Commission Gustavus 150 Announced

At a gala evening following President Jack R. Ohle’s inauguration as Gustavus Adolphus College’s 16th president on Oct. 3, 2008, Gustavus Board of Trustees Chair James H. Gale announced Commission Gustavus 150, a major initiative to chart the College’s future and plan for its Sesquicentennial in 2012. The Commission will be led by Warren Beck ’67, President of Edina-based Gabbert & Beck.

Commission Gustavus 150 is a process established by the Board of Trustees and designed to involve all the College’s constituents in integrating and expanding the College’s Strategic Plan and making recommendations for the College’s future advancement. The Commission will engage alumni, church leaders, community partners, faculty, staff, students, and other friends in examining the College’s Strategic Plan and the College’s rich heritage and strengths.

The Commission comprises eight task forces that will examine different aspects of the College’s strategic mission, core values, and future aspirations. The task forces will be as follows.

• The Task Force on Academic Affairs and New Initiatives will be chaired by Trustee Becky Bergman, Vice President for Science and Technology at Medtronic and parent of a 2007 Gustavus alumnus. The senior staff person who will facilitate the work of the task force is Dr. Mary E. Morton, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
• The Task Force on Interdisciplinary Programs will be chaired by the Reverend Wayne Peterson, who is a graduate from the Class of 1977, Pastor of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth, and parent of a current Gustavus student. The senior staff person who will facilitate the work of the task force will again be Dr. Morton.
• The Task Force on Student Life will be chaired by Trustee Jan Michaletz, a member of the Class of 1974 and Past President of the Gustavus Adolphus College Alumni Association. Ms. Michaletz and her husband, Russ Michaletz, also Class of 1974, are the proud parents of one current Gustavus student and three Gustavus alumni. Dr. Hank Toutain, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, will facilitate the group.
• The Task Force on Community Engagement will be chaired by Karin Stone, who is a 1983 Gustavus graduate and marketing consultant based in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Toutain will facilitate.
• The Task Force on Global and Multicultural Initiatives will be chaired by Trustee Ardena Flippin, a 1968 Gustavus alumna and physician in Chicago. The senior staff member who will facilitate the work of the task force is Gwendolyn Freed, Vice President for Marketing and Communication.
• The Task Force on Faith will be chaired by the Reverend Jon Anderson, Bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a trustee of the College. The Reverend Grady St. Dennis ’92, Director of Church Relations, will facilitate the Task Force.
• The Task Force on Stewardship will be chaired by Trustee Paul Koch, a 1987 Gustavus graduate and Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at Smith Barney in Wayzata. The senior staff person working with the Task Force will be Thomas W. Young ’88, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
• Finally, the Task Force on Facilities and Finances will be chaired by Trustee Tracy Bahl, a 1984 graduate and Senior Advisor for General Atlantic in New York. The Task Force will be facilitated by Kenneth Westphal, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer.

The membership of each Task Force will be appointed by the Board of Trustees and include faculty, staff, students, alumni, church leaders, and friends. Each Task Force will be guided in its discussions by a charge prepared by the President in consultation with the Faculty Senate and approved by the Board of Trustees. Task Forces will be informed in their deliberations by data gathered from a series of National Summit meetings involving alumni, church leaders, and other friends of the College and by relevant information reported by the faculty and staff.

Each Task Force will deal primarily with issues pertinent to its charge and areas of review but will also consider appropriate issues related to community relations, diversity, multicultural and international concerns, facilities and equipment, technology, and the like. Furthermore, any recommendations from work groups that have been established to examine specific aspects of the Strategic Plan will be shared and considered by appropriate Task Forces. Each Task Force will make specific recommendations to the Board of Trustees by the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.