Ripon News

Ian Stepleton

• B.A. in English, Ripon College

I am an adjunct instructor of journalism as well as a Ripon College graduate (1998). I teach three courses: IDS 211 (Journalism 1), IDS 213 (a workshop course for the College Days newspaper) and IDS 215 (Hollywood Journalism vs Real-World Reporting). My teaching is informed by my more than two decades of experience as a local journalist, including 14+ years as editor of the Ripon Commonwealth Press (where I started as a reporter in 2000). During that career, I earned 50+ first-place awards for writing, photography, design and more in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest, and led the Commonwealth to multiple Best Weekly Newspaper honors. I have taught journalism at Ripon College since August 2016, and was honored with the Faculty/Staff Mentor Award in 2018. Currently, in addition to my adjunct role at Ripon College, I serve as a public relations coordinator for an area library.

Research prepares recent graduate for his future in the military

“Apocalyptic Islam: What Makes ISIS a Serious Threat to America” was the senior research project for Jacob Sahr, examines the role ISIS plays in national security. Jacob Sahr of Menasha, Wisconsin, was a history and politics and government double-major, and also completed a military science minor. In his research, he examined the role ISIS plays […]

Students, community work together to beautify downtown

Work on a new community green space for public use has brought together members of the Ripon College community and downtown Ripon alike. The space at 310-312 Watson St. was the site of two buildings that were destroyed by fire in late 2013. This spring, Ripon College students put in a layer of topsoil and […]

Tour of prairie, poem installation will be offered Saturday afternoon

The beauty of the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy was highlighted during a talk Friday morning as part of Alumni Weekend activities. George “Skip” Wittler, professor of biology, William Harley Barber Distinguished Professor, chair of the department, and director of the conservancy, offered a colorful slideshow of a variety of plants and grasses that are bursting into […]

Recent graduate researches ways to help low-income students succeed

A passion for helping low-income students is motivating the further studies of Madeson Walgenbach ’16 of Oakfield, Wisconsin. She is pursuing her teaching certification and explored the concept of “Students from Low Socioeconomic Background: Succeeding in Spite of the Odds” for her senior research project. Walgenbach majored in Spanish and educational studies, and earned teaching […]

New ARMS minor ‘catapulting’ to success

A new minor on campus has proven to be an exciting learning experience for students and professors alike. The Ancient, Renaissance and Medieval Studies minor, or ARMS, offers an interdisciplinary take on history with excitement both in and out of the classroom. Last November, as part of the Intro to ARMS course, students built a […]

President Fred Pinkham, age 96, revisits Ripon College campus

Various threads of Ripon College history came together when Fred Pinkham, age 96, Ripon College’s eighth president, visited campus June 17. He met with current President Zach Messitte; Robert “Spud” Hannaford, professor of philosophy emeritus; Wayne Larson, professor of mathematics and computer science emeritus; and other campus staff, before viewing changes to the campus from […]

Gary Yerkey ’66 publishes new book about 1960s

Gary Yerkey ’66 of Washington, D.C., has published a new book. “He’s Coming to Start Riots: On the Road to Black Power with ‘The Rev.’ Willie Ricks” is available on amazon.com and other online retailers. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was no supporter of the Black Power movement himself, but he recognized Willie Ricks as […]

Ripon College names new leadership in Advancement and Marketing and Communications

Ripon College announced the appointments of Tracy Muirhead as vice president for Advancement and Melissa Anderson as vice president for Marketing and Communications. Both will serve in Ripon College’s Administrative Council that serves as the President’s cabinet and officers of the College. The positions are effective July 18. “After a nationwide search, I am very […]

Alumnus earns prestigious NIH grant

Sam Sondalle ’11, who is studying in the M.D./Ph.D. program at the Yale University School of Medicine, has been awarded an F30 fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. This is a highly competitive pre-doctoral fellowship to support research by individuals pursuing an M.D./Ph.D. He credits Ripon College and Professor of Biology Mark Kainz with […]

Life After Ripon – Madeline Poullette ’15

Chapter 4: Upcoming Master’s Thesis Work in Mexico [Editor’s Note: Raymond Allen ’15, Karena Schroeder ’15, and Madeline Poullette ’15 are writing rotating monthly entries for the Ripon College Newsletter chronicling their post-graduation experiences. We hope you enjoy their perspectives on Life After Ripon!] Hello Ripon Alumni and Friends! Summer is finally here, and I […]

Life At Ripon – Jacob Sahr ’16

Chapter 4: New Horizons [Editor’s Note: Chuchen Tan ’16, Sara Driebel ’16, and Jacob Sahr ’16 are writing rotating monthly entries for the Ripon College Newsletter chronicling their senior year experiences. We hope you enjoy their perspectives on Life At Ripon!] Well, I am finally done. The last four years of my life are now […]

Professor of Religion Brian Smith publishes op-ed piece

Brian Smith, professor of religion; Charles and Joan Van Zoeren Chair in Religion, Ethics and Values and chair of the department; and co-director of the Center for Politics and the People, had an opinion piece published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper Saturday. “Muhammad Ali and the Greater Jihad” links Ali’s death to the beginning […]

Sarah Mahler Kraaz selected to participate in special seminar

Sarah Mahler Kraaz, professor of music and college organist at Ripon College, is one of a select group of faculty members nationwide chosen by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in a special weeklong seminar on Teaching Pre-Modern European Art in Context. “Sight and Sound in Renaissance and Baroque Europe (c. 1300–1700)” will […]

Chemistry majors learn about Minnesota graduate program

This spring, Associate Professor of Chemistry Joe Scanlon took five chemistry majors to visit the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry and learn more about its graduate program. The trip was initiated by Dr. Laura Gagliardi after her visit to Ripon College in the fall and was mostly funded by the UMN Department of Chemistry. […]

A Year in the Life of Ripon Speakers Bureau

On a cold Thursday afternoon in February, Ripon Speakers Bureau students huddled in Smith Hall. Shawn Karsten ’09 was in the room with them; Liz Molitor Taft ’07, Sarah Hopkins Stansberry ’11, and Ryan Greene ’10 were on speaker phone. The alumni shared advice from their past experiences leading breakout sessions for the Youth Summit […]

Al Jarreau ’62 part of White House jazz gala

Al Jarreau ’62 was among a host of prominent jazz musicians to perform recently at the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert on the South Lawn of the White House. The April 29 gala jazz concert was just the third such event at the White House. The others were under Jimmy Carter in 1978 and […]

Ripon native artist Perre Kerch holding summer showing at 314: Ripon College Project Space

Ripon native artist Perre Kerch will be exhibiting his watercolor landscape paintings at 314: Ripon College Project Space this summer. Kerch has returned from travels across the country to exhibit his vision of the American landscape in these works. The paintings are carefully wrought compositions of Kerch’s current home near Duluth, Minnesota. His artwork connects […]

Shakespeare play updated to modern Ripon, Wisconsin

Join the Ripon Summer Players for a unique take on a classic comedy as we present A Ripon Midsummer Night’s Dream. We have placed this hilarious tale in contemporary Ripon, Wisconsin. The rulers run the local government, the fairies live in South Woods, and each tradesperson represents and is sponsored by a local business. The […]

Life at Ripon — Sara Driebel ’16

Chapter 4: Ready [Editor’s Note: Chuchen Tan ’16, Sara Driebel ’16, and Jacob Sahr ’16 are writing rotating monthly entries for the Ripon College Newsletter chronicling their senior year experiences. We hope you enjoy their perspectives on Life At Ripon!] As of May 2016, I will be a Ripon College graduate. Whew, I said it. […]