Luther College News

Suicide attempt survivor Dese’Rae Stage seeks out other attempt survivors in order to give insight to the other side of a suicide attempt and begin a conversation about suicide attempts and loss in the documentary “The ‘S’ Word.”

The Norwegian-American Historical Association is pleased to name Anna M. Peterson, Luther College assistant professor of history, as the Association’s new editor. For the past decade Peterson has been an active scholar in the field of Norwegian-American history. She will hold the two roles concurrently.

Four Luther College faculty were named to endowed positions at the college’s Opening Convocation Thursday, Aug. 30. Maren Johnson, Luther College assistant professor of Scandinavian studies, was named the director of Luther’s new Richard L. and Judith A. Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies; Steve Holland, Luther professor of economics, was named the Bert M. and Mildred O. Dahl Chair in Economics; Anna Peterson, Luther assistant professor of history, was granted the Nena Amundson Distinguished Professorship; and David Thompson, Luther professor of Spanish, was granted the Dennis M. Jones Distinguished Teaching Professorship in the Humanities. The four have already begun preparing for these new roles.

What does it mean to find harmony in relationships? Can individuals create it or is it necessary to have a cooperative partner? Why is having harmonious interactions with others important?

The Luther College Board of Regents announced the members of the presidential search committee who will lead the process to identify Luther College’s 11th president. In May, President Paula Carlson announced she will retire after the conclusion of the 2018-19 academic year.

Area musicians soon will have a new option for musical experiences. Luther College music and education students are opening the Luther College Community Music School, open to anyone in the Decorah area.

Public libraries can contribute to the growth of a town and the minds that inhabit it, according to Luther College senior Keanna Belau and junior Collin Kern. Belau and Kern’s research show that the public libraries’ viability is sustained upon the ability to adapt to the needs of the community they serve. Partnering with the Decorah Public Library, Belau and Kern are researching ways in which the library can remain a treasured resource for the community.

When the United States left Vietnam and Southeast Asia following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Hmong who had supported U.S. military operations were targeted by the communist-supported regime in Laos. Thousands fled to Thailand and were placed in refugee camps. Following the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975, Laotian refugees arrived in the United States in great numbers. Anika Nelson, Luther College senior of Carroll, Iowa, is interviewing Hmong refugees that came to Decorah from Laos during the Vietnam War for her summer research project.

Understanding foreign cultures and global citizenship can be a struggle for some students. Peder Smith, Luther College junior of Brainerd, Minnesota, is creating, along with Luther’s Nordic studies research team, historically based role-playing simulations in order to stimulate and to engage students in the learning of modern languages.