May 5, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Members of the Stead family were recognized for their extraordinary support of Coe during the college's commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 4. Honorees included Jerre and Mary Joy Stead, Brian and Sondra Stead, and Jamie and Cheryl Stead.

Jerre attended Coe in the early 1960s and went on to graduate from the University of Iowa in 1965. Brian graduated from Coe in 1971, and Jamie received his Coe degree in 1975. The Stead brothers are all originally from Maquoketa, Iowa.

Gifts received from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead in recent years have included a $1 million commitment for an endowed chair, the Stead Family Professor of Sociology, and more than $2 million given for the renovation of Stuart Hall in 2006. The Steads have also contributed to the college's endowment, with more than $3.1 million in total gifts to the institution.

In honor of the support provided to the college by the Steads, Coe President James Phifer announced the first named academic department at Coe. The Coe College Department of Business Administration and Economics will now be designated the Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics to honor the family in perpetuity.

In revealing the gifts from the Steads and the named academic department in their honor, Phifer praised the family's exceptional support of the institution.

"The lead gifts from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead represent a moment of great importance in the history of Coe College," said Phifer. "We are grateful for the Stead family's vision for and dedication to Coe."

Jerre Stead
Jerre Stead currently serves as the CEO and chairman of IHS, a leading global provider of critical technical information, decision-support tools and related services in a broad range of industries based in Englewood, Colo. He is a former CEO and chairman of Ingram Micro Inc., the world's largest distributor of technology products and services; former CEO and chairman, Honeywell-Phillips Medical Electronics; former CEO and chairman of Legent Corporation; former CEO and chairman of AT&T Global Information Solutions; former chairman of NCR Japan; and former chairman, CEO and president of Square D Company.

A graduate of the University of Iowa School of Business and Harvard University Advanced Management Program, Jerre Stead enjoyed some of his greatest successes during his years as chairman and CEO of Ingram Micro.  When he joined the firm in 1996, the company had $8 billion in sales, which grew to more than $30 billion by year 2000. He succeeded in taking the company public with the largest IPO for a technology company at the time. As a result, Ingram Micro expanded globally to do business in more than 130 countries.

Jerre Stead is known for his energetic leadership style and ability to turn companies around. He has co-authored several books including "Soaring with the Phoenix; Seize Tomorrow," "Start Today, Renew Your Vision," "Revitalize Your Organization and Stay Ahead of the Future," and "Leadership Unbound: A Primer for Leaders and Entrepreneurs."

Jerre and Mary Joy Stead have contributed $25 million to the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. In addition, he continues to serve on a number of business and non-profit boards, and is a Life Trustee at Coe College. The couple resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Defining Moment Campaign
Coe College unveiled the largest campaign in the institution's history in December of 2007. Defining Moment: The Campaign for Coe, seeks to raise $80 million to bolster four major areas of the college, all with the goal of supporting academic quality at the institution. Most important among these, Coe seeks to increase the size of its endowment. Additionally, the college plans to enlarge and improve its science facilities, expand the campus space available for athletics and recreation, and promote the continuing growth of the Coe Fund.

More than $60 million has already been raised toward the $80 million goal. The silent phase of the current Defining Moment campaign began in January 2005, and it will extend through June 2012.

April 23, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Coe College alumnus William P. "Bill" Johnson and his wife, Lynda, have established a $1 million endowed fund to provide scholarships for Colorado students who choose to attend Coe. Specifically, first preference will be given to students who graduate from high school in the Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colo., where the Johnsons reside.

The Lynda B. and William P. Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund awards will be $12,500 per year or more. One new scholarship will be awarded to a first-year student each year, and the scholarships will extend four school years if the individual recipients remain in good academic standing at Coe.

The latest gift represents the second large scholarship fund created by the Johnsons to support Coe students. In 1998, the couple established a $400,000 scholarship fund to benefit high school students attending Coe from Bill's hometown of Muscatine, Iowa. The Helen E. and Arthur Johnson Scholarship was named in honor of Bill's parents, who were longtime educators. Arthur Johnson was superintendent of schools in Muscatine for 30 years.

Bill Johnson graduated from Coe College in 1953 with a degree in political science. Following service in the Air Force, Johnson earned his law degree at the University of Colorado in 1958. An attorney and banking executive, Johnson is a partner in the law firm of Rothgerber, Johnson & Lyons LLP in Denver. He has been involved in various banking and community organizations over the years, and he has served as a member of the Coe College Board of Trustees since 1988.

Lynda is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and is a community volunteer. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and chaired the board of the more than $500 million Denver Foundation. Lynda participates as a member of the Colorado Women's Forum and the International Women's Forum, and has served on the board of the Boulder Community Hospital Foundation. She is currently involved in raising money for women political candidates seeking national office.

"Lynda and I recognize the value of education and the high quality academic programs offered by Coe College," said Bill Johnson. "We are pleased to establish this scholarship fund to provide educational opportunities for students in the Boulder area to enroll at Coe."

In commenting on the latest gift from the Johnsons, Coe President James Phifer noted their ongoing, generous support of the institution.

"Bill and Lynda Johnson have been long-standing supporters of Coe, not only providing significant monetary contributions, but also giving their time and talent. This substantial gift once again demonstrates their commitment to the college," said Phifer. "We are grateful for the support provided by the Johnsons, which will provide Coe scholarship opportunities in perpetuity to students in the Boulder area."

The Defining Moment Campaign
Coe College unveiled the largest campaign in the institution's history in December of 2007. Defining Moment: The Campaign for Coe, seeks to raise $80 million to bolster four major areas of the college, all with the goal of supporting academic quality at the institution. Most important among these, Coe seeks to increase the size of its endowment. Additionally, the college plans to enlarge and improve its science facilities, expand the campus space available for athletics and recreation, and promote the continuing growth of the Coe Fund.

More than $55 million has already been raised toward the $80 million goal. The silent phase of the current Defining Moment campaign began in January 2005, and it will extend through June 2012.

April 18, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Sen. Tom Harkin to deliver Coe commencement address

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Coe College on Sunday, May 4, at 10 a.m. on the college's Stewart Memorial Library mall.

Harkin grew up in central Iowa and attended Iowa State University on an ROTC scholarship. Following graduation, he joined the Navy where he served as a jet pilot on active duty from 1962 to 1967, and afterwards continued to fly in the Naval Reserves. Harkin joined the staff of Iowa Congressman Neal Smith in 1969 and graduated from Catholic University of America Law School in 1972. After working as an attorney with Polk County Legal Aid, Harkin first won election as a U.S. Representative from the Fifth Congressional District in 1974. After serving in the House for 10 years, Harkin won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984, and has represented the state in the Senate since that time. He recently announced plans to run for a fifth Senate term this year.

The Iowa Democrat has been a leader on many issues, including health care, medical research and education. Harkin authored the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. As a lifelong advocate for America's family farms and rural communities, Harkin currently serves as chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. He has promoted new uses and markets for agricultural products, been an advocate for conservation, and supported income protection for family farmers.

Harkin will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at Coe.

Lundblad holds a bachelor's degree in English from Augustana College, a master's in divinity from Yale Divinity School, and a doctorate in divinity from Lutheran School of Theology. An ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, she served for 16 years as a parish pastor in New York City, as well as campus pastor at Lehman College and New York University. Lundblad will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at commencement.

The college will also confer honorary doctorates on Senator Tom Harkin and the Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad. In addition, retiring Professor of Sociology Dr. William Flanagan will be honored with emeritus status. Flanagan is completing 30 years of teaching at Coe.

Schedule of events
Saturday, May 3
10 a.m. - Academic Honors Convocation in Dows Theatre.
11:30 a.m. - Nurses' Pinning Reception in Gage Memorial Union.
1:30 p.m. - Phi Beta Kappa initiates will be honored at an induction ceremony in the Perrine Gallery of Stewart Memorial Library.
3 p.m. - Baccalaureate service in Sinclair Memorial Auditorium.

Sunday, May 4
10 a.m. - Graduates will ring the Victory Bell in front of Eby Fieldhouse and then proceed across campus, escorted by the faculty, for the start of commencement exercises on the Stewart Memorial Library lawn. Graduates will be honored at an outdoor reception following commencement. In case of inclement weather, the commencement ceremony will be held in Eby Fieldhouse.

For more information on graduation weekend events, contact the Coe Office of Marketing and Public Relations at (319) 399-8581.

April 4, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Annual student art and pottery sale planned at Coe College

Coe College will host its 28th Annual Student Art and Pottery Sale on Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., on the front lawn and in the lobby of the Marvin Cone and Eaton-Buchan Galleries of Sinclair Auditorium.

There will be a large selection of ceramics, photographs, prints, drawings, and paintings. Current Coe students created the items as part of their art classes. All of the proceeds will go to the students, which will help pay for their lab fees and cost of materials.

According to Coe art professors, the event presents a great opportunity for the community to purchase outstanding artwork at very reasonable prices.

For more information about the Coe College Student Art and Pottery Sale call 399-8581.

April 3, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

"Long Hair to BIG Hair" theme highlights Coe Women's Chorale concert

Through the performance of classical and rock music from various eras, "Long Hair to BIG Hair" will be represented at the spring concert of the Coe College Women's Choral. The event will be held on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m., in Sinclair Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

Under the direction Coe Music Professor Richard Hoffman and accompanied on the piano by Tara Warfield, the group will perform music in three sets. Throughout the evening, various Coe students will be featured soloists, and a special Women's Chorale Orchestra will provide instrumental accompaniment for the concert.

In Part I, "Long Hair," the traditional nickname for classical-styled music, four selected movements from "Missa in C major" by W. A. Mozart will be performed in Latin.

With a stylistic jump ahead in time and even "Longer Hair," Part II will include "Song For The Unsung Hero," by Joseph M. Martin, "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb" by Mark Shepperd, "Oseh Shalom" by Joan Beckow (sung in Hebrew), and "An African Wish" by Jerry Estes (sung in Swahili and English). The Chancel Choir of the First United Methodist Church from Marion will then present "Come Follow Me" from "A Time For Alleluia" by Joseph M. Martin, accompanied by Diane Beach. For a celebration of diversity, the church choir will combine with the Women's Chorale, singing in both English and Zulu, "Hope for Resolution" – a song for Mandela and de Klerk, arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory.

Representing the "BIG Hair" of music in more recent years, Part III will begin with "Listen to the Music" by Tom Johnston, originally performed by The Doobie Brothers. This will be followed by two songs from the Broadway musical "Hairspray" including "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and "You Can’t Stop the Beat" by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. "Goodnight" by Lennon and McCartney from the famous "White Album" by the Beatles will conclude the evening's entertainment.

For more information contact the Coe Music Department at 399-8521.

March 31, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

More than 500 musicians of all ages from across eastern Iowa will perform at Coe College as part of spring Festival of Bands concerts. The Coe College Festival of Bands event is bigger than ever this year, and has grown to become one of the largest non-competitive events of its kind in the state.

Featured ensembles performing during the four-day event include the Kirkwood Community College Concert Band, the Coe College Gold Jazz Ensemble, the Coe College Concert Band, the Eastern Iowa Brass Band, the Concordia University Wind Ensemble, the New Horizons Band, and honor bands featuring elementary, middle school and high school students.

The specific events are as follows:

Thursday, April 10 - Kirkwood Community College Concert Band, directed by Beth Zamzow, at 8 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium.  Admission is free.

Friday, April 11 - Coe College Gold Jazz Ensemble directed by Steve Shanley, the Eastern Iowa Brass Band conducted by Casey Thomas, and the Concordia University Wind Ensemble under the direction of William Kuhn, at 8 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium. Admission is free.

Saturday, April 12 - Elementary School Honor Band Concert featuring guest conductor/composer Rob Grice and guest conductor Joanna Van De Berg, at 4 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium. Tickets are $2 for adults and $1 for students and senior citizens. For tickets, call the Cedar Rapids Symphony Office at 1-800-369-TUNE or 366-8203, or purchase them at the door. This concert is supported by grants from Friends of Music at Coe, with additional support from Kjos Music, Barnhouse Music, Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Sigma Phi Mu Music Club.

This marks the sixth time elementary honor band students have been selected to perform at Coe College, which makes it a unique event in the state. Students in grades four through six will be playing in two separate bands, which are designated as the Coe College Crimson Elementary Honor Band and the Coe College Gold Elementary Honor Band.

Saturday, April 12 - Festival of Bands Grand Finale Concert featuring the Coe College Concert Band directed by William Carson, with special guest conductor/composer Rob Grice, at 8 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens and are available by calling the Coe Box Office at 399-8600, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., or at the door. This concert is supported by grants from Friends of Music at Coe, with additional support from Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, and Sigma Phi Mu Music Club.

At this concert, Grice will conduct two of his own compositions, "Tenderlands" and "Mystery of the Ancient World." As well, the band will perform "76 Trombones" by Meredith Willson in honor of the 50th anniversary of "The Music Man" winning the Tony Award for best musical.

Sunday, April 13 - Coe College Junior and Senior Honor Bands Concert, directed by David Law and William Carson, with special guest conductor Rob Grice, at 4 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium, sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Symphony School. Additional support is provided by Barnhouse Music, Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Sinfonia Music Franternity, and Sigma Phi Mu Music Club. In addition, the New Horizons Band, a community ensemble of musicians, under the direction of Alan Lawrence, will perform. For tickets, call the Cedar Rapids Symphony Office at 1-800-369-TUNE or 366-8203, or purchase them at the door. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors.

The Junior and Senior Honor Bands program offers a supplemental band experience for select local young musicians from middle school through high school. Students audition for membership each fall and rehearse for several weeks before presenting winter and spring concerts.

For more information and to view the musical repertories for the concerts, go to: www.coe.edu/aboutcoe/fob.htm.

Additional information about the guest conductors is as follows:

Rob Grice
Rob Grice's compositions have been widely performed both nationally and internationally, including Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan. His original works and arrangements have been heard at the Midwest Clinic, Society of Wind Instruments (Germany), Texas Music Educators Conference, Carnegie Hall, as well as other state and regional clinics/conventions.

Grice's works have appeared on numerous state, national, and international contest music lists. A talented writer and musician, his young band compositions have gained much popularity among music educators and students alike. His ability to write pedagogically effective music for concert bands can be attributed to his experience as an educator at a variety of musical levels including elementary and secondary schools, as well as at the community college level.

An outstanding educator, he was selected as the Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Enterprise City School System in Enterprise, Alabama and was the recipient of WDHN-TV18's Golden Apple Award for his achievements in the field of education. Grice is active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator with concert bands and indoor percussion. In 2005, he was part of a clinic presented at the Midwest Band Clinic.

Joanna Van De Berg
Joanna Van De Berg graduated from Crestwood High School, a student of Mr. Phil Sehman. She received her bachelor's degree from Upper Iowa College and master's degree from Viterbo College. Van De Berg's teaching career includes 14 years at Fredericksburg Community School, 15 years at Sumner Community Schools, and three years at Sumner-Fredericksburg Middle School where she retired in spring of 2007.

For more information on Festival of Bands events, contact the Coe Music Department at 399-8521.

March 28, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss to speak at Coe 

Lawrence Krauss

Krauss has wide research interests, including the interface between elementary particle physics and cosmology, where his studies include the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity and neutrino astrophysics. He has investigated questions ranging from the nature of exploding stars to issues of the origin of all mass in the universe. 

The scholar received undergraduate degrees in both mathematics and physics at Carleton University in Canada, and earned a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then began teaching and currently serves as the Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University. Krauss has received multiple major awards for his contributions to science, is a sought-after lecturer, and is a regular contributor to various newspapers and magazines.  He is the author of best-selling books including "The Physics of Star Trek," "Beyond Star Trek," and "Atom: An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond."

Krauss is one of the few prominent scientists today to have actively crossed the chasm between science and popular culture. For example, besides his radio and television work, Krauss has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, narrating Gustav Holst's “The Planets” at the Blossom Music Center in the most highly attended concert at that venue, and was nominated for a Grammy award for his liner notes for a Telarc CD of music from "Star Trek." In 2005, he also served as a jury member at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program makes available each year distinguished scholars who visit 100 colleges and universities with chapters of Phi Beta Kappa. They spend two days on each campus, meeting informally with students and faculty members, taking part in classroom discussions, and giving a public lecture open to the entire community. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the institution by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and the resident faculty and students.

Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest academic honor society. It has chapters at 276 colleges and universities, and over 600,000 members. Coe is also one of only five private colleges in Iowa with a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter.

March 26, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

City planner featured at Coe Student Research Symposium

Coe graduate Drew Westberg, class of 2005, will discuss his graduate work and subsequent work as Long Range Planning Coordinator for the city of Cedar Rapids as part of the college's eighth annual Student Research Symposium. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 2, with more than 50 Coe students showcasing their academic projects. The event runs throughout the day in various locations on the Coe campus. It is free and open to the public.

Westberg graduated from Coe with a major in economics and a minor in classic studies. He completed an honors thesis based on two years of summer research as a Spellman Fellow, as well as serving as a Writing Center consultant and playing golf for Coe. He continued his education at the University of Iowa, where he received a master's degree in urban and regional planning. His presentation will begin at 10:45 a.m. in Kesler Lecture Hall of Hickok Hall, and it is entitled: "The Evolution of the City: It's Time to Re-Envision Tomorrow and Your Place in It."

Westberg will also speak about how his life at Coe prepared him for graduate work and what future graduate students can expect in the years ahead.

The symposium presentations, which range from academic research to artistic display and performance, are the culmination of work done by students over the past academic year. Some of the student work has been done independently, with some accomplished as part of a student and faculty team. The featured work represented in the symposium is the result of honors projects, student participation in ongoing professional research programs, and the cumulative product of an undergraduate career of achievement in the arts. Each case reflects an extraordinary effort by a highly motivated student.

The symposium will follow a format similar to that of a professional conference. There will be panels, moderated by faculty members, in which students present papers. There will also be a poster session where students will display and discuss the results of their work. In addition, there will a graduate and professional school panel consisting of recent Coe graduates. They include Warren Clarida, class of 2004, a physics major at Coe who is currently in the Ph.D. program for physics at the at the University of Iowa; Matt Bream, class of 2007, a chemistry and general science major at Coe who is currently in medical school at the University of Iowa; Rachel Parr, class of 2007, a psychology and philosophy major at Coe who is currently in the J.D. program at the University of Iowa College of Law; and Benjamin Tallman '04, a psychology major at Coe who is currently in the counseling psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Iowa.

A general schedule of the day's events includes:

For more information or a complete symposium schedule, call 399-8581.

March 20, 2008
Lonnie Zingula, Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8613 or lzingula@coe.edu

Coe College's Thursday Forum lecture series focuses on Albert Einstein in an abbreviated April series followed by the conclusion to the weather-delayed discussion of 1968.

B.D. Silliman Professor of Physics Steve Feller returns to the lectern to examine the various facets of Einstein's life. "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being" will be presented April 3 and 10.

With subject matter and a presenter that is accessible to all, a science background is not a pre-requisite for attending the forum. Topics of discussion will include relativity and Einstein's views on light, his thoughts on quantum science, his grand quest for understanding the forces of nature and their unification, his tenacious opposition to hate and bigotry, and his ironic role in the development of America's first atomic bombs.

Feller's lectures will be followed by rescheduled discussions surrounding the year 1968.

Stead Family Professor of Sociology Allen Fisher will look back 40 years to political turmoil in the U.S. on April 17. Lecture topics will include Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek re-election, Eugene McCarthy's and Robert Kennedy's quests for the Democratic nomination for president, student demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, racial violence in more than 130 cities, and a resurgent political conservatism revealed by the election of Richard Nixon.

Assistant Professor of French Joyce Janca-Aji will close the 2007-08 Thursday Forum calendar April 24 with a discussion of the call "to the barricades!" in France. Demanding social and educational reforms, students and blue-collar workers called a general strike, occupied buildings, and took to the streets. The "Events of May" evoked images of the Paris Commune of 1871 and nearly brought down the Fifth Republic of Charles de Gaulle.

The lectures will all take place in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus. The Thursday sessions begin at 9:15 a.m. and last until about 11:30 a.m. Registration is taken at the door and cost $10 per week.

For more information, call (319) 399-8561. Thursday Forum schedule:

• "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being" - April 3, 10
• "1968: Forty Years Later" - April 17, 24

March 18, 2008
Amber Mulnik, Director of Communications, The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
(319) 366-2862

William B. Quarton leaves GCRCF endowment that will impact Cedar Rapids community in perpetuity

Endowment will increase annual unrestricted granting funds from $600,000 to roughly $1.6 million

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - March 18, 2008 - Residents of Cedar Rapids will benefit in perpetuity from an endowment left by the late William B. Quarton to the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) and four other beneficiary organizations, including Coe College.

The foundation announced during a press conference at Coe College today that Quarton's recent life gifts and estate gift will create funds at the GCRCF approximating $35 million. This amount includes funds earmarked for five beneficiary groups:

1. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - $5 million
2. Community Health Free Clinic - $3.5 million
3. Coe College - $3.5 million
4. Hoover Presidential Library - $1.75 million
5. GCRCF unrestricted - $21.25

As an endowment, Quarton's gift will grow and impact the community for many years to come. The gift is invested, and only a portion of its annual fund total is used for grants in the community. This means that the beneficiaries will receive partial grants in 2008, and, starting in 2009, they will receive annual grants totaling 5 percent of the fund balance.

As a result of this endowment, the GCRCF is in the midst of restructuring its granting programs to ensure that it has a system in place that has the most benefit to the community.

"Bill Quarton was a great philanthropist, who leaves a powerful legacy in our community," said Dan Baldwin, president and CEO of the GCRCF. "I view this endowment as a challenge to us. He has passed the torch to us and now it's our turn to build on the foundation that he has given and help him realize his dream for the Cedar Rapids community."

For Coe, President James Phifer said Quarton's gift will allow the college to continue providing a high quality educational experience to generations of students to come. "Everything we do here is labor intensive," he said. "It will support, in perpetuity, everything we do."

The GCRCF consists of a collection of individual and corporate funds and resources given by local citizens and business owners to enhance and support the quality of life in their community. In 2007, the foundation made grants to 246 nonprofit groups and funded 86 scholarships, totaling nearly $4 million.

"Any donation, no matter how large or small, can have an impact on our community," said Baldwin. "The strength of the community foundation is that each contribution is combined into one big fund. That produces a larger cumulative effort and result for everyone."

Quarton was born in Algona, Iowa in 1903. Throughout his life and legendary career as a radio and television broadcaster, he crossed paths with some of history's most fascinating events and characters.

After four years as a civil servant in Washington D.C. he moved to New York City where he helped sell dictation machines at General Electric with Thomas Edison. He then headed west to Los Angeles where he roomed with cowboy film star Randolph Scott and joined the Los Angeles Stock Exchange a month before the market crash of 1929. In 1931, he moved to Cedar Rapids and found his calling in radio broadcasting, operating a number of radio and TV stations, including WMT and WMT-TV (now KGAN-TV) and mentoring a slew of newscasters, such as a young Walter Cronkite. Quarton retired in 1968, turning his attention to civic and philanthropic activities. He was a Coe trustee for more than 30 years and endowed a chair in the Department of Business Administration and Economics.

Quarton's quick wit and insight is reflected in one of his quotes, "When we retire, we do the things we WANT to do, and the things we MUST do, so the things we OUGHT to do, are left undone!"

For more information, contact Amber Mulnik, director of communications, at 319.366.2862.

March 14, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Trudeau headlines rescheduled Contemporary Issues Forum

The 2008 Coe College Contemporary Issues Forum featuring Garry Trudeau will be held on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium.  The event was originally to take place on Feb. 26, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Tickets already issued for the event will be honored on the rescheduled date.  If patrons holding tickets are unable to attend the lecture on March 25, they can return their tickets to the Coe Box Office for a refund.  The Coe Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.  Tickets for the event remain available for $10 for the general public, $5 for students and seniors, by calling the Coe Box Office at 319-399-8600.

Trudeau is the creator and award-winning editorial cartoonist of Doonesbury.  Launched in 1970, Doonesbury appears in nearly 1,400 newspapers in the U.S. and abroad.  Trudeau’s work has been published in 60 hardcover, trade paperback and mass-market editions, which have cumulatively sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In 1975, Trudeau became the first comic strip artist to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1989, 2004 and 2005.

Trudeau has contributed articles to publications such as Harper's, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, The New Yorker, New York and The Washington Post.  He has also collaborated on Doonesbury-related projects ranging from Broadway plays to television shows.

Trudeau earned his B.A. and an M.F.A. in graphic design from Yale University.  He lives in New York City with his wife, former NBC broadcast journalist Jane Pauley.

Established by the late K. Raymond Clark '30, the Contemporary Issues Forum presents the views of distinguished leaders whose work has shaped and altered the course of world events. In its first five years, the forum has featured former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former Poland President Lech Walesa, deep-sea oceanographer Robert Ballard, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

March 6, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

"Concert for Erin" set for Good Friday at Coe College

"Concert for Erin," a special benefit concert presented by the Coe College Women's Chorale, will be held on Good Friday, March 21, at noon in Sinclair Auditorium. The public is invited at no charge, and a freewill offering will be taken to benefit Erin Daman.

In early February, Coe senior Erin Daman was involved in a serious automobile accident on her way to college from her home in Springville, Iowa. Daman remains in critical condition at University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. She has been a longtime singer in the Coe Women's Chorale and to honor her, the Chorale is presenting the fundraising concert.

Musical selections, readings and prayers offered by Chorale members will constitute this 40-minute program. The event will both honor Daman and acknowledge Good Friday. A freewill offering will be accepted and presented to Daman's family to help with expenses related to her accident.

The Coe Women's Chorale is directed by Richard Hoffman, with pianist Tara Warfield. For more information call 399-8521.

March 5, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Coe theatre to present "The Threepenny Opera"

Coe junior Luke Viertel of Dubuque (playing Macheath, aka Mack the Knife) and sophomore Chelsea Zaugg of Cedar Rapids (playing Polly Peachum) star in the upcoming Coe College Theatre Department production of "The Threepenny Opera." The musical opens March 21 in the Dows Theatre on the Coe campus.

Seats are reserved, and tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door, or by calling the Coe Box Office at 399-8600, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"The Threepenny Opera" book and lyrics were written by Bertolt Brecht, with music by Kurt Weill. The large all-student cast is directed by Coe Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Dennis Barnett, with musical direction by Assistant Professor of Music Marc Falk, and choreography by instructor in dance Carol Maxwell Rezabek. Talkbacks with the directors and cast members will be held following the Thursday and Sunday performances.

In this brilliant German musical from the 1930s, Brecht creates a world of beggars and thieves in which there is no honor, where every character would sell out any other if an advantage is to be gained. It is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek look at the underbelly of society, where prevarication, collaboration and bribery are the accepted strategies for acquiring power. Set in the mid-19th century in London, this classic musical comedy follows the exploits of the criminal mastermind, Mack the Knife, as he risks imprisonment and death in order to maintain his standard of living.

"This production represents a nearly lifelong fascination with and love for the work of Brecht and Weill," noted Barnett in his director's notes. "Though these two men reached their artistic peaks around the same time and they both evolved from the same Germanic soil, the trajectories of their work in the theatre led them down very different paths. Their stories are fascinating and their work is likely to always be venerated from the multifarious explorations they made to the limits of their mediums."

For more information, call 399-8600 or visit theatre.coe.edu.

February 27, 2008
Lonnie Zingula, Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8613 or lzingula@coe.edu

Thursday Forum lectures moved to April

Lingering ice on and around the Coe College campus has again forced postponement of the third in a series of lectures entitled "1968: Forty Years Later."

Assistant Professor of French Joyce Janca-Aji's discussion of the call "to the barricades!" in France will now take place at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, April 24. Demanding social and educational reforms, students and blue-collar workers called a general strike, occupied buildings, and took to the streets. The "Events of May" evoked images of the Paris Commune of 1871 and nearly brought down the Fifth Republic of Charles de Gaulle.

Stead Family Professor of Sociology Allen Fisher's lecture on political turmoil in the U.S. will now take place at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, April 17. Lecture topics will include Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek re-election, Eugene McCarthy's and Robert Kennedy's quests for the Democratic nomination for president, student demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, racial violence in more than 130 cities, and a resurgent political conservatism revealed by the election of Richard Nixon.

The lectures will take place in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus. Registration is taken at the door.

For more information, call (319) 399-8561.

February 25, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Trudeau speech postponed until March 25 at Coe

The 2008 Coe College Contemporary Issues Forum featuring Garry Trudeau, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, has been postponed due to inclement weather. The event will now be held Tuesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium.

Tickets already issued for the event will be honored on the rescheduled date. If patrons holding tickets are unable to attend the lecture on March 25, they can return their tickets to the Coe Box Office for a refund. The Coe Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tickets for the rescheduled event remain available for $10 for the general public, $5 for students and seniors, by calling the Coe Box Office at 319-399-8600.

Trudeau is the creator and award-winning editorial cartoonist of Doonesbury. Launched in 1970, Doonesbury appears in nearly 1,400 newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. Trudeau's work has been published in 60 hardcover, trade paperback and mass-market editions, which have cumulatively sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In 1975, Trudeau became the first comic strip artist to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1989, 2004 and 2005.

Trudeau has contributed articles to publications such as Harper's, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, The New Yorker, New York and The Washington Post. He has also collaborated on Doonesbury-related projects ranging from Broadway plays to television shows.

Trudeau earned his B.A. and an M.F.A. in graphic design from Yale University. He lives in New York City with his wife, former NBC broadcast journalist Jane Pauley.

Established by the late K. Raymond Clark '30, the Contemporary Issues Forum presents the views of distinguished leaders whose work has shaped and altered the course of world events. In its first five years, the forum has featured former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former Poland President Lech Walesa, deep-sea oceanographer Robert Ballard, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

February 21, 2008
Lonnie Zingula, Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8613 or lzingula@coe.edu

Coe College's Thursday Forum lecture series focuses on Native American history in March.

In a broad-ranging historical presentation, Assistant Professor of History Derek Buckaloo will present "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History." These first peoples will be portrayed both on their own terms and in relation to the European colonization that has led to the present-day United States.

Beginning before European arrival and moving through our continent's history, the forum will touch on the full gambit of topics and issues - from the early, formative years of Indian-European relations to religion, from trade and warfare to the often-vexed relationship between Native Americans and the government of the United States. Concluding with such contemporary issues as casinos, mascots, and activism, the forum aims to set Native Americans, and indeed the America we all live in today, in an enlightening historical context. 

Week one will concentrate on Native America on either side of permanent European arrival in 1492, while week two will consider the British colonial period. Week three will cover the span of years from 1783 to 1934, and the final week will present modern Native America to the present day.

The lectures will take place in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus on March 6, 13, 20 and 27. The Thursday sessions begin at 9:15 a.m. and last until about 11:30 a.m. Registration is taken at the door. The cost of the four-part series is $30, or $10 per week.

Buckaloo's presentation has been moved up from April in place of "Great Hollywood Film Directors of the 1930s," which has been cancelled. The Thursday Forum series will conclude in April with a two-week presentation by B.D. Silliman Professor of Physics Steve Feller entitled "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being."

For more information, call (319) 399-8561. Thursday Forum schedule:

• "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History" - March 6, 13, 20, 27
• "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being" - April 3, 10

February 20, 2008
Lonnie Zingula, Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8613 or lzingula@coe.edu

Lingering ice on and around the Coe College campus has forced postponement of the third in a series of lectures entitled "1968: Forty Years Later."

Assistant Professor of French Joyce Janca-Aji's discussion of the call "to the barricades!" in France will now take place at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28. Demanding social and educational reforms, students and blue-collar workers called a general strike, occupied buildings, and took to the streets. The "Events of May" evoked images of the Paris Commune of 1871 and nearly brought down the Fifth Republic of Charles de Gaulle.

Stead Family Professor of Sociology Allen Fisher's concluding lecture on political turmoil in the U.S. will now take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 2. Lecture topics will include Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek re-election, Eugene McCarthy's and Robert Kennedy's quests for the Democratic nomination for president, student demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, racial violence in more than 130 cities, and a resurgent political conservatism revealed by the election of Richard Nixon.

The lectures will take place in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus. Registration is taken at the door.

The series continues in March under a revised schedule. Assistant Professor of History Derek Buckaloo's presentation, entitled "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History," has been moved up from April in place of "Great Hollywood Film Directors of the 1930s," which has been canceled. The Thursday Forum series will conclude in April with a two-week presentation by B.D. Silliman Professor of Physics Steve Feller entitled "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being."

For more information, call (319) 399-8561. Revised Thursday Forum schedule:

• "1968: Forty Years Later" - Feb. 7, 14, 28 and March 2
• "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History" - March 6, 13, 20, 27
• "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being" - April 3, 10

February 19, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Columbus Dance Theatre to perform "The String Machine" at Coe

Members of the Columbus Dance Theatre will perform "The String Machine" on Sunday evening, March 2, at 7 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium on the Coe College campus. The public is invited to attend the event at no charge, with no tickets required.

CDT is a nationally recognized contemporary ballet company based in Columbus, Ohio. The company's repertoire is a fusion of ballet and contemporary movement in highly theatrical performances.

The CDT's first-ever appearance at Coe will feature "The String Machine," choreographed by Tim Veach, the company's founder and artistic director. The hour-long work merges modern dance, technology (symbolized by a "machine of sound and movement"), and the string quartet music of Beethoven, Shostakovich, Astor Piazolla, Korine Fujiwara, and Frank Bennet. The premiere performance of "The String Machine" was filmed in November of 2007 and will be aired on public television stations this spring.

Founded in 1998, the CDT company is composed of 10 professional dancers, including Cedar Rapids native Kristin Marrs. CDT's performance at Coe is made possible by the generous support of Friends of Music at Coe and several anonymous donors.

For more information, call 399-8521.

February 18, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Recent ceramic work by Ben Jensen, paintings by Wendy S. Rolfe, and the artwork of students from Mount Mercy College, Cornell College and Kirkwood Community College will be featured in upcoming Coe College art shows. An opening reception will take place in the Marvin Cone and Eaton-Buchan Galleries of Sinclair Auditorium on the Coe campus on Friday, Feb. 29, from 5-7 p.m. The works will be on display March 1 through March 23 from 3-5 p.m., except the exhibits will be closed during Coe's spring break from March 8-16. Both the reception and the exhibitions are free and open to the public.

This is the third annual rotating exhibition for students of the colleges whose works will be included in the show. As the hosting institution, Coe students do not exhibit in this particular show. In addition, the artwork of Jensen and Rolfe will be featured, with details as follows:

A ceramic work by Ben Jensen

Ben Jensen ceramics exhibit

"My forms are informed by the humble and accessible style from medieval Europe, the robust and simple utility of the southeastern U.S., and many of the historic tea ceremony and serving vessels of Japan," noted Jensen in his artist's statement. " In the end, each pot is left with a 'roadmap' of its creation - the marks of making, the path of the flame, the human hand - all of which can be retraced, studied and appreciated anytime. Each piece is ready for a conversation, eager to become part of a daily dialogue."

Jensen earned an associate's degree from Kirkwood, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University. He currently teaches art at both Kirkwood and Mount Mercy and resides in Cedar Rapids. Jensen has displayed his ceramics at various juried and group exhibitions across the U.S.

"Homeward Bound" by Wendy Rolfe

"As a painter, I am trying to go inside everything I create," said Rolfe. "As a spiritual person I am trying to understand prayer as an effect of the mind and of our thoughts, outside of, but not opposed to the didactic traditions of Christianity. I refer to this as the psychology of enlightenment. I search for concepts and archetypal symbols that best represent this interior path."

Rolfe's paintings have been exhibited at art shows across the country for more than 20 years. In addition, her works are on display at numerous galleries.

For more information on the exhibits, call 399-8581.

February 14, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Langston Hughes' "Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz," featuring the Ron McCurdy Quartet, will be presented at an upcoming Marquis Series event at Coe College. The performance will take place on Friday, Feb. 29, beginning at 8 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium.

Tickets will be available at the door or by calling the Coe College Box Office at 319-399-8600, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for the general public, $10 for students and seniors.

"Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz," a masterwork written as a 12-part poetic suite by Langston Hughes in the early 1960s, is brought to life as a multimedia presentation. During the performance, the audience will experience the mood of the Harlem Renaissance as illustrated by the spoken word, accompanied by a live jazz quartet and large-as-life visual illustrations on screen.

Hughes was a noted African-American poet, writer and playwright who died in 1967 before a full production of his work could be developed. McCurdy worked in collaboration with John S. Wright, Morse-Amoco Distinguished Teaching Professor of Afro-American Studies and African Studies and English at the University of Minnesota, to expand upon Hughes' original concept, adding music and images from the Harlem Renaissance. Wright felt that the unrealized work had enormous potential, not only to entertain, but more importantly to introduce modern audiences to the power of Hughes' words and the eloquence of his political discourse.

African-American artists and photographers including Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks and Romare Bearden link words and music to a kaleidoscopic collection of images that present Hughes' vision of the global struggle for freedom in the 1960s. Music director and composer Ron McCurdy works in collaboration with Eli James Brueggemann, Edwin Livingston and Peter Buck to create a performance that will appeal to children and adults of all ages.

About the Artists
Dr. Ron McCurdy is chair of the Jazz Department and professor of music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC) and serves as past-president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). McCurdy serves as a guest clinician, soloist, speaker, director of honor jazz ensembles and choirs throughout North America each year.

Pianist/vocalist Eli Brueggemann traverses many genres. He has recorded with a wide range of jazz greats and is an in-demand studio session layer and producer. Brueggemann also serves as musical director for Universal/Decca recording artist Chantz Powell.

Peter Buck has played in bands that span the musical spectrum from jazz to rock and from country to rhythm and blues. He has toured and recorded with leading artists. Buck is active in the local Los Angeles jazz scene and teaches percussion at Cypress College. Bassist/composer Edwin Livingston has performed and recorded with numerous notable artists and masters.

The Marquis Series at Coe College
The Coe College Lecture and Performance Series is funded in part by a gift from the estate of Sarah Marquis, in honor of her father, Dr. John A. Marquis, who was president of Coe College from 1909-1920. The purpose of the series is to bring entertainment and educational experiences to the Coe campus for the benefit of the entire community.

February 7, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Jazz Summit 2008 Grand Finale Concert set for Feb. 23 at Coe College

Members of Quartet of Happiness include (left to right) Austin - McMahon, Rick Stone, Kelly Roberge and Kendall Eddy.

Tickets are available by calling the Coe Box Office at 319-399-8600 from 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Monday through Friday, or at the door. Prices are $10 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors.

The Grand Finale concert is the closing event of a two-day jazz festival and clinic, held Feb. 22 and 23. Events held annually at the Jazz Summit include concerts, awards, workshops, and a jazz band competition, which includes more than 1,000 middle school and high school students.

Along with Quartet of Happiness, the concert will feature the Coe College Gold Jazz Ensemble, directed by Steve Shanley, a local jazz pianist and music educator.

Music performed by the Coe College Gold Jazz Ensemble will include "It Could Happen to You" by Van Heusen, arranged by George Stone, "Across the Track Blues" by Duke Ellington, "Vine Street Rumble" by Benny Carter, "You Love But Once" by Oliver Nelson, and "Los Brujos de Cisano" by Matt Harris.

The Coe musicians will be joined by Quartet of Happiness to perform three original compositions written by the guest artists, including "Radio" by Kelly Roberge, "Lullaby of It's Mutiny" by Rick Stone, and "Can You Hear Me Now?" by Austin McMahon.

Held annually the last weekend in February, the Jazz Summit features appearances by leading jazz musicians. The Jazz Summit was founded in 1992 and continues a tradition of jazz festivals at Coe College that stretches back to the 1970s. During this period, the festival has grown from an afternoon event with an evening concert to a two-day festival encompassing clinics, workshops, jam sessions, a jazz band competition, an awards ceremony, and the huge Grand Finale concert featuring the jazz ensembles from Coe College and performances by the guest artists.

Jazz Summit 2008 is sponsored by the Coe College Bands, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and the Coe Music Department, with additional support from Friends of Music at Coe. Dr. William Carson the Jazz Summit administrator.

For more information, call 399-8600.

February 6, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Cuisine from around the world will be featured at the Coe College International Club's 34th annual banquet on Sunday, Feb. 24. Appetizers will be served during a reception at 6 p.m. in the upper lobby of Gage Memorial Union, followed by the dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of Gage.

The event is open to the public and tickets are $10, free for children 12 and under. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available by calling the Coe Box Office at 399-8600, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

As in past years, Coe international students will don costumes and serve from a buffet line reflecting their nationalities. A brief program featuring the students will follow the dinner.

This year's banquet features foods from various countries including Vietnam, Bulgaria, Nepal, India, China, Japan and Korea, as well as Navajo nation. Lamb kabobs, moussaka, chicken wings with Coca-Cola, chicken curry and Persian ice cream will be featured, along with many other specialty foods.

For more information, call 399-8600.

January 28, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau headlines 2008 CIF

Garry Trudeau

Garry Trudeau, the creator and award-winning editorial cartoonist of Doonesbury, will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Coe College Contemporary Issues Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Sinclair Auditorium.

Tickets are available for $10 for the general public, $5 for students and seniors, by calling the Coe Box Office at 319-399-8600 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Launched in 1970, Doonesbury appears in nearly 1,400 newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. Trudeau's work has been published in 60 hardcover, trade paperback and mass-market editions, which have cumulatively sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In 1975, Trudeau became the first comic strip artist to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1989, 2004 and 2005.

Trudeau has contributed articles to publications such as Harper's, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, The New Yorker, New York and The Washington Post. He has also collaborated on Doonesbury-related projects ranging from Broadway plays to television shows.

Trudeau earned his B.A. and an M.F.A. in graphic design from Yale University. He lives in New York City with his wife, former NBC broadcast journalist Jane Pauley.

Established by the late K. Raymond Clark '30, the Contemporary Issues Forum presents the views of distinguished leaders whose work has shaped and altered the course of world events. In its first five years, the forum has featured former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former Poland President Lech Walesa, deep-sea oceanographer Robert Ballard, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

January 25, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning production, "The Vagina Monologues," will be performed Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8–9, on the Coe College campus. More than 30 Coe students will present these performances for the seventh consecutive year, as part of a worldwide effort to heighten awareness of and help stop violence against women and girls.

The Feb. 8 event will be dinner-theater style, including a silent auction and raffle. It will be held in The "U" dining hall in Gage Memorial Union, with the dinner at 7:30 p.m. followed by the performance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. On Feb. 9, the performance will be held at 9 p.m. in the P.U.B., adjoining Gage Memorial Union. Tickets for this show are $5.  Tickets are available at the door or by calling the Coe Box Office at 319-399-8600, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"The Vagina Monologues" is a series of monologues based on interviews of women from all over the world. Bringing forth powerful emotions, the play works to actively enlighten the audience.

Coe students organize and produce these benefit performances. Most of the proceeds from this year's performance will benefit local organizations including Waypoint and the Iowa Women's Medical Aid Fund.

In addition, 10 percent of the proceeds will go to support the "Global V-Day Campaign." Each year V-Day increases awareness by focusing on a specific group of women in the world who are exhibiting courage and vision. In 2008, the spotlight is turned to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The campaign will highlight the daily ongoing work of women in their communities who have steadfastly kept New Orleans and the Gulf Coast alive with little to no resources. These women - "Katrina Warriors" - will be honored for their strength and resilience in the face of devastating loss.

January 23, 2008
Lonnie Zingula, Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8613 or lzingula@coe.edu

Coe College's Thursday Forum lecture series travels back in time 40 years in February to "the year that rocked the world."

Also called "the year of the barricades," 1968 was marked by political turbulence around the world. While John Lennon sang "Revolution," protest movements swept across Europe, the United States, Mexico, and Japan. Students took to the streets, and the protests - and government responses to them - often took a violent turn.  

During week one of February's forum, Assistant Professor of History Derek Buckaloo sets the Cold War scene, focusing on student resistance to U.S. intervention in Vietnam and on Czechoslovakia's spontaneous "Prague Spring" uprising against oppressive Soviet rule and for "socialism with a human face." A special tour of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library's exhibit on the events of 1968 in Czechoslovakia will be arranged for any interested forum participants.

In week two, Associate Professor of Political Science Lynda Barrow turns toward Mexico's Tlatelolco massacre. Inspired by events elsewhere, radical students and workers sought reforms that challenged the political order. Months of protests met with escalating state violence and culminated in government shootings of hundreds of unarmed protestors and the imprisonment of countless more.

In the third week, Assistant Professor of French Joyce Janca-Aji discusses the call "to the barricades!" in France. Demanding social and educational reforms, students and blue-collar workers called a general strike, occupied buildings, and took to the streets. The "Events of May" evoked images of the Paris Commune of 1871 and nearly brought down the Fifth Republic of Charles de Gaulle.

Stead Family Professor of Sociology Allen Fisher concludes the series by examining political turmoil in the United States. Lecture topics will include Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek re-election, Eugene McCarthy's and Robert Kennedy's quests for the Democratic nomination for president, student demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, racial violence in more than 130 cities, and a resurgent political conservatism revealed by the election of Richard Nixon.

The lectures will take place in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus on Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28. The Thursday sessions begin at 9:15 a.m. and last until about 11:30 a.m. Registration is taken at the door. The cost of the four-part series is $30, or $10 per week.

The series continues in March under a revised schedule. Buckaloo's presentation, entitled "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History," has been moved up from April in place of "Great Hollywood Film Directors of the 1930s." The Thursday Forum series will conclude in April with a two-week presentation by B.D. Silliman Professor of Physics Steve Feller entitled "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being."

For more information, call (319) 399-8561. Revised Thursday Forum schedule:

• "1968: Forty Years Later" - Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28
• "First Americans: Native America in U.S. History" - March 6, 13, 20, 27
• "Albert Einstein: Scientist, Moralist, and Human Being" - April 3, 10

January 9, 2008
Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(319) 399-8605 or rpritcha@coe.edu

More than 1,400 third graders from 22 area elementary schools will display their artwork at Coe College as part of a unique collaboration between the college and the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, "Third Grade Clay" runs from Friday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, Feb. 10 in the Marvin Cone and Eaton-Buchan Galleries of Sinclair Auditorium.

The opening of the exhibit and a reception for the young artists and their families will take place in the Sinclair lobby on Friday, Jan. 25, from 5–7 p.m. The public is invited to attend free of charge and refreshments will be served. Regular gallery hours are 3–5 p.m. daily beginning on Saturday, Jan. 26, and admission is free. For more information call 399-8581.

For two decades, "Third Grade Clay" has provided young artists with the opportunity to show three-dimensional work in a professional environment. Generally, the young artists from each elementary craft an individual piece of clay in conjunction the theme selected by the school, yielding nearly two dozen creative displays.

Coe Gallery Director and Instructor of Art Agnieszka Ligendza organizes the event. Ligendza says that thanks to the talented youngsters and their art teachers, "Third Grade Clay" has become one of the most popular art shows held at the college each year.