St. Olaf College

Students eating at the cafeteria this fall will be treated to a wide variety of produce grown on campus by five hard-working student farmers. The crop grown this summer at STOGROW, St. Olaf's student-run farm, features everything from basil to zucchini.

Among the items former U.S. Ambassador L. Bruce Laingen '44 saved from the days he spent as a captive during the Iran Hostage Crisis were letters from American schoolchildren. "They were full of all kinds of good advice on how to get out of there," Laingen told the Star Tribune with a laugh. He recently donated many items to the Minnesota Historical Society.

Although the general casting call for the Coen brothers' upcoming movie titled "A Serious Man" has been completed, there may be a very limited number of slots available for extras for the classroom scenes being filmed in the old Science Center at St. Olaf.

Academy Award-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen will film part of their upcoming movie, "A Serious Man," in the old Science Center at St. Olaf. "It's a perfect fit for the look and the feel of the movie," Tyson Bidner, a member of the film's production team, told the Northfield News.

St. Olaf College has been selected to participate in the Davis United World College Scholars Program, which provides students from across the globe with scholarships to pursue undergraduate study at select American colleges and universities.

Venture capitalist Tony Miller '89 has become one of the nation's leading proponents of consumer-driven health care. The Star Tribune writes that the St. Olaf alumnus, who has a knack for upsetting convention, wants to "save health care in the United States by blowing it to smithereens."

"It would be easy to mistake St. Olaf's campus cuisine -- with its local meats and organic produce and stations for handmade pizzas and vegetarian or vegan fare -- for something closer to a neighborhood bistro," notes MinnPost.

"Some colleges are on the cutting edge in serving healthful, fresh, organic food grown locally," writes Sarah Moran in today's Star Tribune. Her story features the efforts of St. Olaf food service provider Bon Appetit, the student-run organic garden and even nearby Thousand Hills Cattle Company, owned by Todd Churchill '93.

After spending the summer touring colleges with his daughter, Star Tribune columnist John Millea concluded that St. Olaf's "elegant, grand buildings and grounds" make it a "Hogwarts for Lutherans." He also dubbed Lutefest the "best name for a college festival."

"The Bush era that defined big-government conservatism has helped the libertarian movement pick up steam," Professor of Political Science Dan Hofrenning noted in a Star Tribune story outlining the enthusiasm Ron Paul has generated.

Associate Professor of Music Janis Hardy, a beloved singer in the Twin Cities for more than 40 years, plans to retire from performing this year. "When audiences think about vocal treasures, the name of Janis Hardy comes immediately to mind," VocalEssence artistic director Philip Brunelle told the Star Tribune.

KARE11's Boyd Huppert was on campus last week to speak with St. Olaf Cabinetmaker Gregg Menning and Professor of Biology Charles Umbanhowar Jr. about the furniture that is being crafted out of trees cleared from the Regents Hall construction site.

Many campuses and cities face the energy issues of St. Olaf, says The NonProfit Times. Decreases in emissions, for example, could be countered by increases in buildings or building space. "Understanding how much energy we use and the potential is a first step," explains St. Olaf Assistant Vice President for Facilities Pete Sandberg.

Allison Johnson '10 found herself climbing a ladder high over the Cannon River this summer as her interest in evolution led her to study how cliff swallows -- which commonly move their eggs from one nest to another or lay their eggs in the nests of other swallows -- recognize their own young.

Bryn Geffert '90 is leaving his post as St. Olaf college librarian to become head of the library at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

As former St. Olaf Football Coach Chris Meidt gets settled into his new position with the Washington Redskins, the Washington Times notes that he could "go from the Cereal Bowl -- the title of the annual clash between St. Olaf and rival Carleton College -- to the Super Bowl."

A Rochester Post-Bulletin story about a rehabilitated trout stream in southern Minnesota features St. Olaf faculty member Scott Nesbit, who teaches a fly-fishing course at the college. John Weiss writes that Nesbit "got a lesson in Bluffland Streams 101" when he met a Trout Unlimited guru.

Roger Stolen '59, a pioneer in the field of optics, will have "the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most brilliant minds in the world in the field of optics" as a newly elected member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The just-published 2009 edition of Princeton Review's annual guide, The Best 368 Colleges, notes that St. Olaf College's "national reputation is sharply on the rise," and includes the college in the book's "Top 20" lists for Best Campus Food (No. 4) and Best Quality of Life (No. 17).

The New York Times notes that while 75 academic institutions offer courses in the monthlong period between semesters, St. Olaf requires students to take an Interim class. "Students can study abroad for credit or take an accelerated semester-long class," the paper states in an article examining the academic calendar at various colleges and universities.