the current crisis, and together we can overcome this challenge as well.”

The text of the letter follows:

Message to the Cornell Community
November 2008

Recent global economic upheaval has raised concerns for all of us regarding personal and institutional well- being. I want to assure you that the President’s Council and Board of Trustees are monitoring the situation closely and are taking steps to ensure the stability of the college’s financial base and sustain the quality of our programs. While not immune to turmoil in the financial markets, Cornell College is positioned to weather the current crisis if we carefully steward our resources.

First, we are making every effort to help students and families finance their education. Last spring we restructured the financial assistance packages of 200 returning students in response to problems in the student loan market. We also are working closely with our entering students to ensure their ability to attend Cornell.

In the recent past we have experienced steady growth in enrollment. Enrollment is up over previous years, and applications for next fall are ahead of last year at this time. Admission is redoubling its efforts to engage a large pool of prospects and to recruit another strong class of students. Our Admission staff needs the support of the entire community to make certain these efforts bear fruit. Retention of current students is also crucial. By national standards, Cornell’s retention rate is high, and we must strive to retain this by providing extraordinary opportunities that keep our students engaged. In the coming years the retention of our student body will be that much more important, not only for the good of the students, but for the health of the college.

In recent years Cornell has enjoyed strong performance in endowment earnings. However, like many of our peers, we have experienced a downturn in our endowment levels this fall. As a revenue stream, the endowment provides just less than 10 percent of our operating budget, but these losses will have an impact on the campus.

We have taken and are taking steps to minimize this impact. In the spring we refinanced our debt in order to reduce our annual debt service payments. We plan to control and reduce spending for the remainder of the year and the following year, striving to do so with minimal effect on the student experience.

As part of the Extraordinary Opportunities campaign, we are completing capital projects that are fully funded by donations restricted for those buildings. Because of gifts earmarked for Pfieffer Hall, the Luce Admission Center at Wade House, and the Paul Scott Alumni Center at Rood House, those projects are either completed, in process, or soon to start. We continue to raise funds for The Commons and King Chapel.

Though the immediate future may be fraught with difficulty, the state of the college is strong, and our commitment to teaching, learning, and the liberal arts will not waver. With the confidence and support of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, this institution has overcome greater challenges than the current crisis, and together we can overcome this challenge as well.

Les Garner
President

Tickets range from $8 for adults to $5 for non-Cornell students. Faculty, staff, and students of Cornell are admitted without charge. All evening performances are at 7:30 and the Sunday matinee begins at 2:00.

Baby With the Bathwater is a dark comedy about how difficult it is to be a parent, and how scary it is to be a baby and a child. The play is written in an absurdist, playful style. As the play opens Helen and John are arguing over their new baby: what name to call it, how to stop it crying, and whether it is a boy or a girl. To their rescue comes Nanny, a sometimes terrifying woman of mysterious origins who arrives as if by magic to help the totally unprepared parents. The play contains some adult language.

Baby With the Bathwater premiered March 31, 1983 at the American Repertory Theatre. It has received considerable acclaim since then and was produced in New York City as recently as 2002. Christopher Durang is famous for his madcap, often absurdist or disturbing comedies, such as Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All and, more recently, Betty’s Summer Vacation, also previously produced by Cornell College.

Lindsay Tornquist plays Helen and Jordan Stacey her husband John in Cornell College’s production. Laura Tatar portrays Nanny. Costumes designs are by Casey Harris and Risa Alecci, both students at Cornell College. Scenic and Lighting Designer is professional guest artist Ben Schmidt. Sound design is by Cornell faculty member Don Schneider, who also serves as the production’s Technical Director.

Five licensed massage therapists from the Cedar Valley area lent their talents to the fundraiser on Nov. 18 to help raise money for the flood-damaged public library.

The Cornell College Mortar Board is a senior honors organization that has chosen to focus its efforts this year on helping to restore the Cedar Rapids Public Library. Christie Davis, a Mount Vernon-based massage therapist, helped co-ordinate the event.

“I was very excited to see that there was a group at Cornell that wanted to make raising funds for the library a priority for the year,” said Davis. “I consider it a priviledge to help coordinate this event and the many people involved in it.”

Massages were offered $5 for 5 minutes on the Cornell College Orange Carpet.

Other therapists who donated their time included Katie Heeren, L.M.T., from Mount Vernon; Karon Quarderer, L.M.T. from Cedar Rapids; Melissa Chamberlain, L.M.T., and Jean Thomas-Dietsch, L.M.T., instructors from Capri College.

Admission to the Holiday Concert is free and open to the public.

The brass ensemble will also join the choir for Giovanni Gabrieli’s double-choir anthem “Come Let Us Sing,” composed for St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Concert Choir will perform two versions of the Russian hymn “Bogoroditse Djevo,” one by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the other by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Another carol, “In the bleak mid-winter,” features soloists Matt Roberts, senior from Dunlap, Iowa, and Lindsay Robinson, sophomore from Centennial, Colo.

The 24-voice Chamber Singers will open the program with a set that includes a “There Will Be Rest,” a 1999 piece on the poetry of Sara Teasdale, composed by Frank Ticheli; “Walk a Mile,” a gospel waltz by Pepper Choplin; and “A Spotless Rose,” by Herbert Howells, featuring baritone Matt Roberts as soloist.

Chamber Singers will be joined by organist Lynda Hakken, violinists Dali Cao and Keith Ellington, and cellist Anna Yeagle for Telemann’s “Laudate Jehovam, omnes gentes,” a concert work of the late Baroque era.

John Granger, author of The Deathly Hallows Lectures, will explore the meaning of J.K. Rowling’s eye imagery in her series finale as well as its Christian content in a fun review of the world’s fastest selling book and best-selling series on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in Cole Library on the Cornell College campus. Admission is free to the lecture, titled “The Eyes of Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows’ Spiritual Vision.”

Granger is best known for explaining the artistry, meaning, and popularity of Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. His four books, How Harry Cast His Spell, Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader, The Deathly Hallows Lectures, and Harry Meets Hamlet and Scrooge: A Literary Companion to Harry Potter, are used in university classrooms from Princeton to Pepperdine.

Granger has been a featured speaker at six academic and fan conferences, and his theories and thoughts have been chronicled in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to almost 100 radio talk show appearances, Granger has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC and A&E. The DVD of the Order of the Phoenix movie includes an interview with Granger in the DVD extras.

As an ordained Orthodox Christian Reader (Psalte) and classicist trained at Phillips Exeter Academy and the University of Chicago, Granger takes his bearings from the Western and Eastern traditions, spiritual and philosophical. In addition to talks on Harry Potter, Granger has also been a featured speaker at a C. S. Lewis International Conference (Past Watchful Dragons, 2005) and the New York C. S. Lewis Society (February 2008) as well. He delights in explaining the relevance and brilliance of the medieval imagination and traditional psychology for understanding not only the popularity of Lewis, Tolkien and Rowling, but how we are meant to live in order to be fully human. Granger says great authors help us achieve with story what Lewis said was the end of human existence: “conforming the soul to reality.”

Granger lives with his wife and seven children in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

At the summit, the college was recognized for outstanding fundraising efforts during the Relay for Life that occurred on May 16, 2008.

The total amount raised by the 2008 Relay for Life of Cornell College neared $57,000, or $46.79 per student on campus based on the net total.

This is the second year Cornell has received this award, following a 2007 Relay for Life fundraising total of nearly $52,000.

Chris Davids ’09 is returning for a second year of coordinating the event and is optimistic for another successful year. In a message sent to past Relay for Life participants, Davids states, “We will continue this proud tradition [of success] at our Relay for Life in the spring.” Davids will lead the event committee alongside John Gantt ’11 over the next year.

The 2009 Relay for Life of Cornell College will take place this year on May 15, 2009 at 8 p.m. in the Small Sport Center. Individuals interested in participating should contact the Cornell College Civic Engagement Office at 319-895-4538.

They will be reinforcing the importance getting out the vote. If you plan on attending please email Cornelliansforobama@gmail.com.

Barack Obama spoke on campus on Dec. 5, 2007 in the run-up to the Iowa Presidential Caucuses. Scarlet Johansson also later appeared on his behalf.

Kutcher is a Cedar Rapids native.

If you have any questions please email Lauren Wuchte at Lwuchte10@cornellcollege.edu.

Cornell College does not endorse any candidate seeking elected office or any political party. The college does support critical thinking and analysis of political candidates by its students, faculty, and staff, and encourages them to become civically engaged in the American democratic process.

Cornell College, a vibrant liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, seeks to educate its students and community about the 2008 U.S. Presidential election process. Cornell’s mission is to sustain “a community devoted to liberal learning and democratic values,” and to that end, the college encourages student participation in the election. Throughout the election season, Cornell College will invite all candidates and surrogates for the Presidency of the United States of America to visit the historic Hilltop campus.

Over 290 new students, the vast majority of which are not from Iowa, came out for Cornell College’s annual service day on Aug. 30, and lent a hand cleaning up their adopted community. It was an effort to continue Cornell’s support of those hurt in the June floods.

All told, 346 Cornellians mucked, gutted, mowed, moved, cleaned, and otherwise helped put parts of Cedar Rapids back together. Over 1130 hours of service were logged over the course of one day, as faculty, staff, and students worked in 20 homes in Cedar Rapids, helped the Montessori School move to its new location, participated in a community-wide lawn mowing initiative in which volunteers completed 225 lawns, and worked at the Riverside Theatre on their final preparations before opening for the fall season.

A selection of photos of the service day is available in our 2008-2009 Gallery.

General admission is $10 at the door. Admission is free to Cornell students with college ID, faculty, staff, emeriti faculty, retired staff and their families, and to holders of the Purple Pass. Purple Passes will be available to Mount Vernon and Lisbon residents at the door. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. There are no advanced tickets or seating.

The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. Since they began in 1981, the Capitol Steps have recorded 28 albums, including their latest, Campaign and Suffering. They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.

Capitol Steps is the second event and first this year in an annual series of performances and lectures funded by a gift from alumnus Richard Williams ’63 and his wife, Marlene. The annual series will sponsor one lecture and one performance each year.

The exhibition opens during Cornell’s Homecoming with a reception and artists talk on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 3-5 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

This exhibition will feature works by Barbara Reinhart ’76, Sara Mast ’78, Craig Carman ’82, Alex Herzog ’98, John Wagoner ’05, and Eric Wilson ’06.

One of the featured artists, Mast, describes her painting as such: “Natural pigments are fused into the surface, in a painting process of layering, scraping, melting, and dripping encaustic. The translucent quality of beeswax makes a strong reference to human flesh, and allows me to embed layers of information about place and culture in the body of the work while simultaneously revealing it as if through geologic or archaeological strata.”

Mast teaches drawing and painting and is the Foundations program director for the School of Art at Montana State University in Bozeman.

The Peter Paul Luce Gallery is funded through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday 2-4 p.m.

For more information contact Sue Coleman at scoleman@cornellcollege.edu or (319) 895-4491.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bill Kettlekamp ’54 is exhibiting paintings in Cole Library Gallery and Carolyn Brown ’58 has a photography show in The Commons Gallery. The working title of Brown’s exhibit is “Painting God¹s House: The Folk Baroque Churches of Mexico.”

Stories on the community, including Cornell College, will appear during KCRG news, weather, and sports. Cornell invested in a short ad that will air throughout the week.

A special will air from 6-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, featuring all four 2008 “Our Town” communities: Dyersville, Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Amana, and North Liberty.

Donations of items for flood victims housed on campus are no longer needed.

Save the City
378-0337
Current volunteer opportunities:

· Prairie High School – answering phones, clothing organization and distribution

· 70 volunteers for flyer distribution in flood area (1 day only beginning 9:45 a.m., Friday, June 27

Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and shoes that may not be reusable

· Animal shelter at Kirkwood – water, clean, and walk dogs

· Westdale Mall – hand out water and cleaning supplies

Register online at http://www.corridorrecovery.org/Volunteer.asp

Red Cross
Trained Red Cross volunteers: call (319) 654-7546

“Spontaneous” volunteers with no Red Cross training may help at the Red Cross Service Center at Westdale Mall

Donations: call 1-(800) RED-CROSS

Johnson County
Volunteer efforts now directed by United Way, 338-7823
Monetary donations are directed to the United Way Disaster Relief Fund

Crisis Center
(319) 351-0140
Relocated to original location at 1121 Gilbert Court, Iowa City
Food Bank open: noon – 4:30 p.m.
No longer need water

Current needs: peanut butter, toilet paper, paper towels, household cleaning items, formula, diapers (sizes 1 & 2), baby wipes, hand sanitizer, and paper plates.