In The News

March 7, 2017

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

HISTORIAN, AUTHOR, AND GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR REV. PATRICK DESBOIS TO PRESENT “HOLOCAUST BY BULLETS” AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY MARCH 23; EXHIBIT ON DISPLAY NOW

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Holocaust historian, author, and Georgetown University faculty member Rev. Patrick Desbois will present “Holocaust by Bullets” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

Fr. Desbois has devoted his life to researching the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism, and furthering relations between Catholics and Jews. He is a Catholic priest and president of Yahad–In Unum, a global humanitarian organization he founded, which is dedicated to identifying and commemorating the sites of Jewish and Roma mass executions perpetrated by Nazi mobile killing units, the Einsatzgruppen, during World War II.

In 2004, Fr. Patrick Desbois initiated an effort to thoroughly detail the nearly forgotten history of the genocide. Fr. Desbois and Yahad’s research teams asked the aging witnesses to share their memories and videotape their testimony. With their help, they are able to locate the evidence that validates historical fact and helps fill in the gaps in this chapter of the Holocaust. The goal is to identify and record each site of mass execution of Jews, Roma and other victims, to make sure that their traces do not disappear from the earth and that they can be respectfully memorialized. Yahad’s work aims to contribute to awareness and understanding of the “Holocaust by Bullets,” and to the prevention of genocide and mass violence in the world. Fr. Desbois’ work through Yahad has been recognized through numerous awards and public commentary in France and throughout the world.

Fr. Desbois is author of The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and the recently released The Fabric of Terrorists: Into the Secrets of Daesh, based on his investigation of the Yezidid genocide in Iraq.

A powerful exhibit of Fr. Desbois’ work, also entitled Holocaust by
 Bullets, documents this lesser-known side of the Holocaust with eyewitness testimonies, photographs, and archival materials. It is on display in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Atrium Lobby until Monday, March 27. It is free and open to the public.

This presentation by Fr. Desbois is part of the Teaching the Holocaust Workshop held at Viterbo University and is part of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s spring lecture series. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but seating is limited. For a full schedule of D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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March 6, 2017

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

VITERBO LEADERSHIP AT NOON SERIES TO FEATURE KWIK TRIP LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST CARL RICK MARCH 21

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Carl Rick, Leadership Development Specialist at Kwik Trip, will conclude the Viterbo University Leadership at Noon series for the academic year with his presentation Tuesday, March 21 in Reinhart Center room 107.

Founded with a single store in Eau Claire in 1965, today Kwik Trip, Inc. has 18,000 employees and more than 550 Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Kwik Trip Express, Kwik Star Express, and Tobacco Outlet Plus stores. Kwik Trip, Inc. is consistently rated as a Top Ten Workplace in the three states the company operates. The company’s headquarters and production facilities are located in La Crosse.

A native of Onalaska and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Rick entered the family business in 2015 after a career in education. Today he serves in the public relations department, where he provides a “kwik” look at Kwik Trip to various community groups and has the opportunity to train many of the new store leaders. His other duties include board activities, being the third generation spokesman, and other ownership responsibilities. Rick and his wife, Emily, reside in the La Crosse area with their three children.

All Leadership at Noon series events are held from noon–1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for $5. The Leadership at Noon series is sponsored by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and the Dahl School of Business at Viterbo University. For a complete schedule of Ethics Institute events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Feb. 15, 2017

Contact Richard Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WISCONSIN WILDLIFE FEDERATION TO SPEAK AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY MARCH 2

LA CROSSE, Wis. – What would Aldo Leopold think about Wisconsin conservation today? That is the question to be addressed by George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, in his presentation, “Game Management: Leopold’s Legacy and Wisconsin Culture” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2 in the Viterbo University School of Nursing Building Collins Auditorium room 196. The event is part of the La Crosse area observance of the annual Wisconsin Aldo Leopold weekend.

Since 2004, Wisconsin has designated the first weekend in March as a time to honor Leopold and his conservation legacy.  Leopold, the author of The Sand County Almanac, is considered by many as the father of wildlife management and of the United States’ wilderness system. Wisconsin is grappling with game management issues in a politically charged atmosphere just as Aldo Leopold did when he served the state as a pioneering conservation commissioner in the 1940s. This year’s Leopold events are being sponsored in part by the Coulee Partners for Sustainability and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

Meyer was a Department of Natural Resources employee for 32 years and served as the DNR secretary from 1993–2001. He brings to his appearance both his practical experience and his appreciation for Leopold’s writing. He was a guest reader for a Lodi Reads Leopold event in 2003 when he wondered aloud why every community in the state wasn’t reading Leopold that weekend. A legislator in the audience responded that he would introduce that idea as legislation. The annual official state observance of Aldo Leopold’s legacy followed.

On Saturday morning, March 4, the local observance moves to the Visitor Center of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge on Brice Prairie. At 10 a.m., students from Professor Kelly Sultzbach’s University of Wisconsin-La Crosse environmental literature classes will be guiding a walk through the prairie and stopping along the way to share readings from A Sand County Almanac and their own writings about experiencing nature.

For families attending, there will be kids’ activities and crafts led by WisCorps Nature Teachers from 10 a.m.–noon.

The Saturday program will also include two showings of Green Fire, an inspirational film about Leopold’s life and legacy. The first showing will start at 11 a.m. and the second showing will begin at 1 p.m.

According to the Leopold Foundation, Leopold’s legacy is “to inform and inspire us to see the natural world as a community to which we belong.” The annual Leopold event is planned each year by representatives of a number of local environmental and conservation organizations.

Parking for the Meyer talk is in the Fine Arts Center parking lot. The refuge visitor center is on Brice Prairie at the intersection of County Highways Z and ZN.

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Jan. 31, 2017

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

VITERBO LEADERSHIP AT NOON SERIES TO FEATURE DYANNE BRUDOS AND DALE WALTER OF BREMER BANK FEB. 14

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Bremer Bank executives Dyanne Brudos and Dale Walter speak as part of the Viterbo University Leadership at Noon series Tuesday, Feb. 14 in Reinhart Center room 107.

Brudos is the vice president for wealth management at Bremer Bank, where she and her team’s responsibilities include trust administration, fiduciary investment management, and estate and business succession planning. She volunteers extensively in the La Crosse community and served in leadership roles in a number of successful community capital campaigns. Brudos grew up in La Crosse and graduated from Central High School.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration and human resource management at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1992 and a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998.

Walter is the South Central Wisconsin Region CEO for Bremer Bank, where he is responsible for growing all aspects of Bremer Bank in south central Wisconsin, including La Crosse and Eau Claire. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and finance from Southwest Minnesota State University and a graduate degree from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado. Walter is actively involved in several community organizations in the La Crosse area.

Bremer is a privately held $10 billion regional financial services company jointly owned by its employees and the Otto Bremer Foundation (OBF). OBF uses its share of dividends to strengthen communities it serves by distributing charitable grants to Bremer Bank communities. Headquartered in St. Paul, it has over 100 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

The Leadership at Noon series will conclude for the academic year with Carl Rick, Kwik Trip Leadership Development Specialist, Tuesday, March 21.

All Leadership at Noon series events are held from noon–1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for $5. The Leadership at Noon series is sponsored by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and the Dahl School of Business at Viterbo University. For a complete schedule of Ethics Institute events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Jan. 10, 2016

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

VITERBO LEADERSHIP AT NOON SERIES TO FEATURE HILLVIEW URBAN AGRICULTURE CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAM HARTWELL JAN. 24

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Pam Hartwell, executive director of the Hillview Urban Agriculture Center of La Crosse, will speak as part of the Viterbo University Leadership at Noon series Tuesday, Jan. 24 in the Reinhart Center room 107.

The Hillview Urban Agriculture Center is located in a state-of-the-art greenhouse on the campus of Western Technical College. The organization’s mission is creating a healthy community through a local, sustainable, and accessible food system.

Hartwell was raised on a farm outside of La Crosse and has been working in nonprofits for 25 years in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California. She earned a master’s degree in theological studies from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is a lifetime certified Master Gardener, and a certified Artisan Cheesemaker. She returned to the area to reinvigorate some family farmland and has served as the executive director of the Hillview Urban Agriculture Center since September 2014.

The Leadership at Noon series will continue Tuesday, Feb. 14 with Dyanne Brudos and Dale Walter of Bremer Bank.

All Leadership at Noon series events are held from noon–1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for $5. The Leadership at Noon series is sponsored by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and the Dahl School of Business at Viterbo University. For a complete schedule of Ethics Institute events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Oct. 31, 2016

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

PHYSICIAN AND PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE JIM BAILEY TO PRESENT “THE END OF HEALING AND THE SEARCH FOR A HEALTH CARE THAT HEALS” AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY NOV. 10

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Jim Bailey, M.D., professor of Medicine and Preventative Medicine for the Center for Health Systems Improvement at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, will present “The End of Healing and the Search for Health Care that Heals” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

“The End of Healing and the Search for Health Care that Heals” addresses the true purposes of the health professions and major health care industries and how people can rededicate themselves and health care organizations to the pursuit of health. Dr. Bailey will use the story of the young physician protagonist in his novel, The End of Healing, to reveal how the priorities of the American health care system are upside down and the path to righting them. He will share how he discovered the level of dysfunction in American medicine through his work as a physician and health care researcher.

In addition, Dr. Bailey will describe how hospitals nationwide—where people put their greatest hope for healing—are among the most dangerous places for humans to go. Nationally, hospitals now cause over 250,000 preventable deaths each year through medical mistakes. Americans spend the majority of their health care dollars in hospitals despite their lack of effectiveness, and one-third of health care spending is wasted on care that is harmful, unnecessary, or doesn’t work. He will demonstrate that where Americans spend the most on health care—on hyped hospital, insurance, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical products, they receive the least in terms of truly lifesaving care. Where they spend the least—on primary care and prevention—they get the most benefit. He will also explain how the situation can be improved and what to do about it.

Dr. Bailey has served as a principal investigator (PI) for over 10 major grants and health systems improvement research initiatives and has over 70 journal articles, book chapters, and publications to his credit. He is the founding chair of the Common Table Health Alliance, the regional health improvement collaborative for the MidSouth, and has led numerous health systems research and health care quality reporting initiatives. His research focuses on the impact of health system organization and patterns of care on quality of care and health outcomes for people in medically underserved areas with multiple chronic conditions.



This presentation is part of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s fall lecture series and is part of the Seven Rivers Undergraduate Research Symposium at Viterbo University. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but seating is limited. For a full schedule of D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Oct. 10, 2016

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

AUTHOR AND DIRECTOR NELSON DENIS TO PRESENT “WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS…FACT, FICTION, OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN” AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY OCT. 25

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Award-winning author, director, and former member of the New York State Assembly Nelson Denis will present “War Against All Puerto Ricans…Fact, Fiction, or Somewhere in Between” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

Denis was raised by his grandmother and mother, Sarah Denis. Sarah Denis arrived from Puerto Rico at age 16, and immediately went to work in the garment center of New York for 20 cents an hour, eight dollars a week. After 23 years of working and saving, she was able to send her son to Harvard. Nelson Denis graduated from Harvard and Yale Law School, and was an attorney with the New York firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton and Irvine.

Nelson Denis went on to represent East Harlem in the New York State Assembly and to become an award-winning screenwriter and film director. Over the past 30 years, he has written three novels, eight feature-length screenplays, and several plays. He continues to write newspaper editorials, both in English and Spanish. His award-winning films premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and screened throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. His editorials for the New York Daily News and El Diario have received awards from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

This presentation is part of the Viterbo D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s fall lecture series and is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but seating is limited. For a full schedule of D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Oct. 5, 2016

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST WINONA LADUKE TO PRESENT “RIGHTS OF NATURE” AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY OCT. 14

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Internationally renowned environmental activist Winona LaDuke will present “Rights of Nature” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

As program director of Honor the Earth, LaDuke works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice with indigenous communities. In her own community, she is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation-based nonprofit organizations in the country, and a leader in the issues of culturally-based sustainable development strategies, renewable energy, and food systems.

In 2007, LaDuke was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, recognizing her leadership and community commitment. In 1994, LaDuke was nominated by Time magazine as one of America’s 50 most promising leaders under 40 years of age. She has been awarded the Thomas Merton Award in 1996, Ms. Woman of the Year, and the Reebok Human Rights Award.

A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, LaDuke has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. She is a former board member of Greenpeace USA and is presently an advisory board member for the Trust for Public Lands Native Lands Program as well as a board member of the Christensen Fund. LaDuke is the author of five books, including Recovering the Sacred, All Our Relations and a novel, Last Standing Woman. 

This lecture is part of the Rights of Nature and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conference at Viterbo University, which is co-sponsored by the Ho-Chunk Nation, the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership, and the Viterbo University biology department.

This presentation is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but seating is limited. For a full schedule of D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Oct. 3, 2016

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu

VITERBO LEADERSHIP AT NOON SERIES TO OPEN WITH STACIA KING AND BEN BLACKWELL OF THE LA CROSSE TRIBUNE OCT. 18

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The 2016–17 Viterbo University Leadership at Noon series will open with Stacia King, La Crosse Tribune general manager and regional advertising director and Ben Blackwell, La Crosse Tribune regional digital advertising director Tuesday, Oct. 18 in Reinhart Center room 107.

King was named general manager and regional director of sales for the River Valley Media Group (RVMG) in August 2015 where she oversees sales and marketing strategy for three daily and seven weekly newspapers and websites in western Wisconsin and Minnesota. Part of Lee Enterprises, the La Crosse Tribune’s parent company, RVMG is Western Wisconsin’s leading media company. She was a recent member of the Dahl School of Business Advisory Board at Viterbo.

Blackwell serves as the digital sales director for the RVMG, overseeing the digital strategy and sales direction. Blackwell has worked in digital media development and sales over the past 15 years with media companies such as EW Scripps, Lee Enterprises, and Journal Media Group.

The Viterbo Leadership at Noon series features business leaders discussing the key values that contribute to successful business practices. The series will continue:

• Tuesday, Nov. 15 with Viterbo alumnus Evan Dreger, marketing coordinator with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association.
• Tuesday, Jan. 24 with Pam Hartwell, executive director of Hillview Urban Agriculture Center of La Crosse.
• Tuesday, Feb. 14 with Dyanne Brudos, vice president and wealth management advisor with Bremer Wealth Management, and Dale Walter, Bremer Bank La Crosse president and South Central Wisconsin Region CEO.
• Tuesday, March 21 with Dave Ring, Kwik Trip community relations manager, and Carl Rick, Kwik Trip leadership development specialist.

All Leadership at Noon series events are held from noon–1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for $5. The Leadership at Noon series is sponsored by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and the Dahl School of Business at Viterbo University. For a complete schedule of Ethics Institute events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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Sept. 28, 2016

Contact Michael Alfieri at 608-796-3465 or msalfieri@viterbo.edu

VITERBO UNIVERSITY TO HOST FREE TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE OCT. 14; REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The public is invited to learn about the Rights of Nature movement, environmental awareness and advocacy, ecology, conservation, and indigenous wisdom of the natural world at the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conference Friday, Oct. 14 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center.

“The conference will engage participants in holistic thinking by presenting varied perspectives about understanding earth systems, including a qualitative side of knowledge that is often overlooked,” said Michael Alfieri, Viterbo biology department chair and conference co-organizer. “Speakers will share their work and viewpoints while leading discussions about establishing and maintaining a deep relationship with our fresh water, forests, land, plants and animals, and ourselves.”

The conference will feature 14 presenters. Featured speakers and their topics include:

• Winona LaDuke, Honor the Earth: “Rights of Nature.” LaDuke will give the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. that evening in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. Her presentation is free and open to the general public, not just conference attendees. A reception will follow the event.
• Elise Amel, University of St. Thomas: “Leverage Psychology for Sustainability”
• Paul DeMain, Indian Country Communications, Inc.: “Historic Tribal Economies and Indigenous Languages: Food, Fuel and Medicines for the Future”
• Mari Margil, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund – “Indigenous Rights and the Rights of Nature”

“Viterbo is honored that several indigenous leaders will share their life stories, cultural wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge at the conference,” said Juliee de la Terre, Viterbo adjunct faculty member and conference co-organizer. “The TEK conference provides a nexus between indigenous, subjective, earth-based experiential knowledge and western, data-driven, objective, research-based science. It is the space of overlap of these knowledge types where we can understand contemporary challenges and imagine and co-create a way forward that heals the planet and ourselves.”

The conference is sponsored by the Ho-Chunk Nation, the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University, and the Viterbo University biology department. It is free and open to the public with limited registration. For complete details and registration information, visit http://www.viterbo.edu/tekconference.

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