Carleton will host its fourth annual Empty Bowls Project Fundraiser on Friday, May 23 from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the campus Bald Spot. The event features homemade soup served in handmade bowls created by ceramics students. For a suggested minimum donation of $10 per bowl, participants can purchase a simple meal of soup and bread and keep their handmade bowl. The event is a part of Carleton’s “Food Truth Week” and follows a convocation at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel on the National School Lunch Program by “renegade lunch lady” Ann Cooper. The event is open to the public, and all proceeds will benefit the Northfield Community Action Food Shelf.

The Acting in the Community Together (ACT) Center was founded in 1985 after a visit from a representative of a campus outreach program urged the then-Carleton president to establish a community-based service hub. Julia O’Grady laid the foundation for ACT by uniting three community service programs with volunteer support from about 60 Carleton students: Project Friendship, Volunteer for Youth, and Faribo Project.

Along with Waterford Township, Carleton has announced a plan for the replacement of the iron bridge located over the Cannon River in Waterford. The single-lane bridge was built in 1909 and is number one on the State of Minnesota’s deficient bridge list. The College has agreed to allow its replacement to be built and maintained on about two acres of Carleton land.

Nancy Braker, a 1981 graduate of Carleton, assumed the position of Director of the Cowling Arboretum this fall. Formerly the director of conservation of Baraboo Hills and western uplands for The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, she worked for The Nature Conservancy since 1985, and in Wisconsin since 1988 in a variety of roles. She is charged with increasing the role of Carleton’s Arboretum in conservation, education, and in the sustainability of its lands.

In February, Carleton’s Laurence McKinley Gould Library was named winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2008 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award as the nation's top college library. The Gould Library is open to the entire Northfield community, whose members are welcome to check out library materials and attend exhibits, lectures, and other events.

What started out as a grant to study birds in the Carleton College Arboretum and the graciousness of Bruce Ambuell and Craig Sargent 33 years ago has turned into a summer-long, outdoor day camp for kids called Prairie and Wood (PAW) on the Carleton campus.

Carleton College will celebrate its 11th Annual International Festival on Saturday, May 17 in the Great Space of the Sayles Hill Campus Center. The International Festival has become a Carleton tradition that grows stronger and bigger each year. Taking place from 2 to 4 p.m., this year’s festival will feature a spectacular range of international cuisine, music, performances, activities, and information tables. The celebration is free and the public is invited to attend.

Carleton began construction on two new residence halls on the southeast part of campus on Monday, May 12. Following approval on May 5 by the Northfield City Council for a Conditional Use Permit for the project, construction of the $27.5 million halls is proceeding with a goal of occupancy for fall term 2009, or September of that year.

The Carleton College Department of Music will host an exciting four-day celebration of African American spirituals, hymns, and gospel music Thursday, May 15 through Sunday, May 18. All events will take place in the Concert Hall and are free and open to the public.

Carleton College invites the community to celebrate Earth Day with a variety of campus-hosted events.

Carleton College invites the Northfield community to participate in a week-long symposium celebrating the life and work of renowned American author James Baldwin.

Carleton College invites the Northfield community to celebrate Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath or day of rest in Judaism, with a special series of events featuring teacher and author Rabbi Jack Riemer. The celebration takes place Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, in Severance Great Hall on the Carleton campus and will feature relaxed and joyful services, catered meals, and provocative lectures by Rabbi Riemer. All events are free and open to the public, although reservations are appreciated.