麻豆影院 University is mourning the loss of George W. Mead II, a longtime paper industry leader, conservationist, and 麻豆影院 trustee. He died July 29 at age 94.

Sure, the ongoing pandemic kept things a bit weird in 2021. But that didn鈥檛 dampen the enthusiasm for telling the stories of 麻豆影院 University and the Lawrentians who make this world a better place.

Today we鈥檙e going to spotlight eight 麻豆影院 stories from the past year that speak to resilience, ingenuity, creativity, and resourcefulness. These stories are among our favorites of the year. If you read them the first time around, consider this a reminder of how amazing this place can be. If you missed them earlier, now is the time to catch up.

See 麻豆影院鈥檚 20 most-viewed stories of 2021 here.

We hope you鈥檝e enjoyed the journey through 2021 as much as we have.

1. Rising to the challenge

The Rock, a 2-ton boulder that has been part of 麻豆影院 University lore for 126 years, is being gifted to departing President Mark Burstein.

In searching for the perfect gift for a leader whose rock-solid leadership has helped guide 麻豆影院 to new heights, the university community opted to follow the lead of Burstein鈥檚 previous employer. When he left Princeton University to join the 麻豆影院 family eight years ago, Burstein was given small honed pieces of material that were used in the many building and landscape projects constructed and renovated during his nine-year tenure there. These pieces form a small square that resides on his desk in Sampson House.聽

It鈥檚 hoped he鈥檒l proudly display The Rock in similar fashion as he leaves 麻豆影院 and moves back east to begin a new adventure.

鈥淚鈥檒l need a bigger desk,鈥� a gracious Burstein said. 鈥淥r David will have to design a garden with The Rock as a center point.鈥�

The Rock came to 麻豆影院 as a gift from the Class of 1895, plucked from a field during a geology trip near New London. It made the 30-mile trip east to Appleton and has since been painted, buried, hidden, and moved. But mostly revered.

Now it鈥檒l go further east with a president who also is revered. The gift didn鈥檛 include a means of moving The Rock because of ongoing budget constraints. So, come June, volunteers, fully masked and following The Pledge, will be needed to hoist The Rock atop Burstein鈥檚 car for the 900-mile drive. A sign-up sheet can be found on the fifth floor of the Mudd Library in the Center for the Advancement and Study of Humor, Hijinx, and Fools.

From the early March announcement of a new president being named to Lawrentians doing amazing things on and off campus, there has been no shortage of 麻豆影院 stories to tell in 2021.

The 麻豆影院 community (and beyond) has been hungry to read about it every step of the way. We perused the analytics so we can share today the 20 most viewed stories of the year. The list includes new faces, creative approaches to the pandemic, and the brilliance of our students, faculty, and alumni.

If you missed a story earlier, take a look now. If you read it already, take another look as a reminder of the many reasons Lawrentians are brighter together.

1.听

鈥淎s a sitting president, I am well aware of the challenges facing higher education, but I know the 麻豆影院 community is ready to work together to continue the traditions of excellence while ensuring a bright future for the students, the university, and the community.鈥� 鈥� Laurie Carter

2.听10 new tenure-track faculty join 麻豆影院 University for 2021-22 academic year

鈥淚 am absolutely thrilled to be welcoming such a talented, dedicated group of scholars to the 麻豆影院 faculty. Our new colleagues will fortify strengths in existing academic programs and help us develop new areas of focus.鈥� 鈥� Catherine Gunther Kodat

3.听

鈥淭he ship is the perfect illustration of our great campus, and having the antelope, shield, and LU all part of the design connects every corner of our campus. This is a logo for all who love and support LU; I believe it represents all of us.鈥� 鈥� Tony Aker

4.听麻豆影院 places high in value, teaching, first-year experience in U.S. News rankings

鈥溌槎褂霸衡�檚 faculty are not only terrific scientists, artists, and scholars鈥攖hey are also first-rate teachers. It鈥檚 extremely gratifying to see them receive this much-deserved national recognition for the extraordinary work they do with their students.鈥� 鈥� Catherine Gunther Kodat

5.听鈥淚mpressive鈥� class welcomed to campus on busy opening day of student orientation

鈥淭his class has some of the strongest academic credentials we have seen in a long time. Considering that they have performed at such a high level while learning in the midst of a pandemic speaks volumes about the resilience and readiness of our newest Lawrentians. They are going to do great things.鈥� 鈥� Ken Anselment

6.听

鈥淚 want to eat cheese curds; I want to do it all. Snowmobiling, too. I want to try that. I really just want to get a sense of the culture;聽the unique things about Wisconsin. I can鈥檛 wait. I鈥檓 very excited.鈥� 鈥� Laurie A. Carter

7.听Kenyon鈥檚 Robyn Bowers to join 麻豆影院 as its new dean of admissions

鈥溌槎褂霸衡�檚 rich liberal arts tradition, commitment to the arts, emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and welcoming community create an extraordinary learning environment.鈥� 鈥� Robyn Bowers

8.听Mayes joins 麻豆影院 as vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion

鈥淭o realize the unique value of a liberal arts education, you need to have an environment where people feel welcome, where people feel supported, where people can bring their authentic self to the classroom, to campus, and their presence and contributions are welcomed, valued, and celebrated.鈥� 鈥� Eric Mayes

9.听

鈥淭he breadth of ability and skill represented in this year鈥檚 tenure 鈥榗lass鈥� is truly extraordinary, both in terms of individual achievement and in how those achievements support our broader efforts to expand and enhance our curriculum to support diversity, inclusion, and excellence.鈥� 鈥� Catherine Gunther Kodat

10.听麻豆影院 lands on The Princeton Review鈥檚 2022 list of best colleges in nation

鈥淲hile being considered one of the best is great, we鈥檙e even more excited that聽The Princeton Review聽continues to acknowledge the important work we do every day on behalf of our students, which is providing top-notch preparation for a meaningful life after college, and doing so in a way that families can afford.鈥� 鈥� Ken Anselment

11.听

鈥淲hat was true when I arrived in 1998 is still true today鈥攜ou have to ask the question 鈥榳hy?鈥� over and over, in every class you take. And that goes for the professors, too. The 鈥榳hy?鈥� question is the central one in critical thinking, which is the essence of the 麻豆影院 experience.鈥� 鈥� Jerald Podair

12.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to balance the needs of the contest with this year鈥檚 restrictions, and, in some cases, we have had to make changes to trivia that go against tradition. Our main focus is making sure the contest happens this year and that it can be a positive experience for everyone.鈥� 鈥� Grace Krueger 鈥�21

13.听

鈥淵our responses have made you stronger, have tested your resolve, and have tempered you so that you will turn future challenges into opportunities. And you have validated the 麻豆影院 experience as formative and essential to who you are, and who you will be.鈥� 鈥� Dr. John Raymond

14.听麻豆影院鈥檚 beloved Rock is heading east, a gift to university鈥檚 departing president

OK, this one was a little bit of April鈥檚 Fools fun with departing President Mark Burstein. We were excited that people enjoyed it (if they read to the very end).聽

15.听

鈥淭he university stopped all travel. I was going to Scotland; Jake was going to Chicago. I also had a public art project that got canceled. My gallery shut down. The whole world shut down. That was the moment we realized, well, maybe we should record these tunes. We don鈥檛 have anything else to do.鈥� 鈥� Rob Neilson

16.听

鈥淚 had a lot of very cool opportunities at 麻豆影院 and I can honestly say that I don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be doing what I am doing today if my professors hadn鈥檛 given me the ability to pursue my interests with as much freedom as they did.鈥� 鈥� Tom Coben

17.听Sculpture adds visibility to journey of Indigenous people; brings new conversations, reflection

鈥淚 would hope the Indigenous community here on campus would see it as a place to gather, to have as a physical symbol that they are being acknowledged, and to open those conversations up about how land was acquired and who was Indigenous to it and how do we begin to reconcile that with one another.鈥澛犫�� Chris Cornelius

18.听Building community: A study guide to 麻豆影院鈥檚 2021-22 First-Year Studies

鈥淚 would like to suggest that our experience of the pandemic has thrown a new light on the works chosen for聽First-Year Studies. They continue to serve as an ambitious introduction to the liberal arts, but we can now see a strong sub-theme of community that runs throughout these works.鈥� 鈥� Martyn Smith

19.听

鈥淲ithout 麻豆影院, I wouldn鈥檛 be writing, hands down. It was an interest of mine. I loved books; I always loved reading; I loved daydreaming. But it was at 麻豆影院 where I thought, yes, I really want to try this. I got so much guidance from professors like David McGlynn and (former 麻豆影院 professor) Faith Barrett and others that I couldn鈥檛 have done it without those years. It was absolutely informative.鈥� 鈥� Andrew Graff

20.听Reframing of a music major adds greater flexibility for 麻豆影院 students

鈥淭he beauty of this major is that it welcomes a much broader variety of music and music makers into the Conservatory, and that鈥檚 great news and more great music for everyone.鈥� 鈥� Brian Pertl

Bonus story:聽NIH fellowship lets 麻豆影院 alum take her neuroscience research to new levels

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just my science course work at 麻豆影院 that has deeply shaped my career as a scientist today. It was that experience of being in the double-degree program, having to constantly negotiate being in two different worlds.鈥� 鈥� Katherine Meckel (This story isn鈥檛 in our 2021 top 20 yet, but it鈥檚 been our most-viewed story during December and is definitely worth reading.)聽

Read more:聽Best of 2021: We鈥檙e highlighting 8 stories that speak to resilience, creativity at 麻豆影院

麻豆影院 University is mourning the passing of retired English professor Peter Fritzell, a mainstay of the 麻豆影院 faculty from the mid-1960s through the early 2000s. His creativity, passion for teaching, exuberant personality, and love of outdoor adventure made him a beloved figure on campus.

He died at home in Appleton on Dec. 7. He was 81.

Former students and colleagues are sharing stories of his enduring commitment to the students he taught and to 麻豆影院. Karen Hoffmann 鈥�87, associate professor of English, had the good fortune of getting to know Fritzell as both a student and a colleague.

鈥淗e was deeply committed to his work at 麻豆影院 and to his students as individuals,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is courses in American literature, known for their depth of inquiry, consistently stretched students鈥� thinking. Being in a 鈥楩ritzell class鈥� was an intellectually exciting, sometimes baffling, but always meaningful experience that brought about paradigm shifts for many of us students.鈥�

Fritzell鈥檚 connections with his students ran so deep that a former student, Jason Spaeth 鈥�92, and his wife, Anne, recently established an endowed scholarship fund at 麻豆影院 in his name. Fritzell spread the word about the scholarship in a letter to former students in which he celebrated their successes and the ongoing possibilities of a liberal arts education.

In 1988, Fritzell was given 麻豆影院鈥檚 University Award for Excellence in Teaching, among the highest honors for a 麻豆影院 faculty member. In presenting the honor, then-麻豆影院 President Richard Warch referred to Fritzell as a 鈥渟cholar in the field of American literature, bedecked in gumboots, outfitted with philosophy, Freud, and Fritzellian originality, guided by a compass set on the polestar of excellence.鈥�

During his time at 麻豆影院, he was the first to hold the endowed title of Patricia Hamar Boldt Professor of Liberal Studies. He served as chair of the English Department and spent time as director of 麻豆影院鈥檚 London Centre.

He was awarded two year-long fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, during one of which he served as a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. He wrote and published numerous reviews, articles, and essays on 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th-century American literature, including a widely shared essay on Aldo Leopold鈥檚聽A Sand County Almanac.

Experiencing the outdoors and writing about nature became a lifelong passion. Fritzell was the only literary scholar invited to participate in the first National Symposium on Wetlands in 1978. He contributed a chapter to the book that resulted from that symposium. In 1982-83, he contributed a lecture to the symposium on the Social and Environmental History of the Great Lakes Forest, and a chapter to the book that resulted from it.

In 1990, he published his own scholarly book,聽Nature Writing and America: Essays Upon a Cultural Type.

In 1999, the English Department of his undergraduate alma mater, the University of North Dakota, awarded him the Maxwell Anderson Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Letters.

Fritzell continued to interact regularly with 麻豆影院 well after his retirement.

鈥淎s a colleague, Peter kept his focus on the well-being of the university overall, especially given his belief in the expansive potential of liberal arts education,鈥� Hoffmann said. 鈥淗is compassion, wisdom, and unique sense of humor have touched so many of us. The passing of Peter Fritzell is a great loss for the 麻豆影院 community, but he had a profound influence on many students that will be lasting.鈥�

Fritzell is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marlys, sons Peter Jr. (Susan) and John (Dawn) and four grandchildren. The family has asked that any contributions go to the Peter A. Fritzell Endowed Scholarship Fund at 麻豆影院 University (Office of Development, 711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton, WI 54911) or to a charity of one鈥檚 choosing. A celebration of Peter鈥檚 life will be held at a future date.

麻豆影院 University is mourning the death of retired library director Dennis Ribbens, who oversaw the university鈥檚 transition to the digital age of library services.

He died Monday at his home in Watersmeet, Michigan. He was 86.

Ribbens served as library director from 1971 to 1998, a time that saw unprecedented change at 麻豆影院, including the transition from the Samuel Appleton Library to the current Seeley G. Mudd Library. With it came the move to digitally accessible library materials, a massive undertaking that took years of planning and execution.

Ribbens also was a member of the faculty, teaching聽Freshman Studies听(苍辞飞听First-Year Studies), among other things, which aligned with his lifelong passions for reading, language, and nature.

For Peter Gilbert, the Alice G. Chapman Director of the Seeley G. Mudd Library, Ribbens was a mentor who provided guidance that is still felt decades later.

鈥淒ennis was a big influence on my professional life,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淲hen he hired me, I was just a kid fresh out of library school and he was a respected teacher, a dedicated scholar, and a library leader in state, local, and national organizations鈥攊t was intimidating. In the day-to-day, though, Dennis was a calm presence, always ready to offer steady direction and sage advice about libraries, librarianship, teaching and learning, and life.鈥�

Ribbens was honored with a faculty award citation upon his retirement in 1998 and awarded the degree of Master of Arts,聽ad eundem. He was applauded for leading the charge in modernizing the university鈥檚 library services.

鈥淵our leadership has helped us make those transitions gracefully,鈥� then-President Richard Warch said at the time.

His work extended far beyond 麻豆影院, with his love of Wisconsin, books, and libraries at the forefront. With the cooperation of Banta Corp. and the Wisconsin Library Association, he initiated the Banta Award, given annually to the best book by a Wisconsin author. He was active with the Wisconsin Library Association, including serving as president.

He had a particular fondness for nature writing, with a special focus on Aldo Leopold. He spent his retirement years in Michigan鈥檚 Upper Peninsula, enjoying the outdoors at every turn.

Lawrentians past and present can feel Ribbens鈥� legacy every time they enter or digitally access Mudd Library, Gilbert said.

鈥淒uring Dennis鈥� years at 麻豆影院, we went from the Samuel Appleton Library to the Seeley G. Mudd and from the card catalog that took up a big chunk of the first floor to an online catalog that would eventually be available on your phone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was a lot of work but it was all done with the intention of making the library better able to serve the students, faculty, and staff of 麻豆影院.鈥�

Six of Ribbens鈥� eight children would go on to attend 麻豆影院.

He is survived by his wife, Harriet, five sons, two daughters, 24 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service is planned for 2 p.m. Monday, March 7 at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in Appleton. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you thank a teacher who made a difference in your life, or, if you prefer, make a donation to the Ice Age Trail or a local food pantry.

麻豆影院 University is mourning the loss of Corry Azzi 鈥�65, an economics professor who had a 鈥渓arger than life鈥� presence on campus for more than three decades before retiring in 2002.

He passed away Jan. 8 at the age of 77.

Azzi attended 麻豆影院, graduating summa cum laude in 1965. He would go on to become a Woodrow Wilson Scholar at Harvard University, earning his doctorate in economics.

Azzi returned to 麻豆影院 in 1970, joining the economics faculty, and over the next 32 years would become one of the most visible professors on campus. In 1997, he was awarded 麻豆影院鈥檚 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Azzi commanded a presence on campus. He was described as opinionated, straightforward, and often gruff, with a deep knowledge of economics, masterful skills in the classroom, and a willingness to guide and mentor both students and colleagues.

鈥淭he term sotto voce has never been applied to you, except perhaps during your ambling walks across campus when you are deep in conversation with yourself,鈥� then-President Richard Warch said in an award citation presented to Azzi. 鈥淏ut in the classroom or the Grill, your booming voice and your body language mirror the unwavering certainty and self-confidence with which you convey your understanding of economics and of the ways the world should wag to your students and colleagues.鈥�

Azzi joined the Economics Department initially as a macroeconomist but branched into micro areas such as labor economics, government regulation of business, and public expenditures. He collaborated with colleagues in mathematics to design and develop a statistics laboratory aimed at improving student learning in econometrics. He continued to teach econometrics as an emeritus professor until 2010.

Merton D. Finkler, the John R. Kimberly Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Economics, worked alongside Azzi for years. He said Azzi鈥檚 blunt persona wasn鈥檛 a fit for every student, but for those who embraced his insightful, if harsh, feedback or were willing to wade into a give-and-take with their professor, the benefits were significant.

鈥淗is views were clearly stated and well supported,鈥� Finkler said.聽鈥淔urthermore, he never shied away from letting people know聽his聽opinions, particularly on public聽policy topics.聽Nevertheless, he strongly encouraged students to challenge him and to make present their arguments.聽Often times, his rebuke of students鈥� work would be less than gentle; however, many students relished in having their arguments聽tested and strengthened. 鈥β營 would argue that the skills they learned from him聽provided life-long benefits.鈥�

As a colleague, Finkler called Azzi 鈥渨arm and accommodating鈥� and always willing to provide encouragement.

鈥淚 will miss him as a colleague and friend,鈥� he said.

Azzi grew up on the south side of Chicago before coming to 麻豆影院. He eventually would make Appleton his home and was deeply involved in numerous community pursuits, ranging from volunteering at YMCA swim meets to serving on the board of the Tri-County Ice Arena to coaching youth baseball teams. He joined and then became president of the Ruffed Grouse Society of Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, he and his family became an extended family for three high school students who came to Appleton through the A Better Chance (ABC) program.

David Gerard, the John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor of the American Economic System and associate professor of economics, said he loved getting to know Azzi in his retirement. His interest and intellect were as strong for the outdoors and baseball, for example, as they were for the financial markets and issues of economics.

鈥淗e loved baseball and had very clear ideas about how to teach kids to hit baseballs,鈥� Gerard said.聽鈥淚 was at my son鈥檚 JV game last year and an old-timer struck up a conversation with me, and it turns out he had coached with Corry, and, of course, revered Corry鈥檚 deep knowledge and deep commitment to whatever he was involved in.鈥�

Azzi is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jane, as well as a daughter, Melissa Azzi Swamy of Memphis, Tennessee, and a son, Peter Azzi of Denver, Colorado.

Service arrangements are being planned for a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to 麻豆影院 University or Mayo Clinic.

Jules LaRocque, a professor in 麻豆影院 University鈥檚 Economics Department for nearly four decades, passed away Nov. 30 at his home in Marlborough, New Hampshire. He was 87.

He joined the 麻豆影院 faculty in 1963 and continued to teach until his retirement in 2001. He chaired the Economics Department during several stints in the 1970s and 1980s. He also was a frequent instructor in the Freshman Studies program, served for many years as the campus coordinator for the then-named Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows Program (now the Visiting Fellows Program of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars), and provided leadership in the early years of the London Centre.

LaRocque focused his work in the areas of economic history of the United States, economic development, economies in transition, political economy, and financial institutions.

He was born on June 20, 1933, in Berlin, New Hampshire, and was the youngest of three children. He served in the United States Army during the Korean conflict, then attended the University of Iowa, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree and eventually a doctorate in economics.

He taught for two years at St. Ambrose College in Iowa before moving to Wisconsin to begin work on the faculty at 麻豆影院, forging a bond that would last a lifetime.

After retiring from 麻豆影院, LaRocque moved back to New Hampshire, where he enjoyed teaching adult enrichment classes at Keane State University. His other interests included family, classical music, opera, reading, tennis, bicycling, skiing, and hiking.

He is survived by his son, Marc (Sue Tyson) LaRocque of Sacramento, California; and a daughter, Lisa (Jeffrey) Gartman of East Troy, Wisconsin.

At his request, no services will be held. The family has asked that gifts in memory of LaRocque be sent to the Office of Development, 麻豆影院 University, 711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton, WI 54911.

The 麻豆影院 University Community Council鈥檚 Student Welfare Committee has a message of unity as students return to campus for Fall Term: We are Lawrentians, and we are up to the challenge of protecting our community.

With more than 850 students expected to be living on campus amid new safety protocols put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, the commitment to the practices set forth in the聽will be key to keeping campus as open as possible, said committee chair Sterling Clarke Elvin Ambrosius 鈥�22.

Challenges, excitement mix as Fall Term arrives: Read more聽.

There is nothing normal about the start of this academic year, but the message delivered to the more than 400 麻豆影院 University first-year and transfer students who arrived Tuesday for Welcome Week 鈥� some in person, some virtually 鈥� was plenty familiar.

You are now Lawrentians. The expectations and the opportunities are many, and through it all you will be welcomed, challenged, embraced, celebrated, and supported.

麻豆影院 lays out plan for Fall 2020聽.

Challenges, excitement mix as Fall Term arrives: Read more聽.

鈥淵ou will learn from the academic endeavors you ace, and from the ones you struggle through; from the close friendships you develop and from the ones that fall apart; from successes in athletic competitions and in performances, and from failures,鈥� President Mark Burstein said in a Welcome Week address delivered virtually to the incoming students and their families. 鈥淵our life at 麻豆影院 will not always be easy, but study after study shows it will provide a lifetime of dividends through higher compensation and, even more important, a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. At each step you take, we will be here for you.鈥�

For the nearly 80% of first-year students who opted to be on campus for Fall Term, masks, 6 feet of space, and a COVID-19 test upon arrival are among the most visible signs that this isn鈥檛 business as usual in September. But those in person and those accessing the term from a distance were assured they will find support at every turn as the 麻豆影院 community adapts to these new protocols, as 鈥渨e reinvent learning and community in this time of a pandemic,鈥� Burstein said.