Luther College News

Luther College has awarded Houda Abadi from Atlanta, Georgia, the Young Alumni Award for 2018. Abadi, Luther class of 2003, is currently serving as the associate director for the Middle East and North Africa Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is awarding Luther College a grant of $9,135 through its Vital Worship Grants Program, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Luther College faculty Xiao Hu and Du Huang received the Tomson Family Faculty Fellowship award. A married couple amongst Luther’s faculty, Hu has been employed at Luther since 2002, and Huang since 2001.

Luther College presented the H. George Anderson and Jutta F. Anderson endowment to Anita Carrasco, Luther associate professor of anthropology, and Rachel Storlie, Luther alumni guest lecturer in music.

Three Luther College professors, Jane Hawley, Olga Michels and Holly Moore, were granted Luther’s Doris and Ragnvald Ylvisaker Endowment this spring.

Luther College President Paula J. Carlson has announced that staff members Bradley Phillips and Erik Stoen are the 2017-18 recipients of the Luther Staff Excellence Award. Phillips and Stoen were recognized at a ceremony last summer.

Luther College junior Rebecka Green and sophomore Maxwell Eness have been selected as Peace Scholars for the 2018-19 academic year. The pair will spend six weeks this summer studying peace and dialogue in Lillehammer and Oslo, Norway.

A group of eight Luther College trumpet players competed in March at the National Trumpet Competition at the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. The group was given exceptional reviews but did not advance to the semifinals as an octet. The ensemble consisted of senior Liam Fraser; juniors Curtis Cook, Madison Ihde, Sarah Lodge, Chelsey Schmeling and Michael Winkler; and sophomores Chloe Beck and Marya Haughland.

Luther College awarded Ryan Torkelson, assistant professor of accounting, the Uwe J. Rudolf Endowed Faculty Fellowship for the 2018-19 academic year. This endowment honors Professor Uwe J. Rudolf for his dedication to Luther College, its students, the liberal arts and the Department of Economics, Accounting and Management at Luther.

Luther College sophomore Maggie Breitenstein has been named to the 2018-19 BACCHUS Initiatives Student Advisory Committee as a Student Advisory Committee Representative for Region IV-E, representing Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Ontario. This committee is a part of NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The BACCHUS Initiative of NASPA supports collegiate peer educators and advisors by empowering students and student affairs administrators to create healthy and safe campus environments.