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In Fall 2006, Faculty Associates of Superior Connections gathered in a variety of boats on Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay at Ashland. The old Soo Line oredock is in the background.
Title: Associate Professor of English and Superior Connections Program CoordinatorEmail: abrew@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1999Education: B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College; M.A. and Ph.D., University of North Carolina
Growing up, I lived in a small, Midwestern town near Oiyuwege, a well-established Dakota Indian crossing of the Minnesota River. My winter days were filled with sledding, skiing, and lots of reading. My summers with fishing, biking, and excursions to the north woods and the mountains of the west.
As an undergraduate at Gustavus Adolphus College, I traveled to the Southwest to study geology, to the lake country of northern Minnesota to study winter ecology by dogsled, and to Exeter, England, to study Shakespeare and the British romantic poets. When I graduated, I was still searching for a vocation that would allow me to combine my passions for literature and the natural world.
This search led me to the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, where I worked for a summer as an interpretive ranger at Harriman State Park, to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where I earned a doctoral degree in American literature, and, finally, to Northland College, where I am able to teach courses that reflect my special interest in exploring the relationship between humans and the natural world. Regularly, these courses take me to the canyons of the Southwest, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and the lakes of the Boundary Waters.
As a teacher and student of literature, I am committed to the preservation and exploration of stories, and I strive to connect individuals with narratives that comfort, challenge, guide, and, ultimately, place them in the rich complexities of the human experience.
Title: Associate Professor of Environmental Education and Outdoor EducationEmail: crussell@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1990Education: B.S., Western Illinois University; M.A., Ball State University; M.S., University of Montana
My favorite thing about Northland College is Location, Location, Location! We have access to great river and lake canoeing, the North Country Trail, wilderness areas, national lakeshores, Indian reservations, and who can forget the 10 percent of the world’s freshwater in Lake Superior.
I am currently working on a place-based field guide to outdoor experiential activities with an accompanying regional literature component. I am also interested in how the “habits of mind” used to pursue natural history can improve the quality of our lives. I’m intrigued by sense of place studies, the power of language, our perception of time, and the evolution of an outdoor education praxis.
The majority of our students participate actively in the pursuit of a quality education. They take opportunities, make opportunities, and aren’t afraid to ask for more. Our location contributes a great deal to the shaping of fulfilling studies and a meaningful life.
A plethora of childhood outdoor experiences in fields, woods, and local streams held my fascination and helped shape my early career and education choices.
I enjoy canoeing historic voyageur routes, basket making, rawhide work, brain tanning, reading, rock climbing, powwow culture, and development of the International Camping Museum.
Title: Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy and Campus MinisterEmail: dsaetre@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1997Education: B.A., St.Olaf College; M.Divinity, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
My favorite things about Northland College are its mission and commitment to higher learning for the sake of the Earth. We are a small college with a unique mission. Our size allows our students and faculty to know one another and work closely together, and our mission commits us to learning with a purpose beyond ourselves.
I am researching the nexus of religion and culture, especially current developments in Islam and contemporary divisions within North American Christianity. Also, the rise of modern fundamentalism and the role of religion in American society.
I have been both fascinated and repelled by the power of religion for as long as I can remember. Religious and spiritual experience draw us into both the most sublime and the most terrifying arenas of human existence. In the study of religion, I found a discipline dedicated to asking the fundamental questions of our existence, a way of confronting life at its heights and depths. And, I still find within it the possibility of renewing the power of religious symbols so that our distressed and alienated spirits might once again feel authentically at home. I enjoy fly fishing, poetry, river and lake paddling, movies, and art history.
Title: Associate Professor of Mathematics and Applied StatisticsEmail: dogle@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1996Education: B.S., Northland College; M.S. and Ph.D., University of Minnesota
I like the intimacy of a relatively small faculty and number of students in a relatively small community. At Northland College, you know many people by name and nearly all by sight.
I try to balance concepts and theory with applications. Thus, all of my courses consist of lecture along with laboratory demonstrations and assignments that are focused on applications. I try to keep statistics real and focused.
I expect students to have an open mind to understanding how statistics is used to answer critical questions about populations based on imperfect information (i.e., a sample). I expect students to be excited about their classes and research and I expect this to translate into enthusiasm and preparation for learning. I expect students to challenge norms.
I am excited about teaching the Superior Fisheries course because I have “interacted” with Lake Superior for the majority of my adult life. Lake Superior was at the center of my choice of undergraduate institution (Northland College), master’s and doctoral research (fisheries science at the University of Minnesota), and place to pursue my career. In addition, the Lake Superior watershed is my source of relaxation and rejuvenation (physically and spiritually). Most interesting to me, though, is that Lake Superior has also spurred my interest in areas that are neither totally personal (e.g., recreation) or professional. For instance, my interest in the commercial fishing industry developed into an examination of Scandinavian and Native American cultures. These interests, in turn, led to readings of American history and related civil rights and environmental injustice issues. In some sense, Lake Superior broadened my knowledge-base and areas of interest similar to the intent of a liberal arts education. From this experience, I fully believe that the centrality of Lake Superior in a curriculum will provide fertile ground for undergraduate students at Northland College to broaden their interests and understandings.An education at Northland College is different than at most other colleges because you have access to members of the faculty. At most other colleges or universities, professors keep strict office hours that are “sacred.” At Northland College, if you have a question, you go see your professor and the two of you work through the problem, whether the professor has office hours at that time or not.
I like to listen to and collect blues music; snorkel, kayak, fish, bike, and walk with my wife (Kim) and dog (Jordan); home-brew beer and wine.
Title: Assistant Professor of ArtEmail: dalbrecht@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1980Education: B.A., Michigan State University; M.A., University of Wisconsin-Superior; M.F.A., Rockport College
My favorite things about Northland College are the ways I am able to interact with students and faculty colleagues.
The visual language does not correlate precisely to verbal and written language because visual forms do not respond well to logic. My research in this area focused on the photography of Diane Arbus, August Sander, Brassai, and E.J. Bellocq, all of whom, to a more or less degree, used their cameras as a means of thoughtful expression, or as pure intuitive expression. The purpose of the study was to see how I could translate more of the intuitive approach to my own black and white art photography.
I found that my shooting style became looser, less rational, and more intuitive when I traded my Mamiya camera for the all-plastic, imprecise Holga toy camera.
I continue to research and share approaches to the philosophy of art more generally. In Intro to the Fine Arts, we look at nine sets of propositions, each by a different philosopher through time, regarding their understanding of what art is, how it functions, and the transformative nature of art. It is this last point in which I am most interested because I think, generally, people think of art as some sort of imitation of what it portrays instead of thinking of it as its own, new, unique reality. Once we comprehend this notion deeply, we can begin to allow such art to transform our own inner capacity for feeling, to “open the heart,” as Winterson says.
The personal interactions the students have among their peers and the faculty is unique to Northland College. They also have exposure to a beautiful place, specifically northern Wisconsin and Lake Superior. Art is its own language. It’s another way of knowing. There is a lot of creativity involved and it’s fun.
I enjoy being on Lake Superior in small boats (wooden, classic); films; woodworking on a modest scale (i.e. half-hull boats); camping; fine food; and acting at Stage North.
Title: Associate Professor of Biology and Natural ResourcesEmail: dsmith@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1998Education: B.S., Northland College; M.S., University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
What I like best about Northland College is the mission. We are a faculty who value the liberal arts and the environment. Both parts of the mission are important to me because I believe it will take all types of thinkers and all the disciplines to solve our environmental problems. I also enjoy our students, who are passionate about environmental and social injustices, and I love our location. With thousands of acres of public land within a short drive of campus, the greatest of the Great Lakes within walking distance, and miles of rivers and trails to be explored. Who could be bored?
My current research projects include a grant with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to pilot an inventory of flying squirrels using mitochondrial DNA, and a grant with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to investigate the impacts of a rapidly expanding deer population on the understory shrubs and herbs in forests that have experienced little deer herbivory over the last century. In addition, I am working with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to explore the impact of prescribed fire on shrub and herbaceous communities in the globally threatened Moquah Pine Barrens. And lastly, along with students I conduct an annual sharp-tailed grouse survey in the Moquah Pine Barrens for the state DNR.I think that students at Northland College are fortunate because of the opportunities they have to interact with faculty. We are a small college and we all benefit from that. Also, the college is located in the (natural) resource. We have 6-7 state and federal natural resource agency offices in the area and our students get great internship and summer job opportunities here. We also have an incredible landscape for conducting labs in the North Country. I don’t know of many colleges that can offer students the variety of ecological community types that we can. Lastly, I see the environmental liberal arts mission as a huge bonus to our students and their way of thinking about social and environmental problems.
I was drawn to my discipline from a very early age. As a kid I could play all day long in the “swamp” in back of our house catching snakes and frogs and tadpoles. I grew up watching animal shows on television, and as soon as I learned about the field of wildlife ecology I was hooked. I know today my research investigations are much more structured than my early “sampling” of wildlife but I still enjoy watching wildlife and identifying plants, birds and mammal tracks in my spare time.
My hobbies? As if you couldn’t guess. I like naturalizing (finding birds, plants, mammals, herpetiles), paddling (anything), snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and reading in front of the wood stove when it gets too dark to do the previous activities.
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace, Conflict, and Global Studies and Environmental StudiesEmail: jameeker@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 2001Education: B.A., DePauw University; M.A., University of Notre Dame; A.B.D., Syracuse University
For me, the best thing about Northland College is the energy and commitment of our students. Students continually inspire me and they make our job here a pleasure.
I think students at Northland are able to make deeper connections with their faculty – the faculty members here not only provide strong teaching, but they engage students’ learning outside of the classroom.
Aside from preparation for teaching, I am interested in how conflict transformation processes can create more just and less violent responses to conflicts. Specifically, I’m researching the role of “emotions” in conflict resolution work. I’m considering how emotions, or our “lived sensibilities,” can serve as an important indicator of the gap between our current world and the world we desire, and how paying attention to this gap can help inform us on how best to respond to conflicts.
Even though I didn’t know it at the time (I was an English literature major) my first peace studies class as an undergraduate got me hooked on my field. I became excited about learning about the world in ways that encouraged me to engage my learning toward positive change. The next important factor leading me to peace studies was international travel. I recognized the value of looking from diverse angles and that diversity is core to peace.
Away from work, I remember when Jim Meeker invited me to my first faculty party, and he added nonchalantly that I should bring my snowshoes. This gave me pause, and I realized I was certainly not in New York anymore. Now snowshoeing is one of my favorite things to do around here.
Title: Associate Professor of SociologyEmail: kschanning@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1999Education: B.A., Northland College; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Virginia
My favorite things about Northland College are the location, the students, and being able to work with an incredibly dedicated and creative group of people.
Currently, I am researching peoples' attitudes about wolves and wolf management. I am also working on a study that looks at the factors behind the use of discretion by game wardens in enforcing environmental regulations. Finally, I have an ongoing interest in all aspects of inequality, especially inequalities related to race, class, gender, and sexuality.
What makes Northland College unique is the care students receive from each faculty and staff member, and with the environmental theme of the college.
What got me interested in sociology was how useful it is in enhancing one's ability to change the world.
When I am not teaching, I spend most of my time with my amazing wife Sjana. We enjoy hiking, kayaking, fishing, hunting, and long walks on the beach.
Title: Associate Professor of GeoscienceEmail: tfitz@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1999Education: B.S., St. Lawrence University; M.S., University of Minnesota; Ph.D., University of Delaware
I enjoy the dedication of the students, faculty and staff at Northland College. The friendly atmosphere they create makes my experience here that much more enjoyable.
One of my favorite aspects of being a professor is reading recent geologic literature and keeping up with our increasing understanding of the Earth. I am doing my part by researching the history of some of the local bedrock – the Mellen Gabbro near Mellen, WI.
Students receive a special education at Northland College made possible by small class sizes, the dedication and excitement in the faculty, the emphasis on experimental learning and field work, the small size of the college, and the friendly atmosphere on campus. The setting in the beautiful Lake Superior region is also valuable.
I was attracted to my field of study by the amazing stories recorded in rocks and Earth history.
I enjoy outdoor activities – especially bicycling, canoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Title: Vice President of Academic Affairs and ProvostEmail: rfairbanks@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 2004Education: BA, philosophy, classical languages, Concordia College 1976MA, religion, University of Chicago Divinity School, 1978; Ph.D., philosophy, University of Minnesota, 1990
Trained as a philosopher in the analytic tradition with specialties in the philosophy of science, environmental philosophy, and the philosophy of psychology, I have taught courses at Northland in intellectual history and composition. My current research interests focus on the relationship of nature and culture with special attention to the way the cultural is incorporated into wilderness areas. An avid Lake Superior kayaker for nearly 20 years, I have paddled all of the prime routes on Lake Superior—the Norwesters, Silver Islet to Rossport, the Slate Islands, Pukaskwa National Park, Michipicoten Island, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore—as well as on Lake Nipigon and in Voyageur’s National Park. I make a brief, anonymous appearance in Greg Breining’s excellent book on paddling Lake Superior, Superior Shore, as the friend of two Bayfield kayakers who, in a previous paddling season, had to be towed in heavy seas, seasick, part of the way back from Michipicoten Island.
Title: Professor of Sociology and Native American StudiesEmail: jdamrell@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1982Education: B.A., California State University, M.A. and Ph.D., University of California-Davis
I became a sociologist because it provided me with ways to answer questions I had about why people do the things they do. Ever since my undergraduate days I have been a student of everyday life, which is to say an ethnographer. I’ve studied religious groups, communes, Native peoples, and social movements. Currently I am writing a book about how people negotiate and define cultural diversity. I am also a novelist and musician, so I write fiction, and besides playing bass I have a jazz program on the college radio station.
The community at Northland College has been my academic home for most of my professional life, and from it I have learned a great deal about humanity and myself.
I live on my grandparents’ homestead in the Upper Peninsula, adjacent to the Ottawa National Forest, a space I share with lynx, deer, black bears, and a pack of timber wolves.
Title: Associate Professor and Director of Native American StudiesEmail: jrose@northland.eduAt Northland Since: 1974Education: B.A., Northland College, M.Ed., Black Hills State College, M.S., University of Montana
Northland College’s location in the heart of Ojibwe country is ideal. The college’s small size and environmental/liberal arts mission, as well as its Northwoods location near many different federal, state and tribal agencies, present students with opportunities that are not available at most other colleges.
Along with my time spent teaching, I am working on a Native American Museum project that includes three phases. Phase one involves designing a floor plan; designing display cases; budgeting, requisition and procurement of materials; and construction skills. Phase two involves displaying artifacts; researching, developing and writing text for exhibits with Ojibwe and English translations; and artifact security. The final phase will include teaching work-study students operational museum skills in conducting guided tours, assisting in sponsoring and coordinating cultural awareness activities related to the overall theme of the museum, and Anishinabe seasonal activities.
Growing up on the Bad River Indian Reservation, I have always lived very close to nature and the teachings of tribal elders, which inspired me to choose Biology and Secondary Education as my undergraduate majors. Being raised in a native traditionalist family, I have been fortunate to have my grandfather and many other native elders as teachers. Many have shared their knowledge from the time of my preschool years to the present day.
The natural world has always influenced my hobbies and interests. Hunting, fishing, canoeing, maple sugaring, harvesting wild rice, and collecting other wild edibles have always been favorite past times.
Also, I have participated in high school and college athletics. Football was my favorite sport, and today, I am a fanatic Packer fan.
Title: U.S. Coordinator of the Lake Superior Binational ForumEmail: lradke@northland.eduEducation: B.S. in LAS with emphasis on Environmental Management and Education (a double minor) from the University of Illinois-Champaign.
One of the gems of Northland College is the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, the outreach branch of the college. The Institute’s regional educational programs allow many Northland students to experience the issues they’re learning about in their courses through ‘real-life’ settings. I’ve worked here for almost four years as the US coordinator for a citizens’ group called the Lake Superior Binational Forum. My job is to help U.S. and Canadian citizens mange the lake by collaborating with federal, state, provincial, and tribal governments.
I’ve wanted to work on water-related issues since I was 18, but got sidetracked for about 17 years as a director of outreach for a nonprofit recycling company and as a waste specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. My degree is a BS in Science in Environmental Management at the University of Illinois—Champaign, but I learned much more through the ‘School of Living.’ I learned through first-hand experience how to communicate more effectively with the general public using educational programs, schools, and the media. The most important thing I’ve learned, even more than all the facts, figures, and laws, is that if we want to facilitate behavior changes in people, we first have to build personal relationships with each other.
I’ve lived about 100 yards from Lake Superior for the last four years, and every day I feel privileged to watch my biggest neighbor change throughout the seasons. The lake is a big talker, and she often reminds me how interconnected we are. The water I stare at under a sunset was around when dinosaurs were thirsty, and it will be there (I hope) through many more millennia, which humbly connects me to the past and future drop by drop.My favorite things to do include tree hugging, rabble rousing, and trying to walk my talk. Oh, and any physical activity outside. When I win the grand slam lottery, I will use all the money to buy land and let it grow back to its own destiny. I also enjoy producing a Northland College radio program for kids called Old Fashioned Bedtime Story Hour because it lets me be a kid without having to make explanations to anyone.
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