January 22, 2016 QuickNotes: Back in the Swing of Things

January 22, 2016

New Institute Explores Theology

In an effort to encourage high school youth to explore theology while acquainting them with Carroll College, Carroll’s theology department recently received a generous $355,153 grant from the Lilly Endowment to establish The St. Kateri Institute for Integrative Learning. 

The St. Kateri Institute will provide high school youth with a spiritual and academic experience that develops their understanding of the relationship between faith and reason surrounded by the natural beauty of Montana. Through fun and engaging activities led by Carroll professors and students, participants explore academic studies as a contemplative undertaking that contributes to spiritual discernment. The week-long summer institute culminates with a capstone experience at Yellowstone National Park where participants will reflect on the beauty of God’s creation and their roles as Christian leaders in the future.

Dr. Eric Hall, the Hunthausen Professor of Peace and Justice at Carroll and director of the St. Kateri Institute said, “We really hope to help students overcome the chasm they oftentimes see between spiritual life and intellectual life. Only by overcoming this gulf can we engage in studies of, say, the environment with both a sense of objectivity and responsibility.”

By spending three days on the Carroll campus and three days in Yellowstone National Park, the curriculum will leverage Montana’s natural beauty to engage and contemplate the environment as the foundation for theological exploration, developing in students a spiritual, intellectual, and vocational framework for interacting responsibly with their natural surroundings.

The grant will fund the institute for five years. The one-week program for the summer of 2016 will be held June 25 through July 1. Participation is open to 40 high school aged students in the Pacific Northwest and participants are selected through an application process. More information will be available on the Carroll College theology website.

Read the full release here.

Money Makers

Carroll College ranks as the #1 college in Montana in terms of students who go on to earn the highest salaries upon graduation as was reported by Business Insider.

In a recent report, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce looked at the four-year colleges whose students go on to earn the most after graduating. The report used the US Department of Education's College Scorecard to highlight the median earnings of students from over 1,400 colleges 10 years after starting their studies.

Student News

Carroll's Own "Shark Tank"

The new Entrepreneur in Residence class is up and running for this semester. The college is entering into the second year of the program with John McCarvel, Carroll class of 1979 and former CEO and President of Crocs, Inc., serving as this year’s Entrepreneur in Residence. New for this year is a one-credit class devoted to the program, as well as the availability of seed funding up to $2,500 for each selected project. 

McCarvel introduced this year’s program at a kickoff lecture in early November. Twenty students are enrolled in the class and on Thursday, January 28 from 7-9 p.m. in the Lower Campus Center, multidisciplinary student teams will be presenting up to ten different business ideas, Shark Tank-style. The audience will cast their votes and the top proposals will be selected for further mentoring. McCarvel plans to visit in-person monthly with the multidisciplinary teams in addition to bi-weekly tele-conferencing calls to help nurture the ideas into sustainable businesses.

The goal of the EIR program is to expose students to real-world practical instruction in the formation and advancement of new business ventures that can result in viable businesses.

The “Shark Tank” presentations are open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

Saints in the News

Great Falls native and a freshman member of the men’s basketball team at Carroll, Matt Wyman has proven to be a valuable member of the team early on. In addition to his success on the court, he has also done very well in the classroom, completing his first semester with a stellar 4.0 gpa.

The Great Falls Tribune recently ran this story:

Former Bison star making impact for Saints

Faculty/Staff News

 Recently Published

Dr. William Parsons, associate professor and chair of the department of political science, has completed a new book titled “Machiavelli's Gospel - The Critique of Christianity in ‘The Prince’” which will be published on May 30 from the University of Rochester Press.  

In the review of the book, it is explained that Dr. Parsons undertakes what recent interpreters of The Prince have not done: contrast Machiavelli's advice with the teachings of Christ. The result is a new reading of The Prince, revealing in Machiavelli's political thought a systematic critique of the teachings of the New Testament and its model for human life, Christ. In this study of the one of greatest works on politics ever written, Parsons not only challenges the most recent interpretations of The Prince but also gives new understanding to the reading that made Machiavelli famous.

World Premiere

The world premiere of Dr. Lynn Petersen's,  High Country Suite for string quartet will be given by the Cascade Quartet on January 31 at First Congregational Church in Great Falls, Mont., and on February 2 at the Charles M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Mont. The concert features the work of living American women composers.  More information can be found on the Great Falls Symphony website.

Dr. Petersen is a professor of music and the Fr. William F. Greytak Professor of History and Humanities.

Alumni News

Saints in the News

Helena native and former Carroll wide receiver, Dave Whitmoyer ’09, is making a career as a clown-barrelman. This past weekend he worked the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals for the first time.

The Great Falls Tribune ran this recent story on Whitmoyer:

‘Danger Dave’ in the business of clowning around

Photo courtesy of Julia Moss, Great Falls Tribune

Former Carroll standout Sinan Güler was voted into the starting five of the Spor Toto Basketball League All-Star game, which will be played this Sunday, January 24, at Ülker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.

Güler, a 2006 Carroll graduate and member of the 2004-05 Carroll College men's final four team, is the team captain of Galatasaray Odeabank.

Upcoming Events

Quaker Artists: An Exhibition of the Quiet Faith, Jan. 26 – Mar. 3, Carroll Art Gallery, St. Charles Hall, Carroll College

A Gallery Opening for the exhibition will be held on Friday, January 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Gathering the works of Quaker artists from the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, the exhibition provides a glimpse of the creativity that often grows from quiet contemplation. Inspired by the images of the Earth, its people, and of life, these works often convey a sense of the peace and the inner life of the artists who have created them.  Quakers are a people whose faith often informs their creations, and in these works, we hope the viewer will be able to discern a sense of the peace and harmony, which are hallmarks of the Quiet Faith.  The exhibition includes fabric art, drawings, sculpture, oil paintings, ceramics, and photography.

The gallery will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and is closed weekends and college holidays. For more information, visit the

Learn more about the event, additional speakers and purchase tickets here.

Mark your Calendars – Upcoming Alumni Events:

YOUNG ALUMNI Social, Feb. 4, 5-7 p.m., St. Albert's Hall, Carroll College

Please join us for a gathering of young alumni at Carroll. Food and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP to the Carroll Alumni Office at 406-447-5169 or alumni@carroll.edu by January 29.

 Stay up-to-date on all that's happening at Carroll.

Find a complete list of campus activities and events online.

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