Finding meaning in work
Auggies on the job
The future of history
CSBR gains momentum
Auggies on the soccer field
WE ARE CALLED
TO INSPIRE
PEACE
SPRING 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Dire... Show more
Finding meaning in work
Auggies on the job
The future of history
CSBR gains momentum
Auggies on the soccer field
WE ARE CALLED
TO INSPIRE
PEACE
SPRING 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
Reflective practice
As I write, I am on my way back to Minneapolis
after spending meaningful time at our Center for
Global Education campus in Cuernavaca, Mexico,
and my mind and heart are full with what I
learned and experienced alongside our students.
For more than 30 years, students who travel
to our campus in Mexico have been offered
remarkable experiences engaging local residents
in their various realities. In my short stay, I saw
this work on the ground as I was able to visit
local host families who share their homes with
our students for several weeks; an indigenous
village, where our students face the realities
of poverty and personal struggle; and a clothing assembly plant, made possible by the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), creating opportunities for economic progress and at
the same time challenging our sense of economic
well-being for workers.
This is education “off the main road,”
which I first described in 2011 (see augsburg.
edu/now/archives/summer-2011), an education
that promotes what Massachusetts Institute
of Technology professor Donald Schön called
“reflective practice,” the dynamic relationship
between learning and experience that is at the
heart of Augsburg’s academic mission.
This vision of education challenges us to
see that our various experiences are inextricably
linked with our reflection and learning. When
we see poverty, what questions do we ask, what
do we feel, what will we do? When we experience injustice, what are the causes and what
options are available for our response? When we
are jarred out of our normal perspectives, what
will we see and do? This integrated link between
experience and learning defines reflective
practice.
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
This issue of Augsburg Now illustrates in
myriad ways how this commitment to reflective
practice is at the heart of an Augsburg education.
The interviews with alumni in “Finding
meaning in work” advise students to be able to
reflect upon and explain their choices (in college
activities, academic major, and career moves) as
they equip themselves for the workplace.
The story on Augsburg’s women’s soccer
team tells how the student-athletes chose to go
to Nicaragua to combine community engagement
and learning with their soccer games. They partnered with the Center for Global Education (perhaps the first Auggie team to do so), and had the
full “off the main road” educational experience.
And on and on. In the stories that follow, we
celebrate our relationships with the Mdewakanton
Sioux community, with some of the leading business people in the Twin Cities, with our Somali
neighbors in Cedar-Riverside, and even with His
Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who came to
campus as part of the 26th annual Nobel Peace
Prize Forum. These stories powerfully illustrate
Augsburg’s diversity, hospitality, and embrace of
“the other”—all of which point to a college community dedicated to equipping our students for
lives of meaning and purpose in the world.
Reflection and practice—small to our
students and big for the world. Our vision for
Augsburg in the 21st century. We welcome your
support and engagement in the important work
before us.
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
of Advancement
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
Graphic Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
Faithfully yours,
ISSN 1058-1545
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services, CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
Hennepin County Library Special Collections
Archive photo
7
24
11
21
spring 2014
AUGSBURG NOW
Features
07
11
21
32
Finding meaning in work
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
The future of history
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
2014 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
BY LAURA SWANSON
Losar: Celebration of
Tibetan New Year
Departments
inside
front
cover
Notes from President Pribbenow
02 Around the Quad
16 My Auggie experience
18 It takes an Auggie
19 Auggie voices
24 Auggies on the field
26 Alumni news
16
On the cover
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama blessed Augsburg College student Tenzin Yeshi
Paichang ’16 during a keynote event at this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Forum (NPPF),
held March 1 and 7-9 in Minneapolis. When he was two years old, Paichang was
cast as the Dalai Lama in Martin Scorsese’s movie, Kundun. At the NPPF, Paichang
added a new role to his résumé—that of the Dalai Lama’s student attaché.
Read more about the NPPF on page 21.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
19
29 Alumni class notes
31 In memoriam
Designed by Laura Humes
AROUND THE QUAD
AUGSBURG IS A TOP PRODUCER
OF U.S. FULBRIGHT STUDENTS
This past fall, the U.S. Department of State recognized Augsburg College
for being among the top colleges and universities for producing Fulbright
students. The College, ranked No. 11 among master’s institutions, has had
17 Fulbright students since 2007. The Chronicle of Higher Education also
recognized the College in 2010-11 for being a top producer of Fulbrights.
Augsburg earns perfect score
Two Auggies were recognized for outstanding work as filmmakers at the 2013 Student
Film Festival hosted in November by the
Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) at the Main Theatre in Minneapolis.
•
Chessdogs, an experimental film by Nial
Nelson-Hopkins ’14, won the award for
Best Experiential Film. Watch the film at
chessdogs.com.
•
Black Sun, Red Sky by J.C. Calubayan ’14
won the Best Dramatic Narrative award.
See the film at vimeo.com/71923072.
on Campus Pride Index
Augsburg College recently scored a
perfect 5 out of 5 stars on Campus Pride’s
LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. This
tool assesses colleges and universities
across the United States on a number
of variables, including policy inclusion,
housing, campus safety, counseling,
support and institutional commitment,
academic life, student life, and recruitment and retention. Campuses that
receive the highest score are considered
“leader(s) for LGBT-inclusive policies,
programs, and practices.”
More than 150 people attended the
film fest screenings. The Student Film
Festival celebrates ACTC students’ digital
storytelling.
More than 160 students from throughout the Twin
Cities’ metro area participated in Augsburg’s third
Native American Youth Day held in January. The students
from grades 6-12 learned how post-secondary education
can influence their futures, got a feel for what college
is like, and were able to interact with current American
Indian college students.
2
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
Native American YOUTH DAY
Shakopee Mdewakanton scholarship
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC)
recently contributed $250,000 to increase endowed scholarships for American Indian students at Augsburg College.
This grant funding will be added to the existing SMSC
endowment fund, which was established in the mid-1990s.
The scholarship is utilized to recruit and retain talented
American Indian students who are enrolled or are eligible
for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe or are identified as American Indian by the Indian Education Act.
Bonnie Wallace
“On behalf of all those involved with our request to the
SMSC, we are absolutely thrilled and extremely appreciative of this most generous
gift. The SMSC, once again, serves as a shining example of its ongoing commitment
in the area of ‘cradle to career’ educational opportunities in our native communities, and in our case, [of providing] scholarship support to American Indian students
seeking degree completion at Augsburg College,” said Bonnie Wallace, enrolled
member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and member of the
Augsburg Board of Regents.
IME Becas scholarships
from Mexican consulate
Augsburg College was one of seven
Minnesota colleges and universities to
receive a grant from Consul Alberto Fierro
Garza, Consulate of Mexico in St. Paul. Garza
presented grants from the Instituto de los
Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME—Institute for
Mexicans Abroad) Fellowship Program to colleges and universities in Minnesota to benefit
Mexican or Mexican-American students. The
presentation took place during a ceremony
hosted by Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities (MnSCU) following the October
meeting of the Board of Trustees. A total of
$55,000 in scholarships was presented at
the ceremony, placing Minnesota among the
top states nationally for the amount received
from this competitive grant. The colleges
and universities will match the awards for a
total impact of $110,000.
THE CEDAR, AUGSBURG RECEIVE GRANT
A grant awarded to The Cedar Cultural Center and Augsburg
College will support a program to build cross-cultural
awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through
music. One of only six grants of its type in the nation, the $200,000 award
was made as part of the highly competitive Building Bridges: Campus
Community Engagement grant by the Association of Performing Arts
Presenters funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris
Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
The grant will be used to launch a two-year project titled Midnimo: Music
for Unity, Campus, and Community. Through Midnimo, the Somali word
for “unity,” Augsburg students, Cedar-Riverside residents, and the general public will engage in a series of educational and experiential events
focused on Somali music.
Spring 2014
3
AROUND THE QUAD
SPORTS EXTRAVAGANZA
SABO CENTER
for Citizenship and
2013
Learning
The November Martin Olav Sabo Symposium focused on creating
policy change and featured three panelists who spoke about
their experience working on climate change, the Minnesota
Dream Act, and marriage equality.
Speakers included Kate Knuth, Boreas Leadership Program
Coordinator at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on
the Environment and a citizen member of the Minnesota
Environmental Quality Board; Juventino Meza ’11, a founding member of NAVIGATE, a network of immigrant youth and
allies seeking to widen the path to higher education for young
people; and Sen. Scott Dibble, a third-term state senator.
Sports Extravaganza was founded in 1999 and continues to be an annual College tradition because of the
benefits it provides for Twin Cities area children, and
Augsburg health and physical education (HPE) and
exercise science students.
In mid-November, more than 200 Minnesota students
in grades 3-6 took part in the event, in which participants played adapted games and completed physical
education activities. The event is an opportunity for
Augsburg students to problem solve, use encouraging
messages and motivation techniques, and increase
their adeptness at instructing children with disibilities.
Kate Knuth
Juventino Meza ’11
Sen. Scott Dibble
STROMMEN SPEAKERS SERIES
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Speakers Series at Augsburg
College, which brings local business leaders to campus to share insights
and expertise, kicked off in November with John Taft, CEO at RBC Wealth
Management, and his presentation on “Stewardship: Lessons Learned
from the Lost Culture of Wall Street.” He made a compelling argument
that Wall Street leaders and institutions experienced a failure to fulfill
their stewardship responsibilities by putting their own interests before the
interests of the constituencies they serve.
John Taft
The series continued in February with Dave St. Peter, president of the Minnesota Twins. St. Peter,
who joined the Twins in 1990 and was named president in 2002, talked about the baseball
industry in his presentation, “The Business of Baseball.” St. Peter oversees the Twins’ day-to-day
operations, strategic planning, and interaction with Major League Baseball.
4
Augsburg Now
Dave St. Peter
CONVOCATION SERIES 2013-14
HEAD COACH
DENNIS
BARKER
RETIRES
First held in 1990, the Augsburg College Convocation
Series is an annual speaker series that incorporates longstanding endowed and special programs. This winter, the
26th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation honored one
of the United States’ visionary civil rights leaders with song.
T. Mychael Rambo and Brian Grandison hosted the event,
“Music for Martin.”
In February, the Batalden Seminar
in Applied Ethics featured Sister
Peggy O’Neill, president and director of Centro Arte para la Paz in
Suchitoto, El Salvador. Her presentation was titled, “Awakening
to the Reality of a Crucified World:
Discovering What It Means to Be
Human.”
Augsburg College men’s and women’s track and field
and cross-country head coach Dennis Barker resigned
his coaching positions after the fall season. Barker had
served as coach for both sports for the past 20 seasons.
Barker coached 59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) event champions and 147 All-MIAC
and 126 All-MIAC Honorable Mention honorees, and
his teams earned several U.S. Track and Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association Team Academic
Awards, among others.
Photo by Caleb Williams
The Sverdrup Visiting Scientist
Lecture in April featured Bonnie
L. Bassler, professor in molecular
biology at Princeton University,
whose presentations included
“Tiny Conspiracies: Cell-to-Cell
Communication in Bacteria” and
“Manipulating Quorum Sensing to
Control Bacterial Pathogenicity.”
The annual Sverdrup Visiting
Scientist Lecture series brings renowned scientists to campus to share their expertise with the Augsburg community,
the College’s aspiring scientists, and members of the larger
scientific community.
To find out more about the Augsburg Convocation series,
go to augsburg.edu/convo.
Spring 2014
5
AROUND THE QUAD
BOOK PROCEEDS to benefit Augsburg College
Book describes Augsburg professor’s
heritage as Norwegian immigrant
Profits from lost manuscript
designated for CSBR
Author Phillip Formo’s new
book, Papa: A Life Remembered,
describes the experiences of his
grandfather, Andreas Helland, a
Norwegian immigrant and a longtime Augsburg College professor.
In the book, Formo shares memories and insights about Helland’s
teaching and commitment to the
Church. Proceeds from the sale
of the book will go to an Augsburg student
scholarship in Helland’s memory.
The family of Erwin Mickelberg
is donating all profits from
his lost manuscript, It’s About
the Ripples, to the Center
for Science, Business, and
Religion. The book breaks down
1 Corinthians 13, line by line,
giving meaning and scope to
the well-loved passage.
A NEW PATH
TO DEGREE
COMPLETION
New bachelor’s
degree program for
working professionals
augsburg.edu/pro
Augsburg is rolling out a new, evening bachelor’s degree program for working professionals beginning
fall 2014. It will be offered in a flexible, hybrid-learning format, combining traditional weeknight
classes with convenient online components on an alternating, every-other-week schedule.
The new degree program format is designed to help working professionals complete their major in as
little as two to three years. With small classes of working professionals, students will be able to learn
from and with professors and classmates.
The program includes degrees in high demand among working adults—including business, communications studies, education, nursing, and psychology. More information about available majors,
tuition, and financial aid is available at augsburg.edu/pro.
6
Augsburg Now
Finding
MEANING
In Work
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
The value of a college education is greater
than it’s been in nearly 50 years. This is
the key finding of a 2014 Pew Research
Center study, which showed a wider earnings gap between college-educated and
less educated people ages 25-32 compared with those in the same age bracket
in previous generations dating back to
1965. The report, “The Rising Cost of Not
Going to College,” found that individuals
ages 25-32 who hold a bachelor’s degree
and work full time make $17,500 per year
more than working adults in that age range
who have only a high school diploma. This
disparity, the report states, “has never
been greater in the modern era.”
But life after college is about more
than just getting a job to earn a paycheck.
And that’s where Pew’s research provides
even further evidence of the value of a
college education: According to the study,
recent college graduates are more satisfied
with their jobs and are more likely than
those with a high school degree or less to
see themselves on a career path, rather
than simply working at a job to make ends
meet.
So what can Augsburg families do to
make the most of college and to ensure
that the investment in education pays off
over time and helps pave the way from
early jobs to a rewarding career?
On the next page, you’ll meet four
alumni who work in human resources
management and with whom we spoke
about finding meaning in work. The group
provided tips and insight into how Auggies
can improve job search outcomes, intentionally build their careers, and seek ways
to use their gifts and talents in a meaningful manner in the world. See their advice
on pages 9 and 10.
AUGGIE NETWORKING EVENT
[L to R]: Rick Bonlender ‘78, of the
Augsburg Alumni Board, talks with Michelle
Grafelman ‘14 and Donny Hunter ‘03 at an
Auggie networking event.
7
MEET THE EXPERTS
LARRY MORGAN ’76
President, Orion HR Group, LLC
Studied: communication/mass communication and
political science, minor in psychology; also holds a
master’s of arts in industrial relations from the University
of Minnesota
What makes work rewarding: “Helping clients solve
human resource-related challenges such as hiring and
dealing with difficult employees; designing compensation
programs; and getting thanked by top executives for
resolving problems.”
Augsburg College Regent
LISA NOVOTNY ’80
Vice President, Human Resources,
General Mills Inc.
Studied: social work and Spanish; also holds master’s
of arts in industrial relations from the University of
Minnesota
What I learned from a liberal arts education: “The liberal
arts taught me to think beyond what was in front of
me. It helped me find linkages to other coursework and
the world, and to other systems. Grad school taught
me about my discipline. Augsburg taught me to think
of all the factors that impact someone and the role of
the organization as something that can play a role in
impacting the person.”
MARCIA WRIGHT ’89
PAUL RENSTED ’87
Director of Human Resources, City
of Annapolis, Md.
Studied: international relations and East Asian studies,
minor in history
What I learned from a liberal arts education: “The liberal
arts will make you well-rounded by allowing you to have
a major focus area and to build around that. A liberal
arts education teaches people how to think, write,
communicate effectively, and relate to others. These are
critical skills to succeed in the work world. They also are
critical to succeed in life.”
8
Augsburg Now
Global Human Resources
Consultant and Human Resources
Manager, Toshiba Global
Commerce Solutions, Inc.
Studied: psychology and business administration; also
holds a master’s of arts in industrial relations from the
University of Minnesota
What makes work rewarding: “I get excited about making
a difference—whether by driving business results or
creating a positive experience for an employee. I enjoy
creating programs and a work environment that optimizes
our human capital.”
FINDING MEANING IN WORK
These four human resources professionals stressed that the starting point for Auggies is to take advantage of the rich
opportunities that Augsburg College has to offer. Getting involved in student activity groups, attending networking and career
events, having an internship, and more, will give Auggies a jumpstart on the skills, experience, and networks needed to land a
job and grow a career. The group stressed the need for Auggies to:
DO AT LEAST ONE INTERNSHIP
Students should seek at least one hands-on learning
opportunity while at Augsburg. Larry Morgan said that
internships offer a way to practice what you are learning in the
classroom and to identify skills that interest you and at which
you excel. Internships are a way to explore where your gifts
intersect with the needs of the world.
BE MINDFUL OF ALL THE WAYS YOU COMMUNICATE
Be aware of the many manners in which you communicate.
“At least 40 percent of employers check social media during
the background check,” Morgan said. “Many people are
screened out based upon inappropriate social media [posts],
and many also are screened out based upon inappropriate
email addresses and voice mail messages.” But not all uses
of communication tools need to cause anxiety. Morgan said
that for people who are seeking jobs in the visual arts, such
as in graphic design, creating an online website and portfolio
to showcase work is a good way to raise your profile and
professional reputation.
PARTICIPATE WITH A PURPOSE
Join student organizations, community groups, and professional organizations. Being involved provides opportunities to
build leadership skills and a network of peers. Marcia Wright
said these groups also provide students the chance to develop
a reputation for doing excellent work and for showing a willingness to embrace challenges. It’s important to know what
you hope to get out of a group, she said, and to be able to tell
potential employers about the influence you made and results
you drove.
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK
While getting involved in student groups and professional
organizations is an important component of building a face-toface network, it’s also important to take advantage of campus
networking events. Morgan said these events offer an easy
way to take advantage of the interest that alumni have in
students and in staying connected to the College. Face-to-face
networking also can be a starting point for building an online
network on LinkedIn.
CUSTOMIZE COVER LETTERS AND RÉSUMÉS,
RESEARCH COMPANIES
Human resources professionals spend only 15 to 30 seconds
scanning a résumé for an initial screening. Morgan said to
help ensure your résumé is sorted into the “closer look”
pile, it’s critical that your résumé be spotless, that it share
achievements via metrics—it should “show how you made a
difference, not tell them your qualifications.”
“Show how you made a difference, not tell
– LARRY MORGAN
them your qualifications.”
Cover letters and résumés should be tailored to each job and
should highlight the areas in your skills and experience that
dovetail with the job for which you are applying.
MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY JOB YOU HOLD
It’s not uncommon at some point to hold a position that is
not ideal. However, as Paul Rensted pointed out, all jobs offer
opportunities. “Always strive to learn everything you can in
any job you hold,” he said. “Work toward self-learning and
skill growth because you get to take those skills with you. Do
the same with relationships because you never know where
your next job will be or who will help you get there.”
STRATEGICALLY NAVIGATE FROM ONE JOB TO THE NEXT
“By moving around in one company or strategically moving to
different companies, you can start to focus on building your
depth of expertise and interpersonal and technical skills,”
Wright said. “Be sure to ask yourself before you start a job
what it is that you want to get from it.”
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR CAREER
“We all spend a lot of time at work. We need to try to enjoy
that time—or change it if we don’t,” Rensted said.
Spring 2014
9
FINDING MEANING IN WORK
Augsburg College Regent Lisa Novotny agreed with
her colleagues and added another level of insight into how
Auggies can create meaning in work. She said that Auggies
not only need to be taking advantage of the city as an
extension of the classroom and more, they also should be able
to articulate choices and decisions to potential employers.
“If students don’t pay attention to where they are putting
their energy, they will not be prepared to explain or represent
what they did,” Novotny said. “We [hiring managers and HR
professionals] don’t necessarily want to hear that a student
never deviated from a path or that they never looked back. We
want to hear why and how students made their choices and
decisions.”
“If students don’t pay attention to where they are
putting their energy, they will not be prepared to
explain or represent what they did.” – LISA NOVOTNY
Early in their work lives, Auggies should be prepared to
explain to potential employers why they took courses beyond
their major or minor, how they spent their summers, what
types of internships they sought, and what fuels their passion,
she said. This type of deep questioning helps employers learn
how a person thinks and whether they will be a good fit at an
organization.
In her work for one of the largest food companies in the
world, Novotny said she asks probing questions to determine
whether people are curious, authentic, and able to explain
how they may have served as a leader even when they weren’t
in obvious positions of leadership.
But not every employer will ask deep questions or ask
for thoughtful explanations, and that, itself, could serve as a
warning sign to job candidates.
“Organizations that don’t poke and prod, but that look
10
Augsburg Now
only for certain coursework and a specific major, may be
looking just to fill a job rather than help someone build a
career of meaning and differentiating contributions,” she said.
Novotny also stressed the importance of reflection after a
person has landed a job. “You need to pause and ask yourself
why you are doing something, what you are learning, what you
are contributing to the organization and the world. But you
also have to ask what it—the work—is doing for you and how
it is changing you.”
This diligence will help signal whether and when it is time
to seek change.
“Pay attention to your energy level and when and why
and how it is high at work. Do the same when it is low. Ask
yourself what is behind that,” Novotny said.
While being intentional is critical to building toward
and finding meaningful work, it’s not always the case that a
vocation, or call, is apparent right away.
“Sometimes meaning doesn’t come until we are ‘doing,’”
Novotny said.
“We need to learn what we don’t know and let some stuff
be uncovered over time. Be patient while you uncover what
leaves you high and low, but don’t be passive. Passive is really
close to indifferent. Indifferent is close to apathy. Apathy is a
hair’s breadth from disengaged. It’s hard to come back from
disengaged,” she said.
In the end, Novotny said, “you will find meaningful work
and make meaningful contributions when what you are really
good at lines up with where your skills are, what you are
passionate about, and what the organization needs. Careers
are 40 years or longer for a reason. They are just like life, they
are a journey.”
The Historyapolis Project
The Future of History
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
When professional historian Kirsten Delegard published her book in 2012—her first publication where
she was the sole author—she sold 300 copies. “And
that includes sales to my parents, in-laws, and large
extended family,” she said.
After nearly a decade of research, writing, and editing, her total proceeds were $96. Of course Delegard,
who currently serves as a scholar-in-residence in the
Augsburg College History Department, asserts that she
hadn’t done the work of publishing the book to make
money.
“I published it to share my ideas—to tell a story
about the past that few people knew.”
Delegard’s book, Battling Miss Bolsheviki, describes
the emergence of conservative women political activists in the United States after women won the right to
vote in 1920. It was published by one of the leading university presses in the United States and was
reviewed favorably by the largest professional journals
in Delegard’s field. “It addresses an important and even
provocative topic,” Delegard said, “something that
should be interesting to lots of people—particularly
in a state that includes political figures like Michele
Bachmann.
“But only a few people will ever pick up this book,”
she said. And, so, it is not likely to “shift popular
understandings of politically conservative women or
women’s politics.”
It was this lack of impact—not the lack of monetary
reward—that caused Delegard to become disillusioned
with the conventional approach to scholarly publishing in her profession. Our system squanders precious
cultural resources, she said, by encouraging “our most
highly trained interpreters [of history] to write things
that no one reads.”
History that does work in the world
Instead, Delegard wanted to write history in ways that
challenge people to rethink their perceptions and that
give them new context to help them make sense of the
world.
She said she felt drawn to respond to the words
American Historical Association president Carl Becker
used in his 1931 annual address. Becker called on
scholars to do “history that does work in the world, the
history that influences the course of history,” instead of
the history “that lies inert in unread books.”
The question Delegard then faced was: How?
Photo from the Library of Congress
Spring 2014
11
“How do humanities scholars reach the people who
want to hear their insights? How do they speak to broader
publics?” she asked.
Delegard responded to these questions by upending academic conventions and launching a history
project that is digital first and “old media” second.
The Historyapolis Project, as she has named it, focuses
on producing a comprehensive history of the city of
Minneapolis that adheres to high-quality scholarly standards and, at the same time, is accessible to the broadest
possible audience.
Bringing the story of a city to life
Today, the Historyapolis Project is a multi-platform,
historic storytelling endeavor, spanning Facebook and
Twitter as well as the newly launched Historyapolis.com
website. Delegard also has developed a research plan for
the project as well as an outline for a narrative history of
Minneapolis, which will be published by the University of
Minnesota Press.
A year before launching the Historyapolis Project,
Delegard, a third-generation Minneapolis native, met with
a wide range of community stakeholders. She spoke with
representatives from museums, higher education institutions, historical archives, and policymaking and arts
organizations about the need for a “usable” history of the
city. “In all of these places, I heard the same thing—that
the citizens of our state are hungry for complex stories
about the past, for narratives that will help them understand how Minneapolis became the wonderful, complex,
and contradictory place that it is today.”
The last overview of Minneapolis’ history was written in 1940, Delegard said. That project, Minneapolis:
The Story of a City, was a 94-page volume compiled
by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education and
the then-Minneapolis Board of Education. Since then,
many aspects of the city’s history have been covered in
various publications, she said, but “in the largest city in
our state, we do not have a central clearinghouse where
people can go to find a full story of our past.”
12
10
Augsburg Now
Engaging Minneapolis
So, the Historyapolis Project was launched—first on
Facebook—in April 2013. Delegard’s decision to undertake this work using digital tools was definitely a step
outside the comfort zone of a self-proclaimed “digital
convert” (as opposed to a “digital native”). But, Delegard
explained, “by making [my work] available to anyone on
the internet, I could reach a broader community and find
the audience I was seeking—an audience interested in
serious and accessible historical work that would bridge
the gap between the academic domain and the larger
world.”
Today, Delegard posts on the Historyapolis Facebook
page five days a week. Each post has an image accompanied by roughly 300 words that explain the significance
of the image. “I try to challenge pre-conceived ideas
about the city’s past. I present primary sources that are
meant to engage readers and to catalyze conversations
about difficult episodes” in Minneapolis’ history.
One of the most widely read and shared Historyapolis
posts was on January 1 this year, when Delegard posted
an archival image and brief history of the building at
512-516 Cedar Avenue, which was destroyed in a tragic
New Year’s Day explosion and fire that killed three
people, and injured and displaced many others. (See a
reproduction of the post on page 14.)
Other examples of Historyapolis topics that have
generated audience response and interaction range from
a 1954 burning of a trolley car to celebrate the end of
the city’s streetcar operations to a post about the beginning of desegregation in the Minneapolis schools in 1971
to various historic maps, which Delegard posts on “Map
Mondays.”
Because of the social nature of platforms like
Facebook, Delegard’s readers not only can provide feedback about the posts that interest them, they also often
share additional historical information about the topic
and even engage with each other in dialogue or debate on
various subjects.
It’s the interactive aspect of digital media that
Delegard finds most valuable. “It took me almost 18
months to get the reviews when I was publishing Battling
Miss Bolsheviki,” she said. “On the Historyapolis
Facebook page, I get instant and thoughtful feedback
from a diverse range of readers. Almost every day these
citizen researchers teach me something I didn’t know
about the city. They direct me to new sources. They
inspire me with their suggestions for new work and their
enthusiasm for the material.”
As evidence of that enthusiasm, the Historyapolis
audience has grown steadily during the past year, reaching a weekly audience of nearly 3,000 by the end of
February—“almost ten times as many as the total sales of
my book,” Delegard noted.
Historyapolis at Augsburg College
The project also is gaining attention and support
beyond its immediate online readership. In January, the
Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) awarded an $82,000
Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage grant to the History
Department at Augsburg College for the Historyapolis
Project—the first time that an academic department of
history has received funding from the Arts and Cultural
Heritage program for such a project. The grant supports
engaging students in the research process and, according
to an MHS news release, creates a “central hub for the
interpretation of Minneapolis history and an innovative
model for urban collegiate history departments.”
“The awarding of this grant establishes Augsburg
as a center for the study of Minneapolis’ past, one in
which the broader public will play a powerful role,” said
Michael Lansing, associate professor and chair of the
Augsburg History Department. It builds on the History
Department’s long-term commitment to the public work
of history and to expanding its role in the discipline
of “public history”—a discipline that comprises the
many and diverse ways in which history is applied to
real-world issues. According to the National Council on
Public History, public history is practiced by “historical consultants, museum professionals, government
historians, archivists, oral historians, cultural resource
managers, curators, film and media producers, historical
interpreters, historic preservationists, policy advisers,
local historians, and community activists, among many,
many other job descriptions.”
As part of its commitment to history education at
every level, the Augsburg History Department has, for
years, hosted Minnesota History Day, which is one of
12 National History Day venues and provides more than
30,000 Minnesota social studies students in grades 6-12
with the chance to be actual historians. Augsburg is also
home to the ACTC Museum Fellows Program, a semesterlong course taught by MHS historians and available to
students from any of the five Associated Colleges of the
Twin Cities (ACTC) institutions.
Bringing the Historyapolis Project to Augsburg,
Lansing said, extends this commitment into the digital
arena, incorporating tools and skills that are increasingly
critical for the practice of public history. The first year of
the project at Augsburg is focused on research and, this
spring, Delegard has engaged several Augsburg students,
funded through April by the MHS grant, in conducting
research that will lay the foundation for specific digital
projects in the future—including projects that may serve
as the foundation for future grant applications, Lansing
said.
“This transformational research project creates an
incredible immersion experience for students,” Lansing
said. Plus, it supports both the Augsburg College History
Department and the people of Minnesota by creating a
collaborative, “public work that brings the practice of history into the world.”
Delegard agrees. “The Historyapolis Project focuses
on the history of Minneapolis, but the practices and
collaboration it represents are as much about the role
of higher education in shaping our shared future as it is
about our historical roots.”
Editor’s note: Portions of the background about the
Historyapolis Project were derived from a presentation
delivered in November by historian Kirsten Delegard to
Augsburg students in The History Workshop course.
Spring 2014
13
The Historyapolis Project
Minnesota Historical Society
Historyapolis.com
Featured on these pages are reprints of three posts
from the Historyapolis Project. To read about, discuss, and engage with the history of Minneapolis,
go to Historyapolis.com and click to the blog or to
the project’s Facebook and Twitter sites.
R.I.P., 514 Cedar Avenue
Posted January 1, 2014
Tragic news from the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, where
514 Cedar Avenue exploded this morning. At least 13
people were injured in the blaze; as of this writing, three
people have not been found in the icy ruins. The building’s first floor contained a small grocery that catered to
the tastes of the immigrant neighborhood. Upstairs were
inexpensive apartments that provided basic housing for new
African immigrants.
When Peter Nordberg constructed this building in
1886, he designed it to house two stores on the first floor
and “twenty room flats” above. At this time, this section
of Cedar Avenue was known as “Snusgatan” and was the
commercial center for new Scandinavian immigrants. The
traditional gateway for newcomers to the city, the neighborhood began to transform once immigration slowed to a
trickle during the Great Depression.
In 1968, the struggling Cedar-Riverside neighborhood
provided the perfect location for a new commercial endeavor
envisioned by two [University of Minnesota] students. Ron
Korsh and Dan Foley started the Electric Fetus music store
at 521 Cedar Avenue in 1968, hoping to sell the psychedelic rock music they heard coming out of San Francisco.
Korsh quickly became bored with the store and sold his
share to Keith Covart, who is credit[ed] with making the
business a long-lasting success.
These counterculture entrepreneurs kept their store in
14
Augsburg Now
the news. In 1969, police confiscated a poster from the
store that depicted a nude couple resembling President
Richard Nixon and his wife. Notoriety (and low record
prices) helped the store to grow, forcing it to seek larger
quarters across the street. In October 1969, it moved into
514 Cedar Avenue, the building destroyed in this morning’s
blaze.
In 1970, Covart was arrested after the store displayed a
United States flag with a peace symbol superimposed in the
spot usually reserved for the 50 white stars. In 1972, the
store held a “naked sale,” offering free records and pipes
to nude patrons. After fifty people showed up to claim their
free merchandise, the store lost its lease on Cedar Avenue.
With the influx of Somali immigrants, Cedar-Riverside
has once again become a first stop for new arrivals to the
city. And the building at 512-516 Cedar had reverted to its
original purpose. The tiny apartments and ethnic businesses
destroyed this morning would have seemed very familiar
to Peter Nordberg, the nineteenth-century entrepreneur
who recognized the economic potential of a new immigrant
community.
Photo from the Minnesota Historical Society. And material for this post is taken from the excellent history of the
Electric Fetus, [“A History of the Electric Fetus”], written by
Penny A. Petersen and Charlene K. Roise in July 2006.
School Desegregation in Minneapolis
Hennepin County Library Special Collections
In November 1970, the Minneapolis Public Schools announced a
modest proposal meant to begin the desegregation of its schools.
Aimed at undermining the effects of residential segregation in
the city, it recognized that neighborhood schools were stratified
by race. In the scheme announced by the School Board, two
elementary schools would be paired. The all-white Hale School
would trade students with nearby Field School, which was almost
entirely African American. Children in the youngest grades would
attend Hale; grades four through six would go to Field.
The proposal was poorly received by a vocal minority, which
coalesced behind Mayor Charlie Stenvig, a former police detective. Stenvig ran for mayor in 1969 as an independent, on a
platform of law and order. Anxieties about the urban disturbances
on the North Side dissipated quickly after Stenvig took office.
They were completely eclipsed by rising concerns about the racial
integration of the school system. District officials knew that if
they could not come up with a workable integration plan, they
would soon find themselves under a court order to begin widespread busing. A determined group of parents sought to block
these efforts, calling on officials to defy any legal orders.
By 1970, anxious parents were voicing their opposition in
marathon meetings; one meeting stretched twelve hours long,
breaking up at 5 a.m. after everyone had spoken for three minutes. Concerned citizens were not content to express their opinions in public forums. School board member Harry Davis—the
only African American on the board—had to keep his phone off
the hook to prevent a constant barrage of threatening phone calls.
Minnesota Historical Society
Posted November 13, 2013
Despite the popular opposition, Minneapolis moved forward
with its plan to combine Hale and Field in the fall of 1971. The
paired schools attracted a committed group of parents, who
worked to build an integrated school community that could be a
model for the rest of the city.
This photo shows Monica Lash (left) and Molly Johnson (right)
on their first day on the bus in 1971. The image comes from
Dave Kenney, who curates the MN70s tumblr, and the Minnesota
Historical Society.
Minneapolis Streetcars
Posted June 19, 2013
The city has decided to invest millions to build new streetcar
lines. Which [begs] the question, what happened to our old
streetcar system? It met its demise in June of 1954 when this
sinister-looking photo was taken. This image records the celebration organized by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company [TCRT]
when it declared streetcars to be relics of the past. On this early
summer day, the company actually burned streetcars—like the
one in the background-—to demonstrate its commitment to
progress and innovation. The men in this photo were celebrating
the purchase of 525 buses, which had been financed with liberal terms from General Motors. This allowed them to discard the
streetcars and dispose of assets necessary to maintain the rail
network. This image shows TCRT treasurer James Towey handing
a check (from NSP for the company’s Main Steam Station) to
company president Fred Ossanna, who was later investigated for
shady business dealings and political bribes.
Spring 2014
15
MY AUGGIE EXPERIENCE
THEHeart OF MINNEAPOLIS
Archive photo
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE AND LAURA SWANSON
with thanks to Augsburg Archivist and
History Professor Kristin Anderson
Since 1872,
Augsburg—and many
Auggies—have called
Minneapolis home. The history of the College
is interwoven tightly with that of Mill City
and its vibrant Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
These archival images portray the College’s
ever-changing campus and illustrate its
connection to the broader municipality. Take
a close look. And take a moment to recall
your own Augsburg history.
Archive photo
›
The group photograph shows the Augsburg Seminary
community in February 1918. At that time, Augsburg
Seminary had three areas of focus—a theological
school, a college, and a preparatory department.
›
Built during the 1948-49 academic year, Augsburg’s Science Hall in its early years served
several functions, including as the campus entrance; the home of student publications,
administrative offices, and the economics department; and—naturally—the site of lecture rooms
and science laboratories, as seen here.
16
Augsburg Now
›
In 1967, the construction of Augsburg College’s Christensen Center and Urness Tower buildings coincided
with Interstate 94 development occurring at the campus periphery. The freeway changed the College’s
southern border, creating a finite boundary between its Cedar-Riverside home and the Seward neighborhood,
although pedestrian bridges were in place prior to freeway completion.
Archive photo
‹ In 1872, Augsburg established its campus next to Murphy Square—Minneapolis’ oldest public park—and this 1905 photograph by Sweet Studio shows children at play. The
image is in the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection and was enlarged for display in
Murphy’s, a dining establishment formerly located in the Christensen Center.
Archive photo
On October 8, 1972, Augsburg held groundbreaking and site dedication ceremonies for
a new student apartment tower that later
was named Mortensen Hall after Gerda
Mortensen, long-time Dean of Women at
the College. In addition to housing Auggies,
the tower initially was intended to serve
students from St. Mary’s Junior College and
the Fairview Hospital nursing program, as
well as St. Olaf College nursing students
who trained in Minneapolis hospitals. ›
[L to R]: Oscar A. Anderson, Augsburg
College president; Sr. Mary Madonna
Ashton, executive vice-president of St.
Mary’s Hospital; Sr. Anne Joachim Moore,
president of St. Mary’s Junior College;
Suzann Olson ’73, Augsburg student body
president; Leonard F. Ramberg, chairman
of Augsburg’s Board of Regents; Kent
S. Knutson, president of the American
Lutheran Church; and Carl Platou, chief
administrator of Fairview Hospital.
Spring 2014
Archive photo
17
IT TAKES AN AUGGIE
THE TEMPERATURE’S
RISING
As we expectantly watch outdoor temperatures climb this
spring, the Augsburg community has seen the mercury
rise on another attention-drawing gauge. The fundraising
thermometer for the campaign for the Center for Science,
Business, and Religion (CSBR) has surpassed its halfway
mark, reaching nearly $27 million* thanks to donors who
continue to demonstrate support for the largest building
project in the College’s history.
An outgrowth of the campaign’s continued success
is that we’ve heard new stories about why Augsburg
College means so much to so many. Augsburg is a place
where faculty members connect with students, helping
them to troubleshoot assignments and to work through
life’s tough decisions. Augsburg is a place where coaches
inspire teamwork, sparking an enduring dedication to
collaboration and a passion for cooperation. Augsburg
is a place where alumni are proud to call themselves
Auggies, supporting current students and recent
graduates who will carry the legacy forward. And,
Augsburg is a place where people flourish, meeting some
of their dearest friends and making some of their fondest
memories. Here are a few such stories.
Class of ’52 couple gives $250,000 to sponsor
physics laboratory
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Peterson ’52 believe the CSBR
demonstrates how Augsburg prepares students for the
future with energy and vitality. Combined, these Auggie
sweethearts were involved in activities ranging from
athletics to the Augsburg Choir, and beyond their student
years, they have maintained deep ties to the College.
Bill Anderson ’56 sponsors new biology laboratory
Bill Anderson ’56 found a creative way to make a big
difference with his support for the CSBR. Currently
president of the Minnesota Federation of Stamp Clubs,
he is a lifelong collector who gives Augsburg valuable
18
Augsburg Now
stamps each year and has named the College as a major
beneficiary of his estate. Anderson taught high school
biology for 34 years, and he said he enjoys seeing
Augsburg’s plans for the CSBR move forward.
Marilyn ’61 and Tom Breckenridge sponsor two
faculty offices for CSBR
Rev. Marilyn Saure Breckenridge ’61 is Augsburg’s first
female graduate to be ordained as a Lutheran pastor.
She and her husband, Tom, initially planned to sponsor
one office in the Religion Department in gratitude for
Marilyn’s undergraduate education and her Distinguished
Alumna Award, but—as their excitement about the
CSBR project grew—they sponsored an additional
office located in the Business Department to reflect an
important aspect of Tom’s ministry.
Roommates from ’45 sponsor adjacent
rooms in CSBR
Beth (Buesing) Opgrand ’45 and her college roommate,
Genevieve (Larson) Hendrickson ’45, reconnected after
50 years and both decided to give a naming gift for a
faculty office in the CSBR. It seems only fitting that
these faculty offices sit side by side.
Oliver Dahl ’45 sponsors faculty office in CSBR
Oliver Dahl ’45 has had an 80-year relationship
with Augsburg College. From age 10 to 15, he went
to campus to practice basketball while on a Trinity
Lutheran Church youth team in Minneapolis. Dahl
enrolled at Augsburg in 1941, and in 1942, served as
the College’s first wrestling coach before leaving to join
the U.S. Army during World War II. Dahl has named
Augsburg’s athletics program and the CSBR project the
major beneficiaries of his estate, and he says, “I’ve been
thinking about Augsburg College all of my life.”
LAURA SWANSON
These stories—and many others—are available in an
extended format on the CSBR campaign blog.
To read more, visit augsburg.edu/now.
*Figure represents fundraising total as of February 28.
AUGGIE VOICES
JOB
ON THE
Young alumni
value networks formed and opportunities
available at Augsburg College
As excitement and anticipation grow regarding the campaign for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion, Augsburg’s
newest alumni can articulate why studying at a college that emphasizes thinking across disciplines and beyond convention
proved beneficial in their education and invaluable when launching their professional careers.
BY LAURA SWANSON
TRENT ANDERSON ’12
Studied: accounting, business administration, and economics
Current role: Certified Public Accountant and Assurance Associate,
CliftonLarsonAllen
People have the wrong idea about accountants, according to
Trent Anderson ’12. “It’s not really as math-intensive as you’d
think,” he said. Sure, Anderson admits that part of his job entails
adding or multiplying large groups of numbers, but he also
stresses that teamwork and client relations are equally important—and, for him, energizing—aspects of his career. Anderson
chose to attend Augsburg because the College offered him the
opportunity to exercise his passion for teamwork as a student
athlete. During his undergraduate experience, Anderson found
that he and his baseball teammates developed friendships with
bonds as strong as family and a network with the potential to
influence their careers. It was an Augsburg alumnus and former
baseball player employed by CliftonLarsonAllen who introduced
Anderson to what turned out to be his first employer—and one of
the top 10 accountancy firms in the United States. Both Auggies
benefited from the College’s small-school experience, Anderson
explained, where it is possible to develop meaningful relationships with professors, fellow students, and Twin Cities professionals. “It’s an interesting mix,” he said. “Augsburg is about
more than mastering one subject. It’s about being a well-rounded
student, a well-rounded individual. Now that is something I value
to this day.”
To watch Trent Anderson discuss his start at
CliftonLarsonAllen, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2014
19
ANGELA BONFIGLIO ’13
Studied: sociology, youth and family ministry
Current role: Director of Youth Programs, Redeemer Center for Life and Redeemer Lutheran Church
During her second year at Augsburg, Angela Bonfiglio ’13 sought the opportunity to become involved in Minneapolis’ community
partnership work, and the College’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning was able to connect her with an organization matching
her interests and her studies. By the next fall, Bonfiglio was an afterschool program coordinator at Redeemer Center for Life, a
nonprofit seeking to meet the housing, employment, and youth development needs of Harrison and North Minneapolis neighborhood
residents. Her work—funded through a Batalden Scholarship at Augsburg—turned out to be a near-perfect fit, and she continued to
lead the program during her senior year. A few months prior to completing her degree, Redeemer’s executive director offered Bonfiglio
a full-time position following graduation. She accepted the offer, recognizing that she could use the knowledge and skills she’d gained
during college in her future position. “I loved youth ministry classes, and sociology challenged me in a new way,” she said. Today she
couples her sociological research experience with her background in youth programming to guide the “big picture” for the nonprofit’s
youth activities. “The work is completely interdisciplinary,” she said. “I can ‘plug into’ contexts for both sociology and youth ministry,
and that’s because of Augsburg.”
ALEX SORUM ’13
To watch Alex Sorum discuss the URGO project he
completed with Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright, associate
professor of biology, in Augsburg’s summer research
video series, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Studied: biology, chemistry
Current role: Postbaccalaureate Cancer Research Training Award Fellow, National Cancer Institute
Daily tasks vary widely for Alex Sorum ’13, a research fellow in one of the National
Cancer Institute’s chemical biology laboratories. Some days he tests enzyme activity,
and other days he synthesizes compounds. Synthesis, it seems, is a common theme
between his college experiences and his life since graduation. As a double major, Sorum
was quick to take part in every opportunity available to him, oftentimes combining his
interests. “I always knew I wanted to go into research,” he said. “The biggest benefit
for me was that Augsburg professors use a hands-on approach in their teaching.”
Sorum satisfied his appetite for research through on- and off-campus opportunities that
allowed him to gain valuable experience and strengthen his relationships with faculty
mentors. It was Michael Wentzel, assistant professor of chemistry, who helped introduce
Sorum to the National Cancer Institute, and other faculty members’ thoughtful letters
of recommendation that allowed him to secure the prestigious position. The National
Cancer Institute was “looking for someone with the ability to perform in this research
position,” he recalls. “With my past experience, I had the ability to both think critically
and to problem-solve. Now that’s key.”
20
Augsburg Now
1
2
3
4
BY LAURA SWANSON
The 26th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum—an event that celebrates the importance, consequence, and controversy of the
Nobel Peace Prize—was held March 1 and 7-9 in three Minneapolis locations, including Augsburg College.
With “Crossing Boundaries to Create Common Ground” as
its theme, the 2014 Forum brought Nobel Peace Prize winners,
civic leaders, and scholars together with students and other citizens to contemplate questions of peace and conflict. Now in its
third year of permanent residency in the Twin Cities, the Forum
welcomed more than 5,700 ticket holders who explored topics
ranging from science to law and from music to global affairs and
business.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the 1989 Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, delivered the Forum’s opening address at Faith
and Peace Day. Leymah Gbowee—a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
winner and Liberian peace activist—spoke at Global Day, and Dr.
Deane Marchbein represented Doctors Without Borders/Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF)—the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize laureate—
on Science and Health Day. Representatives from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the 2013 Nobel
Peace Prize winner, also led a breakout session.
In addition to engaging attendees in speeches, book signings, networking events, and more, the 2014 Forum premiered a
partnership with social networking service Google+ that enabled
online attendees to live-stream events, submit questions to keynote speakers, and participate in thought-provoking dialogue—all
from their unique locations around the globe.
“The opportunity to host the Nobel Peace Prize Forum offers
our students, alumni, and international community inspiring
examples of those people who strive to make peace and to make
a difference in our world,” said Augsburg College President Paul
Pribbenow. “At the heart of Augsburg’s mission are our commitments to educating informed global citizens and to embracing
the links between faith and learning.”
Spring 2014
21
6
5
PEACE ON THE STREET
BRAD ST. AUBIN ’15
The Dalai Lama is looked at as a paragon of peacemaking,
but his address helped reinforce that he is also human.
When doing peace work, we want solutions, but his ability
to say, ‘I don’t know,’ gave a nod to the fact that even our
revered leaders don’t have all the answers.
The 2014 Forum was an event that united the Augsburg
community, and Auggies participated both as guests
and as volunteers.
One Auggie who worked at the Nobel Peace Prize
Forum was Banna Kidane ’15. A Sabo Scholar studying
computer science, Kidane was an intern for the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum and acknowledged the rarity of his
chance to serve.
“Being an intern with the NPPF is a once-in-alifetime opportunity that I’m happy I didn’t pass up,”
Kidane said.
It is through making memories, sparking ideas, and
spurring action that the Forum lives out its mission to
inspire peacemaking. A few Auggies shared reflections,
takeaways, and highlights from their NPPF experiences:
HUMAN
KIM BESTLER ’10, Augsburg program assistant and tutor
coordinator, TRiO/Student Support Services
It’s a privilege that Augsburg gets to host an international
event that so tightly corresponds with our College mission.
MISSION
PEACE
LOVE
UNAFRAID
COMPASSION
COMMUNITY
CHARMAYNE SLETTEN, AUGSBURG PARENT
The presentations inspired peacemaking that starts
with love and compassion by each individual.
PAUL BATALDEN ’63
I realize I can’t personally control the emerging,
complex world. I, too, have no other choice but to
control what I pay attention to, what words I use,
what relationships I maintain, and what community
I foster. Through these recognitions, choices, and
actions, I can exert my influence and do my part
for peace and a better world.
INFLUENCE
22
Augsburg Now
SHELBY ANDRESS ’56
Augsburg is unafraid to enter a complicated world,
guide its entire community in ways of peace and
noble action, and use its spheres of influence.
LIZZIE FONTAINE ’16
The NPPF brings together a whole community.
That’s a huge gift for Augsburg.
BRAM OOSTERLEE ’16
My favorite part of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum is
the connections you make with the speakers and
the audience. The speakers open up discussions
that are not held often enough, and the audience is
excited and encouraged to take action.
CONNECTIONS
7
8
9
ABOUT THE PHOTOS
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM SPONSORS
PAGE 21:
The Forum is housed and coordinated by Augsburg College in
partnership with the University of Minnesota Humphrey School
of Public Affairs and the School of Public Health. It was founded
in 1989 through a unique partnership between the Norwegian
Nobel Institute and five Norwegian Lutheran colleges—Augsburg,
Augustana (Sioux Falls, S.Dak.), Concordia (Moorhead, Minn.),
Luther (Decorah, Iowa) and St. Olaf (Northfield, Minn.).
1 His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the 1989 Nobel
Peace Prize laureate
2 Dr. Deane Marchbein, American president of Doctors
Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, the 1999
Nobel Peace Prize laureate
3 Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist and 2011
Nobel Peace Prize laureate
LAW AND BUSINESS DAY SPONSOR
4 Jay Nordlinger, senior editor of National Review;
Stephen Young, global executive director of the Caux
Round Table; and Geir Lundestad, director of the
Norwegian Nobel Institute
MAJOR EVENT SPONSORS
PAGE 22:
5 Singer/songwriter Mason Jennings
6 Arjia Rinpoche, director of the Tibetan Mongolian
Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Ind.
Page 23:
7 Burroughs Community School students performing
at the Nobel Peace Prize Youth Festival
8 Dr. Maureen Reed, executive director of the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
9 A Peace Quilt Labyrinth exhibited at Oren
Gateway Center
To view additional photos, watch laureate
addresses and keynote presentations, or learn
more about the Forum, go to augsburg.edu/now.
EVENT SPONSORS
Barbara Forster and Mary Tjosvold, Smaby Family Foundation,
U.S. Embassy-Oslo, and Winds of Peace Foundation
FESTIVAL PRODUCTION PARTNER
Spring 2014
23
AUGGIES ON THE FIELD
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT,
COMPETITION,
& CULTURAL LEARNING
Photos courtesy of Augsburg’s Women’s Soccer Team
It’s easy to say that students at Augsburg
College are interested in the world around
them and that they strive to make a
difference by serving their neighbors. It
shows a deeper commitment to living
out the College’s mission to be engaged
citizens when a group of student-athletes
chooses to take a winter break trip to
Nicaragua instead of a destination beach
vacation in Costa Rica.
This winter, the women’s soccer
team showed just what it means to be
an Auggie when the group of student
athletes voted to go to Nicaragua for a trip
comprised of community engagement,
reflective service work, and soccer. When
the student-athletes combined their desire
for such a trip with the rich programming
that comes from partnering with the
College’s 30-year-old, award-winning
24
Augsburg Now
Center for Global Education (CGE), the
team landed an experience that pushed
their boundaries and understanding of the
world.
“The players genuinely have hungry
hearts and open minds,” said Mike
Navarre, head coach of the women’s
soccer team. “They voted to have an
immersion experience, and I am proud
that they feel they have a responsibility to
make the world better.”
By collaborating with CGE, the
women’s soccer team became the first
of the Auggie teams to participate in a
winter break trip that met the College’s
“Augsburg Experience” requirement,
a distinctive feature of an Augsburg
education that links classroom theory
with off-campus learning through
activities including internships, practica,
service-learning courses, study abroad,
special and individualized off-campus
immersion experiences, and more.
“Our CGE program has deep
relationships and a permanent presence
in Nicaragua, as well as other locations
in the world. We have established mutual
trust with our international partners,
so students who go abroad engage in
meaningful ways with the communities
that they visit,” said Leah Spinosa de
Vega, director of Augsburg Abroad and
International Programs.
“The result is that we deliver a
customized experience that aligns
students’ talents and interests with the
wants and needs of the community. The
programs also challenge students to
see that the community also serves the
students—that both groups experience
a mutual gain from the engagement and
that there is reciprocity of giving.”
For the Auggie women’s soccer team,
CGE designed a program that included
service at a preschool and soccer clinic,
competition against Nicaragua’s national
women’s soccer team, and cultural
learning activities.
The student-athletes spent about
a third of their time serving two
organizations, Nica HOPE (nicahope.
org) and Casa Alianza (casa-alianza.
org). The team painted the preschool
operated by Nica HOPE, an organization
that evolved to serve the needs of people
who live around and near the site of the
now-closed Managua City trash dump and
who depended upon foraging in the dump
for income and survival.
For the second service project,
student-athletes conducted a soccer
training clinic with Casa Alianza—an
organization that serves young people who
are homeless, or may have been trafficked
or exploited.
“We were humbled by the
challenges of the kids at Casa
Alianza and grateful to share in
their love of soccer.” -MIKE NAVARRE
The clinic prepared the Casa Alianza
youth soccer team to represent Nicaragua
in the international Street Child World
Cup (streetchildworldcup.org), a soccer
tournament that is held in late March in
Brazil with the goal of raising international
awareness of issues of homeless youths.
“We were humbled by the challenges
of the kids at Casa Alianza and grateful
to share in their love of soccer,” Navarre
said.
The Auggie team also had the
opportunity to compete in a series of three
games against the Nicaragua women’s
national football (soccer) team. While the
Nicaraguan team won two games, the
Auggies tied in the third game. All the
games received coverage in Nicaraguan
newspapers, an added bonus because it
raises awareness of the value and impact
of women’s sports.
“Our players work hard and respond
well to raised expectations on and off the
field,” Navarre said. “We showcase who
we are by how we play soccer. It’s our
medium. It has proven to be a significant
medium through which our players can
grow individually and collectively.”
The team also visited a coffee growing
cooperative, La Reina Agroecotourism
Project, in the small, rural community
of Matagalpa. The visit was a chance to
learn about the cooperative, which has
55 members of whom 22 are women,
about the impact of coffee and ecotourism
on the national economy, and about the
culture and typical lifestyle in Nicaragua.
All the experiences—working to
improve the Nica HOPE preschool,
working on soccer techniques with
homeless youths through Casa Alianza,
visiting the coffee cooperative, and even
the bits of free time—not only help
students build a greater understanding of
the world we share, but also help them
prepare for the work world.
“Employers today are looking for
employees with intercultural skills,” said
Spinosa de Vega. “Augsburg and CGE
programs require that participants take
time to reflect upon their experience.
Reflection is fundamental to driving
intercultural skills development. This
process undertaken by the team—to
engage and reflect—will help bolster their
success in their professional and personal
lives.”
To make the trip possible, studentathletes conducted soccer camps and
clinics, fundraisers, and an online auction.
In all, they raised about $20,000.
Team co-captain Alekzandra “Ali”
Miller ’14, a business management
major responsible for the online auction,
said she knew the value and impact that
playing soccer and studying abroad can
have. During high school, Miller played
soccer in Sweden and Denmark, and
earlier in her college career, she spent a
semester studying in Spain. Miller wanted
her teammates to have an experience like
the ones she had, but also knew finances
would be a challenge for some of her
teammates.
The trip was highly rewarding to all
the participants and Navarre and Spinosa
de Vega are hopeful that the success of
the trip will spur other athletics teams
to explore how to mix sport, community
engagement, and reflective service for the
type of meaningful learning experience
for which Augsburg College is nationally
known.
“It’s hard to say how much of an
impact we were able to make in just eight
days,” Miller said. “But I can say for
certain that our team was impacted for
the better. These types of experiences are
the kind of catalysts that give a direction
to people’s lives, that spark a new type
of gratitude, and that change the way we
think about and live our lives.”
“This trip confirmed for me and the
players that we have an obligation to make
ourselves and the world a little better,”
Navarre said. “In doing so, we also make
our own lives better. We don’t need to be
overwhelmed by the enormity or gravity
of the world’s problems. We can embrace
the world to make meaningful connections
and improvements.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
Spring 2014
25
ALUMNI NEWS
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
t
Dear alumni and friends,
used as a resource by alumni and students, and it features
posts specifically for Auggies from local and national employers. The next time you or your employer are hiring, consider
employing a fellow Auggie.
We have already seen what can happen when Auggies
work together—we accomplish great things. I would like to set
another goal. Currently, approximately 1,000 alumni are posting jobs on AUGPOST. I would like that to increase to 5,000
alumni submitting internship, job, and volunteer opportunities. Imagine the influence we can have on current Augsburg
students and their future opportunities. Learn more at
augsburg.edu/strommen.
Sincerely,
Courtesy photo
his fall, I reached out to you, my fellow Auggies, to ask
that you support our alma mater on Give to the Max Day
by donating to more than 25 different Augsburg fundraising projects. I am grateful to the 837 donors who
helped us raise $313,639 in one day and achieve our
goals of coming in first place among colleges and
universities and fourth place among all Minnesota
nonprofits! This proves that when Auggies pull
together, we can accomplish any goal!
I am often asked, “How, in addition to supporting Augsburg with gifts, can I help the College and the
current students?” Here’s an answer: draw upon your
experience, expertise, and networks to help students who
are looking for jobs and internships.
Our students are bright, ardent, and ambitious. They
represent our best hope for the future. Their most immediate
challenge in moving on to life after Augsburg is aligning their
liberal arts degree with a career path that will be personally
rewarding and provide them with financial independence.
I encourage all Augsburg alumni and parents to post internship, job, or volunteer opportunities—for free—on AUGPOST
through Augsburg’s Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for
Meaningful Work. AUGPOST is an online job posting board
TRACY (ANDERSON) SEVERSON ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Join the women of Augsburg for
CONVERSATION, LAUGHTER, AND INSPIRATION
The leaders of AWE (Augsburg Women Engaged) and the Augsburg Associates
are teaming up to host an interactive alumnae event in which women discuss
issues prevalent in contemporary culture, including their reflection on the question, “Am I measuring up?” At this inspirational event for Auggie women of all
ages, attendees will engage in conversation on what it means to be daughters,
mothers, grandmothers, women in public leadership and business, and involved
community members. Join us for brunch and hear insightful remarks from
author, speaker, and TV host Joan Steffend, as well as from an alumnae panel.
The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 17. The cost is
$25, which includes the meal. RSVP at augsburg.edu/alumnievents. For more
information, call 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
26
Augsburg Now
170 ALUMNI
JOIN THE CHALLENGE
Courtesy photo
as class leaders
Celebrating Lutheran heritage
and the Reformation
In the past year, Wayne Jorgenson ’71 and Chris Ascher ’81 have
made a concerted effort to seek the financial support of Augsburg’s
entire alumni community through the campaign for the Center
for Science, Business, and Religion. The Class Challenge goal they
set—for each Augsburg class to contribute a total of $1 million
toward this effort—has generated great momentum that has carried
forward into 2014. So far, the classes of 1952, 1965, and 1971 have
each exceeded their $1 million goal.
Their passion is catching on. As the momentum builds for this
essential and visionary project, Jorgenson and Ascher have been
joined by more than 170 alumni from across the years, each of
whom has made an individual campaign commitment and encouraged classmates to join them in contributing to the campaign.
Currently, every class from 1942 to 2014 has at least one
classmate who has contributed to the campaign. Since the challenge began, there has been a 53 percent increase in the number
of alumni donors supporting the CSBR.
For 2014, Jorgenson and Ascher set a goal of 40 or more
people from each graduating class to become financial supporters
of the campaign. The highest class participation award (so far) goes
to the Class of 1972 with 27 donors. Which class wants to exceed
their goal?
“Each additional classmate who joins with their support for this
wonderful project will find the satisfaction of adding their generosity
to the cause,” said Jorgenson. “The goal is ambitious, and we truly
need a lot of you to say, ‘Yes, I believe, and I will help.’ The size of
all contributions will vary, as they should, based on each person’s
situation and ability to give. Please know that, for each gift, we are
truly grateful.”
Visit the CSBR blog (augsburg.edu/csbr) for the latest progress
on the campaign and alumni participation in the Class Challenge.
Augsburg College is designing a custom travel program
for October 2016 that will celebrate the Reformation
and the upcoming 500th anniversary of when Martin
Luther in 1517 nailed the 95 Theses to the church
doors in Wittenberg, Germany. A highlight of the trip
itinerary will be a visit to Wittenberg over October
31—a time when the town annually celebrates Reformation Day with a parade, medieval fair, special
church service, and evening concert. In addition
to visiting Wittenberg, the itinerary includes stops
in the German cities of Berlin, Dresden, Eisenach,
Erfurt, Leipzig, and Prague, Czech Republic.
Led by Augsburg Department of Religion faculty
members Mark Tranvik and Hans Wiersma, program
participants will explore the lives and ministries of
Martin and Katie Luther and the legacies of influential Lutheran musicians Johann Sebastian Bach
and Paul Gerhardt. They will learn about Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, a 20th century German theologian and
martyr, and Jan Hus, a church reformer of 15th century Prague—100 years before Luther. Participants
also will hear about the church’s role in the Peaceful
Revolution that brought down the Berlin Wall and
remember the sobering days of WWII at the Buchenwald concentration camp. This travel program is
an opportunity to explore the connections between
people, cultures, and historical events while examining the Reformation as an ongoing influence in the
21st century.
To receive updates about this alumni tour as
plans are finalized, email alumni@augsburg.edu, or call
612-330-1085 to be included on a mailing list.
Spring 2014
27
homecoming
ALUMNI NEWS
CELEBRATE YOUR REUNION
SAVE THE DATE FOR
HOMECOMING
2014
SEPTEMBER 22-27
Join Augsburg alumni and friends for Homecoming 2014
Whether or not you are celebrating a
class reunion this year, new events
accompanied by traditional favorites
make Homecoming Week one of the
best times of year to come back to visit
campus. Reconnect with alumni and
favorite faculty members, and experience
the Augsburg of 2014.
The week will include reunion
events, networking and educational
opportunities, and fun for the entire
family. The Homecoming Convocation
on September 26 will kick off the weekend at a morning celebration where the
College will bestow the First Decade,
Spirit of Augsburg, and Distinguished
Alumni awards, and recognize members
of the class of 1964 celebrating their
50-year reunion.
This year’s Taste of Augsburg
28
26
Augsburg Now
pregame festival on September 27 will
include excitement for all ages, with
fair-style booths operated by student,
parent, and alumni groups. Following
the picnic, cheer on the Auggies at the
Homecoming Football Game as they
take on St. Olaf College.
The Auggie Block Party is back by
popular demand! Following the football
game, gather in the parking lot to the
north of Si Melby Hall to enjoy food,
entertainment, and camaraderie. The
activities don’t end there! Homecoming weekend truly has something for
everyone. For more information and a
complete schedule, visit augsburg.edu/
homecoming.
[
REUNION CLASSES
60th Reunion
1954
50th Reunion
1964
40th Reunion
1974
25th Reunion
1989
10th Reunion
2004
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, call the Office of Alumni
and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
]
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
50
John Shelstad was inducted
into the Minnesota Livestock
Breeders Hall of Fame at the
University of Minnesota.
62
Ron C. Nelson received the
Faithfulness in Ministry
Cross Award from Luther Seminary
in January. The honor was given in
the category of “25 years or more”
of faithful ministry.
66
Grace (Estenson) Fladeboe
retired after 30 years of work
as a family and consumer science teacher, and she continues
employment with her husband
and children for Fladeboe
Auctions.
67
Marlys (Ruona) Thomsen
and her husband, Tom,
have enjoyed traveling in their
RV since his retirement. They
have especially enjoyed the
Susquehanna River and mountains in Pennsylvania; Florida; the
southeastern United States; the
Pacific Coast (Southern California
to the Olympic Peninsula); the
vineyards of Washington, Oregon,
and California; the gorgeous sights
of Alaska; and the Texas coast.
At home, they are working on a
backyard garden and are active in
their church, Grace Lutheran of
Apple Valley, and Sons of Norway.
74
Scot Davis became the
winningest wrestling coach
in U.S. high school history when
his Eden Prairie, Minn., team beat
Columbia Heights, Minn., 58-17 on
December 12. Davis, who is in his
36th season as a high school head
coach, is the first high school wrestling coach in the nation to surpass
the 1,000 dual meet wins mark.
77
Randy “Goggles” Nelson was
inducted into the Minnesota
State High School Golf Coaches
Association Hall of Fame in June.
His teams have earned three state
titles, two second-place finishes,
and one third-place finish. He has
had an individual champion and
numerous other state participants in 21 years of coaching at
the Academy of Holy Angels in
Richfield, Minn.
Jodi and Rick Pelishek have
advocated for the rights of people
with disabilities for many years.
They began a statewide disabilities coalition in North Dakota and
later, Rick was hired by Disability
Rights Wisconsin (DRW), the state’s
protection and advocacy system,
to work on a rural transportation
project in Northwest Wisconsin
and to begin the development of a
Northwest Wisconsin DRW office.
He and Jodi received a national
award for their efforts on behalf of
the Rice Lake (Wis.) DRW. Rick
currently is retired and shares these
thoughts with his fellow Auggies:
“Your education is to help you
pursue your passion and to follow
your dreams. Wealth or poverty may
follow, but in the end you will find
more joy and inner peace by following your heart.”
David B. Wattman and John
Karason ’78 were married at
Bethany Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis on November 9.
Officiating were Susan Masters
of Bethany Lutheran Church
and Justin Lind-Ayers, Augsburg
College associate pastor.
99
83
Ryan Adrian-Hendrick Rivard
and his wife, Kristin, had a
baby girl, Maeve Wren Rivard, on
July 8.
Debra Hannu was selected
as 2013-14 Minnesota
Art Educator of the Year and
also Minnesota Middle School
Art Educator of the Year by Art
Educators of Minnesota, the state’s
only professional organization for
visual and media arts educators.
She is in her 25th year at the
Duluth Public Schools, teaching
63
Carol (Erickson) Zwernik retired in the summer of 2013 after serving for 45 years at Calvary Lutheran in Golden Valley, Minn. She
was director of pre-kindergarten for 30 years, a teacher for 12 years,
and director of children’s choirs for 25 years. She was awarded the
Vetter Educational Service Award in 2011 from the Evangelical Lutheran
Education Association and named Director of the Year in 2006 by the
ELCA. She is spending time with her husband, Don, at their lake home
and traveling. Future plans include spending time with her two sons and
six grandchildren, and writing a collection of stories about her family.
87
and serving as a curriculum coach
for visual and media arts. For the
past several years, she has served
on the Visual Arts Writing Team
for the National Coalition for Core
Arts Standards. The new national
standards were released in March.
Hannu and her husband, Patrick
Thomson, have a small community supported agriculture (CSA)
operation called Uncle Herman’s
Farm. They spend their summers
growing food and raising honeybees, and currently help feed
15 Duluth, Minn., families. Their
goal is to develop a model of a
small enterprise fashioned around
sustainability and creativity.
Andrew Altenburg works for the Bank of Tokyo as an associate
events manager. During the past nine years, he has produced
and emceed 450 installments of his weekly fundraising event, The Will
Clark Show. Recently, he was honored for his fundraising by the Gay/
Lesbian Anti Violence Project (2012), acknowledged by United for the
Ride (2013), and knighted by New York’s Imperial Court (2013). He
continues to officiate mainly—but not exclusively—same-sex weddings.
Jump for joy with him at jumpingforjoy.net.
Jennifer Grimm recently performed in Theater Latté Da’s
Steerage Song and in Words By…
at the Park Square Theatre.
06
Sara Schlipp-Riedel was promoted
to Alumni Relations Program
Director at Augsburg College in
2013.
ie
augPg
SHOTS
SNA
99
Mark Joseph and his wife,
Danielle, welcomed their
second child, a daughter, on April
30, 2013. Her name is Emily
Renee Joseph and she joins big
sister Ella (age 3) at home.
Spring 2014
29
auggie SNAPSHOTS
Send us your news and photos
Tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300
dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can
also submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
_________________________________________________
Full name
01
Hilary English Crook and
her husband, Jacob Seljan,
welcomed Britton Samuel Seljan
on September 26.
04
Dayle VanderLeest and
Karley Kielty ’06 welcomed
their son, Jack, on September 30.
_________________________________________________
Maiden name
_________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
_________________________________________________
Street address
_________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
_________________________________________________
Home telephone
05
Laree (Lother) Schouweiler
opened Reefuel, the first
indoor cycling and yoga studio in
Decorah, Iowa.
06
Belinda (Painschab)
Estrem and Andrew Estrem
welcomed Allison Jo Estrem on
March 24, 2013.
_________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? q Yes q No
_________________________________________________
Employer
_________________________________________________
Position
_________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year_____________________________________
_________________________________________________
Spouse’s name (include maiden name, if applicable)
07
Carolyn (Mollner) Mason married Justin Mason on September 1 at
Faith Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, Minn. Bridesmaids included
Augsburg alumnae from 2007, Beth Chalstrom, Sarah Pahl, and Jenn
Oliver. Carolyn is the daughter of Joe ’75 and Nancy Mollner ’75, and
granddaughter of John Soli ’54.
Your news:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
30
Augsburg Now
In memoriam
Thora O. (Torvick) Anderson ’39,
Fergus Falls, Minn., age 98, on
January 12.
Edith A. (Sorem) Gudim ’52,
Mayville, N.Dak., age 82, on
October 11.
Eleanor R. (Ortonstone) Gustafson ’40,
Brainerd, Minn., age 95, on
January 17.
Marvin L. Hagen ’53, St. Paul, age
84, on November 29.
Arlene (Olson) Borgendale ’44,
Chandler, Ariz., age 92, on
September 16.
James D. Bartsch ’45, Charleston,
W.Va., age 92, on December 24.
Orrin O. Agrimson ’46, Vancouver,
Wash., age 90, on September 2.
Glen M. Springer ’46, Barron, Wis.,
age 90, on October 30.
Carol J. (Ysteboe) Lindsay ’47,
Dilworth, Minn., age 86, on
January 4.
Shirley J. (Vance) Menzel ’48,
Spearfish, S.Dak., age 91, on
October 20.
Nathalie M. (Anderson) Peterson ’48,
Bloomington, Minn., age 87, on
September 1.
Ruby A. (Johnson) Sharp ’53,
Minneapolis, age 83, on January 5.
Audrey E. (Knudson) Boettcher ’54,
Suamico, Wis., age 81, on
November 2.
Gerald D. Baxter ’56, Bellevue,
Neb., age 79, on October 24.
Peggy-Joyce (Sorenson) Grable ’57,
College Place, Wash., age 78, on
November 9.
Norman R. Matson ’57, Evanston,
Ill., age 78, on January 12.
Albert N. Kemmer ’59, Eagan,
Minn., age 75, on November 6.
Helen J. Bergan ’61, Las Cruces,
N.Mex., age 76, on September 6.
Stephen A. Nelson ’69, Edina,
Minn., age 67, on September 5.
Debra K. (Chase) Anderson ’77,
Onamia, Minn., age 59, on
December 19.
Peder J. Wilcox ’49, Bloomington,
Minn., age 87, on December 10.
Philip S. Johnson ’79, Ashland,
Wis., age 58, on October 4.
Roy A. Bogen ’50, Bloomington,
Minn., age 86, on December 26.
Thomas S. McCleery ’87, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 49, on July 4.
Robert E. Paulson ’50, Crystal,
Minn., age 86, on December 2.
Matthew E. Smith ’02, Minneapolis,
age 51, on April 9, 2013.
Robert “Bob” V. Ryan ’50, East
Helena, Mont., age 85, on
December 18.
Laura A. Peterson ’04, St. Cloud,
Minn., age 31, on December 31.
Virginia “Ginny” L. (Thompson)
Smith ’50, Hendricks, Minn., age
85, on January 1.
Clarice E. (Glamm) Madsen ’51,
Kasson, Minn., age 85, on
October 31.
Celia J. (Hanson) Burk ’52, Fargo,
N.Dak., age 86, on September 24.
Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member Megan Shroat
Linda K. Johnson ’70, Sarasota,
Fla., age 64, on September 15.
William “Bun” W. Fischer ’49, Barrett,
Minn., age 92, on October 21.
Gretchen M. Myers ’05, Waconia,
Minn., age 37, on January 14.
Associate Professor of Social
Work Annette Gerten, Inver Grove
Heights, Minn., age 52, on
December 31.
Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
Megan Shroat, Minneapolis, age
38, on February 6.
The “In Memoriam” alumni listings in this publication include
notifications received before January 31.
Annette Gerten, 52, a passionate and valued member of
the social work faculty and the
Augsburg community, passed
away in late December from
an aggressive cancer. Her time
with us and our students was a
blessing we will long remember and greatly miss.
Her colleagues in the Social Work Department
said Gerten was an innovative teacher, a tireless
collaborator, and an incurable knitter. She dedicated her whole heart to her students and to her
colleagues, serving as a Fellow with the Center
for Teaching and Learning, on the Committee for
Tenure and Promotion, as assessment director for
the social work program, and as field placement
coordinator for undergraduate social work students.
“As she did with yarn so beautifully and creatively, she wove
us all together more tightly centered on the important work of
serving others...What a good mother, social worker, educator,
and human being! May we carry on in her hopes and dreams as
her spirit lives in our hearts.”
–Anthony Bibus, professor emeritus, Social Work Department
Courtesy photo
Ruth C. (Anderson) Blanshan ’44,
Green Bay, Wis., age 91, on
October 29.
Courtesy photo
Associate Professor of Social Work Annette Gerten
Megan Shroat, 38, a long-time
adjunct faculty member in the
Psychology Department, passed
away in February. An accomplished academician as well as
a gifted teacher, she was deeply
connected and committed to
the fabric and mission of Augsburg.
She also was a strong advocate of Augsburg’s
StepUP® program for students in recovery and shared
the College’s commitment to making higher education accessible to diverse groups of students. She was
willing to listen to her students, their opinions, and
even their struggles, but was also not afraid to challenge them to dig deeper and achieve more.
“I have had students tell me that Megan was the reason
[they] chose to major in psychology and pursue a profession
dedicated to improving the lives of others. Her example, her
presence, her genuine love for students and their growth had
this impact. She taught not simply to impart knowledge but to
change lives.”
–Scott Washburn, assistant director, StepUP
Spring 2014
31
LOSAR
Tibetan New Year Celebration
AUGSBURG WAS THE SITE OF A HISTORIC EVENT
March 2 when it hosted the Tibetan American
Foundation of Minnesota’s Losar celebration in Si Melby
Hall. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama presided over
this Tibetan New Year ceremony—the first time he
observed the holiday in the western hemisphere.
Sitting on the floor and filling the bleachers, more
than 2,500 guests packed Augsburg’s gymnasium,
which had been transformed (literally) overnight from the
site of a wrestling tournament to an ornately decorated
space. After the ceremony and the departure of attending
dignitaries—including Augsburg College President Paul
Pribbenow and Abigail Pribbenow, Minneapolis Mayor
Betsy Hodges, and U.S. representatives Keith Ellison
and Betty McCollum—guests continued the festivities
with traditional music, dancing, and food—rice, jerky,
deep-fried pastries, dumplings, butter tea, and more.
Dozens of Augsburg staff, students, and volunteers
worked the event, demonstrating how Augsburg lives out
its commitment to hospitality.
LAURA SWANSON
32
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2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Tibetan New Year
Three Auggies, all sisters, participated in the historic Tibetan New Year celebration held at Augsburg
College in March. [L to R]: Tenzin Dolsel ’16, a master of social work student; Dechen Dolma ’16, who
is pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing degree; and Kalsang Chodon ’15, a master of business
administration student. Chodon served as a volunteer for the event, working in one of the VIP reception
rooms for the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota. See page 32 for more about the celebration
or scan the QR code to see event photos.
Show less
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
What the world wants is a good job
Augsburg College Homecoming 2013
Keeping track of Auggies
Augsburg 2019: A strategic vision
CELEBRATING
auggie
PRIDE!
FALL 2013 | VOL. 76, NO. 1
Auggie class challenge
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
NOTES
NOTES F... Show more
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
What the world wants is a good job
Augsburg College Homecoming 2013
Keeping track of Auggies
Augsburg 2019: A strategic vision
CELEBRATING
auggie
PRIDE!
FALL 2013 | VOL. 76, NO. 1
Auggie class challenge
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
NOTES
NOTES FROM
FROM PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
PRIBBENOW
“Big
“Big for
for the
the world…”
world…”
In this issue of
In this issue of
Augsburg Now, you
Augsburg Now, you
will find a summary of
will find a summary of
Augsburg 2019,
Augsburg 2019,
a strategic framework
a strategic framework
developed over the
developed over the
past several months
past several months
with the involvewith the involvement of Regents,
ment of Regents,
faculty, staff, and
faculty, staff, and
students. Focused on
students. Focused
Augsburg’s 150th anniversary in 2019, the plan sets
on Augsburg’s 150th
out an ambitious vision, which claims that in 2019,
anniversary in 2019, the plan sets out an ambitious
“Augsburg will be a new kind of student-centered, urban
vision, which claims that in 2019, “Augsburg will be a
university—small to our students and big for the world.”
new kind of student-centered, urban university—small to
I hope you find in this vision statement a glimpse
our students and big for the world.”
of the Augsburg we all know and love—and that we all
I hope you find in this vision statement a glimpse
want to support and help strengthen for the future.
of the Augsburg we all know and love—and that we all
The Augsburg that we all know is a college where
want to support and help strengthen for the future.
students are central to our daily lives; where personal
The Augsburg that we all know is a college where
relationships and a sense of community combine to
students are central to our daily lives; where personal
provide rare opportunities to learn and serve; and
relationships and a sense of community combine to
where academic, civic, and faith commitments are
provide rare opportunities to learn and serve; and
explored and strengthened. A college that is small to
where academic, civic, and faith commitments are
our students.
explored and strengthened. A college that is small to
At the same time, we are a college that makes
our students.
a remarkable impact on the world—as a community
At the same time, we are a college that makes
and through our thousands of graduates pursuing
a remarkable impact on the world—as a community
their vocations in various settings around the globe.
and through our thousands of graduates pursuing
A college that is big for the world.
their vocations in various settings around the globe.
When reviewing the editorial plan for this issue
A college that is big for the world.
of Augsburg Now, I was struck with how this vision
When reviewing the editorial plan for this issue
of “big for the world” is evident in so many different
of Augsburg Now, I was struck with how this vision
ways. And at the risk of violating what my predecesof “big for the world” is evident in so many different
sor, President Bill Frame, called Augsburg’s “militant
ways. And at the risk of violating what my predecesmodesty,” allow me to brag a bit about this very
sor, President Bill Frame, called Augsburg’s “militant
special college…
modesty,” allow me to brag a bit about this very
s !BOUTONEOFTHELARGESTlRST
YEARCLASSESIN
special
college…
Augsburg’s history this fall—more than 460 first• About one of the largest first-year classes in
year students—and the effect they already are
Augsburg’s history this fall—more than 460 firsthaving on campus with their spirit and activism.
year students—and the effect they already are
s having
!BOUTTHEFACTTHATOURSCIENCEFACULTYHAVEGENERon campus with their spirit and activism.
ated unprecedented funding from the National
• About the fact that our science faculty have generScience Foundation and other federal agencies,
ated unprecedented funding from the National
ranking Augsburg third in the state among all higher
Science Foundation and other federal agencies,
ranking Augsburg third in the state among all higher
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
education institutions, behind only the University
education institutions, behind only the University
of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of
of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of
Minnesota-Duluth.
Minnesota-Duluth.
s !BOUTTHEFACTTHATWEWERENAMEDTHISPASTFALLAS
• About the fact that we were named this past fall as
one of the top 25 colleges in the country for service
one of the top 25 colleges in the country for service
learning programs, exemplifying how our commitlearning programs, exemplifying how our commitment to education for service is imbedded in the
ment to education for service is imbedded in the
curriculum and recognized by others as a highcurriculum and recognized by others as a highimpact way of learning.
impact way of learning.
s !BOUTTHEFACTTHATWEAREPARTNERINGWITHMORE
• About the fact that we are partnering with more
than a dozen colleges and health care institutions
than a dozen colleges and health care institutions
in the Twin Cities to combine our human and fiscal
in the Twin Cities to combine our human and fiscal
resources in support of neighborhoods along the
resources in support of neighborhoods along the
new Central Corridor Light Rail Line between downnew Central Corridor Light Rail Line between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.
town Minneapolis and St. Paul.
s !BOUTTHEFACTTHATWERAISEDMORETHANMILLION
• About the fact that we raised more than $19 million
in gifts and pledges during the 2012-13 academic
in gifts and pledges during the 2012-13 academic
year from alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and
year from alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and
foundations—another record year in fundraising for
foundations—another record year in fundraising for
Augsburg, our third record year in a row—and that
Augsburg, our third record year in a row—and that
WEHAVENOWRAISEDMORETHANMILLIONFORTHE
we have now raised more than $25 million for the
planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
s !BOUTTHEFACTTHATWECONTINUETODEVELOPINNOVA• About the fact that we continue to develop innovative academic programs, including our new Master
tive academic programs, including our new Master
of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which was launched
of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which was launched
this past summer with a first cohort of 16 students,
this past summer with a first cohort of 16 students,
and a partnership with the Minneapolis Community
and a partnership with the Minneapolis Community
and Technical College to offer the first fast-track
and Technical College to offer the first fast-track
RN/Bachelor of Science in Nursing professional
RN/Bachelor of Science in Nursing professional
program in Minnesota between a two-year public
program in Minnesota between a two-year public
institution and a four-year private college.
institution and a four-year private college.
And I could go on. There’s more in the pages
And I could go on. There’s more in the pages
that follow and even more in the daily life of the
that follow and even more in the daily life of the
Augsburg community. Come and visit, as Minnesota
Augsburg community. Come and visit, as Minnesota
State Senator Terri Bonoff, chair of the Senate
State Senator Terri Bonoff, chair of the Senate
Higher Education Committee, did recently, and see
Higher Education Committee, did recently, and see
for yourself what she described this way: “This is a
for yourself what she described this way: “This is a
special college—one where being small to students
special college—one where being small to students
and big for the world is really true.” I couldn’t have
and big for the world is really true.” I couldn’t have
said it better.
said it better.
Faithfully yours,
Faithfully yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
of Advancement
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect
reflect official
official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
fall 2013
AUGSBURG NOW
16
Courtesy photo
12
Features
20
18
02
09
14
18
20
Augsburg 2019
What the whole world wants
is a good job
Augsburg College annual report
Mixing teamwork into the
courseload
Homecoming 2013
Departments
inside
front
cover
4
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
12 Auggie voices
16 Auggies on the court
19 My Auggie experience
23 It takes an Auggie
2
On the cover
Edor Nelson Field, home to Auggie football, softball, lacrosse, and soccer,
was resurfaced with more durable and safe FieldTurf Revolution this summer. The field is named for Edor Nelson ’38, longtime Auggie athletics coach
and World War II veteran. Read about other Auggie veterans on page 12.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
19
24 Keeping track of Auggies
31 In memoriam
AUGSBURG
2019
A STRATEGIC VISION
In January 2013, the Augsburg College Board of Regents
launched a strategic planning initiative that involved conversation and input from across the campus community. The outcome
of that work is a strategic vision statement that looks out to
2019, Augsburg’s sesquicentennial year:
In 2019, Augsburg College will be
a new kind of student-centered,
urban university that is
small to our students and big for the world.
“Small to our students” reflects the relationships, community,
and personal attention that are hallmarks of the educational
experience at Augsburg. “Big for the world” acknowledges the
significant impact we know our students—and alumni—do and
will make in the world.
The strategic plan is grounded in Augsburg’s mission statement,
which was updated in 2010. The plan is organized into three
categories, or dimensions, each with three goals. Detail about
each of the strategic planning dimensions is provided on the
next page. The strategic vision will anchor the College’s institutional initiatives and priorities throughout the next five years,
reflecting the values and commitments stated in our mission:
AUGSBURG EDUCATES STUDENTS TO BE
INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL STEWARDS,
CRITICAL THINKERS,
AND RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
THE AUGSBURG EXPERIENCE IS SUPPORTED BY AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY
THAT IS COMMITTED TO INTENTIONAL DIVERSITY IN ITS LIFE AND WORK.
AN AUGSBURG EDUCATION IS DEFINED BY EXCELLENCE IN THE LIBERAL ARTS
AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES, GUIDED BY THE FAITH AND VALUES OF THE
LUTHERAN CHURCH, AND SHAPED BY ITS URBAN AND GLOBAL SETTINGS.
2
Augsburg Now
DIMENSION 1
DIMENSION 2
DIMENSION 3
EDUCATING FOR LIVES
OF PURPOSE
AT THE TABLE
BUILT FOR THE FUTURE
The first dimension articulates OUR ACADEMIC
The second dimension focuses on OUR
The third dimension is about how OUR
DISTINCTION: Augsburg educates students for
REPUTATION AND IDENTITY: Augsburg is “at
INSTITUTION WILL THRIVE NOW AND IN THE
lives of purpose. The goals in this category
the table” with our neighbors and institutional
FUTURE. The goals in this category call on
challenge us to:
partners in shaping education to address the
Augsburg to be:
world’s needs. The goals here call on us to:
• rigorously integrate the liberal arts and the
professional studies;
• a welcoming, sustainable campus,
• prepare an intentional mix of diverse learners for a complex, interconnected world;
• use high-impact teaching and learning
practices, enriched by our core com-
• provide experiential opportunities that
mitments of faith and spiritual inquiry,
enable students to discover their gifts,
vocational discernment, civic engagement,
discern their vocations, and open doors to
and global understanding; and
careers; and
anchored in our community and designed
for educational excellence;
• organized for collaboration, efficiency,
and effectiveness; and
• committed to maintaining a sound and
sustainable financial footing.
• provide each student with pathways for
success to graduation and beyond.
• publicly advance the core commitments
that enrich our learning environment—
faith and spiritual inquiry, vocational
discernment, civic engagement, and global
understanding.
Fall 2013
3
AROUND THE QUAD
COLLEGE AWARDS
Top 25 schools for service learning
U.S. News & World Report designated Augsburg College
as one of the top 25 colleges and universities in the
nation for its dedication to service learning. Schools
named to the list were nominated by college presidents,
chief academic officers, and deans from more than
1,500 higher education institutions. Augsburg was the
only Minnesota school named to the list.
Best Regional Universities by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report named Augsburg one of the
Best Universities in the Midwest. Rankings are based
on several factors, including average first-year retention rates, graduation rates, class sizes, student-faculty
ratios, acceptance rates, and more.
“Best in the Midwest” by Princeton Review
Augsburg College is one of 155 colleges that The
Princeton Review has named “Best in the Midwest” for
academic excellence.
Named Top 200 school by Winds of Change
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society
Winds of Change magazine has selected Augsburg as
one of the Top 200 Schools in 2013 for Native American
and Alaska Native students pursuing degrees in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
Recognized nationally for contribution to the public good
Augsburg College was the No. 2 institution in Minnesota
named by Washington Monthly in its 2013 Master’s
Universities Rankings. The list rates schools based upon
their contribution to the public good in three categories:
social mobility, research, and service.
Named a High ROI College by Affordable Colleges Online
Augsburg College was named a top college for return on
investment (ROI) in Minnesota for having high-earning
graduates in comparison to tuition and fees. The ranking,
by Affordable Colleges Online, is the result of a partnership among the National Center for Education Statistics,
Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System, the
Carnegie Foundation, and PayScale.com.
4
Augsburg Now
BOARD OF REGENTS
WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
At its annual meeting in September, the Augsburg
Corporation elected two new members to the Board of
Regents and re-elected five others.
Wayne Jorgenson ’71
Dennis Meyer ’78
Elected to their first term on the Augsburg Board of Regents:
•
Wayne Jorgenson ’71 serves as senior vice president
of wealth management with UBS Financial Services,
Inc. and brings decades of financial planning and
investment management experience to the Board.
•
Dennis Meyer ’78 has extensive experience in strategic
marketing and global business development. He has
held executive positions in several industries, most
recently in architecture and building engineering with
AECOM Ellerbe Becket, as well as in communications,
printing and imaging, and supply chain management.
Elected to a second or third term:
•
Ann Ashton-Piper, president of The Bridge Group
•
Norman Hagfors, president (retired), Norsen, Inc.
•
Jodi Harpstead, chair of the Augsburg Board of
Regents and chief executive officer, Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota
•
Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, physician and chair of general
internal medicine, Mayo Clinic
•
Lisa Novotny ’80, vice president human resources,
International, General Mills
Mike Good ’71 and Jennifer Martin were named Regents
Emeriti at the May meeting of the Augsburg Board of
Regents. Each had served three four-year terms on the
board. Marie McNeff also was named Regent Emerita by
the Board at that meeting. McNeff, who passed away
in September, was elected to the Board in 2005 and
served as a Regent for the College until her retirement
from the Board earlier in 2013.
Augsburg science faculty
awarded more than $695,000 in grants
Augsburg College science
faculty continue to be awarded grants from the National
Science Foundation (NSF) for
research. During 2012, the
College was ranked third in
Minnesota for the total dollar
amount awarded to a school,
behind only the University of
Minnesota, Twin Cities and
the University of Minnesota, Duluth. In addition, science faculty members recently were awarded an additional $695,087
in grants. These grants include:
MARK ENGEBRETSON, professor of physics, was awarded a
three-year, $185,940 grant for continued study and probing of
Earth’s space environment, known as the magnetosphere. The
project will help society better understand the relationship
between Earth’s magnetosphere and its interaction with the
solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. The project, which builds upon a long-standing relationship with the
University of New Hampshire and that also makes data available to space physics researchers throughout the world, will
study ultra-low-frequency waves on Svalbard, Norway, which
is the only place in the northern hemisphere where the Aurora
Borealis (Northern Lights) can be observed for longtime periods in darkness at noon. The grant, Federal Award ID Number
AGS-1202267, brings to more than $2 million the awards
earned by Engebretson since mid-2008. Funds will support
the continued operation of four search coil magnetometers
and the analysis of the data gathered.
DAVID HANSON, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded in
excess of $386,000 for a three-year project that ultimately will
help increase understanding of the sources of particulate matter that are harmful to human health. Hanson will test models
for what is called nucleation rates that can be incorporated
into global climate models. Nucleation is a process that drives
the formation of new particles in the atmosphere. Hanson’s
team will look specifically at nucleation in sulfuric acid, water,
and amines. The funds from Federal Award ID Number
AGS-1338706 also will support work by eight students in
Hanson’s lab.
David Hanson, assistant professor of chemistry, will use National Science
Foundation funding to advance atmospheric chemistry research and support
Augsburg students working in his lab.
ANN IMPULITTI, assistant professor of biology, received an NSF
grant for nearly $123,000 to investigate the physiology and
productivity of economically important plants infected by
parasitic, mutualistic, and commensal fungi. Research will
focus on soybean due to its high economic value and the
diverse uses of soybean products. The funds from Federal
Award ID Number 1337582, along with an additional award
of more than $52,000 that Impulitti received from the LiCor
Environmental Education Fund, will be used to purchase a
suite of instruments for plant ecophysiology research. The
instruments will support interdisciplinary research in the
plant biological sciences, mathematics, and environmental
sciences, and also support collaboration between Augsburg
College and the University of Minnesota. The instrumentation will enhance research experiences for undergraduates
and will improve student instruction and discovery-based
labs in plant biology, environmental science, and mathematics. Co-principal investigators on the grant include John
Zobitz, Augsburg associate professor of mathematics, and
Dean Malvick, associate professor of plant pathology at the
University of Minnesota.
Editor’s Note: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of
the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
Fall 2013
5
AROUND THE QUAD
AUGSBURG HONORS PRESIDENT EMERITUS
CHARLES S. ANDERSON
Augsburg College renamed its music building the Charles S.
Anderson Music Hall to honor the legacy of the College’s eighth
president, who passed away June 14. Anderson oversaw significant growth in the College’s enrollment, program offerings,
commitment to its Lutheran heritage, and student diversity.
He was a constant advocate for Augsburg and helped to
establish the College’s public presence in the Twin Cities.
During his 17-year tenure, Augsburg launched the Weekend
and Evening College (WEC) program, established the Center
for Global Education, and introduced the StepUP® program
for young people in recovery and the CLASS office for differently abled students.
“Charles Anderson’s influence on the Augsburg community is deep and long-lived,” said Augsburg College President
Paul C. Pribbenow. “The priorities Anderson outlined and
championed during his tenure continue to shape how we live
out our institutional mission and celebrate life and learning in
the city each day.”
Anderson Music Hall occupies a central location on
campus and houses an array of music programs that welcome
students of diverse musical interests. More than 100 students each year pursue traditional liberal arts music studies as well as degrees in music business, music education,
[L to R]: Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow with Charles S. Anderson’s
family: daughter Kristin Anderson, Augsburg College professor of art history
and archivist; wife Catherine Anderson, an active Augsburg Associates
member; and son, Eric Anderson.
music performance, and music therapy. More than 350 music
majors and non-music majors alike participate in the College’s
numerous vocal, concert band, symphony orchestra, and jazz
ensembles.
Anderson’s legacy also includes the College’s beautiful
annual Advent Vespers—celebrating the Advent season with a
service of traditional and contemporary hymns, anthems, and
carols. The celebration is one of the largest seasonal events in
the Twin Cities, with 300 participants, including choral and
instrumental performers, readers, a full liturgical party, and
more than 10,000 worshipers annually.
Each year, two Augsburg music students receive the prestigious Orville and Gertrude Hognander Music Scholarship.
Initiated during Anderson’s tenure, Orville and Gertrude
(Lund) Hognander, both 1936 Augsburg graduates, established the Hognander Scholarships in 1998 to provide up to
full tuition for students with exceptional music performance
and academic achievement.
Students present AT BERKELEY
In front of Dwinelle Hall on the University of California, Berkeley campus:
Front row [L to R]: McNair Scholars Program Assistant Director Brian Greening, Mahelet Maru ’14, McNair Scholars Program Administrative Assistant Lara
Crombie, Amineh Safi ’14, Sawiya Hassan ’14; middle row [L to R]: Magaly OrtizAucapipa ’14, Enrico Barrozo ’14; back row [L to R]: Raesean Sneed ’15, David
Fowler ’14, Dereck Dasrath ’14, and Amir Rose ’14
6
Augsburg Now
Last summer, nine researchers from Augsburg College
traveled to California for one of the largest national gatherings of McNair Scholars. The Auggies presented findings
from their summer research at the University of California,
Berkeley for the 21st Annual Ronald E. McNair California
Scholars Research Symposium, which boasts more than 300
student attendees. Augsburg students spent an average
of 400 hours exploring their research topics, developing theses, collecting and reviewing data, and preparing
formal paper presentations. Scholars were paired with a
faculty mentor in their discipline to gain extensive skills
and knowledge, learn research methods, and practice writing and public speaking. The students represented a wide
range of disciplines including biology, philosophy, physics,
and sociology.
CONVOCATION SERIES 2013-14
First held in 1990, the Augsburg
College Convocation Series is
an annual speaker series that
incorporates long-standing
endowed and special programs.
This fall, the series kicked off
with the Bernhard M. Christensen
Symposium featuring Krista Tippett,
host and producer of the public
radio show, On Being. Tippett
shared thoughts from her book, Einstein’s God: Revisiting
Science and Religion in a New Century.
During the Center for Counseling
and Health Promotion Convocation
in October, Sian Beilock, an expert
on performance and cognitive science, revealed the brain science
behind “choking under pressure”
in a lecture based on her book,
Choke—What the Secrets of the
Brain Reveal About Getting it
Right When You Have To.
GIVE FROM YOUR HEART
GIVE TO THE
MAX
GiveMN, an online resource that helps Minnesotans
donate to the state’s nonprofit community, hosted its
annual Give to the Max Day on November 14. Auggies
created more than 20 fundraising projects to help raise
money for an Augsburg cause that they are passionate
about. Contributions from Give to the Max Day help:
• Faculty develop creative course offerings that
encourage Augsburg students to think beyond the
classroom.
• Augsburg graduates prepare for their next chapter.
• Keep Augsburg affordable—thanks to the generosity of donors, more than 94 percent of Augsburg day
undergraduate students receive financial aid through
grants and scholarships.
The Humanities and Fine Arts Convocation in mid-November
featured the Rose Ensemble’s performance of Portraits of
Peru, 1785 Exotic Folksongs and Dances from Trujillo,
inspired by a collection of watercolor paintings compiled by
the local bishop for Spanish King Carlos IV, imaginatively
depicting the plants, animals, people, and archaeological
monuments of this diverse region in northern Peru.
The next event, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation, is
scheduled for January 20 and will celebrate the life and
legacy of this important civil rights leader. Convocations are
free and open to the public.
• Encourage a tradition of vocation and faith, going
back to Augsburg’s roots as a Lutheran seminary.
• Make healthy food accessible to all people in and
around the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and provide
for basic needs, service learning, leadership development, and genuine engagement between the College
and the community through Campus Kitchen.
Check out the final results from the challenge online at
givemn.org/auggiesgive.
Fall 2013
7
AROUND THE QUAD
Innovative partnership
allows students to earn
BACHELOR’S IN NURSING
IN ONLY THREE YEARS
A new partnership between Augsburg College and Minneapolis
Community and Technical College (MCTC) gives students the
opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
in only three years. The program, the first fast-track BSN
professional program in Minnesota between a two-year public
institution and a four-year private college, allows the schools
to respond to the changing needs of health care professionals
and local communities.
“Augsburg has long been committed to offering high-quality
bachelor’s and master’s programs in nursing,” said Augsburg
College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “We are excited to
partner with MCTC given our shared commitment to educating
diverse student populations.”
The partnership leverages unique relationships and
strengths in each program. Students will study for two years
Minn. Senate Higher Education
Committee visits campus
Photo by Laura Swanson
To view additional photos from the event or watch a video in
which Sen. Bonoff discusses Augsburg’s unique emphasis on
service learning, go to augsburg.edu/now.
8
Augsburg Now
at MCTC and then transfer to Augsburg for the third year.
During their study at Augsburg, students will experience
first-hand community health nursing in diverse settings including
at the Augsburg Health Commons in downtown Minneapolis
and at Dar Ul-Quba in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. In
addition, third-year students in the program will be offered
BSN practicum opportunities locally or abroad in Namibia or
Nicaragua. Prior to their time at Augsburg, students will study
in new, state-of-the-art classrooms and labs at MCTC.
State, local, and education officials attended an opening
ceremony at MCTC to announce the partnership. Those in attendance included Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Hennepin County
Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, and leaders from Augsburg,
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and MCTC.
Dozens of Augsburg College students, faculty, and staff took part in
a September town hall meeting with Minnesota Rep. Phyllis Kahn and
Sens. Terri Bonoff, Greg Clausen ’69, and Kari Dziedzic. The legislators
visited Augsburg as part of a statewide “listening tour” effort launched
by Bonoff, chair of the Minnesota State Senate Higher Education and
Workforce Development Committee.
The legislators were enthusiastic to learn more about private colleges in Minnesota and invited Auggies to consider ways to improve the
state’s higher education system. The Augsburg students discussed with
the legislators a number of issues, including transfer credits, financial
aid options, career preparation, and on- and off-campus service learning
experiences. One of the key themes the legislators stressed during the
meeting was the important role colleges and universities play in educating the nation’s future leadership and workforce.
“Education is the engine that runs our Minnesota economy,” Clausen said,
addressing the Augsburg crowd. “We need to invest in you, and you need to
invest in your education.” Clausen is part of an Augsburg legacy family—his
wife, Roberta ’69, and son, Steven ’96, also attended the College.
“What the whole world wants
IS A GOOD JOB.”*
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
Today, higher education has come under question—
is the debt worth it, are students graduating at sufficient rates, are we educating enough of our population, are students actually learning what they need?
In this environment, the value of higher education increasingly is being
defined—by parents and prospective students alike—as “getting a good
job.” In fact, this is the No. 1 reason cited by U.S. respondents in the 2012
Gallup/Lumina poll for pursuing education beyond high school. And the second
reason? To earn more money.
“When college students and their parents think about the value
of higher education, they typically think about it too narrowly,”
said Brandon Busteed, executive director of Gallup Education.
“People tend to get caught up with things—like potential
income or getting a job with a ‘blue chip’ company—that don’t
matter” when it comes to predicting career success and satisfaction, Busteed said. “Focusing on those things is not the best
way to think about a great job and a great life.”
“WELLBEING” AS A MEASURE OF CAREER SUCCESS
What factors do predict career success? According to Gallup,
it’s being able to respond affirmatively to statements like the
following:
•
•
•
•
“I like what I do each day.”
“I do what I do best every day.”
“My supervisor cares about my development.”
“I have a best friend at work.”
Agreeing with statements like these indicates that a person
is engaged in interesting and meaningful activities at work,
is using his or her strengths to achieve goals, is motivated by
the team leader, and is supported by colleagues who share a
common purpose. Those characteristics, according to Gallup’s
“wellbeing” research, correlate more with top performance than
income or title or working for a prestigious organization.
Gallup has been studying wellbeing, on a global basis,
since the 1930s.
“Wellbeing is not ‘wellness,’” Busteed said. “It is a multidimensional measure of how people rate their lives.”
In the past several decades, Gallup’s study of people in
more than 150 countries has revealed five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives: career wellbeing, social
wellbeing, financial wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and community wellbeing.
“We didn’t invent these categories,” Busteed said. “The
factors that correlate with wellbeing are what we found from the
data collected over time and across populations.” Of those five
*Source: Gallup World Poll, 2010
Fall 2013
9
Opportunities to learn and grow
Progress in last six months
How do
we grow?
10
Augsburg Now
What do I get?
ic
Bas s
d
Nee
The career wellbeing issue is connected with low worker
engagement, Busteed said. According to Gallup’s 2012 “State
of the American Workplace” report, only 30 percent of full-time
U.S. workers are engaged and inspired at work. Fifty percent
are not engaged, the report states—“they’re just kind of present, but not inspired by their work or their managers.” The
remaining 20 percent of all full-time U.S. workers are actively
disengaged in their jobs.
One significant driver of high or low engagement is a person’s manager, Busteed said. People looking for a “good job”
focus so much on income and landing a position at a “good”
company, but finding a good manager is vastly more important
than working for a well-known company, he explained.
Another factor causing low worker engagement is whether
a person is using her or his strengths every day. “Not just once
in a while, not once every week or so, but every day,” Busteed
said. Among college graduates, he said, the lack of opportunity
to use one’s strengths at work every day points to career misalignment—either getting a degree in a field in which one isn’t
What do I give?
.
WELLBEING AND WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT
In c
interconnected elements of wellbeing, career wellbeing is the
most important, Busteed said.
“Our careers are a fundamental piece of how we define
ourselves,” Busteed said. “Plus, work is where you spend the
majority of your waking hours,” so it is going to have a major
impact on your life evaluation—not to mention your social,
financial, and physical wellbeing.
Gallup’s research shows that those who have high career
wellbeing are 4.5 times more likely to be “thriving”—versus
merely surviving or, worse, suffering—in life. However, just 31
percent of the U.S. population has very high career wellbeing.
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ual
Ga
ivid
Ind ibution
tr
Con
Materials and equipment to do the job
I know what is expected of me at work
ce:
Someone encourages my development
Supervisor/someone at work cares
Recognition in the last seven days
Do what I do best every day
ur
So
Do I belong?
ork
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I have a best friend at work
Coworkers committed to quality
Mission/purpose of company
At work, my opinions seem to count
wth
Gro
What does a
‘GOOD JOB’
look like?
able to get a job or pursuing a field because of others’ expectations instead of based on one’s own strengths.
“The onus is certainly on the individual [student], but it is
also on the college and mentors to make sure that students are
asking themselves” what they are truly good at, what engages
and excites them, Busteed said.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT SUPPORT CAREER SUCCESS
In addition to studying workplace dynamics that correspond
with career wellbeing, Gallup also has identified specific college
experiences that correlate with subsequent career success. In
its research, Gallup has found two educational experiences
that are twice as likely as other factors to predict high work
performance:
1) Working on a long-term project that took several classes to
complete, and
2) Using what was learned in class to develop solutions to
real-world problems.
In short, Busteed said, “what works in school is ‘real work.’”
“Real work”—including problem-solving and experiential
education opportunities—helps prepare students for success
after graduation, but Gallup also has done extensive research
on the factors that predict success during college. Here,
Busteed said, Gallup has found that “hope” is statistically a
stronger predictor of educational outcomes than test scores or
grade-point averages. (In fact, according to the work of Gallup
Senior Scientist Shane Lopez, hope is the leading indicator of
success in relationships, academics, career, and business—as
well as of a healthier, happier life.)
HOPE: AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN COLLEGE SUCCESS
“Hope is a strategy,” Busteed said. However, it is not just wishful thinking, he explained. Instead, it refers to one’s ideas and
energy for the future and includes the following three elements:
1) Attainable goals,
2) The ability to see multiple pathways to achieve those goals,
and
3) Agency—i.e., a belief that you can achieve your goals.
Measures of hope, engagement, and wellbeing account for
one-third of the variance of student success in college, Busteed
reported. And, although college success is also driven by other
things—such as academic preparation and content knowledge—those things are being measured fairly consistently and
systematically through cognitive measures, such as tests.
“But no one is paying attention to measuring the noncognitive factors that account for a whopping one-third of
student success,” Busteed said. “We need better balance and
alignment around how we track and promote student success
[in college].”
The same is true for college outcomes, where job placement percentages and average salaries tell only part of the
story. “What’s the ultimate outcome of an education?” Busteed
asked. “To have a better life,” he said. We need to pay attention
to how we measure that.
Augsburg and Career Wellbeing
MATCHING YOUR GIFTS TO THE NEEDS
OF THE WORLD
According to Gallup, career wellbeing requires
that people understand what they are truly good
at and pursue career opportunities that allow
them to use their strengths every day.
Augsburg calls this vocational discernment.
“Augsburg is about forming and shaping
students to lead lives of meaning and purpose,”
said Mark Tranvik, professor of religion and
director of Augsburg’s Bernhard Christensen
Center for Vocation. “At Augsburg, we encourage
students to move beyond self-enhancement and
think about their lives within a wider horizon. We
want them to ask questions like, ‘What am I good
at?’ and ‘How can my gifts best be used to make a
difference in the world?’
“For many at the College,” Tranvik said,
“faith plays an important role in how those questions are answered.” The exploration of one’s
gifts is rooted deeply in the Lutheran theological
tradition of vocation, and it is a critical part of the
educational journey at Augsburg—for students of
all faith and spiritual backgrounds, Tranvik said.
FINDING THE RIGHT WORKPLACE
ENVIRONMENT
Another important part of the self-discovery
journey is determining what types of work environments might suit you best, said Keith Munson,
director of the Clair and Gladys Strommen
Center for Meaningful Work. “You can get a job
doing something you love, but if that job is not
in the right place—the right work environment
or culture—you won’t be able to sustain your
motivation for the job very long,” he said.
In other words, you need to pay attention to
where and how your gifts will be used.
A good way to learn about work environments is through informational interviews,
Munson said. “Networking, of course, ensures
that people learn more about you than can be
picked up from your résumé, but that’s not
the only reason to network,” he said. It is as
important “for you to actually find out if a given
company or department is a good place for you
to work.”
Determining whether a given work
environment is a fit, however, requires that
you understand what kind of work cultures and
relationships are best for you. This involves
self-reflection and, usually, some amount of
coaching. But many students—and many adults
in job transitions, for that matter—skip that
step and just focus on securing a job.
EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF A
“GOOD JOB”
Munson said he understands why students (and
their parents) think it’s important to get a “good
job” after college. “For many students, following
their passion without worrying or thinking about
their income is not a realistic option,” he said.
“I always tell these students that it’s okay for
them to think about the realities of their career
choices. You can be practical about those matters and still pay attention to the other piece”—
the search for work and work environments that
suits you—as well.
“You’re looking for a job anyway,” Munson
tells students. “Why not also try to find something
that you are going to like to do?” In fact, Munson
said, by actively seeking work environments that
suit them, students tend to be more effective in
the job search process. “When you are looking
for something—and someplace—that’s interesting to you, you are likely to be more motivated in the job search,” he said. You’ll do more
background preparation, seek more informational
interviews, and ask more purposeful questions.
In the end, Munson said, students shouldn’t
think that they need to choose between following
their hearts and getting a “good job.” You can—
and should—do both.
Fall 2013
11
AUGGIE VOICES
Launching a new mission
Augsburg College celebrated 56 Master of Social Work graduation candidates at the June 2013 Commencement, and it’s
quite possible that Christine Dawson ’13 MSW was the only
graduate who began her professional career as a mechanic.
Shortly after high school, Dawson joined the United States
Marine Corps where she spent three decades and worked in two
distinct military occupations.
While Dawson met her goals of traveling the world and
doing something “most women didn’t do” at the time, she felt
called to serve the Marine Corps troops—rather than Marine
Corps vehicles—and began a new assignment as a licensed
alcohol and drug counselor. This role turned out to be a perfect
fit because of her ability to help “people go on to live their best
life and achieve their goals,” she said.
Dawson completed a 17-year tenure with the Marine Corps
and served an additional 13 years in the Army National Guard
where she continued work as a mental health specialist. When
she approached military retirement, she returned to school to
earn a graduate degree at Augsburg College, which offered her
the opportunity to advance in her civilian career and integrate
her military experience into a challenging professional role.
Augsburg, she found, was a place that understood her desire to
live a purpose-driven lifestyle and to embed meaningful service
within her career.
Military and veterans support
CHRISTINE DAWSON ’13 MSW
12
Augsburg Now
Many of Augsburg’s students with military experience enroll in
an undergraduate or graduate degree program to build upon the
education and training that were part of their military service.
For other students, Augsburg is a way to prepare for a civilian
career that’s unlike any past duties.
Some students who have served in the armed forces are eligible for state and federal financial aid assistance to help pay
for college. At Augsburg, more than 100 students with military
experience are working one-on-one with the College’s Student
Financial Services and Registrar’s offices to successfully claim
their education benefits and get individualized help navigating
complex eligibility rules.
Augsburg College also directly supports these students by
hosting an on-campus space for them to meet and by employing a Student Veteran Liaison who mentors peers and works to
connect students with College resources.
A.J. ANDERSON ’15
“We’re seeing more nontraditional-age students in
our undergrad population and some of those people
have been around the world and have served our
country,” said Lori York, assistant registrar and
Veterans Affairs certifying official. “A veteran’s sense
of ‘a call to serve’ totally meshes with Augsburg, and
we want to make sure they can make the most of their
education here.”
From call to campus
During four years of Marine Corps service, A.J.
Anderson ’15, Augsburg’s student veteran liaison,
led an amphibious assault team as the crew chief for
vehicles that he likens to those that carried troops
onto Normandy beaches during World War II. At age
25, Anderson had reconsidered his decision to attend
a large public university and left school to become a
Marine.
“I felt that joining the military was my calling for a
little bit,” he said. “Other people backpack in Europe
or just take a break. I went to war.”
Anderson served around the globe and later joined
the Marine Corps Reserve military police unit at Fort
Snelling in St. Paul before he began thinking about
his long-term career.
He said his military experiences didn’t translate
into a civilian profession, but—through his service—
solidified his aspirations. He resumed his education
and in 2012 transferred to Augsburg with a plan to
serve his country in a new way.
“I’m devoting my life to helping veterans,” he
said. “I didn’t know I wanted to do social work until I got out
of the military, so coming to Augsburg and working toward
that goal is a big part of my life.”
And, Anderson is getting a jumpstart on this career
through his student involvement.
“We know that peer mentors and peer leaders play an
important role in students’ achievement,” said Ann Garvey,
vice president of Student Affairs. “For example, student
athletes serve on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and
Orientation Leaders welcome our new Auggies to campus. Our
Student Veteran Liaison does outreach with a different group,
but the premise is the same.”
For Anderson, helping other veterans succeed at Augsburg
College couldn’t be a better fit.
“I want to give other students the tools I’ve been working with,” he said, “and make sure they have the support I’ve
experienced.”
From assisting veterans on campus to one day serving
them as a clinical social worker, Anderson’s Augsburg education has prepared him for a meaningful career that aligns with
his passions. And Dawson, who has been working with
veterans for decades, shows that this path is clearly a worthwhile one.
LAURA SWANSON
Fall 2013
13
Augsburg College
2012-2013
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Augsburg College realized another record year of fundraising in 2012-2013, with
$19,367,258 received from more than 4,500 donors.
This philanthropy helps Augsburg to attract gifted, engaged
students and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide
them. Your gifts provide financial aid, building and maintenance
support, and instructional and other resources that help
Augsburg provide a quality education to more than 3,500
undergraduate and graduate students at our Minneapolis and
Rochester, Minn., campuses—students like Zach Baltich, Jenna
Leahy, and Hector Camarena.
Zach Baltich ’14 is studying music performance. Originally from Ely, Minn., Baltich received the
Sampson and Carlson scholarships.
The Sateren and Gyllstrom scholarships were awarded to Jenna Leahy ’15, a music education
major. Leahy is from New Richmond, Wis.
14
Augsburg Now
Hector Camarena ’16, a physics major from Fridley, Minn., received the
Grindal and Gjerde scholarships.
2012-2013 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
REVENUE BY SOURCE
Tuition
72%
Room and board
12%
Private gifts and grants
9%
Government grants
4%
Other sources
3%
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
Salary and benefits
45%
Financial aid
26%
Operating expenses*
17%
Debt service
3%
Equipment and capital improvements
4%
Utilities and insurance
3%
Student salaries
2%
*Expenses in this category include: facility repairs and maintenance, information technology expenditures, marketing expenditures, membership dues
and fees, outside consultants, supplies, and travel and business meetings.
$25.4
$34.6
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
$27.2 $27.8
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$29.8
$28.2
May 31, 2013
$34,552,615
$24.5
In the year ending May 31, 2013, the value
of the endowment increased by 16.04
percent. Our five-year average annual return
on the endowment is 2.24 percent and
the ten-year average annual return is 4.22
percent. We are committed to maintaining
the value of the principal and to providing
support to the College in perpetuity.
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
(IN MILLIONS)
Please visit augsburg.edu/giving/report for our 2013 Honor Roll of Donors.
Fall 2013
15
[L to R]: Assistant Men’s Basketball
Coach Charlie Scott ’08 and Head
Men’s Basketball Coach Aaron Griess
AUGGIES ON THE COURT
[L to R]: Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Charile Scott ’08 and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Aaron Griess
Communication. Accountability. Service.
Nine years ago, Aaron Griess moved from
Pacific to the middle of
the middle of the Pacific
the United States to become the Augsburg
College men’s basketball coach. It was a
path back to his Midwest roots and to a
culture that values college athletics.
“Living in paradise has its obvious
advantages, but athletics just isn’t part
of the culture in the same way it is in
the Midwest,” said Griess about serving as coach at Chaminade University in
Honolulu. “Here, lots of families go to
games together, many kids grow up in
organized sports.”
Griess found in Augsburg not only
a school that values the student-athlete
experience, but also one whose mission
refl
ects his own vision for coaching and
reflects
leadership.
“Coaching gives me a chance to instill
important principles of life in the athletes
I work with,” he said. “I want to provide
these students tools that will help them
succeed beyond the court.
“My vision of success in coaching is
fairly unique in this profession,” said the
head men’s basketball coach. “I want
16
Augsburg Now
to build a sustainable program of fi
rstfirstclass leaders who don’t complain about
challenges, and who solve problems. A
team that consistently wins. A program
that helps graduates land good jobs, and
helps them understand the value of giving
back.”
Augsburg College Athletic Director
Jeff Swenson said the program epitomizes
what Augsburg College strives for throughout its teams.
“Coach Griess and his staff exemplify
what we want to see in all our sports—student athletes who display great athleticism
and who work hard to achieve in the classroom and in the community,” Swenson
said. “Griess’ program has helped studentathletes become leaders on and off the
court during their time at Augsburg—leaders who stay connected and who give back
when they graduate.”
Griess also requires that players take
seriously their academics. “We communicate throughout each semester about their
academic progress. We expect our studentathletes to know exactly where they stand
in their progress toward graduation,”
Griess said. “They need to learn to be able
to talk about progress or struggles, and to
be able to communicate that with us, their
professors, and families.”
Mentoring and service work also are
components used by Griess. Juniors and
seniors help younger players understand
the culture and values of the team. The
team currently is part of an Adopt-a-Road
program and is exploring the start of a
reading program with a neighborhood
school.
The impact of Griess’ effort is visible
in the players’ grades, the team’s standing,
and the players’ actions after graduation.
“Coach Griess’ guys are known for
their work ethic. We never have to worry
about his student-athletes meeting eligibility standards,” said Kelly AndersonDiercks, associate athletic director and
compliance director.
During his nine seasons with the
Auggies, the team’s overall winning percentage steadily has climbed to .750. The
team, which is a member of the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC),
has made it to conference playoffs four
times, twice reaching the semifinals.
semifinals.
In 2012-13, the team earned a spot in
the championship game. In the past five
five
seasons, the Auggies have won 65 percent
of their games—the second-highest men’s
basketball winning percentage in the MIAC
for that time period. Griess’ work earned
him MIAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the
Year honors during the 2009-10 season.
Assistant coach comes full circle
The impact of Griess’ vision also can be
seen in the growing number of players
who contribute to the team and College
after they graduate. One of the best
examples of this can be seen in Charlie
Scott ’08, who now serves as Griess’
assistant coach.
Scott, who hails from Ely, Minn.,
was recruited as a fi
first-year
rst-year student
to Augsburg by former Coach Brian
Ammann. Scott picked Augsburg because
of its urban location, which he said
allowed him to make campus as small
or as large as he wanted. He played for
Ammann for two years and for Griess for
two years.
Griess and Scott both acknowledge that at the time Griess arrived at
Augsburg, just as Scott finished
finished his
second year as an Auggie, Scott wasn’t yet
the leader he later grew to be.
“When we met, Charlie wasn’t ready
to be a team leader. He didn’t completely
believe in himself because he hadn’t put
in the necessary work. I talked to him
about whether he wanted to be a leader,”
Griess said. “I wanted him to take himself
seriously, and to use the tools he had. I
knew the players would follow him, but he
had to become our team’s hardest worker.”
Scott said he was ready, and he was
in the weight room and gym every day the
summer before his fourth year of college.
He also talked to Griess every day, picking
his brain for advice on how he could help
the team and reach his potential.
“Coach sparked the drive and
determination in me,” Scott said. “When
Coach shared his vision for how he wanted
the team to be, I wanted to be part of
that. I wanted to help the team accomplish its mission to be nationally known
and respected as a first-class
first-class program and
to cultivate student-athletes who understand the values of hard work, perseverance, honesty, integrity, and teamwork.”
Scott was so committed to the success of the team that he wanted to stay
involved even after his four years of eligibility expired. He served as a volunteer
coach during the fifth
fifth year of college that
it took him to finish
finish his double major in
finance
finance and business management.
After graduation, Scott continued
to volunteer while working full time in
financial
financial services. He gradually became a
part-time coach. Then, when the opportunity to apply for the position of full-time,
assistant coach opened up, Scott chased
it. He was one of more than 100 applicants who wanted to work with Griess at
Augsburg.
“I look for leadership qualities in my
assistant coaches, no matter whether they
are volunteers, fellows, or paid coaches.
They have to be willing to learn and work,”
Griess said. “Charlie is the guy who jumps
in and works as hard as anyone. He leads.
He digs in.”
Developing strong relationships with
prospective families is one thing Scott is
looking forward to as he works to fulfill
fulfill his
recruiting responsibilities.
“I have a huge passion for Augsburg,
for basketball, for working with Coach
Griess,” Scott said. “I’m excited to meet
prospective athletes and their families,
helping them learn about Augsburg
and our program, and decide whether
Augsburg is the right place for them as it
was—and is—for me.”
While Scott exemplifies
exemplifies a studentathlete turned servant-leader, he’s just one
of Coach Griess’ players who is finding
finding a
way to give back to a program and school
that means much to them.
Some players give back by volunteering as Scott did. Others serve as a
resource to students to help ready them
for the working world, and some have
hired qualified
qualified alumni to work at their
companies, knowing they are hiring people
with shared ethics and determination to
succeed—qualities honed on and off the
basketball court at Augsburg. Others give
back in the form of gifts to the College.
Today, the two coaches are continuing to build a special program founded
on communication, accountability, and
service. They know that the program will
support student-athletes in their studies
and when they look for their first
first jobs.
They also know that new recruits are coming to a college that will help them not
only develop as an athlete, but also as a
whole person.
STEPHANIE WEISS
Fall 2013
17
Courtesy photo
A promising experiment in organic chemistry:
MIXING TEAMWORK INTO THE COURSE LOAD
Capitalizing on an opportunity to recreate Augsburg College’s advanced organic
chemistry class, assistant professor of
chemistry, Michael Wentzel, has developed a highly attractive approach to a
complicated subject matter. He forces his
students to work together.
“Originally, I wanted to make it so
everybody understood how to write a
reasonable organic mechanism,” said
Wentzel. “But after taking a step back, my
major goals became communications, and
group work, and teaching students how to
work together and how to communicate
better as scientists.”
Each week Wentzel breaks his students up into teams of four. The groups
are then given a simple assignment:
prepare to send a randomly selected group
representative to a guest lecture at the
University of Minnesota.
After the lecture, each group is
required to put together a presentation on what they feel is the essence of
the subject matter. “Every person got
a chance to be the point person for his
or her group,” said Wentzel, in reference to his first class. “I wanted to see
people work together. To force them to be
uncomfortable.”
Inside the lab, Wentzel’s unique
approach to teaching ensues. He delegates
his workload by directing his students’
questions to other students. He assigns
18
Augsburg Now
As for the class itself, Wentzel’s
methods are driving enrollment. “You can
imagine how many people are excited to
take organic chemistry, let alone advanced
organic chemistry,” joked Wentzel. “I
think the most students to ever take
the course at one time was maybe five
students before I got it,” he said. “And
now we have [another] 20 or at least 15
people for next year. It’s been exciting.”
individual students specific pieces of lab
equipment, has them write out instructions for that equipment, and then dubs
them the go-to person for that instrument’s
technical support moving forward.
The results of this interactive style
of teaching are compelling. “The biggest
thing I’ve seen is the students are confident in talking about science,” he said.
Using the confidence learned in his
class, some of Wentzel’s former students
have landed internships and entry into
competitive graduate degree programs following graduation from Augsburg. Wentzel
is clearly proud. “We had a Goldwater
Scholarship winner and an honorable
mention [this year]. These were kids that
were in [my] classes,” he said.
Editor’s Note: An integrated course design
grant from Augsburg College’s Center for
Teaching and Learning funded peer-review
sessions and other opportunities allowing
Wentzel to revise the advanced organic
chemistry class.
Reprinted with permission. Article by
Phil Meagher for JoVE, the Journal of
Visualized Experiments. JoVE is a peerreviewed journal dedicated to publishing
methods and research in a visual format.
MY AUGGIE EXPERIENCE
Augsburg shifts student’s dream into high gear
Trevor Rodriguez-Sotelo ’13 was the kid who was fascinated
by anything with a steering wheel and motor. From a young
age, instead of playing with Matchbox cars or Tonka trucks, he
would tinker with real engines in his uncles’ garages.
Later, when Rodriguez-Sotelo enrolled at Augsburg
College, he had a clear vision of his dream: to work as an
engineer designing automobile—specifically BMW—engines.
He knew entering this highly specialized field was going to be
a challenge, but he soon learned that Augsburg faculty and
staff were eager to help him achieve his dream.
During his first semester at the College, Rodriguez-Sotelo
took Calculus Workshop, an elective course designed by
Rebekah Dupont, the coordinator of an Augsburg program
that seeks to increase the number of minority students who
complete degrees in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics.
Rodriguez-Sotelo said Dupont helped prepare him for
success in college-level mathematics courses, supporting him
inside and outside the classroom. She recognized RodriguezSotelo’s remarkable abilities and suggested that he take them
to the next level through undergraduate research on campus,
which he went on to conduct with Benjamin Stottrup, associate professor of physics.
“Trevor came with a dream, and he had to slog through
my biophysics lab to get to that dream,” said Stottrup, who
for two years advised Rodriguez-Sotelo in the use of scientific
instruments to measure resistance to flow in biomaterials.
Rodriguez-Sotelo said he knew this research wasn’t linked
perfectly to his automotive engineering interest, but would
give him priceless experience.
Part of Rodriguez-Sotelo’s on-campus research was made
possible through Augsburg’s McNair Scholars Program, a federal grant-funded graduate school preparatory program to help
ready underrepresented students for doctoral study.
“Stottrup stressed writing skills even though we’re in the
sciences,” Rodriguez-Sotelo said. “This helps you become
more articulate and allows you to present yourself better—
those skills are applicable in my future.”
Rodriguez-Sotelo’s work on campus bolstered his offcampus research applications and opened the door to a prestigious summer automotive engineering position at Oakland
University outside of Detroit, Mich.
In addition to conducting research on and off campus,
Rodriguez-Sotelo was a member of the men’s track team,
was president of Augsburg Latin American Students and of
As Trevor Rodriguez-Sotelo ’13 crossed the stage at Augsburg’s May
Commencement, he celebrated a successful undergraduate experience that accelerated his ability to achieve his dream of becoming
an automotive engineer.
Augsburg’s Society of Physics Students chapter, mentored
first-year STEM students, and more.
“I had the opportunity to do all the academic, cultural and
social activities I liked,” he said. “I was able to do everything
because of personal and academic support from faculty and staff.
I followed their advice, and they put me on the right path.”
Rodriguez-Sotelo graduated last May, and in August took
a step closer to achieving his goals by beginning a master’s degree program at the renowned Clemson University
International Center for Automotive Research. He earned a
competitive BMW fellowship, which will help fund his graduate
studies and allow him to intern at BMW Manufacturing Co. next
summer. He credits earning this award to his “whole body of
work” at Augsburg.
“The beautiful thing about Augsburg is that faculty and
staff pay attention to their students…they care what kind of
person I am and where I go after Augsburg,” he said. “Since
I was a little kid, I knew this was where I wanted to be, and
now I’m here—an automotive engineer.”
LAURA SWANSON
Fall 2013
19
IT’S NOT YOUR
AVERAGE WEEK.
IT’S HOMECOMING.
20
Augsburg Now
Homecoming brings alumni, friends back to campus
Homecoming 2013 reunited former classmates, friends, roommates, and professors, and invigorated the Auggie spirit in everyone in attendance.
Traditional celebrations ensued, including the Homecoming
Convocation with Distinguished Alumni Awards; the Taste of
Augsburg event in Murphy Square featuring food, carnival-style
booths, and bounce houses; and lively athletic events including an
alumni baseball game and dugout dedication ceremony, as well as
volleyball, soccer, and football games.
The week also boasted the Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring Augsburg alumnus Dr. Paul Mueller ’84; reunion brunches;
campus tours; an Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony to
honor 2013 inductees; an Auggie Author book reading with Cheri
Johnson ’99; a panel discussion about the Center for Science,
Business, and Religion; and the Augsburg Associates luncheon
with a presentation by Jacqueline deVries, Augsburg professor of
history and director of general education.
The merriment came to a close at the Auggie Block Party with
live music and s’mores.
Homecoming is just one of many ways for Augsburg alumni to
stay connected to the College. If you are interested in serving on
your reunion committee or volunteering to help plan next year’s
events, contact alumni@augsburg.edu. For more information, visit
augsburg.edu/alumni.
AUGGIES AREN’T ORDINARY.
NEITHER IS THEIR HOMECOMING.
Fall 2013
21
ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS
First Decade Award
Honors an Auggie who graduated during
the past 10 years who has exemplified
the mission of the College while achieving significant progress in his or her
professional achievements and contributions in the community.
Alexa Halford ’03
Halford, who graduated from Augsburg
with a bachelor of arts
in physics and mathematics, currently is
a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in
physics at Dartmouth College.
After graduating from Augsburg, she
earned a master’s degree in astronomy
and planetary sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder and a doctorate
in physics at the University of Newcastle. Shortly afterward, she won a highly
competitive Visiting Young Scientist
fellowship from Dartmouth College.
“Augsburg is small, but that’s what makes
it so special. I have people here in my
corner, and you will, too.”
director from 1993-2001.
“I’ve had the wonder of studying music for
many years…it’s for Him we sing, to tell
the wonders of His love.”
Alan Rice
Rice, an Olympic athlete and coach, is one
of the most respected
and honored men in
U.S. Greco-Roman
wrestling. He also is a member of the
U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is a
long-time friend and supporter of the
College, and responsible for the worldclass Alan and Gloria Rice Wrestling
Center in Kennedy Center.
“I’ve been so privileged to be so involved
in Augsburg. Thank you for allowing me to
participate. Thank you, Augsburg.”
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Honors alumni in recognition of a significant achievement in their vocation,
for outstanding contribution to church
and community, and for leading a life
that exemplifies the ideals and mission
of the College.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Honors alumni and friends of the College who have given of their service to
substantially impact the well-being of
Augsburg’s mission and programs.
Alfred Reesnes ’58
Reesnes is dedicated
to using his love of
music to serve the
College. For 33 years,
he taught high school
music and developed choirs noted for
high-quality performance and literature.
He was a charter member of the Augsburg
Centennial Singers and assistant
22
Augsburg Now
H. Theodore Grindal ’76
Grindal is former
chair of the Augsburg
Board of Regents
and a partner in the
law firm of Lockridge
Grindal Nauen PLLP. He repeatedly has
been recognized as one of Minnesota’s
top lobbyists.
“I’ve tried to follow five principles throughout my life: God, family, friends, work, and
service. Remember who you are. Be true
to yourself, be authentic, let that be your
guidepost.”
HOMECOMING
2013
Clayton McNeff ’91
McNeff is vice
president of research
at SarTec, Ever Cat
Fuels LLC, Mcgyan
Biodiesel LLC, and
other family businesses. He is known as
the co-creator of the patented Mcgyan
process, which uses non-food sources to
create biodiesel.
“I dedicate this award to my mother,
Marie Olive McNeff, and I urge you to use
your gifts to help those around you. Work
together to pay it back and pay it forward.”
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Nordaune is founder
of the law firm,
Nordaune & Friesen
PLLC, and is known
for her work in family law. She is a former member of the
Augsburg Board of Regents and dedicated to engaging Augsburg alumnae in the
philanthropic priorities of the College.
“I pledge you: I’m not done yet. I pledge
to Augsburg my work, my resources, my
service.”
IT TAKES AN AUGGIE
Class Challenge spurs friendly competition
among Auggies to build new academic building
Alumni from throughout the decades have responded to a
charge presented by Augsburg College Regent Wayne
Jorgenson ’71 and former Alumni Board President Christopher
Ascher ’81. The two men established alumni Class Challenges
to create a friendly philanthropic-giving competition between
their respective classes, and to invite all alumni to give back to
the College to help build the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion (CSBR).
“Early gifts from alumni and friends of the College made
it possible for each of us to experience a great Augsburg
education,” Ascher said. “We are convinced. Now is our time to
make the investment and help open doors for others.”
“No other campus we know has created such an exciting intersection of disciplines—science, business, and
religion—to serve students and forge a pathway to a better
future for all of us,” Jorgenson said.
Many classes already are involved in Class Challenges,
and some have surpassed their goal of donating $1 million to
the campaign. As of October 15, 42 classes had contributed
more than $25,000 (see chart below).
The Class Challenges, combined with a recent gift of $10
million from a member of the class of 1965, bring the CSBR fund
to more than $25 million. The overall goal for the campaign is
$50 million.
To see the status of all Class Challenges—and to learn more
about the CSBR—visit blogs.augsburg.edu/alumni. To join an
existing Class Challenge or to start a new Class Challenge, contact Kim Stone at 612-330-1173 or stonek@augsburg.edu.
Surpassed the
$1 million challenge
Contributed between
$250,000-$499,999
Contributed between
$50,000-$99,999
Contributed between
$25,000-$49,999
1962
1965
1945
1956
1963
1968
1971
1972
1977
1950
1953
1955
1959
1961
1962
1964
1966
1974
1982
1991
1994
1946
1951
1954
1960
1969
1970
1973
1978
1986
1987
1998
2002
2014
Contributed between
$500,000-$999,999
1981
1984
1985
Contributed between
$100,000-$249,999
1957
1967
1975
1979
1980
1962 1977 1968
1972 1956 1965
1971 1984
1981
1963 1985
1945
Fall 2013
23
ALUMNI NEWS
Dear alumni and friends,
t
hank you to those of you who participated in the
alumni survey that was conducted earlier this
fall. We received a tremendous response: More
than 4,000 alumni records have been updated, and
the Alumni Board is able to more effectively connect
with alumni with whom we had lost touch.
We’ve included many of the alumni updates from
the survey in a special “Keeping Track of Auggies”
Class Notes section on pages 24 to 30 of this issue
of Augsburg Now. You can also discover information
about your fellow Auggies in the recently relaunched
Auggie Maroon Pages online. To open the door to this
network, go to augsburg.edu/alumni and click “Auggie
Maroon Pages.” This will take you to an overview page
for the Auggie Maroon Pages, where you can click the
“Sign In or Sign Up” button and log in or register as a
new user.
In reading all the wonderful notes sent in
response to the survey, it is obvious to me that an
Augsburg education has made a huge difference in
the lives of our alumni!
healthy and active at ages 89 and
86, respectively.
Reprinted with permission
from Duluth News Tribune
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Joseph T. Seto received a
Congressional Gold Medal in 2011
in Washington, D.C., for Military
Intelligence, Service Veteran WWII.
Ebba (Johnson) Brooks
recently was presented the
Swedish Council of America’s
Award of Merit. She was acknowledged in the Duluth News Tribune
with an article and photo (above).
Brooks is pictured in the center of
the image.
42
Evelyn H. Sonnack Halverson
married Dr. Bill Halverson on
July 14, 2013. They honeymooned
in Norway and England, and currently reside in Edina, Minn.
43
Mary Lou Nelson received
a scholarship to Syracuse
but got married instead. She is 90
years old, and a 50-year member
of AAUW and LWV.
45
Jack E. Jacobsen was
ordained as an Auxiliary
Bishop in 2010 by the Ordaining
Council of the Minnesota Graduate
School of Theology.
46
Courtesy photo
Sincerely,
TRACY (ANDERSON) SEVERSON ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Peter A. Lokkesmoe retired
after 36 years with the Boy
Scouts of America. Immediately
after college, he served in the U.S.
Navy.
47
Eugene Hasselquist was
ordained in 1951 at Holy
Communion Lutheran Church in
Racine, Wis. He retired in 1987
from St. Paul Lutheran Church in
Red Wing, Minn.
48
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Beatrice M. Walker moved to
Otterbein North Shore, a senior
continuing care facility. She and
her husband, Tom, celebrated
their 63rd wedding anniversary
September 10.
49
24
Augsburg Now
J. Forrest Anderson and
his wife are blessed to be
Arne Simengaard is blessed with
a loving family of five daughters,
11 grandchildren, and two great
grandchildren.
Carol V. Larson, at age 85,
was thankful to walk up the
203 steps of Florida’s Ponce De
Leon Lighthouse. She and her husband have four sons: Gary Larson
’72, James Larson ’73, Daniel
Larson ’77, and Fred Larson ’81.
50
Norman F. Nideng retired from his
service in the U.S. Navy Chaplain
Corps.
James E. Christopherson
served since 1954 as a
Lutheran pastor, primarily in South
Dakota. He and his wife have
three grown children: John, Mary,
and Tom.
51
Lillian K. Ose trained and worked
as a medical laboratory technologist at Minneapolis General
Hospital from 1951-57 when she
married her husband, Kenneth.
She worked at various hospitals
and/or clinics in Minnesota until
her retirement in 1994.
Arvid D. Dixe published a
book titled Come, Meet
the Church, which included a
foreword written by Minnesota
journalist Jim Klobuchar.
52
Charlotte M. Rimmereid served
for three years as a teacher in
North Branch, Minn., where she
directed two choirs and taught
music, geometry, and algebra for
grades 1-12.
Dorothy Christopherson
recently retired from serving 11 years as director of the
women’s choir for First Lutheran
53
KEEPING TRACK OF AUGGIES
Church of Sioux Falls, S.Dak. She
also has directed choirs for children, youth, adults, and handbell
ensembles.
Minnesota. Their sons, Dan, Dave,
and Brad, all work for Dart Transit.
Daughter, Angie, is very busy at
home with her three sons.
59
Reidun H. Newquist had several music therapy students
from Augsburg observe at Michael
Dowling School.
Lawrence E. Gallagher and his
wife, Barbara, celebrated their
50th wedding anniversary in
August.
Gloria M. Thorpe and her husband, Gordon, celebrated their
60th wedding anniversary on
August 23.
Ellayne V. Velde-Conyers retired
in 2011 but continues to write a
weekly column in the Marshall
Independent newspaper. She hosts
a public access television program
in Marshall, Minn., once per week,
and was elected to the Marshall
City Council in November 2012.
60
Lois A. Agrimson’s son Erick
Agrimson ’98 welcomed son,
Anders David Agrimson, on June
22, 2012.
James N. Holden recently received
the Distinguished Service Award
from the Northfield (Minn.) High
School Booster Club for support of
the tennis program.
Helen Witt is very thankful for her
two years spent at Augsburg while
earning her nursing education at
Deacon’s Hospital from 1949-52,
also being included in the class of
1953 at Augsburg College. Both
the school and the hospital were a
major influence in her life.
Woodrow W. Wilson’s niece, Catha
Jones, attended Augsburg and
graduated in 1970. After graduation she was diagnosed with
cancer and passed away. In 1975,
her parents, Kenneth and Carmen
Jones, endowed the Catha Jones
Scholarship, which has supported
21 students who share Catha’s
interest in elementary education
and music.
Herbert W. Chilstrom and his
wife, Corinne, recently wrote
Every Morning New—a book of
devotional readings for every day
of the year.
54
George W. Fisher and his wife,
Mary, began their 18th year
singing with the Lexington County
(S.C.) Choral Society. George has
played violin for 17 years and
recently began learning clarinet.
James W. Anderson taught
music for 40 years and was
a real estate agent for 27 years.
Four of his children also graduated from Augsburg College.
55
Dorothy Devick worked for three
years as a school teacher, then
worked with her husband at their
business.
Beverly J. Oren and her husband
have 12 grandchildren. All of their
children have children of their
own and live close to them in
E. William Anderson taught
at Bagley High School and
Mound-Westonka High School.
He has visited more than 100
countries.
56
Robert R. Lockwood was inducted
into the Augsburg College Hall
of Fame in 1994. He taught and
coached for 42 years in Golden
Valley and Hopkins (Minn.)
District 270. At 82, he continues
to spend his time swimming, skiing, biking, and golfing.
Mark C. Thorpe retired from a
lifetime of aircraft design work at
McDonnell Aircraft, McDonnell
Douglas, and Boeing in St. Louis.
Oscar E. Olson taught for
many years, including as
a substitute for Willmar (Minn.)
Public Schools. He partially retired
to Bozeman, Mont., where he
substitute taught for several years
before moving to Billings, Mont.
57
Dennis E. Barnaal and his
wife, Doris, in 2011 traveled
to Norway and the Barnaal Farm/
Mountain Hotel with their children
and children’s families. While
in the Luther College Physics
Department, he conducted three
research sabbatical leaves in
Norway, including one with Keith
Anderson ’54.
58
Harland P. Danielson continues
crop farming in Wisconsin. He
and his wife have 10 children,
23 grandchildren, and four
great-grandchildren.
Luther A. Anderson is a founding
board member of the Lake Region
Writers Network, and serves
as the managing editor of Lake
Region Review, an annual regional
literary magazine.
Carol A. Casperson’s granddaughter, Harley Ann Fulton, was born
on September 1 to parents Laura
Casperson and Scott Fulton.
Karen (Erickson) McCullogh in
2012 walked the pilgrimage route,
Camino Frances, from St. Jean
Pied de Port, France, to Santiago
de Compostela, Spain.
Philip Q. Bauman was
blessed with three greatgranddaughters in 2013.
62
Arden Flaten with his wife, Alice,
celebrated a 50th wedding anniversary in September.
Dennis E. Glad continues to cocoordinate work teams for the
United National Church to the
Caribbean and Central America.
Glad will lead work teams with the
Caribbean Mission Cruise in 2014.
Gordon L. Syverson retired in 2008
but continues to lead worship services. He welcomed grandchildren
in 2011 and again in 2013.
Lowell “Zeke” Zieman was honored by Marshall (Minn.) High
School in April and inducted into
the school’s Hall of Honor.
Kenneth L. Akerman and his
wife, Marilyn A. Akerman ’62,
celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary in 2012.
61
Larry B. Cowl practiced law for
more than 30 years prior to his
retirement in 2005. He continues to work part time as a legal
consultant.
James E. DeMars has been married to Susan for 52 years, and
they have six grandchildren.
Roger and Judy Lerstad Hill ’62
reunited with Gretchen Carlson at
the Miss Minnesota/Miss America
Sisters Reunion Gala held at the
Radisson Blu in Bloomington,
Minn., in June. Hill was Augsburg’s
first Miss Minnesota in 1962, and
Carlson was Miss Minnesota in 1987
and Miss America in 1988. Hill was
the first Alumni Director for the Miss
Minnesota Pageant from 1964-78.
Glenn D. Peterson retired
in 1997 after 35 years as a
teacher of choral music in Rush
City, Minn., and Duluth, Minn. In
2001, he founded Garden Street
Landscape.
63
David D. Proctor was ordained into
the Lutheran ministry in 1963. He
served congregations in Ohio and
Michigan before his retirement in
2000.
Andrew M. Berg and wife,
Jean, are retired near
Willmar, Minn. They have visited
64
Fall 2013
25
all 50 states, Norway numerous times, and many European
countries.
Roger G. Johnson, a Minnetonka,
Minn., native, was awarded
Fergus Falls (Minn.) High
School’s Hall of Fame award for
Distinguished Service.
Arla P. Landon retired in 1985.
Jean S. Olson retired in 2011
following 23 years of service as
an employee of the Minnesota
Historical Society.
her husband have done a lot of
traveling around Colorado and the
U.S., plus trips to Norway, China,
Mexico, Costa Rica, and Hawaii.
third grandchild, Bridget Erin
Causby, on July 3. Their other
grandchildren are Charles Lawton
Ogburn, IV and Selah Eliot Ogburn.
Adeline R. Sarkela is involved in
volunteer ministry with church
music and children.
Jan Pedersen Schiff was honored
and inducted into the Marin
Women’s Hall of Fame for her
community service as the founder
and artistic director of Singers
Marin. For the past 26 years,
Pedersen Schiff has created
structured programs to develop
vocal skills that support musical
development.
When Harold J. Bagley
graduated in 1966, he was
the last (youngest) of several children of Rev. Emil G. Bagley ’49 to
attend Augsburg College. He also
was the first lawyer from a family
of ministers, teachers, and social
workers.
66
Carolyn E. Anderson celebrated 50 years of marriage
with her husband, Don Anderson
’66, in September.
67
Larry G. Buboltz and his wife,
Adrienne, recently celebrated 50
years of marriage. Larry served as
the Director of Rural Minnesota
CED, Inc. He was a member of
the Detroit Lakes (Minn.) City
Council from 1976-1988, and
elected mayor from 1988-2008.
Bruce L. Hansen is a retired
English teacher from
Minneapolis Public Schools, and
now serves as a lay minister for
his local church.
Myrna J. Sheie retired in 2011
after more than 30 years working in the Twin Cities, Minn.,
and Chicago for the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) and the American
Lutheran Church (ALC).
Susan E. Ferguson earned her
masters of theology in 2004 from
Trinity Lutheran Seminary in
Columbus, Ohio.
Diane J. Tiedeman is retired from
Bloomington (Minn.) Public
Schools where she taught secondthrough fourth-grade students.
Kay E. Jenness and her husband,
Dave, moved from New Mexico to
Washington to be closer to their
family.
Karen M. Alm recently retired
after 31 years teaching elementary education in the Forest
Lake (Minn.) School District.
69
Dennis D. Miller and his wife,
Christine, are members of the faculty at Cornell University in Ithaca,
N.Y. Miller serves as the chair of
the Department of Food Science.
Richard E. Cummings has been
active in civic and service organizations, including the Stillwater
(Minn.) City Council and, since
1983, Rotary International for
which he is proud of his 30 years
of perfect attendance.
65
Dennis D. Gray celebrated 50 years
of marriage to Marilyn Rokke Gray
on July 13. They have three sons
and eight grandchildren.
Carmen D. Herrick studied
Norwegian at the University of Oslo
International Summer School from
2008 to 2010. In 2011-2012, she
attended Elverum Folkehogskole in
Elverum, Norway.
Marie D. McNally retired from her
work as an English teacher. Her
husband, Tom, continues employment as chief operating officer of
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in
Plymouth, Minn.
Diane S. Ristrom sang in a special
choral concert in October with
hundreds of alumni to celebrate
the 100th birthday of Augsburg’s
Leland B. Sateren ’35.
Marlys Tron, retired, stays involved
in her community through church
activities and as chair of a polio
support group.
Richard E. Sandeen retired from
teaching and coaching in Edina,
Minn.
Jerome Schaubach was inducted
into Minnesota Cross Country
Coaches Hall of Fame in 2013.
Margaret P. Albright and her
husband have two daughters. One is a kindergarten teacher
in Bemidji, Minn., and the other
works for Mayo Clinic in the Legal
Department.
70
James Fischer was inducted into
the Augsburg Athletic Hall of
Fame and received the Excellence
in Coaching award.
Ric Hovda retired last June from
San Diego State University, where
he served as dean of the College
of Education for six years. Prior
to his work at SDSU, Hovda was
dean of the College of Education
at the University of Memphis.
Susan M. Pursch was awarded the
ELCA’s Tom Hunstad Award for
Excellence in Youth and Family
Ministry in 2007. She currently
works as a development officer at
The Cancer Support Community
of Philadelphia, Penn.
Mary J. Loken Veiseth retired last
July following 24 years of work
at Apple Valley (Minn.) Medical
Clinic.
68
Lois J. Peterson enjoys living in
Colorado, spending time with
her grown children, friends, and
family, and spoiling her six-yearold granddaughter. She and
Paul A. Andell retired from
his call of 39 years as senior
pastor of St. James Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Philadelphia,
Penn.
Mim Jacobson and Marian Korth
were married in September in
Augsburg’s Harbo Meditation
Chapel.
Charles A. Niles and Bonnie
(Board) Niles ’71, welcomed their
Glen J. Peterson has been
employed for 27 years as the
Augsburg Now
Patricia A. Piepenburg was
inducted into Augsburg’s Athletic
Hall of Fame in 2011.
Bonnie K. Risius retired during
2010.
Jane M. Norman is a business coowner of Kultur Hus, a Norwegian
heritage shop in Sunburg, Minn.
26
director of the Hyland Snow
Sports Academy in Bloomington,
Minn.
Jane C. Bracken retired in
2012 from Cannon Falls
(Minn.) Area Schools after teaching
first grade for 41 years. She continues to work as an organist and
pianist at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran
Church in Cannon Falls, Minn.
71
KEEPING TRACK OF AUGGIES
Wayne D. Jorgenson has long
enjoyed Civil War re-enacting
and studying the Civil War. He
recently published a book on the
First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry,
titled Every Man Did His Duty.
Janice K. Thompson retired in
2012 after 35 years of teaching.
She enjoys traveling with her
family, and she is the Pine Island,
Minn., WCCO Weather Watcher.
Darrell L. Skogen is in his 43rd
year of teaching, with a goal of
continuing until his 50th anniversary. He recently retired from 47
years of charting statistics for high
school and college games, and
from maintaining statistics for St.
Michael-Albertville (Minn.) High
School football.
Clarence D. Anderson is a
retired Air Force Bandsman
stationed mostly in Northern
California.
72
Robert A. Engelson’s son, Matthew,
graduated from Luther College
with a degree in music education
this past May.
Kristin P. Parbst Rohde retired in
June.
Scott J. Brown is a customer
service specialist at Walser
Honda in Burnsville, Minn.
73
Joyce L. Casey retired after
39 years of teaching elementary grades in the St. MichaelAlbertville (Minn.) School District.
Mark A. Ladwig is retired and
enjoying his grandchildren, running, playing viola, genealogy, and
learning German.
Beth C. Walen retired in
January after more than
33 years of service as a flight
attendant.
74
Debra D. Johnson has worked
as a pediatrician and clinical
geneticist for HealthPartners since
75
1985 and is the mother of two
daughters.
Patti (Edwards) Kramlinger
was honored with the Claire
E. Faust Public Service Award
from Minnesota State University,
Mankato, Minn. The award is presented to faculty or staff members
in recognition of their years of
dedicated service to the university,
the Mankato community, the state
of Minnesota, and the United
States.
Clifford G. McCann’s three
children, Kevin, Meredith, and
Allison, are married and he has
three grandchildren.
Heidi (Leaf) Haagenson
recently was named vice
president of Academic and
Student Affairs at Anoka Technical
College.
77
Ruth A. Underdahl-Peirce welcomed her first grandson, Cyrus
Steven Richard, born to her
daughter, Beth Underdahl-Peirce,
on August 9 in Bloomington,
Ind. Son, Jon Underdahl-Peirce,
served in the Peace Corps in
Burkina Faso, Africa, and now
works for the U.S. Department of
Labor in Washington, D.C.
Roberta Aitchison Olson
gets together with five of her
former classmates and roommates
on a regular basis, and cherishes
lifelong friendships and professional support. They call themselves “chez nous” and started
out by forming an intentional living
community based on social justice
principles: Megan Webster Stemper
’78, physical therapist; Jackie
Goheen ’78, gardening business
owner; Grit Youngquist ’79, health
educator, adjunct professor at
the University of Minnesota; Patty
Frazier, psychology professor at the
University of Minnesota; and Jane
Bjorndal McAdams ’78, pharmaceutical compensation director.
78
Marion G. Hinz is an “empty
nester” with her only child
now in college in Chicago.
79
David L. Norgard was
appointed a teaching
faculty member in the Graduate
Management program at Antioch
University Los Angeles.
80
Roxanne K. Williams is in her 34th
year of teaching physical education and credits Lavonne “Ma
Pete/Mrs. Pete” Peterson for her
skills in the classroom.
Jennie Clark-Anderson is
the executive director for
the Living at Home of the Park
Rapids (Minn.) Area, which
helps seniors remain in the home
of their choice. She performs
with the Northern Light Opera
Company and the Park Rapids
Area Community Band.
81
Kyle A. Anderson’s daughter, Kaitlyn, married Peter
Langston, Jr. on July 14 in
Delwood, Minn. Both Kaitlyn and
Peter are graduates of Bethel
University.
84
Janet B. Bolm welcomed her
grandson, Brody, on November
13, 2012.
Brent J. Crego co-founded
Comfort Love Care Assisted Living
Operations. Crego helps nonprofit
organizations care for their elder
members while generating income.
Charles K. Evans retired as a correctional police officer in 2013.
Kathi A. Osmonson has a new
job with the State Fire Marshal
Division as the youth firesetting prevention and intervention
specialist.
Kirsten M. Schwappach is a fulltime proofreader at Medical Arts
Press. She began her career as
an assistant librarian at the Blake
Upper School and a reference
librarian at Hamline University.
Liz Sheahan recently became
the director of transformational
gifts with Society of St. Andrew,
a national nonprofit focused on
getting fresh produce to hungry
Americans.
Jodi L. Holden is enrolled at
Saint Mary’s University pursuing a master’s degree in counseling and psychology, and she
expects to graduate in May 2014.
Holden works as a career counseling graduate intern in the career
and internship services center of
the University of Minnesota. She
holds an MBA in international
management from the University
of Dallas.
88
82
Lynda C. Ott has worked at Seward
Montessori School for seven years,
and many Augsburg students
have volunteered in her fourthand fifth-grade classrooms. Ott
and her husband, Peter, have two
grown sons.
Diane Wells received the 2012
Lifeworks Advocate of the Year
award.
Matthew Butler in 2013 was
promoted to Lt. Colonel.
Jacqueline E. Forrester is working
to establish a nonprofit in her
home country of Jamaica. The
organization will provide food,
clothing, and other services to
children.
Dan Wright and his wife, Kristen
Haglund, celebrated the birth of
their second son, Bjorn Arthur.
Their first son, Johan Rowen, is
now 8 years old. Dan is a senior
applications engineer at Nike,
Inc. and Kristen is a naturopathic
physician.
Michele L. Boyer and her
wife, Melissa Conway, have
two kids, Evan (age 10) and Rita
(age 9)—both adopted from
Nepal. They came home in 2003
and 2006.
89
Fall 2013
27
Michelle C. Goldberger is the
program director of COR Retreat,
a nonprofit spiritual retreat for
food addicts. She is mother to five
children ranging in age from 10
to 24.
Marilee A. Mowry completed three
degrees through Augsburg College
and recently retired from teaching
music and kindergarten in St.
Paul Public Schools. She continues to teach piano and woodwinds
in her home.
Julie A. Edstrom accepted a
new position in enrollment
management at the University of
Great Falls in Great Falls, Mont.
Her son, Cameron, began his first
year at Augsburg in August.
90
Joel B. Bue has an
18-month-old daughter and
another baby due in February
2014.
91
Stephanie A. Trump is serving as
adjunct professor of music at
the University of NorthwesternSt. Paul, and she directs the
Women’s Chorale.
Madelyn D. Browne earned a
Green Belt certificate at the
University of St. Thomas in 2012.
92
Terri A. Burnor is a student at
United Theological Seminary of
the Twin Cities, and she will intern
with two Unitarian Universalist
congregations.
Sharol Tyra, a professional certified coach at Life Illumination
Coaching, was elected president
of the Board of Directors, effective in 2014, for ICF Minnesota,
a chartered chapter of the
International Coach Federation.
Marilyn J. Vick-Kalar is a working
artist.
She recently was crowned Mrs.
Arizona International 2013 and
competed in the Mrs. International
competition in July. Throughout
her reign as Mrs. Arizona
International, McCune continues
to support Adopt a Senior Citizen
programs as her platfom and raise
awareness for the nation’s growing
senior citizen population.
Lisa M. Zahn recently opened her
own business as a Co-active Life
Coach.
Michael P. Schmidt married
Steven A. (Bartkowicz) Schmidt in
Decorah, Iowa, on April 6.
Kristin A. Lehne is a physical therapist and works at
Pediatric Therapy Services, Inc. in
Mankato, Minn.
97
93
Summerei-Dawn Hamille is
creating an original ballet to
“Thumbelina.”
94
Beryl J. Deskin is semiretired and employed parttime as a business writer and
facilitator.
95
Jennifer S. Kvidt welcomed son,
Ethan, on February 13, 2012.
Michelle Boyum Breen and
Trenda Boyum-Breen legally
were wed on August 1.
Shari Hornseth welcomed
daughter, Claire, on February
19. She joins big brother, Andrew.
Shari is a social work MSHO manager with HealthEast. The family
lives in Farmington, Minn.
99
Lillian
Lillian Jane
Jane Moore
Moore was
was born
born
January
January 23
23 to
to proud
proud parents
parents Anne
Anne
(Osberg)
(Osberg) Moore
Moore and
and Scott
Scott Moore,
Moore,
and
and prouder
prouder grandparents
grandparents Jack
Jack
Osberg
Osberg ’62
’62 and
and Nina
Nina Osberg.
Osberg.
Kat
Kat Wolfe
Wolfe and
and her
her husband
husband
opened
opened aa talent
talent agency,
agency, Wolfe
Wolfe
Talent,
Talent, which
which serves
serves the
the Twin
Twin
Cities.
Cities.
Robert P. Wasik retired from
corporate life in 2012 and
opened his own business in White
Bear Lake, Minn.
96
Holly (Kolander) McCune, a
Minnesota Vikings cheerleader
for five years, recently was
interviewed by the NFL Alumni
Organization for its “Where are
they now?” series. McCune lives
in Scottsdale, Ariz., with her
husband and twin daughters.
Ryan R. Ball welcomed
his son, Owen Ball, on
February 20.
01
Jesse (Lipelt) Moen and Jason
Moen ’98 welcomed daughter,
Ada, on May 15.
Emily
Emily E.
E. Larsen
Larsen Scaglia
Scaglia and
and
her
husband
recently
her husband recently welwelcomed
comed their
their son,
son, Logan
Logan Thomas,
Thomas,
born
on
February
born on February 10.
10.
02
Jacob
Jacob M.
M. Wegscheider
Wegscheider welcomed
welcomed
aa daughter,
daughter, Whitney
Whitney Nichole,
Nichole, on
on
June
June 6.
6. She
She joins
joins brother,
brother, Henry
Henry
Tate,
Tate, born
born April
April 6,
6, 2011.
2011.
Brian
Brian L.
L. Kuhl
Kuhl graduated
graduated
summa
summa cum
cum laude
laude from
from
the
the University
University of
of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Law
Law
School,
School, fifinishing
nishing in
in the
the top
top 1
1
percent
percent of
of his
his graduating
graduating class.
class.
He
He is
is an
an associate
associate attorney
attorney at
at
Mayer
Mayer Brown’s
Brown’s Chicago
Chicago offi
office,
ce, aa
proud
proud husband,
husband, and
and aa father
father of
of aa
fifive-year-old
ve-year-old son
son and
and 10-month10-monthold
old daughter.
daughter.
03
Carl Grulke ’07 and Bart
Rall ’05 graduated from
Concordia Seminary in
St. Louis, Mo. Grulke will
serve as associate pastor
at Christ Lutheran Church
in Lincoln, Nebr., and
Rall will serve as pastor
at Bethlehem Lutheran
Church in Monterey, Calif.
28
Augsburg Now
Mac Gordon and Nicki
Gordon welcomed their
daughter, Vivian, on May 16. She
joins big brother, Foster.
00
Michael G. Hargadine completed
his 18th year working for the St.
Paul Public School system.
Matt
Matt Christensen
Christensen and
and his
his wife
wife
Katie
Katie Lindenfelser
Lindenfelser ’02
’02 welcomed
welcomed
their
their baby
baby boy,
boy, Daniel
Daniel Gordon
Gordon
Christensen,
on
Christensen, on January
January 16,
16,
2012.
2012. They
They are
are working
working to
to build
build
KEEPING TRACK OF AUGGIES
a children’s hospice and respite
care home for kids with life-limiting conditions and their families,
the first in the Midwest.
Kari A. Badali and partner,
Jodi, welcomed their first
son, Oliver Joseph Badali-Winters,
November 29, 2011.
04
Deanne M. McDonald performed
as Rosalind in “As You Like It” in
Chicago’s Hamlin Park with her
theater company, The Traveling
Players.
Colleen R. Peterson welcomed son,
Cole Lee Peterson, on August 5.
Lauren Wood relocated to San
Francisco, Calif., after accepting
a position as an associate at the
law firm, Glynn & Finley LLP. Her
practice focuses on commercial
litigation.
Dallas Worth, and her husband,
Jarod Worth, welcomed their son,
Kainen David Worth, on June 15.
Jennifer L. Galvin-Anderson
published her memoir about
overcoming cancer and traumatic
brain injury, Crawl Walk Run, and
welcomed son, Evan Craig, in 2012.
05
Bethany Stolle recently graduated
from an interaction design and
social entrepreneurship program
at the Austin Center for Design.
She won the Intel-sponsored
Student Design Challenge at the
Interaction Design Association’s
annual international conference.
Her concept was playful technology to support communication
and connection for nonverbal
people on the Autism Spectrum.
Perry D. Mathison’s son,
Alex, attended St. Thomas
University and graduated in
May of 2013 with a major in
neuroscience.
06
David L. Nash is planning to
pursue a fellowship and career
in pediatric ophthalmology and
strabismus. Sara Nash ’06 is a
senior marketing coordinator for
HDR Engineering. The couple
is expecting their first child in
February.
Jennifer L. Annett married
Douglas Annett on May 18,
2008. Their son, Julian, was born
on October 7, 2010.
07
Lenette M. Baron is married to
Jason with three daughters, ages
8, 5, and 3; another baby due in
November.
Therese M. Maas completed her
master’s degree and graduated
as adult-nurse practitioner from
the College of St. Catherine. She
is completing her doctorate of
nursing practice degree at the
University of Minnesota.
Brooke H. Brown welcomed
Morgan Elizabeth to her family in November 2012.
08
Chad Greenwaldt and his wife welcomed their third child, Nikolas
Nielsen Greenwaldt, on April 10.
Kevin M. Haglund graduated from
the doctor of physical therapy
program at A.T. Still University and
began a physical therapist position
at Spooner Physical Therapy in
Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Jessica H. Snider is teaching
English as a Second Language
(ESL) in Guanajuato, Mexico. Prior
to teaching in Mexico, Snider
taught in Istanbul, Turkey.
Webster L. Ford teaches
through the Minnesota Math
Corps, and he is the sports director of a small-market radio station.
09
Shonna L. Fulford began a senior
admissions counselor position at
Augsburg College in the Office of
Undergraduate Admissions.
Cody Lewis Oaks graduated from
Luther Seminary with a master’s
degree in systematic theology. He
and his wife, Melody, recently welcomed their first son, Theodore.
Jenni Pickford is completing her
master’s in philosophy at Northern
Illinois University. She and her
husband, Thomas R. Anderson,
Jr., live in DeKalb, Ill.
Ryan Sorensen and Kristi Castelic
’09 were married in Green Bay,
Wis., on August 3. Ryan is the St.
Francis High School boys’ varsity
head coach and Augsburg men’s
soccer assistant coach. Kristi
is employed at DCM Services
in Richfield, Minn. The couple
resides in Maple Grove, Minn.
Brett T. Thompson works fulltime as a customer service team
member at Whole Foods Market in
Minnetonka, Minn.
Whitney P. Holman recently
graduated from St. Cloud
State University with a master’s
in communication sciences and
disorders. Holman received the
Mary E. Weise Clinical Excellence
Award and Plural Publishing
Master’s Research Award for her
work on Parkinson’s disease and
pre-motor brain potentials, which
was presented at the American
Speech-Language and Hearing
Association Conference.
10
Stephanie A. Hubbard married
William (Will) Hubbard on May 4.
Stephanie started a master of arts
in music therapy program at Saint
Mary of the Woods College in July.
Roxanne L. Nelson is a loan document specialist at Wells Fargo.
She and her husband, Miles
Nelson, live in Bloomington,
Minn. Augsburg librarian Mike
Bloomberg was the officiant at
their wedding, which included
several other Auggies: mother
of the bride, Teresa Lynch ’95;
maid of honor/sister of the bride,
Charlotte Johnson ’15; and father
of the bride, Bruce Johnson ’68.
Kirsten (Bar) Wells married Garth
Wells on July 27 in Evergreen,
Colo. Kirsten is a music therapist
at Mountain Vista Retirement
Community, and Garth is a helicopter pilot for Flight for Life. The
couple resides in Evergreen, Colo.
Jaclyn D. Willis became a certified
trainer for Proloquo2Go assistive
software, a communication program that helps those with speech
impairments and with challenges
in communicating with others.
Jennifer L. Avery is a freelance muralist. She recently
completed her first project for
CND’s Nuts N Bolts, a machine
shop in South St. Paul, Minn.
11
Fall 2013
29
Seth Lienard was named in the
July/August SpecialEvents.com
list of “25 Young Pros to Watch”
for the admirable work he is doing
and for his belief in the ongoing
power of special events.
School in Rockford, Minn., and
Brett is a team lead in the Margins
Department at the Royal Bank of
Canada in Minneapolis. They live
in Maple Grove, Minn.
Ali Rapp finished her master’s
in communication studies at the
University of Minnesota, and
began a position as product marketing specialist at Nintendo of
America in Redmond, Wash.
Angela L. Lee and husband,
Adam, in August welcomed their
son, Alexander Michael Lee.
Andrew J. Witte’s undergraduate
research is being reviewed for the
Journal of Geophysical Research.
Meghan A. Novak has a new
job as executive team leader
of hardlines at Target Corporation.
She is engaged to marry Ryan
Bachman ’13 in 2014.
13
John W. Truax welcomed son,
Parker Wayne Truax, on July 14.
Jessica and Stephen Westby
welcomed daughter, Olivia Grace
Westby, born November 23, 2012.
Brett Quick and Jenna (Forbrook)
Quick ’10 were married on
December 1, 2012, at Incarnation
Lutheran Church in Shoreview,
Minn. Auggies in the wedding
party were Steven Quick ’06 (best
man), Ashley (Hovey) Holten ’10
(bridesmaid), Seth Lienard ’11
(usher), and Kendra (Christiansen)
Oxendale ’11 (photographer).
Jenna is a kindergarten teacher at
Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet
Kristin G. Bunge lived in
Costa Rica earlier this year,
teaching English through English
Volunteers for Change.
12
Brittany A. Juntunen and Scott
Hemann ’12 moved to Oklahoma
City, Okla., where Juntunen teaches fifth grade as a special education corps member with Teach for
America. She was accepted into
Johns Hopkins Graduate School of
Education.
100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
A special choral concert in honor of Leland
B. Sateren ’35, on what would have been his
100th birthday, took place on October 13
at Normandale Lutheran Church in Edina,
Minn. Sateren taught at Augsburg from
1946 through 1979, during which time he
also served as chair of the Music Department. Sateren was also a renowned composer, having composed hundreds of choral
works. More than 180 Augsburg choir alumni,
spanning four decades and coming from all
over the U.S., participated in the concert,
which was directed by several of Sateren’s
former students, many of whom now serve
as choral directors across the country.
30
Augsburg Now
Mary Simonson Clark ’07 MSW
recently received the David and
Nancy Olson “Leadership for a
Missional Church Award” at the
Minneapolis Area Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America Assembly.
Sandra J. Laski ’07 MSW was
awarded Veteran’s Administration
national recognition for work on
LGBT issues.
Rachel Loftus ’10 MAE teaches
math at Kennedy High School in
Bloomington, Minn.
Kirsten Spreck ’10 MAL recently
accepted a new role at Thrivent
Financial as vice president of talent management.
Hector R. Matascastillo ’10 MSW
began a private practice and
recently developed a batterer
intervention program for veterans.
He received the Returning
Veteran’s Resiliency in Response
to Trauma award and the Veteran’s
Voices award from the Humanities
Center in Minnesota.
Julie A. Lundberg ’12 MAN works
in an enhanced critical care unit
(E-ICU). She is the founder of the
patient family advisory council,
One World, which is dedicated to
understanding health and wellness needs.
Photo credit: Johanna Kitzman ’11, johannakitzmanphotog.wix.com/jkphoto
Leland B. Sateren’s
Graduate programs
Christopher Annand ’09 MBA was
named the global ethics and
compliance program director for
Cargill, Inc. and is responsible for
representing and administering
Cargill’s Code of Conduct.
In memoriam
Roy A. Johnson ’41, Fargo,
N.Dak., age 94, on May 14.
Sylvia (Sevig) Rovenko ’41,
Minot, N.Dak., age 93, on
February 21.
Franklin John Skolos ’56,
Bloomington, Minn., age 83, on
January 30.
Virgil Robert Gehring ’57, Eagan,
Minn., age 82, on June 16.
Muriel M. (Melhus) Rufsvold ’42,
Lisbon, N.Dak., age 93, on
May 11.
Sylvia P. (Ostergaard) Dixen ’62,
Circle Pines, Minn., age 74, on
January 17.
LaVille Caroline (Henjum) Larson
’44, Bozeman, Mont., age 89,
on June 7.
Robert “Bob” W. Tyson ’65,
Murphysboro, Ill., age 69, on
July 5.
Mildred E. (Serstock) Boxrud ’45,
Minneapolis, age 90, on June 1.
Victoria Mae Koelling ’66, Fertile,
Minn., age 68, on July 10.
Edna Marion (Carlson) Johnson
’45, Yuma, Ariz., age 90, on
July 24.
Dale E. Sturzenegger ’66,
Olympia, Wash., on June 2.
Send us your news and photos
Tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least
300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can
also submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
_________________________________________________
Full name
_________________________________________________
Maiden name
Suzanne Marie (Lundeen)
Matthews ’69, Minneapolis, age
66, on July 31.
_________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
George M. Sverdrup ’46, Edina,
Minn., age 88, on September 20.
Christine E. (Hansen) Scott ’70,
Glasgow, Ky., age 64, on
July 24.
_________________________________________________
Street address
Ruth G. (Pederson) Cashman ’47,
Margaretville, N.Y., age 88, on
July 13.
Brian Christian Nielsen ’74,
Cold Spring, Minn., age 60, on
January 3.
Theodore “Ted” LeRoy Anderson
’48, Iowa City, Iowa, age 89, on
April 26.
Mary Jean (Clapp) Overend ’74,
Grand Rapids, Minn., age 85,
on July 21.
_________________________________________________
Home telephone
Calvin Bryan Hanson ’48,
Bellingham, Wash., age 87, on
May 10.
Susan Heidi (Thorkelson) Ryan
’74, Ivanhoe, Minn., age 61, on
July 6.
_________________________________________________
Email
Ravonna Deon (Nelson) Lassle
’48, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 86,
on June 30.
Doris Winnifred (Larson) Sunde
’74, Maryville, Tenn., age 86, on
January 4.
Barbara A. (Schindler) Berg ’49,
Janesville, Wis., age 85, on
May 31.
Joseph Rafael Becquer ’85,
Naples, Fla., age 50, on
April 20.
Erling M. Helland ’49, Olmsted
Falls, Ohio, age 87, on April 12.
Kathleen George Tobin ’87,
Minneapolis, age 90, on July 12.
Marilynn Avenell (Halvorson)
Parker ’50, Trempealeau, Wis.,
age 86, on June 2.
Keith Emmet Hanrahan ’89,
Minneapolis, age 53, on May 27.
Wedel Daniel Nilsen ’45, Cape
Girardeau, Mo., age 90, on
July 5.
Joann (Wicklund) Welinski ’50,
Northfield, Minn., age 85, on
July 19.
Harold Roy Schafer ’51, Windsor
Heights, Iowa, age 91, on
August 15.
Eleanor Marian (Landsverk)
Gargrave ’52, Northfield, Minn.,
age 82, on July 24.
Jerome “Jerry” M. Engseth ’53,
Elm Grove, Wis., age 82, on
August 4.
Richard “Dick” John Larson ’54,
Litchfield, Minn., age 80, on
June 1.
26
Ray Stanley Ganyo ’91, Grand
Forks, N.Dak., age 52, on
July 27.
_________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Okay to publish your email address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
_________________________________________________
Employer
_________________________________________________
Position
_________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, class year_____________________________________
Jill Marie (Sculthorp) Stich ’96,
Hudson, Wis., age 43, on
May 20.
_________________________________________________
Spouse’s name (include maiden name, if applicable)
Ann Kristin Johnson ’00, St. Paul,
age 49, on July 21.
Your news:
_________________________________________________
Leslie Kathlene Lynch ’04,
Savage, Minn., age 54, on
March 22.
_________________________________________________
Settar M. Altiok ’09, Plymouth,
Minn., age 43, on February 11.
_________________________________________________
❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Regent Emerita Marie Olive
McNeff, Anoka, Minn., age 76,
on August 23.
Fall 2013
31
IN MEMORIAM
Lifelong teacher.
Pilot.
Regent.
Dean of Academic Affairs.
Mom.
Entrepreneur.
Cook.
These are only a handful of words and titles that describe
Marie Olive McNeff, a dedicated leader in the Augsburg
College community for nearly 40 years, who passed away
August 23 at her home following a yearlong battle with cancer.
McNeff’s commitment to the College crossed all departments, but started in 1968 when she was a member of the
Education Department. McNeff taught for 27 years in the
College’s elementary education, adult undergraduate, and
Master of Arts in Leadership programs.
“Marie’s willingness to think ‘large’ and beyond traditional
bounds and take calculated risks serves as a model for all of
us in the Education Department,” said Vicki Olson, director of
the Master of Arts in Education program, in a 2001 nomination of McNeff for the Spirit of Augsburg Award.
“Always we have been challenged by Marie’s ‘reach for
the stars’ attitude,” Olson said. “She pushed, prodded, and
encouraged us to think large. Sometimes we could, often we
couldn’t. As I grow older, I find that those stars don’t seem
as far away, and that is largely due to the conditioning and
practice that Marie has led me through.”
In 1995, McNeff was appointed vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College. She left this position in
1999 to spend her last year prior to retirement as Augsburg’s
academic master planner, creating a blueprint to implement
the academic provisions of Augsburg 2004, a College vision
document. She was elected to the Board of Regents in 2005
and served in that position until her retirement.
“I became Marie’s student when I arrived at Augsburg
and slowly realized that this remarkable woman did indeed
have the heart of a teacher. She did strive each and every
day to create opportunities for learning—learning that was
grounded in community, learning that was lifelong, learning
that changed lives,” said Augsburg College President Paul C.
Pribbenow in his eulogy for McNeff.
32
26
Augsburg Now
Archive photo
Marie Olive McNeff
“I was invited into her extended classroom, where she
taught me about Augsburg and its deeply held values—about
community and shared leadership and walking the talk. She
taught me about ways in which a small business such as
SarTec can partner with a college like Augsburg to serve our
mutual needs and aspirations. She taught me to dream big
and then give away what you find. She taught me courage and
resilience.”
McNeff’s reach extended into many areas outside of Augsburg, most notably in her commitment to McNeff family businesses where she served in varied roles, including as assistant
to the president at SarTec Corporation, president of McNeff
Research Consultants, and member of the Board of Directors
of Ever Cat Fuels.
It was in her role with SarTec that McNeff’s commitment
to mentoring, leadership, and hospitality was again made
evident. Every day McNeff prepared lunch for employees of
the company. Staff and family would gather in fellowship and
community just upstairs from the offices.
McNeff was a graduate of Genoa High School in Genoa,
Nebr., and earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees
in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was
a member of the Anoka United Methodist Church and held a
private pilot’s license.
As an educator, leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist,
McNeff was deeply committed to the vision for the Center for
Science, Business, and Religion, and the McNeff family is a
great benefactor of the College.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother,
LeRoy Rockey. She is survived by her sister, Marece; her husband, Larry; her son, Clayton ’91, and daughter-in-law, Denise;
and three grandchildren: Charles, Alexander, and Bridget.
Memorials may be directed to the Augsburg College Center
for Science, Business, and Religion (augsburg.edu/giving).
An Augsburg Legacy:
Dr. Paul and LaVonne Batalden ’63
Since their graduation in 1963, Paul and LaVonne Batalden
have seen Augsburg grow and change, and—at the same
time—have appreciated the ways in which the College
upholds its founding traditions. The Bataldens attend several
Augsburg events each year, and—as the holiday season
approaches—recognize that the upcoming Advent Vespers
services and on-campus Velkommen Jul celebration play an
integral part in many Auggies’ annual traditions.
We hope you are able to take part in these treasured
Augsburg celebrations. And, whatever your plans,
we wish you a blessed holiday season.
To learn more about Velkommen Jul and
Advent Vespers, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Charles S. Anderson Music Hall
This fall, Augsburg renamed its music building the Charles S. Anderson Music Hall to honor the legacy
of the College’s eighth president (see story, page 6). To watch a stop-motion video of the building sign
installation, go to augsburg.edu/now or scan the QR code.
Show less
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
Augsburg Commencement 2013
Student success and achievements
Hybrid teaching and learning
Auggie teachers shape our future
New women’s lacrosse program
SHAPE
oUr
WORLD
SUMMER 2013 | VOL. 75, NO. 3
auGGiEs
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
NOTES
from P... Show more
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
Augsburg Commencement 2013
Student success and achievements
Hybrid teaching and learning
Auggie teachers shape our future
New women’s lacrosse program
SHAPE
oUr
WORLD
SUMMER 2013 | VOL. 75, NO. 3
auGGiEs
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
NOTES
from President Pribbenow
Faithful and Relevant
During the past several months, Augsburg’s Board of
Regents has invited the campus community into a
strategic mapping process focused on our priorities
and aspirations leading up to the College’s sesquicentennial in 2019. Fittingly titled “Augsburg 2019,” the
plans emerging from extensive research and conversations are aimed at enabling the College to live into a
vision we have stated this way:
In 2019, Augsburg will be a new kind of studentcentered, urban university, small to our students and
big for the world.
As we have engaged in this important strategic work
for Augsburg, I have been struck by the synergy we
have found between what it means to remain faithful to our core values—our Lutheran faith, the liberal
arts, diversity, and urban life—while at the same time
looking for ways to be relevant in the world—equipping students for lives of meaning and purpose in the
21st century.
Some might note the paradox in such a framework—faithful and relevant—but as good Lutherans,
we know well how to live as people centered in the
gifts of our faith and of service to God’s good creation.
It seems especially fitting that this issue of
Augsburg Now includes a meaningful tribute to
Charles Anderson, who served as Augsburg’s eighth
president from 1980 to 1997, and whose legacy is
very much the foundation for the College’s work today
and in the future.
Chuck Anderson believed deeply in the College’s
Lutheran heritage. He was a tireless advocate for the
liberal arts. And he made the College’s urban setting
an even more central part of its daily life and work.
At the same time, Chuck paid close attention to
the needs of the world. He championed Augsburg’s
ground-breaking Weekend College for adult undergraduates, its Rochester campus, the StepUP®
program for students recovering from addictions,
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
the CLASS program for students with learning challenges, the Center for Global Education, and the
College’s first graduate programs. Chuck also set
the stage for Augsburg’s commitment to intentional
diversity, a commitment that has been realized in
the increasing diversity of our student body during
the past several years.
Chuck Anderson’s legacy of sustaining Augsburg
as a faithful and relevant institution may be best captured in our new vision statement. He put students at
the center of the College’s life. He cared deeply for the
urban neighborhoods around campus and saw them
as an extension of the classroom. And he watched
over the expansion of Augsburg’s academic programs,
leading to the comprehensive range of undergraduate
and graduate programs that characterize the College’s
academic profile today—the profile of a small university, a new kind of 21st century university.
As this issue of Augsburg Now so powerfully demonstrates, this vision is very much alive and thriving
on campus and around the world today: Keeping students at the center of our lives through scholarships
made possible by the generosity of remarkable alumni
like Milt Kleven ’46. Students and faculty achieving at
the highest level and being recognized nationally and
internationally for their work. Innovative new curricula,
aimed at sustaining Augsburg’s abiding commitment
to face-to-face instruction, while at the same time
using technology to enhance student experiences.
Augsburg’s ground-breaking work to educate teachers
for diverse schools, bringing the best of new classroom
methods together with the College’s strengths in the
sciences and mathematics. And so much more. It is a
great time to be an Auggie!
Augsburg is a new kind of 21st century university.
Small to our students—the reasons we exist—and
big for the world. Thanks for all you do to help keep
Augsburg faithful and relevant.
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
of Advancement
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
summer 2013
AUGSBURG NOW
22
20
36
10
Features
10
20
22
24
Shaping our future
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06 AND
REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
Commencement 2013
Success after college
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Hybrid learning
BY LAURA SWANSON
Departments
inside
front
cover
Notes from President Pribbenow
2
Around the Quad
9
My Auggie experience
18 The Center for Science, Business, and Religion
19 It takes an Auggie
28 Alumni news
30 Alumni class notes
36 Auggies on the field
9
On the cover
Kassie Benjamin-Ficken ’12, an Augsburg elementary education and math
major, and a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, teaches first grade
at Tatanka Academy in Minneapolis. She is one of the seven Auggie teachers
and education alumni featured in “Shaping our future,” page 10.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
19
quad
around the
Augsburg top-ranked in
Dave Wold named
NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION GRANTS
Campus Pastor Emeritus
Augsburg was ranked third in Minnesota for the total dollar
amount awarded in 2012 by the National Science Foundation
(NSF). Augsburg received three awards from NSF last year, totaling more than $1 million. The top two Minnesota NSF grant
recipients are the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and the
University of Minnesota, Duluth—which means that Augsburg
was the leader in NSF funding among private higher education
institutions in the state. This achievement was highlighted
this past spring in a list published by the Minneapolis/St. Paul
Business Journal.
Auggies had the rare opportunity to go on stage at the Bon Jovi concert this past spring.
The group was interviewed by television stations—including KARE 11, KSTP 5, and
WCCO 4—about their community service, education, and experiences working backstage.
Auggies earn
behind-the-scenes opportunity
on Bon Jovi tour
Six Augsburg College students were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get an inside look at the music business when they worked
backstage during the Bon Jovi “Because We Can” tour held in April at
the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The students were selected for the
band’s Community Service College Campaign based on their community
engagement and leadership. Participants included [pictured L to R]
Alom Martinez Aleman ’13, Andrea Batt ’13, Alexandra Jamieson ’14, James
“Bear” Mahowald ’13, Thu Nguyen ’15, and Morgan Waldorf ’15. The
group got hands-on experience in public relations, media, management,
and ticketing; and took advantage of the opportunity to network with
media and music professionals.
To read more about Auggies backstage at
Bon Jovi, go to augsburg.edu/now.
2
Augsburg Now
Pastor Dave Wold—Augsburg’s pastor
since 1983—retired at the end of the
2012-13 academic year, and, in its May
meeting, the Augsburg College Board
of Regents resolved that he would be
named Campus Pastor Emeritus. Pastor
Dave served faithfully and well for three
decades, ministering in a variety of ways
to individual members of the Augsburg
community and the entire College. His
service in organizing and leading daily
chapel services, his accessibility to all
with spiritual needs, his inimitable style
as announcer for Auggie athletic events,
his leadership of outreach programs such
as the Augsburg High School Basketball
League, his guidance of the annual
Advent Vespers worship services, and his
ubiquitous presence at College events—
especially student events—all of this and
so much more have been Pastor Dave’s
remarkable contributions to Augsburg. A
community-wide celebration of his ministry at Augsburg is being planned for fall.
Excellence
in teaching and learning
The 2013 Distinguished Contribution recipients [L to R]:
Laura Boisen, David Matz, Darcey Engen ’88, and Colin Irvine.
Each year, the Augsburg College faculty recognizes select colleagues with Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and Learning awards—
acknowledging those who have demonstrated
outstanding support for students through
teaching, advising, and mentoring. The 2013
recipients include:
• For Excellence in Teaching—Colin Irvine,
associate professor of English
• For Excellence in Mentoring and Advising—
Laura Boisen, professor of social work
• For Excellence in Scholarship—Darcey Engen
’88, associate professor of theater arts, and
David Matz, associate professor of psychology
COMMUNITY CELEBRATES
STEPHEN ‘GABE’ GABRIELSEN
The Augsburg College community celebrated the life, music,
and contributions of Professor Emeritus Stephen “Gabe”
Gabrielsen ’63 in an April ceremony at Hoversten Chapel.
Gabe, as he was known to students, staff, and faculty, taught
at Augsburg for 47 years. He is known for his service to the
community as College organist. His majors in music and
religion were the foundation for his vocation, which found
expression in music and faith. He played organ in daily chapel
throughout his time at Augsburg and was organist for 28
Advent Vespers services.
URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE
Minnesota Urban Debate League is affiliated with Augsburg College’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and
Learning. The Center, named for former Congressman Martin Olav Sabo ’59, is home to programs that
foster civic engagement, including Bonner Leaders, Campus Kitchen, the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship, and more.
The Minneapolis Public School District committed to provide Minnesota Urban Debate
League (MNUDL), with funding of $100,000
over a two-year period. The funding, combined with support the program already
has from the St. Paul Public Schools,
means the MNUDL will add seven schools
to its program. MNUDL serves more than
500 middle- and high-school students
in the Twin Cities, and students in the
program have a 100 percent on-time high
school graduation rate.
Summer 2013
3
quad
around the
STATE GRANT PROGRAM
Augsburg Day at the Capitol, held in
March, gave students a voice in the
important debate surrounding the
Minnesota State Grant program.
Patrick DuSchane ’13, Augsburg’s
former day student body president,
said the event was a chance to help
ensure that legislators understand
the value of the state grant program
to Augsburg students and their
families. The program is designed
to help make college more affordable to more than 88,000 Minnesota students. In addition to their
visit to the Capitol, students were invited to a post-event reception
with former U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo ’59. Earlier in the
legislative session, Ben Yawakie ’13 testified at a committee hearing
on behalf of the Augsburg College community. Rosie Benser ’13 and
Charlie Olson ’13 spoke about
the value to their education
of participating in undergraduate research.
The 2013 Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards recognized leaders on the Augsburg campus and in the College’s
surrounding community.
• The Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award went to
Augsburg’s Health Commons programs at Central Lutheran
Church and Dar Ul-Quba. It recognizes those who advance a
campus’s distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic engagement, and working to
institutionalize engagement.
• The Presidents’ Student Leadership Award was presented to
Rachel Svanoe ’13 for her commitment to civic responsibility
and leadership.
• The Presidents’ Community Partner Award was presented
to the Brian Coyle Community Center for supporting Augsburg
students’ experiential education.
4
Augsburg Now
HIGH-DEMAND TRACK ADDED TO
DOCTORAL NURSING PROGRAM
The Augsburg College Nursing Department added
an innovative, accredited, and high-demand track to
its Doctor of Nursing Practice program to respond to
the evolving needs of nurses, communities, and the
medical industry. The new track, DNP—Family Nurse
Practitioner (FNP), is geared toward preparing students
who already hold their bachelor of science in nursing
to apply for certification as FNPs through the American
Nurses Credentialing Center. It is the second doctoral program offered by Augsburg. The first doctoral
program, the DNP—Transcultural Nursing Leadership,
readies nurses who hold a master’s degree in nursing
for advanced transcultural nursing across care settings
and care systems.
Ensembles perform throughout Turkey
The Augsburg College Concert Band and Augsburg Jazz
delivered their annual Bon Voyage Performance the
day before May Commencement. The two groups then
went on an international tour to perform throughout
Turkey. The groups played in cities including Istanbul,
Izmir, and Bodrum; met in small groups with school
children in grades K-12; and took time to tour destinations including the Blue Mosque and world heritage
site Hagia Sophia, which was built in 537 A.D. as an
Orthodox Christian church. Each year, Augsburg music
ensembles tour and perform both domestically and
internationally. Read the Augsburg Concert Band and
Jazz Tour blog to learn about the full trip:
augsburgmusic.blogspot.com.
Honoring our retired faculty
Marilyn Pearson Florian ’76, assistant
professor of health, physical education,
and exercise science, joined the College
in 1980. She received a master’s from
St. Cloud State University. Along with her
classroom teaching, she served as chair of
her department, head women’s volleyball coach, and, most recently, women’s
athletic director. She has been a strong
advocate for gender equity in athletics
throughout her career.
Garry W. Hesser, professor of sociology
and metro-urban studies and Martin
Olav Sabo Professor of Citizenship and
Learning, started his career at Augsburg
in 1977. He received a bachelor’s from
Phillips University, a Master of Divinity
from Union Theological Seminary, and a
master’s and PhD from the University of
Notre Dame. Hesser played a key role in
the development of the College’s metrourban studies program and the intensive
curriculum for the hybrid Master of Arts in
Leadership (MAL) program. He is recognized nationally as a leader in the field of
experiential education and urban education. His scholarship and accomplishments in these areas reflect the College’s
mission as a “College of the city.”
Kenneth S. Kaminsky, professor of mathematics, began his work at Augsburg in
1987. He received a bachelor’s in mathematics, a master’s in statistics, and a
PhD in statistics from Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey. Along with his
classroom teaching, Kaminsky is an active
scholar, having published books and
articles in the areas of statistics and financial mathematics. Through a bi-weekly
newsletter and by inviting alumni, industrial mathematicians, and local academics
to speak in the mathematics colloquium
series, Kaminsky keeps mathematics
alumni and current students connected.
Ned D. Kantar, assistant professor of
music, joined the College in 1999. He
received his bachelor’s and master’s
from the University of Minnesota. Before
joining Augsburg, Kantar taught music
to students from elementary school age
through college. Drawing upon his wide
ranging professional experiences that
included performance (jazz and classical),
booking, and production, Kantar brought
to Augsburg the music business degree,
which has grown significantly in both
numbers and innovation, and in which
Kantar taught classes in improvisation,
aural skills, and music business.
Anne M. Kaufman, associate professor of
education, began working at Augsburg
in 1987. She received her bachelor’s,
master’s, and PhD from the University of
Minnesota. Kaufman has been a leader in
secondary social studies teacher preparation at Augsburg College and for the State
of Minnesota. She is the director of the
Paideia Institute at Augsburg and has led
teacher professional development workshops in this area for the past 20 years.
Kaufman has been active in statewide
efforts to set social studies standards and
has been a member of the Minnesota
Board of Teaching.
Laura K. Lazar, assistant professor of
business administration, has worked at
the College since 2005. She received
her bachelor’s from Valparaiso University,
and her MBA and PhD from Indiana
University. Lazar teaches all levels of
accounting in both the undergraduate and
graduate program. She is uniquely gifted
to make this information accessible to
students of all abilities. Along with her
teaching responsibilities, Lazar has served
as the coordinator for the accounting
program and its faculty.
Susan K. Nash, associate professor of
nursing, began teaching at Augsburg in
1977, and in her full-time role in 1998.
She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and
EdD from the University of Minnesota.
Nash received the Augsburg College
Distinguished Contribution to Teaching
and Learning award for Mentoring in
2009. She has been instrumental in
developing a partnership and agreement
with Rochester Community and Technical
College that has introduced hundreds of
students to Augsburg. Nash was one of
the initial architects for the adult learner
programs in nursing on the Minneapolis
campus. Her scholarship has focused on
complexity science in family nursing.
Ronald W. Petrich, assistant professor of
education, began his career at Augsburg
in 1980. He received his bachelor’s from
Augsburg College and his master’s from
United Theological Seminary. Petrich
returned to Augsburg as a member of the
faculty following an extensive career in the
Minneapolis Public School system, giving
him a rich history of hands-on experience
from which to teach his students. Petrich
integrated these experiences in the undergraduate education program and also in
the MAL program, where he examined
the role of the school in modern society
as well as the significance of mentoring
relationships, models of leadership, and
professional development.
David G. Schwain, assistant professor of
business administration, began teaching
at Augsburg in 1995 and five years later
started in his full-time role. He received
his bachelor’s from the University of
Cincinnati and his MBA from Harvard
University. Prior to joining Augsburg,
Schwain had a distinguished career in
general management with more than 15
years in positions at the executive level.
Schwain brought this extensive experience to bear as one of the architects of
Augsburg’s MBA program. For the past
several years, he has coordinated the Clair
and Gladys Strommen Executive Speaker
Series, while teaching marketing classes
in the undergraduate and graduate business programs at Augsburg.
COMPILED BY JUDI GREEN
Summer 2013
5
quad
around the
CONVOCATION SERIES 2012-13
The Koryne Horbal Lecture in April
featured Gloria Steinem, a prominent
spokesperson for women’s issues.
Steinem has traveled the globe speaking on the topic of women’s equality,
has led awareness rallies, is author
of six books, and has launched two
magazines including Ms. She spoke
to a packed Hoversten Chapel about
the founding of the women’s movement, the gains made to find equity
for all people, and areas in which
improvement still must be realized. In
addition to Steinem’s talk, recipients
of the Women’s Resource Center’s
Courageous Woman Award (CWA) were
acknowledged at the lecture. Recipients
included Kristina Monje ’14 and Bo
Thao-Urabe, a long-time advocate for
Hmong women, children, and refugee
families. The CWA recognizes women
who strive for social justice and peace
on campus or in the community.
Strommen
Executive Speaker Series
Augsburg College welcomed HealthPartners
CEO Mary K. Brainerd, a national leader
known for her business acumen and unwavering commitment to the community, as a
featured presenter in the Clair and Gladys
Strommen Executive Speaker Series in
April. Brainerd, who spoke on the topic of
health care reform, is the president and
chief executive officer of Minnesota-based
HealthPartners—the largest, consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in
the United States.
The Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lecture
in April featured Harvard University
Professor David Weitz who talked
about the everyday physics involved
in cooking food. Weitz explored with
attendees the manners in which foods
change during cooking as a way to
illustrate scientific processes. The
annual Sverdrup Visiting Scientist lecture series brings renowned scientists
to campus to share their expertise with
the Augsburg community, the College’s
aspiring scientists, and members of
the larger scientific community.
Augsburg welcomes new Provost/Chief Academic Officer
In July, Augsburg College welcomed Karen L. Kaivola as provost and chief academic
officer. Kaivola serves in a key leadership position as the second in command to
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow.
Kaivola has wide-ranging responsibilities, including working with faculty, administration, and the Board of Regents to implement the College’s strategic vision; providing oversight of the accreditation process, as well as planning, development, and
administration of the academic program for graduate, undergraduate, and international programs; academic budgeting; and leadership of and advocacy for the faculty.
She most recently served as the associate provost for faculty development and
J. Ollie Edmunds Chair in English at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. She holds
a master’s and a PhD in English from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s
degree in English from Georgetown University.
6
Augsburg Now
cElEBraTIng
student success
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades
during spring semester. Some of the awards include the
following:
Allison Zank ’14
Kayla Johnson ’13
• FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS: Kayla Johnson ’13 and Emily Jensen ’08
were awarded English teaching assistantships. Johnson,
who graduated with degrees in biology and mathematics,
will teach in Taiwan. She plans to attend medical school in
the future. Jensen, who earned her bachelor’s in international relations and peace and global studies, will teach in
the Czech Republic. Jensen has worked in the Minnesota
State Senate and House of Representatives, most recently
as a research director. She hopes to pursue a master’s
in social work and public policy following her year as a
Fulbright Scholar. In 2010-11, Augsburg was recognized
as a top producer of Fulbright students by The Chronicle of
Higher Education.
• GILMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS: Four Auggies
received Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S.
State Department to study overseas this summer and fall.
Celia Hernandez Payan ’13 traveled this summer to Amman,
Jordan, while Mariam Ali ’15, Darius Sean Gray ’14, and
Magaly Ortiz ’13 will study abroad this coming fall. Thirty
Auggies have been awarded this prestigious scholarship since
fall 2008.
• GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP: Allison Zank ’14, who is studying chemistry, received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship.
Ashley Waters ’14
This $7,500 award is given to students from throughout
the United States who excel in STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) disciplines and who plan to work
in a STEM field upon graduation. Zank is Augsburg’s first
female Goldwater Scholar and one of only eight students
in Minnesota to receive the award. Augsburg’s Ashley
Waters ’14 was recognized for her outstanding scholarship when she was named one of seven Minnesotans to
receive an Honorable Mention in the Goldwater Scholarship
competition.
• KEMPER SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Keisha Barnard ’16, who is
studying sociology and international relations, was named
the College’s third Kemper Scholar. Students in the prestigious Kemper program receive academic scholarships and
stipends to cover the costs of two summer internships in
major nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Augsburg is
one of only 16 U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper
Scholars Program distinction.
• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRADUATE RESEARCH
FELLOWSHIP: Joe Buchman ’13, who graduated with majors
in chemistry and biology, received a National Science
Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship that will provide
$40,500 each year for the first three years of his doctoral
study in chemistry. The selection of these fellows is very
competitive and is based on the viability of the student’s
proposed research.
Summer 2013
7
cElEBraTIng
student success
Student research awards
and achievements
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ZYZZOGETON
2013: More than 70 Auggies presented
their research in the annual poster
session, Zyzzogeton. The spring event
is an opportunity to celebrate student
research, creativity, and scholarship.
The festival is sponsored by the McNair
Scholars Program, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for
Minority Participation.
POSTERS ON THE HILL: Three Augsburg
College students were recognized
for outstanding research at Posters
on the Hill in Washington, D.C. This
highly competitive annual celebration of student research, sponsored
by the U.S. Council on Undergraduate
Research, featured the work of only 60
students out of a pool of more than 800
applicants.
Brianna Noland ’13, a mathematical economics major, was selected to present
her research on college loans and firstyear retention in Washington, D.C., to
members of Congress and congressional
staff. She also met with U.S. Sens. Al
Franken and Amy Klobuchar, both of
Minnesota.
Samantha Cantrall ’14, a communication
studies major, received an Honorable
Mention, ranking within the top 80
applicants, for her investigation of the
influence of hip hop on the Arab Spring.
Megan Rich ’13, a biology alumna and
Master of Arts in Education student,
also received an Honorable Mention.
She studied ways to reduce the growth
of soybean pathogens.
Auggies conduct
off-campus research
At least a dozen Augsburg students are
spending their summer doing off-campus research at locations throughout the
United States as well as on the European and African continents.
• Katherine Aleman ’14, psychology,
research intern at Mayo Clinic
• Elianna Bier ’14, physics, National
Institute of Standards and Technology
• Eric Bowman ’14,
biology and chemistry,
University of Nebraska
• Emma Capman ’14,
physics, University
of Maryland Robotics
Center
Brianna Noland ’13 [at left] met with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
[center], when Noland was in Washington, D.C., to present her research at
Posters on the Hill. Noland traveled with Stella K. Hofrenning [at right],
associate professor of economics.
8
Augsburg Now
• Haley Diem ’13,
environmental studies, field research in
Tanzania on sustainable
agriculture
• Kirubel Frew ’14, chemistry, Johns
Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Ben Grant ’14, physics, Colorado
School of Mines National Renewable
Energy Lab
• Anna Herauf ’14, biology and chemistry, North Dakota State University’s
program for research on prairies
• Dan Kornbaum ’14, physics, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and
Geospace Sciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates at University of Michigan
• Marie-Aimee Ntawkulityayo ’14, international relations, research in Belgium on ethnic identity and conflict in
the Kivu Region of Eastern Congo
• Promise Okeke ’15, biology, Johns
Hopkins University Malaria Research
Institute
• Casey Powell ’15, biology, University
of Minnesota Plant Pathology Lab
• Emily Rutten ’14, biopsychology and
psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Rachel Shaheen ’15, biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
and Public Health
• Ryan Sullivan ’14, computational
philosophy, Carnegie-Mellon University Summer Workshop on Cognitive
Science and Epistemology
my
auggie
experience
Janice Murphy Gladden—
an Auggie All-Star
When it came time for Janice Murphy
Gladden ’14 to think about returning to
college, she found herself taking advice
from her college-aged daughter.
Several decades earlier, while studying at a junior college in Cupertino, Calif.,
she and Dan Gladden met. The two later
would marry.
She would leave school to focus on
being a wife and mother, and also would
work to support the family. She would put
on hold the education her father urged her
to pursue while her husband developed
his baseball-playing career, going from an
amateur free agent to a major league star.
“It was one of those things where Dan
had the opportunity,” she said. “Someone
needed to work. It’s worked out really well,
and we’ve been very fortunate.”
Dan would become a champion
left- and center-fielder for the Minnesota
Twins, a core part of the dream teams that
propelled the Twins to victory in two World
Series.
A couple of years ago, Gladden
decided that the time was right for her to
return to college to finish what she started
some 30 years ago. She talked with and
listened to one of her two daughters,
Whitney Nicole Gladden ’12.
“My daughter had such a great experience at Augsburg,” Gladden said, “so she
encouraged me to visit.”
Gladden met with an admissions
counselor, and said she was hooked from
the very beginning—even though the
idea of again being in the classroom was
daunting. Augsburg faculty and staff supported her and made easier her transition
to life as a college student in communications studies, she said.
“I thought I’d be on my own, navigating this journey,” Gladden said. “But
there are so many ways to access services
and help and to be connected.
“I feel valued in class. My thoughts
matter, my opinions matter,” she said.
“As adult learners, we kick around our
experiences, and I get to hear from people
at Medtronic and Target and other places.
I’m more well-rounded.”
In addition to benefitting from the
experiences shared by her peers, Gladden
said her Augsburg education has helped
her develop valuable workplace tools
including stronger interpersonal and nonverbal communication skills that she is
using in her career. For 18 years, she has
worked for Target Corp. in the financial
and retail services division.
While Gladden chose on her own
to return to college, she also said the
decision was made easier because her
company encourages employees to continue to develop and supports pursuit of
education. But perhaps one of the biggest
influences stretches back through the
decades to her days as a child growing up
in California.
“My father would be so proud, so
proud I stuck to it, no matter my age,”
she said. “Education was the biggest
deal to him. It’s what I remember him
emphasizing when I was little: ‘Education.
Education. Education.’”
Gladden is less than a year away from
finishing her undergraduate degree, and is
thinking about what is next in her life. She
said her positive experience at Augsburg
has her pondering a graduate degree.
“I love Augsburg. I love the vibe. I like
the peer networks. I like that it is small
enough that even after 30 years I could
find a way to come back,” she said. “I’m
thinking now about getting a master’s
degree at Augsburg. I’d love to teach.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06 AND STEPHANIE WEISS
Summer 2013
9
Shaping our future
“TO PREPARE AMERICANS FOR THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE…
WE HAVE TO OUT-EDUCATE THE WORLD.”
—WHITEHOUSE.GOV
10
Augsburg Now
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06 AND
REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
The programs in Augsburg’s Education
Department prepare teachers—
at both the undergraduate and graduate levels—to meet our national education challenge.
The U.S. government recognizes that “the strength of the American economy is inextricably linked to the strength of [our] education system,” which means “America’s ability to
compete begins each day, in classrooms across the nation.”
Auggie teachers and education alumni are leading these classrooms, improving education outcomes, and shaping our future. They are igniting student interest in math and
science, educating an increasingly diverse youth population, bringing global perspectives
and learning into the classroom, and leveraging new technologies and teaching practices
to enhance learning. The following are just a few examples of the ways Auggie teachers
and education alumni are leading the advancement of education in our schools.
Cutting-edge science research for
middle and high school students
When Dan Forseth ’08 was a student at Augsburg, he spent
many hours in the lab with associate professor of physics Ben
Stottrup. It was Stottrup, he said, who helped him realize he
wanted to be a teacher. “He taught me how to make things
work with what you have,” Forseth said.
Today Forseth uses that lesson in his own classroom to
excite students about science and to inspire the next generation of teachers. He teaches biology, physical science,
and robotics at St. Paul Preparatory School, an international
college-preparation program in St. Paul. He said he enjoys
teaching because he loves the transformation when students
grasp a difficult concept after struggling with it. “When they
get it, seeing that light bulb turn on for them is very exciting.”
During the summer of 2012, Forseth was one of six
teachers who participated in a research program at Augsburg
funded by a grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation.
The program paired Augsburg undergraduate science education students studying to be secondary teachers with current
science teachers. The teams conducted college-level research,
which was supervised by Augsburg faculty, and developed
curricula to adapt science projects for middle and secondary
school classrooms.
The Augsburg education students in the program learned
about the practical realities of teaching from their interactions
with current teachers, Forseth said. “And teachers like me
were revitalized by the opportunity to work in new labs and
develop new and different topics for our classes.”
Along with engaging in scientific research, participants
had opportunities to expand their scientific professional
networks through conversations and workshops with scientists in the workplace and college science faculty, said Tracy
Bibelnieks, Augsburg associate professor of mathematics
and director of the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation grant.
Summer 2013
11
“Feedback from last year’s participants was very positive.”
she said. “We are looking forward to building on that experience to continue developing ways that cutting-edge research
and engaging experiences can be integrated into 9th- through
12th-grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) classrooms.”
Forseth will participate in the program again this summer,
working with Augsburg faculty to create a website to share
materials produced in the program with 9th- to 12th-grade
STEM teachers across the state. “This program provides an
opportunity for Augsburg students pursuing secondary STEM
licensure to learn from experienced science teachers and
helps current teachers integrate more research and authentic
learning experiences into their classrooms,” he said.
Teaching in a diverse world
When Will Ruffin ’13 MAE moved from California to North
Dakota to attend college, he left his little brother behind. “He
struggled in school. I was the smart older brother who wasn’t
there for him, and that always bothered me,” Ruffin said. It’s
the memory of leaving his brother that today drives Ruffin to
make a personal connection with each of his students.
For Kassie Benjamin-Ficken ’12, it’s her ability to relate
to the experiences of first-generation and minority-culture
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Augsburg Now
students that has strengthened her connections with her students. “As a first generation student, I think it’s easier for me
to explain to my students why it’s important to get an education,” she said.
Ruffin and Benjamin-Ficken are examples of Auggie
teachers working in increasingly multicultural communities—
where the ability to connect with students of diverse backgrounds is critical to student success.
Despite his passion for teaching, Ruffin didn’t begin his
career in education. He first completed a bachelor’s and a
master’s degree in business and began working for a retail
company in southern Minnesota. Then one of his customers—
a teacher—asked if Ruffin would volunteer at his school
because the teacher wanted a strong, black, male role model
to work with his students. “There was just something about
being with kids that hooked me,” Ruffin said, “and I fell in
love with teaching.”
Ruffin became a substitute teacher and eventually was
teaching full time, so he decided to attend Augsburg to pursue
a master’s degree in education. For the past five years, he has
been teaching fifth grade at Riverside Central Elementary in
Rochester, Minn.
For many students, Ruffin is the first black teacher and
the first male teacher they have had, so he takes seriously
his responsibility to be a role model in a community that is
increasingly more ethnically and culturally diverse. Judging by
the drawings and awards posted by students on his classroom
walls, and by the former students who often stop in at Riverside
to visit, Ruffin is making a difference in students’ lives.
As a student himself, Ruffin said, he was quiet and
seldom participated in class discussions. As a teacher and
leader, however, he’s learned that his voice is important. “I
know I have a lot to share, and I can enrich others’ experiences through my own,” he said. “I can’t be a leader and be
silent. I have a perspective that too often is lost or overlooked,
and I need to share that.”
Benjamin-Ficken, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of
Ojibwe, also embraces the opportunity to bring her cultural
perspective into the classroom. “My culture teaches that you
are on this Earth to help others,” she said. “Education is how
I can make a difference.”
At Augsburg, Benjamin-Ficken double majored in elementary education and math. This July, she completed her first
year at Tatanka Academy in Minneapolis, where 13 of her 14
first-grade students were Native American.
In working with students from minority populations,
Benjamin-Ficken strives to instill in them the belief that
they can—and should—excel in school, especially in STEM
fields where populations of color and females are significantly
underrepresented. For example, this past spring, BenjaminFicken celebrated “Pi Day” (which falls on March 14, or
3/14, representing the first three digits in the mathematical
constant, pi) with her students. A self-professed “math nerd,”
Benjamin-Ficken believes that these types of classroom experiences will help her students see math as a subject they can
succeed in and, potentially, choose to pursue in their lives.
Augsburg’s focus on urban education and teaching in a
multicultural classroom were an important part of her educational experience, Benjamin-Ficken said. “My education
studies at Augsburg really taught me to reflect,” she said.
“Taking time to ask what went well [in class], what didn’t, and
whether you reached every student—that’s what makes you a
better teacher.”
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Since 2004, five Augsburg education graduates have received the prestigious Milken Award for Excellence
in Teaching. This award provides public recognition and financial awards to elementary and secondary
education professionals. Only 30 Milken Awards are given annually across the United States.
Summer 2013
13
KATE WOOLEVER ’11
14
Augsburg Now
Bringing global issues and perspectives
into the classroom
Teaching and traveling are more than passions for Kate
Woolever ’11—they are vital to her own education as a citizen
of the world. As a studio art and education major at Augsburg,
Woolever combined her interests into a career that today
allows her to continue her own education and to provide
meaningful learning experiences for her students.
Woolever’s mother, father, and brother are teachers, so
it’s no surprise that she also chose to become a teacher.
“Teaching is completely a part of my life,” she said. “For me
it’s about service to others.”
Woolever came to Augsburg because she wanted to
teach in an inner city or international school, and she felt
Augsburg’s program would best prepare her for that career. As
a student, Woolever took advantage of opportunities to study
abroad through the College’s Center for Global Education. She
studied in Namibia, Thailand, and Ghana, where she completed her student teaching. She said she has always “traveled
with a purpose,” using travel to learn about others by experiencing their lives firsthand.
After she became an art teacher at St. Paul Preparatory
School in the Twin Cities, Woolever had another opportunity
to travel and teach abroad. She was one of five U.S. teachers
selected to participate in a program through World Savvy and
the U.S. State Department. With 30 U.S. high school students, she studied the environmental, social, economic, and
political impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. The group
spent one month living with host families while participating
with Bangladeshi students in research and service projects.
Woolever lived in the Rayer Bazar slum located on the
edge of the capital city of Dhaka—the fastest growing city in
the world. She interviewed and photographed climate refugees
who had moved to the city from outlying areas because the
flooded coastal lands are uninhabitable and the soil is too
saline-contaminated to support crops.
“These climate refugees now live in indescribable squalor,” Woolever said. “There are a thousand people per square
kilometer living in Rayer Bazar; 100 people sharing three
open gas flames for cooking and a single squat toilet.”
This experience, Woolever said, made her more aware
of the global effects of climate change and emphasized the
importance of spreading the word. “The guilt I felt—coming from my bountiful country and witnessing these people’s
atrocious living conditions—constantly tugged at me, and I
needed to find a way to respond.”
One way Woolever responded was to turn her photos and
stories into a traveling exhibit, which she hopes to show at
numerous venues across the state. This past March, her work
was displayed in Augsburg’s student art gallery in Old Main;
the exhibit then was shown in the Pelican Rapids (Minn.)
Library during May and June.
Because of her experiences in Rayer Bazar, Woolever also
is committed to finding ways to incorporate real-world issues
into her classroom. The Bangladeshi trip was a stark lesson in
how much we consume and how wasteful we are as a culture,
Woolever said. Education, at the very least, “is not something
we should take for granted.”
To see samples of the photos and stories from Woolever’s studies
in Rayer Bazar, Bangladesh, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Flipped classrooms: Creating studentfocused learning environments
Most of the time, a noisy middle school classroom doesn’t
seem like a productive learning environment. But, when
the classroom is “flipped,” noise is a sign that students are
engaged in the learning process and working constructively
with each other.
Tara Martinson ’09 MAE leads a lively seventh-grade
INNOVATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
In 2009, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation awarded Augsburg more than $400,000 in support of its
teacher preparation programming. Augsburg was one of only four Minnesota colleges receiving these
grant funds. Augsburg also participates in the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) and is one of six
private colleges in the Twin Cities working to improve teacher education through the Twin Cities Teacher
Collaborative (TC2), made possible by major funding from the Bush Foundation.
The College also gives education majors an opportunity to engage elementary school children in the
sciences through Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (GEMS) and Guys in Science and Engineering
(GISE), two summer programs held on the campus.
Spring 2013
15
pre-algebra class at Central Middle School in Eden Prairie,
Minn. The reason for all the activity is that Martinson uses
the flipped learning model of instruction. With this particular
method, students listen to an online lecture at home and complete a “note sheet”—a structured note-taking guide—on the
lesson. The next day in class, students spend the majority of
their time in “hands-on” learning exercises, working out practice problems and completing small group activities. Students
can ask each other for help and are required to check their
work with Martinson.
Martinson, who has taught middle school math for five
years, flipped her classes in January 2012 after learning about
the method at the 2011 Education Technology Conference
hosted by TIES, the St. Paul-based education technology training organization. During the winter break, she recorded lectures
and set up the resources for her classes and then introduced
the model to her students at the start of the new term.
With flipped learning, Martinson said her students are
more engaged because the responsibility for learning the
material rests with them. “Before [flipping the class format],
I typically would lecture for 35 minutes, and the students
would have the last 10 minutes of class to start their assignment,” Martinson said. “Then, if a student got lost, they
would just shut down. Now there is a much higher level of
engagement and retention.”
Flipped learning changes education from a teachercentered classroom to a student-focused learning environment, said Kari Arfstrom ’89, executive director of the Flipped
Learning Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
providing educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources
With research support from George Mason University and sponsored by Pearson, the Flipped
Learning Network this summer released the first comprehensive literature review on the flipped
learning model. The full-length literature review, along with an executive summary and white
paper, are available to download for free at flippedlearning.org/research.
16
Augsburg Now
TARA MARTINSON ’09 MAE
to successfully implement flipped learning.
“When I went to school,” Arfstrom said, “it was the
teacher who was imparting information to the student. Now
the students are leading and determining what they need.”
This model makes students more accountable because the
teacher has an opportunity to talk with them every day,
Arfstrom said.
With flipped learning, teacher interaction with students
increases dramatically, said Taylor Pettis ’03, ’09 MAE, senior
manager of marketing communications at Minneapolis-based
Sophia Learning, which has worked with thousands of teachers to create flipped classrooms. “One of the teachers we
worked with said his feet hurt after class because he’s walking up and down the aisles so much more.”
Teachers also have a greater opportunity to provide differentiated instruction to each student when they use a flipped
learning model, Pettis said. This customized, student-centered attention leads to improved student learning. “Eightyfive percent of teachers we work with report improved grades
in their flipped classes.”
For Martinson, the benefits go beyond improved performance in class. In the flipped environment, she said,
students learn social skills, relationship building, and selfadvocacy—abilities that will serve them well in high school,
in college, and beyond.
STATE FUNDING TO EXPAND THE DIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA’S TEACHER WORKFORCE
In May, the State of Minnesota approved legislation granting
Augsburg College nearly $400,000 over the next two years
to launch the East African teacher preparation program.
The new Augsburg EAST (East African Students to Teachers) initiative will provide scholarships, academic support,
and service learning opportunities for East African students
who are education majors at Augsburg’s Minneapolis and
Rochester campuses.
The number of East African students in K-12 public
schools is growing in many communities throughout
Minnesota. School systems are challenged to meet the
needs of these students, many of whom are the first in their
families to receive education in the United States.
Augsburg’s strong relationships with the Somali and East
African communities and its successful record of teaching
East African education majors, in both Minneapolis and
Rochester, make it uniquely qualified to lead this initiative.
Every year
, more than 600 Auggies are enrolled in education degree
programs at Augsburg’s Minneapolis and Rochester campuses. About 250 of those
students are undergraduates—of all ages—pursuing bachelor’s degrees in education.
The remaining 350 are enrolled in the College’s Master of Arts in Education program,
which provides training for professionals to begin a career in teaching or for current
teachers to obtain additional licenses or endorsements. Every day, these Auggie educators—both in and outside of the classroom—are preparing our children to live and
grow in our increasingly diverse, globally connected, and technologically sophisticated
world. They are, literally, shaping our future potential.
Summer 2013
17
THE CENTER FOR
SCIENCE, BUSINESS, AND RELIGION
Expanding undergraduate research
THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE, BUSINESS, AND RELIGION at Augsburg College
will bring together the study of global business, advanced science and
technology, and religion and the search for meaning into a first-of-its-kind
education center.
The Center will house classrooms, labs, and key Augsburg initiatives, including programs that support our success in undergraduate
research. It will enable Augsburg to accommodate a greater number and
larger scope of year-round research projects across disciplines—the kind
of long-term educational projects that help students gain 21st-century
problem-solving skills.
The tremendous impact of these research programs is evidenced
by the growing number of students who leverage the robust, hands-on
skills they learned in their on-campus experiences to obtain off-campus
research positions and continue to graduate programs. Augsburg students
are sought after by institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Maryland Robotics Center,
and many other organizations. (See more examples on page 8.)
We know that Augsburg’s faculty-led research makes a profound difference in the educational experience of our students—and, through their
work, will shape advancements in science, technology, and other fields
across the globe. The Center for Science, Business, and Religion (CSBR)
is a fitting manifestation of our commitment to the growth of this work.
18
Augsburg Now
it takes an
auggie
Leading the way for others
ALUMNI ENGAGE IN SUPPORT OF THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE, BUSINESS, AND RELIGION
“We know what a difference the
generosity of others made for us. Truly,
it was the acts of strangers, other
Augsburg leaders, whose gifts provided
foundational support for the College,
before our times here. It’s our turn.”
So said Wayne Jorgenson ’71, as
he and Christopher Ascher ’81 met
recently on campus to help plan a
series of Alumni Leadership Summits
for their classmates from the decades
of the ’70s and ’80s.
“Those early gifts from alumni and
friends of the College made it possible
for each of us to experience a great
Augsburg education,” Ascher said.
“We are convinced. Now is our time to
make the investment and help open
doors for others.”
Both Jorgenson and Ascher know
some things about good investments
through their accomplishments in the
field of finance. Jorgenson has applied
his business degree from Augsburg,
now serving as senior vice president of
investments at UBS Financial Services
in Bloomington, Minn. Ascher, a finance
major with a psychology minor, also
played on the Augsburg soccer team.
Ascher now leads and manages the
wealth management office for Morgan
Stanley, also in Bloomington, Minn.
“We are convinced. Now is our
time to make the investment
and help open doors for others.”
Both men chose to step up,
inspired by the message of CSBR
Campaign Chair Mike Good ’71 to
“Believe.” By first making their own
leadership gifts in support of the
building, and then by chairing their
respective Alumni Leadership Summits
and $1 million class challenges,
they are adding their enthusiasm and
leadership to the cause. Their goal
is to ensure the success of the effort
to build a new Center for Science,
Business, and Religion at the very
heart of the Augsburg campus.
“We both see this building as the
essential next step in the College’s
development. No other campus we
know has created such an exciting
intersection of disciplines—science,
business, and religion—to serve students and forge a pathway to a better
future for us all,” Jorgenson said.
Watch for updates on the Alumni
Leadership Summits in future alumni
communications.
CATHERINE REID DAY
Wayne Jorgenson ’71 [left] and Christopher Ascher ’81 [right].
Summer 2013
19
INTRODUCING
AUGSBURG’S
NEWEST ALUMNI
The graduating class of 2013 added more than
700 Auggies—from our undergraduate, graduate,
and doctoral programs—to the College’s alumni
ranks. This brings the total number of alumni to
more than 28,000 people living in all 50 states
and 57 countries around the world.
We Are Called | Auggies!
INFORMED CITIZENS
The 2013 Augsburg College Commencement theme—
“informed citizens”—was inspired by the College’s
mission statement.
“To me, an informed citizen is someone—in any profession, living out any vocation—who seeks information, digests it, and vigorously participates in society
by putting their knowledge to a good, collective use.
It means that we are prepared to inform, encourage
and uplift people to make a difference for themselves and for the world we live in.”
— MARY GODI ’13, MAY COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
To see additional photos, read Commencement
addresses, or watch ceremony videos from May
and June, go to augsburg.edu/now.
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Augsburg Now
May 4, 2013
June 23, 2013
Summer 2013
21
auggies
ARE ACHIEVERS
Each year, Augsburg College mints hundreds of new graduates who
go on to continued education in graduate schools and workplaces
across the nation. Preparing students for success is a key part of
an Augsburg education and central to the College’s mission of educating students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. Here’s a snapshot of facts
and figures—and student stories—that show how recent Auggie
graduates are having an impact early in their careers.
SUCCESS AFTER COLLEGE
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Each year, more than
100 employers
60%
visit campus to recruit students
or to participate in career-related events
More than
OF AUGSBURG STUDENTS
including Fairview Riverside Hospitals
and Clinics, the federal government,
KDV consulting, KPMG, Target Corp.,
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™, and
Twin Cities television and radio stations
More than
ENGAGE IN INTERNSHIPS and major-related work with
business, non-profit, and government employers,
gaining professional experience before graduation
90%
OF AUGSBURG STUDENTS
are fully employed or enrolled in graduate school
within 18 months of graduation
LAURIE BARGER ’13
Associate Analyst—Merchandising and Business Intelligence,
Target Corporation
At Augsburg: Mathematics and Spanish major, played on the women’s
soccer team, studied abroad in Mexico and Cuba, tutored for the
Mathematics Department, volunteered at a local social service agency
doing taxes for low-income families, member of the Augsburg Business
Association
“From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew that Augsburg was
going to give me the drive, motivation, and opportunities I would need
to become successful. Through networking and community involvement, making strong relationships with my professors and peers, as
well as being educated in a high-level, real-world environment, I was
able to build a résumé that made me stand out from everyone else.
With the help of the Strommen Center and my professors, I was able to
confidently take what I had learned and comfortably transition from a
full-time student and intern to a full-time employee.”
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Augsburg Now
The CLAIR AND GLADYS
STROMMEN CENTER FOR
MEANINGFUL WORK provides
individualized assistance with
choosing a major, finding an
internship, writing résumés,
developing interviewing skills,
attending job fairs,
and helping students
find meaningful work
after college
JOHANNA FRYKMARK KITZMAN ’10
EDI implementation analyst,
SPS Commerce
JENS OLSON ’10
Medical student, University of Minnesota
Medical School
At Augsburg: Double major in international business and business management, Honors program, co-captain
of women’s golf team, worked in the
alumni relations office
At Augsburg: Biology major, Honors
program, did research related to asthma
and presented at a national conference,
first-year orientation leader, studied abroad
in Vietnam, volunteered and worked at
hospitals, was a Fulbright English Teaching
Assistant in Vietnam
“When I moved from Sweden to begin
school at Augsburg, it was the first
time I had set foot in the U.S. The
international student staff, my golf
coach, my team, and my professors all
helped me get past my homesickness
and establish friendships. Thanks to
their support, I finished my degree
and today I am happily married, am
working in the city, and own my very
own American house in the suburbs.”
“Augsburg’s emphasis on service and
openness to all members of our world community not only aligned with my beliefs but
helped me develop and shape myself into
who I am today. The experiences I had at
Augsburg and the relationships I developed
with staff and faculty helped me decide
that I wanted to serve others as a doctor
and then get into medical school—definitely an accomplishment I am proud of.”
Graduates from the class of 2012
SECURED FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT
with organizations including:
3M, Advanced Medical Electronics, Air Force Research Labs,
Ameriprise Financial, Cargill, Comcast, Dart Transitt Company,
Com
Delfi Technologies Inc., Delta Airlines, Hennepin County,
t
Marriott, the Mayo Clinic, the Minnesota Department of
Revenue, Minnesota Twins, Piper Jaffray, Prudential, Regions
Hospital, Robert Half Technology, Robotics Redefined Inc.,
Sherwin-Williams, Target Corp., Teach for America, Thomson
Reuters, University of Minnesota, and Wells Fargo
KATHLEEN WATSON ’12
Editorial assistant at a GLBT
media company that produces a
bi-monthly magazine, web content,
international news, and podcasts/
entertainment
At Augsburg: Double major in theater
arts and English, Honors program, Honors house president, did
research on dramaturgy, member of
Feminist Collective
“My experience at Augsburg College
allowed me to not only create a successful and fulfilling career—
it allowed me to embrace and love
who I am and use my talents and
skills to work for a community I
believe in. My job truly feels like my
vocation: I’m using my gifts to meet
a need in a community I advocate
for and support.”
Spring 2013
23
LEARNING
or Lisa Benjamin ’06, ’12, the possibility of going back to school
was appealing, but finding time to spend in a classroom was
challenging.
In 2010, Benjamin sought a license to teach in Minnesota and to
sharpen her skills in American Indian student instruction—a field
she has been passionate about since her youth. But, like many of
Augsburg’s non-traditional learners, Benjamin had the busy schedule
and family responsibilities of a working adult.
That’s why a unique Augsburg College program that takes
advantage of the strengths of both classroom and web-based learning environments—called hybrid or blended learning—offered an
ideal opportunity. Courses delivered in a hybrid format combine
traditional face-to-face components and online learning activities to
optimize student engagement.
F
24
Augsburg Now
BY LAURA SWANSON
Students will earn degrees
through combination of online
and in-person instruction
“I thought the Augsburg program was a perfect match for
what I was working toward,” Benjamin said. “I liked the fact
that a partially online course meant I didn’t have to go into
school every weekend or every day. My son was 3 years old,
and I didn’t want to be away from him all the time.”
By taking advantage of the strengths of a hybrid program
structure, Benjamin met her teaching licensure goal and
joined a tight-knit community.
“The other students were a remarkable, supportive group
of people,” she said. “I got to learn from them and their
experience.”
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HYBRID LEARNING
Augsburg historically has offered only select hybrid classes.
However, beginning this fall, the College will expand the num-
ber of courses offered in a blended format.
Augsburg will launch a hybrid instruction model for a
significant number of graduate and adult undergraduate
courses at its Minneapolis and Rochester campuses, shifting
approximately half of students’ course contact time to a webbased format. Students in these blended courses will follow a
schedule in which in-classroom meetings and online instruction alternate every other week.
Augsburg already employs a variety of approaches to
hybrid instruction, and the proportion of in-class versus online
course contact time varies from program to program based
on student demographics. For example, Augsburg’s Master of
Arts in Leadership and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
programs offer a low-residency schedule in which one- or
multi-week intensive face-to-face sessions are paired with
Summer 2013
25
“Many organizations are finding out that, where possible, combining
face-to-face meetings with work in an online environment increases
student satisfaction, student learning, and retention when compared to a
course that’s offered solely online.”
online coursework completed throughout the term.
The new initiative to expand hybrid program offerings
with an every-other-week format is based on recommendations made following multi-year studies through which faculty,
staff, and administrators identified how the College could best
further its tradition of delivering high-quality, face-to-face
instruction; integrate technology into programs for non-traditional students; align with the changing demands of the adult
education market; and satisfy federal education regulations.
“Much of the inspiration for this work stems from the
opportunity we identified as an institution to enhance the
way we serve our students,” said Lori Peterson, assistant vice
president and dean of graduate and professional studies.
Peterson, who chaired a task force on academic program
structure, said the College is taking a thoughtful approach to
integrating online elements into teaching and learning. “Our
faculty and curriculum committees have done tremendous
work to ensure quality in our blended learning approach and
to identify the ways in which we will achieve the highest level
of learning outcomes,” she said.
By shifting additional academic programs to a hybrid
format, the College will meet the needs of current and future
non-traditional learners. A 2010 U.S. Department of Education analysis of online-learning studies concluded that hybrid
courses were at least as good if not marginally better and more
engaging than a fully online model.
26
Augsburg Now
“Many organizations are finding out that, where possible, combining face-to-face meetings with work in an online
environment increases student satisfaction, student learning,
and retention when compared to a course that’s offered solely
online,” said Dan McGuire, an education and communication
specialist who is working with the College as the project manager for a hybrid teaching and learning transition team.
Nationally, 6.7 million higher education students took at
least one online course in 2011, accounting for nearly onethird of all such students. These figures, released in the 2012
Survey of Online Learning, detail those classes in which at
least 80 percent of the course content was delivered online,
but schools offer online learning in varying degrees—including
a web-facilitated instruction model with few online elements
as well as the blended learning model Augsburg selected.
Non-traditional students 21 and older constitute the majority of online learners. Frequently, adult students prefer to
take courses online or to have some combination of an online
and a face-to-face format because it affords greater flexibility
as the students juggle full- or part-time employment, family
commitments, and other obligations while attending school.
By implementing a hybrid model for adult students,
“Augsburg is retaining the power of its physical community—of
a social, spiritual place that exists within a long, vibrant history—and is fusing the educational tradition of the College with
an effective teaching and learning system,” McGuire said.
A COLLEGE-WIDE ENDEAVOR
Rolling out a new academic program structure is an effort that
requires diligence, commitment, and coordination. In order
to offer adult undergraduate programs in a hybrid format,
Augsburg faculty and staff for almost a year have worked to
re-conceptualize and redesign face-to-face classes so that
content can be presented through online course management
software.
Often times, students in hybrid courses master more
basic material online at their own pace so that the classroom
becomes a place where the application of that knowledge can
be refined through lab experiments and discussions with peers
or the professor.
The online component in Augsburg’s hybrid courses will
be delivered through Moodle, a website in which educators
create micro-sites for each unique course. Augsburg has used
Moodle since 2005 and selected this learning management
system because the platform is “grounded in sound teaching
principles,” according to Scott Krajewski, director of information technology.
Moodle is recognized for supporting activities common in
a classroom, and it “provides an elegant structure to ask and
answer questions, to present information, and to engage in an
educational community in between meeting times,” McGuire
said. “The beauty of Moodle is that it’s a very powerful tool—
all of the different variations of interacting with students have
been thought through.”
According to Krajewski, Augsburg faculty and staff are
working in collaboration to design the hybrid courses and to
implement best practices for teaching online. Members of
Augsburg’s information technology staff are certified in online
course design and are experts at tailoring classes so that they
“best match the institutional mission as well as the needs
of distinctive academic departments, course sections, and
students.”
By the end of May, nearly 200 faculty members had begun the process of converting adult undergraduate courses for
fall 2013 into a hybrid model, and their work continues this
summer. Together, faculty and staff members will convert approximately 300 unique courses into a new format—tasks that
McGuire said require a time commitment ranging from 10 to
40 hours per class.
Developing high-quality hybrid courses requires sufficient
time for planning, designing, developing, and testing. Moodle
then allows professors to maximize the productivity of the inclass portion of their instruction and to use innovative, multimedia elements online. In contrast to an in-person course with
minimal supplementary material, the instructor and students
in a hybrid course interact with each other online—they engage in discussion, complete activities, and consume entirely
new information in textual, visual, and auditory formats.
Susan O’Connor, associate professor of education, has
been teaching in a hybrid model for the past five years and
served as a co-instructor for Benjamin’s teaching licensure
program. O’Connor found that while she initially was hesitant
to instruct online, she quickly realized the benefits of the new
format. “It turned out to be one of the best teaching experiences of my career,” she said. “This teaching method calls
students to take more ownership in their learning, it offers
a lot more freedom of time around their schedules, and it
sharpens the objectives that they need to fulfill during each
class session.”
Benjamin found that the blended learning model pushed
her to be specific and clear in her written communication and
to master course content by approaching assignments at her
own pace.
“I feel like the program helped me in my career and
served the K-12 students I work with,” she said. “I was challenged, but at the same time it was possible for me to be a
mom, to be a student, and to have a full-time job.”
Summer 2013
27
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
a
s a third-generation Auggie, I am thrilled to be serving
as the new president for the Augsburg College Alumni
Board. My grandparents, Rev. Waldemar and Thora
(Torrick) Anderson, attended Augsburg in the 1930s, and my
father, Dan Anderson, graduated in 1965 and is currently a
member of the Board of Regents. I have fond memories of
attending Augsburg basketball games with my dad as a little
girl, and I’m proud to carry on the Augsburg legacy.
Graduating from the Augsburg Weekend and Evening
College program in 1995, I was immediately grateful for the
flexibility of the program, which allowed me to work full time
while pursuing my degree. Today I am an accomplished Realtor®
in Minneapolis and its western suburbs, and I live in Woodland,
Minn., with my husband, Scott, and our new baby boy, Finn.
My first order of business as president is to inform you
that the Auggie Alumni Directory and the Maroon Pages have
joined forces to provide you with an all-encompassing resource
to find professional and personal information about your classmates in one simple-to-use location. The new Auggie Maroon
Pages will make it easier for you to stay connected with fellow
Auggies and your alma mater.
This fall you will be asked to complete an alumni survey.
The personal and professional information collected in this
survey will appear online in the re-launched Auggie Maroon
Pages. As a business owner, I’m excited about the potential
the Auggie Maroon Pages offer for connecting with other
alumni, but the success of the new service depends on user
participation—so log in now! To open the door to this network,
go to augsburg.edu/alumni, click on “Maroon Pages,” create
your own login name and password, and click again on the
“Maroon Pages” box.
The Alumni Board is committed to lifting up the accomplishments of our fellow Auggies. The new Auggie Maroon
Pages is one more tool that will help us discover and share the
many success stories of Augsburg graduates. Please consider
sharing an update for class notes that will be featured in
future issues of Augsburg Now and the NOW@Augsburg online
newsletter. Help us share the difference an Augsburg education can make.
Sincerely,
TRACY SEVERSON ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
28
Augsburg Now
ALUMNI BOARD Front Row [L to R]: Jill Watson ’10 MBA, Holly Knutson ’03,
’07 MBA, Marie Odenbrett ’01, Kathy Amos ’87, Rachel Engebretson ’98; Back Row
[L to R]: Chris Hallin ’88, Jerry Poland ’92, Jordan Moore ’12 MBA, Sarah Grans ’01,
Tracy Severson ’95, Chris Ascher ’81, Brent Peroutka ’02, Rick Bonlender ’78
NEW MEMBERS
“The College is doing tremendous work, and I want
to be a part of this great team. I also will be a visible
promoter of Augsburg College in my workplace,
church, and community.”
BRENT PEROUTKA ’02
FINANCIAL ADVISOR, COMPREHENSIVE WEALTH SOLUTIONS
“I want to serve on the Augsburg College Alumni
Board because I believe that building a strong
network of current and former students—from
both the Rochester and Minneapolis campuses—
will enrich the experience had by all.”
JORDAN MOORE ’12 MBA
FINANCE MANAGER, IBM
“It’s difficult to express what Augsburg College means
to me. Augsburg has been a huge part of my life and
has offered me opportunities to gain a great education,
see the world, and discover that anything is possible.”
NICK SWANSON ’09,’12 MBA
HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR, ALLINA HOSPITALS & CLINICS
“Simply put, my experience at Augsburg was much
more than I had hoped for from any college. I enjoy
the sense of community that came with being an
Auggie.”
RACHEL ENGEBRETSON ’98
ATTORNEY, BINSFELD & ENGEBRETSON, PA
“I look forward to helping spread the word about
the transformation taking place at Augsburg, to
getting classmates reconnected and engaged with
the College, and to improving the board’s ability to
leverage connections to achieve larger goals.”
RICK BONLENDER ’78
BUSINESS BANKER
Leland B. Sateren’s
100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
On October 13, 2013, Leland B. Sateren ’35 would have been
100 years old. Family and friends will commemorate Sateren’s
legacy at a musical celebration at 4 p.m. on his birthday at Normandale Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina, Minn.
The event is open to the public.
Sateren taught at Augsburg from 1946 through 1979,
during which time he also was chair of the Music Department. His work includes more than 400 choral pieces that
are sung in churches throughout the United States. Sateren’s
accomplishments include premieres of works with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and a piece that was commissioned
by the United Nations.
Peter Hendrickson ’76, director of the Augsburg Choir, is
the music advisor for the event. He is assembling a program
of Sateren compositions in addition to a couple of pieces by
good friends of Sateren. Each piece performed will be conducted by an Augsburg alum who was mentored by Sateren.
The program also will include hymns and Sateren anecdotes.
Nearly 160 alumni from the 1950s-80s plan to participate
in the event by singing. A rehearsal—and reunion—is Saturday,
October 12, at Normandale Lutheran Church.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13
4 p.m., Normandale Lutheran Church
Edina, Minn.
Every effort was made to reach
all music alumni who sang during Sateren’s career at Augsburg.
If you would like to participate, email
sateren100@gmail.com.
Mike Walgren ’64 is chair of the
planning team. Others working on the event include
Hendrickson, David Clarke
’76, Jim Erlandson ’76, Tom
Fischer ’72, Bill Halverson
’51, Sally (Hough Daniels)
Herron ’79, Anne (Mollison) Klus ’76, and Naomi
(Christensen) Staruch ’81.
In addition, John Hanson
’76 and Paul Read ’77 were
instrumental in the early
stages of planning.
Meet David ‘DJ’ Hamm ’08
The Augsburg College Alumni Association
welcomes David “DJ” Hamm ’08 as the new
volunteer and alumni engagement manager
within the alumni and constituent relations
office. David comes to Augsburg with a
background in event planning, social media
communication, and philanthropy.
“Civic engagement and service learning are major parts of the Augsburg experience,” Hamm said.
“As Auggies, ‘we are called’ to serve the community beyond
Augsburg as I did in 2008 as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. I
want to build upon the tradition of giving back by creating meaningful opportunities for alumni, current students, and local residents
that instill pride and strengthen our collective community.”
David lives in Minnetonka with his wife, Emily Crook ’07. He
can be reached at 612-330-1329 or hammd@augsburg.edu.
Follow David on twitter @DJHamm1.
GIVE US YOUR
FEEDBACK
Later this year, Augsburg
will invite alumni to participate in a magazine readership survey created by the
Council for Advancement
and Support of Education (CASE). This web survey
is designed to help colleges and universities evaluate how readers view their campus magazine and
to benchmark the results.
Email langemo@augsburg.edu to update your email
address. A random sample of Augsburg Now readers
will be emailed to participate in this survey.
Summer 2013
29
alumni class notes
John Luoma published an
article in the book Religion:
A Clinical Guide for Nurses 2012.
65
Tom Koplitz was named
Director of the Minnesota
Prevention Resource Center. He
has managed several federal
and state prevention projects
during the past 22 years. He also
manages the drug-free coalition,
Partners for a Drug Free Chisago
County.
74
Scott Seal released an online
video that brings to life a scene
from his 2011 novel Convergence:
A Novel of Science Fiction.
Doug Greseth, boy’s basketball coach at Wesley Chapel
High School near Tampa, Fla.,
won his 400th career game in
December. He has coached 26
people who have gone on to play
college basketball or football,
including three players in the
NFL and one in the NBA. He was
named the Sunshine Athletic
Conference Coach of the Year in
2011-12 and 2012-13.
79
Terri Bocklund was chosen
by jury as an Artist in
Residence at Isle Royale National
Park, located in the northwestern
section of Lake Superior.
81
Kristine West Denton
performed Beethoven’s
“Emperor” piano concerto with
the Erie (Pa.) Philharmonic
Orchestra at Edinboro University
on February 12. She is an associate professor of music at Edinboro
University.
82
Jacquie Berglund, owner
of FINNEGANS Inc. and
the FINNEGANS Community
Fund, was awarded the Social
Impact Award for Best Social
Entrepreneur from Minnesota
Business Magazine. Berglund also
received the Best Small Business
Award from the Minneapolis
Regional Chamber of Commerce
in March. For the past four years,
Berglund has been coached
by Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97 MAL,
owner of the KnowledgeSphere
Group of AdviCoach. Blesi helps
FINNEGANS grow its profits so
that it can continue to purchase
fresh produce for food banks in
each of the markets where its
beer is sold.
87
Heather Johnston was
promoted to city manager of
Burnsville, Minn.
92
Heather Cmiel, account
director with Minneapolisbased public relations firm
02
Auggie Legacy Family
The fourth of five children from the Schmit family graduated this past
May from Augsburg College. This fall, the College will welcome to
campus the fifth Auggie from the Schmit family. The Schmit children,
shown holding their fingers up in their birth order, include [L to R]:
Hannah Schmit ’18, Peter Schmit ’13, Caitlyn Schmit ’11, Michael
Schmit ’09, Christianna “Christi” Lobermeier ’08. These Auggies are
the children of Kathy and Dave Schmit of Tomahawk, Wis.
Weber Shandwick, was named
to the board of directors for the
Minnesota chapter of the Public
Relations Society of America
(PRSA).
Mel Freitag completed her PhD in
curriculum and instruction with
minors in composition/rhetoric
and educational psychology at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She has accepted a position as
a clinical assistant professor and
director of diversity initiatives for
ie
augPg
SHOTS
SNA
Allison (Cornell) and Matt
Broughton ’06 welcomed
their son Calvin Patrick Broughton
on April 24. Calvin joined the
family as the first grandchild for
Randy and Pam Cornell and Cal
and Alice Broughton, and the first
nephew for Jeff Cornell ’15.
05
Iris Grace Terrell was born on
February 25 to Lisa (Ritchie)
Terrell and Chris Terrell. She joins big
sisters Julia, age 9, and Cece, age 7.
94
30
Augsburg Now
Tara (Cesaretti) McLeod and
Chris McLeod ’00 welcomed
daughter Maren on October 11.
She joins big sister, Cora.
97
the University of Wisconsin School
of Nursing.
James Pope, instrumental
music instructor at North
Branch (Minn.) High School
organized the North Suburban AllConference Honors Band program
this past January with 10 high
schools represented. Bob Stacke
’71, chair of the Augsburg College
Music Department, directed the
concert band’s performance. The
festival also included a separate
03
CORRECTION:
On page 25 of the Spring
2013 issue of Augsburg
Now, Cristina M. Olson ’00
’05 MSW was incorrectly
listed as the assistant
vice president for student affairs at Towson
University. She is the
assistant to the vice president for student affairs.
HOMECOMING
All-Conference jazz band under the
direction of Dave Mitchell, director of the
Minnesota Youth Jazz Ensembles.
2013
Elsa Maxwell and her husband,
Rodrigo Bello, have relocated to
Duluth, Minn., after residing in Santiago,
Chile, for nine years. Elsa completed her
master’s degree in Latin American Studies
at the Universidad de Chile and is working
on her doctorate in literature.
04
Kimberly A. Cruce was appointed
to the University of Michigan Mott
Children’s Hospital Nursing Governance
Committee. Before joining Mott, Cruce was
on staff at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
08
Alissa Nollan started a new position in November as coordinator for
the graduate business programs at Saint
Mary’s University in Minneapolis.
09
Jenni (Pickford) Anderson married Thomas
R. Anderson, Jr. on July 28, 2012, in
Rosemount, Minn. They now live in
DeKalb, Ill. where Jenni is working on her
master’s degree in philosophy at Northern
Illinois University, after which she hopes to
pursue a doctoral program.
Matthew Curtis joined The Principal
Financial Group’s Minnesota
Business Center. He serves as a financial
advisor and financial representative.
10
Graduate programs
Dan Dierfeldt ’94 MSW was elected to
represent Minnesota as a delegate to the
2012 National Education Assembly in
Washington, D.C.
Kathy Thoreson ’96 MSW retired in January
after serving as chief executive officer of
Lutheran Services in Tennessee.
Ed Frizell ’05 MAL was promoted during February to deputy chief of the
Minneapolis Police Department. He previously served as the First Precinct inspector
and has had a career with the Minneapolis
Police Department since 1993.
Dr. Amit K. Ghosh ’12 MBA earned the
Certified Physician Executive (CPE)
degree from the Certifying Commission in
Medical Management. The CPE degree
indicates that the physician has achieved
superior levels of professional excellence
and management experience while also
demonstrating effective knowledge and
leadership skills.
SEPTEMBER 23-28
Come back to campus to enjoy Homecoming 2013 and Parent and Family
Weekend with alumni, parents, and friends. New events along with traditional
favorites make this one of the best times to visit campus all year. Visit
augsburg.edu/homecoming for more information and to register.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Friday, September 27
Saturday, September 28
Homecoming Convocation with
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center,
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Recognizing the First Decade,
Spirit of Augsburg, and Distinguished
Alumni Award winners.
Breakfast with the Provost
Oren Gateway Center Atrium, 9:30 a.m.
Current Auggies and their parents are
invited to a breakfast to meet Karen
Kaivola, the College’s new Provost and
Chief Academic Officer.
Homecoming Convocation Luncheon
Dining Commons, 12 p.m.
Enjoy a time for fellowship as we continue to recognize and celebrate our
distinguished alumni award winners
as well as the 50-Year Club inductees
from the class of 1963.
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti
Meet and Greet
Lindell Library, 4 p.m.
Reconnect with faculty from your
time at Augsburg College and take
the opportunity to meet current
faculty from a variety of departments.
Refreshments will be served.
Auggie Hours
Republic, 6 to 9 p.m.
Augsburg Young Alumni, 10th
Reunion, and 25th Reunion will come
together for an all-out Homecoming
bash! Republic is located at 221
Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Augsburg Legacy Family Event
Admissions Suite, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Augsburg legacy families—past,
present, and future—will enjoy time
together at this special reception.
Taste of Augsburg
Murphy Square, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event includes carnival-style
booths operated by student groups,
alumni, and local restaurants, as well
as games, inflatable bounce houses,
and fun for the entire family.
Homecoming Football Game vs. Hamline
Edor Nelson Field, 1 p.m.
Cheer on the Auggie football team as
they take on the Hamline Pipers!
Auggie Block Party
Parking Lot K, 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Enjoy live music, barbecue fare,
reunions, and more.
Summer 2013
31
Augsburg College President Emeritus
Charles S. Anderson dies at 83
Charles S. Anderson, respected reformation scholar, higher
education leader, and president of Augsburg College from
1980 to 1997, passed away June 14.
As the eighth president of Augsburg, Anderson led the
College to expand diversity in enrollment and programs; to
advance its curriculum to draw more fully on the resources of
the city as an extension of the College’s campus and classrooms; and to strengthen its commitment to spiritual growth,
freedom, and liberal arts education.
During his tenure, Anderson said, “A liberal arts education
answers what business leaders say they need: people who can
communicate, people who can think, people equipped for change…
people who understand history and the possibilities of the future,”
and he led the College to be clear and focused in its mission
while embracing opportunities for growth and progress.
Anderson was a constant advocate for Augsburg and
helped to establish the College’s public presence in the Twin
Cities, said David Tiede, Augsburg College Regent and former
Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation.
Tiede, who studied under Anderson and served as his faculty
colleague at Luther Seminary, said that Anderson “brought
Augsburg into the public square of the city of Minneapolis in a
way that it hadn’t been previously” and put the College on “a
trajectory that has been taken effectively forward.”
“Chuck Anderson was a careful steward of Augsburg’s
distinctive legacy of liberal-professional-experiential education
in the city,” said President Emeritus William V. Frame, who
succeeded Anderson at Augsburg. “He took the view that the
College was, in fact, the Church at 22nd and Riverside, and
he made it profoundly hospitable to a daring array of diversity—not only religious and cultural, but of learning styles and
varying physical capacities.”
Anderson wears the Knight’s Cross, an honor presented in 1993 by His Majesty King Harald
V of Norway to recognize Anderson’s work to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Norway.
Anderson advanced the College vision he inherited from
Oscar Anderson and, before him, Bernhard Christensen and
passed on “an extraordinary College of the Church, which
continues today along the path he and his predecessors laid
out for it,” Frame said.
Anderson was born in Madison, Wis., in 1930—the 400th
anniversary year of the Augsburg Confession, the statement of
faith for which the College was named. He earned a bachelor’s
degree from St. Olaf College in 1951 and after graduation
went on to serve as a Marine Corps officer. He later continued
his studies, earning a master’s degree in English from the
Anderson pictured during his tenure as a
Luther Seminary professor.
Anderson attends Augsburg College’s 1994 Commencement
ceremony with his wife, Catherine.
His Majesty King Olav V of Norway and Anderson meet in 1987.
32
26
Augsburg Now
University of Wisconsin in 1954, a bachelor of theology degree
from Luther Theological Seminary in 1957, and a doctor of
philosophy degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1961.
For 15 years Anderson taught church history at Luther
Seminary in St. Paul, and for six years he also was director of
graduate studies. He was a guest professor in 1968 at
Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., and for five years was
a guest lecturer at St. Paul Diocesan Seminary. A frequent
guest pastor and educator at Lutheran churches throughout
the United States, his publications include four books: The
Reformation, Then and Now; Augsburg Historical Atlas of
Christianity in the Middle Ages and Reformation; Readings
in Luther for Laymen; and Faith and Freedom: The Christian
Faith According to the Lutheran Confessions.
As a lifelong scholar, Anderson completed postdoctoral
study in Strasbourg, France, and at Columbia University, the
University of Minnesota, Harvard University, and Union
Theological Seminary.
Anderson came to Augsburg in 1976 as vice president for
academic affairs and dean of the college—a role he served
until his election as College president.
During the 17 years of Anderson’s presidency, Augsburg
instituted two graduate degree programs, launched the Weekend and Evening College program, and established the Center
for Global Education. The College amplified its support of
students of diverse backgrounds and abilities by creating the
StepUP® program for young people in recovery and the CLASS
office for differently abled students. Augsburg also celebrated
the addition and improvement of numerous campus facilities
such as the Foss, Lobeck, Miles Center for Worship, Drama,
and Communication; the Oscar Anderson Residence Hall; and
the James G. Lindell Family Library.
At the time of Anderson’s retirement, then-Board of
Regents Chair Barbara Gage described his legacy as one in
which “leadership, energy, faith, and pursuit of new ideas...
helped Augsburg fulfill her mission to create leaders in service.”
Gage said Anderson epitomized the servant leader and left
Augsburg strong, healthy, and ready to have a positive impact
in the 21st century.
Anderson, a respected leader in higher education service
learning, was appointed chair of the Youth Works Commission by former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson. He received the
Knight’s Cross, First Class of the Royal Order of Merit, from
His Majesty King Harald V of Norway in 1993 for his work
to preserve and strengthen ties between the two countries.
Anderson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree from Augsburg College in 2007.
“Charles Anderson’s influence on the Augsburg community
is deep and long-lived,” said Augsburg College President Paul
C. Pribbenow. “The priorities Anderson outlined and championed
during his tenure continue to shape how we live out our institutional mission and celebrate life and learning in the city each day.”
Anderson is survived by his children, Eric and Kristin,
Augsburg College professor of art history and archivist; five
grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and his wife,
Catherine, with whom he established the Charles and Catherine
Anderson Diversity Scholarship in 1989 and with whom he was
recognized by the June and Julian Foss family with the establishment of the Charles and Catherine Anderson Scholarship in
1997. The scholarship awards help the college fulfill its mission
of being an intentionally diverse community and supporting
students’ exceptional academic ability and Christian service.
A memorial service was held at St. Anthony Park Lutheran
Church on June 18. The Anderson family has requested that
memorials be sent to St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church,
Luther Seminary, or Augsburg College.
Anderson greets American folk singer Peter Yarrow,
the 1990 Augsburg College Commencement speaker.
Anderson pictured in 1980, the year of his
inauguration as Augsburg College President.
To learn more about
President Emeritus
Anderson’s legacy,
view archival images
from his tenure at
Augsburg, and read
articles from the
Star Tribune and
Pioneer Press, go to
augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2013
33
In memoriam
Irene (Hagen) Kyllo ’39,
Donovan A. Moe ’56, Canton,
Bloomington, Minn., age 96,
on January 26.
Julia (Sletten) Benson ’42,
Minneapolis, age 98, on
January 18.
Muriel (Quanbeck) Turrittin ’42,
St. Peter, Minn., age 93, on
March 10.
Orloue N. Gisselquist ’43,
Minneapolis, age 91, on
March 16.
Ruben N. Egeberg ’45, Rock
Island, Ill., age 89, on
March 2.
Joyce K. (Opseth) Schwartz ’45,
Minneapolis, age 88, on
February 3.
E. Milton Kleven ’46, Edina,
Minn., age 90, on April 11.
Gudrun (Vik) Kampen ’48,
Plentywood, Mont., age 90, on
October 27.
Reynold “Ray” J. Skotte ’48,
Long Beach, Calif., age 92, on
January 28.
Iris J. (Johnson) Brustad ’49,
Eden Prairie, Minn., age 85,
on November 4.
Glenn C. Grahn ’49, Atwater,
Minn., age 87, on April 6.
James Cleatus Hodge ’49,
Minneapolis, age 89, on
April 22.
Norman C. Hoium ’50, Coon
Rapids, Minn., age 87, on
May 3.
Allen D. Hanson ’52, Knoxville,
Tenn., age 82, on April 10.
Elwood “Woody” H. Larson ’52,
Roseville, Minn., age 83, on
January 12.
John R. Madsen ’52, Spring
Park, Minn., age 85, on
April 30.
Arnold Paulson ’52, Woodbury,
Minn., age 84, on March 6.
Dean L. Lapham ’53,
Bloomington, Minn., age 81,
on March 29.
Donald J. Reimer ’53, Mound,
Minn., age 81, on March 31.
Jeneane (Abrahamson) Stein ’53,
Killen, Minn., age 82, on
February 7.
Ga., age 78, on December 29.
Harlan C. Christianson ’57, Los
Angeles, age 77, on
December 15.
Janice “Jan” M. (Bremseth) Larson
’55, Sparta, Minn., age 79, on
April 23.
34
26
Augsburg Now
Leona M. (Samuelson) Nelson
’57, Payson, Ariz., age 75, on
March 14.
Marvin S. Rodvik ’57, Franklin,
Minn., age 85, on April 5.
Genevieve T. (Trenne) Michelsen
’61, Charlotte, N.C., age 73,
on April 7.
Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63,
Minneapolis, age 73, on
April 8.
David S. Ziegler ’64, Crystal,
Minn., age 71, on April 13.
Francis W. Monseth ’65, Rogers,
Minn., age 71, on March 29.
Carolyn A. (Hanson) Schildgen
’68, Northbrook, Ill., age 66,
on April 20.
Timothy J. Wattman ’70,
Minnetonka, Minn., age 66,
on April 8.
James “Jim” M. Genia ’87,
Shoreview, Minn., age 48, on
March 30.
Scott E. Humphrey ’89,
Plymouth, Minn., age 47, on
January 17.
Erika L. (Timm) Rodriguez ’96,
Alexandria, Minn., age 39, on
December 11.
Kirsten (Kvamme) Salmi ’99,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 38,
on March 23.
Allan T. Davey ’00, Maple
Grove, Minn., age 50, on
September 16.
Juli Elisabeth Crees ’05,
Plymouth, Minn., age 30, on
March 3.
Ana M. Strandemo ’12,
Minneapolis, age 29, on
January 26.
President Emeritus Charles S.
Anderson, St. Paul, age 83,
June 14.
CORRECTION:
The name of Richard “Dick”
Vevle ’57 name was misspelled
in the Spring 2013 Augsburg
Now.
Send us your news and photos
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births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi
or a 1MB file.)
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notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also
submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________
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Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
______________________________________________________
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❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
In memoriam
E. Milton Kleven
E. Milton “Milt” Kleven ’46, active Augsburg alumnus, generous scholarship benefactor, teacher, businessman, Navy
Reserve commander, and friend of Augsburg College, passed
away April 11.
Kleven, son of a Norwegian immigrant mother and a
Norwegian-American father, grew up two blocks south of
Augsburg College. He enrolled in the College in 1940,
but his studies were interrupted by World War II. Kleven
returned to Augsburg after the war and graduated with a
bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in physical
education. He later earned a master’s degree in vocational
education from the University of Minnesota.
Kleven began his career teaching mathematics in the
Minneapolis Public School District in 1946. He was an
educator in Minneapolis for 34 years. In 1947, he founded
Kleven Flooring Service, a hardwood flooring company that
he led for more than 60 years.
“The impact on Augsburg students—past, present, and
future—of Milt’s incredible generosity will be felt for generations to come,” said Augsburg College President Paul C.
Pribbenow. “Growing up and teaching in Minneapolis, Milt
understood what a full scholarship could mean to students
from low-income families. He loved getting to know the
students his family supported, and he was a strong advocate
among his peers for greater scholarship funding for even
more students.”
Kleven and his wife, Dorothy, who met at Augsburg in
1943, were generous supporters of the College and student
scholarships for more than 50 years. In 2001, he established the Dorothy Lijsing Kleven Scholarship in Choral
Music, the College’s first endowed President’s Scholarship,
providing a full scholarship to students interested in choral
music. Dorothy was interested in choral music throughout
her life. In 2007, the Kleven family created two additional
endowed President’s Scholarships: one in memory of Milt’s
and Dorothy’s parents, Magnus and Kristofa Kleven, and
David and Florence Lijsing; and a second in Milt’s name—
the E. Milton Kleven Scholarship in Public Service.
Kleven also helped to facilitate two other scholarships.
The Margaret E. Andrews Scholarship was established by
Kleven and his fellow trade and industry coordinators in the
Minneapolis Public Schools to honor Andrews, who founded
the district’s Cooperative Education Training program. The
Reverend Donald C. Carlson Scholarship, through the
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation, is named for
Normandale’s founding pastor, a 1942 Augsburg alumnus.
This scholarship supports students from Normandale who
attend Augsburg College. The Klevens also provided major
support for the construction of the James G. Lindell Library.
Kleven joined with Glen Person ’47 and Dick “Pork Chop”
Thompson ’61 to provide funding to name the Jeroy C.
Carlson ’48 A-Club Hospitality/Classroom in the Kennedy
Center, in honor of Carlson, their longtime friend.
“The impact on Augsburg students—past, present,
and future—of Milt’s incredible generosity will be
felt for generations to come.”
AUGSBURG COLLEGE PRESIDENT PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
Summer 2013
35
auggies on the field
Lacrosse team maps new ground in women’s athletics
Being first can be daunting.
It’s intimidating because no one before you has done what
you are trying to do. There’s no road map to keep you on track.
But it’s also exhilarating to create the map for others and
to leave an indelible mark on everything that follows.
“I am excited to be at the forefront of Augsburg College’s
varsity women’s lacrosse team,” said Coach Kathryn
Knippenberg. “I’m looking forward to building a team that
knows winning is as much about team chemistry and bonds as
it is about the stick.”
It’s not just that Knippenberg is Augsburg’s first women’s
collegiate varsity lacrosse coach.
It’s bigger than that. Knippenberg is the first women’s collegiate varsity lacrosse coach at any college in Minnesota, and
at the one that launched in 1995 the first women’s collegiate
varsity hockey team.
“It’s an honor to help pioneer this great sport,”
Knippenberg said. “Getting to lead at a place that believes in
the value of women’s athletics is thrilling and challenging.”
Knippenberg, who as a student at the University of
Minnesota was captain and president of the school’s club
lacrosse team, said the commitment that Augsburg is making
to lacrosse has significant meaning for student athletes.
“Auggie athletes won’t have to spend time like my college
club team did on fundraising for equipment and travel. They
won’t have to worry about budgets and scheduling practice and
game time,” she said.
“They just have to show up, practice, and play hard. My
job is about having things in place so our student athletes can
improve their skills on the field, and to help make sure they
stay on track and are achieving in the classroom.”
Jeff Swenson, athletic director for the College, said
Knippenberg is accomplished in Minnesota’s fast-growing
lacrosse community and that the players will benefit from her
experience and leadership.
“Coach Knippenberg will lead us in realizing our goal of
expanding opportunities for women, and continuing to prepare
them for success beyond Augsburg,” Swenson said.
“These student athletes will develop their skills on the
field, and carry into life and work valuable lessons about how
to balance multiple priorities and to work as part of a diverse
team.”
Knippenberg said her primary work now is focused on
recruiting and preparing for the first sanctioned and regulated
games scheduled for spring 2014.
36
Augsburg Now
“I hope the community comes out to watch our games. It’s
fast paced and intense,” she said.
“Whether the team wins or loses, one thing is sure:
Everyone in the stands will be part of something bigger. We’ll
all be making history as Augsburg continues to blaze a new
trail for women’s varsity athletics in Minnesota.”
Knippenberg has served as head lacrosse coach at
Academy of Holy Angels since 2009, is cofounder and president of the North Central Women’s Lacrosse League, and works
with Winning For Life, an organization that develops positive
leadership and life skills through sports.
STEPHANIE WEISS
Reconnect with Augsburg through
ALUMNI LEADERSHIP SUMMITS
AUGGIES ARE ENGAGED.
Each year, students dig into life at Augsburg by participating in
City Service Day and working at community organizations in the
neighborhood; build teamwork and leadership skills through athletics and student organizations; and develop and hone research and
technical skills through on- and off-campus research programs.
Each year, alumni shape the Augsburg community by mentoring students; engage with the College through volunteer work,
including serving on the alumni board and Board of Regents; and
celebrate life as an Auggie by returning to campus for signature
events including Homecoming and Velkommen Jul.
This year, we invite all of our alumni to reconnect with the College
by attending an Alumni Leadership Summit. It’s your chance to learn,
first-hand, about the Center for Science, Business, and Religion. It’s an
opportunity to be part of the change that ensures Augsburg continues shaping and preparing students for lives of meaning.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/events to learn more
and to register for an Alumni Leadership Summit.
1-800-273-0617 augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Augsburg Sneak Peek
First-year students got a chance to gear up for fall at the Sneak
Peek event this past spring. Those attending had the opportunity
to tour campus and residence halls, sample classes, and talk
with current students, faculty, and staff. Jordan Tayor ’13
(pictured, left) was one of the students on hand to answer questions and meet and greet future Auggies.
Alisha Olson ’15, Admissions Counselor Shonna Fulford ’09, and
Admissions Counselor Jenna Obler [pictured L to R] greeted students
at Sneak Peek registration.
Show less
Twin Cities urban anchors
Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2013
Physician assistant program success
Getting social with Auggies
auggies
LOVE
LIFE IN THE
city
SPRING 2013 | VOL. 75, NO. 2
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
$10 MILLION GIFT
ONE GIANT LEAP
FOR AUGSBURG
In early April, Augsburg College was
hono... Show more
Twin Cities urban anchors
Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2013
Physician assistant program success
Getting social with Auggies
auggies
LOVE
LIFE IN THE
city
SPRING 2013 | VOL. 75, NO. 2
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
$10 MILLION GIFT
ONE GIANT LEAP
FOR AUGSBURG
In early April, Augsburg College was
honored with a $10 million, unrestricted
gift from a 1965 alumnus. The funds will
be used for a new academic building
that will house the College’s science,
business, and religion programs.
Visit Inside Augsburg to learn more:
IN THIS ISSUE
inside.augsburg.edu.
Features
Departments
6 Getting social with Auggies | COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
8 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
12 Urban anchors | BY JAY WALLJASPER
18 Physician assistant program success | BY LAURA SWANSON
20 Drawing from experience | BY LAURA SWANSON
2 Around the Quad | 5 My Auggie experience
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
11 Auggies on the field | 16 Auggie voices
21 Alumni news | 24 Alumni class notes
28 It takes an AAuggie
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Notes
from President Pribbenow
Doing the work
Campus is still buzzing with excitement about the
generous $10 million donation that will support the
Center for Science, Business, and Religion (see opposite page). This unprecedented gift profoundly honors
the important work we do at Augsburg College, and it
builds on a growing trend of external recognition for the
role Augsburg plays in our community.
Another testament to Augsburg’s value was earning
the National Society for Experiential Education’s 2012
William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence
in Experiential Education this past fall (see “Around
the Quad” in the fall 2012 Augsburg Now). The award
honors the College’s long-standing commitment to
experiential learning—reaching across decades from
the legends of our faculty, including Joel Torstenson,
Vern Bloom, Garry Hesser, Mary Kingsley, Frankie
Shackelford, and countless others, to a newer generation of teachers and scholars who come to Augsburg
intent on ensuring that this distinctive educational
experience will continue for future generations. I am
proud to be their partner in this important work and to
tell their stories far and wide.
Augsburg’s commitment to engaging in and learning from the world is one that the College has sustained
even through very difficult times. Four years ago, when
Augsburg student Ahmednur Ali was fatally shot as he
left the Brian Coyle Community Center where he was
tutoring Somali junior high students, was one of those
times—a time of immense sadness that challenged our
mission and character as a College dedicated to serving
our neighbors. It is fair to say that fear and anxiety
could have led us to pull back from our community, but
that is not what Augsburg did. Certainly we took the
time we needed to heal, but then we stood together and
recognized that our work in the neighborhood—
work that is at the heart of our academic mission—
was more important than ever, and that it was critical
for us to return to our work so that our entire neighborhood might be safe, healthy, and prosperous.
And that—I am proud to say—is what we did. We
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
formed a neighborhood partnership to address security
and economic development and infrastructure needs.
We forged additional partnerships with neighborhood
groups and community agencies. And we spent time
together, doing the work of improving our community.
Today, I can firmly attest that our neighborhood
is safer, stronger, more vibrant, and more united than
ever before. That, to me, is what our commitment to
experiential learning is meant to achieve: education for
our students, of course, and also a safer and more just
community for all of us who live and work here.
Each fall, I offer our incoming students a simple
message about “what is required of them” as they
join our community. One of those requirements, I tell
them, is to “do the work.” Yes, the work assigned to
them, but even more so, the work that they discern
and pursue as important and meaningful. Our mission
at Augsburg—“to educate students to be informed
citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders”—is not just a set of nice aspirations, but a challenge to all of us to do the work that
the world so needs done.
This issue of Augsburg Now includes many
examples of the work our students and alumni do—on
campus and in the world. I couldn’t be more proud of
our commitment to real-world experiences—a commitment at the heart of our mission.
Auggies take their studies out into the world and
enrich both their learning and the world around us.
Our location, our active and highly connected faculty,
our dedicated and generous donors, our commitment
to linking the liberal arts and professional studies, and
the important role Augsburg plays in the Twin Cities
and around the world—all of these provide our students
with experiences that deepen their learning and their
preparedness for life beyond college. That’s good for
our students, and it’s good for the communities where
Auggies live and work.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
quad
around the
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
Photo by Natasha D’Schommer
in Creative Writing
SCHOLARS at the Capitol
During February, McNair Scholars Charles Olson ’13 [pictured
above] and Roseanna Benser ’13 represented Augsburg at the
Minnesota Private College Scholars at the Capitol research poster
session. Olson, a biopsychology major, presented the research he
conducted with biology assistant professor David Crowe on brain
activity during perception. Benser, a sociology major, shared an
analysis of audience perception during stand-up comedy performances, research she conducted with sociology professor James
Vela-McConnell. This annual event, sponsored by the Minnesota
Private College Council, highlighted the research of undergraduate students from 15 Minnesota colleges and universities.
Augsburg College is accepting applications
for its new, low-residency Master of Fine Arts
in Creative Writing. The program initially will
offer four concentration areas: fiction, creative
nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. The twoyear program features an annual 10-day summer residency, one-on-one work with mentors,
a student-to-mentor ratio of five to one, and
engaging online classroom sessions. This program, the only one of its kind in the region,
will be taught by distinguished Augsburg
faculty and visiting writers.
To find out more about the MFA program,
go to augsburg.edu/mfa.
CONNECT
STROMMEN SPEAKER SERIES
2
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive
Speaker Series at Augsburg College, which brings
local business leaders to campus to share insights
and expertise, kicked off in November with Sally
Smith [pictured at left], president and CEO of
Buffalo Wild Wings.
Smith, who joined the company as chief
financial officer in 1994 when it was a chain of
only 35 restaurants, talked of establishing the infrastructure needed to
create the nation’s fastest-growing restaurant chain. The company now
has nearly 850 restaurants in 48 states and Canada.
In February, Auggies heard from Chris Killingstad, the president and
CEO of Tennant Company. Killingstad described how Tennant is pursuing
its vision—through product innovation and employee engagement—
to become a global leader in chemical-free cleaning and other technologies. Killingstad joined Tennant, a world-leading manufacturer of
cleaning solutions, floor coatings, and industrial equipment, in 2002
and became CEO in 2005.
Augsburg named a“Top
5”
theater program
outside of New York
Backstage magazine’s 2012 Fall College
Guide listed Augsburg College among the top
five U.S. institutions for theater majors who wish
to continue their studies professionally.
“In our Theater Arts Department, students
connect with professional artists in the city
while they delve into their theater courses,”
said Darcey Engen ’88, Augsburg College
associate professor and chair of theater arts.
Backstage, a theater publication in existence for more than 50 years, recommended
an Augsburg education for “enterprising,
driven students looking to climb the [professional] ladder in double time.”
The article described the three academic
theater concentrations offered by the College,
which include performance, directing/
dramaturgy/playwriting, and design/technical. The article also highlighted Augsburg’s
course offerings and emphasized the theater program’s proximity to the renowned,
Minneapolis-based Guthrie Theater.
FIFTH AUGGIE WINS
prestigious Milken Award
Since 2004, five Augsburg College alumni
have won the prestigious Milken Educator Award.
Steve Abenth ’04, a fourth-grade teacher and choir director at
Highland Park Elementary in St. Paul, was awarded the Milken
Educator Award for the State of Minnesota this past November.
Abenth earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education
through Augsburg’s adult undergraduate program.
The $25,000 award was established in 1985 by the Milken
Family Foundation to recognize excellence in early- to mid-career
educators.
Other Auggies who have won the award include Jacki Brickman ’97,
Tracey Cross ’01, Maggie Knutson ’91, and Kelly Woods ’98.
To read more about Augsburg’s Milken Educator Award
winners, go to augsburg.edu/now.
To read the full article, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Norwegian parlimentarian visits Augsburg
Augsburg College hosted Norwegian parliamentarian Marianne Aasen on her first trip to
Minnesota. Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow invited Aasen to visit the College to
further her understanding of U.S. higher education and to explore topics central to her
vocation. Her trip included meeting dozens of Auggies, including those from Norway,
students in an environmental politics class, interns to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum
(hosted and organized by the College), and Augsburg’s Peace Scholars.
Aasen, far right, meets with Augsburg students.
Spring 2013
3
AUGGIES SHINE at
college film festival
Three Auggies were recognized for
outstanding work as filmmakers at the
2012 Student Film Festival hosted by the
Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC).
• Carly (Lassegard) Johnson ’11 won
Best of Show for her film Angel. She
earned her bachelor of arts degree in
film and English.
CONVOCATION SERIES 2012-13
BOLD VISIONS
quad
around the
The Humanities and Fine Arts Convocation in November featured Dan Phillips,
a designer and builder of recycled housing. Phillips also is founder of the
Phoenix Commotion, a building initiative that was created to demonstrate that
salvaged materials can be and are viable building materials.
In January, a group of performers at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Convocation explored the legacy of King through song, movement, images,
and writings by the civil rights leader. The performers were led by T. Mychael
Rambo, an accomplished singer-songwriter, playwright, and arts educator.
The Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics in February welcomed Susan
E. Pick, professor of psychology at National University of Mexico. Pick shared
insights on ways the “Human Capabilities Approach” was used to develop
programs that reached more than 19 million people in Mexico who became
agents of change in their own lives and communities in areas of citizenship,
development, education, and health. The approach also was used in 14 other
Latin American countries.
Augsburg’s Convocation Series is a cross-disciplinary speaker series that
explores ideas and thoughts around the impact each person can have in a
world of nearly seven billion people.
To find out more about the Augsburg Convocation series, go to
augsburg.edu/convo.
MANY VOICES
• Casey Bargsten ’14 won for Best
Experimental Film. Bargsten is
studying film at Augsburg.
• Joe Funk ’11 won the Technical
Award. He earned his bachelor of
arts degree in film and theater arts.
The ACTC Student Film Festival
celebrated more than 60 short films
including narratives, documentaries,
experimental films, and avant-garde
films. All the films were created during
the 2011-12 academic year.
Augsburg students submitted work
from virtually every class offered in
the College’s film studies program,
said Wesley Ellenwood, an Augsburg
communication studies instructor.
Ellenwood, who serves on the ACTC
Student Film Festival committee, said
the festival is a chance for students to
have their work formally presented in a
theater of more than 200 seats.
4
Augsburg Now
INTERACTIVE ART
Students in Graphic Design I and II courses during the fall semester
researched the history, philosophy, and practice of the Augsburg Central
Health Commons and the Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba. The students
learned that for many of the 20,000 people seen by the nurses every
year at the Commons, a pair of clean socks can be very important. The
students worked with assistant art professor Christopher Houltberg to
host “Health Commons: Exhibition and Sock Exchange,” an interactive art
exhibit where viewers could take an original print home if they donated a
clean pair of socks to the Health Commons.
To read the full article, go to augsburg.edu/now.
my
auggie
experience
Have a dream.
Focus on key priorities.
Recognize the importance of the team.
Never give up.
THESE ARE THE FOUR LIFE LESSONS Mike Good ’71 shared with Augsburg alumni at
the Eye Opener breakfast in January, a talk that tied together key themes of Good’s
journey to Augsburg and back again.
It started at Fridley High School where, Good said, his dream was to become a
wrestling state champion. He posted a sign above his bedroom door—“SC” for “state
champion”—to remind him every day of his goal and the importance of working
toward it. In his senior year, his high school won the state championship as a team.
Individually, though, Good lost in the semi-finals, ultimately placing third—a result
that was critical to the overall team’s victory. Listening to Good recount the story, it’s
clear that the team accomplishment is as important to him as any individual title
might have been.
Have a dream. Focus on priorities. Recognize the importance of the team.
At Augsburg, Good said, he was passionate about racial justice and freedom from
hunger. A sociology major and physical education minor, he also remained passionate about wrestling. His new goal: to be Augsburg’s first All-American wrestler.
Again, as Good recounted the outcomes of this dream, he not only reported his own
success in winning an All-American title, but with equal relish named several of his
teammates—Daryl Miller ’69, Ron Johnson ’72, Pat Marcy ’72—who also earned
All-American titles during their time at Augsburg.
Dream. Focus. Team.
When Good got into real estate, he brought this same focus and drive to his leadership. By 1998, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer for NRT
Incorporated, responsible for the oversight of more than 1,000 offices nationally.
Then, in 2004, when his parent company, Cendant Corporation, bought the rights
to use the Sotheby’s brand, he was tapped to serve as chief executive officer of
Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc.
No one ever had built a luxury real estate franchise before, Good said. So, early
on, many of the premier independent real estate companies in the U.S. were not
interested in joining Sotheby’s. Instead of worrying about that, Good focused his
team on building a unique value proposition for Sotheby’s real estate, growing the
franchise to 650 offices in 45 countries. In the end, many of those same independent real estate companies who said, “no thanks,” at the beginning, joined the
Sotheby’s operation and, according to Good, dramatically grew their sales within the
first few years of taking on the Sotheby’s name.
Focus on priorities. Recognize the importance of the team. Never give up.
This past January, Good retired from Sotheby’s and, with his wife, Ann, moved back
to Minnesota. He also just completed four years as chair of the Augsburg College
Board of Regents, where he has served since 2001. So now he has taken on a new
challenge: serving as campaign chair of Augsburg’s capital campaign for the Center
for Science, Business, and Religion. In his January talk, Good acknowledged that the
campaign has moved forward more slowly than desired but, he said, “Nothing happens without belief.”
Today, Good has another sign above his door: “CSBR. Believe.”
Another dream, another focus. A team, Good said, that will include alumni and
others who can and will make a significant impact on the College. And, even if it
takes longer than expected, Good said, he is in this for the long haul.
“I believe in this college,” Good said. “I believe in what it does for young men
and women, helping them grapple with the issues of today and come out as leaders.”
To learn more about Augsburg’s capital campaign for the Center for Science, Business,
and Religion, contact Heather Riddle, vice president of institutional advancement,
612-330-1177, riddle@augsburg.edu.
I couldn’t be more proud to represent
@AugsburgCollege as a @FulbrightPrgrm
scholar in the Czech Republic – @adamspanier
Getting
Nice day for a bike ride, right @niceridemn?
Temps in the single digits, but that’s not too
cold for #Auggies. #AuggieCAM
SOCIAL
with Auggies
Drove by @AugsburgCollege today &
involuntarily beamed with pride when
I saw the “#Auggies We are Called”
banners outside Oren. #AuggiePride
– @mnemosynekura
Members of the Augsburg College community are increasingly turning to
social media to get connected and to stay in touch with what is happening on campus. People connecting to the College in social media—
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media sites—include current
students and alumni, faculty and staff, media and policymakers, and
people from across the globe. Here’s a snapshot of some of the College’s
most established social media channels by number of followers:
Facebook:
5,336
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
facebook.com/augsburgcollege
Twitter:
2,365
@AugsburgCollege
LinkedIn:
2,263
linkedin.com/company/augsburg-college
Check us out online and on your favorite social media sites.
We welcome your comments, tweets, posts, and photographs.
facebook.com/augsburgcollege
“Like” us and get updates in your Facebook feed.
twitter.com/AugsburgCollege
Follow @AugsburgCollege on Twitter for information about
upcoming events and other news.
instagram/AugsburgCollege
Get a glimpse into life at Augsburg through our Instagram
photo feed.
storify.com/AugsburgCollege
Check us out on Storfiy to see what’s happening on campus
and what students, alumni, and others are saying about their
Auggie experience.
6
Augsburg Now
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
TWITTER
Found out I could graduate from
@AugsburgCollege summa cum
laude. My heart is in my throat. It’s
a lot of work, but I think I’m gonna
try. – @littlelizbeth
The college I really want to go to is
Augsburg College.
– @ThE_KinG_54
So thankful for the tunnels and skyways @AugsburgCollege today!
– @jordan_leigh13
Graphic design students
@AugsburgCollege met w/@cityof
saintpaul staff to discuss concepts
for a new stormwater drain stencil
#CityLabs – @CityLabsatACTC
Accepted into the PA program at
Augsburg College! God is faithful!
#PAbound – @jennanoonan33
Oh my gosh. The people from
Augsburg College were such sweethearts. I love each & every one of
y’all. <3 – @amyyvon
A big congrats to my son’s college
basketball team, they are 7-0. Way
to go Augsburg – @sdionyoung
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING
My research @AugsburgCollege just
got accepted for the APA National
Conference in Hawaii! (jumps up
and down repeatedly)
– @LadyChristy
So glad I picked Augsburg. Happy
kid right thereeee. – @kfec3
INSTAGRAM
1
Getting ready for the 25th
@NPPF March 8-10 in Minneapolis!
@AugsburgCollege #NPPF
#NobelPeacePrize
– @LandOLakesInc
I am now a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts
degree! #AugsburgCollege
#MinneapolisMinnesota
– @ZachKim21
Can’t wait to walk with the Class of
2013 in early May. We’re a great
class. #Auggies – @WhatAPriss
Steve Abenth ’04=5th
@AugsburgCollege grad to win prestigious @Milken award for teaching.
#WeAreCalled – @Milken
To say the #NobelPeacePrizeForum
is inspiring is an understatement
– @OfficialGNiver
2
3
1 “With one day remaining in January, let’s
cheer on the #Auggies who are sticking with
their fitness resolutions for the New Year.”
#AuggieCAM 1/21/2013
2 “Arianna Genis ’13 received the Spirit of
MLK Award at today’s #MLKConvocation.”
#WeAreCalled 1/30/2013
3 “Alumni & their families ice skated during
the recent #Auggie Night at the Depot. What’s
your favorite winter hobby?” #AuggieCAM
1/23/2013
#AUGGIEPRIDE
Auggie Eddie Frizell back on campus for
Mpls Police Department promotions.
He’s now a Deputy Chief! #AuggiePride
– @AugsburgCollege
Wear pink at Augsburg’s home athletic
events this weekend to support the fight
against breast cancer! #AuggiePride
– @AugsburgAuggies
I’ve got big dreams. Augsburg records I’m
coming for you at the MIAC championships
tomorrow #AuggiePride
– @LouLouBell0491
I am soo geeked1 that my school is hosting
Omar @Offendum and Brother Ali for the
#2NobelPeacePrize. S/O3 to @Augsburg
College! #AuggiePride – @LoveLikeHani
THE TWEET DEFINED:
1
➦
geeked = excited
2
# = A hashtag is a word or
phrase preceded by a hash
mark that’s used to categorize
social media posts by topic.
3
S/O = shout out
Spring 2013
7
NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
March 8-10, 2013
Augsburg’s Ibrahim Al-Hajiby ’14 [above center] leaves
Christensen Center with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol
Karman [above right] and Karman’s husband. Al-Hajiby
served as Karman’s attaché during her visit to Minnesota
for the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Karman and Al-Hajiby
both are from Yemen, and Karman is the youngest person
in history to be named a Laureate. Al-Hajiby accompanied
Karman to appointments, helped her navigate campus, and
became a trusted member of her team while she was at
Augsburg.
To watch an audio slideshow about Al-Hajiby’s experience,
go to augsburg.edu/now.
8
Augsburg Now
WE ARE
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Tawakkol Karman [center] and Muhammad Yunus [right] leave
Si Melby Hall at Kennedy Center following their addresses to K-12 students at the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum Festival. Karman, of Yemen, won the Nobel Prize in 2011 for her work
as a journalist and human rights activist. She is called the “Mother of the Arab Spring.”
Yunus, who won the Nobel Prize in 2006, is from Bangladesh. He pioneered a form of
banking known as “microcredit,” the practice of making very small loans to people with
little or no collateral. “The Father of Microcredit,” Yunus founded Grameen Bank to give
loans of about $100 each to more than 8.4 million people, 94 percent of whom are women.
HIP HOP
AND PEACE
CALLED
TO
INSPIRE
PEACE
Internationally known hip hop artist and activist Brother Ali [above left], of Minneapolis, presented and performed during the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. He was joined by Omar Offendum [above
right], a Syrian-American rapper and activist. The two men explored the dynamics of peace and
hip hop through songs, poetry, lecture, and dance. The event built upon the success of last
year’s “Ethics and Hip Hop” presentation by Dessa, a Minneapolis rapper, singer, and writer.
Spring 2013
9
THE 25TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM—a conference
that celebrates the importance,
consequence, and controversy of Nobel Peace Prize
Laureates—was March 8-10 in
Minneapolis.
“This event brings
members of the world’s most
exclusive club—Nobel Peace
Prize Laureates—to campus,”
said Maureen Reed, executive
director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, which is housed at
Augsburg College. “Students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to interact with people who fundamentally have changed
and are changing the world.”
More than 6,000 people attended throughout the three
days of the event, which explored issues related to peacemaking, world security, and global stability. One of the 2011 Nobel
laureates, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, spoke on Global Day,
and 2006 laureate Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh spoke on
Business Day. Dr. Paul Farmer, chair of global health and social
medicine at Harvard Medical School and cofounder of Partners in
Health, spoke to a packed house [left] on Science and Health Day.
In addition to offering inspiration from global peacemakers,
the Forum provides an opportunity for participants to understand why individuals “halfway across the globe” should care
about one another.
“One of the mission commitments of Augsburg is to educate students to be informed global citizens,” said Augsburg
College President Paul Pribbenow. “By bringing the world to
campus, we also get to know our neighbors, which is fundamental
to our identity as a college of the Lutheran church.”
Watch the laureate addresses and other keynote presentations from the Forum at
nobelpeaceprizeforum.org.
To see more photos from the Forum, go to augsburg.edu/now.
LEAD SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS
SCIENCE AND HEALTH DAY SPONSOR
GLOBAL DAY SPONSOR
EVENT SPONSORS
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
US Embassy-Oslo
Winds of Peace Foundation
MEDIA SPONSOR
DONORS
Global Spotlight-GPS Alliance
HealthPartners
Liv Dahl Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation
10
Augsburg Now
auggies on the field
Steward, athlete, scholar
If Paul Hallgren ’13 isn’t at Parade Stadium, home of the Auggie baseball
team, he might be in Augsburg’s Writing Lab helping a student with a paper.
He could be studying in the Honors program lounge or having a high-minded
discussion in the Quad with colleagues in the Philosophy Club. And if he’s not
in the aforementioned places, it’s possible that he is at an event representing
the College as an Augsburg Steward.
This busy outfielder and double major in philosophy and English is able
to balance his studies with his other activities and responsibilities in part
because he’s bright and talented, but he also gives a lot of credit to his
coaches and professors.
“I love that I can have direct correspondence with my professors and that they
know me and know I’m involved on campus,” Hallgren said. “They are always
willing to make sure I have what I need.”
Hallgren was able to meet some of his future professors when he was
recruited by Coach Keith Bateman to play baseball and came to Augsburg for
a campus visit. “I felt that they were genuinely interested in me in ways that
professors at a large institution might not be,” Hallgren said.
Hallgren has played with the Auggie baseball team since his first year at
Augsburg and said that being an athlete with off-season practices helped him
adjust to the rigor of a college schedule. “I was responsible for putting my
schedule in order and making sure I got everything done,” he said. If not for
athletics, Hallgren supposed he might have been a bit lazy.
But “lazy” is one word most would not use to describe Hallgren.
During his first year at Augsburg, he provided research assistance to
professor Larry Crockett for Crockett’s paper on pragmatism, and last
year he spent a semester in Scotland studying English modernism
and Scottish literature.
Through the Augsburg Stewards program, Hallgren learns
leadership and networking skills by connecting alumni to the
College and working with current students to encourage their
continued involvement with Augsburg after graduation.
As a tutor in the Writing Lab, Hallgren helps undergraduate and graduate students with all stages of the writing
process and in all academic areas. “I really enjoy reading
others’ papers and helping them learn how to convey their
thoughts in a coherent way,” Hallgren said. “I hope they come
away from a session feeling more confident in themselves and in
their ability to write.”
Hallgren said these extra activities have shaped him and his Augsburg
experience. “I feel like I’m a much more well-rounded individual as a result
of participating in other activities.”
This spring, find Hallgren and the Auggie baseball team at Parade
Stadium, 400 Kenwood Parkway in Minneapolis. The regular season begins
in late March and ends in early May. And see the new baseball dugout built
with donations from the Augsburg A-Club, a service organization of former and
current Augsburg College athletes and friends of the College.
e
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Spring 2013
11
AN INCREASINGLY
GLOBALIZED ECONOMY
leaves communities everywhere anxious about losing good jobs. Even the
prosperous Twin Cities is no exception,
as the closing of the St. Paul Ford
plant and the transfer of Delta Air Lines
employees show.
It’s bad news for the whole region
when jobs leave, including local institutions like Augsburg that benefit from
being located in a thriving community.
An increase in unemployment, poverty,
and social dislocation in neighborhoods surrounding the campus would
raise new challenges for the College
in attracting students, faculty, and
contributions.
But there’s good news, too. Some of
the Twin Cities’ biggest employers aren’t
going anywhere.
How can we be sure? Because
“anchor” institutions like colleges,
medical centers, and cultural institutions serve the people of a particular
area and are in fact defined by their
location and the people they serve.
For example, try to imagine Fairview
Hospital moving to Beijing or Augsburg
to New Orleans. They would not be the
same in another place because they
12
Augsburg Now
anchor the communities in which they
are located.
Many communities coast-to-coast
see these “eds and meds” institutions as
crucial, not just for keeping jobs but for
keeping neighborhoods vibrant. Anchor
institutions are the largest employer in
66 of the 100 largest U.S. core cities,
according to a study from the Initiative
for a Competitive Inner City.
“Colleges and hospitals are embedded in their community and have a
real stake in seeing that it thrives,”
explained Augsburg President Paul
Pribbenow, who is chair of an ambitious new anchor initiative along the
light rail Central Corridor. Large-scale
anchor strategies have been proven
to work under rigorous conditions
in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland,
Baltimore, and Syracuse—where
economic challenges far surpass those
here in the Twin Cities. But anchor
strategies are not confined to cities with
dire social and economic conditions. A
set of Boston hospitals has established
successful training, employment, and
housing programs to boost surrounding neighborhoods; other projects are
underway in Phoenix, Atlanta, and
Washington, D.C.
Augsburg stands out as a leader in
the Twin Cities’ anchor institution strategy—thanks to longstanding programs
that partner students and faculty with
the community to increase public safety,
boost local education, provide health care
services, promote economic development, work with immigrant groups, train
neighborhood youth, improve the urban
environment, and feed people in need.
Steve Peacock, Augsburg’s director
of community relations who works closely with many of the projects, said the
programs fit with Augsburg’s distinctive
mission as an urban liberal arts college.
“It’s one of the things that distinguishes
us. We offer an opportunity for students
to be engaged in the neighborhood. For
us, it’s not just a charitable activity. It
creates shared value.”
Augsburg recently became one of
a dozen anchor institutions—ranging
from Allina and HealthPartners to the
University of Minnesota—that were first
to sign on to the Central Corridor Anchor
Partnership, a joint effort funded by
the McKnight Foundation to strengthen
communities along the light rail line
between downtown Minneapolis and
St. Paul. Pribbenow pointed out the
immense economic and civic potential
of nine medical facilities and seven
colleges in the corridor that together
account for 67,000 jobs, 115,000
students, and 100 current or planned
capital improvement projects totaling
$5 billion.
Eric Muschler, the McKnight
Foundation program officer involved
with the project, noted that Augsburg’s
long involvement in the West Bank
community offered inspiration for the
overall Anchor Partnership. “[Augsburg
IN THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR,
AUGSBURG IS ONE OF
9 MEDICAL FACILITIES 7 COLLEGES
AND
THAT TOGETHER ACCOUNT FOR
100
67,000 JOBS,
115,000 STUDENTS,
AND
CURRENT OR PLANNED
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
TOTALING
has] been thinking about this longer,”
he said.
“This is not do-gooderism,”
Pribbenow stressed. “This is moving
beyond the charity model. We have
real interests that are at play with the
neighborhood. For us, this is about our
students. It contributes to their education,
their safety, and a vital urban environment where they live. This is not just what
we give to the community, it’s about our
shared interests and mutual benefits.”
Five years ago, Augsburg took a
leading role in the creation of the CedarRiverside Partnership, where stakeholders
including West Bank businesses, Fairview
Clinics-Riverside, University of Minnesota,
neighborhood organizations, the City
of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County
explore new ways of working together in
the neighborhood. Pribbenow currently
serves as the partnership’s chair.
“At first the group was all about
safety,” Pribbenow said, noting how
partners raised funds to increase security at a community center, supported a
neighborhood crime prevention group,
and helped plan a community safety
center that opened at a nearby housing
complex.
“If you talk to the police department, they will tell you that all of
this work by many institutions and
community organizations has improved
the safety and vitality of the neighborhood in a surprisingly short amount of
time.”
That initial success showed everyone what could be accomplished
cooperatively. The group’s attention
then widened to the coming Central
Corridor light rail line. Hennepin County
Commissioner Peter McLaughlin told
the group, “If you get this right, it will
undo the damage that was done” when
Interstates 94 and 35W essentially
walled off Cedar-Riverside from the rest
of the city.
“This work is about resurrecting
a neighborhood,” Pribbenow noted.
“Cedar-Riverside could become a destination for the whole region.”
That’s also a goal of the Central
Corridor Anchor Partnership: to make
sure that adjacent neighborhoods capitalize on the transformative benefits of
this nearly $1 billion public investment.
Pribbenow outlines four major initiatives
to strengthen Central Corridor communities, which in turn strengthen anchor
institutions such as Augsburg.
1 PROCUREMENT—A Central
Corridor Funders Collaborative study
found that 16 major anchor institutions
already spend more than $300 million
$5 BILLION
in goods and services from neighborhood businesses. Finding practical ways
to increase this local spending—both
individually and as a group—makes
a good investment, said Augsburg’s
Peacock. “Local purchasing benefits the
local economy, which means a healthier
neighborhood.”
When it came time to reupholster the
chairs in Hoversten Chapel, for instance,
Augsburg found a small Native Americanowned business in the nearby Phillips
neighborhood to do the job. A class of
Augsburg MBA students is now investigating more opportunities on this front.
2 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT—
The same principle of keeping resources
circulating throughout the community
applies to the goal of hiring more neighborhood residents at anchor institutions. Of course, as Peacock noted, this
depends on finding people with the right
skills. “How do we connect residents to
the training and certification programs
that are needed for the jobs?” That’s
where Augsburg’s nursing and physician
assistant programs come in, preparing
young people to work at the nine medical facilities along the light rail line.
For several years, Augsburg has
gone one step further in developing the
future health care workforce by hosting
Spring 2013
13
“THIS IS NOT DO-GOODERISM,” PRESIDENT PAUL PRIBBENOW STRESSED. “THIS IS MOVING BEYOND
THE CHARITY MODEL. WE HAVE REAL INTERESTS THAT ARE AT PLAY WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. FOR
US, THIS IS ABOUT OUR STUDENTS. IT CONTRIBUTES TO THEIR EDUCATION, THEIR SAFETY, AND A VITAL
URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY LIVE. THIS IS NOT JUST WHAT WE GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY, IT’S
ABOUT OUR SHARED INTERESTS AND MUTUAL BENEFITS.”
Urban Scrubs Camp (in conjunction
with Fairview and the state-funded
HealthForce Minnesota) to excite young
people about careers in health care.
Augsburg’s many community partners
invite interested high school students to
spend a week on campus in order to get
a feel for work in these fast-expanding
fields and for college life. St. Paul
College, at the other end of the Central
Corridor, is now adopting the idea.
3 ENGAGED LEARNING—Augsburg
holds honors from the National Society
for Experiential Education (2012) and
the White House’s Presidential Award
for Community Service (2010), which
demonstrate the College’s leadership
in this area. “Since the 1960s, we’ve
taken advantage of the city itself as a
classroom,” Pribbenow noted. “It’s part
of what make us distinctive.”
Nursing students, for instance,
gain invaluable experience working at
the school’s drop-in health centers at
Riverside Plaza and Central Lutheran
Church. Hundreds of students also
have volunteered at the Cedar Riverside
Community School, a K-8 charter
school at Riverside Plaza, and the
Augsburg Fairview Academy public high
school in the Phillips neighborhood.
All Auggies can be involved with the
Campus Kitchen, a student-led project
that distributes 2,000 meals a month
to homeless shelters, youth programs,
and senior and community centers.
Similarly, Augsburg’s community garden
finds students, community groups,
and neighborhood residents growing vegetables side by side.
Trinity Lutheran Congregation,
which was founded by Norwegian
immigrants 140 years ago and today is
home to many Eritrean and Ethiopian
immigrants, is housed right on campus
in a unique arrangement that further
strengthens the ties between college
and community. Students are involved
with the congregation’s tutoring program
for immigrants living in Cedar-Riverside
and in interfaith collaborations with
Augsburg’s many Muslim neighbors.
4 PLACEMAKING—Neighborhoods do
not stay vital on economic development
alone; a strong sense of place contributes greatly to their success. Augsburg
reaches out into the community in many
ways to improve the built environment
and enhance the distinctive character
of the neighborhood. This goal is woven
throughout the College’s campus master
plan. The Oren Gateway Center, which
opens onto Riverside Avenue, is symbolic of the College’s commitment to community connection. Another welcoming
gateway is being considered long term
for property Augsburg owns on Riverside
Avenue on the east side of campus.
Riverside Avenue itself underwent
a remarkable makeover in the last few
years—with improved bike lanes and
a new street configuration to calm
traffic—thanks in part to the College’s
cooperation with the city of Minneapolis.
“There are improvements on Riverside
that would not be there if we had not sat
down with the city and said we wanted
them,” Pribbenow said. It is exactly
this type of leadership, collaboration,
and active engagement in community
building that Augsburg and its anchor
partners will now extend to the entire
Central Corridor region through this
innovative new anchor institutions
initiative.
Jay Walljasper, a senior fellow with Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, specializes in city and
community issues. He is author of The Great Neighborhood Book and All That We Share: A Field Guide to the
Commons. Read more at jaywalljasper.com.
14
Augsburg Now
ANCHOR INSTITUTION STRATEGIES across the United States
Augsburg’s recent participation in an “anchor” approach
to community revitalization does not rely simply on theory.
Large-scale strategies have been tested successfully
under rigorous conditions in U.S. cities where economic
challenges surpass those in the Twin Cities.
CLEVELAND
• Anchor institutions teamed up to create
a series of worker-owned cooperatives.
• Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve
University, and University Hospitals will benefit from light
rail improvements and a new high-speed bus line.
• A growers cooperative was formed to produce local food.
A FUTURE PROJECT MAY INCLUDE
A TRANSPORTATION COMPANY TO
SHUTTLE PATIENTS TO HOSPITALS.
PHILADELPHIA
• Anchor strategies were pioneered in West Philadelphia.
• The University of Pennsylvania redefined its relationship
with the community from isolation to interaction.
SYRACUSE
• The city’s Near Westside, one of the 10 poorest census
tracts in the United States, is transforming into a center
for technology, design, and art.
Successful initiatives included
launching an incentive
program for workers to live in
the area, reviving commercial
districts, creating more than
600 jobs, and more.
SYRACUSE
UNIVERSITY
RAISED
$
56
million
FOR ITS PLANS TO BETTER
CONNECT DOWNTOWN
WITH ITS CAMPUS.
DETROIT
• Housing initiatives transformed an area notorious for
abandoned properties into a desirable neighborhood.
• Hospitals convinced a medical products vendor to move
its distribution center from the
suburbs to the city, creating
140 jobs.
• The Henry Ford Health System
established a five-year program in area high schools
that trains and certifies students for jobs in 10 health
care occupations.
Other communities with anchor initiatives underway:
ATLANTA
BOSTON
CINCINNATI
PHOENIX
WASHINGTON, D.C.
To learn more about anchor initiatives in these
communities, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2013
15
auggie voices
From Z to A: Zimbabwean student discovers his dream at Augsburg
During the 2011 Agre Symposium at Augsburg College,
Kirubel Frew ’14 was apprehensive in introducing himself
to Peter Agre ’70—the 2003 recipient of the Nobel Prize
in Chemistry and the director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria
Research Institute. But the conversation between the Auggie
and one of the College’s most notable alumni proved to be the
first discussion of many.
“I happened to mention that I was from Zimbabwe,” Frew
recalled. “[Agre] said, ‘Zim? Zim? I love Zim. It’s a beautiful
country. I believe Zimbabwe will have a scientific boom within
the next decade.’”
As an international student, Frew selected Augsburg
because of its well-respected science programs and its welcoming staff, which he identified during his college application process. Today he recognizes that the warmth of the
Augsburg community extends beyond campus to its alumni
network.
That’s because what began as a simple chat between
Agre and Frew regarding their ties to Zimbabwe matured into
a bond through which the Nobel laureate has shaped the
career aspirations of one of the College’s standout third-year
16
Augsburg Now
chemists.
Frew views Agre’s ability to operate a research lab, speak
to audiences around the globe, and inspire young scientists as
‘a dream job’ and a goal he could not have identified without
studying at Augsburg.
“Years ago, I wouldn’t have believed all this was possible,” Frew said. “Meeting a Nobel laureate in chemistry is awesome, and being mentored by him is even more
awesome.”
This mentorship began when Agre invited Frew to conduct research at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Malaria
Research Institute during summer 2012 and to attend the
Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, an
exclusive annual event that brings together several dozen
chemistry and physics laureates and an equal number of
student guests.
Frew was a fitting choice for these life-changing opportunities because he developed the critical thinking skills
that high-level research requires during the summer after
his first year at Augsburg. He participated in a 10-week
faculty-led research program through the College’s Office of
STUUDDEENNT
Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO).
“Research is so unscripted and there are so many turns,”
said assistant professor of chemistry Z. Vivian Feng, one of
Frew’s faculty advisers.
Feng presented Frew with the opportunity to conduct a
complex proof-of-concept project in which he could demonstrate the feasibility of making a bench-top reactor, a small
instrument tied to revolutionary biodiesel experimentation conducted by Augsburg alumnus and businessman Clayton McNeff
’91, chemistry professor emeritus Arlin Gyberg, and Augsburg’s
first Rhodes Scholar Brian Krohn ’08.
Feng said she knew the research project would be challenging for Frew given his limited experience in the chemistry lab,
but she also believed it suited his background in physics and
interest in engineering. Frew was determined to independently
achieve his goal of modifying the reactor design using his creativity, ingenuity, and knack for problem solving.
Frew said his experiences on the Augsburg campus and
around the globe have proven so inspiring that he now is determined to continue his science education and align his career
path to his vocation.
Dixie Shafer, URGO director, sees this objective as a nearperfect fit. She said that from Frew’s first days of research at
Augsburg, he has demonstrated a gift for explaining
complex scientific processes in terms that an interdisciplinary audience can understand.
“He sees communication as one of his life-long
missions,” Shafer explained. “He may become a serious scientist and work on issues that are related to
policy—realizing that too many people in policy don’t
know the science and too many scientists have difficulty
communicating with the non-science community … he’d
love to be doing what Peter Agre does.”
Frew cites Agre’s hard work and intellect as key
components in the Nobel laureate’s career success, and the
young Auggie is on track to take his Augsburg education to
the next level with his own tenacity. Students and alumni from
Augsburg’s science and mathematics departments commonly
go on to conduct research, attend graduate school, and accept
employment at some of the nation’s leading research institutions including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins Applied
Physics Lab, Johns Hopkins University, and Yale University,
among others.
Augsburg is a place for young scientists like Frew to set
dreams for the future and lay the educational foundation on
which to achieve them.
research
As spring turns to summer, life on a college
campus typically quiets. But for a select
group of undergraduate researchers, the
summer months are anything but slow.
From May to August, Augsburg students
perform faculty-led research in the sciences, humanities, and fine arts. Their work
is supported by funding from Augsburg’s
Undergraduate Research and Graduate
Opportunity (URGO) program, the McNair
Scholars program, the Sundquist Scholars
program, the Northstar STEM Alliance,
a NASA Space Physics grant, and the
National Science Foundation.
To watch audio slide shows featuring Laura
Essenburg ’12, Samantha Cantrall ’14, and other
summer researchers, go to augsburg.edu/now.
’12
LAURA
ESSENBURG
Essenburg studied
stereotypes and the
portrayal of race
in college admissions marketing
materials.
’14
SAMANTHA
CANTRALL
Cantrall studied the
hip hop protest music
inspired by the Arab
Spring movement.
LAURA SWANSON
To watch an audio slideshow in which Frew discusses his
URGO research, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2013
17
18
Augsburg Now
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT FIELD
SWELLS IN U.S.;
AUGSBURG LEADS IN MINNESOTA
BY LAURA SWANSON
IN JUNE 2012, Forbes named physician assistant studies one
of the best master’s degrees for jobs, citing the discipline’s
salary and employment outlook in which job opportunities are
expected to grow 30 percent by 2020.
Physician assistants (PAs) are in demand due to an
aging U.S. population, a projected shortage of primary care
physicians, and a need for increased access to affordable
health care. And—in alignment with health care industry
demand—100 percent of Augsburg PA alumni are employed
within six months of graduation, according to Dawn Ludwig,
the College’s PA program director.
Jamie Schneekloth ’11 MPA is one of these graduates.
She worked as an emergency room technician and nursing
assistant for a half dozen years. After witnessing firsthand
the important role PAs play in the health care industry, she
gained admittance to the highly competitive Augsburg College
PA program. She wanted to earn a well-regarded education in
general practice medicine, to expand her earning potential,
and to pursue an exceptionally versatile career path.
Schneekloth secured her first full-time PA position at La
Clinica following her master’s degree completion.
“In my day-to-day practice, I manage a number of acute
and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure,
asthma, and I focus on preventive health,” Schneekloth said.
“I perform procedures as needed, such as joint injections …
and laceration repair.”
As a Spanish-major-turned-physician-assistant, she was a
natural fit for employment at the St. Paul-based community
health center that provides multicultural and multilingual
treatment to immigrant and low-income communities.
“PAs are a cost-effective way to deliver quality health
care in primary care areas,” Ludwig said. “The licensure of
a physician assistant is dependent upon the practice of the
physician, which means physicians can delegate certain
responsibilities to the PA to help them run their practices.”
Augsburg began its PA program in 1995 and during 2001
became the first college in Minnesota to offer the Physician
Assistant Certificate along with the Master of Science in
Physician Assistant Studies—a degree program that prepares
mid-level health care providers. As a PA, Schneekloth is
licensed to examine, treat, educate, and write prescriptions
for patients while under the supervision of a physician.
“The profession has exploded in the past 15 years,”
Ludwig said.
Schneekloth completed the Augsburg College PA program
in three years. Current Augsburg students earn a PA certificate
and a master’s degree in 31 months. The program’s duration
is a fraction of the length of medical school, which requires
a commitment of at least seven years. Like med students,
Augsburg College PA students enroll in lecture courses
emphasizing science and diseases, then complete 2,500
hours of clinical rotations during the second half of their education. These rotations are “key to what makes you confident
in providing quality care for a patient,” Schneekloth said.
PAs also are generalists who can easily change medical disciplines. “I liked that the career was versatile,”
Schneekloth added. “I could work in any specialty, as opposed
to physicians who have to maintain the particular career path
that they chose in residency for their entire career.”
The Augsburg PA program promotes a commitment to
lifelong personal and professional development and has a
“strong reputation in the country,” according to Ludwig. “That
leads to high-quality people applying, which means we are
selective about the candidates we admit, which then leads to
high-quality graduates.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The first physician assistant program was established at North Carolina’s Duke University Medical Center in 1965,
and the discipline has become increasingly popular in all 50 U.S. states. Early PA programs were modeled after the
fast-track training available to World War II doctors and addressed a shortage of primary care physicians.
Spring 2013
19
Drawing from
experience
Tara Sweeney, Augsburg College associate
professor of art, looks for the extraordinary
in the ordinary, drawing from direct
observation with watercolor and ink.
After 21 years at Augsburg, she is
at ease teaching painting and drawing
in the College’s on-campus studios.
But, Sweeney said, since 1999 she has
pushed herself—and the students she
instructs—into “deeper observing, questioning, and creating” through shortterm study abroad programs in Italy and
France.
“Learning to draw in a study abroad
program is an opportunity to travel in
an entirely different way than a typical
tourist,” Sweeney said. “It wakes us
up. Sketching in the midst of daily life
challenges the habitual ways we think
about ourselves, where we are, and what
we know. It coaxes us to be more open,
more present to what we encounter.”
In January 2013, Sweeney collaborated with Merilee Klemp, associate
professor of music, to teach the fine
arts course, The Sights and Sounds of
Europe: Paris, which encouraged students to embrace art and music as interrelated disciplines during an Augsburg
Abroad winter break program.
Sweeney said students sketched at
key cultural locations as well as at art
museums and live musical performances
throughout the City of Lights, prompting the travelers to learn new visual and
aural skills, engage with people in the
community, and embrace the diversity of
their unfamiliar setting.
“Drawing is its own language—one
that can be shared without words,”
Sweeney said. “It makes the artist
and the art-making more visible and
approachable. Strangers pause, watch
the sketches unfold, and sometimes
share their stories. Empathy and trust
grow out of this experience. These
attitudes are essential to drawing and
designing, to teaching and learning, and
to embracing and understanding the
world we live in.”
Prior to teaching, Sweeney was a freelance book illustrator and designer as well as executive art director for
Mpls. St. Paul Magazine. She is a prolific artist whose
recent work ranges from artist books to mixed media
paintings and drawings. She holds signature status in
the Minnesota Watercolor Society. The Phipps Center for
the Arts in Hudson, Wis., recently exhibited 42 drawings from her current series, “Close to Home: A Visual
Journal.” Her spring 2013 sabbatical project focuses on
the completion of this series.
Sweeney, at right, with student Nina Robinson ’14.
Augsburg students who participated in The Sights and Sounds of Europe: Paris course
recorded their travel experiences in sketchbooks and journals. Sweeney taught students
drawing techniques by demonstrating in her own visual journal. Sweeney’s examples,
included here, show how Paris provided both the subject matter and the classroom for
this unique approach to experiential education.
20
Augsburg Now
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
d
ALUMNI AND STUDENT
networking
During February, Augsburg students connected with alumni at a networking event
sponsored by the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations and the Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work. Here psychology major Joe Kempf ’16 talks
with Auggie alumni. To find out about future opportunities to mentor or support current
students, go to augsburg.edu/alumni.
Current and former Alumni Board members gather at the first Alumni Leadership
Summit.
provide all alumni with an opportunity to return to campus,
meet with current faculty and students, learn about the exciting things that are taking place at Augsburg, and discover how
we can play a role in the continued success of the College.
Please join with me in taking ownership of the future of
Augsburg!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
AUGSBURG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
uring February, the Alumni Board
hosted the first Alumni Leadership
Summit, bringing to campus key
leaders who have served on the Alumni
Board of Directors in the past. The objective of this summit was to educate our most
engaged alumni about the importance of the Center for Science,
Business, and Religion; to introduce them to its Campaign
Action Team; and to discuss meaningful ways that they can
contribute to the success of the campaign and engage their
classmates in the process.
The summit was a wonderful opportunity to see the outstanding work being done by Augsburg faculty and staff members, to tour the current science facilities, and to reconnect
with the College and our classmates. I was truly overwhelmed,
although not surprised, by the enthusiasm demonstrated by
those in attendance.
As alumni of Augsburg College, we are in part responsible
for its financial future. This summer and fall, we have planned
a series of additional class year and affinity group summits to
The Augsburg Alumni Association is looking
for volunteers to serve on the Alumni Board.
All alumni are welcome and encouraged to
apply. The Alumni Board is a governing body
of the Alumni Association. Together with the
Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations,
it provides resources and opportunities to
engage alumni with the College and each
other through consistent communication,
inclusive programming, and intentional
relationship-building. For more information,
email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Spring 2013
21
alumni news
YOUNG ALUMNI
AUGSBURG HONORS
FORMER WRESTLING COACH
summer series
RON PFEFFER
BRIT’S PUB
1100 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
Complimentary beverage and appetizers provided.
Wednesday, June 19
TWINS VS. CHICAGO WHITE SOX
5-7 p.m.—Pre-game reception at
Hubert’s, 600 N. First Avenue,
Minneapolis
7:10 p.m.—Game at Target Field.
$30 includes ticket to game in The Pavilion, appetizers, and
a complimentary beverage at Hubert’s.
Thursday, July 18, 5:30-9 p.m.
YOUNG ALUMNI LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Minneapolis Club, 729 Second Avenue S., Minneapolis
Join fellow young alumni leaders to learn how you can
support the future of your alma mater.
Pre-reception cocktails, dinner, and presentation.
Friday, August 2, 5-7 p.m.
Photo by Don Stoner
Thursday, May 30, 5-7 p.m.
Former Augsburg College
wrestling coach Ron
Pfeffer, who coached
the team’s first four
Augsburg All-American
wrestlers and led the
team to its first top-10
national tournament
finish, was honored on
Saturday, January 26,
when a new competition
mat was named in his
Ron Pfeffer celebrates with the All-Amerhonor. Augsburg wrestling icans who competed during his Augsburg
coaching career. [L to R]: Mike Good ’71,
alumni, including many
Ron Johnson ’71, Ron Pfeffer, Daryl Miller
who wrestled for Pfeffer,
’69, and Pat Marcy ’72.
attended the ceremony.
Pfeffer coached the Auggies from 1966 to 1971, compiling a 52-10-1 dual-meet record. His teams from 1967-68
to 1969-70 won three straight Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) championships, and his 197071 team became the first Augsburg wrestling squad to earn
a top-10 national finish. Pfeffer coached 17 MIAC individual
champions, taught health and physical education courses,
and served as an assistant football coach at Augsburg.
AUGGIE NIGHT AT
CANTERBURY PARK
1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee
Free admission, picnic buffet, and
reserved seating.
Friday, September 27, 6-8 p.m.
HOMECOMING 2013—
REPUBLIC AT SEVEN CORNERS
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Complimentary beverage and appetizers provided.
To register, go to augsburg.edu/alumni.
Join the Augsburg College Young
Alumni Facebook group to learn
more and stay connected.
22
Augsburg Now
SAVE THE DATE
Leland B. Sateren’s
100th birthday
celebration
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13
4 p.m., Normandale Lutheran Church
Edina, Minn.
Leland B. Sateren ’35, director of the
Augsburg Choir from 1946 to 1979, would have
been 100 years old on October 13, 2013. To celebrate
Sateren’s legacy, a special public concert including
Augsburg Choir alumni will be held on his birthday. Choir
alumni will receive more information this summer. To
learn more, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at
alumni@augsburg.edu.
Scholastic Connections’ students, mentors forge deep bonds
Beverly Bushyhead ’98,
a professional in nonprofit leadership and
management, volunteered to serve as a mentor through the
Scholastic Connections program at Augsburg because of her
strong desire to assist Native American students with navigating college.
Scholastic Connections is a scholarship and mentorship
program for high-achieving undergraduate students of color at
Augsburg College. The program is designed to assist students in
the completion of their undergraduate degree by pairing them
with a mentor—usually also a person of color—who recognizes, supports, challenges, and inspires them. In addition,
mentors provide meaningful insight and guidance on becoming
engaged, successful citizens of the world when students graduate, in part by facilitating career development and planning.
Bushyhead, who is a member of the Eastern Band of
Cherokee from North Carolina, was paired in 2010 with
Rebecca Dickinson ’13, a double major in Spanish and sociology. Dickinson is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.
Since they first met three years ago, their mentoring relationship has grown to focus on challenging questions related to
life and professional success, and the two regularly connect.
Bushyhead describes Dickinson as “incredibly bright and
competent, and more than that—she is brave and ethical.”
Bushyhead also
said she’s watched
Dickinson’s commitment to others deepen
during the course of
their three-year mentor relationship.
Dickinson,
indeed, is engaged in Beverly Bushyhead ’98 and Rebecca Dickinson ’13
the community. She
teaches voice to middle-school girls, is a Page Scholar in community centers, works with Minnesota Public Research Group,
and is a tutor at a community library.
Dickinson said when she questions whether she can make
a difference in the world, she leans on words from Bushyhead:
earn an education because you can, represent similar voices that
are unheard, and work to create systemic change so that educational opportunities are available to more people.
CHERYL CROCKETT ’89
Alumni are needed to mentor students in the Scholastic Connections
program. If you are interested in volunteering your time, contact
Cindy Peterson at 612-330-1754 or petersoc@augsburg.edu.
Reunion Classes
SEPTEMBER 23-28
50th Reunion—1963 40th Reunion—1973
30th Reunion—1983 25th Reunion—1988
10th Reunion—2003
augsburg.edu/homecoming
Spring 2013
23
alumni class notes
After 10 years of service as
chief technology officer at
Lewis & Clark College in Portland,
Ore., Dan Terrio accepted the
position of chief information officer
at Whitman College in Walla Walla,
Wash.
90
Sara (Quigley) Brown was
installed on October 28,
2012, as the pastor at Alaska
Native Lutheran, an Inupiaq
(Eskimo) congregation of the
ELCA in Anchorage, Alaska. Her
husband, Russell, works in IT for
Wells Fargo.
00
Kathryn Koch has been
appointed the event and
administrative manager for the
O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine
University in St. Paul.
01
auggie SNAPSHOTS
Stephanie Quick-Espinoza was
named the director of evangelical mission and synod minister
for expanding vision in the
Rocky Mountain Synod Office
of the Bishop. Her call began in
24
February 2013. Stephanie and her
family relocated to Denver, Colo.
Jaclyn Gehrke is teaching at
a bilingual school in Roatán,
Honduras.
07
Jake (Johnson) Rapp
directed Brain-Dumb for
the Minnesota band STNNNG.
The video was named a Best
Twin Cities music video of 2012
by City Pages. Rapp earned his
bachelor of arts in film production
at Augsburg. Rapp’s student work
was featured at the 2011 and
2012 ACTC film festivals.
12
Graduate programs
Lori Peterson, Augsburg assistant
vice president and dean of graduate and professional studies, was
recognized with the University of
Minnesota’s College of Education
and Human Development 2012
Distinguished Alumni Award.
Peterson was commended for her
leadership in adult education.
Filling their father’s skates
When Bill McClellan ’86 [center] attends Augsburg men’s hockey
games, he is proud to see his sons, Ben ’15 [left] and B. J. ’14 [right],
stepping out onto the same rink where he skated with the Augsburg
hockey team more than 20 years ago. If you’re an Auggie alum and
would like your grandchild, son, daughter, or sibling to be an Auggie
too, contact the Office of Admissions about the Augsburg Legacy
scholarship at 612-330-1001 or admissions@augsburg.edu.
To read more about the McClellans, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Kaye (Nelson)
Jenness
’67 and Gretchen (Strom)
Schmidt ’68 and their
spouses met in Astoria,
Ore., for a two-day visit
during September 2012.
67-68
Marilyn Elness Froiland and her husband, Pastor Philip
Froiland, spent the month of August 2011 in Sitka,
Alaska, as volunteer docents at Sitka Lutheran Church, the
oldest Lutheran church on the West Coast of the United
States. The church was founded in 1840 by Pastor Uno
Cygnaeus of the Church of Finland after the Russian czar
granted permission for a Lutheran church to be built by the
Russian American Company. Throughout the month, the
Froilands showed 1,100 tourists the artifacts of the original
church and explained its history.
53
Augsburg Now
Neil Pauluk Paulson completed a marathon in each of the 50
U.S. states and in the District of Columbia. Paulson ran 36
marathons in 2010 and 32 in 2011; his longest streak was 14 races
in 14 weeks, and he completed two marathons (in New Hampshire
and Maine) in one weekend. He also competed in 50K and 24-hour
races. Paulson is the director of a private mortgage investment fund
affiliated with Equity Trust Company and owner of Franklin Financial,
LLC, a mortgage and real estate investment company.
77
auggies are awesome
Carol (Kenyon) Dekker’s son, Sam, was
named Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball in
2012 and led the team from Sheboygan
Lutheran High School to the Division V
state basketball championship by hitting
a game-winning 3-pointer with 6 seconds
remaining on the game clock. Sam also was
selected to play on the USA Basketball Men’s
U18 national team that won the gold medal
in Brazil during June 2012, and he was a
member of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s
basketball team in the 2012-13 season.
80
Jessica Barker, Jen Ringeisen Berg, Christa Winkelman,
Tara Cesaretti McLeod, and Jane Ruth Zirbes attended their
15-year reunion during Homecoming 2012 at Augsburg.
97
Cristina M. Olstad ’00, ’05
MSW was named the assistant
vice president for student affairs
at Towson University in Maryland.
Olstad began the position on
January 23. She previously served
as the assistant director of residential education at the University
of Vermont, where she completed
her doctoral degree in educational
leadership and policy studies.
Olstad and her wife, Kirsten Fricke,
are thrilled to be moving to the
Baltimore area to be closer to family
and friends.
00
Christina (Boe) and Michael T.
Anderson ’13 WEC welcomed
Savannah Elizabeth on October 9,
2012. She joins big sister, Charlotte.
The couple hopes the girls will
become third-generation Auggies by
attending the College following their
parents and their grandfather, David
E. Boe ’68.
04
Laura (Eliason) Faitsbau
was married on January
8, 2011, to Lauren (Jung)
Faitsbau in Decorah, Iowa.
The couple welcomed Rowan
Sage Faitsbau on August 16,
2012.
05
Stacey (Kinder) and
Ryan Plasch welcomed
daughter Audrey Valda
Plasch on November 22,
2012. Ryan works for South
Metro Human Services and
Stacey is currently a full-time
mother. The family lives in
Maple Grove, Minn.
09
Kelsey Crockett married Stacey
Gadsden in Belknap Springs,
Ore., on July 7, 2012. The couple
lives in Spring Hill, Tenn., where
Stacey works at Olive Garden and
attends college while Kelsey is a
consultant for Verizon Financial
Services, Southern Region. Kelsey’s
parents are Larry Crockett, professor
at Augsburg College, and Cheryl
Crockett ’89, a volunteer in the
Office of Alumni and Constituent
Relations.
07
Brittney Ruth Hodgdon was
born to Andrea (Slack) and
Clint Hodgdon ’04 on August 15,
2012. Andrea is an accountant at
Renewable Products Marketing
Group, and Clint is a sales manager
at Ameriprise Financial.
07
Jenessa Payano Stark
married Geomar Payano
Stark in Glenwood, Minn., on
June 8, 2012. The couple lives
in New York City, where they
met as bicycle messengers.
Jenessa works as a homebirth
midwife assistant for Cara
Muhlhahn Midwifery, and
Geomar works as a bicycle
messenger.
07
Spring 2013
25
auggie SNAPSHOTS
Dixon Dehmer and Melissa
Ludwig were married
at Zion Lutheran Church in
Buffalo, Minn. on September
15, 2012. Dixon is employed at
Nilfisk-Advance in Plymouth,
Minn., as a financial accountant. Melissa is employed at
Venture Photography in Edina,
Minn., as the office manager.
The couple resides in Buffalo.
09
Ali Rapp and Jake
(Johnson) Rapp ’12 were
married on November 10,
2012. Jake owns a video production company, and Ali is a
master of arts candidate at the
University of Minnesota.
Carmen Crockett ’12 MBA
married John Williams in
Eagan, Minn., on October 6,
2012. Larry Crockett, professor
at Augsburg College and father
of the bride, officiated at the ceremony. The bride was escorted
down the aisle by her mother,
Cheryl Crockett ’89, who is a
volunteer in the Office of Alumni
and Constituent Relations.
Carmen is an account manager
for SPS Commerce in downtown
Minneapolis, and John works for
Wells Fargo in the area of mortgages and foreclosures. They live
in Eagan, Minn.
12
26
Augsburg Now
Later this year, the offices of Alumni Relations
and Marketing and Communication will administer the member magazine readership survey created by the Council for Advancement and Support
of Education (CASE). This web survey is designed
to help college and university editors evaluate
how readers view their campus magazine and to
benchmark the results.
Please email langemo@augsburg.edu to update
your email address. A random sample of Augsburg
Now readers will be asked to participate in this
survey.
The Landmarks
of South Africa
and Namibia
11
CORRECTION:
On page 37 of the Fall
2012 issue of Augsburg
Now, Gretha (Halvorson)
Loken ’38 and her
daughter Mary (Loken)
Veiseth ’70 were pictured
at the graduation of Amy
Aylsworth ’12. Aylsworth
was incorrectly listed as
Veiseth’s daughter; she is
Veiseth’s niece.
GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK
Dr. Amit K. Ghosh ’12 MBA
received the Laureate
Award from the Minnesota
Chapter of the American College
of Physicians. The award was
presented in Minneapolis on
November 2, 2012. Ghosh is a
professor of medicine at Mayo
Clinic College of Medicine and a
consultant in the division of general internal medicine. He is also
the current director of the Mayo
Clinic international program.
Pictured with Dr. Ghosh are his
wife, Karthik [left], and daughter,
Divya [right].
12
AUGUST 11-24, 2013
Join Augsburg College President
Paul C. Pribbenow and fellow alumni and friends on this
African tour through South Africa and
Namibia’s shared political past and the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks
this history has created. This trip is offered
by the Augsburg College Alumni Association
and Center for Global Education (CGE) at
Augsburg College. To request more details
about the trip, call 612-330-1085 or email
alumni@augsburg.edu.
In memoriam
Send us your news and photos
Rev. Lester A. Dahlen ’39,
Richfield, Minn., age 95, on
September 25.
Richard H. “Dick” Velve ’57,
Eden Prairie, Minn., age 76,
on September 24.
Rev. Luther O. Strommen ’39,
Minneapolis and Sun City, Ariz.,
age 95, on September 29.
Allen J. Johnson ’61, Sioux
City, Iowa, age 73, on
October 23.
Clair K. “Kenny” Chelmen ’40,
Bloomington, Minn., age 93,
on September 17.
Ronald T. Hagenson ’63,
Plymouth, Minn., age 76, on
May 2, 2012.
Mildred D. (Tweed) Thudium
’40, Oreland, Pa., age 93, on
August 6.
Charles M. Daggett ’64,
Watertown, Minn., age 74,
on November 6.
Philip C. Helland ’42,
Minneapolis, age 92, on
December 12.
Christ J. Behm ’68, Little
Canada, Minn., age 65, on
January 14.
Shirley Ann (George) Foster
’49, Springfield, Minn., age
84, on September 19.
John G. Telste ’72, Ashburn,
Va., age 61, on October 7.
Charlotte E. Leafblad ’49,
Zion, Ill., age 85, on
January 2.
Merida N. (Collin) Erickson
’50, Naperville, Ill., age 85,
on November 22.
Marolyn (Sortland) Halverson
’51, Columbus, Ohio, age
83, on October 31.
Jean (Vettel) Kiteley ’51,
Exeter, N.H., age 83, on
November 16.
Orpha (Hushagen) Iseminger
’54, Sioux Falls, S.D., age
82, on June 14.
Walter K. Josephson ’54,
Rochester, Minn., age 82,
on May 16, 2012.
Kermit E. Bolstad ’56,
Culbertson, Mont., age 77,
on August 8.
John W. Haynes ’56,
Pengilly, Minn., age 80, on
September 15.
Charles “Chuck” Howard ’56,
Madelia, Minn., age 81, on
October 15.
Harlan C. Christianson ’57,
Los Angeles, Calif., age 77,
on December 15.
Karen L. Johnson ’75, St.
Paul, age 58, on April 2,
2012.
Deidre (Durand) Middleton
’88, Plymouth, Minn., age
73, on November 24.
Vicki C. MacNabb ’07,
Minneapolis, age 65, on
December 24.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi
or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral
notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also
submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
Full name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
______________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
______________________________________________________
Street address
______________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
______________________________________________________
Home telephone
______________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Daniel J. Martin ’10,
Lafayette, Colo., age 27, on
October 23.
______________________________________________________
Employer
Eric Dietz ’11, Hilo, Hawaii,
age 29, on January 6.
______________________________________________________
Position
Mark C. Langdon ’13, Omaha,
Nebr., age 22, on December 7.
______________________________________________________
Work telephone
Andrew Pehrson ’13, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 23, on
December 27.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Austin R. Conley ’16,
Minneapolis, age 20, on
October 27.
Professor Emeritus Ray
Anderson, Minneapolis, age
88, on January 6.
Professor Emeritus Vern
Bloom, Bloomington, Minn.,
age 78, on October 20.
If yes, class year__________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Spouse’s name (include maiden name, if applicable)
Your news:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Spring 2013
27
it takes an
auggie
AUGSBURG STEWARDS:
auggies for life
A group of dedicated students play
an important role in the life and
future of the College. Since 2005,
the Augsburg Stewards have shared
their stories of being a student with
alumni. The Stewards also have
taught their college peers about the
importance of philanthropy to the life
of the College.
These dedicated Auggies perform
their service to Augsburg through
alumni relations programs and
Augsburg Fund initiatives. In return,
the Stewards find that their service
yields unique career development
opportunities.
In addition to educating their
peers on the role they will play as
alumni, Stewards also connect with
other students throughout the year
through Philanthropy Week, the Feed
the Pig class challenge, and the 100
Days to Graduation Senior Party.
Each of these programs is intended to
inspire a lifetime of Auggie Pride in
Stewards and other students.
Stewards, as current Auggies,
connect with alumni at events such
as Advent Vespers, the Convocation
Series lectures, Homecoming, the
Alumni Summer Series, the Alumni/
Student Networking evening, and
Scholarship Brunch, and begin to
build relationships that can lead to
internships or career opportunities.
Augsburg Stewards [pictured clockwise from top]:
Justin Lochner ’13, Ashley Pepper ’16, Emily
Bauermeister ’15, Gary Mariscal ’14, Jake Haehnal ’14
THE
Maroon
& Silver
SOCIETY
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA is one of the newest members of Augsburg’s
Maroon & Silver Society. Members pledge to contribute $1,000 annually to The Augsburg Fund to provide scholarships, help the College
hire and retain outstanding faculty, and foster academic growth and
achievement for Augsburg students. The generous donors of the Maroon
& Silver Society make up 8 percent of all donors to The Augsburg Fund
but provide 69 percent of the dollars received each year.
Watson gives to The Augsburg Fund because she knows it supports all students—undergraduate and graduate—in their pursuit of an
Augsburg education.
“In January, I was fortunate to be invited to a Leadership Summit
where I learned about Augsburg’s long-term vision and goals. This
experience was truly inspiring, and I walked away knowing that I had
to get more involved in the life of the College. I chose to support The
Augsburg Fund through the Maroon & Silver Society because it touches
all Augsburg students in some way.”
augsburg.edu/giving
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Auggies are everywhere!
As part of the Rochester community for nearly 15 years, Augsburg College’s campus in downtown
Rochester offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, education, and nursing.
To watch a video of Auggie Eagle in Rochester, go to augsburg.edu/rochester or scan the QR code.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., t... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., this fall.
Higher education in the 21st century
30 years of Weekend and Evening College
Stewardship of space
MAL celebrates 25 years
40 years of women’s athletics and Title IX
Auggie Days 2012
living
OUR
calling
FALL 2012 | VOL. 75, NO. 1
inside
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notes
from President Pribbenow
Stewardship of place and people
t
he Augsburg College mission statement says
that Augsburg “educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
These aspirations for our students require that all
of us who are part of the
Augsburg community consider how we model in our
lives and work the core values embodied in these aspirations. In other words, we
need to live what we teach!
This issue of Augsburg
Now offers several examples
of how we are seeking as a
college community to live as thoughtful stewards.
You’ve read in past issues of this magazine the
remarkable progress we have made as an institution in our commitment to environmental stewardship—composting leftover food from the cafeteria,
community gardens on campus, new biodiesel production methods, and a commitment to carbon
neutrality by 2019.
All important work, but stewardship is a rich
concept and extends to our care for all of the gifts
we have been given as a community. I am particularly struck by how our College has explored ways
in which we care for our physical location and facilities. The 2010 Campus Space and Master Plan
is not simply a map to future facilities; it is a
statement of values around stewardship of the
land and buildings we occupy and the need for us
to be constantly vigilant about the opportunities to
renew, reuse, and extend the life of our spaces
and buildings. In addition, the plan points to our
commitment to stewarding relationships with our
neighbors, building facilities and designing landscapes that welcome our neighbors to campus
rather than keep them away.
Stewardship is also about people—and as I
was reminded again this year at our Homecoming
celebrations, Augsburg is all about people. The
upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of
Title IX—the landmark federal legislation that seeks
to ensure equity for women and men in intercollegiate athletics—is an example of what it means to
be good stewards of our people. For years and years,
women students at Augsburg participated in athlet-
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
ics without the support and recognition enjoyed by
their male counterparts. A couple of years ago, we
honored those unheralded women Auggies with the
athletic letters they never received while on campus.
Now, we lift up our enduring commitment to opportunities for all Auggie student-athletes. Our recent
news about establishing the first intercollegiate
women’s lacrosse program in Minnesota is just one
example of how we steward the gifts of people—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends
who make Augsburg strong!
In 1931, the renowned 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in The Christian Century an essay with the provocative title, “Is
Stewardship Ethical?” His indictment of Christians
for the ways in which they had turned stewardship
into random programs of fundraising and voluntarism stands as a relevant challenge to all of us.
We are called to be thoughtful stewards. Stewardship is a way of life. At Augsburg, we are working
hard to live what we teach.
Yours in Augsburg,
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Members of the Maroon & Silver Society lead by example with monthly gifts
of $84 or more, or annual gifts of $1,000 or more to The Augsburg Fund.
These unrestricted gifts to The Augsburg Fund allow the College to award
more financial aid, employ high-quality faculty and staff, offer a challenging
and thought-provoking academic curriculum, and provide support to our
students so that they can become the people they are called to be.
To learn more about the Maroon & Silver Society, contact the
Office of Annual Giving at 612-330-1652 or giving@augsburg.edu.
augsburg.edu/giving
WE ARE CALLED auggies
fall 2012
Features
8 Calling and purpose: Lutheran higher education in the 21st century | BY LAURA SWANSON
11 Stewardship of space | BY REBECCA JOHN
16 Auggie Days 2012 | BY STEPHEN GEFFRE AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
20 Augsburg College annual report
23 Homecoming 2012
26 Weekend and Evening College celebrates 30th anniversary | BY LAURA SWANSON
Departments
2 Around the Quad | 6 Augsburg celebrates 40 years of women’s athletics | 15 Auggie voices
19 My Auggie experience | 22 It takes an Auggie | 31 Alumni news | 37 Alumni class notes
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
quad
around the
COLLEGE
In August, the College
announced support of the
“Vote No” work of
Minnesotans United for All
Families to prevent passage
MINNESOTANS of a Minnesota Constitutional
UNITED FOR amendment that would
ALL FAMILIES define marriage. The College
is proud to stand with five of Minnesota’s synods
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
nearly 600 businesses and organizations, and
150 ordained church leaders. The College’s
decision to support the “Vote No” effort is
grounded in the commitment of the College to
end discrimination; its academic tradition of
critical and humble
inquiry and of modeling and fostering
civil discourse; and
its Lutheran heritage, which
requires that we
build inclusive
communities, learn from the other,
and seek social justice.
SUPPORTS
VOTE NO
Courtesy photo
WORK OF
celebrating success
A group of Augsburg College McNair Scholars and staff attended the 20th Annual McNair Scholars
Symposium in California in August. Front Row [L to R]: McNair Scholars Program assistant Lara Crombie,
Beau Elkington ’13, Alexandra “Alix” Young ’13, Allison Zank ’14, Nou Yang ’13, Shoua Moua ’13, McNair
Scholars Program director Tina Maria Tavera, Nikki Stauffer ’13; Back Row [L to R]: Jazmine Darden ’13,
Arianna Genis ’13, Roseanna “Rosie” Benser ’13, Jon Barrick ’13, Charlie Olson ’13, Dustin Ritchea ’13,
Leah Tillman ’13, and McNair Scholars Program assistant director Brian Greening
McNair Scholars Program grant renewed for five years;
STUDENTS PRESENT AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
To read a sampling of feedback on the
College’s decision, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Sociology professor honored by peers
DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEACHING AWARD
Augsburg College’s McNair Scholars Program recently
received a renewal grant for five years. The total award of
$1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education will
provide $220,000 per year from 2012 to 2017.
The McNair Scholars Program prepares first-generation,
low income, and underrepresented students for doctoral studies. This August, 12 Auggies traveled to the University of
California, Berkeley for the 20th Annual McNair Scholars
Symposium.
Many of the students presented findings from their facultyled, on-campus summer research. Students who participate in
the McNair Scholars Program spend an average of 400
hours exploring their topics, developing theses, collecting
and reviewing data, and preparing formal paper presentations.
2
Augsburg Now
Sociology professor Diane Pike
was named co-recipient of the
Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching Award at the 2012 meeting of the American Sociological
Association (ASA). Pike, who
received her PhD from Yale
Diane Pike
University, was honored for her
nearly 20 years of commitment as evidenced by her
extensive presentations to teaching colleagues via
paper sessions, professional workshops, regional
meetings, keynote and panel participation, and
more. Pike also is editor of TRAILS (Teaching
Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology),
the ASA’s online library of teaching materials.
Physics faculty receive awards from
National Science Foundation
Eboo Patel, president and founder of
Interfaith Youth Core, spoke at the
Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium.
Mark Engebretson,
physics professor, was
awarded $243,000 to
study Earth’s space environment, known as the
magnetosphere. The
award, Number
Mark Engebretson
Ben Stottrup
1142045 from the
National Science Foundation (NSF), brings to more than $1.8
million the awards earned by Engebretson since mid-2008.
In addition to his teaching and research, Engebretson
recently presented at a pre-launch meeting for NASA officials
and members of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP)
science team. His ground-based space research will
strengthen the work of the RBSP mission that
launched in late August. Ground data gathered by Augsburg instruments in the Arctic
will provide a large-scale picture of what is
happening in the Earth’s environment to add
to the data gathered by the RBSP satellite
probes.
Associate Professor of Physics Ben Stottrup was
awarded more than $157,000 by the NSF for investigation
of pattern formation and morphology in two-dimensional, selfassembled model biomembranes. The work will allow Stottrup to
continue research on how multicomponent lipid systems spontaneously assemble. The long-term goals of this work are to
contribute to the development of new biomaterials and nanotechnology and to prepare undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for careers at the intersection of the physical sciences
and biology. The funding is from NSF award Number 1207544.
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
CONVOCATION SERIES 2012-13
The Convocation series kicked off during
September with the Bernhard M. Christensen
Symposium. Eboo Patel, president and founder of
Interfaith Youth Core, spoke about the holiness of
common ground and the value of developing interfaith understanding.
During October, the Center for Counseling and
Health Promotion Convocation was an opportunity
for the Augsburg community to learn from psychiatrist and author, Dr. Henry Emmons, about ways to
restore mental and emotional resilience in the face
of depression, anxiety, and other stress-related
conditions.
The Humanities and Fine Arts Convocation in
November featured Dan Phillips, a designer and
builder of recycled housing. Phillips also is
founder of The Phoenix Commotion, a local building initiative that, according to its website, was
created to demonstrate that salvaged materials are
viable building materials.
The Convocation series is a cross-disciplinary
speaker series that explores ideas and thoughts
around the impact each person can have in a
world of 6.9 billion people.
To see photos and video from the Convocation
series, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Dual MBA/MAL program
meets needs of senior-level employees
The work world is an ever-evolving place,
and Augsburg College continually seeks
ways to meet the ongoing needs of students
who strive to advance their careers. One new example of the College’s
approach is its fall 2012 offering of a dual Master of Business
Administration/Master of Arts in Leadership program. Students in one program
now will be able to add skills and knowledge from the other program and to
earn master’s degrees in both areas. The program can be completed in as
few as three years.
at
Fall 2012
3
quad
around the
accelerates path to MBA
4+1
Traditional undergraduate
students will be able to
earn a bachelor of arts in
business and a Master of
Business Administration
in just five years beginning in the fall of 2013 through
Augsburg’s new “MBA 4 + 1” program. The program, the
first of its kind in the Twin Cities, offers an accelerated
schedule that is cost efficient because it reduces overall time spent in college. Designed for traditional undergraduates, the program will be friendly to international
students, will feature close academic advising relationships, and will include hands-on learning through focused
internships. The College is exploring how the program
might serve students at other Minnesota colleges that
do not offer graduate programs.
Correction: In the “Honoring Our Retired Faculty”
story on pages 17-18 of the summer 2012 edition of
Augsburg Now, information about Norma Noonan’s
education was incorrectly cited. A corrected version
of Noonan’s information is posted here.
Professor of Political Science Norma Noonan served
Augsburg for more than 45 years, joining the faculty
during 1966. She was instrumental in the development of the Master of Arts in Leadership, the
College’s inaugural graduate program, and served as
program director for 18 years. She chaired the
Political Science Department, served on key faculty
committees, and was a mentor to many. In addition,
Noonan was founding director of what now is the
Center for Teaching and Learning. Noonan received a
bachelor of arts in political science from the
University of Pennsylvania. She earned a master of
arts and PhD in political science from Indiana
University. She also holds a certificate in Russian
and East European Studies from Indiana University.
4
Augsburg Now
Regents elect Harpstead as chair
Courtesy photo
New program
Jodi Harpstead, chief executive officer
of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota,
was elected chair of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents at its May
2012 meeting and began her term on
July 1.
As chair of the governing board of
Jodi Harpstead
the College, Harpstead will play a key
leadership role in Augsburg’s planning and fundraising
initiatives. She will guide the Board’s oversight of the
College’s strategic priorities, including:
• Helping define the plan to build a signature academic
building, the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion;
• Ensuring the quality and relevance of the academic
offerings; and
• Monitoring the development of a long-range enrollment
plan for the College.
Harpstead has served on the Board of Regents since
2005.
In addition, the Augsburg Corporation at its
September meeting elected four new members to the
Board of Regents. Each member was elected to a fouryear term. Newly elected Regents include:
• Jennie Carlson, executive vice president of human
resources for U.S. Bancorp;
• Pam Moksnes ’79, management consultant;
• Curt Sampson, chairman and director of Canterbury
Park Holding Corporation; and
• Steve Wehrenberg ’78, chief executive officer of
Campbell Mithun.
Regents elected to second, four-year terms
include Mark Eustis, Alexander
Gonzalez ’90, and Eric Jolly.
Anthony Genia ’85 was elected
to a third, four-year term.
Thank you to Philip
Styrlund ’79, who retired
from the Board of
Regents after 12 years
of service to the College.
Upholstery project
supports local economy
experiential
At first glance, the choice to refurbish the chairs in Hoversten
Chapel is just good financial management. The move to refresh
versus replace the chairs saved the College more than
$40,000.
But that’s only the surface of the decision.
What really went on gets to the heart of what it means to be
a good steward.
When the College this past summer opted to refurbish the
17-year-old chairs, staff requested a bid from All About
Upholstery, a locally owned business.
“We had worked with Tonya, the owner, on a smaller project
in the old coffee shop, and she was great,” said Matt Rumpza,
director of Purchasing and Central Support Services. “By making the decision to reupholster the chairs, we were making an
environmentally friendly and cost-sensitive decision.”
Tonya DuRoche, who lives in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, worked with her team to refresh 597 chairs. The job
included new upholstery, replacing the seat and back cushions, regluing joints, and touch-up varnishing. It was rewarding work, too.
“Contributing to the comfort of students who are studying
and those who are practicing their spirituality in the chapel is a
way to contribute to the future,” DuRoche said.
DuRoche, who is committed to her community and other
local businesses, sources nearly all of her fabrics from a familyowned company in Minneapolis. Studies show that money
Tonya DuRoche, owner, All About Upholstery
spent locally stays in a community longer than money spent at
companies with headquarters outside of that community, state,
or region. In fact, the 2004 Andersonville Study of Retail
Economics found that $100 spent in locally owned independent stores returns $68 to the community through taxes, payroll,
and other expenditures. Money spent at a national chain only
returns $43 to the community.
DuRoche also hires and trains local employees. She completes a mix of residential and large-scale commercial work for
tribal businesses such as casinos and helps stabilize other local
companies by providing suppliers with a fairly steady stream of
business. In turn, her suppliers are able to provide a stable
income for their employees. This interconnected way of doing
business is important to her.
“It’s a way to be an entrepreneurial role model, to give back
to our community,” said DuRoche, a member of the Iowa Tribe
of Kansas and Nebraska. “I’ve always wanted to be an artist or
work in the medical field. This gives me the chance to offer a
kind of healing by creating beauty in surroundings.”
National Society for Experiential Education AWARD
Augsburg College’s commitment to experiential education was recognized for the third time in as many years on October 5
when the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) presented President Paul C. Pribbenow with the
2012 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education.
The award, presented by the NSEE and funded by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars, celebrates the dedication of a sitting college or university president who has made significant contributions to experiential
education on campus and in the community.
Pribbenow was nominated for the award by Garry Hesser, sociologoy professor and Sabo Professor for Citizenship and
Learning; Orval Gingerich, assistant vice president for international programs; and Lois Olson, former director of the
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work.
The Burke Award, a testament to the fact that hands-on learning is a core part of the College’s curriculum, includes a
$2,000 scholarship that will be awarded to a deserving Auggie who is involved in experiential learning.
education
Fall 2012
5
2012
Augsburg celebrates 40 years
of women’s athletics
The passage of Title IX, enacted as part of the U.S. Education
Amendment of 1972, mandated equal opportunities in education, allowing women to participate on high school and college
athletic teams. But the tradition of women’s athletics at
Augsburg actually dates back to the earliest days of Auggie athletics in the 1920s.
On November 10, Augsburg celebrated 40 years of varsity
women’s athletics and the 40th anniversary of the passage of
Title IX. Lavonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson ’50 and Joyce Pfaff ’65
were honored at the celebration with “One of Our Own” plaques
for their contributions to Augsburg College and the Athletic
Department. In addition, female athletes from each decade were
chosen for All-decade Teams.
Peterson, an instructor, coach, and women’s physical education director, started the Auggiettes basketball team in 1950 and
coached the team for 18 years, leading them to an incredible
154-6 record. Pfaff, an Augsburg coach, instructor, and director
of women’s athletics, started several women’s teams after the
passage of Title IX and served the College for 43 years.
Here we recognize a few of the leaders and milestones in
women’s athletics at Augsburg. To read more about these women
and others who contributed to the proud tradition of women’s
athletics at Augsburg College, go to athletics.augsburg.edu.
1980
1995
1951
Auggiette basketball team
1972-73
1979
Women’s varsity intercollegiate volleyball, gymnastics,
and tennis are founded while basketball is restarted.
The softball team places second
at the MAIAW State Tournament.
1985
1974-75
1970s
1970
The volleyball team places second in the Minnesota
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(MAIAW) state tournament, qualifying to compete in
the Region 6 AIAW tournament both years. The
Auggies place fourth in the Region 6 tournament in
1974 and fifth in 1975.
1971
Softball is added as a varsity sport.
Title IX is passed June 23, 1972.
In both the floor exercise and balance beam, gymnast Ann Knutson
Brovold ’74 is the first Augsburg female athlete to compete in a
post-season event—an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics
for Women (AIAW) Region 6 tournament.
6
Augsburg Now
1979-80
Kathy Korum ’81 is the first woman to play
and letter on a men’s varsity team (golf).
1980
1974-75
1972
Women’s soccer is
added as a varsity sport.
1980s
1975-76
Women’s track and field is
added as a varsity sport.
1982-83
Augsburg joins the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
1981-82
The softball team qualifies for its
first AIAW national tournament.
1988
1982
2003-04
1971
2006-07
1974
1999-00
1988
2012
Under coach Paul Grauer, the women’s track
and field team earns a third place National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team
finish with Carolyn Ross Isaak ’89 and
Melanie Herrera-Storlie ’88.
Augsburg announces that it will establish
the first varsity intercollegiate women’s
lacrosse program in the state of Minnesota.
2003-04
1991
Women’s cross country is reestablished
as part of the varsity athletics program.
1990
1990s
1995-96
Augsburg establishes the
first Midwest varsity
women's hockey team.
Augsburg establishes the swim and dive program.
2000s
2010
2000
1999-00
2004-07
The women’s hockey team is the Division III
national tournament runner-up in the American
Women’s College Hockey Alliance (AWCHA).
Women’s soccer qualifies for the MIAC playoffs.
Fall 2012
7
CALLING
PURPOSE
LUTHERAN HIGHER EDUCATION
IN THE 21ST CENTURY
AS PAUL C. PRIBBENOW ENTERS THE
SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS PRESIDENCY
at Augsburg College, he believes Lutheran higher education is more relevant than ever before.
Pribbenow affirmed this view through a summer sabbatical project in which he developed succinct ways to
articulate how five theological traditions make Lutheran
colleges and universities valuable—and sustainable—in
an increasingly diverse society.
For Pribbenow, the role of Lutheran higher education
is well described by Darrell Jodock, professor emeritus at
Gustavus Adolphus College. Jodock has written that a
Lutheran college uses religion as the foundation of the
institution’s identity so that it may explore “the riches of
that tradition as part of its contribution to the community
as a whole.” Jodock continues, “The Lutheran tradition
summons a college to work out a ‘both…and,’ both
affirming the religious identity and engaging with today’s
world.”
BY LAURA SWANSON
8
Augsburg Now
GIFTS OF THE ELCA TRADITION
P
ribbenow during his sabbatical identified the ways in
which five gifts of the Lutheran theological tradition
serve colleges and universities as they navigate challenges in the 21st century. The tenets that he deems
applicable to higher education include:
1. VOCATION
theologically, Lutherans believe God has created humankind in
all its diversity in God’s own image.
Eboo Patel, founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, spoke during
September on interfaith dialogue, neighborhood service, and intentional diversity at
the Augsburg College Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium. Patel’s remarks allowed
the Augsburg community to explore the concept of engaging with otherness and difference (see “Around the Quad,” page 3).
The Lutheran view of vocation has a deep, philosophical
meaning that extends beyond an individual’s occupation.
Lutherans believe that all people have a calling—a vocation—
to live a life that serves the well-being of their community.
Lutheran colleges and universities are uniquely situated to
help students of all ages and backgrounds. “Our students
come to us hungry for something. Hungry for knowledge, yes.
Hungry for career paths, yes. But they’re hungry for more,”
Pribbenow said. “They are hungry for meaning. The concept of
vocation gives us a way to talk with students in a nuanced and
sophisticated manner about how they can live purposeful
lives.”
2. CRITICAL AND HUMBLE INQUIRY
A liberal arts education equips individuals with the skills and
knowledge required to engage in civic life, public debate, and
thoughtful analysis across a wide range of disciplines and topics. The Lutheran commitment to critical and humble inquiry
highlights the importance of a liberal arts education in “teaching students how to go out into the world not as experts who
lord their knowledge over others but as people who are determined to bring their particular wisdom or knowledge to bear,”
Pribbenow said.
3. ENGAGING WITH OTHERNESS
AND DIFFERENCE
The world’s citizens live and work in increasingly complex and
diverse cultures. Lutheran colleges are positioned to offer students the knowledge, skills, and values needed to navigate a
world with people of all backgrounds and experiences. The liberal arts approach to learning and teaching has a fundamental
commitment to engaging with otherness and difference so that
people understand and embrace the richness of the human
experience. Diversity is a core value of the Church because,
4. SERVICE AND JUSTICE
Since the beginning of his Augsburg College presidency,
Pribbenow has articulated a simple but powerful vision for the
College: “We believe we are called to serve our neighbor.” The
Lutheran commitment to service and justice is embraced and
fulfilled in different capacities at each Lutheran college or
university. But the institutions are unanimous in their desire to
use education, civic engagement, and community service as
pathways to develop informed citizens who engage with their
neighbors.
Service at Augsburg takes many forms, and the College is
committed to the “anchor institution” movement—a model
where service is not seen as one-way “charity” but instead an
opportunity to find shared value among institutional partners
and to strengthen the economic vitality and safety of the
neighborhoods in which the institutions are located.
Read the fall 2011 Augsburg Now article, “Community
Relations,” at augsburg.edu/now to learn more about
the College’s role as an anchor institution.
5. SEMPER REFORMANDA
Translated from Latin as “always to be reformed,” semper
reformanda is a tenet of Protestant reformist Martin Luther,
who advocated for the Church to continually re-examine itself
in order to maintain its vitality. The term, Pribbenow asserts, is
useful for colleges and universities because it creates not an
allowance for—but an expectation of—continuous review and
change. This flexibility empowers institutions to implement
initiatives to better serve students, to change policies that do
not deploy resources responsibly, and to align themselves with
contemporary market needs.
Fall 2012
9
LIVING OUT A
LUTHERAN CALLING
T
he five gifts of the Lutheran tradition that
Pribbenow identified during his sabbatical project
may serve as a common lexicon for the 26 U.S.
higher education institutions committed to providing
post-secondary education in affiliation with the ELCA.
The ELCA colleges and universities are not held together by
a centralized governance model, but rather choose to claim a
common identity based on their shared values. The institutions
form a mutually beneficial network where they help one another
align their work to the deeply held values and priorities of the
Lutheran faith so that all of its gifts are well used. Pribbenow’s
sabbatical research is acutely relevant as each area of his investigation can deepen conversation among Lutheran colleges and
universities across the United States during a time when the
leadership at many of these institutions is in transition.
Lutheran colleges and universities will undergo significant
turnover in their leadership in the near future as current presidents at these institutions retire or move on to new vocational
callings. Many institutions are changing their bylaws to allow
non-Lutherans to apply for the openings in order to broaden the
applicant pool for those positions. The implication of this trend
already is visible.
Pribbenow immediately used his sabbatical research to foster discussions with four individuals who do not hail from the
Lutheran tradition but who were slated to begin their presidencies this fall at the Lutheran institutions Carthage College,
Newberry College, Pacific Lutheran University, and Wittenberg
University.
The integration of non-Lutherans into the leadership of
ELCA institutions fosters critical review and offers a new perspective to existing ELCA college presidents, like Pribbenow,
who are deeply rooted in the Lutheran faith. “It sometimes
takes a non-Lutheran to remind us of the gifts of this tradition
and to lift them up,” said Pribbenow, who was raised the son of
a Lutheran pastor.
Pribbenow’s commitment to leading Augsburg as a “both…
and” Lutheran college is firm.
“Being Lutheran is our bedrock,” Pribbenow said. “The
gifts of this firm foundation enrich our students’ experiences
and strengthen our future.”
10
Augsburg Now
The focus of Pribbenow’s sabbatical research is lived out
daily on the Augsburg College campus where the gifts of
the Lutheran tradition are paired with the gifts of the
College’s urban setting. Higher education models and
expectations are shifting at a rapid pace, which requires
universities to embrace semper reformanda and engage in
continuous review and change.
Because Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus is located in
the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, the College is uniquely
situated to live out the commitments of its Lutheran tradition in a seamless, integrated manner. Located in one of
the more diverse ZIP codes in the nation, Augsburg College
students have daily opportunities to engage with people
from across the globe, become committed to service and
justice at organizations throughout the neighborhood,
and—as a result—participate in critical and humble
inquiry. Ultimately, these features allow the College to fulfill its calling to prepare students for meaningful vocations.
“I was called to Augsburg to tell our story,” Pribbenow
said. “I’m proud of this College and its Lutheran heritage
because it allows us to live out our mission, to create an
educational space that’s welcoming and progressive, and to
serve our community on local and global levels.”
Pribbenow was granted a two-part sabbatical as a provision of his
contract, which the Augsburg College Board of Regents approved in
2008. The sabbatical was slated for the end of his sixth year at the
College, and he conducted his research project for six weeks from
July to mid-August at the ELCA churchwide headquarters in Chicago.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson ’68 invited Pribbenow to spend
his sabbatical at the denomination’s headquarters because the two
men are engaged in ongoing conversations about Augsburg and the
wider context of Lutheran higher education.
In Chicago, Pribbenow also spoke with ELCA leaders “who consider how the Lutheran church expresses itself in the world,”
Pribbenow said. “Church leaders understand that colleges are one of
the places where the Lutheran faith is explored deeply, but they don’t
necessarily understand every aspect of our lives.” The sabbatical, he
said, was an excellent opportunity both to educate and to learn.
During December, Pribbenow will travel to Asia with his family
for the second leg of his sabbatical. On their trip, the Pribbenows will
visit the birthplaces of their children Thomas (Soc Trang, Vietnam)
and Maya (Chonquing, China). The Pribbenows will return to
Minneapolis before the end of 2012.
BY REBECCA JOHN
STEWARDSHIP
OF SPACE
&
PLAN
CAMPUS
SPACE
Twenty-three acres.
MASTER
That’s the area of Augsburg’s
Minneapolis campus—roughly the size
of 21 football fields.
As an urban college, Augsburg recognizes that thoughtful stewardship of
this finite resource is critical to its success in serving students and providing
an affordable, high-quality educational experience.
That’s why, in 2010, a cross-functional team—including
faculty, staff, and outside consultants—established the
Augsburg Campus Space and Master Plan. This 20-year strategic
vision for the use, reuse, and improvement of Augsburg’s nineblock urban campus identifies and integrates near-term priorities with future construction plans. The result is a logical,
cohesive progression of projects and enhancements that work
in concert to enable the College to achieve its long-term vision
for the campus.
“How we use our space is part of how we express our priorities and tell our story—how we live out our mission and
promise to students,” said Tammy McGee, Augsburg vice president and chief financial officer.
“One of the core tenets of the Campus Space and Master
Plan is that Augsburg College, in its current footprint, has
enough space to deliver on its mission,” said McGee, who led
the year-long planning commission effort. The focus of the
long-term plan is on stewardship—“building to replace, fix, or
improve our spaces, not necessarily to have more space,” she
said.
The master plan’s focus on student experience is evident
in that it is built around the College’s No. 1 campus priority:
the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion. The
center will be constructed on the west side of 21st Avenue
South, across from the James G. Lindell Library, replacing the
existing Science Hall, which was built in 1949.
“Augsburg’s vision for the Center for Science, Business,
and Religion is a physical manifestation of the interdisciplinary inquiry and critical thinking our faculty bring into classroom and lab experiences every day,” said Barbara Farley, vice
president of academic affairs and dean of the College.
“Augsburg believes that co-locating and fostering deep inquiry
across these academic disciplines will prepare our students to
be the problem solvers, leaders, and citizens our community
and nation will need in the 21st century.”
While the College continues the
fundraising effort for the Center for
Science, Business, and Religion,
the campus master plan guides
progress on other campus and interior space improvements that help
prepare for and complement the
new building.
One of the main goals in improving campus space usage,
according to David Draus, Augsburg Facilities Management
director, is to create adjacencies—locating departments
that work together near each other to help improve their
effectiveness.
A prime example of this work was the Gage Center for
Student Success and Groves Technology Center, which opened
in the spring of 2012, co-locating a range of student support
services at the heart of campus. (See “Gage Center for
Student Success” in the summer 2012 Augsburg Now.)
Following this model, the College moved its career and internship services staff into the newly renovated Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work this summer. (See sidebar, page 14.)
“Because of the vision and generosity of the Strommen,
Gage, and Groves families, Augsburg was able to enter this
academic year with two new, beautiful spaces dedicated to
The Center for Science, Business, and Religion
12
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work overlooks the Quad from the main level of Christensen Center. Directly outside its floor-to-ceiling
windows is the “Burning Bush” sculpture, funded in 1989 by Clair and Gladys Strommen and created by Augsburg Professor Emeritus of Art, Norm Holen.
serving students throughout their educational journeys and
beyond,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow. “By
locating these centers in such highly visible, high-traffic areas,
we expect a dramatic increase in the number of students who
will take advantage of the academic and career services
Augsburg offers.”
With the opening of the Gage Center, several student support departments moved out of Science Hall, which, Draus
said, opened up space for additional moves that better support
student and department needs. For example, Augsburg’s signature Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO)
program moved to a larger space in Science Hall, and that
shift enabled the College to expand its psychology labs and to
add student and faculty space in mathematics and environmental studies. The Department of Nursing also moved to
Science Hall—at least until that building is ready to be
razed—as the department had outgrown its former suite in
Memorial Hall.
“As much as is possible with these moves, we are working
to minimize the amount of disruption and relocation that will
be required when the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion is built,” Draus said. URGO, psychology, mathematics, and environmental studies are all slated to move out of
Science Hall to the new Center once it is built.
The College’s space upgrades also include several highprofile projects in Christensen Center. This past fall, the
College moved all of its admissions operations—first-year,
transfer, adult undergraduate, and graduate—together in a
welcoming new suite in the lower level of Christensen Center,
creating a warm and engaging first impression for visiting
prospective students and their families. This move also created important adjacencies. With the new Strommen Center
for Meaningful Work just upstairs from the Office of
Admissions, campus tours now “begin with the end in mind”
by talking with families about how the entire Augsburg educational experience prepares students for postgraduate and lifelong learning and success.
As with the Gage Center, co-locating the admissions teams
created additional opportunities for repurposing space in
Christensen Center. One of the major results was a newly refurbished suite for Augsburg Abroad, the International Student and
Scholar Services team, and the College’s multicultural student
services directors. The new location for these groups is just
down the hall from the admissions office and the Campus
Activities and Orientation department. So now, the admissions
team can easily introduce prospective students to staff and
programs that support some of the major life-changing opportunities that a college experience provides.
Augsburg Abroad, International Student and Scholar
Services, and the multicultural student services directors previously were housed in Murphy Place, which was originally
built in 1964 as a temporary structure across 7½ Avenue
from Murphy Square park. With those groups now in
Christensen Center and Augsburg’s Center for Global Education
relocated in the Anderson Hall suite that formerly housed the
Strommen Center, Murphy Place was vacated and, as outlined
in the Campus Space and Master Plan, was scheduled to be
razed. The campus master plan does not call for developing
the land where Murphy Place previously stood until other,
higher-priority construction projects are completed, but it
does outline a long-term vision for creating a green-space
gathering area in that location.
While there certainly were numerous changes on campus in
the past year, not all campus improvements involve relocation.
&
SCIENCE BUSINESS RELIGION
Fall 2012
13
“Many of the improvements involved upgrading furniture to foster more collaboration and interaction in existing
spaces,” said Matt Rumpza, director of Purchasing and
Central Support Services. Two examples of these kinds of
upgrades include the casual learning spaces in Old Main and
outside the Enrollment Center—a centralized services location where students can meet with a financial aid counselor,
process late registrations, and work with the Registrar’s
office to finalize their graduation application.
“We also did significant renovations in Hoversten
Chapel,” Rumpza said. Upgrades included introducing a
new sound system, recarpeting the stage risers, and refurbishing the chairs for the chapel and nearby TjornhomNelson Theater (see “Around the Quad,” page 5). “Rather
than throw the existing 600 chairs into a landfill, we were
able to hire a locally owned business to recover and refurbish them,” Rumpza said. “We get a refreshed look for our
chapel while supporting the vitality of our neighborhood.”
Old Main
The Enrollment Center
14
Augsburg Now
Cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Clair and Gladys Strommen
Center for Meaningful Work is Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46. She is joined by her
family [L to R], granddaughter Tjersti Strommen ’07, son Robert Strommen ’74,
grandson Bjorn Strommen, and grandson Hans Strommen ’04, along with
Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow.
Clair and Gladys Strommen Center
for Meaningful Work moves
to campus student center
On September 28, members of the Clair ’46 and Gladys Strommen
family joined Augsburg students, staff, and faculty at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for
Meaningful Work in its new, central location on the main level of
Christensen Center. Located within eyesight of Einstein Bros. Bagels
and directly on the path to the stairwell to the Christensen Commons,
the Strommen Center makes a statement to hundreds of passers-by
each day about Augsburg’s commitment to helping students find
meaningful work.
“Meaningful work, or discerning one’s vocational calling, is not
just about being successful in one’s career,” said Amy Gort, assistant
vice president and dean of arts and sciences. “Vocation is about
developing and using your gifts to serve others. So, it involves understanding not only your own strengths but also the larger context of
where those talents and strengths can best be put to use. This exploration is an important part of what makes an Augsburg education
unique.”
“This Center is a place where students, both past and present,
can get the assistance they need” in finding meaningful work, said
Gladys Strommen, who spoke at the grand opening ceremony. “Four
generations of the Strommen family have been part of Augsburg,” she
said. “Clair [Gladys’ husband, who passed away in 2001] would be so
pleased that this Center has become a reality.”
Clair and Gladys’ son, Bob Strommen, also spoke at the dedication event, honoring the work his mother has done over the years to
fulfill the dreams of both of his parents. “The gift [to fund the relocation of the Center] was an event, but the hope is that the Center will
be a journey—for the College, as well as for faculty, staff, students,
and alumni. We all come [to college] for an education,” he said, “but
the dream is to leave and have a meaningful life. To help our students
have an impact on what’s important to them in their lives—that’s our
hope for this Center.”
auggie voices
Music with a mission
Since her graduation from Augsburg
College, Sarah Elhardt ’06 has gone
from playing piano and French horn
arrangements in Hoversten Chapel and
Sateren Auditorium to performing experimental, orchestral indie rock at concert
venues and music festivals across the
United States.
In 2008, the multi-instrumentalist
joined Minneapolis-based band Cloud
Cult—a nationally acclaimed group recognized by Rolling Stone magazine for
its commitment to the environment.
Elhardt said her music education at
Augsburg prepared her for performing on
three instruments and singing during
Cloud Cult shows, but she laughed when
she acknowledged that during her time
at the College she was more accustomed
to “playing gospel praise” than rock
music.
Preparation for meaningful work
Elhardt enrolled at Augsburg because she
wanted to continue her family’s tradition
of attending a private Lutheran college.
Originally from a northern suburb of the
Twin Cities metro area, Elhardt sought to
establish roots in the art and music
scenes of Minnesota’s most urban city.
She declared majors in music and
marketing communication—degree programs that allowed her to develop skills
required in a variety of careers. “I was
always trying to figure out how music performance, teaching, and arts administration could be a part of my life,” she said.
After graduation, Elhardt worked in
arts administration at the Minnesota
Orchestra and the Dakota Jazz Club. In
2007, she founded her own piano studio
through which she instructs more than
40 students. Teaching allows Elhardt to
positively impact her community while
sharing her passion for music with a
younger generation.
Yet, Elhardt said she also felt called
to use her musical talents for performance. The opportunity to join Cloud Cult
aligned with her vocational goal and her
desire to be a thoughtful steward of the
Earth’s environment.
Cloud Cult: Music and mission
Cloud Cult, formed in 1995, was
described in a 2008 Rolling Stone article as “extremely environmentally conscious: They tour in a biodiesel van,
record in a geothermal-powered studio,
and even printed their liner notes on
recycled paper with nontoxic vegetable
oils.”
The band’s green focus resounded
with Elhardt. “I had found a way to play
music and love playing music,” she said.
“I’m sharing a positive message around
the world.”
Cloud Cult performs in venues across
the U.S., and many of the shows occur
in environmentally friendly cities such as
Boston, New York, Portland, and Seattle.
Elhardt joined Cloud Cult on stage in
Chicago’s famed Millennium Park this
past summer, and few venues seem a
more perfect fit for a performance by the
band. Millennium Park’s creation transformed more than two dozen acres of
industrial wasteland into a world-class
center for art and music. Cloud Cult
crafts multimedia art during each of its
performances, and the eight-person
group includes two trained artists who
start with a blank canvas at the beginning of each show, which adds a visual
aspect to the concert experience.
Cloud Cult performances are opportunities to mix art forms, indie-rock, and
environmental activism. Band members
like Elhardt see their openhearted songs
as a call to action toward a greener
world.
“It’s music with a purpose, not just
another rock band,” she said.
LAURA SWANSON
Fall 2012
15
auggie days
CITY SERVICE DAY
September 4, 2012
Every year on the day before fall semester classes
begin, first-year and new undergraduate transfer students in the day program participate in City Service
Day projects in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. Students are organized into “AugSem” groups
according to their anticipated fields of study. The purpose of AugSem is to help new students embrace the
learning community at Augsburg by encountering the
community, engaging in the learning process, and
exploring their academic interests. Students meet with
their AugSem faculty and student leaders throughout
their first semester.
En route to Aesthetic Apparatus
Powderhorn Park
16
Augsburg Now
Focus Minnesota
Brian Coyle Community Center
Mixed Blood Theatre
KFAI Radio
Cedar Cultural Center
Mississippi River
West Bank Business Association
Cedar Riverside Community School
Trinity Lutheran Congregation
Augsburg Community Garden
Korean Peace Garden
More than 400 students, faculty, and staff served at 20
locations throughout the community on City Service Day.
Bethany Lutheran Church
SPOKES
Aesthetic Apparatus
Seward Montessori School
Holy Rosary Church
Matthew’s Center
Minnesota Indian Women’s
Resource Center
Bedlam Theatre
Focus Minnesota
Powderhorn Park
Fall 2012
17
New Auggie Tradition
begins with Class of 2016
PICTURE THIS:
Hoversten Chapel is packed with nearly
400 first-year students, excited about
beginning their Augsburg classes after a
week of Auggie Days orientation activities.
They are grouped into the “neighborhoods” they’ve been connected to since
their summer orientation: CedarRiverside, Downtown East, Downtown
West, Hiawatha, Loring Park, Midtown
Phillips, Powderhorn Park, Seward, and
University.
They’ve just learned who won each of
the events they competed in during the
Neighborhood Challenge, one of the
most highly anticipated activities of
Auggie Days:
• Auggie Pride for the neighborhood that
sported the most Augsburg bling—
18
Augsburg Now
shirts, buttons, lanyards, and more!
• Scavenger Hunt all across campus
• Knowledge Bowl about Auggie trivia,
which is not so trivial after all
• Pie-Eating Contest
• Obstacle Course through a giant
inflatable bounce house in Murphy
Square park
• Water Relay celebrating the Land of
10,000 Lakes
In the chapel, they begin shouting their
neighborhood cheers, trying to drown out
every other neighborhood.
The orientation leaders (OLs), a
group of 18 returning students who have
guided, encouraged, and supported
these first-year students, file up to the
front of the chapel. They are welcomed
with thunderous applause.
And then, the big finale comes,
thanks to biology professor Jennifer
Bankers-Fulbright (called “Dr. B” by her
students). It’s the call-back cheer she
originated.
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
Can’t you just hear it? It’s a new year
marked by a new tradition.
Watch the video at ow.ly/dEBWh
WE ARE CALLED auggies
my
Auggie
experience
Tina Prchal (left) and Wendi Wheeler ’06 (right).
Helping a new Auggie get Started
On the first Saturday of the 2012 Weekend and Evening
College (WEC) fall term, Tina Prchal seemed as excited and
nervous about returning to college as you might expect a new
student to be. Tina met with me on that first day of classes
through Augsburg’s “Start” program, which helps new WEC
students transition to Augsburg and provides WEC alumni an
opportunity to help those new Auggies navigate their college
experience.
At lunch in the Quad between Tina’s morning and afternoon classes, she talked about her first class—algebra. She
said she loved her professor, but she was nervous about studying math after more than 20 years away from the subject. She
also talked about her previous college experience, her current
job, her family, her long commute to campus in the winter,
and her career and educational goals.
As I listened to Tina, I remembered my own feelings about
beginning classes at Augsburg in 2001. Like Tina, I looked
forward to being a student again but was also anxious about
getting good grades, balancing life and work obligations with
schoolwork, making friends, and, frankly, being able to stick
with the program in order to complete my degree. What I
know now, and what I shared with Tina that day, was just how
much support is available at Augsburg for all students.
For 30 years, students in Augsburg’s weekend and
evening programs have achieved the goal of obtaining a
degree through their own dedication and with the encouragement of staff and faculty. The Start program now gives WEC
alumni an opportunity to join in to support students and help
them achieve success at Augsburg.
So how is it going for Tina? After her first week, she said
she felt less intimidated. “I was afraid that I wasn’t going to
be successful in my classes, but seeing that other students
felt the same way as I did gave me confidence,” she said.
“I’m so very glad I transferred to Augsburg.”
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH A NEW AUGGIE
If you are a WEC alum, you can help support a new adult
undergraduate student through the Augsburg Start program.
Contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or
gransp@augsburg.edu to volunteer for the upcoming winter
or spring trimester.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Fall 2012
19
Augsburg College
2011-2012
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Augsburg College realized its
most successful fundraising year in fiscal 2012, with $14,815,000
received from 4,350 donors.
This philanthropy supports building and ongoing maintenance
projects, financial aid, salaries, and other resources that allow
Augsburg to provide a quality education to more than 4,000 students in our undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis
and Rochester, Minn. But more importantly, your gifts enhance and
continue to grow the quality of teaching and learning at Augsburg,
helping the College to attract gifted, ambitious students and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide them.
Your gifts help Augsburg educate future thinkers, stewards, leaders, and
citizens of our world. We invite you to meet two outstanding Auggies:
Jazmine Darden ’13, a mathematics and physics major, McNair Scholar, Phillips Scholar,
North Star STEM Scholar, GEMS/GISE summer camp leader, and member of the residence
life student staff.
Eric Dooley ’13, a physics and secondary education major, Regents’ Scholar, Christensen
Scholar, physics tutor, and offensive lineman and four-year starter for the Auiggie football team.
20
Augsburg Now
To read more about Jazmine and
Eric, go to augsburg.edu/now
2011-2012 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
REVENUE BY SOURCE
Tuition
70%
Room and board
11%
Private gifts and grants
11%
Government grants
4%
Other sources
4%
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
Salary and benefits
44%
Financial aid
26%
Operating expenses*
18%
Debt service
4%
Equipment and capital improvements
3%
Utilities and insurance
3%
Student salaries
2%
*Expenses in this category include: facility repairs and maintenance, information
technology expenditures, marketing expenditures, membership dues and fees,
outside consultants, supplies, and travel and business meetings.
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
$25.4
2004
$29.8
$28.2
$27.2 $27.8
May 31, 2012
$29,778,094
$24.5
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2012 ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
2011
2012
We are committed to maintaining the value of
the principal gifts and providing support to the
College in perpetuity. As of May 31, 2012,
Augsburg had annual realized and unrealized
losses of 8.91 percent on its endowment. Our
five-year average annual return on the endowment is -1.61 percent, and the ten-year average annual return is 2.72 percent.
(IN MILLIONS)
Please visit augsburg.edu/giving/report for our 2012 Honor Roll of Donors.
Fall 2012
21
it takes an
Auggie
Augsburg Associates
The Augsburg College Associates is a
service auxiliary of volunteers including
alumni and friends of Augsburg whose
mission includes fundraising for special
projects and scholarships in support of the College.
Throughout the year, the Associates manage estate
and moving sales in the Minneapolis and St. Paul
metro area and host a boutique and buffet for the
annual Velkommen Jul celebration at Augsburg. For the
past two years, they have also had a booth at the Taste
of Augsburg during Homecoming weekend. The
Associates have given to Augsburg more than a half
million dollars from their fundraising efforts for projects, including:
• creation of the Welcome Desk in Christensen Center,
• renovation of the Green Room in Foss Center,
• renovations of the Augsburg and Marshall rooms in
Christensen Center,
• creation of the Special Collections room in Lindell
Library, and
• purchase of the Dobson pipe organ in Hoversten
Chapel.
Thank you, Augsburg Associates, for your commitment to
supporting Augsburg and our students!
22
Augsburg Now
HOMECOMING
During the past few years, the Augsburg Homecoming festivities
have expanded beyond the classic class reunions, and this year
was no exception. Homecoming 2012 included a reception for
recent graduates, a reunion of the famed Cabaret Singers, a new networking breakfast for Latina and Latino alumni, a Silver Auggie
reunion for alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago, a football game watch reception hosted by the A-Club, and anniversary
celebrations for the Master of Arts in Leadership program (25 years)
and the Weekend and Evening College (30 years). More than 2,000 alumni and friends came to campus for
Homecoming 2012 to reconnect with former classmates and professors and to enjoy the Auggie spirit.
Homecoming provides an opportunity for all Augsburg alumni to stay connected to the College.
Save the date for Homecoming 2013: September 23 to 28. If you are interested in serving on your reunion
committee or volunteering to help plan events, contact alumni@augsburg.edu. For more information, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni for more information.
2012
go auggies
Fall 2012
23
24
Augsburg Now
2012 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni
Awards
Bruce Brekke ’70
CEO of Heartland America
I’ve always been
proud to be an
Auggie.To know that
Augsburg is proud of
me is very special. I
meet successful people every day. Most
are just like me: ordinary people. Don’t
ever let anyone tell you that you can’t,
you won’t, you’ll never. Thanks,
Augsburg, for the most transformational years of my life.
First Decade Award
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
Joyce Miller ’02, ’05 MAN, ’11 DNP
Dale Hanka ’60
Retired Mayo Clinic nurse manager
and assistant director, Mayo Clinic
research study coordinator, and
Augsburg faculty member
Former teacher, real estate agent,
financial planner, bank president,
and title company owner; founder of
the Dale and Carolyn Hanka Business
Scholarship
As nurses, we have
lots of scientific
knowledge to use in
helping care for our
patients, but the
patients are the
experts, not us. We
need to walk alongside of them and
understand their stories. Otherwise,
how will we know what they need for
health care?
Richard Ekstrand ’72
Founder of Rural Cellular
Corporation, now part of Verizon
Wireless, and board member for
American Solutions for Business
The seeds planted in
college really helped
prepare me: Be a
good steward; be
humble; encourage
others to succeed.
These were the foundations for my company’s ideology.
Surround yourself with good people,
and you and they will be successful.
I volunteer because I
care and because I
can. I always say,
“Give until it feels
good.” My family,
faith, and my experience at Augsburg
have all worked together to make my
life successful.
Dick “Pork Chops” Thompson ’61
Athletic Hall of Fame
Congratulations to the alumni who
have been inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame:
Allan Berg ’68, football/men’s basketball
Jennifer Coyle Rhoads ’97, softball
John Evans ’82, men’s hockey
Jack Grengs ’88, baseball
Kurt Habeck ’91, wrestling
Anne Richter ’86, volleyball/softball
Former teacher, co-founder of Mobile
Sports Athletic Camps, president and
owner of Playmore Travel
You don’t do [the
things that earn you
awards] because you
want to get awards.
You do them
because that’s what
you’ve been taught
to do. There are so many people
deserving of this award. It’s an honor to
receive it.
Meg Schmidt Sawyer ’00, women’s
hockey/softball
John Selstad ’67
Retired senior vice president,
National Chronic Care Consortium;
lead staff (retired) at the Minnesota
Department of Human Services and
the Minnesota Board on Aging
Augsburg played a
formative role for
me, but it was the
people of Augsburg
who influenced me
most. We need to
carry on that outreach; all 24,000 alumni must carry
out the charge to serve our neighbor.
Timothy Tousignant ’91, wrestling
2012 Coaching Excellence Awards:
For biographies and more information
about this year’s award winners, go to
augsburg.edu/now
Larry Hoff ’66, football
Timothy Theisen ’93, men’s basketball
homecoming
alumni awards
Fall 2012
25
weekend
and evening
30
college
years
26
Augsburg Now
BY LAURA SWANSON
Weekend and Evening College
celebrates 30th anniversary
Augsburg’s Weekend
and Evening College
for three decades has
offered nontraditional undergraduate students the opportunity to obtain their
bachelor’s degrees through a schedule
that accommodates full-time employment, parenthood, and the countless
other time commitments present in an
adult learner’s life.
Augsburg was among the first colleges and universities in its region to
offer classes in the evening and weekend
format. The weekend and evening program was founded in the spring of 1982
with 69 students and a single major.
Today more than 800 adult students are
enrolled in 17 degree programs at
Augsburg’s Minneapolis location and
Rochester campus. Since its founding,
Weekend and Evening College has fulfilled a need for adult education in the
Twin Cities’ and Rochester’s higher education markets, and it has aligned with
Augsburg’s commitment to intentional
diversity.
“Like with all of the categories of
diversity, there are inherent challenges
and benefits,” said Lori Peterson, assistant vice president and dean of graduate
and professional studies. “We believe
that our students come to us with gifts
and that we—as an institution—are
changed because of their presence. Nontraditional students have brought to us a
greater understanding of what it means
to value lifelong learning.
“We all have many vocations in our
lives, and the vocation of a student can
come at any time,” she continued. “Nontraditional students allow the College to be
deeply aware of what it means to say that
years
we’re an institution of learning for all.”
The College continually has sought to
offer students the “highest quality option
in the Twin Cities’ adult education market,” according to John Schmit, former
director of Weekend and Evening College
and current chair of the English
Department. At Augsburg, it’s worth noting that adult learners are instructed by
full-time faculty members whose expertise is key to students’ exceptional education, Schmit said.
Today, as it did when Weekend and
Evening College was founded 30 years
ago, Augsburg seeks to provide innovative
adult education that meets market
needs. This year, in advance of the
College’s 2014 reaccreditation process
with the Higher Learning Commission
and in response to changes in federal
regulations regarding minimum credit
contact hours, Augsburg faculty and staff
are exploring possible schedule and format changes that will enable the College
to meet the education requirements,
and—most importantly—to further the
College’s call to serve traditional and
nontraditional students.
In this edition of Augsburg Now, we
invite you to read how an Augsburg education shaped the lives of several
Weekend and Evening Auggies.
To learn more about Weekend and
Evening College and its programs, visit
augsburg.edu/weekend.
To read how an Augsburg education changed the
lives of three other Weekend and Evening College
students, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Patrick BAYLE ’12
Matt VAN ZANT ’08
Sharon WADE ’08
30th Anniversary Breakfast
The Weekend and Evening College hosted an anniversary breakfast in conjunction with
Augsburg’s 2012 Homecoming week. Alumni, faculty members, and friends met in the Oren
Gateway Center lobby to celebrate three decades of adult education. Guests reconnected
with former classmates and met current students.
Fall 2012
27
Karen
’05
HARTZ
“There was a hole in my
life, and I knew I could fill
it by going back to school
and getting my degree.”
years
years
28
Augsburg Now
Karen Hartz ’05 enrolled in Augsburg’s
Weekend and Evening College because earning a college degree was her lifelong goal.
“I was missing something,” Hartz said. “I
knew that I had excelled in my career, but I
wanted to go through the classroom experience. I wanted to meet fellow students, take
exams, write papers, and do everything else
students do. There was a hole in my life, and
I knew I could fill it by going back to school
and getting my degree.”
Hartz declared a major in communication
studies because she believed sharpening her
organizational communication skills would
positively impact her vocation.
For more than 20 years, Hartz has worked
as a church administrator—a role, she said,
she fell into by “happenstance.” While in her
mid-30s, Hartz switched from a career in
banking and finance to one where she could
serve her church congregation. Her professional career since has led her to work for
multiple suburban churches in the Twin Cities
metro area, and in 2009 she became the
director of operations at Minneapolis’
Plymouth Congregational Church.
“I love the challenge of being in an urban
setting and having the pulse of city life
around me,” Hartz said. “I experience all
that’s going on in the neighborhood and in the
community.”
As with all of her previous church administration roles, her position at Plymouth
Congregational Church requires quick thinking
and a “ready-for-anything” attitude. Hartz
oversees approximately 20 employees on the
church’s support staff team, and each of her
workdays is unique. “I never know exactly
what is going to come up,” she explained. “I
could have a tree fall down, or a plumbing
leak, or an HR problem, or maybe an issue
with donor giving.
“I believe that in order to work as a
church administrator, as with any ministry
position, you need to be called to serve
because it can be tough, tough, tough work,”
she added.
Hartz dedicates more than 40 hours a
week to her job, and she juggles numerous
volunteer and family commitments that
require much of her time. She said that
Augsburg’s adult undergraduate program
accommodated her schedule as a working
adult and supported her educational
ambitions.
“I went to school thinking that the professors were going to be very strict,” Hartz
recalled. But, she soon realized that the first
priority of faculty members and academic
advisers was to help her succeed at the
College. “The people at Augsburg respect
adult students and understand that we all
have very busy lives with families and jobs,”
Hartz said.
Hartz wanted to live the college experience firsthand, but she also wanted to finish
her degree by the time she turned 50 so that
she could move on to new life goals.
And she did it—with a month to spare.
James
’07
CHAMBERS
“I don’t think I would have
been able to complete my
degrees and work full time
to support my family without this program.”
years
James “Bubba” Chambers ’07 sums up his
typical workday in one word—“busy.”
And that, he says, is exactly how he
wants to spend his time. As an accounts
payable supervisor at Ecolab, Chambers
works on accounting tasks, corporate banking, tax analysis, and so many other duties
he can barely relay the list in a single
breath. But, even if he must pause,
Chambers undoubtedly will mention that he
supervises other staff members.
In 2004, Chambers enrolled in
Augsburg’s accounting program through the
Weekend and Evening College because he
needed a bachelor’s degree in order to find
a job that matched his skill level and desire
for leadership.
Chambers served in the U.S. Navy for
20 years and retired from the military as a
chief petty officer in 2001. While enlisted,
he worked as a course supervisor for an
eight-week school house program. The Navy
uses the school house model to educate
and train servicemen and servicewomen for
specialized roles. The training activities
that Chambers managed prepared sailors
for their first duty assignment by teaching
them payroll and travel entitlement
procedures.
Chambers sought an Augsburg education because he knew that the College was
renowned for its business programs and
that furthering his education would enable
him to find a challenging civilian vocation
where he could return to a supervisory role.
“It was upsetting to have the qualifications to do a job and know the only thing I
was missing was a four-year degree,”
Chambers said.
At Augsburg, Chambers took two
classes each term to maintain full-time
enrollment status, a requirement for his
G.I. tuition benefit. Some of his military
experience fulfilled course requirements at
the College, and he finished the accounting
degree in 2007. Chambers secured his job
at Ecolab a few months before completing
the accounting program, and he later
returned to Augsburg to obtain his finance
degree when the company granted him
funds for continued education.
“I’m glad that Augsburg offered the
Weekend and Evening College,” Chambers
said. “I don’t think I would have been able
to complete my degrees and work full time
to support my family without this program.”
Signs of a liberal arts education
As an Augsburg student, Chambers ’07 took American
Sign Language (ASL) classes to fulfill his modern language core curriculum requirement. Chambers completed accounting and finance degrees through the
Weekend and Evening College and now uses his business savvy during each workday.
He also applies his second language skills to his new
night and weekend gig—serving as the fifth and sixth
grade assistant football coach in Eagan, Minn.
Chambers communicates with the mother of one of his
players using ASL. He said his ability to sign allows the
parent and the player to feel more involved in the football program.
Fall 2012
29
years
It’s uncommon
for an incoming
student to visit
every college and
university within
a five-state area
before determining that
Augsburg is the
perfect fit.
Jennifer Weber ’11 for nearly 10
years worked as an Indian education
advisor in the Anoka-Hennepin School
District and took high school students on
more college tours than she could count.
While her job was to encourage her students to obtain bachelor’s degrees, she
awaited the opportunity when she, too,
could become a college student.
That’s why Weber accepted a layoff
intended to downsize her employer’s
Indian education department. In return,
she received financial assistance from a
dislocated worker program that would
allow her to attend Augsburg’s adult
undergraduate program. Weber called the
Augsburg American Indian Student
Services office upon taking the layoff and
within two days was registered for
classes.
“There was no looking back once I
set my mind to it,” Weber said. “I
thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, I’m
going to do it completely.’ I was a 16year-old mom, and I watched all of my
friends go off to college. I wanted to say
that I still had that experience; I just had
it at a different time.”
Weber declared a triple major in
emotional/behavioral disabilities, learning
disabilities, and American Indian studies,
and she participated in an Augsburg
Abroad trip to Chiapas, Mexico. She
30
Augsburg Now
Jennifer
anticipated that her study-abroad experience would change her perspectives on
education and American Indian studies
by introducing her to a new culture, but
she found she was most engaged by discussions surrounding water contamination and the unequal distribution of water
resources to native peoples. “An elder
asked us, ‘Now that you’ve been here and
you’ve seen our communities, are you
going to go home and forget about us?
Or, are you going to go home and do
something?’”
Weber felt called to raise water conservation awareness and later learned of
the Mother Earth Water Walk through an
event held at Augsburg College. The
water walk was established by
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) who regard themselves as the caretakers of the Great
Lakes. The walk called attention to the
need to conserve water as the source of
all life. “I left the event that night and
everything made sense to me,” Weber
said. “This was my chance to do something.”
During the water walk, Anishinaabe
grandmothers, women, men, and youth
from Canada and the United States carried water to Bad River, Wis., from the
Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the
Atlantic Ocean, and the Hudson Bay.
Weber coordinated the southern direction
water walk. She found lodging for participants, acquired donations, and joined
walkers on their journeys—all the while
finishing her coursework at Augsburg in
preparation for graduation.
Today Weber continues to raise water
conservation awareness, and she, with
Native educators from across Minnesota,
is writing a curriculum that will accompany a Mississippi River water walk
WEBER ’11
slated to begin during March 2013. The
curriculum will be made accessible
online to any school or organization working with youth. “If you want to make an
effective change, you must start with
children,” Weber said.
Since her Augsburg graduation,
Weber has resumed her meaningful
vocation working with Twin Cities
youths. She now serves Cedar-Riverside
Community School as a behavior specialist, K-8 special education teacher,
and athletic director.
By working in the Augsburg neighborhood, Weber serves her alma mater in a
unique way. She is in the midst of a collaborative project with Augsburg education department faculty members
Elizabeth Madson Ankeny and Dee
Vodicka to create hands-on learning
opportunities for students in Augsburg’s
weekend and evening program. The students learn about positive behavioral
interventions through an on-site classroom experience at the Cedar-Riverside
Community School. Research on the collaborative project’s success in teaching
Augburg students has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Weber.
Ankeny, Vodicka, and Weber presented observations from the collaboration at the Teacher Education Division for
the Council for Exceptional Children
national conference in November in
Grand Rapids, Mich. Their presentation
was titled, “A Walk from Campus to a
Neighborhood School: Preservice
Teachers’ Experiences in a Partner
School.”
It seems Weber’s educational journey with Augsburg College will continue
to fork—like a river—at each new
opportunity.
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
a
save the date
s I reconnected with former classmates and teammates during the
Homecoming 2012 festivities, I
was again reminded how important it is
for Auggie alumni to support one
another. The entrepreneurial impulse is
strong in Auggies, and many of us
choose to launch new businesses. Augsburg is committed to
helping alumni-owned businesses through the new Auggie Food
and Fun Deals program.
If you are an alum and a business owner, Auggie Food
and Fun Deals can increase the visibility of your business and
drive customers to
you, provide an
attractive benefit
for our fellow
alumni, and
deliver a modest
return to the
College. Through
the Auggie Food and Fun Deals program, you can reach more
than 15,000 alumni households—a great pool of potential
customers for alumni-owned or managed hospitality, retail,
and food-related businesses. The program is free to alumni,
and I encourage you to contact Laura Roller, senior director of
corporate, government, and foundation relations, at
roller@augsburg.edu to learn more.
Another program that supports Auggies is the Maroon Pages,
a directory of businesses and services offered by Augsburg
alumni. Participation in Maroon Pages is free, so please email
alumni@augsburg.edu for more information.
Save the date for one of my favorite opportunities to connect with fellow Auggies—the Student and Alumni Networking
event on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Please consider volunteering your time that evening to teach students how to
network. I was fortunate to meet Dennis Som ’12 at the event
last year, and we have continued to stay in contact. The relationship has benefited both of us!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Alumni and student networking event
Wednesday, February 13
6-8 p.m.
Au
gg
Chief ie Eag
le
Spir
it Off
icer
The Augsburg Alumni Board
invites you to an evening of networking. Connect with fellow
Auggie alumni from a variety of
professions and help Augsburg students hone their professional networking skills as they prepare to
venture out into the working
world. Program details will
be available soon. You may
register to participate at
augsburg.edu/alumni.
FIND US ON
FACEBOOK
AND TWITTER
Facebook pages you
should “like:”
Augsburg College—the official page of
the College
Augsburg College Alumni Association—all
the alumni news you need, and a great
way to connect with your Auggie friends
Auggie Eagle—be Auggie’s friend
Augsburg College Young Alumni & Recent
Graduates—connect with alumni who have
graduated in the past ten years
Follow us on Twitter:
@AugsburgCollege
@AugsburgAuggies
Fall 2012
31
Courtesy photo
alumni news
World-renowned scientists present
to Augsburg alumni in Norway
Renewable energy, the green economy, and partnership opportunities between the United States and Norway were topics of a lateSeptember meeting of more than 30 Augsburg College alumni in
Norway. The meeting was led by Clayton V. McNeff ’91, vice
president of research at SarTec, Ever Cat Fuels LLC, Mcgyan
Biodiesel LLC, McNeff Research Consultants, and ZirChrom
Separations, and Alf Bjørseth, chairman of Scatec AS, a business development company focused on renewable energy and
environmentally friendly advanced materials.
The two men, each with extensive credentials in green
technologies, met at the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
hosted and coordinated by Augsburg College. McNeff is the cocreator of the innovative Mcgyan biodiesel production process,
and Bjørseth is the founder of one of the world’s largest solar
energy companies.
Augsburg College has partnered with schools in Norway for
more than 15 years to welcome international students to its
Minneapolis campus. This relationship has resulted in a large
alumni population in the country. The September green economy event was part of an ongoing effort to connect and engage
Alf Bjørseth, President Paul C. Pribbenow, Clayton McNeff ’91
alumni with the College and to maintain Augsburg’s connection to its Norwegian heritage.
Augsburg also is connected to Norway through its work as
host of the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, held in cooperation
with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. The Forum is supported by the Norwegian Nobel
Institute, Augsburg’s sister Norwegian Lutheran colleges, and
community partners who share a commitment to education for
peace.
The 2013 Forum will be held March 8 to 10 on the campuses
of Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
The keynote speaker is Tawakkol Karman, 2011 Nobel Peace
Prize winner, journalist, and human rights activist.
Learn more at peaceprizeforum.org.
AN AUGSBURG
legacy
During Homecoming week this fall,
Augsburg Legacy students received an
“Auggie Family” photo frame from
President Pribbenow and Auggie Eagle.
Legacy students are those whose
grandparents, parents, or siblings are
Augsburg graduates or current students and students who are children
or spouses of ELCA pastors.
Congratulations, Legacy students, and
thank you for carrying on the Auggie
family tradition!
If a member of your family would
like information about becoming an
Auggie, contact the Office of
Admissions at 612-330-1001.
32
Augsburg Now
alumni tour
Join Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow
and fellow alumni and friends on this African tour
through South Africa and Namibia’s shared political past
and the popular tourist attractions and landmarks this history has created.
Learn first-hand about this historic region by visiting Cape Point where the Dutch Conquerors landed
and built a lighthouse, Table Mountain, and Robben
Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Tour
the former black and coloured townships and hear
from a cross-section of southern African society.
Discover how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Namibia played a significant role in opposition to
apartheid and was part of the Namibian independence
struggle.
This trip is offered in partnership between the
Augsburg College Alumni Association and Center for
Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg College. For more
than 25 years, CGE has provided cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local
and global conditions so that personal and systemic
change takes place, leading to a more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call
612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Courtesy photo
The Landmarks of South Africa and Namibia
August 11-24, 2013
@
auggies
THE TWINS GAME
Auggies Jason Bryan-Wegner ’01, Erica Bryan-Wegner
’01, Sarah Grans ’01, and Skylar Hanson ’01 represented Augsburg College and Thrivent at the Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans® Night at the Twins on July 30.
Janet Paone ’83 (not pictured) threw out the first pitch.
To watch the Augsburg video that was displayed on the big screen at Target Field
before the game, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Winter Eye-Opener Breakfast features Mike Good ’71
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013
Come hear from outgoing Augsburg College Board of Regents
Chair, Mike Good ’71, CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty. As
board chair, Good provided four years of outstanding leadership to the College. He is now taking on the critical role of
national campaign chair for the Center for Science, Business,
and Religion. Learn how Good’s undergraduate experience at
Augsburg equipped him to rise to the rank of CEO and why he continues to remain so engaged with his alma mater.
During his tenure at Sotheby’s, Good has been instrumental in attracting more than 150 quality real estate firms, representing nearly 500 offices from around the world, to join the
Sotheby's network. Under Good’s leadership, Sotheby’s has
won Franchise Business Review’s Best in Category for Real
Estate Franchisee Satisfaction award for the past three years.
It was also rated the most prestigious real estate company by
high-net worth consumers in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status
Index survey, and in 2009 was ranked second on Franchise
Times’ Fast 55 list.
Augsburg’s Eye-Opener Breakfast series provides an opportunity for alumni and friends to network and learn about current
issues in our community. The series is sponsored by Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans® Central Minnesota Regional Financial
Office. Cost is $5 per person, which includes breakfast and
presentation. RSVP at augsburg.edu/alumni.
Save the date for the spring Eye-Opener Breakfast, Thursday,
May 9, 2013.
Fall 2012
33
HOMECOMING 2012 REUNION CLASSES
SILVER AUGGIES—CLASS OF 1961 AND EARLIER
First Row [L to R]: Jeroy Carlson ’48, Eunice (Nystuen) Sortland, Grace (Forss) Herr ’57, Ruth Aaskov ’53, Charlotte (Kleven) Rimmereid ’52, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49;
Second Row [L to R]: Mert Strommen ’42, Harris Lee ’57, Farolyn (Johnson) Gehring ’56, Inez (Olson) Schwarzkopf ’59, Leroy Nyhus ’52, Arthur Rimmereid ’53, Louise Jones
’56, D. Josh Nelson ’57, Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50; Third Row [L to R]: Grace (Kemmer) Sulerud ’58, Leola (Dyrud) Furman ’61, Shelby (Gimse) Andress ’56; Fourth Row [L to R}:
Allan Sortland ’53, Virg Gehring ’57, Ainy Carlson, Paul Almquist ’59, Millie Nelson ’52, Dale Hanka ’60, Richard Thorud ’56, Larry Gallagher ’61, Dave Hanka ’60, Dick “Pork
Chops” Thompson ’61, Milt Kleven ’46, Jerry Peterson ’61
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1962
First Row [L to R]: Judy (Lerstad) Hill, Marjorie (Engevik) Espe, Maryann (Sorensen) Urban, Bonnie Pehrson, Jennelle (Johnson) Cunning, Mercia (Anderson) Fredrick, Joyce
(Gustafson) Hauge, Bunny (Beglinger) Larson, Barbara (Anderson) Stamp; Second Row [L to R]: Lois (Knutson) Larson, Kathy (Aaker) Casperson, Eugene Strand, David Fredrick,
Sally (Stuber) Cook, Marilyn (Olson) Gronner, Ann (Ring) Odegaard, Kay (Hanenburg) Madson; Third Row [L to R]: Loiell Dyrud, Ken Erickson, Paul Grover, John W. Christensen,
Eunice (Kyllo) Roberts, Julia (Ose) Grose, Rose Marie (Nordin) Anderson; Fourth Row [L to R]: Jack Osberg, Dean Larson, Paul Gunderson, Elaine (Pedersen) Gunderson
34
Augsburg Now
40-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1972
1. Linda (Engstrom) Akenson 2. Ron R. Johnson 3. Lorraine (Wietzke) Aaland 4. Sharon
Carlson 5. Rachel Iverson 6. Ken Wistrom 7. Sue Maahs 8. Judy (Bacon) Haugo 9.
Jennifer (Klema) Cuthbertson 10. Sue (Didrikson) Lisell 11. Karen Sandness 12. Jill
Steele 13. Susan (Lindbloom) Johnson 14. Larry Laingen 15. Jim Wolslegel 16. Marilyn
(Moxness) Hall 17. Ginny (Dahlen) Baali 18. Gail (Thacker) Ofstehage 19. Judy
(Mendenhall) Trimble 20. Nancy (Olson) Hrdlicka 21. Sue Anderson 22. Jim Agre 23.
George Dahlman 24. Joe Stork 25. Rob Engelson 26. Kathy (Langemo) Dugdale 27.
Jackie (Wolhart) Harvestine 28. Carol (Pederson) Jorgenson 29. Tom Fischer 30. Tom
Snell 31. Mary Kay (Johnson) Stensvaag 32. Saul Stensvaag 33. Michelle (Karkhoff)
Christianson 34. Bernelle (Mattson) Hansen 35. Kathy (Seim) Tilderquist 36. Cheryl (Lindroos) Martin 37. Cindy (Barr) Karels 38. Sandie (Youngquist) Kidder 39. Kristin (Parbst)
Rohde 40. Kristine Olson 41. David Christianson 42. Marius Anaházy 43. Jonathan Nye 44. Steve Frantz 45. Darla Frantz 46. Jan (Christensen) Tift 47. Linda (Truax) Johnson 48.
Tom Howe 49. Burton Haugen 50. Rick Ekstrand 51. Tom Haas
2013 REUNION CLASSES
Silver Auggies—Class of 1962 and earlier
Interested in volunteering?
50-Year Reunion—Class of 1963
If you would like to help make your reunion
a success, contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or
alumni@augsburg.edu. Save the date for
Homecoming 2013: September 23 to 28.
40-Year Reunion—Class of 1973
30-Year Reunion—Class of 1983
25-Year Reunion—Class of 1988
10-Year Reunion—Class of 2003
Fall 2012
35
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
30-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1982
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1987
[L to R]: Kari (Eklund) Logan, Gail (Sathre) Kaderlik, Lori LaBelle Bartz, Tia
(Opsahl) Schimek, Lori Moline, Brad Lehto, Tamara Cowan, Beth Anderson, Heidi
(Smith) Labyad, Kaia Knutson
Front Row [L to R]: Tammy Rider, Kathy (Trost) Amos, Anne
(Skurdalsvold) Johnson; Second Row [L to R]: Cheryl (Witsoe) Dudley,
Angela (Schilling) Aitken; Back Row [L to R]: Charles Jorenby, Chris
Hahn, Doug Johnson
Courtesy photo
auggie reunions
10-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 2002
Members of the Class of 2002 [pictured above] gathered to celebrate and
reconnect during Homecoming week.
The 10-year reunion committee includes Ben Carlson, Heather (Schwartz) Cmiel,
Jackie (Heyda) Eyberg, Michael Fasching, Britt Gilbertson, Nick Slack, Robert
Wagner, and Brooke (Stoeckel) Whaylen.
36
Augsburg Now
alumni class notes
54Corinne, coauthored a book 72elected president of the
staff qualification manager at
Seagate Technology.
from Princeton Theological
Seminary on May 19.
Minnesota Construction
Association in 2012. She is the first
woman to serve in this position.
99James Johnson, and their
11at St. Paul Preparatory, was
76
daughter, Stella (3), welcomed son
and brother Adrian James on
January 4.
one of five teachers selected from
across the United States to participate in an exchange program
through World Savvy and the U.S.
State Department. Woolever will
travel to Bangladesh to study the
environmental, social, economic,
and political impacts of climate
change and to observe communities that have been affected by climate change. Teachers and
students will spend a month living
with a host family and participating
in research and service projects
with local Bangladeshi students.
Herb Chilstrom and his wife,
of daily inspirational reflections
titled Every Morning New.
63Wisconsin Press released
Alana Sunness Griffith was
In August, the University of
Mau Mau’s Children: The Making of
Kenya’s Postcolonial Elite by David
P. Sandgren. In the book, Sandgren
reconnects with former students he
taught in a Kenyan school for boys
beginning in 1963. Sandgren is a
professor of history at Concordia
College in Moorhead, Minn.
Carol Ann (Nelson) Zwernik was
honored in February with the
Donald A. Vetter Educational
Service Award. The award recognizes extraordinary achievements
and contributions to Lutheran education and commitment to the values of the Evangelical Lutheran
Education Association.
Poet Mary (Belardi)
Erickson’s second chapbook,
While You Blue-Step, was released
in May by Aldrich Publishing.
94enjoying her fifth year of
Patricia (Sotanski) Pardun is
independent practice in Stillwater,
Minn., as a licensed marriage and
family therapist and licensed alcohol and drug counselor. She also
welcomed her first grandchild,
William Joseph McDearmon, on
July 21, 2010.
96ect management professional
Angela Zurn, her husband,
00Russell Brown were married
Sara (Quigley) Brown and
June 18, 2011, in Minneapolis.
Sara is an ordained and rostered
minister in the ELCA, and Russell
works in IT for Wells Fargo.
01and her husband, Aaron, welElizabeth Meskan Neiderhiser
comed daughter Camille Jane in
June. Camille is the third child for
the couple.
Ryan Carlson achieved proj-
(PMP) certification and in
September was named a senior
08
Michael John Gyura of
Rochester received a Master
of Divinity and a Master of Arts
Kate Woolever, an art teacher
graduate programs
Craig and Tina Meeker Mattson ’07
MBA welcomed daughter Audrey
Anne on June 3.
auggie SNAPSHOTS
73Holmes Spun 2, presented at Holmes Theatre in Detroit
Corrine Ruth (Froelich) Frank acted, sang, and danced in
Lakes, Minn., in May.
62brated her 50th anniverJudy Lerstad Hill cele-
38College Commencement cer-
38Thompson ’40 grew up
emony, Gretha (Halvorson) Loken
and her daughter Mary (Loken)
Veiseth ’70 celebrated the graduation of Amy Aylsworth ’12, Loken’s
granddaughter and Veiseth’s
daughter. The three generations of
Auggies are pictured here.
together in Dawson, Minn., and were
college roommates for four years at
Augsburg. They had not seen each
other for 30 years, so Thompson’s
daughter drove him all the way from
Salt Lake City, Utah, to visit Nelson in
Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
At the May 2012 Augsburg
Edor Nelson and Roger
sary as Miss Minnesota 1962.
Crowned the evening before
her Augsburg graduation, Hill
was the first Auggie to win the
competition. In 2011, Hill was
reunited with her former
Augsburg woodwinds teacher,
Ruben Haugen (pictured here).
Hill credits Haugen for developing her talent on saxophone
that earned her a scholarship
at the Miss America Pageant.
Fall 2012
37
auggie
SNAPSHOTS
98Jenell (Torma) Agrimson
Erick Agrimson and
95Severson were married July 7.
Tracy (Anderson) Severson and Scott
’00 welcomed their first child,
Anders, on June 12. Erick
works at St. Catherine
University as assistant professor of physics and is a
Minnesota Space Grant affiliate director. Jenell works at
East Suburban Resources as
a job coach.
00MSW, was named the
Heidi Kammer Jensen,
99wife, Tracy (Holloway)
Thane Drier and his
Drier, welcomed daughter
Morgan Rae on July 29.
Morgan joins brothers
Tristan and Caden.
director of Recovery
Resource Center (RRC), a
division of RESOURCE in
Minneapolis.
97his wife, Mary
Brent Grier and
Ellen, welcomed
daughter Lily Anne
on May 17.
01Espinoza welcomed son Simon on
Stephanie Quick-Espinoza and Jorge
00husband, Eric Darwitz, welcomed twins
Jodie Marie (Henriksen) Darwitz and
November 11, 2011.
Dino Patrick and Delanie Marie on February
11. Jodie is a peer coach in the West St. PaulMendota Heights-Eagan (Minn.) school district.
05Burgess, welcomed daughter Tenley
Kyla (Rice) Burgess and husband, J.R.
Renee on November 2, 2011. Burgess is a
school counselor in St. Cloud, Minn.
07graduated from
Jeni Strom
Northwestern Health
Sciences University
with a Doctor of
Chiropractic degree
in November 2010.
She opened a chiropractic practice in
Roseville in February.
She and Nathan
Massa were married
October 6.
38
Augsburg Now
08and husband, Chris
Megan (Carlson) Lagasse
08Pictured are [L to R] Sara Horishnyk ’08, Jackie
Nicky Cronin was married on June 16 to Kyle Bohm.
Bohm (sister of groom), Nicky Bohm, Kyle Bohm, Pam
Breadman (sister of the bride), and Annika Spargo ’09.
Nicky is a part-time teacher at West Metro Learning
Connections and a program coordinator at the Mentor
Network/REM Ramsey. Kyle is an IT support tech for
Minneapolis Public Schools.
Lagasse, welcomed son Micah
Steven on May 22. His parents
hope he will be a fourth generation Auggie following his
mother, Micah’s grandfather
Steven Carlson ’73, and his
great-grandfather Fabian
Carlson ’49.
Send us your news and photos
Tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300
dpi or a 1MB file.) For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an
obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service. Send your
news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now Class
Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
Full name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
______________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
______________________________________________________
Street address
______________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Home telephone
______________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Employer
______________________________________________________
Position
In memoriam
______________________________________________________
Work telephone
Vincent Kenstad ’33, San
Diego, Calif., age 102, on
June 3.
Wayne A. Peterson ’50,
Cambridge, Minn., age 84,
on August 21.
Doris C. Hanson-Currens ’40,
Minneapolis, age 96, on
August 14.
Beverly Lentz ’55, Bird Island,
Minn., age 78, on April 29.
Edna Ericksen ’42,
Cottonwood, Tex., age 92,
on June 5.
Ruth N. (Framstad) Steen ’43,
Eden Prairie, Minn., age 91,
on June 9.
David H. Larson ’44, Great
Falls, Mont., age 89, on
January 26.
Rev. John N. Parbst ’45,
Bloomington, Minn., age 88,
on August 4.
Dr. Ernest Thorsgard ’49, Thief
River Falls, Minn., age 88, on
June 7.
Robert Moylan ’56, Spokane,
Wash., age 78, on July 15.
Marcia (Myring) Carlson ’60,
Bloomington, Minn., age 74,
on January 30.
Shelly M. (Forslund) Ulven ’06,
Apple Valley, Minn., age 34,
on July 7.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Dorii Gbolo ’08, Minneapolis,
age 56, on June 30.
______________________________________________________
Joseph R. Beckfeld ’13,
Minneapolis, age 36, on
June 11.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Fall 2012
39
Master of Arts in Leadership
celebrates history with a look toward the future
The Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL)
program celebrated its 25th anniversary
in late September. The milestone was an
opportunity to acknowledge the healthy
and long success of the program and to
look toward the future of the College’s
graduate studies as a whole.
The success of the MAL program comes
from the vision of its early leaders and its
alignment with Augsburg’s mission, said
MAL director Alan Tuchtenhagen. “It
seems natural,” he said, “that one of
Augsburg’s first graduate programs was in
leadership because leadership is central
to who and what defines Auggies.”
Norma Noonan, Augsburg professor of
political science, directed the program for
18 years and stepped down from that role
last spring. About Noonan, Tuchtenhagen
said, “Norma played a critical role in
establishing the MAL program’s identity
and strength, making it a cornerstone
graduate program for Augsburg.”
Throughout the years, the program has
grown and changed. Going forward, and
thanks to a formal program assessment
done in partnership with MAL faculty,
Augsburg can ensure that the program
continues to be timely and relevant.
During the assessment, Tuchtenhagen
worked with Andy Aoki, professor of political science; Tom Morgan, executive director of the Center for Faith and Learning;
Diane Pike, professor of sociology; and
Velma Lashbrook, director of the Center
for Teaching and Learning and assistant
professor of leadership studies. Other faculty and alumni also were engaged in the
review.
The group explored educational outcomes of the program and identified ways
to ensure that the curriculum matches
current and future students’ needs. Some
recommendations from the group include
refreshing the MAL model to reflect current issues in leadership and integrating
community engagement into the curricu-
40
Augsburg Now
MAL director Alan Tuchtenhagen speaks at the MAL 25th
anniversary celebration on September 26.
lum. Additionally, the group suggested
streamlining the curriculum and program
completion options and placing a greater
emphasis on development of graduatelevel writing and research skills.
The MAL program will continue to offer
a classic classroom-based format and an
integrated hybrid format that combines faceto-face and online learning. In addition, the
College now pairs the Master of Business
Administration (MBA) program with the
MAL to form a dual degree that,
Tuchtenhagen said, “integrates the career
focus of the MBA with the developmental
nature of the MAL.”
These changes to the MAL program
will help maintain the strength of the
graduate studies program at Augsburg.
“Graduate studies offers one of the highest areas of growth potential for
Augsburg,” said Lori Peterson, assistant
vice president and dean of graduate and
professional studies. “We are excited to
have the strong foundation in the MAL program and to see it and other graduate programs continue to evolve to meet the needs
of learners in our community.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
at
Augsburg offers nine graduate
programs with classes meeting
primarily in the evenings and on
weekends:
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in Leadership
Master of Arts in Nursing
Master of Business Administration
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
BEGINNING SUMMER 2013
Master of Music Therapy
BEGINNING SUMMER 2013
Master of Science in
Physician Assistant Studies
FULL-TIME DAY PROGRAM
Master of Social Work
Dual degree programs:
MBA/MAL
MBA/MSW
MSW/MA Theology
For more information about
graduate studies at Augsburg,
go to augsburg.edu/grad.
notes
from President Pribbenow
Stewardship of place and people
t
he Augsburg College mission statement says
that Augsburg “educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
These aspirations for our students require that all
of us who are part of the
Augsburg community consider how we model in our
lives and work the core values embodied in these aspirations. In other words, we
need to live what we teach!
This issue of Augsburg
Now offers several examples
of how we are seeking as a
college community to live as thoughtful stewards.
You’ve read in past issues of this magazine the
remarkable progress we have made as an institution in our commitment to environmental stewardship—composting leftover food from the cafeteria,
community gardens on campus, new biodiesel production methods, and a commitment to carbon
neutrality by 2019.
All important work, but stewardship is a rich
concept and extends to our care for all of the gifts
we have been given as a community. I am particularly struck by how our College has explored ways
in which we care for our physical location and facilities. The 2010 Campus Space and Master Plan
is not simply a map to future facilities; it is a
statement of values around stewardship of the
land and buildings we occupy and the need for us
to be constantly vigilant about the opportunities to
renew, reuse, and extend the life of our spaces
and buildings. In addition, the plan points to our
commitment to stewarding relationships with our
neighbors, building facilities and designing landscapes that welcome our neighbors to campus
rather than keep them away.
Stewardship is also about people—and as I
was reminded again this year at our Homecoming
celebrations, Augsburg is all about people. The
upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of
Title IX—the landmark federal legislation that seeks
to ensure equity for women and men in intercollegiate athletics—is an example of what it means to
be good stewards of our people. For years and years,
women students at Augsburg participated in athlet-
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
ics without the support and recognition enjoyed by
their male counterparts. A couple of years ago, we
honored those unheralded women Auggies with the
athletic letters they never received while on campus.
Now, we lift up our enduring commitment to opportunities for all Auggie student-athletes. Our recent
news about establishing the first intercollegiate
women’s lacrosse program in Minnesota is just one
example of how we steward the gifts of people—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends
who make Augsburg strong!
In 1931, the renowned 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in The Christian Century an essay with the provocative title, “Is
Stewardship Ethical?” His indictment of Christians
for the ways in which they had turned stewardship
into random programs of fundraising and voluntarism stands as a relevant challenge to all of us.
We are called to be thoughtful stewards. Stewardship is a way of life. At Augsburg, we are working
hard to live what we teach.
Yours in Augsburg,
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Members of the Maroon & Silver Society lead by example with monthly gifts
of $84 or more, or annual gifts of $1,000 or more to The Augsburg Fund.
These unrestricted gifts to The Augsburg Fund allow the College to award
more financial aid, employ high-quality faculty and staff, offer a challenging
and thought-provoking academic curriculum, and provide support to our
students so that they can become the people they are called to be.
To learn more about the Maroon & Silver Society, contact the
Office of Annual Giving at 612-330-1652 or giving@augsburg.edu.
augsburg.edu/giving
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., this fall.
Higher education in the 21st century
30 years of Weekend and Evening College
Stewardship of space
MAL celebrates 25 years
40 years of women’s athletics and Title IX
Auggie Days 2012
living
OUR
calling
FALL 2012 | VOL. 75, NO. 1
inside
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communic... Show more
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
The Augsburg Promise
Senior Creative Associate-Design
A
s I recently watched our almost 1,000 graduates
of the Augsburg Class of 2012 walk across the
stage to receive diplomas, I couldn’t help but be
proud of their many accomplishments and successes as Augsburg students. Our remarkably diverse
graduates—from various backgrounds, of various talents, on their way to various professions—are the most
tangible signs of our strategic commitment to the success of all our students.
And yet, the news media and popular opinion would
have us believe that there are storm clouds rising in
higher education. Some even call it a “tsunami.” Students unprepared for college, students who do not persist or graduate, students who will not get jobs (or, at
least, not the jobs they want), students with too much
debt. And conversely, colleges and universities that do
not meet student needs, institutions that are too
bureaucratic and expensive, colleges and universities
stuck with an “old” model of teaching and learning.
At Augsburg, we are deeply aware of these concerns. In fact, this issue of Augsburg Now includes an
overview of the complex economics of higher education because we understand that topics such as this
are too important to leave unaddressed. At the same
time, we recognize that the markers of student success—graduation rates, academic achievement, or
getting into graduate school or the workforce—also
must be pursued. The story about our new Gage Center for Student Success shows just one way we are
focused on ensuring that our students have the support they need to complete their Augsburg education.
So, rather than allow various social and economic
trends to define our reality, we are dedicated to planning for our future in ways that are both strategic,
that is, focused on what is most essential and important to our mission as a college, and also studentcentered, that is, always mindful that we must do our
best for all of our students.
We articulate this commitment to student success
in a concept we call the Augsburg Promise. It is the
relationship we form with our students to ensure their
success, and it has three key components.
It is, first of all, centered in our commitment to
helping our students discern and live their vocations (or
“callings”). The concept of vocation—inherited from our
Lutheran Christian theological tradition and embedded
in the Augsburg curriculum—is not merely about selffulfillment. It is a deeply nuanced way of helping students explore their gifts and commitments, understand
the arc of their lives, and embrace how their work in the
world—whatever it may be—has significance. At the
heart of the Augsburg Promise is the claim that our students will be better prepared for the world because of
our work together in the classroom, in residence halls,
on athletic fields, and in our neighborhood.
The second component of the Augsburg Promise is
our focus on academic growth and achievement in
terms of both access—how our students are welcomed
as part of our diverse community—and excellence—the
standards we set and the support we offer to ensure that
their education is of the highest order. Our students
come to Augsburg with a variety of gifts and talents. Our
promise to them is that this educational experience like
no other will challenge them to grow as students and as
citizens. So, yes, they will attain traditional academic
success, and be recognized with honors and awards, but
they also will experience the growth and achievement
that is recognized in lives of meaning and significance
in the world.
Finally, the Augsburg Promise is about equipping
our students for the lives they will lead in the world.
Higher education—especially an education grounded in
the liberal arts—must aim at ensuring that our students
are educated across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. At the same time, a college community like
Augsburg must also consider how students are formed
with certain skills and habits that will prepare them for
citizenship and leadership. Whether in the classroom or
community, in student organizations or residence halls,
on playing fields or international travel, we must have
an integrated sense of how our students are “educated
to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical
thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
That is our mission—and that is our promise so that
all Augsburg students might be successful.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
augsburg now
summer 2012
Features
12
19
30
28
6
10
12
17
The economics of education
BY REBECCA JOHN
Speaking of money
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS,
AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Commencement
COMPILED BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
AND STEPHANIE WEISS
Faculty retirements
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
19
.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
22 Nic Adducci ’15
contents
23 Rachel Hastings ’15
40
26 Andrena Murphy ’15
28
Calculus and coffee
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Four friends pose for the camera before lining up for the commencement procession. See more photos from the May and July commencement ceremonies at www.augsburg.edu/now.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
27
30
31
32
37
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
It takes an Auggie
My Auggie experience
Auggie voices
Alumni news
Alumni class notes
Auggies on the ice
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades during spring semester.
Some of the awards include the following:
Fulbright Scholars: Adam Spanier ’12 and
Rosalind “Rose” Sybrant ’12 were awarded
English teaching assistantships. Spanier
will teach in the Czech Republic during
2012-13, while Sybrant will teach in
Venezuela. Augsburg College is recognized
by The Chronicle of Higher Education as
one of the nation’s top producers of
Fulbright Scholars.
Gilman International Scholarships: Seven
Auggies received Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S. State Department to
study overseas this summer and fall. Auggies
will study in India, Jordan, South Africa,
South Korea, and Thailand. Augsburg was
awarded more Gilman Scholarships than any
other Twin Cities college or university this
academic year.
Goldwater Scholarship: Joe Buchman ’13, who
is studying chemistry, was awarded an honorable mention in the Goldwater Scholarship competition. He will spend the
summer doing off-campus research at the
University of Minnesota as a Student Summer Fellow for the Lupus Foundation of
Minnesota.
Kemper Scholars Program: Ibrahim Al-Hajiby
’14, an international relations/international
business major, was named the College’s
second Kemper Scholar. Students in the
Kemper program get academic scholarships
and stipends to cover the costs of two summer internships in major nonprofit and forprofit organizations. Augsburg is one of only
16 U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper Scholars Program distinction.
2
Augsburg Now
Student research
awards and
achievements
Winner of international
contest: Work by biology
major Alex Sorum ’13 on a
bacterium that affects
about 80 percent of cystic
fibrosis patients won an
international American
Association for the
Advancement of Science
Angela Bonfiglio ’13 was named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2013. This award, presented by Campus Compact, honors college student leaders who have demon(AAAS) poster competition
strated their investment in finding solutions to the challenges that face our
this spring. Sorum won
communities.
the student poster competition in the medicine and
Newman Civic Fellow: Angela Bonfiglio ’13
public health category at the 2012 AAAS
was named a Newman Civic Fellow by
international meeting in Vancouver, B.C.
Campus Compact. The award recognizes
Sorum said that one of the rewards of
inspiring college student leaders who work
attending the conference was experiencing
to find solutions for challenges facing their
how going to a small liberal arts college
communities. Bonfiglio has rebuilt
has made him competitive with students
Community Link, a campus service organiat large research universities.
zation, doubling its membership while deepening
its issue-based work. In
North Minneapolis, she is
researching community
perceptions on the
achievement gap and working to close that gap. She
coordinates an afterschool
program at Redeemer
Lutheran Church to ensure
that youth have homework
help and an evening meal.
She is dedicated to social
justice, including environmental work, youth develAlex Sorum ’13 conducts research on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that
opment, interfaith work,
affects cystic fibrosis patients.
and racial equality.
Zyzzogeton celebrates work
of 67 students: Augsburg
celebrated the creativity
and research of 67 underKirubel Gezehegn ’14, a physics and chemistry major from Zimbabwe, discusses his
graduate
students during
research with physics professor Mark Engebretsen at the 2012 Zyzzogeton student
research poster exhibition.
mid-April at the annual
Zyzzogeton poster session.
Meeting of Nobel Laureates: Augsburg ColThe festival—which included work by stulege student Kirubel Gezehegn ’14 attended
dents from 17 academic departments—
the 2012 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laurewas a chance for students to present their
ates in Lindau, Germany. The meeting
research to the Augsburg community and
brings together 31 chemistry and physics
practice public speaking. A “zyzzogeton”
laureates and an equal number of invited
is a green leaf-hopper as well as one of the
students. Gezehegn also will study chemlast words in the Webster Collegiate Dicistry this summer at Johns Hopkins Univertionary, a fitting symbol to mark the end of
sity in the labs operated by Nobel Laureate
the academic year.
Peter Agre ’70.
Auggies are doing off-campus research
across the United States at:
• Argonne National Laboratory, Physics
• Baylor University, Biology
• Carleton College, Summer Mathematics
Program for Women Undergraduates
• Harvard University, National Science
Foundation-Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (NSF-REU), Bioengineering, Scientific Computing, Robotics
and Materials Science and Engineering
• Loyola University, Biology
• Mayo Clinic, Neurobiology
• National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Cell Systems Science Group
• Oakland University, NSF-REU, Mechanical Engineering
• Rochester Institute of Technology, NSFREU, External Graph Theory and Dynamical Systems
• Texas Christian University, Physics
• University of Georgia, NSF-REU, Microbiology
• University of Minnesota, Lillehei Heart
Institute
11th time since 1998 that the team finished
in the top 10. On the mat, the team placed
second at the NCAA Division III National
Championship.
National Society of
Black Engineers conference
At the end of March, physics majors Gottlieb
Uahengo ’13, Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed ’14,
Amir Rose ’14, and Fred Vedasto ’13 attended
the National Society of Black Engineers
conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference included workshops and programming
for grade school, collegiate, graduate,
technical, professional, and international entities of the
society. Uahengo said
he was intrigued by
his “ability to draw
several parallels
between [his]
Augsburg education
and some of the
physics behind the
technology of companies such as Boeing,
Nearly 70 undergraduate students presented their research at the 2012 Zyzzogeton
Lockheed Martin, and
poster session. Zyzzogeton, held near the end of the spring semester, is the College’s
annual festival of student creativity and scholarship.
3M, and to see the
real-world applications of the many
concepts studied in class.” Travel was
funded through the NorthStar STEM
The Augsburg College wrestling team during
Alliance, a program intended to double the
2011-12 stood out in the classroom and on
number of African-American,
the mat. Auggies claimed the highest team
Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska
grade-point average in the National Wrestling
Native, and Pacific Islander students
Coaches Association Division III Scholar Allreceiving bachelor degrees in science,
America program, with an overall GPA of
technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
3.73. This is the second time Augsburg has
earned this top academic honor and the
Scholar All-America Program
Summer 2012
3
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success (continued)
Travelers EDGE
Five Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and
Employment) scholars from Augsburg will complete internships
with Travelers this summer. Three Auggies—Simon Tekle ’13, Ger
Lao ’13, and Dustina Granlund ’14—will work in Travelers’ information technology (IT) department. Mai Yang “Maya” Vue ’13 will
intern as a cash control analyst, and Mee “Kanee” Lee ’14, will
research diverse markets in the Twin Cities. Travelers EDGE
seeks to increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to
college, help them to graduate, and build awareness of careers
in the insurance and financial services industry. This was
Augsburg’s second year as a recipient of a Travelers EDGE grant.
Thrivent Leadership Fellows
Augsburg’s Thrivent Leadership Fellows, a group of students working to engage the Augsburg community in service, organized an
annual multicultural dinner at the Brian Coyle Center during
April. The event featured foods that represented the cultures in
the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Thrivent
Leadership Fellows work to strengthen on- and off-campus communities through organized volunteer events and activities such
as cooking classes for local shelters, food shelf drives, and
tutoring sessions.
The Thrivent Leadership Fellows: Front Row [L to R]: Christine Smith ’13, Janelle
Holte ’13, Maya Keith ’13, Shana Strong ’13, Masha Shatonova ’13; Back Row
[L to R]: Paul Hunt ’13, Jordan Skrove ’13, Billy Mzenga ’13
4
Augsburg Now
Celebration of
Philanthropy
The 2011-12 fiscal year was one of the most successful
fundraising years in Augsburg’s history with nearly $14 million
raised to support programming, scholarships, buildings, and
research. One of the ways the College celebrated this success
was by welcoming more than 250 donors and volunteer leaders
to campus for the annual Celebration of Philanthropy in June.
W.K. Kellogg FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation during May funded a three-year,
$1.2 million grant to support Sprockets, a St. Paul-based
educational program operated in partnership with Augsburg
College’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship. The W.K.
Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is among the largest philanthropic
foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all
children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF
works with communities to
create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in
school, work, and life. WKKF
is based in Battle Creek,
Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is
paid to areas where there are high concentrations of poverty
and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF
priority locations in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New
Mexico, and New Orleans, and internationally in Mexico and
Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
National
Science
Foundation
Grant
Augsburg College
Women’s Varsity Lacrosse
Augsburg College announced this summer that it will launch the
first collegiate women’s varsity lacrosse team in Minnesota.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing high school girls’ sports in
the state and is currently offered as a club sport at Augsburg.
The College’s new varsity team will begin competing during
spring 2014. A coach, who will join the staff this fall, will spend
the first year recruiting and building the team. By offering
women’s lacrosse, Augsburg will be able to expand the number
of student-athletes who attend Augsburg for their post-secondary education and increase the total number of female student-athletes at the College.
Augsburg was awarded a National Science Foundation
grant of nearly $600,000 to support scholarships for
undergraduates majoring in sciences or mathematics.
The AugSTEM scholarships will provide as much as
$7,500 per year to upper-division students. The grant
brings to nearly $3 million the College’s total active
awards from the NSF. Partial funding is provided by the
National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)
program under Award Number DUE-1154096.
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
Convocation Series 2011-12
MusicEnsembles
Augsburg College’s music ensembles
performed regionally and nationally during the 2011-12 school year. Numerous
performances were given around the
metro area, including the U.S. premiere
performance of John Ireland’s “Psalm 42” by
the Masterworks Chorale and a rousing year-end performance by
Augsburg Jazz Instrumental Vocal Ensemble at Famous Dave’s in
Minneapolis. Each of the College’s three touring groups follow a fouryear travel rotation that includes national, international, and two
regional tours. The Augsburg Symphony Orchestra and the Augsburg
Choir went on national tours this year. The orchestra traveled to
Florida during winter break, while the choir after commencement
toured Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington,
and Wyoming. The Augsburg Concert Band performed throughout
northern Minnesota and Wisconsin during spring break, and performed several joint concerts with local high-school and college
bands. The concert band will travel to Turkey in May 2013.
The Sverdrup Convocation, held April 17, created the
opportunity for the community to learn about NASA’s Mercury Surface Space Environment Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. Brian J. Anderson ’82, deputy
project scientist with the mission and a physicist with the
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, discussed the Mercury mission and whether there is a moral
imperative for space exploration.
The Rochester Convocation on May 15 was a chance for
Auggies to learn about the work of Shanna Decker, a ninetime national award winner for her volunteer accomplishments. Decker’s presentation, “Love Wins,” provided
insight into her “Hearts of Hope” project and her family’s
co-founding of the nonprofit “Brighter Tomorrows” for families touched by childhood cancer. Decker also has mentored, supported, and visited nearly 1,000 people
throughout the world who are amputees or cancer patients.
To see photos from the convocation series,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
5
{
The
ECONOMICS of
EDUCATION
BY REBECCA JOHN
A bubble. An eruption. An explosion.
These are just some of the words used in news reports this year to describe college
costs and higher education loan debt. While these headlines may grab attention, they
unfortunately are not very useful in helping people fully understand the multifaceted
topic of college affordability.
As Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators, said in a May 9 University Business article, a more accurate though
admittedly less exciting headline might be: “A Complex Combination of Economic
Factors Increases College Costs and Loan Debt for Certain Students.”
As mundane as that headline seems, continued public dialogue is important and
timely because many students and families today face real challenges in figuring out
how to pay for college. This article provides a brief overview of four core areas related
to the economics of higher education: the value of a postsecondary degree, key cost
drivers in higher education, changes in government aid, and tuition and student loan
debt trends.
6
Augsburg Now
VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
{
Ironically, if it weren’t for the significant benefits of a college education, the public debate about the cost of college likely would not be
nearly as heated. If people didn’t desire the outcomes of and opportunities afforded by having a college education—if they merely thought
the price was too high—they would just simply stop going to college.
But that is not the case. Instead, the difference between having a
college degree and not having one has become even more pronounced
as more and more jobs require higher education. The Georgetown University Center on Education predicts that 63 percent of jobs in 2018
will require some form of postsecondary education. Already, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school graduates earn less than 70
percent of the income of bachelor’s degree holders.
Moreover, as was evidenced in the recent recession, people with
63 percent of jobs in 2018 will require
some form of postsecondary education.
– THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EDUCATION
college degrees are much less likely to be unemployed than those
with only high school diplomas. In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for high school graduates was 9.4 percent, whereas people with bachelor’s degrees or
higher were unemployed at only a 4.3 percent rate.
So, while rising tuition costs and student debt may raise questions
about erosion of the ROI (return on investment) of a given college
degree, the larger, societal concern is that the required investment—
and, therefore, the benefits—of higher education may be out of
reach for a growing portion of our population, no matter how promising the return.
COLLEGE COSTS
An oft-cited book in the discussion of rising college costs is David
Feldman’s and Robert Archibald’s Why Does College Cost So Much?
(Oxford University Press, 2010). The Augsburg College Board of
Regents dedicated a portion of its January 2012 board meeting to a
discussion of this book to better understand the key cost drivers in
higher education and how those costs affect students and tuition.
Many factors affect college costs, but Feldman and Archibald,
economics professors at the College of William & Mary, demonstrate
that costs steadily have risen during the past 30 years in all personal-service industries that employ highly educated labor. Increasing costs have occurred not only in higher education but also in
A one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a
student is critical for student
comprehension and engagement.
}
– JEANNE BOEH, AUGSBURG COLLEGE ECONOMICS
PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
dentistry, health care, and legal services. Significant productivity
advancements in other industries—for example, automation and
robotics in manufacturing—have increased the demand for, and
therefore the price of, highly skilled labor. As a result, labor-cost
increases have affected all personal-service industries, including colleges and universities, which employ some of the most highly educated people in our country as faculty, staff, and administration.
This phenomenon is called “cost disease,” said Jeanne Boeh,
Augsburg College professor of economics. Boeh, who served as president of the Augsburg Faculty Senate in 2011-12, participated in the
College’s Board of Regents discussion of Feldman’s and Archibald’s
book. She is a frequent commentator on economic trends for the
Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, and Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac.”
“In higher education,” Boeh explained, “capital and labor have
not been substitutes but complements.” For example, using course
management software such as Moodle may enhance collaboration
and streamline administrative activities, but it doesn’t reduce the
labor involved in teaching or learning in the same way that manufacturing automation does. Online courses also have been affected,
resulting in higher operating expenses than originally anticipated.
“Augsburg offers several programs in a blended format—merging
in-class time with online learning,” said Boeh, who has taught all
types of classes at Augsburg. “And we will continue to evolve course
formats to take advantage of online technologies where they are most
effective.”
But no matter the format, Boeh said, “a one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a student is critical for student comprehension and engagement—not only for any class lectures but also
for in-class assignments and projects as well as out-of-class work.”
So, while online formats offer attractive benefits—including making lectures available to a broader set of learners and providing flexibility to working adults pursuing advanced degrees—they have not,
to date, offered a “perfect” substitute for individual attention from
highly qualified faculty. As a result, the trade-offs between cost and
quality in higher education exist whether course delivery is in-class
or online.
Summer 2012
7
{
By 2009, institutional grant aid [from
Minnesota private colleges] was triple
the state’s contribution.
GOVERNMENT AID
– MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNCIL
Share of Minnesota general fund spent on higher education
18%
17.3%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6.9%
6%
4%
Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
2%
Forecasted Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
0%
1967
1975
1983
1991
1999
2007
2013
Chart 1: The percent of the State of Minnesota’s budget appropriated to higher education has declined
steadily in the past 20 years.
Financial aid trends for Minnesota undergraduates
FIGURES IN MILLIONS
$1,800
2009 borrowing by Minnesota
undergraduates and their families
surpassed $1.6 billion.
$1,600
$1,400
$1,200
By 2009,
grant aid
from
institutions
was triple
the state’s
commitment.
$1,000
By 2005,
grant aid from
institutions
was double
the state’s
commitment.
$800
$600
$400
In 1991, institutions
and the state each
provided about $80
million in grant aid
to Minnesota
undergraduates.
$200
$1991
1995
State Grants (actual)
1999
Federal Grants (actual)
2001
2005
Institutional Grants (actual)
2007
2009
Total Loans (actual)
Chart 2: Since 1991, grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the amount provided by
the state, while student loan debt increased eight-fold.
8
Augsburg Now
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
budget data
20%
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
Office of Higher Education biennial survey of aid awarded
The financial aid that students receive
from the state grant program is an important part of the resources they have to
pay for their college education, said Jay
Benanav, Augsburg’s director of government relations. “And, while the state has
increased the overall dollar amount allocated to support higher education in the
past 20 years, this aid has not kept pace
with rising higher education costs,” he
said. “So, today, state grant aid constitutes a much smaller portion of a student's overall resources for college.”
The Minnesota Private College Council
(MPCC)—an organization representing
17 private colleges in the state, including Augsburg—has been actively
engaged with the Minnesota Legislature
on the topic of higher education funding.
Chart 1, compiled by the MPCC, shows
the declining share of the state’s general
fund that has been spent on higher education costs during the past several
decades.
Because state support covers a
smaller proportion of college costs today,
a larger portion is falling to students and
their families. In fact, the proportion of
college costs that families cover has
gone up faster than the overall cost of
college.
To help offset the growing burden on
families, Minnesota’s private colleges
have increased the aid they provide to
students through their endowments and
operational budgets. Chart 2, again from
the MPCC, shows the dollar amount of
college costs covered by Minnesota state
grants, federal grants, MPCC collegefunded grants, and student loans. The
chart provides data from 1991 to 2009,
a period during which student loan debt
soared and grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the
amount provided by the state.
NET TUITION AND STUDENT LOANS
“Financial counseling is embedded in our admissions process,”
As noted earlier, in addition to loans and government aid, many students also receive financial aid directly from their colleges or universi- Edstrom said, “and our financial aid staff work hard to make sure
students and parents understand what they are taking on when they
ties. This means that the out-of-pocket expenses (or “net tuition”)
borrow.”
that a given student pays will be less than the published tuition (or
Even people with significant financial experience should (and do)
sticker price) for that college or university. How much less varies from
seek help navigating the financial aid process, said Paul Terrio,
student to student based on multiple factors—including the family’s
Augsburg’s director of student financial services. “Financing college
financial situation, the student’s academic standing, and numerous
is a substantial investment for families, and it’s an investment that
other factors that enrollment offices take into consideration.
has a major impact on one of the most important people in their
This variation means that the net tuition one student pays will
lives,” Terrio said. “So, naturally, people want to make sure they’re
not be the same as another student, even at the same institution.
As a result, it has become increasingly important
for students and families to understand their specific financial aid package at each institution the
student is considering before making a final
choice, or before assuming that a certain college
is financially out of reach.
Even with financial support from colleges, how– JULIE EDSTROM ’90, ’04 MA, AUGSBURG VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
ever, borrowing has increasingly become a necessary part of how families of all socioeconomic
doing the best they can.
backgrounds pay for college. Average U.S. undergraduate student
“But since college financing is something people do only a couloan debt for 2010 graduates was $25,250, according to the Projple times in their lives, most are not experts in the process,” he said.
ect on Student Debt, an initiative of the nonprofit Institute for ColAs a result, every family, no matter their income level or financial
lege Access & Success.
The average debt of Augsburg graduates was $24,311 that year.
sophistication, can benefit from working with a financial counselor
In addition to being lower than the national average, Augsburg’s stu- who, according to Terrio, can “help them focus on their own scenario
dent loan debt average compares favorably with the averages for
rather than on averages and statistics reported in the news, which
other higher education institutions in the state of Minnesota, said
may have little to do with the specific family’s financial situation.”
Julie Edstrom ’90, ’04 MA, Augsburg vice president for enrollment
management.
{
Augsburg’s average student debt in 2010 was
$24,311, which compares favorably with other
higher education institutions in Minnesota.
}
}
When one steps back from the headlines, it’s easier to see how college costs aren’t
driven by one simple factor alone but, instead, are determined by a mix of state, federal,
institutional, and individual factors. It’s easier to see, as well, how changing one factor
invariably puts pressure on other factors.
In the end, the challenge for Augsburg College—and every higher education institution—is to find a sustainable balance among these factors—state and federal government
aid, institutional support, and student or family contributions—in a way that keeps higher
education within reach for students of academic ability from all backgrounds.
At Augsburg’s July 1 commencement, honorary degree recipient David Mathews, president and chief executive officer of the
Kettering Foundation, focused his commencement address on the value—specifically the public value—of higher education. Mathews previously served as secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under former President Gerald Ford and as
president of the University of Alabama. Read his commencement address at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
9
SPEAKING of
MONEY
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS, AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
It’s scary. Students don’t like it. Parents don’t like it. But for any
family with a student in college, money matters, and talking openly
about finances is a critical part of figuring out if and how an individual can afford college. It’s a path toward determining whether the
costs of college are a good investment for students, and often, their
families. It’s also a path toward understanding individual and family
philosophies connected to saving, spending, and philanthropy.
Augsburg College is committed to talking with students and families about all these issues and sees these sometimes complex conversations as tools to build good decision-making as well as
valuable investments in a family’s future.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES
It takes as much energy to wish
as it does to plan.
– ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Paying for college is a significant
undertaking for families, regardless of
their family household income. To help
plan for this investment, families need to start
talking about their finances long before they’re
actually facing tuition payments.
“The place to start is by focusing on what the family
values and how they make choices about what they buy and
how they use the money they have,” said Carly Eichhorst,
Augsburg College associate director of financial aid. “When we are
working with families, we don’t start by talking about the mechanics of financial aid and student loans; we start by understanding
their values.”
It’s also beneficial to include both the student and the parent or
parents in the conversation, added Paul Terrio, director of student
financial services.
“We see a difference between families who have had conversations about how they plan to pay for college and families where only
some of the members—either the parents or the student—are
10
Augsburg Now
involved in the financial discussion,” he said. “It’s a much more
productive conversation if all of the family members are vested in
the plan.”
In order to help support and foster these important family conversations, Augsburg has embedded financial aid counseling into
the undergraduate admission process. So, when a first-year undergraduate student receives her or his acceptance letter from
Augsburg, the letter clearly states, “The next step is to schedule
your first-year meeting,” and invites them to make an appointment
with the College’s student financial services staff. Augsburg also
has linked financial planning with academic planning in the adult
undergraduate program to ensure that adult undergraduate students and their families have resources to help navigate the system
of financing college.
As a result of this intentional effort to invite families into the
student finance discussion, as of June 1, nearly 45 percent of firstyear students who had made their initial fall deposit had also
scheduled an appointment with Augsburg’s financial services staff.
With sessions continuing through the summer, a majority of firstyear students and their families will have the opportunity to discuss
their financial plans with the College before classes start in the fall.
“Our goal in working with families is to help them develop a
comprehensive plan for the entire college degree, not just to figure
out how they can pay for the first semester,” Terrio said. A comprehensive plan includes outlining how much the student or family will
need to pay and how long they will need to make payments on any
student loans taken out to cover college costs.
“Our role is not to prescribe financial solutions or provide a specific answer for how to pay for college,” Eichhorst said. “We are
working to help families identify and understand their options.”
By gaining a shared understanding of their options, families can
enhance their financial literacy and equip themselves to plan for—
not just wish for—the means to pursue a college degree.
STUDENT PHILANTHROPY
Someone’s sitting in the shade today because
someone planted a tree a long time ago.
– WARREN BUFFETT
Auggies give. Every year.
This simple instruction forms the basis of the goal for
Augsburg’s Student Philanthropy Week, an annual program
designed to make students aware of how donor support benefits
them and to teach students, from the beginning of their college
careers through their graduation, about the importance of giving
back to their alma mater.
The Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations and the
staff of The Augsburg Fund
sponsor several programs
for students throughout
the academic year. To
coordinate these programs,
staff work closely with the
Augsburg Stewards, a group of current undergraduate students who support philanthropic efforts at the College.
Each spring, Student Philanthropy Week includes a virtual
“donor scavenger hunt” where students use daily clues, conduct
library research, and visit donor-named locations on campus to
guess the identity of one of the College’s major donors. The first
student to accurately identify the donor wins a gift card.
The annual Feed the Pig campaign and the senior class giving
campaign encourage students to begin donating to Augsburg. To
participate in Feed the Pig, students receive a piggy bank in the fall
and, throughout the school year, collect spare change to fill up their
banks. Classes compete to raise the most money and to engage the
greatest number of student participants. The money raised funds a
scholarship for a student in the winning class.
These activities highlight the fact that, every year, Augsburg
relies on thousands of alumni, parents, friends, and students to
ensure that Auggies have access to an outstanding, affordable
Augsburg education.
MONEY MATTERS
The highest use of capital is not to make
more money, but to make money do more for
the betterment of life.
– HENRY FORD
At Augsburg College, students and staff have turned inside out the
federal mandate that all colleges and universities deliver financial
literacy programs. Instead of delivering top-down programs of
expert panelists or lectures, Augsburg involves students as key
partners in creating and developing the school’s financial literacy
program.
A key goal of the program is to help students open the door on
conversations that typically are difficult and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations about personal and family finances, budgeting,
and the cost of college.
“If you make public the stuff you usually hide, you can change
individual behavior,” said Carly Eichhorst, associate director of
financial aid. “But you have to start by being open with your own
story.”
Having students shape the conversation is critical to helping
them learn how to make good financial decisions today and in the
future. That’s because research shows that knowledge retention
soars to 75 percent when learning is practiced by doing, compared
with 20 percent retention when we learn by listening.
“This is hard stuff to talk about,” Eichhorst said, “but when students see their friends sharing and grappling with tough ideas, it
becomes easier and more acceptable to open up about their own
stories.”
The College’s annual Money Matters program runs for a week
during the spring and includes a range of events and activities to
help students and their families talk openly about financial topics.
In addition to counseling sessions and opportunities to connect
with financial experts, 2012 Money Matters activities included:
• A student panel in which five Auggies from different socioeconomic, cultural, and faith backgrounds talked about how they
make college work financially. Some student panelists also
shared their stories with a Star Tribune reporter. Later in the
spring, some of the students participated in a student loan and
student finance roundtable with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison.
• My Money Secret, a participant-generated project in which students, staff, and faculty posted their money secrets in the skyways on campus. The secrets were hung on a line using
clothespins—a display that was intentionally meant to invoke the
feeling that participants were “airing their laundry,”
Eichhorst said. Some students
shared tips for saving, while other
students disclosed
habits of overspending.
Because investing in a
college education is such
a significant undertaking,
Augsburg is committed to
helping families build financial literacy from the first oncampus encounter through a
student’s full experience. By
beginning the process of talking about money at the very
start, students and their families not only learn important
information about how to better
manage their finances, but also have the chance to consider how
they want to use their money—through saving, spending, and giving.
Summer 2012
11
E
Commencement
May 5, 2012
A
F
D
12
Augsburg Now
During the commencement processional, faculty
line 7 ½ Street and applaud as graduating students walk from Christensen Center to Si Melby
Hall. The tradition marks the transition from student to graduate and allows faculty to show respect
for the students. The ceremony also is a bookend to
the Auggie experience. Four years earlier—on their
first day of class—faculty welcomed incoming students with applause during the opening convocation ceremony.
A
Faculty greet passing students with waves and
handshakes and sometimes even give students a
high-five or hug.
B
Members of ethnic student groups often wear
sashes that denote their membership. Here, a
group of students who are members of the PanAfrikan Student Union wear stoles made of
Kente cloth that originates in Ghana, West
Africa.
C
Students can be seen wearing bow ties, a fashion
phenomenon that started to take hold in 2006
when Paul C. Pribbenow was installed as president of Augsburg College. Pribbenow has a reputation for his bow tie collection, and the bow tie
often makes an appearance when students dress
in formal wear.
D
Colored cords represent honors given by the College, academic departments, and the Honors
program. Candidates for Latin honors—students
graduating cum laude, magna cum laude, or
summa cum laude—receive maroon and gray
cords. Students who complete requirements of
the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold
cords. Other cords indicate departmental honors.
E
Students can line up in whatever order they
choose. Because there is no formal order, being
the last person in line—and, therefore, the last
to cross the commencement stage—has become
a coveted spot. Students will jockey for the position and stall during the procession, and the last
person to cross the stage usually makes a grand
statement of it.
F
Like many faculty members, Phil Adamo, associate
professor and chair of the History Department,
breaks from the reception line to congratulate a
student in the procession.
B
C
Summer 2012
13
In 2007, Augsburg started the tradition of holding
two commencement ceremonies—the first in early
May for the undergraduate day students and the
Masters in Physician Assistant program graduates,
and the second in late June for Weekend/Evening
College, Rochester undergraduate, and the remaining master’s degree program graduates.
A
President Paul C. Pribbenow and Jodi Harpstead,
chair of the Board of Regents, shake hands with
every graduate who crosses the stage. For the
July commencement ceremony, that was roughly
300 hands.
B
Tom Kelsey and Lori York of the Registrar’s office
perform a well-choreographed dance to make sure
the President always has a diploma holder in his
hand the moment a graduate crosses the stage.
C
A large stack of diploma holders will be whittled
down to almost nothing during the ceremony. In
case you are wondering, the holders are empty.
Diplomas are mailed to the graduates after their
final grades are processed by the Registrar.
D
Master’s and doctoral degree candidates in
business administration, education, leadership,
nursing, and social work sit on the left side of
the gym.
E
Graduates of the Weekend/Evening College and
Rochester programs sit on the right side of
the gym.
F
Handing out diplomas is like an assembly line:
grab your name card, follow the faculty marshal
to the front of the gym, hand over your name
card, cross the stage as your name is called,
shake hands with the Board chair, take diploma
in your left hand while shaking hands with
President Pribbenow and smile while your photo
is taken, proceed down the ramp, smile for
another photo and be sure that the front of the
diploma holder is facing forward, return to your
seat, breathe a sigh of relief.
To view more commencement photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
14
14
Augsburg Now
Augsburg Now
E
A
C
Commencement
July 1, 2012
D
F
B
Summer 2012
15
Augsburg grad students mix philosophy
of social work with drive for business
Leading nonprofits increasingly want top-level leaders who understand complex financial issues, can implement strategic business
practices, and are able to serve diverse local and global communities.
Recognizing the changing expectations and requirements of
nonprofits, Augsburg College in 2009 began offering a dual Master
of Arts Degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business Administration
(MBA). The College’s first two MSW/MBA graduates completed
their dual degrees this spring.
“We chose to respond to changing dynamics. More and more,
leaders of nonprofits, if they want to continue moving up the ladder, need the same business skills as their counterparts in the forprofit world,” said Steven Zitnick, who during June retired as
director of the MBA program.
Those with a Master of Arts in Social Work can, if they choose,
progress to a different point in their career with formal business
training, said Lois Bosch, director of Augsburg’s Master of Social
Work program.
“Larger social service agencies want business leaders for their
business acumen,” Bosch said. “Increasingly, they also want people who are trained formally to understand the needs of their
clients.”
Jana Nicolaison ’12, one of Augsburg’s
MSW/MBA dual degree graduates, said the
program provided her the knowledge and
tools to manage social service programs by
understanding the business behind the programs.
“I have the confidence to advocate for
clients on the macro level because I under-
stand all aspects of the services they receive,” Nicolaison said.
The dual degree program isn’t just a good idea for those who
want to lead social service agencies, though.
“There’s an emerging trend of social entrepreneurship that
opens another path for joint MSW/MBA students to pursue,”
Zitnick said. “Through Augsburg’s combined curriculum, we can
meet the vocational needs of this type of contemporary MSW
student.”
One such potential social entrepreneur is Miki Peterson ’12,
who hopes to use her skills and insight to bring critical healthcare
services to underserved markets.
“We operate in a complex economic, societal, and political
landscape. I now have the knowledge and diversity of skills to
bring critical health care services to underserved markets,”
Peterson said. “I have insights gleaned from both social services
and business administration to allow me to accomplish this goal in
any corporate, small business, or non-profit setting.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
To learn more about the dual MSW/MBA, go to www.augsburg.edu/msw or email
mbainfo@augsburg.edu.
“I have the knowledge and diversity
of skills to bring critical health care
services to underserved markets.”
MIKI PETERSON ’12 MSW/MBA
Miki Peterson ’12 MSW/MBA and Jana Nicolaison ’12 MSW/MBA
16
Augsburg Now
HONORING
our retired faculty
Augsburg College
celebrated the accomplishments and dedication of faculty during the spring Faculty
Recognition Luncheon and formally thanked
10 faculty for their service. Below are brief
biographies of those who finished their
careers as Auggies. The group contributed
more than 240 years of service to the College.
Anthony Bibus III, professor of social
work, joined Augsburg during 1992. He
served the College as department chair, as
faculty parliamentarian, and on key faculty
committees. He received bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in English from the
University of St. Thomas and the University of Virginia, respectively, and a doctorate in social work from the University of
Minnesota.
Shelley Burkhardt, instructor of education, worked as the special education program director at Rochester and as an
adjunct faculty member. She received a
bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso and
completed master’s-level studies at Winona
State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, and the University of Minnesota. Prior to her work with Augsburg,
Burkhardt served as the director of special
education for the Rochester Public
Schools, where she also was a special education teacher.
C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business, started his career as a Lutheran parish
pastor and then spent 20 years working in
management information systems. He joined
Augsburg during 2000 as a faculty member
Front Row [L to R]: Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of social work; Norma Noonan, professor of political science; Lynn
Lindow, associate professor of education; Grace Dyrud, professor of psychology; Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration; Back Row [L to R]: President Paul C. Pribbenow; Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion; Arlin
Gyberg, professor of chemistry; Anthony Bibus III, professor of social work; C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business;
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Barbara Farley. Retiring faculty not pictured: Shelley
Burkhardt, instructor of education
in the Business Administration Department.
Clarke co-taught with religion faculty and
served as faculty adviser for Augsburg Seminar, a program to help first-year students
learn about the Augsburg community and
participate in neighborhood service programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from
Capital University, a Master of Divinity from
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and a Master of
Business Administration from the University
of St. Thomas.
Arlin Gyberg, professor of chemistry,
started his career at Augsburg during
1967. He taught general and analytical
chemistry for science majors and chemistry
courses for non-science major students. He
is one of several co-founders of the Mcgyan
process reactor, a continuous flow device
that is used to produce biodiesel from
plant material. He maintains close connections to alumni in local industry (at companies such as Aveda, General Mills, and
SarTec, to name a few) over the years. He
earned a doctorate in analytical chemistry
from the University of Minnesota.
Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion,
began his teaching career during 1978.
His scholarly interests revolved around the
history of Christian spirituality and Christianity in a global context, and he is the
author of Thirsty for God: A Brief History of
Christian Spirituality. Holt taught theology
in Nigeria for 10 years. He graduated from
Augsburg with bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy and received a Bachelor of Divinity from Luther Theological
Seminary, and a Master of Philosophy and
doctorate from Yale University.
Lynn Lindow, associate professor of education, joined the College during 1985 as
a member of the Health and Physical Education Department. She subsequently took
a position in the Department of Education
and was a K-12 expert. For seven years,
she served as chair of the Education
Department. Lindow also helped with the
department’s reaccreditation. She received
a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State
University Mankato, a master’s degree from
Summer 2012
17
North Dakota State University, and a doctorate from the University of
Minnesota.
Norma Noonan, professor of political science, served Augsburg for more than 45
years, joining the faculty during 1966. She
was instrumental in the development of
the Master of Arts in Leadership, the College’s inaugural graduate program offering,
and served as program director for 18
years. She chaired the Political Science
Department, served on key faculty committees, and was a mentor to many. Noonan
received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
political science from the University of
Pennsylvania and Indiana University,
respectively, and a doctorate in Russian
and East European Studies from Indiana
University.
Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of
social work, began working at Augsburg
during 1992. An expert in direct social
work practice, she served as department
chair and taught in advanced clinical
placement courses. Her research and
teaching interests include child welfare,
particularly where racial disparities exist.
She is the author of one of social work’s
most widely used texts. Rooney received
bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of North Texas, a
master’s in social work from the University
of Illinois, and a doctorate in social work
and industrial relations from the University
of Minnesota.
Maryann Syers, associate professor of
social work, joined Augsburg during 1998.
Her teaching experience was strengthened
by her previous private clinical practice
and ongoing research working with women
of color, sexual minorities, and persons
with physical disabilities. She was a leader
in conceptualizing content for the Master
of Social Work program’s multicultural
clinical practice concentration. Syers also
served on the Personnel Policies Committee and Faculty Senate. She received a
bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Arizona State University and a master’s of
social work and doctorate in social welfare
from the University of Minnesota.
Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration (MBA) program,
joined Augsburg during 1999. Prior to
that, he served as a military officer and
held senior executive positions in human
resources and organizational development
in the private sector, including at H.B.
Fuller. In 2008 Zitnick was named director
of the Augsburg MBA program. He helped
launch MBA study abroad programs in
Argentina, Chile, Germany, and Russia and
launched the Mini-MBA program with
Luther Seminary. Zitnick received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Shimer
College, a master’s degree in human
resources management from the University
of Utah, and is on track to complete a doctorate from Tilburg University in the
Netherlands during retirement.
On May 3, faculty gathered at the annual
Faculty Recognition Luncheon to celebrate a successful academic year and to
recognize their colleagues’ accomplishments. The program honored retiring faculty members, recipients of tenure and
promotion, milestone years of service,
and recipients of the Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Learning awards.
18
Augsburg Now
GAGE CENTER
FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Who comes to the Gage Center for Student Success and the Groves Technology Center?
At one time or another, nearly every student at Augsburg does.
I have to write a paper.
I’m here to use the computer lab.
I am a Weekend College student, and I'm planning to graduate next year.
I'm here to plan out my degree progress with an academic adviser.
I have ADHD and struggle with reading.
I’m here to use the software program that helps me read my textbooks.
I am visually impaired.
I’m here to talk to an adviser about the services that can help me at Augsburg.
I am having a tough time with one of my classes.
I’m here to see a tutor.
I’m the first person in my family to go to college.
I am here because I heard you have a program to help people like me learn
how to be successful in school.
I’m a pretty good student, but I really have trouble with time management.
I’m here to learn how to be better at that.
Spring 2012
19
success
INTEGRATING ACADEMIC SUPPORT
tradition of bringing programs and
services together to improve the
student service experience. As in
the case of the Enrollment Center—which first opened in 2000
and combined the offices of academic advising, the registrar,
financial aid, and financial services—co-location benefits students
because all services are in one
convenient location. In addition,
when staff work closely together,
they often discover new ways of
working that lead to new initiatives
and better student service.
The Gage Center staff is evaluating a caseload management software tool that will allow them to
build connections for students and
refer them to additional resources.
Gort said the software will help to
create a network of student support that extends beyond the Gage
Center. “We’re at the start of a
really cool project, and we have
high hopes for what this is going to be,”
she said.
While staff and students are still learning how the Gage Center will function to
best meet students’ needs, Gort said she
has been pleased with the outcomes so far.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
At one time, academic support services at
Augsburg were scattered across campus.
One program was tucked around a few corners in a basement. A few others were in
Science Hall. While seeking out and asking
for help is already difficult for some students, having support staff in different
locations made getting help even more
complicated.
To address this situation, Augsburg
moved all of these academic support services to the new Gage Center for Student
Success, which opened on the second floor
of the Lindell Library in January. The center
provides a one-stop shop for students to
access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance with
learning and physical disabilities, academic
skills coaching, and other support services.
“The Gage Center helps us see how students can benefit by having people and programs together,” said Amy Gort, dean of
Arts and Sciences. Co-locating the offices
in Lindell has made student support services more visible on campus and provides
greater access for students. And with all
support staff in proximity with one another,
the center is the first step in creating a
seamless experience of academic support
for students.
The Gage Center follows an Augsburg
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Augsburg Now
“What is great about this group of staff is
that each program has a history of being
innovative, constantly evaluating, and looking for opportunities for students to have an
even better experience.”
Nearly every graduate and undergraduate student at Augsburg
comes into contact with the Gage Center staff or services at least
once—and usually multiple times—in her or his college career.
The center provides a one-stop shop for students to access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance
with learning and physical disabilities, academic skills coaching,
and other support services.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
Gifts from the Gage and Groves family foundations allowed
Augsburg to create an integrated and highly visible academic support services center. The Gage Center for
Student Success, which officially opened in January, includes
the Groves Technology Center, the Groves Accommodations
Lab, meeting rooms, testing rooms, and staff offices.
DEPARTMENTS IN THE
AUGGIES ARE ACHIEVERS
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
ACADEMIC ADVISING supports students in achieving their educational and vocational goals.
THE ACADEMIC SKILLS OFFICE provides coaching to help students
develop skills and strategies for academic success, and also works
with students in the Conditional Admit Program (CAP) and Augsburg Advantage St. Kate’s (AASK) program.
THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE STUDENT SERVICES
(CLASS) provides services and accommodations for students with
attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
THE GROVES TECHNOLOGY CENTER provides computer workstations
for all students and adaptive software programs, such as speech
recognition software and screen readers, for learners with special
needs.
TRiO/STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, funded by the U.S. Department
of Education, helps students overcome class, social, and cultural
barriers to complete their college education.
TUTORING AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION is available for most
courses; the type of support offered depends on the course and
student demand.
ENSURING
ACCESSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS
Augsburg College is committed to ensuring all students
have access to the campus resources and tools they need
to succeed. To support this commitment, the College
recently formed an accessibility committee of more than
50 staff and faculty from 16 departments.
One of the committee’s primary responsibilities is
ensuring the College meets the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Recent revisions to the
ADA as well as legal settlements at other colleges and
universities make the committee’s work especially timely.
One of the more high-profile lawsuits was a case brought
against Penn State University by the National Federation
of the Blind, which settled in 2010 for $150,000. The
settlement cited inaccessible technology for blind and
print-disabled students and is now serving as a guideline
for institutions nationwide to review accessibility of technology and facilities.
As part of its charge to ensure the College meets its
obligations, the Augsburg accessibility committee is conducting an audit of campus facilities and technology,
delivering training to faculty and staff, and working to
identify a compliance officer. The work of the committee
to identify and address accessibility issues helps mitigate
risk for the College as it strives to live up to its commitment to student success.
Summer 2012
21
A NEW
approach to learning
For most of his life, Nic Adducci ’15 was
the kid who couldn’t read or write. The kid
who had to go to the principal’s office to
take his pill every day. The kid with a learn-
said, when educators, students,
and parents were just beginning to
understand learning disabilities. “I was the
only student in a small class with a learning
disability. I was the kid who had emotional
and behavior problems, and when I had a
NIC ADDUCCI
“I have to give credit to the
CLASS office for giving me
the support that I needed to
really be successful, but I
also have to credit the professors who really pushed
me to see something more
in myself than what I had
been taught in the past 27
years of my life.”
ing disability.
Today, due in part to support he receives
from Augsburg’s Center for Learning and
Adaptive Student Services (CLASS),
Adducci made the dean’s list with a 4.0
grade-point average. A double major in business management and psychology with
minors in economics and political science,
he has shed much of the stigma associated
with having a learning disability and has
found success at Augsburg.
In the second or third grade, Adducci
was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It was a time, he
22
Augsburg Now
bad day, [the question] was, ‘Did you take
your pill today?’” he said.
“That was the foundation for my educational experience, and that followed me
everywhere I went,” Adducci said. The
labels and messages followed him to the
workplace where he was a project manager
for an educational testing company. “I
thought that I couldn’t do a lot of things
because I believed I couldn’t rely on
myself.”
In 2006, Adducci was told he needed to
complete a bachelor’s degree as a requirement for his job. A co-worker who had gradu-
ated from Augsburg through Weekend College
recommended the program, and Adducci
found himself back in the classroom.
For several years, he took a class here
and there while he continued to focus primarily on his work and personal life. Then
in 2011, he realized he needed to make his
education a top priority. He enrolled as a
full-time student in the College’s day undergraduate program and moved onto campus.
That’s when education changed for
Adducci, and he discovered his passion for
learning. “I approached my professors and
the CLASS office right away,” he said.
“They really didn’t accept the ‘I’m a bad
writer’ excuse I used when I was younger,
and they showed me that there was a different way for me to approach learning.”
Adducci’s biggest learning-related challenge is reading. “It’s hard to concentrate
and my retention is really low,” he said. The
accommodations provided through CLASS
include extra time to take exams, working
with a notetaker in classes, and using the
Kurzweil software program that reads his
textbooks aloud for him.
In two semesters as a full-time student,
Adducci not only raised his grade-point
average and made the dean’s list, he also
landed a position as a residence life adviser
for next year and made an impression on his
classmates and instructors.
“Nic made a marvelous contribution to
the class,” said assistant professor of business administration John Cerrito, whose
human resource management class Adducci
took in the spring semester. “He was
mature, serious, and a very positive student,” Cerrito said. “He is a real credit to
Augsburg.”
At Augsburg, Adducci said, he is able to
attain a level of academic success that he
hadn’t ever come close to in his life. “People
saw something valuable in me in areas
where I thought that I would never be able to
accomplish anything,” he said, “and that
gave me the motivation to actually put the
effort in. Then I was successful.”
Photo by Sally Ryan
A TYPICAL
college student
In many ways, Rachel Hastings ’15 is a typical college student. She takes Spanish class, sings in a
choir, eats in the cafeteria, and works out in the
fitness center. But she is also atypical—a student
who uses her ears and fingers to find her way
through campus and through life. She’s training for
a marathon, learning arias by ear, and spreading
joy throughout the Augsburg campus. A sophomore
from Maple Grove, Minn., Hastings has been
legally blind since birth.
Through the Gage Center for Student Success at
Augsburg College, Hastings gets individualized
support services and accommodations that help
her succeed. The photos that follow show a typical
day in the life of this atypical college student.
Hastings checks to see if she is at the studio office for her voice lesson with vocal
coach Susan Druck.
RACHEL HASTINGS
Laughing as they finish lunch, Hastings and a group of
friends talk about their upcoming finals and what they
need to do before school lets out for the summer.
Summer 2012
23
1
2
3
independence
1 By touching her right hand to the treadmill every three
or four steps, Hastings keeps her position on the
machine during her daily workout. Hastings has completed two half marathons and is planning to run the
Twin Cities Marathon in October. 2 “Hi Rachel, it’s
Noah,” a student says as he meets Hastings. But Noah
Sievert does not need to identify himself because Hastings recognizes his voice. To her, a voice is as distinct as
a face is to a sighted person. 3 The complex nature of
music theory means that Hastings needs accommodations for this course. Hastings took adapted music theory
Pressing on her belly button to physically remind herself to
breathe from her diaphragm, Hastings works on the piece “Mi
Sueño” during her voice lesson with vocal coach Susan Druck.
from assistant professor of music Doug Diamond as a
summer independent study course. 4 Before she gets
even two steps into a classroom, a classmate hops up
and says, “Rachel, there is an open spot right over here.”
One of the few times Hastings requires help is when she
needs to navigate a full classroom with her cane. 5 Practicing on a baby grand piano is one of the perks of being
a music therapy major whose main instrument is the
piano. Since she does not read Braille music, Hastings
learns music by ear, but she has perfect pitch, which
makes learning easier.
After a year of finding her way around the campus, Hastings has
memorized almost every inch of the grounds. The only thing that will
throw her off is an object that is left in an unpredictable place.
5
See more photos and hear Hastings talk about her
experiences at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
4
25
Augsburg’s TRiO/Student Support Services
(SSS) program. Programs like AVID and
TRiO/SSS help first-generation and lowincome students succeed in college. For students in high school, these programs provide
Blue ribbons and gold medals. These are
preparation for college entrance exams,
what we normally associate with being
assistance with college research and applica“first.” But for Andrena Murphy ’15, being
tion, and information about the financial aid
first—the first in her family to go to college— application process. On college campuses,
meant making new connections, proactively
these programs help students find resources
seeking advice, and learning new skills.
and support to complete their degree.
During high school, Murphy said, her
Murphy applied for and was accepted to
mother encouraged her to do well but didn’t
Augsburg’s TRiO/SSS program. She attended
THE FIRST
in her family
share some of the lessons she has learned
with the incoming TRiO students.
During the past academic year, Murphy
met regularly with her TRiO/SSS adviser to
update her academic plan and to talk about
the challenges of balancing school with family time, social life, volunteering, and her job.
She said that her time management skills
and even her eating habits improved in her
first year of college. She also learned how to
make connections with professors and to
reach out to them for advice. “That’s something I never did in high school,” she said.
ANDRENA MURPHY
When Andrena Murphy ’15 saw her first initial in
the flower garden outside Memorial Hall, she
took it as a sign that Augsburg was the place
for her.
insist that she go to college. Though her
mother had taken some community college
courses, neither she nor Murphy’s two older
sisters had obtained a college degree. And
each of them had been able to find a good
job without a college education.
“Nobody in my family knew what college
was like,” Murphy said, “so no one could
help me figure out if it was right for me.”
Murphy used her senior year of high
school and the resources of her high school’s
Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID) college readiness program to help
determine if college was the next step for her.
Through AVID, Murphy discovered
26
Augsburg Now
TRiO’s Summer Bridge program in July and
August 2011 to begin her Augsburg career.
Summer Bridge is a five-week residential program in which students take introductory religion and public speaking courses and attend
academic support seminars, workshops, and
other activities to help provide for a smooth
transition to school in the fall.
“It was fun to be in an atmosphere where I
could keep learning through the summer,”
Murphy said. She appreciated getting a head
start on classes, learning what college was
like, and meeting her classmates and professors. This summer, she will be a residential
peer mentor for Summer Bridge and will
Murphy also was involved with the Bonner
Leader program during the school year.
Through Bonner, she served as a youth development and enrichment coordinator at Kaleidoscope Place, an after-school program for
elementary and junior high school students.
Murphy officially will enter the Education
Department this fall. She’s excited about her
education classes and about becoming an
elementary teacher one day. “When I look
back, there were a few teachers who really
made a difference for me, and I want to do
that for someone.”
it takes an
Auggie
Gift to future students allows son’s memory to live on at Augsburg
“Nathan Schott’s life is an inspiration to me, and I’m humbled and
honored to receive a scholarship in his name, a scholarship that is
about future possibilities, not past liabilities.”
These are the words of Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, recipient of the
inaugural Nathan R. Schott Scholarship.
Nathan Schott came to Augsburg as a first-year student in September 2009. His time at Augsburg was short, but significant. He
touched the lives of faculty, staff, and students like Alexandra. He
had a unique ability to make connections within the Augsburg community.
Nathan was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the
age of six. He passed away at the end of his first year of college. Yet
Nathan continues to make a difference in the lives of Auggies, present and future.
Teri and Chuck Schott, Nathan’s parents, established the Nathan
R. Schott Scholarship to honor Nathan’s life and to give other students an educational opportunity in a supportive community. The
scholarship provides support for students who, like Nathan, participate in the Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services
(CLASS) program. CLASS provides services and accommodations
for students with attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
“Augsburg was the right place for Nathan,” Nathan’s father,
Chuck, said. “He had a feeling of belonging, and this was a place
where he could participate and contribute to the makeup of the
community.”
Teri Schott, Nathan’s mother, added, “The scholarship is a
chance to see that the spirit of Nathan continues. It means he’s still
a part of this place.”
“[Nathan] always had a ready smile for me when we passed in
the halls,” Stoiaken said. “There was real joy in his life, and he
shared it easily.”
Stoiaken, who manages life with cerebral palsy, said she was
inspired by Nathan. “By receiving this scholarship, I will always
endeavor to make Nathan and his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me. I will live life to its fullest,
finding inspiration wherever I can.”
DOUG SCOTT, DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP GIFTS
If interested in supporting this or similar scholarship funds, contact Doug Scott at
612-330-1575 or scottd@augsburg.edu.
“By receiving this scholarship, I will
always endeavor to make Nathan and
his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me.
I will live life to its fullest, finding
inspiration wherever I can.”
ALEXANDRA STOIAKEN ’13
Nathan Schott in his
senior year at Maple
Grove High School.
[L to R]: Teri Schott, Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, and Chuck Schott at the 2011 brunch for
Augsburg scholarship donors and recipients.
Courtesy ph
oto
Summer 2012
27
calculus
AND
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Fog-covered mountains, roosters crowing
at 4 a.m., dinner by candlelight, 60-foot
waterfalls, and calculus. Strange components in a college class, maybe, but for
seven students and two faculty members,
this was reality during the 2012 spring
break.
In the course MAT 496: The Calculus of
Sustainability, students spent the first
eight weeks of the spring semester studying coffee plantations of Nicaragua. With
this knowledge, they created projects ranging from calculating the carbon footprint
of coffee production to building a largescale differential equation model that
would be used while in Nicaragua.
Once in-country, students were asked by
the farm families with whom they stayed
for feedback and advice on an ecotourism
model the farmers were creating. The
farmers, all members of the GARBO coffee
cooperative in the Peñas Blancas region of
Nicaragua near the Honduran border, were
exploring diversifying their income by inviting tourists to learn about and stay on the
plantation.
So although they had prepared projects
for months before arriving in Nicaragua,
the students set them aside and put the
needs of the farmers in the forefront. The
class came up with ideas like creating a
map of the cooperative and installing a
water filtration system. They also suggested paving the roads and creating a
store to sell convenience items to tourists
as well as products grown on the plantation.
When all was said and done, the students learned that when working in a place
like Nicaragua, plans can change quickly.
Adaptation and the willingness to think on
your feet are great skills to have when trying to apply complex mathematics in a
real-world situation.
28
Augsburg Now
coffee
See more photos, hear the students talk about their experiences, and watch
video of the class at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
29
Courtesy photo
my
Auggie experience
Posts from the road
Summer Travel 2012
The Augsburg Choir U.S. Tour
The Augsburg Choir, under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76,
toured the Midwest in May. With stops in Montana, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, the choir performed nine concerts and had opportunities to connect with potential Auggies and their families as well as alumni and friends of the
College.
Teaching English in Thailand
This was the fifth year that English professor Kathy Swanson and
her husband, Jack, took students to teach English in Thailand as
part of a short-term study abroad course through the Center for
Global Education. In addition to teaching for 10 days in the village
of Prachuap Khirikhan, the students learned about Thai culture
and history, sailed on the Gulf of Siam, rode elephants, and tried to
stay cool in the 120-degree heat. See photos from the 2012 Thailand course at www.flickr.com/photos/augthailand.
International Management and Finance in Germany
For four weeks in May and June, a group of German students and
professors from Karlsruhe, Germany, paired with Augsburg students
and assistant business professor Marc McIntosh to study international business practices.
The group met for two weeks in Europe, visiting the European
Parliament in Strasbourg and witnessing firsthand the financial crisis that was occurring in Europe at that time. They also went to the
Frankfurt stock exchange and experienced the volatility in the
financial market as a result of the crisis, McIntosh said.
Then, back in the U.S., the students visited three companies with
strong ties to Germany and gained insights into how to do business
in overseas markets. Finally, the students participated in an intensive
business simulation game with teams competing to maximize shareholder value through the launches of multiple product offerings.
The Augsburg students teaching English in Thailand pose outside of the Wat
Benchamabophit, a temple in Bangkok.
study abroad program coordinated through Augsburg’s
Center for Global Education.
An excerpt from Underhill’s blog:
Election day is notable for its calm. Everyone is voting and
waiting; my sense is that people are still feeling that they are
in a dream, not sure that this can really be happening, and
wondering if they will wake up in the morning to find the military back in power, or in fact with a leader they have chosen.
The city is quieter than usual, less traffic and crowds, with
people staying home to vote.
Read more of the Egypt 2012 blog for more about the elections, the
extreme traffic in Cairo, and sharing a plane ride with former President Jimmy Carter at http://augsburgegypttrip2012.blogspot.com.
Social Service in a Global Context: Namibia and the U.S.
During July, a group of 25 Master of Social Work (MSW) students
studied in Namibia and South Africa accompanied by Lois Bosch,
professor and MSW program director, and Nancy Rodenborg, associate professor and chair of the Social Work Department. The group
visited social service agencies, hospitals, schools, and other venues.
Auggies abroad in 2012-13
•
30
Augsburg Now
28 students participated in summer programs in Austria,
Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Jamaica, Jordan,
Spain, and the United Kingdom
•
Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt
Political science professor Joe Underhill and Mohamed Sallam,
director of Pan-Afrikan student services at Augsburg, led students
to Egypt in May to study youth movements and social change. The
group visited cultural sites, villages, an ecotourism resort, and a
Bedouin camp, observed the historic presidential election, and
examined ongoing efforts to rebuild the country in the wake of the
2011 revolution. The combined political science and history
course, Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt, was a faculty-led
(including summer 2012)
41 students took part in summer short-term faculty-led programs including programs in Egypt, Germany, and Thailand
•
27 students will study abroad in fall semester
•
6 students will study abroad for the full 2012-13 academic year
Read more posts from the road in the Augsburg Abroad blogs at
www.augsburg.edu/augsburgabroad/blogs.html.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
auggie voices
In a room of her own
In A Room of One’s Own, writer Virginia
Woolf asserts that “a woman must have
money and a room of her own if she is to
write fiction.” This critical feminist essay,
first published in 1929, examines the
obstacles that women writers faced in a literary tradition that was, at the time, dominated by men.
It was in a room of her own, a quiet
space where she could remove herself from
the distractions of college social life, that
Erika Hammerschmidt ’04 began to write
her first book while she was a student at
Augsburg.
A private room is beneficial for students
with Asperger’s syndrome (AS), an autism
spectrum disorder that affects a person’s
ability to socialize and communicate with
others. Students with AS are characterized
by poor social skills and restricted interests,
but they typically possess great knowledge
in specific areas and have extensive vocabularies.
Hammerschmidt was diagnosed with AS
at the age of 11. “In some ways, having
Asperger’s is a gift,” she said. “I have a
good memory and a gift for logical thought.
And I can get very focused.” As a student,
however, Hammerschmidt said she was easily distracted and had trouble concentrating
on schoolwork because of anxiety she felt
about her social life.
Augsburg’s Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) program, one
of the student support resources available
in the Gage Center for Student Success,
helped Hammerschmidt deal with the
social aspects of college. “They helped me
get a single room, a ‘room of my own’ as
Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused
on them.”
The ability to focus helped Hammerschmidt complete her book, Born on the
Wrong Planet. First published in 2003, it is
a collection of poems, short stories, and
For Erica Hammerschmidt ’04, living with Asperger’s syndrome makes her feel as though she is an alien on Earth,
and she taps into that alienation to create art. In her hands is a language she created. It's tactile, and is made up
of disk and small sculptural objects that are put together to create words and sentences. Her tactile language
offers others a chance to experience and feel how different she feels because the language is intuitive to her, and
completely foreign to others.
“[Augsburg’s CLASS program] helped me get a single dorm,
a ‘room of my own’ as Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused on them.”
’04
ERIKA HAMMERSCHMIDT
essays using alternating voices to illustrate
the complexities of Hammerschmidt’s life
with Asperger’s. A revised edition was published in 2008 by the Autism Asperger
Publishing Company.
Since graduating from Augsburg, Hammerschmidt has continued writing in the
Minneapolis apartment she shares with her
husband, John Ricker, whom she met at
Augsburg. In 2011, the couple co-authored
Kea’s Flight, a science fiction novel that
Hammerschmidt said is “like [George
Orwell’s] 1984 for autistic people.”
The couple also speaks about living with
autism spectrum diagnoses to special education students, teachers, and parents of
children with autism. In 2005, they were
featured speakers at the Annual Autism
Society of Minnesota Conference.
To learn more about Hammerschmidt
and her work, go to www.erikahammerschmidt.com.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Summer 2012
31
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
t
hank you for the opportunity to serve as
the Alumni Board president. We are
welcoming five new Auggies to the
board (see their biographies below) and are
excited about the ideas and gifts they bring.
This year, we will build on the work that has
already been done by the Alumni Board and
make an effort to reconnect even more alumni to Augsburg.
My experiences as a member of the men’s soccer team keep me
connected to Augsburg. We won the MIAC championship in 1980
and went undefeated that season. Many of my soccer teammates are
still friends to this day. Several of my former teammates attended the
student-alumni networking event held on campus this past February,
and it was great to see them give back by sharing their experiences
with current students.
At the networking event, 60 students met with 50 alumni who
hosted tables for students to ask about specific careers; my table
was for those interested in financial services. I talked with several
students for an hour, and I’ve since met with two of them to personally guide them on their career paths.
You can stay connected to Augsburg by attending one of many
events hosted by the Alumni Board this year, including Homecoming
during the week of September 24 to 29. Read more about the activities scheduled for Homecoming on page 33. You’ll find information
about more upcoming events on the following pages, and we will
continue to update you in the monthly NOW@Augsburg e-newsletter.
Be sure to read it when it comes to your inbox.
I’d like to see you at an event this summer or at Homecoming.
When we meet, I hope you’ll tell me your ideas for staying connected
to Augsburg!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
New Alumni Board Members
Five Auggies were recently elected to three-year terms on the
Augsburg Alumni Board.
Frank Grazzini ’96 helps run TelemetryWeb, Inc., a software startup he co-founded. After earning his degree in accounting, he
worked in finance and now is focused on general business management. Grazzini said he would like to see the alumni connection to
Augsburg begin at commencement.
After graduating, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett ’01 served Augsburg in
event and classroom services and in advancement services. Now
that Odenbrett works in donor relations at Macalester College in
St. Paul, her desire to stay connected with Augsburg led her to join
the Alumni Board.
Lisa K. Olson ’79 lives in Washington, D.C., and is president and
owner of a business and clinical research consulting firm. Several in
Olson’s family are Augsburg graduates, and her grandfather, Henry P.
Opseth, was head of the Music Department and the first director of
the Augsburg Choir.
Nick Slack ’02 has a degree in business administration and is
currently a manufacturers’ representative for sporting goods companies in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
While at Augsburg, Slack was active in student government and
wrestling. After graduating, he served as an Augsburg wrestling
coach for seven years. He is also a member of the Augsburg Young
32
Augsburg Now
Front Row [L to R]: Holly Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, Marie Odenbrett ’01, Jill Watson ’10 MBA;
Middle Row [L to R]: Nick Slack ’02, Lisa K. Olson ’79, Kathy Amos ’87, Rob Wagner ’02, Chris
Hallin ’88; Back Row [L to R]: Michael Loney ’03, Heather Cmiel ’02, Tracy Anderson ’95,
Jerry Poland ’92, Chris Ascher ’81
Not pictured: Jennifer Carlson ’91, Sharon Engelland ’87, Sarah Grans ’01, Frank Grazzini
’96, Dan Hickle ’95, LeeAnn Lack ’67, Sharon Mercill ’05, Nancy Nordlund ’91, John Stadler
’07 MAL
Alumni Council.
Jill Watson ’10 MBA is a business analyst for Land O’Lakes.
Watson said she wants to facilitate opportunities to increase alumni
engagement and participation at Augsburg events as well as in the
recruitment process.
If you have ideas for alumni involvement, forward them to the
Alumni Board at alumni@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ’89
Join Us for
homecoming SEPTEMBER 24-29
Whether or not you are celebrating a
reunion this year, Homecoming is a perfect
reason to return to campus to reconnect
with former classmates and enjoy the
Augsburg spirit! Join Augsburg alumni, parents, students, and friends in a fun-filled
week of Homecoming events and activities.
This year marks many milestones for the
College that will be recognized during
Homecoming, including the 25th anniversary
of the Master of Arts in Leadership program,
which will be celebrated following the Sabo
Symposium on Wednesday, September 26,
and the 30th Anniversary of Weekend/Evening
College (WEC), which will be celebrated at
the WEC Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
New events have been added to this
year’s Homecoming schedule, including a
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti Meet and Greet
Reception, an Augsburg Cabaret Reunion and
sing-along on Friday, September 28, and a
Latino/a Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
Homecoming Convocation will start the
weekend off on Friday morning, September
28, when we will recognize the First
Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners, as well as
members of the class of 1962. Don’t miss
the opportunity for fellowship and reminiscing at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon
that afternoon or at the 10-year, 25-year, and
30-year reunions at Republic (formerly Preston’s) Friday evening.
Experience the Best of Augsburg on Saturday morning, September 29, when you can
hear a brief lecture from two of Augsburg’s
outstanding faculty members—Darcey
Engen ’88, associate professor and chair of
theater arts, and James Vela-McConnell,
professor of sociology.
Before the football game on Saturday,
enjoy the Taste of Augsburg event with fun for
the whole family, including carnival-style
booths operated by student, parent, and
alumni groups. That afternoon, cheer on the
Auggies at the Homecoming Football Game as
they take on Bethel College.
The Auggie Block Party is back by popular
demand! Following the football game,
gather in the parking lot north of Si Melby
Hall to enjoy food, entertainment, and
camaraderie. It’s a wonderful way to conclude the Homecoming weekend.
Homecoming has something for everyone.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.augsburg.edu/homecoming. We
look forward to seeing you in September!
reunion classes
60th Reunion—1952
50th Reunion—1962
40th Reunion—1972
30th Reunion—1982
25th Reunion—1987
10th Reunion—2002
Summer 2012
33
alumni news
Networking at Work
In the past year, the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations partnered with Career Services and the Alumni Board
to host two student-alumni networking events. These events
provide an opportunity for current Augsburg students to
have one-on-one interactions with alumni from a variety of
professions and also allow alumni to share their professional
experience and insight.
Several lasting connections were made at these events,
including one between Janeece Oatman ’05 and Julie Bednark
’13, who met during Homecoming 2011. The two found they
have a shared passion for high-energy, intense projects, and
they connected immediately around their Augsburg experiences. Their conversation sparked a connection that led to a
friendship and an internship opportunity for Bednark with
the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure annual
bike ride, for which Oatman is the director.
Oatman said she feels good about giving back to the College by offering a unique experience for a current Augsburg
student. “Julie was so approachable, smart, worldly, and
willing to work hard,” she said. Following her internship,
Bednark plans to volunteer for the Tour de Cure to maintain
her connection to Oatman and to the American Diabetes
Association.
Chris Ascher ’81 and Dennis Som ’12 met at a networking
event, but their true connection began after Som invited
Ascher to lunch and they discovered a mutual passion for
the world of finance. Som was inspired by Ascher’s character, goal-setting structure, and willingness to be a resource
for current Augsburg students. Now the two connect regularly via email to share personal and professional developments. Both agree that a long-term mentor/mentee
relationship is in the cards.
Oatman and Ascher agreed they would return to participate in future alumni and student networking events to
recapture the sense of gratification and pride that comes
from “Auggies supporting Auggies.”
Make your own connection with a current Auggie at the
next alumni and student networking event that will take
place on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
SARA SCHLIPP-RIEDEL ’06
Julie Bednark ’13 and Janeece Oatman ’05
Dennis Som ’12 and Chris Ascher ’81
auggies supporting auggies
34
Augsburg Now
s
‘Augsburg Start’ Mentor Program
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH A NEW AUGGIE!
Do you remember your first days as a new Weekend/Evening College
student? Navigating a new campus? Balancing work, life, and family? Learning about resources and success strategies?
Now that you are an Augsburg WEC alum, you can give back to
Augsburg and share your experience and success by becoming a mentor for a new Augsburg WEC student this fall.
Augsburg Start is a mentor outreach program focused on pairing
new Augsburg for Adults/Weekend College students with an
alumna/us mentor who will support them in their first term. Once
paired with a new student, you will be asked to connect with them
in the first week and at least two other times in the term and be
available as a resource for help and support in person, by phone, or
by email. Each mentor/mentee relationship is different, but here
are some ways to be an Augsburg Start mentor:
• share your strategies for success
as an adult student
• encourage the student to connect with their
faculty adviser so they will be ready to register for the next term
• help the student reach out to student support programs
• be sure the student knows how to use Moodle and Augnet
• connect the student with the library and its resources
For more information, visit www.augsburg.edu/alumni/getinvolved
or contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or
gransp@augsburg.edu.
BUILDING CONNECTIONS FROM THE
ground up
When Yemissrach (Yemi) Melka ’15 met Guy Wojtowicz ’81 in March,
she had several questions in mind to help her learn about the personal and professional journey of the Augsburg grad. But she was in
for a surprise—one that would bring a unique experience to the
general chemistry students at Augsburg.
During the visit, Wojtowicz told Melka about his family, many of
whom are Auggies, including his son Zach who has completed his
second year at Augsburg. He also talked about his professional
career, describing some of the chemical and agricultural projects
currently underway at the stucco and plastering company that he
founded with his brother in 2006.
The project that took Melka by surprise involves a compound
that can be sprayed on depleted soil to significantly increase its fertility. Wojtowicz said the compound could also be instrumental in
remediating contaminated soil without having to excavate and
remove the soil to a toxic disposal site.
As a chemistry major and an international student from Ethiopia,
where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and soil depletion
has been an issue, Melka was excited about exploring the application of the technology in her home
country. She couldn’t wait to tell
[L to R]: Yemissrach Melka ‘15, Guy Wojtowicz ‘81, assistant professor of chemistry
Vivian Feng
her professor, Vivian Feng, about the chemistry lesson she received
outside of class.
Feng was impressed with the capabilities of the compound and
brought it into a first-year general chemistry classroom for students
to use in the environmental chemistry section of the course. Generally, Feng said, first-year students don’t work with commercial compounds used in the real world, so Melka’s discovery provided a rare,
hands-on learning opportunity for her classmates.
Melka met Wojtowicz through her involvement in IGNITE (Involving Graduates Now In Thoughtful Engagement), a program launched in
2009 with a grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™. Students in IGNITE conduct face-to-face visits with alumni to learn
more about their Augsburg experience and their interest in volunteer opportunities at Augsburg.
If you have an interest in meeting with an IGNITE student representative, contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at 612-3301329 or gransp@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ‘89
Summer 2012
35
alumni news
save the dates
Saturday, October 13, 1-3 p.m.
FALL FOLIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY AND BOAT TOUR
auggie
IS FLYING SOUTH THIS WINTER!
Join President Paul C. Pribbenow and Augsburg alumni and friends
in Arizona for the following events. To register or for more
information call 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Saturday, February 16, 2 p.m.
AUGSBURG RECEPTION
At the home of Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson, Sun City
The Anderson home is located two blocks northwest from the
American Lutheran Church in Sun City.
Taylors Falls, Minn.
Augsburg’s resident photographer, Stephen Geffre, will
provide insight into what
makes for a successful photo
and share stories and images
from his “365 Project.” This
unique event will be held on
the St. Croix River aboard
the Taylors Falls Queen
excursion boat of Wild
Mountain/Taylors Falls
Recreation, owned by Amy
Raedtke Frischmon ’92.
Register at www.augsburg.edu/
alumnievents.
Thursday, October 18, Noon CT
AUGSBURG LIVE: STATE OF THE COLLEGE
Hear first-hand from President Paul C. Pribbenow
about the College’s priorities for this academic year
on this hour-long webinar. See images of the campus, hear stories of student successes, and learn
about how the College continues to live out its mission and promise to students and its community. To
register, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Saturday, February 16, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION AT HEARD MUSEUM
Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS: ARIZONA TOUR
Sunday, February 17 - American Lutheran Church, Sun City
Sunday, February 17; 8, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m.
Monday, February 18 - The Church at Litchfield Park,
KING OF GLORY CHURCH SERVICES
Litchfield Park
King of Glory, 2085 East Southern Ave., Tempe
Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow will be the guest preacher
Tuesday, February 19 - Desert Hills Lutheran, Green Valley
Sunday, February 17, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION
At the home of Lute ’56 and Kelly Olson, Tuscon
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
Thursday, February 21 - Sun Lakes United Methodist
Church, Sun Lakes
Friday, February 22 - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran,
Fountain Hills
Saturday, February 23 - Vista de la Montana Methodist
Church, Tucson
Sunday, February 24 - Gold Canyon United Methodist
Church, Gold Canyon
36
Augsburg Now
62newly published book on sciKen Olson is the author of a
alumni class notes
57lished two books: Daily Walks
Rev. Neal Snider recently pub-
with Saints and Sinners and Walking
Together through the Bible.
ence and religion, Lens to the Natural World: Reflections on Dinosaurs,
Galaxies, and God. In addition to
parish ministry, since 1988 Olson has
been a research associate in paleontology for the Museum of the Rockies
at Montana State University. Olson
and his wife Rochelle (Jerve) Olson
‘63 live in Lewistown, Mont.
head High School in Kalispell, Mont.
Davis was an All-American wrestler
at Augsburg College in 1973.
76called to serve as the senior
Mary (Ronning) Gilthvedt was
70
In May, Jim Fischer was
inducted into the Delaware
Sports Hall of Fame. Fischer has
been the track and cross country
coach at University of Delaware since
1982. He joins the previous 293
inductees enshrined at the Delaware
Sports Museum since 1976.
74gence, a story about “a smart
Scott Seal published Conver-
guy with a mediocre life” that takes
the reader from the frozen snowbanks of Minneapolis to the icy halfpipe snowboard courses of Valles
Marineras on Mars.
Scot Davis, a two-time national
coach of the year and the “All-Time
National Wins Leader” in high
school wrestling, according to
Wrestling USA Magazine, has been
named head wrestling coach at Flat-
pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran
Church in East Grand Forks, Minn.
in July 2011.
83’88, and four other profes-
Luverne Seifert, Darcey Engen
sional performers will debut a new
site-specific production of Anton
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in
five historical homes in July and
August. The production, which will
travel to Blue Earth, Kenyon, Little
Falls, Taylors Falls, and Worthington,
Minn., will also feature four local
community actors and musicians
from each community.
84a new position as an accountPamela (Schey) Durfee began
ant with Mullinax Concrete Services
in Buffalo, Wyo.
AUGSBURG CELEBRATES
40
Years
OF WOMEN’S ATHLETICS
Courtesy photo
Joyce Pfaff ’65
Lavonne Peterson ’50
auggie SNAPSHOTS
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of
women’s athletics at Augsburg, as well as the
40th anniversary of Title IX, the College will
present two alumnae with the “One of Our Own”
award. On Saturday, November 10, Joyce Pfaff
’65 and Lavonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson ’50, will
join Ernie Anderson ’37, Edor Nelson ’38, Lute
Olson ’56, and Ed Saugestad ’59 as “One of
Our Own” award recipients for their contributions to Augsburg College and the Athletic
Department. In addition, female athletes from
each decade will be chosen for the All-Decade
Teams to honor and recognize some of
Augsburg’s most outstanding athletes from
the past 40 years.
Save the Date: All athletic alumnae are invited to
join in the celebration on Saturday, November 10!
04Krepela ’04 MAE and her
Bethany (Bierman)
72promoted to the rank of
Kristin L. Rajala was
colonel, Dental Corps, in the
Minnesota Army National
Guard in a ceremony on April
14 at Camp Ripley, Little Falls,
Minn. Rajala is currently
assigned as the officer in
charge of the Dental Section
within the Medical Detachment, Joint Force Headquarters, Minnesota Army National
Guard. Her civilian career is
practicing dentistry in Brainerd and Willmar, Minn.
husband, Jim, welcomed a
daughter, Kaija Joyce, on
August 19, 2011. Bethany
worked at Augsburg from 1998
to 2007 in admissions and in
marketing and communication.
She currently works as a Twin
Cities-based development officer for Luther College.
05Schornstein and Matt
Megan (Ehresmann)
Schornstein ’04 welcomed
Elsie Mae on November 18.
05Nathan Saj welcomed
Ellen (Kvitek) Saj and
baby boy Benjamin James on
March 14.
Jim and Kelly Matthias welcomed baby Adeline Grace
on February 7. Jim is a liaison for computing in the
Information Technology
department at Augsburg.
07recently received her
Katherine Jane Gavin
doctor of medicine degree
from the Medical College of
Wisconsin.
Summer 2012
37
86Teacher of the Year at Trinity High 99celebration of the Girl Scouts
Michael Johnson was named
School in Trinity, N.C. Johnson teaches
theater and is the director of dramatics
at the school.
87vice president of Venture Bank.
In January, at the centennial
of Minnesota, Linda Stuart was honored as a “Woman of Promise” by
the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys.
Brian Brakke was appointed senior
89
Devoney Looser, professor of English at the University of Missouri,
published a video titled The Untidy History of Sisterhood about her research on
Jane Austen, Jane Porter, women’s writings, old age, and roller derby. The
video is available on the SyndicateMizzou website. Looser also directed a
National Endowment for the Humanities
Summer Seminar for College Teachers
on “Jane Austen and Her Contemporaries” this summer.
Charles Skemp (MAE licensure) received
a 2012 Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan
(WEM) Foundation Outstanding Educator Award for Teacher Achievement in
May. Skemp is a teacher at Henry Sibley
High School in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district.
92coach and founder of Life Illumi-
Jennifer Chou authored a chapter titled,
“Wine Savvy—Business and Social Wine
Smarts” in the book Socially Smart &
Savvy, a book of experts’ secrets for
success.
01tenant by the Minnesota State
Robert Zak was promoted to lieu-
Patrol. Zak is the director of fleet and
asset management and is stationed in
St. Paul.
In May, Mary Grundhoefer (MAE licensure) received the Teacher of Excellence
Award in the Cambridge-Isanti School
District where she teaches English, writing, and media studies.
04ter’s degree in finance from the
Hans Strommen received his mas-
University of St. Thomas. He works for
UnitedHealthcare as a senior financial
analyst.
Sharol Tyra, a professional certified
nation Presentations and Coaching, was
elected to the Minnesota Coaches Association board of directors.
05Stolle was named 2011 Educator
In February, Bethany (Schneck)
93time All-American, Joe Hoialmen,
of the Year by the Lutheran Association
of Christian Educators. Stolle is a senior
developer for youth resources for
Sparkhouse, the ecumenical division of
Augsburg Fortress publishers.
was inducted into the National Wrestling
Coaches Association Division III Hall of
Fame in April.
08math teacher at St. Paul Prepara-
Former Auggie wrestler and three-
95
In June, Hans Skulstad was
named chair of the Hobey Baker
Memorial Award Committee.
Michael Gooding was hired as a medical
assistant with Sun Life Family Health
Center in Sun Lakes, Ariz.
In May, Dan Forseth, science and
tory School in St. Paul, was awarded the
Science House High Flyer Award by the
Science Museum of Minnesota Professional Development Group.
10year of graduate school at Alliant
Leann Vice-Reshel finished her first
e
w
a
Augsburg Women
Engaged Update
AWE believes…
• women have knowledge, experience, and wisdom
to share with the Augsburg community.
• a relationship with Augsburg enriches the lives of
alumnae.
• we can be the catalyst for tapping the potential
of women to connect, learn, and give.
In July 2011, AWE hosted its first Action Team
gathering, presenting opportunities for women to
connect, learn, give, and be actively involved in the
Augsburg community. Since then, more than 150
Auggie women have engaged with Augsburg
through AWE programs and events. The second
AWE Action Team gathering is scheduled for
August 1. Join us to find a project or team that fits
your interests and availability.
AWE is thrilled to thank the 26 women who have
stepped forward to support the future Center for
Science, Business, and Religion. Special thanks to
Roz Nordaune ’77, one of the first women to join
AWE, for her matching gift, which brings the
group’s fundraising total to $50,000. In the second phase of this “AWE-Inspired” effort, AWE will
invite 50 women to join them in raising $100,000
by December 31!
Augsburg welcomes new participants to AWE.
Contact Sherilyn Young at 612-330-1462 or
youngs@augsburg.edu for more information.
CONNECTING. LEARNING. GIVING.
University in San Diego, Calif. She is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology.
The Political History and Landmarks of Namibia and South Africa
Join Augsburg alumni and friends in August 2013 on this 12-day
African tour through Namibia and South Africa’s political past and the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks this history has created.
Learn firsthand about this region’s struggle against apartheid and
discover how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia played
a significant role in the Namibian independence struggle. Tour the
former black and colored townships in Windhoek and Johannesburg, and hear from a cross-section of southern African society.
38
Augsburg Now
This trip is offered in partnership between the Alumni Association and the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg
College. For 30 years, CGE has provided cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local and
global conditions so that personal and systemic change takes
place, leading to a more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call 612-330-1085
or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Dr. Donald F. Holm ’39, Edina, Minn., age 94, on March 9.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Victor “Vic” E. Miller ’42, Edina, Minn., age 92, on December 1.
Andrew “Andy” Balerud ’50, Visalia, Calif., age 84, on February 11.
Jennings I. Thompson ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 88, on January 18.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Gordon Odegaard ’52, Washington, D.C., age 81, on January 14.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
C. Arthur Shultz ’53, Rancho Cordova, Calif., age 80, on January 9.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Rev. Leroy J. Iseminger ’54, Sioux Falls, S.D., age 80, on March 10.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Lawrence E. Nerheim ’56, Oak Park, Calif., age 76, on January 11.
Conrad E. Fristedt ’58, Alexandria, Minn., age 81, on March 8.
K. Benjamin Skurdal ’59, Williston, N.D., age 78, on March 14.
Roger A. Bevis ’63, Bloomington, Minn., age 70, on January 29.
Joanne Clare Koester ’75, Red Wing, Minn., age 58, on May 12.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Brenda L. (Salberg) Peterson ’75, Brooklyn Park, Minn., age 58, on April 1.
____________________________________________________________
Karen I. Quenroe ’76, Canby, Minn., age 56, on April 30, 2011.
____________________________________________________________
Audrey A. Banks ’89, Minneapolis, age 77, on October 19.
____________________________________________________________
David J. Holland, ’91, Berkeley, Calif., age 43, on January 24.
Jennifer “Jen” M. DeGolier ’99, Minneapolis, age 36, on April 27.
Jennifer “Jenni” L. Buth ’01, Bloomington, Minn., age 35, on March 30.
____________________________________________________________
❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Brian Hartmann ’03, St. Louis Park, Minn., age 50, on May 4.
Summer 2012
39
auggies on the ice
Scoring in science and hockey
Balancing academics and athletics can be
demanding for college student-athletes. For
Brandon Bukowski ’12, a double major in
biology and chemistry with his sights set on
medical school, managing academics and a
hockey schedule was challenging. But
Bukowski shone in the classroom and on the
ice, graduating summa cum laude with honors in biology and leading his team as one of
the top hockey defenders in the conference.
Bukowski came to Augsburg after three
years playing junior hockey with the Tri-City
Storm in Kearney, Neb., and the Fargo-Moorhead Jets in North Dakota. Chris Brown,
Augsburg’s men’s hockey coach, had been in
contact with Bukowski since high school, but
Bukowski was interested in playing for a Division I school. “I never thought Augsburg was
for me, but I was impressed with the hockey
team and the strong science program,” he
said.
Studying biology while playing hockey
required support from his coaches and commitment to time management. “In hockey,
science majors are not common,” Bukowski
said. Some of his courses required 12 hours
of lab work each week, but he said his
coaches always found a way to make his
schedule work. “At Augsburg, the coaches
emphasize that we are students first and athletes second.”
At Augsburg, students interested in pursuing graduate school are encouraged to participate in faculty-led research in order to
prepare them for advanced study. For two
summers, Bukowski conducted research with
biology assistant professor Jennifer BankersFulbright through Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity
(URGO), which funds 10 to 12 weeks of
summer research for more than 30 students
each year. Bukowski and Bankers-Fulbright
studied a bacterium that is responsible for
substantial mortality in patients with cystic
fibrosis.
40
Augsburg Now
Bankers-Fulbright said she appreciated
Bukowski’s enthusiasm and dedication.
“Brandon has a very strong work ethic and
this, combined with his intellectual curiosity
and drive, made him a valuable part of my
lab,” she said.
Bukowski also participated in Mayo Innovation Scholars, a program involving Mayo
Clinic Ventures and the Minnesota Private
College Council. As a member of a team
including undergraduate science and business majors and an MBA student,
Bukowski researched the efficacy of a
potential product and conducted market
analysis for the product.
His academic skill earned Bukowski Auggie awards as the men’s student-athlete with
the highest grade-point average in 2011
and 2012. On the ice, he was a fouryear letter winner, appearing in 85
career games with 14 assists and
15 points, and the team qualified for the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference postseason
playoffs three times
during his tenure.
Bukowski plans
to apply to medical school
next year and
wants to
become an orthopedic surgeon. For the summer following graduation, he has applied to a
Med Scribe program at Emergency Physicians Professional Association (EPPA) in
which he would shadow a physician and
learn about the medical field by documenting
patient history and observing exams.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
At the annual Auggie Awards, the Augsburg College athletic programs roll out the maroon carpet
to celebrate team and individual successes. For the promotional posters, Augsburg College photographer Stephen Geffre shows student-athletes in formal wear participating in their sport.
To see more of these striking action shots, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
augsburgLEGACY
AN
“Scholarships energize students! Providing scholarships energizes us!”
PHILIP AND JEAN FORMO
Phil and Jean Formo are always excited to meet a student who
has received a scholarship from the Jerome and Winifred
Formo Scholarship or the David J. Formo Scholarship. And
soon, the Formos will be able to meet Augsburg students who
will receive support from the Andreas Helland Scholarship.
Phil comes from an Augsburg legacy family. His parents,
Jerome and Winifred Formo, both graduated in 1937. His
brother, David, graduated in 1964 and served in the U.S. Navy.
And Phil’s grandfather, Andreas Helland, taught at Augsburg
Seminary and College for 35 years.
The Formo scholarships, started in memory of the family’s
loved ones, create a family legacy while ensuring financial
support for future Augsburg students. Jean and Phil have also
provided for an estate gift that will continue to build these
scholarships after their deaths.
Meeting the students who receive scholarships from their
family’s legacy is energizing to Phil and Jean. “Best of all for
us,” Phil said, “these scholarships help us stay vitally connected to Augsburg College and to its students.”
The Augsburg College development team has many creative ways to help
accomplish your Augsburg philanthropic and legacy goals. To learn more,
call 612-330-1575.
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Commencement 2012
Rebecca Hamlin, the representative for the class of 2012, hugs her son Marlowe Lindberg
before the July 1 commencement ceremony. In her speech to the graduates, Hamlin
shared how students at Fridley Middle School taught her about peace when she taught
them about civic engagement through the Public Achievement program.
To read more about Public Achievement at Fridley Middle School,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
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AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2012
VOL. 74, NO. 2
inside
called
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Auggie Pastors Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Travel
International photo contest Writers’ challenge
of place Roger Griffith ’84
pagePersonality
20
to
inspire
peace
not... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2012
VOL. 74, NO. 2
inside
called
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Auggie Pastors Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Travel
International photo contest Writers’ challenge
of place Roger Griffith ’84
pagePersonality
20
to
inspire
peace
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Innovation and excellence
Senior Creative Associate-Design
A
s I write this, there is much conversation
around the country about President Obama’s
challenge to colleges and universities to
stem tuition increases and make higher education more accessible. It is an important challenge and one we take seriously at Augsburg.
In many ways, Augsburg’s longstanding commitment to access and excellence prepares us well
to address the challenge. We have developed a
strategic model for using College-funded financial
aid to make college accessible for a diverse student
body. We are involved in ongoing efforts to link academic planning, enrollment outlooks, and a sustainable financial model. We focus our attention as
a campus community on ensuring that students are
at the center of our lives and that their success is
our primary objective. All of these efforts are mission-based and challenge us to be open to innovative ways to ensure that Augsburg’s excellence is
sustained into the future.
In fact, Augsburg 2019, our strategic map,
names innovation and excellence as one of our
three key pathways to our future. (The others are
student success and telling Augsburg’s story in
word and deed.) You will read in this issue of
Augsburg Now about several innovative projects,
including the Nobel Peace Prize Forum (see page
9), the American Commonwealth
Partnership (see page 2), and the opening of the
new Gage Center for Student Success (see page 3
and back cover).
All of this said, however, we still must ask ourselves a fundamental question about higher education and about Augsburg in particular. That
question is this: Is it worth it? Why would any of
us—parents and students who pay tuition, alumni
and friends who make gifts—invest the time and
energy and money that college demands?
It is a question I think a good bit about, though
I certainly will admit my bias as a lifelong educator. In engaging in the important public conversations about the role of higher education for our
economy and democracy, there is great value in re-
visiting the reasons why the sort of education
Augsburg offers is worth it—for our students, graduates, and the world.
I find essayist and poet (and farmer) Wendell
Berry’s words in his prose-poem “Damage” particularly instructive when he writes: “No expert knows
everything about every place, not even everything
about any place. If one’s knowledge of one’s whereabouts is insufficient, if one’s judgment is unsound, then expert advice is of little use.”
Education, in other words, is not about taking
someone else’s word for it. It is about finding our own
way into an understanding of our world and our
whereabouts so that we might use our education to
make our whereabouts safer and healthier, and more
fair and just. This is how we think about education
here at Augsburg. Students come here not to be filled
up with someone else’s knowledge but to find and
ask their own questions, to test their own hypotheses,
to create their own art and music, and to engage our
neighborhood and world as they learn and serve. They
come here to learn about themselves, to learn with
each other and with our remarkable faculty, and to
learn about the world they inhabit with all its diversity
and complexity.
And then in a few short years, we send them
out from here to use their education in service and
leadership in the world. We count on them to take
the questions they have asked here and knowledge
they have gained about their whereabouts, and
then we watch with great pride and expectation
how their Augsburg education makes the world a
better place for all of us.
Accountability for our plans and budgets? Indeed. Innovation and excellence in support of our
students? You can count on it. But in the end, we
must be passionate advocates for the value—the
worth—of the sort of education Augsburg offers
and the difference it makes for our students and
the world. I thank all of you for your support and
passion. Please share our amazing story!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
spring 2012
augsburg now
Features
9
13
24
28
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
COMPILED BY REBECCA JOHN
WE ARE CALLED.
auggie pastors.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
.
14 Bob Bagley ’58
16 David Lillejord ’86
18 Jeni Falkman Grangaard ’02
20 Peter Morlock ’90
22 Stephanie Quick-Espinoza ’01
9
contents
13
26
On the cover
At the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Augsburg’s President
Paul C. Pribbenow was joined by F. W. de Klerk, former South African
president and 1993 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Peter Agre ’70,
2003 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and director of the
Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
24
26
28
International photo contest
Auggie writers’ challenge
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The personality of place—student break room
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
5
6
30
31
36
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
My Auggie experience
Auggie voices
Auggies in the front office
Alumni news
Class notes
It takes an Auggie
quad
around the
SportsExtravaganza
American
Commonwealth Partnership
Augsburg was named coordinator of the nationwide
American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP), launched in
January by the White House Office of Public Engagement, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The ACP
is rooted in the recognition that education should be—
must be—delivered for the common good rather than be
allowed to become an individual benefit only for those
who can afford it. As coordinator, Augsburg will work to
deepen connections and relationships
and create policies, initiatives, and practices in
public engagement efforts across higher
education. Read more on page 6 of this
edition of Augsburg Now.
Auggies majoring in physical education had the chance
in November to work with more than 225 grade school
kids from 27 schools during the Sports Extravaganza. All
the youth who attended have developmental and/or physical needs and participated in nine different activities designed with their needs in mind. The program is a chance
for future teachers to get hands-on practice working with
students.
Academic
ACCREDITATION
education
Youth Day
Native American
More than 250 Native American youth from grades 6 through 12
were on campus January 13 for Native American Youth Day. As
part of their visit, the students from eight metro-area school districts had the chance to hear Olympian Billy Mills talk about living
a drug-free, alcohol-free life. Mills, who was born and raised on
the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Reservation in South Dakota, also spoke
about “Unity through Diversity” in an evening presentation open
to the public.
2
Augsburg Now
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE) Review Board granted Augsburg’s
Education Department programs continued national accreditation until 2017. Accredited programs include
initial licensure programs in elementary, secondary, and
special education at the undergraduate and graduate
level. NCATE also granted a two-year accreditation to
advanced licensure programs. In addition, the department’s teaching and service to the community
received the highest possible rating by the NCATE
Review Board.
nursing
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
(CCNE) Board of Commissioners granted accreditation
to the College’s post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice
Program for a term of five years, the maximum time
frame granted for accreditation of new programs.
Clair and Gladys Strommen
EXECUTIVE LEADER SPEAKER SERIES
The 2011-12 Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Leader
Speaker Series kicked off in November with Steve
Wehrenberg ’78, CEO of Campbell Mithun advertising
agency. In February, the series welcomed Keith Wyche,
a leading African-American executive and CEO of Cub
Foods. The next event in the series, March 29, features Jim
Owens, president and CEO of HB Fuller. All Strommen Executive Leader Speaker events are free and open to the public.
C E L E BRAT I N G
3 0
Y E AR S
GAGE CENTER CELEBRATION
The Center for Global Education celebrates its 30-year anniversary
of offering cross-cultural learning experiences that foster critical
analysis of local and global conditions. During December, CGE
hosted its first trip to Cuba since 2005. The program provided
participants an opportunity to learn about politics, health care,
food security, workers’ rights, and more. Beginning in the fall of
2012, Augsburg will conduct semester-long programs in Cuba
with courses in history, political science, sociology, and Spanish
language. The program will be coordinated by CGE in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, an organization
based in Havana and dedicated to community development and
national and international politics. Augsburg is one of only a
handful of colleges to offer such a unique learning opportunity.
Representatives of the Gage and Groves Family foundations joined Augsburg College staff and faculty in
February for the grand opening of the Gage Center for Student Success and the Groves Center of
Technology, located at the heart of campus on the second level of the Lindell Library.
Celebration of
Philanthropy
Modeling Constructive Debate:
The Celebration of Philanthropy, the second annual celebration of supporters and friends of the College, is June 7.
The event is open to current annual donors who have
made gifts of $1,000 or more in fiscal 2012, Sven
Oftedal Society members, donors who have made cumulative gifts of $25,000 or more, and donors who have given
to the College for 15 or more consecutive years. Invitations to the event will be mailed this spring.
Augsburg’s annual Sabo Symposium modeled constructive debate in addressing some of the contentious issues surrounding
K-12 integration funding in Minnesota. The panel included
Peter Swanson and Scott Thomas, co-chairs of the Minnesota
Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, who
discussed their experiences on the task force to illustrate how
people with differing perspectives can lead and model civil
discourse in order to work together productively.
Sabo Public Policy Symposium
To learn more about the Symposium,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2012
3
quad
around the
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
New academic programs
The Augsburg College Board of Regents has approved two new
graduate-level programs—the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative
Writing and the Master of Music Therapy—which will launch in the
fall of 2013.
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing offers tracks in fiction,
creative nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. Playwriting will be
added in 2014. The MFA will be offered through a low-residency,
hybrid model that includes online and face-to-face learning.
The Master of Music Therapy will address changes to the minimum professional requirements for music therapists as set by the
Music Therapy National Board. The program, offered via a combination of online and face-to-face learning formats, focuses on
music and medicine, which is projected to be a growth field in
nursing homes and hospice care.
Also, the Augsburg College faculty approved an ESL (English as
a Second Language) teacher licensure program, an area of demand
in K-12 education today. The program is currently pending final
approval from the State of Minnesota and will be offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels of the College’s teacher education
programs.
Where Condor Meets Eagle
NATIVE AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
Frederic Luskin, director of the Stanford
University Forgiveness Project, spoke February
11 at the Center for Counseling and Health
Promotion Convocation about the process of letting go of hurt, helplessness, and anger, while
increasing confidence, hope, and happiness.
At this year’s Batalden Symposium in Applied
Ethics, members of the Augsburg community
explored the effects of youth on political
change in Egypt through first-hand accounts
from members of the EYouth (Engaging and
Empowering Egyptian Youth) project, who described their experiences as part of the protests
and their observations about the process of
youth-led political change in Egypt.
Kenna-Camara Cotton,
director of Voice of
Culture Drum and Dance,
a Minneapolis-based
Black dance company,
performs an African
dance at the January
Martin Luther King Jr.
Convocation.
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
Augsburg Now
The Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, held
January 16, featured T. Mychael Rambo, local
actor, vocalist, and educator. The convocation
featured other local performers using poetry,
song, dance, and imagery to explore the topic,
“Now is the Time: Giving Voice to the Dream.”
A full schedule of the 2011-12 Augsburg
College Convocation series is available at
www.augsburg.edu/convo.
Augsburg’s Native American Film Series partnered with
Phillips Indian Educators and the Parkway Theater to
present a three-night film festival in March celebrating
indigenous film, collaborations across national boundaries, and visual storytelling. The festival featured films
by Bolivian and North American artists, many of whom
attended the screenings and participated in audience
discussions about their films. The festival title, Where
Condor Meets Eagle, reflects the prophecy that when
the condor (Bolivia) meets the eagle (North America),
the Indigenous continent will be healed.
4
Convocation Series 2011-12
my
Auggie experience
Beating the Odds
After completing her PhD from Yale in 2009,
Chandra Erdman ’02 was in high demand.
She was recruited for tenure track teaching
positions at several universities, and the
global banking firm Goldman Sachs also
came calling with an attractive offer. But
Erdman’s dream job was to work for the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Today, she is one of the 39 percent of
Washington, D.C., residents who work for
the government. She is a mathematical
statistician in the Center for Statistical Research and Methodology, a group that
makes up less than one percent of U.S.
Census Bureau employees.
She also happens to be the only African
American ever to obtain a PhD in statistics
from Yale University.
There was a time, however, when Erdman
did not care about graduating from high
school, much less obtaining a college degree. But with the encouragement and support from those who recognized her
potential, she has not only succeeded as a
scholar, she has also landed her dream job.
In the 10th grade, Erdman was truant 59
days; if she had missed 60 days, she would
have been expelled. While speaking to mathematics students at Augsburg in January,
Erdman said she had an “attitude” in high
school. Despite her truancy and her bad attitude, she maintained a 4.27 grade point average (out of 4.33).
At the end of her 10th grade year, she
met a man who directed a program that
helped inner city youth focus on their education. “I didn’t think college was an option
for me,” Erdman said. Neither of her parents had graduated from high school, and
in the low-income housing community
where she grew up, she knew no one who
had gone to college.
Erdman enrolled in the Post-Secondary
Enrollment Options program (PSEO) at the
University of Minnesota. After two years, she
transferred to Augsburg to complete her undergraduate degree in mathematics. “My
only aunt who had been to college went to
Augsburg,” she said, “and this just felt like
the right place for me.”
Erdman continued to excel at Augsburg as
a McNair Scholar, a federally-funded program that assists first-generation and low-income students with preparation for graduate
school. She also conducted faculty-led research, served as a supplemental instructor
for Calculus I and II, and tutored in mathematics. Through McNair, and with the guidance of several staff and faculty members,
Erdman realized that a graduate degree
could be in her future.
“They helped me along each step of the
way, getting me prepared and helping me do
what I needed to become a strong applicant
to grad school,” she said. Erdman applied to
and was accepted by three graduate programs in statistics. She chose Columbia,
where she received a full fellowship.
In the summer before graduate school and
again following that year, Erdman participated in Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE), a program aimed at helping
women prepare for graduate study in mathematics. She completed her master’s program
in one year and then went on to Yale to pursue a PhD.
When she finished her PhD program,
Erdman applied to the Census Bureau and
heard nothing from them for three months.
Then she learned that the director of the statistical research division was speaking at a
conference in Washington, D.C. She bought
a train ticket and went to meet him. “At the
end of his presentation, I walked up to him,
handed him my C.V., and said, ‘I want to
work for you.’” They talked, and he later invited her for an interview.
Today Erdman works in the Center for
Statistical Research and Methodology at the
U.S. Census Bureau. “I wanted to work at
Census because I wanted to look at good
data, but I got put into the missing data
methods group that only looks at bad data,”
she said. Still, she loves her work and speaks
enthusiastically about the projects in which
she has been involved.
Now that she is finished with school and
settled into her career, Erdman hopes to find
a way to mentor other young women through
the EDGE program.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Spring 2012
5
auggie voices
Higher Education as a Public Good
In January, Augsburg joined the White House Office of Public Engagement, the
Association of American Colleges and Universities, the U.S. Department of Education, other education organizations, philanthropies, and businesses in launching the American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP) to begin a year of activity
exploring how colleges and universities can reclaim their civic identity. At the
heart of this initiative is the recognition that higher education should be—and
must be—delivered for the common good rather than be allowed to become an
AT THE CREST OF A WAVE
For many years, Augsburg, with its mission of educating students
to be “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers,
and responsible leaders,” has resisted forces turning higher education into a private benefit rather than a public good. When the
public opinion group Public Agenda recently sounded people’s
views on the role of higher
education, they found little
awareness that colleges
and universities can contribute to the health of
neighborhoods, or that they educate students to be problem
solvers with skills of working across differences.
But describing these roles in focus groups also generated animated discussion and created hope. Many remarked that few
places any longer teach such skills. There was the sense that the
country is dangerously polarized and losing control over our collective future.
On January 10 at the White House, many higher education
groups launched a major new coalition, the American Commonwealth Partnership, to respond to the civic crisis. It has support
from the Department of Education, which released a new “Road
Map and Call to Action,” emphasizing citizenship education.
Augsburg is the inaugural host institution for ACP, which seeks
to mobilize colleges and universities in developing “civic identity,
not simply civic activities.” By engaging in this exciting project,
Augsburg is at the crest of a new wave of reengagement of higher
education with communities and the world.
DEMOCRACY AND
CITIZENSHIP
HARRY C. BOYTE is the director of the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
at Augsburg College and serves as
national coordinator of the American
Commonwealth Partnership.
6
Augsburg Now
individual benefit only for those who can afford it.
As part of the dialogue about the role of higher education in building civic
identity, we asked Augsburg faculty from various academic departments to provide their perspectives on how higher education serves the public good. Their
responses are published here.
For additional information on higher education as
a public good, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
CITIZEN NURSES:
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON HEALTH
In our society today, people have become so medicalized that we
often forget that health is not about the absence of disease but a
place of belonging. At Augsburg College, the Department of Nursing has focused on returning to what nursing was originally intended to be about—relationships—by opening two drop-in
community health centers.
One of these centers provides care to people living on the streets
of Minneapolis. This center has been in existence for almost 20
years, and the nurses there engage with 120 people each week. We
listen, provide basic necessities, and take the time to make sure
people feel they are supported and are part of a community.
Our other drop-in center, the Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba,
is a new project focused on immigrant health in the CedarRiverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Our efforts at Dar
Ul-Quba have been about
trying to help people not
only to understand our
healthcare system but also
to realize how they can practice health and healing as they did in
their country of origin. The center also helps people come together
to create the change they want to see in their neighborhood.
To us, being citizen nurses means that we are working to
strengthen our communities in ways that avoid the expert model.
We see people as collaborators and co-creators. Through their experiences at the drop-in centers, Augsburg nursing students are
changing their worldviews in ways that benefit our society. Our
hope is to continue to do just that.
NURSING
KATIE CLARK is an instructor in
Augsburg’s nursing department
and serves as coordinator of the
Augsburg Nursing Center.
“
In exchange for services rendered to the
neighborhood organization, Augsburg
students are privileged to observe and
learn about citizenship, democracy, and
being a ‘steward of place.’
”
AUGSBURG: AGENT AND ARCHITECT OF
DEMOCRACY AND STEWARD OF PLACE
The work of Joel Torstenson, Bernhard Christensen, Myles
Stenshoel, Vern Bloom, and Robert Clyde reveals the history of
Augsburg’s role as agent and architect of democracy and steward
of place and provides the context for our current activities. As I
reflect and write about their work, I marvel at their insight, commitment, and capacity as agents and stewards of place, well before it was in vogue or even acceptable. I probably would not
have remained in higher education were it not for Augsburg’s
valuing such a commitment for faculty and welcoming me to be
a part of this vision and endeavor.
For 30 years, students in my Human Community and Modern
Metropolis course have engaged in a service-learning experience
in collaboration with the official
neighborhood organizations
surrounding Augsburg: CedarRiverside, Seward, Phillips, and Powderhorn. In exchange for
services rendered to the neighborhood organization, Augsburg
students are privileged to observe and learn about citizenship,
democracy, and being a “steward of place.”
In addition to seeing and feeling the value of grassroots efforts to take responsibility for a neighborhood and influence the
wider political context, students have learned firsthand about
community organizing, community development, and public
service. Many students, as alumni, have expanded their sense of
vocation, both as citizens and professionals, through these engagements with the commonwealth and as stewards of place.
SOCIOLOGY
GARRY HESSER is a professor of
metro/urban studies and sociology
at Augsburg College.
To read Hesser’s complete submission,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
FROM COMPLEXITY TO COMPASSION
In his book My First Summer in the Sierra, John Muir offered a
sentiment which, more than 100 years later, represents as good
a justification for higher education in contemporary society as
one is likely to find in any college catalogue: “When we try to
pick out anything by itself,” he says, speaking of the profoundly
ecological nature of the world, “we find it hitched to everything
else in the Universe.”
To be sure, college campuses—meaning the empirical kind
with living, breathing students, with staff, teachers, textbooks,
trees, quads, and stadiums—sit
squarely at the various junctures
of this tangled-up creation, seeking from these vantage points to
understand through intensive study the pressing issues, the
timeless questions, and the persistent, ineluctable mysteries
that unite our places in time and space with those of countless
others.
College is literally where and when we hope to experience the
joy that comes with accessing the eternal through the particular.
It is where we come to study, in our specific yet overlapping disciplines, the problems of the world so as to appreciate the complexity of all things—because it is, without question, an
informed appreciation for complexity that inspires reflection and
breeds compassion.
ENGLISH
COLIN IRVINE is an associate professor of English at Augsburg College
and serves as the summer 2012 research coordinator for the College’s
Office of Undergraduate Research
and Graduate Opportunity (URGO).
“
College is ... where we come to
study, in our specific yet overlapping
disciplines, the problems of the
world so as to appreciate the
complexity of all things.
”
Spring 2012
7
ARTS-BASED CIVIC DIALOGUE
Arts programs in higher education are all the more vibrant when
a wealth of voices and bodies come together to create and discuss work. Community-engaged performance is progressive pedagogy; it’s theater by, for, of, and about the people—and it can be
an integral part of a civic-minded college culture.
Last winter, the student ensemble of The Living Newspaper
Project: Everyone Has Something used collective research, writing, workshops, and performance to generate discussion about a
taboo topic: the stigma attached to mental illness. They engaged
with audiences through post-show talkbacks and panels, academic conferences, letters in the Augsburg Echo, and outreach
to local community organizations.
Next fall, students will be invited to tackle a Town Hall Nation
project by creating short performances around campus that gen-
THEATER ARTS
erate civic dialogue on campus about students’ financial needs
and crises. Town Hall Nation is a national engagement initiative
inviting arts organizations, colleges and universities, and other
community groups to create 30-minute events that demonstrate,
present, or embody an ideal town hall meeting. Students of any
major may audition for or volunteer to participate in the Town
Hall Nation project, as with any other Theater Department production.
SARAH MYERS is an assistant
professor in Augsburg’s Theater
Arts Department.
“
Community-engaged performance is
progressive pedagogy; it’s theater
by, for, of, and about the people—
and it can be an integral part of a
civic-minded college culture.
”
8
Augsburg Now
“
In transforming individuals, we transform
our communities and our world.
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL AGENCY
TO TRANSFORM OUR WORLD
”
Higher education is often viewed as separate from the public
arena, something accessible to a few and beneficial to only the
individual. However, higher education greatly impacts the public good, and that impact is the true mission of higher education. In transforming individuals, we transform our communities
and our world.
In this era of globalization, individualism seems to serve little
purpose. Preparing children to live in a global society is essential and should begin in the K-12 years. Higher education then
is a continuation of that learning and a time to step out into the
world. With this in mind, while higher education does serve the
individual, the larger goal is the influence each individual will
have on the greater public good.
The impact of higher education is increasingly more visible
and far reaching. More frequently, civic engagement has become part of higher education curriculum. The need for students to see and experience a more seamless connection to
their acquisition and application of knowledge is essential.
Knowledge is not only something centered in higher education institutions; it is also something constructed and exercised within the community.
Knowledge then becomes transformative not only to the individual but to the broader community, society, and world. This is increasingly being seen through civic engagement projects such
as Public Achievement, service learning, and travel abroad experiences where students and faculty “develop agency” through
active rather than passive means that, in turn, inform theory
and future practice.
EDUCATION
SUSAN O’CONNOR is an associate
professor of education at Augsburg
College.
“I can really say that [the Nobel Peace
Prize Forum] has changed my
perspective of the world around us!”
“Couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtprovoking and inspiring three days.”
These are just two of the sentiments shared via social media
by participants of the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum,
held March 1 to 3.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum exists to inspire peacemaking by celebrating the work of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Founded as a unique partnership between the
Norwegian Nobel Institute and five Norwegian private colleges—Augsburg, Augustana (Sioux Falls), Concordia (Moorhead), Luther, and St. Olaf—the Forum this year moved to its
new, permanent location in the Twin Cities. It is organized by
Augsburg college in partnership with the Humphrey School
of Public Affairs and with ongoing sponsorship from the original college partners.
With “The Price of Peace” as its theme, the 2012
Forum introduced a new format with topical tracks—Business Day, Arts and Music Day, Education Day, and Global
Studies Day—to engage participants in exploring the relationship of stability and peace to business, to arts and
music, to education, and to international policy.
A number of tracks and events were sold out, including
Business Day, the Education Festival, and Global Studies Day.
In fact, as coverage by major Twin Cities media grew on the
second day of the Forum, more than 200 additional tickets
were sold for the closing day of the event.
In addition to the tremendous attendance, the Forum
fostered dialogue around the world through livestreaming.
Students from Assumption University of Bangkok, American
College of Norway, the Copenhagen Business School, Nagasaki University, and Nelson Mandela University of South
Africa watched keynote addresses live, submitted questions,
and engaged in dialogue about peace.
For additional photos, video links, and social media
quotes about the Forum, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
WE INSPIRE PEACEMAKING
Spring 2012
9
THE 2012 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
10
Augsburg Now
THE 2012 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Spring 2012
11
“The prizes of peace, in fact, come to us in very little stages…but in order to claim them, we must be willing to pay the price…We have to be willing to recognize and celebrate the humanity of those whom
we view as enemy…We must start from the place of believing that those who are opposed to us…are
human beings with a story of their own to tell. We must start from an awareness that our side is not
necessarily all good.
The price of peace is the price of our pride…the certainty that we are right…the comfort that we are
on God’s side…As we go out into our lives, be prepared to pay the price for peace—the price of uncertainty, the price of humility, the price of recognizing our connectedness as human beings.”
—Naomi Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Forum “Call to Action” address, March 3, 2012
Augsburg College thanks the sponsors of the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, whose financial support and subject matter expertise helped make the 2012 Forum a success.
We also owe thanks to the many volunteers, faculty, and staff from all of the participating colleges and universities. We are grateful
for the perspectives shared by speakers, the participation of our student and community attendees, and the dedicated work of the volunteers who ensured this rich and vibrant event ran smoothly from beginning to end.
Now that the 2012 Forum has concluded, we invite you to stay connected to the work of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum by signing
up for e-mail updates at www.peaceprizeforum.org, and by following us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nobelforum) and Twitter
(@NPPF).
Finally, be sure to mark your calendars for March 7-9, 2013. We look forward to seeing you next year!
BUSINESS DAY SPONSORS
MAJOR EVENT SPONSORS
SPONSORS
3M
A Million Copies Initiative
Borton Volvo
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Minnesota Public Radio
Nordic Home Interiors
GLOBAL STUDIES DAY SPONSOR
Oslo Center For Peace and
Human Rights Foundation
Winds of Peace Foundation
Special thanks to our
2013 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
LEAD SPONSOR
12
Augsburg Now
THE 25TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
March 7-9, 2013
Augsburg College and the
University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs
WE ARE
CALLED.
auggie
pastors.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Last year, Bob Bagley ’58 submitted an idea for a story about his
teacher, mentor, and friend, Mario Colacci.
His submission sparked an idea. We decided to interview different
generations of Augsburg pastors who have served in a variety of
settings. We wanted to know who inspired them. We wanted to
share their experiences and highlight the similarities and differences in their ministries. We wanted to know what they want our
readers to know about their lives as servants.
The following interviews are with pastors Bob Bagley ’58, David
Lillejord ’86, Jeni Falkman Grangaard ’02, Peter Morlock ’90, and
Stephanie Quick-Espinoza ’01.
To read Bob Bagley’s story about Mario Colacci,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2012
13
14
Augsburg Now
’58
BOB BAGLEY
Retired. First call in Papau New Guinea; served most recently part-time at Christ Lutheran in Lake Elmo, Minn.
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
Here’s the biggie: Bishop Rogness’ dad,
Alvin Rogness…when I came to a rural
parish after being in New Guinea, he said,
“Bob, you use this small parish to better
yourself for future ministry.”
So here’s what I did. I made advanced
standing in clinical pastoral education. I
was endorsed for specialized ministry,
which most pastors don’t make, specializing in chaplaincy work in hospitals. After
my fourth parish, I went to Hazelden and
did a four-year chaplaincy program. Then I
was endorsed for veterans’ hospital ministry. I was a chaplain for a year at the big
VA Hospital in Minneapolis.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
The first parish after Papua New Guinea
was easy because it was a bunch of loving,
Norwegian farmers. It was a good place to
get re-acclimated to the American way of
doing things after five years overseas.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
There’s a lot more support in empowering
the pastors to do what they’re most gifted
to do. You can’t do everything; you can’t be
good at everything. I think a middle-sized
parish should have a changeover of pastors
every six years because in six years you’ve
kind of done everything and it’s time to
move on.
The concept of the old Lutheran Free
Church and many of the old ELC churches
was that they were tired of the pastor doing
everything and deciding everything, and
they hardly needed a church council. The
reaction to that was “We’re going to tell the
pastor what to do.” Now it’s changed so
that the pastors are empowered to do whatever they’re most gifted in.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and encouragement?
I work with 60 global students at Luther
Seminary who come from all over the
world. I also did ministry with people with
alcohol and drug issues. At Gethsemane
Lutheran in Maplewood and where I am
now, I established Stephen ministry, an
outreach. I do more training to help others
minister to people in great need.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
It would be where Jesus said to the whole
church, “I send you.”
The motto that I follow is: Go out and
share the love of Jesus, and only if necessary, say something. Naomi (my wife) says
too often I end up telling people I’m a pastor. She says, “You don’t have to say anything. Just be you.”
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I’ve never been satisfied to stop growing in
pastoral care and I’m available when people want to talk. The gift I learned from a
Catholic priest in my chaplaincy training is
this: He asked me what I consider to be my
primary gift. I said, “I don’t know.” He
said, “When you’re talking with someone,
there’s just an automatic pipeline between
your eyes and their eyes, and that removes
all reluctance to talk.” I can get people to
share stuff with me that normally would
take four or five visits, but they know I care
about them by just looking them in the eye.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
At the VA Hospital, I touched the lives of
people there who, if I hadn’t had special
training, I wouldn’t have been able to help.
One guy owned a million-dollar auto dealership, and he wouldn’t sign his will and he
was dying. It was on a Saturday that I wasn’t even supposed to work. The people were
waiting for me at the door saying I needed
to come up and talk to their dad. I sat
down with him and his son and had Holy
Communion as a Lutheran priest (he was
Catholic). When we were done, I said,
“Your family is so upset. It’s unbearable for
them that the doctor says you’re dying, and
you haven’t signed your will.” He kept saying, “Nope. I got a few loose ends to tie up
at the dealership.” In the end, I got him to
sign his will by promising I would help him
tie up the loose ends. A cheer went forth to
the Lord above. The next day he was playing cards with his friends in the hospital,
and three days later he died.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
I probably would have followed in my older
brother Emil’s footsteps and have done
some aspect of social work.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
Well, I would be meeting Jesus, not God,
and he would say, “Well, welcome thou
good and faithful servant.”
Spring 2012
15
’86
DAVID LILLEJORD
Senior Pastor, Mount Calvary Lutheran in
Eagan, Minn., until March 2012; now Senior
Pastor, St. Andrew in Eden Prairie, Minn.
16
Augsburg Now
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
I mostly learn about myself—what I do
well, what I can improve upon. As a little
kid who grew up in a parsonage, I knew
people inside and out and was able to see
in them the really good and the really bad
or indifferent. I knew the goodness and the
wonderful nature of the church and the underbelly, so what I’ve learned in 20 years is
mostly about myself.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
I think the issue is the number of people
who simply are not attending church, even
people that years ago would have naturally
been inclined to find a new home, start a
family, baptize their kids, go to Sunday
school, and become involved in the life of
the church. There’s a whole subset of people who simply have not engaged for myriad reasons.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
I think an awful lot of changes have happened in seminary training. When I attended 20 years ago, it was simply, “We
need to teach you how to teach people the
historical context and facts about the
Bible.” I think now it is so much more,
“What does this mean for our life?” I do
think the younger people who do go to
church want a direct connection between
what scripture says and how it will connect
with their lives. That means we have to
make our message contemporary and even
futuristic.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for guidance and encouragement?
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I’m part of a team ministry, and I’m able to
hear really good sermons delivered by my
colleague. It’s hard to listen when you’re
talking, so I’m fed in and through my colleague who preaches the gospel well. For
guidance and encouragement, I’m so inspired by the members of the congregation.
I’m always greatly fortified by the faith that
parishioners have. I go in as a kind of spiritual lifeguard, and they end up humbling
me. They encourage me because they live
out their faith. It’s like a good teacher who
is fed by the students. My biggest supporters are my wife and children. They are my
lifeline—other than Jesus, of course.
The importance of balancing all those three
and the holistic nature of that continuum.
Being a pastor today is different, thankfully, than when my dad was younger,
which was you basically served the church,
often at the expense of spending time with
family. I have a wife (Joy) and three children: two in hockey and one in soccer who
also rides horses.
Also it’s important for members to
know that the vast majority of pastors are
trying as hard as they can. It’s just a very
difficult and challenging job.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
I would say more of a theme or concept,
one I learned from one of my many mentors. It is that God is in relationship with
you through Jesus. It’s a declaration; it’s
not a theory or something that needs to be
validated. It’s just “God is,” and you explore how that’s true. You notice it, you
name it, and you claim it.
We had a healing service a number of years
ago for a woman who was diagnosed with
terminal pancreatic cancer. We had never
been asked to have a healing service before. So we constructed a service with the
laying on of hands. Not that long after the
healing service she went to the doctor and
they did tests, and the cancer was gone.
When we heard about the lack of cancer,
even we were amazed.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
The religion professors at Augsburg were
helpful to my life of faith because they
were “good” and solid Lutherans. I have
heard stories of Lutheran colleges that tell
students: “What you were taught in Sunday
school and Confirmation was wrong.”
Thankfully, the professors at Augsburg
helped us look deeper into scripture
through a Lutheran lens.
After this long I can’t imagine what it
would be; however, psychology also makes
me tick.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
It would probably be, “Your mom’s over
here.” She died much too young, and I
would love to see her again.
Spring 2012
17
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
It’s a huge learning experience … things
from how to learn about sump pumps,
budgeting, working with office managers,
how to be tactful and graceful, how to balance a really chaotic life and come at it
with some sensibility and some sense of
peace—all of these are a big part of my
learning experience.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
One is dealing with a local sugar producer. A
lot of our people harvest beets, and we have
a lot who work in the plant. Their union has
been locked out since August. There are
some people who aren’t union who are working 12-hour shifts now and can’t see their
families. I also have people who are on the
board there. So I don’t make any comments
on the issue. It’s really messy, and there’s no
one side to stand on.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and support?
Spiritual practice for me means finding time
for silence. Colin (husband) and I went to
Taizé in France and got into the rhythm of
simple prayer, silence, and meditation. I turn
to colleagues and good friends who are in
similar positions for guidance. There are
some good seasoned pastors who have made
themselves available to have conversations
with, and certainly our bishop’s staff at the
synod has a lot of experience.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided you,
and how?
Augsburg was a place that really rooted my
faith in the world and really shaped the person I am today. Having not grown up in
church, I was so young in faith when I came
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Augsburg Now
to Augsburg. The Religion Department faculty took time to respond to my questions,
especially Janelle Bussert, Bev Stratton,
Mark Tranvik, Lynn Lorenzen, Brad Holt,
Phil Quanbeck, and Lori Brandt Hale. Pastor Dave Wold and Pastor Sonja Hagander
were my first pastors, and they invited me
into the language and liturgy of being
Lutheran. The Center for Global Education
taught me to see that faith isn’t just a personal relationship with God but a deep engagement with the world, especially in
places of suffering; they helped me to see
that God is with those who suffer. Augsburg
prepared me to be a pastor before I began
discerning the call to ordained ministry.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
There have been a lot of different verses that
I’ve clung to at different times. Galatians
2:19-21.
19
For through the law I died to the law, so
that I might live to God. I have been crucified
with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live,
but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if
justification comes through the law, then
Christ died for nothing.
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I just want people to know I’m easy to talk
to, and I’m not trying to get anything from
them. I’m not here to tell people they are
behaving badly. I’d rather just talk about
the gospel. I want people to know we don’t
fit into a mold, and pastors aren’t the
guardians of the gospel. No one can claim
ownership on the gospel.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
I did a prayer service and funeral for a 54year-old man who had served on the board of
a local company. There were over 1,000 people, and we had to have the funeral at a bigger church in town. There’s something
strangely beautiful about a funeral. There’s
no pretending. It’s an inevitable part of life.
Sometimes it’s a celebration, but this one
was special. Before I entered the church, I
closed my eyes and was praying, and there
was a beautiful light streaming in through
the stained glass windows. It was a really
meaningful service. I’m still reflecting on it
and getting comments on it. Working with
the family has been strangely affirming and
grounding.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
What I hope I’d hear God say is, “I kinda
like that Josh Ritter song, too.” The song is
Thin Blue Flame, and it includes lyrics
like: “Only a full house gonna have a
prayer,” and “You need faith for the same
reasons that it’s so hard to find,” and “And
all wrongs forgotten and all vengeance
made right. The suffering verbs put to
sleep in the night.”
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
If I knew, I would go be that. I don’t know!
Sometimes I think I’d like to be a chef. I like
the idea of making meals and baking bread
and spending time with people. Part of me
wants to design websites. The thing about
being a pastor that is so appealing, other
than the vocational call that brings you there,
is that you have permission to be a generalist. You get to do a lot of different things.
’02
JENI FALKMAN GRANGAARD
Pastor, Glyndon Lutheran Church, Glyndon, Minn.
Spring 2012
19
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
All kinds of stuff! One of the things that they
can’t really teach you in seminary is how to
get into a community and to become part of
that community. You can’t really teach how
to enter into the daily life and get a sense of
the pulse of the community.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
One of the things I’ve found myself dealing
with that I hadn’t thought of while I was in
seminary is helping people with their dayto-day problems. There’s such a variety of
things that may come up. One day you’re
talking with someone about their medications, which I know nothing about, or
you’re talking with someone about daily living and how it is to do that.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
One of the trends I’ve seen over the years
is a wider inclusiveness, if you will, in an
issue that’s near and dear to my heart. I’ve
seen a concerted effort by the church to
make their buildings and their worship
services and facilities more accessible and
more friendly to folks with disabilities. All
the things that bring people in and into
contact with the gospel are good stuff.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for guidance and encouragement?
One of the challenges of being a pastor, especially in a setting like this, is where I go
to feed myself, to “the well.” I have a
men’s Bible study that I’m part of at
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Augsburg Now
church, and they have become the group
where I go to get fed. I also meet regularly
with my chaplain colleagues in the area,
and we worship and pray together.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
Without doubt major influences during my
time at Augsburg would include the following people: Pastor Dave Wold, Don
Gustafson, “Gabe” (Prof. Stephen
Gabrielsen), Tom Rossin, and my fellow
choir members (1986-1990).
One of the things that I truly appreciate
about Augsburg, even today, is the willingness to engage the idea of vocation and
make intentional questions about the connection between faith and life. Throughout
my time at Augsburg and even beyond that,
these people were/are instrumental in my
walk of life and faith. In broad strokes they
helped to provide the arena in which my
self-understanding and my sense of call
were shaped and honed. Daily contact with
these folks helped me to see vocation in
action and also gave me the space and the
courage to face and voice my questions.
They were, and still are, willing to engage
with me and push me in conversation and
prayer.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
people who work only on Sundays. In this
setting, people aren’t entirely sure what to
do with you. One thing I wish folks would
think of is the importance of spiritual stuff,
the spiritual nature, and how that needs to
be supported and fed.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
We did a service on our Alzheimer’s unit to
break up the winter blahs. We did a renewal of vows ceremony for one of the residents and her husband.
They’d been married for 56 years.
We had a big wedding party, and what was
really neat is that on that unit, it’s kind of a
crapshoot as to whether or not the resident
will remember who their family members
are.
For that particular moment in that service, the wife, Alyce, walked out of the
kitchen and she saw her husband, and her
face lit up, and she came up to him and
chucked him in the chin and said, “Let’s
do this again, sweetie.”
It was awesome. It turned out to be a
meaningful experience for Alyce and her
husband and their family because they’d
never had a wedding. Their families didn’t
like each other, so they eloped. And they
both passed away within three months of
that ceremony.
The walk to Emmaus story resonates really
highly with me, particularly in the work I do
now. A lot of what I’m called to do is walk
alongside people at the end of life. I also
like Psalm 121.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
“Hi, welcome home.” That’s the short
answer.
I think the perception is that pastors are
A kindergarten teacher.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
’90 AND GUIDO
PETER MORLOCK
Director of Spiritual Care, Cerenity Senior Care, St. Paul.
Spring 2012
21
Senior Pastor, New Hope Lutheran Church/
Iglesia Luterana Nueva Esperanza in North Aurora, Ill.
’01
STEPHANIE QUICK-ESPINOZA
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Augsburg Now
Photo by Sally Ryan
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
How to get rid of chickens roosting in the
sacristy!
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
Racism. We often feel that our U.S. society
is advanced and racism no longer exists,
but we are ignorant to and/or ignore how it
permeates our lives, culture, and even our
church. It is difficult for me to see how
racism has affected the lives of the people
I have been in ministry with—from Inupiaq
in Alaska, to Nicaraguans living in Costa
Rica, to Mexicans and other Latinos in the
Chicago area.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
A decrease in the intentionality of becoming an inclusive, multi-cultural church. I
would like to see more support of ethnic
ministries within our church. For example,
there are no longer classes held in Spanish
at the seminaries for Spanish-speaking student pastors.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and encouragement?
I attend the Spanish worship service on
Saturdays at the congregation my husband
serves, San Andres Lutheran Church. The
mostly Mexican congregation has a great love
for the Virgin of Guadalupe (Mary). As a person firmly grounded in Lutheran tradition
and faith, I have incorporated the Virgin into
my spirituality and turn to her for guidance
and encouragement. My Lutheran and Christian faith says that I only need to pray directly to God. I don’t need intercessors,
though I find it comforting to ask the Virgin,
as mother of our Lord Jesus and mother of all
of us, to pray with me.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
The whole religion department really inspired me, both academically and in my
faith. Their classes were interesting and
unique. The quality of the classes helped
prepare me, even more than seminary, for
ordained ministry. PQ2 (or Phil Quanbeck
II), Janelle Bussert, and Lynne Lorenzen
especially guided me by always being willing to lend an open ear to listen to my
questions about my courses, future seminary plans, and just life in general. They
are pastors who were my pastors and
helped me become a pastor.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
I remember [Professor] Dick Hardel
retelling the call of Isaiah to my Youth and
Family Ministry class at Augsburg. After
Isaiah said, “Here I am, Lord, send me!” I
knew I was called to ministry and I also
said, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
A pastor is on call 24/7, which is really
hard on your family life. It is even harder
because my husband is a pastor, too. We
have people wanting to talk to us starting
at 7 a.m. and sometimes we even get calls
at 3 a.m.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
When I was a missionary in Costa Rica, one
of the congregations I served was only
youth and children. Holy Communion was
always a powerful experience, as I watched
sometimes 80 children come forward to the
Lord’s table with their arms outstretched
and their hands held out in front of them to
receive the sacrament.
During a worship service, I noticed that
one small boy came through the communion line twice. It was only after the service,
I realized it was because he came from an
impoverished family and was hungry. After
that, I gave every child a whole tortilla,
rather then a small piece of bread or a
host, during communion.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
A religion professor at Augsburg or a firstgrade teacher.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Share your stories…
We know these are just a few of the dedicated, inspiring Auggie pastors serving around
the world. If you’d like to tell us who you are and what you’re doing, choose your favorite
question from those we asked our pastors, and send an answer and a photo to
now@augsburg.edu. Or, post it on your personal blog, on Facebook or Twitter, and send
us a link. We’d love to hear from you!
Spring 2012
23
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
24
Photo Contest
A
A
“Tabacchi” Amanda Rowan ’13
Siena, Italy Landscapes/cityscapes, First place
B “The Elder” Susie Mechtel ’13
Maasai Mara, Kenya Portraits, First place
C
“Afternoon Nap” Jasmine Zand ’12
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Portraits, Second place
D
E
B
“Autumn Fjord” Reed Johnson ’12
Flam, Norway Landscapes/cityscapes, Third place
“Que Viva Cuba!” Danielle Goodwin ’12
Havana, Cuba Photojournalism, First place
F “Iglesia El Rosario” Jakob Anderson ’12
San Salvador, El Salvador Photojournalism, Second place
G
“Chichicastenango, Guatemala” Danielle Goodwin ’12
Chichicastenango, Guatemala Portraits, Third place
Augsburg Now
H
I
C
“Recess Stroll” Caleb Wagner ’12
Havana, Cuba Photojournalism, Third place
“Shepherd’s Field” Jasmine Zand ’12
Beit Sahour, Palestine Landscapes/cityscapes, Second place
To view more student photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
D
F
E
H
G
I
Spring 2012
25
AUGGIE WRITERS’ CHALLENGE
ith the 2013 launch of the new Master of Fine Arts
in Creative Writing (see Around the Quad, page 4,
and www.augsburg.edu/mfa), Augsburg will welcome even more aspiring writers to the College. To celebrate
Augsburg’s tradition of creative writing excellence, we asked
Augsburg English Department faculty to help us recruit
Auggie alumni writers for a creative writing assignment.
The assignment was to write a 250-word piece—of any
genre—based on the photo below. We told the writers nothing about the photo—not when or where it was taken or by
whom. Following are the stories they crafted. Read their stories first, then see the photographer’s story, below.
W
Write
on!
The Cat
Kayla Skarbakka ’09,
writing consultant,
Walden University
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S STORY
While studying in Augsburg’s Weekend College program,
Philip Pelto ’10 made this self-portrait for a class. He wrote:
The photo was taken at my condo in downtown Minneapolis. It’s looking
east out over the Depot and the Guthrie Theater, and Augsburg is not too
far off in the distance to the right. It’s a self-portrait, and I was experimenting with the lighting. I was trying to get a cool silhouette with the
outside in focus. What I wound up getting is this really cool photo that
reminds me of where I came from and where I am now. The photo conjures up feelings of success. I’m in my condo, surveying my city, taking
it all in. There’s a sense that I’ve made it.
Alan found the cat in Mom’s bed, under the sour-smelling comforter. It was a weasely thing, patchy, crusty-eyed.
“Did you know about this?” he asked the girls.
Erin was folding a sweatshirt, one of the syrupy ones, printed
with wildflowers and the words Someone special calls me
Grandma. She looked up and gasped.
“Where did it come from?” she asked.
Helen, who’d been sorting jewelry, glanced up and wrinkled
her nose. “The question is, where is it going.” She’d always had
an armored sensibility. “You know,” she added, “the boys are allergic.”
Alan sat down by the cat. It flicked its tail, which was hooked
and jointed like a broken finger.
“Um,” said Erin, which was how she started most arguments.
“I can’t really bring it on the plane.”
“Well,” said Helen, “I certainly won’t take it home.”
Alan offered no excuse, and they didn’t him ask for one. They
rarely did.
They’d had few tussles that day. Alan gave the girls credit for
that. A debate about the sofa, one watery altercation regarding
Dad’s old Dutch clock, but for the most part, they’d worked efficiently, tallying, dividing, and claiming.
Alan claimed little. A bar stool, because one of his had broken.
A crucifix, because Helen made him. But otherwise he’d chosen
odd jobs, clearing the fridge and garage shelves, and stayed out
of the way.
It was a tactic he’d learned early on from Dad…
To read more of Kayla Skarbakka’s story
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
26
Augsburg Now
Late Morning Window View
Jeremy Anderson ’07, client relations manager, Furnituredealer.net
First thing,
stop at Charlie’s on the corner
for a sweet chai on the go.
Catch the rail and scroll
the morning news. Work will start
soon enough, bustling tables,
shit shooting with the regs.
Don’t let Old Rick ride
you too much
because tonight it’s microbrews
along St. Anthony Main.
Usual sites, different taste
(order something the menu describes
as dark and complex).
Let ’em flow down and just talk and listen and talk back.
Try and top ’em. Tell ’em, Tell ’em what you learned,
what you read, who you ran into, that thing you Googled the other
day and what popped up. Remember when? Remember when?
Remember when? And all that shit. It’s good
to let it blur. The best is when it blurs into something
unclear. My head is warm. My arms, heavy and strong.
There’s a pulse in these veins, an exciting calm to the night until
eventually I’ll gaze back out this way
with an arm snug around my Laura (maybe, hopefully)
and a glass of pinot
in my other hand as street lamps torch the dark
dark sky.
Profile Pic
Orion Wisness ’03, technical consultant, Kroll Ontrack
Here is a man who wants to keep you guessing. He looks away
from you but commands your attention by looming large in the
patio doors. He chooses a strong stance, a confident pose, all
while hiding in the light of day right in front of you. But he appears
more hat rack than human. An armless X meant to distract you
from the finer points, the tiny details, which expose his personality.
You suppose he is doing one of three things in decreasing order of
profundity: practicing Zen Croquet, contemplating the evening’s dinner (the size of the grill suggests he consumes a fair share of red
meat), or standing fully clothed in the sunlight in order to tan only his
face. He has cats and creases in his pants. He’s tidy for sure, but he’s
forgotten Mr. Whiskers’ ball near the door jamb. He prefers a shirt
with a collar but won’t spring for a rug to wipe his feet when stepping
from the balcony. A grocery bag near the grill contains the shadow of
a Chihuahua, which makes you wonder why a man so tall would have
so tiny a dog?
You could puzzle yourself with questions all day, but what you want
to do is tap him on the shoulder. The opposite shoulder from where
you’re standing. Make him guess where you are, who you are, and
what you’re doing.
The Apocalypse, as
Seen from Unit 24E
Jaye Lawrence ’05 WEC,
director of web communications,
Carleton College
Franklin liked order. Neatness. Discipline. He’d been a drill sergeant once,
and it showed. You could take the
man out of the Army but never the
Army out of the man.
Military experience was an asset. It
kept him alive, and his ragtag band of
survivors too. But that need for order?
That was a problem. That just might
be the thing that finally drove him
mad.
Franklin no longer lived in an
orderly world.
“You should be asleep,” chided a
voice behind him, thready with age.
“Weren’t you supposed to wake me
for CQ duty at oh-three hundred?”
Esther. Franklin didn’t turn or relax
his stance, but the corners of his
stern mouth twitched. He didn’t smile
much, never had, and he sure as hell
didn’t have occasion to anymore—but
83-year-old Esther Rosenberg from
23C, bona fide blue-haired lady, former bane of the condo board of directors, spouting military jargon? That
tickled his funny bone.
With a slow soft tread of orthopedic
shoes, Esther crossed the room to
stand beside him. Franklin inspected
her with a sidelong glance, granting a
curt nod of approval to the pistol accessorizing her polyester pantsuit.
Esther always kept his rules. Many
who’d been younger, faster, and fitter
had not.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I like seeing the sun come
up again.”
“Ah.” A sigh, light as a whisper.
“Yes, I do too.”
Esther patted his arm. She used
her left hand, keeping the right free
for the pistol.
Franklin smiled.
Witness
Andrea Sanow ’09,
administrative assistant,
Augsburg College Office of
Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
They catch sight of each other’s
shoes underneath a bathroom stall,
and when they are washing their
hands, they are too embarrassed to
look each other in the eye.
Then, they are strangers the next
semester when they take Calculus
together. They laugh about being two
of the four girls in the room and they
bond over the fact that they aren’t
going to major in mathematics. And
when Emily doesn’t come to class,
Rachel worries.
Em, where r u?
My grandma died, take notes
for me.
And Rachel goes to the funeral.
And they take classes together. And
they live together and share clothes
and try to learn to cook while they
recount the jokes of every day.
Then, Rachel travels abroad and
one night, from somewhere in South
Africa where she has gotten drunk
for Em’s 21st birthday, she writes:
Here’s what I see on my walk
home: a tree that grows at a 90degree angle out of the sidewalk, a
woman sitting with a baby, a spraypainted stencil of a tiny red man, a
few kids who ask me to say something with my accent, and a man,
who every day sees me walk back to
my apartment and the triangle from
foot to crotch to foot reminds me
that somewhere we remember geometry or whatever and you are passing
me a note and we’re meeting after
class and you’re pissed—I’ve borrowed your favorite pair of shoes.
Spring 2012
27
1
3
6
4
C
5
E
B
D
A
7
personality
of place
STUDENT BREAK ROOM
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
28
Augsburg Now
A TEXT MESSAGE GOES OUT AT MIDNIGHT
ON JANUARY 1. “HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And we are working tomorrow. See you at 6:30 a.m.”
The next morning, groggy students stroll into the facilities building, a small
gray box behind the ice arena. They make their way through a maze of tools,
vehicles, and junk into the far back corner, where they fall onto a plethora
of salvaged couches and chairs. Then they fall back to sleep and wait for
their boss, Bruce.
1
KOELE—A family tradition since 2006, the Koele brothers (Jason and Kyle) have worked on the grounds crew.
The years in green are when only Jason worked, the
years in white are when they worked together, and the
year in blue is when Kyle was the lone Koele brother.
2
THE MANNEQUIN—She was found in a residence hall
trash chute. Over the years, some of the more interesting items from the trash are added to her ensemble.
Her accessories have come exclusively from the residence halls.
3
WEST HALL SIGN—The students gather unused and outof-date signs to use as decoration. Almost all of these
are from the sign cache in the Luther Hall underground
parking lot.
4
THE KUBB TROPHY—Kubb is an ancient Viking game
that uses wooden sticks to knock over wooden blocks.
The grounds crew and other facilities staff play Kubb in
Murphy Square on their summer lunch breaks. Stats
are kept throughout the seasons, and the top players
are awarded the Kubb trophy (which never leaves the
break room).
5
THE HEAD—Found in a residence hall trash chute, the
head is used to torment student “B,” Brittany Hecker.
It is placed by her when she is sleeping, put in her
backpack, or just thrown at her to freak her out.
6
I-94 FLAG—The flags in the Urness/Mortensen hall parking lot along the I-94 corridor are replaced yearly, and
the old, tattered flags are distributed among the student crew. Some have even found their way to students’
rooms.
7
THE FURNITURE—All of the furniture has been scavenged from residence hall move-out day in the spring
semester. There are enough couches and chairs in the
break room so that everyone gets their own, but the
Lazyboy recliner is the softest and most coveted chair.
It is, therefore, reserved for the grounds crew student
supervisor’s hindquarters.
2
F
This is a typical start to the new year for a group of Augsburg students who
are lucky enough to work for Bruce Rowe, the College’s groundskeeper.
With Bruce and assistant groundskeeper Arlen Madigan, these students
make sure the grass is clipped, the flowers are pruned, the snow is shoveled, and the campus is maintained year round.
One perk of their job is access to the grounds crew student break room—
a mixture of reclaimed and repurposed items. According to Kyle Koele, the
current student supervisor, the room holds a kind of history and acts as an
unofficial museum of Augsburg College.
STUDENTS IN PHOTO
A—Kyle Koele
B—Brittany Hecker
C—Mary Hildestad
D—Benjamin Grant
E—Jacob Haehnel
F—Meghan Novak
Spring 2012
29
auggies in the front office
Supporting the home team
Roger Griffith ’84
Last season, he didn’t make any three-point shots, pull down
any rebounds, or have any assists on the court. But Roger
Griffith ’84, executive vice president of the Minnesota Lynx,
did have a great season—in part because the Lynx brought
home their first championship title, and in part because of the
team’s dedicated fans.
Griffith came to the Timberwolves franchise in 1994 as a finance officer. When the Lynx, Minnesota’s Women’s National
Basketball Association (WNBA) team, came to the state in
1999, Griffith took on the role of executive vice president. In
that role, he is responsible for making decisions about the head
coach and working with the coaching staff on player and personnel relations. He also maintains the team roster and oversees scouting and drafting functions as well as the signing of
free agents. Basically, he said, his work supports the coaches
so that they can focus on coaching.
And that is how he contributed to the Lynx’ winning 2011
season. In October, the team completed its season, beating the
Atlanta Dream in a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series. It was the team’s first championship and first
appearance in the playoffs since 2004.
“The championship game was very nerve-wracking,” Griffith
said. The team was behind at half-time, but Griffith said they
weren’t worried. “We had always been a good second-half
team, and we knew we had the skills and talent to pull
ahead.” They did, but nearly lost their lead in the final minutes of the game.
“It was stressful,” Griffith said, “but it was also fun and exciting to see the large number of fans who traveled to Atlanta
to support the team.”
Griffith said the Lynx fans are one of the best parts of his
job. “Last year, through the whole season, it was great to be
able to sit in the stands and look away from the game to see
how much the experience meant to the people,” he said. “Our
fans have been extremely loyal and supportive, and they got
their payoff when we took the championship title.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
30
Augsburg Now
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear Auggies,
n the time since my fall letter, I hope
you enjoyed the holiday season with
your family and friends, and I hope the
new year has begun well for you. With
help from our fellow alumni, we have
been making a difference in our communities and engaging with our student
body. In November, we focused on giving
back to the community at our Alumni Board meeting. Partnering
with Brian Noy, coordinator of Augsburg’s Campus Kitchen program, we participated in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making project and produced 250
sandwiches that were taken
to a local homeless shelter.
It was a fantastic project
and the most fun I can remember ever having at a
board meeting!
In December, when thousands
of Augsburg alumni and friends
gathered at Advent Vespers, many
brought basic hygiene supplies and
warm clothing to donate to the Augsburg
Central Health Commons (ACHC), housed at Central Lutheran
Church. Alumni who attended the Auggie Night at the Races last
summer did the same, helping the center to provide for community
members in need.
Auggies will have another opportunity to give back on June 5 by
participating in a Feed My Starving Children event. Please see details on how to register in the information listed on page 33.
I am pleased to announce that alumni engagement is at an all-
i
s
e
i
augGEg
T INVOLVED
time high! Alumni event attendance is up by 25 percent compared
to last year. We are thrilled to see this progress. It is due in part to
your feedback that we have seen such great results. Knowing what events are meaningful and fun for you
drives our program development. Thank
you for your consistent feedback and participation.
In February, the Alumni Board hosted
the annual Student and Alumni Networking event. This event consistently attracts
alumni who are passionate about being a
resource to current students, while providing them the opportunity
to reconnect with fellow alumni. If you or someone you know would
like to help connect or get connected to alumni or students, please
consider attending this event in the future.
Another tool to reconnect you with Augsburg and fellow alumni
is the Maroon Pages. This online tool helps recognize and promote
alumni businesses on the web. It can be used as a marketing tool
for the self-employed as well as a resource for students to reach
alumni for job hunting or networking.
Lastly, I want to lift up the Eye-Opener Breakfasts that are
held quarterly at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul and the
Strommen Executive Speaker Series, which takes place on campus
on a regular basis. These events give alumni opportunities for personal and professional development by hearing from successful
leaders within our community. Come to be inspired, to network
with peers, and to reconnect with your alma mater.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni to learn about all the excellent
resources available to Auggie alumni.
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
The Augsburg Alumni Association is looking for volunteers to serve on
the Alumni Board. All alumni are welcome and encouraged to apply.
The Alumni Board is a governing body of the Alumni Association.
Together with the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations, it
provides resources and opportunities to engage alumni with the College and each other through consistent communication, inclusive
programming, and intentional relationship-building. To apply or get
more information, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni/getinvolved.
Spring 2012
31
alumni news
What a Legacy!
As an Augsburg graduate and as the
director of parent and family relations
at Augsburg, I was delighted to be a
part of the first annual Legacy Family
Reception, held at the Augsburg
House on January 16. I attended with
my two Auggie daughters (Kristin ’09
and Maren ’13) and their dad, Paul
Daniels ’79. We had such a lovely
evening connecting with other legacy
families!
Currently, 112 students enrolled in
Augsburg’s traditional undergraduate
program are part of a legacy family. In
other words, each is a child and/or
grandchild of an Augsburg graduate.
At the reception, Wendy Delesha ’10
MAL said, “I am proud to be an Auggie
and to have both of my children be Auggies, too. We will have graduates three
years in a row: 2010, 2011, and 2012.”
Another Augsburg grad who attended the reception was Howie
Smith ’80. He said, “I loved my years
at Augsburg and am so, so happy to
have my son and daughter here now.”
If you would like to encourage a
member of your family to become an
Auggie, please contact the Office of
Admissions at www.augsburg.edu/
admissions and the staff will be happy
to connect with your family member.
SALLY DANIELS HERRON ’79
L to R: Kristin Daniels ’09, Maren Daniels ’13, Paul Daniels ’79, and
Sally Daniels Herron ’79
L to R: Erica Wilson ’12, Cliff Wilson ’11, and Wendy Delesha ’10 MAL
SAVE THE DATE FOR
homecoming
New events along with traditional favorites make this one of the best times to
come back to campus. Reconnect with fellow alumni and favorite faculty, and
experience the Augsburg of 2012. Watch www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for
future information.
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, contact the Office of
Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
32
Augsburg Now
SEPTEMBER 24-29, 2012
Reunion Classes
50th Reunion—1962 25th Reunion—1987
40th Reunion—1972 10th Reunion—2002
30th Reunion—1982
Auggie
IN RESIDENCE
Last fall, Augsburg implemented a new volunteer
program, Auggies in Residence—yet another great opportunity for alumni to visit campus to reconnect with the College and its students. Through
this speaker series, alumni are invited by faculty to speak at a
fall or spring class and then engage in a question-and-answer
period with students. Of the 70-plus alumni who have volunteered to serve as an Auggie in Residence, those who have
experienced this unique program have been gratified and happy
with the opportunity to speak in the classroom and interact with
future Auggies.
If you think an Auggie in Residence experience is something
you would enjoy and you want to share your time and talent,
contact Pat Grans at gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Courtesy photo
Feed My Starving Children
JOIN US ON JUNE 5
Join the Alumni Board at Feed My Starving Children to help pack
millions of meals for hungry children in 70 countries. Alumni and
friends may volunteer on June 5, 6-7:30 p.m. or 8-9:30 p.m.
Register to volunteer with the Augsburg College Alumni group at
www.fmsc.org (click “join existing group”). Registration code for
6 p.m. is 205100 and for 8 p.m. is 205101.
Last year 75 Auggies gathered together to pack 22,000 meals for hungry children around
the world through the Feed My Starving Children program. We are hoping for even greater
participation and impact during the upcoming June event. Pictured above [L to R] are
Maria (Mitchell) Helgerson ’07, Jennifer Oliver ’07, Brandon Elegert, Stephanie Gnojek,
Carolyn Mollner ’07, and Erik Helgerson ’07.
Meet Sara Schlipp-Riedel ’06
The Augsburg
College Alumni
Association welcomes Sara
Schlipp-Riedel as
the new associate
director of alumni
and constituent
relations. She
comes to the department with
nearly six years of
event and project
management experience and is thrilled by the opportunity to engage fellow Auggies.
“My primary focus will be to connect with and engage
our young alumni and recent graduates,” said SchlippRiedel. “We want to build awareness among current students that their connection with Augsburg doesn’t end
once they have received their diploma, and our hope is
that there will be a lifelong relationship. I want to develop programming across the board that will cultivate
community, instill pride, and emphasize tradition.”
Schlipp-Riedel lives in South Minneapolis with her
husband, Aaron Riedel ’07, and their one-year-old son,
Aidan. She can be reached at 612-330-1178 or
schlipp@augsburg.edu.
SAVE THE DATE
auggie night
AT THE RACES
August 3, 5-7 p.m.
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Road,
Shakopee, Minn.
Free admission, picnic buffet,
and reserved seating provided.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/
alumnievents to register.
Spring 2012
33
alumni news
AUGSBURG YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY PARTY 2011
YOUNG ALUMNI
summer series
To register for Young Alumni events or to see the full calendar
of events at Augsburg, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
May 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
1900 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis
Live music, one complimentary beverage, and
appetizers provided.
Courtesy photo
PSYCHO SUZI’S MOTOR LOUNGE
June 21, 6-9 p.m.
Since it launched in 2009, the Young Alumni Summer Series has been an incredible success, engaging young alumni
and recent graduates through unique programming. In
2011, the Young Alumni Council expanded the program to
include a winter event by hosting the first Young Alumni
Holiday Party in December at La Meridien Chambers Hotel
in downtown Minneapolis. The event was a huge success
and will be added to future programming.
YOGA BOAT CRUISE
Afton Hudson Cruise Lines
500 1st St., Hudson, Wisc.
$15 includes one-hour yoga session, boat cruise, appetizers,
and one complimentary beverage. SPACE IS LIMITED.
July 18, 5-7 p.m.
MINNESOTA TWINS GAME
Hubert’s and Target Field
$30 includes ticket to game with seating in
the Pavilion, appetizers, and two complimentary beverages at Hubert’s.
5-7 p.m. Pre-game at Hubert’s, 600 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis
7:10 p.m. Twins vs. Orioles
August 3, 5-7 p.m.
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee, Minn.
Free admission, picnic buffet, and reserved seating provided.
September 28, 6-8 p.m.
HOMECOMING 2012:
YOUNG ALUMNI RECEPTION
Republic
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Two complimentary beverages and
appetizers provided.
Join the AUGSBURG COLLEGE
YOUNG ALUMNI FACEBOOK
GROUP to get the full scoop!
34
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
AUGGIE NIGHT AT THE RACES
L to R: Rebecca Lewis ’07, Aili Brom-Palkowski ’07, Felicia Faison ’09, and
Shannon Olson ’07
save the date
December 7, 8:30-11:30 p.m.
YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY—UGLY SWEATER PARTY
Location TBD
To register, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
past meets present
A Journey to the Holy Land:
EXPLORING THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE PEOPLE
Courtesy photo
When the travelers heard about the work of the Parent Circle
For 10 days in January, a group of 28 Auggies explored the Holy
Family Forum (comprised of bereaved Israeli and Palestinian famiLand with Philip Quanbeck II, associate professor of religion, and
lies who have lost family members in the conflict, and who support
Ruth Johnson ’74, former Augsburg College Regent.
peace, reconciliation, and tolerance), Turner was particularly imWhen the group arrived, Larry Turner ’69 was surprised at the
pressed by the gentleman who spoke of losing his son in the last
contrast in terrain—not only was it more rugged than expected, but
parts looked like fertile farmland, especially around Galilee. In addi- week of military service. This Israeli father was soon drawn into the
tion to the warm Palestinian welcome, he was
struck by many of the historical sites, several
of which Herod the Great had built—Masada,
the palace in Jerusalem, and Caesarea (where
Herod insisted on building a harbor, even
though his architects advised against it).
From a religious point of view, Turner said it
was very moving to visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of
Olives, Capernaum, Primacy of Peter, Gethsemane, and the Via Dolorosa—the very places
Jesus walked some 2,000 years ago.
For Turner, images of the region’s past were
soon overlaid with realities of the Holy Land of
today, especially on a tour bus when the guide
pointed to a nearby village in Lebanon and
then a fence bordering Syria. He noticed yellow signs reading “Danger, Mines” on a fence
along the side of the road. Though Turner
didn’t feel endangered during the trip, he
Front Row [L to R]: Sandy Prince, Sally Daniels Herron ’79, Charlie Green, Barb Green, Ruth Johnson ’74, Sharon Carlson ’72,
Terri Rummans, Mary Kinney ’04, Donna McLean; Middle Row [L to R]: Yousef Eideh (our guide), Larry Turner ’69, Sue Turner,
found the most distressing aspect to be the
Jennie Wilson, Phil Quanbeck II, Nancy Sampair, Susan Carlson, Liz Weninger ’92, Judy Coppersmith ’66, Lee Furman ’61;
wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Back Row [L to R]: Barbara Bruce, Sharon Mortrud ’64, Scott Anderson ’96, Judy Reeve ’95, Jeff Gotfredson ’82, Kirk Gill,
When Palestinian Lutheran pastor Rev.
Paul Kilgore ’80, Becky Kilgore, Jim Weninger ’92, Heidi Hunter
Mitri Raheb spoke to the group about his
ministry in Bethlehem, he described three areas of focus: culture,
forum, where he met a Palestinian who had also lost someone. As a
education, and health. Culturally, the ministry helps Palestinians
result, his thoughts about the conflict evolved from quite hawkish to
deal with identity issues and obtain meaningful work, and it promore conciliatory. In pairs, members of the forum (one Israeli, one
vides a place for concerts, art, and theater. Educating the youth is
Palestinian) make regular visits to schools in an effort to help
another priority since 55 percent of the population is under the
younger people think more seriously about the human aspects as
age of 18. Dar al-Kalima College, Bethlehem’s new Lutheran colthey consider military expectations.
lege (the first in the Middle East), will certainly aid in those efforts
Turner and his wife, Sue, have traveled a fair amount since he reas well, providing studies in art, music, communication, and mantired after 38 years with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, but
agement. The ministry also offers opportunities in women’s sports,
this trip was special, he said. It felt like a real pilgrimage for him.
eldercare, and preventive health, helping people learn how to take
CHERYL CROCKETT ’89
better care of themselves.
Spring 2012
35
alumni class notes
Norm Larsen and Jerome “JD”
34Detviler ’74 were inducted into
the Saint Paul Park (Minnesota)
High School Athletic Hall of Fame in
November. Larsen was the head
football coach at Park for 10 years
and served as Park’s athletic director until his retirement in 1977.
Detviler was a soccer, Nordic skiing,
and track and field coach at Park.
Herb Chilstrom, former presiding bishop of the ELCA, released his autobiography, A Journey
of Grace: The Formation of a Leader
and a Church (Lutheran University
54
Press). The book is a reflective account of his family roots, childhood,
education, and pastoral and teaching career. It tells of his life as
bishop, his role in the formation of
the ELCA, and his ministry as the
first presiding bishop.
In June, Richard “Dick” Thorud
56was inducted into the Min-
nesota Inventors Hall of Fame. The
award was based largely on the 80
patents he was awarded as a principal research engineer with the Toro
Company.
Corrine (Froelich) Frank
73became a grandmother for
the first time in December, when
grandson Weston Leslie Frank
was born.
Steven Resnicek was ap-
74pointed interim director of the
Bemidji State University concert
choir for the spring 2012 semester.
Resnicek is an adjunct faculty member in the music department at
Bemidji State.
David Larson and Kate Sholon-
77ski released their book, Wide
auggieSNAPSHOTS
Awake: Three Minutes a Day
to an Inspired Life! in Novem-
36
ber. This volume is filled with personal stories of challenge, triumph,
empowerment, and motivation.
Linda (Slater) Thoni was se-
88lected by the Art Educators of
Minnesota (AEM) as the Elementary
Art Educator of the Year for the State
of Minnesota. She has been employed by the Byron School District
for 12 years. AEM annually recognizes teachers who have made significant contributions to AEM, the
state of Minnesota, and their school
or organization. Award recipients
have demonstrated dedication,
achievement, and professionalism
in the art education field.
Members of the class of ’81 met in October in Cable, Wisc., for
81their annual Augsburg reunion. Pictured [L to R]: Mary Beamish, a
copy editor at the Duluth News Tribune who is rehabbing a 1920s
house in Duluth; Susan (Dahlgren) Sackrison, a history teacher at
Lakeville High School; Maureen Webster, a grandma, an Army mom,
and a Title I teacher at Sunnyside Elementary in Mounds View; Laura
Kasdorf, a master gardener who coordinates the Community Garden in
Chippewa Falls, Wisc.; Mary Lou (Schlosser) Suss of Louisiana, who
misses being able to grow rhubarb; Janna (Wallin) Haug, who just returned from four years with the ELCA Global Mission in Slovakia.
Karla (Morken) Thompson graduated from
81the College of St. Scholastica with a Doctor
of Physical Therapy degree in August. She has
worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for
30 years and is a staff physical therapist specializing in women’s health and vestibular rehabilitation.
Heidi Anderson gave birth to
Jim Lindell and Karri (Birkholz)
04Lindell ’03 were married on July
16, at Central Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. Auggies in the wedding
party were Kim Birkholz ’05, Britni
(Morgan) Robertson ’05, Jeremy
Robertson ’05, Travis Kalis, Tom
Delisle ’04, Jeff Willihnganz ’04, Kyle
Howard ’04, Jillian (Janicki) Howard
’04, Nick Collins ’04, Stefanie (Lindell)
Lender ’98, Bruce Lender ’98, Jason
Luhrs ’96, and Melissa (Luhrs) Gooder
’93. Karri is a brokerage product manager at Ameriprise Financial, and Jim
is a corporate account manager at
Choice Communications. They live in
Maple Grove, Minn.
Janine (Borchardt) Kellogg
93Soren Russell in May 2011.
04and her partner, Jennifer
Heidi has worked for GE Lighting
in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1999.
Kellogg, welcomed baby boy
Sawyer Jay on August 8.
Becky (Welle) Winters and Paul
05Winters ’07 welcomed Maximilian Robert on August 17.
Marette (Hoffman)
09Hahn married Justin
Hahn on August 26, in Mendota Heights, Minn. Other
Auggies involved included
Leah Jarvi ’09 (bridesmaid),
Shonna Fulford ’09 (personal
attendant), Amber Stransky
’07 (personal attendant),
and Kendra (Christiansen)
Oxendale ’10 (photographer).
Mateo Martin Irby was born
on September 7, to Joanne
K. Reeck-Irby and Cornelius
M. Irby. Joanne is the director of campus activities and
orientation at Augsburg.
The Political History and Landmarks
91
In a January special election,
Marathon Road in January. The film
features Augsburg cross country/track
and field head coach Dennis Barker,
a trainer for Team USA distance athletes. The film was produced through
Sanft’s company, Ideatap Studios.
of South Africa and Namibia:
AUGUST 2013
Courtesy photo
Tom Kerr was named Administrator of the Year by the Iowa
Reading Association. Kerr has
served as the principal of BoydenHull Elementary School in Boyden,
Iowa, for six years.
Jennifer (Richter) and Dylan
92Susan Allen was elected to the 07Soberg ’06 welcomed baby
After nearly eight years, Heather
Johnston left the City of Minneapolis
to become the CFO and director of
administrative services for the City of
Burnsville, Minn. In that capacity,
she oversees finance, communications, community relations, city
clerk, and information technology
operations. In addition, she was recently appointed to the executive
board of the Government Finance
Officers Association (GFOA) of the
United States and Canada.
boy Alexander David on October 10.
Emily Crook, a 2007 graduate and a
current student in the Master of Arts
in Education program, married David
Hamm ’08 on October 8, 2010, in
Duluth, Minn. Many other Auggies
were in attendance to celebrate with
the couple and their families.
Angela (Barron) and Charles
08Brewer welcomed Emma
Rose on November 17.
In November, Dave Lange began a
career at Ameriprise Financial in life
insurance sales.
George Hemmingsen and his
Jesus (Alex) Hernandez Herrera
was promoted to senior director, principal gifts, in the Northwestern University (Illinois) Office of
Alumni Relations and Development
in September.
95
Heather Savage has been writ-
01ing (under HK Savage) and editing and opened her own publishing
company, Staccato Publishing.
Staccato’s purpose is to help authors who want to publish their work
but aren’t sure how to navigate the
twists and turns on the road to publishing.
09brother Grant Hemmingsen,
both 2009 graduates, are assistant
basketball coaches at Kentucky
Wesleyan College. George is in his
second year with KWC and his first
year as top assistant coach, and
Grant is in his first year as assistant
coach.
Katie Wornson was named to the
Volunteers of America-Minnesota
board of directors in December. Volunteers of America is a nonprofit
human service organization headquartered in Edina, Minn.
Julia Sewell and her colleague
Jennifer (Langman) and husband Kevin Reese welcomed
Elsie Marie on November 8.
02
Tony Geckler completed a
05Master of Social Work degree
from St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas in August. In
November, he passed his licensed
graduate social worker examination.
Augsburg cross country/track and
field alumni Paul Sanft ’05, Dan Vogel
’05, Riley Conway ’05, and Tori Bahr
’09 released their documentary
10and partner, Don Patterson, are
touring the United States spreading
messages of youth voice and action,
leadership, and educational reform
through their 2011-2012 SWAG
(Sharing Wisdom Amongst our Generation) tour concluding in April.
Sandra (Albrecht) Sutton married
Michael Sutton on August 27, 2010.
The couple resides in Baldwin, Wisc.,
where Sandra works as a sponsor
services analyst with Wells Fargo.
Namib Desert
Join Augsburg alumni and friends on this
12-day tour to learn about Namibia and South
Africa’s shared political past and to see the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks this
history has created. Learn firsthand about this
region’s struggle against apartheid while visiting the acclaimed Apartheid Museum, Cape
Point where the Dutch conquerors landed and
built a lighthouse, and Robben Island where
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Tour the former black and colored townships in Windhoek
and Johannesburg and hear from a cross-section of Southern African society.
Discover how the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Namibia, with a total membership of
more than 700,000, mainly in Northern
Namibia, played a significant role in opposition
to apartheid and was part of the Namibian independence struggle. The Namibia portion of
the trip will also include a visit to the Etosha
Game Reserve and the Namib Desert, the site
of the world’s highest sand dunes.
This trip is offered by the Alumni Association
in partnership with the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg College. For 30 years,
CGE has provided cross-cultural educational
opportunities that foster critical analysis of
local and global conditions so that personal
and systemic change takes place, leading to a
more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call
612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
namibia and south africa
Minnesota House of Representatives
to represent District 61B. Allen is
the first Native American woman to
serve in the Minnesota House.
Spring 2012
37
A phone call.
An e-mail.
A diploma.
When Jennifer Ivers ’13 e-mailed Larry
Couture ’79 as part of her work with
Augsburg’s IGNITE program, she couldn’t
have imagined the chain of events that
would transpire—or that she would end up
with an internship as a result.
Through IGNITE (Involving Graduates
Now in Thoughtful Engagement), current
Augsburg students connect with alumni to
help them find ways to engage with the
College. But when Ivers contacted Couture,
she was surprised by his e-mail response.
“He sent a short essay explaining why he
wasn’t really excited about meeting with
me,” she said. It turns out that Couture
thought he graduated from Augsburg in
1979 but found out in 2006, when he tried
to apply for admission to a graduate program, that his transcript was incomplete.
Couture had been one religion course
short of completing his graduation requirements in the spring of 1979 and had returned to Augsburg that summer to complete
the final class.
That course was
never posted, but
Couture didn’t suspect anything because he’d moved to
a new apartment and
thought perhaps his
diploma had just
been lost in the mail.
After receiving
Couture’s e-mail, Ivers
told him that she
would like to help him.
She said she would forward his e-mail to her
boss, who could bring his issue to the attention of the Dean, and together they would try
to resolve the situation.
“He said that after this long he didn’t
think it really mattered, but if I could help,
he thought that would be great,” Ivers said.
And help she did. On February 1, more
than 30 years after he thought he graduated,
On February 1, more than 30 years after completing his
graduation requirements, Larry Couture ‘79—pictured
here with Jennifer Ivers ’13, a summer intern at Couture’s
company—received his Augsburg College diploma.
nt
llege Commenceme
1979 Augsburg Co
Larry Couture received his Augsburg College
diploma and became a member of the class
of 1979.
Couture was so impressed with Ivers’
tenacity, as well as her speaking and writing
skills, that he asked her to work as a summer intern for his company ECOSmarte, a
Richfield, Minn.-based manufacturer of nonsalt, non-chemical water technology for
’79
LARRY
COUTURE
swimming pools and spas. The relationship
has also led to an internship for a second
Augsburg student.
“This has been one of the more fulfilling
aspects of my position,” Ivers said. “The
IGNITE program aims to re-involve alumni
on campus, and what’s a better way to involve someone than finally getting them their
diploma?”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
38
Augsburg Now
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Street address
Edward L. Evenson ’41, age 93, on September 28
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Verlinda L. (Olson) Huus ’42, age 91, on September 19
Carol A. (Hibbard) Kirtley ’42, age 88, on October 22
Vivian A. (Larson) Loren ’43, age 89, on September 23
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
H. Daniel Frojen ’45, age 87, on September 18
J. Bernhard Bretheim ’48 on August 2
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Ruth O. (Holm) Sawyer ’48, age 83, on January 18
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Evelyn (Green) Harris ’49 on June 29
John H. Wetzler ’49, age 88, on January 22, 2011
Raymond J. Bodin ’50, age 93, on October 27
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
Jean (Kuklish) Knudsen ’50, age 83, on July 12
Robert G. “Bob” Smith ’51, age 89, on October 24
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Edwin O. Silrum ’53, age 90, on September 12
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Elizabeth G. (Hagen) Carlson ’56, age 76, on November 26
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Roger Lecander ’56, age 77, on July 17
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
John T. Thompson ’56, age 76, on February 28, 2011
Loren G. Berkness ’60, age 82, on February 21, 2011
Bernard A. “Bernie” Onsager ’65, age 82, on September 28
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Beverly Jean (Mattson) Conboy ’73, age 59, on September 10
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Nancy (Kerber) Anderson ’74, age 59, on November 18
____________________________________________________________
Janice L. Phinney ’74, age 58, on July 30
____________________________________________________________
Jody (Anderson) Sundlee ’79, age 56, on December 6
____________________________________________________________
Patrick D. Hurley ’84, age 49, on March 3, 2011
George C. Ogbonna ’88, age 55, on December 26
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Henry G. Parsons ’04 MSW, age 59, on January 26, 2011
Spring 2012
39
it takes an
Auggie
During fall 2011, 26 student callers dialed 37,925 times, spoke with 3,178 constituents
(parents, friends, and alumni), and raised almost 700 gifts totaling $66,574.
Meet our Augsburg Fund callers
ANYA CLEAVER
Major: Political science, minors in
German and communication studies
Hometown: Technically, Buxton, England
Activities and interests: Queer and Straight
in Unity (QSU), Echo newspaper, Augsburg
Atheist and Secular Humanist group
Interesting fact about me: I moved to Minnesota at age 12 from a town outside of
Manchester, England, because England is
drab and rainy.
KALEB
WILLIAMS
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
I’m a film buff, and I love the independent movie theaters. I also like the riverfront and Harriet Island in St. Paul.
Major: Public relations and advertising
Hometown: Lakeville, Minn.
Activities and interests: Football
Interesting fact about me: I always say I’m
like an old black man; I have an old soul.
I think I would have fit in well in the 60s
or 70s.
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
It’s such a diverse place, and everyone
seems to get along well. Every day I feel
like I meet someone new.
Favorite Augsburg experience: The football
game last season against St. Thomas. It
was a home game, and the stands were
packed. At the time, we were the top
two teams in the MIAC, so it was pretty
exciting.
40
Augsburg Now
My favorite Augsburg experience: I was a
summer orientation leader and got to connect with many students from different
backgrounds. It helped me learn about
being more inclusive, and I made a lot
of friends.
KATHERINE
WALKER
Major: International relations, minor in
peace and global studies and religion
Hometown: Brainerd, Minn.
Activities and interests: Study Japanese,
volunteer tutor, editor for the Honors
Review
Interesting fact about me: I plan to go to
Vietnam this summer to teach English at
the British Embassy.
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
I love Augsburg’s emphasis on community
service. I think that if I had gone to another college, it wouldn’t have given me
such an introduction to the community. I
feel like I live in this neighborhood; I
don’t just go to school here.
Favorite Augsburg experience: I went to El
Salvador to take a class over winter break
two years ago with assistant religion professor Matt Maruggi. We studied liberation
theology, and we got to interact with local
people, community activists, and religious
leaders. We stayed in a small self-sufficient
community in the middle of the jungle, and
there were baby pigs running around.
AN
LEGACY
Dr. Gerald Mindrum
“I shall always remember the personal influence of many Augsburg professors
on my life and career, and also appreciate the continued support of Augsburg
to communities—both at the neighborhood and the global scale. I hope my
charitable gift annuity will foster a similar experience for future students.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
The Gage Center for Student Success and
Groves Technology Center
The Gage Center for Student Success and Groves Technology Center have quickly become a
hub of student activity. This photo, created by merging 10 different photographs together,
is a still life time-lapse image showing how this common space is constantly being used by
all members of the community.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
f... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
On politics and informed citizens
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
t
he creation of the Sabo Center for Citizenship
and Learning a few years ago allowed us a
wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life and
work of our distinguished alumnus, Martin Olav Sabo
’59, whose life-long commitment to public service is
an inspiration to all of us. As we live out our mission
and vision here at Augsburg, we, of course, are
deeply engaged in helping our students to understand the electoral political process, which
Congressman Sabo so ably served. In addition, our
students are closely involved in local political and
advocacy efforts, in public service internships, in
get-out-the-vote campaigns, and in helping our
many new U.S. neighbors to participate in U.S.
electoral politics.
At the same time, we also are deeply committed
to the ideas and practices of a broader public
claim—a claim that calls on all citizens to “get political”—to follow the call of our Augsburg colleague,
Harry Boyte, director of the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship, who suggests that “Despite its bad reputation, politics is the way people in any setting deal
with differences to get something done. Politics
means creating alliances, negotiating, engaging people around self interests, using levers of change in a
strategic way. Politics is how diverse groups of people
build a future together … Politics is from the Greek
root, politikos, ‘of the citizen.’” As Boyte reminds us,
“For over two thousand years politics meant not parties or vertical relations with the state but rather horizontal engagement among citizens.” In other words,
politics and getting political is the authentic and important work of citizenship, claimed by all of us as
our birthright and moral obligation.
One of my heroines in U.S. history is the great social reformer, Jane Addams, who lived and worked at
Hull-House in Chicago for almost 50 years, helping
her immigrant neighbors to practice citizenship—not
because of a political system but because democracy
is a social ethic, a way of living together in commu-
nity, neighborhood, country, some of us think even,
the world. She described democracy as a “mixed
and thronged road” on which we all are travelers together, navigating our lives together. Surely, Miss Addams illustrated in her own life and work the ways in
which mature citizenship—genuine politics—is
meeting the needs of our neighbors, building
stronger and healthier neighborhoods, finding common purpose and then the will to make it real, and
learning to be what political philosopher and ethicist
Jean Bethke Elshtain has called “chastened patriots,” those who love a cause or community or country but love it in ways that make it stronger, more
responsible, and more faithful to common purpose.
This is politics as common, public work.
The great Illinois senator, Adlai Stevenson, who
ran for president against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952,
was once said to have responded at a whistle stop to
a supporter who shouted out, “All thoughtful Americans are with you, Adlai,” with this great line, “That
won’t be enough.” For those of us committed to the
public and civic roles of higher education, we know
that one of our great challenges is to educate more
informed and thoughtful citizens—work that is a central claim of Augsburg’s mission—and to challenge
our students to help others become the same as they
reclaim a sense that politics is not simply about who
is in power and who is not, not simply about ideology
and partisanship, not simply about winners and losers, but instead that politics is the work we all are
called to do to ensure that our common purposes will
be realized.
Please enjoy the many stories in this issue of
Augsburg Now that illustrate Augsburg’s commitment
to educating informed citizens—a commitment that
has implications for our work on campus, in our
neighborhood, and around the world.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
fall 2011
augsburg now
Features
7
Homecoming 2011
BY CHERYL CROCKETT
11
15
14
augsburg
as a citizen
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
.
13 The Sabo Center
Educating citizens and leaders
14 Course-based service-learning
Learning beyond the classroom
15 The Bonner Leader program
Developing future leaders
16 Community relations
The College as an anchor
3
contents
10
7
On the cover
Banners along Murphy Square, part of the commons Augsburg shares
with the neighborhood, reflect the College’s commitment to service.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
17 What is the commons?
BY JAY WALLJASPER
21
Annual report to donors
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
6
10
29
35
40
44
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the court
My Auggie experience
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
Auggie voices
Correction: The Summer 2011 issue of Augsburg Now reported that the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council awarded two $10,000 grants to
Augsburg College. The awards were granted to Medieval Minnesota and OverExposure. Both programs work in partnership with the College.
The grant to Medieval Minnesota was funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota
State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. The grant to OverExposure, which worked in
partnership with Centro Youth Workshop and Augsburg, was an Arts Learning Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
quad
around the
NEWSNOTES
U.S.News & World Report names Augsburg College
a 2011 Best Regional College
This fall, Augsburg was named to the 2011 top 30 “Best Regional
Midwest Universities” by U.S.News & World Report. The ranking is
based on assessment in 16 areas related to academic excellence.
To find out more about the U.S.News & Word Report
ranking, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Augsburg one of six to win Washington Center Higher
Education Civic Engagement Award
For its commitment to public service and community involvement,
Augsburg was selected by The Washington Center for Internships
and Academic Seminars to receive the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award.
The College is one of six higher education institutions in the
nation to receive the honor, which was awarded October 3 at The
Washington Center’s annual luncheon, held at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C. Last May, the College was also one of six
schools—and the first in Minnesota—to win the Presidential Award
for Community Service, the highest federal honor available for
service learning.
PA students complete a unit on working with older adults by hosting a community
health fair for residents of Augustana Apartments in downtown Minneapolis.
Physician Assistant program is granted accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician
Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Continued Accreditation to the Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Augsburg College. Continued
accreditation is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Continued Accreditation remains in effect until the program
closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The
approximate date for the next comprehensive review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2018.
The Augsburg program went from a three-year accreditation
cycle to seven—the longest that a program can receive. Dawn
Ludwig, Augsburg PA program director, said, “Obtaining seven
years of accreditation is a welcome reward and recognizes the dedication of the PA faculty and staff who work to make our program
one of the best in the country.”
Board of Regents
MEMBERS ELECTED
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporate Governing
Board elected four new members to the Augsburg Board of Regents
and re-elected three members to second terms.
RE-ELECTED REGENTS:
Andra Adolfson, Business Development Director, Adolfson & Peterson
Construction, Inc.
NEW REGENTS:
Karen (Miller) Durant ’81, Vice President and Controller,
Tennant Company
Rolf Jacobson, Associate Professor,
Luther Seminary
Matt Entenza, Founder and Senior Fellow, Minnesota 2020
Bonnie Wallace, Scholarship Director, Fond du Lac Reservation, and
Founder of The Bearheart Women's Foundation
Jeffrey Nodland ’77, President and CEO, KIK Custom Products
Gary Tangwall ’80, Wealth Advisor, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™
2
Augsburg Now
Also appointed to three-year terms on the board, ex officio, are Bishop
Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, and Bishop
Harold Usgaard, Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
Norwegian royalty
VISIT AUGSBURG
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visited
Augsburg College during October as part of their first trip to the United
States since 1995. President Paul Pribbenow said the visit was an honor,
particularly given the College’s deep commitment to peacemaking and
global citizenship, and was a chance to provide the royal couple with a
firsthand experience of the deep relationship between Norway and the College. The king and queen attended a worship service with Norwegian students from the region and guests, including the 28 Norwegian students
attending Augsburg this semester through the International Partners program. The king and queen also visited Luther and St. Olaf colleges.
To commemorate this visit, Augsburg installed a peace pole near the
main entrance to the Foss Center. The peace pole celebrates the College’s
Norwegian heritage, its relationship with the country and people of Norway,
and its work with the Norwegian Nobel Institute to support peacemaking
through the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
The Augsburg College peace pole is constructed of stainless steel and
copper, reflecting the College’s
urban setting. Inscribed on two of
the five sides of the peace pole
are statements in Norwegian and
in English: Må fred herske på Jorden and May peace prevail on
Earth.
The other three sides of the
pole display the word “peace” or
an equivalent word, reflecting the
diverse populations that make up
Queen Sonja with Abigail Pribbenow, Maya
Augsburg’s communities in
Pribbenow, and Olivia Szaj, daughter of Vice
Minneapolis and around the world. President and Chief of Staff Chris Szaj.
The MAL Integrated Graduate Studies cohort explores responsible
leadership in downtown Minneapolis.
New graduate program offerings
This year, Augsburg launched new offerings for graduate students in leadership, social work, and business.
INTEGRATED MAL
The first cohort of the Master of Arts in Leadership
(MAL) Integrated Graduate Studies program began
meeting in August. This two-year hybrid program
uses a combination of online and intensive on-campus learning. Students met in August with Professor
Garry Hesser for a one-week intensive session that
included neighborhood excursions and visits with
local business and community leaders, including
Minneapolis city council member Cam Gordon.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
President Paul Pribbenow and his family dedicate a peace pole outside of Foss Center in
honor of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Augsburg also added a certificate in social
entrepreneurship, a program that combines courses
in the master of business administration, social
work, and leadership programs. The curriculum is
designed for students interested in obtaining the
skills and competencies necessary for the entrepreneurial pursuit of social impact, and recognizes the
unique challenges, opportunities, and qualities associated with trying to create social value. For more information about this certificate, go to the Augsburg
MBA website at www.augsburg.edu/mba.
Fall 2011
3
quad
around the
Summer construction on campus
Two capital projects were completed this summer on the
Minneapolis campus: the Gage Center for Student Success on
the link level of Lindell Library, and the creation of new offices
for Undergraduate/Graduate Admissions on the lower level of
Christensen Center.
The Gage Center was made possible through a $900,000 gift
from the Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Foundation.
This generous gift allows the College to co-locate critical academic student services in a new learning commons at the heart
of campus—further demonstrating Augsburg’s commitment to
equipping all students for success. The Gage Center project involved relocation of a portion of the library collection from the
link level to new, high-density shelving in the lower level of
Lindell Library—a solution that enhances the efficiency of the
College’s existing space in supporting student academic needs.
Also during the summer, improvements were made to the
locker rooms and public spaces in Si Melby Hall. Mortensen Hall,
one of Augsburg’s oldest residence halls, received extensive upgrades to its student living and common spaces, including new
flooring, plumbing and bathroom upgrades, kitchen cabinetry,
shelving, light fixtures, and paint.
To see a slideshow of more construction photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE ADMISSIONS OFFICES
4
Augsburg Now
Nobel Prize winners visit Augsburg
developing approaches for sharing our commons sustainably and
equitably. The two-day event explored the concept of the commons (see story, page 17) and included a social gathering in
Murphy Square, Minneapolis’ oldest public park, as well as a
walking tour of the neighborhood and a bike tour of the commons
in Minneapolis.
Festival of the Commons
In early October, Elinor Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in
Economics, spoke at Augsburg for the Festival of the Commons. This
event was a joint project of Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship,
and On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center that
connects organizations, community leaders, and individuals in
Courtesy photo
2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum (March 1-3)
In a master class held at Augsburg, Elinor Ostrom gives advice to area college students
about commons-related work they are doing on their campuses and in their communities.
This spring, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
and former president of South Africa, F.W.
de Klerk, will keynote the 2012 Nobel
Peace Prize Forum on March 2. The Nobel
Peace Prize Forum is an annual event
that inspires students and other citizens
to become active participants in peacemaking efforts around the world. For
nearly 24 years, it has been the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside of Norway.
De Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson
Mandela, is known for his work to end apartheid, a systemic policy
of racial segregation. De Klerk supported the transformation of
South Africa into a multiracial democracy and in recent years has
continued his work on peacemaking efforts. Learn more about the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
STUDENTS TAKE ON
interfaith community service challenge
This summer, Augsburg was chosen by the White House and the
U.S. Department of Education to participate in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. Throughout this academic year, students representing the Muslim Student Association,
Campus Ministry youth ministry teams, ALAS (Allied Latinas/os),
Interfaith Scholars, the Pan-Afrikan Student Union (PASU), the
women’s track and field team, Campus Kitchen, and the Bonner
Leader program will participate in service projects centered on
Somali youth in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
In addition, the Interfaith Scholars program, which began formally
last spring, will explore and develop the roles of students as public
leaders around interfaith literacy and action at Augsburg.
President Paul Pribbenow expressed the importance of the College’s commitment to this initiative. He wrote, “As we consider our
interfaith work, we are convinced that dialogue and service must be
interwoven in all we do. We believe that what we learned through re-
Interfaith Scholars team members: Front [L to R] Halimo Abdulkarim ’13, Mai Yang ’13,
Luis Hernandez ’14, Miriam Medina ’13, Macha Shatonova ’13, Megan Holm ’12. Back
[L to R] Lonna Field, Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning project coordinator; Jorge
Mondragon ’13, Pastor Sonja Hagander. Not pictured: Salma Ahmed ’12, Fardosa Hassan
’13, Griffith Orman ’15.
cent efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue with our neighbors is
something we must do each day. We must seek to live side-by-side,
day-by-day, within our neighborhood. Interfaith living is what we
must—and do—aspire to teach our students.”
Fall 2011
5
auggies on the court
Hard work shapes Auggie Honors student, athlete
Shelby Vogel stands out in the classroom
and on the volleyball court. The Auggie—
a pre-med honors student double majoring
in chemistry and physics—chalks it up to
elbow grease. “I get good grades because I
work hard,” Vogel said. “And I don’t feel
good unless I work hard. I think that same
mindset transferred to sports.”
Although she’s a first-year student, she
earned enough college credits during high
school to enter Augsburg as a sophomore.
Vogel was in the National Honor Society
during high school and received two of
Augsburg’s highest merit-based scholarships—the Regents’ Scholarship and the
Courtland Agre Scholarship, which is
awarded to incoming first-year students with
exceptional academic achievements in science and who meet standards for national
test scores and grade point average.
Professor Larry Crockett, Vogel’s honors
adviser, said that Vogel is setting some of the
agenda for discussions in the Honors Scholar
Citizen class. “She engages well and raises
good questions, which is the heart of the
honors academic enterprise,” Crockett said.
“It’s what I like to call ‘academic jazz.’”
Outside the classroom, Vogel excels on the
court. She is a high school all-conference
and Junior Olympic volleyball player and
was team captain. One of Vogel’s favorite
high school memories was going to the state
championship during her senior year where
she and her teammates beat their rival in
the semifinal round. “It was happy and
sad,” Vogel said. “We all had played to-
6
Augsburg Now
gether since sixth grade, and we beat our rivals in the semifinals. But we lost the
championship to a big school, and it was
our last game as a team.”
Augsburg’s head volleyball coach, Jane
Becker, said she’s had her eye on Vogel since
Vogel was a high school sophomore. “Shelby
brings a maturity to the court that is rare in
any athlete, let alone a first-year athlete,”
Becker said. “Her priority on the court is that
the team succeed. Her work ethic and team
attitude have already earned her the respect
of her teammates and will serve her as she
enters the medical profession. We’re grateful
Shelby is an Auggie on the court and in the
classroom.”
On the court as an Auggie, Vogel hopes to
play at the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Vogel visited a number of private colleges—most of them in rural settings like her
home city of Sheldon, Iowa—before selecting
Augsburg. “I wanted to be in the city. I graduated with 89 people in a town of about
5,000,” Vogel said. “I like it here because
I’m in a big city on a small campus.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
2011
homecoming
HOMECOMING 2011 HAS COME AND GONE,
but it has left lasting memories for the
more than 1,200 Augsburg alumni, students, parents, and friends who participated in the festivities.
Several events during the week
sparked the homecoming spirit. A student/alumni networking reception provided students an edge in
navigating their career paths as they met
with alumni already seasoned in their
professions. Sports enthusiasts reunited
around an alumni baseball game at Parade Stadium. Athletic Hall of Fame
inductees were celebrated and awards presented at a special induction
ceremony. The Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring Brad Hewitt, president and
CEO of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™, provided alumni and friends
time to network and learn about community issues.
Friday and Saturday came alive with a rich pastiche of “remember when”
conversations as reunion classes each gathered to reconnect with one another and the College, including members of the class of 1961 who were inducted into the 50-Year Club. The Friday morning convocation honored six
Auggies, and the celebration continued over a lunch, which featured Martha
Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation.
Saturday morning featured the “Best of Augsburg” mini-lectures from
three outstanding professors: Garry Hesser, David Murr, and robert tom. A 5K
Fun Run Saturday drew alumni, students, and friends, all decked out in their
Auggie gear for a morning run through the neighborhood. In the Gage Family
Art Gallery and the Christensen Center Art Gallery, artwork from 23 alumni
was on display, including ceramics, painting, drawing, multi-media, sculpture, photography, book arts, fiber arts, and printmaking.
On Saturday in Murphy Square, more than 30 vendors at the Taste of
Augsburg event served up a variety of inviting vittles. The weekend’s centerpiece was, of course, the football game against St. Olaf, and Auggie
spirit was at a fever pitch. The celebration continued after the game at the
Block Party where more than 600 Auggies gathered to enjoy live music and
more fellowship.
The crowning touch for an already unforgettable week was the Saturday
evening Hognander Music Scholars reunion concert featuring some of
Augsburg’s finest musicians from the past 12 years.
CHERYL CROCKETT
Save the date for Homecoming 2012, September 23 to 29.
To nominate an Augsburg alumnus or alumna for the 2012 Distinguished
Alumni Award, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at
alumni@augsburg.edu.
Fall 2011
7
2011
homecoming
To see more photos of Homecoming 2011,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
8
Augsburg Now
2011 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards
First Decade Award
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
Corky Hall ’71
Adam Seed ’01
Arlin Gyberg
Founder and CEO of Stellus Consulting
Vice President, Astra Ventures Inc.
Chemistry Professor, Augsburg College
I didn’t come to college for reading, writing, and arithmetic;
I came for the three
Es: Edor Nelson, Ernie
Anderson, and Ed
Saugestad. But I learned that it’s not
about winning and losing on the field;
it’s how you win, and lose, every day.
Augsburg showed me how to live—how to
win and how to lose—which makes us all
champions in life.
Giving to others, thinking about others,
thinking less about
oneself—this has been
the key to my success.
The less I think about
myself, the happier I am. Augsburg taught
me to manage in life without focusing on
myself. It's given me everything I have
today.
One of the values that
stands out at Augsburg
is the community of
learning experienced
here. What has been
most rewarding [over
the years] are the alumni who stop by to
visit, who are still connected. The strong
alumni support has been important in the
success of the College. I thank you, “family of Augsburg.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Wayne Jorgenson ’71
Senior Vice President of Investments at
UBS Financial Services
In high school, I knew
I wanted to be a stockbroker—an ethical
one. When you do
what’s right for the
client, they become
more than clients; they become friends.
Whatever you choose to do in life, do
what’s right. In your heart you will know
what that is.
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
• Mike Burkhardt ’81, men’s hockey/
baseball
• Carrie (Lind) Cabe ’01, women’s track
and field
• Stu Engen ’86, men’s basketball
• Mitch Hegland ’91, wrestling
• Kara (Seibel) Hoard ’96, women’s soccer
• Matt Kretlow ’91, wrestling
• Pat Piepenburg ’69, women’s basketball
Norma Noonan
Professor and former Director of the
Master's of Arts in Leadership,
Augsburg College
After 45 1/2 years at
Augsburg, I still believe it is a special
place to work. The
Augsburg spirit inspires our work and
encourages our success. It nourishes us
daily. The Augsburg community continues
to be a place of learning, discovery, and
collaboration.
• Angie Rieger ’01, women’s hockey/
volleyball
Judith Schaubach ’68
President of Education Minnesota, retired
Education always
seems to be a passion
of mine. I know how
important education
was for me; I learned
so many values here at
Augsburg. Part of my success was being
open to new things. You never know what
door will open for you as you go through
life. Take advantage of those opportunities.
• Don Skoy ’73, football
For biographies and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
homecoming
alumni awards
Fall 2011
9
my
Auggie experience
This is what an Auggie looks like: Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
At first glance, it might seem surprising that
an accomplished physician and educator, one
whose office walls are lined with plaques
highlighting his achievements, would count an
MBA program as one of the most valuable experiences of his career. But give him a few
minutes, and Dr. Amit Ghosh will offer many
reasons why the Augsburg MBA has been a
highlight for him.
As the director of the Mayo Clinic international program, a full professor in the Mayo
College of Medicine, and the recipient of the
2010 Distinguished Mayo Educator award,
Ghosh had established a successful career as
a physician and a diagnostician. “But what I
could never do was see what was going on
add depth to classroom discussions. “We ask
all kinds of questions from all angles, and
without any trouble the professor answers
them.” After class, Ghosh said his professors
often send additional articles and materials to
continue the discussions.
Ghosh also likes the team-based cohort
model and the opportunity to learn from classmates who he said bring valuable and diverse
points of view to the program. “I have learned
so many things about business from the students in my cohort,” he said.
Ghosh appreciates how his
classmates challenge him.
“They have forgotten I am a
physician, and they really
ing an organizational diagnostician. He said
the program has changed not only how he approaches his work as a physician but also how
he teaches at Mayo.
“I teach a whole spectrum of learners from
students to faculty and use the things I have
learned in business school to highlight relevant areas related to service-delivery that I
think are not stressed or are missing from
medical education,” he said.
Ghosh will complete the Augsburg MBA in
“My life journey would not be what it is without the Augsburg MBA
program. It is one of the highlights of my career.”
around me in the business world,” he said.
So in 2009, Ghosh’s colleague, Augsburg
College regent Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, suggested the MBA program. Now Ghosh is learning, through connections with both the faculty
and the students in his Rochester MBA cohort, to become what he calls an “organizational diagnostician.”
“At every point in our lives we define ourselves,” Ghosh said. “I thought in my journey with my career I needed to redefine
myself, and my Augsburg education has
helped me do that.”
An esteemed educator in his own field,
Ghosh holds the Augsburg faculty in high regard and appreciates the rigor of the curriculum. “I work in a world-class institution, and I
can assess quality,” Ghosh said. “The professors at Augsburg are amazing.”
Ghosh said his Augsburg MBA professors
bring real world experience to the classroom,
which is helpful because their experiences
10
Augsburg Now
give me a run for my
money.”
In addition to the faculty
and his fellow students,
Ghosh said Augsburg staff
members have enhanced his
experience. He related a
story about Ron Kurpiers, a
librarian at the Minneapolis
campus, who helped Ghosh with a paper.
Kurpiers took time on a Sunday, while he
was caring for a sick family member, to lead
Ghosh step-by-step through the process of finding articles to write a paper. “He thinks like a
student, but he works like a librarian,” Ghosh
said. “It was as if he were sitting with me.”
Perhaps Kurpiers’ extraordinary dedication
is one reason why Ghosh now says looking at
the library website to find articles is one of his
favorite pastimes.
His Augsburg education has helped Ghosh
grow professionally toward his goal of becom-
March 2012, and though he said he looks forward to finishing, it is clear that he does not
want his Augsburg experience to end. Maybe,
he said, as he matures as a manager, he could
consider becoming a part of the Augsburg
MBA faculty.
Whatever the future holds for Dr. Ghosh, it
is clear that he is proud to call himself an
Auggie. “My life journey would not be what it
is without the Augsburg MBA program. It is
one of the highlights of my career.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
A
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AUGSBURG COLLEGE EDUCATES STUDENTS
urban
TO BE INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL
center for
debate
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STEWARDS,
CRITICAL
THINKERS,
AND
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RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
THE AUGSBURG
EXPERIENCE IS SUPPORTED BY AN
ENGAGED COMMUNITY THAT IS COMMITTED
TO INTENTIONAL
DIVERSITY IN ITS LIFE
league
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WORK. AN AUGSBURG EDUCATION IS
compact
DEFINED BY EXCELLENCE IN THE LIBERAL
ARTS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES,
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BY
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OF
THE
leader
LUTHERAN CHURCH, AND SHAPED BY ITS
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URBAN AND GLOBAL
SETTINGS.
learning
sabo
and
citizenship
high school
mathematics
center
THE MISSION STATEMENT that Augsburg College launched last
year begins with a statement of educational outcomes:
Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
There is a reason, President Paul Pribbenow said, that “informed citizens” appears first on that list. “It is a part of our
legacy to equip our students to think of themselves as citizens
in a democracy,” he said. “And this shapes our work through
our statement of vocation: we believe we are called to serve
our neighbor. That is faith, learning, and service linked.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
AUGSBURG AS A
citizen
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE SABO CENTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
Fall 2011
11
SABO CENTER
FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
The Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning provides venues for Augsburg students and the community to learn from
local and national civic leaders and connects students with
civic engagement and service-learning opportunities. The
components of the center are highlighted here.
THE SABO PROFESSOR, SABO SENIOR FELLOWS, AND
SABO SCHOLARS uphold Congressman Martin Sabo’s ’59
abiding faith in the role government can play in improving the
lives of citizens. Sociology professor Garry Hesser, the Sabo
Professor for Citizenship and Learning, is aided in his work by
the Sabo Fellows: Senior Fellow for Academic Civic Engagement, Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology;
Senior Fellow for Civic Agency, Harry Boyte, director of the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship; Senior Fellow for Leadership and Change, Bill Green, associate professor of history;
and Sabo Center Senior Fellow, Jay Walljasper, editor of
OnTheCommons.org.
The 10 Sabo Scholars collaborate with Congressman Sabo
and Hesser to create opportunities for Augsburg students to
engage more fully in civic and public life. See page 20 for
more about the Sabo Scholars. (See story, page 13.)
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP collaborates with a variety of partners to promote active citizenship
and public work by people of all ages. The center’s work is
grounded in the belief that a healthy democracy requires
everyone’s participation and that each of us has something to
contribute. The center is involved in projects such as the Jane
Addams School for Democracy, Public Achievement, the
American Commonwealth Project, Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative, and more. (See story, page 13.)
COURSE-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING is an integral part of
an Augsburg College education. More than 35 courses per
year include a service-learning component, bringing students
into the community. The Engaging Minneapolis and Augsburg
Experience curricular requirements reinforce this commitment
to experiential learning. (See story, page 14.)
THE CAMPUS KITCHEN program served 23,000 meals last
year to residents of the community. Campus Kitchen sponsors
a farmers’ market on campus during the growing season, provides growing space in the community garden, and also uses
the garden to teach neighborhood youth.
12
Augsburg Now
THE AUGSBURG BONNER LEADER program provides financial support through work study jobs, leadership development,
and practical skill development for students who are dedicated to integrating community and civic engagement into
their college learning experience. (See story, page 15.)
Through participation in academic competitive debate programs, the MINNESOTA URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE empowers
junior high and high school students in Minneapolis and St.
Paul to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and
their communities.
THE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS LEAGUE
identifies more than 3,000 Minnesota high school students
with unusual mathematical ability and brings them together
for study, competition, and recognition.
MINNESOTA CAMPUS COMPACT leverages the collective assets of higher education institutions and communities, building partnerships and educating students to develop creative
solutions to pressing public issues. The coalition brings together all types of higher education institutions dedicated to
the civic purposes of higher education. It is also affiliated
with the national Campus Compact network, which includes
more than 1,100 campuses in all 50 states.
As a college in the city, the role of Augsburg’s director of
COMMUNITY RELATIONS is vital to establishing and maintaining quality relationships with community members and organizations. (See story, page 16.)
the
center
EDUCATING CITIZENS AND LEADERS
Perhaps one of Augsburg’s most important
contributors to educating informed citizens
is the Sabo Center for Citizenship and
Learning. Established officially in 2009
and named for Martin Olav Sabo ’59, Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District representative in the U.S. House for 28 years,
the Sabo Center serves to connect the College to the greater community.
The Sabo Center is the College’s hub for
public outreach with Campus Kitchen and
Augsburg Reads as well as with the Minnesota
Urban Debate League, the Minnesota High
School Mathematics League, and Minnesota
Campus Compact.
Also, through community service-learning classes and projects, and programs like
The Sabo Scholars have dinner with Martin and Sylvia Sabo each semester.
Bonner Leader, Sabo Scholars, and the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
(CDC), the Sabo Center gives voice to the
College’s mission of educating students to
be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards,
critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
And finally, with the support of the Sabo
Center staff and College leadership, the director of community relations fulfills the
center’s third purpose: to ensure
Augsburg’s position in the community.
The fact that Augsburg received the
2010 Presidential Award for Community
Service is due in great part to the programs
and partnerships of the Sabo Center. This
is the highest honor in the annual President’s Higher Education Community Serv-
sabo
sabo
ice Honor Roll, and Augsburg was one of
only six colleges and universities to receive
this distinction.
Harry Boyte, director of the CDC, articulates the role of the Sabo Center as a platform for interaction and relationships
between the campus and the community.
He said, “It’s a way to develop working relationships and engagement and a thematic and philosophical way to address the
mission of the College. The public work at
the Sabo Center allows serious conceptual
thinking about citizenship—being a citizen
is about more than being a ‘good person,’
and this provides the public frame to break
it open and talk about it.”
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
The Center for Democracy and Citizenship initiated two major projects
this fall to help reinforce the role of higher education in promoting
active citizenship.
THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH PROJECT fosters civic learning, public engagement, and stewardship in higher education. The project
is a partnership among the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at
Augsburg College, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House
Office of Public Engagement. It will deepen connections and relationships
and create policies, initiatives, and practices in public engagement efforts
across higher education.
THE FESTIVAL OF THE COMMONS, co-hosted October 7 and 8 by
At the Festival of the Commons, groups discuss
how the principles of the commons can be used
to address today’s cultural, economic, political,
and social divides.
center for
democracy
and
citizenship
Augsburg College and On The Commons, focused on how society creates,
uses, and manages the commons—things we all share and own together.
The event featured keynote speaker Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Fall 2011
13
course-based
service-learning
LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
The community service-learning component
of the Augsburg curriculum provides significant opportunities for Augsburg students and
faculty to interact with the community and
develop mutually beneficial relationships.
Mary Laurel True, director of servicelearning, emphasized that service-learning
is more than community service; it is part
of the College’s commitment to the community. “This is about sharing our resources in all areas, asking what the
community needs that we can provide,”
she said. “It’s not just the courses, it’s the
institution as a citizen.”
The curricular aspect of service-learning
begins at the summer orientation program for
undergraduate students in the day program.
Throughout their orientation experience,
groups explore the neighborhoods and begin
to learn about opportunities to engage with
and learn from Augsburg’s neighbors.
An Augsburg tradition for more than 15
years, City Service Day gives first-year day
students an opportunity to serve in and
learn about the community through service
projects on the day before fall semester
classes begin. This September, more than
400 students and their faculty leaders contributed 1,200 hours of service at local
schools, community service centers,
churches, and theaters.
Students continue building neighborhood relationships in their first-year seminar called “AugSem.” AugSem groups are
determined by a student’s anticipated
major area of study, so AugSem courses
and service-learning opportunities engage
students in ways that often continue after
their first semester at Augsburg.
Every year, more than 35 service-learning courses include an experiential education component, which involves an average
14
Augsburg Now
of 25 hours of off-campus service-learning
in a semester. More importantly, True
noted, students must reflect on their experiences. “They get credit for their reflection, not the time they spend in the
community,” she said.
One example of how service-learning enhances the educational experience is found
in the Education Department, where a field
service experience is included in all major
methods courses. In fact, education majors
at Augsburg will complete at least 120 hours
of service-learning in different elementary or
secondary classrooms before student teaching, according to Jeanine Gregoire, associate
professor of education.
Augsburg teacher candidates have opportunities to work with schools such as
Seward Montessori and the Cedar-Riverside
Community School. In cooperation with the
classroom teachers, candidates learn how
to build a curriculum to address the needs
of all learners, including many who are
English language learners from the Somali,
Hmong, and Korean communities. “It’s a
great experiential program for them to see
how teaching and learning play out in the
classroom,” Gregoire said.
Gregoire added that some teacher candidates come to Augsburg with little experience in diverse schools, so service-learning
provides a broader perspective on the
classroom. “It takes them out of their comfort zone and forces them to think critically
about the issues affecting the curriculum,”
Gregoire said, “and they get an understanding about the complexities of teaching to
eager, bright students who have a huge
range of abilities.”
Service-learning is an integral part of sociology professor James Vela-McConnell’s
upper-division course on social problem
analysis. Vela-McConnell chooses a social
problem for the class to focus on, and students learn about the issue through traditional research, service in organizations, and
intensive interviews with lay people and
those who work in social service organizations. The goal, Vela-McConnell said, is to
combine all the students’ work into a complete examination of a social problem.
“By doing this as a class project and not
an individual project,” Vela-McConnell said,
“I emphasize that I am not the expert and I
become part of the collective learning experience.” He sees this role as valuable for the
students because it allows professor and students to connect as equals and to work together.
These examples highlight how the learning
experience can be enriched for students
through service and show how Augsburg can
benefit the community by sharing resources.
True noted that many of the organizations involved in service-learning relationships with
Augsburg have a small group of staff, so
Augsburg students provide dedicated volunteer support that helps these organizations
succeed and grow.
“I think what we have going here is thick
and deep and grassroots,” True said. “It’s a
reciprocal relationship with the community.
It’s a long-term commitment.”
To see a video about James Vela-McConnell’s
class, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
service
learning
bonner
leader
DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS
the bonner leader
program
The College’s commitment to the community has been extended
through the Bonner Leader program. Now in its fourth year at
Augsburg, the Bonner program connects 40 students to local partners including schools, community centers, churches, and other
nonprofit organizations. Bonner students commit 10 to 12 hours
per week working with the organizations as well as three to five volunteer hours per month.
Kristin Farrell, director of the Bonner Leader program, said she
believes the program affects students in multiple ways. “It
changes the way they see themselves and their communities, and
it changes the way they do academics. They see their education as
a way to make change in the world,” she said.
Bonner students meet as a group with Farrell three times monthly
for training and enrichment, giving them a chance to reflect with their
peers and to make connections to their classes. Through these experiences, Farrell said students uncover their gifts, and this discovery can
lead to new direction in their education or career paths.
’13
ARIANNA GENIS
Working with Urban Ventures creating a leadership
development program for Latino students
“Bonner has taught me the importance of being a part of a community and
going out and really getting to know people. The people I have worked with in my
placements have given me much more than I have to them.”
Because Bonner students often make a long-term commitment to
an organization, Farrell said the partners tend to expect more from
the students than they would from a short-term intern or a volunteer.
This provides opportunities for students to become deeply engaged in
the work of the organization.
Farrell added that the program shapes community leaders who are
sought after by employers. “I think being in the Bonner Leader program gives students a leg up as they leave Augsburg,” she said. “Organizations want people who are knowledgeable about communities.”
“The Bonner program provides a deep level of relationships to
community partners and a very purposeful way of getting students immersed in the community,” Farrell said. It also connects Augsburg
students to a network of more than 10,000 Bonner alumni—students
focused on social justice issues who help connect Augsburg grads to
opportunities beyond college and in communities outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
’12
MALLORY CARSTENS
Assisting with the school social worker and afterschool programs at the FAIR magnet school in
downtown Minneapolis
“I was undecided in my major, and Bonner really helped me grow into what I
consider my vocation. It led me to social work and to a whole new set of values and interests. It really shaped my Augsburg experience.”
’12
CLAIRE BERGREN
A community organizer at the Harrison neighborhood
association in North Minneapolis
“I came to Augsburg thinking I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to help
people in some way. Now I realize that is not the best way for me, but I can help
people through direct interaction with them. I am attracted to doing community
organizing because you are so immersed in the experience and in the communities, and you become part of people’s lives.”
To read about Bonner Leader Andy Rodriguez ’12 or view a
video about the program, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
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15
community relations
community
relations
THE COLLEGE AS AN ANCHOR
16
Augsburg’s engagement in the community is deepened by its commitment to becoming an “anchor institution”—an organization
that thinks and behaves as a citizen and contributes to community
wealth building and local economies.
The College serves as an anchor institution not only through
service-learning and outreach programs but also through Steve
Peacock, director of community relations. He sees his work as a
complement to other Sabo Center programs, playing the behindthe-scenes role of representing Augsburg and developing relationships with community organizations.
For more than three years, Augsburg has been a member of the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, which is currently
chaired by Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. The partnership, which includes the City of Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and
Pillsbury United Communities, provides a venue for neighborhood issues to be addressed in creative ways.
One example is the road construction on Riverside Avenue,
which began this summer. The members of the partnership saw
this as an opportunity to change the character of the area and provide a welcoming, safe gateway to the neighborhood. Working with
the City of Minneapolis, the partnership advocated for lighting,
new green spaces, and other improvements to the Riverside corridor that would enhance the vitality of the neighborhood.
“As an anchor institution, we have a responsibility to ‘place.’ It
is in our self interest to ensure that the neighborhood is healthy,
vibrant, and safe,” Peacock said. “But we also have a responsibility to strengthen our shared values.”
Part of an anchor institution’s role is to support workforce development within a community. Augsburg has been involved in one
such initiative as a host for the Urban Scrubs Camp, which is presented by HealthForce Minnesota with support from Boston
Scientific.
This one-week camp gives more than 70 inner city high school
students a hands-on opportunity to learn about healthcare careers.
It also helps to educate area youth, addresses the need for workforce development for local hospitals, and strengthens relationships with community partners. In 2011, nearly all of the students
attending received a scholarship to the camp through the CedarRiverside Partnership.
Augsburg also works closely with the Seward and Cedar-Riverside business associations to promote local businesses to the College community. “As a consumer and investor in the community,
we are sensitive to neighborhood businesses and are helping to
strengthen them as much as possible,” Peacock said.
Augsburg Now
In the past, Augsburg marketing courses have developed promotional campaigns for local businesses aimed at students, staff, and
faculty. Last spring, a group of marketing students promoted the
local restaurant, the Wienery, with a “wiener walk.”
This year Cedar-Riverside restaurants, including the recently
opened Afro Deli, participated in the Taste of Augsburg event during Homecoming, and Augsburg will be involved in the “Franklin
Frolic” to support Franklin Avenue businesses in early December.
Because the College has a strong commitment to and sees itself
as part of the community, Peacock finds his work very gratifying.
“Augsburg is a really exciting place to do this kind of work. Building upon strong relationships and taking them to another level improves not only our opportunities but our neighbors’ as well.”
EDUCATING INFORMED
citizens
At the September 2011 Augsburg Corporation meeting, President Paul
Pribbenow described the College’s vision of neighborhood well-being related to
the anchor institution movement. He said, “In major urban areas, higher education institutions have begun to think of themselves differently, not as places
that have all the answers … but in fact places that want to enter into mutual
conversation and mutual benefit for each other, for the sake of the city, for the
sake of the neighborhood.”
Pribbenow makes clear that the College’s role in the community is reciprocal. “We are moving away from a charity model,” he said. “It’s not what we can
do for them but what we can do together.”
In Augsburg’s mission, in its academic programs, in the common life of the
College and its neighbors, and in outreach to the community, Augsburg lives
out its commitment to service. Guided by the work of the Sabo Center, the College will continue its deep and lasting commitment to the community as it educates informed citizens who will build and sustain the communities in which
they live and work.
WHAT IS THE
commons?
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO US RIGHT NOW?
BY JAY WALLJASPER, Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s
Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning
Editor's Note: On October 7 and 8, the Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a “Festival of the Commons” in partnership
with On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center. This article, written by Jay Walljasper, editor of OnTheCommons.org
and senior fellow of the Sabo Center, provides an explanation and examples of the concept of the commons in our world today.
It’s an old idea—the chief organizing principle for human society for most of history—that’s now being rediscovered and
reinvigorated all around the world.
The commons means what belongs to all
of us—and the many diverse ways we share
it equitably and sustainably among each
other and coming generations. It describes
a sweeping set of practices that range from
the intricate social structures of indigenous
people to the ever-evolving networks of
connection fostered by the Internet. And
everything in between—natural and
human-made.
The commons is essential to our survival
and happiness, touching our lives all day
long—from the water with which we brush
our teeth in the morning to the fairy tales
we tell children at bedtime.
The natural commons makes life itself
possible thanks to air, water, biodiversity,
and DNA. The cultural commons makes
human civilization possible through the
sharing of knowledge, language, inventions,
stories, and art. The social commons
makes our modern way of life possible
through educational institutions, medical
expertise, engineering know-how, and communication tools. Even the market economy depends on the commons for the
natural resources and human capital that
drive its profits, as well as the legal and
regulatory systems without which it would
fall apart.
Unfortunately, the commons today is
under assault. The natural environment
continues to suffer devastation, including
the specter of global climate disruption.
Privatization policies fence us out of resources that once could be used by everyone, and budget-squeezed governments
and civic institutions scale back on services upon which we depend. Meanwhile,
many people are convinced their security
and well being depend entirely on what
they can possess individually, to the detriment of the common good.
But the good news is that people everywhere are standing up to protect and promote what we all share. Some, inspired by
the work of Nobel Prize winner Elinor
Ostrom (who visited Augsburg this fall; see
page 5), are launching a movement to draw
attention to all the ways that the spirit and
practice of the commons can help solve the
pressing problems of our time, including
economic inequity, environmental decline,
Fall 2011
17
social isolation, and political alienation.
Many others are not familiar with the
term at all but continue to roll up their
sleeves to do crucial work in their communities, guided by their instincts for the
common good. They are commoners, too.
At this tumultuous moment in history,
the commons provides us with a compelling vision of a society where “we” matters as much as “me.”
THE WEALTH ALL AROUND US
Examples of the commons in our daily lives
• Air and water
• Parks, libraries, streets, and sidewalks
• Social Security, the National Weather
Service, police protection, and other
public services
• Wilderness preserves and national forests
• Wikipedia and open source initiatives
• Musical styles, dance steps, and fashion
trends
• Biodiversity
• The Hebrew Bible, New Testament,
Koran, Zen Koans, Hindu Upanishads,
Norse sagas, and indigenous tales of
creation
• Blood banks, soup kitchens, 12-step
groups, museums, and other civic efforts
• Oceans, Antarctica, and outer space
GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR
NET WORTH
We are all co-owners of some very
valuable assets
Let me offer some good news about the
state of your wealth. Sure, real estate values
and the stock market look shaky these days,
and no one’s job appears safe anymore. But
what you possess individually accounts for
only part of your true net worth. Each of us
also owns a stake in some extremely valu-
18
Augsburg Now
able assets: clean air, fresh water, national
parks, the internet, civic institutions, cultural traditions, and more.
Just like personal property, these things
enhance our lives in countless ways—roads
we travel, public spaces where we gather,
medical and scientific breakthroughs we
take advantage of, and accumulated
human knowledge we use for free many
times each day. In fact, without these commonly held resources, our modern society
and market economy would never have gotten off the ground.
When the economy appeared to be
booming, many of us didn’t care about the
commons; it hardly seemed to matter that
the local recreation center was in disrepair
and Social Security in trouble. Private
health clubs and IRAs would meet those
needs. But today, Americans are increasingly grateful for services and opportunities
provided for us beyond profit-making
ventures.
But the news about our common wealth
is not all good. It faces major threats. The
financial crisis has created new pressures
for federal, state, and local governments to
slash critical services and programs that we
depend on. Transit, public schools, libraries, medical assistance, social services,
and parks have been on the chopping block
in many communities.
Fortunately, there’s a new movement of
“commoners” from all walks of life who are
standing up to protect things that we all
share. More than just an activist cause, the
commons is becoming a model for thinking
differently about how we make decisions,
manage resources, and think about responsibilities.
BUSINESS BASED ON WHAT
WE SHARE
Latino entrepreneur—and Augsburg grad—
returns to his roots with a local food project
“Common sense” is a term entrepreneur
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin ’03, uses with
ever increasing enthusiasm to describe the
local food initiative he is creating with immigrant Latino farmers in Minnesota.
“I come from the commons,” said
Haslett-Marroquin, who grew up in
Guatemala, where his family still farms
communal lands. “And I am going back to
the commons.”
Haslett-Marroquin, who graduated from
Augsburg with a degree in business administration, is the co-founder of the fair trade
Peace Coffee Company. In 2006, he
founded the Rural Enterprise Center in
Northfield, Minn., which, like many Midwestern communities, has attracted growing numbers of Latin American immigrants.
In times of economic stagnation, many
people worry that immigrants are taking
jobs needed by native-born Americans.
These fears are especially keen in small
towns, where the impact of the continuing
economic crisis hits hard. HaslettMarroquin, however, sees an opportunity
that can benefit both immigrants and the
community as a whole.
He noticed that many people around
Northfield were eager to eat more locally
raised, healthy food but were unable to afford it or sometimes even find it. At the
same time, he saw that Latino immigrants
had lifelong experience as sustainable
farmers but lacked the financial means to
take up farming. The solution was obvious.
Find a way to get Latino farmers back on
the land and connect them with consumers
seeking wholesome food. This is exactly
what Haslett-Marroquin did in launching a
free-range poultry cooperative, market garden, and family farmer training program,
all designed to put good food on local dinner tables and income into the pockets of
family farmers.
“Agripreneurship” is how HaslettMarroquin described this effort to revive
family farming for local markets by taking
advantage of immigrants’ first hand knowledge of small-scale sustainable agriculture
practices. “Commons sense,” he said, is
another word for what he and his colleagues are doing.
This small-farmer training center and
coop is a shining example of an emerging
co-op idea known as commons-based development—a strategy that strengthens the
commons by making sure that economic
expansion projects help the community as
a whole.
While commons work is often seen as an
activist or community cause more than a
business model, Hasslett-Marroquin’s projects embody fundamental commons principles: a commitment to future generations,
a focus on sustaining the earth, and a
means of providing a benefit to everyone.
As Haslett-Marroquin said, “The commons is a very straightforward commonsense approach to creating systems that
sustain society and sustain life on the
planet.”
COOPERATION IS NO TRAGEDY
First woman to win Nobel Prize in Economics
proves that common ownership does not
inevitably lead to ruin
izenship and Learning) has documented
how communities around the world equitably and sustainably manage common resources such as grazing lands, forests,
irrigation waters, and fisheries over the
long term.
A classic example is her field research in
a Swiss village where farmers tend private
plots for crops but share a communal
meadow to graze their cows. While this
would appear a perfect model to prove the
tragedy-of-the-commons theory, Ostrom
discovered that in reality there were no
problems with overgrazing. That is because
of a common agreement among villagers
that no one is allowed to graze more cows
on the meadow than they can care for over
the winter—a rule that dates back to 1517.
Ostrom has documented similar effective
examples of “governing the commons” in
her research in Kenya, Guatemala, Nepal,
Turkey, and Los Angeles.
YOU MAY ALREADY BE A COMMONER
Many people view the commons as a
tragedy rather than a fresh new worldview
to help us move toward greater economic
fairness, environmental harmony, and democratic participation.
This notion was popularized by wildlife
biologist Garrett Hardin in a 1968 essay in
Science magazine, “The Tragedy of the
Commons,” in which he described how
people who share common resources will
inevitably degrade them. Although Hardin
later qualified his theory as applying only
in specific situations, the phrase is still
widely invoked to argue that privatized
property is the only practical method for
managing land, resources, or other valuable
assets. The message is clear: Any kind of
cooperative ownership will lead to ruin.
But that blanket assertion was debunked
two years ago when Indiana University political scientist Elinor Ostrom won the
Nobel Prize in Economics. Through the
decades, Ostrom (who spoke at Augsburg
in October as part of a Festival of the Commons, organized by the Sabo Center for Cit-
Ten ways to find out
You may be a commoner if you:
1. Question the prevailing myth that all
problems have private, individualized solutions.
2. Notice how many of life’s pleasures exist
outside the money economy—gardening,
fishing, conversing, playing music, playing ball, praying, watching sunsets.
3. Take time to appreciate and enjoy what
the commons offers. (As the visionary
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire once declared during an Augsburg College visit,
“We are bigger than our schedules.”)
4. Keep in mind that security and satisfaction are more easily acquired from family
and friends than from money.
5. Offer a warm smile or greeting to people
you pass. The commons begins with connecting, even in brief, spontaneous ways.
as if you own them (which, actually, you
do). Tidy things up. Report problems, or
repair things yourself. Initiate improvement campaigns.
7. Are interested in exploring ways that
things you now pay for could be acquired
in more cooperative ways—checking out
DVDs at the library, perhaps, or quitting
the health club and forming a morning
jogging club.
8. Watch where your money goes. How do
the stores, companies, and financial institutions you use help or harm the commons? This includes their impact on the
environment and on poor communities
around the world.
9. Share your knowledge ideas with online
commons such as Wikipedia, online
communities open-education projects,
and open-access journals. Or you could
form your own online community around
what matters to you.
10. Think of yourself as a commoner and
share your enthusiasm. Raise the subject
in conversation, around the neighborhood and at work. Stand up against
threats to the commons in your community and around the world. Speak out in
favor of opportunities to expand the
commons.
These articles are updated from All That We
Share: A Field Guide to the Commons (The
New Press, 2011) and a flyer handed out at
the Festival of the Commons on the
Augsburg College campus October 7 and 8.
Jay Walljasper, former editor of Utne
Reader, is author/editor of All That We
Share and editor of www.OnThe
Commons.org. On The Commons, a commons movement strategy center, co-sponsored the Festival of the Commons at
Augsburg. Walljasper was recently named a
Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s Sabo Center
for Citizenship and Learning.
6. Treat common spaces in your community
Fall 2011
19
it takes an
Auggie
A continuing legacy of
public service
It is hard to imagine a career more dedicated to
public service and civic engagement than that of
Martin Sabo ’59. One year after graduating from
Augsburg College, Sabo was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. More than 45
years later, he retired from a distinguished 28year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During that time, Sabo also served for 12 years as
a regent for the College, was named an Augsburg
Distinguished Alumnus, and received the first
2011-12 SABO SCHOLARS
honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters
Front Row [L to R]: Rachael Okerlund ’12, Angela Bonfiglio ’13, Katherine DeKrey ’12, Sylvia Sabo, Martin Sabo ’59,
(Honoris Causa), conferred by the College.
Katie Radford ’12; Back Row [L to R]: Adam Spanier ’12, Rachel Svanoe ’13, Eli Grobel ’12, Claire Bergren ’12, Sabo
Today, Martin and his wife, Sylvia Sabo—parProfessor Garry Hesser, Arianna Genis ’13, Andrew Rodriguez ’13.
ents of Auggies Karin Mantor ’86 and Julie Sabo
’90—continue their public service work by supportpublic service. By engaging these students in conversation about
ing the Augsburg College Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, public service, the Sabo Scholars program carries forward the
the Sabo Scholars program, and the annual Sabo Symposium.
Sabos’ abiding faith in the role that government can play in imAs the stories on the previous pages show, the Sabo Center enproving the lives of citizens.
compasses a wide-ranging set of programs that include the ColThe Sabo Center also annually convenes the Sabo Public Policy
lege’s civic engagement, community-based involvement, and
Symposium. Last year’s event was “2010 Healthcare Reform: What
service-learning programs. Through the work of the center,
Will It Mean for You (and The Nation)?” This year, in place of the
Augsburg has earned national recognition as a college with a
public policy symposium, the Sabo Center hosted the Festival of
strong commitment to education for service.
the Commons, featuring 2009 Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, disIn addition, each year the Sabos, along with Sabo Professor
cussing how society creates, uses, and manages “the commons”—
Garry Hesser, work directly with 10 Augsburg juniors and seniors
things we all share (see story, page 5).
chosen as Sabo Scholars for their interest in and commitment to
Through these programs, supported by the generous gifts and
engagement in the political process, public policy, or careers in
engagement of the Sabos and others,
Augsburg creates opportunities for
civic experiences and skill-building—
inside and outside the classroom—for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and
community members—and carries on
the Sabos’ and the College’s important commitment to public service.
REBECCA JOHN
The 2011-12 Sabo Scholars kick off the academic year
with conversation and dinner at the home of Sylvia
and Martin Sabo. The Sabo Scholars meet monthly with
Representative Sabo, Sabo Professor Garry Hesser,
local alumni, and other leaders engaged in public
service, policy-related work, and the political process.
20
Augsburg Now
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2010-2011
Fall 2011
21
DEAR FRIENDS,
It is no accident that the first four words of our mission statement are,
“Augsburg College educates students...” I put the emphasis on the word “educates” because our academic program is at the heart of what we do as a college. The quality of that program—its innovative core curriculum rooted in
vocational exploration, its focus on interdisciplinary inquiry, its commitment to
student learning, its excellence and national recognition in several different
disciplines—has been deeply influenced by private philanthropic support over
the years, and this year is no exception.
In fiscal year 2011, the College received nearly $9.3 million dollars in external financial support. Daily, we are reminded of this generous philanthropic
investment on our campus: the buildings that house our academic programs,
our offices, and our students; our ability to entice academically gifted students to enroll, to aid students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a college education, and to support students who show intellectual promise but may be lacking social
or personal support structures that ensure success; and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide the next generation of leaders.
But this philanthropy—your philanthropy—has not only paid for buildings, scholarships, salaries, and resources; it has
also advanced and continues to enhance and grow the quality of teaching and learning at Augsburg.
• The impact of your gifts is realized in the remarkable number of students undertaking annual research projects that are
funded through the Sundquist Science Scholars program, the Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunities
(URGO) office, and the McNair Scholars program, among others.
• It is exemplified in our robust Honors program that challenges students to think critically and perform to the very best of
their abilities.
• It is illustrated by the national recognition for Augsburg’s notable achievement of embedding service learning into our core
curriculum and by the recognition of our graduates who successfully compete for the highest international academic honors and awards such as the Fulbright, Gilman, Goldwater, Rhodes, Rossing, Rotary, and Udall scholarships.
• It is embodied in the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, which guides and supports students as they
seek to discern their vocations and in the Gage Center for Student Success, the College’s newest learning commons, which
houses critical academic enrichment services in Lindell Library, at the heart of campus.
The long and meaningful history of private investment in Augsburg makes a difference not only in resources but also in the
quality of outcomes of our academic program. Our generous donors matter, your gifts matter, and we are grateful and humbled every day because you have been willing to translate your commitment to education, your love for this place, and your
belief in our mission into financial support for our work. We believe that philanthropy is a place where your values and passions intersect—it is part of your vocation—and we celebrate the fact that you have found Augsburg a worthy recipient of
your generosity and partner in your vocational journey. Thank you.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
22
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
2010-2011 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
3%
Other sources
2011 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2011
$33,268,034
4%
Government
grants
9%
Private gifts
and grants
11%
Room and board
As of May 31, 2011, we have annual realized and unrealized gains of 17.01%
on our endowment. Our five-year average annual return on the endowment is
3.44%, and the 10-year average annual return is 3.08%. We are committed to
maintaining the value of principal gifts and to provide support to the College in
perpetuity.
73%
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
Tuition
$25.4
$28.2
$27.2 $27.8
$24.5
$22.7 $22.9
2%
Where the Money Goes
Student salary
4%
Debt service
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
44%
Salary and benefits
3%
Utilities
24%
2002
Financial aid
2003
2004
20%
2007
2008
“
WHY I GIVE
“
I had such a wonderful education at Augsburg, and I
think my whole philosophy of life and giving was developed here and in my family. I have given since I graduated … and I continue, I suppose, because I see the
ongoing mission of education to serve others, and
what I am most thrilled about these years is that
Augsburg welcomes everyone…. I’m proud of the
strides in everything from community service to Rhodes
Scholars to you name it.
We’re just getting better and better,
and more diverse and wonderful.
Leann Hanson Lake ’67
2006
2009
2010
2011
Endowment Assets (in millions)
June 1, 2002 – May 31, 2011
Other
“
2005
”
I give to Augsburg because somebody else had given
before me and that allowed me to attend a four-year
private school that met all the needs I had. Hopefully
my giving will do the same for another student.
Marie Odenbrett ’01
”
“It’s our conviction, Kathy’s and mine, that God gives gifts that they might be
used in the world. We started giving to Augsburg when we were seniors in
Augsburg … way back in 1976. Augsburg has grown; we have seen it over
the decades just become a better and better school, and we’re happy to be a
part of that so that more and more people might be educated under the auspices of the church … that they might be better servants of the world.”
Norman Wahl ’76, Kathy (Anderson) Wahl ’76
To hear more Auggies tell why they give,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2011
23
s
e
i
g
augANGING
ARE CH E WORLD
TH
AUGSBURG RECOGNIZES DONORS
with event series
This summer Augsburg launched a new event series to recognize
contributions at all levels and methods of giving. The series began
in August with the Celebration of Philanthropy to recognize a broad
range of annual, lifetime, and deferred gift donors. At this evening
of activity and fellowship, guests had their photo taken with Auggie
Eagle, shared why they support Augsburg in a video booth and on a
large display board, and met student researchers. The evening
ended with dessert and discussion and the presentation of a video
showing how Auggies and donors are changing the world.
The series continued with a September boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka for recent alumni donors to The Augsburg Fund. Upcoming
events include a holiday dinner and Advent Vespers service in December for the College’s leadership and major gift donors, the annual Scholarship Donor Brunch for benefactors in April, and a class
party for the winners of the 2012 student philanthropy competition.
Individual invitations will be sent closer to the events.
To see the video featured at the Celebration of Philanthropy,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
celebration of
philanthropy
24
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (6)
Geoffrey ’89 and Kelly Gage
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Richard ’96 and Britt Gage
James Lindell Sr. ’46†
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Scott and Gina Gage
Susan Scott ’97 Lindquist and David Lindquist
Catherine and Charles Anderson
General Mills Foundation
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Martha Gisselquist ’86
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Marie and Larry McNeff
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Phillip ’55† and Lynne Mueller Gronseth
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Earl and Doris Bakken
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Guarani Foundation
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Marlys Backlund ’54 Morland and Robert† Morland
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara and Zane Birky
Hunt and Diane Harris
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Carl Blegen†
Hearst Foundation
Ida Nelson†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Loren Henderson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Hennings
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Robert Odegard ’51†
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
R. Luther Olson ’56
Bush Foundation
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Carlson Companies
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
John and Norma Paulson
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Allen and Jean Housh
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Judith Christensen
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Richard Pautz ’37†
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Robert Hoversten
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Lester Hoversten†
Glen Person ’47
Oliver Dahl ’45
Huss Foundation
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Addison and Cynthia Piper
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
David Piper
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Kinney Johnson ’65
Harry and Mary Piper
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Bruce and Maren Kleven
Alan Rice
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
David and Barbara Kleven
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
E. Milton ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Ward ’74 and Catherine Schendel
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Jerry and Jean Foss
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
James and Eva Seed
Julian Foss ’30†
Harriett Kurek†
Rodney Sill ’82
William and Anne Frame
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
John and Martha Singleton
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Diane and Philip Larson
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Barbara and Edwin Gage
George ’61 and Mary Larson
David Soli ’81
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
25
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Robert Wagner ’02
Genevieve Stelberg†
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
Scott Weber ’79
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Larry Wefring
Teagle Foundation
Robert Wick ’81
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Elsie Wildung†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
Helen Sverdrup†
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Johan Sverdrup†
Andrew Urness†
Clair Strommen ’46†
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who made annual gifts of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Anonymous (1)
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Barbara and Edwin Gage
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Craig Jones
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Douglas and Norma Madsen
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Marie and Larry McNeff
Marilyn McIver
Helen Alne
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Rick and Jean Mofsen
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Alan Rice
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Vance and Darin Opperman
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Aaron Assad ’10
Philip Rowberg ’41
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Alfred Assad
Joseph and Lynn Schmitt
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James and Eva Seed
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
James Lindell ’46†
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Christopher McIver
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Jean Taylor 1985 and Roger Griffith ’84
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
John and Norma Paulson
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Rodney and Theresa Schott
Robert Wick ’81
Michael and Pamela Sime
John Schwartz ’67
John and Eleanor Yackel
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
26
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
President's Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Peter and Linda Vogt
Andra Adolfson
Anonymous (1)
Renata Winsor
Daniel 1965 and Alice Anderson
Deloris Anderson ’56
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Carla Asleson ’91
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Anonymous (2)
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Scott Anderson ’96
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Judith Christensen
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Larry Cole 1966
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
C. Lee Clarke
James and Kathleen Haglund
Susan Engeleiter
Liv Dahl
Hunt and Diane Harris
John ’82 and Joan Moline 1983 Evans
Grant Dasher
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Augsburg Now
Tyler Uccellini
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Ronald Engebretsen
Thomas Anderson ’72
Mark and Margie Eustis
Jamie Fragola
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Barbara Farley
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Orvella Anderson
Duncan Flann ’55
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Dawn Formo
Gaylord (Corky) ’71 and Lori Hall
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
William and Anne Frame
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Robert Frantz and Janell Grazzini Frantz
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
John Berg ’59
Andrew Fried ’93
Allen and Jean Housh
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
JoAnne Digree ’68 Fritz and Barry Fritz
J. Vernon ’47 and Irene Jensen
John and Lorelei Bergman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
Ann Garvey
Carol Jones
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Florence Helland ’54 Borman and Dennes Borman
John and Carolyn Goddard
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Louis Branca
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and Tom
Tim ’80 and Gail Gordon
Christopher ’00 and Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod
Breckenridge
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Paul ’55 and Rosalind Britton
Amy Gort
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Michael Brock
Charles Gould ’76 and Gayle Kvenvold
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Charles and Barbara Green
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Michael ’81 and Sheryl Burkhardt
Sharlene and Gordon Griebenow
Richard and Janet Neville
Marion Buska ’46
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Norma Noonan
Timothy and Frances Campbell
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Norman and Janet Carpenter
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Carrie and Peter ’02 Carroll
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Carol Johnson ’60 Casperson
Mark Hebert ’74
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Robert Clayman and Carol Miller
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Margaret Clyde
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Joseph Cook ’89
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Mark and Kathryn Weber
Walter and Janet Cooper
Paul Holmquist ’79
Jeremy Wells
Robert and Mary Crosby
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
David and Susan White
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
Ethel Holt
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Elizabeth Horton
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Phoebe Hough
Anonymous (1)
Greg ’88 and Mary Duckson
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Douglas and Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Phyllis Acker ’61
Julie Edstrom ’90
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
James Agre ’72
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Thomas and LaDonna Hoy
Misti Allen Binsfeld ’93
Avis Ellingrod
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Tammy Huddle-McGee and Mike McGee
Beverly Almquist
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Rebecca Beito ’67 Huseby and Ed Huseby ’66
Bruce ’60 Amundson and Joann Eliason ’62
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Richard Huston
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Stephen Erickson ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Amundson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Leif Anderson
Duane Esterly ’75
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Arvild Jacobson ’51
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
27
28
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Allan Nelson
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Rebecca John
Debra and Robert Nelson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
John ’95 and Rachel Schultz ’95 Nielsen
Carolyn Johnson ’80 Spargo and Lawrence Spargo
Bruce Johnson ’68
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Gary ’74 and Melody Johnson
Wedel Nilsen ’45
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
Betsey and Alan Norgard
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Eric and Elizabeth Jolly
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Michael Kivley ’89
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53 Nyhus
Mary ’74 Stickelmeyer and Henry Havel
Linda Klas ’92
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Benjamin Stottrup and Neota Moe
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kiebach Kleven
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Lee ’59 and Patricia Olson
Ralph and Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Leland and Louise Sundet
Gregory Konat and Teresa Daly
Linda Olup
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Laurie Nelson ’79 Orlow and Steven Orlow
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
Tamera and William Ostlund
Amanda Symmes ’11
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Beverly Ottum
Christine Szaj
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Patricia Parker
Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio and Paul Terrio ’87
Debora Liddell and John Westefeld
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
LaJune Thomas ’75 Thomas-Lange and
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Barbara Petersen
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Karin Peterson
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Jean Lingen
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Brent Lofgren ’88
Corwin and Doris Peterson
David and Martha Tiede
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Noel and Sharon Petit
Cassidy Titcomb and Scott Simpson
Ronald London
Ronald ’69 and Jane Petrich
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
Dana Lonn
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Beth Torstenson ’66
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
James and Kathryn Ramstad
Frances Torstenson
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Marcia Thompson ’78 Turcotte and John Turcotte
Donna McLean
Lloyd ’63 and Linnea Raymond
Andrea and Michael Turner
Dennis ’78 and Beverly Ranum ’78 Meyer
Timothy and Christine Ring
Betty and Paul Tveite
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Frances Roller Rockey
Robert Wagner ’02
Deborah Anderson ’73 Miller and Timothy Miller
Laura and Martin Roller
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers - Miller
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
John and Margaret Miller
Mary and Stuart Rose
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Sarah West and Raymond Robertson
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Dennis ’67 Sackreiter and Karen Sackreiter
Craig Wisness ’73
Lori Moline ’82 and Steven Olson
Leo and Patricia Samson
William Wittenbreer
Thelma Monson ’41
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
David and Catherine Wold
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Mark ’76 and Debra Zellmer
Sharon Lindell Mortrud ’64
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sandra Phaup ’64
Patricia and David Murphy
David Soli ’81
Bruce ’71 and Kathleen Nelson
Kathleen ’69 and Earle ’69 Solomonson
Augsburg Now
Thomas Lange
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Google Give
Presser Foundation
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Grafix Shoppe
Quad Graphics
The American Foundation
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Ramstad Recovery Fund
Ameriprise Financial
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
RBC Foundation - USA
Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen
Groves Foundation
Regiscard International, Inc.
Anthony Ostlund Baer & Louwagie PA
The I Box
The Saint Paul Foundation
A'viands
Imaging Path
Sheltering Arms Foundation
Bank of America
Imation Corporation
Stellus Consulting LLC
Best Buy Children’s Foundation
Incredible, Inc.
The Summit Group
Bonner Foundation
C. Charles Jackson Foundation
Superior Family Dentistry
The Bridgie Group, Inc.
Kettering Foundation
Target Foundation
Bush Foundation
KPMG LLP
TCF Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
John Larsen Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Carlson Family Foundation
Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Carolyn Foundation
Estate of Henry and Selma Lundene
Travelers Companies, Inc.
Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Marcus McCoy Foundation
Trillium Family Foundation
CollegeNet
McKnight Foundation
Trust for Meditation Process
Data Recognition Corporation
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
UBS Foundation
The Donaldson Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
United Nations Foundation
Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Minnesota Private College Foundation
United Way of Rhode Island
Eagle Elevator Corp
MOA Marketing, Inc.
US Bancorp Foundation
ELCA
National Science Foundation
US Bank
The Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Network for Good
Warren Foundation
The Family Partnership
The New York Academy Of Medicine
The Washburn High School Foundation
Formo Family Charitable Fund of the St. Paul
Nilan Johnson Lewis
Weber Marketing/Promotions, Inc.
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Gage Family Foundation
NRG Energy Center
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Olup and Associates
The Whitney Foundation
General Aviation Services
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Women's Foundation of Minnesota
General Mills Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
Foundation
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
29
SVEN OFTEDAL SOCIETY, Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes individuals who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College.
30
Anonymous (7)
Avis Ellingrod
Allen and Jean Housh
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Denise Engebretson ’82
Ruth Hovden
Paul H. ’57 Almquist and Pearl M. Almquist
Edna Kastner Ericksen ’42
Chester ’60 and Clenora Hoversten
Helen Alne
Duane M. Esterly
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Alice C. Evans
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Lorna L. Hoversten
Deloris Anderson ’56
Alice Evenson
Rev. Deborah Hutterer and Gary Erickson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Leroy ’54 and Orpha Iseminger
E. William Anderson ’56
Norman Ferguson
Kathleen and Bruce Jackson
Gary and Mary Anderson
Roger L. Fisher
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Keith O. Anderson ’54 and Beverly Anderson
Halley Foss-Katter ’99 and Daniel Katter
Sherry Jennings-King
Lisa Petska Anderson ’86 and Morey Anderson
Martha Fosse Palmquist
Clair Johannsen ’62
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
William and Anne Frame
Carolyn E. Johnson ’63
I. Shelby Gimse Andress ’56
Rev. Terry Frovik ’67
Edryce Johnson ’46
Betty Arnold
Leola Dyrud Furman ’61
Jerry and Bonita Johnson
Dorothy Bailey
Ann Garvey
Kinney Johnson ’65
Earl and Doris Bakken
Virgil ’57 and Farolyn Johnson Gehring ’56
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Dr. Kenneth A. Gilles ’44
Oliver ’50 and Grace Gisselquist ’49 Johnson
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Elizabeth Anne ’82 and Warren Bartz
Charles and Barbara Green
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Joan Griffin
Ralph ’60 and Mary Jane Kempski
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Gracia Grindal ’65
Mary Kingsley
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Jean Vettel ’51 Kiteley and Murray Kiteley
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lindstrom ’50 Berg
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
E. Milton Kleven ’46
JoAnn Berg Bablitch ’73
Margery Kyvig ’64 Haaland and Sheldon Haaland
Gloria Grant ’57 and Arthur Knoblauch
Inez Schey ’77 and John Bergquist
Gary Hagen ’71
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Gwen Johnson Krapf ’58
Ruth Anderson ’44 Blanshan and Ralph Blanshan
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul Kwiecien and Rhonda Kwiecien
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Arvin Herbert Halvorson ’55
Lee Anne ’67 and Gene Lack
Donald Bottemiller
James and Corrine Hamre
Calvin ’49 and Agnes Valvik ’47 Larson
J. Bernhard ’48 and Hildur Anderson ’43 Bretheim
Dale ’60 Hanka and Carolyn Hanka
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
Nancy Brown-Koeller ’74
Shirley Bondo Hansen ’44
George S. ’61 and Mary K. Larson
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Anna J. Hanson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Luther and Janice Larson
Judith Christensen
Mark ’68 and Ione Agrimson ’68 Hanson
Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson and Marvin Larson
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Julie (Gudmestad) and Joe Laudicina
Oliver Dahl ’45
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Dorothy Lee ’30
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Lawrence and Lois Hauge
Rev. Harris and Maryon Lee
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Ronald and Rebecca Gisselquist ’67 Lien
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth Living Trust
Carolyn Benson ’71 Dauner and Daniel Dauner
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Susan Scott Lundquist ’97
Dallas ’63 and Sharon Day
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
John ’65 and Gracia Luoma
Laura Kompelien Delavie ’92
Esther Tungseth Hinschberger ’49
Deborah Mahoney ’79
Richard A. ’55 and Audret S. Dronen
Helen C. Hjelmeland
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Beverly Durkee
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Ruben ’45 and Thelma Egeberg
Ethel Holt
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
John Holum
Karen Mateer and Terrance Metz
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Lucille Messerer
Robert ’50 and Ruth Ann Paulson
Naomi Christensen ’81 Staruch and Steven Staruch
Dan ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’61 Meyers
Harold E. Peterson and Pearl A. Peterson
John and Lavene Steen
Edith Middleton
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Orval and Bernell Moren
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Robert B. and Marlys Backlund Morland
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Cecil Ramnaraine
Mildred and Van Mueller
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Ronald ’69 and Susan Scott ’71 Swanson
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Nancy M. (Joubert) Raymond
Gary Tangwall
Jeanne Narum
Paul Rensted ’87
Gary L. Terrio
Vivian Nelsen
Alan Rice
LaJune Thomas Lange ’75 and Thomas Lange
Rev. Carl O. Nelson
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
Richard and Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson
Pastor Hub Nelson ’54
Gregory and Barbara Ritter
Frances Torstenson
Kenneth and Vera Nelson
Frances M. Roller Rockey
Marcia Thompson Turcotte ’78
Mildred Nelson ’52
Barbara Rodvik
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Robert ’97 and Rose Nelson
Laura Roller
Robert ’65 and Kay Tyson
Roger M. Nelson
Rev. Lyle E. Rossing
Morris ’51 and Bonnie Biere ’54 Vaagenes
Norma Noonan
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Mark ’83 and Beth Voelker
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Robert J. Wagner II ’02
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Marianne and Robert Sander
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Glenn and Ann Nycklemoe
Robert Sander Jr. ’76
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
Jonathan Nye
Lars ’69 and Ann Sandven
Colleen Kay Watson ’91 and Mary McDougal
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Leroy Nyhus ’52
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
Robert Weagant ’49
H. Arlan Oftedahl ’64
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Dr. Scott J.M. Weber ’79
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Barbara Setterholm
Larry Wefring
Gordon ’63 and Janice Olson
Rosemary Shafer
Mark Wheeler ’87
Janet Halaas ’79
Delphine Shaw
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Rodney Sill ’82
Peter ’49 and Alice Berg ’51 Wilcox
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Woodrow Wilson ’53
L. Beth Buesing Opgrand ’45
James Smith ’94
Renata Rolf Winsor
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Russel ’50 and Virginia Thompson ’50 Smith
Bill Wittenbreer
Kenneth and Lillian Ysteboe ’51 Ose
David Soli ’81
Joyce Leifgren Young ’64
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Evelyn H. Sonnack ’43
Edmund ’53 Youngquist and Rose Youngquist
John and Norma Paulson
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
James Swanson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
31
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
30 years or more
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Joyce Opseth Schwartz ’45
Margaret and Raymond Anderson
Glen Person ’47
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Mary Wick
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Jay Phinney ’79
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Charles and Catherine Anderson
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Kristin Anderson
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Wayne Johnson ’58
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
John Benson ’55
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Donna McLean
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Doris Frojen Bretheim ’51†
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack ’43
Margaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg ’48
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Eunice Stenshoel
Jonathan Nye
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
David Proctor ’63
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Judith Sandeen ’72
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Robert Wick ’81
James Ericksen ’69
Allan Tonn ’75
Ruth Ann Gjerde Fitzke ’67
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
20-24 years
Alan 1967 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Beth Torstenson ’66
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Frances Torstenson
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson† and Charles
Thomas Von Fischer
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
E.Margaret Sateren Trautwein ’37†
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Cynthia Hanson ’66
25-29 years
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Ray Anderson ’49
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
Gloria Johnson ’51
Paul and Judy Grauer
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Norman and Ilene Holen
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Jerome Kleven ’58
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James Kottom ’52
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
David and Catherine Wold
Brent Lofgren ’88
Lee Anne Lack ’67
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leroy Nyhus ’52
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Pauline Sateren
Arlin Gyberg
Steve McGinness
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Lee Sabo
32
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gunderson
Richard Klabunde
La Vone Studlien ’58
James Lindell ’46†
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Maryon and Harris ’57 Lee
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Marie and Larry McNeff
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Addell Halverson Dahlen ’43
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Mildred Nelson ’52
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Douglas 1966 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
Avis Ellingrod
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Burton Haugen ’72
Mark and Ann Tranvik
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Leif Anderson
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Arlin Becker ’88
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Jeff Christenson ’82
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
James Swanson
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Jim Buchanan
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Dorothy Swanson ’51
Julie Edstrom ’90
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
Sylvia Hjelmeland
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
15-19 years
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Douglas ’76 and Rebecca Nelson
Meca Sportswear Inc
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Richard Sandeen ’69
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Paulette Nelson Speed ’67
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Betty and Paul Tveite
Margaret Anderson
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
10-14 years
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Anonymous (2)
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Gertrude Ness Berg ’51
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
William Capman
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Peggy and John Cerrito
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Judith Christensen
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
William and Anne Frame
C. Lee Clarke
Michael Burden ’85
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Larry and Cheryl Crockett
Ann Erkkila Dudero ’86
Bruce Johnson ’68
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Norma Noonan
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Suzanne Doree
Betsey and Alan Norgard
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Helga and Darrell ’55 Egertson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
Duane Esterly ’75
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Ann Garvey
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Dorothy Bailey
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
Daniel and Irene Brink
James Plumedahl ’57
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
33
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Dianne Detloff
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
Arvid ’52 and Sylvia Ostergaard ’62 Dixen
Martha Johnson
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Stanley ’51 and Joyce Erickson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Norman Ferguson
Benjamin and Christine Kent
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Muriel Ruud ’45 Frosch and Gerald Frosch
Linda King ’78
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Diane and Bradley Glorvigen
Joan Kunz
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Muriel Hagen Smith and Wade Kilgore Smith
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
Janet Braaten ’68 DeGaetano and Frank DeGaetano
James ’53 and Corrine Hamre
Raymond Makeever
Doran Edwards
Evelyn Green ’49 Harris and Edward Harris
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Tara Cesaretti 1997 McLeod and
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
Robert ’54 and Marilyn Ingman
Michael Navarre
David ’76 and Lorna Halaas
Alice Jacobsen ’53
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
Carol Knutson ’85
Steven O'Tool ’74
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Christine Lanoue ’00 Landherr and Jeff Landherr
Patricia Solum Park ’02
Carol Rubbelke Jernberg ’75
J. David ’62 and Kathleen Lystig
Patricia Parker
Karen Johnson ’66
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Jane Ann Nelson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Douglas ’66 and Randvig Norvold
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Gordon Odegaard ’52
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Linda Wichmann ’70 Oja and James Oja
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Cynthia Peterson
Kristen Olsrud ’80
Philip Rowberg ’41
Frances Roller Rockey
Arnold ’52 and Betty Paulson
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Kathryn and Daniel Schwalbe
Charles Sheaffer
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Sandra Phaup ’64
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Gertrude Egeland ’48 Sundsted and Jens Sundstad
Sharon Johnson Sullivan ’70
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Joan and Charles Threet
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Bonnie Jamieson ’69 Wedel and John Wedel
Sue Thompson ’85
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
The Whitney Foundation
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
William Wittenbreer
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Kurt Clark ’94
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Deborah Fredrickson Crowley ’76
Christopher ’00 McLeod
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2010-11.
Total participation for all class years is 17.39%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
34
33.33%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
22.22%
36.36%
36.36%
33.33%
34.62%
25.00%
21.43%
22.58%
30.43%
Augsburg Now
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
29.27%
40.68%
46.34%
38.93%
37.14%
45.65%
39.42%
37.27%
32.56%
38.98%
38.53%
43.00%
48.72%
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
39.44%
42.02%
36.05%
39.22%
30.77%
29.17%
31.58%
34.58%
32.91%
24.56%
21.20%
24.80%
26.39%
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
26.62%
23.68%
19.90%
19.26%
19.92%
22.79%
19.24%
17.52%
17.69%
15.11%
11.07%
13.50%
10.71%
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
10.59%
7.62%
13.85%
11.16%
10.96%
7.14%
11.31%
10.04%
11.90%
8.75%
6.81%
8.26%
10.89%
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
6.22%
7.41%
6.02%
6.16%
5.76%
6.58%
6.60%
5.34%
8.12%
4.38%
6.69%
5.94%
alumni news
Volunteer opportunities at Augsburg
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
A-Club
ou will be happy to know that the
Augsburg spirit of serving the
community is still alive and well.
President Obama honored Augsburg
College with the 2010 Presidential
Award for Community Service.
Augsburg was one of only six colleges
in the U.S. to receive this award—and
with more than 850 schools in competition, this is no small accomplishment! Augsburg’s community involvement has focused
on students giving back their time, both on the day before each
new school year begins, and on projects throughout the year. This
commitment to service is not new to Augsburg and is something
that alumni experienced as students.
The Alumni Association works to continue providing opportunities for alumni to give back by organizing events like Feed My
Starving Children and Habitat for Humanity, plus partnering with
Big Brothers Big Sisters on the recent “Annie” event at the Children’s Theater. I enjoy this model so much that at our November
meeting, the Alumni Board participated in a Campus Kitchen
project preparing food for our surrounding neighbors!
In this spirit of giving, the Alumni Association has added a
philanthropic component to many of our favorite annual events.
This summer at Auggie Night at the Races at Canterbury Park,
alumni donated hundreds of supplies and pairs of new socks to
the Augsburg Central Nursing Center, a free drop-in community
health service in downtown Minneapolis. The Canterbury donation drive was such a success that we are having another donation drive at Advent Vespers in December. Attendees are
encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or supplies such
as soap, toothpaste, adult socks, diapers, Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold
medication, ointments, or Band-Aids to the Vespers services to
help out the needy during the holidays.
Our alumni continue to give their time to the College and to
students by serving as mentors, speaking in the classroom, serving on committees, volunteering at events, and assisting with
special projects. If you would like to get involved and serve as an
Augsburg volunteer, please contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Y
The organization of former and current Augsburg College
athletes and supporters promotes a quality athletic experience by supporting Augsburg student-athletes and the Athletic Department.
ABC (Augsburg Builds Connections) Mentoring Program
Augsburg Builds Connections mentoring program enables
alumni professionals to provide information, encouragement,
and support to students. This flexible volunteer program allows mentors to connect with students via e-mail, phone, or
face-to-face meetings and assist them in navigating their career path and achieving their professional goals.
Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is a governing body of the Alumni Association. Together with the Office of Alumni and Constituent
Relations, it provides resources and opportunities to engage
alumni with the College and each other through consistent
communication, inclusive programming, and intentional relationship building.
Auggie in Residence
This program is a way for our alumni to come back to the
College and share their career expertise with students, faculty, and staff. This flexible program creates a unique opportunity for alumni to speak about their vocation.
Augsburg Associates
The Associates support Augsburg through fundraising events,
including estate sales and Velkommen Jul food and craft
sales. The group supports special projects and scholarships.
Augsburg Women Engaged
Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) nurtures and strengthens
alumnae engagement with Augsburg, cultivating interest
and passions through connecting, learning, and giving. Join
an AWE Action Team or support an AWE Inspired event for
an awesome experience.
Parent and Family Council
This committee includes parents and family members of
current and former Augsburg students. The Parent and
Family Council will help you stay up-to-date with campus
events and feel more closely connected with your son or
daughter and the College.
Young Alumni Council
This volunteer committee plans and coordinates events for
alumni who graduated within the last 10 years and serves
as an advisory group to the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations.
Sincerely,
For more information about these and other
volunteer opportunities contact
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Pat Grans, Volunteer Coordinator
612-330-1329 or gransp@augsburg.edu
volunteer@augsburg.edu
Fall 2011
35
auggies stay involved
Dear fellow alumni,
There are a number of ways to get involved, and being involved is
a great way to stay connected to your college and fellow alumni.
alumni news
Maroon Pages
36
Augsburg Now
Members of the Young Alumni Council enjoyed bowling at Pinstripes
in June. [L to R] Rob Wagner ’02, Cory Allen ’07, David Lange ’08, and
John MacCormick ’10.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Steven Wehrenberg ’78,
CEO, Campbell Mithun
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring
Pat Peterson, Vice President of Research
and Development, Aveda Corporation
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012, 7 a.m.
Town and Country Club, St. Paul
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Keith Wyche, CEO,
Cub Foods
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 5 p.m.
Courtesy photo
Young Alumni enjoyed a boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka in September. [L to R] Angie Neuhaus ’08, Felicia Faison ’09, Shannon Olson ’07,
Emily Anderson ’07, and Agnes Kigwana ’09.
Huge Success for the 2011
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
YOUNG ALUMNI
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
summer series
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 6-8 p.m.
Oren Gateway Center, Augsburg College
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Jim Owens, President and
CEO, H.B. Fuller
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lecture
presenting Brian J. Anderson ’82, Mercury
MESSENGER deputy project scientist,
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Augsburg College
To register for these and more events,
go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
With an attendance of more than 600, this
year’s Young Alumni Summer Series provided
alumni with unique opportunities to connect
with other Auggies and explore the greater
Twin Cities. The series included dueling pianos at the Shout! House, bowling at Pinstripes, and a beautiful evening boat ride on
Lake Minnetonka. The series is supported by
the outstanding leadership of the Young
Alumni Council, which is dedicated to providing dynamic social and personal enrichment
opportunities for Auggies and to keeping
them engaged with their alma mater.
DECEMBER
Augsburg’s alumni webpage now
includes a new opportunity for
Auggies to promote their products
and services to other Auggies
through networking. The success
of the new service, called Maroon
Pages, depends on user participation. When you enter your own industry, profession, position, and
location in the profile form online, a link to your information
will be available to others seeking
your products or services.
To join this network, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumni, click
on “Maroon Pages,” create your
account, and click again on the
“Maroon Pages” box. You can
enter and update your profile information at the link for your
name, and help assure that
Augsburg’s alumni records are
current. The profile page also includes the search form that will
yield ever-increasing detail about
potential business connections—
especially as more and more
Auggies complete their profiles.
Please spread the word to other
Auggies about this exciting new
tool.
In addition to promoting your
product or services in the new
Auggie Maroon Pages, attend
one of the many upcoming networking events that provide an
opportunity for professional development and to connect with
other Auggies.
Courtesy photo
Connect with Auggies on the
9
By popular demand, the Young
Alumni Council is pleased to
announce a Winter 2011 event.
Save the date of December 9!
Details to follow.
abc
The ABCs of Networking
Recent Auggie graduates who are seeking employment in a challenging economy are discovering a new resource these days.
Augsburg’s new mentoring program, Augsburg Builds Connections
(ABC), puts parents, alumni, and friends of the College in touch
with students or graduates who are in the process of navigating
their career path. Through ABC, students and graduates can receive
information about an organization or learn how to pursue a career in
an industry.
When Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 confronted the work world after graduating with a political science degree, he considered what direction
his career ought to take and how to gain some “real world experience.” He knew he wanted to stay in higher education and was
pleased to get some interviews, but, like many other job seekers, he
heard lots of “no’s” in the process.
With an interest in fundraising, he decided to reach out to the
Augsburg development office for suggestions, and they told him
about the ABC program. Krouse-Gagne called Pat Grans, the volunteer coordinator, and mentioned an interest in fundraising, which he
had thoroughly enjoyed as a student caller for The Augsburg Fund.
Grans checked her database for matches and put him in touch with
Carmela Kranz ’84, an alumna who works for the Minnesota Medical
Foundation at the University of Minnesota. Through meetings and
e-mails, they have worked to build their mentoring relationship.
With more than 25 years’ experience in the fundraising/advance-
Augsburg Builds Connections
Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 with mentor Carmela Kranz ’84 of the Minnesota Medical Foundation
at the University of Minnesota.
ment industry, Kranz said she has a strong urge to “give back” because she feels fortunate to have worked for organizations that provided opportunities for professional and personal growth. She sees
the mentor program as a “nice way to reconnect with Augsburg”
and a way to pass along “snippets of information and advice” to
those just entering the field. She sees networking and relationships
as key, and is pleased that she was able to assist Krouse-Gagne in
finding a job as an annual fund assistant at St. Catherine
University. When they celebrated over lunch, they decided to stay in
touch and to meet as needed.
Krouse-Gagne is pleased that there was no pressure from the
ABC program with regard to time commitment or answering lots of
questions, and he encourages other students and graduates to take
advantage of this opportunity as well. “There is no promise that it
will get you a job,” he said, “but it sure helped me.”
CHERYL CROCKETT, ALUMNI VOLUNTEER
Auggie Admissions Liaisons Help Attract Potential Students
A new volunteer opportunity provides a
chance for Auggie alumni, parents, and
friends of the College across the country to
connect with prospective students attending
college fairs. Dozens of these fairs are held
each year, giving high school students and
their families an opportunity to
survey the college scene and find the best
fit for them. Now, with the help of volunteers, Augsburg is able to have a presence
at even more of these important events.
Kathleen Boggess ’66 and Terry Lindstrom
’73 agreed to staff the Augsburg table at an
Indianapolis college fair in
September. There they related
their own personal stories
about Augsburg and responded to questions
about the College.
Boggess said she and
Lindstrom enjoyed
s
e
i
g
g
u
aARE EVERYWHERE
swapping stories from their Augsburg days
and added that potential students enjoyed
hearing from them about “learning for service” in Augsburg’s unique urban setting.
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer at one of these events, contact Pat
Grans, volunteer coordinator, at
gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Volunteers receive a packet of information
in advance, including answers to frequently
asked questions, a list of available classes,
a Fast Facts sheet, and an Augsburg polo
shirt to wear at the fair.
Fall 2011
37
go
auggies!
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
20ho1m1ecoming
10-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 2001
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1986
Front Row [L to R]: Skylar Hanson, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett, Anne (Osberg) Moore.
Back Row [L to R]: Mike Reed, Adam Perkins, Erin Moore, Maggie Tatton, Sarah
Grans, Merry-Ellen Krcil Schwan, Ann Peterson, Katie Koch.
Front Row [L to R]: Steve Olsson, Leslie (Gilberson) Bonshire, Vickie (Ruud) Frazier, Corey
(Greeder) Johnson, Lynn (Pendergast) Fering, Craig Fering, Diana (Wilkie) Buffie. Back Row
[L to R]: Margaret Rog, Thomas Ott, Karin (Sabo) Mantor, Barb (Niesen) McGlynn, Debra
Balzer-Plagemann, Patrick Guernsey, Terry Koenck, Gretchen (Luehrs) Marble, Michelle
(Swift) Steen, guest, Mitch Porter.
40-YEAR REUNION—
CLASS OF 1971
1. Mary Bjerke Stacke, 2. Sally Carlson Bredehoft, 3. Pat
Ellinger, 4. Leanne Phinney, 5. Stephanie (Johnson)
Sulzbach, 6. Pam Petersen Nungesser, 7. Kay (Hendrickson) Owen, 8. Darrell Skogen, 9. Sue Casey, 10. Nancy
Hedstrom Simonetti, 11. Jane Catlin Bracken, 12. Marilyn
Buschbom Lueth, 13. Illa Monda Alexander, 14. Christy
Larsen Branes, 15. Pamela (Rinehart) Albu, 16. Susan
Drake King, 17. Paula (Jones) Iverson, 18. Bonnie
(Board) Niles, 19. Barb Mikelson, 20. Sherry Roach Corwin, 21. Joan Youngren Palm, 22. Tim Casey, 23. Wayne
Jorgenson, 24. John Jenneke, 25. Dennis Hendrickson,
26. Bill Eggers, 27. Corky Hall, 28. Thom Berkowitz, 29.
Bob Martin, 30. Mike Scott, 31. Nancy Paddock Brenny,
32. David Benson, 33. Philip Hoversten, 34. Sue Scott
Swanson, 35. Rachel Hendrickson Julian, 36. Gary
Hagen, 37. Mark Ellinger, 38. Bruce Nelson, 39. David
Benzel, 40. Ruth Schroeder Duffy, 41. Art Scheunemann.
41
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Augsburg Now
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reunion classes
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1961
First Row [L to R]: Judy Fosse Snider, Mary Lou Baker Christenson, Karen (Egesdal) Trelstad, Leola Dyrud Furman, Pat Swanson Kreuziger, Joan Gibson Labs, Pat Eide Ponto, Oscar Blegen.
Second Row [L to R]: Ted Botten, K. Duane Larson, Carol Oversvee Johnson, Winnie Nordlund Anderson, Pat Nordlund Toussaint, Marie (Gjerde) Schlink, Agnette Duncan, Carol (Anderson)
Geldert. Third Row [L to R]: Jim Holden, Lloyd Bakke, Dennis Kalpin, Verna Stokke Tweiten, Phyllis Acker, Berna (Nelson) Hanson. Fourth Row [L to R]: Arlan E. Johnson, Larry Gallagher,
Keith Leiseth, Dick “Porkchops” Thompson, Cameron Liebenow, Ken Nelson, Bruce Westphal, Marilyn Saure Breckenridge.
SILVER AUGGIES—CLASS OF 1960 AND EARLIER
First Row [L to R]: Ruth Aaskov ’53, Margaret Moe Sannerud ’50, Joyce Hanson ’56, Grace Sulerud ’58, Lorie Christianson ’59, Inez Schwarzkopf ’59, Marolyn Halverson ’51, Bev Omdahl
Nelson ’55, Dolores Flaa Bjerga ’51, Dora Quanbeck ’49, Joan Baxter Larson ’51. Second Row [L to R]: E. W. (Bill) Anderson ’56, Ellen Erickson ’51, Leola Johnson ’51, Arvin Halvorson ’55,
Garfield Hoversten ’50, Bill Halverson ’51, Ruth (Ysteboe) Engelstad ’56, Lillian (Ysteboe) Ose ’51, Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom ’58, Eunice (Nystuen) Sortland ’50, Morris Vaagenes ’51, Herbert Hanson ’51. Third Row [L to R]: Dan Pearson ’51, Wallace Pratt ’51, Quentin Johnson ’51, Leroy Nyhus ’52, Jeroy Carlson ’48, Bill Anderson ’56, Robert Paulson ’50, Philip Quanbeck
’50, Allan Sortland ’53. Fourth Row [L to R]: Don Gilberg ’60, Neal Snider ’57, Glen Gilbertson ’52, Orval Moren ’57, Loren Woolson ’51.
Fall 2011
39
alumni class notes
The V. Benson Pavilion at
Mark Lund was recognized by
58Methodist Stone Oak Hospital 69Luther College for 25 years of
in San Antonio, Tex., was dedicated
on March 9 in recognition of Vernon
L. Benson, MD, the founding chief of
staff.
Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann (Ath-
60letic Hall of Fame 1986) has
begun a new career writing classic
Western short stories in his semi-retirement. Several have been published at bookstogonow.com. Look
for “The Last Manhunt” and “Duel
in Springfield.”
Darryl Torrin retired as pastor
of his congregation in Denver,
Iowa, in 2010. He and his wife have
moved to Cedar Falls and are enjoying their retirement and new neighbors.
auggieSNAPSHOTS
66
40
service at a faculty recognition dinner on May 12. Lund has been on
the Luther faculty since 1978; he
has served as a professor of economics and international studies and
director of international education.
Jane Helmke, long-time KARE
8311 TV veteran and award-winning news journalist, was promoted
to be the station’s news director in
September. During her 28-year career with the station, she has worked
in almost every department in the
newsroom, including production,
news and sports, and special projects. She has served as managing
editor, where she worked primarily
with digital platforms, including overseeing KARE11.com,
Metromix.com, MomsLikeMe.com,
highschoolsports.net, and mobile
ventures.
Dan Schueller, a member of the Gopher Wheelmen team, qualified to
race in the UCI Track Cycling Masters World Championships in Manchester, England, in October. He
raced in the Men’s 50-54 category.
A few more riders from Minnesota
raced along with him, and his wife,
Carolyn Schueller ’90, traveled
with him.
After more than 21 years,
89Glenn Quanbeck retired from
the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant
colonel and was hired as a civil service employee for the U.S. Army
working in Brussels, Belgium.
Heather Muir earned her PhD
90in sport management from the
University of Northern Colorado in
Greeley, Colo. Her dissertation examined the television coverage of
the 2010 Winter Olympic ice hockey
games, looking for differential portrayals based on the players’ gender.
This fall she will teach at Bowling
Green State University in Ohio.
Kristof Nordin and his wife,
91Stacia, came to Malawi, Africa,
in 1997 to work on issues of
HIV/AIDS prevention. They are now
teaching about sustainable agricultural methods and linking them to
better nutrition. Stacia currently
works with the Ministry of Education to implement sustainable garden practices into the more than
5,000 primary schools in the country, and Kristof has become a fulltime trainer to the hundreds of
Maria (Mitchell) Helger-
07son and Erik Helgerson
welcomed Adam James Helgerson on May 5.
were among 25 racers who participated in the
five auggiesfirst annual Cure CMD (congenital muscular
Andrea (Kaul) Naab
07married Jesse Naab ’06
dystrophy) Race for the Cure in St. Paul on August 6. Pictured are [L to R]
Karsten Nelson ’83, Jared Sundvall ’14, Katie Nelson ’14, Jenna Leahy ’14, and
Lauren Haberman ’14. They helped Cure CMD raise $9,000 for research to
find treatments for people affected by CMD.
on May 21 in Edina, Minn.
Maggie Grage married
07Jake Hockenberry on
David Siedlar and Ray Yip ’72 recon-
71nected in Beijing in early August after
40 years. The two didn’t know they were
both in China until Ray did some research
and found his friend.
Augsburg Now
Melissa Kapellen Dvo-
05rak PA and Matthew
Dvorak welcomed their first
son, Thomas Anthony Dvorak, on June 7.
June 25 in Hopkins, Minn.
The couple resides in West
Des Moines, Iowa, where
Maggie works as a teacher in
the Urbandale Community
School District and Jake
works as manager and trainer
of the customer service department at an anime licensing/distributing company in
Grimes.
09
Valerie (Anderson)
Capra MSW married
Jason Capra on May 27.
people who visit their demonstration plot each year (www.neverendingfood.org). Their four-year-old
daughter Khalidwe, which means
“good characteristics of a person”
in the local language of Chichewa,
was born in Malawi.
Corey Davison joined Tenet Healthcare Corporation as senior director
of government relations based in
Dallas, Tex. He will lead Tenet’s state
government relations activities and
oversee core government relations
programs such as Tenet-PAC and
grassroots advocacy.
Larry Anderson completed the
92seventh revision of his book
Raptured Alive: Return of a Prodigal Son.
Anthony Weeks MSW was se-
Kristen Opalinski was ac-
03cepted in 2009 into the ELCA
Young Adults in Global Mission
(YAGM) program. Kristen served in
eastern South Africa, working at the
Lutheran diocese offices, coaching
soccer (with AIDS awareness),
painting murals in the children’s
ward at the local hospital, and working with retreats. At the end of that
YAGM year, she became a media
specialist for the Lutheran Communion of Southern Africa (LUCSA),
uniting 15 churches in 10 countries.
She created a communications network to connect member churches,
designed and maintains the LUCSA
website, designed logos for their
programs and ministries, and travels
extensively, primarily dealing with
AIDS and anti-malaria initiatives.
Rachel (Quick) Pennig and
94lected as a winner for the 38th 06Matt Pennig welcomed Jack
Student Academy Awards for his
film Imaginary Circumstances,
made at Stanford University.
Dee Ann Sibley was awarded a
95McKnight Artist Grant to study
the high key process in photography.
Angela Ahlgren is a visiting as-
98sistant professor in the School
of Theater at Ohio University in
Athens, Ohio. She recently completed her PhD in theatre history
with an emphasis in performance as
public practice at the University of
Texas at Austin.
In May, Ross Murray ’09 MBA
was hired as the director of religion, faith, and values at GLAAD
(Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation).
00
The Minnesota Brass Drum
01and Bugle Corps from St. Paul,
Minn., an all-ages drum and bugle
corps that competes in the Drum
Corps Associates circuit, won the
World Championships in Rochester,
N.Y., in August. This is the first time
that the corps was honored with this
distinction. In addition, the horn line
was named the top horn line in the
competition. Michael Reed, director
of bands at Cedarcrest Academy
and Beacon Academy in Maple
Grove, Minn., is a music tech with
the Corps brass line.
Alexander Pennig on June 18.
Laura Henry married Huck
07Tate on September 9 in St.
Paul. Laura is the daughter of Chuck
and Lavon Emerson-Henry ’74 and
the granddaughter of Victor Emerson
’48 and Rona (Quanbeck) Emerson
’48. The couple will make their
home in Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Explore Your
Life’s Calling
Tom Morgan, executive director of the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, recently hosted a conference with representatives from seven area Lutheran colleges. Following the
conference, a common awareness emerged about exploring
one’s vocation as a defining feature of Lutheran higher education. From this conference came Vocation for Life, a
workshop designed to nurture the vocations of alumni
through discovery of gifts, ongoing exploration, and promotion of calling in all stages of their lives.
This fall Morgan, in partnership with other Lutheran colleges, collaborated on the design and delivery of the Vocation for Life programs and activities. Pilot workshops took
place in Rochester, Minn., and Rockford, Ill.
Watch for information on future opportunities in your
area to participate in this exciting self-exploration.
In Memoriam
Robert Arnold Karlén, Augsburg professor emeritus of music, passed
away peacefully of natural causes on August 19.
Professor Karlén joined the music faculty at Augsburg College where he
taught his entire 42-year career. He served as chair of the Music Department from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1986 to 1989. He was instrumental
in expanding course offerings and creating three new degree programs for
the Music Department: music performance, music education, and music
therapy. He also founded and conducted the Augsburg Orchestra and played
a key role in the design and completion of the Augsburg College Music Hall
in 1977.
Memorials may be given to the Robert Karlén Chamber Music Scholarship. This fund was established in 2002 and is awarded annually to a music
student, with preference given to students who demonstrate exceptional
promise as woodwind and/or brass chamber music performers.
Fall 2011
41
In Memoriam
James G. “Jim” Lindell, Sr. ’46
James G. “Jim” Lindell, loyal Augsburg
alumnus, former member of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents, and generous
benefactor of the Lindell Library, passed
away on August 25.
Lindell attended Augsburg College in
1942-43. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy
from 1943-46, serving in World War II in the Pacific, and attained the rank of petty officer second class. Jim began his
employment with West Publishing in 1947 and worked there
44 years. In the 1960s he was an Alumni Association board
member, and from 1970-82 he served as a regent of the College. His relationship with Augsburg grew into a family legacy
spanning 50 years, with seven members of his family attending and graduating from Augsburg.
The Augsburg library, which opened in 1997, was named
for the Lindell family through the generosity of James and
Jean Lindell. When the family made the decision to fund
the library project, Lindell expressed pride in the spirit of
Augsburg, saying, “My personal feelings from the first days
I visited Augsburg were shaped by students showing their
good attitudes toward each other and the closeness of belonging to the school. This feeling still prevails for me….”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow, in his message to the campus community following Lindell’s passing,
wrote this about Lindell: “Jim's passion for Augsburg and for
ensuring that our students, faculty, and staff might have one
of the finest small college libraries in the country leaves a
legacy that will shape an Augsburg education for decades to
come. Even as the Lindell Library is transformed through additions of the learning commons and the Gage Center for Student Success, Jim’s legacy is proving its relevance to the
future of teaching, learning, and scholarship at Augsburg.”
Augsburg’s library, opened in 1997, is
named for the James G. Lindell family.
42
Augsburg Now
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Street address
E. Margaret (Sateren) Trautwein ’37, Brooklyn Center, Minn., age 95, on
September 10.
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Einar M. Cannelin ’38, Homewood-Flossmoor, Ill., age 97, on June 26.
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
Gerald "Gerry" Philip Benson ’39, Ft. Collins, Colo., age 96, on July 8.
Elwood J. Lundeen ’42, St. Paul, age 90, on May 28.
Rev. LuVerne L. "Red" Nelson ’43, Westby, Wisc., age 91, on June 24.
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James "Jim" G. Lindell Sr. ’46, Woodbury, Minn., age 87, on August 25.
Merle Arthur Weflen ’47, Spicer, Minn., age 84, on July 12.
Doris C. (Frojen) Bretheim ’51, Minneapolis, age 83, on June 1.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Kenneth R. Hansen ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 80, on April 18.
Merle T. Knutson ’51, Lakefield, Minn., age 87, on June 16.
Gloria Ruth (Ostrem) Sawai ’53, Edmonton, Alberta, age 81, on July 19.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Mary Lee (Peterson) Leak ’54, Edina, Minn., age 78, on June 17.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Sheldon Lee Nascene ’58, Pine City, Minn., age 75, on October 15, 2010.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Stanley L. West ’60, Racine, Wisc., age 73, on May 28.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Darold D. Kamrath ’61, Litchfield, Minn., age 73, on January 31.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Rev. Orville “O.K.” Anderson ’64, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 68, on
August 1, 2010.
John T. Clawson ’67, Minneapolis, age 66, on August 17.
Mark A. Jensen ’68, Annandale, Minn., age 65, on June 13.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Joyce J. (Gronli) Clark ’72, Spicer, Minn., age 60, on November 17, 2010.
____________________________________________________________
David G. Langness ’75, Saint Charles, Miss., age 56, on April 25.
Marjorie A. (Seeger) Ramsey ’85, Isanti, Minn., age 47, on June 5.
____________________________________________________________
Jerry Ann Black ’85, age 77, on July 16.
____________________________________________________________
Janice L. Phinney ’98, St. Paul, age 58, on July 30.
____________________________________________________________
Jason Stevens ’15, Rochester, Minn., age 19, on September 20.
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Professor Emeritus Robert A. Karlén, Bethesda, Md., age 87, on August 19.
Fall 2011
43
auggie voices
Neighborhood resource broker: Mary Laurel True
Mary Laurel True conducts business wherever she goes—whether
she’s headed to lunch at the Afro Deli on Riverside and 20th avenues,
walking across campus for a meeting with a faculty member, or on the
way home in her bumper-sticker-clad car. That’s because True’s “business” is connecting with the community, and as a 20-year resident of
the Seward neighborhood, she has a lot of contacts.
True’s relationship with the neighborhood and Augsburg began
when she was still a college student at St. Catherine University. In
1979, she traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico through the Center for
Global Education. She later moved to the West Bank and became involved in local politics, and then she returned to Seward in 1989
after graduate school.
True was hired by Augsburg in 1990 as the coordinator of community service learning. “At the time,” she said, “nobody really knew
what that meant for a college.” Her job began by finding ways to add
service-learning experiences to the curriculum, but she said it has
morphed into much more. “I see myself, and I think the College
does too, as someone who sees what’s going on in the community
and brings that to campus but also sees what the College has and
brings it to the community.”
Today, True calls herself a “resource broker” between Augsburg
and the community. Her role as director of community service-learning involves connecting faculty to people and organizations where
students can not only be involved in service but also meet their professors’ learning objectives.
To that end, True partners with faculty in departments including
athletics, biology, education, English, environmental studies, mathematics, physics, religion, sociology, social work, and studio art.
She connects them to organizations such as Bethany Lutheran
Church, Brian Coyle Community Center, Mixed Blood Theatre,
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, Our Saviour’s
Housing, and the Seward Montessori School.
“If you spend most of your time in the community that you are
going to be engaged with, then not only do you understand it
deeply but you’re also much more accountable.”
True said she sees her role as a partner to the faculty, helping
them become engaged with the community. “They use the community as a text,” she said. She noted that the faculty’s commitment to
engaging with the world makes her work easy and enjoyable. “Our
faculty come here because they want to be in the city. They believe
we have a lot to learn from the community,” she said.
As a Seward resident, True has become deeply involved with
neighborhood organizations and causes. Because she is a neighbor
44
Augsburg Now
to the organizations with which Augsburg partners, she feels it is important that she be trustworthy and committed. “If you spend most
of your time in the community that you are going to be engaged with,
then not only do you understand it deeply but you’re also much more
accountable.”
True demonstrates her commitment through volunteer work with
local organizations, including Bedlam Theatre, the People’s Center,
the East African Women’s Center, and the Somali American Education Center. As an artist, she is also interested in the local music and
arts scene, and she and her husband are involved with the Seward
Co-Op.
“I really love this institution,” True said. “I believe in the work
that I do because I think Augsburg really walks its talk. I feel so
proud of this place and of how the community values who we are and
what we do here.”
So if you see Mary Laurel True out talking to Somali women from
the neighborhood resource center or stopping into the Afro Deli for
lunch, she isn’t out of the office avoiding work. She is simply doing
her job.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
returns to Augsburg
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is an international event designed to inspire peacemaking. Now in its 24th year, the forum moves to its new
Minneapolis-based format and will be co-hosted by Augsburg College in
partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. Augsburg is honored to continue this event with the support of
the Norwegian Nobel Institute, our sister Norwegian Lutheran colleges, and
our community partners who share our commitment to education for peace.
The 2012 forum is scheduled March 1 to 3, and will welcome former
president of South Africa F. W. de Klerk as keynote speaker. President de
Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela, was the
last state president of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from 1989 to
1994. He is best known for engineering the end of apartheid and for supporting the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy. In
recent years, his passion for peace continues through his work addressing
the complex challenges of the 21st century, such as building multicultural
societies, rethinking immigration policy, and understanding global economic forces.
Learn more and sign up for e-mail updates about the 2012 Peace
Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
24TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM • MARCH 1-3, 2012 • F.W. DE KLERK, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Erica Salkas ’11 performs a dance choreographed by David DeBlieck ’88, theater arts instructor, in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, hosted at Augsburg College.
Photo by Kendra (Christiansen) Oxendale ’11
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Norwegian Royal Visit
In October, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway attended a worship
service at Augsburg College with President Paul and Abigail Pribbenow as well as 300
Norwegian students studying in the U.S. The King and Queen stopped at Augsburg as part
of their eight-day visit to Minnesota and Iowa. Following the service, Augsburg dedicated a
peace pole in Their Majesties’ honor.
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AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2011
VOL. 73, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Awesome
Years
of Life-Changing
internships Commencement 2011
Ali Rapp ’11 Gage Center for Student Success
Travel
International Auggies Ask an Auggie expert
page
20
Achievement
in the ... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2011
VOL. 73, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Awesome
Years
of Life-Changing
internships Commencement 2011
Ali Rapp ’11 Gage Center for Student Success
Travel
International Auggies Ask an Auggie expert
page
20
Achievement
in the classroom Nick Ward ’11
go
global
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Education off the main road
Creative Associate-Design
a
s I write these words for the summer issue of
the Augsburg Now—which includes stories illustrating Augsburg’s vision of educating
global citizens—I am in Oslo, Norway, attending an
international conference on the links between higher
education and democracy, and also spending time
with Augsburg students studying peace and conflict
mediation at the University of Oslo. I am struck by
how relevant Augsburg’s longstanding commitment
to what I call an “education off the main road” is to
preparing our students for life in the 21st century. A
simple story illustrates my point.
In a trip last fall to Augsburg’s Center for Global
Education (CGE) campus in Windhoek, Namibia, I remember looking out at the sparkling lights as I was
hosted at a dinner in an ultra-modern restaurant high
above the city. All was well, it seemed, as I waited for
my dinner companions to arrive.
But the view from our perch above the city, nestled in an obviously affluent subdivision of the burgeoning city, belied my experiences earlier in the day.
I had witnessed the remnants of an apartheid system.
Formerly separate cemeteries for whites, colored, and
blacks. Housing that was clearly demarcated by tribal
class. Primary and secondary schools stratified by social class. A sprawling tin village—the so-called “informal settlements”—in which tens of thousands of
Namibians lived in squalor, unable to find work after
they arrived in the city and were left to their own devices to survive. Health clinics with waiting rooms full
of women seeking both prenatal care and HIV tests.
Non-governmental organizations struggling to serve
the needs of indigenous people whose rights were
neglected. The stark contrasts of the day were mindbending.
My dinner companions arrived—a labor activist
and a teacher working to improve education for indigenous people—and as I described our day in
Windhoek, one of them commented that he was
grateful I had witnessed these contrasts because too
many outsiders come to Namibia and travel only “the
main road,” from which all seems well. I had left that
main road and experienced the real Namibia.
My experience that day was a snapshot of what
our CGE students encounter each semester in
Namibia as they participate in intense experiences
that open their eyes to the life-transforming dynamics
of life in this developing country. Through extended
homestays in both urban and rural areas, internships
with organizations doing important social and educational work, classes that feature speakers who have
firsthand experience of the tensions in Namibia’s life,
and opportunities for significant interaction with
Namibian people and culture, our students experience life off the main road in this remarkable country, just 22 years after it declared independence.
And when these students return home to the
U.S., we know they carry with them knowledge and
experiences of this place and its good people that will
shape the decisions they make about their own lives
and what they might be called to do in the world.
Some may return to Africa, perhaps as medical workers or teachers. But most will not, and, for them, we
trust and know that their experiences off the main
road in Namibia will help them understand their own
privilege in an increasingly complex world—privilege
that must be named and then put to responsible use
in the search for equity and justice, both in their personal lives and in the systems they inhabit.
Off the main road in Namibia, off the main road
wherever Augsburg offers its distinctive education for
global citizenship. I’m only beginning to understand
how critical our work as a college is in transforming
the lives of students and contributing to a different
vision of our common future as global citizens.
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
summer 2011
Features
11
6
“Problem” students become problem solvers
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
14
21
Auggies
are everywhere
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
.
16 Gloria Xinico Morales ’12
A girl of the world
17 Max Bregenzer ’12
Living life to the Max
17 Erica Lippitt ’12
Family teamwork creates a world of possibility
18 Jiahua (Holly) Huang ’12
Holly is a regular Minnesotan
8
14
18 Dat Nguyen ’11
contents
Unlocking possibilities and potential at Augsburg
26
19 Faiza Abbas Mahamud ’11
A life that defies definition
20 Ibrahim Al-Hajiby ’14
Life in the United States: Different, but not weird
21
26
Real experience in the working world
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Commencement 2011
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Departments
On the cover
International Auggies Gloria Xinico Morales, Alom Martínez, Zebokhon
Tursunova, and Gottlieb Uahengo have fun at a Minneapolis landmark,
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoonbridge and Cherry.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
augsburg now
inside
front
cover
2
6
8
9
10
28
32
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
My Auggie experience
Auggies on the track
It takes an Auggie
Auggie voices
Alumni news
Class notes
quad
around the
NEWSNOTES
National fellowship and scholarship awards
Fulbright Awards, 2011-12
• Katie Edelen ’11, majoring in chemistry, biology, and environmental studies, received a Fulbright Research Grant to Norway. She
will study and carry out research at the Peace Research Institute
of Oslo. (See story page 10.)
Urban Debate League success at nationals
Two teams from the Minnesota Urban Debate League (UDL), part of
Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, were among the
top 10 teams in the country at the National Urban Debate League
(NAUDL) tournament in New York in April. A student debater from each
of the two teams—Washburn and South high schools—placed seventh
and eighth respectively in individual speaker competition.
Newberry Library Fellowship to
Michael Lansing
Michael Lansing, assistant professor of
history, received the Lloyd Lewis Fellowship in American History for 2011–12.
The fellowship will support the ongoing
work of his book-length research project
on the Nonpartisan League.
Norma Noonan honored for long-term
direction of the MAL program
Norma Noonan was honored this spring after
stepping down as director of the
Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) program.
Throughout her 18 years of directing
and teaching in the program, Noonan has
been both a leader and a shaper of leaders. Since the mid-’90s, Noonan has had an exceptionally steady
hand in leading the ongoing development of the MAL program and
the Leadership Center. Students have appreciated her accessibility,
encouragement, and clarity. Although she is leaving the director position, Noonan will continue to teach at Augsburg and support the
College’s commitment to leadership.
2
Augsburg Now
• Jennifer Oliver, a graduate student in education and former financial aid counselor in the Enrollment Center, received a Fulbright
English Teaching Assistantship in Germany.
Goldwater Scholarship—Math major Austin Wagner ’12 received Honorable Mention for a Barry S. Goldwater Scholarship.
Newman Civic Fellows—Claire Bergren ’12 was honored by Campus
Compact for her community work around racial justice and social issues linked to poverty.
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship—Katie Edelen will pursue graduate
study in environmental management in 2012–13.
Udall Scholarship—Kathy DeKrey ’12, an environmental studies and
political science pre-law double major, has been awarded a Udall
Scholarship for 2011–12.
Top green power purchaser
Augsburg College has been recognized by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the 2010-11
top green power purchaser in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Augsburg College
purchased more than 13 million kilowatt-hours of
green power, representing 100 percent of the
school’s annual electricity usage on
the Minneapolis campus.
This is the equivalent to
avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of more than 1,000 average U.S. homes
or nearly 2,000 cars annually.
EXCELLENCE in research
In April 2011, Jeremy Anthony, a senior
Presidential
Award for
mathematics major, represented
Augsburg College in the Council on
Undergraduate Research Posters on
Community Service
the Hill event. This event, held each
year in Washington, D.C., showcased
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Awards
Augsburg College earned two $10,000 grants
from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council for
programs recognized for providing “high-quality, age-appropriate arts education.”
Medieval Minnesota: This one-week boarding camp for students ages 14 to17 reimagines life during the Middle Ages.
Students study medieval history, the Crusades, castle design, and the history of
labyrinths. They also learn to build a medieval costume, juggle, dance, fence, and
entertain. The camp, in its fifth year, attracts
students from across the United States and
Canada. For more information, go to www.augsburg.edu/medievalminnesota.
Centro Youth Workshop: This summer photography
workshop provides 10 youths from metropolitan
Latino/Chicano communities the opportunity to develop technical and artistic photography skills. The
program, which is in its second year, is a partnership
between the College and Centro, a Minneapolis-based
social service nonprofit. Learn more at http://overexposuremedia.org/.
the research of 75 undergraduate stu-
Courtesy photo
Augsburg is one of six higher
education institutions in
the nation to receive the
2010 Presidential Award for
Community Service from the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is the highest award given that recognizes institutions for their
commitment to and achievement in community service, and Augsburg is
the only Minnesota school to receive this honor. In three previous years,
the College has been named to the President’s Honor Roll with the additional designation of “With Distinction.”
During the 2009-10 school year, Auggies contributed nearly 200,000
hours of community service to programs, including course-based servicelearning, Bonner Leaders, Campus Kitchen, community gardens,
GEMS/GISE/STEM summer programs, Urban Scrubs Camp, and more.
More than 1,700 students and 200 faculty and staff participated in service-learning last year.
dents from colleges and universities
across the country.
L to R: Isanti mayor George Wimmer, Senator Al Franken, and Clayton McNeff ’91,
vice president of research at SarTec Corporation.
SENATOR FRANKEN
visits Ever Cat Fuels
On April 21, U.S. Senator Al Franken visited Ever Cat Fuels in Isanti, Minn., which
can produce three million gallons of biodiesel each year using the Mcgyan
Process. In 2008, the discovery of the Mcgyan Process began with student research by Brian Krohn ’08, along with chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg.
The process received its first patent in March 2011.
Augsburg receives second grant
for Travelers EDGE
Augsburg received a second gift from Travelers Insurance for their
Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment (EDGE) program. This program focuses on college recruitment and retention of
low-income and first-generation students. In Minnesota, the focus is
specifically on students graduating from the St. Paul Public School
district.
The $100,000 grant will be used for Augsburg’s Travelers
Pathways program for financial literacy training, which is open to all
students. Current Augsburg juniors and seniors who graduated from
a St. Paul public high school may be eligible to apply for a $5,000
annual scholarship, which brings with it opportunities for job shadowing, internships, and mentoring.
Summer 2011
3
In Memoriam:
Jessica Nathanson
Jessica Nathanson, assistant professor and director of the women’s studies program and the
Women’s Resource Center at Augsburg College, died April 5 of breast cancer. Nathanson’s passion for and knowledge of social justice and gender issues was instrumental in shaping the
women’s studies community at Augsburg. Nathanson earned a BA from Wesleyan University and
an MA and PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She co-edited the book Mother
Knows Best: Talking Back to the “Experts” and enjoyed a wide following as a blogger on feminist
issues. The following is an excerpt of an original spoken word piece read by Lucreshia Grant ’11
at the multifaith service in Hoversten Chapel to remember and celebrate Nathanson’s life.
An excerpt from
There are so much things to say
By Lucreshia Grant ’11
For Jessica Nathanson
There are so much things to say right now
There are so much things to say
There are so much things to say right now
There are so much things to say
…
Friends, let me tell you
If we had the time to recall every moment where in which this
woman made me feel like I could levitate, I swear it’d take all day…
This is a piece about praise today because,
if there was bad between us
I just can’t remember it
I never knew I could float with pride this way.
I came in here rusty and naïve, too big for my own britches
You saw a light in me and followed it
My writing then, was sloppy, holey and dishonest
There are times when writing for an audience is just plain perjury
And every time I lifted my pen from this paper in disbelief
Turned my palms up in discouragement
You calmly, proclaimed that
“That must be the oppression talking.”
That day I thought my heart would beat right through my ribcage
I never imagined that someone might get it
Get me, get this
I love you, for the tears you allowed me to cry, often and
The beauty you believed me to write
And I can’t help believing that we were meant to be
in a space like SVERDRUP 207
warm and complicated
in the differences between us
4
Augsburg Now
age, race, class, time, distance
there is love in that and we confronted it daily
learning that
oppression sometimes smells like privilege and
power doesn’t always have to be dominance
you are my best memory about this place and
I know we’re not done
Cuz you African dance through my dreams
Reminding me of the freedom I already keep, on my tongue
You’re in my windpipe
Part of the cadence and confidence in my voice
You’re the social justice in my strut
I won’t lower my head in fear again
Eyes forward ready to stand completely still with another
You gave me grace, honored me with respect
Not just a Black woman on a stage to you…clap me a round of
“thanks and that was beautifuls”
But she knew the truth.
Knew I was a Queen, believed my words and told me.
There are so much things to say
I have so much to say, but I can say nothing fully at all.
Thanks for all the books and
Reminding me that I can do this
Thanks for believing in feminism enough to teach it.
Thanks for loving us as much as you did
Thanks for loving me
It’s not over, we’re not done
You’ll see
Because
This place became a home for me because you were in it
It is better because you graced it
Because you believed it I am better
Jessica, thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO OUR RETIRING TENURED FACULTY
Retiring faculty were honored at the
Faculty Recognition Luncheon on May 5.
Nora Braun, Business Administration
Nora Braun has been described as a role model for successfully
balancing the demands of professional and personal responsibilities
with incredible patience, integrity, and humor during her 14 years
at Augsburg. A few of her contributions include participating in the
College’s accreditation program, chairing a keystone collaborative,
helping to design the business keystone course, and being involved
in the initial design process for the Augsburg Master of Business
Administration program. Braun enjoys writing and is the author of a
children’s book that explores the life of the middle child.
Francine Chakolis, Social Work
Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy
Francine Chakolis graduated from Augsburg in 1978. Since 1983,
her dedication to her colleagues and students has taken many
forms. Always a proud Auggie, Chakolis was a formidable leader
and the first director of the Master of Social Work program in the
1990s. Her colleague Tony Bibus used these words to describe
Chakolis, “…spouse, mother, family, and COMMUNITY, with capital letters. She is also a teacher, activist, fighter, administrator,
leader, and social worker.”
Bruce Reichenbach began his teaching career at Augsburg 43 years
ago. Students have always been at the top of his priorities, and they
received the very best of Reichenbach’s passion and deep commitment to learning. He organized and led the writing team for the Lilly
Grant and then served on its advisory board. As a logical outgrowth
of the Lilly Grant to explore vocation, he worked on the development
of an extended orientation for first-year and second-year faculty.
Reichenbach is a prolific scholar, having written a dozen books and
many articles, and is regarded for his expertise in helping faculty understand how to teach critical thinking.
Dan Hanson, Communication Studies
A 1986 graduate of the Weekend College program, Dan Hanson
began taking classes when he was a vice president at Land
O’Lakes. A dedicated colleague and teacher for 23 years, Hanson
developed several courses, including the communication studies
keystone course and a course for the Master of Arts in Leadership
program. He is the author of several books, including A Place to
Shine and Room for J: A Family Struggles with Schizophrenia.
Hanson has devoted his energy and years of experience and expertise to the development of his students in both undergraduate
and graduate program classes.
Lynne Lorenzen, Religion
At a reception honoring Lynne Lorenzen’s 22-year career at
Augsburg, Professor Bev Stratton referred to Lorenzen as a trailblazer. A tireless advocate for gender rights on campus and in
broader communities, Lorenzens’s collaboration on the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) first sexuality task force 20
years ago laid the groundwork for the decision to recognize lesbian
and gay clergy in committed, same-gender relationships. She played
an important role in the design and development of the
Augsburg/Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) women’s
studies program. An active member and leader in the Lutheran
church, Lorenzen’s classes at Augsburg also reflected her interests
and focus on theology, church studies, and feminism.
Charley Sheaffer, Computer Science
Charley Sheaffer has been involved in several curricular development efforts in his department since he joined the College in
1997. He helped revise the computer science major to include the
programming languages and compilers sequence. He was a co-creator of a three-credit cognitive science course, which was instrumental in increasing confidence among many students about their
ability to handle college-level work. His colleague Larry Crockett
said, “If the measure of a person is finally the ability to retain a
gracious sense of humor in the face of all that life can present,
then Charley is a remarkable person indeed.”
Nan Skelton, Center for Democracy and Citizenship
As co-director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC) at
Augsburg College, Nan Skelton led the center’s external public work
in civic education, reclaiming neighborhoods, and the democratic
renewal of education. She is a co-founder of the Jane Addams
School for Democracy; and she has been an architect of the
Neighborhood Learning Community and, more recently, Learning in
Cities (also called Sprockets), pioneering new approaches to learning
and education. Prior to joining the CDC in 1994, Skelton served as
assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education
and provided leadership with the National Governors Association.
Summer 2011
5
my
Auggie experience
Floating on the social media bubble
If you’re a friend of Ali Rapp ’11 and weren’t a frequent visitor
to the communication and film studies office where she
worked on campus, you maybe “saw” her on Facebook and
Twitter. And if you didn’t attend a class or go to a local restaurant with her, you may have kept up with the goings-on of Ali
Rapp’s life—and maybe still do—through her blog, “No, I am
a Cat.”
Rapp was the social media intern for Augsburg’s admissions office since 2007. In this position, she maintained her
own blog and managed other student bloggers on Homemade,
the College’s unobstructed window on student life.
6
Augsburg Now
The student bloggers kept prospective and current students entertained and up-to-date with real-life posts about classes, favorite
professors, internships, experiences abroad, papers and projects,
social events, and general commentary on life as an Auggie.
Homemade follows a national trend among college admissions
offices to engage and recruit students using social media. A May
2009 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education cites data
from the Center for Marketing Research at the University of
Massachusetts Dartmouth. It shows that in fall 2008, 61 percent
of admissions offices were using social-networking sites and 41
percent had blogs, up from 29 percent and 33 percent, respectively, in 2007.
Rapp thinks Homemade is an easy way to give new students a
view of Augsburg that they might not get through visits with admissions staff. “Incoming students aren’t dumb,” she said. “They
know that things go on that no one talks about. I think they appreciate our honesty.”
Staying afloat in the social media bubble is more than writing
and editing posts and reminding bloggers to blog. It’s also about
using other social media tools such as Facebook and the microblog
tool Twitter to raise awareness of the blogs. Throughout her internship, Rapp became more adept at promoting Homemade using
unique accounts on those social media sites.
Rapp said the key to staying on top of social media is to remember
that it is always changing. “For me it’s a matter of realizing I can’t
stop learning. If I stay off of Twitter and Facebook for too long, I will
lose some of it.”
To be sure, social media is growing in importance not only for
recruiting new students but also for keeping current students,
alumni, donors, faculty and staff, and the community engaged in
the life of the College. Many campus departments including the
Enrollment Center, Campus Kitchen, the bookstore, and the dining
service rely on social media to keep students informed. Auggie
Eagle is on Facebook, too.
In the fall, Rapp will begin graduate studies at the University of
Minnesota in communication studies with a focus on critical media
studies. She hopes to continue research started as an undergraduate on computer-mediated communication and to explore the role
of social media in the communication studies field.
And just in case you’re wondering, “No, I am a Cat” has no
meaning. At least none that Rapp can remember. She doesn’t have
a cat at her Minneapolis home. She does, however, have a dog
named Per. If you were following her social life through social
media, you may have read about him on her blog, too.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Keeping up with social media
@Augsburg College
Throughout Augsburg College, many departments and programs are finding that
one of the best ways to stay in touch with prospective and current students,
alumni, and the community is through social media.
BLOGS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Homemade—www.augsburg.edu/homemade
President Pribbenow’s blog—follow at www.augsburg.edu/president
FACEBOOK PAGES YOU SHOULD “LIKE:”
Augsburg College—the official page of the College (2,879 followers)
Augsburg College Alumni Association—all the alumni news you need, and a
great way to connect with your Auggie friends (336 followers)
Augsburg College Homemade—you guessed it (285 followers)
Auggie Eagle—be Auggie’s friend (1,251 followers)
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@AugsburgCollege (1,088 followers)
@paulpribbenow (258 followers)
@auggieshomemade (107 followers)
Number of followers listed are as of July 2011.
auggies on the track
More than an all-around guy
At Augsburg, Nick Ward ’11 worked hard to
be an all-around student-athlete—one who
was as dedicated to his studies as he was
to setting records on the track. In his last
year of college, he put in extra time to add
one more accomplishment to his list:
All-American athlete.
A physics and mathematics major originally from Milwaukee, Wis., Ward says he had
no intention of participating in college track
and wanted instead to focus on academics.
Then a couple of his first-year friends talked
him into joining the track team.
Augsburg track and field coach, Dennis
Barker, says Ward was a very coachable athlete and a good listener. “He always tried to
absorb and understand the concepts behind
what I asked him to do,” Barker said. “I think
that’s partly the way he thinks as a physics
student.”
Barker was impressed with Ward’s commitment. “I don’t know anyone who studies as
much as he studies,” Barker said. He speculates that track offered a chance for Ward to
let loose after spending long hours in the lab
and the library. “I think track and field maybe
comes more naturally to Nick than physics,
but that never stopped him from excelling,”
Barker said.
Being a member of the Auggie track team
turned out to be a good choice for Ward. One
of the top men’s sprinters in school history,
he earned his first trip to national competition this spring when he competed in
the men’s 55-meter dash at the
National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) indoor
championships in Columbus,
Ohio. Ward’s qualifying time
of 10.73 seconds in the
men’s 100-meter dash was
the 17th-fastest among the
22 entrants in the event.
Last season, Ward won
the conference titles in
the men’s 55-meter dash
and men’s long jump at
the MIAC indoor championships, while finishing
second in the men’s 100meter dash and winning a
conference title as part of
the 400-meter relay at
the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)
outdoor championships.
In his first-ever appearance at the NCAA
championships in May, Ward clocked a time
of 11.07 seconds to record a 20th-place finish in the event. As one of the top sprinters
in Augsburg school history, Ward will end his
career having earned seven MIAC titles, 12
All-MIAC honors, and eight All-MIAC honorable-mention honors, to go along with eight
school records.
Off the track, Ward completed his studies
with a 3.2 grade point average and conducted
summer research in physics as a McNair
Scholar and also through the North Star
STEM Alliance program. He credits his academic success to faculty and staff who encouraged him, namely his physics adviser Ben
Stottrup, Tina Tavera from the McNair Scholars program, and Rebekah Dupont who advises North Star STEM students at Augsburg.
“They pushed me throughout my whole
college career, making me apply for internships and for research opportunities off campus. I guess they motivated me to keep
going,” he said. Ward applied to three graduate school programs and was accepted into
the master’s program in electrical engineering
at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State University in Greensboro.
“Nick has such a great attitude and is always so excited about the opportunities he
has,” Barker said. “I think he feels very fortunate to be at Augsburg, studying in a stellar
physics department and being on the track
team. I think he’s enjoying life here.”
After four outstanding seasons and a successful academic career, Ward’s goal for the
end of the season was to be named an AllAmerican in the 100- and 200-meter dashes
and in the long jump. Unfortunately his name
was not on the NCAA Division III list, but that
doesn’t change the fact that Nick Ward is an
impressive student and athlete.
For Ward, a somewhat shy young man,
talking about his accomplishments is one
thing that does not come easily. “I guess I’m
just trying to be an all-around guy,” he said.
WENDI WHEELER ’06 AND DON STONER
8
Augsburg Now
it takes an
Courtesy photo
Auggie
Visionary leadership in support of student success
In 1984, Skip and Barbara Gage’s oldest son, Geoff, made an unexpected choice. Though he had been determined to attend school
in California, the high school senior decided after a tour of the
Augsburg campus that he preferred to become an Auggie. At parent
orientation the following fall, Skip and Barbara joined the campus
community for the first time.
“We couldn’t have been more pleased with the nurturing and
caring environment provided at Augsburg,” Skip said.
While they remained proud Auggie parents (all four of their
children attended classes at Augsburg, and two graduated from the
College), it didn’t take long for Skip and Barbara to take a more active role in the community. Just two years later, Augsburg President
Charles Anderson asked Barbara to join the board of regents, where
she served for 12 years, including four years as chair of the board.
During the early years of Barbara’s service, she and Skip approached President Anderson to discuss ways to expand student
support.
“We’ve had distinct experience with learning differences in our
family,” Skip said, but at that time, little research had been done
on learning differences at the college level. In fact, according to
the Gages, Augsburg and the University of Colorado, Boulder, were
Barbara and Skip Gage
Skip and Barbara have supported other campus projects
through the years, including the Scandinavian Center,
Lindell Library, Anderson Plaza, and the Gage Family Art Gallery.
And, with their newest gift, the Gages once again reveal their enthusiasm for student support and innovative programming.
The Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Foundation last
spring announced that they will collectively contribute $900,000 toward the creation of the Gage Center for Student Success—a centralized place where all
“We were so thankful that we had found a school that actually had ways to help
students can go to enhance their learning and
students with learning differences,” Barbara said. “We were excited to help
achieve their academic goals. Construction for
make the program larger and able to meet the needs of more students.”
the center started this summer in Lindell
Library. The center will be on the link level,
the only two colleges they found that provided support services to
creating space at the heart of the campus for the CLASS program as
students with different learning abilities.
well as numerous other academic success programs.
Passionate about this cause, Skip and Barbara commissioned a
Barbara noted the importance of having the learning center
$30,000 study on programming to support learning differences.
near the College’s technological resources and at a centralized loBased on this study’s findings, the Gages, together with the
cation.
Carlson Family Foundation, committed half a million dollars and
“The center will be a part of the students’ daily lives,” she
raised another half a million to institute a new program at
said. “[The students who use the center] will become advocates of
Augsburg, which evolved into the Center for Learning and Adaptive
learning.”
Student Services (CLASS). This program provides services to help
The Gages believe that Augsburg’s leadership in student sucall students—regardless of learning style, preference, or need—
cess is due in part to its mission for service.
reach their full potential at Augsburg.
“Augsburg has been wonderful in being inclusive in working
“We were so thankful that we had found a school that actually
with students of different needs,” Barbara said. “I’m so proud to
had ways to help students with learning differences,” Barbara said. be a part of it.”
“We were excited to help make the program larger and able to meet
the needs of more students.”
KAYLA SKARBAKKA ’09
Summer 2011
9
auggie voices
Treating the system instead of the symptoms
Katie Edelen ’11 wanted to be a
doctor from the time she was five
years old. She watched surgery on
the Discovery Channel before naptime and begged her parents to let
her be present at the birth of her
two younger siblings.
It wasn’t until she was in college
and working with doctors in India
that Edelen realized she did not actually want to be a doctor.
Soon after she arrived at
Augsburg, Edelen began looking for
an opportunity to volunteer abroad
to gain medical experience helping
people in war-torn countries. She
had been interested in Doctors
Without Borders, so she contacted
native health non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to find volunteer opportunities. In her junior year,
Edelen landed in Chennai, India,
where she shadowed doctors in government hospitals and another who
brought internal medicine services to
refugee camps, slums, and villages.
“What really spoke to me were all
the people who had been exposed to
water-borne, preventable diseases
because of unsafe sanitary conditions,” she recalled. Though she had
been interested in environmental issues before traveling to India, there
she began to see in a new way the
consequences of peoples’ actions on
the environment. She saw that issues related to health, education,
poverty, and social justice were connected to environmental problems.
“That is when I started to become
interested in treatment of the systematic inequalities as opposed to
putting a band-aid on the problem,”
she said.
This experience led Edelen to
pursue other opportunities centered
10
Augsburg Now
on water and its role in society. She
took a course on environmental and
river politics led by Augsburg political science professor Joe Underhill.
She traveled to Uganda and worked
with villagers on water access and
conservation, even starting a “safe
water and hygiene club” in the primary school.
This summer, she will be in
Norway on a Fulbright fellowship
researching the correlation between
armed conflict and water hazards
and scarcity at the Peace Research
Institute in Oslo. Following her
time in Norway, Edelen will pursue
graduate work in environmental
studies on a Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholarship.
A triple major in chemistry, biology, and environmental studies,
Edelen said her education and experiences abroad have solidified her
desire to work in the area of policy
analysis and research. “I really see
my vocational work and my background bridging the different realms
of sciences and the humanities together to address problems,” she
said. “The nexus between science,
policy, and society can be messy
and convoluted, but that’s what really excites me about it.”
Edelen said her parents instilled
in her the importance of taking initiative, encouraging her interest in
medicine even before she began
grade school. “I’ve always had a desire to make a difference in the
world somehow. That’s what really
motivates me. I want to use my gifts
as a way to help the world.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
To read more about Katie Edelen, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now.
“PROBLEM” STUDENTS BECOME
PROBLEM SOLVERS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Visualize young people in our public schools making positive change in their communities. Who comes to mind? Probably not middle school
students in the special education classroom—kids with emotional and behavioral disabilities who have difficulty paying attention and communicating with each other or their teachers.
Typically, students in special education are labeled as troublemakers. They are marginalized, silenced, and given little choice in their daily
school tasks. But a partnership between Augsburg College and Fridley Middle School hopes to change that. By giving students a voice in their
education and allowing them to focus their time and energy on an issue they care about, this program has turned “problem” students into
public problem solvers.
Public Achievement in special education
Piloted in the 2010-11 academic year, Augsburg’s program
at Fridley Middle School (FMS) is a partnership involving
Augsburg’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC), the
Augsburg special education faculty and students in the
Master of Arts in Education (MAE) program, and teachers
and students from the school.
The project began when Susan O’Connor, associate professor
of special education at Augsburg, heard Dennis Donovan and
Nan Skelton of the CDC speak about the Public Achievement
model. This model for youth civic organizing was developed by
the CDC’s Harry Boyte. In the classroom, Public Achievement
serves as an empowerment tool that allows students to create
change in an area that they select and take ownership of as
a group.
To O’Connor, Public Achievement seemed like a fit for special education classrooms. “It was like the self-advocacy tool
we are always encouraging teachers to use with their students,”
she said. “The kids with EBD (emotional/behavioral disabilities)
are kids that typically don’t have a voice in their school work.
They’re told what to do. They’re told how to act.”
O’Connor and Donna Patterson from the Augsburg special
education faculty learned how to implement Public Achievement in the classroom. They looked for a location to pilot the
project and settled on FMS because two of the special educa-
tion teachers—Michael Ricci ’07 and Alissa Blood ’07—are
graduates of Augsburg’s teacher education program. Finally,
they hand-picked five MAE students from the Critical Issues
seminar course to work with the middle school students and
then began weekly classes at Fridley in the fall term.
A new way of teaching and learning
The Public Achievement model identifies classroom teachers as
coaches and places all responsibility for decision-making and
action on the students. The middle school students identified
two projects: one concerning alternative energy and another on
homelessness.
In each project, the students were responsible for designing
every aspect. They created timelines, conducted research, contacted experts and members of the community to schedule
speaking engagements or field trips, and communicated about
their projects with faculty and students in their school.
Cheryl McClellan, an Augsburg MAE student, worked with
the “Solar Heroes” team on installing solar panels to light the
school’s flag and a solar thermal to heat water for domestic
uses at the school. “The idea is, the students decide who gets
invited to be a part of the project. They find out how to contact people, send them an e-mail or call, and follow up with
them,” McClellan said. At the end of the year, Solar Heroes
had not been able to finalize the projects but pledged to con-
Summer 2011
21
11
tinue working on fundraising initiatives
for the solar panels.
For many of the students, these were
tasks they had never been entrusted to perform. In addition to learning about how it
feels to be empowered, McClellan said students also came to understand that community organizing and advocacy is not always
easy work. “You get a lot of ‘no’s,’ but they
are learning the skills to move forward.”
Kayla Krebs is one of the Augsburg MAE
students working with “Team Making a
Way,” the class focused on homelessness.
Her students went to the State Capitol to
speak with legislators and also made fleece
blankets to donate to Families Moving
Forward, a North Minneapolis shelter that
provides services for families with children
who are experiencing homelessness.
Krebs saw her role in the classroom as a
facilitator. “I learned how to be flexible and
how to let the students’ voices shine.” For
students with special needs, she says this is
an important part of the learning process because “so many times, people tell them
what to do.”
Molly McInnis, an Augsburg MAE student, said the program has taught her a new
way of teaching. “I have learned how to let
the students make the decisions and drive
their own project,” she said. “I can’t come
in and be a teacher—I need to listen to
them and let them lead.”
Blood said the program was beneficial to
her students because they struggle with
taking responsibility. “This program has
given them a sense of power and responsibility and taught them that what they think
and do matters. They are much more committed and have a sense of pride in what
they are doing.”
By giving students the power to choose
the issues they want to work on and the
methods of solving problems, Donovan said
the students have developed the capacity to
become public problem solvers. That means
they work to solve problems affecting the
Augsburg-Fridley
Public Achievement Team
Back Row [L to R]: Dennis Donovan, Stephen Keeler, Cheryl
McClennan, Alissa Blood, Steph Bloxham, Heidi Austin,
*Barbara West
Middle Row [L to R]: Michael Ricci, *Susan O’Connor,
*Dee Vodicka, *Elizabeth Ankeny, *Donna Patterson
Front Row [L to R]: Molly McInnis, Becki Hamlin, Kayla Krebs
*Augsburg College Faculty
12
Augsburg Now
“THIS PROGRAM HAS GIVEN THEM A SENSE OF POWER AND
RESPONSIBILITY AND TAUGHT THEM THAT WHAT THEY THINK AND DO
MATTERS. THEY ARE MUCH MORE COMMITTED AND HAVE A SENSE OF
PRIDE IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING.”
ALISSA BLOOD ’07
public and are doing it in a public way. The
students created displays for cases outside
their classroom, logos and posters for their
projects, appeared on the FMS Friday
radio broadcast, spoke at a luncheon at
Augsburg, and held a public presentation
at the school. “Kids that are marginalized
really rise to the top when they are given
power,” he said.
“In education, we say it’s not an
achievement gap—it’s an empowerment
gap,” Donovan said. “We have to ask ourselves how we can empower teachers and
students to learn about things that are
meaningful to them and have a voice in
their education.”
Lessons for teachers
One of the most important reasons for implementing this Public Achievement project was to drive institutional change,
O’Connor said. “We want these students to
be seen in a more positive light, not as
trouble-makers.” She added that the Fridley
students were noticed by their administrators and peers, recognized publicly for
their work, and asked to contribute to future discussions.
Another goal of the project was to bring
lessons learned by the Augsburg students
and faculty into the special education curriculum at Augsburg. The faculty are creating a three-year plan to integrate into
the special education curriculum and
hope to develop a Public Achievement
coaching course that can be used in other
departments.
Donovan is excited to see how this project will affect Augsburg’s special education curriculum and students. “I think
Augsburg students are going to be different teachers because of this experience,”
he said. A former public school administrator, Donovan is passionate about working with teachers and helping them
acquire new skills for the classroom.
Helping the Fridley students find their
voice and become more visible in their
middle school community are outcomes
that also had a strong impact on the
Augsburg students who will one day lead
their own classrooms.
Heidi Austin, an Augsburg MAE student
who worked with the Solar Heroes group,
said that as a future teacher, this program
makes her very hopeful. “It is so important
to give kids an opportunity to see that they
can make a difference,” she said. “I came
in thinking there wasn’t going to be much
progress with this project, but I’ve been totally blown away with what they’ve done.”
Speaking to the Augsburg community at
an event in May, McClennan said this project transformed the FMS culture, the students, and also transformed her personally
in a way she hadn’t anticipated. “At my
core I am a better parent, a better citizen,
and a better teacher,” she said.
She commented that the students have
felt empowered by their accomplishments
and the public recognition they received.
“I have learned that these kids who are so
often silenced have a strong voice.”
To read more about the Fridley Middle School Public
Achievement project, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2011
13
ERICA LIPPITT ’12
Erica, a Weekend College
student, studied abroad in
Mexico to learn Spanish.
a
Cuernavaca, Mexico
San Lucas Sacatepequez,
Guatemala
GLORIA XINICO MORALES ’12
ugsburg’s Office of International Programs (OIP) for
more than 25 years has provided internationally recognized and award-winning programs to students who
seek cross-cultural and hands-on learning abroad. The office also brings international students to campus.
“Increasingly, a global perspective is critical to a liberal
arts education,” said Orval Gingerich, assistant vice president for International Programs and director of the Center
for Global Education. “Intercultural experiences—at home
and abroad—are a way to bridge global and local issues.”
During the 2009-10 school year, nearly 275 students
studied abroad. At the same time, Augsburg’s Minneapolis
campus was home to nearly 100 international students
from about two dozen countries including Morocco, Nepal,
Norway, Tanzania, Togo, and many more.
In this edition of Augsburg Now, we present a snapshot
of the stories of students with ties to Guatemala, Germany,
Mexico, China, Vietnam, Kenya, and Yemen. Some traveled
from Augsburg to other parts of the globe. Others came to
Augsburg and the Twin Cities from far away home countries. Still others have graduated and are on to the next
chapters of their stories.
To learn more about OIP and its programs, go to
www.augsburg.edu/oip.
Gloria, an international student
from Guatemala
plans to study in
Namibia this fall.
auggies are ev
14
Augsburg Now
MAX BREGENZER ’12
Max has traveled, studied,
and lived in four countries,
but was born and raised in
Germany.
Würzburg, Germany
IBRAHIM AL-HAJIBY ’14
Guangzhon, China
FAIZA ABBAS MAHAMUD ’11
Faiza went back
to her home
country of Kenya
as an exchange
student to help
African women.
Sana’a, Yemen
Hue, Vietnam
Holly, a student
at United International College in
China, came to
the U.S. to study
education at
Augsburg.
JIAHUA (HOLLY) HUANG ’12
Ibrahim hopes one day to
return to his home in
Yemen to start a non-governmental organization.
Nairobi, Kenya
DAT NGUYEN ’11
Windhoek, Namibia
Dat, a recent graduate and international student, will
be a graduate student at Dartmouth.
verywhere
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Summer 2011
15
GLORIA
XINICO MORALES
A girl of the world
Gloria Xinico Morales has worked so hard at
Augsburg since arriving during 2008 that
she twice won outstanding student of the
year awards—once during her sophomore
year and again her junior year.
The hard work that earned Xinico Morales
these honors is fundamental to her personality. She doesn’t give up. She doesn’t quit.
Xinico Morales was 18 when she first applied for—and was denied—a student visa.
She wanted to study at Augsburg College, a
school she has known of for her whole life
because her father is director of the Center
for Global Education in Guatemala. Xinico
Morales wasn’t deterred by the denial.
Top: A view of the mountains from Gloria Xinico Morales’
hometown of San Lucas Sacatepequez, Guatemala.
Bottom: Xinico Morales, left, is the oldest of three children. Here she is shown with her brother, Manuel, and
sister, Nickte.
Courtesy photos
16
Augsburg Now
She waited the three months before she
again could apply, and this time was approved. But the whole process pushed her
college plans back by a full year. And as if
that wasn’t enough, her visa was delivered to
the wrong city the day before she was to fly
to the United States. She drove to the city to
pick up her visa.
“After waiting one year and one week, I
had two days to get here, unpack, and settle
in,” Xinico Morales said. “I’d never been
outside of Guatemala before.”
But she still didn’t get to start at Augsburg
right away. She said that by working with admissions staff, they decided she should
study English for three months before starting college. It was a good plan.
“Going to Global Language Institute was
very helpful,” she said. “When I did start at
Augsburg, it seemed the teachers talked really fast. I wasn’t comfortable with English,
homework took a lot longer.”
She kept plugging away. She joined the
Spanish club and quickly was an officer. She
joined Allied Latino/a Augsburg Students,
and finally the International Student Organization of which she now is president. That’s
not even all of it, though, because Xinico
Morales said she can’t say ‘no.’
Being a student from another country can
be challenging and students sometimes
grapple with living life in two cultures. Xinico
Morales grew up in Guatemala and was
raised Catholic. She looks for answers to
questions about varied perspectives in part
through self reflection.
“My life is like a tree,” Xinico Morales
said. “The roots are the morals my parents
taught me. When things get messy, that’s
where I go. The trunk is my immediate family that is there for me no matter what. Then
there are the leaves. The leaves go away and
come back as I grow and change.”
Lately, people have been asking Xinico
Morales what she plans to do with her degree
in international relations and minor in political science. She doesn’t know the answer.
“Minneapolis is my second home. My life
is built here, but Guatemala is where I belong, all my roots are there and my heart is
there,” she said. “But I’ve become a different person and don’t fit there.”
She hopes that she’ll find the answer in
Namibia, in southern Africa, where she’ll
study in the fall as an exchange student.
“Namibia is a neutral place, a different
country, a different continent,” she said. “It
will help me make a decision from far away.
Or maybe I’m just a girl of the world and I’ll
go other places.”
MAX
BREGENZER
Living life to the Max
Max Bregenzer has traveled, studied,
and lived in four countries—Germany,
Spain, Argentina, and the United
States—and he might not yet be done.
Bregenzer, 22, was born and raised
in Germany and now works in his
home country for a large grocery
wholesaler. The company, called
Edeka, also is sending him to school.
He studies for three months, then applies what he’s learned for three
months. He’ll do that for a total of
three years and at the end will have a
holistic perspective of the company. It was through
this model that Bregenzer came to Augsburg.
He researched schools in the U.S. and found
that Augsburg offered the classes he wanted, including human resources and project management, problem-solving for business, and
international business. He said he also was lured
by the arts and outdoor activities.
“I learned about theatre and was totally surprised that everyone is biking here in the winter,”
he said.
This isn’t the first time Bregenzer has studied
or lived abroad. He spent a year of high school
in Spain. Then he went to Argentina to work
with street youths as part of his civil service.
Bregenzer is the oldest of three boys, and his family since about 1869 has owned a group of bakeries and cafés within 40 miles of his home city. You can see all the tasty-looking treats his family
makes at Maxl Bäck (http://maxlbaeck.de).
He hasn’t shut the door on the idea that he might someday work in the family business, but for
now he is focused on learning and practicing regional store management.
ERICA
LIPPITT
Family teamwork creates
a world of possibility for WEC student
Some people buy home study courses to learn
Spanish. Some enroll in Spanish classes. And some
people, like Erica Lippitt, go all the way to
Cuernavaca, Mexico, to live and study.
“I definitely achieved what I wanted in only four
months,” said Lippitt, a single working mother and
Weekend College student. “My son’s family is from
Cuba and they say that my Spanish is getting good.
We can communicate, and I understand them.”
Studying at the Center for Global Education’s
Mexico location was possible because Lippitt’s family pulled together. Her parents offered to care for
her son, and Lippitt’s brother helped, too. Her father, a Lutheran pastor, even got a night job so the
family could afford daycare for Lippitt’s son.
“My parents pushed me,” she said. “They showed
me this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Lippitt originally enrolled at Augsburg during
2001 for business administration. She said she left
the school—also her mom’s alma mater—because
Erica Lippitt visited the pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico City and
the Xochicalco pyramids in Cuernavaca, Mexico, with friends she
made on her travels.
Courtesy photos
she wasn’t focused. Lippitt moved to Florida to work
and while there, met her son’s father.
“I left Florida to escape an abusive relationship,”
she said. “My dad is a pastor, and I wasn’t raised to
live like that. I had to leave.”
When Lippitt returned to Wayzata, she returned
to Augsburg where she earned a 4.0 grade point average while working as many as 30 hours a week
and raising her son.
“It shows I am more focused, more determined. I
am here because I want to learn, not because I have
to be here.”
Studying in Cuernavaca also opened new possibilities and ways of thinking. Erica now knows she
wants to work in human resources for an international company. She’d also like to live and work in
Mexico for a time so her son can experience living
in a Spanish-speaking country. And finding ways to
help other women is on her radar screen, too.
“I’ve gained so much strength from my experience, that if there is something I can do to help
other women, I’d like to,” she said.
Summer 2011
17
JIAHUA (HOLLY) HUANG
Holly is a regular Minnesotan
In the 12 months Jiahua Huang was in the United States, she became a typical Minnesotan. Holly, as she prefers to be known in
the U.S., liked the Minnesota State Fair and shopped at the Mall
of America. And she got sick of snow.
Huang, a student at United International College (UIC) in
China, came to the U.S. to study education at Augsburg College.
She learned about
the college through
an Auggie studying
abroad at UIC. She
wanted to learn about
the United States’
culture and improve
her English skills,
and she was attracted
to Augsburg because
of its location.
“It’s better for me
to live in a city,” said
Jiahua Huang was originally excited for snow, and her
Huang, who comes
friends were jealous that she was able to experience
from
a city of 1.6 milwinter. By April, though, she was ready for springtime.
lion people. “Friends
who went to [rural private colleges] said they were bored. But,
when I got here, I asked where all the people were. I went to the
State Fair, and I liked it a lot—all the people.”
Huang was raised near Hong Kong. She has two older sisters
and an older brother. Many families in China have only one child,
but some are able to afford more children.
“My parents wanted another boy, but got another girl,” she
said. “Many friends would think from my name that I am a boy
because my name means ‘handsome’.”
Huang struggled with classes at first. “English is so hard,” she
said. “I would listen to the professor, and I didn’t know what he
was talking about. I would read the textbook, and I didn’t know
what I was reading.”
She also worked hard to become comfortable with cultural differences in the classroom.
“In China, you raise your hand and stand up to participate,”
she said. “Here, all the students talk. I wish I were more confident in class—I feel comfortable talking, but it also feels like I
am being impolite.”
Despite growing tired of the snow, Huang said she would like
to return to Minnesota. She wants to go to graduate school at the
University of Minnesota and teach Chinese while staying connected with her new friends in Minnesota.
18
Augsburg Now
Success in the sciences started for
Dat Nguyen when
his photographer
father lectured
him on the solar
system. It was
1995 and the
two were taking
pictures
of
the
total
solar
Dat Nguyen, right, performs with
folksinger Peter Yarrow of Peter,
eclipse in Vietnam. Nguyen was
Paul, and Mary
more interested in how the
camera and solar system worked than in the photos.
Nguyen, who is Buddhist, said that his success also can
be traced to selling candy at his mother’s store, and performing improvisational theater with American students visiting Vietnam in 2004. It was through these experiences
that Nguyen learned to break out of his comfort zone.
“As a Buddhist, we aren’t real loud or active. You have to
break out of your shell and contribute,” Nguyen said.
The American students that Nguyen’s family hosted invited him in 2005 to an improvisational theater camp in
Colorado.
“I didn’t expect to be invited to America when we
hosted the students,” he said. “But I’ve found that if you do
something voluntarily, without expectation, something automatically will come back.”
In Nguyen’s case, that “something” turned out to be lifechanging relationships that resulted from his theater performances in Colorado. He met Peter Yarrow—of Peter, Paul
and Mary—and later sang backup with Yarrow when the
singer was in Vietnam for a fundraiser. He also connected
with a group of families who offered to sponsor his education by providing his tuition, health insurance, and a
stipend.
In the sciences, Nguyen credits his success to the strong
advising, encouragement and opportunities provided by his
Augsburg professors, all of whom encouraged him to explore
his curiosities and broad-ranging scientific interests.
He will continue to feed his unlimited curiosity this fall
as a graduate student at Dartmouth, where he has earned a
full scholarship. He said he is looking forward to continuing
his studies in a setting similar to Augsburg College—one
with a smaller department where he can connect and interact with many people.
DAT
NGUYEN
Unlocking
possibilities
and potential
at Augsburg
FAIZA
ABBAS MAHAMUD
A life that defies definition
Faiza Abbas Mahamud moved a lot when she was young. First
her family moved from war-torn Somalia to Kenya. Then the
family moved four times in Kenya, including living at one time
in a refugee camp.
All the moving meant Mahamud wasn’t able to have one set
of friends with whom to spend time, connect, and grow up. But
she did have one constant—a dictionary.
“As a child, textbooks had to be purchased. We couldn’t buy
books, but we always had a dictionary. I feel like this is a tradition in our home,” she said.
The moving stopped in 2004 when Mahamud’s family came
to Minnesota.
“My aunt put her life on hold to help us,”
Mahamud said. “Aside from God, if it weren’t for
my mom’s youngest sister, it would be hard for us
to have a stable life.”
Mahamud graduated from Roosevelt High School
in 2007, then enrolled at Augsburg College. She
went back to Kenya during 2010 as an exchange student to work for a United Nations agency in a variety
of roles, including as a premarital counselor.
“When I went back to Kenya, I was a totally different person,” she said. “I wasn’t the girl who wanted
to get away from this country. Where is home for me?
When I was in America, I would say ‘I’m going home.’
When I was in Kenya, I kept calling Minnesota home.”
Mahamud, now a U.S. citizen, graduated in spring
2011 with majors in English and women’s studies and
with a minor in chemistry. She’s now exploring options
for graduate school but isn’t ready to confine herself
only to the United States.
“I want to be in Africa to help women who don’t have
that second helping hand like my aunt,” she said. “I
want to be in a position to make a difference in the lives
of women and children.”
And she still needs to finish reading the dictionary.
“I spent so much time reading and using the words I
learned,” she said. “But there are so many words I haven’t
gotten to.”
During her trip to Kenya, Faiza
Abbas Mahamud learned beadmaking from the women of
Narok who sold their goods at
Maasai Mara.
Courtesy photos
Summer 2011
19
IBRAHIM
AL-HAJIBY
Life in the United States:
Different, but not weird
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby’s time in America is a study in contrasts.
He first came to the United States during 2007 as a
high school exchange student. He crossed the globe from
Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a to Cloquet, Minn.—in the
dead of winter.
“I always seem to come to Minnesota in the winter,” he
said. “In Cloquet, I loved McDonald’s double cheeseburgers. I would eat one every day. Even in winter, I’d ride my
bike and the wheels would just spin in the snow.”
Volunteerism and politics are different, too.
“I live in one of the most conservative countries in the
Middle East, and we have a tribal culture,” said Al-Hajiby,
20. “In Yemen, our schools are focused on academics—
there isn’t the focus on serving the community.”
Al-Hajiby volunteered time since first arriving in the U.S.
and next year will serve as an officer of the International
Student Organization.
Al-Hajiby said that a key to his success in America is to
embrace wherever he is living, and to be open to new experiences and people.
“One of my host moms and I have a slogan: ‘It’s not
weird, it’s different’,” Al-Hajiby said.
Al-Hajiby said he misses and worries about his parents
and sister but is glad that his brother also is in Minnesota
Al-Hajiby is shown wearing the traditional clothing
worn by men in his home country of Yemen.
Courtesy photo
20
Augsburg Now
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby said two of his favorite foods in
the United States are hot dogs from The Wienery
and double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.
this year. His country is in turmoil with protests against the government,
and some demonstrations turn deadly.
“I know people who have been killed,” he said. “My parents’ last
words on the phone are that they are glad my brother and I are here and
that we are safe.”
Al-Hajiby is an honors student in chemistry and recipient of Augsburg’s
International President’s Scholarship. He hopes one day to return to
Yemen to start a non-governmental organization.
“I really want to go back at one point and make a change,” Al-Hajiby
said. “I feel like God has chosen me to pursue such a fine education so I
can go back and help.”
REAL EXPERIENCE IN THE WORKING WORLD
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
INTERNSHIPS, ONCE A NECESSARY STOP ON THE CAREER PATH OF ASPIRING PHYSICIANS, ARE NOW COMMON FOR MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS. WE TALKED TO FOUR
AUGGIE INTERNS ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES for college students to gain hands-on experience in their fields. In addition to practical
training, internships can give students an inside view of a business or industry and help them broaden their professional networks. The internship
experience often validates a student’s career choice, but it can also lead
them to consider options they hadn’t before.
Today an internship is part of many students’ college experience and
perhaps a must for those hoping to be hired after college. According to a
May 2011 Washington Post article, internships are common for 75 percent of U.S. college students.
There are a number of reasons why students should and do take on
internships, said Lois Olson, executive director of the Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work at Augsburg. “Students get excited about what they are learning in the classroom and want to apply it
in another setting.” Often, she said, students will tell her that an internship experience helps them better understand lessons from the classroom. “They say, ‘Now I understand why we needed to learn that.’ ”
One of the most significant reasons for doing an internship relates to
getting a job after college. “A prominent message from employers is that
they want practical applied experience related to a student’s major on
their résumé,” Olson said. “They want to know they are making a good
hiring decision.”
In fact, completing at least one internship during college can have
great value beyond the learning experience. According to the 2010 Student Survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 42 percent of graduates with internships who applied for a job
received an offer compared with only 30 percent for students who had no
internship experience. In addition, students with internships tended to
receive higher starting salary offers.
As for internships leading to a job offer, Olson said technically a job
cannot be promised in an internship situation. “Most students hope it
will lead to a job,” she said. Olson added, “The reality is that many organizations will look to their interns to fill open positions should the opportunity arise.”
The prominence of internships and the rise of importance in the hiring process means students should start thinking about an internship
early. Olson said students who want to do an internship in their junior
year should start the process of planning in their sophomore year. “The
competition has really changed. It’s not as easy as making a phone call
anymore,” she said. Because the process takes longer, Olson encourages
students to dedicate as much time and attention to it as they would
when applying for a job.
Here we profile four students whose unique and challenging internships have given them insight into their chosen career fields and also
helped them grow as future leaders.
Summer 2011
21
What are you doing?
I bring the children of major donors and long-time season ticket holders onto
the field for batting practice so they can see what happens and meet the players. I also coordinate a few of the opening pitches.
’11
22
22
What have you learned?
I have learned how much goes into the presentation of a professional sporting
event. There is so much that you don’t see or hear about that’s behind the
scenes to make a baseball game run.
DAN BRANDT
What is the value of your internship?
Major: marketing
Internship: Minnesota Twins public affairs office
I have had a lot of unique experiences—meeting people, networking, and
doing things out of the ordinary that most people don’t get to do. At some
point I would like to have a career in this field, but it is very competitive.
Augsburg Now
Now
Augsburg
’11
KRISTI VINKEMEIER
Major: chemistry, biology minor
Internship: Aveda Corporation/SarTec Corporation
What are you doing?
My internship is a joint project between Aveda and SarTec Corporation. We are using the Mcgyan reactor technology to synthesize
new surfactant precursors from renewable resources. Surfactants
are an important class of molecules and integral to the performance of shampoos, conditioners, and soaps. This new surfactant
will be produced almost exclusively from renewable resources and
is expected to be fully biodegradable.
What have you learned?
When you work in lab class, your professor says, “This is what you
need to do, this is how you do it, and this is what you are going to
get.” In industry, you don’t know what you are going to get. You
have to keep strict notes. In lab you assume you’ll remember minor
details, but in the real world you can’t remember from the first
time to the fifth time. In industry, it’s not always clear as day what
is going to happen. The learning curve is much greater.
I’ve also learned about myself. Before this, I told everyone I
didn’t like research. Now I love it. I need change, so research and
development and the variety of tasks I’ve been able to do are a lot
of fun. Originally I was strongly interested in becoming a physician
assistant, but I have started to explore the idea of getting my master’s or PhD in chemistry.
What is the value of your internship?
I can’t explain how awesome an internship is. The companies are
willing to work with a student who is learning. I wish everyone
could have this opportunity. You learn so much about working with
people in a real chemistry lab.
If I went to a big school I don’t think I would have had the
same opportunities as I have had here. Augsburg has great affiliations with companies. Here, the chemistry department [faculty] got
to know me and know what I am interested in.
Summer 2011
23
What are you doing?
I have been researching the area around the proposed stops along University
Avenue on the Central Corridor Light Rail line. I have looked at the cost of developing high-density housing units in the area. I have also looked at government policies that were changed, such as some zoning policies and parking
regulations. I have had to look at the background information of the proposed
stops and give their story.
’11
TOM THAO
Major: sociology
Internship: Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC)
What have you learned?
I am getting more into urban planning and learning about the policies involved
in implementing a big project into a city.
What is the value of your internship?
I would like to have a career in urban planning, so it’s been beneficial to go
into the field and get to know people. I hope I can build up my résumé these
next few years and then get a master’s in urban regional planning. But right
now it’s about building the connections.
’11
GEOFFREY GILL
Major: youth and family ministry, psychology minor
Internship: Seeds of Change at St. Paul Central High School
What are you doing?
Seeds of Change is an after-school program directed toward African
American males. We try to give them the support they need in their
education and in their personal lives.
Our main goal is to get the families involved in the kids’ lives.
A lot of their parents don’t go to conferences and don’t know about
their kids’ grades. We are inviting the parents to a family night where
they come and get involved in conversations. We are doing a small
play to portray their experiences in school and life. It’s a chance for
them to literally tell their parents what is going on in their lives. At
the end we give the parents an opportunity to talk about what they
saw.
My goal is to be a support for the students. I first of all want to
be a listening ear and hear where they are in life and be with them.
They talk about how they moved around all their life and they never
had a stable home. A lot of them don’t have fathers in their lives.
They talk about how their relationship with their parents isn’t good
and how they have seen their parents at their lowest points. They
didn’t know how to handle it so they found a way to cope. You see
kids who get into drugs because it’s the only way that makes them
feel normal. Some of them don’t go home sometimes; they just ride
the bus all night.
What have you learned?
It has helped me immensely. I’ve been put in a leadership position as
the artistic coordinator. I’ve learned how to be a leader, how to make
decisions, and how to lead a group. It’s different leading a group of
people who are going out to do volunteer work or working with kids,
but having your own employees and needing to delegate and make
sure they stay on top of it is different. It’s been totally new for me.
I’ve learned the importance of being consistent and organized and on
time. If you’re slacking on something, it starts to show.
What is the value of your internship?
It has prepared me for the real world. When I walk into a new job situation, I am confident that I will be able to step in right away. I feel
comfortable working with young people because through the youth
and family ministry major we were taught to focus on what youth really want—not just from a religious perspective but on a human level.
When I come into a situation I am able to understand what a person
really wants.
Summer 2011
25
2011
commencment
Commencement by the numbers
3,655
150 faculty lined 7 ½ Street
and applauded graduates as they processed
tickets redeemed
2 drummers 314 steps
Bob Stacke, professor of music, was unable to
lead the procession in May due to an injury, so
he enlisted the help of Andrew Myers ’10.
718
participating graduates
(May and June)
18 FLAGS
8
Augsburg Now
210
5,200
minutes
of music, speeches, recognition, and applause
from Christensen Center
to Si Melby front steps
3
number
of
volunteers
Kwok Siu Tong, founder of United International College in Zhuhai, China
The Reverend Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway and
founder and president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights
The Reverend Ishmael Noko, general secretary (retired) of the Lutheran
World Federation
70
Doctor of Nursing
Practice graduates
representing countries of international students graduating
26
sandwiches served at postcommencement receptions
honorary degrees conferred
6 bows
1 bow
on Colin Stanhill’s beard, photo
featured in the May 8 Pioneer Press.
on President Pribbenow’s neck
(at each ceremony)
dnp
The first graduates of Augsburg’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program
are prepared to bring new perspectives to the nursing practice.
Back Row [L to R]: Kristin McHale '08 MAN; Susan Loushin '03 BSN, '06 MAN; Mary Ann Kinney '04 MAN; Kaija Freborg Sivongsay '08 MAN
Front Row [L to R]: Joyce Miller '02 BSN, '05 MAN; Katherine Baumgartner '05 MAN; Jean Gunderson '03 MAN; Deb Schuhmacher '04 MAN
At this year’s June commencement, Augsburg College graduated its
first cohort of students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
program. The DNP program, which began in 2009, is the College’s
first doctoral program.
The DNP curriculum focuses on transcultural nursing in community life, and the program has given students new perspectives
on treating people and illness.
Katherine Baumgartner ’05 MAN has been a member of the
nursing faculty since 2005. For her, the DNP program was a logical fit to expand her journey and practice and to strengthen and
deepen her knowledge in transcultural nursing. An ongoing focus
of her study and practice has been providing training and skill
building for health promoters in indigenous communities in rural
Guatemala.
Baumgartner said the DNP program reminded her that her own
experiences matter and encouraged her to go forward with her work
in Guatemala. “I learned that the practical wisdom borne from my
own experiences is not to be minimized,” she said. “That’s not a
classic outcome but is so important to my work.”
Joyce Miller ’02 BSN, ’05 MAN also has taught for the past
five years in the Augsburg nursing program. Her career focus has
always been on leadership, she said, and she felt the DNP program
would add a different dimension of care to her practice.
“This program has changed the way I look at the world and pa-
2011
tients and the way I envision health care,” Miller said. “I ask who
isn’t being cared for and how we can make sure everyone is being
cared for in the same way.”
Miller said she has learned to value “metis,” a term that refers
to collective wisdom, and to respect its role in the nursing practice.
“There is tremendous wisdom that we can learn from indigenous
healers,” she said. The nurses learned from the practices of healers in Mexico, Africa, and Native American traditions. “This program has given me the ability to stand back and respect everyone
for who they are and what they bring,” Miller said.
Jean Gunderson ’03 MAN was one of the first students to graduate from Augsburg’s nursing master’s degree program and is also
one of the first doctoral graduates. A public health nurse for the
majority of her career, Gunderson says she has dedicated her whole
life to creating systems of care that resonate with cultural diversity.
“This program has been lifelong learning for me,” Gunderson
said. She added that the program has transformed her models of
care and helped her recognize diverse ways of knowing. She also
said she has been moved to honor and recognize indigenous wisdom and to work in partnership with healers.
Both Miller and Gunderson said that being “pioneers” of the
DNP program has been rewarding. “We jumped right in with huge
faith and helped to co-create the program,” Gunderson said. “We
felt like we were partners.”
commencment
Summer 2011
27
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear fellow alumni,
I
t is with great honor and a humble
acceptance that I will serve as your
Augsburg Alumni Board president for
the 2011-2012 academic year. Having
been a part of the Alumni Board for three
years, I am very fortunate to have been selected to lead our alma mater in connecting and engaging alumni. It is my goal to
help create fun and efficient programs that will not only get you connected but will keep you engaged!
I grew up playing golf, and I absolutely love the game! My favorite
times are when I am heading off that first tee with either family or a
group of buddies and we are reminiscing or razzing one another
about past memories that bring a few laughs. It’s that type of bond
that keeps us connected and eager to reunite.
When I think of family, Augsburg is a place I keep close to my
heart—the friends that I made and the new friends that continue to
emerge. Over the past few years, the Young Alumni Council has
helped reunite old and new friends with the Young Alumni Summer
Series of events, attended by 1,500 alums. We have had a blast putting this program together and have enjoyed watching its success.
Following Auggie Eagle on Facebook and Augsburg College on
Twitter have been fantastic ways to stay in touch and relay information when groups are getting together.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 2011
graduating class! I look forward to seeing you at the 2011 Young
Alumni Summer Series. We have another engaging and entertaining set of events in store for you, including Canterbury Park on
August 5 and a Minnetonka boat
cruise on September 15! Register at
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents
or 612-330-1085.
Auggies are literally all over the world! With
more than 25,000 alumni, Auggies can be found from
New Zealand to Denmark, the United States to Japan, and
Minneapolis to San Diego. We are everywhere doing good things
for our communities! The Alumni Board is rolling out a networking
program, Augsburg Builds Connections, which will enable alumni
professionals to provide information, encouragement, and support
to current students and recent graduates. This flexible volunteer
program will allow alumni mentors to connect with students via
e-mail, phone, or face-to-face meetings and assist them in navigating their career path and achieving their professional goals.
Read more about this program on the next page. Now, assisting
Auggies is as simple as ABC!
With all of this, I can’t help but be excited for the future. I wish
you well and look forward to getting connected this year.
Sincerely,
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
P.S. The Alumni Board would like to welcome our new members:
Kathy Amos ’87, Heather Cmiel ’02, Kate Loyd ’05, and Jerry
Poland ’92
Alumni Board of Directors 2011-12
Standing (L to R): John Stadler ’07 MAL (past president); Jennifer M.
Carlson ’91; Sarah Grans ’01; Chad Darr ’04; Sharon Mercill ’09; Tracy
Anderson ’95 (secretary); Julia Mensing ’00, ’07 MBA; Michael Loney ’03
(treasurer); Kate Loyd ’05; Chris Ascher ’81 (president elect); Kathy
Amos ’87; Jerry Poland ’92; Dale Hanka ’60; Robert J. Wagner II ’02
(president); Misti Allen Binsfeld ’93; Daniel Hickle ’95
Seated (L to R): Holly Ebnet Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA; Sharon Engelland ’87;
Chris Hallin ’88
Not Pictured: Heather Cmiel ’02; Lee Anne Lack ’67; Nancy Nordlund
’91, ’07 MAL; Carolyn Spargo ’80; Maggie Tatton ’01
28
Augsburg Now
abc
Augsburg Builds Connections
CONNECTIONS HELP GRADUATES DISCOVER WHAT’S NEXT
After college, many graduates ask, “What am I going to do now?”
Since he graduated from Augsburg, Cory Allen ’07 has helped
several Auggies answer this question and find ways to share their gifts
and talents with the world.
“Augsburg is great about helping you understand your vocation,
but it’s difficult to go the rest of the way,” he said. “You have to push
yourself to discover what is next.”
Allen works with students and graduates to help them understand
their strengths and their weaknesses, what they do well and where
they can improve. He said that knowledge might help in a person’s
career but will also be beneficial in other areas of their lives.
One recent graduate who has benefitted from Allen’s mentorship
is Joe Lichtscheidl ’11. Allen helped Lichtscheidl improve his résumé
and also gave him an “in” with a local company.
Lichtscheidl said having a mentoring relationship with an alumnus who has gone through the job search is extremely helpful. “I feel
that it keeps me from stressing out about getting a job in this tough
economy because I have someone who has gone through it to help.”
Sama Sandy ’08 reconnected with Allen at a Young Alumni Summer Series event, and the two continued communicating after that
e
w
a
Alumni mentoring volunteer
opportunities will begin this fall
night. Sandy said mentorship is a mutually beneficial relationship because both parties learn from each other.
He added, “Mentorships are a fantastic way of networking in
every sense because you are able to learn more about a person, potentially provide advice or assistance during times of struggle, and
also get to be a part during the times of triumph.”
For Allen, mentoring and working with others is simply “organic.”
He said, “I think it’s my responsibility to pass on my knowledge and
experiences, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see students go from the
start of their senior year to a successful career.”
SUPPORTING FELLOW AUGGIES IS AS EASY AS ABC
The Augsburg Builds Connections (ABC) program is one of the many
volunteer opportunities available to Augsburg parents and alumni.
Volunteers in the program meet or correspond with students or graduates who are in the process of applying for a job or are interested in a
career in their industry.
Augsburg alumni and parents who participate in the ABC program
have the opportunity to help Augsburg students navigate their career
path. To learn more about Augsburg Builds Connections, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumni/abc.html.
Auggie alumnae seek to engage
women through AWE
In late 2009, a group of Auggie women gathered to respond to a
challenge: how to effectively engage more women in the life of
Augsburg College. They created AWE: Augsburg Women Engaged.
In Spring 2010, Augsburg graduates convened to share their insights about meeting this challenge. These alumnae shared two key
pieces of advice. First, alumnae desire to re-establish or strengthen
meaningful connections with classmates, faculty, current students,
and the College community. Second, women desire to make an impact in whatever they do.
We invite all alumnae to be part of making strategic connections
for the coming years for Auggie women. Participate in whatever way
best suits your interests, circumstances, and availability. Contact any
of the Advisory Council members or Donna McLean, director of development initiatives, mclean@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1556, to
find out how you can be involved.
AWE women gathered at Augsburg House on Wednesday, June 1. Pictured [L to R]:
Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL; Donna McLean; Shelby Andress ’56; Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97
MAL; Cassidy Titcomb; Sherilyn Young; Kari Eklund Logan ’82
The AWE Advisory Council members are Shelby Gimse Andress ’56;
Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97 MAL; Lisa Svac Hawks ’85; Kari Eklund Logan
’82; Jennifer Hipple ’09; Lori Moline ’82; Roz Nordaune ’77; Heidi
Wisner Staloch ’93; and Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL. We thank them
for accepting the challenge to engage more women in the life of
Augsburg College.
Summer 2011
29
alumni news
YOUNG ALUMNI
summer series
To register for the Young Alumni events or to see the full calendar
of events at Augsburg, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni
Friday, August 5, 5-7 p.m.
AUGGIE NIGHT AT THE RACES
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee
Free admission, picnic buffet, and
reserved seating
Thursday, September 15, 6-8 p.m.
BOAT CRUISE ON LAKE MINNETONKA
Join other Young Alumni donors for a
sunset boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka
with complimentary appetizers and beverages. Not a donor? Don’t miss the
boat! Become a donor today at augsburg.edu/giving.
Thursday, October 20, 7-8:30 a.m.
EYE-OPENER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BREAKFAST sponsored by Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans™
Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N., Saint Paul
$5 includes full breakfast buffet and networking
Friday, October 21, 6-8 p.m.
HOMECOMING 2011: AUGGIE HOURS
Republic (formerly Preston’s)
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Two complimentary beverages and appetizers provided
30
Augsburg Now
10% Auggie discount
In an effort to attract Augsburg’s finest back to campus
to continue their education, the Augsburg Master of
Business Administration (MBA) is offering a 10% discount on MBA tuition to graduates of any of Augsburg’s
undergraduate programs including Weekend College.
The discount applies to students who begin the MBA
program in September 2011 and will be applied to each
course in the MBA program. Admission requirements
and deadlines for the Augsburg MBA can be found at
www.augsburg.edu/mba or by calling 612-330-1101.
The Augsburg MBA is an accredited MBA that has recently become a formal candidate for global business accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business
Schools & Programs (ACBSP). Consider coming back to
Augsburg for a two-year MBA program grounded in the liberal arts with a focus on local, national, and global business issues.
Augsburg LIVE! webinar
SEPTEMBER 21
Augsburg’s President Paul C. Pribbenow has traveled this year
to ten cities and six states to engage the Augsburg community
in discussions about the College’s mission, vision, and vocation, and to foster opportunities to advance the College’s key
strategic initiatives. Alumni who have had the opportunity to
hear from the president have left with a greater sense of pride
in their alma mater and excitement for the future of the
institution.
The Augsburg LIVE! webinar is your chance to hear firsthand from President Pribbenow. Log in at www.augsburg.edu
on Wednesday, September 21, at noon CT for a 30-minute
conversation with President Pribbenow. See
images of the campus master plan
and hear stories of student success and excellence.
Augsburg
alumni
experience
the
EMERALD ISLE
Courtesy photo
auggie
involved in monitoring
Japanese nuclear facility
After the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan,
Augsburg alumna Cynthia Jones ’81 was called upon
to monitor nuclear safety of the affected Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear site.
Jones, a physics graduate and Augsburg
College regent, is a senior staff member in the
Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response
of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
and worked as part of NRC’s 24-hour Operations
Center team in the aftermath of the earthquake.
During mid-May, the NRC transitioned this 24hour monitoring to a Japanese regulatory office.
Since that time, Japanese officials have been managing the recovery process for the site.
Because of Jones’ early involvement in the response, she now is presenting at scientific conferences. During late June, she chaired a special
session at the national Health Physics Society
meeting in Florida on the response to the events.
For continuing information on NRC activities in
response to this event, go to
www.nrc.gov/japan/japan-info.html.
Early in May, Auggie alumni and friends journeyed through Ireland on an
alumni tour led by Phillip Adamo, director of the medieval studies program and
history department chair.
Highlights from the group’s travels include a Dublin cruise on the river
Liffey and sites such as the Rock of Cashel and Holy Cross Abbey. Travelers experienced the majestic landscapes at the Cliffs of Moher and explored the ancient fort of Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands. Traditional Irish music was
enjoyed in the village of Dingle and the bustling city of Galway.
The travelers are pictured in front of Kylemore Abbey, a working Benedictine abbey in the countryside of the Connemara.
Front Row [L to R]: Phil Adamo, Fritz and Linda Morlock, Marya (Christensen)
Farrell ’63, Jessica Motschenbacher ’08, Jean Moucha, Sara Naegeli, Sandi
Prince ’05, Ted Naegeli, Clodaugh Horner (Irish guide)
Back Row [L to R]: Trace Regan, Mary Ellen Kelly, John Greenfield ’66, Mary Jo
Greenfield, Bob Farrell, Jennifer Carlson ’91, Sue Tesmer ’74, Nancy and
Richard Borstad, Amanda Storm
Courtesy photo
Journey to the Holy Land
With Religion Professor Philip A. Quanbeck II
JANUARY 3-14, 2012
Travel with a community of Augsburg alumni and friends under the leadership of
religion professor Philip Quanbeck II and Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74. Discover the
geography, places, and people of the Holy Land. Visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem,
Caesarea, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and much more. Woven
into the itinerary are several opportunities to dialogue with local community
leaders who give voice to the complex history and geopolitical issues of the region. Return home with a broader and deeper understanding of a land considered holy by the world’s three monotheistic religions.
To register or request more information call 612-330-1525 or e-mail
alumni@augsburg.edu
Summer 2011
31
alumni class notes
57the 50th anniversary of his or-
Rev. Alfred Kaupins celebrated
dination on June 11.
72Come Join Their Song (pub-
Mark Shepperd's choral piece,
lished by Beckenhorst Press) won
the 2010 VocalEssence & American
Composers Forum Christmas Carol
contest. The world premiere performance was given by VocalEssence at
their Welcome Christmas concerts in
December 2010 and will be rebroadcast in December 2011 on
American Public Media. Mark has
served as minister of music at Woodbury Lutheran Church in Woodbury,
Minn., since 1990.
98master’s degrees at Hamline
Beverly Bushyhead earned
auggieSNAPSHOTS
University in nonprofit management
32
and public administration. Bev
hopes to do some research and policy work after her graduation.
Ann Jenkins has accepted a position
as an intake investigator with Allen
County Children's Services in Lima,
Ohio.
Matt Butler licensed his invention,
the ROLLORS® lawn game, to
Maranda Enterprises. Matt conceived of the game while he was
serving in the Air Force in
Afghanistan. The game has sold
more than 25,000 copies.
Julie Johnson, with Doug Otto ’05 and
Drew Druckrey, released The Banks
of the Little Auplaine, an experimental roots album that mines historic
Upper-Midwestern folk music. Julie
Johnson & The No-Accounts trio performed the song collection at a CD
release show at the Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis in April.
99graduated in May 2010 with
Kyran (Christianson) Cadmus
her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
degree from Colorado State University. She finished her Master of Public Health degree in April 2011
through the University of Minnesota.
Kyran lives in Fort Collins, Colorado
with her husband, Pete.
00
Mauris DeSilva received
recognition for a study on controlled delivery of antibiotics to
wounds. His team of researchers received first place for their work at a
poster competition.
Meg (Schmidt) Sawyer married Jim
Sawyer on October 9, 2010 in Shoreview, Minn. Meg works for Youth
Encounter, a Christian nonprofit
youth ministry organization, as the
business communications executive.
04ated with an MFA in musical
Deanne M. McDonald gradu-
theatre from Minnesota State
University Mankato.
07years as a bicycle courier in
After serving for almost three
New York City, Jenessa Stark moved
to El Paso, Tex., to study midwifery
at Maternidad La Luz midwife
school. She was also featured in
“Triple Rush,” a Travel Channel
series about New York City bicycle
messengers that aired this spring.
99Damion Spilman welcomed
Sarah (Ginkel) Spilman and
Elizabeth (Libby) Frances
Spilman on December 6, 2010.
She joins big brother Zane, 5.
00Nicki, welcomed son Foster
Mac Gordon and his wife,
06Aaron Riedel ’07 wel-
Sara Schlipp-Riedel and
on March 9.
01welcomed their first child, Liam
Carrie (Lind) Cabe and Chris Cabe
comed son Aidan Theodore on
February 22.
Christopher, on March 20.
71-73together at Augsburg and have met
Members of the Chi House lived
annually since graduation. The group received mittens hand knit by Lennice Keefe. Making them was
on her “bucket list.” Pictured [L to R] are Julie
(Hagberg) Swaggert ’73, Marilyn (Moxness) Hall ’71,
Carol (Pederson) Jorgenson ’72, Mary Lynn (Monson)
Oglesbee ’72, Lennice “Sparkie” (Nordaune) Keefe
’72, Jill Steele ’72, and Mary (Boraas) Janotta ’73.
Not pictured: Suzanne (Olson) Swanson ’73.
Augsburg Now
09ried Tom Henry Fields III
Emily (Tischer) Fields mar-
02Whaylen were married September 11, 2010 in
Brooke (Stoeckel) Whaylen and Courtney
Edina, Minn. Shelly Laugerman ’04 and Erica Champer
’04 were also in the wedding party. Brooke works as a
hospitality sales director at an area convention and visitors bureau, and Courtney works in IT security software.
on August 28, 2010 in
Rochester, Minn. Other Auggies
in the wedding party included
Killa Martinez-Aleman ’08,
Caris Warnock ’09, and Kasi
(Clauson) Lange ’08.
08
Emma Stensvaag returned to the states in December 2010
after completing 27 months of service for the U.S. Peace
Corps in Mozambique.
10program in clinical psychology at the California School of
Leann Vice-Reshel has been accepted into the doctoral
Professional Psychology in San Diego, Calif. She will begin the
program in September 2011.
Graduate Programs
Timothy (Tim) Van Rooy ’89 MAL and Rob Wagner ’02 (new
alumni board president) were chosen to help build a community with families in need through Thrivent Builds with Habitat
for Humanity in El Salvador. They helped build homes with families in need thanks to a multiyear, multimillion dollar partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™ and Habitat for
Humanity International.
Patrick Troska ’94 MAL was appointed executive director of the
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation. In addition to providing leadership for the organization’s overall strategy, Patrick will
be the lead contact for the foundation’s grantmaking strategies
related to housing and transit.
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA has been named one of the 2011
Minnesotans on the Move by Finance & Commerce. The award
honors professionals who are poised to make business history
of their own during the coming years.
Chris Wolf ’09 MAN recently published “A Head Injury Teaching
Module for Pre-Hospital Assessment" in the February 2011
issue of Military Medicine Journal. Susan Nash, Augsburg College associate professor of nursing, was co-author.
ENGAGING
Homecoming
October 16-22
2011
Join Augsburg alumni, parents, students, and friends in a fun-filled
week of events and activities.
New events have been added to this year’s schedule, including the
Student and Alumni Networking Event following the Sabo Symposium on
Wednesday, October 19, and the Alumni Art Exhibition on Friday,
October 21.
Homecoming Convocation will kick off the weekend’s events on Friday,
October 21. At convocation, we will recognize the First Decade, Spirit of
Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners, as well as members of the class of 1961. Don’t miss opportunities for fellowship and
reminiscing at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon that afternoon or
later that evening at Republic (formerly Preston’s).
Experience the Best of Augsburg on Saturday, October 22, by attending a brief lecture from three of Augsburg’s outstanding faculty
members: Garry Hesser (sociology, metro/urban studies), robert tom
(studio art), and David Murr ’92 (physics).
This year’s Taste of Augsburg pregame picnic on Saturday will include carnival-style booths operated by student, parent, and alumni
groups. Following the picnic, cheer on the Auggies at the football
game as they take on St Olaf.
The Auggie Block Party is back by popular demand! Following the
game, gather in the parking lot to the north of Si Melby Hall to enjoy
food, entertainment, and camaraderie. The activities don’t end there—
after the block party, attend the Hognander Music Scholars Reunion
Concert at 6 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel.
Homecoming weekend truly has something for everyone. For
more information and to see a complete schedule, go to
www.augsburg.edu/homecoming. We look forward to seeing you there!
go auggies!
WITH THE SCIENCES
• Beer Brewing 101 with physics professor Ben
Stottrup. Saturday, September 17, 2-4 p.m.
Great Waters Brewing Co., 427 Saint Peter
Street, Saint Paul
• Stargazing and Minnesota Starwatch Class
with WCCO Radio meteorologist Mike
Lynch and astronomy professor Mark
Bransford. Saturday, October 1,
7-9:30 p.m. Quarry Hill Nature
Center, Savanna Room, 701 Silver
Creek Road, Rochester
For more information and to RSVP, go to
www.augsburg.edu/engage or call
612-330-1085.
Summer 2011
33
’72
ASK AN AUGGIE EXPERT
Greg Fitzloff
Certified barbecue cook-off judge
How did you become certified as a barbecue judge?
Since I retired five years ago, I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer
work. I met a gentleman who was a caterer but also cooked for
a living. He would call me and I would go over when he was
testing recipes, and he said I should become a judge.
There are a couple of professional societies for barbecue
cooks, and they have a certification class and process for
judges. I found out more about it and said, “Why not?” If you
will, it kind of ended up on my own personal bucket list.
Why is a judge so important?
As the contests become more popular, the key is to draw in
top teams, and they want to be sure the judging is done correctly. In the last several years there have been more people
involved, and the prize money has grown significantly in the
professional circuit. A winner in a recent contest won
$10,000. That’s why the judging is so important.
After retiring five years ago from a career in teaching and economic development, Greg Fitzloff started checking items off
his bucket list. Now he travels around the country tasting
chicken, ribs, beef brisket, and pulled pork as a certified barbecue cook-off judge. We caught up with him at his cabin “up
North” to find out more about this delicious-sounding job!
What’s the key to a perfect barbecue?
Two key words: low and slow. Cook it on low heat, 200 to 225
degrees, and slow. It takes time—anywhere from a couple of
hours to 12 to 16 hours depending on the size and cut of meat.
What are your favorite summer barbecue side dishes?
I think the classics tend to go best. In the South and Southeast you see barbecue beans with a great variety of tastes.
Further north and in the Midwest you see potato salad and
cole slaw, of course. The other thing we’ve discovered over
the years is that after you’ve been tasting barbecue all day,
the thing that goes extraordinarily well is ice cream. I don’t
know why. That nearest Dairy Queen generally gets a big hit
after a contest.
What criteria do you use in judging barbecue?
It is fairly structured, but you are looking for three things. First
is appearance—how the meat actually looks. Does it look like
something you want to eat right away? Presentation is so important. The second is tenderness—is it cooked correctly? Each
category has a slightly different process, but the questions are:
Is it done? Is it cooked all the way through? Does the meat pull
off the bone? And the final thing is the taste. Can you taste the
meat? Does it taste good? We’re trying to judge to a certain
standard, not based on what we like personally.
Have you had any judging mishaps? Tasted an
especially bad barbecue?
Even though these are supposed to be really good cooks, they
make mistakes. The most difficult category is beef brisket,
and they usually make one of two mistakes. They overcook it
to the point where it’s absolutely overdone, and once that
happens, there’s nothing you can do about it. Or if they cut it
with the grain, that meat is literally the consistency of shoe
leather. We are supposed to taste it, but if you can’t get a bite
out of it you can’t taste it. That’s always somewhat comical.
34
Augsburg Now
Would you like us to feature you in a future
issue? E-mail now@augsburg.edu and tell
us about your area of expertise!
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
Rev. Hamar Benson ’34, Auburn, Wash., age 100, on November 27.
William A. Benson, Jr. ’42, Minnetonka, Minn., age 90, on April 11.
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
Dr. Henry Staub ’43, Minneapolis, age 91, on March 8.
Maria E. (Sandness) Berryman ’47, Minneapolis, age 89, on February 26.
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
Melvin Haven ’47, Mesa, Ariz., age 88, on December 8.
Gordon D. Ahlquist ’48, Robbinsdale, Minn., age 88, on February 24.
Paul D. Arnold ’48, Milaca, Minn., age 85, on April 20.
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Vincent S. Dahle ’49, Shoreview, Minn., age 83, on April 18.
Donald H. Hegg ’49, Minneapolis, age 86, on March 10.
Lillian L. Stadelman ’49, Pound, Wis., age 90, on April 27.
Jeanette Jacobson Martinson ’49, Decorah, Iowa, age 85, on March 15.
Quentin G. Quanbeck ’50, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 83, on February 18.
Don L. Ortler ’51, Coon Rapids, Minn., age 82, on October 1.
Donald R. Oscarson ’52, Northbrook, Ill., age 81, on April 23.
Ralph Kirchoff ’53 on January 6, 2010.
Edwin T. Johnson ’55, Walton, N.Y., age 91, on May 7.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Marshall D. Johnson ’57, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., age 75, on January 26.
Jerry D. Carlson ’59, New Brighton, Minn., age 75, on December 20.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Harold W. Schilling ’59, Annandale, Minn., age 80, on May 8.
Viola (Anderson) Aaseng ’69, Eau Claire, Wis., age 86, on August 20, 2010.
Ronald A. Berg ’69, Arden Hills, Minn., age 64, on April 20.
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Thomas P. O’Meara ’71, Minneapolis, age 63, on November 28.
____________________________________________________________
Terrance L. Blue ’72, Minneapolis, age 61, on February 15.
Richard W. Kelley ’72, Minneapolis, age 64, on August 25, 2010.
Nancy (Krusemark) Kruse ’76, Eden Prairie, Minn., age 56, on November 30.
Janice O’Brien ’87, Burnsville, Minn., age 68, on June 21, 2010.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Lucas R. Johnson ’07, New Hope, Minn., age 27, on April 3.
Summer 2011
35
’67
gene hugoson
Auggie tills a different field to success
Gene Hugoson credits his success to a lifetime of farming and a
liberal arts education. He said that his grounding in a range of topics—politics, communication, science, geography—allowed him to
bridge diverse issues and backgrounds in each of the public service positions he’s held.
“The idea of a liberal arts background was perfect for what I’ve
done,” Hugoson said. “My knowledge is 15-miles wide and half an
inch thick.”
Hugoson, who earned a social sciences teaching degree from
Augsburg College, recently was appointed a senior fellow for the
University of Minnesota’s Global Initiative for Food Systems Leadership. He will collaborate with farmers and farm groups, state and
federal government, and businesses to find improved ways to
maintain food security.
“The idea of a liberal arts background was perfect for
what I’ve done,” Hugoson said. “My knowledge is
15-miles wide and half an inch thick.”
One project on which he will focus is the development of a plan
for the prevention, isolation, control, and economic recovery from
foot-and-mouth disease in the domestic livestock herd. This project includes working with a multistate education consortium.
“Part of my role is to use past contacts and experiences to tap
into relationships at the federal level,” he said. “It will be a challenge and will test my mettle. But we need that broad base of information and understanding at the table.”
Prior to his work at the University of Minnesota, Hugoson served
as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
(MDA). It’s a post he held for nearly 16 years and through three
gubernatorial administrations. And again, he credits his education
for this success.
“Most of my colleagues in other states were agriculture school
grads. Veterinarians,” he said. “Mine was social science and education—in reality, it was perfect. It is key for these kinds of roles.”
Hugoson also credits his success to a lifetime of farming. He
36
Augsburg Now
farmed while at MDA. He farmed before that, during the five terms
he was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Even
in his new post, he still farms 600 acres of corn and soybeans located less than a mile from the East Chain, Minn., farm on which
he was raised.
“I kept farming out of necessity to keep my day job,” Hugoson
said. “The governors said they wanted a real farmer. I think being a
farmer turned out to be a huge plus. I have credibility with the
farming community. I can stand up and talk about what it’s like to
be in the combine all night because of threatening weather or at
the elevator selling my beans.”
As much as farming has helped Hugoson succeed in his public
leadership roles, it also has other rewards.
“Farming also is my relaxation,” Hugoson said. “In the tractor or
combine, I can see what I accomplish right behind me. That’s not
always the case at the office. It’s nice to see corn combined or
tilled earth.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
a
an
augsburg legacy
to
sy p h o
g
k celebratin
Harriett Kure
hday.
her 90th birt
Harriett Kurek, a long-time member of Trinity Lutheran
Congregation, generously included a gift of $250,000 to
Augsburg College in her will. “She was a very giving,
caring person to her family and to her community,” said
her niece, Joyce Nyland. Senior Pastor Jane BuckleyFarlee said Kurek loved the way Trinity is involved the
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and appreciated how
Augsburg shares that commitment with Trinity and welcomes the congregation on its campus.
C o u rte
Courtesy photo
Harriett Kurek
an augsburg legacy
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
2010 Presidential Award for Community Service
In the summer, Augsburg’s laboratories and classrooms come alive with the enthusiasm of our
neighborhood youth. Aspiring scientists and future healthcare professionals learn through programs
like Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS) and Guys in Science and Engineering
(GISE), as well as the Urban Scrubs camp (pictured here). These are three of the programs for
which Augsburg was recognized this year with the 2010 Presidential Award for Community Service.
(See story on page 3).
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming ... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming 2010
Editor
notes
from President Pribbenow
w
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Coming Home
e celebrated Homecoming this year in
grand fashion, welcoming more than
1,000 alumni, families, and friends at
events during the week.
I am mindful of the many ways in which coming home to Augsburg has meaning for alumni and
those of us on campus. We all share in common
this place and the experience that continues to
shape our lives in the world. And when we “come
home,” we mark just how powerful those connections and shared experiences are to our personal
and common callings in the world.
So what does it mean to come home to Augsburg?
First, it is quite literally a homecoming to this
place in the heart of Cedar-Riverside and Minneapolis, this campus home we have inhabited
since 1872 when our Norwegian-American ancestors first settled here.
Homecoming seems especially meaningful this
year as our campus community is engaged in a Commission on Campus Space and Master Planning—
exploring together what it means that we are in this
urban setting and what our aspirations are for the future of Augsburg’s campus. During this year, we will
plan for new buildings, landscape, and the responsible use of space. And we also will consider what it
means that we are here in Cedar-Riverside, this
neighborhood we share with various neighbors. How
best do we honor our role as neighbor here?
Second, homecoming also marks our return to a
community, a gathering of those who share our commitments to education for service.
There are clear distinctions in the nature of this
community over time. We are much larger—we now
count more than 4,100 students and 650 faculty
and staff. We offer a wider range of academic programs—from our traditional day program to adult
undergraduate and expanding graduate opportunities. We are increasingly diverse—in ethnic and religious background, in age and in socioeconomic
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
class, and in so many other ways. But at its core it
is still Augsburg, a community grounded in offering
a superior educational experience for all students
that focuses on the intersections of faith, learning,
and service.
Augsburg is one of the most hospitable and welcoming communities I know, a place that believes
deeply that access to education demands of us a
commitment to justice for all God’s creatures.
Finally, you come home to a mission, a character,
and a set of values that abide over the years. Here, we
still celebrate the Word made flesh. Here, we still
share with our immediate neighbors an immigrant
sensibility, the belief that education is at the core of
a healthy neighborhood and democracy. Here, we still
work together to ensure that all deserving students
can receive an Augsburg education. Here, we still
help each other discern our vocations and gain the
skills and knowledge to live them out in the world.
In the work and lives of our alumni, we have remarkable stories of how this distinctive Augsburg
mission has made a difference in the world over
the years. For those of us who are the current stewards of Augsburg’s mission, I urge you to listen to
the stories of our alumni for they are our “epistles
to the world,” our parables of what an Augsburg
education means. You will be amazed by what they
have accomplished.
I hope those of you who came to Homecoming
were able to meet our current students, because they
are the most powerful statements of our mission, our
aspirations to make a difference in the world. They
are remarkable signs of what we can look forward to
as Augsburg seeks to live out its mission to educate
students who are “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
Welcome home to Augsburg!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
fall 2010
Features
12
18
26
contents
22
12
18
22
26
29
29
augsburg now
On the cover
Auggies are awwwe-some! With boomsticks in hand,
Auggies cheer on the football team at Homecoming.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
Homecoming 2010
She loves being an Auggie: Meet Martha Stortz
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
The Sabo Symposium:
Understanding healthcare reform
by Betsey Norgard
Celebrating our success
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Annual report to donors, 2009–10
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
9
10
11
43
48
52
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the course
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
Partners in the park
New Board of Regents members elected
Murphy Square, the three acres that sit squarely in the middle of
Augsburg’s campus, is the oldest park in the city of Minneapolis.
It was given to the city by Edward Murphy in 1857, when he platted “Murphy’s Addition.” At that time, however, this first
city park was quite far from the small settlements
in St. Anthony and Minneapolis, and for 20
years or more the park served mostly as cow
pasture.
As Augsburg grew, the park became more
and more surrounded by the College and incorporated into college life and traditions.
Homecoming parades have flowed
around it, science contraptions
have been launched in the annual Agre Challenge, tents have
held formal receptions for commencements and inaugurations, and many games of
Frisbee, grills of hotdogs, and
hours of sunbathing have taken
place in the park.
On October 16 at Homecoming, a formal partnership with the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was celebrated in which
Augsburg assumes responsibility for the maintenance of the park.
The partnership serves as the foundation for further cooperative
efforts and engagement with the park board as Augsburg moves
forward with campus master planning, including a proposed
sweeping green landscape across campus.
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporation
Governing Board elected four new members to the Augsburg
Board of Regents, and re-elected three members to second terms.
Elected for first, four-year terms are:
Cynthia Jones ’81
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96
LaJune Thomas Lange
Rev. David Tiede
Cynthia Jones ’81, Senior
Technical Advisor for
Nuclear Security, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96,
Senior Vice President,
Northland Securities
LaJune Thomas Lange,
Judge (retired), Fourth
Judicial District of
Minnesota
Rev. David Tiede, Interim
President, Wartburg
Theological Seminary;
Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor Emeritus of
Religion and Vocation
Elected to second, four-year terms are:
Richard C. Hartnack, Vice Chairman, Consumer Banking, U.S.
Bancorp
André Lewis ’73, President (retired), RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Rev. Norman Wahl ’75, Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn.
Christensen
Symposium 2010
On October 3, Gracia Grindal ’65
presented the life and legacy of
Bernhard Christensen, “Devoutly
Would He Teach.” On October 4,
the symposium continued with
the inauguration of Martha
Stortz as the Bernhard M.
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation (see page 18).
Read Grindal’s address at
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Bruce Rowe, groundskeeper, begins his day beautifying Murphy Square.
2
Augsburg Now
NewsNotes
Urban Scrubs camp on campus
Augsburg joined with HealthForce Minnesota, Fairview Health
Services, the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, and the University of
Minnesota to host a five-day Urban Scrubs camp. Students in
grades 9–12, many from the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood,
lived on campus and explored opportunities in healthcare fields.
Commission Augsburg focuses on mission
At its 2010 spring meeting, the Augsburg Board of Regents
adopted a new mission statement for the College. Following
two years of conversation about the character and identity of
Augsburg, the new mission statement incorporates many
changes that have come about in the past 20 years, including nontraditional undergraduate programs, graduate studies, a campus in Rochester, global study programs, and
continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students.
The new Augsburg College mission is:
“Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community
that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts
and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the
Lutheran Church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.”
During this year, Commission Augsburg will present a series
of conversations across the country for alumni, parents, and
friends to learn about how the Augsburg mission sets a clear
map for the future of the College. Watch for opportunities to
meet and hear from President Pribbenow and others from
the College. To learn more about Commission Augsburg, go
to www.augsburg.edu/president/initiatives/Commission.pdf.
To learn more about events in your area, contact the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
Augsburg in the rankings:
• The Princeton Review—one of 152 schools named “2011 Best in the Midwest,” based on excellent academic programs, visits to the schools, and
reports from students.
• 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with
Distinction—115 colleges honored for commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
• “Cool Schools,” Sierra magazine’s 2010 rankings of colleges’ sustainability efforts. Augsburg placed number 102 in the top 162 schools across
the nation.
• Washington Monthly magazine’s 2010 rankings of best master’s universities in the nation, based on contribution to public good in three areas: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), producing
cutting-edge research and scholarship, and community service.
Augsburg placed 71 of 100.
Grant to support low-income students
The Travelers Company selected Augsburg to participate in the Travelers
EDGE program, a five-year initiative that focuses on recruitment and retention of low-income students of color from the St. Paul public schools.
Augsburg was one of a small number of colleges selected for the program
because of its success in recruiting students from underrepresented
populations.
Pillsbury United Communities Award to Augsburg
Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis gave its President’s Leadership
Award this year to Augsburg College for “outstanding contributions to the
Brian Coyle Center and the entire community.” The award especially recognizes MBA student projects, service-learning, community engagement, and
initiatives with the Social Work Department.
Gordon Nelson’s death is mourned
Professor emeritus of sociology Gordon Nelson died
on July 6 following complications from a stroke.
He taught in the Sociology Department, including
serving as chair of the department, from 1967 to
his retirement in 2001. For decades he was a DFL
activist, elected city official, and an aide to U.S.
Rep. Martin Sabo. A memorial service was held in
Hoversten Chapel on September 11.
Welcome, Class of 2014
The first-year, Class of 2014, is one of the most diverse in Augsburg’s history.
419 first-year students
Composition—41% students of color, 43% first-generation college students
Gender—185 male (44%), 234 female (56%)
Geography—351 Minnesota residents, plus 17 other states and 10 countries
Total Augsburg student body—4,109 (2,132 traditional day students, 1,057
weekend undergraduate students, 920 graduate students)
Fall 2010
3
“Gabe” retires after 47 years
When asked how he prefers to be addressed, music professor
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63 always responds, “My friends call me
‘Gabe.’” After 47 years on the music faculty, “Gabe” is retiring in
December. At Homecoming in October, many former students,
friends, and colleagues celebrated his work and legacy at a tribute
concert.
In 1963, while still a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Gabrielsen received an invitation from Music Department
chair Leland Sateren to return to teach in Augsburg’s Music Department. Since then, Gabrielsen has also served as College organist
and has played organ for chapel every day, which Pastor Dave Wold
figures must add up to more than 5,000 services.
Gabrielsen was at the organ for Augsburg’s first Advent Vespers
service in 1980, and missed only two services in the 30 years
since. He fondly recalls that first Advent Vespers service, which succeeded in creating what he and others had hoped for—an unusual
spiritual experience through music and liturgy. “From the somber
dark of Advent, the service grew to brilliant Christmas light, and
down again to peacefully and quietly end … it was just magic.”
A new organ for the chapel
A high point during Gabrielsen’s tenure at Augsburg was the installation of the Dobson organ in the new Hoversten Chapel in the fall
of 1988. “The building of our wonderful organ in the chapel would
have to be a MOST exciting [highlight],” he says. “I will always be
thankful that the Augsburg Associates financed the organ. They
gave me free reign (within reason) to choose which stops would be
in the organ. Every organist ought to have such an opportunity!”
During the inaugural year of the new organ, Gabrielsen initiated a
series of concerts called “Organ Plus” that featured musician colleagues and friends. Because the series grew so popular, Organ Plus
became an annual event for the next decade.
Gabe’s teaching innovations
David Cherwien ’79 recalled at the celebration concert that he and
other students often would arrive for one of Gabrielsen’s music
classes and find a canon
written out on the blackboard. The class would begin
with all the students singing
in parts.
Music professor Merilee
Klemp ’75 also remembers
those canons as one example
of how “Gabe was great at
making music real, whether
he was teaching theory or
President Paul Pribbenow congratulated
history—it was just his pracStephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 as he received
tice of making music.”
the Spirit of Augsburg award at Homecoming.
4
Augsburg Now
Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 has played the organ for daily chapel since Hoversten
Chapel opened in 1988.
What may be the most vivid in many students’ memories of
classes with Gabrielsen, however, were his dreaded “drop the needle” music repertoire tests, which he created as a way to bolster
students’ knowledge.
Serving the church as organist
Gabrielsen is a fellow of the American Guild of Organists and studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, as
a Lutheran World Federation scholar. For 50 years he served as
church organist in seven metro area Lutheran congregations, including 10 years each at Holy Trinity in Minneapolis and Calvary
Lutheran in Golden Valley. In addition, he often played recitals and
dedicatory concerts when congregations purchased new organs.
Music therapy professor Roberta Kagin was one of many former
students and colleagues who offered personal notes to Gabrielsen at
the tribute concert. She reflected on the 36 years they shared
neighboring offices in Music Hall. The tribute she read to
Gabrielsen described the care, devotion, and mentoring that he
pays to each of his students. “Years after a student graduated, and
we tried to track them down,” Kagin read, “we would always say,
‘Gabe will know’—and you not only remembered the students, but
also knew their spouses and children.”
At Homecoming Gabrielsen was also honored with the Spirit of
Augsburg award (see page 15). In fact, his entire family shares the
spirit of Augsburg, as Gabrielsen’s wife, Kathleen ’79, and their two
children, Buffy ’89 and Joe ’91, have all attended Augsburg.
Gabrielsen grew up in Norwegian communities, where his father,
a Norwegian immigrant, was a Lutheran pastor. Many know that
Gabe will now have time in retirement to search out and tell more of
the Ole and Lena jokes for which he is legendary. Uff da.
BETSEY NORGARD
Embedded with the National Guard
Augsburg’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship collaborates with
the Minnesota National Guard to offer opportunities for student
journalists to spend a week embedded with the Minnesota National
Guard during training exercises.
Jenny Avery, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in
creative writing, went to the field each day with the soldiers to
identify stories, shoot photographs, and conduct interviews. This is
one of many examples of students enjoying personal experiences in
their learning.
A New Universe
Courtesy photo
by Jenny Avery ’11
24 May, 2010
I had never seen anything
like it before. The split second of each fiery explosion
was almost disturbingly
beautiful as the smoke dispersed into fluffy clouds of
ash. Each moment-long eruption took at least 45 minutes
to prepare for, which is a
generous estimate to say the least. Little did I know that so much
preparation would go into a task that one could miss with a blink
of an eye.
Our van had been driving for about 20 minutes across the
grounds where these sorts of exercises are held before we actually
found the specific land that this particular event was holding. We
parked a ways away though; the remainder of our journey we arrived by foot. I, the four other journalists involved in this embed,
and Specialist Cassinos soon enough found the company we were
told to meet with. A group of maybe 12 men were grouped near
one of the bunkers on top of the hill.
When we first laid eyes on the land spread out in front of us, all
that could be seen was a plain of grass, a small little hut off in the
far distance, and mounds of dirt and sand in between the outstretch of land from the bunkers and the cube-shaped building.
About 15 to 20 minutes after we found the National Guardsmen at
the bunkers, four enormous M113 vehicles started slinking their
way towards us, making their way down the steep hill.
We watched as these gargantuan machines lined up in one row
facing the hut across the way. The back ramps from each of them
slowly lowered themselves to the ground. Emerging then from each
vehicle were 13 soldiers, preparing themselves and their equipment for their upcoming mission.
I watched as a large, collective group jogged over to the heavilysanded portion of the landscape. Essentially, the mission was to
set off the explosions on the land, and eventually inside the house.
As the preparation continued, Lieutenant Matthew Sullivan explained to us the layout of what was about to come.
“So basically what they’re going to do is breach the mine field
here ... breach the wire opposite below, and then breach into the
house. And there’s different levels. There’s gaul stage, block stage,
and run stage, and for a training scenario it’s gonna be a little
slower than what it would be in real life ... a real life operation. A
real life operation, we’d be rollin’ in, throwin’ their targets. Boom.”
Being such a great distance away from the company below, it
was difficult to distinguish what the soldiers were doing precisely,
but I got the gist that they were planting the explosives in the field
and waiting for the cue to detonate. At some point I even saw a
few men crawling across the dirt pit, possibly simulating how one
may have to keep hidden in a real circumstance.
“… You might wanna cover your ears,” a soldier pointed out.
Taking his advice, I temporarily put down my camera and pressed
my inner ears with my index and middle fingers.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame burst out from the
ground, and a moment later a thunderous rumble shook my entire
body. My chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts inside of
it, and then it was all over. Puffy mushrooms of smoke wafted into
each other from the aftermath of the explosion. I watched in awe
as the cushiony-looking matter spread into thin swirls, eventually
disbursing itself evenly to blend back in with its invisible counterpart called air. Around me I overheard conversations from small
groups, hearing the words but not registering what they were saying. I was too engulfed in the explosion and the rush that it gave
me to even want to try and understand the clearly spoken English
emitted from their mouths.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame
burst out from the ground, and a moment later a
thunderous rumble shook my entire body. My
chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts
inside of it, and then it was all over.
After the first or second explosion I was able to relocate to the
lower bunker, the one closer to the wrecking site. The soldiers in
that spot were just as lively if not more so. We cracked jokes about
Monty Python and discussed laundry mishaps; for that spot in time
we weren’t students and soldiers, we were just people.
To read more of Jenny Avery’s story, go to
www.augsburg.edu/democracy/videos.html
Fall 2010
5
500 years ago in the old
church buildings, pilgrim
paths, and road markers.” He says that while
he went there as a
Lutheran pastor, part of a
Lutheran Church with all
its modern trappings, he
came back with a much
better understanding of
the formation of the early
Lutheran movement.
“Those monks started
Andrew and Sarah Wilson completed the 1,000-mile
reading the Bible in a
pilgrimage that Martin Luther made to Rome in
new way that differed
1510. They presented “Here I Walk” as Augsburg’s
Founders Day lectures in November.
from the institutional
church’s way,” he says.
Wiersma’s “Here I Walk” experience caused him to reflect upon
Luther’s own experience. Luther’s 1510 pilgrimage brought him to
Rome, where he was scandalized by the conduct of clergy and the
religious commercialism. Wiersma understood that Luther’s long
journey back to Germany would have given the monk a long time to
think over and talk about what he witnessed in Rome. Seven years
later, he posted the 95 Theses, igniting the Reformation.
BETSEY NORGARD
Andrew Wilson
Scholars of the Reformation gain deep knowledge by studying the
writings of Martin Luther, but for Hans Wiersma it also became experiential when he spent four days walking in the footsteps of
Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome 500 years ago.
Just before fall semester classes began, Wiersma joined the
project “Here I Walk,” led by Andrew and Sarah Wilson, two
Lutheran ecumenical scholars, who retraced the entire 1,085-mile
route walked by Luther from the monastery in Erfurt, Germany, to
Rome. Wiersma walked with the Wilsons for 66 miles, from Erfurt
to Coburg.
Wiersma had met Andrew Wilson at a conference, and what resulted for Wiersma was a fortunate convergence of his disciplinary
interest in Reformation studies, his research focus on the early
Luther and the Augustinian monks who followed him, and
Wiersma’s undergraduate background and continued interest in
documentary filmmaking.
The modern pilgrims followed the old pilgrim routes, sometimes
spotting stone route markers from the 16th century. They followed
the traditional rules of pilgrimage—prayers, scripture reading,
chores, and conversation. “It gave me a sense of how 16th-century
monks traveled,” Wiersma says, “and what it felt like.” He enjoyed
the absence of modern distractions. As it was for the early monks,
lodging could be found each night, with bigger towns conveniently
spaced a day’s walk apart.
What Wiersma brought back was an “appreciation of how much
Europe is built on its past. It’s still easy to connect with Europe of
Religion professor Hans Wiersma joined the “Here I Walk” pilgrimage during its first four days, from Erfurt to Coburg, Germany.
6
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
Here I walk ...
Augsburg stands up
When Taylor Foster heard that one of her
friends had been assaulted because of his
sexual orientation this fall, she decided to
turn her anger into something positive. Her
Facebook event, titled “Stand Up Against
Hate,” was the beginning of a show of support that took Foster, and perhaps others in
the Augsburg community, by surprise.
In her Facebook posting, Foster wrote:
As an Auggie and a member of the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] community, I am outraged at the fact that these acts are being
committed at such a diverse and accepting place
as Augsburg. For, “The Augsburg experience is
supported by an engaged community that is committed to … intentional diversity in its life and
work.” Intentional diversity is the key part in that
statement. We need to make a statement that we
are not going to tolerate hateful acts at Augsburg.
We need to make it known that it is okay to be who
you are …”
Foster created the event expecting only
her close friends to join. Just two days after
she posted it, more than 600 people had
responded to show their support. President
Pribbenow, faculty and staff, and alumni
across the country joined students and
donned a specific color of the rainbow each
day of the week of October 4.
Students held a rally and prayer service
and a march for equality on campus. Several
local media outlets came to campus to interview Foster. “All of this attention and support
was beyond my wildest dream,” she says.
In his weekly update to the community,
President Pribbenow wrote about the
events. “This past week was especially difficult for our campus community because
of the hateful and hurtful acts of some individuals. These actions were contrary to
everything we value in honoring one another, as clearly stated in our mission. I’m
very proud of our students who took the
leadership in standing up for and demonstrating their support for the values we
share as a community.”
Foster says she feels members of the
GLBT community now have a better
understanding of how many allies are at
Augsburg. She also believes the week of
awareness-building activities helped allies
and others see how GLBT people face discrimination in their lives.
Most importantly, Foster says she hopes
the Stand Up Against Hate event will continue to reinforce the message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at
Augsburg. “I was more than thrilled to see
Augsburg come together as a community
and stand up against hate. It made me
proud to be an Auggie.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Fall 2010
7
Exploring separate worlds
On an October afternoon when icy winds and rain interrupted an
unusually mild autumn, 15 Augsburg students and their professor
donned boots, opened umbrellas, and took a stroll down
Minneapolis’ Park Avenue.
The group began in the Grand Hall of the American Swedish Institute, a Gothic mansion on the corner of Park and 26th, which
once was the home of Swan Turnblad. Guided by Nina Clark, ASI’s
director of programs and exhibits, they walked toward Franklin
Avenue, learning about other historic homes where some of the
city’s wealthiest families lived in the early 20th century.
The students learned that many of the homes still standing are
occupied by social service agencies that serve those without
homes, people facing addiction and mental health issues, and immigrant families.
This expedition was just one of the ways students were able to
see the juxtaposition of poverty and wealth in the city. In “Separate
Worlds: Comparing Homelessness and Affluence in the United
States,” associate sociology professor Tim Pippert hopes to help students understand the variables of economic and housing stability.
Through a combination of readings, speakers, and involvement
in service projects, students learn about housing, financial stability, social networks, and the trend of increased homelessness in
the United States. Hearing many different viewpoints, Pippert believes, will help students recognize and appreciate the reasons behind the increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor.
Students will also hear from a variety of speakers throughout
the semester, helping them to better understand the people and
the issues. Youth and family ministry major Justin Daleiden says,
“City council member Cam Gordon came into our class so we
could discuss how homelessness is affecting our very neighborhood. Hearing these speakers from our city makes the subject a
little more palatable.”
“Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the
best things that has ever happened in my life, and
when people ask where I’m from, I say that I’m
from Augsburg because this really is my home.”
In addition to classroom work, these students are actively involved in the community by volunteering at places such as Peace
House and Secure Waiting. Perhaps their biggest connection is
with St. Stephen’s Human Services, whose mission is to end
homelessness.
“We’re beyond the classroom … in all sorts of arenas that this
city offers,” Pippert says.
These outside experiences help students relate what they are
learning in the classroom to real people and present-day issues.
8
Augsburg Now
Some of the homes of Minneapolis’ wealthiest families now serve as social service
agencies. The Sumner T. McKnight mansion at 2200 Park Avenue is home to American
Indian Services.
“I think this is a great example in which we are able to learn about
a specific topic and serve the community at the same time. I think
more courses should incorporate some kind of service work like
this one,” Daleiden says.
Veronica Berg, a sophomore social work major, has a particular interest in Pippert’s course—before she came to Augsburg last fall,
Berg was homeless. She says the class has given her insight into aspects of homelessness that she didn't encounter because of her age
and the paths she chose. “I feel validated in this class, learning that
my experiences haven’t been that strange and reading about individuals who have walked some of the same paths as me.”
Berg says she is grateful for the support of faculty and staff at
Augsburg and also for the opportunities she has received in college. “Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the best things that
has ever happened in my life, and when people ask where I’m
from, I say that I’m from Augsburg because this really is my
home,” Berg says.
For their final projects, students will compare the differences—
social and physical—between the lives of the affluent and people
who are without homes. Pippert hopes that through this course,
students will develop a deeper understanding of how increasingly
stratified American society is and think about ways to mitigate
what he sees as a damaging and unjust trend.
KATELYN DANELSKI ’13 AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Auggies on the course
Ladies of the links lift the team
There was a time not all that long ago when simply getting enough
players to field a complete team was a challenge for the Augsburg
women’s golf program. As a result, the on-course performance of
the Auggies wasn’t where it might have been.
Johanna Frykmark (left below) and Stef Zappa (right below)
have changed that. The two seniors have brought stability, seriousness, and increased levels of success to Augsburg’s women’s golf
program. They have both been All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selections, both have shown great im-
provement on the course, and both will graduate at the end of this
semester after three-and-a-half years on campus.
“Without them, our team wouldn’t be anywhere near where we
are now,” coach Ted Vickerman says. “They’ve really changed the
mentality to where we want to do our best. We’re beating teams.”
The two take pride in how the program has changed during their
tenure. “Our first year, we were last in the conference, but we had
fun doing it,” Zappa says. “Everybody’s improved. Both of us have
had five or six stokes (average per round) of improvement.”
At the MIAC championship meet—her final collegiate event—in
early October, Zappa became the first Augsburg women’s golfer to
earn multiple All-MIAC honors, finishing seventh, the highest-ever
finish for an Auggie at the MIAC championships.
Johanna Frykmark finished in 25th place and joins Zappa as
the second of three Auggie women’s golfers to record 25th-orbetter finishes in three MIAC meets.
Both appreciate their time at Augsburg and the role golf
has played in their Auggie experience. “My first year was
pretty rough,” Frykmark says. “I had a hard time fitting in
and I missed home a lot. I’ve changed so much as a person since I came here. The golf team was a big part of
that; they were my second family when I got here.”
After completing her degree in international
business and business management, Frykmark
hopes to find a position with an international company that does business both in the U.S. and in
her native Sweden.
Zappa is on her way to becoming a teacher,
spending this semester student-teaching
first- and second-graders at Barton Open
School in South Minneapolis. She’s also
helping to coach volleyball at Minneapolis
South High School.
While that’s a heavy load, Zappa wasn’t
going to walk away from the golf team.
Zappa—who had a hole-in-one on her 20th
birthday during a tournament at Carleton—
didn’t practice with the team as often this
fall as she would have liked. Instead, she
practiced in the evenings and remained one
of the team’s top golfers—that is, on a team
much more stable than before Zappa and
Frykmark arrived on campus.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and Communication Office.
Fall 2010
9
auggie voices
Coach Holker becomes an Auggie
Greg Holker knows that his class ring from Gustavus
Adolphus College is in a box at his house. And he’s pretty
sure he knows where his diploma is.
But that is it. Those are the only tangible things the
Augsburg men’s soccer coach has left from his time both
as a player and as an assistant coach in St. Peter, Minn.
Holker openly admits he didn’t think that was going to
be the case when he took over the Auggie program in
2004. His goal was pretty simple: make Augsburg respectable, win some games, and put himself in position to
become the next Gustavus coach.
“I had a five-year plan,” he says. “I thought I’d be here
three years and I’d be out.” But something happened
along the way to mess up those plans—Holker became
an Auggie.
“The institution has evolved significantly over the six
years I’ve been here and I’ve changed as well,” Holker
says. “I started to embrace the institution and our work.”
He also had success. In 2006 Holker led Augsburg’s
men’s soccer team to a 13-victory season and a first-ever
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoff
berth. In 2008 Augsburg reached the NCAA tournament for
the first time in school history and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Loras College in two overtimes.
This past spring, however, brought out the truest example
that Holker had genuinely become an Auggie. When the
head soccer coach position at Gustavus opened, Holker was
approached about the job and spent a day in St. Peter.
Before the search moved any farther along, however,
Holker pulled out of consideration.
And this year, following a record-breaking season for
men’s soccer, Holker was named MIAC Coach of the Year,
and sophomore Chad Gilmer was named MIAC Player of
the Year. The team won the MIAC playoff championship
and advanced to the national tournament for the second
time. It won the first round, but lost to the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round.
“At the end of the day, this is where I want to be,”
Holker says. “I like being in the city and I like that there’s
a very true identity here. I think I’m 100% in love with
what this institution does. Seven years ago, this was a job.
Now, it's a part of me.”
And now he’s an Auggie.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and
Communication Office.
10
Augsburg Now
it takes an
Auggie
The student Phonathon—Dialing for Augsburg dollars
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT, alumni and friends of Augsburg
might receive a call from a student who is working
to secure donations to The Augsburg Fund.
We asked some of the student callers to share their
experiences and knowledge with our readers.
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Chris Fleming ’12
Psychology/Sociology major, Spanish minor
First year as a student caller
Q. What would you like students and
alumni to know about giving back to
Augsburg?
A. When you do become an alum, remember that while you were in school someone
made a way for you to get through college.
Remember to always give back to the community that gave to you. I know we all say,
“Well I will come back to visit and volunteer my time,” but sometimes you must go
beyond. If you dig deep to give a few dollars to support another student, they will
be able to give back when they graduate.
It’s a domino effect.
Elisabeth Clemans ’11
Pa Dao Yang ’11
Social work major, psychology minor
Has been a caller for four years
Sociology major
Has been a caller for four years
Q. Why should alumni and friends support
The Augsburg Fund?
Q. What have you learned about Augsburg
through this work?
A. I am a recipient of financial aid at
Augsburg, so I want to thank all the
alumni, parents, and friends who give to
The Augsburg Fund. It’s really important
for students like me because every gift increases the percentage of alumni who
give back. That makes the College more
reputable and helps me get a job after I
graduate!
A. What I have learned while working at
The Augsburg Fund is the importance of
keeping the alumni updated on Augsburg.
For example, I talk about the new Oren
Gateway Center or speak about events
such as the chocolate tasting event at the
History Center. It’s fun to talk to alumni
about what is happening on campus and to
listen to them speak about their
experiences.
Ember Russell ’11
Elementary education major
Has been a caller for two years
Q. Have you had any especially memorable calls?
A. I was talking with a lady who had studied elementary education. It was really interesting
to hear how much the Education Department has changed! She gave me amazing advice on
what to do when I graduate. I really enjoyed the call, and she made her very first donation
to The Augsburg Fund!
Fall 2010
11
homecoming
go
12
Augsburg Now
auggies!
experience it!
Fall 2010
13
taste of augsburg
14
Augsburg Now
2010 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni
Robert Hanson ’68
A distinguished
teacher in bio-organic
and medicinal chemistry researche at
Northeastern University.
“Our three Augsburg wisemen were [Earl]
Alton, [Courtland] Agre, and [John] Holum,
and their gifts to us were: inspiring us to
go far, preparing us with the intellectual
and emotional skills to do that, and a dedication to service.”
Don ’53 and Beverly
(Halling) ’55 Oren
Owners of Dart
Transit, a transportation company
nationally-recognized for leadership, innovation, and promotion of safety for its drivers.
“You can choose a career in business and
still contribute to society, and you can
make a difference.” … “We met here, and
that outweighs all other benefits the school
had to offer.”
First Decade Awards
Morgan Davidsen ’00
Internationallyawarded filmmaker
who recalls a special
moment on the soccer
field before a match
after just hearing he had the lead in the
next theatre production.
“Thank you for being part of the greatest
picture of my life.”
“Augsburg gave me a place to listen and it
taught me how to listen.”
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63
College organist,
music professor, and
mentor to hundreds of
students and alumni
for 47 years.
“My delight in being chosen is more significant when I consider all the people who
could be standing here—dozens and
dozens of students who have helped me
become what I am.”
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA
CEO of Pinnacle
Services, a successful
company now employing 600 people;
Marine Corps veteran,
political candidate, and world traveler.
“I’ve chosen to live an unconventional
life—for me, it’s about pursuing my
dreams, doing what I’ve wanted to.”
Jack Osberg ’62
Retired head football
coach, teacher, and
mentor who brought
the football program to
its best season in history and continues to feel the spirit of
Augsburg shape his life.
“The spirit of Augsburg moves through its
people.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Richard Spratt ’74
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
Social worker dedicated to connecting
people with community resources; adjunct
instructor in Social
Work Department.
Jean Taylor
Respected corporate
CEO and leader; former
Augsburg Board of Regents chair. Learned at
Augsburg how to listen
to what her life tells her and about values
she holds.
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
• John Beatty ’91, wrestling
• Reed Boltmann ’88, football/baseball
• Jeff Dainty ’90, baseball
• Brian DeClercq ’81 (posthumously), men’s
hockey
An African proverb says, “If you want to
walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk
far, walk together.”
• Natasha Hamann ’99, volleyball/women’s golf
• Ann Knutson Brovold ’74, gymnastics
• Astrid Larssen ’97, women’s soccer/women’s
track and field
For the bios and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
• Tom Weidner ’84, football
• Don Wichmann ’89, wrestling
Fall 2010
15
Augsburg dedicates
Ed Saugestad Rink
During Homecoming 2010, Augsburg officially
named its main competition rink in honor of Ed
Saugestad ’59, the coach who led the Auggies to
national prominence in men’s ice hockey during his
storied career. At the Oct. 16 ceremony,
Auggies were able to see the changes that took
place in the arena in preparation for the dedication.
One change in the rink that fans will notice during the season was the addition of three murals depicting the Saugestad legacy as well as the history
of men’s and women’s hockey at Augsburg College.
Saugestad began his coaching career during
his senior year, 1958, and coached the Auggies
until 1996, compiling a 503-354-21 record. His
Auggies won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) titles six straight years (197782), qualified for national tournament play 10
times, and won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship
in 1978, 1981, and 1982. He coached 22 AllAmericans during his Augsburg career. Saugestad
was named NAIA National Coach of the Year three
times and MIAC Coach of the Year six times.
16
16
Augsburg Now
ed saugestad ’59
augsburg hockey
Augsburg Men’s Hockey
Augsburg Women’s Hockey
Augsburg College has had a long history of excellence in men’s
hockey. The Auggie program dates to the mid-1920s, as one of
the early entrants in MIAC play. The Auggies won state titles in
both 1927 and 1928 coached by future U.S. Hockey Hall of
Famer Nick Kahler.
After not fielding teams from the late 1920s to the late
1940s, the program finally was reestablished under coach Ed
Saugestad, who actually began his head coaching duties while still
a student at Augsburg in 1958. Under Saugestad, the Auggie program thrived, winning MIAC titles six years in a row (1977-82),
while winning National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) national titles in 1978, 1981, and 1982. The Auggies
have made appearances in national tournaments seven times in
school history (five NAIA, two NCAA).
After Saugestad retired, Mike Schwartz was named head coach
in 1996, and he led the team to conference regular-season and
playoff titles, and a berth in the NCAA Division III national championships in the 1997-98 season. Schwartz compiled a 124-11030 record during his Augsburg coaching tenure, and teams he
coached made appearances in the MIAC postseason playoffs six
times. Chris Brown was named the program’s head coach in 2006,
and he has led the Auggies to MIAC playoff berths in three of the
last four seasons.
In 1995, Augsburg College made history by establishing the first
intercollegiate women’s hockey program in the Midwest. The
Auggies were one of the dominant teams in the early history of
women’s hockey in Minnesota, winning Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season titles in 1998-99 and
1999-2000, and the conference playoff title in 1999-2000.
In 2000, the Auggies made history again, qualifying to compete in the first Division III women’s hockey national championship series, the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance
tournament in Boston against Middlebury (Vt.). Over the first 15
seasons of Augsburg’s women’s hockey history, the Auggies have
a 171-177-30 all-time record.
A total of 150 players have competed as part of the Augsburg
women’s hockey program in its first 15 seasons, all under head
coach Jill Pohtilla. Pohtilla finished her career third among all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III women’s
hockey coaches in career victories and 20th among all collegiate
women’s hockey coaches in victories. Michelle McAteer was named
the second head coach in program history in 2010.
Hockey murals by Stephen Geffre
Fall 2010
17
She loves being an Auggie…
Many who make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela today
take a scallop shell from the beaches of Galicia, where St. James is
buried, to commemorate their journey. The shells served as the medieval equivalent of a water bottle for travelers and became a symbol of the route. Martha Stortz, however, did not keep a souvenir
when she made the pilgrimage.
At the occasion of her inauguration as the Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor of Religion and Vocation, Augsburg gifted her with a shell
and a painting of the apostle James by Peter Brandes [background].
Brandes calls St. James the “pilgrims’ apostle.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
18
Augsburg Now
Meet Martha Stortz
Shortly after she settled into her new home in Minneapolis, Martha
Stortz (she prefers to be called Marty) did four things: she became
a member of the Seward Co-op, she joined the Midtown YWCA,
she took her bicycle in for “retooling” at the Hub, and she took
herself on walking tours of the Seward, Longfellow, and Downtown
East neighborhoods.
And those activities, along with a genuine love for the city and
an infectious enthusiasm for Augsburg’s mission, are what make
her a true Auggie.
Stortz came to Augsburg this summer as the second Bernhard
M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation. She succeeds
David Tiede, who retired and subsequently took a position as interim president of Wartburg Theological Seminary.
The Christensen Chair holds multiple responsibilities including
teaching in the Religion Department, serving as counsel to the
president and Board of Regents, and chairing the advisory council
for the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. Furthermore, the
chair plays a fundamental role in the interpretation and advancement of Augsburg’s institutional vocation, its calling as a college.
Stortz says she is honored to be at Augsburg and excited about
her role in the College’s work. “I was quite taken with everything
that you’re doing,” she says. “I love this city. This is a college in
and for and with the city.”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow says Stortz’ appointment affirms Augsburg’s vision and direction. “I am grateful
for the experience and wisdom Professor Stortz brings to this important position, and for the leadership she will provide as we continue to explore what it means to be a Lutheran college in the
city,” he says.
Stortz served as a member of the core doctoral faculty at the
Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and taught for 29
years at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She is an acclaimed scholar, teacher, and leader in the realms of the church,
academia, and society at large.
Her interest in the Christian pilgrimage has been an important part of Stortz’ personal and scholarly life. She has hiked
part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St.
James, in Spain. She and a colleague have also joined two
groups—one in El Salvador and another in Mexico City—as they
explore post-modern “pilgrimages” through educational immersion experiences.
Though some might question her move from California to
Minnesota, from theological education to higher education, and
from seminary to college, Stortz feels as though she’s called to
be at Augsburg and to bring her connections, an eagerness to
share the College’s story with the community, and a commitment
to her position.
She believes that her experience in circles of theological education and religion and education will bring some meaningful
connections to Augsburg. “I’m very enthusiastic about what’s
going on here, and I think my key role is to make sure everyone
knows what is going on.”
“I’m eager to communicate Augsburg’s vision and its sense
of a living and lively tradition that is engaged with the city, the
community, and the world. I’ve been a writer, speaker, and
teacher, and I would now harness those gifts in service of the
College’s vocation.”
When questioned about her decision, Stortz says, “I say to
my friends, ‘You don’t know the Twin Cities, you don’t know how
exciting it is to have colleagues in other disciplines and how vibrant those multidisciplinary conversations can be, and you don’t
know Augsburg.’”
Fall 2010
19
Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation Inaugural Address
EXCERPTS FROM MARTHA STORTZ’ INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
“LOCATION, LOCATION, VOCATION”
“Tell me the landscape you inhabit,
and I will tell you who you are.” —Jose Ortega y Gassett
However much we claim space, making it our own, space also claims us,
telling us who we are.
Location shapes identity and gives the people who inhabit it a distinctive vocation or calling. Like the Irish monks, we too live accordingly. I want to look at three dimensions of Augsburg’s
location—physical, historical, and spiritual—and probe how it shapes
a vocation or calling that is distinctive to this College.
Physical location
… Augsburg is a college in, with, and for the city … [its] urban location is now central to the College’s identity. The Christensen
Center and Memorial Hall do not square off an academic quadrangle; rather, the space between them opens to a public park. The
plan for the new Center for Science, Business, and Religion …
does not feature a closed quad; rather, it imitates the freeway. As
the freeway enables crosstown traffic between the cities, so this
new building opens to the neighborhood; it invites cross-campus
traffic and cross-disciplinary conversation.
Historical location
The College was founded by the Free Church Norwegian Lutheran
immigrants who settled in the Cedar Riverside area in the mid1800s—and never forgot that they’d been strangers in a strange
land … Consonant with that history, the College has welcomed the
various immigrant groups that make up this neighborhood: Hmong,
Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean. Moreover, Augsburg consistently saw
itself as an institution of higher learning that provided access and
excellence to students who simply couldn’t pay higher fees of other
private schools. At times when it would have made more financial
sense to go after wealthier families and their children, Augsburg
elected to be faithful to its historic base.
Spiritual location
A tradition is not a museum piece, but a lively argument with the
past, and throughout its history, Augsburg has loved a good fight.
Incarnation and the neighbor stand as signal emphases of this tradition, the first witnessing to the fact that God entered the human
condition—to the max.
At its best, Lutheranism is a tradition that has always leaned
into the neighbor, always learned from the neighbor, and always
looked to the neighbor to supply that unexpected bolt of grace that
makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
The Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning
In the spring of 2002, the Lilly Endowment, Inc.
awarded Augsburg College a $2 million grant to
expand the College’s commitment to connecting
faith and learning. As a result, Augsburg developed and implemented the Exploring Our Gifts
program. After four years of successful programming (2002-2006), the Lilly Endowment awarded
Augsburg a generous sustainability grant, matched
by the College, to help support the project for an
additional three years (2006-2009).
As a direct result of the success and positive
impact of Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg College is
committed to continuing this important work beyond the life of the Lilly grant. To this end, the
College has created the Augsburg Center for Faith
and Learning (ACFL) to embody and build upon
the convictions at the heart of Augsburg’s educational mission:
“… to educate students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders.”
The work of the Augsburg Center for Faith and
Learning is guided by the lessons of Bernhard M.
Christensen, president of Augsburg from 1938 to
1962. Christensen taught that:
• Christian faith liberates minds and lives
• Diversity strengthens vital communities
• Interfaith friendships enrich learning
• The love of Christ draws us to God
• We are called to service in the world
The Center’s work focuses on three areas of activity:
1. Student and alumni engagement—Supporting
discovery and development of talents and gifts,
discernment of vocation, and exploration of calling
2. Faculty and staff leadership—Developing curricular and programmatic offerings to guide the
theological exploration of vocation
3. Public witness and outreach—Promoting
Augsburg’s leadership in the pursuit and realization of individual and institutional calling
For more information about the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, or to read the full inaugural address and other presentations from the 2010 Christensen Symposium, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
20
Augsburg Now
Sammie Guck, Christensen Scholar
WHEN SENIOR SAMMIE GUCK sees another Christensen
Scholar on campus, she greets them with a simple but reverent, “Scholar.”
“It’s just our way of acknowledging each other when we
are out in the world,” Guck says.
Guck is one of 10 students involved in the Christensen
Scholar program. Named for Bernhard Christensen, Augsburg’s
president from 1938 to 1962, the year-long seminar helps students explore the Lutheran concept of vocation and define their
own calling.
Every year 10 junior or senior students are selected for
the Christensen Scholar program, which is sponsored by the
Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. The heart of the program is a monthly three-hour seminar devoted to texts drawn
from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Authors include biblical
texts, Augustine, Luther, and Flannery O'Connor. Topics can
range from religious pluralism to the art of prayer.
A philosophy major and religion minor, Guck says she appreciates the discussion-based seminar and the free exchange of ideas that happens among the scholars. “It’s not a
professor saying, ‘Let me tell you what you should know.’”
She adds that the scholars, who represent several different
faith traditions, are very respectful of each other’s ideas and
backgrounds. “It’s a great environment to share and explore,”
she says.
Guck says she is having a “senior year vocational crisis.”
She met with religion professor Mark Tranvik, who leads the
scholar seminar, to discuss the idea of vocation. “I grew up
Catholic, so I have a different understanding of vocation than
the Lutheran concept,” she says.
Together Guck and Tranvik explored different ways that a
person of faith can live out his or her vocation. “I realized
that vocation doesn’t have to be one set thing, it can always
be changing,” she says. Guck was considering graduate
school but does not think she will begin immediately after
graduation. Instead, she is looking into other ways that she
can express her vocation through a career in editing or publishing.
Whether she’s pursuing her master’s degree or working in a
publishing house, two things are fairly certain for this Auggie.
One—even after she graduates from Augsburg, she will continue
to discern what her vocation is and how to make it a part of her
life. And two—if she sees another Christensen Scholar walking
down the street, they are sure to greet each other with the brief
acknowledgement of the conversations they had at Augsburg.
21
Augsburg Now
Fall 2010
21
Understanding
healthcare
R E F O R M
BY BETSEY NORGARD
On March 23, 2010, President Obama
signed into law the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. It’s complex, difficult-to-understand legislation and is the
product of an extremely contentious
political process.
On October 15, at its fifth public policy
forum, Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a forum to decode
and discuss the challenges and opportunities this legislation presents for Minnesota
and the nation—that is, how the current
healthcare system will change. The symposium was moderated by retired U.S. Rep.
Martin Sabo and presented speakers who
are leaders in the healthcare field.
Donna Zimmerman, senior vice president of government and community relations at HealthPartners in Minneapolis,
addressed the overall scope of the law and
focused on the impact of provisions concerning changes to insurance coverage.
“It is a major task to think about how
to explain this major piece of legacy legislation our Congress has passed,” Zimmerman said. “I’ll try to demystify this big
bill, and focus on what’s important for us
in Minnesota.”
Her presentation explained various
provisions of the act that have already
taken effect or are being phased in
shortly; for example, extension of benefits
to dependent children up to age 26,
adding more preventive care without costsharing by consumers, and prohibition on
insurance denial to children under age 19
for pre-existing conditions.
Dr. Sanne Magnan, commissioner of the
Minnesota Department of Health, spoke
about changes to health care itself and the
interface with Vision Minnesota, Min-
Demystifying the new healthcare legislation was the focus of the Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium on October 15.
Panelists were (L to R) Martin Sabo ’59, moderator; Donna Zimmerman, HealthPartners; Dr. Sanne Magnan, Minnesota
Department of Health; and Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, Community Health Innovations, Inc.
nesota’s reform passed in 2008. Her message was that the federal reforms will not
have as radical an effect in Minnesota as in
some states because Minnesota’s quality
and delivery of health care are already consistently higher than in many states.
She spoke about how Minnesota is coordinating with federal initiatives to influence
how health reform is implemented, “so that
we can build on the innovative strategies
Minnesota has been doing as well as learn
from other states who have been doing
health reform.”
She compared provisions for reform in
the new federal law with similar provisions
in Vision Minnesota and showed how a
number of them are already being implemented in this state.
Magnan also explained that much of the
difficulty in enacting reform stems from how
the current healthcare system was set up.
The incentives and payments for health care
are made to doctors and providers for treatment of illness, and not for promotion and
maintenance of health. Payment is made for
office visits, hospitalization, tests, procedures, and drugs, rather than for better
management of chronic disease, prevention,
and promotion of wellness.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, president of
Community Health Innovators, Inc. and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, spoke about his
longtime work to seek reform in the healthcare delivery system to provide everyone
with easy access to a team of healthcare
professionals who can provide comprehensive care at lower costs.
Amundson offered a vision of the optimal healthcare model (see next page) that
focuses on a team approach to ongoing, primary care in clinics, which includes clinical
care as well as services in other areas that
affect health. These clinics or “medical
homes” must then be part of, or connected
to, a system that includes specialty-care
and hospital and emergency services.
Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium
2010 Healthcare Reform:
What Will It Mean for You (and the Nation)?
October 15, 2010
Panel Participants:
DONNA ZIMMERMAN, Senior Vice President of
Government and Community Relations,
HealthPartners
DR. SANNE MAGNAN, Commissioner, Minnesota
Department of Health
DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60, President, Community Health Innovations, Inc., and Assistant
Professor, University of Washington School of
Medicine
MARTIN SABO ’59, Moderator; U.S. House of
Representatives, 1978–2006
HEALTHCARE
22
Augsburg Now
To see the slides from these presentations and
view the video of the symposium, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
E
BY DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60
What is ideal healthcare delivery?
The recent health reform legislation primarily focuses on
helping more people
get health insurance
and on addressing
some insurance injustices. It does not
systematically address delivery system reform—how you receive health care—but elements of the act
do support ongoing reform efforts. To understand this, you must have a clearer picture of
what clinical and healthcare leaders see as a
“reformed delivery system” and what we
have been working towards—for years.
Within the past few years a growing
agreement has emerged on what an optimal
delivery system should look like, both to be
able to provide excellent and comprehensive
care and to reduce costs. These are the key
elements:
First, your health care must be anchored by primary care clinicians—physicians (family practice, general internal
medicine, pediatricians), nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This ensures
that you have a personal ongoing relationship with a clinician who is the “general
contractor” for your health issues and who
is your trusted partner.
Second, you should be part of a clinic
or system that provides a “medical home”
with your primary clinician. Your medical
home must serve as the first stop for ANY
health issues that arise, short of critical
emergencies.
Further, your medical home should have:
• An electronic health record to ensure immediate access to your history for all who
treat you wherever they are located
• More convenient access to your clinicians—same-day appointments, expanded
hours, e-mail to your clinicians
• Management of all referrals to specialists
and other services you may need, ensuring
coordination and avoiding duplication
• Systematic management of common
chronic diseases
• Case management for people with complex and/or multiple health issues including monitoring of prescription drugs
• Healthcare teams to expand clinical competency and services
The emergence of primary care teams is one
of the most important developments in recent years. I would describe the “optimal primary care team” as comprised of:
• Primary care clinicians (physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants)
• Mental health clinician
• Social worker with family therapy skills
• Nurse case manager for patients with
complex conditions
• Chronic disease care nurse
• Patient educator
• Pharmacist
• Physical therapist or massage therapist
Research has shown that with this range of
skills a clinic or medical home can competently handle 80% or more of the health
problems that it receives. It can care for
the whole person and meet total needs.
This is a radical change, but examples of
this model now exist across the country.
The third component is that every clinic
or medical home must be part of an organized system of care that includes most specialty physicians, hospital and ER services,
and other important services. If not within
the same organization, at least there must be
formal ties and relationships between the
medical home and these other elements of a
comprehensive healthcare system.
Because our human condition is complex, people are affected by physical issues,
mental health problems, family dysfunction,
substance abuse, environmental exposures—
and often a combination or all of the above.
Clinical care is, therefore, also very complex
if it is going to be relevant to the person’s
needs and holistic in its aims. The combination of knowledge and skills represented in
the optimal team described above brings the
healthcare delivery system closer in alignment with human needs, with the foundation
being “relationship-based” (versus “diseaseoriented”) care.
The reform legislation recognizes the
work by clinicians and leaders in defining
what we seek as health reform goals. While it
does not fundamentally change the current
healthcare delivery system, it supports clinician-led reform by:
• Recognizing the role of primary care clinicians and increasing financial support for
training them
• Providing bonus payments for care management of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees when needed
• Providing financial incentives for establishing organized systems of care
• Expanding wellness and preventive coverage in insurance plans
• Funding research on the clinical effectiveness of various treatments
• Creating a Center of Innovation
The legislation is not radical. It builds on
our current private insurance and delivery
systems. It may not be able to address cost
issues, but it does represent a huge step
toward ensuring universal insurance coverage and a more effective delivery system. It
also must be seen as a move to narrow the
gap between healthcare “haves” and “have
nots.”
While there’s an immense amount of
work ahead, it’s critical to understand that
for clinicians and most healthcare leaders,
there is no turning back. The whiff of something better, a humanizing system, is in the
air and a national reform process is underway. I could not be more hopeful.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60 is president of
Community Health Innovations, Inc. in
Shoreline, Wash.
Fall 2010
23
Reflection by Adam Spanier ’12, film
and English major
Reflection by Khalid Adam ’12,
economics major and Sabo Scholar
I do not plan on becoming a doctor, a
pharmacist, or anything else in the
medical field, and I
am no expert regarding topics like
health insurance.
Yet, the new healthcare system will affect me and everyone else
in this country.
In today’s tense political climate of rumored complete government takeover, socialized medicine, and “death panels,”
misinformation consumes the media. This is
precisely why it is important to sift out all of
the ridiculous rumors and myths of the new
healthcare bill in order to find some truth
and understanding. And this is precisely
why events like the Sabo healthcare symposium are important.
As a Sabo Scholar, but perhaps more
importantly, as an ill-informed citizen, I attended the Sabo healthcare symposium.
Fortunately, the symposium panelists were
all qualified experts of health care; there
was no dumbing down or oversimplification
of the topic as is evident on the 24-hour
news channels. There was a bit of information I did not fully comprehend; however, I
can safely admit that I walked away from
the symposium knowing much more about
the topic.
Fortunately, it’s comforting to know that
the very people I will directly depend on for
my medical needs were involved in this discussion—doctors, nurses, health professionals, and other people involved in the medical
field participated in the symposium.
Events such as the Sabo healthcare
symposium are exactly what this country
needs right now. We need to stop arguing
and have more conversations. Similar events
are important because it will bring us together to better understand complex topics,
and it will allow us to make more informed
decisions in the future.
So just why has
health care spending gone out of control in the U.S.,
consuming nearly a
sixth of gross domestic product
(GDP) spending in
2008? Liberals say
it’s the health insurance companies’ greed
and the government’s inability to contain
costs and to regulate the employer market
for health insurance.
Meanwhile, conservatives argue that it’s
too much regulation, citing the growing
budgets of government welfare programs
like Medicare and Medicaid. They also cite
overuse of healthcare resources as the main
problem, making the problem of health care
a “volume-control issue.” Despite these differing viewpoints, a few observations are
unarguably universal:
• The science of health care has advanced
rapidly in the last 60 years, which has affected prices of medical inputs.
• The increased health costs, outpacing
growth in GDP, have adverse effects on
the economic outcomes on industries
with large percentage of workers with ESI
(Employer Sponsored Insurance); this results in the loss of output and a de facto
loss of jobs in those industries.
• The current trend in the growth of per
capita GDP spent on health care is unsustainable in the long term.
Health spending in the U.S. has increased
dramatically in the course of the past 50
years, from $27.5 billion in 1960 to
$912.6 billion in 1993, and to a mind-boggling $2.4 trillion in 2008. It is projected to
reach $4.3 trillion by 2017.
To read more of Adam’s paper from his
research on healthcare costs, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Reflection by Phong Le ’13 PA
As a first year physician assistant (PA)
student, I’m usually
busy studying and
spending any spare
time with my family.
Thus I’m afraid to
admit I’ve not kept
up with the latest
news. I attended the 2010 healthcare reform symposium hoping to gain a better understanding of the reform and how it will
impact my future as a PA.
According to the HealthPartners presenter, the reform will increase insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans. Thus,
demand for care will greatly exceed the supply of doctors. In addition, there is also
pressure to find a high value but low cost
delivery system. According to Dr. Bruce
Amundson, these factors have led to a consensus of a team approach in which PAs
and nurse practitioners (NPs) will largely fill
the demand gap while still able to keep
costs low.
I was feeling pretty good about my job
prospects as I listened to the presenters.
However, numerous questions began to
emerge as I thought beyond graduation.
How far will the trickle-down effect from
doctors to PAs and NPs to nurses to healthcare technicians go to increase care volume
while decreasing cost? Will money dictate
the quality or type of care I provide? Will I
be forced to choose between quantity and
quality daily?
I left the symposium with more questions than answers. One thing I do know for
sure is that the reform will happen whether
we like it or not, and I believe that any
movement toward increased access to care
is great. However we should proceed with
caution and responsibility to ensure we
don’t compromise the quality of care in the
process. This drives me to stay informed
and involved so that, hopefully, we PAs as a
group can help to shape and guide this inevitable health reform.
HEALTHCARE
24
Augsburg Now
Celebrating our
SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
At Augsburg College, we don’t have a lot of traditions.
Sure, we have Homecoming every year, and we’ve marked the
holiday season with Advent Vespers for the past 30 years.
But there’s no annual canceling of classes so that students can go to a local park to hear bands and eat bratwurst.
President Pribbenow doesn’t trade places with a student for a
day every year. And though we have some important athletic
rivalries, none are so longstanding that the matchups attract
fans far and wide.
There is one thing, however, that Augsburg has done quite
well for a long time: we are very adept at the Lutheran Scandinavian practice of not boasting about our accomplishments.
Now, after years of celebrating achievements with an occasional internal announcement or a round of applause during daily chapel, we’ve decided it is time for our practice of
humility to change.
Fall 2010
25
Shift in expectations
In the past, Augsburg’s tendency toward humility has kept our students from applying
for national scholarships or to graduate
school. But that trend is changing, thanks
in part to the work of one woman—Dixie
Shafer.
As director of Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), Shafer gives pep talks, takes
her trademark green pen to students’ personal statements, and shepherds them
through the often daunting graduate school
application process.
For a small, private college, Augsburg
has an impressive résumé of national fellowships and scholarships. In 2010 alone,
four Augsburg students were awarded
Fulbright scholarships, bringing the total
to nine awardees in the last four years,
and Augsburg was recently named to The
Chronicle of Higher Education list of top
Fulbright-producing schools. Five students
received Gilman scholarships for the
2010-11 academic year, and in 2009 one
Augsburg student became the seventh
Auggie to receive a Goldwater scholarship.
And in 2008, lest we forget, Augsburg
added its first Rhodes Scholar to the list of
student achievements.
Shafer’s work involves helping students
conduct faculty-led research during the
summer and school year, advising on the
graduate and professional school application process, and helping students apply for
fellowships and national competitions.
In general, Shafer says she sees students
who don’t believe they can be competitive
at a national level. “I rarely meet a student
who thinks that,” she adds. “We have a
pretty humble group of students.”
But she acknowledges the slow cultural
26
Augsburg Now
Dixie Shafer, URGO director, holds a “bouquet” given to
her by Brian Krohn ’08. Krohn fashioned the flowers
from drafts of his Rhodes application essays.
shift in expectations. “We have more students applying for national fellowships and
more receiving them, and that allows others
to know that they can do it.”
Not just for elite schools
Katie MacAulay ’08 was one of the humble students Shafer typically meets. In her
junior year, she was studying abroad in
Argentina and read a story about two
Augsburg students who received Fulbright
fellowships.
“I had assumed it was a fellowship of
the elite schools, one in which a smalltown, Midwestern girl with a relatively average résumé would be of little
competition,” she says. But the article in-
spired MacAulay, and she made an appointment to meet with Shafer on the day
she returned to Augsburg. “Dixie handed
me the Fulbright information book and
told me to decide whether or not I was serious about applying. As she put it, ‘Once
you start, there’s no turning back.’”
MacAulay says her desire to apply was
motivated out of curiosity to test her beliefs about Fulbrights being only for students from “prestigious” schools and to
challenge personal feelings of inadequacy.
“Dixie helped me realize that, although
I maybe didn’t feel like I had the background, I certainly had the foreground.”
Through the application process,
MacAulay says, “I realized that your socioeconomic status and upbringing don’t
play as large of a role in defining who you
are and what you become.” That insight
inspired her to stop feeling inadequate in
comparison to others and gave her the motivation to challenge her own boundaries.
In November, MacAulay completed a
10-month grant as a Fulbright English
Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Terengganu,
Malaysia. She says it has been the best
experience of her life and a gift that will
continue to benefit her in the future.
“I am of the opinion that you can never
have too many options. Be realistic about
yourself, but don’t doubt your own uniqueness and abilities,” MacAulay says. She encourages other Augsburg students to apply
for national fellowships and programs and to
challenge their own ideas about being competitive at a national level.
Educating the whole person
Tina (Quick) Sandy ’08 is another student
whose path was guided by Shafer’s counsel and by the gentle insistence of a few
determined history professors. A first-generation student who says she almost didn’t
come to Augsburg, Sandy is in her third
year at William Mitchell College of Law in
St. Paul.
At the end of her second year at
Augsburg, Sandy saw a poster advertising
the URGO summer research program. This
program provides a stipend and housing
for students who spend 200-400 hours of
their summer conducting research under
the supervision of a faculty member. To
apply to the program, students must submit a research proposal. Sandy was reading the poster just days before the
application was due.
She had been taking a history class
from Michael Lansing. “He pulled me
aside one day and asked if I had consid-
Tina Sandy ’08 is a third-year student at William Mitchell
College of Law.
ered a history major,” Sandy said. So she
went to Lansing about the summer program, and the two of them drafted her
proposal.
That summer Sandy researched the history of the Ku Klux Klan movement in the
Midwest, a project that led her specifically
to document Klan activities in 1922 in
Minneapolis. Throughout the entire project
she worked closely with Lansing, especially on writing her final report.
“He totally changed my ability to
write,” Sandy says. “His red pen shaped
my experience, and it served me well.” As
a law student, Sandy says she feels much
more confident in her writing abilities
than some of her classmates who did not
receive the same direction and support in
their undergraduate programs.
In her third year of college, Sandy
began considering her plans beyond college with the encouragement of Lansing,
history professor Jacqui deVries, and political science professor Joe Underhill.
Sandy was considering law school. “We
discussed her potential and then rallied
the wagons to get her to think about her
options,” Lansing said.
He recalls that perhaps he tried to be
too persuasive at times. “We wanted to
see Tina set her sights wide because we
knew that she had the potential to go to
any institution. We wanted to see that for
her because we knew that she could really
shine.”
“There were a lot of opinions in my ear
about what I should do,” Sandy says.
That’s when she went to visit Shafer. “She
threw a lot of different ideas at me …
ideas that opened my mind.” But Sandy
says she had a “gut feeling” about law
school.
She wanted to stay in Minnesota to be
close to her family and to her future husband, fellow Auggie Sama Sandy ’08. Because the law school application process
requires significant time as well as money,
Sandy opted to apply to one school only,
something most students are encouraged
not to do.
The easy part was making the decision;
the application process was another story
altogether. She needed to study for the
Law School Admission Test (LSAT), pass
it, and submit the necessary application
materials, including several letters of recommendation and a personal summary, by
the deadline. This she did while taking
classes, working, and trying to have something of a social life.
Sandy says Shafer was by her side
through the entire experience. “She really
ended up being my encourager and sidekick.” As a first-generation student, Sandy
appreciated the support of someone who
knew the process but also understood her
own personal background.
As Tina Sandy’s story illustrates, both
faculty and staff can be instrumental in a
student’s success. Lansing says that as a
professor, he feels that he is called to educate the whole person. “I think that’s the
point of a small college, thinking of a
young person not just as a student but as
a person becoming who they are. You want
the very best for them.”
Discovering and meeting
challenges
Melissa Robertson ’10 is another first-generation student who benefited from the
support of faculty who saw her potential
and persuaded her to go outside of her
comfort zone. Their encouragement
helped her meet the challenges of college
and discover new opportunities.
Robertson’s first year of college presented the common challenges of balancing school work and social life. She
struggled, and her grades reflected that.
But in her second year she became more
serious about school as she focused on
the natural sciences and mathematics.
As she got to know her professors, they
saw promise in her and directed her to
study and research opportunities. “Dale
Fall 2010
27
28
Augsburg Now
school, work, and personal issues, Robertson says there were many times she
wanted to give up and put off graduate
school for a year. “But I told myself to
keep on with the help of mentors, friends,
family, and counseling support. I thought
if I didn’t get in to any programs or didn’t
like the places, at least I would have
tried.”
She applied to five programs, both master’s and doctoral in biostatistics and biology, and she was accepted to all five.
Currently Robertson is studying on a full
scholarship in the molecular biosciences
program at Montana State University in
Bozeman.
From first day to
graduation day
There is more to student success than
national scholarships and fellowships. For
some students, whether they are 18 or 38
years old, the greatest achievement is simply to have arrived at Augsburg. In fall
2010, Augsburg welcomed the largest
first-year class and the largest graduate
school class in the College’s history.
Within this student body is the potential for many stories of students who overcame the odds to get to college and to
obtain a degree. Augsburg has an impressive history of assisting students who
might not otherwise be successful in college—first-generation students including
children of immigrant families, students in
recovery from addiction, students with
cognitive disabilities as well as physical
disabilities, and nontraditional-aged students who are returning to college to complete a degree.
Rich Osborn is an older-than-average
student who found success through
Augsburg’s weekend program. At the age
of 69, Osborn completed his first bachelor’s degree and was one of the oldest
Augsburg for Adults students to graduate.
Read his story at http://bit.ly/djx2nN.
Not only is Augsburg attracting a larger
student body—the College is keeping students and helping them persist to graduation. Augsburg can boast an impressive
86% retention rate in the day college program from fall 2009 to fall 2010. That is
an increase of 3% from last year and significantly higher than the national average
of 73% for four-year private colleges and
universities.
All of this success is reason for Augsburg
to celebrate and to share the stories of student success. Whether it’s the announcement of another Fulbright recipient, a
National Science Foundation grant, or publication in a scholarly journal, these stories
serve as inspiration and motivation for other
Auggies to pursue their goals.
Melissa Robertson ’10 is completing a master's degree
in molecular biosciences at Montana State University.
Kelly Gorham/MSU
Pederson and Matt Haines suggested I
think about biostatistics, a field that
would combine biology and math. I knew I
would have to go to graduate school, but
at that point I hadn’t even thought about
it,” she says.
In the summer before her junior year,
Robertson participated in a short-term
study program to examine the biodiversity
and environmental politics of New
Zealand. She also conducted research
with biology professor David Crowe in the
URGO summer research program.
“I was new to that type of research, but
I was ready and willing to learn,” she says.
“David was a very good mentor, always
willing to help and always told me when I
was doing a great job.”
The URGO program presented a new
challenge for Robertson, who says she was
shy and had extreme anxiety about giving
presentations. “Giving reports about my
research in front of my fellow URGO people during roundtable discussions was
awful for me,” she says, “and I didn’t
even want to think about the final oral
presentation.”
But working with Crowe gave Robertson
the confidence in herself as a scientist and
a scholar. Shafer recalls the change she
saw in Robertson throughout the summer
and her enthusiasm about presenting her
research in a graduate school interview. “To
see her go from this quiet girl who could
barely talk with other students to graduate
school … what an accomplishment.”
Robertson continued her research with
Crowe during the academic year and also
began, with Shafer’s help, the process of
applying to graduate school. Between
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2009-2010
Fall 2010
29
DEAR FRIENDS,
This past year has been an extraordinary one for Augsburg College. Despite continued challenges in the economy, through the generosity and good work of the entire Augsburg community, we closed the fiscal year with a
solid financial performance and entered the 2010-2011 academic year with a record number of students in
our day, weekend, and graduate programs.
While these achievements are significant, it is your ongoing and steadfast support for the education of our
students that is most gratifying. As a college, we believe we are called to serve our neighbor, and I am humbled by and grateful for the
Augsburg alumni, family, and friends who join with us in pursuing this calling.
Our new mission statement—adopted last spring following two years of rich conversation across the
Augsburg community—makes a bold statement of our aspirations for our students: We educate students to be
informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
Never in the history of this institution has the world had a greater need for future leaders with these abilities. And never before have your gifts been more important to ensuring that this education remains within
reach for our growing and increasingly diverse community of students.
As we continue to live out our mission and provide a uniquely Augsburg education—an education defined
by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by our Lutheran faith and values, and shaped
by our urban and global settings—I ask for your abiding engagement and support. Your gifts make possible an
educational experience like no other—one that challenges our students to recognize and live out their individual callings and, through those efforts, make a lasting difference in our world.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
30
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
2009-2010 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
5%
Government grants
6%
Other sources
4%
Debt service
2%
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
Student salary
4%
3%
Private gifts and grants
Utilities
12%
Room and board
44%
24%
Salary and benefits
Financial aid
73%
Tuition
20%
Other
$34.5
2010 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2010
$28,641,248
$30.5
$28.6
$26.7
$26.6
As of May 31, 2010, we have annual realized
and unrealized gains of 14.65% on our endow$23.2
ment. Our five-year average annual return on
$20.0
the endowment is 1.20% and the 10-year
average annual return is 1.18%. We
$16.4
are committed to maintaining
$14.2
the value of principal gifts
and to provide support to the
$11.5
College in perpetuity.
1995
$33.7
1996
1997
1998
1999
$26.2
$25.4
$24.8
$22.7 $23.3
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June 1, 1995 – May 31, 2010
Fall 2010
31
SCHOLARSHIPS
Gratitude
On April 25, nearly 300 people, including donors, faculty, staff,
and scholarship students gathered to celebrate gifts from the
Augsburg community that make an Augsburg education possible
for many students. Donors enjoyed the opportunity to meet the
students who receive their scholarships.
During 2009-10, 716 gifts to scholarships totaled over
$529,000. Eight new scholarships were started last year:
• L. Gracia Christensen English Scholarship
• Inez Olson Schwarzkopf English Scholarship
• Hazel Stoeckeler Art Scholarship
• Judith (Olson) Nelson Health and Physical Education Scholarship
• Jorgensen Sethre general scholarship
• Dr. Lowell and Janice Kleven Scholarship for pre-medicine
• Leonard and Winifred Leifgren Scholarship for students of color
• Jerome and Winifred Formo Music Scholarship
Simple Gifts
Peter Miller graduated in May 2010 with a major in English and is
the son of an ELCA pastor. He is now studying at Luther Seminary.
Here are excerpts from his talk at the Scholarship Brunch on behalf of scholarship students.
It is truly a gift to honor student success, engaged scholarship,
and active citizenship knowing that each of these simple components is intertwined in my own story. This is a story about how simple gifts transform a community into a simple reality.
… When I was a child, I used to love to listen to my mom play
the dulcimer. She would play “Simple Gifts,” an old Shaker hymn
while my brother and I would run around in the yard.
’Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free; ’Tis a gift to come
down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in a
place just right, It will be in the valley of love and delight. When
true simplicity is gain’d, To bow and to bend we shall not be
asham’d, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning and
turning we come round right.
As I recall my mom singing this song and my brother and I turning and turning until we were dizzy, I have come to value the message in these simple words.
We celebrate the success of students because simple gifts are
freeing, liberating, and life changing. Getting into college is a big
deal and it changes you. As students are groomed in success, simple gifts allow us the freedom to engage fully in what we are learning and to develop into the leaders we ought to be, in a college
that is just and right. With an Auggie-assemblage of strong leaders,
32
Augsburg Now
we continue to
build a neighborhood and a city of
love and delight.
And we, too, have
an opportunity to
invest in true simplicity where all
people bow and
bend and never
are ashamed.
Simple gifts
spark the cycle toward a simple reality. I have seen the
spark of a simple
gift in the eyes of
first-year students
Peter Miller ’10 spoke on behalf of students at the
as they acknowlScholarship Brunch.
edge that Augsburg offers them more financial aid than any other school. And I
have seen this simple reality come to life when a former scraping,
struggling business major takes a few philosophy and religion
classes and gets all 4.0s. I have watched it in a group of interfaith
friends who never stand still long enough to watch the paint dry,
whether they are doing service projects at a mosque down the
street, a local church, or a nearby women’s center.
That spark, that simple gift that I saw as an orientation leader,
ignites a question—how do I become a part of this simple reality?
But that was the spark in my eye, too, in the trust that somehow
my family and the Augsburg community would help me afford a
meaningful education and turn my gifts and theirs into something
simple and beautiful. I had to turn from procrastination to participation in simple things like interfaith dialog, global carbon emission regulations, and ending poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
I didn't say it was easy. I said it was simple. It is painting with a
broad brush, or like we did at the mosque, with rollers and a taste
for new colors. This is a simple reality.
Ultimately, I believe the simplest gift is who we are and how
we spend our time—the time to sing a song in the springtime,
study hard, write a thank-you note, share a story, paint, or spare
some change.
I want to thank you all for your simple gifts and the countless
hours you have given to Augsburg, for bowing and bending to the
needs of this community and providing the spark for so many to be
a part of this story. Together, we are a simple reality.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Scholarships for religion, campus ministry, and youth and family ministry
The Augsburg community continues to keep the College’s roots as a seminary strong as
it provides scholarship support to its students. More than 11% of the value of Augsburg’s endowment supports scholarships for students in religion, campus ministry, and
youth and family ministry—a total of 36 scholarships (12% of the total number).
Kou Lee is majoring in music and plays flute in the
Augsburg Concert Band, the Augsburg Symphony Orchestra, and a woodwind chamber ensemble. His plans after
graduation in 2011 are to pursue a graduate degree in
music composition that will prepare him for a career as an
orchestral director in a university—and hopefully return
to Augsburg some day as a faculty member. He has a
Hognander Scholarship for 2010-11.
The scholarship brunch brought together nearly 300
donors and students to celebrate gifts from the Augsburg
Community.
A number of donors and recipients of these scholarships gathered at the Scholarship Brunch: (seated, L to R) Carl
Vaagenes ’50, Ruth Vaagenes, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49; (behind them, L to R) Jessica Fanaselle ’10, Sarah Korbel
’12, Emily Wiles ’10, Peter Miller ’10, Morris Vaagenes Jr. ’51, Professor Karl Jacobson, Professor Hans Wiersma,
Whitney Holman ’10, Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50, Harris Lee ’57, Ivory Phung ’13, and Maryon Lee.
The Sven Oftedal Society exemplifies the legacy of this early Augsburg president
whose leadership and commitment to the growth of Augsburg Seminary secured the
financial future of the College. By reaching out to those who shared Augsburg’s vision
of providing an education not only for its immigrant Norwegian preachers, but also for
everyday people—teachers, farmers, and neighbors in the city growing around
Augsburg—he ensured that Augsburg’s students would become responsible citizens
and leaders in whatever they chose to do.
Planned giving offers a variety of possibilities to provide significant financial benefit to the College while also providing continued income to its donors. Donors and their families can plan with their financial advisors and the College to determine what kind
of gift plan (cash gifts, securities, stocks, and others) can be designed to recognize the donor’s commitment to the College and
still serve their own financial needs. Planned gifts can be made outright or deferred into the future. For many alumni, families,
and friends who are grateful for the education and experience of Augsburg in their lives but have no heirs, planned giving can
help them ensure future students receive that same education.
Fall 2010
33
I ’ M A N A U G G I E — The Augsburg Fund
Your gifts to The Augsburg Fund help to ensure that Augsburg College can continue to support students and give them the opportunity to
make the world a better place. What makes you an Auggie? Why do you give? Make a gift and share your story at www.augsburg.edu/auggie.
Alex Gonzalez ’90
What makes me an Auggie?
I’m an Auggie because of athletics and being a member of the
football team. A lot of the close friendships I have are from
sports, and I love to bring my kids back and see the games. And I
met my wife here—you can’t get much more important than that!
Beyond that, faith is a big part of what makes me an Auggie.
What I’ve learned at Augsburg, I have carried forward with service to the world through my congregation and in the community.
Why do I give?
Augsburg has been such an important part of forming who I am,
and I want to give back. Serving as a regent is a small way of
helping to ensure that this institution continues to make an impact on other people’s lives.
I give because I think it’s important to support the unique
Augsburg experience. An Augsburg degree has a specific intention behind it—of service to the community. It’s a holistic foundation to approaching life in the world.
34
Augsburg Now
Maria Mitchell Helgerson ’07
and Erik Helgerson ’06
What makes us Auggies?
We were both drawn to Augsburg by the feeling of community
and the opportunity to know people and to be a part of something. We loved our four years here and the relationships we
built. We want to keep them going, and we’re so grateful to the
Young Alumni Association for helping us do that.
Why do we give?
We give to Augsburg because we know colleges can’t function
just on tuition, and we know that our gifts will be used to better
the community and to make a place that is important for others.
Augsburg meant a lot to us personally, and giving back helps
give opportunities to other students.
I’M AN AUGGIE!
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (5)
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Barbara and Zane Birky
Carl Blegen†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Bush Foundation
Carlson Companies
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Oliver Dahl ’45
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Jerry and Jean Foss
Julian Foss ’30†
William and Anne Frame
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lynne and Phillip ’55† Gronseth
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
Hearst Foundation
Loren Henderson
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
Allen and Jean Housh
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Lester Hoversten†
Robert Hoversten
Huss Foundation
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Kinney Johnson ’65
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Bruce and Maren Kleven
David and Barbara Kleven
E. Milton Kleven ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
Harriett Kurek†
Paul ’86 and Rhonda Spitzer ’85 Kwiecien
David Lankinen ’88
Diane and Philip Larson
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
James Lindell Sr. ’46
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Marie and Larry McNeff
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Ida Nelson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Robert Odegard ’51†
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Glen Person ’47
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Addison and Cynthia Piper
David Piper
Harry and Mary Piper
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Alan Rice
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
James and Eva Seed
Rodney Sill ’82
John and Martha Singleton
Glen and Anna Skovholt
David Soli ’81
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Genevieve Stelberg†
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
Clair Strommen ’46†
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Helen Sverdrup†
Johan Sverdrup†
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Teagle Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Andrew Urness†
Robert Wagner ’02
Scott Weber ’79
Robert Wick ’81
Elsie Wildung†
Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
35
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously made leadership gifts to the College of at least $1,000.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
President’s Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Anonymous (1)
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Anonymous (1)
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Stephen ’74 and Janet Blake
Bruce Brekke
Karim El-Hibri ’08 and Carley Meinert
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Michael and Barbara Hubbard
Eric Jolly
Craig Jones
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Donald Olsen ’60
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Kurt Schwarzkopf
Charles and Ritchie Scribner
Gloria Steinem
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Estate of Gertrude Larson ’35†
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Estate of Myrtle E. Pedersen
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Estate of Olive Ronholm ’47†
Hazel Stoeckeler
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
Anonymous (2)
Andra Adolfson
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Philip and Jean Formo
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Hunt and Diane Harris
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Esther Johnson ’50†
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Marie and Larry McNeff
Allan Nelson
Norma Noonan
Glen Person ’47
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Philip Rowberg ’41
Judith and William Scheide
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Jean Taylor ’85 and Roger Griffith ’84
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Frances Torstenson
Robert Wick ’81
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
36
Augsburg Now
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Anonymous (2)
Deloris Anderson ’56
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Robert and Mary Crosby
Oliver Dahl ’45
Mark and Margie Eustis
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Allen and Jean Housh
John ’47 and Irene Jensen
Carol Jones
Cynthia Ellman ’80 Kneisl and Gregory Kneisl
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Dennis ’78 and Bev Ranum ’78 Meyer
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
R. Luther Olson ’56
Mary and William O’Meara
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Sandra Phaup ’64
Curtis and Marian Sampson
John Schwartz ’67
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Betty and Paul Tveite
Jeremy and Tracy Wells
David and Susan White
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Anonymous (3)
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Robert and Kristine Ackerman
Kate Addo
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Craig Alexander and Roberta Kagin
James ’58 and Beverly Almquist
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Leif Anderson
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
John Berg ’59
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
Daryl N. Bible
David and Nancy Bieging
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Kathryn and Jim Bishop
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Thomas ’78 and Julie Bramwell
Alan Braun
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and
Tom Breckenridge
Michael Brock
Richard Brustad
Aimee Brynildson ’69 Trechok-Peters and
Wayne Peters
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Robert and Brenda Bukowski
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Marion Buska ’46
Christine Coury ’91 Campbell and Craig Campbell
Timothy Campbell
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Carrie and Peter Carroll
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
C. Lee Clarke
Margaret Clyde
Joseph Cook ’89
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Sigrid Kvenberg ’48 Daniels
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn and Douglas Dunn
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Beverly Durkee
Julie Edstrom ’90
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Avis Ellingrod
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Susan Engeleier
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Stephen ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67 Erickson
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Allison Everett ’78 and Kenneth Svendsen ’78
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Barbara Farley
Carol Fier
Duncan Flann ’55
Bill and Carmel Fogerty
Dawn Formo
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried ’93
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Timothy and Kristin Gamrath
Susan Gangsei ’76 and Gerald Glaser
Ann Garvey
Glen ’52 and Irvyn Gilbertson
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
John and Carolyn Goddard
John and Donde Goldfine
Ellen and Merrill Golliet
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Paul and Judy Grauer
Charles and Barbara Green
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Clarence Hansen ’53†
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
David ’67 and Karen Jacobson ’67 Haugen
Gloria Hawkinson
Mark Hebert ’74
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Raymond Henjum ’55
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Paul Holmquist ’79
Elizabeth Horton
Phoebe Hough
Jessica Houlding
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Jerelyn Hovland-Cobb ’63 and Clyde Cobb
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Katherine Hoyland Barnett
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Barbara and Michael Hubbard
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Rebecca John
Bruce Johnson ’68
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Mark Johnson ’75
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
William and Patricia Kelly
Michael Kivley ’89
Linda Klas ’92
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Robert Kyle
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Martin Larson ’80
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Brent Lofgren ’88
Dana Lonn
Wenona Strandlie ’55 Lund and Norman Lund
Thomas ’68 and Carol Batalden ’68 Luukkonen
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Mark Mahowold
Kay Malchow ’82 and Stephen Cook
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Donna McLean
Jan and William Mershon
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Thelma Monson ’41
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Sharon Mortrud
Van and Mildred Mueller
Mildred Nelson ’52
Wedel Nilsen ’45
Robert Nordin ’64
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Lisa Bradshaw ’79 Olson and Joseph Black
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Beverly Ottum
Patricia Parker
John and Norma Paulson
Barbara Petersen
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Karin Peterson
Ron ’69 and Jane Petrich
Carol Pfleiderer
Jake and Katrina Phillips
Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck and Philip ’50 Quanbeck
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Laura and Martin Roller
Frances Roller Rockey
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Milo and Cynthia Schield
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Milan ’48 and Marian Sedio
Harold and Phyllis Seim
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Michael and Pamela Sime
David Soli ’81
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Royal C. Steen
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Sonya Steven
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Leland and Louise Sundet
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Jo Anne Sylvester ’68 and Larry Dieckman
Christine Szaj
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
37
Dolores Thornes
David and Martha Tiede
Beth Torstenson ’66
Carol Trotter
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Peter Turner
Catherine and Albert Van Der Schans
Julie Lien Vanderboom ’82 and Steve Vanderboom
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Peter and Linda Vogt
Joan Volz ’68
Robert Wagner ’02
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Douglas and Janet Watsabaugh
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Patrick Wiltgen
William Wittenbreer
David and Catherine Wold
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
Lowell ’60 and Margery Ziemann
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
Accenture Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Amgen Foundation
A’viands
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Bonner Foundation
Bush Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
CollegeNet
Data Recognition Corporation
Dow Corning Corporation
Drusilla Farwell Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Faegre & Benson
Fairview Hospital Alumni Association
H.B. Fuller Company
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
General Mills Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
Hearst Foundation
Highland Prairie Speech and Debate Booster Club
HJ, Inc.
Hognander Family Foundation
Huss Foundation
Nilan Johnson Lewis
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Kentron Foundation
Kettering Foundation
James G. Lindell Fund of the St. Paul Foundation
Mary T. Inc
McGough Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Merck Partnership For Giving
Minnesota Private College Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Ms. Foundation for Women, Inc.
My Sports Dreams, LLC
Network for Good
The New York Academy of Medicine
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Northwest Area Foundation
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
PLH Foundation
Presser Foundation
Running All Over Addiction
Schwab Charitable Fund
Sheltering Arms Foundation
St. Paul Public Schools
Surdna Foundation, Inc.
Target Foundation
Target Community Relations
TCF Foundation
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation
US Bancorp Foundation
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Janet Watson Donor Advised Fund of the Women’s
Foundation of Minnesota
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Wells Fargo Bank
Winds Of Peace Foundation
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
Zapevent, LLC
S V E N O F T E D A L S O C I E T Y , Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes new members who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Anonymous (3)
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Oliver Dahl ’45
Roger L. Fisher
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Allen and Jean Housh
38
Augsburg Now
Lorna L. Hoversten
Esther Johnson ’50†
Gertrude Amundson ’35 Larson†
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myrtle Pedersen
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Paul Rensted ’87
Olive Ronholm ’47
David G. Soli
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Bill Wittenbreer
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
Consecutive Giving, 30 years or more:
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Harold ’47† and Lois Black ’47 Ahlbom
Kenneth ’61 and Marilyn Ellingson ’62 Akerman
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Raymond and Margaret Anderson
Kristin Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Catherine and Charles Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
John Benson ’55
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Doris Frojen ’51 Bretheim
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
James ’49 and Barbara Ekse ’48 Carlson
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72 Christianson
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
James Ericksen ’69
Ruth Ann Gjerde ’67 Fitzke
Alan ’67 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson and
Charles Gunderson
Arlin Gyberg
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas and Charles Hass
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Howard ’51 and Nouaneta Hjelm
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Gloria Johnson ’51
Marcellus ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Jerome Kleven ’58
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Marie and Larry McNeff
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Mildred Nelson ’52
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Roger ’56 and Janet Ose
Glen Person ’47
Robert ’68 and Alice Draheim ’68 Peters
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
James ’68 and Linda Gilbertson ’71 Romslo
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Evelyn Amundson ’43 Sonnack
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Allan Tonn ’75
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
Frances Torstenson
Beth Torstenson ’66
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and Thomas
Von Fischer
25-29 years consecutive
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Paul and Judy Grauer
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Rachel Hendrickson ’71 Julian and Bruce Julian
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Richard Klabunde
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Martin Larson ’80
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Irene Ppedahl ’45 Lovaas
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Gloria Burntvedt ’43 Nelson
Paige Nelson ’74
W. Donald Olsen ’34† and Glenda Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Patricia Strecker ’64 Pederson and Dean Pederson
Janet Griffith ’83 Sandford and David Sandford
Joyce Opseth ’45 Schwartz
Luther ’39 and Helen Strommen
George ’46 and Jean Christenson ’49 Sverdrup
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Margaret Sateren ’37 Trautwein
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Gunnar† and Mary Wick
David and Catherine Wold
20-24 years consecutive
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Julie Teigland ’69 Anderson and Gary Anderson
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Ray Anderson ’49
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Hamar ’34 and Wanda Severson ’40 Benson
Theodore ’51† and Carolyn Berkland
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
John and Carolyn Cain
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Addell Halverson ’43 Dahlen
Scott Daniels ’82 and Marcia Pape-Daniels
LeVon Paulson Dinter ’52
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Reynold Erickson ’41†
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Edward Evenson ’41
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Kenneth ’58 and Aldemar Johnson ’57 Hagen
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Herbert ’51 and M. Joyce Tallman ’52 Hanson
Carolyn Hawkins
Rodney ’62 and Jane Helgeson
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Norman and Ilene Holen
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Florence Retrum ’40 Hovland
Wayne Johnson ’58
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Marvin ’49 and Dorothy Quanbeck ’48 Johnson
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
James Kottom ’52
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Lois Knutson ’62 Larsen and Paul Larsen
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
39
Brent Lofgren ’88
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Lynn ’50 and Miriam Hoplin ’50 Lundin
John ’65 and Gracia Nydahl ’66 Luoma
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Steve McGinness
Donna McLean
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Shirley Christensen ’75 Nickel and Daniel Nickel
Margaret Nelson Foss ’48 Nokleberg
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Robert Nordin ’64
Jonathan Nye
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Maren Lecy ’83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Mary Olson
John ’62 and Nina Osberg
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Donald Peterson ’49
David Proctor ’63
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Norman ’59 and Ardelle Skovholt ’54 Quanbeck
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Stephen ’76 and Karen Reinarz
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Judith Sandeen ’72
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Kari Beckman ’81 Sorenson and Neil Sorensen
La Vone Studlien ’58
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
James Swanson
Ruth Weltzin ’45 Swanson and Edwin Swanson
Dorothy Swanson ’51 Swanson
Janis Thoreson ’78
Robert Wick ’81
Pamela Zagaria
15-19 years consecutive
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
James ’88 and Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
Ronald and Anna Marie Austin
Dorothy Bailey
The Batalden Advised Fund
Christine Wacker ’87 Bjork and Steven Bjork
Morris ’63 and Mavis Bjurlin
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Daniel and Irene Brink
Michael Burden ’85
David Christensen ’52
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Judith Norman ’66 Coppersmith and
Norman Coppersmith
Ann Erkkila ’86 Dudero
Avis Ellingrod
40
Augsburg Now
Valborg Kyllo ’54 Ellingson and Phillip Ellingson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Dann Forsberg ’80
Joann Koelln ’72 Frankena
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Lloyd Grinde ’56
Richard ’72 and Carol Habstritt
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Jacquelyn Bagley ’51 Hanson and Kenneth Hanson
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Burton Haugen ’72
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Edith Hovey
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Morris ’52 and Marjorie Danielson ’52 Johnson
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Carrie Kosek ’85 Knott and Gerald Knott
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Duane and Mary Alyce Krohnke
Annette and Henry Lucksinger, Jr.
Bill and Anne McSweeney
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Mark ’88 and Tamala Morken
Karl Nestvold ’54
Norma Noonan
Betsey and Alan Norgard
R. Luther Olson ’56
Gary ’65 and Jean Pfeifer ’64 Olson
John and Norma Paulson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Jay Phinney ’79
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Quentin ’50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
Barbara Hanson ’68 Raymond and David Raymond
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
David ’53 and Janice Anderson ’54 Rykken
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Paulette Nelson ’67 Speed
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Diana Talcott
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Jeanne Kyllo ’69 Wendschuh and Ronald Wendschuh
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Robyn Arnold ’80 Zollner†
10-15 years consecutive
Anonymous (2)
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Leif Anderson
Dean ’74 and Janet Nelson ’76 Anderson
Scott Anderson ’96
Margaret Anderson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Charles ’63 and Mary Jo Arndt
Mary Arneson and Dale Hammerschmidt
Susan Hanson ’82 Asmus and Kevin Asmus
Lawrence ’52 and Jayne Balzer
Dennis ’58 and Doris Barnaal
Arlin Becker ’88
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Gertrude Ness ’51 Berg
Andrew ’64 and Jean Amland ’65 Berg
Carolyn Berkland
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Dennes ’57 and Florence Helland ’54 Borman
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Willard Botko
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and Jim
Buchanan
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Einar Cannelin ’38
William Capman
Gregory Carlson ’74
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Jeff Christenson ’82
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
C. Lee Clarke
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Cheryl Solomonson ’89 Crockett and Larry Crockett
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
Oliver Dahl ’45
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Suzanne Doree
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
Julie Edstrom ’90
Doran Edwards
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
David ’79 and Amy Eitrheim
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Kari Elsila and Michael Buescher
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Karen Faulkner
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
William and Anne Frame
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Ann Garvey
Barbara Gilbert ’81
John ’66 and Mary Jo Greenfield
Cindy Greenwood ’05
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Julia Ose ’62 Grose and Christopher Grose
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
John and Laurie Grygelko
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Lucille and Roger Hackbart
Shirley Hansen
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Dawn Hendricks ’80
Irene Shelstad ’52 Henjum
Rand ’82 and Kay Kennedy ’82 Henjum
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Kristen Hirsch ’91 Montag and Paul Montag
Sylvia Hjelmeland
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
John ’81 and Karen Hofflander
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Donald ’60 and Ruth Thorsgard ’59 Homme
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Elizabeth Horton
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Rhoda Monseth ’59 Huglen and Erling Huglen
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Bruce Johnson ’68
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Margaret Johnson
Carolyn Johnson ’63
Martha Johnson
Karen Johnson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
Karen Johnson ’66
Suzanne Kelley ’69
Benjamin and Christine Kent
James Kerr
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Linda King ’78
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Joan Kunz
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Andrea Langeland
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Julie Gudmestad ’65 Laudicina and
Joseph Laudicina
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Rosemary and Andrew Link
Arlene and Gene Lopas
Olivia Gordon ’62 Lorents and Alden Lorents
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Gregory ’61 and Kay Hanenburg ’62 Madson
Raymond Makeever
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Julie Magnuson ’61 Marineau and Richard
Marineau
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Phillip ’62 and Karen Tangen ’63 Mattison
Lillian and Vernon Maunu
Dana Holmes ’81 McIntyre and Vernon McIntyre ’79
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Meca Sportswear, Inc.
Robert ’59 and Mary Lundquist ’60 Meffert
Joan and Richard Meierotto
David ’68 and Elaine Melby
Robert Nelson ’44 and Helen Johnson-Nelson
Ronald ’59 and Elizabeth Miskowiec
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Scott ’81 and Debra Musselman
Michael Navarre
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
E. Irene Lasseson ’38 Neseth†
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Robert ’73 and Linda Nilsen
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Edward ’54 and Winifred Nystuen ’54 Nyhus
Richard ’69 and Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted
Dean Olson ’00
Howard and Bettye Olson
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Cedric ’61 and Marlys Olson
Donald ’53 Oren and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Russell ’63 and Ruth Osterberg
Steven O’Tool ’74
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Patricia Solum ’02 Park
Patricia Parker
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Dwight ’60 and Marion Pederson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Cynthia Peterson
Linda Christensen ’68 Phillips and Gerald Phillips
James Plumedahl ’57
Jill Pohtilla
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Nicolyn Rajala ’70 and Bill Vossler
Paul Rensted ’87
James ’75 and Jude Ring
David ’59 and Arline Ringstad
James ’63 and Patricia Steenson ’65 Roback
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers-Miller
Frances Roller Rockey
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Philip Rowberg ’41
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Richard Sandeen ’69
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Pauline Sateren
Carol Watson ’68 Saunders
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Larry ’65 and Muriel Berg ’67 Scholla
Arvid ’63 and Lillian Schroeder
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Charles Sheaffer
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Eugene and Margaret Skibbe
Alan ’72 and Nancy Becker ’72 Soli
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Bonnie Martinson ’59 Storley
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’69 and Stephanie Johnson ’71 Sulzbach
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Sue Thompson ’85
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
41
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Mark and Ann Tranvik
Mary True
Merry Tucker
Betty and Paul Tveite
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
Heidi Norman ’88 Wise and John Wise
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Robert ’50 and Dee Ulsaker
Joan Swenson ’78 Van Wirt
Joan Volz ’68
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Rebecca and Michael Waggoner
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2009-10.
Total participation for all class years, 21%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
42
33.33%
66.67%
50.00%
20.00%
52.94%
25.00%
33.33%
29.63%
31.03%
31.25%
32.50%
38.89%
34.62%
47.73%
34.85%
42.39%
Augsburg Now
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
35.62%
43.10%
49.46%
46.67%
36.59%
35.71%
44.44%
43.40%
55.56%
56.07%
36.17%
46.67%
35.17%
38.71%
32.09%
33.94%
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
31.63%
35.07%
34.60%
27.96%
20.32%
26.29%
26.30%
22.88%
24.01%
21.57%
21.55%
20.91%
23.19%
21.40%
16.67%
17.87%
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
16.29%
14.91%
13.91%
13.33%
13.10%
10.00%
12.61%
11.86%
12.18%
10.00%
11.33%
9.58%
10.71%
10.18%
6.98%
9.91%
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
12.18%
9.76%
11.29%
6.97%
4.69%
10.91%
7.64%
10.55%
5.43%
10.41%
7.53%
5.93%
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
A
ugsburg has a time-honored tradition each year
called “Homecoming.” Homecoming is a time of renewal—renewal of friendships, college experiences,
and meeting new alumni while taking in the festivities of
the week.
The Augsburg Alumni Board is proud to be part of this
and other events. The year 2010–11 is the year of bringing our alumni closer to the College. Our board members
understand this as many of the members of the Alumni Board spent their formative
years with the College, creating new friends that have passed the test of time.
Part of the Alumni Board’s mission is to promote connections among alumni
throughout the year. The board sponsors or participates in many of the events that
bring alumni together. Some of these are:
• Alumni awards that recognize Auggies who have made significant contributions in their fields of work and to the community, who have given service to
the College, and who exemplify the mission and spirit of the College.
• Social and business networking opportunities
• Educational and enriching speakers
• Fun events that promote engagement, such as the Auggie Night at the
Races at Canterbury Park that attracts more than 700 alumni and family
members each year.
These are a few examples of how your Augsburg Alumni Board works for you to bring
fun and enjoyment to your extended college experience. The board continues to look
for ideas to expand our mission of reconnecting alumni to the College, and we
would welcome your feedback on programs you feel would help fulfill our mission.
This year promises to be fun with new traditions and events for all. We invite you
to pass on the message to recent alumni and alumni from years past. We all have
an opportunity to extend our college experience past Commencement. Best wishes
to you all as you rekindle your relationship with Augsburg College.
Sincerely,
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Alumni get involved!
Is it your New Year’s resolution to reconnect with old
friends, network with other Auggies, and have fun?
If so, join fellow Auggies at the following alumni
events in 2011.
Auggies Give Back: Feed My Starving Children
Packing Session
Saturday, January 15, 2011
9–11 a.m., Coon Rapids, MN
Eye-Opener Breakfast
featuring Mark Eustis, CEO, Fairview Healthcare
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
7 a.m., Town and Country Club, St. Paul, MN
The Augsburg Centennial Singers Concert Tour
February 8-20, 2011
California and Arizona
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
Thursday, February 10, 2011
5:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series
featuring Michele Volpi, CEO, H.B. Fuller
Thursday, April 7, 2011
5 p.m., Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall
For more information on these and other alumni
events go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Save the Date!
Homecoming 2011
October 17–23, 2011
Reunion Classes
50th reunion—1961
40th reunion—1971
25th reunion—1986
10th reunion—2001
If you would like to help
make your reunion a success,
contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates
and reunion information.
Fall 2010
43
auggie
alumni news
Auggies Give Back: Student
philanthropy at Augsburg
Executives share expertise in speaker series
A popular trend in colleges across the nation is also taking Augsburg by storm—
current students are giving back to
Augsburg while they are still students.
The Alumni and Constituent Relations
student group, the Augsburg Stewards,
are at the forefront of Augsburg’s wave.
Under the direction of Amanda Storm, associate alumni director,
the Stewards host a variety of events and activities to engage and
educate students on how their experience at Augsburg is funded.
Philanthropy Week, the first week in March, is a week-long
awareness event that gives the student body an opportunity to participate in a variety of philanthropic activities that include voting
where their donations go and posting how they give back to their
community. There is a scavenger hunt on campus for a particular
donor, with clues given about that donor and why they give back.
These activities help students understand that while their tuition funds a major part of their education, the generosity of
Augsburg alumni and friends also plays a significant role in their
experience.
New this year, students will have an opportunity to directly give
back to fellow students through the “Feed the Pig” class gift challenge. All students receive a piggy bank and are encouraged to
“feed the pig” their loose change throughout the semester. The
money raised will benefit current Augsburg students through a
scholarship awarded at the Scholarship Brunch in April. Think it
can’t get any better? The class with the highest rate of participation will win a class party at the President Pribbenow’s home.
auggies
GIVE BACK
Alumni artists—call for submissions
Augsburg Alumni Juried Show 2011
The Augsburg art galleries are pleased to announce an exciting
opportunity for alumni to show their artwork in a juried exhibition
featured in both the Gage Family Art Gallery and Christensen
Center Art Gallery opening in early August 2011.
Each artist may submit up to three images. The submission
deadline is June 24, 2011; notifications of acceptance will be
sent out July 12. For more information about the Augsburg
Alumni Juried Show, go to www.augsburg.edu/galleries or e-mail
gallery@augsburg.edu.
44
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series,
launched in December 2009, brings major business leaders to the
Augsburg campus to share their insights and expertise. Speakers
during the past year include Alex Cirillo, vice president of 3M
Foundation (now retired) and past president of 3M Canada; Chris
Policinski, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes; and Richard
Davis, chairman, president, and CEO of U.S. Bancorp.
The next speaker in the series will be Michele Volpi, president
and chief executive officer of H.B. Fuller. He will speak on Thursday, April 7, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall.
The series is co-sponsored by Augsburg’s Corporate Relations
Office and the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful
Work. Each presentation provides opportunities for alumni as well
as students, faculty, and staff to hear unique insights into the current business climate and trends from a national or global corporate leader.
Augsburg Choir
Legacy Recordings,
1949-1979
As part of the Augsburg Choir’s
75th-anniversary celebration, CD
versions of remastered historical
recordings of the Augsburg Choir from
1949–79 are available as the Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings.
A monograph about Leland B. Sateren’s life and career written by
William Halverson ’51 will be included with each order.
The three boxed sets, each containing five CDs are:
• From Opseth to Sateren (1949–1962)
• Sateren Intermezzo (1964–1972)
• Sateren Finale (1972–1979)
Cost: $49 per box (five CDs); $135 for all three sets (15 CDs), plus
shipping and handling.
To place an order, go to www.augsburg.edu/music/saterenCD.html
or call the Augsburg College Bookstore at 612-359-6491. For more
information, call 612-330-1265.
Call for nominations for
alumni awards
The Augsburg College Alumni Board seeks
your assistance in identifying members of
the Augsburg community to be considered
for recognition.
Please take a few moments to consider
those who might be honored for the following awards. Your nominations and suggestions are critical in helping to build these
important programs to celebrate the accomplishments of the Augsburg community. The awards will be given at the
Homecoming 2011 Convocation on
Friday, October 21.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College alumni in
recognition for significant achievement in
vocation, for outstanding contribution to
church and community, and for a life that
exemplifies the ideals and mission of
Augsburg College. Augsburg alumni (graduates and non-graduates) are eligible.
First Decade Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College graduates of
the last 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the
community, and in so doing exemplify the
mission of the College: to prepare future
leaders in service to the world.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Honors Augsburg alumni or friends of the
College who have given exceptional service
that contributes substantially to the well
being of the College by furthering its purposes and programs. Alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and groups who have served
the College are eligible.
To make a nomination, contact the Office
of Alumni and Constituent Relations for a
nomination packet at 612-330-1085 or
alumni@augsburg.edu.
The deadline for award nominations is
March 4, 2011.
Members of the Young Alumni Council posed with TC Bear and Auggie Eagle at Young Alumni night at the Twins
game in July, with more than 100 attending. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, Andrew Johnson ’07, Holly (Ebnet) Knutson ’03,
’07 MBA, Amanda Rueb ’09, and Teresa Barnhill ’08.
Young Alumni Summer Series: 2010
From baseball to a brewery tour, Augsburg Young Alumni have it going on! The Young Alumni had another awesome season in 2010, with more than 600 Auggies attending any of the six events held
throughout the season, giving Auggies great opportunities to catch up with former classmates and
meet new friends.
The Young Alumni program is an initiative supported by the efforts of outstanding Young Alumni
volunteers, dedicated to providing dynamic social and enrichment opportunities for their Auggie
classmates, while keeping them engaged with their alma mater.
Join Professor Phil Adamo on a journey to the Emerald Isle
Join friends from the Augsburg College
community in early May 2011 for an indepth journey through Ireland with Phillip
Adamo, associate professor and chair of
Augsburg’s History Department, director of
medieval studies, and experienced study
tour leader.
Professor Adamo looks forward to returning to Ireland with a group of alumni and
friends, May 2–12, 2011. Explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to 9,000 B.C. and experience the
intense rugged beauty of land carved from
the sea contrasting with the meticulous gar-
dens of stately castles. As director of medieval studies, Adamo enhances the tour
with his special knowledge of the historic
significance of Celtic Christianity and how
Ireland’s ancient monastic communities
flourished during the Dark Ages. The tour
also celebrates contemporary Irish culture.
To receive a brochure and registration
form, contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1178
or alumni@augsburg.edu. Registration is
open and spaces are filling—please note
that last year’s Italy trip sold out and had a
waiting list.
Fall 2010
45
60-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1950
Front row (L to R): Shirley Dahlen, Angeline (Rolland)
Sorenson, Marjorie (Wilberg) Hauge; Back row (L to R):
Edward Alberg, Philip Quanbeck, Raynard Huglen,
Robert Paulson
go
auggies!
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1960
Front row (L to R): Marjorie (Moland) Wendt, Ramona
(Pedersen) Settergren, Ruth (Carlson) Olson, LaVonne
(Gravgaard) Iverson, Phyllis (Redenbaugh) Ose, Fay
(Quanbeck) Matsunaga, Lois (Richter) Agrimson, Phyllis
(Raymond) Berge, Carol (Johnson) Casperson; Row 2 (L
to R): Linnea (Wacker) Whipple, Marlene Studlien,
Nancy (Garland) Erickson, Carol (Hawkins) Svanoe,
Dorothy (Larson) Henriksen, Phyllis (Dahlmeier) Fering,
Ruth (Carlsen) Moen; Row 3 (L to R): Dwight Pederson,
Dale Hanka, David Hanka, Stan West, Arden Flaten,
Byron Schmid, Myron Carlson; Row 4 (L to R): Clayton
Paulson, Bruce Amundson, Gerald Johnson, Lowell Ziemann, Jack Anderson, Dennis Glad, Richard Berge, Don
Gilberg
Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50 was the keynote speaker at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon, and reflected on
“Then and Now, and Now and Then.”
“It seems to me that when Augsburg College is doing its proper work, it is well
aware of its past, but it’s looking not only backward, but forward. Perhaps there
is in our future something new, and we should be looking for it.”
46
Augsburg Now
40-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1970
Front row (L to R): Sandy Swanson Mathisen, Bonnie Risius, Marjorie Tietz Peterson, Donna Hillesland Eastman,
Nikki Rajala, Paulette O. Odegaard, Steve T. Johnson,
Chris Flom Duncan, Karen Dohlen Johnson, LaRhae
Knatterud; Row 2 (L to R): Barbara Ingvalson Anderson,
Lynne Framstad Payne, Dawn Hofstad Stromman, Tim
Strommen, Susan Olson Williams, Barbara Ellefson Ditty,
June Gandrud Perrizo, Julie Thompson Lipelt; Row 3 (L to
R): Gloria Wohlers Hatchinson, Mary Buss, Linda Larson,
Lynn Anderson Haanen, Andrey Olmstead, Cheryl King,
Gary Benson, Pam Jurdy Juul, Marilyn Hass Krambeer;
Row 4 (L to R): Linda Munson Wahlstrom, Judy Benson
Madsen, Sue Lindberg Sorenson, Janet Call Ulvin, Kathie
Gildemeister Erbes, Timothy Toso, Paul Mikelson; Row 5
(L to R): Joyce Engstrom Spector, Mark Francis, David
Ulvin, Terry Nygaard, John Hjelmeland, John Eidsvoog;
Row 6 (L to R): Ray L. Hanson, Jane Cornelison Van
Brunt, Dennis King
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1985
Front row (L to R): Nancy (Mackey) Mueller, Jean Taylor,
Terri (Swanberg) Stoner, Shelly Johnson, Carmen
(Elandt) Reibel; Back row (L to R): Ron Winterhalter,
Norm Okerstrom, Jay Myers, Clay Gustafson, Rebecca
(Melgaard) Newton, Kathleen Kuross, Lisa (Erickson)
Gustafson
At the Homecoming Welcome Back Banquet, John Eidsvoog ’70 played
his own arrangements of several popular selections. He has a master’s
degree in jazz composition and has played piano and synthesizers for
numerous movies, TV shows, and CDs. In the ’80s, he was the musical
conductor and pianist for many popular entertainers, including Andy
Gibb, Jaye P. Morgan, and John Davidson. In recent years, Eidsvoog has
worked in music preparation with his wife, Julie ’69, as a composer, orchestrator, and arranger. They currently work with such artists as Burt
Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé,
and Elton John. Eidsvoog’s CDs are available at the Augsburg Bookstore.
Fall 2010
47
alumni class notes
50to move when his home in
Rev. Lloyd Kallevig was forced
Wadena, Minn., was destroyed by a
tornado in June.
61retired teachers who shared
Dennis Kalpin was one of the
their memories in the country
schoolhouse at the Douglas County
(Minn.) fair in August. His career included 40 years of teaching, 47
years of coaching football, plus basketball, softball, track, and baseball.
62Hancock, Mich., and her husAlice (Heikkila) Kinnunen,
band, Eldon, have spent 18 years in
retirement working in Reynosa, Mexico, each winter, building homes for
the poor, distributing goods, helping
with medical care, schooling, etc.
64Minn., retired from the
Rev. Marv Repinski, Austin,
Methodist ministry six years ago,
and is currently serving as interim
pastor at Lansing Methodist Church,
his fifth interim appointment. He
also teaches world religion at Riverland Community College in Owatonna, and serves on the board of
the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
70years with Wells Fargo Bank.
Dakota Synod Assembly of the ELCA
for 30 years of ordained ministry.
David Ulvin, Edina, Minn., served as
the senior commodore for the 2010
Minneapolis Aquatennial. He retired
from teaching music in the St. Paul
school system and now invests in
multi-family residential real estate.
77fessor and chair of the English
Paul Sedio retired after 36
73
Marti Lybeck’s dissertation on
female homosexuality in Germany was named the State University of New York best dissertation in
queer studies last year. She teaches
history at University of WisconsinLaCrosse.
Rev. Gary Wollersheim was reelected to a third six-year term as
bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod
of the ELCA. He serves as co-chairman of the Illinois Council of
Churches and chairman of the Region Five ELCA bishops.
76N.D., joined the staff of
Rev. David Halaas, Williston,
Lutheran Social Services of North
Dakota last summer and works from
its Minot program office. He was
honored by the Western North
Department at Heidelberg University. He is a member of the Tiffin
Glass Collectors Club and he volunteers at the Tiffin Glass Museum,
giving tours and providing information about the glass production.
80Woodbury, Minn., received a
Judy (Carson) Houck ’10 MSW,
Hartford Scholarship in social work.
She and her husband, Lee ’78, await
their first grandchild in January.
Kevin Kuntz joined TopLine Federal
Credit Union in Maple Grove, Minn.,
as senior vice president of sales and
service. Most recently, he was senior
vice president and director of relationship banking at TCF Bank.
52Annabelle (Hanson) ’51,
Rev. Len Dalberg, and his wife,
Solvang, Calif., were honored by
their 4 children and 11 grandchildren on their 60th anniversary at a
seaside restaurant family dinner. Len
is a visitation pastor at Bethania
Lutheran Church in Solvang in his
retirement.
ence and Health at the university
while completing her degree. She
and her husband are blessed with
three adult sons and a daughter-inlaw, all in the metro area.
88board of Caring Bridge.
Janice Aune serves on the
82
Diane (Peterson) Kachel,
Woodbury, Minn., received
her Master of Biological Science degree from the University of Minnesota in April 2010. For the past
four years, she has been assistant
director of the Center for Lung Sci-
89English at University of Mis-
Devoney Looser, professor of
souri, was recently featured in the
university’s research magazine, Illuminations, about her book project, a
63summer to celebrate the completion of a water well that provides
75Class of 1975 have been getting together during the year, espe-
clean drinking water to the village of Okigwe. She is active in the Fullerton Sunrise Rotary Club, which received funding from the Rotary Foundation for the project. She is an associate professor of communications
at California State University-Fullerton and has also taught in Belize as
a Rotary teacher. “It was an enlightening and gratifying experience!”
cially at Advent Vespers and the Auggie Night at the Races. Here, they
enjoy a potluck dinner last summer at Brenda (Hoppes) Cattadoris’
house in Brooklyn Park, Minn. (L to R) Jo Koester, Jennie Hakes, Shirley
(Christianson) Nickel, Brenda (Salberg) Peterson, and Brenda (Hoppes)
Cattadoris.
Carolyn E. Johnson, Fullerton, Calif., traveled to Nigeria in the
48
Bill Reyer, Tiffin, Ohio, is pro-
Augsburg Now
Since reconnecting some years ago, several women from the
97her husband, Justin, Blaine,
99Danielle, Maple Grove, Minn.,
01last summer on Cape Cod. (L to R) Erica Huls, Stacy (Waterman) Newton,
Minn., celebrated the birth of their
daughter, Lauren Reese.
welcomed their first child, Ella Lorraine, on December 14, 2009. Mark
is a juvenile probation officer for Hennepin County and an assistant football
coach for Osseo Senior High School.
Emily (Brinkman) Waldon, Laura Waldon, Sara Thedinga.
Jennifer (Coyle) Rhoads and
Mark Joseph and his wife,
The “Fifth-Floor Girls” from the Class of 2001 enjoyed a mini-vacation
02band, Taher Omar, Brooklyn
04Blaine, Minn., and her hus-
Center, Minn., welcomed a baby
girl, Scarlett Susan, on July 6.
band, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on
Feb. 25.
Minneapolis, welcomed their daughter, Lauryn KyJune, on June 11.
073,000-mile bike trip on his
Leah (Spafford) and her hus-
02ter Sølvei Mareta on May 24. She is welcomed by big sisters Lillian and
Signe (Hillestad) and her husband, Aaron McKie ’05, welcomed daugh-
Ellenora.
biography of two 19th-century
British sister writers, Anna Maria
and Jane Porter. The article cites
Devoney as “one of the nation’s
most respected scholars of British
literature and women’s writings.”
Will Schroeder joined Kemin Food
Technologies in Des Moines, Iowa,
as research and development director. He founded and led Blue Sky
Creamery and ice cream start-up
business.
93Tell You a Story,” was shown in 97football coach at Osseo High
Amy Rice’s exhibition, “Let Me
the Central Lakes College Gallery in
Brainerd, Minn., during September.
She is the founder of Spectrum ArtWorks, Minneapolis.
95as vice president, employee
Paul Martin was recently hired
care and center services at the Lincoln National Corporation’s Lincoln
Employer Market’s Group Insurance
team.
Jim Osberg married Jennifer Oberlag
in Hot Springs, Ark., on Sept. 4. He
is a sales rep for Medtronic; they live
in Wayzata, Minn.
Derrin Lamker has been head
School for six years. In a recent interview he credits Augsburg coach
Jack Osberg ’62 as teaching him the
most important lessons of learning
how to build relationships with his
players.
99her husband, Kevin, Vadnais
01
Nicole Warner recently opened
the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra’s season as mezzo-soprano soloist
in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. She is the
co-winner of the 2010 Bel Canto Chorus Regional Artists competition.
04a member of the USA
00husband, Larye Pohlman ’98,
Rev. Melissa (Moyle) and her
Brett Cease completed a
bike that he named Tranquility, as
he traveled from New York City
through the Northeast and Canada
on his way home to Bemidji. Go to
www.homeinthewoods.wordpress.com.
Stephanie Malone was hired by CaringBridge as development officer.
Karen Lohr, Flagstaff, Ariz., is
Women’s Sled Hockey Team and
plays in Phoenix on the Coyotes sled
team. She has been a hall director
at Northern Arizona University.
Leah (Holloway) Rudeen and
Heights, Minn., welcomed the arrival
of their third son, Drew Alexander,
on Feb. 26. Drew joins big brothers
Zachary (5) and Grant (3).
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
06who made his onstage debut
Dan Ryan was sworn in as a Rogers,
Minn., police officer in September.
He is a member of the Army Reserves and served time in Iraq. He
completed the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
Steve Herzog is a musician
at the 2010 Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, playing the role of Rick in
“Hollywood Hot!” with the LAB Theater. Previously, he held long-term
engagements with the Mall of America and Carnival Cruise Lines.
08band, David Lange, announce
Kasi (Clauson) and her hus-
the birth of their daughter, Rubi
Mae, on July 6. Kasi is the new head
coach for Augsburg’s women’s
swimming and diving team.
Fall 2010
49
alumni class notes
Running for Joe—an inspiration
Running for Joe … it’s what powered Dan Vogel
through his sixth marathon, one of the most
grueling in the country—the Equinox course
around the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks. Through 4,000 feet of elevation change
on wooded ski trails and up and down a steep
gravel road with potholes and loose shale, Vogel
ran. It was a on a covered root only two miles
into the race where he rolled his ankle, but kept
running through the pain, the inspiration of Joe
moving him on.
Joe was Joe Vogel, Dan’s cousin who died
last summer after a two-year battle with cancer.
“Why am I doing this?” Dan wrote in the blog
that followed Joe’s last year. “Because I BELIEVE. Joe’s ability to never take life for granted
and make the most out of every day is what inspires me as I train and prepare for this race.”
Dan Vogel graduated from Augsburg in
2005. He ran cross country and track and majored in marketing. Several
quick experiences in the
business world
taught him,
though, that
sales and marketing—even when
his team earned
record-breaking
revenues—were
Dan Vogel ’05 honors his cousin Joe
not for him.
at www.runningforjoe.weebly.com
09sang under her stage name,
Anna Dybdahl, who formerly
Arianna, recently released a new
single, “Fields of Gold,” on iTunes.
Go to www.annadybdahl.com.
and educator who founded a company, Jesenia Morales LLC, to work
with women in small start-ups. She
also teaches non-traditional students as an adjunct faculty member
in the business department at National American University.
07Hodgdon ’04, announce the
Andrea (Slack) and Clint
birth of their daughter, Elizabeth
Idelle, born May 24. They live in
Savage, Minn.
08Sandy were married on July
Cristina (Quick) and Sama
Graduate Programs
10award as an English Teaching
Laura Schoen ’09 MSW married
Jeremy Liila on March 27 in Minneapolis. She works at Meridian
Services.
Augsburg Now
Jesenia Morales ’08 MBA is a
Naomi Muellner joined Portfolio Recovery Associates in Norfolk, Va., in
July as vice president, Bankruptcy
Services.
Jody Giza ’04 PA joined Lakewood
Health System as a physician
assistant.
Assistant in Malaysia this year.
06coach, strategist, accountant,
BETSEY NORGARD
Bethany Hellerich received a Fulbright award as an English Teaching
Assistant in Indonesia.
Nou Chang received a Fulbright
50
“I learned quickly after being hired by
Augsburg cross country and track coach Dennis Barker that I work much better with people
in person,” Vogel says. “My friends and family
recognized that I had a passion for helping
people improve their lives, whether in athletics, school, or life in general.” And Joe’s story
on CaringBridge made him realize that
“there’s much more to life than working a boring job and earning money.”
So, as he says, he left his formal attire and
skyscraper cubicle and found a perfect fit with
the AmeriCorps VISTA program in Fairbanks at
an at-risk youth drop-in center. There he hosts
a radio show with his youth clients as guest
DJs who also tell their stories, and he started
music lessons with donated instruments.
“At the same time,” Vogel says, “my heart
is still in Minnesota with my friends and family.” I can’t wait to pick up where I left off
back home and look for a similar job helping
at-risk youth in Minneapolis.”
Running for Joe was indeed powerful
enough to get Vogel through the Equinox
marathon, injured and exhausted and into
25th place out of 370 runners. “Had I not ruined my ankle,” he says, “I was shooting for a
top-10 finish under 3:30:00.” Although he
has a personal best of 2:49:47 for a road
marathon, he’ll look for that same goal in the
next trail marathon he runs for Joe.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and
constituent relations, and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son,
Evan, on July 24.
24. Auggies in the wedding were
groomsmen Greg Hildebrandt ’08
and Derek Francis ’08; bridesmaids
Katie LaGrave ’08 and Halen (Haley)
Bower ’08; usher Bryan Ludwig ’08;
personal attendant Bethany George
’11; and singers Andrew Johnson ’07
and Maria (Mitchell) Helgerson ’07.
Send us your news and photos
In Memoriam
Oliver C. Severson ’31, Minneapolis, age 100, on November 4,
2009.
Amy Ruth Schmidt ’54, Waterloo,
Iowa, age 78, on June 14.
Signe (Berg) Halverson ’36, Dallas, Wis., age 95, on July 25.
Clayton Brandt ’57, Richfield,
Minn., age 78, on November 19,
2009.
Ethel (Sinner) Shebeck ’38, Langford, S.D., age 93, on November
14, 2009.
Sandra (Solseth) Hopkins ’59,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 71, on
May 16, 2009.
Gerald Person ’39, San Diego,
Calif., age 93, on June 27.
Richard M. Olson ’59, New Hope,
Minn., age 79, on October 17,
2009.
Reynold M. “Eric” Erickson ’41,
White Bear Lake, Minn., age 89,
on January 22.
Lowell Formo ’41, Meza, Ariz., age
91, on August 20.
Mary Lou (Heusser) Wesley ’41,
Seattle, Wash., age 90, on October 6, 2009.
Agnes (Mortensen) Mosling ’48,
age 87, on January 3.
Elizabeth “Betty” (Westphal) Peterson ’48, New London, Minn., age
83, on June 25.
Dr. Ordean L. Torstenson ’63,
Madison, Wis., age 69, on July
20. He was faculty member in
the Department of Family Medicine at University of Wisconsin
and named Pediatrician of the
Year by the American Academy of
Pediatricians. Distinguished
Alumnus, 1999.
Clarence C. “Pete” Hansen ’53,
Lakeville, Minn., age 78, on January 12.
Duane Myrin ’53, St. Cloud,
Minn., age 79, on February 13.
Ints Busevics ’54, Minneapolis,
age 80, on August 9.
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James Dahlager ’71, age 60, on
July 31, 2009.
Paul A. Green ’51, Roseville,
Minn., age 82, on January 7.
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
David Lyle ’64, Sun Prairie, Wis.,
age 68, on June 9, 2009.
Russell Manthie ’49, St. Ignatius,
Mont., age 81, on December 4,
2009.
Carol (Watson) Schweizer ’50,
Minneapolis, age 81, on
January 8.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
Stanley Spangenberg ’64, Lake
Jackson, Texas, age 67, on August 24.
Robert C. Carlson ’50, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 84, on August 18.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
Rev. Orville K. Anderson ’64, Sioux
Falls, S.D., age 68, on August 1.
Robert Lehman ’49, South
Williamsport, Pa., age 84, on
July 5.
John Werket ’49, Sun City West,
Ariz., age 85, on June 4. He was
a world champion speed skater
and competed in the 1948,
1952, and 1956 Winter
Olympics. Distinguished Alumnus, 1972.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Kay (Schiller) Trapp ’76, Shoreview, Minn., age 55, on May 10,
2009.
Katharine (Bushell) Durr ’80, Hillsborough, N.J., age 48, on February 3.
Steve Nelson ’81, Cottage Grove,
Minn., age 50, on January 4.
David R. Schroer ’89, Shoreview,
Minn., age 44, on February 12,
2009.
Pamela (Tevlin) Christensen ’92,
Plymouth, Minn., age 53, on October 6, 2009.
Patrick D. Schmid ’95, South
Range, Mich., age 41, on
August 29.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Michelle Hollie ’07, MAL student,
Minneapolis, on August 8.
____________________________________________________________
Matthew Gill ’09, Castle Rock,
Colo., on September 18, 2009.
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Fall 2010
51
my
Auggie experience
A pilgrimage to find my college mentor: Professor F. Mark Davis
gether in the classroom (including a course in his specialty, Chaucer)
and in department meetings (I was a student appointee to faculty
meetings). He and his wife, Kay, once hosted Nancy and me in their
south Minneapolis home at a gathering of English majors. He even
had made the one-hour trip by car to Monticello to visit our hometown and meet my parents.
More amazing than finding him after months of occasional
searches was the discovery of his home in retirement in Silver
Spring, Md., just weeks before my five-day visit to the same area.
One evening, I determined, could be devoted to meeting with my
mentor whom I had not seen since the early ’70s.
Mark was waiting outside the entrance to his building in their
sprawling retirement community. The professor I knew when he was
nearing 38 (I was 22) appeared somewhat like the man in the 1970
picture that carried. For the next hour and a half, the four of us sat
in their apartment, reflecting on careers, family
and grandchildren, travel, what we read today,
retirement activities, people from Augsburg we
mutually knew.
There were parallels in our lives: We both have
sons in the San Francisco Bay Area. We chose
our retirement cities to be near grandchildren.
We have downsized from larger, single-family
homes to urban housing complexes. We reflected, with personal satisfaction, on our working lives—college professor and dean of students
In 1970, Donald Q. Smith ’70 invited his mentor, English
Davis (right) and Smith, both now retired, were reunited
Department chair F. Mark Davis, to his parents’ home in
when the former student successfully searched for his
(Mark), weekly newspapering (Don) and K-12 edMonticello, Minn.
advisor and visited him in suburban Washington, D.C.
ucation (Kay and Nancy).
Time didn’t permit reminiscing about the courses we shared at
And then came vital help from a most unlikely source: a financial
Augsburg ... or how a former English major and a professor later aprecruiter combing a list of alumni in the Northwest. We had a friendly
plied their studies in different pursuits. Nor did we reflect on the frevisit for an hour in a downtown Portland hotel, which ended cordially,
even though I revealed that our estate planning directs an educational quent campus turbulence during the ’60s from protests against the
Vietnam War to the necessary demands for justice and equality by
gift not to Augsburg but rather to the foundation of the shared high
school of my wife, Nancy, and me. That was acceptable to David Ben- both black Americans and women.
As a gift, I brought a Wright-signed copy of Driving to Vernonia for
son, who then asked: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Davis. In the fictional “Vernonia,” Edmund’s search for mentor
“Yes, find Mark Davis!” I abruptly responded.
Richard Vickerman was (in the author’s words) “awkward, suspenseThat he did, querying a contact at Augsburg I had not tried. First
ful and tinged with risk.” Not so for me. Rather my personal (and
to come to me from Benson was a chronology of Davis's educational
successful) drive to find Mark Davis was easy to do, without risk, and
degrees and positions. That led to an e-mail to his undergraduate
fulfilling.
school in Tennessee (Bryan College), which forwarded my e-mail to
him. Within days, an e-mail arrived from my one-time professor.
DONALD Q. SMITH ’70
Davis, who had come to Augsburg as English Department chair in
Former editor and publisher of the Monticello, Minn., Times; he lives in Portland,
1968 when I was a junor, expressed delight at the contact. During
Ore., where he occasionally writes “Don’s Column”-like pieces as if he still has a
his first two years in Minneapolis, we spent considerable time tonewspaper deadline. He can be reached at donaldqsmith@yahoo.com.
Courtesy photos
“Who in your life do you consider your mentors?”
Oregon author George Wright’s inquiry to me came from his own
experience of locating a long-lost store manager who had once befriended him. Twenty-five years later, a search by Wright led to a reunion and frequent luncheon meetings. Pondering the importance of
positive influences, especially in one’s early years, gave Wright a plot
line for his 2009 book, Driving to Vernonia.
I recently followed the lead of Wright’s protagonist, Edmund
Kirby-Smith, whose search for his mentor takes him to a small Oregon town. I sought an important teacher in my life: Augsburg College
English advisor Professor F. Mark Davis.
Finding Davis was no small challenge. Internet searches were
fruitless. No Augsburg contacts I made were helpful. A letter to another retired English professor revealed that Davis when leaving Minneapolis became a dean of a small, unidentified college in the East.
52
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Hazel Thorson Stoeckeler
“While I’m not an Auggie by degree …
I know Augsburg makes such a difference
for so many students. Through my
charitable gift annuities, I know my gifts
will make a difference for future Auggies,
and I receive added financial security.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
City Service Day
On the day before fall semester classes began,
first-year students contributed more than
1,500 service hours by cleaning, painting,
gardening, and helping out in the community.
Here, a student works at In the Heart of the
Beast Theatre.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Bets... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
notes
from President Pribbenow
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
A new mission statement and Commission Augsburg
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
o
ver the past two years, the Augsburg community has been engaged in a lively and rich conversation about our character and identity.
Augsburg last modified its mission statement nearly
20 years ago, and although much that defines
Augsburg’s distinctive identity as a college of the
church in the city has remained constant, there also
have been some remarkable changes. The expansion
of nontraditional undergraduate programs, several
new graduate programs, campus sites in Rochester
and Bloomington, significant work around the world,
and continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students have combined to make Augsburg a
more complex and, I would argue in addition, a more
innovative and faithful college.
Given the reality of Augsburg’s current missionbased work, the College community explored together
how we might state our mission in such a way as to
affirm our abiding values and commitments, while
also to articulate how the College’s circle of influence
and impact has expanded. The result of those explorations is a wonderfully nuanced and meaningful new
mission statement, enthusiastically adopted by the
Board of Regents at its spring 2010 meeting.
Augsburg College educates students to be informed
citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The new mission statement begins
with a bold claim of our aspirations for our students
as we send them out to live their callings in the
world. As citizens, stewards, thinkers, and leaders,
Augsburg graduates bring their education and experience to bear in all aspects of their lives and work.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community, committed to intentional diversity in
its life and work. This important statement of our selfunderstanding is an explicit reference to our values as
a participatory community—very much in line with our
Lutheran Free Church heritage—dedicated to the
common work of educating all of our students. At the
same time, we reaffirm our abiding sense of the im-
portance of intentional diversity—diversity of experience, background, and thought—that is supported by
our theological, academic, and civic legacies.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in
the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the
faith and values of the Lutheran Church, and shaped by
our urban and global settings. This closing sentence
lifts up our core values: excellence across all academic programs, the particular gifts of our Lutheran
faith, and the central role that our place in the world
plays in the education we offer.
The circle has been widened to reflect how
Augsburg embraces its distinctive role in higher education. I could not be more pleased with the participation of the entire community in crafting this new
mission statement.
As we move into the next academic year, I am excited to announce an opportunity for all Augsburg
alumni and friends to learn more about how our mission sets in place a clear map for our future. Beginning this fall, we will launch Commission Augsburg, a
series of conversations that bring together those
across the country who care about Augsburg to explore three strategic pathways for Augsburg’s work in
the years ahead:
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
(1) We will create and sustain a culture of
innovation and excellence.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
(2) We will help all of our students to succeed.
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(3) We will tell Augsburg’s story in word and deed.
ISSN 1058-1545
Please watch for opportunities to gather and to
learn more about the key initiatives the Augsburg
community intends to pursue in order to live out its
mission and to honor its distinctive saga as a college of the Lutheran Church. Your perspectives will
help shape Augsburg’s future.
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
a
summer 2010
7
12
16
Features
24
contents
20
27
augsburg now
7
12
16
20
24
27
Commencement 2010
A step in the right direction
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
10 reasons to come back to campus
by Jeff Shelman
Learning from the environment
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Nine years on the mats
by Jeff Shelman
Making connections
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Tessa Flynn ’05, community engagement manager and teaching artist with the
Children’s Theatre Company, is one of the theatre alums who talks about making
connections and the importance of those connections to their life after Augsburg.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
4
6
33
36
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
A project of steel
Not many senior projects require countless hours spent shaping steel with a hammer
and finishing it with sandpaper and steel brushes. But Josh Davis’ project wasn’t
like most. For more than two years, Davis spent the vast majority of his free time
working to construct a full suit of armor. The project, which was on display during
Zyzzogeton—Augsburg’s celebration of student research and creative activity—was
featured both in the Star Tribune and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The suit is made out of sheet steel of varying thickness and includes 20 individual pieces, many of which are smaller pieces riveted together, that fit like a puzzle to
form the complete armor. Each leg, for example, is 13 separate pieces of steel,
some of which were placed on top of each other to increase strength.
Building the suit required Davis to
shape the steel with a hammer—pounding heated steel over or into a form to
produce the required curves—while
using a pattern specially developed to fit
him. Davis also made each of the buckles and straps on the suit.
To call it a labor-intensive process
would be an understatement. After originally keeping track of the time on the
project, Davis stopped when he reached
1,000 hours, the equivalent of 25 weeks
of eight-hour workdays.
“The hardest part is finishing it,”
Davis said. “I can rough out a form in an
hour or two, but fine-tuning it, sanding
out the hammer marks, and making the
Josh Davis’ suit of armor took two years and
hinges and buckles took a long time.”
painstaking work to construct.
Dal Liddle receives NEH
summer research stipend
Dal Liddle, associate
professor of English,
received a National
Endowment for the
Humanities summer
stipend for travel to
London to test a hypothesis he’s been
formulating.
Liddle, whose research focuses on Victorian
literature, is spending three weeks in England poring over the private archives of the London Times
and the early Victorian holdings of the British Library. Using Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, editorial articles from British papers, and Brontë’s Jane
Eyre, he will try to test whether current theories
about the historical development of technology
will also fit the way British literature developed
between 1800 and 1850. What if literary history
turns out to change in some of the same ways that
technological history changes? Could the history
of novels and poems show some of the same patterns as the history of steam engines, microchips,
and jet airplanes?
“I'm taking a big chance,” he says about his
research question. “There’s a big disprovability
factor here, but if I’m wrong I want to prove it.”
NewsNotes
The Nursing Department launched a three-year
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Augsburg’s first
doctoral degree, that prepares nurses for advanced
practice and leadership in transcultural and community/public health nursing. The DNP is a cohort program that begins in the fall.
David Tiede, retiring after five years as the Bernhard
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, has
accepted the interim presidency of Wartburg
Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.
Two new summer camps are bringing young people
to campus. Two week-long film camps in July bring
high school students together to work with 16mm
film, teaching them techniques for scripting, directing, and editing.
The Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop
brings middle and high school students together
with the state’s top coaches in a two- or three-week
institute.
The deaths of two retired faculty are noted.
Robert Herforth, professor emeritus of biology, died on
June 18. He is remembered as an extraordinary zoologist who remained very much engaged in current research throughout his life.
Rosalie Clark, who taught in the Social Work Department from 1979 for more than a dozen years, died in
January 2009. She brought perspectives on American
Indian issues to faculty and students and encouraged
social work graduates.
AUGSBURG NEWS SERVICE
2
Augsburg Now
Three faculty members retire from the classroom
Julie Bolton—Theatre’s “artist-educator”
Curt Paulsen—Social work professor, mentor
Paul Grauer—Coach, mentor, teacher
Thirty-five years
ago, Julie
Bolton, a professional actor, was
hired part time
to teach acting.
She soon became full time,
added courses,
hired faculty, and began to build a theatre
arts program, which she then chaired for
12 years, plus four more years when it became a new department.
Building on her connections in Twin
Cities theatre, Bolton both pushed students to get internships in the theatre
community and helped them explore vocations in theatre. And, she brought theatre
artists to campus to work with students.
She hired faculty whose varied expertise
helped create a comprehensive, professional theatre arts program within a liberal
arts education.
Bolton reflects with pride and gratitude
on the collaboration in the mid-1980s
that helped bring about Augsburg’s black
box theater in Foss Center, with the support of President Charles Anderson, Dean
Ryan LaHurd, and donors Barbara
(Tjornhom) ’54 and Richard Nelson.
Bolton considers herself an “artist-educator” and has used her theatre knowledge in the docent tours she gives at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. “If we are
looking at Rembrandt’s Lucretia,” she
says, “I introduce similar themes in
Shakespeare’s epic poem Lucretia or
Hamlet’s soliloquies.”
In addition to expanding her role as a
docent, Bolton also looks forward to
spending time as grandmother to her five
grandchildren.
Social work professor Curt
Paulsen often
sang to himself
on the way to his
classrooms—just
one indication of
the joy he received every day
in teaching. “Just as I have pushed my
students,” he explains, “they have also
pushed me, and I’m grateful for it.” He
found continuing satisfaction in the “joint
enterprise of reaching great understanding.”
Paulsen taught both undergraduate and
graduate students in the Social Work Department and, together with his wife,
Cathy, taught a personality theory course
to graduate students in the leadership
program. He has also taught in the Religion Department and Honors program.
Paulsen enjoyed most working with students who weren’t functioning to their
ability. With respect, and in an atmosphere of intellectual rigor, he pushed
them to their point of real reaction, with
high expectations, helping them not only
to learn, but to grow as people. It meant
facilitating a process where students
moved from answers to questions.
Paulsen always considered liberal arts
and crossing disciplines as “just the beginning of lifelong learning.” For him, “To
gain a real understanding of human beings, one must go to the poets and to
great literature.”
Paulsen now anticipates more time for
photography, reading, gardening, and for
his family—Cathy, their two daughters and
husbands, and four grandchildren.
Paul Grauer says
that even after
31 years,
Augsburg has always been “exactly where I
wanted to be.”
He served long
stints as coach,
athletic director, and instructor, and he lists
a whole series of strong relationships, high
points, and changes that kept it interesting.
A big change is the continual improvement of athletic facilities that has made it
more likely that recruits will choose
Augsburg—early in his tenure he recalls
one hockey recruit who told him that
Augsburg “had no curb appeal.”
In addition, the continual development
of the Health and Physical Education Department that now includes exercise science can prepare students for varied
careers in teaching, fitness, and training.
Grauer recalls 1997–98 as “a special,
magical year,” when four Auggie teams—
football, men’s basketball, men’s hockey,
and wrestling—won conference championships and went to national playoffs, resulting in a wrestling championship and a
hockey Frozen Four appearance.
Among the high points was the celebration in 2007 of the 35th anniversary of
Auggie varsity women’s sports, some of
which pre-date the Title IX era. Grauer prepared and submitted early reports for Title
IX that “showed we had to pay attention to
equality,” and which spurred further expansion of women’s sports.
Grauer will always remember the friendships, the colleagues, and the continual
growth he’s seen both with the coaches and
student-athletes in their training, resiliency,
and good sportsmanship in a very competitive athletic conference.
Grauer now looks forward to having more
time to play his trumpet—especially at
Augsburg in the brass ensemble.
For Auggie sports news and schedules,
go to www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
BETSEY NORGARD
Summer 2010
3
auggie voices
Exploring Our Gifts—
looking back over 8 years
In 2002 Augsburg received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to integrate a theological understanding of vocation into
the life of the College over a five-year period. In 2007 the grant
was renewed for $1 million to cover an additional three years. As
of summer 2010, the funding from the Lilly Endowment has
ended. The College has now established the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning in order to sustain a number of the programs of
the Lilly Endowment grants and to support new initiatives on
vocation.
Mark Tranvik, associate professor of religion and chair of the Religion Department, was director of Exploring Our Gifts. He reflects
about the impact of Exploring Our Gifts on Augsburg’s curriculum
and experience.
Q: Why did Augsburg apply for the Lilly Endowment grant?
A: We should be clear that the Lilly Endowment grant didn’t introduce vocation to Augsburg College. Augsburg began as a seminary,
and it had a sense of calling embedded into its DNA. Throughout
much of its history, students, faculty, and staff came to the College
out of a deep sense of calling. They saw their work here as an expression of what God wanted them to do with their gifts and talents. I think some of that sensibility was lost at a lot of our church
colleges during the 1970s and ’80s, Augsburg included. But the
idea of vocation never went away, and the Lilly Endowment money
provided the school with an opportunity to bring new energy and
imagination to the concept. In other words, it was natural for
Augsburg to apply for the grant, given our heritage.
Q: Why do you think the Lilly Endowment grant has been successful?
A: The group who worked on the original application, led by Carol
Forbes, Academic Affairs, and Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy Department, did a wonderful job in making sure the proposal “fit”
with the culture at Augsburg. Instead of “top-down” planning, they
made sure to solicit proposals from a wide variety of groups on
campus. They received more than 30 proposals for projects and
were able to whittle that down to 16. When the money actually arrived to fund the projects, a campus-wide conversation had already
been going on for some time. In my mind, the genius here is the
way this is consistent with the ethos of the school. Augsburg is a
college deeply rooted in the traditions of the Lutheran Free
Church, and the egalitarian spirit of that church still pervades this
community.
4
Augsburg Now
Professor Mark Tranvik directed Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg’s Lilly Endowment program
to explore vocation.
Q. Didn’t a lot of schools receive Lilly Endowment grants? What’s
distinctive about Augsburg’s?
A: The Lilly Endowment’s initiative on vocation was incredibly
generous. More than 80 colleges and universities, many of them
church-related, received grants. And to no one’s surprise, the
grants seemed to work especially well at Lutheran schools. This is
because the theology of vocation was developed in new ways by
Martin Luther and the other reformers in the 16th century. Those
places that trace their heritage back to the Reformation found it
easier, in general, to talk about vocation on their campuses.
One of the distinctive things about Augsburg is the way the College has been willing to integrate a theological understanding of
vocation into its core curriculum. This has been one of the fruits of
our discussion about vocation on campus. All Augsburg students
are required to take two religion classes that have vocation at the
center—Religion 100 and 200, Christian Vocation and the Search
for Meaning I and II, respectively. Furthermore, all students are
asked to think about vocation again in their senior seminars. So,
you could say that vocation serves as the “bookends” for the
Augsburg educational experience. And we also hope that students
will be asked in other classes to think about their sense of calling.
Of course this will happen, but it’s more dependent on the inclination of individual instructors.
Q: What about the specific vocation of ministry? How has the grant helped students
who are thinking about working in the church?
A: One program of the grant that has worked well in this area is the Lilly
Scholars. Every year, 10 juniors or seniors were chosen to take part in a fullcredit seminar dedicated to thinking theologically about vocation and receive
a scholarship from the grant. The main prerequisite for the course is to be interested in studying about vocation in-depth. And some of these students do
not sense a calling in the institutional church, which is fine. But over half of
the participants (about 50 over the eight years) have decided to study theology after receiving their degrees at Augsburg. This is one important way the
College continues its long tradition of developing leaders for the church.
Q: It is especially important for colleges to document their successes. Is there
evidence that the programs of the Lilly Endowment grant have actually made a
difference?
Purpose: To integrate a theological understanding of vocation
into the life of Augsburg College
Programs 2002–2010
Total participants
Alumni mentoring
Student vocation assessments
265
1,962
International exploration
263
Lilly Scholars
82
Church leader development
100
Lilly Interns
54
Youth Theology Institute
~125
Orientation, Augsburg Seminar
2,600
Forums
2,450
Till & Keep journal (copies)
Vocatio Chapel
3,600
~3,600
Interreligious dialogue
471
Courtesy photo
A: Augsburg has been fortunate in that it was selected, along with Luther
College and Augustana College of Rock Island (both of whom also had received Lilly Endowment grants), to participate in a study by the Wilder Foundation that assessed how effectively vocation had been integrated into these
schools. The results were gratifying. They showed significant progress made in
helping students view their lives through the lens of vocation. For example,
students who had exposure to Lilly Endowment programs were more likely
(50% to 23%) to see their life as a “calling,” with a sense of purpose, than
those who were not exposed to the grant. Furthermore, 91%
of the class of 2007 reported that their understanding of vocation deepened while at college. Go to
www.augsburg.edu/cfl to read the full study.
Exploring Our Gifts—Augsburg’s
Lilly Endowment grant program
Q: The Lilly Endowment grant on vocation seems to be strongly
rooted in the Christian tradition. Yet Augsburg also stresses the
importance of diversity and the acceptance of people from a
wide variety of faiths and backgrounds. How do you answer
those who suggest that this stress on vocation is done at the expense of diversity?
A: That’s a great question and one that many of us have
struggled with during the time of the grant. I think I would
answer it on two different levels. First, the emphasis on vocation is a way in which we are trying to be faithful to our
mission statement and its claim that Augsburg will be
“guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran Church.”
We are a college of the church, and that is nothing about
which we should be ashamed.
As one of the Lilly vocation seminars, students in the Religion and the Christian Faith course in 2005
Second—and this is the point that is often misundertraveled to El Salvador to study the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero and to explore the depth of
stood—I would argue that our Christian faith and emphasis
Christian vocation in daily life there.
on vocation do not lead to exclusivity and the formation of a
community of the like-minded. Jesus spent a good deal of his ministry breaking down walls and crossing so-called “forbidden” boundaries.
In a similar vein, I would argue that an emphasis on diversity naturally flows from our Christian faith. We are not diverse in spite of being
Christian. Rather, we are diverse because we are Christian. Now this can make life messy, especially for those who insist on nice boxes with
neat straight lines. But as Christians we gladly welcome the “world” to our campus and the plurality of faiths and beliefs that come with it.
We promise we won’t “coerce” anyone to be Christian (as if that would work!), but we do ask that a respectful and public discussion on faith
occur. And we also insist that both sides be open to be challenged and changed.
Summer 2010
5
it takes an
Auggie
StepUP® parents are grateful for support to students and families
When Maureen and Harold Thompson realized their daughter Anne
was not going to graduate from high school with her friends, they
were devastated but not surprised. They knew that something was
wrong and that their daughter needed help.
Anne went into treatment for drug and alcohol addiction and
then began attending daily recovery meetings. During this second
phase of her recovery, she worked hard to complete her high school
graduation requirements. Anne impressed her teachers and others
with her hard work, and her parents thought the situation was
under control. This sense of security and relief quickly faded when
they discovered that Anne had relapsed.
Anne returned to treatment, this time at the Hazelden Center for
Youth and Families, where she learned about Augsburg College and
the College’s StepUP program for students in recovery. Anne entered StepUP in 2004 and graduated from Augsburg in 2008. She
is now a graduate student in higher education and student affairs
at the University of Connecticut.
“We feel that StepUP has allowed our daughter to attend college, continue with her recovery, and experience college life. Anne
has learned to deal with the stresses of projects, schedules, papers, and exams while developing a safe and solid support network. She worked hard in class, and she has worked hard on her
recovery. We don’t think this could have happened anywhere else.”
Maureen and Harold remain thankful for all that Augsburg did
for their daughter and continues to do for other students. That’s
one of the reasons they consistently support the StepUP program,
The Augsburg Fund, and more. “The StepUP program reinforces
the belief that each program participant is accountable. They are
accountable to themselves, to their peers, and to the StepUP staff.
We believe that the program provided an environment that allowed
Anne to blossom and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“We believe that the program provided an
environment that allowed Anne to blossom
and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“StepUP allowed me to go to college,” Anne says. “College is
hard for students in general, but students in recovery have all the
same challenges that others have and more. This program allowed
me to have a ‘traditional’ college experience, which would otherwise be unavailable.”
Maureen also noted, “It has been often said that someone with
an addiction impacts at least four other people. We believe that
StepUP not only helps the student, but it also helps the family,
and for that we are eternally grateful.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Courtesy photo
Maureen and Harold Thompson are
proud parents as their daughter, Anne,
graduated from Augsburg and the
StepUP program in 2008.
6
Anne speaks to a campus group about
her experiences at Augsburg and in the
StepUP program.
Augsburg Now
t
n
e
m
e
c
n
e
comm NS
THE TRADITIO
MORTARBOARD TASSELS
There is no official color for bachelor’s degree tassels. Thus, Augsburg
chose maroon and gray, and all undergraduate students wear this tassel.
Tassels for graduate students are different. In 1895, the Intercollegiate Commission was established to standardize academic dress and to prescribe specific colors to represent different fields of
study. This was the last time academic dress has been updated.
Augsburg has six fields of post-baccalaureate study, each with a different color: business—drab;
nursing—apricot; social work—citron; leadership—white; physician assistant studies—green; and education—light blue. Augsburg graduate program students and faculty all wear the colors of their fields.
‰
‰
DOCTORAL DRESS
The academic dress worn today
has its roots in the 12th and 13th centuries when most
scholars were clerics in monastic orders. Today’s doctoral
robe is based on monastic robes; the hood, originally a
cowl, was used to keep the head warm before indoor heating. Robes were formerly all black, but now institutions
choose their own colors, and all official doctoral robes
have three velvet stripes along the bell-shaped sleeves.
Today, professors wear either an Oxford cap (the square
mortarboard) or a Cambridge cap (the decorative, beretlike caps).
This robe belongs to Nathan J. Hallanger, special assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. The four-foot
doctoral hood is scarlet with blue trim, signifying a PhD
from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
‰
DRUM In 1991, music professor Robert Stacke ’71, a professional drummer,
began to lead the procession of graduates through Murphy Square to Melby
Hall. In this now-beloved tradition, faculty line the street and congratulate their
students as they walk by. In 19 years, Stacke has never missed Commencement
and has only once dropped the drum.
Summer 2010
7
THE TRADITIONS
HONOR CORDS Though a variety of colored cords and stoles show up on students’
shoulders at Commencement, two cords are officially given by Augsburg to undergraduate
students. Students who have earned a grade point average of 3.6 or higher are candidates
for Latin honors, shown by their maroon and gray cords. All students who have completed
the requirements of the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold cords. Other cords indicate that the student has completed a departmental honors project.
THE CROSS
In 1988, Professor Emeritus Norman Holen created the cross used in Chapel and carried in Augsburg ceremonies.
‰
‰
‰
‰
8
MACE The mace, like academic regalia, also originated in the Middle
Ages. First used by medieval European
bishops who were not allowed to carry
swords into battle, the mace was useful as an armor-splitting weapon. By
the 16th century, the mace was converted into a symbol of authority and
was embraced by colleges and universities as a ceremonial icon. At Augsburg,
the mace is carried into all official
College ceremonies by the president of
the Faculty Senate.
Professor Emeritus Norman Holen
created Augsburg’s mace in 1970,
which, until 1988, was laid on a table
during events. Holen was then commissioned to create a stand for it.
MASTER’S HOODS
Like tassels, the hoods given to
master’s degree students have specific meaning. The
main color of the 3.5-foot hoods is black, and they are
lined with the colors of the college conferring the degree. The hood’s trimmings are three inches wide and
correspond to the field of study. For example, the master’s hood shown here is given by Augsburg College
(maroon and gray) in the field of nursing (apricot).
commencement
‰
MAY 1, 2010
PRESIDENTIAL CHAIN OF OFFICE
‰
OTHER COLORS
Augsburg
College’s Chain of Office represents the president’s authority to head the university, and is worn by President
Pribbenow at ceremonial functions such as Commencement. The chain is in fact not a chain but a maroon ribbon
that suspends a medal imprinted with the College seal.
The colorful stoles worn by African
American students are made from a material called Kente
cloth, which originates in Ghana, West Africa. The cloth was
woven by the Asante people of Ghana and was exclusively
made for Asante kings and queens.
Now the stoles are given to members of the Pan-Afrikan
Student Union (PASU) as a way to denote their fraternity and
to connect them with their past.
TEXT AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
commencement
JUNE 27, 2010
GRADUATES, FAMILIES, FACULTY, AND
GUESTS CELEBRATE 2010 COMMENCEMENT
MAY 1 COMMENCEMENT
416 undergraduate day students and physician assistant
graduate students
Speaker—Governor Tim Pawlenty
Honorary degree—Father Fernando Cardenal, SJ, educator and activist, Nicaragua
Marina Christensen Justice Award—Jessica Spanswick
Jessica Spanswick graduated with a major in international relations
and a minor in peace and global studies. She has been a Sabo
Scholar in civic engagement, a Hoversten Peace Scholar, a Peace
Prize Forum Peace Scholar, and a Lilly Scholar. Locally, she has
worked with grass-roots organizations on environmental issues and
has tutored Kenyan and Somali immigrants in a neighborhood program. Spanswick studied abroad in Namibia, and while there she
worked on HIV/AIDS events and water rights issues. The Marina
Christensen Justice Award honors a student who has demonstrated a
dedication to community involvement as characterized by the personal and professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who
reached out to disadvantaged people and communities.
JUNE 27 COMMENCEMENT
492 weekend/evening and Rochester undergraduate students, and
graduate students in business, education, leadership, nursing,
and social work
Speaker—Congressman Keith Ellison
Honorary degree—Peter Heegaard, founder of Urban Adventure
Richard J. Thoni Award—Michele Roulet
Michele Roulet graduated with a major in studio art and a minor in
religion. In immersing herself in student life at Augsburg, Michele
provided leadership, community spirit, hospitality, and innovation
within the adult programs. She served as Weekend College Student
Senate vice president and president and as a student commissioner
in Campus Ministry. Her leadership created the First Word gatherings, an on-campus faith community for adult students. In the wider
community, she has worked with programs to combat hunger. The
Richard J. Thoni Award is given to a weekend student who exemplifies the spirit of community involvement demonstrated by Rick
Thoni’s career at Augsburg.
To view slide shows and a video of Governor Pawlenty’s commencement address, go to www.augsburg.edu and click on the YouTube icon.
commencement
IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY AT AUGSBURG
Jeff and Suzi Burt and their daugher, Crystal Studer,
graduated together, all receiving nursing degrees.
Studer is a nurse at the hospital in
Austin. “Augsburg’s been great,” she says.
“It’s made me a more well-rounded nurse,
and the faculty is phenomenal.”
A little more than a year after Suzi and
Crystal began, Jeff returned to the program.
“Mayo is in the process of going bachelor’sonly for RNs,” Jeff says. “If you have an
[associate’s degree in nursing], you'll be required to go back. I just thought it was the
best thing to do.”
All three say there are benefits to having family members in the program at the
same time. Suzi and Crystal were frequently in the same class, and since they
also live across the street from each other
in Blooming Prairie, Minn., they were able
to share textbooks. They have also encouraged and motivated each other as they
worked to balance work, school, and family.
“As a married couple, it’s nice to be in
the same thing because you know what
each other is going through,” Suzi says.
While excited to finish, all three found
the program both rewarding and beneficial.
“It’s been better than I thought,” Crystal
says. “In your first two years, you learn a lot
of skills. In these two years [at Augsburg],
you learn why we do what we do. The content has all been really useful, and it has
inspired me.”
JEFF AND SUZI BURT AND
CRYSTAL STUDER
CAROL DEMULLING, SARAH
DEMULLING, AND HEATHER DEKOK
Jeff Burt was the first member of his family
to enroll in Augsburg’s nursing completion
program. He was working at the Mayo
Clinic when he began taking classes at
Augsburg in 2000. He stopped about
three-quarters of the way through the program to allow his wife, Suzi, to enroll in a
two-year nursing program at Riverland
Community College in Austin, Minn.
In fall 2008, Suzi Burt and Crystal
Studer, one of the couple’s daughters, enrolled at Augsburg, largely because of Jeff’s
positive experience.
Carol Demulling and her daughters Sarah
Demulling and Heather Dekok all ended up
in Augsburg’s business administration program for the same reason—they all knew
the education they had wasn’t going to be
enough.
While all three have positions at Mayo
Clinic and the two daughters have two-year
degrees, they wanted more opportunities for
advancement.
“When I started work in the ’70s, you
could have a high school education and work
your way up,” Carol says. “To make moves
Families have always been a big part of
Augsburg—second- and third-generation
Auggies, Auggies following the paths blazed
by older siblings, and couples who met at
Augsburg and inspired their children to
attend.
The June 27 Commencement, however,
featured a new twist: two families of parents and children from Augsburg’s
Rochester campus graduating together. The
first is a mother, father, and daughter, all
earning bachelor’s degrees in nursing. The
second featured a mother and two daughters who studied business administration
together.
Carol Demulling (center) and her daughters Sarah
Demulling (left) and Heather Dekok (right) graduated
with business administration degrees.
now, you need education.”
Her daughter Heather was a little more
blunt. “I graduated with a two-year degree in
business in 2005,” she says. “And I realized
that a two-year degree doesn’t do anything.”
They all say their Augsburg education
has been practical from the beginning.
Dekok works in the international office at
Mayo Clinic, and what she has learned
about different cultures has been immediately applicable.
“I work in an office full of women,” she
says. “Some of the countries we deal with,
they frown upon women in the workplace.
You realize why you get some of the attitudes that you do at times.”
Carol developed a complicated spreadsheet for a class project that is still being
used by members of her office in the evaluation of grant proposals.
As they finish at Augsburg, they’re
happy to have experienced college together
and appreciate the people they met through
the process.
“I didn’t really realize until the last two
trimesters how many relationships we’ve
built here,” Carol says. “People in the
Mayo system, people at IBM. I’ve really enjoyed that and getting to know these people. We all have something in common.”
JEFF SHELMAN
Summer 2010
11
12
Augsburg Now
step
in the right direction
A
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Editor’s note—In order to be respectful of the students in
the StepUP program, their last names are not used.
StepUP students wear purple cords when
they graduate from Augsburg.
GOING TO COLLEGE
was never a part of Emily A.’s future plans.
She dropped out of high school and eventually
got her GED. When she first heard about
StepUP®, she was in her late twenties and living in a sober house in St. Paul.
“I thought my time had passed,” Emily
said. “College was one of the mountains I just
wasn’t going to climb.”
But she called Augsburg and made an appointment with Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director. “All the time she was talking to
me, I was saying, ‘Yeah, yeah. Sounds great,’
but I had no intention of applying.”
Then she met Chris Belbeck ’06, an admissions counselor and a StepUP alumnus. “He
asked me, ‘What are you waiting for?’ and he
wasn’t taking no for an answer.” So before she
left campus that day, she had started filling
out an application.
Four years later, Emily graduated with honors from Augsburg this spring. “I didn’t have
any goals when I was using,” she says. “But
StepUP has taught me that I have amazing
drive and potential.” Without StepUP, Emily
says she doubts she would have even tried
going to college.
Since 1997, the StepUP program has
helped students in recovery from addiction to
alcohol and other drugs learn similar lessons
about themselves. To date, more than 400
students from across the nation have participated and have maintained an 85% abstinence rate while in the program. They are
successful in sobriety and in the classroom,
earning a collective 3.2 GPA at Augsburg.
For many StepUP graduates, the thought of
going to college was at one time unimaginable—never mind staying sober in school and
getting good grades. But the StepUP community has given many students in recovery the
opportunity to contribute to society in ways
they never thought they would.
(Photo at left) Emily A. ’10 and Tyler P. ’11
The community is the program
Several colleges and universities sponsor 12-step meetings and
provide academic support or counseling services for students in
recovery. But StepUP goes further by offering chemical-free housing for students in what they refer to as a collegiate recovery
community.
“The community is a safe place where you feel supported,”
says Scott Washburn, the program’s assistant director. The students guard and protect the safety of the community by holding each other accountable.
While they are involved in StepUP, students meet individually with a StepUP counselor each week. They are required to
attend two 12-step meetings per week and to maintain an active working relationship with a sponsor. Students also attend
a weekly StepUP community meeting where they hear from
outside speakers, discuss program business, share service opportunities, and celebrate even the smallest of victories.
“Getting an A on a math test or just making it to the first day
of class, those are chances for us to celebrate,” says Salmeri.
“The little things really make a difference.”
Achieving success—in sobriety, academically, and in the community—is part of the StepUP culture. “We build positive community norms that are geared toward succeeding, growing, and
doing well,” Washburn says. “That’s why it’s different. That’s why
it works.”
The other component of StepUP that makes it stand out from
traditional recovery programs is that the program is constantly
shaped by student input. In particular, students serve on the leadership team, which meets regularly with staff to share what is
happening in the community and to keep the program moving in
the right direction.
“The students really take initiative to make changes
for the better in the community,” Salmeri says. This
mature partnership, where staff and students work
together, gives students the confidence to develop
into leaders. Salmeri adds, “I can see the potential
in them, and it is our role to help them realize it
within themselves.”
A perfect fit
The idea for StepUP began when two students at Augsburg
approached Don Warren, the former director of Augsburg’s
Summer 2010
13
Center for Learning and Adaptive Student
Services (CLASS), to ask for his help. The
students shared with Warren how being in
college was difficult for them. They struggled not only with the usual day-to-day challenges of college life but also with staying
clean and sober.
Warren turned to Dave Hadden, then
the educational and vocational liaison at
Hazelden, for his help. Washburn, who
worked with Hadden at that time, said
Hadden had developed an educational and
vocational packet for patients coming out
of treatment “to get them thinking about
their direction in life,” Washburn says, but
they didn’t have a college to recommend.
In fact, Washburn says, “We would discourage young people from going to college straight out of treatment. We told
them they needed a year of sobriety first
and a really solid foundation.”
Warren and Hadden’s idea for a residential program that would offer counseling and support proved to be just the
foundation students needed to transition
from treatment to college. In the fall of
1997, 23 students moved into Anderson
Hall to begin college and the StepUP program. Thirteen years later, the program
serves 72 students who live in Oren Gateway Center, a chemical-free facility that is
also home to the StepUP staff offices.
Washburn believes the StepUP program
and its students have flourished at Augsburg
due in part to the values shared by the program and the College. “Augsburg’s culture
is about providing access and helping all
kinds of students get the support they need
to be successful,” he says. “That’s perfect
for students like ours.”
Also, as a private liberal arts college of
the ELCA, Washburn says the Augsburg
community is open to conversations about
spirituality. In 12-step programs, students
learn to rely on a higher power or a God of
their understanding. “We work really hard
with students to help them define their
meaning and purpose …” Washburn adds.
14
Augsburg Now
Students receive a medallion when they
complete the StepUP program.
Part of that purpose is being of service
to others, another value in line with
Augsburg’s mission. “We help students
find a vision and see that no matter what
they do, they can make a difference in the
world,” Washburn says. Making a difference means being of service to the community—not just the StepUP community
or the recovery community but at
Augsburg, in the city, and throughout
the world.
Success through service
Being a part of the StepUP community
helps students maintain sobriety because
it gives them a chance to help others.
Being “of service” is an essential component of any 12-step recovery program,
whether it is by sponsoring others, sharing
in meetings, or even making coffee.
Tyler P. has learned that success in college can come through helping others, not
just from studying. After he faced serious
consequences from his drug use, Tyler entered treatment at Hazelden. One of his
friends from treatment, the only one he
knew who had stayed sober, was in
StepUP. Tyler saw that the young man was
a good student and that he wasn’t getting
high or drunk. For Tyler, that kind of life
was hard to imagine.
He enrolled at Augsburg in 2008 and
now participates in the StepUP community, sharing his experience with other
men as a sponsor. “I’ve earned more As
through being of service to others than
when I white-knuckled it for eight hours
cramming for a test,” he says.
In recovery, Tyler has seen students
transform their lives. “I’ve seen guys go
from not being able to sweep the floor
when they first get sober to being able to
run meetings, get on the dean’s list, and
participate in life.”
And Tyler’s life has also been transformed. “I was not an all-star student in
high school, but I’ve found a lot of success here.” He’s been on the dean’s list
for three semesters and has developed a
network of sober friends. Most importantly, Tyler says being a part of the community has given him the chance to
practice the principles he’s learned in his
recovery program.
A new way of living
Salmeri says StepUP also helps students
learn that they are leaders and role models, not only for other students in recovery
but for all members of the Augsburg community. Students can serve in formal leadership positions in StepUP, in student
government, as a member of residence
life, or by participating in athletics. But
many also become role models to their
peers simply by becoming the people they
were meant to be.
When Julia G. first learned about the
StepUP program, she had only been sober
for a few weeks. As time passed and she
neared the six-month mark of her sobriety,
the minimum requirement for acceptance
into StepUP, Julia realized that going back
to college was possible for her.
While in the program, students in
StepUP are required to live on campus.
This meant that Julia, who had been living
in a sober house where she was the
youngest resident, would now be the oldest
woman in her residence hall.
For the first month, Julia says she felt
out of place because of the age difference.
“I thought I was unique because I had more
life experience,” she says. “I judged the
other girls.”
Eventually Julia began to realize she was
more like the other students than she had
thought. “We all had different experiences,
but we also had something very important in
common.” That sense of belonging helped
Julia form “intense, involved relationships”
with the other students. “For the first time
in my life, I was a trustworthy person. It
meant a lot to me that the other women
looked up to me.”
Today Julia has a degree, a career she
calls “fantastic,” and a relationship with her
nine-year-old son. And she’s stayed sober
for seven years. “I really turned into myself
at Augsburg,” Julia says. “StepUP showed
me that anything is possible.”
Moving in the right direction
Over the years, StepUP has provided a safe,
supportive community for hundreds of students. The program has allowed them to
achieve the goal of college graduation while
also staying clean and sober—a goal that
was at one time overshadowed by their addiction. And the confidence students gain in
StepUP keeps them going in the right direction after they move on from Augsburg.
Witnessing this achievement is a great
joy for Salmeri and the other StepUP staff.
“The privilege of my position as director is
to witness the growth of each student as
they experience the transition into mature
adults,” she says.
For 10 years, Salmeri says her dream job
was to work for Augsburg in the StepUP program. “After eight years of working here, I
can still say it is my dream job. I feel honored and humbled to work with the students
and their families.”
“I am your biggest fan”
Every year the StepUP program celebrates the accomplishments of its graduates—
those who have completed their studies at Augsburg as well as those who have
completed their residency with StepUP and will move off campus. The StepUP graduation ceremony is a special time set aside to recognize the outstanding achievements of the StepUP students and for the Augsburg community to hear their
inspirational stories.
The theme, chosen by the students on the StepUP leadership council, was “I am
your biggest fan.”
These are sentiments shared by Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director, at this
year’s ceremony:
“… let this statement sink deep into your soul. Write it on a rock. Etch it
on a tree. I am your biggest fan. I am rooting for you all the way. And it has
been this way since your first contact with the StepUP program. Through
the ups and downs, the difficulties and celebrations, life’s twists and
turns—I am your biggest fan!
Your legacy here at Augsburg and the StepUP program has already been
left, and it is more than enough! Whether it was a kind word you said or
being a consistent friend in another’s life, you may never know. But each
of you has left their mark on this place and it is forever changed because
of your presence.”
A tradition at the StepUP graduation is for a student to read from “The Awakening,”
an anonymous poem about recovery. This is an excerpt from the poem:
You learn that, for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve …
and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything
worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is
different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that
in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline, and perseverance. You
also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.
Summer 2010
15
1
10
So try to jog your memory bank and answer this question:
Just when was the last time you were on the Augsburg campus? And we’re
talking about really being on campus. You know, park the car, get out, walk
around, go into a building. Because giving a little wave when you see the
sign atop Mort as you cruise down Interstate 94 doesn’t count.
Has it been a year? Two? Five? That’s all right. We’re not going to judge.
Everybody is busy, you don’t always get to Cedar-Riverside, we get that.
But we also know that sometimes you just need a little inspiration. And
that’s why you need to keep reading. Because while you only need one
reason to come back to campus and remember the role that Augsburg
played in shaping your life, we’re going to give you 10. So stop by, check
the place out, see how much it has changed.
And be an Auggie.
10 reasons to come back to campus
BY JEFF SHELMAN
16
Augsburg Now
1
0
OREN GATEWAY CENTER
If it has truly been a while since you’ve been on campus, well, this
is Augsburg’s new front door. Located on Riverside Avenue, the
Oren Gateway Center is the newest building on campus. The multipurpose building has classrooms, residences, offices, meeting
rooms, and common spaces. And if you want to learn about alumni
programming, our Alumni and Constituent Relations folks are
located on the third floor.
.
2
Campus model
Yes, we know the Augsburg campus has a new look
to it. But it isn’t a finished product either. In the
lobby of Oren Gateway Center is a model that depicts what Augsburg’s campus master plan looks
like. You can see where the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion will go. Once that is
built, Augsburg’s urban campus will have green
space from 20th Avenue to Kennedy Center.
3 GET SOME GEAR
Let’s be honest, that Augsburg sweatshirt in your
closet is looking pretty grungy, isn’t it? We can fix
that. The Augsburg bookstore in Oren Gateway Center
has many ways for you to show off some Auggie pride.
A hat for the golf course? Check. A sweatshirt for fall
weekends? Yep. Cool workout gear for the gym? We’ve
got that too.
Gear
Summer 2010
17
4
EAT
The food available on campus is no longer how
you remember it. It isn’t mass produced and boring. It actually has, you know, flavor. The folks at
Nabo, in Oren, will make a fresh sandwich or salad
right before your eyes. There’s also homemade
soup and even sushi. At the A-Club Grille in the
lower level of Christensen Center, the options
range from burgers to chicken sandwiches to
wings, and fresh fries are an option. Our choice?
We love Nabo’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (left).
You’ll just need a few extra napkins.
5
VELKOMMEN JUL
On the topic of eating, who doesn’t need some
sweets as you head into Advent? Stop by campus on
Friday, Dec. 3, and take part in the Augsburg tradition that honors our Scandinavian heritage. And if
anybody can make treats the way your mother and
grandmother did, it is the Augsburg Associates, a
group of volunteers who support the College.
6 Athletic events
For each of the past two years, Augsburg has
been the most improved athletic program in the
MIAC, and teams are making the playoffs with
much greater frequency than ever before. Why
not load up the family and watch some of our
student-athletes show their Auggie pride? Our defending national champion wrestling team takes
on rival Wartburg in the Battle of the ’Burgs on
January 18, 2011. There’s a home football game
each Saturday in September. Other schedules
can be found at www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
18
Augsburg Now
8
7 Christensen Center
We know how you work. You have a
meeting somewhere in Minneapolis, it
ends, and you proceed directly to Starbucks or Caribou. Right? If you’re near
campus, why don’t you stop by Christensen Center? It’s a little different
than last time you were here. Cooper’s
will brew you up some good java and
you can get a wi-fi password at the
info desk. And you might meet some
current Auggies.
Art on
campus
There’s the Gage Family Art Gallery in Oren Gateway
Center. There’s the Christensen Center Art Gallery.
And there’s also a student gallery on the main level of
Christensen. Stop by, see some of the cool stuff from
local and Augsburg artists in the galleries and across
campus. Exhibit information can be found at
www.augsburg.edu/galleries.
9 DAILY CHAPEL
There are days when you just need a little reflection,
a reminder of what is really important. At Augsburg,
there is time set aside to do just that. On Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:20 a.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20 a.m., a 20-minute
chapel service is held during the academic year.
While daily chapel is considered a given by Auggies,
it is very much a rarity for liberal arts colleges. Stop
by and take a break from your busy day.
10
Homecoming
If you are only going to make one
trip to Augsburg in the next year,
make it for Homecoming weekend,
Oct. 15-16. Among the highlights is
the expanded Taste of Augsburg
prior to the football game against
Concordia Moorhead. After the
game with the Cobbers, stick
around for the Auggie Block Party
and see old friends and classmates.
Summer 2010
19
E
H
T
M
O
R
F
LEARNING
t
n
e
m
n
o
r
i
v
n
E
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
College students who take a literature course expect to do a lot of reading. But few who
register for a course titled “Environmental Literature” would imagine being asked to go
camping, wear the same clothing for a week, or borrow someone’s book and not return it.
A student wouldn’t expect this—unless he or she had taken a course from Colin
Irvine, associate professor of English and environmental studies. In order to encourage
his students to experience the literal and literary landscape more deeply, students in
Irvine’s spring semester course found themselves taking on some creative challenges.
In addition to reading books and taking exams, students were asked to observe a spot
in nature and note its changes over time, learn to identify Minnesota’s birds, wear the
same outfit for one week, spend 24 hours in the great outdoors, and go “off the grid” for
an entire weekend.
The point of these unusual assignments was to challenge students to move outside of
their comfort zones. “I wanted, as Thoreau suggested at the outset of Walden, to wake
them up to help them see their world—not the distant world connected with wilderness
but the one they inhabit daily—as being connected to a dynamic, ultimately dangerous
living, evolving world. I wanted them, in short, to feel challenged, unsettled, unsafe,”
Irvine says.
“It’s a risk when you put these kind of things in the syllabus, but I got away
with it.”
On the following pages, students share some of their blog and journal entries about Irvine’s challenges.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to
teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN
20
Augsburg Now
BECOME A BUDDING
phenologist
(pun intended)
Select a plot of land and visit two
to three times a week. Spend time
in your place observing, recording, and reflecting on what you
find, hear, note, and think.
SPRING IN THE CITY
It seems as if my professor was right in his recommendation to visit our sites
twice a week. If I had followed his advice, perhaps I would be able to better appreciate my hillside. Where I stand right now, I am unsure as to how much has
changed and how drastically so. The snow is slowly receding into an indistinguishable brown mass of diamond dirt. Wildlife can be heard through the dripping trees
as well; the chattering squirrels, the squawking crows, the cooing mourning doves.
Something that strikes me as I stand here is the indescribable sense of movement
I feel from my site. The water from the once frozen crack in the concrete dam is
now a dull trickle on the hill. In the right moment, a flash of sun bounces off of
the stream and hits my eye.
This sharp glint always jars me awake from my hypnotized state; I feel a bit
silly admitting this, but I often lose myself in the sight of the hillside. It’s as if all
of the attempts of description are fruitless as my words hold no candle to the majestic power of nature. The subtle movement of the water almost gives the land a
pulse. With each trickle of the stream, the surrounding leaves shift and rearrange.
The grass sways above the mud’s restless state and the flow of the dirty water
draws me in; it’s almost as if the pulse of the hillside is acting as a siren. The
movement in the grounds suggests a voice; a voice that beckons me to join with
the land. To see my plot of land move, so see it breathe, this is an experience I
have never had before.
DAVE MADSEN ’11
THISONE’SFOR
the birds
Learn to identify the birds of Minnesota by their physical
characteristics and by their calls.
MARCH 1, 2010
I’m so pleased that now I know what a cardinal
sounds like—a great mystery of my life, solved!
There are three of them—two males and a huge
female—that frequent my mulberry bushes and
the neighbor’s tree, but somehow I’ve never made
the connection before that they’re the ones whose
song I wake up early to on work days. I’ve been late
more than once on my way to the coffee shop; I can’t
help but pause and watch them hop and flutter from
branch to branch, circling each other in some birdish
dance that I suspect is carefully organized, though I
can’t tell what they’re doing.
The downside of my new bird watching discovery is
that I can’t whistle. When my dad would take me hiking
as a little kid, I was constantly fascinated by his ability
not only to identify birds by their calls but also to repeat
them, and I’ve tried my whole life but never learned how
to do the same. When I was five, I remember writing a
list of things I had to learn how to do: zip zippers, cartwheel, snap my fingers, raise one eyebrow, tie my own
shoes, and whistle. The cartwheel and the whistle have
never been checked off.
DALEY KONCHAR FARR ’13
Summer 2010
21
GOINGOFF
the grid
Go off the grid for three days—a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Though there are
many reasons tied to this course that I am presenting you with this challenge,
here are four of the most important: first, when we are plugged in, we are often
tuned out to the natural sights and sounds specific and central to this course’s
focus on landscape; second, when we are off the grid, we are more inclined to
sync with those around us, an important consideration given the emphasis in this
course on communities; third, unplugging means consuming less and thus preserving/conserving more; fourth (though not finally), much of today’s communications-based technology reinforces the idea that having instant access to
information in small bits represents progress.
Jessica was determined to go off the grid one weekend, but she was waiting
for important news from her family. She received the call and then checked
her e-mail to find a message from her graduate school program, which required her to log on and register for classes. She didn’t make it entirely off
the grid—she didn’t call anyone and checked e-mail only twice a day. She
wrote, “But I know, deep down, that this doesn’t count.”
GOING OFF THE GRID: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (EXCERPT)
I have become entirely trapped in our mechanized society. The demands
placed on me are not the be-all and end-all of the world, but it is easy to define them as such. This being said, I do not completely resent the technology I have allowed to enter my life.
My family has always been very close, and even now, as a senior in college, my parents call me at least three times a week to check in. I do not resent their phone calls, but I relish the contact I have with my family, it
helps me feel connected to them. In the same way, some close friends that
do not go to school here talk to me via various types of communication. It
helps to keep us together when we cannot be physically together. I think
there is a danger in setting aside the people we are physically present with
for those who are distances away, but there is also a danger in shunning
people we could be communicating with for those that are closer. I don’t
think technology is evil; it, like everything else, can be used poorly and
abused. The key is to use it wisely.
I would like to try to go off-grid some other time, because there is no way
to understand how to truly utilize technology if we don’t know what life is
like without it.
JESSICA FANASELLE ’10
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the
mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are
useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
JOHN MUIR
22
Augsburg Now
Bear Grylls
HASGOT NOTHINGONYOU
By the end of spring break, spend 24
uninterrupted hours in Minnesota’s
great outdoors.
3/21 IT’S FREEZING!!
We didn’t anticipate these temperatures. The night dragged on, freezing temperatures resulted
in tossing and turning and shivering all night. I think we all learned a valuable lesson—it’s impossible to share a mummy bag. 24 hours later and the land seems unchanged except for the
layer of frost that confirmed the freeze. It seemed like time froze along with the water in the
bottle outside of the tent (note: always take the time to tuck the water bottle UNDER the tarp
INSIDE the tent). It was hard to fully appreciate the hours without sun. No sleep, the shivers,
numb toes, sounds like initiation criteria. It’s amazing how a few hours of pain and uncomfortable conditions can change how you feel about the outdoors, I’d been winter camping twice before but this was definitely more of a challenge. We may have underestimated the amount of
preparation and anticipation that was needed but by morning it didn’t matter.
MATIE MINASIE ’11
CAN I BORROW
your book?
Borrow Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit from someone—perhaps a
stranger—and then convince that person to let you give the book away to someone else.
I USED TO BELIEVE
I used to believe, before coming to Augsburg, that ‘try’ was a useless word. I used to believe that if something couldn’t be accomplished fully, successfully, it wasn’t worth much. I used to believe
that everything I did meant only what value could be found in final
products.
I think my journey away from this belief has taken place slowly
over the last four years but it seems perfect and fitting to me that
this Environmental Literature class, with its challenges, has come
at the end of my Augsburg education. The challenges of this curriculum represent everything I was wrong about before coming
here. Education, growth, things of beauty and worth are rarely born
from end products. Trying to spend 24 hours outside, trying to
spend a week not planning outfits each morning, trying to memorize Minnesota birds, trying to find a copy of Ishmael that someone
would let me borrow then give away, trying to spend hours writing
outdoors in the bitterness of February, these attempts taught me
more about myself and the world around me than easily succeeding ever could have.
Some of the challenges I completed, some I completed creatively, and some I failed but I don’t feel that any taught me less
than another.
Find all the Environmental Literature
challenges at www.augsburg.edu/now
One of the best examples of all this, I think, was the challenge
to find a copy of Ishmael to borrow and give away. In my search, I
learned who around me had read the book and wanted to talk
about it when I’d finished (though none from that group still had
the copy they’d read), who wanted to borrow it from me when I was
done, and what it would mean for me to give up a book that had no
intention of coming back to me in physical form. Now I understand, in a way I didn’t before, that a conversation with my father
(who will receive Ishmael from me) about the book is worth more
that the book’s long life on my shelf.
When I couldn’t find a copy of Ishmael from anyone I knew, I
ended up making a trade for the book at a used bookstore in St. Paul.
“Ishmael?” the girl behind the counter said as she handed it
over, “this book will change your life.”
Having finished reading it, I know she was right but that she
may not have understood entirely what she was saying. The book
has changed my life, to be sure, but the journey to find it and the
conversations that will come are life-changing things as well. We
do not grow through successes, final products, and exams but
through journeys, challenges, and trying things once, twice, or fifty
times without fear of the result.
MOLLY BUDKE ’10
Summer 2010
23
MARK MATZEK
It was spring 2007 and Mark Matzek ’05 couldn’t sleep. He was 25
years old, had just finished his first full year of teaching mathematics at Apple Valley High School, and suddenly was faced with a significant life decision.
Ever since deciding to become a high school teacher, Matzek’s
goal was to return to his hometown of Ellsworth, Wis., coach his
nephews on the wrestling mat, and teach math to his nieces. With
only two coaches over the past 60 years, Ellsworth had become a
wrestling power in Wisconsin, and continuing that interested Matzek.
But Matzek was also an Auggie. The three-time All-American and
two-time national champion had spent two years as a part-time assistant coach at his alma mater.
So, three years ago Matzek had to make a choice. A math position
opened in Ellsworth and plans would be made to make him the
coach-in-waiting. At the same time, Jeff Swenson retired as
Augsburg’s wrestling coach, the assistant coach was promoted, and
Matzek was offered the full-time assistant coach position.
“I kept waking up thinking Augsburg was the right choice,”
Matzek says.
Turns out it was.
BACK ON TOP AT NO. 1
Fast forward three years and Matzek doesn’t have some of the worries
that many 28-year-olds have. He doesn’t worry about whether that promotion is really going to happen. He doesn’t fret about that next job.
And he isn’t in that wondering-what-is-next mode that seems to go
along with that time of one’s life.
24
Augsburg Now
Nine years on the mats
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Fresh off a Colorado vacation filled with mountain climbing,
Matzek couldn’t be more comfortable with where he is. And for good
reason. Sitting in his Kennedy Center office, Matzek has two pieces of
serious hardware within arm’s reach. The first is for the NCAA Division III wrestling national championship that Augsburg won in March.
The second is for Matzek being named Division III Coach of the Year.
“There is no ‘what’s next’,” says Matzek, the youngest coach to
ever win a Division III title. “This is where I want to be. It’s Augsburg. This is the premier small wrestling school in America. This is
a dream job.”
And this winter, the Augsburg wrestling program truly became
Matzek’s program. With former coach/program architect/athletic director Jeff Swenson ’79 simply a spectator, Matzek led the Auggies
to one of its most successful seasons in school history.
The Auggies simply didn’t lose. A team with great balance,
Augsburg was perfect in dual meets; it won every tournament it entered and the Auggies closed the season by winning their 11th national championship in the past 20 years. It was a season that
included dual meet victories over the teams that finished both first
and second in the Division II championship and a drama-free Division III national championship in which Augsburg clinched the
title before the championship matches began.
While there were certainly questions about whether Matzek
would be able to keep the Augsburg wrestling program at the same
level—the fact that he looks both younger than his age and
younger than some of his wrestlers didn’t help—there is little
question now.
“I couldn’t be happier for Mark; they got the monkey off their
back,” Swenson says. “You win one and then you don’t have to answer the question any longer. And I couldn’t be happier that I had
nothing to do with it.”
Matzek says he didn’t feel pressure to win that first title, but he
also knows that there were people nationally who expected a misstep.
“If Augsburg was ever going to falter, it was going to be the last
two years,” he says. “And we finished second and first.”
BUMPS ALONG THE WAY
It was a little more than two years ago when Swenson walked into
Matzek’s office and asked him to serve as the program’s interim
coach. It was the end of July, the school year was less than six weeks
from starting and Matzek was handed the keys.
“Was I prepared as well as others in the nation? No,” Matzek says.
“But I didn’t want it to go outside the Augsburg family. I didn’t really
know what I had agreed to until I went home and told my wife.”
The next eight months were a blur for Matzek, who at times was
just trying to stay a step ahead of his wrestlers and make it to the
next day.
Because in addition to leading the Auggies, he was also part of the
way through a graduate program at Concordia-St. Paul, a program
that was much more manageable when he was an assistant coach.
“I had three full-time jobs,” he joked. “I had Augsburg, I had my
master’s program, and I had my wife. Our guys would study and I’d
be there working on my homework at the same time.”
Summer 2010
25
MARK MATZEK AT AUGSBURG
2001-05: Student-athlete
Two individual national championships
Three-time All-American
The team won two national titles and
had two runner-up finishes.
2005-2008: Assistant coach
Augsburg won the 2007 national
championship and finished third in
both 2006 and 2008.
2008-09: Interim head coach
Team rose to No. 1 in the national
rankings and won the National Duals.
2009-10: Permanent head coach
The Auggies completed a perfect season,
winning every dual meet and tournament.
Augsburg won its 11th Division III national championship in the past 20 years.
Matzek was named Division III Coach of
the Year.
The Auggies finished second at the
NCAA championships.
While athletics may not be as cutthroat
at the Division III level as it is, say, in the
Big Ten, contests are still scored and it isn’t
intramurals.
“I didn’t want to just hold on and be a
bridge from one coach to another,” Matzek
says. “I wanted to win the title for those
guys. It was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows for me. I was learning to manage
all of the different guys, manage personalities and figure out that not all athletes were
like me when I was in college.”
Matzek was certainly more than just the
guy to get Augsburg by. The Auggies defeated rival Wartburg, won the Division III
National Duals, and entered the NCAA
Championships ranked No. 1 in the country.
“I knew we didn’t have as good of a tournament team as we did a dual meet team,”
Matzek says. “We had a couple of injuries,
and we had a couple of matches that didn’t
go our way. After the first day I knew it was
going to be tough.”
The Auggies finished second, but
Matzek did enough to ensure his future as
Augsburg’s head coach. While the search
26
Augsburg Now
committee did bring in two outside candidates to interview for the position, Matzek
was hired.
“Given the circumstances, he did a
great job,” Swenson says. “We were a
lowly-ranked team and he took us to the
No. 1 ranking and a second-place finish.
There was a real strong assumption with
the committee that he had done a good
enough job.”
IN THE RIGHT PLACE NOW
While Matzek has been a head coach for
only two seasons—and only one season in
which he knew the job was really his—he
has impressed the guy who is both his boss
and the architect of the Augsburg program.
“I think Mark has become a quick expert at preparing his teams for competition,” Swenson says. “I think he gets it. I
believe he has taken the Augsburg system
and tweaked it to have Mark Matzek’s
name on it. He’s done it by having a keen
sense of what athletes need.
“He’s a lot closer in age to his
wrestlers. He knows how it feels to go
through this. He’s really in tune to when
the guys need to be pushed, need a day
off, need rest.”
Like anyone in a new job, the second
year was easier for Matzek than the first.
He had a better understanding of what the
job entailed, there were fewer surprises,
and he could learn from both high points
and challenges of his first year.
And when the Auggies reached the
NCAA Championships, Matzek knew the
work had been done.
“I don’t want to sound cocky or arrogant, but we expected [the national championship], we expected to win it,” he says.
“It wasn’t a real surprise.”
While Swenson was happy for Matzek,
Matzek was happy for his boss.
“It was big for Augsburg wrestling to
win it without Jeff in the wrestling room, it
was a big relief for him and the search
committee,” Matzek says. “They took a
chance and it worked out.”
And, as a result, Matzek is exactly
where he wants to be.
m
c
Making Connections
making
connections
In theatre, as in life, finding success is often about who
you know. But knowing the right people isn’t enough. In order
to build the foundation for a thriving career in theatre, students
need to form and maintain connections with the people and
the places that make up the “theatre scene.”
Perhaps this is one of the most important lessons that Augsburg
theatre students learn. Through participation in AugSem, the
Artist Series, internships, and by attending some of the hundreds
of productions staged throughout the Twin Cities every year, stu-
dents are challenged to go away from Augsburg, and sometimes
outside of their comfort zones, in order to make connections in the
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
theatre community.
Summer 2010
27
CONNECTING
TO THE CITY
From the beginning of her Augsburg education, Tessa Flynn ’05 says she was encouraged to get involved in the city. A theatre
arts and mass communication major, she
was particularly interested in the role of
theatre in the public school system. She
was fortunate to land an internship with the
Children’s Theatre Company following her
sophomore year, an opportunity that served
as her introduction to critical literacy in the
classroom.
The Children’s Theatre’s Neighborhood
Bridges program was started in 1997 by
Jack Zipes, fairy tale scholar, and the Children’s Theatre Company artistic director,
Peter Brosius. Using a variety of mediums such as theatre arts, storytelling, and creative writing, students work through issues in their
lives and develop critical thinking and communication skills. “It’s like
a little poison, this whole critical literacy thing,” Flynn says. “It gets
in your system, and your teaching is forever changed.”
Before Flynn’s last year of school, sociology professor Garry Hesser
encouraged her to get involved with the Project for Pride in Living college house in the Phillips neighborhood. She lived there with other
college students and tutored middle school students from the community. “I saw that my students needed to break a cycle of violence and
poverty, and I became even more convinced that theatre could be an
important part of that process,” Flynn says.
“Being in the city, you get to have the Guthrie and so
many other theatres as an extension of the classroom.”
KATIE KOCH ’01/’05
Now Flynn is the community engagement manager and a teaching
artist with the Bridges program at Children’s Theatre. She works with
students in grades 3–8 and has 22 classrooms where she spends two
hours a week. Flynn says the Bridges program engages multiple learning styles and allows students to recognize their individual skills.
“When I see students shine in Bridges, who in other areas of the
school day are thought of as low-achieving or who hide in the shadows, I am convinced that this is important work.”
Flynn says she is grateful for the opportunities she had at Augsburg. “I don’t know if I would be where I am now if not for the encouragement of faculty to get involved in the city.”
28
Augsburg Now
Katie Koch ’01/’05 also made many
connections in the city that led her on
a circuitous path—from campus to
downtown Minneapolis to New York and
back to Augsburg with a few more stops
in between.
Koch started out as a music major,
but when her high school drama
teacher took a position as stage manager at Hey City Theatre, longtime
home of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Koch
was given an opportunity to assist him.
She worked as the assistant stage
Katie Koch ’01/’05
manager and as an actor in Tony n’
Tina’s Wedding at Hey City for three
years while she was in school. “I would be in Augsburg Choir
with my hair in pin curls,” Koch said, “because I literally had
to go straight from rehearsal to the theater.”
She says it was the advice of Sonja Thompson, a piano instructor and vocal coach at Augsburg, that finally convinced
her she could leave the music department. “She said, ‘You’re
doing all this work in theatre … you don’t have to be a music
major,’” Koch says.
Instead of declaring a new major, Koch left school to stage
manage the next show at Hey City, Smokey Joe’s Cafe. She
then became an assistant stage manager for the Minnesota
Opera, went on to work with Glimmerglass Opera in
Cooperstown, N.Y., and freelanced as a stage manager from
Milwaukee to Miami. Eventually she came back to Augsburg
and completed a degree in theatre.
Koch, who was by then a theatre veteran, found herself in
the classroom with younger students. “It was interesting to be
tossed in with a group of young, eager students,” she says. But
she formed relationships with students and even became a
mentor to some. “It was exciting to watch such a talented
group of artists learn and get ready to begin their careers.”
After school, Koch worked at the Ordway Center for the
Performing Arts until a friend encouraged her to respond to a
posting for the assistant to the director of the Guthrie. She
went through several interviews including a very brief interview
with Joe Dowling who, she says, asked her mostly about the
professionals she’d worked with in her career. “I guess he’d already made the decision to hire me,” she says. She’s worked
with Dowling now for three years.
Koch maintains connections to Augsburg, sometimes serv-
“I knew my experience at Augsburg
wouldn’t end after graduation.”
LEE FISHER ’06
Summer 2010
29
Justin Hooper ’07 (left) and Michael Kelley ’05
ing as a guest lecturer and hosting Augsburg student groups who
visit the Guthrie.
“A huge advantage for Augsburg and the theatre department
is the city,” Koch says. “Being in the city, you get to have the
Guthrie and so many other theaters as an extension of the classroom.” She adds that anytime she gets a chance to talk to
Augsburg students, she tells them to take advantage of the opportunities to see high-quality performances in the city. “I say
you need to sit in the seats and watch … this is your
practicum.”
GOING BEHIND
THE SCENES
Each year many aspiring actors come to Augsburg hoping to
make a name for themselves onstage. And while many do just
that, they also sometimes discover and develop their calling to
work behind the scenes by getting involved backstage.
This was the case for Lee Fisher ’06, Michael Kelley ’05,
and Justin Hooper ’07. All three were very talented actors who
performed in a variety of roles while at Augsburg, but each one
also learned a lot about his craft while working on the technical
side of shows.
Fisher, who has taught English and directed the theatre program for five years at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in
Plymouth, says that being a stage manager was an important
part of his education. “When I was behind the scenes, it wasn’t
30
Augsburg Now
about me. As an educator that has been very helpful,” he says.
“Success happens when the focus is on what the students need
and how I can help them.”
Today he directs two major productions a year and frequently
draws on his connections with Augsburg theatre faculty for advice
about organizing shows. He’s sought out professors Michael Burden ’85, Martha Johnson, and Darcey Engen ’88 for help on developing a curriculum and organizing a show, and he says he wouldn’t
be able to do what he’s done without their help.
Fisher also stays in touch with education and English faculty
who were instrumental in his education because he values the professional connections. “I knew my experience at Augsburg wouldn’t
end after graduation,” Fisher says. He adds that his Augsburg professors continue to be sources of guidance and friendship.
“That commitment to bringing in outside artists puts
Augsburg one step higher than other college programs.”
JUSTIN HOOPER ’07
Kelley and Hooper also had eye-opening experiences working
backstage at Augsburg. Kelley says he came to college wanting
to be a professional actor but became interested in other career
possibilities after working in Augsburg’s scene shop for four
years. And Hooper says his experience was all-encompassing because he worked on- and offstage. “There was always a lot of
good discussion,” he adds, noting that theatre majors tended to
spend a lot of time together and to continue their classroom
discussions outside of class. “You see that everything in theatre is so connected.”
Hooper is grateful for the opportunities he had to work with
and get to know guest artists while he was a student. “In theatre, it’s all about who you know,” Hooper says. In addition to
meeting professionals through faculty connections, he and all
theatre students work with actors, directors, and designers from
the community on Augsburg productions. “That commitment to
bringing in outside artists puts Augsburg one step higher than
other college programs.”
The connections they made while studying theatre at
Augsburg have contributed to their busy and sometimes complicated professional careers. Since graduation, they have
acted in and directed shows, painted and designed sets, and
written original and adapted works. They’ve been from
Winona, Minn., to Acadia, Maine, and back. And now, in addition to maintaining their day jobs, the two are putting their
blood, sweat, and tears into managing 3AM Productions, a
small local theatre company.
At 3AM, Kelley says they draw on their connections with
other artists in the community to create unique and multidimensional productions. “We want every show to be something people aren’t used to seeing,” he says. He adds that
they strive to provide a well-rounded “big theatre” experience
to the patrons who are supporting their small theatre. “I
think it’s what we do well.”
During and after college, Steen worked in the box office at the
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. An actor friend there suggested she become a dramaturg, and eventually she went to Columbia to pursue an MFA.
“When students see other actors on the great stages of
this city, they can read their bios and see their training,
and that helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s
stage to another.” CARLA STEEN ’91
Because she had very little experience in the “creative side” of
theatre, Steen says her MFA was an immersion experience. “I said,
‘Oh, so this is how all this works.’”
Today Steen says it is interesting to come back to Augsburg because as a student she wasn’t really involved with the theatre department. She has taught and been a guest lecturer at the College,
and she tries to see at least one production a year.
Steen says theatre students in the Twin Cities are fortunate because of the opportunities to meet and see high-quality actors, directors, and artists. “When students see other actors on the great
FINDING YOUR STAGE
It takes more than theatre majors and faculty and staff to
stage a production. Often many non-majors get involved in
theatre in college but don’t end up in “the business” until
later in life.
Carla Steen ’91 is one student whose path to professional
theatre went through the English and history departments at
Augsburg.
As a first-year student, she ran the light board for Julie
Bolton’s production of Macbeth—with a set designed by Burden (then a graduate student at the University of Minnesota)
and starring Engen as Lady Macbeth. But that was the end of
her participation in theatre at Augsburg as a student.
Instead, Steen, who has worked at the Guthrie for 12
years as a dramaturg and publications manager, studied literary criticism with English professor Doug Green and worked
on a senior honors project under his direction. She also researched Shakespearean history and sources for her history
senior seminar taught by Richard Nelson, now professor
emeritus.
“In many ways, that was the beginning of me thinking
that research for theatre was an interesting thing I could do,”
Steen says.
Carla Steen ’91
Summer 2010
31
“We hire people because they are active
and are creating their own work, not waiting for someone … And they also have
some other passions that aren’t about
theatre.” JENNI LILLEDAHL ’87
Jenni Lilledahl ’87
stages of this city, they can read their bios and see their training, and that
helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s stage to another.”
Another student who played a minor role at Augsburg and went on to a thriving
career in theatre is Jenni Lilledahl ’87. As a student, Lilledahl took courses with
Ailene Cole, now professor emerita. “She seemed like she lived and breathed theatre and was completely consumed with passion for the forum,” Lilledahl says.
“She influenced me as an artist, and I always admired her from a distance.”
Though Lilledahl took courses to obtain a minor in theatre, she felt the need to
study in a more lucrative field. “I remember hearing voices saying, ‘You have to
pay the bills and have a reliable income.’” Lilledahl majored in communication
and public relations.
After graduating and working in corporate public relations, she decided to try
the “comedy thing,” so she started taking improvisation classes and met her future
husband, John Sweeney. Eventually she jumped off the corporate ladder so that
she and Sweeney could pursue their dreams, and the couple moved to Chicago
32
Augsburg Now
and worked at The Second City.
Then in 1997, along with Mark Bergren, the couple bought the Brave New Workshop from its founder,
Dudley Riggs. “John and I had three or so years of experience in theatre but had a lot more business experience,” Lilledahl says. “I guess we were sort of the
oddballs of the theatre community, but Dudley appreciated that we could manage the business as well as the
artistic side.”
As the current co-owner of Brave New Workshop
and executive director of the Brave New Institute,
Lilledahl oversees the theatre’s school, which reaches
more than 150 students a week, and she conducts improvisation workshops around the country. She is also
on the board for Gilda’s Club Twin Cities, an organization that provides emotional and social support for
families impacted by cancer.
Lilledahl returns to Augsburg at least once a year to
speak in chapel. Often her advice to students, which
she says is based on years of seeing who gets work and
who doesn’t, is to get as much stage time as they
can—wherever, whenever, and however—and to have a
life outside of the theatre.
“We hire people because they are active and are
creating their own work, not waiting for someone,” she
says. “And they also have some other passions that
aren’t about theatre.” Lilledahl adds that an actor’s experiences outside of theatre help them bring life to a
script and creativity to the stage.
And perhaps that is what makes all these alumni
successful.
At Augsburg students are trained as actors, directors, and technicians, but they also learn how to become involved in their community as artists and as
informed citizens. They understand that making connections is important to their careers and to their
personal lives as well. They’re encouraged to explore
many aspects of theatre, to develop their craft, and
to work and learn at Augsburg and in the city.
More than blocking and movement or scene study
and character analysis, these are the lessons that
will stick with them as they make their mark on the
world’s stage.
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
ummer is in full swing, and that means one thing—
lots of activities to enjoy with our families. Nobody
celebrates summer quite as well as Minnesotans, and
at Augsburg we are no exception. The Alumni Board has a
number of family-friendly events planned for 2010 and
2011, and we hope you’ll join us!
The annual Auggie Day at the Races, held at Canterbury
Park on August 5, usually attracts more than 700 Augsburg
alumni. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to enjoy an evening together. If you didn’t get to it this year, we hope to see you at Canterbury next year.
Another summer favorite is the Minnesota State Fair. When you attend the “Great
Minnesota Get-Together” this year, be sure to visit the Augsburg booth in the Education Building and tell us what you’re up to these days.
Believe it or not, Homecoming is just around the corner—October 10–16. This
year’s events feature something for everyone, including continuing education classes,
Auggie Author Book Signing, alumni concerts, 5K fun run, football game against the
Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers, and much more. Don’t forget to stop by the Alumni
Board booth at the Taste of Augsburg to learn how to get involved. This fun event has
been expanded with more carnival-style booths for a great time for the whole family.
The mission of the Alumni Board is to connect alumni with the College to enjoy
the events, friendships, and company of fellow Auggies. Each year the board has a
planning session to ensure that we support our mission to provide great, compelling
programs that renew and sustain your interest in Augsburg. Some ideas for this year
include an expansion of the Uniquely Augsburg series, similar to June’s Dead Sea
Scrolls event at the Science Museum that featured Professor Phil Quanbeck II; networking events; volunteer opportunities; lectures featuring Augsburg’s beloved faculty; and more.
Augsburg was a gateway to the future for us as students. Now, as alumni, we put
the lessons we learned from Augsburg’s unequaled education into action every day.
Thanks to the life-altering experiences we share because of our alma mater, those of
us on the Alumni Board work hard to unite the alumni of Augsburg College.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! I look forward to seeing you at the many alumni
events.
s
Sincerely,
Welcome, new Alumni Board
members!
At its June meeting, the Augsburg College Alumni
Board welcomed four new members who will
serve three-year terms.
Tracy Anderson is a third generation Auggie. She
graduated in 1995 with a major in communication
and a minor in business administration. Tracy attended Augsburg as a post-secondary student,
studied as a day student, and completed her degree in Weekend College. She is a realtor with
Edina Realty in Edina, and looks forward to networking with alumni and becoming involved in the
Augsburg community.
Christopher Ascher, a 1981 graduate with a major
in finance and minor in psychology, played on
Augsburg’s soccer team and is an A-Club member.
He is senior vice president and a branch manager
for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Bloomington.
He enjoyed meeting more than 80 alumni as host of
the January alumni winetasting event.
Sarah Grans is a youth and family ministry graduate from 2001, also with a minor in psychology.
She is director of outreach and faith formation at
St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. As a student she was active in Campus Ministry and was co-commissioner during her
senior year. She wants to give back to Augsburg
and reconnect alumni in meaningful ways.
Sharon Mercill graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in nursing in 2009 in Rochester and is currently a
student in the Master of Arts in Nursing program.
When she attended an Alumni Board meeting for a
study project and enjoyed connecting with other
alumni, she decided to become more involved and
join the board. She is the RN study coordinator of
breast cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Summer 2010
33
auggie
alumni news
Eye-Opener Breakfasts
and Speaker Series
Are you looking for an opportunity to hear from Twin
Cities business leaders? Are you interested in a chance to
network with fellow Augsburg alums? Well, Augsburg—
through a pair of programs—has opportunities for you.
The Eye-Opener Breakfast Series is for Augsburg
alumni who want to network and learn from either a business leader or an Augsburg professor. The Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series provides opportunities for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to hear from
high-level business executives.
Here’s a look at the first speakers of the next academic
year for both programs with dates to mark on your calendar.
President Pribbenow and members of the Alumni Board celebrated with graduating day program
seniors at their reception in May. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, John Stadler ’07 MAL, Holly (Ebnet)
Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, President Pribbenow, Dale Hanka ’60, Dan Hickle ’95, and Jennifer Carlson ’91.
Eye-Opener Breakfast Series:
The first event of the 2010-11 academic year
will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30. In addition to
breakfast and networking, attendees will hear
from Nate Garvis, former vice president of government affairs and senior public relations officer
for Target Corporation. Garvis will present his
thoughts on innovative ways to share the work of
building prosperous communities. Other EyeOpener Breakfasts will be held in 2011 on January 25 and May 10.
The Eye-Opener Breakfasts are held at Town
and Country Club in St. Paul, from 7–9 a.m. The
cost is $5 person, which includes breakfast.
RSVP by September 27 at
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series:
Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bank, will be the featured speaker for the first event of the academic
year on November 18, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium. Additional events will be held on February 3 and April 7, 2011. The speaker series is
free and held on campus.
34
Augsburg Now
2010 Augsburg graduates were excited to join the Alumni Association as they celebrated their
achievements at the Senior Reception. (L to R) Lisa Yankauskas, Rosine Johnson, Brenna McHugh,
and Barbara Simmons.
go es
i
g
g
u
a
Ruth A. Schmidt ’52—Distinguished alumna and educator
Ruth Schmidt, the first female
president of Agnes Scott College, benefactor to Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center, and
Distinguished Alumna, died on
May 24 in Decatur, Ga.
Schmidt graduated summa
cum laude in 1952 with a
major in English and minors in
Spanish and library science.
She continued to study Spanish, earning master’s and doctoral degrees, and taught Spanish at the high school and college
levels, including at Wheaton College and the State University of
New York at Albany. After her appointment as dean of humanities
at SUNY Albany, she went on to become president of Agnes Scott
College in Decatur, Ga., until her retirement in 1994. She remained active in retirement through travel, international development work, women’s social justice issues, and peace initiatives.
Her legacy at Agnes Scott includes establishment of study
abroad programs, and increased diversity among faculty and
students.
Professor Emerita Ruth Aaskov ’52 was a classmate of
Schmidt’s, and they became lifelong friends. As students, both
were close to Anne Pederson, their English professor and mentor.
When Augsburg established the Women’s Resource Center in
2000, it was named in memory of Pederson and funded by a generous gift from Schmidt.
0
1
0
2
G
N
M
O
HOMEC
e it!
2010
c
n
e
i
r
e
exp
Block off your calendar for the weekend of October
15–16 and return to campus for Homecoming 2010’s
fun-filled festivities.
The Homecoming Convocation kicks off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 15, when First Decade, Spirit of
Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners will
be recognized. Professor Emeritus Philip Quanbeck Sr.
’50 will provide the keynote remarks at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon.
A number of Augsburg Experience lifelong-learning
sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon. In addition, the Auggie Author Book Signing and reading will
take place prior to the Welcome Back Banquet.
If you come to Saturday’s football game against the
Concordia Cobbers, plan to get to campus long before
the 1 p.m. kickoff. The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with the
Come back for Homecoming
October 10–16
family-friendly Anderson Hall Homecoming 5K Fun Run,
and campus tours are available from 10 a.m. until
noon. Three hours prior to kickoff, the Taste of
Augsburg in Murphy Square will feature carnival-style
booths operated by student groups, alumni, and local
restaurants. In addition to carnival-style food, there
will be games, inflatable bounce houses, and fun for
the whole family.
Back by popular demand is the Auggie Block Party
(in Parking Lot K, between Melby Hall and Riverside
Ave.) following the football game. Join alumni, students,
and friends for food, entertainment, and camaraderie.
Join fellow Auggies and music lovers after the Block
Party for a celebration concert in Hoversten Chapel
honoring Professor Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for information.
Summer 2010
35
alumni class notes
Stan Nelson, Andover, Minn.,
Jerilyn (Bjugstad) Wibbens,
43was selected as one of the
67Mukilteo, Wash., founded the
World War II veterans whose service
would be honored by flying them to
Washington, D.C., at no cost, to visit
the World War II memorial. Stan is
the last survivor of four Navy officers
from a landing craft that participated
in the D-Day invasion in June 1944;
he still attends annual reunions.
Northwest Nordic Ladies Chorus,
based in Everett, Wash., to keep
singing the Norwegian songs she
learned in her family and to learn
songs from the other Nordic countries. They regularly perform at
Scandinavian events and senior
centers.
Vera (Peterson) Rachuy, West-
Peter Agre was honored in
52brook, Minn., a retired
70June, along with four other
teacher, discovered a love and talent
for painting that began during a prolonged and severe winter when she
started to sketch her and her daughter’s dogs.
graduates of Norwegian Lutheran
colleges, with the “Going Viking”
Award by Norway House in Minneapolis. The award recognizes the
contributions of Norwegian Americans to the region.
Rev. Darryl Torrin, Cedar Falls,
66Iowa, retired on July 1 after
serving for 39 years in active parish
ministry. For the past 13 years, he
has served at St. John Maxfield
Evangelical Lutheran Church in rural
Denver, Iowa, where a retirement
celebration was held on June 6.
Alvina Strand Skogen, Eppen, N.D.,
is serving a two-year term as president of Western North Dakota
Synodical Women’s Organization
(Women of the ELCA).
David Siedlar received the “Model Worker Award” from the Communist
71Party, City of Huaian, Jiangsu Province, China, in April, which was published in the party newspaper.
Michael Good, Raritan, N.J.,
71president and CEO of Sotheby's
International Realty Affiliates, LLC,
and chair of the Augsburg College
Board of Regents, was named to the
Inman 100, a list of the top 100
most influential leaders in real estate
for 2009 by Inman News.
department at Lake Superior College
in Duluth. She has a master’s degree in business administration from
the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in education from College of St. Scholastica, and a
graduate certificate in educational
computing and technology from
University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Kathy (Langemo) Dugdale, Su-
72perior, Wis., was named director of the business services
Annette (Olsen) Hustad, Glenwood,
Minn., is “Lena” in the comedy
singing duo, “Tina and Lena,” along
with Susan “Tina” Edwards. For 25
years, they have entertained audiences in the Upper Midwest and farther with music, humor, and fun.
With degrees in music therapy and
music education, she taught K-12
music for 10 years. In April they performed at the Lifestyles Expo in
Alexandria.
Lois (Wennen) Larson, White
80Bear Lake, Minn., was named
to a one-year appointment as interim financial aid director at
Metropolitan State University in
Minneapolis, effective Feb. 1.
Joan (Maland) Mussa was re-
81cently named senior vice presiParticipants in the Master of Arts in Leadership study and cultural tour of Norway in June pause for a group photo
in the mountain resort town of Geilo. Twenty-eight Augsburg faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the College
took part in the customized MAL program done in conjunction with Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo,
Augsburg experts on Norway, and CrossingBorders travel company in the Twin Cities. Pictured are Ruth and
Raymond Burgau; Paul ’65, Priscilla ’65, David, Karen, Andrew, Lynnsey, and Erika Fieldhammer; Professor
Douglas Green; John Grafstrom and Carol Sime ’73; Pete and Glenda Holste ’05 MAL; Lucinda Hruska-Claeys
’10 MAL; Paul ’80 and Rebecca Kilgore; Professor Lynn Lindow; Roger and Linda Nielsen; Angeline and Jeanne
Nelson ’09 MBA; Professor Norma Noonan; Patty ’02 MAL and Warren Park; Tawni Reller; Professor Linda
Stevens; Professor Barbara West.
Look for more about the MAL experiences in Norway at www.augsburg.edu/now
36
Augsburg Now
dent for donor engagement,
advocacy, and communications at
the United States office of World Vision, one of the largest relief, development, and advocacy organizations
in the world. Her responsibilities include overseeing the work of all private fund raising, government
relations, advocacy, internet, publications, and additional communication functions. She and her
husband, Mohammed, and their
three children live near Seattle.
Tessa Flynn, Minneapolis, ap-
05peared in the Frank Theatre
Daniel Werner and Shayne
95Hamann, Little Canada,
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Savannah, born on Feb.
20. Savannah joins her twin brothers, Drake and Dylan, age 3.
Monica Fitzgerald, Washing-
Ryan Carlson BA ’96 and BS ’02 and his wife, Lauren, St. Paul, an-
96nounce the births of identical twin daughters, Adelaine Elizabeth and
Isadora Louise, on Feb. 14. Addy and Izzy join brother Quin, 4 1/2. The family lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Ryan is an engineer
for Seagate.
Karen Reed, Atascadero, Calif.,
82ton, D.C., is director of CIO
90was appointed program direc-
University and the deputy director of
the IT Accessibility and Workforce
Division in the General Services Administration’s Office of Governmentwide Policy. In 2009 she was
selected as a member of the Council
for Excellence in the Fellow’s Program of the Partnership for Public
Service, which focuses on servant
leadership.
tor in January at Coalinga State Hospital, the newest state mental health
hospital in the California Department
of Mental Health. She formerly
served 18 years as a registered
music therapist at Atascadero State
Hospital. She continues to represent
forensic psychiatric music therapy
treatment at the national and regional music therapy conferences.
Tim Asgrimson, Edina, Minn.,
Anthony Patton has published
83was recently named the chief
91his second novel, Unfaithfully
financial officer of Kraus-Anderson
Cos., where he has worked since
2007 as assistant chief financial officer. For 16 years prior to that he
provided tax, auditing, and consulting services to the company.
Yours, a love story in which he explores how hard-working couples
can achieve happiness and success
in the time it takes to watch a great
movie.
Sharon (Fairbanks) Romano,
Minneapolis, has served as director of the Department of Indian
Work of the St. Paul Area Council of
Churches for the past year.
87
Kristin Eggerling, Hallock,
89Minn., is a freelance writer
and has served on the board of Conservation Minnesota. A recent article
on StarTribune.com featured her
family’s outing to view the giant jack
pine in Lake Bronson State Park.
Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis, an
assistant city attorney with the City
of Minneapolis, was appointed in
April by Governor Tim Pawlenty to a
four-year term on the Council on
Black Minnesotans.
Luann Roth, Columbia, Mo., has
been appointed as education coordinator of the Mizzou Advantage, a
collaboration of five programs of excellence at the University of Missouri. She will facilitate
interdisciplinary curriculum and
courses for these five areas. She has
been an instructor in the English Department and is completing her doctorate in American film and folklore.
Heidi (Wachholz) Boll,
Minneapolis, was named vice
president of sales for the Northeast
Region of Allianz Life Insurance
Company of North America. She
joined the company in 2001 and
has held several positions within it.
94
Lori (Langager) Higgins, Blaine,
Minn., became president of the
MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
in the Twin Cities in May. She has
worked for the chamber since February 2009 and became its first female chief executive officer.
Kari (Schroeder) Prescott, Minneapolis, took a new position as representative for Minnesota to the
American Podiatric Medical Association in Washington, D.C., and will be
kept busy with the current healthcare debate issues.
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
95Ariz., graduated from a medical assistant program and is currently looking for and interviewing
for jobs.
Carye (Johnson) Bye, Portland
company’s adaptation of Kafka’s
Metamorphosis, which ran at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis during April. She is also on
the board of the theatre. (Read
more about her on p. 28).
Jessica (Norman) and Eric
01Hafemeyer welcomed Kristen
Marie on February 22. Kristen joins
big sister, Lauren, 3.
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
04Blaine, Minn., and her husband, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on Feb. 25.
Chad Darr and his wife, Krista, welcomed a son, Hayden James, on
May 5.
Miranda Nelson, Chicago,
06began the clinical psychology
PhD program at the University of
Illinois at Chicago last fall. She plans
on specializing in pediatric neuropsychology and will graduate with
her doctoral degree in 2014.
Dan Morlock, St. Paul, is site
97Ore., is owner of Red Bat
07leader of a before- and-after-
Press, a print and design company.
She wrote and illustrated a book,
Hidden Portland: Museums &
Collections, in 2010 with Bedouin
Books.
school child care program for the
Roseville school district called
Friendship Connection.
Ted Schultz, Bloomington,
98Minn., started a new position
as activities director at Minnetonka
(Minn.) High School on July 1. He
had served for six years in the same
position at Bloomington Jefferson
High School.
Adam Erickson, Chanhassen,
00Minn., was appointed busi-
ness banking officer at Anchor Bank
in Eden Prairie. Prior to this he was
a business relationship manager for
Wells Fargo Bank.
Maureen O’Shaughnessy was featured as a music therapist on
WCCO-TV about her work with autistic children at Fraser Child and Family Center.
Molly Shortall recently completed
her master's degree at Manhattan
School of Music. She has been in
New York City for two years and
works as a house musician at a
large church in Brooklyn. This summer, she's singing the role of Second
Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
Summer 2010
37
Colonel Steven Charles ’76
receives Legion of Merit
On May 1, Colonel Steven Charles ’76 received the Legion of
Merit, the highest award not received for valor, which is
awarded for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.”
While Charles’ 30-year military career began in 1977 as a
navy pilot, he received the Legion of Merit for his work as program manager from 2001 to 2007 in the 87th Air Force Element, and air director of joint operations, Air Force Element,
U.S. Army Forces Command, 87th Battle Command Training
Division in Birmingham, Ala.
The citation states, “In this key leadership position, Colonel
Charles served as project officer for nine major exercises and
15 Command Post exercises preparing over 30,000 Army
troops for Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and the
Global War on Terrorism.”
His duties included training the soldiers how to call in close
air support. By teaching soldiers how to talk to Air Force support, how to call in for help, and what protocols and information they needed, they could quickly be rescued, saving their
own lives and those of other ground forces. He also developed a
successful Train the Trainers program that provided understanding of joint operations within the modern battlefield.
During his military career, Charles served two cruises aboard
the USS Constellation where he had more than 200 carrier
landings. He was chosen to become a Navy A-4 adversary pilot
and graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School. He
Rikki Starich, Lexington, Ky., was recently appointed assistant director of
annual giving at Transylvania University in Lexington. In May she completed her Master of Education in
higher education administration/
institutional advancement.
Andrew Sinko, Blaine, Minn., a
teacher in Spring Lake Park, Minn.,
has been accepted to a University of
London doctoral program.
Zac Wooten, New York, received his
master’s degree from New York University and continues to express appreciation for the support of faculty
at Augsburg.
A.J. Hau and his brother, Chris,
10from Fort Collins, Colo., were
signed by the Colorado Eagles
hockey team. They both advanced
through the Northern Colorado
Youth Hockey and Colorado State
University hockey programs.
Christopher Stedman gradu-
08ated with a master’s degree in
theology from Meadville Lombard
Theological School of Chicago.
38
Augsburg Now
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will spend
the 2010–11 academic year in
Vietnam on Fulbright English Teaching Awards.
Courtesy photo
alumni class notes
Colonel Steven Charles ’76 (left) received the Legion of Merit, presented to him in
Birmingham, Ala., on May 1, by Brigadier General David W. Puster.
crossed to the Air Force and was an instructor in both the
F-111 Aardvark and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. In 1990, he appeared on national television as one of the two pilots flying a
Stealth Fighter during their unveiling.
He left active duty in 1991 and joined the Air Force Reserves before joining the 87th Division. He retired from the military in 2007 and is now a Boeing 767 pilot for Delta Air Lines.
BETSEY NORGARD
Graduate Programs
Sarah Resor ’06 MAL and Eric
Johnson, both of Robbinsdale,
Minn., were married Feb. 27 in Oak
Ridge Conference Center.
Mike Bilden ’07 MAL, St. Louis Park,
Minn., is coordinator of the new
Adult Degree Completion Program in
the College of Business and Economics at University of WisconsinRiver Falls. He has served as
director of continuing education at
North Hennepin Community College
and director of adult and graduate
admissions at Augsburg.
Larry McGraw ’10 MBA, Owatonna,
Minn., has been appointed senior
vice president and chief credit officer of Home Federal Savings Bank
in Rochester. Previously he spent
eight years at United Prairie Bank in
Mankato, Minn.
Hector Matascastillo ’10 MSW is
using his own experience and gift of
compassion to help veterans when
they return from war.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Olsen, W. Donald ’34, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 99, on Dec. 20.
Nelson, Gordon A., ’54, Cloquet,
Minn., age 77, on April 9.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Paulson, Dr. Eric ’38, Spokane,
Wash., age 92, on March 6.
Wolden, Gerhard ’56, Minneapolis,
age 82, on April 5.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Shebeck, Ethel (Sinner) ’38,
Richfield, Minn., age 93, on November 14.
Welch, Robert ’58, Burlingame,
Calif., age 73, on March 28.
Ronholm, Olive ’47, Golden Valley,
Minn., age 84, on March 9.
Peterson, Robert ’49, New London,
Minn., age 83, on April 8.
Schmeltzer, George W. ’61, Minneapolis, age 70, on March 31.
Faue, Jeffrey L. ’68, Belle Mead,
N.J., age 64, on April 15.
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Bolstad, Nan (Haraseth) ’69, Jefferson, Ore., age 63, on March 2.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Metz, Rev. Richard G. ’74, Sisters,
Ore., age 63, on May 13.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Arney, Claudia (Odegaard) ’78,
Clarkdale, Iowa, age 74, on
April 17.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Davis, Gerald ’51, Litchfield,
Minn., age 82, on April 21.
Haugan, Joan ’80, Spring Lake
Park, Minn., age 80, on Feb. 14,
2009.
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Stenvig, Charles Selmer ’51,
Sun City, Ariz., age 82, on
February 22.
Thayer, Nancybeth (Sedgwick) ’80,
Hermantown, Minn., age 49, on
June 30, 2006.
Schmidt, Ruth A. ’52, Decatur, Ga.,
age 79, on May 24 (See story on
p. 35)
Reinhart, Laura Jane ’82, Livermore,
Calif., age 49, on January 2.
Hegland, Dagny (Quanbeck) ’50,
Brandon, S.D., age 81, on
March 17.
Johnson, Esther ’50, Minneota,
Minn., age 80, on April 15.
Johnson, Rev. LeRoy ’50, Richland,
Mich., on January 11, 2009.
Kjos, Edwin ’54, Abbotsford, Wis.,
age 85, on March 31.
Therres, Emmaline (Schlueter),
Chaska, Minn., age 66, on April 2;
former faculty member.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Summer 2010
39
my
Auggie experience
By all accounts—his own included—sophomore Gottlieb Uahengo
had a difficult first semester at Augsburg College.
Making the move to Minneapolis from his home in Namibia meant
many changes. He missed his family and friends and got sick five
times from the food. He was introduced to Mountain Dew and the effects of over-consumption. “I didn’t sleep for several days,” he says.
And when he witnessed his first snowfall, a fellow student asked
him, “Are you alright? You look disturbed.”
Uahengo is a Legacy Scholarship student. His father graduated
from the University of Minnesota and came to work in Augsburg’s
Physics Department while his wife, Fredericka ’90, completed her
degree in education. Gottlieb was actually born at Fairview Riverside
Hospital but lived most of his life in Oshakati,
Namibia, where his father is a pharmacist and
his mother serves as the rector of Ongwediva
Teachers College.
When it came time to apply for college,
Uahengo’s father said, “I’m sending you
to Augsburg.” Because Uahengo wants
to be an engineer, his father wanted
him to study in a small school
with a good physics department.
“My father holds professors
[Mark] Engebretson and [Jeff]
Johnson in high esteem,”
Uahengo says. “He told
me I would get more out
of my education at
Augsburg than at a
large, public
university.”
His father also told him to be prepared for the challenge of college
life. “He said the best way to overcome adversity is to become part of
the community, to take a leap of faith.” And that’s exactly what led
to a better second semester and a successful first year at Augsburg
for Uahengo.
Greg Holker, Augsburg’s men’s soccer coach, said Uahengo
looked frightened and overwhelmed when the two first met last summer. “I wasn’t sure he would amount to much as a soccer player because he seemed frail physically and psychologically,” Holker recalls.
After a tentative start, Holker says the first-year player definitely
made an impact on the team. “He scored a big goal against Buena
Vista and took off in training from that point on,” says Holker. “He
sought out improvement and soaked up as much information as he
could. Rarely do I see a person that determined to learn and learn
quickly.”
Rebekah Dupont, whom Uahengo calls his mentor, says he displayed the same tenacity in his academics as on the soccer field.
Dupont worked with him in Augsburg’s North Star STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program. He participated
in the calculus workshop, a class in which students work together on
challenging problems. He also got involved in a research project,
something not many first-year students take on.
“Gottlieb has very high expectations for himself, and I think this
made adapting to so many new things all at once a challenge,”
Dupont says. “As he feels more comfortable and confident, those
high expectations and strong work ethic will serve him very well.”
In addition to conducting research during the school year, Uahengo is working on a summer project with another student and professor Ben Stottrup of the Physics Department. This fall he will be
an officer with Augsburg’s International Student Organization and
will continue to play soccer. He also hopes to compete on the track
team as a sprinter in the spring term.
“When I set my mind to something, it’s hard to sway me,”
Uahengo says. “I am always looking for a way to be engaged.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
40
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Joyce Young
“I value the impact of my Augsburg education on my life and career … That’s why I am giving
back through naming Augsburg as owner of a life insurance policy. Augsburg’s gift planning team,
along with my financial adviser, showed me the great benefits.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Courtesy photo
Augsburg Choir tours China
The Augsburg Choir and the choir from Guangxi
Provincial Normal University in Guilin, China, pose for a
giant group photo during the choir’s trip through China.
For the choir’s China blog and photos, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
Show less
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 1
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning t... Show more
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 1
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning to learn Pursuing an ideal education
page
20
Connecting
the dots for good IGNITE program
box
Auggies
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 2
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
notes
from President Pribbenow
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Multiply your mind by giving it away
Photographer
a
Webmaster/Now Online
s this issue of Augsburg Now illustrates, the
Augsburg community is engaged in many efforts and initiatives that are best characterized as innovative—or “out-of-the-box,” as they’re
called here. In fact, I believe deeply that there is
something about Augsburg and its mission that
lends itself to this sort of entrepreneurial spirit,
this willingness to try new ways of doing things in
service to our students and neighbors. Just think of
the last 30 years of new programs at Augsburg—
the Weekend College; the expansion to seven graduate programs; the Augsburg campus at Bethel
Lutheran Church in Rochester and at St. Stephen
Lutheran Church in Bloomington; the Augsburg
Core Curriculum ––(AugCore), with its expansive
framework for educating students in the liberal arts
and in the world; the CLASS office, providing support for students with learning differences; the
StepUP program, meeting the needs of students recovering from addictions; and the list goes on and
on. All examples of how Augsburg is on the leading
edge of providing an excellent education in new
and innovative ways.
I’ve recently been reading literature on helping
organizations to embrace and sustain a culture of
innovation—that is, to create organizational cultures that are constantly looking for new and different ways to do things, to make products, to deliver
services; to save souls, educate students, heal the
sick. Recently, I happened upon the writing of
Mark Federman, a Canadian scholar whose writings on innovation include this provocative suggestion: “Multiply your mind by giving it away.” And
Federman means exactly what he says—be generous, be charitable, give instead of always taking.
Because when you are generous with your mind,
with your knowledge and education, you help to
create organizations and neighborhoods and agencies and churches and schools that are marked not
by the scarcity of the world but by the abundance
of what’s possible when generosity of mind and
heart and spirit is our guiding principle.
How will you give away your mind in the communities and organizations you serve? I constantly find
examples of such generosity of mind right here in
the Augsburg community, and you’ll see them in
the stories featured here. For example, I’m struck
by the ways in which staff member Brian Noy and
his many colleagues who run our Campus Kitchen
program are illustrating this generosity of mind and
spirit. In addition to the ongoing preparation and
delivery of 2,000 meals a month they serve to our
neighbors in Phillips and Cedar-Riverside, they
have focused our attention on the important role
that food plays in our lives—as sustenance for our
bodies, as fellowship for our community, as politics
and economics in our neighborhood and world.
They have multiplied their minds by giving them
away to all of us. And the results are staggering—
a community garden on the edge of campus that
brings together neighbors and students and children, a Farmers Market that brings organic farmers
from across the region to campus, composting of
leftover everything in the cafeteria, and so much
more—abundance through generosity.
The gift of an education, an Augsburg education, calls all of us to this generous undertaking of
multiplying your mind and knowledge and experience by giving it away so that it serves God’s abundant intentions for God’s people and world. That is
the sort of innovation that is at the heart of
Augsburg’s mission and vision. I’m proud to share
in this significant work.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
au
w
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:30 AM Page 3
spring 2010
Features
10
14
6
10
14
10th annual International Programs Photo Contest
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Lutefisk, a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
by Betsey Norgard
17 auggies
out of the box
20
34
20 Pursuing an ideal education
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
23 In the neighborhood
contents
by Jeff Shelman
28
augsburg now
Departments
2
5
8
9
37
40
44
Around the Quad
Auggies on the ice
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
25 Learning to learn—without any A, B, Cs
by Jeff Shelman
28 Connecting the dots for good
by Bryan Barnes
31 IGNITE-ing Auggie spirit
by Betsey Norgard
34 The Bod Pod
by Betsey Norgard
36 Out of the box partnerships
by Rebecca John
On the cover
It’s impossible to arrange many of the programs, people, and
partnerships at Augsburg neatly into a box. With their creative
perspectives and unique features, the stories here show how
Augsburg often looks and acts “out-of-the-box.”
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 4
around the
quad
Auggies win 11th national wrestling title
With eight All-Americans and three national runner-up individuals, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its 11th
NCAA Division III national title in the last 20 seasons in March
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Augsburg finished with 110.5 points, 10 points better than
second-place Wisconsin-La Crosse’s 100.5. Defending national
champion Wartburg (Iowa) was third with 83.5 points, Coe
(Iowa) was fourth with 76.0 points, and Delaware Valley (Pa.)
was fifth with 50.5 points.
In his second year as Augsburg’s head wrestling coach, Mark
Matzek ’05 was named Division III National Coach of the Year
by the National Wrestling Coaches Association—and at age 27,
is the youngest head coach to ever win a Division III wrestling
national title. Augsburg assistant head coach Jared Evans ’07
was named National Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA.
“It was nine individual efforts that created this team national
championship,” Matzek said. “I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys who wrestled, and I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys in this program.”
The final session of the tournament completed a unique first
for the Auggies—the first time Augsburg has won a national
title without an individual national titlist. The feat has occurred
just twice before in the 37-year history of the Division III championships.
Have you seen the new signs?
The new LED “Augsburg” atop Mortensen Hall now serves as a
beacon to commuters who pass by on Interstate 94 and as a marker
of Augsburg’s location. To read more and see a video of the
construction, go to the “Auggie Sign” page on Facebook.
Photo by Caleb Williams
Auggie wrestlers, students, families, and friends
celebrated Augsburg’s 11th national championship.
2
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 5
Augsburg receives five Fulbright awards
In the past weeks, three Augsburg students, one faculty member, and the
Center for Global Education have all been notified that they have received
Fulbright awards for next year.
May graduates Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will both teach English in
Vietnam during the 2010-11 academic year. Bethany Hellerich, a 2009
graduate who is spending this year as a member of the Lutheran Volunteer
Corps, will teach English in Indonesia. All three have plans to further their
education after their year abroad, as Olsen will apply to medical school, Le
has deferred admission to pharmacy school, and Hellerich is interested in
a public health graduate program.
Seven Augsburg students have been awarded Fulbrights over the past
three years and the College has been recognized as a top producer of winners. Hellerich said Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity office (URGO) deserves credit for working with students and
pushing them to believe that they can have success.
“I’m just fortunate that [URGO director] Dixie Shafer exists and magical
things happen when she works with you on your application,” Hellerich
said. “She’s very helpful with giving good and detailed feedback.”
English professor Colin Irvine will spend the next academic year traveling the length of Norway as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in American Studies.
Courtesy photo
College mourns the death of faculty
Professor Don Steinmetz, who
taught in the Languages and
Cross-Cultural Studies Department for 41 years, died of an
apparent heart attack on Dec.
28. He was 71. His son, Erik
Steinmetz, is a member of
Augsburg’s Computer Science
Donald Steinmetz
Myles Stenshoel
Department faculty.
Don Steinmetz served as chair of the department and taught
courses in German and Spanish. He also taught Chinese and linguistics within the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities consortium.
Professor Emeritus Myles Stenshoel died on March 26 following
a short illness. He taught at Augsburg for 28 years and continued
to teach part time in retirement. In 1965 he came to Augsburg and
established the Political Science Department the following year. His
interests were in politics and religion, and he was deeply committed to social action.
Also mourned is Neal Thorpe ’60, former faculty member and a
Distinguished Alumnus, who died in Vancouver, Wash., on March 3.
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le
Colin Irvine
In this role, Irvine will prepare presentations on American studies topics and visit schools across Norway to provide opportunities for Norwegian
teenagers to learn about the United States. Based in Oslo, he will likely give
between 250 and 300 presentations across the country.
“I’ve always been interested in the possibility of working or teaching
overseas,” Irvine said. “This roving scholar program was perfect.”
In addition, the Center for Global Education also received its fifth
Fulbright-Hays Group Project award and will host a four-week curriculum
development program for teachers during July and August in Namibia.
Editor’s Note
The last issue of the Now had a story, “Augsburg’s first
travel to Egypt.” Alas, we have received a note from social work Professor Emerita Edwina (Eddie) Hertzberg,
who tells us it isn’t so.
“In 1979, for the January Interim, the College sponsored a course, Social Services and Public Policy in a Developing Country: Egypt, 1979,” she writes. “I was the
faculty instructor, assisted by former adjunct professor
Nagwa Farag and two of her colleagues from Helwan
University in Cairo. My request to Professor Farag
had been that we get as close to Egyptian people
as possible so that our experience include the
depth that only such engagement can provide.
Eleven students, Augsburg and St. Olaf,
from a variety of disciplines, participated in
the month-long program. … [I]t was a remarkable educational and life-impacting
experience for us all, students and faculty alike.”
Spring 2010
3
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 6
around the
quad
Yi started out the semester in the back of the room, about as far
away from me as possible. He showed relatively little interest; his
homework and test grades were poor. Yet when I called on him he
responded with reasonable answers. Like others hiding in the
back row, Yi had potential; he just needed some personal attention and prodding. I took to writing notes on his homework encouraging him to move forward and talk to me. One afternoon he
appeared in my office, and we talked for an hour about many
things—about the class, how he came to United International
College (UIC), and his goals. Eventually he closed the office door
and wanted to talk about the injuries his uncle experienced in
Tiananmen Square in 1989. But the fear was still too great and
he left. Yi did move forward, began to interact with me, and soon
his work, tests, and comments improved remarkably. He began to
enjoy thinking philosophically.
Through a special arrangement, Augsburg made it possible for
me to teach philosophy during the fall semester at UIC in Zhuhai,
China. In three classes I was privileged to work with 120 bright
Chinese students. A new, English-medium liberal arts college on
the mainland, UIC is an experiment to provide a more Western
style of education to the Chinese. China is dramatically changing
as it attempts to educate its population, and UIC is one of eight
brand-new universities built in Zhuhai in the last 10 years.
“I told my students that part of my mission was to
corrupt them, to move them from the passive state
of being excellent note-takers and regurgitators of
teachers’ PowerPoints to being able to think and
question for themselves.”
In Introduction to Philosophy we read Plato’s Apology, where
Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth by getting them to
question those in authority who claimed that they knew when they
really didn’t. I told my students that part of my mission was to corrupt them, to move them from the passive state of being excellent
note-takers and regurgitators of teachers’ PowerPoints to being
able to think and question for themselves. By the end of the term
over half of the students were engaging me in the classroom discussion, raising questions and objections and making the class
their own.
Courtesy photo
Philosophy, religion, and Chinese food
Professor Bruce Reichenbach with students (from left) Daisy, Serena, and Charlene enjoy
noodles and discussion after class in Zhuhai, China.
My Philosophy of Religion students and I would walk down to
the student canteen on Friday for lunch and conversation. Jiang
sat next to me and between bites of noodles asked, “Do you really
believe in God?” Teaching Philosophy of Religion provided both a
challenge and opportunity, as both the students and I looked for a
common ground of understanding between our two cultures and
worldviews. Once the initial barriers of passive learning were put to
rest, the classroom boiled with discussion, questions, challenges,
and good humor. Here, too, the students would linger. Tony periodically stayed around for an hour, his phenomenology book in hand,
to inquire how Heidegger would view these ideas. Self taught in
philosophy, he was eager to connect the course ideas with his own
reading.
Three Augsburg students and four recent graduates, serving as
teaching assistants, also joined the UIC community, providing
cross-cultural connections that will continue to develop as students and faculty visit each other’s campuses in the years ahead.
At the end of the term two of my classes took my wife and me to
Chinese restaurants to show their appreciation. We toasted friendship and a wonderful semester as we affirmed that we all liked philosophy and Chinese food.
BRUCE REICHENBACH
Professor of philosophy
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Auggies on the ice
Chris Johnson—A third-generation hockey star
Chris Johnson certainly has an impressive hockey pedigree.
Chris is the son of Mark Johnson, a member of the fabled “Miracle on Ice” 1980 U.S. Olympic team, a pro hockey star, and coach
of the 2010 U.S. Olympic women’s silver-medal hockey squad.
He’s the grandson of “Badger” Bob Johnson, one of the greatest
coaches in American hockey history—who also happened to attend
Augsburg for a year before transferring to the University of
Wisconsin. And his siblings all played hockey on various teams.
But Chris Johnson has also made a name for himself as a leader
of the Auggie men’s hockey team. A native of Verona, Wis.,
Johnson had a terrific career as an Auggie, scoring 41 goals with
74 assists for 115 points in his 104-game career. He had a goal or
assist in 15 of Augsburg’s 27 games this season, including seven
multiple-point efforts.
Johnson’s squads reached the MIAC postseason
playoffs in three of his four seasons, including two
with him as team captain. He earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
honors all four seasons and All-American
honors last year.
Off the ice, Johnson will also be remembered as a top hockey
player. He’s a member of Augsburg’s Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee and has helped lead hockey ministry and Bible-study
groups of student-athletes. He’s also worked with the Herb Brooks
Foundation’s “Rink Rats” program, teaching hockey skills to students from the Seward Montessori School. Johnson is a finance
major with a 3.4 GPA.
“Hockey was everywhere when we were growing up, in a good
way, not in a pressure way,” Johnson told columnist Rachel Blount
of the Star Tribune in a January feature. “We all got to play at the
same high school as my dad. He taught us that even though we
might have a last name that helps, it doesn’t matter if you don’t
work hard. But he also told us that at the end of the day, it’s all
about having fun.”
This season was a special one for the Johnson family.
Since the U.S. women’s hockey team was based at the
Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., prior to the
Olympics, Mark—who took a leave of absence from his
job as coach of the University of Wisconsin women’s
hockey team to lead the Olympic squad—had ample opportunities to be with his son in the Twin Cities. Mark
attended several of his son’s games at Augsburg, and
the two met weekly for dinner and father-son bonding.
In a “Profiles of Excellence” feature on the
CollegeSportingNews.com website by Rich Mies in
January, Chris Johnson said that his experience at
Augsburg has been a positive one. “I’ve received a great education here,” he said, “and
I cherish the relationships I’ve made here
with teammates, coaches, teachers, and
friends. I’ve grown up a lot while I’ve
been here.”
He also said he may consider
following in his father’s and
grandfather’s footsteps and
coach hockey someday.
DON STONER
Spring 2010
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International Programs
1
Photo
Contest
Portraits
1st place: Matt Anderson
“Soccer at Le Sacré Coeur”
Paris, France
2nd place: Sandra Meyer
“Yes”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Dan Thewis
“Friday at Al-Azhar Mosque”
Cairo, Egypt
Landscape/cityscape
1
1st place: Norah Thompson
“Villa Joyosa, España”
Madrid, Spain
2nd place: Malena Thoson
“Municipal Dump”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Elizabeth Robinson
“Work Will Set You Free”
Berlin, Germany
Photojournalism
1st place: Dan Thewis
“Cairo at Midnight”
Cairo, Egypt
2nd place: Norah Thompson
“El niño en Madrid”
Madrid, Spain
6
Augsburg Now
1
3rd place: Sandra Meyer
“Nonchalant”
Managua, Nicaragua
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 9
3
2
3
3
2009
2
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
2
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auggie voices
How girlfriends do theology
“Doing Theology with Girlfriends,” or DTwG as it is known, is
not your typical Bible study.
Sonja Hagander, associate pastor at Augsburg, started DTwG
because students told her they wanted a Bible study on campus.
“But you can’t always call it a ‘Bible study,’” Hagander says,
“because that means it’s difficult or boring or only for people
who already understand the Bible.”
So DTwG gives women at Augsburg a chance to connect, to
support each other, and to relate their own life experiences to
scripture. This group of girlfriends gathers once a month to share
stories of their lives and to “do” theology.
The idea for DTwG came as Hagander reflected on how she
loved spending time with her own girlfriends and on the importance of relating to other women. When the group gathers each
month, one woman shares a story from her life. The others then
share their own feelings and memories related to the story.
Hagander chooses a reading or two from the Bible, which the
women use to dig deeper into their experiences. Finally, they ask
how what they’ve learned might change their daily lives or the
way they practice their faith.
On the last Monday in January, one student talked about what
it means to “truly experience” nature as she related the story of
her family’s vacation in Denali National Park. “I sat there for
hours, looking out for miles, reflecting and praying and trying to
figure out my place within God’s beautiful creation,” she said.
8
Augsburg Now
Hagander passed out copies of Psalm 23, and the girlfriends
identified their own green pastures and still waters. For one, a
late-night jog around the lakes in Minneapolis was a way for
her to connect to nature. Another experienced the majesty of
creation while watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.
Then Hagander asked the group to examine the dark and destructive side of nature using Job’s account of a fire-breathing,
stone-hearted leviathan. This led to a discussion about the
massive loss of life caused by the earthquakes in Haiti. One
woman marveled at the faith that kept some people alive as
they waited for days to be pulled from the rubble of destroyed
homes, churches, and schools.
“Today is a gift that we get to use in the best way possible,”
Hagander said, asking how the women could take this discussion into their lives.
This hour wasn’t a gab session or group therapy. But it
wasn’t an ordinary Bible study either. There were no right answers or theologically sound interpretations. Just coffee and
tea, comfortable chairs, a pink candle, and a chance to share.
That is how girlfriends do theology.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Back row (L to R): Amy Wenzel, Whitney Pratt, Pastor Sonja Hagander, Ally Streed,
Sara Thiry, Emily Wiles; Front row (L to R): Lonna Field, Carly Facchini, Dixie Scruggs,
Marrta Wyatt, Angelica Erickson, Sylvia Bull
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:32 AM Page 11
it takes an
Auggie
A young woman meets her many grandmothers
Last year, Krystal Mattison ’10 studied in Korea. Many students
who study abroad are profoundly affected by the experience. For
Mattison, a history and American Indian studies major from St.
Paul, spending the year abroad was a life-changing opportunity to
bond with her new grandmothers.
Mattison is the granddaughter of a “comfort woman.” During
World War II, thousands of Korean women were forced into sexual
slavery by the Japanese military. Some of these women did not survive their ordeal, and many were unable to have children as a result of their treatment. Furthermore, the women were unable to
talk about their experiences until many years later.
Her grandmother died when Mattison was five years old, but she
heard the story from her father. While in Korea, Mattison spent
time at the House of Sharing, an organization in Seoul that houses
and cares for the surviving comfort women. She says that after she
told them about her grandmother, the women became her adopted
grandmothers (halmonis), even giving her the Korean name
Soo-Jeong. “They spoiled me, holding my hands and feeding me,”
she says.
She learned from the women, who now think of themselves not
as victims but as survivors and activists, that speaking out against
violence is an important part of the healing process. “This experience brought me so much completion that I had to do something.”
That “something” was to connect with Jessica Nathanson, assistant professor of women’s studies and director of Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center. After Mattison shared her grandmother’s story and her own experience in Korea, the center agreed
to donate the proceeds from its annual benefit performance of The
Vagina Monologues to the House of Sharing.
Eve Ensler’s episodic play began off-Broadway in 1996. Each
year The Vagina Monologues and other theatrical productions are
presented across the country by women on college campuses on
V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.
“Since the purpose of performing this show is to fight violence
against women by raising awareness about the issue and funds for
organizations who do this work, we feel like it was a tremendously
successful event,” says Nathanson. “The performances were excellent,” she adds, “beautifully and powerfully delivered.”
This year’s production raised more than $800 through ticket
sales and donations, which amounts to 940,000 Korean won.
“This is such a personal issue for me, and I think it’s amazing that
the women of Augsburg took it on,” Mattison says. At the end of
each Augsburg performance, Mattison gave a speech about her
grandmother. “I felt like she was there with me.”
The Vagina Monologues was directed by Julia Sewell, a senior
psychology major from Minneapolis. The cast included Irene Abdullah, Veronica Berg, Kia Burton, Amber Davis, Rebecca
Dickinson, Sarah Gillund, Annika Gunderson, Lucreshia Grant,
Elizabeth Hanson, Brandy Hyatt, Valencia McMurray, Lily Morris,
Kris Ness, Magdalen Ng, Shannon O’Brien, Yasameen Sajady,
Leann Vice-Reshel, Rochelle Weidner, and Courtney Wiley.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
During Krystal Mattison’s year in Korea, she became friends with women, like her own
grandmother, called “comfort women,” who were abused by the Japanese military
during World War II. These survivors became grandmothers to her, and this year she
found a way to help support them.
Spring 2010
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
10
Augsburg Now
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Striving for Peace
A Question of Will
March 5–6, 2010
In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sponsor the
annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The colleges,
all founded by Norwegian immigrants, sponsor
the forum to give recognition to Norway’s international peace efforts and to offer opportunities
for Nobel Peace laureates, diplomats, scholars,
students, and the general public to engage in dialogue on the dynamics of peacemaking and the
underlying causes of conflict and war.
The Peace Prize Forum is the Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside Norway.
Augsburg College
Augustana College
Concordia College
Luther College
St. Olaf College
This year’s Peace Prize Forum was held March 5
and 6 on the Augsburg College campus, and honored the work of 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner
Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland.
The other plenary speakers were Kjell Magne
Bondevik, president of the Oslo Center for Peace
and Human Rights, and Leymah Gbowee, executive director of Women Peace and Security
Network-Africa.
Prior to the forum, the 15th annual Peace Prize
Festival brought together approximately 800
school children and youth to learn about the importance and influence of the Nobel Peace Prize
and to honor President Ahtisaari.
For more photos of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and
Peace Prize Festival, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Spring 2010
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
The Peace Prize Forum is grateful for the support of our sponsors:
this year’s host, Augsburg College, for providing the platform and for staging this
important event. Together, with all of you
in the audience, I look forward to learning
from a leader this evening, a man who’s
been inspiring in his steadfast belief in
peace and transformative in his approach.
May we all leave this conference energized
by the power of one voice and committed
to engaging collaboratively with each other
to further the process of achieving peace.
Thank you.”
Alex Gonzalez ’90 (right), Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,
and Pribbenow meet Ahtisaari.
Ann Parriott, vice president for human resources at H.B. Fuller, extended greetings at
the forum’s opening ceremony.
“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be here
with you tonight to help introduce this year’s
conference. H.B. Fuller Company is honored
to serve as the lead sponsor for the 2010
Nobel Peace Prize Forum. We’re delighted
to help welcome our very special guest
speaker, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti
Ahtisaari, and pleased to help and encourage ongoing dialogue and discussion on the
topic of peace and conflict resolution.
“As a company operating in more than
100 countries for many of our 120-plus
years, H.B. Fuller has long embraced the
value of diverse global perspectives to solve
problems, address challenges, and maximize opportunities in the business sector.
We are truly excited to help bring this year’s
program to you and by so doing help provide a platform for dialogue, discussion,
and diverse perspectives on an issue that
affects all of us as global citizens.
“We salute the Norwegian Nobel Institute and our academic sponsors, including
12
Augsburg Now
Alex Gonzalez ’90 represented Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans™ at the forum.
Parriott poses with President Martti Ahtisaari (center)
and President Pribbenow.
Ann and Todd Parriott converse with Augsburg’s MBA
director, Steve Zitnick (left).
“As a faith-based membership organization,
Thrivent Financial seeks to help enable its
members to demonstrate their care and concern for others. While organizationally it
does not have a global focus, Thrivent Financial does help its members have a global
impact through programs such as Thrivent
Builds Worldwide and through various
Lutheran relief organizations that have a
global reach.”
Alex Gonzalez, FIC, CLTC, is a partner
with the Stonebridge Group. He is a 1990
Augsburg graduate and a member of the
Augsburg College Board of Regents.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:34 AM Page 15
Tim McGough (center) greets Ahtisaari and Pribbenow.
McGough Construction and “Bright Green”
As a result of their extensive experience
with “green” construction and knowledge
of sustainable building practices and products, McGough has created the Bright
Green sustainable program. A guiding
principle of the program is to find creative
ways to apply sustainable practices to construction projects in a cost-effective manner. This would include exploring
techniques for reducing waste and applying eco-friendly operating practices.
McGough has adopted green strategies
throughout their company to test cleaning
products and utilize advanced recycling
strategies. This focus on energy conservation and minimizing waste enables it to
export these practices to the construction
site and provide useful advice to clients.
The centerpiece of Bright Green is the
Center of Excellence. The Center of
Excellence consists of several sustainability
specialists who can provide information and
advice to organizations who are considering
the implementation of criteria developed by
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
or adopting proven practices to reduce the
negative environmental impacts of building
design and construction.
The center draws upon outside research
and industry data, as well as lessons
learned “on the ground” from McGough
Construction projects. Indeed, McGough is
a long-standing member of the USGBC
and is a founding sponsor of the local
Mississippi Headwaters Chapter in Minnesota. The sustainability specialists in
the Center of Excellence maintain active
roles in local chapter committees, enabling them to stay well-informed about
the most recent developments in sustainable design and construction.
McGough, in collaboration with
Augsburg, will apply these practices
to the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion.
Kjell Magne Bondevik, president of the Oslo
Center for Peace and Human Rights, spoke in
dialogue with President Ahtisaari at the forum.
“In the long term, we can never win the
fight [against terrorism] by military means.
We need to find out why people are willing
to give their lives and we need to address
the root causes of terrorism.”
Nordic Home Interiors
Tim McGough (left) and Mike Hangge, with McGough Construction, speak with Barbara Farley, Augsburg’s vice
president for academic affairs and dean of the College.
EVENT CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Mary T., Inc.
Wells Fargo
Winds of Peace Foundation
The Omari rug/wall hangings donated to the
forum were woven by Nordic Home Interior’s
partner, Everest Handicraft Industries, in
Katmandu, Nepal. They were hand-knotted
in the primitive Nepalese/Tibetan art form of
Tibetan wool with 100 knots per square
inch. The dove design is Indian silk.
DONORS:
Baker Tilly
Faegre & Benson
Norway House
Spring 2010
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“ I T ’ S A B O U T F R I E N D S H I P, L E G A C Y, G O O D F O O D ,
H E R I T A G E , A G I N G — A L L O F T H O S E . ” JIM PEDERSON ’56
On a cold, crisp February morning, photographer Stephen Geffre and I follow Jim
Pederson ’56 through ankle-deep snow up a
slope to a small log cabin that overlooks
Swede Lake.
This log cabin, near Star Prairie, Wis.,
sits on the farm that was homesteaded by
Pederson’s great-grandparents in 1872 and
that he and his brother, Dwight ’60, now
own. They grew up on the farm, moved away
to begin their own lives, and now return
often with their families and friends.
Our reason for being there is to visit the
site of an annual celebration that has occurred on the second Saturday of November
for the past 50 years. It’s an afternoon each
year when Jim and Elaine Pederson host
friends and family in the small log cabin for
mulled cider and treats before heading to
nearby West Immanuel Lutheran Church for
lutefisk dinner. This church dinner is a
75-year tradition that now attracts more
than 1,200 people for lutefisk, lefse, meatballs, and more.
THE BEGINNING OF
ENDURING FRIENDSHIPS
Jim Pederson says it’s difficult to put a
label on this annual gathering. It’s about
friendship, legacy, good food, heritage,
aging—all of those. Star Tribune columnist
Original furniture, art, and history provide the setting for the pre-lutefisk dinner gathering that fills the cabin in November each year.
14
Augsburg Now
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BY BETSEY NORGARD
Lutefisk,
a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
Jon Tevlin, who attended last November’s
half-century celebration, described it as
“an iconic Midwestern living postcard that
turned 50 years old Saturday.”
At first it was just an annual trek to the
lutefisk dinner, but as years went by and
friends began to gather beforehand at the
farm, the camaraderie there became as
important as the meal that followed. While
to the Pedersons the gathering marks the
final event of the farm’s social season,
many of the attendees consider it the beginning of their holiday festivities.
Pederson really can’t put his finger on
just what glue has held so many of them
together for so long. The short answer, he
says, is that it was a group of Augsburg
friends who started coming out to the
country for a church dinner.
“The better answer,” he adds, “is that
some of us developed friendships that included faculty members who were our
mentors and with whom we greatly enjoyed
informal times outside the classroom.”
Faculty from the 1950s who became
regular attendees include Phil Quanbeck
Sr., Paul Sonnack, Joel Torstenson, Ralph
and Grace Sulerud, and others. For nearly
20 years, retired history professor Carl and
Val Chrislock spent many of their summers
at the farm, where Carl did a great deal of
writing and where Val tended her flower
and vegetable gardens. When there were
deaths, spouses and families often continued to participate.
“Many of us were deeply interested in
public service of some kind, whether
teaching, the ministry, public policy, or
politics,” says Pederson. In the 1950s,
when academic freedom was restricted
and McCarthyism caused colleges to shy
away from controversy, he credits Augsburg
and the leadership of President Bernhard
Christensen for encouraging political expression and organization.
“Augsburg practiced academic freedom
while in some institutions it was only
preached,” Pederson says. “Political organizations were encouraged on campus.
Faculty encouraged students to become involved in political campaigns, and Political
Emphasis Week brought speakers from the
whole political spectrum.
“It was in this cauldron that lasting
friendships developed and continued beyond graduation. While politics was a strong
interest of a few, the friendships persisted
regardless of the chosen vocation,”
Pederson says.
It all started with the five Auggie
Norwegian bachelors who, as students, lived
together above Larson’s grocery store—
Martin Sabo ’59, Jim ’56 and Dwight ’60
Pederson, Harlan Christianson ’57, and
Erwin Christenson ’58. In 1959, Jim and
Elaine Pederson (who were not yet married)
and Harlan and Lori Christianson decided to
drive out to Star Prairie for the lutefisk
dinner. Elaine was a student nurse at
Deaconess Hospital and Augsburg, and this
trip became her introduction to the farm, to
lutefisk, and to her future Pederson in-laws.
Each year thereafter has brought additional invited friends and families. On
November 14, 2009—the 50th anniversary—the count was 67. The group now includes the families and friends of Jim and
Elaine and their children, Michelle and
Kirk, a 1987 grad; his fiancée Molly; grandchildren Madeline, Emma, and Ginny; and
Dwight and his wife, Marion, also a
Lutheran Deaconess nurse; daughter
Denise; and grandchildren Laura, Thomas,
and Helenya.
AUGSBURG STORIES PLAY OUT
OVER THE YEARS
Pederson says he’d like to tie the story of
the 50-year gatherings to what they
learned at Augsburg. “‘Education for
Service’ we thought of as just a phrase,
but it really did mean a lot to us—whether
in ministry, nursing, government, or politics. It played out, and that’s an important
part of the story for me.”
The Augsburg-connected stories include
the political career of Martin Sabo, which
dates back to the days of the five
Norwegian bachelors. Pederson, who
served as student body president and was
active in student political groups, became
manager in 1960 for Sabo’s state house
endorsement campaign. “And he never lost
an election after that,” Pederson comments, about Sabo’s long and distinguished legislative career, marked by his
retirement in 2007.
In another Augsburg story, Chrislock,
who was a regular at the November gatherings, stayed on the farm while he wrote his
1991 book, Watchdog of Loyalty: The
Minnesota Commission of Public Safety
during World War I.
Emeriti professors Ralph and Grace
Sulerud, close friends of the Chrislocks,
Spring 2010
15
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Courtesy photo
“WE HOPE THIS CARRIES ON FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS—
S O , Y O U N G E R G E N E R AT I O N , W E ’ R E C O U N T I N G O N Y O U . ”
ELAINE PEDERSON
enjoyed the old farmstead and lake so
much that they now have a house there,
just down the hill from the log house. And
so, the Augsburg connections continue.
THE MEANING OF PLACE
THE LOG HOUSE AND LEGACY
Pederson’s log house, the current gathering
place, wasn’t part of the original farm. The
original log house disappeared long ago,
and Pederson had always wanted something
like his great-grandfather built in the
1870s. In 1972, he found neighbors wanting to get rid of an old log house on their
farm, and he jumped at the opportunity.
Courtesy photo
The Pederson ties date back more than
130 years in the community—to that farm
now in its sixth generation and to the
church originally chartered by his grandparents and their neighbors. The log house to
which people come each November is for
him an icon of family and heritage.
In the invitation letter for last November’s gathering, Pederson mentioned a recent book that weaves together themes of
story, place, calling, and purpose. Claiming Your Place at the Fire, by Richard
Lieder and David Shapiro, challenges
those entering “the second half of their
life” to consider these themes in finding
purpose in what they choose to do during
their elder years.
Pederson sees the old farm as the locale where at this annual event these
themes of aging and legacy play out. “This
is a time where family and friends share
life experiences, the happenings of the
last year, perhaps recalling mentors from
college or elsewhere, many of whom are no
longer with us; reminiscing about the good
times; the not-so-good times; commiserating over losses or illnesses; sometimes engaging in a bit of gossip. Sometimes it’s
small groups huddling to solve the world’s
problems.” Collectively, they recall stories,
redefine place, renew callings, and reclaim purpose.
“Oh yes, and there’s the country
church dinner, the ostensible reason for
the gathering,” adds Pederson. “Each
year, however, we hear some say they really come for the hour or two they spend
together before the big meal, sipping cider
Norwegian traditional goodies, and sharing
treats they bring.”
Auggies in the group of 67 at the 50th gathering last November included: (Front row, L to R):, Winnie (Nordlund)
Anderson ’61, Elaine Pederson, Vicki (Skor) Pearson ’59, retired art professor Phil Thompson. (Back L to R) Kiel
Christianson ’88, Jim Pederson ’56 (not visible) holding granddaughter Ginny, Kirk Pederson ’87 (turned away),
Pearl Almquist, Paul Almquist ’59, Eunice Helgeson ’69, professor Garry Hesser, retired librarian Grace Sulerud.
16
Augsburg Now
The “five Norweg
ian bachelors” re
united in 2002 wi
Erickson ’56 (cen
th Rod
ter). (Clockwise,
from left): Marti
’59, Harlan Chris
n Sabo
tianson ’57, Dwigh
t Pederson ’60, Er
Christenson ’58,
win
and Jim Pederson
’56.
An eclectic mix of history and heritage, the one main room of the cabin is
barely able to contain the crowd that gathers. Hanging on the walls are the farm’s
homestead documents and old photos;
some of the furniture is original. Rosemaling and other memorabilia fill the area. A
loft offers sleeping space, and an enclosed porch was added for additional
room.
In addition to Jim and Dwight, the old
farmstead has incorporated the Pedersons’
younger generations. Jim and Elaine’s
son, Kirk, has his place on the farm where
he and his family enjoy the summer. Their
daughter, Michelle, enjoys the solitude
and serenity of the farm both in summer
and winter.
So, as years go by, and the annual lutefisk group continues, children and grandchildren play greater roles. “In 1959,”
Pederson says, “none of us could have
predicted that 50 years later we would
speak of a remarkable tradition that we
hope will continue far into the future.”
Last November 14, after some traditional
Norwegian folk music and hymns, Elaine
Pederson announced, “We hope this carries
on for another 50 years—so, younger generation, we’re counting on you.”
To read more and see photos from earlier
gatherings, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
a
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ON PAPER
, Augsburg College looks a lot like most other liberal arts colleges. We have similar courses, departments, and programs. We teach students to think critically and to lead responsibly in
the world, which is what other schools also aim to do. And our students,
staff, and faculty don’t look much different than those at the big school
across the street or the small campuses across the river.
But in person we look and act differently. At Augsburg, we try to put
our own creative spin on things and to look at issues from different
perspectives.
For example, this year some of our first-year students and a group
of faculty spent an entire semester working together on a big problem
in our first “I-Term.” In another example, students in the Honors program create their very own courses, write and edit their own scholarly
journal, and together shape their own learning environment. And, one
of our alums has found a very creative way to do community service
while also running a thriving business.
The stories in this issue represent just a few of the “out-of-the-box”
programs, people, and partnerships that make us uniquely Augsburg.
Spring 2010
17
18
Augsburg Now
50 students, 5 professors, 1 big
problem. Last fall’s I-Term students
discussed three big challenges in the
non-graded Fate of the Earth course.
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
What’s a great way to engage alumni?
Introduce them to current students
who have similar majors or interests
and let them swap stories. In the end,
everyone benefits.
Yearbooks are keepsakes that link alumni to their college days.
IGNITE
I-TERM
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HONORS
houses in the Honors program.
Items such as an olive-leaf crown are emblems for specific
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
OUT OF THE BOX
The Honors program consists
of a combination of classes,
students, structure, and a
whole lot of creativity.
FINNEGANS
As a student, Jacquie Berglund ’87
dreamed of helping the working
poor. Today her sense of vocation
drives her to take leaps of faith that
make life better for others.
NEIGHBORHOOD
Working closely with Cedar-Riverside and
Seward residents is just one of the ways we
live out our vocation to serve our neighbors.
Somali students help their classmates learn more about the symbols and dress in Muslim culture.
100% of the profit from every bottle sold provides help at the grassroots level.
Spring 2010
19
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PURSUING AN
IDEAL EDUCATION
Imagine your ideal college education. What classes
would you take? Who would teach them? What kind
of students would you study with? What activities
would you take part in? Where would you travel?
When Robert Groven set out to restructure the
Augsburg College Honors program, he asked faculty
and students these sorts of questions. At first, he
said, they were silent.
“They had just accepted that college is the way it
is,” Groven said. But then, they flooded him with ideas.
Students wanted more academic challenge and to
be pushed by faculty. They wanted courses to include
more content and classroom experiences to be more
active and engaging than in high school. They
wanted to learn outside the classroom and to have
opportunities for unconventional learning experiences—the exact sort of education that a small college in the city can provide.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The current Honors program house presidents are (clockwise, from front): Adam Spanier, Katie Radford,
Becki Iverson, Andrew Fox, David Ishida, Jonathan Chrastek, Kathleen Watson, and Charlie Olson.
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Augsburg Now
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UNCONVENTIONAL COURSES
Three aspects of Augsburg’s Honors courses
distinguish them from courses in other college honors programs. First, each class is
specifically created for the Honors program.
In other words, it’s not a matter of adding
an assignment or text to an existing course
or simply creating a new title, Groven says.
The content of Honors courses is enriched
and the pace is accelerated as well.
Second, Honors courses are intentionally
interdisciplinary—multiple faculty from different departments teach in each class.
This spring, for example, the senior keystone course was taught by faculty whose
disciplines include sociology, social work,
metro-urban studies, art, English, and theatre. Augsburg’s
Honors students in the Liberating Letters class stepped back into ancient Greek times to put Poseidon on trial for the
murder of Odysseus’ men and fleet. (L to R): Eric Dooley, Nikki Johnson, Becca Dickinson, and Patrick DuSchane.
president, Paul Pribbenow, is one of the lead
instructors, focusing on his study of Jane Addams, founder of the settlement house movement.
The course, Legacies of Chicago: Ideas
and Action in Place, was conceived by Lars
Christiansen of the sociology and metrourban studies departments. The course examines how particular places are incubators
for unique ideas and actions. In addition to
studying about the traditions and concepts
that originated in Chicago, the class traveled
to the Windy City to experience the “place”
firsthand.
Finally, each course has a “signature” experience—an unconventional way of learning
that involves a high level of effort and also includes a public display of what the students
have learned. Students are usually enthusiastic about these experiences, Groven says, because the tasks are generally open-ended and
students have more freedom to make decisions about what they learn
and how they learn it.
In Liberating Letters, a
first-year humanities
course, students
put texts, authors,
or fictional characters on trial, serving as judge, jury,
prosecution, and defense. But before this
class begins, students have to pass a test. In
fact, in order to gain admission into the first
session, they are required to recite the first
stanza of Homer’s Odyssey from memory,
solve a riddle about Greek mythology, and
present the “prophecies” of three different
people who know them well concerning where
that student will be in 10 years.
A second type of course, which is likely
more-than-ideal for many students, is the
Student Created Learning Experience, or
SCLE. Aptly named, these are classes created
by students based on their interests. SCLEs
can essentially become an independent study
course for one student or 20 students and
can be open to all Augsburg students.
One of the more popular SCLEs, which
generated a great deal of interest when it was
first introduced and again this year, was The
Art, Science, and History of Brewing. In addition to learning about brewing from the perspective of different disciplines, students also
brew two batches of beer and invite guest
judges to evaluate the fruits of their labors.
This year senior theatre arts major David
Ishida created an SCLE on swordplay to fulfill
21
An olive-leaf crown is the emblem of the Hesser
Servants House in the Honors program.
OUT OF THE BOX
The result of all that questioning was a
student-centered program where students
take responsibility for their own learning,
with the full support of the faculty and the
resources they need to achieve their goals.
“We believe that an ideal education will
be different for every student,” Groven
says. “We know no one can reach an ideal
goal, but we believe the process of exploring and pursuing ideals is essential to college education.”
By striving for the ideal, the program
has become one where students routinely
go above and beyond the requirements
outlined in their syllabi. “We set a very
high bar, and we insist that they get there.
But they set a much higher bar for themselves than we ever would.”
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very receptive and energized,” Crockett says, “ … not just in the classroom
but on campus.” Crockett has engaged 14 current students as research assistants who will read and critique work that he is presenting at an international conference. “I hope they really come at me,” he says. “I’m counting
on them to find fresh answers.”
EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
Honors senior Nicholas Blixt experiments with ingredients in The Art,
Science, and History of Brewing class.
a physical education credit but also to explore his interest
in medieval history and culture.
STUDENTS WHO LOVE TO LEARN
Interesting classes and outstanding faculty certainly can
combine for a compelling honors program, but the character and quality of the students make Augsburg’s program unique. “We are trying to look beyond good grades
and test scores,” Groven comments. “We want intrinsically motivated learners—students who see ideas as living vehicles for human expression and change.”
Computer science professor Larry Crockett, who was
once the Honors program director, has taught in the program for many years. While he says Honors students are
pushed to rise above expectations and challenge each
other, he is especially enthusiastic about the extraordinary energy coming from this year’s incoming class.
“These students are willing to dig into issues and are
22
Augsburg Now
There’s more to Honors at Augsburg than fun classes and energetic students.
Honors also provides leadership and scholarship opportunities and fosters an
environment where students often start their own activities or groups.
“Part of our philosophy is that as much learning should happen outside the
classroom as inside,” Groven says.
Students are organized into houses, each of which focuses on a different
area: scholarship, social justice and service, stewardship, and citizenship.
Each house plans and promotes activities and also elects two house presidents who serve on the Honors Council. With faculty advisers, the council sets
the policy for the program and helps solve problems.
One officially organized non-classroom learning opportunity is the Honors
Review, a student-run, student-edited interdisciplinary journal of undergraduate scholarship. Taylor Norman, a senior English major and Honors student, is
the current editor-in-chief.
This year the Review extended its reach and received 43 submissions from
undergraduates all across the country. After articles are selected for publication, Norman and her editorial staff check citations, verify research, and then
engage the author to revise and edit. “We wanted to create a scholarly environment with lots of dialogue,” Norman says.
All Honors activities and programs serve to support students so they can
pursue their academic goals. “Honors tries to show students what amazing
talents and abilities they have,” Groven says, and they find countless ways to
apply their academic learning. For example, senior Jessica Spanswick, who
majored in international relations and minored in peace and global studies,
studied in Namibia for a semester and served as a Peace Scholar in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Her opportunities to volunteer for
World AIDS Day in Namibia and to travel as a scholar to Chiapas, Mexico,
gave her valuable hands-on global experience.
Honors program students have received many of the highest national and
international academic awards available; they have been Fulbright scholars,
Goldwater scholars, the College’s first Rhodes scholar, and students who have
won National Science Foundation grants—and that’s still just the tip of the
iceberg. Part of the program’s mission is to encourage students, many who
never thought of themselves as award-winning scholars, to apply for scholarships and publication so that their work can be recognized.
These courses, the faculty who teach them, the students who take them,
and the learning opportunities that happen outside the classroom all come
together to try to create an ideal education for Augsburg Honors program
students.
“I never think of the Honors program as being done,” Groven says. “The
best program will always be different because we are constantly adapting
to new technologies, new students, and new problems.”
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Sophomore Madeline Roe helps a Somali student with her
work as part of Trinity Lutheran Congregation’s Safe Place
Homework Help program.
Across the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and
the nation, stories of neighbors and colleges
clashing bubble to the surface featuring
real town vs. gown tension. Augsburg’s philosophy, however, is very different.
Augsburg isn’t building walls or installing
large steel gates on campus to keep the
outside world out. Instead, Augsburg is
reaching further out into the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods and, in the
process, the College founded by Norwegian
Lutherans is working closely with the
largest concentration of Somali immigrants
in the United States.
WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY
We believe we are called to serve our neighbor. That is Augsburg’s statement of institutional vocation.
Live the experience. Love the city. Learn
by living. Those words hang on banners along
Riverside Avenue.
While the first is formal and the second
much more conversational, both, however,
sum up what Auggies do.
On a near daily basis, Augsburg students
BY JEFF SHELMAN
spend part of their afternoon at Trinity
Lutheran Congregation helping young Somali
children with topics ranging from spelling and
sentence construction to subtraction and social studies. Several times a week, Auggies
serve food in the gym at the Brian Coyle Community Center as part of the Campus Kitchen
program. First-year Auggies in the Bonner
Leaders program work with nonprofit organizations, most within a mile of campus.
23
OUT OF THE BOX
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Let’s say one person wanted to match the
amount of community service that was
completed by Augsburg students during the
2008-09 school year. What would it take?
Since Auggies performed 67,000 hours
of community service last year, someone
would have to work for 2,791 24-hour
days—more than 7.5 years—or 8,375
eight-hour work days. That’s a staggering
total for a college with 2,000 traditional
undergraduates and 4,000 total students.
That work has led to Augsburg’s inclusion as one of the top 25 schools in the
country for service-learning by U.S.News &
World Report and the Carnegie [Foundation] Classification for Community Engagement. Earlier this spring, Augsburg became
the only Minnesota college or university and
one of only four ELCA schools to be named
to the 2009 President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The President’s Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition an institution can
receive for its commitment to volunteering,
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service-learning, and civic engagement.
“We are very proud and honored to be included in the President’s Honor Roll,”
Augsburg president Paul C. Pribbenow said.
“Civic work and serving our neighbor are at
the core of Augsburg’s efforts to educate
students for democracy.”
Last school year, 900 Augsburg students
participated in service-learning and 1,200
students participated in more than 20
hours of community service per semester.
Much of the community service takes place
in course-embedded service-learning, something that has been part of education at
Augsburg for years.
MORE THAN JUST SERVICE
Augsburg’s work in Cedar-Riverside and
Seward, however, is about more than simply
donating time; it is also about trying to
make the neighborhood safer, more vibrant,
and create opportunities for the state’s
newest immigrant population.
Pribbenow currently chairs the CedarRiverside Partnership, a group that includes
larger institutions in the neighborhood including Augsburg, Fairview hospitals, and
the University of Minnesota.
“There’s a level of trust
being built,” said Steve
Peacock, Augsburg’s director
of community relations.
“There are conversations
taking place that weren’t before. There’s the coordination of infrastructure and
planning among the institutions.”
Much of the work has
been around safety in the
neighborhood. Last summer, for
example, the members of the partnership provided funding to ensure security at the Brian Coyle Community
Center. There has been much more
communication among security at
Fairview and Augsburg, the
University of Minnesota, and
Minneapolis Police Departments.
Augsburg has also worked in the
neighborhood in other ways, ranging from
providing meeting space to sometimes even
trying to build bridges. Last year, more than
a dozen reporters and editors from the Minneapolis Star Tribune sat in a room in Oren
Gateway Center with a dozen or so Somali
community leaders and elders.
The Somali leaders talked of good things
going on in their community that don’t get
covered. Star Tribune editors said they
would like to tell more stories, but finding
Somalis willing to talk is challenging. The
Somali leaders—who arrived in the United
States having never experienced freedom of
the press—gained a better understanding of
how the media work. Reporters and editors
left with new contacts and resources.
CHANGE TO THE CAMPUS
Augsburg’s involvement in Cedar-Riverside
has led to a change on campus as well.
With each passing fall, the number of
Auggies of Somali descent grows. This fall,
The Somali yarn weaving hanging in President Pribbenow’s
office symbolizes the partnership between Augsburg and
the East African Women’s Center.
there are about 50 Somali students on
campus. For some of them, Augsburg was
the first college they ever knew. For others,
there is a comfort in attending Augsburg.
Halimo Adan is a first-year student who
grew up in Seward and can see the
Augsburg sign atop Mortensen Hall from
her home. She’s among the growing number
of students on campus wearing both an
Augsburg sweatshirt and a hijab, the head
covering worn by Muslim women.
“People don’t ask stupid questions,
they’re very open minded,” said Adan, who
came to the U.S. when she was 9 years old.
“Even though I’ve been here most of my
life, when you get asked questions all the
time, you feel like you don’t belong.”
But at Augsburg, neighbors are always
welcome.
First-year students file into the Northern Clay Center to help with clean-up on City Service Day.
24
Augsburg Now
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For Daley Konchar Farr, the lack of grades was
motivation for signing up, but the discussions
and professors’ involvement were more
rewarding aspects of I-Term.
LEARNING TO LEARN
WITHOUT ANY A, B, CS
25
OUT OF THE BOX
BY JEFF SHELMAN
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It isn’t quite a chicken or egg kind of question, but it is an academic conundrum along
the same line.
Just how important are grades on a college campus when it comes to actual learning? Do grades really reflect how much a
student has learned? Or do students do just
enough to get the grade they want? And
what happens if you take letter grades and
numerical marks completely out of the
equation?
That’s what 50 Augsburg first-year students, five professors, and several staff
members tried to find out this past fall. The
Integrated Term, Fate of the Earth 101:
Consumption of Food, Fuel, and Media in
Contemporary Culture, was more than just a
different way to package and deliver several
general education courses; it was a semester that challenged many of the standard
conventions about what a college education
is or should be.
There were no traditional letter grades for
this learning community nor was there a
static syllabus passed out on the first day.
This was a term that focused on doing, on
students having a say in what they would be
evaluated on, and on professors writing detailed evaluations about both what students
had accomplished and where they needed
to continue to work. Sitting lifeless in the
back row and regurgitating enough facts to
pass wasn’t an option this term.
“This was much more work than grading,” English professor Robert Cowgill said.
“But I thought it was a major success.”
Most of the students—many of whom
were drawn to the I-Term because of the environmental focus or the alternative evaluation method—agreed. Daley Konchar Farr
called the semester-long experiment empowering. Veronica Berg said she was
pushed to do things she wasn’t sure were
possible just one semester into her college
career. Katelin Grote called the whole thing
life changing.
Some of that was because the I-Term,
which showed just how parts of a liberal arts
education are interconnected, was their entire load for the semester. I-Term students
who successfully completed the course received credit for English 101 or 111 (writing), Religion 100 (Christian Vocation and
the Search for Meaning I), History 101
(Western Civilization), Sociology 101 (Introduction to Human Society) and AugSem
(first-year seminar). They also completed
their Engaging Minneapolis requirement.
REASONS FOR NOT GRADING
When a group of professors returned from a
conference at The Evergreen State College
in Washington in 2007, the goal was to find
a way for Augsburg to experiment with a
learning community model of teaching as
well as non-traditional evaluation methods.
Over the next two years, the professors
worked with the dean’s office to make this a
reality. How was this term going to be structured? Were groups such as Faculty Senate
supportive? How would students receive
credit? How would the narrative evaluations
fit into the very traditional transcript?
Once hurdles were cleared, plans were
set for a three-year pilot program of the nongraded Integrated Term. The faculty designers of the I-Term hope that the students who
spend a semester focused on learning instead of simply making a grade will have
higher retention and graduation rates. The
longer-term outcomes of the experiment
won’t be clear for several years, but this
group and subsequent groups of I-Term students will be tracked by the College.
While the word “experiment” is often
tossed around rather loosely on college campuses, the I-Term is certainly unique. Sociology professor Lars Christiansen, an I-Term
faculty member who has studied alternative
evaluation methods, said that about 15 colleges and universities across the country
have experimented with non-graded
courses. Some are completely nongraded while others are partially graded
The role of media in contemporary culture was a focus for I-Term students.
26
Augsburg Now
or have reverted back to traditional grading. Alverno College in Milwaukee is one of
the only schools in the Midwest that is
grade free.
No grades, however, doesn’t equal no
evaluation. In almost every case, I-Term students had a greater grasp of where they
stood. They worked very closely with the
two English professors on their writing,
and received regular written feedback
from the other faculty members.
“It was kind of like tough love,”
Maryam Ayir said. “You knew exactly
what you had to work on.”
Konchar Farr signed up for the ITerm both because of the subject
matter, and also because of lack of traditional grades.
“Grades are false motivation,” she said.
“In high school, I didn’t get anything out of
getting As if I didn’t learn. [Here], I really
appreciated that things were so discussionbased and how involved the professors were.
They were so dedicated to our work.”
For Christiansen, the best thing from
the semester is that Augsburg now has the
framework in place to continue experimenting with alternative evaluation methods. There is now the ability for the
narrative evaluations to accompany a
student’s transcript. And there is
also at least some appetite from
students to not have a semester of work boiled down to
simply a number.
“The majority of students said it was a good
Courtesy photo
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Kwame Collins and other students from the I-Term attended the 350.org event at the State Capitol that was
part of an international focus on the climate crisis.
LEARNING BY DOING
Unchained from the burden of grades, students could concentrate on really learning
and figuring out what truly motivates them.
And without traditional exercises like exams,
students in Fate of the Earth 101 demonstrated their advancement through semester-long projects that incorporated
something under the broad umbrella of
food, fuel, or media.
One group of students met with staff
members from Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office
about how the bodies of women are portrayed in advertisements. Pushing Best Buy
to be more environmentally friendly in its
stores was what another group sought. Others looked into the feasibility of Augsburg
capturing solar energy and purchasing more
locally grown food.
“Those are the kinds of things we were
hoping would happen,” Christiansen said.
“We were hoping through the experiences of
the I-Term that [students] were here to learn
and that they were here to understand themselves as possible change agents—and that
collaboration is an essential component.”
And while most courses end as soon as
that final exam is completed, a number of
the I-Term students are continuing with the
ongoing work of their projects. For example,
Berg was part of a group that created the
website www.mnhomelessyouth.org. Those
students met both with representatives from
Minneapolis Public Schools and a group
working on homeless issues, before and during the spring semester.
“It didn’t just end at the end of the
course,” history professor Phil Adamo said.
“They continue to be engaged.”
Because of what they were asked to do,
many of the I-Term students accomplished
more than they thought possible just months
removed from high school graduation.
“We were learning at a different level, we
were getting to project ourselves at a bigger
level,” Berg said. “To sit at the table as a
contributor with some of these agencies was
something I didn’t think I’d be able to do for
many years.”
That theme was a common one.
“One thing we repeatedly heard was the
notion that they were empowered with what
they were able to accomplish by the end of
their first semester in college,” religion professor Lori Brandt Hale said. “They were surprised and excited about how they will be
able to leverage that moving forward.”
CHANGING TEACHING METHODS
Like the other I-Term professors, Colin Irvine
is back teaching more traditional courses
this semester. An English faculty member,
Irvine has a collection of writing and literature classes this spring.
But Irvine acknowledges that he is teaching differently this semester. And the I-Term
had much to do with that.
“It made me complicate my classes,” he
said. “I’m not content with the way I was
teaching before. I’m not content with the assignments I was giving. I’m making them
more fun, more relevant, and harder to assess. I can’t allow myself to teach the way
I’ve always taught.”
Irvine talked about a conversation with a
biology major who is taking his environmental literature course this season. The student
said he’s been doing the reading, working
hard, and attending writing lab sessions.
“But he said, ‘I don’t know how I’m
doing,’” Irvine said. “I told him, ‘Are you
kidding me? That’s exactly what I want you
to do, you’re figuring it out, you’re doing
great.’”
Because just like the I-Term students who
have adjusted to courses with traditional
grading, almost everyone involved in the experiment has a better idea of what motivates
them and just how important learning is.
I-TERM CREATORS/DESIGNERS
Phil Adamo, History, Medieval Studies
Lars Christiansen, Sociology, Metro-Urban Studies
Robert Cowgill, English, Film Studies
Stacy Cutinella, Lindell Library
Lori Brandt Hale, Religion
Colin Irvine, English, Environmental Studies
Nathan Lind, Information Technology
Alyson Olson, TRIO Student Services
Beverly Stratton, Religion
PROJECTS THE STUDENTS WORKED ON
• Addressing women’s body representations in advertising by creating a legislative bill requiring
advertisers to indicate the presence of airbrushing and similar touch-ups
• Website that centralizes resources for homeless
youth in the Twin Cities
• Energy-producing exercise bicycles at
Augsburg’s Kennedy Center
• Reducing water waste at Augsburg
• Increasing local food sourcing at Augsburg, particularly meat and cheese
• Assisting in developing curbside composting in
Minneapolis
• Reducing paper waste at Augsburg bookstore
• Improving environmental practices at Best Buy
• Composting at Maple Grove High School
27
OUT OF THE BOX
experience to not have grades and they liked
the ongoing evaluation,” he said. “It shows
me that if you provide it, people will try it,
and many will like it. Why don’t we make it
an option generally? It’s not dissimilar to our
transportation system. Until the last few
years, many didn’t believe they had options
other than driving. The I-Term is akin to the
Hiawatha (light rail) Line: Once a viable alternative is provided, people may see it as
useful and desirable.”
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CONNECTING THE DOTS
FOR GOOD
BY BRYAN BARNES
“I read this article in Time magazine, interviewing all of these 80- and 90-year-old
people,” said Jacquie Berglund ’87. “The
overwhelming feedback from their question, ‘If you could change one thing, what
would it be?’ was that they all wish they
had taken more risks.”
That was 1983, when Berglund was in
her first year at Augsburg College. Since
then, she has faced many risks on her way
to building one of Minnesota’s most successful social enterprises—an enterprise
that uses beer sales to fund its community
foundation.
One of her first risks? Backpacking
through Europe during her sophomore year
in the face of parental disapproval.
“My parents didn’t want me to do it,”
Berglund said. “[My English professor]
said, ‘Jacquie, you should absolutely do it.
Let’s come up with a way for you to get
credit for it here.’”
With that, Berglund ventured across the
Atlantic for six weeks under the banner of
an Augsburg creative-writing course. Her
experience fostered a travel bug that
would lead her back for a seven-year long
stay in France after Augsburg. “[Backpacking] helped me to think globally and
really changed my perspective,” Berglund
said. “That was a powerful turning point
for me.”
Graduating from Augsburg in 1987
with a degree in communication studies
Jacquie Berglund ’87 knew that with passion
and patience she could fulfill her dream of
making a difference in her community.
28
Augsburg Now
and a minor in political science, Berglund
combined an interest in nonprofits with
her travel experience to pursue work in international development. By 1990, she
had taken an internship in Paris at the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), the same group
that helped administer the Marshall Plan
after World War II. With the collapse of the
Soviet Union, Berglund found herself
working with the best entrepreneurial
minds at OECD to develop regional
economies in former Soviet bloc countries.
“We were training government officials,
and these guys were all communists—they
didn’t want to learn [about how to build
free markets],” Berglund said. “I felt like
we went in and did all of this work and
spent all of this money, and I don’t know
what impact we really had. Then I thought,
‘you know, I think the real work is done at
the grassroots level.’ I would see the people at the grassroots level in these countries and they were really making a
difference, and I thought, ‘that’s where I
have to be. I’ve got to get there.’ I just didn’t know how I was going to get there, but
that’s where I wanted to go.”
While at OECD, Berglund earned her
master’s degree in international relations
from the American Graduate School in
Paris. However, by 1997 Berglund found
herself needing expensive back surgery, so
she returned to the Twin Cities to work as
marketing director for her old friend,
Kieran Folliard, restauranteur
and owner of Cara Irish
Pubs LP.
One of Berglund’s duties
as marketing director was
to help Folliard distribute
charitable gifts in the
Twin Cities. They
found themselves
Finnegan’s Inc. created the Finnegan’s Community Fund to distribute 100% of profits to local community projects.
giving grants to any organization that
asked. Eventually, their CFO put the
brakes on their charity bonanza and told
them they needed a better strategy.
Berglund agreed: she recognized from her
OECD days that the Cara Pubs money
wasn’t making the desired impact.
Berglund had also just attended a conference in Washington, D.C., on self-sustaining nonprofits.
“That’s when I thought: we sell beer all
day,” Berglund said. “What if we create our
own beer, and we choose to give all of the
profits from this one beer to our own foundation, and then we pick one cause, and we
really make a difference? It took me a little
while to sell Kieran on the idea.”
With that, Berglund and
Folliard set about creat-
ing Finnegan’s Irish Amber, named in reference to James Joyce’s final work. They contacted James Page Brewing Company in
Minneapolis to help them create the beer,
eventually selecting one recipe from over 40
options provided by the brewmaster.
At this point, Berglund and Folliard realized that running Finnegan’s and its
community foundation would consume all
of Berglund’s time. That left one choice:
quit Cara Pubs and focus on Finnegan’s,
or let the idea die.
Berglund bought the Finnegan’s recipe
for $1 from Folliard.
“That was kind of scary, leaving that
job, from having a good salary to no
salary,” Berglund said. “It was very scary.
It was rather terrifying. I’ve had a lot of
terrifying moments—I must handle stress
well. I’m still waking and talking and not
in a straitjacket.”
Starting in 2000, Berglund created forprofit Finnegan’s Inc., which donates all of
its profits from beer sales to her nonprofit
29
OUT OF THE BOX
S
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creation, which is now called Finnegan’s
Community Fund. She taught herself the
beer trade. James Page produced
Finnegan’s on contract, but she was responsible for selling it to distributors.
“I didn’t even know what a keg fee
was,” Berglund recalls.
Finnegan’s community focus sold the
beer. Distributors, liquor stores, bars, and
restaurants in the Twin Cities were sympathetic to Berglund’s cause—and it helped
that the beer was popular during the burgeoning craft brew craze. Though she
wasn’t turning a profit yet, Berglund was
able to make a $2,000 donation in her
first year of operation.
Then, James Page Brewing Company
shut down in 2002.
“I was a mess—I was totally a mess,”
Berglund said. “I started to panic: ‘If they
go out of business, I’m going to go out of
business.’”
Thinking quickly, Berglund contacted
Mark Stutrud, founder of Summit Brewing
Company in St. Paul.
“They really didn’t do contract brewing,
but I think that [Stutrud] appreciated the
community-mindedness of what I was
doing,” Berglund said. “Plus, I already had
a list of accounts, so I already had a
proven track record that I could make this
thing work.”
To this day, Finnegan’s is produced at
Summit. In 2003, Finnegan’s made its
first profit. By 2009, Finnegan’s was selling 4,300 barrels per year to 475 restaurants and 600 liquor stores in Minnesota
and beyond—which translated into
$30,000 for the Finnegan’s Community
Fund. That money, in addition to direct donations, is being used to fund local grassroots community organizations that are
helping the working poor.
“When I came back from France, I
30
Augsburg Now
Berglund often considers her own experience growing up as motivation for her drive to do good for others.
volunteered in St. Steven’s shelter in
Minneapolis,” Berglund said. “I got to see
for myself … a lot of these guys get up to
work factory jobs at 3 or 4 o’clock in the
morning. I saw how many of these guys
were working and still homeless.”
The needs of the working poor strike a
personal chord for Berglund. Growing up,
her father started working as a janitor before moving up the ranks, while her mother
was a waitress.
“I remember as a kid not being able to
participate in church activities because we
didn’t have the money,” Berglund said. “I
feel so fortunate to be able to have done
all of the things that I do. I think that,
‘Boy, it’s nice to give back a little bit.’ We
owe a bit of gratitude.”
That background helps explain
Berglund’s drive to build a self-sustaining
nonprofit that can help the working poor
regardless of government grants or philanthropic whims. But it also comes down to
faith in your vocation.
“Whenever I do speaking engagements,
that’s my whole thing: It’s about following
your passions, and then at some point, the
dots will connect. Even though it seems so
remote that they could possibly connect,”
Berglund said. “When I came back and
was working in the pub, I thought, ‘What
am I doing here? How does this connect to
this whole dream job I had of international
development projects?’ I just had faith
that it’s going to come—I’m going to find
it. It’s kind of that whole ‘calling’ thing at
Augsburg—I knew I was going to find it, it
was just going to take a minute.”
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IGNITE-ING
AUGGIE SPIRIT
BY BETSEY NORGARD
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who matches students and alumni for visits and leads the student team.
31
OUT OF THE BOX
One student heard about a fire that broke
out in one of the houses on campus in the
1970s. Another enjoyed hearing perspectives from a studio art major about his work
at a financial organization. A third met with
an alum who fondly remembers the tasty
cinnamon rolls that students often got in
Morton Hall in the mid-1950s.
Twenty students working in the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office recently
completed the first year of Project IGNITE.
They’ve been meeting with alumni to learn
more about the role that the College played
in the lives of the alumni and to share stories and experiences about Augsburg then
and now.
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who directs the students’ work for Project IGNITE.
Once she hand-matches students and
alums who share similar majors and/or interests, a letter from President Pribbenow is
sent explaining the program and alerting
the alum to a future call from a student.
The student will invite the alum to a meeting preferably on campus or at a convenient
coffee shop.
That first contact can be a little daunting
for students, but knowing they share interests makes it easier. Melissa Herrick, a
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communication studies and art sophomore, says it
tells the alum that “this is not a random call; there’s
a reason I’m calling you,” which, in her case, is to
share with them what art at Augsburg is like now and
to hear about their experience studying art at
Augsburg.
STUDENTS CONNECT WITH ALUMNI
On a cold day last fall, Herrick met with Patti Lloyd
’83, who owns a web development and interactive
marketing company. While Lloyd was an international
business major and not an art major, the two immediately discovered common interests in web design.
Herrick was trying to plan a webpage for an arts project and was delighted to get some ideas from Lloyd.
“We had a great meeting,” says Lloyd, “and when
she left, I think she felt comfortable that all the resources were there for her project.”
One of the meetings that Goff enjoyed was with a
physician. In the conversation, Goff, a psychology
major, learned about the physician’s medical practice that has included a psychologist and a nurse,
enabling him to offer both physical and mental testing and care. “This was really a great experience for
me,” Goff says, “to help me consider my future career and the option to be in a practice like that.”
Adam Spanier, sophomore class president and an
Honors student, says he has met many interesting
people through Project IGNITE. His favorite aspect
of the program, he says, is “hearing the many different bits of advice and wisdom that alumni have
to offer.”
32
Augsburg Now
Sophomore Adam Spanier enjoys hearing the advice
alumni can give to current students.
to-face relationship with a person who is going through
the experience.”
Haug and his partner returned to campus in December
for the Advent Vespers dinner and enjoyed talking with
people they knew and meeting others.
ALUMNI ENJOY RECONNECTING
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE
Most alumni contacted in Project IGNITE are graduates who have not been active in alumni activities
or participated recently in events. Re-engaging with
their alma mater through Project IGNITE has also
been enjoyable for them, especially seeing the
College through the eyes of current students.
Christopher Haug ’79 was one of the alumni
Spanier met last fall. “What benefited me the
most,” Haug says, “is that I felt I was connected
again with my school. There’s nothing like a face-
Pat Grans, the Project IGNITE volunteer coordinator,
follows up with the interests and/or requests that students bring back from the alumni visits. She crafts individual plans recommending events and volunteer
opportunities that could include speaking in a class,
inviting a student to job shadow, or helping with registration at an event. Or, Grans can seek to create a tailored opportunity based on the alum’s interests.
Grans has now developed volunteer job descriptions
and oversees all aspects of recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, and recognizing volunteers.
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Project IGNITE means Involving Graduates Now In
Thoughtful Engagement. A three-year project funded
by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Project IGNITE is
designed to serve as a model to help other colleges
and universities engage their alumni.
What makes Project IGNITE an out-of-the-box program and readily transferable are several components
that together offer lifelong alumni connections:
• One-to-one interaction between students and
alumni—who better to talk about the college experience and re-engage alumni than current students?
• Mutually beneficial matching of student and alumni
majors and interests
• Individualized and ongoing follow-up from a volunteer coordinator to keep
engagement and energy alive
In the project’s first six months at Augsburg, both attendance at events and
volunteering have increased. Of the alumni the IGNITE students have visited
during this time, 14% have now attended College events. Nearly 76% have
expressed interest in volunteering; and of those, 20% have begun. More
than 1,800 hours of volunteer time have been logged.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and constituent relations, is excited by the
results. She attributes success to the total package Project IGNITE makes
possible—engaging students in the alumni program before they graduate,
encouraging ongoing attendance at alumni events, and keeping alumni connected to campus through meaningful volunteering.
For more information or to arrange to meet with an IGNITE student, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
“WELCOME TO AUGSBURG”
Larry Menzel ’67 retired three years ago from a long career as a Kmart executive in 17 locations across the
Upper Midwest. Working with people was what his job was
all about, and in retirement he wanted to be able to continue that.
When volunteer coordinator Pat Grans sent a mailing
about Augsburg’s new volunteer program, it sparked his
interest. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been on campus
since graduation, he still felt a connection.
“Since my wife was gone from the house regularly on
Friday mornings, I thought it would be a good time for me
to do something, too,” Menzel says. He called Grans to
talk about volunteering.
Grans suggested that he staff the welcome desk in
Oren Gateway Center on Friday mornings, and he thought
that sounded good.
In addition to helping people find their way around the
building and answering questions, he also provides help to
the Institutional Advancement staff. Soon he found himself
at Homecoming and other events, which pleases his wife,
too, as she sees him doing things he enjoys.
His advice to current students he meets? “Study hard,
find a rewarding life, and follow the principles of God,
family, and work—in that order.”
Melissa Herrick, an art and communication studies major who is
working on a web project, found a natural connection with Patti
Lloyd ’83, the owner of a web development company.
33
OUT OF THE BOX
HAS PROJECT IGNITE MADE A DIFFERENCE?
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6
3
7
4
1
3
3
2
34
Augsburg Now
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6
5
THE BOD POD lives upstairs in the Kennedy Center kinesiology lab. It’s
a high-tech apparatus that provides fast, safe, and accurate measurements of body composition, detailing fat and lean body mass. It
provides useful information for measuring the effectiveness of exercise and nutrition, fine-tuning top athletic performance, and tracking
the progress of obesity and disease.
Since Bod Pods are found mostly in fitness facilities and elite
training centers, Augsburg’s health, physical education, and health
fitness majors are fortunate to have this in their learning portfolio.
Used primarily in kinesiology and exercise physiology classes, students learn how to run the Bod Pod, interpret the results, and incorporate recommendations into specialized training plans.
If you are interested in being measured in the Bod Pod, contact
Professor Tony Clapp at clapp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1618.
THE BOD POD
1. The Bod Pod
2. Data acquisition box—interprets test data coming from the Bod
Pod measurements
3. Computer hardware that processes all measurements, manages
data, and provides customized printouts of the test data
4. Calibration standards—Weights used to calibrate the Bod Pod before each person is measured, to assure accuracy when the person’s weight is entered
5. “Fast Eddie”—The Auggies’ own skeleton used in health and physical education classes. He arrived when the Kennedy Center
opened in 2007.
6. Anatomical charts most likely dating from the opening of Science
Hall in 1949, recently found rolled up in a storage closet. They’re
now taking on new life in the Health, Physical Education, and
Health Fitness Department.
7. Professor Tony Clapp, demonstrating the Bod Pod procedure:
• Wear spandex-type swimsuit or bike shorts and a swim cap
• Sit in the Bod Pod while measurements take about 30 seconds
• Get printouts of test results in about five minutes
35
OUT OF THE BOX
4
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OUT-OF-THE-BOX PARTNERSHIPS
BY REBECCA JOHN
The annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum (see
story on page 10) is the result of just one of
the many unique partnerships at Augsburg
College. It is the only program or academic
affiliation of the Norwegian Nobel Institute
outside of Norway.
Here are a few more examples of
Augsburg’s out-of-the-box partnerships.
NEIGHBORHOOD COLLABORATIONS
The Cedar-Riverside Partnership was
founded in 2008 to foster collaboration
among existing community organizations—the African Development Center,
Pillsbury United Communities, West Bank
Community Coalition, the Cedar Riverside
Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and
the West Bank Business Association—and
local government bodies and institutions,
including the city and county, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and Augsburg College.
“The goal of the partnership,” says
Steve Peacock, Augsburg director of community relations, “is to leverage these organizations’ collective resources to
strengthen Cedar-Riverside as a vibrant
place in which to live, learn, and work.”
The partnership is chaired by Augsburg
President Paul Pribbenow.
BUSINESS FEASIBILITY
Augsburg plays an active role in the Mayo
Innovation Scholars Program (MISP), a
unique partnership with the Mayo Clinic
that offers an experiential learning opportunity for both graduate and undergraduate
students. Through the program, undergraduate science and business students from select Minnesota private colleges are teamed
with MBA project leaders from either Augsburg College or the University of St. Thomas
to evaluate the commercial potential for
patent ideas submitted through the Mayo
Clinic Office of Intellectual Property.
This year, Augsburg had five teams working on projects—two in Rochester and three
36
Augsburg Now
in Minneapolis—which presented their findings and recommendations to professionals
at the Mayo Clinic in March.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
The Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) was founded in 1975 by five liberal
arts institutions—Augsburg, Hamline,
Macalester, St. Catherine, and St.
Thomas—to provide cooperative programs
and services for students, faculty, and administrators.
In 2009, the consortium’s Chief Academic Officers Council, chaired by Barbara
Farley, Augsburg’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, renewed its efforts to explore common areas
of academic opportunity using a focus on
“sustainable urban development.”
“This theme truly ties us together as colleges in the Twin Cities,” Farley says.
“Broadly defined, it includes education,
health care, transportation, housing, and
environmental concerns, offering a rich platform for exploring strategies for enhancing
shared academic programs.”
PARTNERS ON CAMPUS
In recent years, two of Augsburg’s community partnerships have become integrated
into the College: Campus Kitchen and the
Minnesota Urban Debate League—both of
which operate under the Sabo Center for
Citizenship and Learning.
In 2003, Augsburg became the fourth
college campus in the U.S. to join the Campus Kitchens Project. The program provides
meal preparation and delivery to neighborhood organizations, nutrition and
food preparation classes for area youth, and
outreach to the surrounding neighborhood
through the continuously expanding community garden. Augsburg is the first college
to wholly integrate its Campus Kitchen as
part of the College.
The Minnesota Urban Debate League
has had a relationship with Augsburg
since 2004 and became part of the College in summer 2009. This move allowed
the league to focus less on administrative
operations and more on reaching urban
middle and high school students. In the
past year, the program doubled to 350
students and teaches important skills like
research, writing, thesis development, and
public speaking.
CONNECTING YOUTH TO CHURCHES
Now in its 19th year, the Augsburg College
Congregational Youth Basketball League
partners with dozens of metro-area
churches to involve junior high and high
school boys and girls in an annual basketball league that emphasizes fun, service,
sponsorship, participation, relationships,
and growth in one’s faith.
The program was founded by Augsburg
pastor Dave Wold to help keep youth connected to churches. The league starts in
January each year and culminates in a
March tournament on Augsburg’s campus
that involves more than 1,000 players,
coaches, officials, and volunteers from
Augsburg and area churches.
“The program is very successful at enabling our churches to connect with a
greater number of young people,” Wold
said, “providing the opportunity for them
to have some fun; get some exercise;
build relationships with teammates,
coaches, youth workers, and pastors; and
have an encounter with God.”
To learn about other out-ofthe-box partnerships, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
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auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear Alumni and friends,
a
2010
s I write this article we’ve headed
into the spring season, and a couple of words appear in my mind:
renewal and growth. We can see our
world transform around us with a renewed sense of purpose—growth. Trees
are beginning to bud, early flowers are
beginning to show their bright colors,
and I think this lifts our spirits and warms our hearts to the possibility and purpose of our world.
It is this renewal and growth I want to discuss with you in this
my last article as president of the Alumni Association, as it
chooses new leadership in June.
One of my main goals this year was that of growth for the Alumni
Association—not only in size, but also in commitment and involvement in activities and events that enrich and add value to your life.
Every year, the Augsburg Alumni Association’s Board of Directors spends a great deal of time in the creation, planning, and execution of events designed to raise awareness, renew involvement,
and create a sense of community among alumni.
Looking back on the year, alumni have had opportunities to
come together in ways we have not been seen in many years. Ex-
HOMECOMING
amples of this are the more than 700 alumni who attended the
Canterbury Park event last August, the capacity turnout for events
such as the Winter Wine Tasting, the Eye-Opener Breakfast Series,
and the Young Alumni Council events, as well as alumni attendance at the Guthrie performance of Macbeth. These events and
activities are just a few that have been exceedingly well received;
and the leadership of the Alumni Association as well as the College’s dedicated staff from the Alumni and Constituent Relations
Office plan to enhance what has been a very successful year.
I am very grateful for having the opportunity to represent the
alumni this year as well as for all of the hard work and dedication
of those who helped make this year so successful. I look forward to
seeing many of you in the coming years and plan to continue contributing to this wonderful organization dedicated to the alumni of
Augsburg College.
I wish you a wonderful spring—please continue to check back
with the College, as something new will always be springing to life.
DANIEL HICKLE ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
October 14-16, 2010
Reunion Classes
60th Reunion—1950
25th Reunion—1985
50th Reunion—1960
10th Reunion—2000
40th Reunion—1970
Recent Grad/Young Alumni
Reunion—2001–2010
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, contact the Office of
Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates and reunion information.
Spring 2010
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auggie
alumni news
preciate works I already knew—Michelangelo’s David, the ceiling
When I returned to Augsburg in fall 2004 after dropping out a year
earlier, I was eager to reform the lackluster study habits that had
of the Sistine Chapel—and discovered wonderful artists—Bernini,
plagued my academic career. At every fork in the road, I purposeCarravaggio—I previously knew nothing about.
fully chose the path I previously would never have considered. And
Between visits to churches and museums, we made time for
that’s how I, a young man who spent his entire adolescence hating
wine tasting on a Tuscan vineyard and a tour on an olive farm.
to travel, jumped at the chance to study in El Salvador.
Food and drink took on greater significance while in Italy. An exThere, we witnessed previously unimagined poverty and became
pansive dinner coupled with lively conversation regularly served as
inspired by countless acts of resilience. The little free time availan evening’s event. My roommate, a chatty substitute science
able was spent in discussions, journals, and books. There were no
teacher from Lester Prairie named Gordon, celebrated his 70th
moments wasted and no words ignored.
birthday in Orvieto during one of our four-course dinners.
That summer, I studied literature in France, and over the next
The trip to Italy allowed me to escape the stresses of home for a
two years, I went on to study in Nicaragua, Uganda, Rwanda, and
couple weeks and infused me with a new appreciation of visual art.
Tanzania and volunteered on a mission trip to Mexico.
It was a fitting continuation of the travel experiences I began while
Upon graduating in May 2007, I feared my opportunities to con- studying at Augsburg.
tinue traveling oversees had vanished. The expansive summer and
JEREMY ANDERSON ’07
holiday breaks were gone; the
immediate walls of my work cubicle provided no horizon to
look beyond. Fortunately, I
spotted a chance to break the
monotony—Professor Kristin
Anderson was leading a travel
seminar to study Italian art and
architecture.
In November, I boarded a
plane alongside 25 other seminar participants. During our
journey through Padua, Venice,
Ravenna, Florence, Orvieto, the
ancient ruins in Pompeii,
Naples, Rome, and Vatican
City, we viewed wondrous landscapes, observed countless
works of art, and walked
through dozens of secularly
decorated churches. Day by
day, my learning regarding ancient, medieval, Renaissance,
and baroque art and architecture grew, thanks to the knowlTravelers to Italy posed for a photo in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (Back row, L to R): Mary Johnson, Judy Reeve ’95, Heidi
Hunter, Luke Anderson ’60, Gracia Luoma ’66, Jim Hoseth ’68, Gordon Houk, Larry Turner ’69, Grace Bergstrom, Sue Turner, John Luoma ’65,
edge shared by Professor
Max Carlson ’09, Kim Stone, Jeremy Anderson ’07, Jason Stone. (Front row, L to R): Art professor Kristin Anderson, Kathy Wilson, Joanne
Anderson. I came to better apCress, Susan Hoseth, Mary Rogers, Jill Reister, Deanna Carlson, Amy Kessler, Rose Becker ’04, Sharon Carlson ’72, Susan Carlson.
38
Augsburg Now
Photo by Larry Turner ’69
Journeying to Italy
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The Augsburg Choir Legacy
Recordings will be available soon!
Three boxed sets, each containing five CDs, present remastered
recordings of the Augsburg Choir over 30 years, from 1949–79. Included with each order is a monograph by Bill Halverson ’51 about
Leland B. Sateren’s life and career. Cost: $49 per boxed set; $135 for
all three boxed sets, plus shipping and handling.
For information about availability and ordering, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
The Young Alumni enjoyed some late summer rooftop lawn bowling at Brit’s Pub in
September. (L to R): Jay Cavanagh, Rob Wagner ’02, Mike Fasching ’02, Britt Fasching
’02, Ben Carlson ’02, ’09 MBA, and Leah Omar.
Young Alumni Summer Series
The Young Alumni Summer Series is back in 2010 with exciting
new events and favorites from last year.
• Seven Corners kick-off party—May 21, 5–8 p.m.,
at Preston’s
• Networking at Fuji-ya in Uptown—June 17, 5–7 p.m.
• Minnesota Twins game at Target Field—July 15, 7 p.m.
• Auggie Night at the Races, Canterbury Park—Aug. 5
• Summit Brewery tour—Aug. 21, 1 p.m.
• End of Summer Bash—Sept. 16, 5–7 p.m., at Seven UltraLounge
For more information and to register, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents and join the Young Alumni
group on facebook. To get involved in the Young Alumni Council,
call 612-330-1178 or e-mail storma@augsburg.edu.
auggies
GO GREEN
The Augsburg Alumni Association
is going green
The Augsburg College Alumni Association is reducing print
mailings and relying more on technology to get the word
out about events. To stay in the loop, update your contact
information at www.augsburg.edu/alumni or e-mail the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu to receive NOW@Augsburg, the monthly news and information
e-newsletter. You can also stay up to date by becoming a
friend of Auggie Eagle on Facebook.
Tourism Ireland
Journey to the Emerald Isle
Celtic crosses like this one in County Offaly are vivid
reminders of Ireland’s rich history.
(Note change of date to May 2011)
Join friends from the Augsburg College community in early May 2011 for an in-depth journey through
Ireland with Phillip Adamo, associate professor and chair of the History Department, director of
Augsburg’s medieval studies program, and experienced study tour leader. He looks forward to returning to Ireland with alumni and friends to explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to
9,000 BC. Experience the intense rugged beauty of land carved from the sea contrasting with the
meticulous gardens of stately castles. Discover the spirit and historic significance of Celtic Christianity, visiting ancient monastic communities where Christianity flourished during the Dark Ages. Celebrate contemporary Irish culture with passion-filled music and food at local pubs.
To receive additional updates on the tour and be among the first to receive a tour brochure by
late June, contact Alumni Relations, 612-330-1178 or alumni@augsburg.edu. Don’t hesitate to be included on the interested list as the alumni tour to Italy last year filled quickly and had a waiting list.
Join us at the information session on Tuesday, June 15, 6:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center.
Spring 2010
39
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alumni class notes
53Ariz., was recognized by AmerDr. Leland Fairbanks, Tempe,
icans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR)
with the 2009 ANR Smokefree Hero
of the Year Award during the National Conference on Tobacco or
Health in Phoenix, Ariz. on June 9.
He is the longtime president of Arizonans Concerned About Smoking
(ACAS).
56son) ’60, Baxter, Minn., were
Len Brown and Mavis (Daniel-
featured on brainderddispatch.com
for their tradition of traveling the region to find and enjoy lutefisk dinners. In 2007, they went to 13
dinners; in 2008, they visited 12;
and last year there were 8.
Coaches Association (MSHSCA) for
leadership in promoting the mission
of MSHSCA. He retired in 2007 after
a 40-year career teaching mathematics and coaching football, mostly
in Alexandria.
69ored as the recipient of the
Mary (Strom) Dyrud was hon-
2010 Peter Hess Memorial Faculty
Recognition Award on February 22
at the Spring Awards Ceremony at
Northland Community and Technical
College in Thief River Falls, Minn.
She has taught there since 1993
and currently teaches Spanish; she
and her husband, Loiell ’62, live in
Thief River Falls.
58
71Grove, Minn., was selected as
60
74Minn., was named director of
67soccer coach at Bloomington
93lumbia Heights, Minn., was
(Minn.) Kennedy High School from
1967–1992 was inducted into the
Minnesota State High School
Coaches Association Hall of Fame
in October. Following retirement in
1992, he served as student activities coordinator until 2001.
named to the 2010 “Rising Stars” list
by Minnesota Law & Politics, which
highlights outstanding attorneys who
are under the age of 40 or have
fewer than 10 years of practice. She
works with the Winthrop & Weinstine
law firm in the real estate and campaign finance practice groups.
Jerry Peterson, hockey and
Tammera (Ericson) Diehm, Co-
Christy (Larsen) Branes, Maple
Mabeth (Saure) Gyllstrom was
recently featured in the Fergus
Falls Daily Journal in a story about
her background and work in retirement as director of the Zion
Lutheran Church choir in Amor,
Minn. She currently lives on Otter
Tail Lake, Minn.
the 2010 Delano (Minn.) Teacher of
the Year. She has taught in the district for over 20 years, plus a fouryear stint in Portugal teaching
English. She currently teaches second grade.
Steven Reznicek, Bemidji,
Ruth (Carlson) Olson was inducted into the Faribault High
School Hall of Fame on October 1.
For 20 years she coached gymnastics, kept score for volleyball, reported for track meets, etc. as the
sports liaison between the junior and
senior high schools. It was her Augsburg career as an Auggiette on the
women’s basketball team, however,
that earned her the Hall of Fame
spot, because of the Auggiettes’ pioneering efforts in promoting
women’s sports.
62
Rev. Jim Quitno and his wife,
Mary, Spirit Lake, Iowa, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June 2009. Jim retired from
the pastorate in 2002 after being at
Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit
Lake for 27 years, but both he and
Mary remain active volunteers in retirement. Last year Jim was honored
with the June Character Counts
Spotlight Award.
Dennis Kalpin, Alexandria, Minn.,
was honored with the George Haun
Award last October, given by the
Minnesota State High School
40
Augsburg Now
the Varsity Singers of Bemidji State
University. Otherwise, he is “mostly
retired.”
76
Gwedolyn (Peyton) Jackson,
Lakeville, Minn., was reappointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to
a four-year position on the Board of
the Minnesota State Academies. She
is the director of human resources
and administrative services with the
Edina (Minn.) Public School District.
The board governs the Minnesota
State Academy for the Blind and the
Minnesota State Academy for the
Deaf, both in Faribault.
77Minn., a storyteller and chilLise Lunge-Larsen, Duluth,
dren’s author, visited Concordia College (Moorhead) and Cable, Wis., in
February. At Concordia, she visited
the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library to teach
classes in children’s literature and
told stories from Norwegian folklore.
She was in Cable the day before the
Birkebeiner ski race and told the
story of the race that is recounted in
her book, The Race of the Birkebeiners.
00and her husband, David, wel- 00her husband, Eric, Blaine,
Daria (Reboin) Gordhamer,
comed their fourth child, Andrew,
on Oct. 6. Big brothers Elijah (6)
and Abram (2) and big sister, Eva
(4), love him very much. They live
in Apple Valley, Minn.
Kathleen Lindquist-Blilie, and
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Anne Elizabeth, born May
6, 2009. She joins her siblings, Andrew (7-1/2), Alexander (5), and
Erin (2-1/2).
74their own 35th reunion on Gull Lake, on the same weekend as
Lambda House reunion Ten Auggie women, all 1974 grads, had
Homecoming last fall. The women began as freshmen on the first floor
in Urness, then moved to the ninth floor as sophomores, and then lived
at Lambda House (no longer standing) as juniors and seniors.
They’ve continued to see each other several times a year and now have
begun taking longer trips together. All live in Minnesota, except for Barb
(Ruud) Revueltas who lives in Los Angeles. Three women are married
to Auggies, who lived together in a house around the corner from
Lambda House.
The 10 women are Linda (Lundeen) Dunn, Linda (Bailey) Holmen
(married to Ken Holmen ’74), Laurie (Johnson) Thorp (married to Tim
Thorp ’74), Barb (Ruud) Revueltas, Marlene (Chan) Hui, Debbie
(Rowley) Hasti, Mary Ratzlaff, Diane (Johnson) Moen, Carla (Johnson)
Velenchenko, Chris (Henry) Thompson (married to Gary Thompson ’74)
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 43
velopment in Minnesota in July
2009 with TMP Worldwide Advertising and Communications, a full-service recruitment marketing ad
agency headquartered in New York.
00
Leslie (Lucas) Wiede ’07 MSW
and her husband, Matthew,
welcomed twin boys, Lucas and
Hunter, on April 3, 2009.
81color paintings of Minnesota
91superintendent of the Spring
Jeff Ronneberg became the new
Lake Park (Minn.) School District at
the beginning of the year. For the
past seven years, he has served the
district as assistant superintendent.
Mary (Primm) Lingen’s water-
01
Sarah (Wilhelm) married Chris
Uwimana in Burnsville, Minn.,
on October 24, surrounded by family and friends. Sarah is a buyer at
Supervalu and Chris is a business
analyst at DRC. They live in Bloomington, Minn.
landscapes were on display at the
James Wegner Art Gallery on the
West Campus of Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn., in October. Since graduating from
Augsburg, she has had more than
30 solo exhibits and numerous
group and juried exhibitions.
Kurts Strelnieks accepted a position
as vice president-account executive,
managing existing client relationships, at First Business Capital Corp.
in Madison, Wis., in February.
82in October of the Conservation
Mike Kilgore was the recipient
02
Jackie (Heyda) married
Joshua Eyberg on Nov. 27.
She is in her seventh year of teaching in the New Prague (Minn.) Area
School District and is a first-grade
teacher at Eagle View Elementary
School in Elko New Market. They
live in Burnsville, Minn.
Minnesota Leadership Award for his
work as chair of the Lessard-Sams
Outdoor Heritage Council, a Minnesota Legislature advisory body in
charge of “restoring, protecting, and
enhancing of Minnesota’s wetlands,
prairies, forests, and habitat for fish,
game, and wildlife.”
83at KARE-11 TV, was inducted
95Ariz., stopped working in the
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
restaurant business to return to
school to become a medical assistant. He expects to graduate in
March.
96January to the Carlson Board
Richard Gage was elected in
of Directors. He is vice president of
the Curtis L. Carlson Family
Foundation and works at
Nebulous/YourMLSsearch.com.
Martha (Kenney) Spriggs, who
teaches at Andersen United Community School, was surprised and
honored with a Milken Educator
Award, one of two given in Minnesota that recognizes outstanding
teachers.
99a new position as city finance
Teresa Walters recently began
director in Farmington, Minn. Previously she had been in the same position in Waseca, Minn.
Jane Helmke, managing editor
into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle
in September by the Upper Midwest
Chapter. Silver Circle members have
displayed superior contributions to
the television history and/or NATAS
for at least 25 years.
88named the New York 2009
Anne Panning was recently
03
03
Peter Samargia married Angela Gustafson on August 15
in Biwabik, Minn. They traveled
around Lake Vermillion on a houseboat for their honeymoon. Peter
runs his own business, Attitude
Goaltending, LLC, and is a goalie
coach for the Augsburg men’s
hockey team. Angela is a property
manager for Colliers Turley Martin
Tucker.
Emily Gerard and her husband, Craig Maus, welcomed
the birth of their second daughter,
Lilia, on November 17. Pictured
are Craig and Emily, with Lilia and
Caroline.
Jeffrey Nodland was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for
Texas Petrochemicals Inc. He is currently the president, CEO, and a director of KIK Custom Products.
80came director of business de-
Marianne (Lundberg) Kulka be-
Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She was
also awarded the Lillian H. Fairchild
Award by the University of Rochester
for her book, Super America. Her latest work has appeared in West
Branch, Ascent (www.readthebestwriting.com), River Teeth, and
Women and Gender, a Pearson
Longman textbook. She has recently
started a blog about reading, writing,
teaching, travel, and family called
www.thepapersandwich.blogspot.com.
01awarded a 2009 TRiO AchievRev. Rozenia Fuller was
ers Award from the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity
Program Personnel (MAEOPP). The
award recognizes outstanding former participants in the federal TRiO
programs who have made significant
civic, community, or professional
contributions. She was also recently
inducted into the 2009 Minneapolis
Community and Technical College
Hall of Fame.
03finance and human resources
Betty J. Vangorder, director of
at Apex Print Technologies, has
been recognized by Cambridge
Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in
financial operations. In her job, she
is responsible for managing financial
reporting for the company, budgeting, forecasting, overseeing 18 employees and performing human
resources duties.
Spring 2010
41
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 44
alumni class notes
06Minn., was awarded his certiLance Campbell, Stewartville,
fied public accountant license last
fall and was promoted to senior accountant at Wolter & Raak, Ltd. in
Rochester, Minn.
Michelle (Connolly) married Matthew
Ariola on July 11 at Majestic Oaks
Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn. They
honeymooned in Alaska and now
live in Blaine, Minn. Michelle is a
kindergarten teacher in Sorteberg Elementary School in Coon Rapids
and Matthew is starting his own
plumbing business.
06wife, Sophia, welcomed the
06MBA,Woodbury, Minn., re-
08(Peloquin) married on June
arrival of a son, Parker Andrew, on
August 27. Sam is a fourth-year divinity student and the student association vice president at Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Berkeley, Calif.
cently left her corporate job in
downtown Minneapolis to pursue
her passion with a career in real estate. She joined The Snyder Team at
Re/Max Results in Woodbury as a
residential realtor.
20, 2009. Sarah is a youth minister
in Cottage Grove, Minn., and Bryan
is a second-year law student at St.
Thomas. They currently live in
Woodbury, Minn.
Sam Kanenwisher and his
Kyle Loven performed his visionary
solo puppet show, my dear Lewis,
both in Seattle where he now lives
and in Minneapolis in March at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre as part of
an emerging artists program. A Seattle arts and culture paper called him
a “visionary new puppeteer” and a
“burgeoning genius.” See story at
http://augnet.augsburg.edu/news
archives/2010/03_08_10/kyle_loven.
html
Erin Schmoeckel ’08
Bryan Ludwig and Sarah
James Palan recently began as account executive in the advertising
department at the Rochester PostBulletin. He was formerly a personal
banker with Associated Bank.
Becky (Wolf) and Joe Kaarbo ’06
were married on October 3 in St.
Louis Park, Minn. Becky works at
the University of Wisconsin-Stout in
the Involvement and Leadership Office. Joe is the imaging coordinator
at Berkley Risk Administrators in
Minneapolis. Auggies in the wedding
included Joel Wolf ’02, Josh Wolf
’05, Chris Docken ’06, Erik Reynolds
’06, Carrie (Ohnerheim) Wolf ’02,
and Evan Boyce ’07.
09cluded Christine Esser ’09, Shawn Boonstra ’09, and Jason Jefferson ’09. Stacey is a substitute teacher in
Stacey (Kinder) married Ryan Plasch in August 2009 in Farmington, Minn. Auggies in the wedding party in-
Lakeville, Farmington, and Burnsville; Ryan is a mental health counselor for South Metro Human Services.
Gerard, Fridley, Minn.,
07Minnesota Certified Public Ac- 09Jenna
and her sister own Bravo! Procountant license and currently works
Nechia Agate received her
as a senior consultant for the Business Advisory Services practice at
Grant Thornton in Minneapolis.
Carolyn Mollner also earned her Certified Public Accountant certificate
last fall. She works at Best Buy as a
senior tax analyst.
42
Augsburg Now
ductions and created a two-woman
musical revue, “Christmas Again?”
that spoofed Christmas customs. It
ran at the Sunshine Factory in New
Hope, Minn., during Christmas last
fall. Jenna is currently a student at
the University of Wisconsin-River
Falls.
Kathryn MacAulay is currently one of
the 14 Fulbright English Teaching
Assistants in Malaysia, and is living
in Kemaman, Terenganu.
Graduate Programs
Erik Bredeson ’06 MBA married
Tasha Clifford on May 30, 2009, in
Kihel, Maui, Hawaii. Erik works in
medical sales; they live in St. Louis
Park, Minn.
Ryan May ’07 MBA was recently
hired at Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) as a vice president.
Sarah Marie (Larson) ’07 MSW married Leon Peter Kyalo on October 3.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 45
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Johnson, Vernel ’42, Tucson, Ariz.,
age 90, on Oct. 20, after a long
illness.
English, Dr. Nancy ’73, Duluth,
Minn., age 57, on Aug. 8, of cardiac arrest.
Myrvik, Quentin ’45, Caswell
Beach, N.C., age 88, on Dec. 13.
He is a 1960 Distinguished Alumnus.
Hain, Ramon “Ray” ’81, Roseville,
Minn., age 50, on Nov. 21.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Agrimson, Robb Joel ’83, St. Paul,
age 49, on Jan. 6.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Woodcock, Delores ’89, Bloomington, Minn., age 83, on Dec. 12.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Connors, Patrick ’07, Vail, Colo.,
age 28, on Dec. 30.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Midtling, Rev. John ’49, Minneapolis, age 86, on Oct. 20.
Elmberg, Rev. Donald ’50, Mound,
Minn., age 85, on Dec. 29.
Rust, Alice (Gjesdahl) ’53,
Burnsville, Minn., on Dec. 30.
Foss Jr, Alfred “Bud” ’54, Hot
Springs, Ark., age 77, on Oct. 28.
Seaver, Dean ’60, Le Sueur, Minn.,
age 73, on Jan. 12.
Thorpe, Neal O. ’60, Vancouver,
Wash., age 71, on March 3. He
taught biology, served as department chair at Augsburg College,
and is a 2001 Distinguished
Alumnus.
Hovland, Rev. Peter ’62, Mora,
Minn., on Dec. 21.
VanDeVoorde, Elaine, Rochester,
Minn., on Oct. 26. She was a
Master of Arts in Education student in Rochester.
Mark, Cindy, Cedar Lake Township,
Minn., age 61, on Dec. 13, of
cancer. She taught in Augsburg’s
program at the Minnesota
Women’s Correctional FacilityShakopee.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Wrightsman, Rev. Bruce, Decorah,
Iowa, age 75, on Oct. 4, of heart
failure and amyloidosis. He taught
math, physics, and philosophy at
Augsburg College, 1960–63.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Hunt, Duane ’62, Lakewood, Colo.,
on Nov. 13.
Spring 2010
43
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 46
my
Auggie experience
Aquila Tapio ’10 MAE
Naadamaadiwin—Helping one another
When she was growing up, Aquila Tapio said she never really knew
what she wanted to do. “I just wanted to help people,” she said.
Until recently, Tapio and her husband helped Native American
children as foster parents through the Indian Child Welfare Act
program. And then after the birth of her second child, she decided
it was time for her to return to the workforce.
“I wanted to help Native American kids and keep doing the
work we were doing at home,” she says. So when Tapio discovered
Augsburg’s tribal special education program, she knew she had
found the right fit.
Naadamaadiwin, Ojibwe for “helping one another,” is a partnership between the University of Minnesota-Duluth Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization and the Augsburg
College Master of Arts in Education program. Naadamaadiwin is a
special education licensure program in emotional behavioral disorders and learning disabilities with a focus on the unique needs of
Native American children.
For Tapio, a member of the Oglala Lakota in South Dakota,
working with Native children and families through the education
system is important because education is a “touchy issue” for Native Americans. “We need teachers who know where people come
from and who understand the history and trauma families have experienced,” she says. “Having a Native teacher provides comfort to
students and their parents.”
Tapio is completing her student teaching this term at Longfellow
Humanities Magnet School in St. Paul. She says the Naadamaadiwin program has given her a new way to give Native children the
consistency and support they need. “No matter how many times
you have to tell them something, they will pick it up,” she says.
“They are capable. They can do anything.”
Naadamaadiwin is a two-year cohort-based program with classes
meeting primarily online. For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/admissions/mae/ and click “Licensure Options.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
44
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 47
Lisa Zeller and Glenn Fuller are founding
partners of the The Phaedrus Group (1994),
a national training and consulting firm.
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL
and Glenn Fuller
an
augsburg legacy
“In addition to an education, Augsburg provided me with the
confidence and skills to think critically, to see what’s possible,
and to create opportunities. I want to make sure that future
generations have this same opportunity.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
So, when Glenn and I sat down to do our estate planning and
consider our legacy, it was important for us to commit a
percentage of our estate to Augsburg College.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 48
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Second Augsburg Powwow
The Augsburg Indigenous Student Association hosted a
traditional powwow on Saturday, March 20, in Si Melby
Hall. To view more photos from the powwow, go to
www.flickr.com/photos/augsburgcollege.
Show less
T V
.a
The Magazine of Augsburg College
English 111 Bishop Marl< Hanson
Annual report Velkommen Jul sweets
Homecoming 2009 Professor Lisa Jacl<
'J
!.,
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Ir
possrible
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norga rd@a ugsbu rg.ed
u
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza '05 MAL
ru mpza@augsburg.edu
fro... Show more
T V
.a
The Magazine of Augsburg College
English 111 Bishop Marl< Hanson
Annual report Velkommen Jul sweets
Homecoming 2009 Professor Lisa Jacl<
'J
!.,
þ
Ir
possrible
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norga rd@a ugsbu rg.ed
u
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza '05 MAL
ru mpza@augsburg.edu
from President Pribbenow
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler'06
wheelerw@a ugsbu rg.ed u
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski'08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geff re@a ugsburg.edu
.
few years ago my good friend and predecessor as Augsburg's president, Bill Frame,
introduced me to Burton Clark's work on the
concept of saga as it relates to the distinctive character and identity of colleges and universities. A saga, according to Clark, is more than
story-all of us
a
have stories. A saga is more of a
mythology-a sense of history and purpose and
direction that is told in vocabulary and narrative that
accounts for a college's DNA, its essence even-and
it abides in the people, programs, and values that
define an institution.
Clark contends that not every institution has a
saga. Sometimes this is a function of not being true
to founding values. At other times it can be occasioned by a change of location or core mission. Still
other institutions have not found a way to link theìr
pasts, presents, and futures in a coherent narrative.
I believe firmly that Augsburg does have a saga,
and it runs deep in the culture and meaning of our
work here together. My exploration of Augsburg's rich
history has surfaced several themes that are central
to our saga. I think you will recognize them:
founders who believed that education should be for
all, no matter their circumstances, and that the
quality of that education should be of the highest
order because that is what God expects of those
faithful servants who have been given the gift to
teach. This is our distinctive gift for the world, an
educational experience like no other available to
those who might otherwise not have the opportunity.
This is our distinctive gift for students from many
different backgrounds and experiences. This is our
distinctive gift to have a community in which access
to education is celebrated and encouraged and, yes,
even demanded. We dare not keep back any of the
educational opportunity with which we have been
entrusted because it is our distinctive gift from our
You
will read in the following
rent students and alumni who have been welcomed
at Augsburg and offered a demanding and relevant
education that serves them for a lifetime. ln these
stories I trust that you will find-as I have come to
know in my experience here-that our saga, our
DNA, our values, and character lead us to pursue
the pursuit of freedom through a liberal arts
approach to learning, by serving our neighbor and
the world, and by the centrality of faith to our vision
Augsburg experience available to all who will be
formed by our college's rare and distinctive vision of
education for lives of meaningful work and faithful
of education.
service. lt's a saga worth retelling and celebrating!
Another central theme in our saga is powerfully
illustrated in the articles in this issue of the
Augsburg's high-quality education accessible to all
learning, and service. Our commitment to an accessible education is a remarkable legacy from our
Jeff Shelman
shelman@a ugsbu rg.edu
Sports lnformation Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.ed
u
l)irector of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@a ugsbu rg.ed
u
wwwaugsburg.edu
I
I
Augsburg Nowis published by
Augsburg College
f
I
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
I
i
221 1 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
0pinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
lr
I
l
ll
I
tssN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to
Advancement Services
cB t42
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
hea lyk@a ugsb
We believe deeply in making
those who seek to learn at the intersections of faith,
Director of l{ews and
Media Services
pages about cur-
ever more avidly a commitment to making an
/Vor.,r¡.
barnesb@a ugsburg.ed u
ancestors and our gracious and loving God.
Augsburg is shaped by an immigrant sensibility, by
Augsburg
Webmaster//far 0nline
Bryan Barnes
u
rg.ed u
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1 181
Fax:612-330-1780
fall 2009
Features
English 111
compiled by Wendi Wheeler '06
Velkommen Jul's sweet traditions
compiled by Betsey Norgard
Finding perspective
by
Jeff Shel
man
Iliscovering joy in the challenges of leadership
by
Jeff Shelman
Making Augsburg possible
by Wendi Wheeler '06
Annual report to donors, 2008-09
ct)
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Depa rtments
4
Around the Ouad
6
Spotlight-Trip to Egypt
I
Auggies on the field
g
It takes an Auggie
12
Auggie voices
't3
Homecoming 2009
47
Alumni news
52
Class notes
56
My Auggie experience
0n the cover
Juventino Meza Rodriguez arrived in St. Paul from Mexico at age 15
Through determination, hard work, and a lot of support, he's one of
the many students helped into college by Admission Possible.
6 ffi
¡iFiw
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
6
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First-year day students began their semester with
City Service Day, spending an afternoon working on
I
prolects in the neighborhoods around Augsburg.
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around the
Augsburg keeps going green
Sustainability Awareness Month
September on campus not only included the beginning of fall
classes, but a month-long series of events and activities
designed to raise awareness and change habits related to
sustai nabi I ity.
Sustainability Awareness Month (SAM) was the brainchild of
Augsburg students, several of whom participated in faculty-led
study abroad programs, including Sustainable Cities in North
America with Professors Lars Christiansen and Nancy Fischer in
the summer of 2008.
After students in the course worked with A'viands to create a
composting program in Augsburg's dining facilities last year,
their next step toward a more environmentally friendly and sus-
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Augsburg was the afternoon location of the West Bank Farmers Market each week, bringing
fresh, locally-grown vegetables to the Augsburg community.
tainable campus was a month of events.
"We want this to bring the campus together," said senior
Kjerstin Hagen, a leader on the project. "lt takes all of us to
e
make this happen."
Each week was centered around a different theme, with
tabling, information, activities, and speakers, including nationally known author and activist, Bill McKibben. The themes for
SAM were waste reduction and management, alternative trans-
portation, alternative energy and consumption, and connecting
communitìes through food.
Community Garden and Farmers Market
Augsburg's community garden increased this summer as an additional area was turned into garden plots. A total of 40 plots grew
produce and flowers for the Augsburg community and neighborhood residents and organizations.
didn't grow their own vegetables in the commugarden,
nity
fresh produce was available each week on campus
at the West Bank Farmers Market, a project of the Brian Coyle
Augsburg students joined 5,000 groups around the world that marked the lnternati0nal
Day of Climate Action sponsored by 350.0rg. The number signifies the highest safe level of
carbon emissions in parts per million.
For those who
Center and Augsburg Campus Kitchen. Three farm families sold
their locally-grown and eco-friendly vegetables and herbs during
the summer and into the early cold fall at Brian Coyle Center in
bring about action to reduce atmospheric carbon emissions to 350
ppm, deemed the highest safe level by NASA scientists.
Auggie students led bikers to the State Capitol for a rally on the
Capitol lawn, sponsored by the Will Steger Foundation, Oxfam, 1Sky,
and Augsburg in support of global climate change action. Rep. Betty
the morning and at Augsburg by Foss Center in the afternoon.
McOollum and Rep. Keith Ellison, among other legislators, told
those gathered to "keep your voices loud."
350 lnternational l)ay of Climate Action
Augsburg students planned a full day on October 24 as part of
the lnternational Day of Climate Action, the project of Bill
The bikers arrived back on campus in time to join a crowd at halftime on the footballfield for a photo that was posted online at
McKibben and 350.0rg. Activities around the world aimed to
and Day Student Body Government.
4
www.350.org. The halftime event was sponsored by Campus Ministry
Augsburg Now
I
7-
Mayor meets with students
After returning from New Zealand last summer,
Richmond Appleton '09 was so enthusiastic that he
wrote a letter t0 Minneapolis mayor
R.T. Rybak.
Applelon was in l{ew Zealand lor five weeks
with 25 students led by biology professor Brian
Corner and political science professor loe
Underhill to study Biodiversity and Environmental
Politics. "tveryone is aware of the environment,
of sustainability, of food production, and energy
use. From the north island to the south island,
everything is consistent."
Appleton, a senior environmental studies maior,
Ever Cat Fuels in lsanti, Minn., opened its plant t0 produce biodiesel from the Mcgyan process, which has
student, faculty, and alumni r00ts at Augsburg.
Ever Cat Fuels opens in lsanti
Minneapolis. He contacted Rybak, a strong sup-
What began as a student research project in a Science Hall laboratory made
another step toward changing how fuel will be produced in the future when Ever
porter of sustainability efforts, who welcomed
Cat Fuels held a grand opening for its biodiesel plant in late September.
wanted to bring ideas from l{ew Zealand back to
such a meeting.
Kjerstin Hagen'10, an American lndian studies
major who studied urban sustainability last summer in Portland, 0re., and Vancouver, 8.C., joined
The plant, located about 40 miles north of campus in lsanti, Minn., is expected to
produce about 3 million gallons of biodiesel per year when fully operational. lt represents the first large-scale application of the Mcgyan process of making biodiesel.
The Mcgyan process came out of research by Augsburg undergraduate and
Appleton at the meeting. She was one of the stu-
Rhodes scholar Brian Krohn'08 and creates biodiesel from waste oils. The process
dents involved in implementing Augsburg's com-
doesn't require food stock to work and doesn't create any waste products.
The Mcgyan process-named for Ever Cat Fuels founder and Augsburg alumnus
posting program and planning Sustainability
Awareness Month.
Ihe students shared their travel experiences
with Rybak and told him about ongoing sustainability efforts at Augsburg, many of which were initiated by students. "Augsburg is doing exactly what
I believe in," Rybak said.
The three agreed that informing and educating
the community is an important factor in promoting
urban sustainability. Rybak encouraged Appleton
Clayton McNeff '91, Augsburg chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg, and Ever Cat scientist Ben Yan-has certainly attracted a lot of attention.
"When I see something like this, it's everythingthat we talk about in
Washington," said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who spoke at the grand opening.
McNeff said Ever Cat Fuels is already planning to expand its facility in lsanti. ln
addition, the company is licensing the Mcgyan process, and it is expected that
other biodiesel facilities will be built across the country and the world.
McNeff also said that a donation to Augsburg's planned Center for Science,
Business, and Religion will be made for each gallon of biodiesel sold.
and Hagen to sign up for one of the city's committees so that they could continue lheir work outside
of Augsburg.
22nd Annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Striving for Peace: A Question 0f Will
March 5-6, 2010 at Augsburg College
Honoring 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Martti Ahtisaari
lnternational peace negotialor
and former president of Finland
www.peaceprizeforum.org
Sponsored by Augsburg College, Augustana College (Sioux Falls), Concordia College
(Moorhead), luther College, and St. 0laf College
Fall
2009
5
around the
Augsburg's first travel to Egypt
As a child, I spent most of my summers in Egypt. When I became
language and culture. After learning about the history of Nubia and
director of the Pan-Afrikan Center, I proposed taking students to
Egypt so they could study in a country with both a rich history and
current events of interest. After a year-and-a-half of planning and
its relationship to Egypt, the students spent the day with a Nubian
community located in Aswan.
We later ventured to Hurghada, a city on the Red Sea located in
the Eastern Desert. We drove over an hour to visit a Bedouin community with only 30 members. Due to the harsh nature of the
desert, all of their water comes from a local well, and they raise
the animals needed to survive. We shared a meal with this community, which allowed the students to experience the vast expanse
and isolation of the desert. lt was eye-opening to see what it takes
to survive there.
0ur trip to Egypt evoked a lot of thoughts and feelings within
our students. They had to interact with people who speak different
languages, practice different religions, and come from a very differ-
collaborating with Professor Phil Adamo, who teaches ancient history at Augsburg, we arrived last May in Cairo wilh 22 students. We
began our journey in Africa's largest city, a 1,OOO-year-old metropolis that is home to more than 20 million people. Beyond Cairo,
our three-week excursion took us through Alexandria, Luxor,
Aswan, and Hurghada.
0ur two courses covered Ethnicity and ldentity in Ancient and
Modern Egypt, focusing on Egypt's ancient past and exploring its
modern identity, including a discussion of religion. Although Egypt
has an overwhelming Muslim majority there is also a significant
Orthodox Christian community. As such, students visited some of
the oldest lslamic mosques and Christian churches and monasteries in the world. 0ne stop was Al-Azhar University and mosque,
which is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the
world. We later went to the Hanging Church, one of the sites said
to have been visited by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Outside of Cairo,
we visited St. Makarios Monastery, another monastery on the Holy
Family's travels through Egypt.
ln discussing Egypt's place in the ancient world, we acknowledged that ancìent Egyptian
society is often over-romanti-
cized, Ieading to a diff iculty in
reconciling the past with the
current state of affairs. To give
context and help students
understand the many changes
Egypt has undergone, we
explored Egypt's relations with
its neighbors, both past and
present. Our f irst stop, Abu
Simbel, is an ancient temple
built by the Egyptians, in an
area then known as Nubia, to
show Egypt's dominance in the
region. Although Nubia is no
longer a separate kingdom, the
Nubian people have a distinct
6
Augsburg Now
È
ent worldview. We challenged stereotypes, explored history, and
dug deep into what it means to be an American traveling overseas.
cities, resorts, mountains, and deserts on our
quest to learn more about Egypt. lt was a wonderful experience to
take students to the place where my family originated, and I look
forward to possibly going back.
We traveled through
MOHAMED SALLAM
Director of the Pan-Afrikan Center and instructor in the Departments of Sociology and History
a7-
Two new regents elected to board
The Augsburg Corporation,
at its annual meeting in
September, elected two new
members to the Board of
NEW
Bt00MlNGIf)l{ CEI{TER-Augsburg students
can now study toward an MBA or a Master of Arts in
Leadership degree in Bloomingon at St. Stephen
Regents and re-elected six
lutheran Church, conveniently located near l-494
others.
and France Ave. For graduates of nearby
Elected to a four-year
term on the Augsburg Board
of Regents:
Ann Ashton-Piper (above
left)
Ann Ashton-Piper is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and has worked
extensively in the information technology field and is president of The Bridgie
Group, a small lT consulting firm. She is active in her church, Peace Lutheran
Church in Bloomington, where she recently chaired the Call Committee. She
and her husband, Ken, who is an architect, are also active in theìr community,
supporting local nonprofit and charitable organizations such as Lake Country
School, Groves Academy, and the Children's Theater Company. They have five
children and live in Bloomington.
Normandale Community Gollege, a bachelor's
degree completion program (AA to BA)
i¡
communi-
cation studies or business administration is
planned at the new Bloomington Center.
NEW S()ClAl- W0R|íMBA DUAL DEGREE-A new
MSWMBA dual degree is specifically designed
for
MSW alumni who completed the Program I)evelop-
ment, Policy, and Administration (PDPA) c0ncentra-
tion; it will offer the knowledge, experience, and
values necessary for success in both business and
human services systems.
Lisa Novotny'80 (above right)
URBAII DEBATE IEAûUE AT AUûSBURG-llow part
Lisa Novotny'80 is vice president, Human Resources at General Mills, and
Augsburg's Sabo Genter for Citizenship and Learn-
has responsibility for human resource strategy and leadership across the sup-
ing, the Minnesota Urban Debate league (MNUI)L)
ply chain and iechnology organization. Prior to General Mills, she held similar
positions for Dain Bosworth and First Bank System. Novotny received her
sponsors six high school programs and three junior
Bachelor of Science degree in social work and Spanish from Augsburg College
St. Paul, serving several hundred students, teach-
ol
high school debate programs in Minneapolis and
in 1980 and a Master of Arts in industrial relations from the University of Min-
ers, and coaches. lt is one ol the college-readiness
nesota. She and her husband, Rev. lVìark Flaten, are members of Edina Community Lutheran Church. They have two daughters; one of them is a current
partnerships Augsburg supp0rts t0 provide access
to underserved and low-income high school stu-
Augsburg sophomore.
dents in the Twin Cities.
Elected to a second, six-year term was:
'65, chairman, Swenson Anderson Financial Group
"LlVE l-lFE
. Dan Anderson
AT THE STRETï
LEVEI"-Day student
body president Sam Smith welcomed first-year
Elected to second, four-year terms were:
Hagfors, founder and president (retired), Norsen, lnc.
. Jodi Harpstead, chief operating officer, Lutheran Social Service of lVìinnesota
. Dean Kennedy'75, president, TFI Securities
. Marie McNeff, academic dean (retired) and professor emerita of education,
. Norman
.
Augsburg College
Paul Mueller'84, physician and chair of internal medìcine, Mayo Clinic
students at the opening convocation with a mes-
sa!e: "At Augsburg my life and my learning have
been enriched by the constant reminder thal the
city and the community are the largest classrooms
you can find.
... Where I currently live,
on the
l3th floor of Mortensen Hall, the view of downtown
Minneapolis is both beautiful and intimidating. Up
that high, it's impossible to make out faces or
street signs. At street level, though, life in the
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Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods
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doesn'l seem as complicated, foreign, or hectic
as it appears from the bedroom. My hope [is that
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2009
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Campus Kitchen wins youth philanthropy award
{ugsburg's Campus Kitchen program was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals with the Outstanding Youth Award
for 2009 at National Philanthropy Day in Minneapolis in November. Augsburg students were recognized for the program they
largely plan and run that serves more than 1,700 meals each
month to low-income and homeless persons, and communities in
need in the Cedar-Riverside and Phillips neighborhoods.
The student leadership team of 8-12 Augsburg student volunteers provides the essential component for the program-people
power. Under direction of the staff coordinator and two student
interns, the team coordinates other volunteers for three cooking
shifts and six food deliveries each week. Meals are prepared, stored
overnight, and delivered the following day. The students also gìve
of their heart, providing conversation and offering companionship
to the individuals they serve.
The Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College was established in
October 2003 and is one of only 15 Campus Kitchen organizations
around the country. The program brings together the college dining
service, local community groups, and individuals to plan, prepare,
The Campus K¡tchen at Augsburg received the y0uth philanthr0py award, recognizing
lhe work ol the students and volunteers who serve 1,700 meals per month in the
neighborhoods around Augsburg.
deliver, and serve meals.
ln the past two years, Campus Kitchen has expanded its activities:
.
A'viands food service-From their arrival at Augsburg ìn June
2008, A'viands, a local food service provider, has embraced
Campus Kitchen and provides access to food that would otherwise be thrown away. Donations also come from community food-
.
. Summer Garden
and Nutrition Education Project-Augsburg students teach neighborhood youth from the Brian Coyle Community
Center and Somali Confederation about health, nutrition, garden-
banks and other institutions.
.
Communìty Supported Agriculture (CSA)-Campus Kitchen is the
site coordinator for all Augsburg CSA shares and receìves six
shares through Ploughshare Farm's Food for Folk Project.
Community garden-Over three years, Augsburg's community garden has provided space for neighborhood residents, Augsburg
employees, and community organizations to grow their own food.
ing skills, and cooking nutritious meals.
.
West Bank Farmers Market-ln partnership with the Coyle
Center, local farmers selltheir produce once a week during the
summer in the morning at Coyle Center and in the afternoon at
Augsburg-and often donate unsold food to Campus Kitchen.
. Service-learning-Augsburg
history students get hands-on learning about how resources are collected, distrìbuted, and controlled
in the "living text" of Augsburg's Campus Kitchen.
ln its six years, Campus Kitchen has been the recipient of three
awards recognizing the program's outstanding service and
achievements: Student Organization of the Year, given by
Augsburg College; Harry Chapin Self-Reliance Award, given by
World Hunger Year in 2OO4; and the Great ldea Award, given by
America's Promise. Read more about Campus Kitchen at
www.
a
ugsbu rg. ed u/cam puskitchen.
BTTSEY NORGARD
flr
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View more photos and learn more about why Campus Kitchen was nominated
for the youth philanthropy award at www.augsburg.edu/now
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age 77, Herb Chilstrom '54 got an offer he couldn't refuse. The retired ELCA
presiding bishop was invited to serve as interim director of the Linnaeus Arboretum
at Gustavus Adolphus College while its director is overseas for ayear. The transition
from Chilstrom's 50-plus years as pastor and bishop to administrative gardener, he
AI
tells his friends, was easy: "l'm going from tending flocks to tending phlox."
Chilstrom gained an appreciation and love for gardening from his mother, a gardener ahead of her time who, along with her husband, pul organically grown food
on their table. He pursued that interest in retirement when he studied to become a
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master gardener.
"lt turned out to
be one of the most enjoyable educational experiences l've ever
had," he says.
When the Chilstroms moved to a townhome in St. Peter, Minn., Herb volunteered
his services to the arboretum. For seven years he nurtured flowerbeds back to
blooming beauty and created a vegetable garden behind the restored settlers'
cabin-which was a necessity for every settler, as well as his own family, During this
time the arboretum began to restore more than 80 acres back to its native prairie.
Now as interim director, he has enjoyed launching "The Linnaeus Order of
Nasturtiums," a cadre of volunteers who tend the arboretum's flora. lVlostly retirees,
the order has "taken off like gangbusters," Chilstrom says. Despite the initiation,
that is, which requires each volunteer to eat a nasturtium blossom laced with
cream cheese.
"People are almost begging to get into the order," says Chilstrom. He has
recruited 20 volunteers in two months, and all have passed the initiation.
For Chilstrom, this second "calling" also has theological roots. He says that
while Lutherans consider Christ's life, death, and resurrection in the Second Article
of the Creed as the heart of Christian faith, "we may have emphasized it to the
point where we don't appreciate as much as we should the First Article, about creation as the gift of God."
"Being involved in a place like the arboretum," Chilstrom continues, "gives me a
chance to create some balance, to be committed to making this place as beautiful
as it can be in a world that is quite broken, where we don't appreciate the gifts of
nature, and where there's so much desecration of the environment."
It's also a chance for some historical reflection. Chilstrom recounts how so many
settlers, including his great-grandparents, arrived in lVìinnesota penniless and
began breaking up the prairie, with disregard for Native peoples and their land.
"Now when we recapture part of that into native prairie, we are helping people
step back and think about what it was like for Native Americans to live here, how
they survived in that setting, and the beauty of the prairie," he says.
ln sum, Chilstrom says, "lfeel that in my retirement I've been uniquely blessed
to be located in a place like this where I can think about some of these good ihings
that are important to us."
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HfIMECOMING 2OO9
September 28-0ctober 4
Despite the rains and chilly weather, spirits were high at the 2009
Auggie Adventure, as hundreds of alumni, students, faculty/staff,
and friends celebrated Homecoming. 0ueen Jamie Krumenauer
and King Kevin Khottavongsa presided at the football game halftime festivities and cheered the Auggies despite their loss to
Hamline, 38-28. Alums sampled classes from Augsburg professors, met fellow alumni authors, enjoyed their reunions, and
ended the weekend with a bang at the fireworks display.
Fall
2009
13
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2009
Augg¡e Adventure
14
Augsburg Now
DISTINGUISHEIl ALUMNI
FIRST ]lECA]lE AWARIl
Tove Dahl'84 and Curt Rice'84
Tove Dah
l-Associate
Professor,
Psychology, University of Tromsø, Norway
Curt Rice-Director, Center for Advanced
Study in Theoretical Linguistics, University
Brenda Talarico, '99 PA
Assistant Professor, Physician
Assistant Program, Augsburg Col lege
of TromsØ, Norway
SPIRIT fIF AUGSBURG
AWARD
Phebe Hanson '50
Poet, teacher, founding member of
The Loft Literary Center
James E. Haglund, Augsburg Regent
Emeritus and Parent
President and Owner, Central
Contai ner Corporation ; Co-owner of
Spectrum Screen Printing
Joyce (Anderson) Pfaff '65
Professor Emerita of Health and
Physical Education, Augsburg College
2flO9 ATHLETIC HALL flF FAME
Bob Arvold '82, Wrestlìng
Joel Engel '87, lvlen's Basketball
Matt Farley'88, Baseball
Dallas Miller'88, lvìen's Hockey
Ruth 0lson '60, Women's Basketball
Sonja Slack Payne '91, Softbatt, Tennis
Drew Privette '89, Football, Men's Hockey
Richard Thorud '56
Daniel Roff '82, Football
Retired engineer, Toro Company
Stefanie Lodermeier Strusz '98, women's Basketball
@
For more aboul Homecoming and the alumni award winners, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall
2009
15
THE DESTINATION IS THE SAME: EARNING A COLLEGE DEGREE. BUT THE PATHS
TO THAT CAN BE AS DIFFERENT AS DAY AND WEEKEND/EVENING.
For many, Augsburg College is a traditional liberal arts college with 18- to 22-year-olds
ENGLISH
living on or near campus. lt's the place where they went just a few months after graduating from high school and spent the next four years.
There is another side to Augsburg as well. lt's one where classes are held on Fridays,
Saturdays, Sundays, and some evenings. ln this evening and weekend program, students
are older, they are more likely to have a full-time job, and they often juggle more family
responsibilities than traditional day students. They study in both Rochester and
lVinneapolis, at four locations.
While the two groups are demographically different, the education they receive is as
close to the same as possible. For example, business majors in the day program take the
same courses as business majors in the evening and weekend program at all locations.
Where the education differs has more to do with the life experiences students bring to
the classroom.
As one way to see this, we talked to students and faculty members in a day and
weekend section of English 111. This class, Effective Writing, is one that nearly every
Augsburg student takes. As seen in their favorite books and authors, the younger day
students tend toward escape fantasy and horror fiction, exploring the dark and the
macabre. The older weekend/evening students show more interest in philosophy, psychology, and spìrituality-perhaps seekìng more understanding, meaning, and comfort
their lives. Enjoy "meeting" these Augsburg students.
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER
16
Augsburg Now
in
by the numbers
EVENINû/WËEKENI)
UNI|ERGRADUATE
PR0GRAM (Minneapolis Campus)
DAY UNDERGRAI)UATE PR()GRAM
Total students enrolled: 809
Total students enrolled: 2,01 3
Average age: 35
Average age:
Male/female rat¡o: 37/63
21
Male/female ratio: 50/50
Students of color: l5%
Students of color (total): 25%
Students of color (first-year class): 42%
Fall
2009
17
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sweet trad¡t¡ons
Velkommen Jul is one of Augsburg's most popular traditions, a Scandinavìan
welcome to the holiday season. Augsburg alumni and friends look forward each
year to the splendid banquet of sweets and treats provided by the Augsburg
Associates.
Enjoy these cookie recipes that come from the hands and hearts of the
Associates. Some recipes date back generations to family members who
attended Augsburg Seminary in the late 1800s.
JOIN US AT VELKOMIVìEN JUL ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4,
BEGINNING WITH CHAPEL AT 10:15 A.M.
COMPILED BY BETSEY NORGARD
Fall
2009
19
{
{
Grandma Rand's Krumkake
1 pt. whipping cream
1 c. sugar
l tsp. vanilla
2 c. f|our
Pinch of salt
1 c. milk
Whip cream until stiff . Add sugar gradually. Mix vanilla and
add flour and salt, which have been sifted together. Add milk
slowly, beating constantly. Bake in krumkake iron, a teaspoon-
ful at a time (no more). Remove from iron and roll immediately.
Makes about 10 dozen.
Fattigmann
Berliner Kranser
Þ
6
6
6
2
6
egg yolks, 3 egg whites
Tbl. sugar
Tbl. cream
Tbl. melted butter
2 hard cooked egg yolks
Il2 c. sugar
2 raw egg yolks
1 c. butter
f
2-712 c. flour (use less)
fat for frying
cardamom seeds
lour
salt
van
Beat egg yolks and whites together until
illa
thick and lemon colored. Add sugar and
Mash cooked egg yolks with fork. Add sugar and
continue beating; add cream and beat
again; blend in butter. Crush cardamom
seeds to powder and add with enough
flour to make a dough f irm enough to roll
work into a wet and pasty mixture. Add raw egg
yolks and mix well. Add butter and mix. Add flour,
salt, and vanilla. Take dough about the size of a
walnut and roll into pencil shape about seven
inches long. Form a ring, overlap ends (like a pret-
Roll thin as paper, cut into diamond
shapes about 5 x
sprinkle with powdered sugar.
*
Augsburg Now
inches. Deep-fry
brown. Drain on absorbent paper and
e,
20
2-Il2
in hot fat 2-3 minutes or until golden
zel). Dip in raw egg white, then into crushed loaf
sugar. Bake a|325 degrees until light brown.
Mom's Rosettes
4,t
I
1
1
I
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbl. sugar
3/4 c. milk (can use whole or skim)
.#
dü
Il4 c. waler
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. f lour
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
Heat oil in a deepfryer to 375 degrees. (Be sure to
have a thermometer in the oil as you fry the
rosettes and maintain an average of 375.) Put the
rosette iron in the oil as it heats-a hot iron and
oil temperature are most important for crisp
rosettes.
Jule Spritz
{
1 c. butter
1 tsp. almond extract
2-tl2 c. flour
Batter: ln a deep bowl, lightly whip the eggs, salt,
and sugar with a fork, just to mix. Don't overbeat
it. Combine the milk, water, and vanilla. Alternately add 1/3 of the liquid and 1/3 of the flour to
the egg mixture and repeat until all are mixed. lf
the batter isn't smooth, put through a sieve to
remove the lumps.
4 small egg yolks (or 3 large)
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream sugar and butter, add almond extract
and egg yolks and beat well. Add flour and
salt. Put cookie dough in cookie press and
press out cookies on cookie sheet. Decorate
Lay out paper toweling on cookie sheets to cool the
rosettes after frying. Have a bowl of sugar for dipping the hot rosette into after it comes off the iron.
with red and green sugar. Bake about 12
minutes at 400 degrees.
A couple of forks will be useful to remove the
rosette from the iron.
With hot oil and hot iron a|375 degrees, and
absorbent cloth or several paper towels ready,
quickly remove the rosette iron from the oil,
quickly shake off any excess oil over the deepfryer,
dab the iron on the paper towel, and quickly
immerse the iron into the rosette batter-not going
over the top edge of the rosette iron-and quickly
return the iron to the deepfryer. After about 15-20
seconds in the oil for a light brown color, gently
remove the rosette from the iron using a fork. Be
sure to keep the iron in the oil heating as the
rosette continues to brown; turn it with the forks to
get uniform browning; and remove from the oil
with the forks and place on paper toweling with
the hollow side down to drain off any excess oil
While warm, dip in sugar. Cool completely and
store in large cookie tin in a cool place. Makes
approximately 36 rosettes.
Fall
2009
21
Ð
perspective
BY JEFF SHTLMAN
I
22
Augsb
s'
Lisa Jack
It was a summer of mood swings
and wide-ranging emotions.
ln May, Lisa Jack found herself on the
cover of the los Angeles Times'Calendar
section. The Augsburg psychology professor had a camera around her neck as
is talk of a Paris showing of the photos
"The majority of students, they enjoy
being engaged and challenged," Jack
said. "l love challenging them and to be
that until two years ago were housed in a
chal lenged. "
basement box, Jack is far less interested
than she was even this summer.
That's because real life suddenly
While Jack's photos have been seen
across the globe and she has been inter-
While the 36 photos of 0bama are
now on display at Occidental, and there
reappeared.
0n July 25, doctors told Jack's
viewed by outlets ranging from The New
York Times to the television show Exfra,
Jack has never heard a word from
mother that she has ovarian cancer. ln
examining her family history, Jack and
Obama or anyone at the White House.
her sister were then told that they are
ings with Obama in recent years, is all
right with that. She understands the job
he has to do and that the photos are
from a long time ago. And she also has
display at a hip West Hollywood art
genetically predisposed for the disease.
And because there isn't a way to screen
for ovarian cancer, the only way for Jack
to protect herself would be to have sur-
gallery.
gery herself.
she sat cross-legged and dressed in
black in the California sun. Her 1980
photographs of now-President Barack
Obama-which were originally published
in
Time magazine-were about to go on
She had become the photographer
she wanted to be at the time she took
those photos when they were both under-
graduates at Occidental College. There
was now enough buzz about her work for
singer-songwriter Seal to check out the
photos. Her photographs captured what
she has described as Obama's youth and
playfulness. And she knew she wanted
some sort of platform."
With Jack needing to help provide
care for her mother in New York and
planning for a significant medical
procedure of her own, Jack was
pictures.
forced to adjust her teaching load
at the last minute. Jack was not
years.
New camera in tow, she spent part of
her summer in North Dakota shooting
photos of professional rodeo cowboys
and the livestock they ride. She began
conversations about some photography
projects. She was excited about rediscovering what she had once thought
would be a career.
"Once I purchased the camera, I went
to practice at the IUniversity of
able to teach an AugSem first-year
seminar and is llmited to one psychology internship course for
upperclass students.
"l was adamant that I teach
this semester," she said. "l have
to have a life. I can't be all cancer all the time. And I love to
teach. I have a class of seniors
and I know them all. lt'll be
fun."
Because while Jack's love
of photography was rekindled
Minnesota'sl Raptor Center," Jack said.
"When I put everything in my computer,
I said, '0h my God.' I didn't lose any
when she unearthed the
nearly 3O-year-old photos of
vision. "
Obama, she still wants to
All was great, right?
Not so fast. Because that part of the
summer seems so long ago.
some new-fou nd perspective.
"lt's an ugly, horrible, heinous disease," Jack said. "They call it the
silent killer. I've done a U-turn into a
cancer activist. But maybe it was the
point in finding those photos, to have
to continue telling stories through
That's why Jack began taking photographs again for the first time in many
Jack, who has had two chance meet-
teach. With an extremely outgoing personality and non-stop
professor
energy, Jack loves the classroom setting.
Fall
2009
23
Mafk
HanSOn calls it a "kicking and
screaming" calling. The son of a parìsh
pastor, Hanson had no interest in follow-
difficult times, ELCA presiding bishop Mark Hanson '68 finds
great joy in his calling and seeks to stay focused 0n Ggd's w3rk in the world.
Even through
ing his father into mìnistrY.
Sure, Hanson went to Union Theologi-
cal Seminary after graduating in 1968
from Augsburg with his wife, lone
(Agrimson) '68, but ihat was onlY
because he received a scholarship to try
it for a year. Even when he f inished up
at Union, Hanson went as far as to stand
in line to regìster to begin graduate
school classes in psychology before he
realized that wasn't what he wanted to
do with his life.
"l ended up going to therapy for six
months to f igure out what was going on
ìn my lìfe," Hanson says. "And it was
only after sìx months of therapy that
realized I was f ighting, for all the wrong
I
reasons, the call to ministrY."
Now, nearly 40 years later, Hanson
f
inds himself as the presìding bishop of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America at one of the most challenging
times since the Lutheran Church in
America, the American Lutheran Church,
and the Association of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches merged to form the
ELCA in the late 1980s.
The nation's financial instability has
led to a downturn in contributions to the
church. The nation's changing demographics have left the ELCA as a graying
organization with ìts strength in parts of
the natìon that aren't growing. And, in
the wake of votes taken at August's
Churchwide Assembly on topics of
human sexuality and homosexual clergy
in committed relationships, there are
many individuals and congregations
pondering whether the ELCA is the place
for them.
And despite the current challenges
"I think that ìn anxious times that
have dimensions of conf lict in them, the
temptation ìs to go into enclaves of likeminded people to both reinforce the convictions one holds with those likeminded people, and often to articulate
that those whom you are not in agreement with are so wrong," Hanson says.
"l have worked to be very connected
relationally.
"ln a culture that is so polarized,
facing the ELCA, Hanson loves his job.
"l f ind great joy in what I do,"
especially around issues of personal
Hanson says, while sitting in his 11th-
morality, and tends to be increasingly
f
loor off ice that overlooks Chicago's
0'Hare lnternational Airport. "I use joy
very intentionally. Joy, for me, has its
source in my faith. I literally f ind great
joy in this call. I told a group of pastors
that I have the best call in the church
and what was fun was that a bunch of
them lìned up to argue with me about
why theirs is better. I liked that."
But Hanson acknowledges that these
times are challenging. And that's why
Hanson has spent-and will be spend-
ing-a
signif icant amount of time engag-
fractious, contentìous, and too often
mean-spirited, can we exemplify in our
witness another way to live-together
and honoring our dìfferences, but in the
context of our unity?"
J
im Arends, a I97 4 Augsburg gradu-
ate and current bishop of the LaCrosse
lWisc.l Area Synod,
saYS one
of Han-
son's biggest strengths as presiding
bishop is his ability to communicate in
general and to listen in particular.
"lt
is going to help, it can't but help,"
Arends says. "He respects you. I don't
ing in conversation, even if the actions
think I've ever seen anything even close
at the Minneapolis Convention Center
to disrespectful. With his authority and
height, he's still able to make people be
make things a little awkward and
u
ncomf ortable.
comfortable and relax around hìm.
That's tough with the height of his collar
and the big cross he needs to wear."
How does he do it? Hanson saYS some
of it is because of what he learned at
Augsburg. Because while there are challenges within the church, there are far
Discovering
in the
Challenges
of leadership
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Fall
't
2009
25
1l
more sign
if
icant issues-poverty, dis-
ease in third-world countries, and health
concerns among them-that the ELCA is
trying to tackle.
"The call for us as Christians is not to
be turned inward in conf lict with each
schools of higher education. We have
great colleges and universities in the
church, but I think Augsburg has really
positioned itself where I would want to
see a college of this church to be."
for work about 80% of the time.
"There are some days when I've gone to
the airport where I've given the United
desk my driver's license and said,
'l forgot
to look, where am I going again?"' Hanson
other and miss this moment to be
engaged in God's work in the world;
And as Hanson progressed from
parish pastor to bishop of the Saint Paul
Area Synod to, now, presiding bishop,
Augsburg gave me that perspective," he
Hanson sees a thread that goes back to
says. "Augsburg always reminded me
that whatever is going on with you,
Augsburg.
will have a lot to do with continuing com-
"My whole life has been shaped by
the intersection of intellectual curiosity,
faith, and how faith and intellect shape
one for a life in leadership," Hanson
says. "The phrase I use for what I got
from Augsburg and Union is an
unquenchable curiosity of faith and life.
I've never stopped being curious. I think
Augsburg fostered that. I'm going to be
free to ask questions and to serve my
neighbor, particularly the one who is
struggling with issues of justice and
munications, building relationships, and
leading a church that has members asking
serious questions about the future. While
the conversations and e-mails aren't
always positive from individuals concerned
about the ELCA's actions, Hanson remains
within your family, within the church,
there is a world that calls you."
That was true in the mid-to-late
1960s when Hanson studied sociology,
and it is true now as Hanson also
watches Augsburg as a parent. Four of
his six children have or currently are
attending Augsburg. His daughter
Alyssa, an alumna of the College, is also
teaching math in the Weekend College
program.
"When lone and I were at Augsburg,
we were invited, encouraged, challenged
to immerse ourselves in the city, CedarRiverside, North Minneapolis, and that
has not stopped," he says. "0ur daughter who is a senior there now has been to
Central America twice. The immersion
and context have grown from the immediate Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to
now the world.
"l'm all
26
over the world looking at
Augsburg Now
says with a laugh. "That's pretty bad. I'm
prepared for where I'm going, but there's a
lot of travel."
That travel, in the upcoming months,
upbeat.
"l
am proud to serve in leadership right
"l lead 70 million Luther-
now," he says.
ans in the world and lead the largest
Lutheran Church in the United States;
around Lake Harriet for Chicago's Edge-
that's just an amazing thing that I am
called into that sort of leadership. lf the
criticism begins to take a personal toll,
then I can no longer be an effective leader.
I think that the gospel is too good news for
me to get so discouraged that I can't, with
brook neighborhood, he's rarely there.
It's tough to be at home when you travel
great passion, proclaim the good news of
Jesus. "
poverty."
And Hanson has plenty of opportunities to be curious as presiding bishop.
While he and lone have traded the area
"We have great colleges and universities in the church, but I think Augsburg has
really pos¡t¡gned itself where I would want t0 see a college of this church t0 be."
rl
I
ï
H
ffi
\t'/ith more than 4,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs,
Augsburg College strives to create an intentionally diverse and vibrant community by welcoming students of varied backgrounds and experiences.
For many of the students who come to Augsburg, being an Auggie is a
dream come true because at one time in their lives, the idea of going to college was nearly impossible to imagine.
That's where Admission Possible comes in. This program, which was
founded in Minnesota in 1999 to help low-income high school students get
into college, has brought more than 100 students to Augsburg since its found-
H
ing. Ihis fall, 63 Admission Possible alumni joined the Augsburg community as
first-year students-more than any other private college in the country.
E
tr
Admission Possible made Augsburg possible for these students. Not only
has this program enriched the lives of students and their families,
it has also
benefited the Augsburg community.
Finding Admission Possible
Juventino "Juve" Meza Rodriguez'11 came to the U.S. from
Mexico when he was 15 years old. Unlike his parents or siblings,
Meza Rodriguez had been fortunate to attend school beyond the
sixth grade and, though he did not speak English, he was excited
m
H
m
about continuing his education in a Minnesota high school.
"l come from a low-income working family; my parents and
their parents didn't go to school. My mom made a big push for
education for her children because she wanted us to do something she wasn't able to do," he says.
Meza Rodriguez tested into the ninth grade and began classes
at Arlington High School in St. Paul. ln his neighborhood and in
his family, no one had gone to college. "As kids we always said
we want to be this or that," he says, "but realistically I wasn't
thinking that college would be a possibility for me. And my parents of course didn't think it was an option either."
ln his sophomore year, he dropped out of school, following his
friends who had started working and were making money. "l was
out of school for one week, and I did not enjoy life," he says. He
asked his parents to help him get back into school, and after
that week he appreciated his education more than he had before
"l knew I wanted something more, but I wasn't sure what that
was and I didn't have people around me who had done it either."
With a renewed enthusiasm for high school, Meza Rodriguez
asked a guidance counselor about college. "She told me
I
couldn't go," he says, but she eventually found a program for him
and suggested he apply. That program was Admission Possible.
From the moment he was accepted into the program, Meza
Rodriguez was on his way to college, but he was in unfamiliar
28
Augsburg Now
q F
n
Ð
territory. "When I told my parents that I wanted to go to college,
theyasked how I wasgoingtodo it. I said,'l have no idea."'
Because his parents were unable to support him f inancially
and because they had no experience with higher education, lVleza
Rodriguez says they left many of the decisions about school up to
him. "They would always say, 'Tu sabes lo que haces,'(You know
what you're doing). But I didn't know what I was doing."
Getting to Augsburg
l-lis Admission Possible coach did know what to do to navigate
the complicated and sometimes intimidating landscape of college application. Twice weekly in his junìor and senior years,
lVIeza Rodriguez met with his coach and other students. He prepared for the ACT and learned how to select a college that
matched his interests, complete the admissions applications,
and apply for financìal aid including scholarships.
Admission Possible also encouraged lVeza Rodriguez to make
connections at schools by going on campus visits and attending
education fairs. At one such fair for Latino students, he met Carrìe Carroll, Augsburg's assistant vice president of admissions.
"When I got to Carrie's booth, I told her I had heard about
Augsburg and she started asking me questions. We talked for two
hours," he recalls. "She was very welcoming and showed an
interest in me that other schools didn't bother to show." After
their meeting, Carroll e-mailed lVleza Rodriguez and encouraged
him to apply to Augsburg.
"I applied, and Carrie called my AP coach within six days and
said I had been admitted. I was the flrst student in my AP class
to apply and the first to get accepted."
il
I
I
Carroll says Admission Possible students are attracted to
Augsburg because of the f inancial aid that helps make college
possible for more than 90% of traditional day college students.
Two programs-Augsburg College Access Program (ACAP) and
the Augsburg Promise are aimed at assisting f irst-generation
and low-income students.
ACAP provides a four-year grant for students who have participaled in a college readiness program. The grant covers the cost of
luition not met with federal or state grants for students who are
Minnesota residents, have an ACT score of 20 or belter, and have
cunrulative grade point average of at least 3.25.
lVlore
a
importantly, Carroll says studenls come because ALrgsburg
has made an institutional commitrnent
to providing access for nrany
different types of studenls, to creating an intenlionally diverse cam
pus, and to engaging students in service to the conrmunity. All of
these commitments connect closely to Admission Possible values.
"At Augsburg, we are aware of the obstacles some students
have faced and will continue to face. We value our students." As
Fall
2009
in
29
Meza Rodriguez's case, Carroll says often a student will make
the choice to come to Augsburg, even though they have been
accepted elsewhere, simply because the Augsburg staff takes the
time to get to know them personally.
accessible to anyone, regardless of his or her background or
circumstances.
Beyond admission
onto their campuses." lt has also helped colleges and universities
address much of the stigma that is attached to low-income stu_
Meza Rodriguez says that Admission possible has also changed
campus atmospheres by introducing students who might not have
considered college in the past. ',Ap helps colleges get out of their
comfort zone," he says, "by welcoming more and more diversity
Once students are accepted and begin their college studies, they
still encounter
d
many challenges that can make staying jn school
iffic u lt.
dents, challenging the notion that they are low-achieving or unpre_
pared. ln fact, while the fall 2009 first-year class includes 40%
ln the past, a team of Admission posstble staffers did some
tracking and outreach to their alumni after they had started
college. Most of their assistance had been reactionary, however,
and they were often brought in when a student was in the midst
students of color, the average ACT score and class rank have
of a crisis.
pared for success and dedicated to making the most of their college
This year, Admission Possible has developed a structured col_
remained consistent among Augsburg's incoming classes over the
past four years.
Carroll agrees, adding that Admission possible students are pre_
on their individual campuses.
experience. "These are smart, capable students who work very hard
to succeed. They just need to be taught how to do this.',
Meza Rodriguez is just one example of the motivated and tal_
Ben Pierson is the college coach at Augsburg this year. Having
an office on campus is important because for Admissjon possible
ented students who find a fit at Augsburg through coilege readiness
programs. He received a president,s Scholarship, which recognizes
alumni, "AP" means "help." Students know they will find a caring adult in Pierson as well as a reliable source of information
academic achievement and leadership potential, and he is an
Honors program student. ln his three years at the College, he has
and support.
also been a senator in student government, helped found a Latino
lege program with coaches who work one-on-one with students
Pierson works with Augsburg's director of retention, the
Enrollment and Financial Services staff, admission counselors,
and with the other student support programs. His objective is to
maintain contact with students and help them find the resources
they need before they want or need to drop out.
student organization, and conducted summer research with
President Pribbenow as his mentor and adviser.
This fall Meza Rodriguez is studying poverty, inequality, and
social change in the Metro Urban Studies Term (MUST) through
HECUA, the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs, and
is doing an internship with the Citizens League in St. paul. He
Making dreams poss¡ble
has also organized a group at Augsburgto help connect the more
than 100 Admission Possible alumni who are now enrolled at the
College readiness programs like Admission possible are just one of
College.
When he participates in Commencement, Meza Rodriguez knows
the many ways students find Augsburg and realize their dreams.
But this program benefits more than the students who enroll and
graduate.
Meza Rodriguez and the other Admission possible alumni fea_
tured here set examples for their peers, siblings, and their commu_
nities. Their experiences demonstrate that a college education is
@
30
will be an inspiration not only to members of his community but
to his younger siblings, ages 4 and g, whom he hopes will one
day follow in his footsteps. "My siblings can see that college is pos_
sible. So many people around me can now see that it is possible.,,
he
also
Learn about Adm ission possi ble at www.adm ission possi ble.org.
Read more about the other
Augsburg Admission possible
students pictured here at
wwuaugsburg.edu/now
Augsburg Now
lucky Dirie'13
Houa
lor '13
Farrington Starnes'12
È!
b¡
Fall
2009
31
DEAR FRIEI{tlS,
As I write to report to you on the successful completion to a most extraordinary year of economic challenges, I remain filled
with gratitude for your steadfast support to Augsburg College.
While each week last fall brought more bitter news than the previous regarding our financial institutions, we maintained a
watchful and cautious eye over our students, our revenues, and our gifts. I was so pleased and humbled that through these
difficult months our enrollments remained high, our programs strong, and your giving constant.
During this difficult year, your gifts made an Augsburg education possible for many students who would not have otherwise been able to continue theìr studies. At Augsburg, we are committed to providing the access for these students of differing faiths, cultures, and ethnicities to thrive and to become the
next leaders in creating safe and sustainable communities.
Together, we continue to learn how "We are called to serve our
neìghbor. "
Durìng this past year, as a teaching and learning community,
WE ARE CALLEI}
TO SERVE (lUR NEIGHB(lR
we also explored in many ways what it means to live more sustainably in the city. I was so proud of our students, who pushed the College for changes that made us better stewards of our
gifts and of God's creation. Augsburg is now a leader among educational institutions in the use of renewable energy, in support of alternative transportation practices, and in the adoption of a food composting program.
As we move forward, I ask for your abiding and increased participation and support in the next years as we continue to
work together for a stronger and more vibrant future for our college, and for our students.
S
incere ly,
*
L-
?
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRTSIDENT
32
Augsburg Now
\
Your annual fund gift helps to
1
.., retain talented faculty, like chemistry professor
maintain Augsburg's low
2
...
l4:l
Vivien Feng, and
4
...
keep Augsburg affordable by providing a portion of the academic
scholarships and financial aid received by 90% of day students.
studenUfaculty rati0.
make it possible for curious and talented students to stay on campus
5
during the summer to engage in full{ime research with a faculty mentor.
3
...
provide up{o-date computers and technology services critical to
...
fund student programs and co-curricular activities, like campus
ministry, athletics, internships, and ethnic student services.
6
...
provide the special equipment, safety equipment, and supplies for
our science laboratories.
teaching and learning.
È1.
r,' ,ç $¡
"$,ft..,
t{Ol\¡b^
GIVING IN ACTI(¡NWhat Students and Alumni Say
Nate Johnson '11
Rossing Physics Scholar, StepUP program
Ali Rapp '11
Honors student, "Homemade" blogger
ln Augsburg's unique Honors program, Ali and her fellow students participate in deep discussions about controversial questions. "There's a degree of openness in Honors that you don't
find in other classes," she says. Another way Ali expresses
her-
self is through her blog on Homemade, the site that gives current and future Auggies a sense of what life is really like for
students at Augsburg. "We really get to the heart of issues, and
I'm glad we have that kind of freedom to be ourselves and to be
Junior Nate Johnson has an interest in how things work and
was drawn to the problem-solving part of physics. This year he
was named one of four Rossing Physics Scholars in the nation
by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Johnson grew
up in St. Croix Falls before entering substance abuse treatment
in high school. At Augsburg, Johnson is in the StepUp pro,
gram, a program that is much of the reason why he chose the
College and where he f inds community, support, faith, and discipline. "When I was looking at colleges, every time I went to
genuine."
Augsburg, I felt excited about it," Johnson says, "... other college settings felt daunting."
Your giving supp0rts personal growth in Augsburg's
Your giving supp0rts paths to healthy lives in Augsburg's
Honors program
StepUP program
re
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Shonna Fulford'09
Myles Stenshoel Scholarship
The Augsburg faculty did more
than just teach Shonna Fulford,
a 2OO9 graduate from Perham,
Minn. "They are truly there to
teach you what they know, to let
you discover things you may never
Annika Gunderson '11
have otherwise, and to help you
President's Scholar, world traveler
ln her three years as an Auggie, Annika Gunderson '1 t
succeed in everything you want to do," she says. As the recipient of the endowed scholarship for students pursuing careers in
political science, she also had the opportunity to get to know
has
almost spent more time away from Augsburg than on campus.
This international relations and Spanish major from Winona,
Minn., has studied abroad three times, spending five weeks in
is named. This student orientation leader and Homecoming
queen hopes to return to Augsburg some day, perhaps as a
Cuernavaca, Mexico; a semester in Central America; and
member of the administration.
another semester in Brazil. Gunderson suggests that all students take advantage of the many study abroad opportunities
Your giving supp0rts scholarships endowed to honor
Professor Emeritus Myles Stenshoel, for whom the scholarship
available to Augsburg students. "lt's important to be able to
challenge yourself to go beyond, to experience something unfa-
faculty careers and commitment
miliar."
Your giving supports life-changing experiences thr0ugh
Augsburg's Genter for Global Education
Michele Roulet '10
WEC Student Senate
Michele Roulet found Augsburg at the State Fair. Returning to college
after a two-year degree and full-time work, she enjoys working at her own
pace for "a chance to figure out who I am." The studio art major has
studied abroad in Central America and Europe. She has also found a
niche in the Weekend Student Senate and has served as its president,
making sure that Augsburg's weekend and graduate student voices are
represented on campus.
Your giving supports leadership in Student Government
Fall
2009
35
GIVING IN ACTIflNSupporting Augsburg Chemistry Students:
John and Marvel Yager
John Yager '7 4 was not a typical Augsburg f reshman. Although
born in Minnesota, he grew up traveling in a military family. He
picked Augsburg because his parents were expected to retire in the
Twin Cities; his uncle, Dr. 0. Lewis Zahrendt, was an Augsburg
graduate; and Augsburg's admissions materials were the most
appeal i ng.
It was a good choice. Yager says he considers Augsburg "one of
the most fortunate events of my life as far as my education was
concerned." His goal was medical school and he majored in chemistry and biology.
Yager credits his academic success to what he believes are still
the hallmarks of Augsburg's chemistry department-high levels of
integrity, dedication, and a commitment to achievement-as well
as the dedication of the chemistry faculty-Courtland Agre, John
Holum, Earl Alton, and Arlin Gyberg. Yager also credits his classmates, the "phenomenal group of very bright and hard-working students, who helped me work all the harder."
But even more crucial to his college success was the support
Yager received when his older brother, with whom he was living,
was tragically killed in an accident. ln coping with grief and trying
to decide whether to stay at Augsburg, Yager contacted Rick Thoni,
the director of student advisers, who arranged for housing options
that Yager needed to stay in school and supported him through the
While his first job involved hands-on chemistry, his subsequent
work has taken him into related fields and aspects of immuno-
chemìstry-q ual ity assurance, regu latory affairs, cl in ical trials, and
literature research and publications. He is a patent-holder on a
medical device used in endoscopy.
"l've had great opportunity to really apply chemistry," Yager
says, "to apply the discipline of what I've learned over the years to
a career that has been extremely rewarding personally." He notes
that while he didn't pursue a medical career, his work has contìnually helped people through development of better medical
products.
Yager currently'works for a new company,
Acist Medical
Systems, which manufactures products that help physicians
ing them reach out to me was something l've never forgotten,"
administer the contrast agent used in angiography.
Yager has continually remained connected to the Chemistry
Department and Augsburg. He has lectured in senior seminars,
Yager says.
served as a mentor to chemistry students, and coached students
After graduation Yager took additional chemistry courses and
worked as a pathology assistant at St. Mary's Hospital. While medical school did not become part of his future, in the pathology lab
through the hurdles of f inding their first jobs. He enjoys maintain-
crisis.
"Feeling that connection and that bond to the College, and feel-
he met Marvel, who also worked in the lab and later became his
wife.
Yager turned
to industry and took a position with an immunodi-
agnostics company, researching and manufacturing products that
improve medical diagnostic testing. Thirty-f ive years later he has
worked at all of the major immunochemistry companies in the Twin
Cities and has been on the cutting edge of medical research in
number of start-up companies.
36
Augsburg Now
a
ing this connection and being on campus once in a while.
"l just
feel at home," he says.
John and Marvel Yager value education and have supported
Augsburg chemistry students through the Augsburg College Chemistry Alumni Scholarship. At times, Yager has also been able to
provide an employer match to their funds.
"As my career has advanced and we've looked at our values as a
family," Yager says, "the idea of giving back has been fundamental."
Yager says that for them Augsburg is the natural place to give,
and with the scholarship endowment, the gift keeps giving.
T
2OO8.2OO9 FINAI{CIAt H¡ûHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
7o/o
3o/"
Government grants
3o/o
Equipment
and capital
improvement
2o/"
Other sources
Student salary
5%
\
3o/o
Debt service
\
Private gifts and grants
.3o/o
/utititi"t
t2/"
Room and board
ffi
m
ffi
$34.5
$33.7
$30.5
$26.6
$26.2
$24.8
2009 Endowment Market Value
$23.2
Ï22.7
$23.3
May 31, 2009
$20.0
$26,211,136
As
$r 6.4
of May 31, 2009, we have
annual realized and unrealized
losses of 2I.7% on our endowment.
$r 4.2
$11.5
Our five-year average annual return
on the endowment is .18%, and the
lO-year average annual return is
I.42%.
We are committed to maintaining the value of the principal
gifts and to provide support to the
College in perpetuity.
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
2ît7
2008
2009
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June
l,
1
995
-
May 31, 2009
Fall
2009
31
llEAR FRIEI{llS,
It is my distinct pleasure to share with you news about the many gifts and contributions made to Augsburg College between June 1, 2008, and May 31,
2009. I am filled with gratitude at the generosity of our thousands of alumni,
parents, and friends who wholeheariedly supported the College during this past
year
of unprecedented economic challenges and uncertainty.
Together, for the benefit of our students and community, we were able to witness many successes and end our year with an operating surplus.
I'd like to
highlight just a few examples.
.
We increased the number of donors who made gifts during the year to a total
4,75L This support went to The Augsburg Fund, student scholarships,
capital projects, and fine arts, athletics, signature programs, and other
important i n itiatives.
of
¡
Perhaps most exciting, especially in a challenging economy, was the success of The Augsburg Fund, our fund for unrestricted gifts for
the College. For the second year in a row, it reached its $1 million goal, surpassing last year's mark for a total of $1,003,210 from
3,400 donors.
¡
Also for the second year in a row, I am proud to tell you
that we received 100% participation in The Augsburg
Fund from the Augsburg Board of Regents, the Alumni
Board of Directors, the President's Cabinet, and-for the
first time-the staff of the lnstitutional Advancement
Division. This was a gratifying sign of commitment from
WE Lfl(lK BACK WITH GRATITUDE
ANIl F(lRWARD WITH EXPECTATION
F()R A YEAR OF CflNTINUED
SUPPflRT FflR flUR STUDENTS
these key groups of leaders.
.
Augsburg also received 619 gifts totaling $387,000 to new or existing scholarship funds. Scholarships are a primary source of financial aid for many students at Augsburg, and we are again grateful for the 334 generous individuals who chose to establish or con-
tribute to these funds,
this new academic year with the largest enrollment and greatest diversity of any incoming first-year class, we look back with
gratitude and forward with expectation for a year of continued support for our students. I thank you for your continued, unfailing support.
As we enter
Sincerely,
JIRTMY R. WELLS
VICT PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
38
Augsburg Now
t¡FEÏIME ûIVI}IG
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given a minimum 0f $100,000, including
planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
'68 and Tamra Nelson
Ernest+ and Helen Alne
Phillip+'55 and Lynne Gronseth
George
Donald '60 and Violet Anderson
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Barbara Tjornhom
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Robert'51+ and Carolyn Odegard
R. Luther Olson '56
'54 Nelson and Richard
Nelson
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock'81
James and Kathleen Haglund
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Hearst Foundation
Beverly Halling '55 0ren and Donald '53 Oren
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren Henderson
John and Norma Paulson
Loren and Mary Quanbeck'77 Barber
Elizabeth '82 and Warren Bartz
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss
Robert '50 and Ruth Paulson
Glen Person '47
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson
'63 Batalden
'57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Donald '39 and Phyllis Holm
Harvey
Sidney '57 and Lola Lidstrom '50 Berg
Allen and Jean Housh
Addison and Cynthia Piper
Barbara and Tane Birky
Garfield Hoversten '50
David Piper
Roy'50 and Ardis Bogen
Huss Foundation
Harry and lVlary Piper
John+ and Joyce Boss
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen'49 Quanbeck
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Kinney Johnson '65
Mark'53 and Jean Raabe
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
James Johnson and Maxine lsaacs
Alan
Bush Foundation
Dean '75 and Terry Kennedy
Curtis and lVlarian Sampson
Carlson Companies
Bruce and Maren Kleven
Ward C. Schendel
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
David and Barbara Kleven
Ruth Schmidt '52
Richard '74 and Nancy Colvin
E. Milton Kleven '46
James and Eva Seed
David and lVìary Brandt '79 Croft
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Rodney
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
John and Martha Singleton
Corporation Foundation
Darrell '55 and Helga Egertson
Rhonda
Tracy L. Elftmann '81
Diane and Philip Larson
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
George
Leland and Louise Sundet
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Winifred Helland '37 Formo+ and Jerome
Formo'37+
James Lindell '46
Dean '81 and Amy Sundquist
Gary'80 and Deanna Tangwall
Jeny and Jean Foss
Jennifer and Richard Martin
P. Dawn Heil
William and Anne Frame
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundatìon
Marie and Larry McNeff
Teagle Foundation
Gerard and Anne lVeistrell
Hoyt '39+ and Lucille lVlesserer
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert '63 and Marie Tufford
Michael '71 and Ann Good
Robert '70 and Sue lVidness
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
'84 and Jean Taylor '85
H. Theodore '76 and lVlichele Grindal
Raymond '57 and Janice Grinde
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 Mueller
Robert Wagner '02
William and Stephanie Naegele
Ronald '68 and lvlary Kay Nelson
Scott Weber '79
Del uxe
Roger Griffith
Spitzer'85 Kwiecien and Paul Kwiecien '86
ice
'74
and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Sill '82
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46 and Clair
David Lankinen'88
Strommen'46+
'61 and lVary Larson
Harris '57 and Maryon Lee
Arne '49 and Jean Swanson
R
'52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
'52
lVarkland
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
laylor'78
Robert Wick '81
Every effort has been made t0 ensure that all nanes are included and spelled correctly.
lfyou notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
39
PRESItlENT'S CIRCTE
GIFTS RECEIVTD JUNE 1, 2OO8 TO MAY 31, 2OO9
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously made leadership gifts to the College 0f $1,000 or more in
the 2008-09 fiscal year.
Ruth Aaskov'53
Margaret Clyde
Andra Adolfson
Joseph Cook'89
William '51 and Marolyn Sortland '51 Halverson
Elling and Barbara Halvorson
Peter '70 and lVìary Agre
Walter and Janet Cooper
Jill Hanau
Lois Richter '60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Brent Crego '84
Clarence Hansen'53
Edward '50 and Margaret Alberg
George
Craig Alexander and Roberta Kagin
Sally Hough Daniels '79
'72 and Janet Dahlman
Mark '68 and lone Agrimson
'68
Hanson
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Bartley Davidson '76
Hunt and Diane Harris
Julie Edstrom'90
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Leif Anderson
Judy Thompson Eiler '65
Christopher Haug'79 and Karl Starr
Deloris Anderson '56
Dantel'77 and Patricia Eitrheim
David '67 and Karen Jacobson
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Richard '72 and Tamara Ekstrand
Helen Haukeness'49 and James Ranck
Robert'77 and Katherine Anderson
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock '81
Fuad and Nancy EI-Hibri
Lisa Svac Hawks '85
Avis Ellingrod
Mark Hebert '74
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Rona Quanbeck'48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Philip'42 and Ruth Helland
Scott'76 and Lisa Anderson
Ronald Engebretsen
Leo Henkemeyer
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Susan Engeleiter
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Frank'50 and Georgette Lanes'50 Ario
Christine Pieri '88 Arnold and James Arnold '88
Stephen '68 and lVìarilyn lVcKnight '67 Erickson
Donald '39 and Phyllis Holm
Dean '68 and Diana Olson '69 Ersfeld
L. Craig'79 and Theresa Serbus '79 Estrem
Linda Baìley '74 Holmen and Kenneth Holmen '74
Paul Holmquist '79
Richard '87 and Carla Bahr
lVlark and Margie Eustis
Joeì and Alice Houlton
Dorothy Bailey
John '82 and Joan Moline'83 Evans
Kermit '50 and Ruth Hoversten
Robert Barber'56
Allison Everett'78 and Kenneth Svendsen '78
Clarence '41 and lVarguerite Hoversten
Elizabeth '82 and Warren Bartz
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson '63 Batalden
Barbara Farley
Jane and Patrick Fischer
Allen '64 and Lenice Hoversten
Philip '71 and Patricia Hoversten
Duncan Flann '55
Jerelyn Hovland '63 and Clyde Cobb
Paul '59 and Pearl Almquist
.James
'58 and Beverly Almquist
Jean Hemstreet'68 Bachman and Harold Bachman
Vera Thorson Benzel
'45
'67
Haugen
Dawn Formo
fom'72
Jerome Formo'37+
Joseph Hsieh'61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Birgit Birkeland '58
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried '93
Glenda and Richard Huston
Nancy Paulson '70 Bjornson and
JoAnne Digree '68 Fritz and Barry Fritz
Brandon Hutchinson'99
J. Ragnar Bjornson
Buffie Blesi '90 and John Burns
David '68 and Lynn Boe
Leola Dyrud Furman '61
Barbara and Richard Hutson
Karon Garen
Duane'68 and Diane llstrup
John '47 and lrene Jensen
Sidney'57 and Lola Lidstrom '50 Berg
Norman '59 and Delores Berg
John Berg'59
Ann Garvey
and Karen Howe
lVlichael and Barbara Hubbard
Anthony'85 and Traci Genia
Glen'52 and lrvyn Gilbertson
Carol Oversvee Johnson '61
Bruce Brekke
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Michael Brock
Andrew and Carolyn Goddard
Ruth E. Johnson '74 and Philip Quanbeck ll
lVerton '59 and Jo An Bjornson '58 Johnson
Adam Buhr'98 and Laura Pejsa '98
Alexander '90 and Simone Gonzalez
Danìel Johnson'75
Robert and Brenda Bukowski
lVichael '71 and Ann Good
Gary'74 and lVelody Johnson
Carolyn Burfield '60
Shirley Larson '51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormìey
Craig Jones
Marilyn Saure '61 Breckenridge and
Tom Breckenridge
Charles Bush
Bruce '68 and Lois Hallcock '68 Johnson
Eric Jolly
Paul and Judy Grauer
Cynthia Landowski '81 Jones and Rick Jones
Carrìe and Peter Carroll
Charles and Barbara Green
H. Theodore '76 and lVichele Grindal
Jennifer Abeln
John and Peggy Cenito
lVabeth Saure '58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Janet L. Karvonen-Montgomery and Alan
Keith '65 and Lynn Chilgren
Herbert'54 and E Corrine Chilstrom
David and Kathy Haaland
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Patricia and Paul Kaufman
C. Lee Clarke
James and Kathleen Haglund
Dean '75 and Terry Kennedy
Marion Buska '46
Christine Coury '91 Campbell and Craig Campbell
40
Augsburg Now
Carol Jones
'78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
lVontgomery
lVichael Kivley '89
Jellrey'77 and Becky Bjella '79 Nodland
Charles and Ritchie Markoe Scribner
Linda Klas '92
Norma Noonan
James and Eva Seed
E. lVlilton Kleven '46
Roselyn Nordaune'77
Adam '01 and Allison Seed
Elsie Ronholm Koivula '49
Lisa Novotny '80 and lVark Flaten
Phyllis '58 and Harold Seim
Joanne Stiles '58 Laird and David Laird
Richard '70 and Linda Seime
Kalhryn'72 Lange and Dennis Sonifer
Teny'7O and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy Nyhus '52
Ruth Ringstad '53 Larson and lVarvin Larson
Robert Odegard '51+
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Earl '68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen '70 Sethre
Norman '85 and Kim Asleson '84 Okerstrom
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Harris '57 and Maryon Lee
Sandra Larson '69 Olmsted and Richard Olmsted '69
Chad '93 and lVìargaret Shilson
Thomas and Gratra Lee
R, Luther 0lson '56
David Soli '81
Andre Lewis '73 and Kathleen McCartin
Orville '52 and Yvonne Bagley '52 0lson
Earle '69 and Kathleen Kupka '69 Solomonson
Debora and John Liddell
William and Mary 0'lVìeara
Donald '53 and Beverly Halling '55 Oren
Allan '53 and Eunice Nystuen '50 Sortland
Alice Lindell '58 and Gordon '59 Lindgren
Mary Sue Zelle Lindsay and Hugh Lindsay
Beverly Ottum
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Patricia and John Parker
Carolyn Johnson
Dana Lonn
John and Norma Paulson
Robert and Joyce Engstrom '70 Spector
Kathy Lowrie
Robert'50 and Ruth Paulson
Richard '74 and Karen Pearson
Alan Petersen '58+
Harvey '52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
Todd '89 and Amy Steenson
Karin Peterson
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46
Eugene'59 and Paula Peterson
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Philip '79 and Julia Davis '79 Styrlund
Arne'49 and Jean Swanson '52 Markland
Ron '69 and Jane Petrich
Terry Marquardt'98 and Gary Donahue
Carol Pfleiderer
Jennifer and Richard lVartin
Sandra Phaup'64
Dean '81 and Amy Sundquist
Jeffrey'79 and Melissa Swenson
Nicole Swords '01 and April Leger '02
Jo Anne Sylvester '68 and Larry Dieckman
Gary '80 and Deanna Tangwall
Jean Taylor '85 and Roger Griff ith '84
Paul '60 and Nancy Thompsen
Dick '61 and Jane Thompson
lVlartin Larson
'80
James Lindell '46
Wenona '55 and Norman Lund
Thomas'68 and Carol Batalden '68 Luukkonen
Pamela and Robert lVlacDonald
Philip '79 and Diane Madsen
Kay Malchow'82 and Stephen Cook
Lyle '68 and Susanne Starn
'68
Robert '71 and Cheryl Lindroos
lVìalotky
'72 Marlin
Paul C. Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Donald '66 and Margaret fVattison
Karl D. Puterbaugh'52
Donna McLean
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen '49 Quanbeck
lVlark'53 and Jean Raabe
Tara Cesaretti
'97 lVcleod
and
Chrìstopher McLeod '00
Lori Lassi '80 Rathje and Tim Rathje'86
IVarie and Larry lVìcNeff
Clayton '91 and Denise Sideen
Beverly Ranum
'78
'94 McNeff
Meyer and Dennis Meyer'78
John
'62 and Ruth Sather '63 Sorenson
'80 Spargo and Lawrence Spargo
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
lVìyles
and Eunice Stenshoel
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Ralph and Grace Kemmer '58 Sulerud
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Eunìce Kyllo '62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Gordon '52 and Gloria Parizek'53 Thorpe
E. Palmer Rockswold
David and Martha Tiede
Deidre Durand 'BB and Bruce lViddleton
John '68 and Linda Roebke
Frances Torstenson
Robert '70 and Sue Midness
Laura and Martin Roller
Lawrence '69 and Susan Turner
Frances Roller
Peter Turner
Timothy '74 and Deborah Anderson '73 Miller
John'77 and Gail Ronning
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Joyce Schroepfer lVliller '02
Philip Rowberg'41
Gerald '48 and Judith
Betty and Paul Tveite
Julie Lien '82 and Steve Vanderboom
Paul '70 and Barbara Durkee
Gay Johnson
'71
lVikelson
'66 Minear and Spencer
lVlinear '66
Ryan
'59 and Sylvia Sabo
Robert Minicucci
Thomas'59 and Ruth Carlsen '60 Moen
Mark'79 and Pamela Hanson '79 Moksnes
Curtis and lVìarian Sampson
'70 and Dennis Veiseth
Norman '76 and Kathryn Anderson '76 Wahl
Judith and William Scheide
David and Sarah Warch
Thelma lVlonson '41
Carolyn Hanson '68 Schildgen and
Loìs
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
William Schildgen
Ruth Schmidt '52
Jeremy and Tracy Wells
LaWayne
'51 and D. LaRhea Johnson '51
IVlorseth
lVlartin
Alne'65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
lVìary
'76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John '49 and Arnhild Werket
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
James lVloulsoff
lVlarilee
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 Mueller
Suzanne Ziemann Schulz '87
Robert Wick '81
Donald Murphy '43+ Ruth lVurphy
John Schwartz'67
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Ronald '68 and lvlary Kay Nelson
lnez'59 and Lyall Schwarzkopf
David and Catherine Woìd
Mildred Nelson '52
Erik and Leigh Schwarzkopf
Todd Yeiter
Beverly Omdahl Nelson '55
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Estate of E. lrene Lasseson Neseth '38+
Michael
'08
'71and Bonnie Scott
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
lf you notice an errot please clntact Kev¡n Healy at l-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
41
flRGANIZATIflNS
GIFTS RECTIVED JUNE 1, 2OOB TO MAY 31, 2OO9
The following
list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College 0f $1000 0r more in the 2008-2009 fiscal year
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Carl & Eloise Pohlad Family Foundatjon
3M Foundation
Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson PA.
Accenture Foundation
Hazelden Foundation
Al Franken for Senate
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Hennepin County
Charles N. and Florence S. Hensel Education Fund
American Lutheran Church
Huss Foundation
Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi L.L.P Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
IBM Corporation
The Summit Group
Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift Matching
lnstitute of American Physics
TCF Foundation
Kresge Foundation
A'viands
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundatìon
Bassford Remele
lVìacalester College
UBS Foundation
Beckman Coulter, Inc.
lVarble Lutheran Church
Bonner Foundation
lVat Bandits Wrestling Club
US Bancorp Foundation
Vista De La Montaña United Methodist Church
Campus Kitchens Project, lnc.
The McGee Group
Wabash College
Collegiate lVìarketing
IVlDTA
Data Recogn ition Corporation
Merck Partnership For Giving
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Deloitte Foundatron
Minneapol is Public Schools
Winthrop & Weinstine, PA.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
M
Program
FPL Group Foundation, Inc.
nnesota Legislative Society
Minnesota Private College Foundation
i
The New York Academy
Gethsemane Professional & Benevolent Fund
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
GI\4AC.RFC
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation
E
N 0 FTE D At
The following
Research Corporation
National Trust For Historical Preservation
0f Medicine
Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation
General Mills Foundation
SV
Presser Foundation
S0G
IETY,
SupportingAugsburg's mission intothefuture
list recognizes those members wh0 have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College during 2008-09, becoming charter members of
the Sven Oftedal Society.
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Anna J. Hanson
L. Beth Buesing Opgrand '45
E. William Anderson'56
Rodney E. and Arlene B. (Selander) Hill
John Peterson+
Keith and Beverly Anderson
Lorna Hoversten
Elìzabeth Anne and Warren Bartz
Sherry Jennings-King
Quentin '50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
Nancy M. (Joubert) Raymond
Oliver Dahl '45
Clair Johannsen '62
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Gladys Boxrud Strommen
Sally Hough Danìels '79
Laura Kompelien Delavie '92
Paul Kwiecien and Rhonda Kwiecien
Robert '65 and Kay Tyson
Avis Ellìngrod
David W. Lankinen '88
fVìary Loken Veiseth
Duane M. Esterly
Luther and Janice Larson
Beverly Gryth
Al
lVlarvin and Ruth Larson
ice Evenson
Allison M. Everett and Kenneth
Svendsen
H
I
'52 Villwock+ and H.
Robert Villwock
Julie (Gudmestad) and Joe Laudicina
Robert Wagner '02
Rev. John and Grace (Nydahl) Luoma
Dr. Scott J.M. Weber '79
Rev. Terry Frovik
Lyle and Susanne lVìalotky
Ann Garvey
Orval and Bernell Moren
James and Corrìne Hamre
Roger lVì. Nelson
42
Gary Tangwal
Augsburg Now
,-t
c0r{sEcuTtvE ûtvtNG
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
lVlarcellus '54 and Thelma Johnson
Rachel Hendrickson '71 Julian and Bruce Julian
George'46 and Jean Christenson '49 Sverdrup
Jennings '51 and lVìary Schindler '48 Thompson
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Allan Tonn '75
Sharon Dittbenner'65 Klabunde and
Sheldon '49 and Margery Manger'47 Torgerson
Consecutive Giving, 25 !€âts 0r nì0t0:
Ruth Aaskov'53
Harold'47 and Lors Black '47 Ahlbom
Kenneth '61 and lVìarilyn Ellingson '62 Akerman
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Raymond and lVlargaret Anderson
Jerome Kleven '58
Frances Torstenson
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Lowell '54 and Janice Kleven
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Elsre Ronholm Koivula '49
Margaret Sateren Trautwein '37
Rebecca Helgesen '67 Von Fischer and
Kristin Anderson
Joan Johnson
l. Shelby Gimse Andress '56
Frank'50 and Georgette Lanes'50 Ario
Stanley'57 and Mary Esther Baker
Archie Lalim '5O
George '61 and lVary Larson
Linda Larson '70 and C. jerry Sells
Harris '57 and lVìaryon Lee
lrene Ppedahl Lovaas'45
Roger'57 and Fern lVlackey
lVlarie and Larry McNeff
Paul'70 and Barbara Durkee '71 Mikelson
Spencer'66 and Gay Johnson '66 Minear
Andrew'50 and Barbara Kolden '50 Balerud
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson '63 Batalden
John Benson'55
Vera Thorson Benzei '45
Jack'49 and LeVerne Berry
Doris Frojen Bretheim '51
Beth Torstenson '66
Richard Klabunde
'53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
'60
Thomas Von Fischer
Thomas '63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
David and Catherine Wold
20 -24 year s consecutive
Lois Richter '60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Charles'63 and Lois Luthard '65 Anderson
Julie Teigland '69 Anderson and Gary Anderson
Ray Anderson '49
Hamar'34 and Wanda Severson '40 Benson
Theodore '51+ and Carolyn Berkland
James'49 and Barbara Ekse'48 Carlson
Jeroy'48 and Lorraine Carlson
Thomas '59 and Ruth Carlsen
Thomas and Lonaine Morgan
Birgit Birkeland '58
Linda Carlstedt '63
Mildred Nelson '52
Mary Twiton
Gloria Burntvedt Nelson '43
John and Carolyn Cain
Carl '59 and Kathleen Aaker'62 Casperson
Paige Nelson '74
David '72 and lVlichelle Karkhoff '72 Christianson
Roselyn Nordaune'77
Wayne '69 and Pamela Bjorklund '69 Carlson
Addell Halverson Dahlen '43
Richard '74 and Nancy Colvin
Laverne lVoe '48 Olson and Paul 0lson
Orville '52 and Yvonne Bagley '52 Olson
Joyce Catlin
'73 Casey and Paul Casey
Lester Dahlen '39
Moen
'59 Bosben and Robert
LeVon Paulson
Bosben
Dinter'52
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
lVlarsha
Fred '60 and Janet Engelmann
Roger
Reynold '41 and lVarian Erickson
Ruth Ann Gjerde Fitzke '67
'68 and Dean 0lson-Strommen
'56 and Janet Ose
Patricia Strecker'64 Pederson and Dean Pederson
John '82 and Joan Moline'83 Evans
Marilyn Pearson '76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Glen Person '47
Edward Evenson'41
Jerome Formo '37+
Robert'68 and Alice Draheim '68 Peters
Harvey '52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
Rachel Rohde '76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Leonard '52 and Anabelle Hanson '51 Dalberg
James Ericksen '69
Alan'67 and lVarilyn Albaugh '67 Gierke
Shirley Larson '51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Janet Evenson
Paul and Judy Grauer
David Proctor'63
Raymond '57 and Janice Grinde
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen '49 Quanbeck
James'61 and BettyAnn Redeske
James '68 and Linda Gilbertson '71 Romslo
Olive Ronholm '47
'63 Potratz and Edward
Potratz
Leland '53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Paul '62 and Susan Grover
Sonia Overmoen'62 Gullicks and lVlilton Gullicks
Kenneth '58 and Aldemar Johnson
'57
Hagen
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack '43
Arvin '55 and Twila Halvorson
Herbert '51 and M. Joyce Tallman '52 Hanson
Philip '42 and Ruth Helland
Thomas'57 and Arlene Hofflander
Norman and llene Holen
Allen '64 and Lenice Hoversten
Florence Retrum Hovland'40
Ruth E. Johnson'74 and Philip Quanbeck ll
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
Wayne Johnson
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
lVyles and Eunice Stenshoel
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Howard'51 and Nouaneta Hjelm
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46
James '61 and Caroline Holden
Merton '42 and lrene Huglen '42 Strommen
Marvin'49 and Dorothy Quanbeck '48 Johnson
Daniel '70 and lngrid Kloster þ9 Koch
Bradley '63 and Linda Holt
Luther'39 and Helen Strommen
James Kottom '52
Gloria Johnson'51
Grace Kemmer '58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Joanne
lVìarlys Ringdahl
'53 Gunderson and
Charles Gunderson
Arlin Gyberg
lVabeth Saure '58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Edward+ and Shirley Hansen
Sylvia Kleven Hanson '50
Betty Johnson '58 Haas and Charles Hass
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge '50
Marilyn Peterson
'63
Haus and George Haus
lVartín '59 and Sylvia Sabo
Ruth Schmidt '52
James'54 and Ethel Nordstrom '55 Shiell
Arnold '48 and Carol Skaar
'58
Stiles'58 Laird and David Laird
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correcily.
lf you notice an enot please clntact Kevin Healy at 1-800-2/3-06J7 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
43
l\4artin Larson '80
Robert '56 and lVary Erickson
'58
Lockwood
David '53 and Janice Anderson '54 Rykken
Scott Daniels '82 and lVlarcia Pape-Daniels
Ann Erkkila Dudero '86
Audrey Nagel '51 Sander
'68 and Janice Bell '70 Schmidt
Brent Lofgren'88
Dann Forsberg'80
Gary
Susan Lageson '77 Lundholm and lVlark Lundholm
Joann Koelln Frankena'72
Kevin '78 and Catherine Rosik '00 Shea
Lynn '50 and lVliriam Hoplín
'50 Lundin
'66 Luoma
Ronald '56 and Christine Munson '56 IVlain
Kristin Settergren '86 l\4cGinness and
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
Glen and Anna Skovholt
John '65 and Gracia Nydahl
Alexander'90 and Simone Gonzalez
Allan '53 and Eunice Nystuen '50 Sortland
Robert and Nancy Granrud
Paulette Nelson '67 Speed and John Speed
Lloyd Grinde'56
David '63 and Karen Henry'64 Steenson
Tito Guerrero
Steve McGinness
Donna lVlcLean
Bonnie Johnson
'67 Nelson and Bryce
Nelson
lll
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Suzanne Overholt'67 Hampe and John Hampe
Dorothy Joy Swanson '51
Jacquelyn Bagley'51 Hanson and Kenneth Hanson
Jelfrey'79 and Melissa Swenson
Karla lVorken '81 Thompson and
Shirley Christensen '75 Nickel and Daniel Nickel
Christopher Haug'79 and Karl Starr
lVìargaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg '48
Carolyn Hawkins
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Rodney'62 and Jane Helgeson
Robert '55 and Karin Herman
Rodney'59 and Arlene Selander'59 Hill
Robert Nordin '64
Jonathan Nye
Thomas Thompson
Kenneth
'83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie
Norman '85 and Kim Asleson '84 Okerstrom
W. Donald '34 and Glenda Olsen
Edith Hovey
Glenda and Richard Huston
Rosemary Jacobson '69
IVìary
0lson
Lawrence'69 and Susan Turner
Jeanne lvl Kyllo '69 Wendschuh and
'74 and Linda Bailey '74 Holmen
Leroy Nyhus'52
lVìaren Lecy
Mark'79 and Janelle Tonsager
Ronald Wendschuh
Donald '89 and Melinda Mattox '91 Wichmann
Janet Cooke '59 Tilzewilz and Donald Zilzewilz
Robyn Arnold Zollner
'80
Kinney Johnson '65
James'64 and Rose Parks
Janet Batalden'61 Johnson and
10-14 years consecutive
Eugene'59 and Paula Peterson
Eileen Quanbeck '46
Dennìs'61 Johnson
Morris '52 and Marjorie Danielson '52 Johnson
Ordelle Aaker '46
Norman '59 and Ardelle Skovholt '54 Quanbeck
Luther'68 and Joanne Kendrick
The American Foundation
Paul '59 and Pearl Almquist
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
E. fVilton Kleven '46
Scott'76 and Lisa Anderson
Stephen '76 and Karen Reinarz
Carrie Kosek'85 Knott and Gerald Knott
Dean'74 and Janet Nelson '76 Anderson
Judith Sandeen'72
Janet Griffith '83 Sandford and David Sandford
Joyce Opseth Schwartz'45
Ronnie'62 and Karen Scott
Kari Beckman '81 Sorenson and Neil Sorensen
La Vone Studlien '58
lVlillard '52 and Dorothy Knudson
Leif Anderson
Duane and lVìary Alyce Krohnke
Scott Anderson '96
Lois Knutson '62 Larsen and Paul Larsen
lVargaret Anderson
Elizabeth Mortensen '56 Swanson and
Annette and Col. Henry C. Lucksinger, Jr.
LeRoy'52 and Carole Anenson
Bill and Anne McSweeney
Daniel '65 and Mary Tildahl '65 Meyers
Charles '63 and IVlary Jo Arndt
Robert '70 and Sue Midness
Mary Arneson and Dale Hammerschmidt
James '88 and Christine Pieri '88 Arnold
Viclor'42 and Rhoda Miller
Susan Hanson '82 Asmus and Kevin Asmus
Ruth Weltzin '45 Swanson and Edwin Swanson
Andrew Moen '87
Dorothy Bai ley
Norman H. Tallakson Charitable Trust
Alan Montgomery and
Lawrence'52 and Jayne Balzer
James Swanson
Jacqueline'80 and John Teísberg
Janis Thoreson '78
Dennis'58 and Doris Barnaal
Janet Karvonen-lVontgomery
Lawayne
'5i
and D. LaRhea .Johnson
'51
lvìorseth
Arlin Becker '88
'73 Becker and Charles Becker
'50 Berg
Adrian Tinderholt '38
Karl Nestvold'54
Catherine Berglund
Wells Fargo Educational IVatching Gift Program
Norma Noonan
Sidney '57 and Lola Lidstrom
Gunnar+ and Mary Wick
Betsey and Alan Norgard
Robert Wick '81
Robert Odegard '51+
Gertrude Ness Berg'51
Andrew '64 and Jean Amland
Pamela Zagaria
Ruth Pousi Ollila'54
Carolyn Berkland
Gary
'65 and Jean Pfeifer '64 0lson
'65
Berg
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
'65 and Jean Blosberg
15-19 years consecut¡ve
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock'81
Robert'77 and Katherine Anderson
R. Luther 0lson '56
Jack'62 and Nìna Osberg
John '79 and Rebecca Lundeen '79 Aune
-iohn and Norma Paulson
Dennes'57 and Florence Helland '54 Borman
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Willard Botko
Rosemarie Pace
Gary
Ronald and Anna Marie Austin
Daniel '51 and Lois Pearson
Bruce '64 and Nancy Braaten
The Batalden Advised Fund
Donald Peterson'49
Daniel and lrene Brink
Christine Wacker'87 Bjork and Steven Bjork
Rebecca
'63 and lVavis Bjurlin
Davìd '68 and Lynn Boe
Elizabeth Pushing'93
Quentin '50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
l\4ichael Burden '85
Barbara Hanson
David Christensen'52
Joyce and Walker Romano
lVlorris
44
Augsburg Now
'88 Pfabe and lVìaurice Higgins
'68 Raymond and David Raymond
Roxanne Raunschnot'82 Buchanan and
Jim Buchanan
Eìnar Cannelin
'38
William Capman
Gregory Carlson '74
'65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
John and Peggy Cerrito
lrene Shelstad Henjum '52
Marie Haf ie
Herbert'54 and E Corrine Chilstrom
Gregory'61 and Kay Hanenburg'62 Madson
Judith Christensen
Jeff Christenson '82
Rand'82 and Kay Kennedy'82 Henjum
Peter'92 and Becky Hespen
Kristen Hirsch '91 Montag and Paul Montag
Janet Niederloh '58 Christeson and
Sylvia Hjelmeland
Carlos Mariani Rosa
John '70 and Lynn Benson '69 Hjelmeland
Julie Magnuson '61 Marineau and Richard
John Christeson
Raymond lVlakeever
Patrick'72 and Nancy lvlarcy
C. Lee Clarke
iohn'81 and Karen Hofflander
Joseph '53 and Connre Cleary
Dean '57 and Jane Holmes
Donald '60 and Ruth Thorsgard '59 Homme
John '59 and De Anne lVartinsen
James'59 and Joanne Horn
Jon '58 and Judith lVlatala
Elizabeth Horton
Phillip '62 and Karen Tangen '63 lVattison
Lillian and Vernon Maunu
Dana Holmes '81 lVclntyre and Vernon Mclntyre '79
Tara Cesaretti '97 lVlcLeod and Christopher'00
Judith Norman '66 Coppersmith and
Norman Coppersmith
Cheryl Solomonson '89 Crockett and
Marineau
Donald '65 and Delores Hoseth
Larry Crockett
0liver Dahl '45
Kermit '50 and Ruth Hoversten
Tom'72 and Karen Howe
Sally Hough Daniels '79
Rhoda lVonseth
Lois Mackey Davis '58
Mark '88 and lVìarya lVlattson
Laura Bower '91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
'59 Huglen and Erling Huglen
'83 Hultgren
Suzanne Doree
Bruce and Jean lnglis
Julie Edstrom '90
Darrell '55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson Eiler '65
Carolyn Ross
Robert '71 and Cheryl Lindroos
'72 Mar|in
lVlcLeod
Meca Sportswear lnc.
Robert '59 and Mary Lundquist '60 Meffert
'89 lsaak and James
lsaak
Joan and Richard lVleierotto
Jeffrey '80 and Jacqui Jarnes
David '68 and Elaine Melby
Thomas '86 and Susan Miller
David '79 and Amy Eitrheim
'63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Laurel Jones '69 Johnson and Larry Johnson
Bruce '68 and Lois Hallcock '68 Johnson
Daniel'77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Carolyn Johnson '63
Mark 'BB and Tamie lVlorken
Avis Ellingrod
Douglas'66 and Kathryn Wall '66 Johnson
Kari Elsila and lVlichael Buescher
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Rona Quanbeck'48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Margaret Johnson
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 lVìueller
Scott '81 and Debra Musselman
Michael Navane
and Lynette Engebretson
Ellen Stenberg Erickson '51
Joan '94 and Mark Johnson
Doris Wilkins
Curtis '84 and Jody Eischens
Dean '68 and Diana Olson
'69 Ersfeld
Martha Johnson
Theodore '68 and lVlichelle Johnson
Duane Esterly'75
L. Cratg'79 and Theresa Serbus
'79
Estrem
'78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
Jennifer Abeln
'78
Moren
Edor'38 and Dorathy Nelson
Lany '65 and lVarilyn Nelson
Ronald '68 and Mary Kay Nelson
David '64+ and Johnson
lVlark
Ronald '59 and Elizabeth Miskowiec
Jonathan '78 and Bonnie Lamon
E. lrene Lasseson Neseth '38+
Steven '64 and Rebecca '64 Nielsen
John '68 and Martha Fahlberg
Suzanne Kelley'69
Robert '73 and Linda Nilsen
Karen Faulkner
Benjamin and Christine Kent
James '57 and Shirley Norman
William and Anne Frame
James Kerr
Donald '65 and Carolyn Francis
Richard '69 and Cheryl Nelson
lerry'67 and Pauline
North Dakota Community Foundation
'70 King
Linda King '78
Terry'7O and Vicki Nygaard
Edward '54 and Winifred Nystuen '54 Nyhus
Ann Garvey
Marie Gjenvick Knaphus '45+
Richard '69 and Sandra Larson '69 Olmsted
Barbara Gilbert'81
LaRhae Grindal Knatterud '70
Howard and Bettye Olson
Lorraine Vash '67 Gosewisch and David Gosewisch
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Cedric '61 and Marlys Olson
John '66 and Mary Jo Greenfield
Carmela Brown
Cindy Greenwood '05
Joan Kunz
Beverly Halling '55 Oren and Donald '53 Oren
ith '84 and Jean Taylor '85
H. Theodore '76 and Michele Grindal
Steven '81 and Kathy Grinde
Julia Ose'62 Grose and Christopher Grose
Jean Venske '87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Richard '72 and Carol Habstritt
Robert'80 and Lori LaFleur
George '50 and Vivian Lanes
Steven 0'Tool '74
Andrea Langeland
Ervin '56 and Sylvia Moe '59 Overlund
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad'53 Larson
Patricia Solum Park'02
Julie Gudmestad '65 and Joseph Laudicina
John '52 and lvlary Peterson '54 Leak
Roger'50 and Donna Wang'52 Leak
Jacqueline Kniefel Lind'69
Patricia and John Parker
James'67 and Laurie Lindell
Dwight '60 and Marion Pederson
Rosemary and Andrew Link
Dale Pederson'70
Arlene and Gene Lopas
Linda Christensen'68 Phillips and Gerald Phillips
Frovik
Roger Griff
Lucille and Roger Hackbart
Shirley and Hansen
John '69 and Barbara Harden
Robert'83 and Lynne Harris
Burton '72 and Rollie Haugen
Lisa Svac Hawks '85
Dawn Hendricks '80
Gerald '59 and lVaxine Hendricks
Olivia Gordon
'84 Kranz and David
Kranz
'62 Lorents and Alden Lorents
Vicki and Daniel 0lson
Russell '63 and Ruth Osterberg
Robert'50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Howard '53 and Vicki Skor'59 Pearson
Leanne Phinney'71 and Mark Schultz
Jack'53 and Darlene Lundberg
James Plumedahl '57
lVlarissa Hutterer Machado '99
Jill Pohtilla
Every effort has been made to ensure that all nanes are included and spelled correctly.
lfyou notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
45
lnez Olson '59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Richard '70 and Linda Seime
Drew'87 and lVìolly Privette
Jerry '83 and Susan Warnes 'BB Quam
lVlark '53 and Jean Raabe
Dick '61 and Jane Thompson
Sue Thompson
'85
Nicolyn Rajala '70 and Bill Vossler
John Rask '71
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Gordon '52 and Gloria Parizek '53 Thorpe
lVarlys Holm '57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Charles Sheaffer
Richard '56 and Darlene Thorud
Paul Rensted'87
John '50 and Norma Shelstad
lVlìchael
James'75 and Jude Ring
David '59 and Arline Ringstad
James'63 and Patricia Steenson '65 Roback
Donavon '52 and Ardis Roberts
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist '64
Chad '93 and lVargaret Shilson
l\4ark and Ann Tranvik
Eugene and Margaret Skibbe
Gordon '57 and Karen Egesdal '61 Trelstad
'72 and Nancy Becker '72 Soli
Joyce Engstrom '70 and Robert Spector
Heidi Wisner '93 Staloch and l\4ark Staloch
Ronald '58 and Naomi Stave
lVìerry Tucker
Earl '68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen '70 Sethre
Alan
Philip Rowberg'41
'85 and Rhonda Riesberg '84 Tjaden
Betty and Paul Tveite
Robert'50 and Dee Ulsaker
Joan Swenson Van Wirt '78
Joan Volz
Richard Sandeen '69
Roger'54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Calvìn '51+ and Bonnie lVlartinson '59 Storley
Mary Mether'69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
'68
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Pauline Sateren
Steven '65 and Chynne Strommen
Rebecca and Michael Waggoner
Carol Watson Saunders'68
Philip '79 and Julia Davis '79 Styrlund
Norman '76 and Kathryn Anderson '76 Wahl
Jan Pedersen '68 Schiff and Tom Schiff
John '69 and Stephanie Johnson '71 Sulzbach
Michael '64 and Carla Quanbeck '64 Walgren
Rodney and Elizabeth Schmidt
Kenneth Svendsen '78 and Allison Everett'78
l\4ichael and Leslie Schock
Stephen '76 and Antoinette Laux'77 Sveom
Lois '76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John '49 and Arnhild Werket
Larry '65 and Muriel Berg '67 Scholla
Brian Swedeen '92 and Teni Burnor'92
Heidi Norman '88 Wise and John Wise
Arvid '63 and Lillian Schroeder
Diana Talcott
Edmund '53 and Rose Youngquist
Roger'62 and Jean Schwartz
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
ALUMNI GIVING BY CTASS YEAR
The following
list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2008-09
Total participation for all class years, 21%.
7934
1935
1936
r937
1938
1939
1940
T94T
40.007"
50.00%
50.00%
62.50y"
64.7'I"/"
25.00%
52.94%
L949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
37.36"/.
1970
24.37"/.
45.83"/"
24.307"
7994
t7.49y"
1981
7982
L8.97"/.
17.44%
1995
1996
7997
1998
1999
70.73%
13.92%
4.23%
9.72%
10a?
18.4I"/"
17.73"/.
17.42y"
13.46"/.
14.34%
15.69%
2004
2005
5.247"
9.45"/.
Lr.48%
7.58%
43.657"
47.75%
46.O9"/"
I97 4
26.42%
38.31%
36.88%
37.97%
40.76%
7975
24.68%
I976
23.5a%
1991
8.70%
2006
4.78%
I977
24.65%
23.92%
t992
70.o7%
993
ro.7t%
2007
2008
5.56y"
3.05%
48.t5%
1961
45.83%
L962
42.86%
1963
Augsburg Now
29.90ï.
46.4O"/o
19.09%
1958
1959
1960
1947
1948
46
37.447"
30.70y.
4L85"/.
34.357"
1979
1980
I957
t946
1944
34.75%
r
r972
r973
1945
1943
35.
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1984
1985
1986
7987
1988
1989
1990
40.63%
48.44%
38.10%
45.65%
48.72%
L942
i0%
L964
47.27%
33.52%
44.53%
50.86%
197
1978
26.IO"/.
25.,ry"
1
1132%
19.I2"/.
t2.20%
2000
2007
8.37%
2002
2003
8.74%
5A3%
alumni news
,fi,
,ì.
Dear valued alumni ancl friends,
s I write this article, we are passing
;! into autumn, and every year this
', brings a palpable sense of nostalgia and ref lection. This year I have been
considering some of the principles and
ideals I learned while a student and at
Augsburg.
As alumni we are all aware of the
another in our closely def ined lives. We belong to chatting commu_
nities, Facebook, MySpace, and thousands of other digital groups,
which could be argued constitute a community.
We cannot deny that technology has grven us the ability to stay
in contact and have more access to informatlon than ever before,
but the question we need to consider is, are we truly following our
duty and responsibllities of our fellowship in humankind?
Each of us will have a different answer to this question, but none
of us can deny that we are living in a time that needs all of us to
themes of vocation, caritas flove), and the duty to be an active part
of our community. These themes were the foundation of the educa_
actively be involved in the world we live. My call to dutyto each of
you, as alumni, is to take some time to rediscover the communities
tion we received from Augsburg and are stillthe foundation for stu-
in which you belong and consider how you can participate and
make a difference. A great place to start is by examining one
community in which you belong: Augsburg College. As a member of
the Augsburg community, a great first step would be to visit the
dents today.
However, my question is, what does each of these tenets mean
to us today, as alumni? Vocation and caritas are def ined without
much difficulty in our lives. We know that through our education
we are able to work in our various fields and through love have last_
ing and def inable relationships with our fellow human beings. But
in our hectic lives, how do we def ine our community?
The notion of community has gone through some interesting
changes over the years. We used to define community by main fac_
tors of geography and/or common goals and ideals. However, this
has evolved over the years with the advancement of digital capabil_
ities and how we communicate. Today we use Twitter, write brief emails, and compose quick text messages to communicate with one
Augsburg Col lege al umn i relations page, www.augsburg.edu/alum
and go to Get lnvolved. There are many opportunities to get
n i,
involved and volunteers are always needed.
I wish you all happy ref lections in this autumn season.
ù'* &*uDANITL HICKLE '95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Alumni Board
Augsburg Associates
Campus lfitchen at Augsburg
Alumni mentors
Advent Vespers volunteers
GET INVÍ}NE.D
There's a place for youl
Learn more at www.augsburg.edu/alumni
Fall
2009
4l
.:
alumnl news
0ur 'Uniquely Augsburg' faculty add a special touch to alumni events
Have you ever wondered if those
Þ
costumes at the Renaissance Festival are really accurate? Did you
have any idea how the government's
€
stimulus billwould affect you? Ever
considered what it would be like to
see the ltalian countryside through
the eyes of an art historian?
These and many more are the
opportunities you have when
Augsburg faculty join you in the
Uniquely Augsburg alumni events
and programs. While not everyone is able to come to Augsburg's
campus, a number of professors are bringing the Augsburg experience to areas around the Twin Cities, sharing their expertise and
passions, answering questions, and helping interpret policies and
issues into news you can use.
Michael Lansing, assistant professor of history and director of
environmental studies, talked about the value of hands-on learning
in Augsburg's new environmental studies program. He led the Lake
Minnetonka eco-tour cruise in June, describing environmental
issues of the large lake and answering questions about its ecology.
Phillip Adamo (pictured left), associate professor and chair of
the History Department and director of medieval studies, hosted
lunch in Augsburg's tent at the Renaissance Festival and answered
questions about what's real and what's not. He also led a tour
around the grounds, stopping at a 16th-century lrish cottage
replica to give a glimpse of what life was like then.
When Auggies gathered in August for "Auggie Night at the
Races" in Shakopee, accounting professor Stu Stoller kicked off
the night with a presentation on "The Odds of Winning."
The quarterly Eye-Opener Breakfast Series provides alumni professionals an opportunity to start the day with networking and a
talk by an Augsburg academic. ln April, Economics Department
chair Jeanne Boeh spoke about the stimulus package, how it
affected the economy, and what it meant for most people.
The Uniquely Augsburg concept also extends to travel opportunities. The November tour to ltaly was led by art professor Kristin
Anderson, whose passions include the art, archìtecture, history,
and culture of this region.
Uniquely Augsburg alumni events have succeeded in engaging
alumni in great ways to experience an Augsburg education without
coming to campus. Watch for upcoming events in your area; the
next one may be just around the corner.
Keep up on all alúmnì events at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Journey to the Emerald lsle of lreland
à
Join friends from lhe Augsburg College community for an in-depth journey through lreland. Explore centuries of heroic history, visiting
archaeological sites dating lo S,000 BC. Experience the intense rugged
beauty of land carved from the sea, contrasling with the meticulous
gardens of stately castles. D¡scover the spirit of Celtic Christianity at
ancient monaslic communities where Christianity flourished during the
Dark Ages. Celebrate contemp0rary lrish culture with passion-filled
music and food at local pubs.
The tour departs in early 0ctober 2010 and will be hosted by
Augsburg faculty. A detailed tour brochure will be available in December. To receive the brochure, contact Alumni Relations, 6l 2-330-1
1
73
or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Kylemore Abbey, in County ûalway, the oldest ol the lrish Benedictine abbeys,
is one of the sites on the alumni itinerary in 0ctober 2010.
48
Augsburg Now
The Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings
Continuing the Augsburg Choir's
75th anniversary celebration,
Augsburg is proud to announce that
the Augsburg Choir
recordings from 1949-1979 will
CD versions of
Box 3: Sateren Finale
I972-73: An Ascription of Praise; includes Sateren's composition
by the same name
I974-7ú
Day of Pentecosf; includes Sateren's composition by the
same name
soon be available. These re-mastered historical treasures will be
I975-76: And Death Shall Have No Dominion; visiting director
released as The Augsburg Choir
1977-78: Here Comes Our Kingi includes Sateren's composition
legacy Recordings.
by the same name
ldar Karevold
I978-79: Gloria; includes the title piece by
leland
Lars Edlund
B. Sateren '35
Three boxed sets, each containing five CDs, will be produced:
Box 1: From Opseth to Sateren
1949-50: Augsburg Choir, with Henry P. Opseth conducting.
lncludes Jeg er saa glad, Praise to the Lord, and Song of Mary
I95I-52: includes Sateren's Cycle for Christmas and his arrange-
The Augsburg Cho¡r Legacy Recordings
will add to the richness of
the choral tradition of the past, present, and future. Dr. Bill
Halverson '51 has written a monograph about Leland B. Sateren's
life and career that will be included with the recordings. These
ment of The Sun Has Gone Down
1954-55: includes Sateren's Christmas Canticle
1956-57: includes Knut Nystedt's Cry Out and Shout
recordings will also confirm the historical and continued significance of Augsburg College as a place of preparation for service in
community and church.
The Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings will be available early
next year through the Augsburg College Bookstore. For information
196I-62: includes Sateren's His Compassions Fail
on ordering the CDs, go to the Music Department website,
Not
www.augsbu rg.ed u/m usic.
Box 2: Sateren lntermezzo
1964-65: includes music from the European tour, spanning 400
years of music from Corsi and Bach to Jean Berger
1967-68: Praise to God; includes Sateren's Seek
Not
Cost: $49 per boxed set; $135 for all three boxed sets, plus shipping and handling.
Afar for
Beauty
1969-7O: Thy Truth Within; includes Sateren's composition by the
same name
I970-7I: Make a Joyful Noise; includes Sateren's The Poor
and Needy
I97I-72:
The Redeemef includes Sateren's A Choral Cycle
The Redeemer
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Fall
úrr
2009
49
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alumni news
Experience the beauty and culture of Norway
e
JC
\
Join Augsburg's Center
for Leadership Studies
e
for an educatìonal and
cultural tour to Norway,
The tour includes:
r
Five days in Oslo-located on a fjord, surrounded by hills, and
full of the excitement of a large, cosmopolitan city
.
A journey westward by motor coach through Kongsberg, the his-
June 5-15,2010. This
toric Numedal Valley, and Hardangervidda (the mountain
special ly-designed tour
plateau home of large reindeer herds) to stay in a charming traditional hotel in Geilo
includes visits to Oslo,
Kongsberg, Geilo,
o
A famously scenic train ride to the fjord village of Flåm and a
.
Two nights in picturesque and historic Bergen on Norway's
.
west coast
A journey south by motor coach and ferry to Stavanger, designated "European Capital of Culture" for 2008. Stavanger was the
Bergen, and Stavanger.
While in Oslo, the group
will be hosted
Diakon
cruise on the Aurlands and Naeroy Fjords
by
hjemmet
U n
iver-'
sity College, an Augsburg partner school that
maìn departure point for Norwegian immigrants to Amerìca. After
offers a master's degree
ExperiencethespectacularbeautyofNorway's invalue-based leaderfiordswiththeCenterforLeadershipStudies ship.Accommodations
nextlune'
wiil be on or near campus. Faculty from Diakonhjemmet will lead three morning sessions
to complement the travel, providing an inside perspective and an
opportunity to reflect on what is seen and learned.
an overnight stay, the tour departs for home from Stavanger.
Cost: $3799 (includes airfare, accommodations, in-country travel,
entrance fees during group excursions, tour guides, workshops at
Diakonhjemmet, and 15 meals). Space is limited to 26.
For information about the tour and a PowerPoint preview, con-
tact Patty Park at 612-330-1150 or parkp@augsburg.edu.
Welcome home, 0ld Main bell
augsburg
Augsburg's first 0ld Main building opened in 1 8i4, and until it was razed to build
Sverdrup Hall, its bell called the campus communityto meals and events.
This bell has recently come back to Augsburg, and will find a new place and pur-
pose 0n campus. We're planning a story about the bell in the spring issue of Augsburg
I'low,about its history, its travels, and its return home. Scouring our archives, we haven't
been able to learn much about it, or find it pictured in archive photos.
I)o you rememberthis ()ld Main bell? Please help us learn more about
how and when did
it-where
was it located,
it ring? What do you remember about it?
After the bell served its duty in ()ld Main,
il became part of Augsburg student traditions-participating
in sports and other student activities. What do you
remember-tell
us, even anonymously, if you wish!
E-mail information and stories to now@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1 181. We invite you to become
part of the "rest of the story" about the 0ld Main bell.
50
Augsburg Now
)
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5g-Y[:Aft: ftliüNîoil|-$LAlifi
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ß59,
lyngdal, Walter Lundeen
HflMECOMING 2OOg
{g-YF,Aftj ftlîUNï01,f-$LA$$ ûF 1gõg
Front row (L t0 R): Arlene Uejima, Karl Sneider; Row 2 ([ to R): l{ancy (Rolfe) Rolfe-Bailey, Lynn
(Benson) Hlelmeland, Janice (Hawkins) Halvorson, Kristi Holden; Rows 3,4 combined (L to R):
Roberta (Halseth) clausen, J0an (Halverson) Holt, Diana (0lson) Ersfeld, Ardell (Th0rpe) Bengtson,
Ron Holden; Row 5 (L to R): Greg Clausen, Eunice Helgeson, Judy (Johnson Kangas) Lies, pam
(Fredrickson) Gunderson; Row ô ([ to R): Diane (Helgeson) carter, lois (peterson) Bollman, Julie
(Kreie) Eidsvoog, sue (Halvorson) Bjerkestrand; Row 7 (L to R): sharon (Mielke) Eian, shirley (Swee)
Seutter, Alvina (Strand) Skogen, Linda (Stewart) Miller, larry Turner; Rows B, I combined (l to R):
Jacqueline (Kniefel) [ind, Joel Branes, Daryl Miller, wayne carlson, pamela (Bjorklund) carlson,
25- I FA ft, ftElf$l,i0l,f
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laurie (Ofstedal) Frattallone, [aurie ([indell) Miles, Sonja Thompson,
Carmela (Brown) Kranz, Kim (0lsen) Melotte, lisa (Rykken) Kasfler
(L to R)
Richard Fenton; Rows 1 0, 1 1 combined ([ to R): ûlen Peterson, larry Matthews, Bruce Mestemacheç
Mike Essen, Bob Bliss, Gary Boen
Fall
2009
51
ass nOtes
c
FlSheldon
Johnson beean in Sepas interim sJperintend
ent at lVleadow Creek (Minn.)
Christian School. He retired in 2000
after 33 years as superintendent of
the lVlonticello School District, and
has since served four prior stints as
an interim superintendent.
Ult.ro.r.
Richard E. Lund, MD, is a retired
radiologist, living in Edmonds, Wash
He and his wife, Ann, have been
married for 43 years and have five
grandchildren. rlxrad@aol.com
tltSusan
Nelson has been teachlne elementary special education for 23 years in ihe Davenport
(lowa) Community Schools. She
coached lhe 1995 and 1999 World
Games Special Olympics lowa tennis
teams and the 2006 National
Games lowa tennis team.
Uf
l!fllon
Uü.r
Hageseth retired in Sepo.itro m his 27 -year
tenure as co-founder and director of
the Counseling and Testing Center at
the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse. He plans to pursue photography and woodworking, as well as
play tennis and golf, and volunteer
in the community.
Kathy 0lson entered the contest in
September for an at-large seat on
the Waverly (lowa) City Council. She
retired last year as CUNA Mutual
human resources director and
serves on two non-profit boards in
her community.
FSii;:
i'iåi,' H tilì:t
åi^
David Ctoss works at U N IVAC/
UNISYS Cadence Design Systems.
Robert Strandquist has taught high
school English around the world. He
has been a twolime Fulbright
exchange teacher, a scholar at
Oxford and in lreland, and has run
15 marathons. Now he's "tiredno, re-tired."
[arry Turner has raised a family,
retired from the Burlington Northern
Santa l-e Railway, served22 years in
the Naval Reserve, and now enjoys
opportunities to travel and expand
his photography hobby.
]
!
(Johnson) Sullivan
llSharon Ann
lJreceived the "Excellence in
Jacqueline (Kniefel) l¡nd'94 MAt
works at the Airport Foundation
MSP to recruit, train, and recognize
300 volunteers for Travelers Assistance. She completed her Master of
Arts in Leadership degree at Augsburg and has served as Augsburg's
Alumni Board president.
52
Jill (Beck) Burch works at Accenture
Kay (Peterson) Sauck is president
and CEO of Sauck Media Group, a
publishing company that she
founded in 2009 in Fairmont, lVlinn
She launched Womeninc magaÀne
in 2004. ln 2008, after a series of
personal tragedies, she started
Midwest Caregìver, which has now
become Caregiving in Ameñca.
Coming in spring 2010 is a third
publication called MN Rivers.
Bank.
at Best Buy.
Shari Kay (Hackbarth) Hunter completed an MBA at the Unìversity of
St. Thomas and works at Provincial
Karen Jensen works for the State of
Minnesota. After graduation she
look an Oulward Bound course,
found a passion for outdoor adventure, and has paddled around the
world. Five years ago, she lost her
husband, Jim Rada, when he died
while paddling a whitewater river.
Teaching Award" from the California
Council for Adult Education. She is a
kay@sauckmed ia.com
metropolitan ad ult education
¡nstructor at Hope Services, San
Jose, Calif., where she teaches life
skills to over 150 adults who are
developmentally disabled.
O,4ì Mary
Saturday evening lazz
show, Corner Jazz, on KBEM Radio,
after working for 12 years at Minnesota Public Radio.
't
f
(}rjworkshop in music therapy,
lJane (Catlin) Bracken, a firstlgraOe teacher at Cannon Falls
(Minn.) Elementary School, was
selected by her peers as the elementary Teacher of the Year in
Ann Sullivan began host-
Ctl,tnea
Q 2Xt]l
luedtke-Smith organized
a
"lVlusical Play: Learning through
Music," at the Fraser School last
February.
T flJanice Nelson is a new memt l,nu, of the board of directors ot
Southwest lnitiative Foundation in
Hutchinson, Minn. She is an attorney with the law firm of Nelson Oyen
Torvik in lVlontevideo, IVlinn., and
works with real estate, estate planning, elder law, and probate.
Lisa (Rykken) Kastler is program
executive at Youth Encounter and
oversees national and international
traveling ministry teams and weekend events. She has enjoyed opportunities to use her theatre studies in
youth minislry.
Kim Marie 0lsen taught elementary
and middle school and served as
a youth minister. Her husband
retired from active duty in the U.S.
Navy, and they are now settled in
Wisconsin.
Ja nuary.
@'/f-Wanda (Hemphill) Borman has
O¡Þworked, traveled to Europe
and Asia, and ¡s an instructor in the
Eagan Art House and manager of
the Eagan Ad Festival.
Liz (Peterson) Sheahan has worked
at Ministry Home Care, Inc., where
she has created Telly-award-winning
videos on home healLh and hospice
care used in fundraising.
(Strommen) Johnson is
J9'ùco-chairing
f,Andrea
Paul
St.
Children's
Hospital Association's CHAnging
Lives 60th Annual Ball. Proceeds
from the November 21 benefit go to
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of
M in
Kristi (Sanford) Goetsch enjoyed a
wonderful 30-year career in the
Seattle Public Schools from 19691999. Since then she has been
doing volunteer work with the elcierly
and teaching Sunday School.
management consulting firm,
Drakulic & Associates, which currently contracts in the operations
and development areas w¡th Hope
Chest for Breast Cancer.
t
f
nesota.
ÊRev. David Halaas was called
Uìo ,.ru.
as senior pastor at
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Williston, N.D.
Church of Christ and Nerstrand
(Minn.) United lVlethodist Church
A group of Auggies from the late 1970s found an occasion to get
together for dinner in Minneapolis last April.
Front row, L to R: Laura (Berg) Nelson '79, Steve Nelson'78, Steve
Wehrenberg'78, Sue (Johnson) Wehrenberg'79, Pam (Hanson) Moksnes
last summer.
'79, Lynn Schmidtke'79; Back row, Llo R: Steve Pheneger, LuAnn
(Johnson) Drakulic spent
$Sue
{22years working at Honeywell, and then left to run her own
Pheneger, Mark Moksnes'79, Tim Gordon'80, Ga¡l (Wagner) Gordon'80,
Karin (Larson) Monson, Greg Monson'79 (in back), Susan Streed
McNaughton, Bill Voedisch. Laurie (Carlson) Voedisch, Chris Geason '78,
Julie (Edson) Geason'79
7 8::'3f,:iii:i:l j;i1Ï,ïñ:;
J
I
Augsburg Now
)
rr
.þ
è
þ
q
Adrienne (Kuchler) Eldridge
Jason, welcomed a son, Hudson lsaiah, on
June 12. She is the program and
lff,¡
V-3.and her husband,
ø
organizational manager at the First
Lutheran Church and Bay Lake
q
Camp. aeke@hotmail.com
Q.flSven
9l.his
OEllir¡am Zien Edgar and Scott Edgar were married on July 5 in St. Louis
U UPark, Minn. Auggies in the wedding party included Molly Rivets'06,
Erlandson has published
fourlh book, Badass
Alia Sheirman'08, Laya Theberge'06, Dayle Vanderleest'04, Peter lindemann
'04, and Karley Kielty'07. Music professors Robert Stacke'71 and Ned Kantor played in the klezmer/jazz band. Miriam is orchestra director at J.F.
Kennedy High School in Bloomrngton, and Scott is completing his master's
degree in counseling and psychological services at St. Mary's University of
Jesus: The Serious Athlete and a
Life of Noble Purpose. Written for
"the most ¡ntense, focused, and
fiercest athletes," the book is rooted
in "Jesus' First and Greatest Commandment and his personal ethos
of radical other-centered love."
Minnesota.
Natasha Hamann is a family medicine physician at Allina Medical
Clinic in Buffalo, lVinn.
flfi.Sarah Huerta'06 MBA and
her
U Uhusband, C¡aig'09, wel-
comed theìr second child, Connor
Brian, on April 24. He joins big
brofher Brady,2-112.
(l
ÇAllison
(Cornell) and Matt
llUBroughton'06 were married
in
a small ceremony on June 27 . f he
couple lives in Hanover, N.H.,
where Malt is a graduate student in
physics at Dartmouth College and
Allison works for the Dartmouth
Medical School Development Offìce.
The photo was taken by Ryan
Bethke'09,
fì
Roper-Batker is the presiÚÚoent uÅo cro of the women's
Foundation of lVinnesota, which she
has served since 2001. She received
a diploma from the Higher Trade
Union College in lVloscow, where she
studied trade union movements.
flLee
Bethany Buchanan married
Micheal Scott, a high
school special education teacher, in
June 2008. A year later they started
Grace Homes-Williston House, a
residential care home for seniors in
lVlinnetonka. After working as a
O.tì
rll.Charles
social worker, Bethany graduated
from nursing school in 2001, and
worked at Fairview University Medical Center and Methodist Hospital
as a medical-surgical nurse prior to
opening the care home. ln 2003,
2004, and 2005 she did month-long
medical mission tours in Nigeria.
Tracy (Glumich) Hovland and her
husband, Erik, have a six-month-old
daughter, Ava.
June (Kirk) Nelson returned to West
Africa 15 months ago, where she
works at the Hopital Protestante in
Ngaoundere, Cameroon, a mission
hospital that trains Christian African
physicians to become surgeons.
Megan Renze has been in Florida for
10 years. She completed her Juris
Doctor degree at the University of
Miami Law School.
O OAaron
Shatol Tyra received a Star Award
2008 from the lVlinnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing (N/l0LN)
in recognition of her commitment to
volunteering and dedication to influencing health care by advancing
professional nursrng leadership, particularly with the Metro Alliance Education and Service Collaborative for
Expanded Enrollment of Baccalaureate Nurses.
Petrasek married David
Alan Hurley on Oct. 28, 2008,
in Van Nuys, Calif. Paul works at
FedEx and David Alan works at the
VA Medical Center. They traveled to
Disneyland for a honeymoon and
Gabriel directed the
lJ
lJregional premiere of How Can
You Run with a Shell on Your Back
at the Stages Theatre in Hopkins,
lVlinn., in lVlarch. The musical won a
regional Tony award following its premiere in Chicago last year.
Chiho Okuizumi is program coordina-
tor at VH1 Save the lVlusic Foundation in New York City, which provides
access to instrumental music education to children in more than 1,600
public schools across the U.S.
OTPaul
r'l I
live in Avon, Calif.
Q$toucin da
(0lson) Bjorklund
rJ.rJ-works at Vascular Solutions,
I
nc.
employed at the time of her wedding
at Appleton Cardiology Associates in
Appleton, Wis., as a physician assistant. Kevin is a high school math
teacher and head track coach at
Clintonville High School.
Marcy received his MBA
the Carlson School of
Management, University of Minnesota, in 2008 and accepted a promotion to senior internal auditor at
Valspar in Minneapolis. He travels
fl
2Max
U úfrom
widely doing internal audits, including the U.S., Europe, and China. ln
2OO4 he married his wife, Jessica, in
a Celtic mass held in Syracuse, N.Y.
They live in lVinneapolis with their
Persian cat, Eleanor Rigby.
fddam Nugent and Carolina
U T(Chiesa) are living in College
fi
Station, Texas. Adam is studying for
a lVlaster of Landscape Architecture
degree at Texas A&M, and Carolina
is teaching at South Knoll Elementary School.
Bourn works as a promanager with youth
service agencies and the Minneapolis Public Schools on the North Side.
He has run for the Minneapolis Park
and Recreation Board to keep parks
on the North Side safe and pro-
O FBrad
tlilgram
and has moved to Los Angeles.
grammed. He has received the Presidential Service Award for his work
with youth.
(l{¡
(l'fleremy
fl lEm¡ly Nugent'07 MA[, '09 MBA
lJ lis engaged to Nick Loiacano
Jennifer Langman married
Reese in Cameron, Wis.,
on August 9, 2008. Jennifer earned
a master's degree in health science
from Duke University and was
U-LKevin
Anderson adapted one
of his poems into a l0-minute
play, "Jones'n," which was produced
as part of the Bedlam Theatre's TenMinute Play Festival in May.
Uf
Fall
2009
53
prof ile
A Colombian Auggie in
Europe-
Paola Murcia '99
s
,1
È
How did a Latin American Auggie from Colombia end up in
Belgium via Minneapolis and Costa Rica?
Paola lVurcìa has lived in Antwerp, Belgium, for three years
now, working for Dole Fresh Fruit as the banana allocation
assistant for Europe. ln this role, she is the contact person
between the European market for Dole bananas and the production in Latin America.
This journey began in the mid-1990s when another Auggie
from Colombia introduced Paola to Eloisa Echavez, then the
director of Augsburg's Hispanic/Latino Student Services.
Echavez met with Paola's parents when she traveled in
Colombia, and they agreed to Paola's going to Augsburg.
She studied international relations, political science, and
Apart from her work, Paola Murcia '99 enjoys traveling in Europe and had a great view
ol the Thames in London from the london Eye ferris wheel.
French, and graduated in 1999. A year later, she took a posi-
tion in San José, Costa Rica, with Dole, and over the next six
years she was continually promoted and grew in the company
about those subjects," Paola says, "and it's important when
you live abroad that you try to blend in as much as possible.
toward the appointment in Dole's European division.
Also, to be open-minded!"
Shortly after arriving in Belgium, Paola ref lected on how she
felt Augsburg had provided a foundation for this new
When Paola arrived in Europe, for the first time she found
herself in a place where she didn't understand anything at all.
experience.
ln Antwerp, although most people speak English, the language
is Dutch (Flemish). But, since Belgium's off icial languages are
Dutch, German, and French, she could use her French from
Augsburg and fully appreciated the efforts of professor Pary
Pezechkian, who pushed her to master it.
As of now, Paola plans to stay in Europe, working in the
international f ield. She has studied Dutch and is striving to
"l have used what was learned in political
science and international relations to be the professional and the person I have
become," Paola wrote. "As Professor Norma Noonan puts it
better than I could, [she wrote to me,] 'You are living international relations, which is even better than merely studying ìt!
You are living the multicultural experiences that you have had
in all the countries through which you have passed."'
Paola would encourage current students to pay a lot of
attention to history and geography, as well as language.
"There is still an ìmage that Americans don't know much
perfect her French and German. She is also now accustomed to
the continental European winter, and she credits her years in
Minnesota for preparing her for this, as well.
BEÏSTY NORGARD
Shannon Olson works as a marketing
associate within a new type of teaming structure at Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans, called Professional
Office Practìces (POP).
0uincy Osborn joined the athletic
staf f at Ohio University as an assislanI coach in wrestling, after serving
in the same position for Augsburg's
wrestling team.
at an outdoor ceremony along the
Mississìppi River and drove to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon.
Daniel Manley is a police officer in
Glen Ridge, N.J. and saved the life
of a choking baby on the second day
on his job after having recently completed police academy training.
Alia Scheirman began her service in
the Peace Corps in Ukraine al the
fl QTasha Christensen married
l, [tNikolaus Browne on June l3
54
Augsburg Now
end of September.
fi
$Abigail Ferjak, with a major in
U üyoulh and
family ministry, is
beglnning study at Yale Divinity
Graduate College and wants to
explore the possibility of teaching in
a college setting.
Matthew Tonsager has joined the
Elm Creek Associates of Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans as a financial
associate with the organization's
Central l\4innesola Regional [inancial Office.
Of;ATUATI PfiO$f;AMIì
Jeff Falkingham '95 MAL received
favorable reviews from the Sherlock
Holmes Society of London for his
second novel, Sherlock Holmes: In
Search of the Source, released on
January 6, the 155th birthday of
Holmes, The historical f¡ction ¡s set
in l896 in Sl. P¿ul. Read Lhe review
at www.sherlockhol mes.org. u k/pdf/
DM290.pdf.
Send us your news and photos
Please
tell
us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don't forget to send photosl
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
0f program from a memorral service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg
llow
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 14È,2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
ln Memoriam
[arson, Gertrude (Amundson)'35,
Denver, Colo., age 100, on Aug. 3.
Dahl, Jeffrey'74, Cottonwood,
Minn., age 56, on Sept.30.
Street address
Pautz, Richard'37, Minneapolis,
age 96, on July 4. Former athletic
director, director of public rela-
Treichel, Scott G.'76, Webster, Wis.,
age 55, on July 31.
City, State, Zip
tions, Augsburg regent emeritus,
and 7972 Distinguished Alumnus.
Ahlberg, Ruth C. '¿14, Chesterton,
Ind., age BB, on Aug. 25.
Johnson, Edwin 0. '44, Minneapolis,
age BB, on Aug. 16.
larsen, Marguerite (Greguson)'45,
Carlton, Minn., age 86, on July 4.
Strand, Carl '46, Owatonna, Minn.,
age 87 , on Aug. 12.
Wessman, Rev. Willis'48, Topeka,
Kan., age BB, on July 26.
ls this a new address?
O Yes D
No
Olsen, Daniel ,1. '78, Apple Valley,
IVinn., age 53, on May 4.
Mason, WilmaÆom-Ba-Equay (Windy
Woman) '81, Bemidji, Minn., age
61, on Sept.10.
Home telephone
E-mail
Ballot, Sarah (Carlson) '98, Minneapolis, age 33, in early July, in
an auto acc¡dent.
Okayto publishyoure-mail address?
Allegrezza, Genevieve'04, Anchorage, Alaska, age28, on Aug.3.
Employer
Johnston, Hannah (Bratzel)'07, St.
Paul Park, lVinn., age 27, on June
25, of cancer.
Position
OYes trNo
Work telephone
Garstenbrock, Walter '49, Austin,
Minn., age 86, on July 7.
Brown, Orpha (Grimsrud) '50,
Wick, Cheryl '11 PA, Rochester,
IVìinn., age 25, on July 25, of cardiac arrhythmia.
Phoenix, Ariz., and Portland, Ore.,
Druck, Rachel
age 80, on July 27.
Oct.17.
'12, age 23,
[alim, Archie'50, lVladison, Conn.,
age 80, on Aug. 9. 1990 Distin-
Sulzen, Zoya'12, Minneapolis, at
the end of July.
ls spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? O Yes
tr
No
lf yes, class year
on
Spouse's name
guished Alumnus.
Berkland, Rev. Theodore'51,'54
Sem, Grantsburg, Wis., age 80, on
June 20 of multiple myeloma.
Sortland, Rev. Howard'51, Plymouth, Minn., age 86, on Aug. 3.
Balerud, Paul'54, North Platte,
Neb., age 79, on Aug. 5.
Nelson, Judith (0lson) '65, Shell
Knob, lVlo., age 66, on Aug. 29.
Jones-Hermerding, Ertwin'69, Otter
Anderson, Margaret (Klinner), Edina,
Minn., age 86, on June 19, She
lVlaiden name
Your news:
taught home economics at Augsburg and was the widow of Ernie
Anderson'37.
Pedersen, Myrtle Edith, Hudson,
Wis., age 100, on Aug. 12.
Wrightsman, Rev. Bruce, Garnavillo,
lowa, age 75, on Oct. 4, of heart
failure and amyloidosis. He taught
in the Department of Religion and
Philosophy,1960-63.
O
I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Tail, Minn., age62, on Aug. 11, in
a motorcycle accident. 2003 Distinguished Alumnus.
Fall
2009
55
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To see
other photos of Auggie Eagle around
campus during the week of Homecoming,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
What will Auggie do next?
As part of the Homecoming celebration, Auggie (or a paper
cutout of Auggie from the Homecoming brochure) wandered
around campus and had his photo taken for the online photo
of the week. Here Auggie is studying sociology in the library.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2009
VOL. 71, NO. 2
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Augsburg Choir, 75 years
Twin sisters, twin dreams Core to compost
Travel
How green is Augsburg? Studying sustainability
page
20 the neig... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2009
VOL. 71, NO. 2
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Augsburg Choir, 75 years
Twin sisters, twin dreams Core to compost
Travel
How green is Augsburg? Studying sustainability
page
20 the neighborhood youth Green planning
Feeding
go
green
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
notes
from President Pribbenow
Generosity and Sustainability
t
his issue of the Augsburg Now offers many
inspiring stories of ways in which our community is learning about and practicing what
it means to live sustainable lives in the city.
I’ve been thinking a good bit lately about why the
Augsburg community has made such great progress
in living out its commitment to urban sustainability,
and I’ve found myself exploring the meaning of the
original motto for Augsburg Theological Seminary
and College, the bold claim found in John 1:14:
“And the Word became flesh.” I’m struck by how
this scriptural promise is both a statement of generosity and of sustainability. Augsburg College practices generosity most authentically when it lives as
the Word made flesh—sustainable, present, rooted,
of service, and faithful.
My teacher, Martin Marty, taught me that colleges
are indigenous communities—that is, they are native
to a particular place, a particular environment, a particular set of values, and practices that define the
institution—and that means something for the way
they live their lives.
What does it mean to think about Augsburg
College as an indigenous community? What does it
mean that the Word has become flesh and lived
among us here?
I lift up for our attention three simple aspects of
Augsburg’s identity—ways in which the Word becomes flesh here and the values we seek to sustain:
• The central focus of our identity is that wherever
Augsburg College is found—here in this neighborhood, in the city, in Rochester, or around the
world—our most authentic work is learning and
teaching. And the wonder of learning is that it involves acts of generosity and sustainability in its
every detail—from teachers who teach what they
love; to students who seek to learn out of curiosity
and passion; to texts that bear the wisdom of the
ages for our reflection; to conversations that help
us pay attention to the Word, to each other, and to
the world; to practices and commitments that help
sustain our environment.
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
• A second aspect of our identity is the way in
which this city, a particular place—much different
now than in 1869—is still a place that demands our
attention and respect and concern. Democracy still
is practiced in this place with our neighbors. Education still happens in this place with learners and
teachers all around us. Engagement and service still
are at the center of our lives with each other in this
place. Sustaining this urban place, this urban environment, is an act of generosity—for our diverse
neighbors, for our diverse selves, for the whole of
creation, now and into the future.
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
• The final aspect of our identity is our firm grounding in the Christian faith—a confident faith that
frees us to learn, to live, to practice hospitality with
all of our neighbors, to be a force for good in the
world, to affirm our calling as people of faith and a
college of the church, to be God’s people in this
place, and to know that grace and truth abound
where the Word becomes flesh.
www.augsburg.edu
I celebrate the generosity that is Augsburg’s faithful
work in the world—the Word made flesh here, each
and every day. I celebrate the sustainability of our indigenous character, our indigenous work, and our indigenous place. And I recall the concluding words of
John 1:14 that remind us that the Word made flesh
is “full of grace and truth.” Oh, how the world needs
a Word of grace and truth. And here it is!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
spring 2009
Features
6
10
12
Augsburg Choir - celebrating 75 years
by Betsey Norgard
16
30
Twin sisters, twin dreams
by Jean Spielman Housh
International Programs Photo Contest
14
20
23
auggies
go green
16 Toward a more sustainable Augsburg
by Betsey Norgard
contents
19 How green is Augsburg?
26
augsburg now
20 Environmental connections: Green starts here
by Jeff Shelman
23 Studying sustainability
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
26 Green Planning
28 Core to compost
Photos and text by Stephen Geffre
30 Feeding the neighborhood youth
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
32 How green is our magazine?
Departments
2
4
5
8
33
36
40
Around the Quad
Auggies on the ice
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
On the cover
We celebrate in this issue all the commitments, changes, and
progress that Augsburg has embraced in learning how to be a
more sustainable college in the city.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
around the
quad
Augsburg receives Carnegie classification
Augsburg was recently selected by the Carnegie Foundation as
one of 119 colleges and universities in the nation to receive the
classification for Community Engagement. This affirms that the
school has institutionalized community engagement in its identity, culture, and commitments. It also affirms that the practices
of community engagement are aligned with the institution’s identity and form an integral component of the institutional culture.
The classification has three categories—curricular engagement, outreach and partnerships, and a category for both engagement and outreach—and Augsburg received the latter,
comprehensive classification.
In a letter to Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, Jim
Scheibel, executive director of the Minnesota Campus Compact,
congratulated the College on this recognition. Scheibel wrote, “As
a country that faces an economic crisis, and as a community that
witnesses division and strife across the globe, we need students,
faculty, and campuses that are fully engaged. This recognition
says you are doing your part and acknowledges that you are serious about fulfilling the mission of the College.”
Augsburg has included “student engagement” as one of nine
specific academic goals for the institution. The Augsburg Experience signature curriculum requirement encourages direct involvement with people and organizations external to the College,
All first-year students spend an afternoon during September Auggie Days working on
community projects—painting, gardening, cleaning up, or whatever needs doing in the
neighborhood with Augsburg’s community partners.
first-hand discovery and application of knowledge, self-awareness
through reflective and critical thinking, and exploration of what
one is called to do in the world.
Augsburg is a committed partner to particular nonprofit and
educational groups within the nearby urban neighborhoods, including Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips.
In addition, the College has instituted programs and policies
that support community engagement for the campus community.
All staff members receive two days of paid leave time for community service.
A note to the editor
“I found the ‘Lights, camera, and action’ feature in the fall 2008 Augsburg
Now very interesting. This photograph was taken in the Augsburg Art Studio in the early 1970s during a session of a hands-on class teaching 16mm
filmmaking with synchronized sound. As a student from 1965-1970, I had a
work-study job showing films and doing photography working for Robert
Zeller, who at that time was director of instructional services. He is the
first person whom I recall to have taught a course in film studies at
Augsburg. Warren Hanson, John Mitchell, and Larry Glenn (left to right in
the photo) were all students in the course taught by local filmmaker Paul
Rusten. Warren was a registered student. As John was a faculty member
and I was director of the audio-visual center, we were invited to participate in the class without receiving credit.”
LARRY GLENN ’70
2
Augsburg Now
Brian Krohn—Augsburg’s first Rhodes Scholar
Brian Krohn ’08 arrived at Augsburg with plans of being a film major and eventually became a chemistry
student. In November he was selected as a Rhodes Scholar—Augsburg’s first.
Krohn, a native of Cloquet, Minn., was one of 769 initial U.S. applicants from 207 colleges and universities for this year’s Rhodes Scholars. After making it through an interview process and being selected,
Krohn became one of 32 Americans who will study at Oxford University beginning in fall 2009. There, Krohn
will focus on environmental change and management in order to combine public policy expertise with the
scientific knowledge he has gained at Augsburg.
In the summer of 2006, Krohn began research into new ways to produce biodiesel fuel. He acknowledges that he didn’t really expect to break any new ground, but he wanted to give it a shot.
The combination of Krohn’s research, the teaching of chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg, and
Augsburg alum Clayton McNeff led to the discovery of the Mcgyan Process to produce
biodiesel in a cleaner and more environmentally friendly way.
“For me, Brian’s work on the biodiesel project is a great liberal arts story,”
President Paul C. Pribbenow said. “There’s a connection between a student with a
question, a faculty member, and an alum. They work on a problem and come out with
a response that, in this case, is pretty groundbreaking.
“Brian stands for the well-rounded education that we provide for all of our
students. We’re proud of him and proud that his Augsburg education prepared
him,” Pribbenow continued.
In addition to his work with biodiesel, Krohn is a Goldwater Scholar who was
a founder of the Honors Review, a new journal for student scholarship at
Augsburg. He organized the inaugural Agre Challenge, an event in which teams
were challenged to build a catapult to fling a 20-pound sandbag various distances.
Diane Pike receives the Stewart Bellman Award
Diane Pike, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and professor of
sociology, is the 2008 recipient of the Stewart Bellman Award for Exemplary Leadership from The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching and Learning.
She was honored in November at The Collaboration’s annual conference.
For more than 25 years at Augsburg, Pike has been recognized for her excellence
as a classroom teacher and as a role model for other faculty members, in large part
due to her ongoing leadership in faculty development workshops, consulting, and summer institutes, and her avid attention to the research literature on the scholarship of
teaching and learning.
Pike’s accomplishments at Augsburg have included re-envisioning the work of the
Committee on Faculty Development, integrating activities for faculty and professional
staff members, and creating dedicated space for student learning and CTL in Lindell
Library. Most notably, however, has been her leadership in the creation of the new
AugCore general education program—guiding the design team work and faculty collaboratives on specific issues, as well as securing a Bush Foundation grant for implementation and work on the course evaluation project. She is the incoming president of the
Midwest Sociological Society.
Spring 2009
3
Auggies on the ice
Tiffany Magnuson—
a star on ice and on the field
If it weren’t for finding cheap hockey skates at a tent sale,
Tiffany Magnuson’s athletic career might have been quite
different than it is today.
“My dad didn’t want me playing hockey. They bought me
figure skates, because my dad didn’t want me messed up
with the hockey guys,” said Magnuson, whose father is a
hockey coach in their hometown of Green Bay, Wis. “They
bought the figure skates for me, and I couldn’t skate in them
because of the toe pick. But my dad always said that I had a
natural hockey stride, and I kept telling him that I wanted
black skates.”
So Magnuson’s mom found her a pair of black skates—
hockey skates.
“My mom always said, ‘Wal-Mart started your career,’
because they had a tent sale at Wal-Mart on hockey skates,”
Magnuson said.
A senior, Magnuson has excelled at two sports during her
Auggie career—hockey and softball—and will leave Augsburg
as one of the top all-around female athletes in school history.
Magnuson finished her hockey career as the school’s second
leading goal-scorer and No. 3 point-producer. She was a
four-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
selection.
In softball, Magnuson played three positions—second
base, first base, and pitcher—during last season’s run to the
MIAC playoffs for the first time in program history. A threetime All-MIAC selection, she enters this season with a .379
career batting average as the Auggies leadoff hitter.
Magnuson, a finance major and accounting minor, was recruited to play hockey at Augsburg and she said she chose
Augsburg because it was a small school in a large city. Being
active in back-to-back sports has helped her learn to manage
her time.
“Sports have taught me about leadership, being committed and competitive, about interacting with others, and having to all come together for a goal,” said Magnuson, who
wants to work on the business side of a sports team. “It’s a
family [atmosphere], and for me being away from my family,
it helps me with my life. That’s what I like about Augsburg,
the close-knit atmosphere.”
DON STONER
4
Augsburg Now
auggie voices
Engaging in the big questions
The Lilly Scholars seminar is a place where students can feel
comfortable talking about the big questions in life. Questions
like, Is Christianity the only true religion? What does it mean to
forgive someone? What is God calling me to do?
For Mark Tranvik, associate professor of religion and director of
the Lilly grant program, the seminar is the heart of the year-long
program designed for juniors and seniors who are considering
seminary or graduate study in theology or sacred arts. Once a
month they meet to discuss assigned texts, engage with guest
speakers, and reflect on biblical passages or issues in the
Christian tradition.
Each year, 10 or 11 Lilly Scholars, who receive a $2,100
scholarship, are selected from more than twice that number.
Among the current scholars, the average GPA is 3.75. In addition
to the seminar, Lilly Scholars visit Luther Seminary and can take
courses there.
“There is an ongoing hunger in the intellectual community for
genuine theological conversation among students that the Lilly
Scholar program honors,” says Tranvik, who is also an ordained
minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Creating
a comfortable place for these critical conversations is his goal.
And, he adds, “doubters are welcomed.”
Jenni Pickford, a philosophy and religion major, finds the seminar most valuable for “the openmindedness I’ve gained from
hearing about views that differ from my own.” What she appreciates is that “there are other students out there who are interested
in more than just a grade and do this for the love of learning.”
“The greatest impact for me is the group friendship and discussions that carry throughout other classes,” says religion major
Denise Shuck, a Weekend College senior who is planning to enter
Luther Seminary. “I have a great appreciation for the diversity of
opinions about the topics we’ve discussed.”
Abby Ferjak, a senior, finds it easy to integrate what she does
in the Lilly Scholars program to her youth and family ministry
classes. “It’s important for youth to understand that vocation is
not simply what one might do as a career; but rather, that everyone has many vocations, and [that] they don’t have to wait to fulfill their vocation.”
And that’s exactly what the Lilly Endowment hopes to hear.
Their goal for funding programs in church-related, liberal arts colleges that explore vocation is to nurture a new generation of voca-
In their monthly seminar, Professor Mark Tranvik (above, in blue shirt) seeks to
create a comfortable atmosphere for the Lilly Scholars to discuss and explore
vocation. (L to R) Denise Shuck, Leah Jarvi, Tranvik, Cody Oaks, Allison Streed,
Alexander Garver, Abigail Ferjak, Natalie Sasseville, and Ashley Weston.
tionally-guided leaders—both pastoral and lay—for church congregations. Lilly Scholars are one part of Augsburg’s $2 million
grant program, Exploring Our Gifts, that began in 2002 and is
directed by Tranvik.
Over its six years, Lilly Scholars have included a mix of
younger and older students and have cut across disciplines, for
example, among science and social work majors seeking ways to
combine faith life with their fields.
Last year four Lilly Scholars continued to Luther Seminary (all
with full scholarships), two chose law school, one entered the
Lutheran Volunteer Corps, one is in congregational youth ministry,
and one began graduate study in social work. About half of all
Lilly Scholars have entered seminary.
During their year as Lilly Scholars, the students serve as role
models within the larger community. They develop a portfolio, reflecting on vocation and what they carry with them from the year.
Cody Oaks, a current Lilly Scholar, finds inspiration in
Tranvik’s ability to merge the pastoral with the academic. “He
provides the model of a pastor-scholar I would like to embody in
my own work and call to teach,” Oaks says. He will enter
Princeton Theological Seminary this summer and begin to seek
ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Kyle Zvejnicks, a 2006-07 Lilly Scholar, reflected on community. “The seminar has reminded me of the importance of community in vocation, namely that we need each other. … Just as
much, we don’t come with the same vocation for everyone, but
each with their own, and not for themselves but for others.”
To learn more about Exploring Our Gifts, go to
www.augsburg.edu/lilly.
BETSEY NORGARD
Spring
Fall 2008
2009
5
The Augsburg Choir—
celebrating 75 years
This academic year, the Augsburg Choir celebrates 75 years—a
choral tradition of distinction and excellence.
The Augsburg Choir was founded in 1933, when the Men’s
Glee Club and the Ladies’ Choral Society, who had sung together
on various occasions, voted to unite, under the direction of music
department chair Henry P. Opseth. The first student president of
the choir was a third-year music major and future choir conductor
Leland B. Sateren.
The new choir lost no time in preparing for tours and performances. In 1935, their tour through the Midwest took them more
than 2,000 miles for 20 concerts, including a coast-to-coast broadcast in Chicago with the National Broadcasting System. On their return, they sang a home concert at Central Lutheran Church.
Choir business manager Orville C. Hognander ’36 planned the
tour, plus arranged for a series of 18 Sunday evening radio broadcasts on WCCO radio, the “Hour Melodious.” This program also
was accessible over open channel across the country and brought
visibility to Augsburg, reconnecting many alumni to the College.
In 1946, Leland B. Sateren ’35 returned to Augsburg to join
the music faculty. Following Opseth’s death in 1950, Sateren
was named conductor of the Augsburg Choir.
For the next 29 years, the Augsburg Choir developed its own
distinctive tone quality, musicality, and professionalism under
Sateren. While the choir continued to share the Gospel through
church music, Sateren evolved a more contemporary classical
sound, especially in his own compositions. His passion for
1933
Scandinavian music brought attention to music and composers
relatively unknown in the U.S.
In 1975, the Augsburg Choir’s 40th anniversary tour took
them to Scandinavia. They traveled by boat down the Norwegian
coast, from above the Arctic Circle to Oslo, and sang in the
Trondheim Cathedral.
Leland Sateren retired in 1979, and the direction of the choir
passed to Larry L. Fleming, a noted choral conductor and composer. In his first year, the choir was chosen as the official representative from the U.S. to sing in Augsburg, Germany, at the
450th commemoration of the Augsburg Confession.
Fleming also established Advent Vespers, the College’s annual
1975
Augsburg Choir
is founded
40th anniversary
choir tour
Leland B. Sateren ’35—choir director
Peter Hendrickson ’76—student choir president
and future choir director
Henry P. Opseth—choir director
Leland B. Sateren ’35—student choir
president and future choir director
6
Augsburg Now
The majestic Advent Vespers service each year at
Central Lutheran Church presents Augsburg’s four
choirs, with part of the service sung as a massed choir
of over 200 voices.
holiday program, as a service of music and liturgy, which now attracts up to 8,000 people at its four services and will celebrate
its 30th anniversary in 2009.
Fleming left Augsburg in 1986, and for the next several years
the Augsburg Choir was under the direction of Thomas Rossin.
In 1994, after serving a short time as interim director, Peter
Hendrickson ’76 was appointed the choir’s new conductor. Over
the past decade and a half, he has realized his vision for
Augsburg’s choral program—one that offers distinct choral experiences for all students, including the extended Augsburg family,
with different repertoires:
• Augsburg Choir—a cappella touring choir
• Riverside Singers—women’s chorus
• Cedar Singers—men’s chorus
• Masterworks Chorale—symphonic chorus
All four choirs, as well as an orchestra and liturgical party, participate annually in Advent Vespers. In 2004, for the 25th anniversary,
Twin Cities Public Television recorded the service and won a
Regional Emmy award for the production. The program has been
shown on public television during the holiday season since then.
One of Hendrickson’s passions is language, and to date, his
choirs have sung in more than 15 languages. “We owe it to our
students in the choral program to educate them not only in
Augsburg’s commitment to the Lutheran choral tradition, but also
in creating, through music and language, a better understanding
of other cultures and our responsibility to be world citizens,”
Hendrickson says.
The Augsburg Choir’s March tour this year took them south,
traveling from Nebraska to Texas, and locations in between. Currently the choir is planning next year’s tour, a trip that will take
them to China in 2010.
2009
The Masterworks Chorale marks 15 years
Hendrickson founded the Masterworks Chorale in 1994 as a symphonic chorus of approximately 100 voices, made up of students,
faculty and staff, alumni, and others connected to the Augsburg
community. Unique to a college campus, Masterworks Chorale
presents programs of great choral works and explores new
masterworks.
In 1996, the chorale performed for the first time the entire
Visions from Hildegaard by Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus.
In 1997, it presented the English-language premiere of
Norwegian composer Egil Hovland’s opera, Captive and Free, and
in 2001, the English-language version of Finnish composer and
conductor Kari Tikka’s opera, Luther.
The Masterworks Chorale performs three times per year—at
fall and spring concerts, and for Advent Vespers. A number of
chorale members are Augsburg alumni who sang as students in
Leland Sateren’s choirs.
“The Sateren choir alumni in Masterworks keep the legacy and
spirit of the Sateren era alive,” Hendrickson says. “It’s a wonderful connection for our current students, a passing of the torch, so
to speak, from then to now.”
BETSEY NORGARD
75th anniversary year
For a longer story about choir history with
additional photos, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Peter Hendrickson ’76—choir director
7
it takes an
Auggie
A legacy for promising students
President’s Scholarships recognize students with exceptional academic ability and leadership potential and can provide financial
support up to full tuition for four years. Donors who choose to
endow a President’s Scholarship make special connections with
these students, and those that follow them, one after another, as
they see an Augsburg education made possible.
E. Milton Kleven ’46 taught school in Minneapolis for 33 years
and knows what this means to students from low-income families. He and his family have endowed three President’s Scholarships and enjoy being part of the lives of the students who
receive them, helping them begin their work and careers free
from college debt.
Milt Kleven’s Augsburg story began in a home two blocks from
the College, where his Norwegian immigrant mother and father
raised nine children. Since Augsburg was the college in the
neighborhood, six of the Kleven children attended, with three
completing their degrees.
In 1940, Milt followed his sister Agathe, who had just graduated from Augsburg. Like most students then, Milt’s studies were
interrupted by World
War II, and in 1946
he returned and
finished. Their
brother Luther
graduated in
1950.
Milt graduated with a
major in
mathematics
and a minor in physical education. His strongest
and longest friendships he formed in the Augsburg
A-Club, even though his student job downtown at
the Minneapolis Club kept him too busy to participate in most sports, except for lettering in golf.
Kleven’s Augsburg story has a romantic twist on
a broken leg. In late 1943 he left Augsburg to
enter Navy pilot training. When he suffered a broken leg, he decided to spend the eight-week recovery period back at Augsburg, completing his
math major with Professor George Soberg.
8
One evening in Augsburg’s library, in the basement of Old
Main, he met Dorothy Lijsing, the daughter of a Swedish immigrant father and mother, and she became his wife and partner for
53 years. Dorothy transferred to Gustavus Adolphus College and
graduated there. They were married in 1947.
Soon after graduating, Kleven began teaching mathematics in
the Minneapolis Public Schools. In addition to teaching, he also
served as the teacher representative with Great West Financial on
a voluntary investment fund created following a strike in 1970.
From that experience, he learned a great deal about investments
and wise financial planning that has served him well.
In the 1950s, the Klevens were approached by Sig Hjelmeland
’41, Augsburg’s development director, and asked for the first
time to consider giving back to Augsburg.
“My parents always set aside their tithe,” Kleven says, “and
taught us that giving is a part of our responsibility.”
In 1958, he and Dorothy established a scholarship in honor of
his parents, Magnus and Kristofa Kleven. In its 50 years, more
than 200 Augsburg students have benefited from the financial
support of this scholarship.
During the 1960s, the Klevens continued their philanthropic
support to Augsburg, and for many years worked closely with development officer Jeroy Carlson ’48.
In 2001, when Dorothy passed away, Kleven established a
scholarship in her name. With college costs skyrocketing, he
knew from his large family what a difference a full tuition scholarship could make for students from low-income families, like
those he had taught in Minneapolis.
“That’s the main thing,” Kleven says. “I want to help kids who
have a need, and I want it to be a full scholarship.”
So, the Dorothy Lijsing Kleven Scholarship became the first
endowed President’s Scholarship, and provides a full scholarship
to a student interested in choral music, as Dorothy had been
throughout her life. This endowment was created by Milt and
their four children and families—Bruce and Maren Kleven, David
and Barbara Kleven, Barbara and Zane Birky, and Diane and
Philip Larson.
In 2007, the family created two additional endowed
President’s Scholarships. They added Dorothy’s parents, David
and Florence Lijsing, to the original scholarship for Milt’s parents
and raised it to the level of a full President’s Scholarship.
The third was created in Milt’s name—the E. Milton Kleven
Scholarship for public service, so he can enjoy supporting students with a real financial need who plan to enter public service.
Kleven helped to facilitate two other scholarships. The
Margaret Andrews Scholarship was established by Kleven and his
fellow Trade and Industry coordinators in the Minneapolis public
school system to honor their supervisor, Margaret Andrews. The
Donald C. Carlson Scholarship, through the Normandale Lutheran
Church Foundation, is named for founding pastor Donald Carlson
’42 to support a Normandale member attending Augsburg.
The Kleven legacy also includes major support to capital projects. In 1995-96, the family worked with President Charles
Anderson and gave $1 million toward the construction of
Lindell Library.
Milt founded Kleven Flooring Service, which installed hardwood flooring in houses in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Over
the years, he provided hardwood floors throughout the Augsburg
campus, including the Augsburg Room in
Christensen Center and Augsburg House.
His most recent gift celebrates his over
60-year tie to Augsburg A-Club and close
friendships with Glen Person ’47 and Dick
“Pork Chop” Thompson ’61. Together, as part
of the construction of the new press box on
Edor Nelson Field, the three provided the
funding to name the Jeroy C. Carlson
Hospitality Room in Kennedy Center in honor
of their longtime friend and colleague.
For more information about endowing a
President’s Scholarship honoring Augsburg’s
most promising students, contact Doug Scott,
assistant vice president for development, at
612-330-1575 or 1-800-273-0617.
BETSEY NORGARD
Becky Shaheen ’11
Becky Shaheen is a sophomore from Elk River, Minn., majoring in
vocal music performance and composition, with a pre-engineering
minor. She sings in the Augsburg Choir, Gospel Praise Jazz Ensemble,
and other ensembles. This is her second year as the recipient of the
Dorothy Lijsing Kleven President’s Scholarship in choral music, and
she keeps in touch with the Kleven family.
“Music is my life, and this semester I’ve been able to dedicate
more time than ever before to music. I am finally realizing that being
a musician is possible …
“This scholarship has opened so many doors for me. I don’t have
to worry so much about the financial issues, and it has provided me
with confidence and such an ‘I can do anything!’ attitude.
“When I first met the family, it was like meeting a huge part of my
extended family that I didn’t know about. … A picture of the family
and me taken at the scholarship brunch hangs by my desk, a reminder of the people who are making this journey possible. “
twin sisters
Twin sisters
Twin dreams
“Our Augsburg professors were supportive
and encouraged us to pursue our dream ...”
BETTY BOWERS, MD
Barbara and Betty Bowers knew they wanted to grow up to be
doctors when they were six years old. The twin sisters were born
in Mora, Minn., and graduated from Augsburg in 1972. They attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and graduated in 1976.
“Our family doctor, Dr. Harry Berge, encouraged and supported us in our dream,” says Barbara Bowers, MD, “although
we’d never even seen a woman doctor.”
The Bowers twins were two of George and Opal Bowers’ four
daughters. The family lived in Brook Park, Minn., when the twins
were young. “Our parents raised us to believe that if we worked
hard we could achieve anything.”
Betty and Barbara studied diligently through grade school and
graduated from Forest Lake High School.
“We never took a test without thinking about our goal,”
Barbara explains. “We would not be dissuaded by naysayers.”
Today, Barbara Bowers is medical director of Fairview Southdale Breast Center and Fairview Southdale Hospital Medical
Oncology Clinic.
Betty Bowers, MD, is medical director and an anesthesiologist
with the McGee Eye Surgery Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
10
Augsburg Now
How did two young women from small-town Minnesota make it
through college in the big city?
“We received incredible personal attention and felt cared for
at Augsburg,” Barbara says. The twin sisters found the small
class sizes and nurturing environment a perfect place to study
the sciences.
“Our Augsburg professors were supportive and encouraged us
to pursue our dream,” Betty explains. Although, there was one
science professor who did not give them full credit for their class
work. “He had a special curve for us,” Barbara says. “His attitude
really was indicative of society at the time. It was the late 1960s,
and few women were pursuing careers in science, let alone medicine. But we didn’t lose heart.”
At Augsburg, the Bowers sisters were exposed to different cultures and religions. “Our professors knew us as people, not just
students in the classroom,” Barbara explains. “Rabbi Schwartz
took us to his synagogue and invited us to his home for Seder.”
While it took a lot of hard work to get through medical school,
“We were encouraged by those who meant the most to us,” Betty
says. “Sometimes naive belief serves you well.”
Claus Pierach, MD, a professor at the University of Minnesota
twin dreams
Medical School, recognized right away that the Bowers sisters
were unique. “Not only were they identical twins—they were
equally enterprising.”
Pierach serves on the admission committee for the University of
Minnesota Medical School. “I see and study many applicants, but
I see few students as determined as Betty and Barbara Bowers.”
After completing medical school, Barbara Bowers did her residency at what was then Northwestern Hospital. Pierach worked
closely with Barbara in her internal medicine rotation. “It was no
surprise that she earned the title of chief resident.” It was during
her internal medicine residency at Northwestern Hospital that
Barbara became intrigued by the cancer patients she treated.
“They were strong people, and it really sparked my interest in
medical oncology,” she explains.
Barbara decided to specialize in medical oncology. “At that
time, I thought I’d work in cancer treatment and work myself out
of a job in about 10 years.”
While cancer has not been cured, Barbara has seen significant
advances in cancer treatment and prevention. “We are seeing
more cancer patients live longer. There has been progress in preventing certain cancers through increased patient understanding
of the role diet and exercise play in our lives.”
“As a physician, my role is to partner with patients. To do that,
we need to educate patients, give them the information they need
to make decisions regarding their care, and communicate on the
same wave length—making sure that they know they are the most
important person on our care team.”
For Barbara, caring for cancer patients is where medical science and compassion meet. “I’m a scientist,” she explains. “I
love studying the periodic table. Everything in the universe is up
there except one thing—the heart, the human element.”
Barbara is married to a physician and has two daughters and
a son.
While in medical school, Betty thought she’d become a surgeon. She was the first female surgery resident at Hennepin
County Medical Center. In the fourth year of her general surgery
rotation, Claude Hitchcock, MD, approached her about taking a
six-month anesthesia rotation at the Mayo Clinic. “It’s been a
good fit for me. I’ve been practicing anesthesiology since 1981.”
She’s been with the McGee Eye Surgery Center since 2005.
Betty is married to a physician and has two daughters.
Looking back, Barbara and Betty remember many good times
amid the grueling schedule of medical school. “But we got through
it all by tucking our chins in and working hard,” Betty says.
Both physicians say they have enjoyed tremendous job satisfaction from their careers in medicine. “I would encourage anyone
dedicated to helping people to choose a career in medicine,”
Barbara says. “The medical field is constantly changing and offers
academic challenges, but most of all it is personally rewarding.”
JEAN SPIELMAN HOUSH
Housh is married to Allen Housh, a former Augsburg regent. She came to know
Dr. Barbara Bowers when she was treated for breast cancer in 2004.
Photos submitted by the families and Fairview Southdale Hospital.
“As a physician, my role is to partner with
patients. To do that, we need to ... make
sure that they know they are the most
important person on our care team.”
BARBARA BOWERS, MD
Betty Bowers, MD
Barbara Bowers, MD
Spring 2009
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International Programs
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Photo
Contest
Portraits
1st place: Bethany Thompson
“Doi Suthep Girls”
Chiang Mai, Thailand
2nd place: Katie MacAulay
“Llamas and the Lost City of
the Incas”
Peru
3rd place: Sara Black
“Another Walk of Life”
Ibarra, Ecuador
Landscape/cityscape
1st place and Best of Show:
Emily Hanson
“Holocaust Memorial”
Berlin, Germany
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2nd place: Katie Woolever
“Looking Through Mada’s
Dwelling”
Northern Namibia
3rd place: Kayla Skarbakka
“Boireann”
County Clare, Ireland
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Photojournalism
1st place: Emily Hanson
“GDR Shopkeep”
Wittenburg, Germany
2nd place: Tyla Pream
“Festival of San Giovanni–Boy
with Flag”
Florence, Italy
Augsburg Now
3
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3
3rd place: Christine Tresselt
“Coffee in the Cloud Forest”
Miraflor, Nicaragua
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sustain. respond. recycle.
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“The Augsburg College community is deeply committed to
what it means to build a sustainable urban environment.”
—President Paul C. Pribbenow
clean. reduce. build. Save.
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BY BETSEY NORGARD
Living sustainably is no longer merely an
option. As a vast majority of the world’s
people struggle for resources to sustain
even simple lives, a small minority consume at rates that will quickly deplete
Earth’s resources and imperil future
generations.
Environmental concerns are now front
and center on our national agenda. But
beyond these, the broader considerations
of sustainable living—economic and social policies that determine how resources
are shared—remain difficult to tackle.
Augsburg’s history, mission, and vision
call for the College to engage in these
broad discussions of sustainability. The
two vision documents of 1997 and 2005
spell out an institutional vocation for the
College rooted in a blending of Lutheran
heritage, immigrant history, and urban location that demands a caring stewardship
of God’s creation.
As the College explores how it lives out
its institutional vision—We are called to
serve our neighbor—it must look beyond
the changes brought about by green practices and invite the deeper conversations
in community that probe the meaning of
living sustainably in the city.
The greening of Augsburg
The Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC), made up of faculty, staff, and
students, leads the environmental initiatives of the College. Created in 1990 as a
task force, it was revitalized by President
William Frame in 1999 and given both
purpose and strength.
Tom Ruffaner, longtime committee
chair and custodial supervisor, believes
that the comprehensive “Waste Wise”
audit carried out in 1999 became the
“driving force behind ‘greening’ at
Augsburg.” The audit “not only identified
areas of waste and inefficiencies across
campus but also offered resources to
make improvements.”
The ESC Vision Statement in 2004
summarized its goals: “The stewardship of
the urban and global environment can only
be pursued if we take these steps toward
using less, living more simply, and acting
with the care and awareness of the impact
of actions on the people and ecosystem
within which we live and on which we all
depend.”
In 2006, Augsburg’s new president,
Paul C. Pribbenow, quickly embraced the
growing urgency to address issues of sustainability and gave voice to a deeper understanding of sustainability within
Augsburg’s mission and vision.
The changes across campus in the past
three years have been significant. Sustainability is infused through Augsburg’s curriculum and grounded in its daily
practices—on campus, in the community,
and around the world.
Augsburg participates in two important institutional collaborations:
• Presidents Climate Commitment—President Pribbenow joined more than 600
American college and university presidents to sign an agreement to “neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and to
accelerate the research and educational
efforts of higher education to equip
society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.”
One person’s difference
if
mr. green
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Augsburg Now
Augsburg had a “Mr. Green” contest,
TOM RUFFANER ’98 might well be the best
candidate. Over the past decade, he has
led Augsburg toward greater commitments in
sustainable living.
Ruffaner has pushed Augsburg to bring about environmental improvements in energy use, safer
cleaning products, and recycling and waste reduction
(starting with a comprehensive Waste Wise audit). He
also helped the College study its transportation
habits and commuting alternatives. And, he has
chaired the Environmental Stewardship Committee
and supported community efforts.
In fall 2007, Ruffaner received an Individual
Achievement Commuter Choice Award, given by Metro
Transit, that recognizes organizations and individuals
for their creative solutions in promoting alternatives
to driving alone. He also served on the advisory committee that helped design the light rail station nearest
Augsburg.
A 1998 graduate in metro-urban studies, Ruffaner
is the custodial supervisor at Augsburg.
A report has just been completed that
measures the College’s carbon footprint.
• Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC)—Five colleges (Augsburg,
Hamline, St. Thomas, St. Catherine,
Macalester) are exploring ways to create
a stronger academic identity that clearly
expresses their shared identity as an
urban institution and centers on the
theme of sustainable urban development. Ideas may include curricular development, community outreach,
research, service-learning, internships,
study abroad, and faculty development.
Students step forward
green vehicles, and become engaged in the political
process.
Augsburg’s chapter of the Minnesota Public Interest
Research Group (MPIRG) began the initial efforts to recycle in the 1970s. Recently, its Environmental Task
Force, along with student groups, has led projects on
campus, including:
• Focus the Nation teach-in—Augsburg joined organizations across the country in setting aside a day to engage the entire campus in conversations on
sustainability.
“MY DAD TELLS ME, ‘DREAMS ARE FREE.
DREAM BIG, IT WON’T COST MONEY.’”
Some of the most exciting projects for sustainability have come from student-led initiatives. Students have researched
alternative fuels, organized teach-ins,
gained student backing to support wind
energy, pushed the College to purchase
—Alex Hoselton ’08
Focus leads to wind energy
My dad tells me, “Dreams are free. Dream big, it won’t
cost money.” I listened and dreamt and acted big by forming an ad hoc organization and, with other students,
started organizing for the Focus the Nation teach-in in
January 2008. The teach-in provided rich liberal arts perspectives to more than 500 attendees and launched momentum towards switching Augsburg’s energy
consumption from fossil fuel to wind energy.
The organizing students petitioned Day Student
Government for a referendum to impose a fee of $14.75
per semester to purchase wind energy. The referendum
passed, with 68% of the vote, and day students now contribute more than $54,000 annually. Contributions from
Weekend College Government and the administration enable us to purchase enough wind power to make
Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus 100% free of fossil fuel
electricity. We have reduced the equivalent in carbon
emissions of taking 26,000 cars off the road or planting
69 square miles of trees each year.
17
The case for a green vehicle
• Wind energy purchase—Both day and
weekend student governments held referendums in which students voted to add a
new student fee to contribute to wind energy purchase. It enables Augsburg to
offset 100% of its fossil-fuel electricity
costs on the Minneapolis campus, making the College one of the largest purchasers of wind power in the state.
• Hybrid security vehicle—When a security
vehicle was due for replacement, a student group pushed for the College to buy
a hybrid fuel vehicle.
• Food services changes—Students initiated the practice of composting food,
saving three-quarters of a ton of trash.
• Environmental history of Augsburg—
The 2007 Environmental Connections
class researched and wrote “From Rural
to Urban: The Environmental History of
Augsburg College 1872-2005,” studying
its relationship to nature, technology,
and humans.
• Trash audit—In order to call attention to
lackadaisical attitudes toward recycling,
a group of students went through twodays’ worth of garbage and showed how
nearly 70% of it was either compostable
or recyclable.
Much work remains before Augsburg can
be satisfied it is consuming only what
Earth can renew. But now, that work is increasingly carried out with greater consciousness of the impact made by personal
choices and practices, both on the self and
on an interconnected and interdependent
global community.
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Augsburg Now
The green vehicle initiative developed from
the inspiration of Brian Krohn’s biofuel discoveries and my resources as a member of
Augsburg Day Student Government in fall
2008. Almost immediately Reid Larson and
Steve Eichten also committed themselves
fully to the project. Collectively, the four of
us found that our goal was to ensure that our
next Department of Public Safety vehicle was
both a fiscally and environmentally sound investment. After hearing estimates that the
department puts nearly 150 miles daily on
their vehicle, we realized that having either a
biodiesel or hybrid would surely be cost effective. It turned out that a Ford Escape
Hybrid would save the college $30,000 annually by our low-end estimates.
Initially finding little support in the
purchase of a hybrid, the group prepared for
a meeting with President Paul Pribbenow. We
presented him with graphs on two- and fouryear savings, a list of ways that he would be
supporting the Presidents Climate Commitment he had signed earlier in the year, and a
list of colleges, universities, and police departments that all had successfully integrated
hybrid vehicles into their programs. By meeting’s end the president had given us an oral
commitment to the Ford Escape, and said that
John Pack, director of public safety, had also
expressed his support earlier in the day. By
September 2008 the College’s new hybrid vehicle was in use on campus. The Green Vehicle Coalition, as it has developed into, sees
this particular project only as a first step toward many long-term goals.
“THE GREEN VEHICLE INITIATIVE DEVELOPED FROM THE
INSPIRATION OF BRIAN KROHN’S BIOFUEL DISCOVERIES.”
—Jake Quarstad ’10
How GREEN is Augsburg?
how
College initiatives
• American College and University Presidents
Climate Commitment—completed the Greenhouse
Gas Emissions Inventory for 2001-08
• Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities will
collaborate on studying urban sustainability
• HourCar hub on campus
• Discounted transit passes
• Reserved carpool parking
• Fair trade items sold in bookstore
• Purchasing enough wind energy to offset electricity
Student-led initiatives
• Led Focus the Nation teach-in—Jan. 2008
• Proposed and passed extra student fees for
purchase of wind energy
• Friends of the Mississippi River stewardship
• Pushed for green vehicle initiative to
purchase hybrid security vehicle
• Environmental studies major and minor
• Presented at Campus Compact conference
• Fall 2009—Fate of the World i-term class
• Created bike-share program
• Campus Kitchen program and community garden
• Launched composting in dining area
green is
Food service
• Composting program
?
• Gradual move toward trayless dining, starting with Trayless Tuesdays
• Take-out materials—all corn-based and compostable
• Purchase all produce from a five-state region
• Fair trade coffee available in campus eateries
Internal practices
• Double-sided printing on all campus copiers
• All copy paper on campus—30% post-consumer waste
• Ongoing re-use center
• Recycling of cans, glass bottles, plastic, paper, cardboard, and yard waste
• Recycling for appliances, carpets, furniture, batteries, electronics, ink
• Compostable paper towels in all public restrooms
• Changed all faucets and showers on campus to water-saving fixtures
• Energy-efficient fluorescent lamps in public areas, increasing use of CFL bulbs
augsburg
• Moving toward 100% “Green Seal” cleaning chemicals
• Display board and fairs to facilitate public transportation
Environmental studies program
• Paddled the Mississippi River to study environmental and river politics
• Built rain gardens to capture runoff
• Researched and wrote an environmental history of
Augsburg College
• Studied, prepared, and served a healthy, local,
sustainable lunch
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The topic of conversation on this early December afternoon was pumpkin ice
cream, a dessert that summed up many of the conflicts that go along with making environmental change.
In Environmental Connections, the gateway course for Augsburg’s new environmental studies major, history professor Michael Lansing and political science
professor Joe Underhill take an issue and break it down over a semester. In fall
2007, the topic was water. This past fall, a dozen Augsburg students looked at
food and just how it ends up on our plates.
At the end of the semester, the Environmental Connections students had to take
what they learned and plan a menu for a lunch that was served in the
Christensen Center Commons. Nutrition and taste were important to the students.
But so were environmentally friendly practices, the use of vegetables grown in the
Augsburg greenhouse, and supporting local farmers and companies.
And that led to the lengthy discussion about whether they should serve
pumpkin ice cream from Kemps or buy it from Izzy’s, a St. Paul ice cream
shop. The students knew they wanted the Izzy’s because the
ice cream is made with organic products and the
shop uses solar power. But there was the issue with
price. Kemps wasn’t as environmentally friendly,
but the students could get more ice cream at a
lower price.
Because while it’s easy for people to say that they
want to take environmental concerns into consideration when making decisions, the tone sometimes changes when being green is more expensive. In the
end, the class reached a compromise and would get ice cream from both.
“That discussion was everything the class was about,” says Kathy DeKrey, a
first-year student from Bemidji, Minn. “I thought we should have put up the cost
and got just the Izzy’s ice cream.
“A lot of people aren’t willing to put forth the initial costs to make good decisions and that is too bad.”
It was the kind of broad, big-picture thinking that the professors hope comes
out of this interdisciplinary class. Because things like food, water, and energy—
a potential topic for next year—impact so many parts of society, Underhill and
Lansing bring in guest lecturers from departments across campus.
“WHATEVER YOU DO, IT IMPACTS SOMETHING.”
—Peter Klink ’12
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Augsburg Now
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Studying the urban
environment
Here’s what you won’t find in Augsburg’s
new environmental studies major: a windmill suddenly being constructed in the
middle of Cedar-Riverside, repeated trips
to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and
anything that could be considered rural.
“That’s not what we want,” Lansing
says. “That’s not who we are.”
The term “environmental” is often
equated with rural, with wetlands, and
with ecosystems. But Lansing and Underhill are much more interested in making
an impact on and around campus. After
all, the Mississippi River is only a few
blocks away. There is a Superfund site in
Minneapolis’ Phillips neighborhood because of high amounts of pesticides and
herbicides previously produced there. The
local Sierra Club office is just across
Interstate 94 in the Seward neighborhood.
Students in both the water and the food
classes took the light rail to downtown
Minneapolis to learn about the impact of
St. Anthony Falls. For the initial class, the
falls demonstrated the importance of water
in relation to the creation of energy. Last
semester, the falls taught about the milling
process and the history of Minneapolis.
In addition to being a vehicle for teaching, studying environmental issues in an
urban environment creates opportunity.
“If you’re interested in the wilderness
and studying ecosystem dynamics, this
probably isn’t the right program,”
Underhill says. “But if you want to do
something on human impact, you have to
be where the people are. Humans are having a huge impact so we have to spend
time where the most people are.”
In the water class, the students constructed rain gardens on the Augsburg
campus. The gardens are positioned to
collect water runoff from campus buildings. In addition to adding plant life to
campus, the rain gardens keep runoff
water from eventually reaching the
Mississippi River.
“We are uniquely situated in a city neighborhood and are privileged to have
a variety of opportunities to explore the interconnectedness of urban life
with both human and natural forces.”
—President Paul C. Pribbenow
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Getting students out of the classroom and getting their hands,
quite literally, dirty very much fits into the experiential teaching
Augsburg is known for.
“We want students to be aware of their immediate surroundings,”
Lansing says. “We don’t want to put them in a sealed classroom and
learn about grand theories while ignoring what’s going on around them.”
Changing attitudes
Peter Klink is in his first year at Augsburg after taking classes a year
ago at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He always had
an interest in the outdoors, but he didn’t really know just how complex food is.
“Most cows are fed corn hay because it gets them fat quicker, but
it’s not as good for people,” Klink says. “But if you stop feeding them
corn hay and feed them grass, the corn industry is hurt. Whatever you
do, it impacts something.”
Klink, who grew up in Stillwater, Minn., found his habits as a consumer changing as the semester progressed. His biggest change—the
result of learning about the environmental cost of transporting food
across country—has been to make a greater effort to buy locallygrown food.
“I want to know where it comes from,” Klink says. “Also, it’s a way
to support local businesses. The way the economy is, I’m all about
supporting local businesses rather than some big corporation.”
Because the Environmental Connections class is a gateway course
and largely for first-year students and sophomores, the students enter
at different points.
“Clearly the most satisfying thing is when they start with no clue
and as the semester goes on, the light bulb starts to come on,” Underhill says.
The environmental studies major—which will feature classes from
a variety of departments on campus—is very much in its infancy at
Augsburg. While the curriculum has been approved and the requirements laid out, simply offering a major doesn’t guarantee student interest.
In addition to providing a base of knowledge, the gateway course
also shows students with interest in the environment some of the
possibilities that are out there, that an environmental studies major
isn’t limited to a job in nature or working as some sort of scientist.
“There’s a lot of green stuff that’s going to be used in the future,”
says Klink, who is going to major in business and at least minor in
environmental studies. “I think there is going to be a lot of opportunities for jobs in that area. There’s wind energy, solar energy, green architecture. To have a background where you
understand that is a key thing.”
And getting students on the path toward
understanding is what the Environmental
Connections class is all about.
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BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
If you want to study sustainability, you need to go where it’s done best.
Students in the Sustainable Cities in North America summer course spent
three weeks in Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., learning about the successes and challenges of two of North America’s most sustainable cities.
What they discovered, amidst green buildings and miles of bike trails, is
that being sustainable requires attention to many interconnected aspects of
life. This interconnectedness, they learned, means that what is beneficial
for some may be detrimental to others, so working together to build strong
communities is crucial to the success of sustainability measures.
In the end, the students not only learned more about their world; they
were also empowered to bring their creativity and enthusiasm back to
Minneapolis to implement a plan that would help Augsburg become a
greener, more sustainable campus.
“EDUCATION IS KEY. IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHY
YOU ARE DOING IT OR WHY IT’S IMPORTANT,
YOU WON’T CONTINUE.”
—Kjerstin Hagen ’10
Studying sustainability
Sustainability is a measure of the quality of life for citizens in an area. It involves water and air quality, access to transportation, ability to find work and
make a living, local food systems, energy use, the creation and maintenance
of green buildings, housing availability and affordability, land use, and waste
management—for starters.
To be ranked high on the sustainability scale, a city
must do more than pave bike trails and purchase hybrid buses. Citizens must be educated about greenhouse gas emissions produced by their cars and
about the effect of those emissions on the environment. The city must provide resources that
citizens and businesses need to start and continue environmentally friendly efforts, such as
incentives to use public transportation, access
to buses or light rail, and routes that bring
people easily from their homes to the places of
work and back again.
To be truly sustainable, these efforts must
be culturally appropriate and make the best use
of the resources available in the area. And finally, the practices of sustainability must not only
continue over time, they must improve as the city
changes and grows.
The Sustainable Cities course was a short-term
Augsburg Abroad program led by sociology and metro-urban
studies professors Lars Christiansen and Nancy Fischer. The professors wanted not only to study sustainability in an urban context
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While in Portland and Vancouver,
the students and instructors:
but also to travel sustainably and to minimize the impact of their program on the
cities they visited. Rather than rent a van
or bus, Christiansen and half of the class
traveled by bicycle while Fischer and the
remaining students used train, street car,
and their own two feet to get around in
each city.
“You really get to learn a city when you’re
‘behind bars,’” says Jon Peterson ’10, a sociology major from Excelsior, Minn. “When I
went to Portland with my family, we rented
a car. I didn’t learn nearly as much about
the city and didn’t have the appreciation.”
Traveling by bicycle helped the class reduce
its greenhouse gas emissions and also gave
the students an opportunity to experience
the cities more fully.
• Stayed in Epler Hall at Portland State University, a green
dormitory and Portland’s first LEED-certified building
• Explored neighborhoods using the five-minute walk exercise
• Met with city government officials and policymakers to
learn about urban planning, waste management and recycling, and transportation
• Met with community organizers to learn about grassroots movements and civic engagement
• Visited several professors to learn about sustainable development research and sustainability
efforts on university campuses
• Toured farmers markets and community gardens and talked with the people who sell and grow
in these spaces
• Participated in Portland’s Night Ride and a Critical Mass bike ride in downtown Vancouver
For a video interview with Christiansen and Fischer to learn
more about what they and their students did, saw, and
learned in the Sustainable Cities in North America class
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Sustainability is complicated
As they studied and explored Portland and
Vancouver, the students began to gain an
appreciation for the complexity of creating
and maintaining a sustainable city. “A lot
of our experiences brought up the idea of
equity,” says Ricky Oudekerk ’09, an international relations and peace and global
studies major from St. Paul. “What might
be a sustainable idea for the wealthy or
for the government might not work for
everyone.”
The class went to Vancouver’s East
Hastings neighborhood—a site of controversy centered on an effort to clean up an
The students cool off in Jamison Square.
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Augsburg Now
area nestled between popular tourist destinations as the city prepares to host the
2010 Winter Olympics. There, many students said they witnessed poverty and desperation unlike anything they had ever
seen.
“Basically they’ve quarantined the
homeless and addicts into a four-block
area,” explains Oudekerk. “While it’s sad,
the support resources for those people
could be centralized. And they have activists from their community. That was the
first time I’ve ever seen homeless and addict activists.”
Though both cities offer a robust transit
system, the students learned that if citizens don’t have access or aren’t able to afford the fares, the system is not truly
sustainable. “The transit system in
Vancouver severely marginalizes lower income people,” Peterson says.
Bus fare in Vancouver ranges from
$2.50 to $5, and the fare covers only 90
minutes. In a city with a median income of
$62,600 (CDN) where the average home
price is more than $410,000, many
people have been pushed out of the city
and away from their places of work. “We
discovered that fare didn’t last very long
once you are trying to get out to the suburbs, where many people have moved
who are seeking cheaper residences,”
Fischer says.
“Before this course, I thought sustainable cities would be utopias where nothing bad ever happens,” says Meagen
Swartzer ’08, a media writing major and
urban studies minor. “With every good
comes something bad. Once you reach
perfection, not everybody can afford it.”
Sustainability at Augsburg
Once students learned about the many
dimensions of urban sustainability and
began to understand its intricacy,
Christiansen and Fischer challenged
them to turn their knowledge into action.
The professors knew that in order for the
class’ project to succeed, it had to be
driven by the students so that they
would educate and motivate each other.
The class visited City Farmer, an organization that promotes sustainable urban farming in Vancouver.
Through their site visits and conversations,
the students had learned that their project
had to be right for Augsburg. “The recipe for
sustainability is different and unique in every
place,” says Oudekerk. “The mix of what
you’ve got to work with, including the people
and the culture, needs to be taken into account in order to build a sustainable city.”
In Portland, the class saw many of the
one-block parks for which the city is known.
As he explored the city, Peterson thought
about the park in the center of Augsburg’s
campus. “We saw a lot of urban spaces the
size of Murphy Park where they had done
great things,” Peterson says. “I thought we
could really pay tribute to our heritage by rethinking and reforming that park and creating
a more usable public space.”
Several members of the class also discussed creating a mural with other community groups on the wall bordering I-94 at the
southern edge of campus. “We wanted to
transform that space and bring people together,” says Kjerstin Hagen ’10, an
American Indian studies major.
One idea that has been successfully implemented is a composting program in campus dining facilities.
Working with Augsburg’s foodservice
provider, a group of students formulated a
plan to collect organics and compostable
paper products and to reduce the amount of
waste in the Commons cafeteria. Composting
bins and signage were added to the cafeteria
in the fall. Students from the class helped
diners place their compostable items and
trash into the appropriate containers and an-
Leann Vice-Reshel ’10 (and Jon Peterson ’10 background)
navigated the cities on bicycles.
swered questions about the program. “Education is key,” says Hagen. “If you don’t
know why you are doing it or why it’s important, you won’t continue.”
According to Jay Cross, Augsburg Dining
Services manager, the effort has resulted in
a significant reduction of waste. “Now we
have only one bag of garbage per day,” compared to 12 to 15 six-gallon bags that were
collected daily prior to the implementation
of the program. Currently, Swartzer and
Hagen are working on a grant to purchase
more composting bins for the campus’ retail
foodservice operations and for offices and
residence halls.
Sustainable lessons
For many of the students in Sustainable
Cities in North America, studying in Portland
and Vancouver gave them much more than a
comfortable acquaintance with the two
cities. They learned lessons that changed
their habits, their choices, and their lives.
Michael Wethington, with other Augsburg
students, is organizing a bicycling tour back
to Portland from Minneapolis. The group
plans to contact policymakers and examine
current legislative standing on alternative
transportation with a focus on cycling in
both Minneapolis/St. Paul and Portland.
They’ll perform a cross analysis of the cities:
future directions and applications from one
city, that may work effectively in the other.
Others who already had an interest in sustainability developed a deeper understanding of the issue. “This class trip really
helped to broaden my view of the multi-
Street musicians played at a Portland farmers market.
faceted nature of sustainability,” Peterson
says, “and helped to strengthen my personal values for all the dimensions of sustainability.”
The experiential nature of the program
helped Oudekerk make connections to past
classes and his personal interests. “This
class made it easy for me to connect the
dots between what I have read and what I
was doing in the cities.”
Oudekerk, who plans to work in the area
of sustainable urban development in the future, came to understand that change happens when people work together. “This
class influenced my understanding of the
importance of community. Things that bring
people together create sustainable relationships and healthy community. There are
profound and significant benefits when this
happens.”
Fischer and Christiansen have received a
grant from the Canadian Studies Faculty
Enrichment Program and plan to return to
Portland and Vancouver with another
group of students in 2010.
The photos from Portland and Vancouver were
taken by students in the Sustainable Cities in
North America class.
25
n
e
e
r
G
planning
The Center for Science, Business, and Religion (CSBR) is Augsburg’s first new academic
building in 60 years and will replace the 60-year-old, inefficient Science Hall. CSBR will
have a story to tell—of excellence in the sciences, of intersections and connections among
disciplines, of transforming city hardscape to more welcoming green space, of sustainability on display. Students like Andrew Nguyen and Reid Larson will benefit from the learning
opportunities this state-of-the-art building will offer.
The CSBR will be a LEED-certified building, created in collaboration with a prestigious,
experienced, innovative team of consultants:
Holabird & Root Architects have won awards for sustainability
and design for college science centers they’ve created. Their
design is based on Augsburg’s concept of intersections, offering a physical and intellectual framework for bringing disciplines into dialogue with each other.
McGough Construction’s “Bright Green” pre-construction and
planning consultation helps CSBR to take advantage of the
most innovative green building techniques and goals.
oslund.and.associates approaches landscape design
as art, as simplicity, and, at Augsburg, as a laboratory
for sustainable environmental practices in dialogue
with themes of intersections.
Key concepts of the CSBR
The building—organized around a “necklace” of public spaces that encourages the community at large to
cross paths
Linking circle—serving as a gateway to the neighborhood and
city, with connections to Lindell Library and Sverdrup Hall
Expanded quadrangle—a landscape laboratory, creating green
commons on campus from west to east, articulating with
Murphy Square, the city’s first public park
“THE NEW BUILDING WILL BE A FRAMEWORK
FOR HIGH EXPECTATIONS, AND WILL EXEMPLIFY
THE EXCELLENCE AND HIGH ACHIEVEMENTS AT
AUGSBURG COLLEGE.”
—Andrew Nguyen ’10
26
Augsburg Now
Environmental task force
What’s green about CSBR
Specific planning for LEED certification carried out at the
preplanning stage among architects, contractors, and landscape designers
Sharing of interdepartmental resources in efficient academic
“neighborhoods” throughout the building
Building siting and design encouraging pedestrian traffic,
moving auto traffic away from commons area, plus welcoming green space replacing city hardscape
Rainwater cisterns collecting water to irrigate greenhouses
and flush toilets
Landscape laboratory—on-site stormwater containment, integrating native species, and interpreting features of urban
sustainability
Highly efficient HVAC and heat recovery systems, with optimal siting for solar exposure and for harvesting daylight deep
into the building
Air quality systems recycling gases and fumes
Innovative, sustainable materials, preferably locally-sourced
and expressing themes of intersections in panels, forms,
surfaces
Transportation hub—center for bicycle storage
and conveniences; site for shuttle
transfer to light rail
MPIRG (the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group) is a student group at
Augsburg that has been hard at work on environmental sustainability issues
on campus. I’m the leader of the Environmental Task Force within MPIRG …
[that] has been involved in many environmental sustainability projects over
the past few semesters, including working with the current and past food
services companies on introducing compostable cups to the dining locations, composting food wastes, and introducing another day of trayless dining in the cafeteria. We have also been an integral part of converting the
College to buying 100% wind energy, made possible largely by the Focus the
Nation event last year. In addition, the task force works on environmental
education and awareness, one example being the Detox Forum.
Most of our work last semester was centered around putting together a
survey on the commuting habits of Augsburg’s students, faculty, and staff. This
survey looked at the distance people commute from their homes to Augsburg
and how they get here, the results of which were put into the larger Greenhouse Gas Inventory of the entire College for the Presidents Climate Commitment. As a student, I have been central in the discussions around the science
building, especially around the “green” or sustainable features of the new
building. I have done a lot of work, some of it through MPIRG, ensuring that the
science building has a green roof.
I hope to continue my work in environmental sustainability as I graduate
from Augsburg and go on to graduate school in mechanical engineering, and
then ultimately find a career in the renewable energy field.
“AS A STUDENT, I HAVE BEEN
CENTRAL IN THE DISCUSSIONS
AROUND THE SCIENCE BUILDING,
ESPECIALLY AROUND THE ‘GREEN’
OR SUSTAINABLE FEATURES.”
—Reid Larson ’09
CSBR by the numbers
134,000 square feet, LEED certified, an addition to Sverdrup Hall, 75,000 square
feet for eight academic departments (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics,
computer science, psychology, business, and religion)
•
•
•
•
•
•
8 classrooms
21 teaching labs
6,000 square feet of student-faculty research space
2,000 square feet of greenhouse space on the roof of the building
Informal gathering spaces for learning and conversation
Skyway linking circle to Lindell Library
core TO
t
s
o
p
m
co
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
THE JOURNEY OF AN APPLE
A year ago, all food waste from Augsburg’s dining center was hauled away and dumped
in a landfill with the trash of thousands of other Twin Cities businesses, homes, and
schools.
Last fall, however, the fate of Augsburg’s garbage changed when students from the
Sustainable Cities in North America course (see story on p. 23) worked with A’viands,
the College’s food services provider, to launch a campus composting program.
Photojournalist and staff photographer Stephen Geffre followed an apple as it traveled more than 60 miles—from a Wisconsin nursery through Augsburg’s kitchen and
dining center to a composting facility in Chaska, Minn., where it once again will travel
to nurture spring plantings.
In the autumn, workers at Nesbitt’s Nursery, near Prescott, Wis., harvested the
apple and shipped it more than 60 miles to the Augsburg kitchen where it was served
to diners. The remains of the apple were tossed into the composting bin with napkins,
chicken bones, jello, pizza crusts, etc.
The apple remnants and its compostable companions were transported to Chaska, in
the regular twice-a-week pick-ups. There, the apple core was mixed with other
biodegradable materials like tree clippings and yard waste. Over the course of 90 days
the mixture was turned, separated, mixed again, and heated until it’s ready to emerge
as compost.
This nutrient-rich material will be sold this spring to landscapers, community gardeners, and to the nearby Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to provide nourishment,
perhaps, to an apple seedling there.
“We strive to use up no more clean air, water,
energy, and raw materials in a year than the
earth can provide for it.”
—President Paul C. Pribbenow
28
Augsburg Now
“ALL YOU NEED IS A BUCKET,
AND EVERY LITTLE THING HELPS.”
—Meagen Swartzer ’09
29
Feeding
The Campus Kitchen program at Augsburg College not only
feeds people’s bodies—it also feeds the minds of students.
Last spring, the program moved a part of its operation from
the kitchen to the garden, opening an outdoor classroom to
children from the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
The idea for Augsburg’s community garden blossomed last
spring when students and staff prepared 40 plots on the west
side of campus. The plots are available to Augsburg faculty,
staff, and students as well as neighbors from Cedar-Riverside
and Seward. Brian Noy, coordinator of the Campus Kitchen
program, says, “The garden provides a beautiful entrance to
our campus and a way to welcome the community. It’s a
common space for people to work together to do something
meaningful.”
Through an internship program developed with the Center
for Service, Work, and Learning, the garden has also become
an extension of Campus Kitchen. Last summer, two Augsburg
30
Augsburg Now
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
youth
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
students worked with youth from day programs at the Brian Coyle
Center and the Confederation of Somali Community. The interns
worked in the garden and in the kitchen, teaching students how food
is grown and how to prepare healthy meals. “This is a whole new program that feeds youth in a fuller way,” Noy says.
Augsburg junior Ruth Senum was the “garden intern” last summer.
She and approximately 50 elementary school children planted seeds,
“I THOUGHT OF THE WATERING, WEEDING, AND
HARVESTING AS OUR CLASSROOM CHORES.”
—Ruth Senum ’10
tended plants, and harvested much of the produce from four
garden plots.
Senum says the children were surprised to learn where food
comes from and that it can look different in the garden than in the
grocery store or on their plates.
“When I showed them the broccoli plant, they thought it was
huge,” she says. “They only see it all chopped up.” She says students also were interested in the fact that some plants have flowers before they produce fruit or vegetables. “Just seeing the whole
process from seed to produce was a very new experience for
them,” she says.
The children were disappointed about the limitations of a
Minnesota growing season. “They asked where the banana tree
was, and it was interesting for them to understand why we can’t
grow a lot of fruit here.”
The internship taught Senum, an education major, techniques
for her future classroom. “I thought of the watering, weeding, and
harvesting as our classroom chores,” she says, but she discovered
the students liked being in the garden more than they liked doing
garden chores. “You need to find a good system to keep them
working,” she says.
Senum also learned that students liked interactive learning activities much more than sit-down learning. “They wanted to talk to
each other, run around, do arts and crafts,” she says. “Getting
them out of their desks and walking around is important.”
The garden also serves as a learning environment for Augsburg
students, but Noy says opportunities were limited because the
bulk of the work is needed when most students are away from
campus. As a solution, a simple greenhouse was added to the garden area, extending the growing season by one month in the
spring and in the fall. “It makes a huge impact because we can
engage actual students and classes outside the garden and allow
them to get involved with the growing space,” Noy says.
The students in Environmental Connections, the introductory
course in Augsburg’s environmental studies major, used the greenhouse in the fall to grow vegetables and herbs for their final project. The class studied how food fits into socio-economic and
ecological systems and prepared and
served a meal in the campus dining
center (see story on page 20).
31
?
HOW GREEN IS
our magazine
How green is our printing?
The paper used in the printing of this magazine is certified to the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody standard and contains 10 percent
post-consumer waste.
What does this mean?
In the process of writing and designing a
“green” issue of the Augsburg Now, we asked
ourselves what we could do to make the magazine itself more environmentally friendly. Using recycled paper and safe inks is an easy way to accomplish
this, but we wanted to do more.
So, instead of adding more pages we’re utilizing one
of the most valuable resources available to communicators and marketers—the World Wide Web.
This issue of the Augsburg Now is the second in
which we’ve added “Web Extras” at www.augsburg.
edu/now. These online features allow us to add material to tell richer, more creative stories than we can
using print alone.
In this issue, we have added a story on sustainable
study abroad, a growing trend in education. The story
connects our readers to tools they can use to minimize
their impact on the environment while traveling.
We also have a video interview with the professors
and some of the students involved in the Sustainable
Cities in North America course (see page 23). On camera, they share their enthusiasm about the work they
are doing to create a more sustainable Augsburg.
In the future, we will continue to use the Internet to
improve our communication with alumni and friends of
Augsburg College. As we continue to expand Now online, we invite our readers to share ideas and feedback
with us at now@augsburg.edu.
32
Augsburg Now
FSC is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Through its certification
program, foresters, paper manufacturers and distributors, and printers all agree to
abide by strict standards. These standards are designed to ensure social, economic,
and ecological needs are met for current and future generations. This Chain of Custody ensures responsible handling of the paper product from forest to printed piece.
The percentage of post-consumer content indicates that at least 10 percent of the
paper in the magazine has been reclaimed from what would have otherwise ended up
in a land fill.
FSC Chain of Custody can trace a printed piece back through the production process to
identify where the wood pulp came from. Find out where this magazine had its roots and
how our corporate partners are committed to being green at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Please recycle this magazine after you’re done reading.
10%
PLEASE RECYCLE
E
R
A
s
e
i
augMgENTALLY FRIENDLY
ENVIRON
We know many readers love to open their mailboxes to a new magazine, but we also
know many are concerned about the use of our natural resources. Please let us know
if you wish to read Augsburg Now online instead of receiving a copy by mail. E-mail
now@augsburg.edu with the subject line “Read Now online.” Include your full name
and current mailing address so we can identify and adjust your record. You’ll receive
an e-mail message when the Now is posted online.
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
February 2009
Greetings, alumni and friends,
d
uring these interesting and turbulent
times, I am certain that most of you are
feeling the effects of this economic climate in your personal lives. As members of the
Augsburg community, we are called to be fundamentally concerned about our neighbor, which means to be concerned and care about the household of all people. We are to work
toward full inclusion of all of our neighbors assuring that everyone
has access to the resources necessary for life, and that everyone is
allowed to fully participate in the life of the community.
This emphasis on community may come in direct conflict with
our modern lives. We often live for ourselves and focus on our own
family needs. But as members of a community, we are called to invest time and effort in responding to the needs of others. As a
member of the Augsburg alumni community, we are reminded that
we no longer live in a world of fixed boundaries. We need to maintain a sense of commitment to our neighbors around the globe.
Keeping alumni who live in the city, state, and around the world
engaged with the Augsburg community is important to the life of
the College. The Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations has developed the following activities encouraging alumni engagement:
• Project IGNITE (Involving Graduates Now In Thoughtful Engagement) is a new program to build stronger relationships with
College alumni, many of whom are not currently connected to
Augsburg. Read more about Project IGNITE on p. 34.
• A corporate alumni plan will engage young professionals, midcareer professionals, and sole practitioners through networking
events, continued education opportunities, and an alumni benefit that will help promote their businesses to other Augsburg
graduates. Alumni will host receptions at their places of business for President Pribbenow to connect with alumni and update them about the College.
• A program for recent graduates will focus on engaging alumni
who have graduated within the past 10 years. An advisory
board of recent grads will assist in planning events for their fellow alumni.
• Outreach events will engage alumni who reside in the outer
metro area and in Rochester; Duluth; Washington, D.C.; and
Norway. Interesting events that infuse an Augsburg connection
include a Lake Minnetonka eco-cruise tour led by an Augsburg
faculty member, an alumni-directed theatre production in
Anoka, and a “Down by the Riverside” event in Rochester.
Being an Auggie is a gift and staying engaged is priceless.
NOW@augsburg, a new monthly e-newsletter, has been initiated to
update you on current happenings and events, continuing education
opportunities, and Augsburg news. So, do your part by keeping connected and staying engaged with the Augsburg community.
Sincerely,
JOYCE P. MILLER ’02 (BSN-ROCHESTER), ’05 MAN
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Spring 2009
33
auggie
alumni news
Project IGNITE set to launch
Many Augsburg graduates stay connected with the College through
the years. They come to events or games on campus, they volunteer, and they donate to The Augsburg Fund. But there are others
who just don’t stay connected.
That's something the College—thanks to a nearly $230,000
grant from the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation—
hopes to change over the next three years.
Project IGNITE (which stands for Involving Graduates Now In
Thoughtful Engagement) will work very directly and personally with
alumni. Over the next year, Augsburg students will conduct face-toface visits with more than 500 alumni to ask them about their
views on Augsburg and their interest in volunteer opportunities with
the College. The hope is that more than 1,600 alumni will receive
visits in the next three years, mostly those alumni living in and
around the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
“For a college, our alumni are a strategic advantage and if you
don’t use that, you’re missing an opportunity,” President Paul C.
Pribbenow said. “This gives us an opportunity to link current students and recent grads with alumni of all ages. Your current students and recent graduates are often your best spokespeople for
what’s really happening.”
Student representatives have been hired and trained by the
Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations, and visits to alumni
are already underway.
Alex Gonzalez ’90, a senior financial adviser for Thrivent Finan-
(L to R) Denise Aasen, Manager of Lutheran Relationships for Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans; Alex Gonzales ’90, Senior Financial Advisor, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,
and Augsburg regent; President Pribbenow; Megan Benrud ’10, Student Body President;
and Kim Stone, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations.
cial for Lutherans and an Augsburg regent, said the grant is part of
the mission for the not-for-profit organization.
“Our goal is to help grow Lutheran communities and Lutheran
institutions,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not just the money, these dollars
will help grow engagement. It will help get alumni engaged into
giving to the school.”
The grant is part of the foundation’s Lutheran Grant Program,
designed to help Lutheran institutions and organizations take advantage of unique growth and service opportunities. It also supports the interests and needs of the Lutheran community. In
2007, the program distributed approximately $5 million through
100 separate grants.
Project IGNITE is designed to become a model program for
alumni programs in other ELCA colleges. For additional information, contact Kim Stone in the Office of Alumni and Constituent
Relations at 612-330-1173 or stonek@augsburg.edu.
Discover Italy with fellow Auggies
“WAS IT IN SHORT, EVER TO BE ELSEWHERE WHEN ONE COULD BE IN ITALY” —EDITH WHARTON
You are invited to join the fellowship of other Augsburg alumni and friends on a journey of discovery to Italy in early November.
Travel among the medieval hill towns of Tuscany, discovering history along with the beauty of the surrounding vineyards and olive
groves. In Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, learn and understand how art pulled Europe out of the Dark Ages. In
Umbria, where art is prayer, visit the town of Assisi that stands out for its inspiration and reflection. Find an education in history and a tapestry of art, architecture, and culture woven over thousands of years in the Eternal City of Rome, one of the
founding cities of Western civilization and a significant place in the story of Christianity. All along the way enjoy the delights of the Italian people and cuisine.
The details of this custom-created travel experience are being finalized. Contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu to learn more about this unique travel opportunity.
34
Augsburg Now
Called to Lead
Professionals Moving from Success to Significance
Augsburg College admits a diverse group of established alumni and friends each
year for the Called to Lead program. Six weekly seminars give you an opportunity
to examine your life and work. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Center for
Faith and Learning, and the Center for Leadership Studies at Augsburg.
Called to Lead is designed to expand the skills and knowledge of individuals who have demonstrated leadership within their profession and the community. Through collaborative and interactive experiences, participants engage
with each other and their facilitators as they explore their own call to lead.
Augsburg College accepts applications and nominations for the Called to
Lead program from a diverse group of alumni and friends, including business
leaders, professionals and academics, directors and staff of community service organizations and civic associations, managers from government agencies
and community activists. For more information contact Norma Noonan in the
Center for Leadership Studies, at 612-330-1198 or noonan@augsburg.edu.
@
w
o
n AUGSBURG
More ways to keep in touch
Do you receive NOW@augsburg? It’s the new Alumni
and Constituent Relations e-newsletter that goes
out the first week of each month to alumni and parents. Get quick updates on College and alumni
news, and check the calendar for alumni events
during the month. To receive NOW@augsburg,
e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu.
Thrivent rewards your volunteer time
Your volunteer hours for Augsburg can count even more through the GivingPlus program at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent will give Augsburg
$25 for your volunteered hours for Augsburg (25 or more per year) working on
projects or activities, or participating on committees, boards, and task groups.
Report your volunteer hours on the Thrivent matching form and make your
time even more valuable. To find out about volunteer opportunities, e-mail
volunteer@augsburg.edu.
Have you “friended” Auggie Eagle on Facebook?
Go to his profile and check out what Auggie is up to.
Join your classmates
to celebrate!
50th Reunion —1959
40th Reunion—1968, 1969, 1970
25th Reunion—1983, 1984, 1985
10th Reunion—1998, 1999, 2000
Recent Grad Reunion —2004-2009
Homecoming football game
vs. Hamline University
’09
E
T
A
D
E
H
4
SAVE T
October 1-
lege
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s
Aug
9
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ing
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Spring 2009
35
alumni class notes
52Pines, Minn., was selected for
Rev. Arvid “Bud” Dixon, Circle
a 2008 Honorary Award of the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for
Peace and Justice, given for long
and significant contribution to the
causes of peace and social justice.
68professor of biology and direc-
Ted Johnson, Northfield, Minn.,
tor of biomedical studies at St. Olaf
College, gave an address, “Students,
New Science Building, and the Liberal Arts,” at St. Olaf’s Opening Convocation, on Sept. 4.
69
Rev. Peter Strommen,
Shakopee, Minn., accepted a
call to Shepherd of the Lake
Lutheran Church in Prior Lake,
Minn., that began on Sept. 1. He
has just completed a long tenure as
the bishop of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
tary children and conversational
English with adults at the Bible
School.
Larry Turner and Robert Storeygard
’76, along with David Tiede, Bernhard Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, attended the
10th anniversary of the Bible School
(Center for Christian Education) in
Martin, Slovakia, a Lutheran school
that educates adult students for
serving in congregations and communities. The “Decade of Miracles”
celebration, July 4-6, included performances from the St. Andrew’s
Lutheran Church choir, Mahtomedi,
Minn., who also performed elsewhere in Slovakia. Participants from
18 U.S. congregations taught Vacation Bible School with 330 elemen-
Peter Agre, Baltimore, Md.,
was awarded the Annual Prize
for Outstanding Contribution to Lung
Research on Dec. 11 at the annual
meeting for the Will Rogers Motion
Picture Pioneers Foundation
(WRMPPF), for his groundbreaking
work in aquaporins and potential
benefits to lung research. He is director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria
Research Institute in the Bloomberg
School of Public Health.
70
77Wash., began as director of
Rev. Arne Bergland, Puyallup,
church relations for California
Lutheran University in September,
acting as a liaison between the university and the church community.
Rod Skoe, Clearbrook, Minn., was
honored in November as a recipient
of a 2008 Torch and Shield, the
highest award presented by the University of Minnesota-Crookston. He
represents District 2, northwestern
Minnesota, in the Minnesota Senate
and has been involved in farming in
Clearbrook, Minn., since 1985.
78Lake, Minn., has been named
Steven Hoffmeyer, White Bear
commissioner of the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He
served as deputy commissioner and
has been with the bureau since
2002.
In October, Augsburg religion professor Phil Quanbeck II and his wife, Augsburg regent Ruth Johnson ’74, led “An Aegean Odyssey to Turkey and Greece,”
with a group of 23, including seven other Auggies. For 10 days, they traveled and studied the world of the Apostle Paul, Byzantium, and modern-day Greece
and Turkey.
(Back row, men, L to R): Jerry Kleven ’57, Art Rimmereid ’53, Paul Anderson, Jim Weninger ’92 MAL, Phil Quanbeck, Mike Bailey, Tom Stertz, Kirk Gill,
Jim Martenson, David Larson, Larry Turner. (Middle row, women, L to R): Sylvia Hanson ’50, Char Rimmereid ’52, Karen Freeman, Liz Weninger ’92, Julie
Larson, Carmen Clementson, Cindy Martenson, Nancy Anderson, Sally Tonsager. (Front row, women, L to R): Jennie Wilson, Ruth Johnson ’74, Kathy Bailey,
Lynn Stertz, Sue Turner, Alice Peterson, Denise Shuck ’09.
To read about their tour and see photos from
their travels, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
36
Augsburg Now
79Ill., serves as the practice
Brian Carlsen, Buffalo Grove,
87
77
Neil Paulson ran in the Orlando
(Fla.) Utilities Commission race
in December. His photo appeared on
the cover of Runner magazine because he runs without a shirt in all
weather there, which is always tropical compared to Minnesota.
Scott L. Anderson and his
wife, Susan, Minneapolis,
welcomed the birth of John Scott on
Jan. 30, 2007. Scott is an insurance and financial service agent for
Farmers Financial Solutions LLC.
ScottLAnderson38@msn.com
leader of organizational learning at
St. Aubin, Haggerty & Associates, a
strategic HR consulting firm. He recently co-authored a book on business and workforce leadership,
Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent,
from Author House books.
Leslie (Morland) and Jonathan Carlson moved from Bozeman, Mont.,
back to St. Paul where Leslie has
taken a nurse practitioner job at
HealthEast Clinics.
80St. Paul, Minn., has been apJulie (Petterson) Leslie, West
pointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty
as a parent member to a three-year
term on the State Advisory Council
on Early Childhood Education and
Care. She is a licensed educator
and the director of Augustana Preschool.
82began teaching 11th- and
Karl Spring joined Fox 21 in Duluth,
Minn., in September as chief meteorologist and travels to schools
throughout northern Minnesota to
teach students about meteorology.
Previously, he was chief meteorologist at KBJR-TV in Duluth.
94Sarya, Charlevoix, Mich., reGwendolyn (Christiansen)
ceived her Master of Arts degree in
music education in December from
the University of St. Thomas, with a
concentration in Orff-Schulwerk. She
and her husband, Dave, have a fiveyear-old son, Luke. She teaches K-4
music and movement and fifth-grade
band at Concord Academy in Boyne,
Mich. gwensarya@yahoo.com
Sara Trumm, Chicago, began in October as program coordinator for the
Center for Christian-Muslim Relations for Peace and Justice at the
Lutheran School of Theology. She
had just spent two years in India.
Rick Bennett, Morgan, Minn.,
91tag were married in Hoversten
Kristen (Hirsch) and Paul Mon-
89
Sue Hakes began a two-year
term as mayor of Grand
Marais, Minn., to which she was
elected in November.
Chapel on Oct. 18, with Auggies in
attendance: Velda (Stohr) Gabrielson
’90, Betty Christiansen ’91, Laura
(Ferry) Lee ’92, Brenda Lunde Gilsrud
’91, Liz Pushing ’93, Jennifer Tome
’99, and Aaron Pelaccia ’07. Kristen
is a marketing communication manager at Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota, and Paul is in sales and
marketing. They live in St. Paul.
92
Sharol (Dascher) Tyra, received a Star Award 2008
from the Minnesota Organization of
Leaders in Nursing (MOLN) in
recognition of her commitment to
volunteering and dedication to influencing health care by advancing
professional nursing leadership,
particularly with the Metro Alliance
Education and Service Collaborative
for Expanded Enrollment of Baccalaureate Nurses.
12th-grade students in chemistry
and human anatomy in Cannon
Falls, Minn.
Wendy (Shields) and Bradley
Falls, Minn., with big brother, Jackson, announce the birth of Lachlan
Bradley, on March 9, 2008. Brad is
a physician assistant at SMDC
Health System-International Falls,
and Wendy is a stay-at-home mom.
wreiners@frontiernet.net
Rachel Brist is a physician as-
of Bigfork Valley Hospital clinics in
Coleraine and Marcell, Minn.
84in Tromsø, Norway. Tove was
02artistic director for SOS Play-
named a Knight of the First Class of
the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit,
by King Harald V, for the advancement of Norwegian language and
culture in the United States. She is a
peace studies educator at the University of Tromsø and has served for
26 years as dean of Skogfjorden,
Concordia College Norwegian Language Village. Curt began on Jan. 1
as vice president for research and
development at the University of
Tromsø—the world’s northernmost
university vice president. This is a
new position resulting from the
merger of the University of Tromsø
and Tromsø College.
ers, two troupes of pre-teen actors
who perform for elementary and
middle-school audiences, helping
them cope with life. He often writes
scripts based on requests from educators to deal with particular topics.
86Minn., joined UCare health
Heather Schwartz joined the consumer marketing practice of Weber
Shandwick in Minneapolis-St. Paul
as an account supervisor. Previously
she had been a brand public relations director.
Tove Dahl and Curtis Rice live
Frank Gilbertson, Maplewood,
98Reiners ’99, International
01sistant and has joined the staff
plan in November as provider network management director. Previously, he spent 11 years at Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota,
most recently as senior director,
provider relations planning.
Andrew Bernstrom, St. Paul, is
Katie Lindelfelser’s research as a
master’s degree student at the University of Melbourne (Australia) was
published in a co-authored article,
“Bereaved Parents' Experiences of
Music Therapy with Their Terminally
Ill Child,” in the Journal of Music
Therapy, fall 2008. She is teaching
a music therapy course at Augsburg
this spring semester.
Spring 2009
37
alumni class notes
Rev. Rachel (Oldfather) Stout,
Wadena, Minn., was installed as associate pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in September in Wadena.
Her husband, Ryan, is the new pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in
New York Mills. They have a son,
Soren.
04
Amanda Engesether is working
with the current city planning
director in Kinston, N.C., and will
take over that position in July when
he retires. Previous to this, she
worked as a planner in Johnston and
Onslow Counties in North Carolina
and completed an internship at the
Urban Design Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Stewart, Lakeville, Minn., became vice president of operations
for BOR-SON Construction in Minneapolis. He will manage all general
construction operations for the company. Previously he was head of Target’s national field operations team.
05
Andrea (Carlson) and Riley
Conway are living in Hershey,
Pa. Andrea is a third-year medical
student at Penn State, and Riley
works at Border Books and is a student in the distance master’s degree
program at Hamline University. They
were married in 2005.
06Marrandino were married on
Maureen Parker and Martin
Oct. 25. Maureen is a board certified music therapist at KSB Hospital
in Dixon, Ill., where Martin is also
employed. He also is a student at
Sauk Valley Community College.
Kasey Yoder, Duluth, Minn., is coowner of Two Guys Pizza in Duluth,
and working 80-hour weeks, doing
everything from menu planning to
becoming a master of the pizza oven.
00Burnsville, Minn., and her
Missy (Carlson) Bakeberg,
husband, Randy, welcomed the
birth of their twins, Cooper Joshua
and Ava Morgan on Oct. 11. Cooper
weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz., and Ava
weighed 5 lbs., 13 oz.
00
Denitza (Batanova) Stevens,
Chandler, Ariz., and her husband, Joel, welcomed their son,
Roman David, on April 26 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
08Sept. 2008-Feb. 2009 in
Jenni Olson volunteered from
Iringa, Tanzania, teaching communications at Iringa College/Tumaini
University.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Anita Raymond ’94 MSW is a 2008
recipient of the fourth annual Shelley Joseph-Kordell Award from Volunteers of America-Minnesota for
service to older adults. She is a social worker for Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s Protective Services
and Geriatric Care Management and
Consultation Services.
05Robertson were married on
Britni Morgan and Jeremy
05Stephen Belde were married
Melynda Kleewein and
on Aug. 1 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Melynda works at New York Life in
Anchorage and coaches hockey for
the Alaska Firebirds. Stephen is a
teacher with the Anchorage school
district and also coaches hockey for
the Alaska Firebirds and the South
High School boys’ hockey team.
Oct. 4 in Crystal, Minn. Auggies in
the wedding party included Kyle
Howard ’04, Jillian Janicki ’04, Jim
Lindell ’04, Nick Collins ’04, and
Tom Delisle ’06. In March they are
moving to Brainerd, Minn., to start a
lawn/cabin care company, Bear
Paw Cabin Care.
95his second book published,
Jeff Falkingham MAL, has had
Sherlock Holmes: in Search of the
Source, a work of historical fiction set
in St. Paul in December 1896. A sequel to an earlier work, Sherlock
Holmes and the County Courthouse
Caper, it’s set in Jeff's hometown of
Browns Valley, Minn., in November
1886. Originally released in June
2007 as a fundraiser for victims of the
March 2007 flood in Browns Valley, it
has raised over $6,500 for flood relief.
Excerpts from both books can be
found at www.cccaper.com. Falkingham now lives in Eden Prairie, Minn.,
and works in advertising for Northern
Tool + Equipment of Burnsville.
38
Augsburg Now
08UST Tommie, Tony Nagorski,
Jen Janda married her favorite
07Henning on Oct. 4 in Red-
Megan Schiller married Brent
wood Falls, Minn. Auggies in the
wedding party included Marrissa
Henry-Mashuga, Maria Belen Power
’07, and Miesha Martin-Freeman
’08. Megan is an administrative assistant in the Automated Clearing
House (ACH) Operations at Wells
Fargo in Minneapolis, and Brent is
an inside sales representative for
Braas Company in Eden Prairie.
They live in Waverly, Minn.
on Aug. 2 in Eagan, Minn. An Auggie, Megan Carlson ’08, was in the
wedding party. Jen works in the
Marketing and Communication Office at Augsburg and Tony attends
the St. Thomas School of Law. They
live in downtown Minneapolis.
augsburg
then
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail to alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the
Augsburg Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
When today’s Old Main was conceived late in the 1870s, the College
planned for many of the new utilities and comforts of the day—plumbing
with running water and restrooms, steam heat, and built-in electric fixtures. This marked a shift from a campus that was ecologically independent (with a barn housing a horse, cow, and pig) to one that linked itself to
the growing urban infrastructure for water, waste, and energy.
Taken from “From Rural to Urban: The Environmental History of
Augsburg College, 1872–2005,” written by the students in Environmental
Connections and revised by Alex Hoselton ’08 and Alex Ubbelohde ’08.
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
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____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
In Memoriam
Donald Murphy ’43, Mounds View,
Minn., age 87, on Nov. 24.
Dr. Nancy English ’73, Duluth,
Minn., age 57, on Aug. 8.
Robert W. Johnson ’49, Burnsville,
Minn., age 82, on Aug. 17.
Stacy Sellers ’01, Inman, Neb.,
age 31, on Jan. 2.
Pearson, Wayne ’49, Wildomar,
Calif., age 83, on Dec. 27.
Kerry Affeldt ’05, Wykoff, Minn.,
age 45, on Sept. 21, of injuries
from a motorcycle/auto accident.
Rev. James E. Peterson ’50,
Bloomington, Minn., age 79, on
Sept. 26.
Ronald Lund ’50, Wanamingo,
Minn., age 82, on Aug. 21.
Mary Ann Olsen ’53, Minneapolis,
age 78, on Sept. 18.
Beverly An (Gryth) Villwock ’52,
Charlottesville, Va., age 78, on
Nov. 29.
Mavis (Strand) Hafstad ’54, Eagan,
Minn., age 75, on Aug. 11.
Ahmednur Ali ’10, Minneapolis,
Minn., age 20, on Sept. 22.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Kathleen (“Katie”) Wiltgen ’10,
Winona, Minn., age 21, on Nov.
29, in an auto accident.
____________________________________________________________
Mathew Ackerman ’10, Dallas,
Texas, age 23, on Dec. 7.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a high school student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Spring 2009
39
my
Auggie experience
Richmond Appleton ’09
Environmental Studies
Richmond Appleton is passionate about giving back to his
communities—the Twin Cities and his birthplace of Liberia.
Early in his Augsburg career, he was a biology major and
planned to attend medical school. However, when the environmental studies program began, Appleton knew this was
the path he should take. He became the first student to formally declare the major.
Appleton has overcome a great deal in his life. As a young
boy, he contracted polio and was paralyzed on his left side.
He often had no access to medical care, but his parents took
him to native healers. “There were no social services or hospitals,” he says. “There was nothing to count on in emergencies.” Over time, he recovered the use of his arm and leg.
When civil war broke out in Liberia in the early ’90s, his
family fled to the Ivory Coast. Appleton’s mother was separated from them, and he also lost his father, brother, and sisters for four weeks because he couldn’t run fast enough to
keep up with them. Eventually the family was forced to Ghana
where they stayed in a refugee camp until they immigrated to
the U.S. in 2004.
A desire to make a difference influenced Appleton’s decision to join the environmental studies program where classes
in ecology and biodiversity fuel his interests in social work
and public service. Although he wants to help his country, he
likely won’t return to live permanently. He says Liberia is rebuilding after years of violence and destruction, but that
much remains to be done. “People are sick from the effects
of a polluted environment.”
While at Augsburg, Appleton has been active in the
neighborhood. He chairs the Augsburg Student Activities Council diversity committee and serves as a residence life community adviser. In January, he traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico,
with students from the Scholastic Connections program to learn
about sustainable agriculture practices in Mexico.
Appleton plans to graduate in December and is researching
graduate programs in environmental studies. “I am interested
in public policy in urban areas, conflict management in war
torn countries, community development, agriculture, sustainability, and bio-agriculture.” Appleton plans to study sustainable food production and how it can minimize the human
impact on the environment.
JENNIFER L. HIPPLE, WEEKEND COLLEGE STUDENT
40
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Mr. Augsburg still supporting students
Jeroy and Ainy Carlson
Kirsten Bar ’10
In 1958, when Minnesota celebrated its centennial, Jeroy
Carlson ’48 was one of 1,958 state champions honored by the
state. “Jack Dempsey was at the ceremony,” Carlson said,
“and he told us, ‘The greatest asset America has is its youth.’
That’s still true.”
Carlson and his wife Lorraine “Ainy” support Augsburg students through planned gifts because they believe what
Dempsey said. Carlson, known to many as “Mr. Augsburg,”
spent 44 years as a student-athlete, teacher, coach, and staff
member with the College. “I tried to be of help to anyone I
could,” he said.
With a charitable gift annuity, the Carlsons fund a scholarship that supports students who are studying music or physical
education and who demonstrate a commitment of service
to others.
This year’s recipient of Jeroy and Ainy Carlson’s scholarship is
Kirsten Bar ’10, a music therapy major who has worked
throughout her education with people with Hungtington’s disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
“The students and faculty in the music department have a
special place in our hearts for those who have contributed to
scholarships,” said Bar. “For some students, these scholarships make a huge difference from year to year. We appreciate
the financial support and very much enjoy seeing the donors at
our performances.”
After completing her studies, Bar hopes to return to her
hometown of Billings, Mont., to start the city’s first music therapy practice.
“Investing” with an Augsburg charitable gift annuity rather than with a bank gives the Carlsons a locked rate of
return for their lifetimes, and they will be sure that the remainder will go to the scholarship after their death.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
River Politics
Students in Professor Joe Underhill’s Environmental and
River Politics class travel through Lock 1 on the Mississippi
River. During the class, students study current debates
about the extent of environmental problems, and examine
how those problems are manifested on campus and in our
immediate surroundings. Exploring the issues from a canoe
gives them different perspectives.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2008
VOL. 71, NO. 1
inside
auggies
1
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Nursing
Years
of Life-Changing
at the grassroots level Travel that
transforms Clever student + wise professor +
Travel
expert alum = awesome discovery Ready, action,
page
film20
suc... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2008
VOL. 71, NO. 1
inside
auggies
1
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Nursing
Years
of Life-Changing
at the grassroots level Travel that
transforms Clever student + wise professor +
Travel
expert alum = awesome discovery Ready, action,
page
film20
success! Street pastoring in Wales
get
political
Editor
notes
from President Pribbenow
Our neighbors
o
ne of the most compelling moments in the
Christian scriptures is the question asked
of Jesus by one of his disciples: “And who
is my neighbor?” His answer, of course, is
the parable of the Good Samaritan.
For me, the disciple’s question is at the
heart of the mission and vision of Augsburg College—a question that is at once theological, reflecting our understanding of what God intends
for us to be and do, and also educational and
practical, helping us to link our learning with
service.
So, let’s do some theology! Ask yourself—
who is my neighbor? Is it the Somali woman I
met this morning on Riverside Avenue struggling to carry her groceries home from the bus
stop? Or is it the family in the ravines of Cuernavaca, Mexico, who will offer me both refreshments and life lessons when I meet them on a
Center for Global Education trip? Or is it my
classmate, who is struggling with balancing
school with life at work and home, and who
needs my time and comfort? Once the question
is asked, we are compelled, as was Jesus himself,
to answer with stories and parables—stories of
how being educated at Augsburg prepares us to
serve our neighbors no matter when or where
we encounter them. In that way, the question
leads us to think about the links between learning and service.
A central aspect of an Augsburg education is
to nurture and sustain the work of civic engagement—the practices of citizenship, negotiating
our lives together, navigating what political
philosopher and Roman Catholic theologian John
Courtney Murray once called the “intersection of
conspiracies,” his definition of democracy.
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Here at Augsburg, we believe we are called
to serve our neighbor. I am so proud of our
Augsburg community for its abiding commitment to civic engagement, to meeting the needs
of our neighbors—there are abundant examples
of ways in which students, staff, faculty, regents,
parents, and alumni are modeling for all of us
and the rest of the community what it means to
be reflective, productive, and responsible citizens of our campus, our neighborhood, and our
world.
At the same time, I want to challenge all of
us to think at an even deeper level about the
work of civic engagement, to see it not simply as
acts of service and compassion, but also as the
abiding and messy business—the lifelong business—of being educated, of building communities of trust and accountability, and of helping to
create a more just and humane world.
The stories in this issue of Augsburg Now
about the Center for Global Education (CGE)
offer fine examples of how the Augsburg community has answered the question of “Who is
my neighbor?” time and again in parts of the
world where our neighbors are partners in the
work of teaching and learning. We celebrate
CGE’s remarkable legacy and promise in Augsburg’s continuing and common work to serve
our neighbors.
Yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, Minn., 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
a
fall 2008
Features
14
Lights, camera, and action
by Bethany Bierman
A new film major has come of age and now attracts
students from around the world.
augsburg now
19
Get Political!
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Augsburg students got up front and backstage as interns for The
Washington Center at the Republican National Convention.
24
Travel that transforms
by Betsey Norgard
contents
Augsburg’s Center for Global Education reached the quarter
decade mark last year and continues to transform the way
students and participants view global issues and challenges.
29
Annual report to donors, 2007-08
Departments
2
4
6
13
45
56
Around the Quad
It takes an Auggie
Auggies on the Field
Augsburg Voices
Alumni News and Class Notes
My Auggie Experience
On the cover
(L to R) Erik Franzen, Mai Lee, and Ben Krouse-Gagne—three of Augsburg’s interns for The Washington Center at the Republican National Convention—each found unexpected discoveries in the experience.
Editor’s note:
Welcome to Augsburg Now’s new look! If you visited us at the State Fair last
summer or at our Web site lately, you’ve noticed more vibrancy and energy—
with just a touch of edginess. We’re in the city and we’re all about learning
by doing—whether it’s in the classroom, on the playing field, around the
world, or on the floor of the Republican National Convention. Please let us
know what you think, or what you’d like to see in the Now. Auggies are everywhere, and we want to connect with you. E-mail us at now@augsburg.edu or
call 612-330-1181. — Betsey Norgard, editor
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
around the
quad
Regents elected and honored
Five new members were elected to four-year terms on the
Augsburg Board of Regents at the annual meeting of the Augsburg Corporation Governing Board in September. In addition,
Anthony L. Genia Jr., MD ’85, was re-elected to a second fouryear term.
Mark A. Eustis, president and CEO of Fairview
Health Services.
At the board’s fall meeting, outgoing regents were honored for
their commitment, loyalty, and service. Those leaving the board
after serving several years are Michael Freeman and Beverly
(Halling) Oren ’55. Regents who retired after two six-year terms
are Rev. Gary Benson ’70, Ron Nelson ’68, and former board chair
Ted Grindal ’76. In addition, two ELCA bishops completed ex officio terms: Rev. Harold Usgaard, Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
and Rev. Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod.
Three retirees worked closely with students
Darrell Wiese ’59 has always had a knack
Alexander J. Gonzalez ’90, senior financial advisor
at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Eric J. Jolly, president of the Science
Museum of Minnesota
Gloria C. Lewis, president and CEO of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities
Marshall S. Stanton, MD, vice president
for clinical research and general manager
of the cardiac rhythm disease
management business of Medtronic, Inc.
Appointed to three-year terms on the
board, ex officio, are Bishop Craig E.
Johnson, Minneapolis Area Synod of the
ELCA, and Bishop Duane C. Pederson,
Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA.
To read more, go to
www.augsburg.edu/regents
for finding “diamonds in the rough,” baseball and football players who may not have
put up the big numbers in high school, but
had the potential to shine.
It’s estimated that Wiese, a 1959 Augsburg alumnus, helped to bring literally
hundreds of students to Augsburg over the last several decades
as a recruiter and assistant coach. For his lifetime of service to
Auggie athletics, Wiese was honored with the Distinguished
Athletic Service Award this fall.
“I always had a genuine concern for youth and athletics,
and something always kept drawing me back to Augsburg over
the years,” Wiese said. “I would talk about Augsburg and say it
was a great school with friendly people; they’ll give you a
chance to succeed and get your degree.”
After Wiese had been scouting for talent as a volunteer for
more than 20 years while still owning and operating his family
farm in rural Northfield, Minn., he spent more than a decade as
an assistant coach for both the football and baseball teams.
Several of his football recruits provided the backbone of
the Auggies’ 1997 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title team, the school’s first since 1928. Many of his players were key members of the 2005 MIAC baseball playoff team.
“One of the things that strikes me so much about Darrell is
his ability to identify potential talent,” said former football
coach Jack Osberg, now a football coach and A-Club advancement manager. … “When he recruits, he doesn’t just recruit the
athlete, he recruits the family and gets great connections with
the families and siblings of the athletes he recruits.”
Wiese officially retired from coaching after the 2008 baseball season. A baseball team trophy has been named in his
honor—the Darrell Wiese Most Respected Player Award.
DON STONER
2
Augsburg Now
Retiring faculty and staff, continued
Karen Sutherland, professor of computer science, came to Augsburg in
1999 and retired at the end of the
academic year in May. Often her students would find her in the small lab
in Sverdrup surrounded by computer robots roaming the floor—
AIBO dog robots used for their ease
in teaching basic programming, and
search and rescue robots designed to
stay in communication with each other during emergency situations. They were all part of National Science Foundation
grant research in which Sutherland collaborated.
These projects were at the core of Sutherland’s passion for
improving how computer science is taught to non-traditional
students, including weekend students, immigrants, women,
and first-generation college students. “These students didn’t
relate well to computer science and how we were teaching it,”
Sutherland said. With the grant funding she could do a better
job of both attracting and retaining non-traditional students.
The National Science Foundation CSEMS (Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship) program
enabled her to offer scholarships to non-traditional students.
She had upper-class students serve as peer mentors to CSEMS
students, encouraging them toward career possibilities in
computer science.
“A number of our young people want to do something to
make this world better,” Sutherland says. “They don’t see how
computer science is going to help that. You have to show
them ways it can, and they have to see how they could make a
difference, a mark.”
Via e-mail, she keeps in touch with many former students, some who have accepted jobs in industry directly after
graduation and others going on to graduate programs.
There is no shortage of plans for her retirement, which
center around gardening and travel. Even her gardening will
keep her near a computer, as she serves as the webmaster for
the Garden Club of Ramsey County. At her lake home, she
serves as a board member of the lake association, working to
promote shoreline conservation and sustainability.
Kenneth N. Erickson ’62, in his
nearly 40-year tenure teaching
physics, allowed students to see just
how vast the world is and just what
is possible.
After one year at Augsburg in
the 1960s, Erickson returned in
1970 and never left. For much of
that time, he held a shared professorship between Augsburg and the
University of Minnesota, cooperating with the University’s
physics and astronomy faculty in grant-funded research.
“As part of the shared appointment at the “U,” I was able
to do a lot of research,” he said. In 1970, Erickson started an
active undergrad research program at Augsburg. In 1991, he
started the Minnesota Space Grant Consortium, part of a
NASA-funded program that provides research and program
development grants to students and faculty.
“His satellite studies and rocket experiments in Alaska,
often involving other scientists from around the globe, gave
his students a window to a much wider and very exciting
world,” said Mark Engebretsen, an Augsburg colleague. “He
helped many of his students catch the excitement of trying to
find out new things about our world.”
The soft-spoken Erickson is reluctant to discuss his
achievements, but colleagues and many former students appreciated Erickson’s teaching and mentoring. Stu Anderson
’78, a current member of Augsburg’s physics faculty and a former student, said, “He displayed the art of an excellent
teacher—to invite students into the voyage of discovery, to
develop an appetite and tolerance for mathematical complexity, and to give students like me the courage to be persistent.”
Matt Broughton ’06, a physics and English major who
was awarded a Fullbright grant called Erickson—who has a
scholarship established in his name—“the best instructor he
had in college.”
Now Erickson is staying busy by growing corn and soybeans and raising cattle on his farm near Cambridge, Minn.
“I haven’t done much physics lately,” he joked.
WENDI WHEELER
BETSEY NORGARD
Fall 2008
3
it takes an
Auggie
New President’s Circle recognizes annual giving
During Homecoming Week, President Pribbenow announced
the creation of the President’s Circle, a new giving society that
recognizes annual gifts of $1,000 or more, at several levels of
support. By recognizing all current gifts, the President’s Circle
shares the Augsburg story among greater numbers of alumni
and donors and builds stronger connections with the College
today.
Within the President’s Circle, one of the top funding priorities of the College is the Augsburg Fund, which provides
support across a range of critical needs of the College. Most
important is the financial support made possible through the
Augsburg Fund that helps the College fulfill its promise to a
richly diverse student body. Financial support makes an Augsburg education possible for more than 85% of its students.
The Augsburg Fund also provides needed support for
current technology to improve teaching and learning, faculty
recruitment and retention, facilities maintenance and renovation, and opportunities for community events and services.
“There’s no other way to give to so many priorities—to
touch the lives of so many students in so many different
ways—than through the Augsburg Fund,” says Jeremy Wells,
vice president for institutional advancement. “It’s giving that
moves Augsburg forward just as it also honors its past.”
The President’s Circle Challenge, through the generosity
of an anonymous donor, will match all increases in gifts to the
Augsburg Fund up to $1,000 for those who become charter
members of the President’s Circle.
President’s Circle members will receive a special pin and a
new, members’ e-newsletter plus invitations to special events
and other benefits offered for support at higher levels.
Sven Oftedal Society honors Augsburg’s legacy
Augsburg’s Heritage Society, which
recognizes donors who have made
a future gift commitment to the
College, has a new name and identity—the Sven Oftedal Society,
named for the second person appointed to Augsburg’s faculty, who
became the College’s third president and chaired the Board of Regents for over three decades.
During the 1870s, vast numThe recognition of donors who
make future gifts to the College
bers of immigrants flocked to
has been named the Sven Oftedal
western and northwestern MinSociety, in honor of Augsburg’s
third president, who saved the Col- nesota. Augsburg’s move to Minlege from bankruptcy, ensuring an neapolis in 1872 placed it closer to
Augsburg education for
the center of Norwegian-American
future generations.
settlement, but by 1877, the College faced a financial crisis that threatened its very existence.
Augsburg was heavily in debt; the region was in an economic
depression.
Sven Oftedal stepped forward to lead a heroic fundraising
effort that saved Augsburg. Oftedal rallied and inspired farmers, merchants, businesses, and churches throughout the
4
Augsburg Now
region to support Augsburg’s mission, an effort securing gifts
from over 30,000 individuals. Augsburg was no longer a
school of a select few—Augsburg truly became a school of the
people.
Exemplifying Augsburg’s commitment to civic involvement, Oftedal established a community newspaper, was
elected to the Minneapolis Board of Education, appointed to
the Minneapolis Library Board, and served as the president of
Augsburg’s board for 36 years. His legacy of service is honored
by Augsburg through the founding of the Oftedal Society to
recognize the loyalty and vision of those who make a commitment of future support to the College.
“By renaming the planned giving recognition society in
honor of Sven Oftedal, we have a wonderful opportunity to
reflect upon the nature of Augsburg’s foundation—its roots,”
noted Jeremy Wells, vice president for institutional advancement, “and to reaffirm that those ideals continue to be the
core of the College and its mission.
To learn more about the Sven Oftedal Society or making a
gift of future support, contact the Office of Planned Giving at
1-800-273-0617 or via e-mail to development@augsburg.edu.
Another million-dollar year!
• The Augsburg Fund, the College’s annual fund, reached its
goal of $1 million—for the third time and the first time
outside of a campaign year—ending the fiscal year at
$1,001,979.
• Important to achieving this goal was the President’s Challenge of $100,000, which resulted in additional giving of
nearly $69,000 in new or increased gifts, triggering a total
of $158,000 in challenge gifts. This was made possible by
Don ’53 and Bev (Halling) Oren ’55 and anonymous
donors.
• During this last fiscal year, a 100% participation rate was
reached with gifts to the annual fund from all members of
the Augsburg Board of Regents, the Alumni Board of
Directors, and the President’s Cabinet.
It’s Augsburg Calling … Mai Yer Vang ’11
Mai Yer Vang was born in Thailand and moved with her family to the U.S. in 1994. When she was in high school, Vang
was introduced to Augsburg on a tour with the Upward
Bound program. “We had a really good tour guide who
showed us everything on campus,” she said.
Vang liked Augsburg’s small campus atmosphere and was
intrigued by a presentation given by Richard Webb, a counselor for Augsburg’s TRiO program, a U.S. Department of Education program that helps first-generation college students
overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to completing
their education.
“My family is on welfare,” Vang said, “but Richard talked
about financial aid and told us that we could go to Augsburg
if we wanted to. He helped us understand that a college education was possible.” In fact, Vang became the first in her
family of eight children to attend college.
She came to Augsburg in the summer, before many of her
classmates, for TRiO’s Summer Bridge program, a five-week
residential program that introduces students to the college experience with classes, academic support seminars, workshops,
and social activities.
As a TRiO scholar, Vang must not only maintain a 3.0
GPA each term, she also meets regularly with her TRiO counselor to discuss her academic progress and financial issues.
TRiO students complete all of their financial aid application
paperwork on their own, an often-daunting procedure many
of her peers delegate to parents. Vang is grateful for this experience because she is now helping one of her older sisters
complete college and financial aid applications.
For two years, Vang has worked as a caller for the Augsburg Fund in Augsburg’s Office of Institutional Advancement.
Through her conversations with alumni, Vang has received
career advice and has learned more about Augsburg traditions
and history. “I learned that Homecoming used to be huge
here,” she said, “and there were a lot more dances and royalty
and parades during the year than we have now.”
To date, Vang and the student caller team have helped
raise more than $114,000 for the Augsburg Fund. To learn
more about the Augsburg Fund and other ways to support
students like Mai Yer Vang, go to www.augsburg.edu/giving.
WENDI WHEELER ‘06
Mai Yer Vang ’11 is one of the
student callers of Phonathon
and enjoys learning about
Augsburg in past years from
the alumni she calls.
Fall 2008
5
Auggies on the field
Jordan Berg: Football, physics, and far more
Division III athletics is more than simply the games. It’s just as much about academics, family friends, and hobbies. Augsburg senior quarterback Jordan Berg understands the importance of balancing.
On the field, the Gaylord, Minn., native is already the most accomplished passer in
Augsburg history, owning single-season and career records for passing touchdowns,
completions, and yardage. Despite starting his college career at Division II MinnesotaDuluth, Berg is on pace to break the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference career passing record of 7,290 yards.
But Berg is more than just a quarterback. He’s also a physics major
with a 3.8 GPA. In his time at Augsburg, Berg has taken classes ranging from chemistry to American Sign Language, and Christian Vocation and the Search for Meaning.
“One of the reasons that Jordan is so successful is his preparedness,” says offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Drew
Privette. “He is prepared on the field, in the classroom, and in his
social life. If we have a quarterback’s meeting and Jordan also has a
big test in one of his classes, he’ll find a way to reschedule the
meeting, so he can take care of his first priority, his academics.”
Berg, a self-described “motor head,” has a variety of other
interests. He restored his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle,
complete with a custom paint job. He designed t-shirts for the
football team. And Berg designed two tattoos for himself and a
few others for his teammates.
“Jordan is a unique blend of character, artist, and student-athlete. He is gifted in each of those areas and it is a joy to work with
such a colorful and outstanding individual,” said football head coach
Frank Haege.
KELLY ANDERSON DIERCKS
6
Augsburg Now
For the full story, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
homecoming
’08
2008 Alumni Awards
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
LaRhae (Grindal) Knatterud
’70, specialist on aging,
Minnesota Department
of Human Resources
Dennis Kalpin ’61, retired
mathematics teacher and
coach, Alexandria, Minn.
FIRST DECADE AWARDS
Zach Curtis ’98, actor,
artistic director, and
theatre manager
Jeffery Cameron ’96,
intellectual property
attorney, E.J. Brooks
and Associates, PLLC
Save the date for Homecoming 2009—September 28-October 3
For more about Homecoming
and the alumni awards, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
7
Grassroots health care
the CENTER CLINIC
Augsburg nursing student Eileen Johnson
confronts poverty and patient needs at the
small, volunteer-run Center Clinic in
Dodge Center, Minnesota.
arty Alemán has a
passion for public
health. She is one
of Augsburg’s Rochester
Campus nursing faculty,
and she believes that
“greater community and social awareness make a better
citizen and a better nurse,
no matter where they
work.”
Thus, it seemed fitting
that she, along with the
Augsburg nursing program,
was chosen by the Center Clinic in Dodge Center, Minnesota, a
small, rural, volunteer-staffed clinic, to receive their Social
Awareness award at their annual appreciation event.
From her office at Olmsted County Public Health, Alemán
coordinates a number of the county’s public health nursing positions. As the Community Health II nursing instructor at the
Augsburg Rochester Campus, she integrates her knowledge of
public health and connections to community health agencies
with the course content to be a catalyst for transformation in the
lives of most of the Rochester Bachelor of Science in nursing
M
8
Augsburg Now
(BSN) students. She loves it. She loves introducing her students
to a side of health care that few of them have ever seen.
Community Health II is Augsburg’s only BSN course with
significant clinical hours outside of the classroom; all 48 hours
must be spent in community health settings. Alemán notes that
about 90% of Rochester BSN students are hospital nurses. “Some
students have only worked in surgery where they see a very limited view of patient care. Community health nursing is not such
a controlled environment,” she says. It stretches and challenges
the students.
Alemán helps students to navigate the challenges of a different healthcare culture and to connect the dots of relevance between their work in a large hospital to social justice in the
community. To that end, she raises questions within the context
of diversity about the uninsured, about poverty and patient
needs upon dismissal from the hospital, and about the community resources to meet those needs. She also encourages students
to consider health issues in public schools such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual activity, bullying, and obesity.
Clinical hours bring the questions of the classroom into the
realm of experiential knowledge. Students integrate these experiences, comparing them to their currently held beliefs, and seeing things first hand rather than in text. They return to class and
talk about the experiences and how their current belief systems
are being challenged.
For their clinical hours, students may choose from a number
of cultural immersion options or community health settings in
Olmsted County or in the county where they reside. Alemán is
fluent in Spanish, having spent four years early in her nursing
career living and working in Ecuador, and has coordinated and
led immersion trips and home stays for students in Nicaragua
and Guatemala.
It’s obvious that Alemán has a special place in her heart for
arranging student placements in county community health settings. She encourages them to divide their time among a variety
of agencies and clinics. Her students can be found at the Good
Samaritan Medical Clinic, Migrant Health Clinic, Christ United
Methodist Church Health Fair, the county jail, and working with
church parish nurses.
The Center Clinic, directed by Jan Lueth, who is also a public health colleague of Alemán, is a favorite placement for
Alemán and her students. Lueth welcomes the students and describes the clinic as “a small non-profit agency staffed by volunteer nurses, nurse practitioners, and Mayo doctors and residents
that provides family planning and limited healthcare services to
the uninsured and underinsured, many of whom are Latino.”
Some of the BSN students have chosen to continue volunteering at the clinic. One student returned for six months as a
paid staff member. Since the clinic relies heavily on volunteer
hours to stretch their limited revenue, Lueth says their services
are invaluable.
“Social awareness is an important part of our mission at the
Center Clinic,” says Lueth. “We believe that awareness is the
first step toward social change.” Part of the clinic’s motivation
for giving Alemán and the nursing program the Social Awareness
award was that “always their questions and comments challenge
us to clarify what we believe and strengthen our determination
to continue our mission,” Lueth says.
When asked about Alemán’s passion for social awareness,
Lueth says, “only a professional like Marty, who truly empathizes and appreciates the complicated world in which our
clients reside, and the positive effect that nursing students could
experience by exposure to this, would have considered the Center Clinic as a possible clinical site for her students.”
She continues, saying the clinic is “a world where, like a
messy closet, you can make the conscious choice to close the
door, so you don’t have to look at it. But, you still know the mess
is there. … Marty puts her foot in the door, so you have to look,
have to experience the ‘mess’ at least for a moment.”
LIBBY HENSLIN ’06
OPERATIONS AND ADMISSIONS COORDINATOR, ROCHESTER CAMPUS
“Social awareness is an
important part of our
mission at the Center Clinic.
Pictured, right: In her community health
nursing course, Augsburg student Eileen
Johnson (left) is learning from Center
Clinic staff person Ramona González
(center) about difficulties faced by clinic
patients, many of whom are Latinos.
We believe that awareness
is the first step toward
social change.”
Fall 2008
9
awesome
DISCOVERY
clever student + wise professor+ experienced alum =
BY WENDI WHEELER AND BETSEY NORGARD
Brian Krohn (second from right) poses
with the scientists who named the
process (“Mcgyan”—from their own
names) that they hope will revolutionize
the biofuel industry: (L to R) Chemistry
professor Arlin Gyberg, SarTec vice
president Clayton McNeff ’91, Krohn, and
SarTec chief scientist Ben Yan.
A student’s passion for research
Brian Krohn originally came to Augsburg to study film, but
after only one semester without any science classes, this lifelong scientist felt “so deprived” that he officially changed his
major to chemistry.
Even so, he was unsure where the degree would lead
him. “I thought with a degree in chemistry, I
could only be a teacher or a pharmacist,” he said.
Then in the summer of 2006, Krohn received
a grant from Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research
and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) program. It
was support to conduct research, one of his passions. He and his adviser, chemistry professor
Arlin Gyberg, were both interested in biodiesel, so
Krohn set out to find a more efficient way to produce the fuel.
Krohn describes the research process as difficult but exciting. “You have to really dig into the
whole process and read all the literature to join
into the conversation about your topic before you
can figure out what you can contribute,” he said. Whereas
most undergraduate researchers “do what they are told, like
calibrate a machine all day,” according to Krohn, he had more
freedom to explore and experiment.
Eventually his work led to the discovery of a process that
converts animal feedstock to biodiesel. Gyberg advised Krohn
to contact alumnus Clayton McNeff ’91, a chemist and vice
president of SarTec, a company specializing in yucca-based
products and CEO of ZirChrom Separations, a chromatography company. McNeff, his chief scientist at
SarTec Ben Yan, and Gyberg took Krohn’s idea and
created the “Mcgyan” Process (from their three
names), an efficient and environmentally friendly
method that will allow McNeff’s new start-up company, Ever Cat Fuels, to produce more than three
million gallons of fuel per year at a first-of-its-kind
biodiesel plant in Isanti, Minn.
Krohn says it was his research and connections
through Augsburg, not the discovery itself, that
opened doors for him. In fact, he said this opportunity might never have been available if not for
McNeff’s ties to the College.
“It’s almost unheard of that the vice president of research
would sit down with an undergraduate student and his old professor,” he said.
clever student
10
Augsburg Now
wise professor
A professor’s connections to industry
It’s an event, says chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg, that
probably wouldn’t have happened anywhere else in the
world.
He’s referring to senior Brian Krohn’s research, his
relationship with Clayton McNeff ’91, and the partnership
that ultimately yielded the invention of the Mcgyan
Process. Gyberg, who is beginning his 42nd year teaching
at Augsburg, has supervised many student research projects over the years beginning with Richard Olmsted ’69,
the husband of current Augsburg chemistry professor Sandra Olmsted ’69, in the summer following their junior
year.
Krohn began his research by poring over hundreds of
abstracts of research on biodiesel. Eventually he found two
examples of projects that had been somewhat successful,
which had suggested that solid-state strong acids might be
effective catalysts for conversion of plant oils to biodiesel.
Gyberg knew that this material was used as a bonded solid
stationary phase in chromatography, so they attempted a
conversion using a batch process that had been used since
World War II. Gyberg summed up the results: “It didn’t
work.”
Then Gyberg recalled a seminar given four years earlier by McNeff on zirconia-based stationary phases used
for liquid chromatography and the ease with which it
could be bonded with various substances. Gyberg contacted McNeff, and Krohn and Gyberg went to present
their research to McNeff at SarTec Corporation. They
asked for some bonded strong acid zirconia and again
tried a batch process experiment with no success.
“Here is where the confluence of events occurred that
would not likely have happened anywhere else,” said Gyberg. McNeff’s ZirChrom Corporation is a world leader on
zirconia and its properties. McNeff and fellow scientist Ben Yan had
been working on oven-heated zirconia-based high temperature liquid
chromatography. It occurred to McNeff that pressurized, heated, continuous column catalysis using solid-state acidified zirconia might
work—and it did, the very first time. The Mcgyan Process was born.
“It would appear that this is only the beginning,” Gyberg said.
Research continues, with SarTec and Augsburg investigating algae
growth as a feedstock source for biodiesel as well as other reactions
that are possible for new types of biofuels that have not been possible
to synthesize before.
Gyberg is also working on a project with a University of St.
Thomas engineering professor who believes that in three years all
biodiesel will be made using the Mcgyan Process. They are developing a “pickup bed biodiesel plant” that the individual farmer could
use to make his own biodiesel fuel. This would also benefit Third
World countries where jatropha, a weedy bush that grows on noncropland and needs only about eight inches of rain or so a year, is
readily available. Jatropha can produce about five times more plant
oil a year for biodiesel than soybeans, and the Mcgyan reactor is the
only one that can completely convert the oil efficiently and cleanly to
biodiesel with virtually no waste and no pollutants.
Rather than spend his summers on the golf course or on the
lake, Gyberg supervises research because, he says, “It keeps things
interesting and exciting, keeps one up with current science, and
keeps the mind sharp.” He adds, “One of the great pleasures over the
years is using my background and experience to work with students,
some of whom are smarter than I am.” Gyberg says students are fortunate to be able to do research at Augsburg, since faculty there can
spend more time working with students than at large research
institutions.
Above, left: Senior Brian Krohn and chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg explain the Mcgyan
Process, a new, improved method of making biodiesel, at a press conference in March.
Fall 2008
11
awe
som
e
SarTec vice president Clayton McNeff ’91, whose team discovered
the Mcgyan Process, shares the discovery with alumni and friends
during Homecoming in September.
“It can be cost effective and
environmentally friendly—
experienced alum
and it’s portable.”
A chemist on the cutting edge
In March 2008 at a press conference at Augsburg College,
Clayton McNeff became somewhat of a media sensation in
the biodiesel world. He is vice president of SarTec Corporation, and together with his chief scientist Ben Yan, his former
professor Arlin Gyberg, and Augsburg student Brian Krohn,
McNeff announced a discovery they said would revolutionize
biodiesel production and lessen or eliminate the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
This was the first public announcement of the Mcgyan
Process and the biodiesel fuel it can produce more efficiently,
less costly, and without harmful byproducts than existing
processes. He went on to announce that the group was already successfully producing 50,000 gallons per year at a
pilot plant, and even powering the plant with it. Through a
new company, Ever Cat Fuels, a new large-scale production
plant is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2009 that
will yield three million gallons per year, using non-food
grade corn oil from ethanol plants and free fatty acid waste
products from the current conventional biodiesel industry.
In July the Star Tribune described the Mcgyan production
process as immensely appealing to countries and companies
around the world because “it can be cost effective and environmentally friendly—and it’s portable.” The goal is for farmers to be able to produce the biodiesel they need to run their
farms completely on site. More than 35 countries have contacted SarTec inquiring about the technology.
Algae is a large part of McNeff’s vision. He refers to it as
the “holy grail” of biodiesel production because it can be
grown utilizing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from
12
Augsburg Now
bioethanol and coal-burning power plants, and it can potentially yield enough oil for biodiesel to replace all U.S. petroleum
needs without competing for food crops or cropland. SarTec, in
partnership with Augsburg and Triangle Energy, is pursuing this
research with grants from Great River Energy and Xcel Energy.
McNeff is a 1991 Augsburg chemistry graduate, who pursued his PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He joined SarTec, the company founded by his parents
where he first worked as a high school student, fostering his
love for science.
In 1995, as he became known for his expertise with zirconia, McNeff co-founded ZirChrom Separations, Inc., along with
Steven Rupp and University of Minnesota professor Peter W.
Carr. Carr has won numerous awards in the field of analytical
chemistry and has been announced as the recipient of the 2009
American Chemical Society Award in Analytical Chemistry.
In 2002 McNeff was awarded the Tibbetts Award from the
Small Business Adminstration’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This award was given in recognition of
McNeff’s achievement in innovation, research, and business
that contributed to the commercial success of ZirChrom Separations.
McNeff considers the success of the experimentation leading to the Mcgyan Process as “serendipity,” but it’s a success
that can extend far beyond their projected goal of three million
gallons per year and be licensed worldwide to companies seeking more efficient and sustainable fuels.
For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/chemistry
DIS
COV
ERY
V
Courtesy Glendine Soiseth
auggie voices
Street pastors bring care and
hope to the streets
Glendine Soiseth graduated from Augsburg and Luther Seminary in 2004 with a dual degree—Master of Social Work and
Master of Arts in Theology. She was ready for the challenge of
an international experience and is the supervisor of therapy
services for a fostering agency in Flintshire, Wales. She lives
in nearby Chester, England.
In 2006 Soiseth heard about the three-year-old Street Pastors program and trained as a street pastor leader in Wrexham, Wales. She led her team on patrol once or twice a
month, from around 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Recently, with her
move to Chester, she also serves as a Chester lead street pastor and will alternate patrols and voluntary time between the
two locations.
In September she wrote about street pastor work for a
community ministry blog in Chester. With permission, we’ve
reprinted excerpts from it.
Call
Historically, I have consistently been involved in faith, community, and political organizations, either working with
people, programmes, or the community in developing a
voice and making a difference.
When the St. Margaret’s vicar in Wrexham started talking about Street Pastors during a service, I immediately experienced a ‘call.’ Not a lightning bolt, but it was made very
clear that this (street pastoring) was something I needed to
do. I realized I was being asked to take a leap of faith despite not knowing how the new initiative would take me.
After training and graduation, I was out on the streets
in my street pastor uniform talking and explaining to people, door staff, vendors, police, and emergency personnel
what a street pastor is and does.
Community
When I mentioned to people at the time that I lived in
Wrexham, the response was universal, ‘nothing good comes
out of Wrexham … .’ I knew it would take more than a marketer or one person to make a difference. It would take the
‘Urban Trinity’—police, civic partners, and church—coming
together in agreement on community initiatives and protocols, as a means for it to work.
Glendine Soiseth ’04 MSW/MA Theology dual degree graduate (left), is a social
worker in North Wales and volunteers as a street pastor in an interdenominational church/community initiative with Rev. Trevor Beckett (right).
Street pastors are now recognized, respected, and welcomed in the community by pub/club goers, police, emergency personnel, door staff, street vendors, CCTV, and
visitors. They have witnessed and experienced our commitment, tenacity, unconditional positive regard, and passion
for what we do.
We’ve been accepted as part of their community for not
only sticking it out when it is raining, cold, and miserable,
but, more importantly, for listening, being authentic, and
providing practical assistance—not preaching ‘heaven and
hell,’ but getting back to basics of what it means to be a ‘caring’ community and how diversity can bring together unity.
Hope
I can’t begin to tell you all the stories I have heard on the
street in my role as street pastor. … about the drug dealer,
or the rugby player, or the person we picked up off the road
just before a car came round the corner, or the person who
had been involved in a cult, or the alcoholic, or the soldier.
But they are just stories about people you don’t know. What
I do know is that Street Pastors makes a difference in our
community. I make a difference. We make a difference.
From a human perspective, getting back to basics with
the above is a step in not only providing a community with
hope, but also it can be a difference between life and death
for that person we talk to on the street. … A good deal of
our work is ‘working in the moment where that person
seems to be at that time.’ Street pastoring works. I truly feel
blessed and privileged every time I go out into the street.”
Street Pastors is an inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the
streets to care, listen, and dialogue. For information, go to
www.streetpastors.org.uk.
BETSEY NORGARD
Fall 2008
13
LIGHTS,
CAMERA,
AND
ACTION
BY BETHANY BIERMAN
Augsburg’s film program, based in liberal arts and
giving students knowledge in production, performance,
and theory, attracts students from around the world.
14
Augsburg Now
ugsburg film comes of age
The coffee shop in Christensen is nearly
full, so we grab two empty stools by the
computers in the back. Wes Ellenwood
sits poised on the stool, looking relaxed
in his blue jeans and vintage New York
baseball cap, balancing his coffee between his hands.
“What makes our department
unique is its three tracks,” he explains.
The former NYU professor specializes
in documentary and 16mm film and
was just last year given full-time status,
making him the only full-time film faculty member.
He breezes through the description
as if he’s told it many times before.
There’s the production track (creating
films and videos), the performance
track (acting for the camera), and the
theory and culture track (the analytical
track). “And our faculty are not just faculty—they are professionals and experts
in film.”
Picture, bottom left: For more than a decade, communication
studies professor Deb Redmond has worked with alumni to nurture
the film courses that have grown Augsburg’s film program.
Pictured, below: Auggie Mike Bodnarczuk ’85 built a career in music
video production and has helped other Auggies get a start in LA.
Just then communication professor
and director of the program Deb Redmond approaches with a young man.
“I’m sorry, but may I interrupt?” she
asks. “Matt, this is Wes Ellenwood, who
teaches our production courses. Wes,
Matt is looking at transferring to Augsburg to study film.”
The professors exchange knowing
glances. This is not the first time such
an introduction has been made. In fact,
the film department averages two visitors per week. For a program that officially finished its fourth year, numbers
are exploding. While Augsburg has a
strong history of graduating students
who have excelled in film, it was only
in 2004 that the major was added. It
jumped from one graduate in 2006 to
now nearly 40 students. Five new film
majors transferred in this past semester.
“We’re different from most of the
metro college campuses,” Ellenwood
tells Matt and me, “because there is actual film being shot on this campus.”
He goes on to explain that because
Augsburg students develop an understanding of film, video, television, and
digital media, in addition to being
grounded in the liberal arts, these graduates are better prepared than most to
truly succeed in the industry.
A seed is planted
It was the early ’80s, and every Friday
English professor John Mitchell showed
movies in his class. One student recalls
nearly leaping out of his seat with excitement.
“He really opened up the gateway
for me,” says Michael Bodnarczuk, the
son of Ukrainian immigrants and a St.
Paul Johnson High School graduate. He
Nick Vlchek
A
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION
had come to Augsburg to study prelaw and to play
soccer. “I got very
involved with politics with my lifelong friend John
Evans … and
Franklin Tawha,
but then started
spending a lot of time with film.”
Bodnarczuk took a 16mm film
course taught by a friend of Mitchell’s
during January term. “After that, I was
completely hooked, and then it became
an addiction.” He took Julie Bolton’s television class and Stan Turner’s class in
newswriting at St. Thomas. Jeroy Carlson found him an internship at KARE11, which turned into a job editing
stories for the sunrise show.
But Bodnarczuk’s passion was
music videos, and how they told a story
in four minutes. Augsburg didn’t have
cable at the time, however, so with the
rise of the MTV boom, he persuaded the
College to invest in a satellite dish for
the top of Christensen Center. He’d
record videos and host a showing on
Sunday nights during dinner, until they
got too risqué and the administration
shut him down.
Beyond the classroom, he made
connections with several people, including Jimmy Jam, Steve Rifkin (editor of
the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) and
Darrell Brand (cameraman). During college, he directed videos for Twin Cities
music sensation The Jets and spent a
couple days as a production assistant on
Purple Rain.
Following graduation, he worked at
a law firm for a while but just wasn’t
satisfied. He drove to Hollywood in a
Fall 2008
15
Augsburg’s first “official” film grad, Trevor
Tweeten ’06 has won awards for his films
and is now living and working in New York.
yellow Dodge Charger, with about a
thousand dollars in his pocket, moved
in with a friend, and volunteered on an
American Film Institute film. Through
persistence and personal connections,
he eventually started to get work. His
first breakthroughs were as a production assistant on Lionel Ritchie’s “Say
You, Say Me” video and the film La
Bamba, which led to work on Stand and
Deliver.
“It snowballed from there.” Within
two years he was producing his own
videos and commercials such as
Michael Jordan’s Gatorade ads, and
within a decade was running the commercial/music video department of A
Band Apart with co-founders Quentin
Tarantino and Lawrence Bender. While
his Hollywood connections blossomed
and his résumé grew, his Augsburg connections never died.
16
Augsburg Now
Breaking new ground
“Michael [Bodnarczuk] wanted the film
major here desperately,” recalls Redmond. “He contacted us.” Redmond and
theatre professor Martha Johnson traveled to LA to spend time meeting with
him about the idea. This became the impetus for the program.
Courses in film continued to find
their way into the catalog, and when confirmation came from the dean’s office, a
film minor was established.
As more and more Augsburg graduates entered the world of film, momentum for the program continued to grow.
President William Frame visited Hollywood to raise money for the film program, and Bodnarczuk donated
equipment and money for it.
Students like Adam Schindler ’00
and Hanne Anderson ’99 came to Augsburg before the major was established,
but knowing that film was their passion.
Schindler took creative writing
classes, looking to hone his storytelling
ability, and ended up with a communication major and minors in English and
film. “As I continued churning out
scripts, taking broadcast production
courses, film-related J-term courses, I was
approached by a few students about the
possibility of forming a film group.” They
applied for a grant through Student Senate, and, with the help of Redmond, put
together the Augsburg Association of Student Filmmakers (AASF).
“We were pleasantly surprised when
we had 30 or so students show up for our
inaugural meeting,” Schindler remembers.
“It was a very collaborative effort
with all the members chipping in film
ideas, cameras, and loads of time,” says
Anderson.
While he was still a student,
Schindler had a chance to meet Bodnarczuk through a contact in Augsburg’s
Alumni Office. Bodnarczuk extended
Schindler an invitation to intern if he ever
decided to move to LA. Needless to say,
Bodnarczuk was the first person Schindler
called when he made the decision to go
west.
“I hired a lot of Auggies,” Bodnarczuk recalls. “I helped open doors for
them because I knew how hard it was for
me. I think every single one of them has
gone on to greatness. I am very happy for
and very proud of them.”
A distinctive major emerges
“It took years to put [the major] together
because we really wanted it to be interdisciplinary, and truly based in the liberal
arts,” says Redmond.
The application for approval of the
major was submitted during the 2002-03
school year and was approved for fall of
2004. In the past year, Ellenwood has
begun teaching full time, and additional
courses have been added.
Today, first-year film students are not
allowed to take production courses, but
instead start with still photography and
core academic courses. From there, they
take courses in the history of cinema, criticism, and issues in contemporary cinema, which lead into documentary and
acting courses. Students have the opportunity to take electives in areas such as
graphic design, journalism, and art, and
for their lab science requirement they may
take Physics for the Fine Arts.
Robert Cowgill, who spent years as a
dramaturg at the Guthrie and is past performer, owner, and manager of the Oak
Street Cinema, teaches courses in analysis.
Elise Marubbio, an award-winning author
on the representation of Native Americans
in film, teaches courses that cross-list between the American Indian studies and
film programs.
“Our focus is on training students to
recognize within a system like Hollywood
that there are very particular narratives
around groups of people,” Marubbio says.
“Our hope is that film students begin to
realize that when they create a film and an
image of someone, they need to be aware
of the cultural implications.”
Marubbio coordinates Augsburg’s Native American Film Festival. “The combination of things that we’re doing is unique
to Augsburg.”
The program’s first student to officially major in film was Trevor Tweeten
’06. “The whole theory side at Augsburg
was fantastic, between [John] Mitchell
and [Robert] Cowgill,” he says. “There’s a
practical side of it with Deb [Redmond]
and Wes [Ellenwood], but also the heavy
side of theory and history. I think there’s a
good balance … I feel really lucky to have
gone to a liberal arts school and have a
broader understanding of politics and life
and literature and all that stuff.”
Augsburg also brings in adjunct faculty who are experts in their field, such as
Christina Lazaridi, a New York-based
screenwriter whose first screenplay was
nominated for an Emmy. She teaches
screenwriting in the summer.
Beyond the classroom, the program
encourages study abroad and internships.
It is often past graduates who provide the
internships for current students.
“We are growing our own,” says Redmond. “When people come to Augsburg
to study film, they are not committing
themselves to four years, but for life …
We’re growing our own faculty, in
essence.”
“The thing that fits with the mission
of the College is we’re looking for people
with a commitment to a message, particularly using the language of film to tell
their stories,” Redmond states.
One such example is a film by senior film major David Siegfried, who
used still photographs with voiceover to
tell the story of the teaching career of
his grandfather, Augsburg anatomy and
biology professor Erwin Mickelberg. In
his film are photos of Siegfried’s mother
riding her bicycle in Murphy Park as a
young child. (http://davidsiegfried.com/
mycampusfinal.html)
The current crop
“We’re grounded now,” says Ellenwood,
pointing to the fact that there is now a
common place for film students to hang
out, a space shared by communication,
film, and theatre students. Just through
the hallway of faculty offices are the editing suites, then the film studio, and
the “closet” they hope will soon become
the screening room. “Loitering is happening on a regular basis. That’s a good
thing.”
Ellenwood attributes the increased
interest in Augsburg’s film program to
the fact that it is deeper and broader
than most programs. “Without any marketing, students are finding us. Word is
getting out,” he says. Students have
come from as far as Argentina, and now
India. “We need more faculty, space,
and equipment to allow for the increasing number of students.”
“Our hope is to grow donors,” Redmond says. “It can start with supply
items, like an extension cord, then volunteering to take interns, then, if
they’re in the position to hire, to look at
our graduates. Eventually, they can donate larger sums of money.”
At the end of each semester, there is
a screening of student work. The event
is not broadcast across campus, and yet
last semester’s screening filled the TV
studio, with over 100 in attendance.
“That’s an astounding number for us,”
says Ellenwood.
Starting in fall 2007, film students
Film professor Wes Ellenwood, who specializes in documentary and 16mm film,
connects students with film pros in the
Twin Cities for hands-on experience.
Fall 2008
17
were included in the Fine Arts Scholarship program, which awards $3,000 per
year to selected students who have
demonstrated excellence in film. Four
students were awarded the scholarship
in its inaugural year.
This fall Augsburg is launching a
partnership with the highly-regarded
film studies program at Minneapolis
Community and Technical College.
MCTC students will be able to complete
a four-year degree in film studies at
Augsburg, and Augsburg film students
will be able to take courses in the film
program there.
A rich harvest
Students who recently graduated have
enjoyed rubbing shoulders with professionals in the business, just as those in
the early days.
w
Ben Katz ’08, Steven Jacobson ’08,
Trevor Tweeten ’06, and Joe Lueben ’07
all worked on a film accepted into the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film
Festival last year. Matt Goldman, who
has written for Disney and for Seinfeld,
directed the film. “Working with Matt
opened up a lot of doors,” says Lueben.
“It was the first time we’ve taken somebody else’s story, and not our own.”
The four also created a feature film
called “Bits” with a group of Augsburg
alumni, which has been featured on
www.mnfilmtv.org and was screened at
the Uptown Theater in August.
He has freelanced for such organizations as 3M and the University of Minnesota, and worked on a Kid Dakota
music video, on a short film with the lead
singer of Motion City Soundtrack, and
made a 50-minute compilation of clips of
Minnesota-made films.
For his senior project, Katz worked
ho’s who in film alums
with Ellenwood to research the documentation needed for an independent
film. With a 90-page script, he created a
production book with scene breakdown,
shooting schedule, budget, and business
plan, which he then presented to the
writer in LA.
“I love that the program’s grown
with me,” says Katz. “When I started out
[at Augsburg], everyone was excited
about the film program, but the department was not very structured. It’s gotten
better. Once Wes was hired full time, it
changed. It’s a real program now.”
“It’s this current wave of graduates
who will probably be the best ones,” Wes
says of the dozen or so who graduated
this last spring. “They are positioning
themselves to be out in the industry, in
the field; not pumping gas.”
Bethany Bierman formerly worked in the
Office of Marketing and Communication
and lives in Minneapolis.
To learn more about Augsburg’s film program,
go to www.augsburg.edu/film
Michael Bodnarczuk ’85
Owner of Battle Creek Productions. Past president and co-founder (along
with Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender) of A Band Apart, which produced videos for such megastars as U2, Metallica, and Bon Jovi (and in
1999 alone was up for 21 of the MTV Awards).
Adam Schindler ’00
Past assistant to producer Lawrence Bender. Assistant to the executive
producer of Desperate Housewives; current assistant for director Marty
Calner. Semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture’s Nicholl Screenwriting Contest; horror script, “Sundown.”
Garret Williams ’89
Attended graduate school at the American Film Institute; directed Spark,
which received a Best Director Award; selected as one of nine filmmakers for
Fast Track in 2005 on his work on Lost Dog. IFP Blockbuster/McKnight Film
Fund winner.
JoLynn Garnes ’02
Editor of The Fearless Freaks, featuring the Flaming Lips documentary,
winner of the Mojo Vision Award. Has edited videos for artists such as Liz
Phair, Hilary Duff, and Prince, as well as Target commercials, the feature
documentary Summercamp!, and video visuals for Beyoncé’s 2007 world
tour.
Bryce Fridrik Olson ’97
Director of feature films The Caretaker (2008) with Jennifer Tilly and Judd
Nelson, and Be My Baby . Co-produced instructional DVD “OT for Children
with Autism, Special Needs & Typical.”
Hanne Anderson ’99
Emmy nominee for camera editing for her work on Guiding Light; editor for
digital group at Spike TV, and, as a sideline business, co-owns Riveting Productions, a DVD authoring company that works primarily with Comedy Central Records.
Jenny Hanson ’05
Completing graduate work in Austria in a trans-arts program; owns
Sprouted Wolf Productions; teaches film at North Hennepin Community
College and Normandale Community College.
Trevor Tweeten ’06
The first official film major. Won first place at the Oak Street Cinema’s 24hour film festival; recently moved to New York City to freelance; currently
shooting for TLC’s What Not to Wear.
THE PIONEERS
18
Augsburg Now
auggies
In the first days of September, while Gulf Coast residents battled
Hurricane Gustav, more than 45,000 Republican delegates, party
officials, volunteers, and members of the media converged on the
Xcel Center in downtown St. Paul for the 2008 Republican National Convention.
An event as significant as the RNC was not contained, however, to a single site. Across the Mississippi on Augsburg’s campus, students and faculty from 48 colleges and universities met
for a two-week program of the The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Because of its commitment to civic
engagement and service-learning, Augsburg was chosen to host
the seminar in conjunction with the convention.
Twenty-three Augsburg students participated in internships
through the program, each working in the preparation and planning stages to learn about the behind-the-scenes efforts involved
with a national convention. Augsburg communication studies professors Robert Groven and Kristen Chamberlain served on the faculty of The Washington Center Seminar.
Three Augsburg students shared their convention experiences—a young Hmong woman who changed her major from premed to political science, a graduate student who entered a state
legislative race, and a politically liberal political science major
who learned that Republicans and Democrats are more similar
than he thought.
l
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G
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W
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BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The Washington Center at the RNC
Fall 2008
19
’11
Ben Krouse-Gagne
Getting active in politics
The Washington Center at the RNC
20
Augsburg Now
Though he says he has been involved in politics for a short time—just
two-and-a-half years—Ben Krouse-Gagne has done more than some of
us will do in our lifetimes. He worked on Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer’s Senate campaign, did a summer internship with the Anti-War Committee,
served as a delegate to the 2008 Democratic state convention in
Rochester, Minn., and spends weekends door-knocking for state congressional candidates.
Krouse-Gagne, a second-year political science major who grew up
in Minneapolis’ progressive Seward neighborhood, said he was really always involved in politics because his family, neighbors, and church
community were politically active. Then in high school, he traveled to
the School of the Americas in Georgia, a military combat training school
and the site of frequent anti-war protests. “It really hit me when they
read the names of those killed in the war,” he said, “and one of the names
was ‘one-month-old baby.’”
That experience fueled Krouse-Gagne’s desire to become active and led
him eventually to a summer job at TakeAction Minnesota, where he worked
to educate voters about political issues. “People don’t understand how state
politics affects them,” he said. “A lot of people don’t even know who their state
representatives are.”
His RNC field placement was with the Bloomberg News Service. On the
first day of the convention, he covered the protests outside Xcel Center. “I
knew a lot of the people and organizations protesting,” he said, which gave
him an opportunity to get close to the action. Protestors told him their goal
was to slow down the convention. “Inside, they didn’t even know what was
happening out there,” he said. “It didn’t slow down the convention at all.”
Through conversations with delegates, Krouse-Gagne learned that he had
more in common with Republicans than he thought. “Republicans are just
the same as us,” he said. “They want what we want, just in a different way.”
Krouse-Gagne also became friends with Eric Franzen, another intern
who is currently the president of the Augsburg College Republicans. The
two are working with the Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, with
the help of Augsburg Sabo Professor Garry Hesser, to bring speakers to
campus to further the “Get Political” civic engagement events.
Their goal is to ensure that the Augsburg community is exposed
to multiple perspectives on political issues.
Being at the RNC made Krouse-Gagne want to be a delegate
to the 2012 Democratic National Convention and to become
even more involved in politics. A lot can happen in four years.
’11
Mai Lee
Changing courses
In the Hmong culture, young people often follow the path chosen
for them by their parents. For Mai Lee, a second-year student from
Minneapolis, this meant a career in medicine. Though she had always wanted to study political science, she pushed the idea away
and filled her fall semester schedule with science courses. “I was all
set to take biology and chemistry and 99% sure about majoring in
pre-med,” Lee said. Then she attended the 2008 Republican National
Convention, and that experience changed her course.
Days before the fall semester began, Lee changed her major from premed to political science. “At the convention, I met many people who
gave me good advice about a career in politics,” she said. Lee thought
her family would disapprove of her decision, but she knew she needed
to trust her instincts. “My dad wasn’t too happy,” she added, “but I said
I just knew pre-med wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Lee said she had always considered herself politically conservative,
but the convention gave her an “up-close look at the Republican Party”
and persuaded her to consider a career in public or government administration. She wants to change the immigrant mindset that government
is “bad” or against them. “I want to help people,” she said, “and show
people that government can be good.”
As a Hmong American woman, Lee acknowledges that she would be
a minority in the public administration world. “There are not many
Hmong women in politics,” she said. “I could change that and make a
little difference if I get involved.”
During the convention, Lee was placed with Fox News as a “runner.”
She ran errands, picked up politicians or celebrities, brought coffee to producers, and did whatever else was needed. “At one point, I had to pass out these
ridiculous Fox News hats to convention delegates,” she said. “If they didn’t
want it, I was told just to put it in their faces.”
Her convention experience not only influenced Lee’s future, it also encouraged her to become a more active citizen. She’s joined the Augsburg College Republicans and says she is watching the news and reading the paper more. “I’m
doing what voters should do,” she said.
While she plans to support John McCain, Lee says she will still not be discouraged from pursuing a career in public service if the presidency goes to the Democrats. “If McCain doesn’t win the election, it won’t be over for me.”
The Washington Center at the RNC
Fall 2008
21
’10
MAE
Eric Franzen
Because I can
Even at the RNC, Eric Franzen felt like he was in the minority. He was
certain that he and another intern from St. Louis, Mo., were the only
Republicans placed with Talk Radio News Service.
As a student in Augsburg’s Master of Arts in Education program,
Franzen is not required to complete an internship. He applied to The
Washington Center program because he said he recently became intrigued by the “reality” of politics. “Politics is real people doing real
things with real consequences,” he said. “It’s democracy in action.” He
felt the convention would provide an opportunity to become part of the
political reality.
For his internship, Franzen covered convention events with a video
camera and then posted interviews and stories on the Talk Radio News website. His most rewarding experience, however, happened after the convention
because he said he finally felt free to have open conversations about politics
with other students at Augsburg. “This campus is very politically liberal,”
Franzen said. “Some of us get a little nervous.”
Franzen is grateful to Augsburg for hosting The Washington Center program because he said it created opportunities for dialogue and has allowed
him to engage with others, including his politically liberal friend and fellow intern, Ben Krouse-Gagne. “I want to push for political diversity and inclusivity
at Augsburg,” he said, “but certain opinions aren’t always included in the discussion.”
In the future, Franzen aspires to hold a public office. He even added his
name to the ballot in the Republican slot for the District 60A state representative
seat. His opponent? Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the 10-year incumbent and current speaker of the House.
Why would a young graduate student put his name on the ballot against an
incumbent in an overwhelmingly liberal district? Franzen answered. “Because I can.”
“No one was running, and I didn’t want to see the office go unopposed,” he
said. “My goal was for voters to have a choice, so I’m doing what I can to give them
that choice.” Though he’s not likely to unseat Kelliher, he’s has been campaigning,
calling voters, and attending events to promote his candidacy. “It’s a lot of work.”
22
Augsburg Now
Paul Nixdorf
In the production of Fiddler on the Roof, Janet
Paone ’83 met John Vaughn, who became her
kidney donor. Here, as Golde and Tevye, they
once again ask, “Do You Love Me?”
The Kidney Kabaret for Janet Paone
BY BETSEY NORGARD
In a summer 2007 community theatre
production of Fiddler on the Roof, Janet
Paone ’83 played Golde. Golde’s husband, Tevye, was played by John
Vaughn, a Northwest Airlines pilot.
Four months later, she underwent
transplant surgery and received a kidney
that was given to her by Vaughn. Paone
remains amazed at how this whole series of events evolved.
Since September 2005, Paone had
appeared in the cast of Church Basement
Ladies, playing Mrs. Vivian Snustad, in
the comedy based on the book Growing
Up Lutheran, by Janet Letnes Martin ’68
and Suzann (Johnson) Nelson ’68.
While Paone had lived with reduced
kidney functioning since birth, it worsened into renal failure, and her doctors
put her on the transplant list.
Paone turned down out-of-town
gigs, and a friend told her about the Fiddler production, a show she had done as
an Augsburg student and loved. When
she got to know Vaughn, he asked about
her illness.
“Oh, I need a kidney,” Paone said
offhandedly.
“Well, you can have mine,” Vaughn
replied.
Paone took this as purely a casual
remark, but Vaughn persisted. He told
her he would contact the clinic. Prelimi-
nary tests showed him to be a potential
match, to be confirmed with a battery of
testing. They became close friends.
Four months later, Paone’s regular
check-up indicated she had reached a
crisis point and would have to start dialysis until a transplant became available.
After Fiddler, she and Vaughn had gone
their own ways, and she thought he
might have reconsidered. She set a date
for dialysis.
But the very next day, Vaughn contacted her with news that he had finally
been able to schedule the battery of
tests. He asked how she’d been. She told
him honestly, and added, “Is that kidney
still available?
“I just started crying,” Paone says.
“The timing was crazy.”
Vaughn was a good match, and on
November 27, after several heart-toheart talks with him, Paone received the
kidney he donated. She says he told her
that the true gift she could give him in
return was her good health.
Paone’s recovery went remarkably
well, and she was back on stage in the
winter, continuing her role as Mrs.
Snustad in Church Basement Ladies 2: A
Second Helping. She and Vaughn have
remained in close touch since.
What Paone now faces are thousands of dollars in medical bills, with
few resources to cover them. A month
after surgery, several friends in the theatre
community began talking about a
fundraiser, and a planning “posse”
formed, including several Augsburg classmates. Katie Koch ’06, assistant to the director at the Guthrie Theater, knows
Paone well and served as coordinator.
The “Kidney Kabaret” played at
Augsburg on April 21, with many actors
and musicians stepping forward to donate
services, time, and talents, which also included technical support for sound and
lighting, and event decorations.
A silent auction offered more than
125 items from theaters, restaurants,
churches, sports teams, and radio stations.
The program acts were all friends,
co-actors, and colleagues of Paone from
past theater productions. WCCO’s
Frank Vascellaro and Dale Connelly,
from Minnesota Public Radio, co-hosted
the evening.
Special guest Dr. Mark Odland,
Paone’s transplant surgeon, was introduced, along with staff from HCMC’s
kidney transplant program. Vaughn was
recognized and lauded for his gift of life
to Paone.
More than $15,000 was donated,
and the Janet Paone Transplant Fund
was set up at U.S. Bank with the help of
Auggie classmate David Young ’82.
Sponsors for the event were Curt Wollan and TroupeAmerica, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and Augsburg.
For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
23
Travel
that
transforms
BY BETSEY NORGARD
The Center for Global Education
Amazing. Life-changing. Transforming. Participants are not shy about describing their experiences on trips organized by the Center for Global Education. They seek out opportunities to talk about what they learned, and they want to return. The difference is that they
have not been on casual, sightseeing trips, but reflective travel; and CGE has built a reputation as a national leader in international experiential education.
24
Augsburg Now
Courtesy CGE-Namibia
Courtsey CGE
Social work students from eight colleges spend a
semester learning about social work issues and meeting
social work students in Mexico City and Cuernavaca—
and here, posing next to papayas in rural Morelos.
While the first student seminar in Mexico
took place in 1979, it wasn’t until 1982
when Joel Mugge led a group that officially established the Center for Global
Service and Education. He did this in response to a request from the Lutheran
Church for programs to raise awareness
of international issues.
Mugge developed a new form of international education, basing the curriculum on the educational principles of
Brazilian educator and theologian Paulo
Freire. In this, students learn in a cycle of
three phases. Initially they have direct experience in the local community, listening
to the voices of people not usually heard
in mainstream media, telling their own
stories and stories of their communities.
Then, informed by readings, students reflect on what they saw and heard. Lastly,
as a group, students share their reactions,
discuss issues, and formulate actions to
carry with them. It becomes a continual
process of “learning how to learn.”
CGE’s programs include study and
travel abroad for students, faculty development in global education, and customized
group travel around specific issues or targeted for specific groups. As a result of
these programs, CGE has served as a catalyst in the Lutheran Church for a new understanding of global mission, putting
people from the U.S. face-to-face with
people in local communities around the
world to learn from each other and build
partnerships across faiths. CGE programs
tailored for small businesses have helped
their employees understand complexities
in social, economic, and political issues,
and the development of more responsible
global citizenship.
“The goal is not to simply educate
persons, but to encourage them to pursue
a life of involvement that will ultimately
lead to wisdom,” says Larry Hufford, a political science professor at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, who has led
numerous study seminars with CGE’s as-
sistance and who finds them spiritually renewing.
During the 1980s and 1990s, CGE
planned travel seminars literally around
the world. Study centers with resident
Augsburg faculty and staff were then established in three locations—Cuernavaca,
Mexico; Managua, Nicaragua; and Windhoek, Namibia. Offices and staff are also
located in El Salvador and Guatemala.
CGE became known for the quality
of learning their travel provided; in 1988
they were hired by the American Society
of Newspaper Editors to organize a seminar for journalists to Central America and
Mexico. CGE has also received Fulbright
grants to organize several group projects.
In 2003, the program was named the National Society for Experiential Education’s
Program of the Year.
In 2001, the position of CGE director
was expanded to include the associate
dean of international programs. The Office of International Programs (OIP) was
created, which, in addition to CGE, includes Augsburg Abroad, the study
abroad office; International Partners, including European institutions in Germany,
Norway, and Finland that have reciprocal
agreements for study with Augsburg; and
International Student Advising, providing
advising and advocacy for international
students at Augsburg.
Students say…
Comments from the “Religion and
Christian Faith” travel seminar to
El Salvador, January 2007
NATALIE SASSEVILLE ’09
“Going on the trip to El Salvador was like getting
stuck in an earthquake—it shook me and all of
my values to the core…Never before have I felt
so inspired or impassioned…”
JOE SKOGMO ’08
“This trip gave me knowledge that cannot be
learned in any textbook, but it is knowledge that
one cannot do without in order to understand the
magnitude of human responsibility, vocation, and
global citizenship. Studying in El Salvador is
simply the greatest practical application for understanding why our vocations matter.”
MICHELE ROULET ’09
“The people of [El Salvador] are our textbook,
and their stories are frightening and funny and
inspiring. To say that everyone comes back
changed is to make light of the experience. People come back enriched, enlightened, and energized.”
OLEE AMATA ’11
“The concept of affecting another human being
by decisions I make made me see the world differently. … As a business major, I want to learn
how I can help be a global citizen when globalization is the enemy to developing countries.”
Fall 2008
25
Courtsey Donna DeGracia
Students training to become physician assistants visited
clinics in Guatemala, learning about healthcare practices
there and presenting health clinics—such as teaching
children about oral hygiene.
INTERNATIONALIZING AUGSBURG
EDUCATION
Shortly after the arrival of new Augsburg
president Paul Pribbenow in 2006, the
College began to focus on internationalizing Augsburg education. OIP launched efforts to integrate study abroad experiences
into the curriculum of all majors on campus, seeking to create a culture shift toward
a more internationalized campus and college experience for students. The goal is a
more seamless relationship between campus curriculum and study abroad. Students
may choose from the semesters abroad offered by CGE or participate in other study
abroad programs approved by the Augsburg Abroad office.
In addition to infusing study abroad
into all majors, CGE has made it possible
for all students—undergraduate and graduate—to have a cross-cultural experience.
For weekend students it means only a oneor two-week course, a shorter time away
from family and work than the semester
program. For graduate students, it means a
short-term seminar that directly links to
their program work or research. For all students, the direct, personal experience in
another culture is carried back into their
lives and work at home.
A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS
Following are examples of programs that
have been designed for specific disciplines or target audiences:
26
Augsburg Now
Social work in a Latin American
context
This semester-long program in Mexico for
social work undergraduate students was
developed within a unique consortium of
eight colleges and universities in South
Dakota and Minnesota—both public and
private. It provides a common experience
for students at schools lacking the resources to create a program of their own.
This experience gives future social work
professionals better preparation to serve
the needs of Spanish-speaking clients in
their home areas.
The social work students live at
Augsburg’s center in Cuernavaca. They
take classes in culture with Augsburg’s
adjunct faculty there, and classes in social
work theory and practice with a visiting
professor from one of the consortium institutions.
In 2006, the consortium was
awarded the Council on Social Work Education’s Partners in Education award for
“advancing education for international
social work.”
Exploring health care in Guatemala
In July the physician assistant studies master’s program became the third graduate
program to offer a study abroad course tailored for its students. Twelve students traveled to Guatemala for two weeks to learn
about indigenous culture, and specifically
to explore health practices and spirituality
in Mayan cultures.
While there, the students visited clinics, learned about deep social and cultural
disparities, and presented programs on
healthcare topics, such as hypertension and
diabetes. They learned and saw how
healthcare practices can be developed with
vastly fewer resources—something which
may serve them well as they seek physician
assistant positions in areas with underserved populations.
Before traveling, the PA students raised
money to buy supplies and materials to
give to the clinics, such as over-the-counter
vitamins and pain relievers, stethoscopes,
blood pressure cuffs, etc.
Lilly vocation seminars
As part of “Exploring Our Gifts,” Augsburg’s grant from the Lilly Endowment for
exploration of vocation, a total of nine
travel seminars have been designed with a
focus on vocation.
Religion professor Bev Stratton has
twice led a vocation-themed seminar—Religion and the Christian Faith (REL 480)—
to El Salvador, where students have studied
how powerfully the faith of the Salvadoran
people has impacted their struggles for social justice. These courses fulfill the students’ keystone requirement—a seminar
generally taken in their last year that pulls
together their total Augsburg experience,
combining the liberal arts foundation with
their in-depth major, while revisiting the
Courtsey Jennifer Hipple
As part of the Hoversten Peace Seminar, an Augsburg faculty, staff, and student group stopped for a photo while
touring the fields of a coffee cooperative in Guatemala.
critical conversations about vocation.
The El Salvador group visited massacre sites, met with survivors, and heard
from leaders such as Bishop Medardo
Gomez of the Salvadoran Lutheran
Church, who spoke about how he sees his
vocation at work in El Salvador. The group
also became immersed in the work and
legacy of Archbishop Óscar Romero, killed
in the civil war in 1980.
The Lilly seminars have given students
both a cross-cultural experience and a
framework to understand how Christian
vocation is part of daily life. Other Lilly
seminars have taken students to Namibia,
Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
Hoversten Peace Seminar
Supported by the Hoversten Peace Endowment, this biennial travel seminar for
Augsburg faculty, staff, and students aims
to develop a strong learning community
among participants. Pre-departure orientation introduces the group to each other,
and living and learning together abroad
strengthens their bonds. Upon return, the
group continues to build community
around their common experience by
sharing it with the larger Augsburg community.
In August, 10 faculty, staff, and students—coincidentally, all women—par-
Courtsey Rachel Olson
“I learned how to learn”
Hannah Glusenkamp ’09
Students in the 2005 study seminar to El Salvador studied
the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed
while championing the struggle of the Salvadoran people
during their long civil war.
ticipated in the 10-day “Peace and Reconciliation after Conflict: A Guatemalan Perspective.” The women learned about the
history of civil war and the peace accords, heard from leaders with differing
perspectives, and confronted the realities
of the local communities.
The efforts to internationalize the
Augsburg campus are showing results. In
2007-08, a record number of 221 Augsburg students studied abroad.
As their first quarter-century came to
a close, CGE director and associate dean
Orval Gingerich noted in their anniversary publication that “the work of CGE is
unfinished, and is perhaps more important than ever in bringing tools for critical analysis and action and ultimately
hope to a new generation of students,
professors, and global citizens.”
Stay tuned for the next 25 years.
Hannah Glusenkamp is a senior majoring in
women’s studies, with minors in Spanish and religion. At the 2008 Peace Prize Forum at Concordia College in Moorhead, she was selected as
one of Augsburg’s two Peace Scholars, a new
program that strives to develop students leaders
aspiring to careers in world peace issues.
Glusenkamp studied on two CGE programs—“Sustainable Development and Social
Change” in Central America, and “Gender, Sexuality, Politics, and the Arts” in Mexico.
“Both of these experiences challenged,
shook up, and reshaped my values, beliefs, and
world view,” she wrote. “From the first day of
the trip we, the students, were encouraged to reflect on our multi-dimensional selves and to approach education from a holistic standpoint, a
standpoint that incorporates all aspects of our
lives into the learning process.”
At the Council on International Educational
Exchange conference last fall, Glusenkamp and
nine other student panelists were asked to share
the most important thing they learned while
studying abroad. “I thought about the question
for a moment and then realized that my answer
had to be, ‘I learned how to learn,’” she said.
“I learned to become an active participant
in my education. … I learned to be curious and
to ask questions. I can no longer travel to a city
or country without wondering what the healthcare system is and if it benefits the people in
that community, or how the public transportation runs, or how subsidies in the United States
might affect the agricultural practices of the indigenous peoples in that community. … I
learned to question whose voice I am hearing
and whose voice is being left out.
“My experiences and time with the Center
for Global Education … showed me that I am
not just a student of Augsburg College for four
years, but rather that we are all students of life,
with the rights and responsibilities to engage in
the dynamic, liberating, and transformative ongoing process of experiential education.”
Fall 2008
27
TRAVEL SEMINARS
850
sponsored groups CGE has
worked with
25
Celebrating
years of
educating for transformation
by Kathleen McBride, regional co-director for Central America
and adjunct professor, Center for Global Education
Crossing borders and challenging boundaries is a
powerful metaphor for our journey of the last 25
years. It is the title of the first Center for Global
Education publication that documented the collective memory of our first years of work. The
Center’s initial experiences in 1979 included
crossing the Mexican border with students for
short-term educational experiences. Since that
time, thousands of participants have joined the
Center’s travel seminars to Mexico, Central America, the Philippines, the Middle East, Southern
Africa, and [locations in the U.S.].
As educators, we see our role as one that
engages students and participants in the world,
facilitating critical analysis and reflection that
leads to action. We believe that intercultural dialogue and collaboration with decision makers
and historically disadvantaged urban and rural
communities are a way of developing greater
understanding of the power relations in the
world and planting seeds towards more just relations and fair practices. These assumptions
are at the root our pedagogical model.
An expanded pedagogical framework
While the pedagogy of Paulo Freire continues to
be the foundation of our educational process (experience—reflection—action), in recent years
other kindred approaches, including feminist and
indigenous pedagogies, have influenced our
practice and strengthened our analysis. All of
28
Augsburg Now
the numbers
12,000+ travel seminar participants
Center for
Global
Education
SEMESTERS ABROAD
300
colleges, whose study semesters are arranged by CGE,
including institutions in the U.S., Germany,
Canada, and Norway
1,900
semester program participants
COUNTRIES VISITED
40+
in Mexico, Central America, South
America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Middle
East, India, Southeast Asia, China, and Hong Kong,
and the U.S.
CGE FACULTY AND STAFF LOCATIONS
9
Minneapolis
16
Mexico
9
Nicaragua
1
El Salvador
2
Guatemala
8
Namibia
And, millions of stories shared, hearts touched, and
perceptions changed over 25 years across the globe.
these pedagogies place significant emphasis on
learning in community. For Freire, learning in
community is one of the foundations of liberating
education. Historically, learning in community has
been a fundamental characteristic of indigenous
teaching and learning, though underrepresented
in traditional educational systems. Similarly, feminist pedagogy upholds learning in community as
central to educational processes that gives voice
to all people, particularly women, whose experience and voice have oftentimes been silenced.
Concepts of autonomy and empowerment that are
key to feminist and indigenous scholarship have
informed our methodologies and expanded our understanding of the world and of the educational
process. Our efforts to foster ongoing critical
analysis of power relations in the world are
grounded in a practice of intercultural dialogue
and experiences that continue to break open new
understandings of the world, leading us to a
deeper analysis that continually informs our
teaching.
Ongoing challenges
While our role has become clearer with regard to
our niche in the field of transformative education,
we still face significant challenges. As we facilitate
participants’ reflections on educational experi-
ences and encourage the exploration and implementation of action steps, we are confronted with an institutional challenge if we are in fact going to
continue to practice what we teach. To fully engage
the circle of praxis with the goal of transforming society, follow-up to participants’ experience as they
return to their home communities is essential. How
do we, as an institution, provide a space for participants and students to fully engage the circle of
praxis upon their return? How can we facilitate the
exploration of actions steps in participants’ home
communities? …
The Center for Global Education’s work today
continues to be the fruit of dialogue and reflections
with staff and resource people from over a dozen
countries and hundreds of students and participants
from the United States who have inspired our work,
shaped our analysis, challenged our language, and
informed our worldview. We are excited to be engaged in an educational process that will continue
to be refined and changed in the coming years by
new generations of staff and participants engaged in
transformative education.
Excerpted from Global News & Notes, Summer
2007; 25th Anniversary Issue: “Building a Just
and Sustainable World: Educating for
Transformation”
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2007-2008
Fall 2008
29
DEAR FRIENDS,
I write with a deep sense of humility and gratitude for your remarkable support of Augsburg College.
When I received the call to serve as the 10th president of Augsburg College, I enthusiastically accepted,
filled with a sense that God intended my life’s work to intersect with Augsburg’s mission and vision. I give
thanks every day for the opportunity to serve this special college. I am impressed by the deep commitment so
many individuals show toward Augsburg and its important work in the world. This annual report is a reminder to all of us of the importance philanthropy plays in the life of our college, and in the lives of our students. On their behalf, thank you for your generosity.
Our common work here at Augsburg calls us to be good stewards of the many gifts and resources we’ve
been given. Each year, thousands of alumni, parents, and friends make gifts not to the College, but through
the College, directly benefiting the many students we
serve. These students either embark on, or continue,
their vocational journeys here at Augsburg, and the
WE BELIEVE WE ARE CALL
many gifts we receive on an annual basis directly imTO SERVE OUR NEIGHBOR
pact their experience—in the classroom, on campus,
and in our neighborhood.
We have a new and bold way of stating the vision
of Augsburg College. It is this: We believe we are called to serve our neighbor. It is a vision statement that resonates deeply with the legacy and promise, the commitments and values, and the aspirations and reality of
our college. It is a statement that confirms our strong conviction that faith, learning, and service are at the
very heart of our identity as a college. I am especially grateful for the faculty and staff of the College who live
out this vision in educating our students.
To continue to live out this vision in a very real and meaningful way, Augsburg College needs your abiding and increased participation and support. I ask each of you to join me as we work together to secure a
strong and vibrant future for our college, and for our students.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
30
Augsburg Now
ED
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Six new regents
elected to board
Six new members were elected to fouryear terms on the Augsburg College
Board of Regents at the annual meeting
of the Augsburg Corporation in October
2007. In addition, Michael Good and
Jennifer Martin were re-elected to second
six-year terms. New members: Andra
Adolfson, business development director
of Adolfson & Peterson Construction,
Inc; Rolf Jacobson, writer, educator, and
associate professor of Old Testament at
Luther Seminary; Ruth E. Johnson, MD ’74,
consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo
Medical School. She was recognized as a
Distinguished Alumna of Augsburg in
1996; Stephen Sheppard, former CEO of
Foldcraft Co; Joan Volz ’68, private practice attorney specializing in mediation;
Bonnie Wallace, scholarship director,
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa.
Garry Hesser appointed new
Sabo Professor
President Pribbenow announced the appointment of Garry Hesser, professor of
sociology and director of the MetroUrban Studies program, as the College’s
first Sabo Professor of Citizenship and
Learning. His work in this new role lays
the groundwork for the establishment of
an endowed Martin Olav Sabo Center
and chair.
As the Sabo Professor, Hesser’s activities include collaboration with the
Center for Service, Work, and Learning
concerning student engagement and
leadership, and development of events,
Students from the organic chemistry and analytical chemistry class labs paused to thank Augsburg donors John ’74
(chemistry) and Marvel Yager for their gifts that support scholarships for chemistry majors. Their $10,000 annual gift is
fully matched by John’s employer, Beckman Coulter, and has provided $80,000 over the past four years to support chemistry students.
programs, and lecture series that promote civic engagement and build community outreach.
Hesser has taught at Augsburg since
1977 and is recognized as a pioneer in
experiential education. In 1997 he received the Thomas Ehrlich Award for
leadership in service-learning, and in
2004 was named the Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education.
The Sabo Center in Citizenship and
Learning is the culmination of nearly 20
years of fundraising and advocacy by the
friends and colleagues of Martin Sabo ’59
that celebrates the College’s commitment
to education for democracy.
Metro-urban studies director and professor Garry Hesser
(right) was appointed Sabo Professor of Citizenship and
Learning, honoring the legacy of retired Congressman
Martin Sabo ’59 (left).
Fall 2008
31
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Two Augsburg giants
are mourned
Within one month of each other last
year, Augsburg lost two of its most wellknown and longstanding faculty.
Joel Torstenson ’38,
professor emeritus of sociology,
died on October
18, 2007, at the
age of 94.
So much of
Augsburg’s identity today as a college of the city stems from Torstenson’s
work at Augsburg. He founded the sociology and social work departments, and
the metro-urban studies program. He
developed urban programs in Minneapolis that launched HECUA (the
Higher Education Consortium for
Urban Affairs) and that led to the work
of our Center for Service, Work, and
Learning, including Engaging Minneapolis, which requires all students to
connect with the city in their studies.
Torstenson graduated from Augsburg in 1938. He went on for his master’s and doctoral degrees at the
University of Minnesota in history and
sociology. In 1947, Augsburg president
Bernhard Christensen invited him back
to Augsburg, even while still completing
his PhD, to develop programs in sociology and social work.
Torstenson’s deep commitment to
social issues led him to explore and
work in farmers’ cooperative movements, rural community life, churchlabor relations, racial justice and human
rights, and urban studies, especially
studying the question of the role of a
32
Augsburg Now
liberal arts college in a metropolis.
Torstenson’s memoir, Takk for Alt: A Life
Story, opens a window into his life’s
work and thought.
Leland Sateren ’35,
professor emeritus of music, died
on Nov. 10, 2007,
at the age of 94.
Sateren graduated from Augsburg in 1935, and
for the next 10
years attended graduate school at the
University of Minnesota, where he was
music director at the KUOM radio station. After public service during World
War II he returned to Augsburg, and
four years later he became chair of the
Music Department and director of the
Augsburg Choir. He retired in 1979.
His work includes more than 400
choral pieces he composed, and he was
passionate about Scandinavian choral
music. Sateren introduced the work of
many Scandinavian composers to American choral directors.
Among Sateren’s many notable accomplishments are premieres of works
with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and a commissioned piece at the
United Nations to commemorate the
20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sateren was the first recipient of the
F. Melius Christiansen Memorial Award
for choral directors. In 2002 he was
awarded the Weston Noble Choral Directors Award. He was also honored
Home economics graduates from 1950 to 1970 honored the memory of their mentor, teacher, and friend Ruth Segolson,
who served as chair of the Home Economics Department. Following her death in 1980, a fund was established to provide a
special gift in her memory. In November, on behalf of all former home economics majors, Jerilyn Hovland Cobb ’63 presented a tea service to the College, pictured here as it was first used at the Augsburg House reception honoring convocation speaker Jane Fonda. (L to R) President Pribbenow, Abigail Pribbenow, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49, and Philip
Quanbeck Sr. ’50.
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a campaign rally at Augsburg on
February 3, just prior to the “Super Tuesday” primaries. With one day’s notice, Augsburg
staff, along with her campaign team, readied Melby Hall for the lively Sunday afternoon
event that drew nearly 5,000 people, plus local and national media.
with the St. Olaf Medal, presented by
King Olav V of Norway, and received
two honorary doctorates.
Sateren’s impact on the many hundreds of Augsburg students who sang in
his choir was remarkable. Peter Hendrickson ’76, director of choral activities
and current conductor of the Augsburg
Choir, studied with Sateren. A number
of other Sateren choir alumni currently
sing in the Masterworks Chorale at
Augsburg, directed by Hendrickson.
$100,000 Class of 1957
Endowment Fund
Congratulations to the Class of 1957
alumni and their spouses for establishing the Class of 1957 Endowment Fund
in celebration of their 50th class reunion. Their commitment and loyalty
help ensure that Augsburg can meet the
needs of its future students, especially
Jane Fonda presented the 2007 Koryne Horbal Lecture in November, sharing her
thoughts on the importance of beginning the “third act” of her life as she celebrated
her 60th birthday.
in areas of financial aid, program support, enhanced technology, and student
support services.
The endowment was jumpstarted
through the generosity of a class member who provided matches for all gifts
up to $50,000, challenging fellow classmates to participate at all levels.
Augsburg is grateful to the Class of
1957 for creating this important legacy
during their milestone year to honor
their Augsburg education. The foundation provides for today’s and tomorrow’s
students. It keeps them connected to
the traditions and heritage of the College as they craft their own legacies and
ties with students who come after them.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Beverly Nilsson, professor emerita of nursing, taught at Augsburg from 1977 to
2001, serving as department chair from
1978 until her retirement.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, a leader in the
Peace Corps, Job Corps, and in rural
community health programs; presently
works to advance the integration of
medical care and mental health care in
Washington State.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Jim Pederson ’56 former legislator in the
Minnesota House of Representatives
and Dept. of Public Safety.
2007 Homecoming Awards
The First Decade Award
Jasmina Besirevic-Regan ’97 dean of Trumbull College, one of Yale’s undergraduate residential colleges.
To read more about the 2007 Alumni
Awards, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
33
2007-2008 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
3%
5%
3%
Government grants
Other sources
3%
Debt service
Equipment
and capital
improvement
2%
Student salary
6%
4%
Private gifts and grants
Utilities
12%
Room and board
20%
47%
Salary and benefits
Financial aid
74%
Tuition
21%
Other
$34.5
$33.7
$30.5
2008 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2008
$33,692,461
As of May 31, 2008, we have annual realized and unrealized losses
of 3.4% on our endowment. However, last year’s annualized return
was over 16%. Our five-year average annual return on the endowment is 6.21%, and the ten-year
average annual return is 5.39%. We
are committed to maintaining the
value of the principal gifts and to
provide support to the college in
perpetuity.
$26.6
$24.8
$23.2
$25.4
$22.7 $23.3
$20.0
$16.4
$14.2
$11.5
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June 1, 1995 – May 31, 2008
34
Augsburg Now
$26.7
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
DEAR FRIENDS,
As we begin our 140th academic year, it is truly my pleasure to share with you the many gifts and contributions made to Augsburg College between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008. Even more important than the thousands of gifts received, however, are
the thousands of generous alumni, parents, and friends who made these gifts.
This past year, my first at Augsburg, was an exciting one. Following on the heels of the successful Access to Excellence campaign, a great deal was accomplished for the benefit of our many students. With deep gratitude, I would like to highlight much of
the success we accomplished together.
• We were blessed to receive over 9,000 gifts last year from more than 4,600
donors. The support and generosity of these individuals make a direct and
positive impact on the lives of our students in many ways. These gifts went to
support the Augsburg Fund, student scholarships, capital projects, the fine
arts, athletics, signature programs, and many other important initiatives.
• One exciting highlight from this past fiscal year was that the Augsburg
Fund, our fund for unrestricted gifts to the College, topped the $1 million
mark for only the third time ever and the first time outside of a campaign
year. Our result of $1,001,978.91 was a 10% increase over the prior fiscal year.
We received 5,143 gifts from 2,763 donors to reach this goal.
• Several key groups also came together last year in support of Augsburg College through their philanthropy. I am so proud to inform you that we received
100% participation to the Augsburg Fund from the Board of Regents, the
Alumni Board of Directors, and the President’s Cabinet. This type of support
from these three groups of individuals demonstrates the type of commitment
to this institution by its various groups of leaders.
• Augsburg also received 853 gifts totaling $756,094 to new or existing
scholarship funds, including the establishment of 12 new endowed
scholarships. Two additional scholarships were also funded at the
presidential level, bringing our total of President’s Scholarships to
three. Scholarships are a primary source of financial aid for many deserving students at Augsburg, and we are again grateful that hundreds
of generous individuals have chosen to establish or contribute to these
funds, directly benefiting our student learners.
YOUR SUPPORT AND
GENEROSITY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIVES OF OUR STUDENTS
• The College also completed its first year of residency in the new Oren Gateway Center and its first fully-operational year in the
new Kennedy Center. These two new facilities, direct results of the generosity shown in the last capital campaign, have made a
positive permanent impact on the life of this institution. Students now directly benefit from new residence halls, state-of-theart classrooms, athletic and wellness facilities, and important gathering and meeting spaces.
As we enter yet another year with great anticipation of what the future will hold for our college, and our students, we look back
with tremendous gratitude for the many blessings we have been given. We are most grateful for each and every gift we receive
and I thank you most sincerely.
Sincerely,
JEREMY R. WELLS
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Fall 2008
35
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given a minimum of $100,000 (since 1980),
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Ernest+ and Helen Alne
Charles and Ellora Alliss Education Foundation
Oscar+ ’38 and Leola+ Anderson
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Barbara and Zane Birky
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
John+ and Joyce Boss
Donald Bottemiller
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Bush Foundation
Carlson Companies
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Shirley Cherkasky
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
David and Mary Brandt ’79 Croft
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Jerry and Jean Foss
William and Anne Frame
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Phillip+ ’55 and Lynne Gronseth
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Stephen ’70 and Margaret Gundale
James and Kathleen Haglund
Hearst Foundation
Loren Henderson
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
Allen and Jean Housh
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Robert Hoversten
Huss Foundation
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Kinney Johnson ’65
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Bruce and Maren Kleven
David and Barbara Kleven
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
David Lankinen ’88
Diane and Philip Larson
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
James Lindell ’46
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Marie and Larry McNeff
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Hoyt+ ’39 and Lucille Messerer
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
+ Deceased
36
Augsburg Now
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Robert Odegard ’51+
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Glen Person ’47
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Addison and Cynthia Piper
David Piper
Harry and Mary Piper
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Alan Rice
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Ward ’74 and Catherine Schendel
Ruth Schmidt ’52
James and Eva Seed
Rodney Sill ’82
John and Martha Singleton
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Leland and Louise Sundet
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
P. Dawn Heil Taylor ’78
Teagle Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Scott Weber ’79
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
ANNUAL GIVING
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2007 TO MAY 31, 2008
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who generously gave a minimum of $1,000 in the 2007-08 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Accenture
Kate Addo
Andra Adolfson
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Aegon Transamerica Foundation
Peter ’70 and Mary Agre
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Charles and Ellora Alliss Education Foundation
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
The American Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Deloris Anderson ’56
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Kim ’73 and Nancy Kerber ’74 Anderson
Leif Anderson
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse Andress ’56
James ’88 and Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold
Carla Asleson ’91
Al Assad
The Aston Group, Inc.
Avaya Communication
B R Direct Marketing, Inc.
Dorothy Bailey
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Stephen ’67 and Sandra Batalden
Estate of Abner B Batalden
Tracy and Janel Beckman
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Samuel ’97 and Melissa Wieland ’97 Bergstrom
Daryl and Marylee Bible
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Robert and Lynda Bisanz
Nancy Paulson ’70 Bjornson and J. Ragnar
Bjornson
Stephen ’74 and Janet Blake
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Boeing Company
Kevin Bonderud ’79
Amy Bowar ’97
Thomas ’78 and Julie Bramwell
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and Tom
Breckenridge
Heidi Breen
Bruce Brekke
Kyle Brown ’88
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Marion Buska ’46
BWBR Architects
Cargill Foundation
Laurie Carlson ’79 and William Voedisch
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Carolyn Foundation
James and Kimberly Cassens
John and Peggy Cerrito
Shirley Cherkasky
Keith ’65 and Lynn Chilgren
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72 Christianson
Harlan ’57 Christianson
C. Lee Clarke
Jerelyn Hovland ’63 and Clyde Cobb
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Joseph Cook ’89
Walter and Janet Cooper
The Cotswold Foundation Trust
Brent Crego ’84
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Bartley Davidson ’76
Dow Corning Corporation Matching Gifts
Downey McGrath Group, Inc.
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Beverly Durkee
E.A. Sween Company
Julie Edstrom ’90
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
ELCA
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Elftmann Family Foundation
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Avis Ellingrod
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
The Eppley Foundation For Research, Inc.
Edna Kastner ’42 Ericksen
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Alice C. Evans
Barbara A. Farley
Jane and Patrick Fischer
Dawn Formo
Jerome Formo ’37
Jamie Fragola
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried ’93
Laurie ’80 Fyksen-Beise and William Beise
Estate of Charles T. Gabrielson
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Glen ’52 and Irvyn Gilbertson
Hugh ’58 and Kay Lemmerman ’60 Gilmore
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Estate of Richard Irving Gisselquist
Gerald and Susan ’76 Glaser
Global Impact
GMAC-RFC
Andrew and Carolyn Goddard
Goldman, Sachs & Co
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Gopher Wrestling Club
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Paul and Margot Grangaard
Robert and Nancy Granrud
Fall 2008
37
Paul and Judy Grauer
Greater Twin Cities United Way
Charles and Barbara Green
William and Judith Green
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Stephen ’70 and Margaret Gundale
Margaret and Gunderson
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Patrick ’78 and Debra Haar
Mark ’77 and Naomi Hall
Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson P.A.
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Clarence Hansen ’53
Anna Hovland ’58 Hanson
Skylar ’01 and Jennifer Hanson
Estate of Russell I. Hanson and Viola M. Hanson
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
John H. Harris III Memorial Foundation
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
David ’67 and Karen Jacobson ’67 Haugen
Dorothy Haugen
Helen ’49 and James Haukeness
Lee Hawks ’84
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Raymond Henjum ’55
Leo Henkemeyer
Hennepin County
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Bruce ’90 Holcomb and Caroline Vernon
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Homeland Foundation
Elizabeth Horton
Joel and Alice Houlton
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Clarence ’41 and Marguerite Hoversten
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Joseph ’61 and Mei Shen Hsieh
Michael and Barbara Hubbard
Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation
Joseph and Linnea Daigle Hudson
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Huss Foundation
Mohamed Hussein ’03
Glenda and Richard Huston
38
Augsburg Now
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Barbara and Richard Hutson
IBM Corporation
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Imation Corporation
Mary and Tony Jacobson
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Bruce ’68 and Lois Hallcock ’68 Johnson
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Estate of Louisa Johnson
Kinney Johnson ’65
Merton ’59 and Jo An D. Bjornson ’58 Johnson
Craig Jones
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Jennifer Abeln ’78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
Cheri Hofstad ’85 Kamp and Thomas Kamp
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Mary Ann Kinney ’04
Cody Kirkham
Michael Kivley ’89
Linda Klas ’92
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Jason Koch ’93 and Heather Johnston ’92
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kopp Family Foundation
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Martin Larson ’80
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Julie Gudmestad ’65 and Joseph Laudicina
Bernadine and Sidney Lee
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
James Lindell ’46
Gaye and Stephen Lindfors
Mary Sue and Hugh Lindsay
Dana Lonn
Stanley ’56 and Gailya Ludviksen
Wenona ’55 and Norman Lund
John ’65 and Gracia Nydahl ’66 Luoma
Pamela and Robert MacDonald
Janet Mackenzie ’90
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Philip ’79 and Diane Madsen
Kay Malchow ’82 and Stephen Cook
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Norman ’57 and Gayle Engedal ’57 Matson
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Donna Demler McLean
Christopher ’00 and Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod
Marie and Larry McNeff
Merck Partnership For Giving
Merrill Lynch
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Dennis ’67 and Christine Miller
Gerald ’57 and Frida Mindrum
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Minnesota Hockey Coaches Assoc.
Minnesota Private College Foundation
Jeanette Mitchell
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Thelma Monson ’41
Alan Montgomery and Janet KarvonenMontgomery
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Sharon Mortrud
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Dylan ’97 and Wendy ’96 Nau
Gordon Nelson
Mildred Nelson ’52
Robert ’44 Nelson and Helen Johnson-Nelson
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Norma Noonan
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Jane Huseby ’65 Norman
Shirley and James ’57 Norman
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53+ Nyhus
Oak Grove Lutheran Church
Robert Odegard ’51+
Richard ’69 and Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted
Donald Olsen ’60
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Dean Olson ’00
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Beverly Ottum
Patricia and John Parker
Subhashchandra ’75 and Annette Hanson ’74 Patel
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Richard ’74 and Karen Pearson
Glen Person ’47
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Karin Peterson
Ron ’69 and Jane Petrich
Sandra Phaup ’64
Jay Phinney ’79
Presser Foundation
President Paul C. Pribbenow and Abigail
Crampton Pribbenow
Project Consulting Group
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Linda Hanwick ’64 and John Putnam
Lois Quam and Matthew Entenza
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Lloyd ’63 and Linnea Raymond
RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Donald F. and Mary Sue Zelle Reed Fund
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Stephen Rivard and Christine Jett-Rivard
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Frances Roller
Olive Ronholm ’47
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Philip Rowberg ’41
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander
Judith and William Scheide
Ruth Schmidt ’52
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Charles and Ritchie Markoe Scribner
Milan ’48 and Marian Sedio
James and Eva Seed
Phyllis ’58 and Harold Seim
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Shepherd of the Glades Lutheran Church
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Chad ’93 and Margaret Shilson
Michael and Pamela Sime
Russel ’50 and Virginia Thompson ’50 Smith
Neal ’57 and Judy Fosse ’61 Snider
Steven and Pamela Snyder
David Soli ’81
Earle ’69 and Kathleen Kupka ’69 Solomonson
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Gary ’68 and Jeanette Stangland
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles and Eunice Stenshoel
Jeffrey ’82 and Peggy Stoks
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
M. Douglas + and Solveig Swendseid
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Elizabeth and Kenneth Tankel
P. Dawn Heil Taylor ’78
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
TCF Foundation
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Paul ’60 and Nancy Thompsen
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Richard ’61 and Jane Thompson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
David and Martha Tiede
Christine Toretti
The Toro Company
Allan ’75 Torstenson and Frances Homans
Frances and Joel ’38+ Torstenson
Todd Tourand ’99
Gordon ’57 and Karen Egesdal ’61 Trelstad
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Peter Turner
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Betty and Paul Tveite
F. Clayton ’72 Tyler and Jackie Parker ’76
Cherryhomes
UBS Foundation
Morris ’42 and Grace Ulring
US Bancorp Foundation
Ruth Usem
Catherine Van Der Schans
Julie Lien ’82 and Steve Vanderboom
Mary ’70 and Dennis Veiseth
Peter and Linda Vogt
Frank ’69 and Wendy Wagner
Robert Wagner ’02
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Martha and Steven Ward
Colleen Watson ’91 and Mary McDougal
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
John ’49 and Arnhild Werket
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
The Whitney Foundation
Mary and Gunnar Wick
Robert Wick ’81
David and Catherine Wold
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
Ziemann Insurance Services, Inc.
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
Fall 2008
39
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years,
as indicated by the number in parentheses. (Gifts received since 1980)
3M Foundation (25)
Ordelle Aaker ’46 (11)
Ruth Aaskov ’53 (29)
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell
Agrimson (16)
Harold ’47 and Lois Black ’47 Ahlbom (29)
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg (11)
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist (10)
Charles and Catherine Anderson (28)
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson (29)
Deloris Anderson ’56 (17)
Elizabeth Manger ’53 Anderson and Delbert
Anderson (10)
Kristin Anderson (10)
Leif Anderson (10)
Margaret and Raymond Anderson (11)
Margaret Anderson (10)
Ray Anderson ’49 (21)
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson (16)
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson (10)
Theodore ’48 Anderson and Eliazbeth
Hibbeler-Anderson (10)
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson (12)
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson (11)
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario (28)
Elyce Lundquist ’58 Arvidson and Marvin
Arvidson (22)
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune (17)
Dorothy Bailey (14)
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker (29)
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz (10)
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden (15)
Gerald ’56 and Nancy Baxter (10)
Hamar ’34 and Wanda Severson ’40 Benson (12)
John Benson ’55 (29)
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45 (25)
Gertrude Ness Berg ’51 (15)
John Berg ’59 (17)
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg (10)
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry (27)
Anthony and Kathy Bibus (10)
Birgit Birkeland ’58 (22)
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg (11)
David ’79 and Peggy Boots (12)
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten (12)
40
Augsburg Now
Heidi Breen (15)
Daniel and Irene Brink (13)
Michael Burden ’85 (14)
Carolyn Burfield ’60 (10)
Marion Buska ’46 (19)
Daniel ’61 and Faith Carlson (11)
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson (29)
Laurie Carlson ’79 and William Voedisch (11)
Roger ’54 and Dorothy Carlson (10)
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson (19)
Wendell ’63 and Grace Carlson (10)
Linda Carlstedt ’63 (29)
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey (27)
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson (11)
Peggy and John Cerrito (10)
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E
Corrine Chilstrom (12)
Judith Christensen (10)
Paul ’59 and Gloria Christensen (11)
Jeff Christenson ’82 (10)
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John
Christeson (11)
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72
Christianson (20)
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary (11)
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin (28)
Donald and Janice Conrad (18)
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe (10)
Oliver Dahl ’45 (11)
Addell Halverson Dahlen ’43 (18)
Lester Dahlen ’39 (29)
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg (28)
Sally Hough Daniels ’79 (10)
Lois Mackey Davis ’58 (10)
LeVon Paulson Dinter ’52 (22)
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys (21)
Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn and Douglas Dunn (14)
Julie Edstrom ’90 (12)
Ruben ’45 and Thelma Egeberg (10)
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65 (10)
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens (10)
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim (10)
ELCA (21)
Elftmann Family Foundation (14)
Avis Ellingrod (13)
Valborg Kyllo ’54 Ellingson and Phillip
Ellingson (15)
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor
Emerson (15)
Mark and Lynette Engebretson (10)
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann (20)
James Ericksen ’69 (27)
Reynold ’41 and Marian Erickson (19)
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld (15)
Alice C. Evans (10)
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans (22)
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks (22)
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth
Florian (26)
Jerome Formo ’37 (27)
William and Anne Frame (12)
Esther Oleson ’54 Freund and Norman
Freund (11)
R. Mark Frey (10)
Andrew Fried ’93 (11)
Marilyn Elness ’53 Froiland and Philip
Froiland (17)
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik (10)
Ann Garvey (10)
Alan ’67 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke (29)
Donald ’60 and Nancy Gilberg (14)
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist (19)
Borghild Gisselquist (10)
Gary and Barbara Glasscock (11)
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez (18)
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean
Goplerud (28)
Lorraine Vash ’67 Gosewisch and David
Gosewisch (10)
Paul and Judy Grauer (27)
Douglas Green and Becky Boling (10)
Cindy Greenwood 2005 (10)
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal (22)
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde (29)
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde (11)
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover (27)
John and Laurie Grygelko (12)
Fern Hanson Gudmestad ’41 (26)
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton
Gullicks (22)
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson and Charles
Gunderson (21)
Arlin Gyberg (29)
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard
Gyllstrom (27)
Mark ’77 and Naomi Hall (20)
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51
Halverson (10)
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson (28)
Edward and Shirley Hansen (24)
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50 (12)
John ’69 and Barbara Harden (11)
Evelyn Green ’49 Harris and Edward Harris (12)
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas and Charles Hass (28)
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr (13)
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50 (25)
Burton ’72 and Rollie Haugen (14)
Marilyn Peterson1963 Haus and George Haus (27)
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland (21)
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks (10)
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman (10)
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans (29)
Jean Magnuson ’57 Hicks and David Hicks (10)
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill (12)
Helen Sigvald Hjelmeland ’41 (12)
Sylvia Hjelmeland (11)
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander (20)
James ’61 and Caroline Holden (21)
Norman and Ilene Holen (20)
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes (10)
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt (28)
James ’59 and Joanne Horn (10)
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth (10)
Robert ’67 and Jane Hosman (23)
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten (29)
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten (11)
Edith Hovey (15)
Florence Retrum Hovland ’40 (21)
Joseph ’61 and Mei Shen Hsieh (19)
Glenda and Richard Huston (17)
Bruce and Jean Inglis (12)
Rosemary Jacobson ’69 (14)
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes (11)
Bruce ’68 and Lois Hallcock ’68 Johnson (11)
David ’64 and Karen Johnson (10)
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles
Johnson (12)
Duane and Ruth Johnson (21)
Glen and Marlys Johnson (10)
Gloria Johnson ’51 (20)
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis ’61
Johnson (13)
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson (14)
Kinney Johnson ’65 (18)
Laurel Jones ’69 Johnson and Larry Johnson (13)
Marcellus ’54 and Thelma Johnson (10)
Martha Johnson (10)
Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II (21)
Kenneth & Lillian Ysteboe ’51 Ose
Ervin ’56 & Sylvia Overlund
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson (12)
Wayne Johnson ’58 (26)
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert ’44 Nelson (13)
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander (28)
Jennifer Abeln ’78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow (11)
Cheri Hofstad ’85 Kamp and Thomas Kamp (11)
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King (11)
Cody Kirkham (11)
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and Richard
Klabunde (22)
E. Milton Kleven ’46 (11)
Jerome Kleven ’58 (12)
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven (24)
Leo Klohr and Judy Occhetti-Klohr (12)
LaRhae Grindal Knatterud ’70 (12)
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson (13)
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch (11)
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49 (28)
James Kottom ’52 (23)
Joan Johnson1953 Kuder and Calvin Kuder (26)
Joan Kunz (10)
William ’52 and Edith Kuross (11)
Sigrunn Kvamme ’53 (18)
Robert ’80 and Lori LaFleur (16)
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird (26)
Archie Lalim ’50 (28)
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes (14)
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells (23)
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak (13)
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak (12)
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee (25)
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell (10)
James Lindell ’46 (27)
Rosemary and Andrew Link (10)
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood (16)
Brent Lofgren ’88 (17)
Irene Ppedahl Lovaas ’45 (15)
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg (11)
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark
Lundholm (19)
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey (24)
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas
MacNally (12)
Margreta Magelssen ’72 and David Hallan (23)
Richard ’55 and Mary Mahre (10)
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main (10)
Raymond Makeever (10)
Michael ’65 and Lynne Marcy (10)
Carlos Mariani Rosa (10)
Julie Magnuson ’61 Marineau and Richard
Marineau (10)
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen (12)
Michael McCully (12)
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and Steve
McGinness (19)
Donna McLean (22)
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and Christopher
2000 McLeod (10)
Marie and Larry McNeff (28)
Meca Sportswear Inc (11)
Joan and Richard Meierotto (11)
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers (17)
Erwin ’54 and Carolyn Ryan ’56 Mickelberg (10)
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness (19)
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson (28)
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller (12)
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen (10)
James Mondo (10)
Alan Montgomery and Janet
Karvonen-Montgomery (10)
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan (26)
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51
Morseth (20)
Mildred and Van Mueller (24)
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller (12)
David Narr ’94 (11)
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson (25)
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson (12)
Gloria Burntvedt Nelson ’43 (26)
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson (13)
Mildred Nelson ’52 (29)
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson (12)
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen (10)
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi (17)
Timothy ’82 and Jane Nohr (10)
Margaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg ’48 (21)
Norma Noonan (14)
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust (20)
Roselyn Nordaune ’77 (28)
Betsey and Alan Norgard (14)
James ’57 and Shirley Norman (11)
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation (19)
Jonathan Nye ’72 and Wendy Worner (17)
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard (10)
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53 Nyhus (16)
Steven O’Tool ’74 (10)
Fall 2008
41
Maren Lecy ’83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie (19)
Norman ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom (18)
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69
Olmsted (12)
W. Donald ’34 and Glenda Olsen (20)
Bettye and Howard Olson (16)
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson (22)
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson (28)
R. Luther Olson ’56 (11)
Vicki and Daniel Olson (10)
Kristen Olsrud ’80 (11)
Laurie Nelson ’79 Orlow and Steven Orlow (19)
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg (18)
Jim ’64 and Rose Parks (20)
Arnold ’52 and Betty Paulson (12)
John and Norma Paulson (11)
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson (22)
Dale Pederson (10)
Glen Person ’47 (23)
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson (21)
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson (29)
Rebecca Arvold ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins (14)
Jay Phinney ’79 (29)
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz (11)
Jill Pohtilla (10)
Presser Foundation (12)
David Proctor ’63 (22)
Elizabeth Pushing ’93 (14)
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam (10)
Dagmar Dahl Quanbeck ’36 (29)
Eileen Quanbeck ’46 (15)
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck (12)
Quentin ’50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck (15)
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe (12)
Larry and Beverly Ragland (16)
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske (12)
Donald ’53 and Donna Erickson ’54 Reimer (10)
Robert and Gail Rice (17)
Pamela Birdsall ’75 Richard and Jerry Richard (10)
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts (12)
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts (17)
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82 (10)
Marion Roe ’50 (12)
Frances Roller (11)
Joyce and Walker Romano (11)
Olive Ronholm ’47 (29)
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64 (10)
Philip Rowberg ’41 (10)
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo (29)
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander (16)
Pauline and Leland ’35+ Sateren (11)
Maryls Harkman ’54 Schmidt and Leonard
Schmidt (11)
Ruth Schmidt ’52 (29)
Michael and Leslie Schock (10)
Joyce Opseth Schwartz ’45 (26)
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz (13)
Inez ’59 and Lyall Schwarzkopf (29)
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott (20)
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime (12)
Charles Sheaffer (10)
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad (17)
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell (28)
Chad ’93 and Margaret Shilson (11)
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud (16)
Patricia ’67 and Elmer Sitkin (10)
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar (29)
Glen and Anna Skovholt (14)
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack ’43 (27)
Angeline Rolland Sorenson ’50 (25)
Susan Lindberg ’70 Sorenson and Earl
Sorenson (11)
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland (16)
Naomi Christensen ’81 Staruch and Steven
Staruch (26)
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave (12)
Ruth Framstad Steen ’43 (10)
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz (29)
Myles and Eunice Stenshoel (10)
Hannah Mehus Stensvaag ’38 (29)
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo (11)
Calvin ’51 and Bonnie Martinson ’59 Storley (10)
Beverly and Thomas Stratton (14)
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46 (13)
John ’81 and Heidi Strommen (13)
Luther ’39 and Helen Strommen (26)
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen (29)
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen (10)
La Vone Studlien ’58 (20)
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud (29)
George ’46 and Jean Christenson ’49 Sverdrup (27)
Dorothy Joy Swanson ’51 (18)
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
James Swanson (19)
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92 (13)
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson (16)
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
42
Augsburg Now
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48
Thompson (29)
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas
Thompson (13)
Richard ’61 and Jane Thompson (10)
Sue Thompson ’85 (10)
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe (13)
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen
Thorsgaard (11)
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud (10)
Adrian Tinderholt ’38 (28)
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden (10)
Allan Tonn ’75 (28)
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager (19)
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47
Torgerson (23)
Beth Torstenson ’66 (28)
Frances and Joel ’38+ Torstenson (15)
Mark and Ann Tranvik (11)
Margaret Sateren Trautwein ’37 (23)
Gordon ’57 and Karen Egesdal ’61 Trelstad (16)
Trinity Lutheran Congregation (10)
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner (10)
Betty and Paul Tveite (12)
Beverly Gryth ’52 Villwock and H. Robert
Villwock (21)
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and Thomas
Von Fischer (12)
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl (10)
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren (14)
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw (11)
Scott Weber ’79 (12)
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach (27)
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91
Wichmann (16)
Mary and Gunnar Wick (16)
Robert Wick ’81 (22)
David and Catherine Wold (12)
E. Lorraine Yokie (22)
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist (10)
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald
Zitzewitz (11)
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni in each class year who made a gift to Augsburg College in 2007-2008
(day program, undergraduate alumni).
Total particiaption for all class years, 22%
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
40.00%
50.00%
50.00%
62.50%
64.71%
25.00%
52.94%
40.63%
48.84%
38.10%
45.65%
48.72%
48.15%
45.83%
42.86%
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
47.27%
33.52%
44.53%
50.86%
46.40%
37.88%
37.36%
45.83%
43.65%
47.75%
46.09%
38.31%
36.88%
37.97%
40.76%
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
35.10%
34.75%
30.70%
41.85%
34.35%
29.90%
24.37%
24.30%
26.10%
25.51%
26.42%
24.68%
23.58%
24.65%
23.92%
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
19.09%
17.89%
18.97%
17.44%
18.41%
17.73%
17.82%
13.46%
11.32%
19.12%
14.34%
15.69%
8.70%
10.07%
10.71%
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
10.73%
13.92%
4.23%
9.72%
11.48%
7.58%
12.20%
8.37%
5.43%
8.14%
5.28%
9.45%
4.78%
5.56%
Fall 2008
43
THE 2007-2008 AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
BOARD OF REGENTS
2007-2008
Andra Adolfson
Dan W. Anderson, Class of 1965
Rev. Gary E. Benson, Class of 1970
Jackie Cherryhomes, Class of 1976
AUGSBURG ALUMNI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2007-2008
Michael O. Freeman
Dr. Anthony Genia, Class of 1985
Michael R. Good, Class of 1971
H. Theodore Grindal, Class of 1976
Norman R. Hagfors
Lew Beccone, Class of ’98 MAL
Jodi Harpstead
Buffie Blesi, Class of ’90, ’97 MAL, president
Richard C. Hartnack
Chad Darr, Class of ’04
Rolf Jacobson
Dale Hanka, Class of ’60
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson, Class of 1974
Calvin Hanson, Class of ’98
Dean Kennedy
Daniel Hickle, Class of ’95
Dean C. Kopperud
James Kline, Class of ’01
André J. Lewis, Class of 1973
Lee Anne Lack, Class of ’67
Jennifer H. Martin
Julia Mensing, Class of ’00
Marie O. McNeff
Joyce Miller, Class of ’02, ’05 MAN
Dr. Paul S. Mueller, Class of 1984
Jamie E. Smith, Class of ’04 WEC
Ronald G. Nelson, Class of 1968
Carolyn Spargo, Class of ’80
Beverly Oren, Class of 1955
Jacqueline Teisberg, Class of ’80
Paul C. Pribbenow
Jennifer Tome, Class of ’99
Rev. Peter Rogness, ex-officio
Barry M. Vornbrock, Class of ’96 MAL
Stephen Sheppard
Philip Styrlund, Class of 1979
Emily Anne Tuttle
Rev. Harold Usgaard, ex-officio
Joan Volz, Class of 1968
Rev. Norman W. Wahl, Class of 1976
Bonnie Wallace
FEW COLLEGES ARE AS WELL POSITIONED
A S A U G S B U R G T O S AY, T H I S I S O U R W O R K —
WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS.
—DAVID TIEDE, BERNHARD CHRISTENSEN PROFESSOR OF RELIGION
AND VOCATION, AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF LUTHER SEMINARY
www.augsburg.edu/giving
1-800-273-0617
44
Augsburg Now
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
June 2008
Alumni and friends,
am writing this article on the same day
as commencement for hundreds of graduates of the Augsburg for Adults undergraduate and graduate programs. When I
was an undergraduate, Weekend College
was still in its infancy and the College did not yet offer master’s degrees in any subject area. Look how far we have come
over the last 20 years—Augsburg is now a force in education
for adults in undergraduate programs in Minneapolis and
Rochester and six programs for graduates.
Wow! Who would have thought?
Well, thankfully for all of us, so many brilliant people had
the foresight and perseverance to make it a reality. As alumni,
we benefit from all that the College is and will become. Why?
Because regardless of when we graduated, our degrees gain
value as the College increases its visibility through the accomplishments and success of its programs, professors, and students. If you are like me, you place a great deal of value on
your degree from Augsburg. Take care of it, nurture it, and invest in it through participation and giving. The students of
today will one day bring greater value to it.
With the close of the school year in June, my tenure as
your president also came to an end. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the alumni and have had a tremendous
amount of fun. I turn this column over to a wonderful new
leader, Joyce Miller, who will represent you with vigor and
passion.
i
Good luck to you all and take care,
October 2008
Alumni and friends,
utumn is a season of great beauty. During this time, the Midwest becomes
transformed into a menagerie of colors. This transformation within nature is a
metaphor for the educational experience of
an Augsburg alumnus/a and current student. Liberal arts
courses nurture the growth of human talent and promote a
sense of metanoia, defined as embracing thoughts beyond one’s
present limitations. The menagerie of fall colors can represent
the uniqueness of individuals and the intentionality of embracing diversity within our daily lives.
Augsburg College promises an education like no other.
This promise addresses the following three areas:
a
• To have a special regard for each other—This statement entails having respect for everyone’s unique talents, core values, and cultural traditions.
• To provide an educational experience like no other—Education involves exploring a deeper understanding of faith
and the search for meaning, developing a global perspective, engaging work within the community, and finding
new ways of knowing to promote purposeful living.
• To seek opportunities to develop—This promise promotes
an expanded view of the world, stresses appreciating differences in others, seeks connections, sustains open dialogue,
and prepares to lead in this complex environment.
We can certainly look at these statements and realize how our
education at Augsburg has played a role in the discovery of our
meaningful career paths in the world.
As I begin my presidency of the Alumni Association, I
promise to use my leadership gifts to align the work of the
Alumni Board with the mission, vision, and promise of the College. The Alumni Board members are committed to support the
College’s vision—We believe we are called to serve our neighbor—through involvement in service activities, action projects,
and campus events to enhance the work of the College.
As alumni, stay connected by attending upcoming events
such as Advent Vespers, athletic activities, theatre productions,
or other alumni events. Or just simply keep in communication
with us. Stay connected wherever you are! Looking forward to
a great year.
Sincerely,
BUFFIE BLESI ’90, ’97 MAL
OUTGOING ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
JOYCE P. MILLER ’02 (BSN-ROCHESTER), ’05 MAN
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Fall 2008
45
auggie reunion
Alumni from more than six decades gathered with their classmates.
Class of 1958
Reunion Attendees:
James Almquist, Elyce (Lundquist) Arvidson, Robert
Bagley, Dennis Barnaal, Vernon Berkness, Elaine
(Nelson) Bernards, Birgit Birkeland, Doris (Johnson)
Deml, Dale Evavold, Hugh Gilmore, Byron Golie, Mabeth (Saure) Gyllstrom, Aldemar (Johnson) Hagen,
Kenneth Hagen, Anna (Hovland) Hanson, Betty
(Johnson) Hass, Philip Heide, Carl Hellzen, Ruth
(Thorsgard) Homme, Jerome Kleven, Gwen (Johnson)
Krapf, Joanne (Stiles) Laird, Gary Lange, Gordon Lindgren, Alice (Lindell) Lindgren, Marilyn (Troy) Manley,
Lydia (Dyrlid) Moe, Faye (Brenni) Moen, Wallace
Oien, Roger Olson, Magne Olson, Alfred Reesnes,
Ronald Stave, La Vone Studlien, Grace (Kemmer)
Sulerud
Class of 1968
Reunion Attendees:
Ruth Aaskov, Ann (Larson) Anthonisen, W. Bruce
Benson, Priscilla (Platt) Berg, Joel Bjerkestrand,
David Boe, Donald Britt, Margaret (Engel) Catlett,
Janet (Braaten) DeGaetano, John Eckberg, John
Fahlberg, Douglas Frisk, JoAnne (Digree) Fritz, Mary
(Michaelsen) Garmer, Jane (Eidsvoog) Gisselquist,
James Gisselquist, Kim Gudmestad, Lynn Gunderson,
Pamela (Fredrickson) Gunderson, Ione (Agrimson)
Hanson, Theamarie (Loberg) Harriday, Leif Hartmark,
Claudia (Melvie) Hartmark, David Heidtke, Donald
Horner, James Hoseth, Gerald Jensen, Carole (Braud)
Jensen, Theodore Johnson, Bruce Johnson, Herald
Johnson, Frank Lawatsch, Pamela (Pilcher) Lawatsch,
Janet (Letnes) Martin, Suzann (Johnson) Nelson,
Charles Niles, Perilyn (Brown) Olsen, Kathryn Olson,
Miriam (Cox) Peterson, Richard Quenemoen, John
Roebke, James Romslo, Judith (Anderson)
Schaubach, Jan (Pedersen) Schiff, Carolyn (Hanson)
Schildgen, Gary Schmidt, Kathleen (Nyquist) Schornstein, Clair Severson, Myrna (Jorgenson) Sheie, Jo
Anne Sylvester, Constance (Ackerson) Wanner, Patricia (Korogi) Wehr, Mary (Timm) Zimmerman
46
Augsburg Now
homecoming
AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
SEPTEMBER 22-27
Class of 1983
’08
Reunion Attendees:
Amanda Barrick, Mary (Thureson) Belden, Mary
(Yurick) Bennett, William Bullock, Kevin Erickson,
Mark Hassenstab, James Haugen, Les Heen, Scott
Henderson, Annette (Walen) Hokanson, Miriam (Gisselquist) Jensen, Karina Karlen, Paul Kuehn, Pamela
(Brakke) Lanning, Susan (Hackbarth) Lundquist,
Daniel Nayman, Stephen Nayman, Karsten Nelson,
Allison (Larges) O’Day, Timothy Olson, Mary (McNevin) Saari, Janet (Griffith) Sandford, Nora (Andersen) Sillerud, John Singh, Diane (Wood) Sponheim,
Christine (Nelson) Swanson
Class of 1998
(Left to right)
August Negele, Erick Agrimson, Adam Buhr, Laura
Pejsa, Angela (Loew) Reichart, Wade Johnson, Andry
Andriambololona-Jercich, Phil Berglin
Fall 2008
47
auggie
alumni news
Meet Kim Stone …
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND CONSTITUENT RELATIONS
At the end of August, Kim
Stone joined the Division of Institutional Advancement as director of alumni and
constituent relations.
Stone came to Augsburg
from the University of Miami,
Coral Gables, Fla., where she
was executive director of
alumni programs and was responsible for the overall management and implementation of
a comprehensive alumni relations program. She served as a liaison to various university offices and departments to further the
mission of the University Alumni Association and to enhance
the relationship between the alumni and their alma mater.
Her experience there includes recruiting and engaging
alumni volunteers to participate in alumni programs and
events, preparing and administering annual budgets for the
alumni programs office, and supervising a team of nine alumni
professionals.
Previously, Stone was at Nova Southeastern University in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., as director of alumni relations and coordinator of alumni programs. In these roles she managed the strategy of the Alumni Annual Fund and other university
fundraising efforts. Stone organized and coordinated alumni
Homecoming activities, was responsible for all alumni (90,000
worldwide) communications, and oversaw and supported the
Alumni Council Board to enhance growth of the NSU Alumni
Association.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication,
with an emphasis in public relations, at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She also has a master’s degree in international
business administration from Nova Southeastern University.
Stone grew up in St. Paul and is excited to be back in the
Twin Cities serving the members of the Augsburg community.
She looks forward to engaging Augsburg alumni and constituents through strategic programming, effective communication, and volunteer development.
To contact Kim Stone, call 612-330-1173 or
1-800-260-6590, or e-mail stonek@augsburg.edu.
48
Augsburg Now
Augsburg license plates
Display your Augsburg connection! Augsburg license plates
are available through the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/PlBrochure/CollegiatePlates.htm
Alumni e-mail for life
Sign up for Auggie alumni e-mail for life. Contact Alumni
Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu to request an account.
The service is provided by Google Apps.
Augsburg offers test prep courses
Studying for the LSAT, GRE, or GMAT? Check with Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity
Office (URGO) for courses offered throughout the year at a
very reasonable cost. Courses are open to current students,
alumni, and others in the Augsburg community.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/urgo and select Test Prep for
the ongoing schedules of classes.
Get Involved. Volunteer!
Would you like to be part of an exciting group of people who
love Augsburg as much as you do? Volunteering is a great
way to stay connected to the College and other alumni, and
there are many ways to get involved.
Join with fellow Auggies and help engage others to be part of
the Augsburg experience. Augsburg Associates, Alumni
Board, Advent Vespers, reunion committees, mentors, and
Campus Kitchen are just some of the available opportunities.
Let us know where your interest lies—call Pat Grans at
612-330-1329 or e-mail gransp@augsburg.edu.
augsburg
then
Trinity Lutheran celebrates 140 years
Augsburg College owes much of the reason for its presence
in Minneapolis to Trinity Lutheran Congregation. In 1871,
when the fledgling Augsburg Seminary was near bankruptcy
in Marshall, Wisconsin, Trinity pastor Ole Paulson led a
committee to secure the land, materials, and funding to establish Augsburg in Minneapolis, as the city was envisioned
as a future center for Scandinavian-American culture.
In 1896 Trinity Lutheran Congregation built a new
church on the edge of Augsburg’s campus, which served as
the venue for many Augsburg events over the years. This
building fell victim to the construction in 1966 for the I-94
freeway.
The altar painting that hung in that church, painted by
Norwegian artist Markus Grønvold, was copied from his
painting in St. John’s Church in Bergen, Norway, and
shipped to Minneapolis. When Trinity’s church was razed,
the painting was placed in storage. It now hangs in Hoversten Chapel, which has been Trinity Lutheran Congregation’s worship home for a number of years.
1963 Augsburgian
In Memoriam
Sateren, Leland B. ’35, Edina,
Minn., age 94, on Nov. 10, 2007.
Samuelson, Mary ’49, Brighton,
Minn., age 81, on July 12.
Aamodt, Bradford O. ’65, Plymouth,
Minn., age 75, on Feb. 13.
Schmidt, David Hans ’85, Phoenix,
Ariz., age 47, in October 2007.
Kruse, Una (Lee) ’38, Sunnyside,
Wash., age 91, on Sept. 25, 2007.
Calderwood, David ’50, Birchwood,
Minn., age 81, on Sept. 18, 2007.
Gruidl, Daniel J. ’93, Trophy Club,
Texas, age 45, on Aug. 3, 2007.
Torstenson, Joel ’38, Minneapolis,
age 94, on Oct. 18, 2007.
Howells, Richard ’52, Bloomington,
Minn., age 78, on April 10.
Longmire, Linda (Nelson) ’67, Kronenwetter, Wis., age 63, on July 29,
of cancer.
Quanbeck, Vardon M. ’40, McVille,
N. Dak., age 86, on Dec. 24.
Lundeen, Donovan T. ’53, Northfield, Minn., age 77, on June 7.
Brooks, Chester L. ’42, Duluth,
Minn., age 89, on March 5.
Skogsbergh, Samuel P. ’53, Hayden,
Idaho, age 77, on Aug. 25, 2007.
Smith, Rev. Louis C. ’42, Riverside,
Calif., age 86, on Sept. 5, 2007.
Rykken, Franklyn “Lindy” ’56,
Roseau, Minn., age 78, on May 2.
Jensen, Rev. Louis F. ’48, Dubuque,
Iowa, age 87, on June 24.
Oliver, Rev. George “Jim” ’60, Baraboo, Wis., age 76, on Feb. 15, following complications from surgery.
Henjum, Arnold E. ’49, Morris,
Minn., age 82, on March 5.
Hoffman, H. Wayne, Bloomington,
Minn., age 82, on July 3.
DeVrieze, Jerry D. ’64, Midland,
Mich., age 66, on June 30, of multiple myeloma.
Baumbach, Cynthia ‘70, Lake City,
Minn., age 60, on July 1.
Orpen, Julie Ann (Hoel) ’76, St.
Peter, Minn., age 53, on June 15, of
breast cancer.
Quanbeck, Beth Marie ’76, West
Des Moines, Iowa, age 53, on Nov.
12, 2007.
Lumbar, Dean ’81, Edina, Minn.,
age 46, on Jan. 7, at home of complications from colon cancer.
Brusletten, Nancy (Raaum) ’84,
Shakopee, Minn., age 45, on Dec.
28, of cancer.
Bedard, Mark T. ’95, Hudson, Wis.,
age 34, on Nov. 9, 2007, of injuries
incurred on police duty.
Feuer, Aaron ’07, unexpectedly in
April.
Eriksen, Rolf, Minneapolis, age 84,
on Nov. 7, 2007, Augsburg’s first
varsity soccer coach in 1970.
Eklof, Edgar, Golden Valley, Minn.,
age 80, on Dec. 1, Music Department faculty during the 1960s.
Hoel, Mathilda, St. Paul, age 95, on
July 13, former registrar’s office and
food service employee.
Fall 2008
49
alumni class notes
50
Phebe Hanson was lauded at
an event in March commemorating International Women’s Day
and her 80th birthday. Readings by
female poets and screenings of a
short documentary about Phebe
were featured, honoring her many
years as a mentor to other writers.
56
Rev. James Parks is serving
until June 30 as an English
teacher in the ELCA’s Global Mission
Department in a Lutheran High
school in Kocise, Slovakia. His wife,
Rose Ann, and their three children
are planning trips to visit him and
travel in Eastern Europe during the
year. Previously he served an interim
ministry in Outing, Minn., for several
months, and traveled, including a
van trip to Alaska.
Lute Olson, head coach of the
University of Arizona basketball team, announced his retirement
after 24 years. His career there includes 23 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, 11 Pac-10 titles,
four Final Four appearances, and the
1997 national championship.
Judith Reynolds has recently
retired from the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Public Library after 37 years
of employment as a librarian.
57
67
Robert Goodrich has joined
Timber Creek Golf Course in
Watertown, Minn., as a golf pro, with
43 years of teaching experience.
59
Darrell Wiese retired from
Augsburg after a longtime career as assistant coach in baseball
and football.
60
Margaret (Homme) Hiner is retired in Phoenix, Ariz., where
she has been since 1961 working as
a recreation leader, substitute
teacher, 4-H leader, and mother. At
Augsburg, she played on the 195657 Auggiettes basketball team and
has fond memories about how
Coach LaVonne Peterson “let a kid
who loved sports and basketball be
on the team.”
Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann is still working and loves his job as an agency
compliance officer with Park Avenue
Securities in Scottsdale, Ariz.
61nis in the Northland
James Holden has written Ten, a history
of boys’ high school tennis in Minnesota, covering its 75-year history
with chapters about champions,
prominent coaches and families, dynasty teams, and more. To learn
about the book, go to www.jimholden.com.
Dennis Kalpin has stepped down as
head football coach at Alexandria
(Minn.) High School after 17 years
there. His total coaching career, all
at the secondary school level, is 47
years.
50
64
Augsburg Now
65
66
Larry Hoff completed his third long-distance journey across the USA
using no motorized vehicles. Over the summers of 2006 and 2007,
Larry canoed and bike-portaged from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In
2002-2003 he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, a “life-changing”
event. In 2004 he bicycled approximately 10,000 miles around the
perimeter of the USA. Before retirement in 2000, Hoff was teacher and assistant principal at Superior High School in Wisconsin.
Carleen (Nordin) Tjader recently retired after teaching
third grade for 23 years in the New
Richmond (Wis.) school district (before and after a “15-year maternity
leave” to raise her children). Each
year her classes have adopted a
manatee in Florida, plus made a
quilt containing squares made by
each student. She looks forward to
traveling with her husband, Mike;
spending time with her grandsons;
volunteering at church; and trying
her hand at writing.
69
Diane (Helgeson) Carter completed a 21-year career teaching seventh-grade English in the
Hudson (Wis.) Middle School and in
retirement plans to use her time for
gardening and travel. She and her
husband, Jim, have two children—
daughter Kirsten, who also is a
teacher, and son, Matthew.
72
Tom Haas continues to work at
Park Nicollet Clinic in Minneapolis, where he recently stepped
down after a decade in department
chair leadership roles. He has now
had more time to spend at the family lake home, continue collecting
jazz and classical LPs, and more seriously resume playing his trumpet.
Jacqueline (Wolhart) Harvestine
completed her first year as a fulltime Master of Divinity student at
Luther Seminary.
Kathy (Seim) Tilderquist, a business
teacher, was selected in January by
her co-workers as “Teacher of the
70
Earlier this year, along with their spouses, five Auggies in the Class of
1970 who lived together in a house on campus celebrated the 40th
anniversary of their becoming roommates. They continue to meet once a
month for lunch as well. (L to R, back row: Lynn [Benson] Hjelmeland ’69,
Terry Nygaard ’70, Phil Walen ’70, John Hjelmeland ’70, Paul Mikelson ’70,
Barbara Harden, and John Harden ’70. Front row: Vicki Nygaard, Teri Walen,
and Barbara [Durkee] Mikelson ’71.
Year” at Cannon Falls (Minn.) High
School. She began as a math
teacher, but has taught in the business department since 1987. She
wrote the curriculum for many
courses and has taught students on
equipment ranging from manual
typewriters to modern computers.
has earned 10 medals and was the
first to earn medals in four different
sports. He is a professor of professional and physical education at Bemidji State University and was the
first person in the U.S. with a visual
impairment to earn a doctoral degree
in physical education.
73
74
Jim Mastro, a pioneer in athletics for the blind, was honored
with the 2008 Medal of Courage
award from the National Wrestling
Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla. As a Paralympic athlete, he
Rev. James Arends, pastor at
Prince of Peace Lutheran
Church in LaCrescent, Minn., was
elected June 7 to a six-year term as
bishop of the La Crosse (Wis.) Area
Synod in the Evangelical Lutheran
72
Ronald Johnson, principal at
Hutchinson (Minn.) High
School, was named in February as
the 2008 Minnesota High School
Principal of the Year. He is also a
candidate for the National High
School Principal of the Year, to be
announced at the 2009 National
Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP) convention in
February. He will join other state
honorees at the Principals Institute
in Washington D.C. this fall.
74
Scot Davis was honored as
Wrestling USA magazine’s
2007 Coach of the Year. This year
he won his 800th varsity career
coaching victory, the most career
wins of any wrestling coach in U.S.
history. He has been at Owatonna
High School for 21 years, leading
10 “Top 25” nationally-ranked
Owatonna teams.
ber of the Minnesota Baseball Association.
high school principal at Rugby High
School for the past 11 years.
77
81
Rev. Mark Braaten recently
published his second book,
Prayer as Joy, Prayer as Struggle, by
Liturgical Press. It studies prayer
through biblical and personal stories, and explores prayer as both a
gift and struggle. His first book, in
2006, is Come Lord Jesus: A Study
of Revelation. He is senior pastor at
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in
Tyler, Texas, a bilingual congregation
worshiping in English and Spanish.
Kurts Strelnieks recently joined Associated Commercial Finance, Inc.,
in Eagan, Minn., as their Minnesota
market manager.
78
Dennis J. Meyer was named
the first chief marketing officer at Ellerbe Becket, a global design firm. He will be based in their
Minneapolis office and serve on the
firm’s leadership team to develop
and execute its global marketing
strategy and implement the firm’s
vision.
Naomi Williamson opened a new
restaurant, Sanctuary, on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.
79
77
Heidi (Leaf) Haagenson has
published a book, The Tenney Quilt, which tells the story of a
quilt with 700 signatures created
in 1928 in Tenney—Minnesota’s
smallest city of six people—as a
fundraiser for the local dance hall.
She is the special projects coordinator at Ridgewater College in
Willmar, and is married to David
Haagenson ’76.
79
Phil Madsen and his wife,
Diane, own and operate a
truck used to transport expedited
freight, traveling the 48 states and
Canada. Read their stories from
the road at www.successfulexpediters.com
Church in America (ELCA). He will
be installed on October 18.
gion Coach of the Year, and the Big
Ten Coach of the Year.
Phil Lundin was named the men’s
cross country and track and field
coach at St. Olaf College. Since
1986 he has coached at the University of Minnesota, including the last
13 years as head men’s track and
field coach. In 2003 Phil was named
U.S. Track Coaches Association
Coach of the Year, the Midwest Re-
Bill Nelson, manager of the Dundas
(Minn.) Dukes amateur baseball
team and part of that team for over
30 years, was inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of
Fame in September 2007. He has
also served as head baseball coach
at Carleton College and has been executive director and a board mem-
Linda Sue Anderson played the
part of Miss Prism in Pendulum Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest earlier
this year at the Loading Dock Theatre in downtown St. Paul.
David Cherwien directs the National
Lutheran Choir, which dedicated its
May 3 concert to the memory of Leland Sateren ’35 and performed five
of his works.
Debra (Mercier) Peters earned a Certified Management Accountant designation in April 2007. She is a
finance manager/controller for Pella
Windows and Doors and lives in
Bloomington, Minn.
David Zwingel has been named the
2007 North Dakota Secondary Principal of the Year by the North
Dakota Association of Secondary
School Principals, with sponsorship
also from Met Life. He has been the
Rev. Richard Buller was elected
chaplain of the Minnesota
House of Representatives by its
members on March 10. He is pastor
at Valley Community Presbyterian
Church in Golden Valley and a
member of the board of the Greater
Minneapolis Council of Churches.
His son, Peter, is a sophomore at
Augsburg.
Pamela Crowell began on July 1 as
the new vice president for research
at Idaho State University in
Pocatello. Previously she was the associate dean for research and graduate education at Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science.
Janna (Wallin) Haug and her husband, Rev. Arden Haug, have accepted an assignment to Bratislava,
Slovakia, where he was called as regional representative to Europe for
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America’s Division for Global Mission. Janna accompanies him as the
associate in that position, along with
their two sons, Vitali and Alexei.
Dr. Erik Kanten was named the 2008
Family Physician of the Year by the
Minnesota Academy of Family
Physicians (MAFP). He practices at
the RiverView Clinic in Crookston,
Minn., and at clinics in Fertile and
Red Lake Falls. He also sees students at the University of Minnesota,
Crookston, on campus.
Dana (Holmes) McIntyre traveled to
China in fall 2007 as head coach of
one of two female Special Olympics
basketball teams from the U.S. for
the 2007 World Games in Shanghai.
She has been a recreation therapist
at Minnesota Extended Treatment
Options.
82
Jane Maland Cady joined the
McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis in April as international program director and will oversee
McKnight’s grantmaking in Asia,
Africa, and Latin America.
Fall 2008
51
alumni class notes
87
Deanna Germain published a
memoir, Reaching Past the
Wire, about her 18 months serving
as a nurse in Kuwait and Iraq, which
included time as chief nurse in the
Abu Ghraib prison following the revelations of abuse and violence.
Tammy Johndro-Pressley was named
director of external communications
at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Ill. Previously, she was manager of business development at
Provena Mercy Medical Center in
Aurora, Ill.
Karen Reed received an Award for
Superior Accomplishment in December from the Department of
Mental Health of California. She is a
music therapist at Atascadero State
Hospital and was commended for
her plan to lower restraints, seclusion, and lengths of stay in restraints
for people in the Mentally Disordered Offender program by over 50
percent.
Devoney Looser’s book, Women Writers and Old Age in Great Britain,
1750-1850, was published by Johns
Hopkins University Press in August.
Go to www.press.jhu.edu/books/
title_pages/9473.html. Devoney currently serves as president of the
Midwest Modern Language Association, a non-profit organization of
teachers and scholars of literature,
language, and culture, and will preside at its meeting in Minneapolis,
Nov. 13-16.
Bruce Smith began teaching physical
education to sixth through twelfth
grades and high school Spanish, in
addition to coaching B-squad football, at LeRoy-Ostrander (Minn.)
School in September.
88
Melanie Herrera opened a
franchise in Apple Valley,
Minn., of Butterfly Life Fitness,
which focuses around solutions for
fitness, weight loss, and healthy living for women. Melanie was Augsburg’s first female All-American
athlete.
Anne Panning’s collection of short
stories, Super America, was published in October. The New York
Times Book Review said, “[It] radiates infectious optimism … Her enchanting Norahs and Alices, Tobys
and Theos drag you effortlessly into
their very American lives … ."
89
Rev. La Andriamihaja, pastor
of Jordan New Life Church in
North Minneapolis, helped launch
the “Jordan New Life Hub” to help
residents identify social services.
The project is a partnership sponsored by the ELCA between suburban and urban congregations to
bring volunteers together.
Geoffrey Gage was named in September 2007 to the University of St.
Thomas Board of Trustees. He is
founder and president of the Geoffrey Carlson Gage marketing and advertising firm.
52
Augsburg Now
94
Brad Klein and his wife, Lanica (Lynch) ’95 proudly announce the birth of their identical
twin boys, Noah Addison and
Micah Andrew. They were born on
July 1, 2007, shortly after Brad
and Lanica celebrated their 10th
anniversary on June 21. Brad is a
senior systems analyst at the ELCA
Board of Pension, and Lanica is
public school librarian turned stayat-home mom for the near future.
lanicak@att.net.
94
95
Dan Werner and his wife,
Shayne Hamann, welcomed
the birth of their twin sons, Drake
and Dylan, born on May 10, 2007,
who are on their way to becoming
future Auggie football players, like
their dad.
97
Tracy (Holloway) Drier and
her husband, Thane ’99, announced the birth of their son,
Caden August, on March 15, 2007.
He joins big brother Tristan, 3.
Michelle (Strauss) Ohnstad returned
to work after being a stay-at-home
mom and has two positions—head
librarian at La Jolla Country Day
School and library media specialist
at Pacific Ridge School. She is also
co-editor of the AIM Library & Information Staffing Bulletin Blog.
Rachel (Roth) Erkkila is the registrar
for the Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College. Previously she was
registrar at Dakota County Technical
College in Rosemount, Minn., and
Walden University in Minneapolis.
Mark Lorenzen and Dawn Van
Tassel ’95, St. Louis Park,
Minn., welcomed their first child,
daughter Julia Grace Lorenzen, on
Aug. 2, 2007.
91
Carla Beaurline, founder, cohost, co-producer, and account
executive of “Around Town” Media,
won the Twin Cities Media Network
Diamond Award for TV Personality of
the Year. In addition, she won TV
Sales Person of the Year. “Around
Town” airs on Metro Cable Network
Channel 6 in Minneapolis.
Tom Ross is the new associate head
coach-defense at Hanover College in
Hanover, Ind.
92
Larry Anderson published a
book, Raptured Alive: Return
of a Prodigal Son, in September
2007 and writes music for his
gospel band.
Gregory Stohr was named vice president of sales at Transtar Autobody
Technologies in Brighton, Mich., a
manufacturer of automotive refinish
and bodyshop repair products.
Sharol Tyra, of Life Illumination presentation and coaching, was elected
to serve a two-year term on the Minnesota Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association.
94
Jennifer (Feine) Hellie ’04 MAL
accepted a position as development coordinator at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp in
Amery, Wis. Previously she worked
as an admissions counselor and academic adviser at Augsburg.
95
Noelle (Hallblade) Epp was
named as marketing communications specialist in October at
Professional Services Marketing,
Inc. in New Brighton, Minn., and will
focus on copywriting services.
Dave Manka was named assistant
volleyball coach at North Dakota
State University in February.
96
Scott Magelssen and his wife,
Theresa (Hoar) ’95, live in
Bowling Green, Ohio, with their son,
Trygg Magelssen, born in 2005.
Scott teaches in the graduate theatre program at Bowling Green State
University and published a book in
spring 2007 about living history museums. Theresa teaches first grade
at Powell Elementary School in
North Baltimore, Ohio.
98
Aaron Cross and Katrina
Grimsey were married, after
15 years of friendship, first in the
United Kingdom and then in the
U.S. on July 6, 2007. Aaron is a
motivational speaker and received
Augsburg’s First Decade Award in
2005. They live south of London.
aaron.cross@motivationonwheels.com
99
Lisa Nos-Tollefson married
Mark Tollefson in December
2006. Lisa and Mark welcomed
the birth of Taylor Elizabeth on
Nov. 20, 2007.
Dr. Martin Richards was featured in
the Hudson Star Observer in July
about the geothermal heat pump
system he had installed at his home.
He expects to use only one-tenth of
the liquid propane gas that he used
last year without the pump. He is an
emergency room physician at
United Hospital in St. Paul, at the
Baldwin (Wis.) hospital and emergency rooms in Regina and Hastings, Minn.
98
99
Chris and Jaime (Kyle) ’01
Rothe moved last fall to
Rochester, Minn., with Kennedy,
2, and AJ, three months old.
00
Kathleen (Lindquist) Blilie and
her husband, Eric, welcomed the birth of Erin Catherine,
three months early on June 15,
2007, weighing 2 lb., 9 oz. She
joins big brothers Andrew and
Alexander and is loved by her
uncle, Orville Lindquist ’96.
Philip Berglin was named the
2006 Minnesota Businessman of the Year as a top U.S. business leader successfully integrating
business and financial success. In
March 2006 he traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the award, attend a breakfast with President
Bush, and begin to meet over a
three-month period with Minnesota
legislators. He works at the Rum
River Lumber Company in Coon
Rapids.
Stacie (Ferrazzo) Chiodi and her
husband, Ron, welcomed the birth
of Cyrus Samuel, on February 5,
born in Bennington, Vt.
Tom Ruffaner was presented the Individual Achievement Commuter
Choice Award by MetroTransit
Rideshare in November for promoting commuter benefits and alternate
modes of transportation.
99
00
Jennifer (Crego) and Chad
Carls welcomed their fourth
son on July 10, 2007. Nicholas
Isaac joins brothers Tommy, 5,
A.J., 3, and Brock, 2. Chad is getting his administrative license (in
education) and Jen is home with
the boys.
00
Trena Bolden Fields and
Jerome Fields ’01 announced
the birth of their daughter, Kayla
Lee, born Aug. 18, 2007.
Jill Ruprecht was married to
Joseph Camp on Sept. 2,
2007 in Macomb, Ill. They currently
live in Chicago.
00
MacAdam Gordon and Nicole
Robertson were married on
November 10 in Minneapolis. He
works as an insurance agent at Ray
Smith Insurance in Plymouth, Minn.
01
Hilary English Crook married
Jacob Seljan in Duluth, Minn.,
on September 29, 2007. The wed-
ding party included Emily Crook ’07
as maid of honor, Eilidh Reyelts ’06
as personal attendant, and DJ
Hamm ’08 as usher. Also in attendance were Auggies Nancy English
’73, Ann Bostelmann Webster ’96,
Karin (Sabo) Mantor ’86, Julie Sabo
’90, and Martin Sabo ’59. Norwegian professor Frankie Shackelford
also attended. Hilary is an attorney
working at Thomson West in Legal
Sales, and Jacob is vice president of
the Risk Analytics Department of US
Bancorp. They live in Minnetonka.
Jessica (Norman) Hafemeyer opened
a law firm in Faribault, Minn., on
August 1, 2007, Ibeling Hafemeyer,
Ltd. The practice includes family
law, bankruptcy, and estate/probate
law. www.ibelinghaemeyer.com.
Angie Rieger was named an assistant hockey coach at Hamline University. She has also been chosen to
join the Whitecaps, Minnesota’s first
professional women’s hockey team.
Nicole (Warner) Simml, currently living in Frankfurt, Germany, performed a recital of 20th-century
American music last November at
the American Consul General’s residence in Markkleeberg.
02
Amy Carlson has completed
the surgical technology program at Saint Mary’s University of
Minnesota and has accepted a surgical technician position at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in
Minneapolis.
Lindsay (Bonner) Pavelka directed
the Galveston Island Children’s Chorus last year from September
through December. In summer
2007, she developed and directed
Summer on Stage, a children’s performing arts camp with the east-end
theatre company in Galveston. She
is an arts educator, voice instructor,
and actress in the Galveston area,
where she lives with her husband,
Matthew.
Zac Schnedler began last fall
03as a school/guidance coun-
selor for grades 7-12 in the Braham
(Minn.) school district.
Fall 2008
53
alumni class notes
Sara Willcut is in her first season on
the Minnesota Swarm Performance
Dance Team as well as teaching
dance, coaching dance teams, and
taking classes. She recently
launched Ascending Star Dance, an
online dance magazine, and helped
form the Ascending Star Dance
team, which performs at semi-professional football games in the MidAmerican Football League. She also
volunteers with her teams for Feed
My Starving Children.
04
Kelly Chapman graduated
magna cum laude from the
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Calif.
She is the winner of a full scholarship to attend the International Koefia Academy of Haute Couture and
Art of Costume in Italy. She is currently studying Italian in preparation
for her study.
Abbey Payeur is a sixth-grade integrated language arts and social
studies teacher at Oak View Middle
School in Andover, Minn. In May she
was honored as one of the 20 recipients of the Teacher Outstanding Performance (TOP) awards, presented
by the Anoka-Hennepin School District. She was also one of four winners of a $1,000 grant for a project
at her school, plus a cash award.
Laura Simones completed the Ford
Ironman Florida 2007 triathlon last
fall, placing 872 out of the nearly
2600 participants and 18 of 68 in
her division. In addition she completed the Triple By-Pass in Colorado (100+ miles with three climbs
over 10,000 ft.) and then biked
back to Minnesota.
05
Michael Howard is a communications specialist at the Minnesota House of Representatives.
michaelhoward10@gmail.com
Jeremiah Knabe received a Master of
Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary on June 16.
Rebecca Welle ran the New York
Marathon last fall, finishing 4422 in
the field of 40,000 runners. She cut
about six minutes off her previous
personal best, finishing in 3:31:56.
54
Augsburg Now
07
Aaron Dowzak and Emily Hull
were married on Sept. 1,
2007, and moved to Port St. Lucie,
Fla., where Aaron is director of
youth and family junior and senior
high at Immanuel Lutheran Church,
and where they will love happily ever
after.
Christianna Schmit is interning in
music therapy at University Hospitals, Case Medical Campus, in
Cleveland, Ohio. Her supervisor and
their music therapy program were
recently featured in the “Making a
Difference” segment on NBC Nightly
News.
01
Marie and Brent Odenbrett ’02
welcomed the birth of Emma
Louise Marie on Oct. 19, 2007.
02
02
John Goodale married Crystal
Thompson at St. Peter’s
Lutheran Church in Swanville,
Minn., on July 28, 2007. Crystal is
a 2004 graduate of the University
of Minnesota’s Carlson School of
Management and is employed at
Graco, Inc. in NE Mpls as a channel marketing specialist. John is
employed as an account executive
at Novus Print Media in Plymouth.
They live in Maple Grove, Minn.
03
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA was featured last fall in Twin Cities Business
and honored in January in their
2007 Small Business Success Stories as the co-founder (at age 19) of
Pinnacle Services, Inc. This company, which has grown rapidly, provides services to people with
disabilities, including help in finding
housing and employment, in-home
care, etc.
She works during the day at the
Center for International Health at
Regions Hospital. Her husband,
Rev. Tchanong Hurh, is pastor at
House of God Trinity Christian
Church in St. Paul.
Frank Huebner and his wife,
Elizabeth, announced the
birth of their son, Andrew, on July
13, 2007. They live in New
Prague, Minn.
Tim Wahl and Lisa Uehling were married on Aug. 18, 2007, in Rochester,
Minn. They live in Minneapolis
where Tim teaches math at Rosemount High School and Lisa works
in the Technology Leadership Program at Target headquarters in Minneapolis.
Katie Winter began in Sept. 2007 as
a reporter for the Pipestone County
Star in Pipestone, Minn.
Graduate Programs
Jeff Falkingham ’95 MAL was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of the Independent Book
Publishing Professionals Group
2008 Next Generation Indie Book
Awards for his book, Sherlock
Holmes and the County Courthouse
Caper. The book was originally published by Beavers Pond Press of
Edina, Minn., in September 2001
and re-released in June 2007, with
all proceeds going to flood victims in
Jeff’s hometown of Browns Valley,
Minn. www.cccaper.com
Jim Addington ’93 MAL was named a
“Facing Race Ambassador” by the
St. Paul Foundation for the work he
has done over many years and
through the Minnesota Collaborative
Anti-Racism Initiative that he and
his late wife, Imani-Nadine Addington, founded in 1995. Jim has
helped more than 20,000 people at
churches, colleges, and public institutions to understand and dismantle
racism.
Heather Reeve ’00 PA has been a
physician assistant at the ELEAH
Medical Center in Elbow Lake, Minn
.
May Mua ’01 PA has partnered with
Dr. Phua Xiong to establish Quik Urgent Care Clinic, the first Asian
American privately-owned and operated urgent care facility in St. Paul.
Danny Storm and Sarah
Schultz ’04 were married in
Hoversten Chapel on Aug. 2.
Danny is an audit/tax accountant
with Denny Hecker Automotive
Group and Sarah is a child protection social worker with Hennepin
county in Minneapolis. They live in
Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Alissa Abelson ’06 MSW welcomed a
baby girl, Madilyn Gwen, on July 21,
2007. She lives in New York and is a
social worker at FEGS in downtown
Manhattan.
Gwen Nordahl ’07 PA joined the Battle Lake Clinic in Battle Lake, Minn.,
as a physician assistant in October.
Send us your news and photos
03
Emily Gerard and her husband, Craig Maus, welcomed
their daughter, Caroline Mae, on
Feb. 8.
04
Julie Andert and Jeremy Nelson ’05 were married on Oct.
20 in Pax Christi Catholic Community Church in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Wedding party Auggies included
Kiera Peterson ’04, Rebeca Welle
’05, Joshua Remme ’06, Tyler
Kraft ’06, and Joseph Wessbecker
’04. Julie works in human resources at West Side Community
Health Services, and Jeremy works
for Comcast in Sales and Marketing. They built a home together in
Blaine.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an
obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail
to: Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the
Augsburg Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
Street address
05
Jamie Ann Johnson married
Christopher Kerestes in
Grand Teton National Park in
Wyoming. They live in Newark,
Del., where Jamie is pursuing a
Master of Public Administration
degree at the University of
Delaware and an associate degree
in nursing through Delaware Technical and Community College.
Chris is a research assistant and
PhD candidate in electrical engineering working to improve solar
cells for solar energy.
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Home telephone
05
Paul Raukar and Chelsea
Haxton welcomed the birth
of their son, Evan Tyler, on May
30, 2007, born in Virginia, Minn.
Paul is a self-employed business
owner. praukar77@hotmail.com
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Employer
Position
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
06
Ryan Adrian-Hendrick Rivard
and Kristin Gulbrandson announce the birth of their daughter
Nora Lucille Rivard, born Dec. 31,
2006. They live in Evanston, Ill.,
where Ryan is a student at
Chicago-Kent College of Law.
riss23@gmail.com
Sara Holman married David
06Nash on July 26 in Wisconsin
Your news:
Dells, Wis. They currently live in
Omaha, Neb., where Sara is a
copywriter for THT Designs and
David is a medical student at
Creighton University.
Fall 2008
55
my
Auggie experience
Patrick Flood ’08
B.S., social work, with a minor in religion
Patrick Flood, a 2008 graduate, reflected on his four years at
Augsburg…
“During opening convocation in 2004, the freshmen marched to
the chapel as professors lined the path, clapping and welcoming
us. They didn’t know us yet but they were there to support us.
After four long years, many of those same professors once again
lined up on Commencement day, clapping and congratulating us
on a job well done. I couldn’t have imagined on that first day
what the impact of this would be.
How I became an Auggie: It was important for me to stay in the
ELCA family, since my mother is a Lutheran pastor. Attending a
small private liberal arts college in an urban setting also appealed to me. (What really sold me, however, were Augsburg’s
skyways and tunnels that make life much more comfortable in
the dead of winter!)
Augsburg highlight: During my junior year I had an opportunity to
study abroad by taking a spring semester course—Social Work in
a Latin American Context—through the Center for Global Education (CGE). The program was centered in Cuernavaca, Mexico
and focused on experiential learning, global perspectives, and
social and economic justice. During the semester I took a Spanish language class, three classes in social work, and completed
an internship at Las Palomas, a local nursing home. … I learned
a lot about the differences between our cultures. In Mexico it’s
much more traditional for the elderly to be cared for by their children; they become part of the nuclear family structure. The number of elderly in nursing homes is much lower than in the U.S.
The Augsburg impact: Conversations with professors and students had a very positive influence on me. My religion class with
Professor Mary Lowe challenged my thoughts and beliefs. Her
enthusiasm rubs off on students and pushes them to think critically and analytically about the Bible and how that can translate
into bigger issues.
Next steps: Although I am a social work major, I was a student
worker in Augsburg’s Institutional Advancement office for four
years. I learned about the importance of giving back to the community through philanthropy and stewardship. Because of those
experiences and one-on-one mentoring, I’m interested in pursuing an entry-level job in development. Wherever life takes me, I
feel well prepared for the journey, thanks to Augsburg.
INTERVIEWED BY JENNIFER L. HIPPLE, WEEKEND COLLEGE STUDENT
56
Augsburg Now
CAROLYN AND DALE ’60 HANKA are firm believers in free enterprise
and entrepreneurship, a fact that’s reflected in their successful careers. Carolyn was a university marketing instructor; Dale was a financial planner and bank president. Together they owned and managed a
title company.
Now retired, the couple is acknowledging the importance of
Augsburg College to their success by establishing an endowed scholarship.
“We thoroughly appreciated our time as students at Augsburg
College. The College gave us so much—small classes, individual attention from professors, and the opportunity to learn teamwork and
leadership.
Today the College is still a very special place. Faculty and staff
challenge students to grow in academic achievement as well as in
personal relationships. The College’s vision that “we are called to
serve our neighbor” is vital to the college community, the community
“The College gave us so much—
small classes, individual attention
from professors, and the opportunity
to learn teamwork and leadership.”
around Augsburg, and the world we live in.
When we decided to acknowledge the importance of Augsburg in
our lives by establishing the Dale and Carolyn Hanka Business Scholarship, Augsburg provided us with the ideas and counsel that made it
easy through a charitable gift annuity. Not only does it establish a
scholarship, but we receive income and tax benefits.
The best benefit? Knowing that scholarships make an Augsburg
education possible for so many students.”
YOU HAVE A VISION FOR AUGSBURG.
P L A N N E D G I V I N G C A N M A K E I T A R E A L I T Y.
Become a member of the Sven Oftedal Society at Augsburg by making a gift through your will, trust, life insurance, or other
planned gift. There are many ways to give a gift that will last a lifetime and make a difference for Augsburg students.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Watercolor
Taking advantage of the beautiful fall colors along
the Mississippi River, art professor Tara Sweeney
took her beginning watercolor class down along the
St. Paul shoreline.
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
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Augsburg
Now
COMMENCEMENT 2007
INTERNATIONAL PHOTO
CONTEST
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SUMMER 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 4
Diggin’ Dinos
in Murphy Square
page 6
P. 4
P. 7
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Augsburg
Now
COMMENCEMENT 2007
INTERNATIONAL PHOTO
CONTEST
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SUMMER 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 4
Diggin’ Dinos
in Murphy Square
page 6
P. 4
P. 7
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Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Design Manager
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Class Notes Designer
Students at the center of our lives
I
t is the end of July as I pen these Notes for the
summer 2007 issue of Augsburg Now, and we
have just concluded our summer orientation
for more than 400 incoming first-year
students, the Class of 2011. I am as energized
as always by the sense of wonder and hope that
comes with an incoming class of college students!
At the other end of the continuum, you will
find in the following pages the stories and images
of our two 2007 Commencement ceremonies—the
first early in May for our day undergraduates and
our physician assistant graduate students; the
second late in June for our weekend
undergraduates and the other five graduate
programs (nursing, social work, education,
leadership, and business administration). All
combined, we graduated more than 900 new
Auggie alums this spring—what grand
celebrations we enjoyed!
I have been thinking a lot about this
continuum of student experiences—and have
enjoyed some rich and important conversations
the past several months with the Augsburg
community about how we might better honor the
centrality of students to our life as a college.
It is, above all, about the promise we make to
our students. Let’s call it the Augsburg Promise. As
students come to us, no matter their prior
experience or background, we regard them as:
Photographer
As they enter the College—as undergraduates or
graduate students—we engage them in missionbased academic and social experiences that
prepare them for meaningful work and service in
the world. In the classroom, on the playing fields,
in the residence halls, on stage, and in the
neighborhood, students enter a teaching and
learning community that prepares them to make a
living and to make a life in the world.
And as they leave us, our students remain at
the center of our lives as graduates whose lives
and work are emblems of this college’s aspirations
and commitments. We expect them to have gained
an informed vision of the world, focused on
discovery and appreciating difference. We prepare
them for intelligent understanding, full of curiosity
and a commitment to dialogue. And we offer them
remarkable opportunities for relevant experience,
learning to apply what they have learned and lead
others.
Students are at the center of our lives. There is
no more energizing and engaging work. And there
are few places that do it as well as Augsburg
College. It is the Augsburg Promise, a promise we
strive to keep each and every day.
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Faithfully yours,
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services,
CB 142,
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
• Gifted—a gift to us and the world, to be cared
for, educated, and nurtured,
• Called—on a vocational path that we will help
them discern and navigate,
• Accountable—persons of responsibility
and integrity.
Signe Peterson
petersos@augsburg.edu
Media Relations Manager
Judy Petree
petree@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
of Marketing and
Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni Relations
Heidi Breen
breen@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, Minn., 55454.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
official College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Paul C. Pribbenow, president
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
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Summer 2007
4
Contents
Features
4
2007 International Programs Photo Contest
Selected winners of the seventh annual student photo contest for
international study programs showcase the experiences of students abroad.
6
An “Auggieasaurus” in Murphy Square
by Betsey Norgard
7
Senior Jen Janda created the “Auggieasaurus” as Augsburg’s entry in the
Science Museum of Minnesota’s Diggin’ Dinos project.
7
Commencement 2007—May
Nearly 400 students in undergraduate semester programs
and the Physician Assistant program received their diplomas in May.
10
Commencement 2007—June
In the College’s first Commencement focused on programs in the
trimester schedule, undergraduate and graduate students who studied on
weekends and evenings received their degrees.
Departments
10
On the Cover: “Auggieasaurus” is one of
about 50 dinosaur statues decorated and
displayed by local businesses and organizations
as part of the Science Museum’s 100th-year
anniversary project, Diggin’ Dinos. Studio art
major Jen Janda created Augsburg’s entry.
2
3
13
inside
back
cover
Around the Quad
Supporting Augsburg
Alumni News
Calendar
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
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AROUND THE QUAD
NOTEWORTHY
Social Work Student
of the Year
Lisa Luinenburg ’07 was named
Social Work Student of the Year
by the Minnesota Chapter of the
National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) for her
“outstanding scholarship and
service to the community.” She
graduated in May with double
majors in social work and
international relations.
Physician Assistant
program earns
national award
Augsburg’s Physician Assistant
program was recently awarded the
2007 American Academy of
Physician Assistants’ Constituent
Organization Award of
Achievement for a high school
curriculum project developed in
2005. With the help of the
Minnesota Academy of Physician
Assistants (MAPA), the PA faculty
developed a program to educate
high school students about the
role of a PA, increase the diversity
among PA providers, and provide
health education and hands-on
learning.
In May 2006 and 2007,
Augsburg hosted high school
groups on campus who
participated in interactive
educational activities on how
diseases, specifically HIV and
other sexually transmitted
infections, can spread, as well as
how to administer a neurological
exam and take blood pressures.
Current PA students and recent
graduates helped with the
teaching.
2 AUGSBURG NOW
Nou Chang ’09 joins
Minnesota’s Future
Doctors
Junior Nou Chang participated
this summer in Minnesota’s Future
Doctors, a program to explore the
medical profession that is
sponsored by the University of
Minnesota and Mayo Medical
School. Over three summers, it
aims to increase the number of
Minnesota minority, immigrant,
and rural physicians by helping
these students develop academic
skills, an understanding of
medicine, and an appreciation for
serving in an underserved
community.
Chang, a biology and English
major with a religion minor,
immigrated with her family to
Rochester, Minn., from Thailand
in 1988. She also is the recipient
of a Jay and Rose Phillips Family
Foundation Scholarship that
awards potential student leaders
who intend to dedicate a portion
of their lives to community
service. She works with homeless
Hmong refugee children, ages 612, in partnership with the
Southeast Asian Community
Council, and hopes to create a
center where the homeless
children can participate in
culturally-based programs.
Rick Thoni retires as
WEC celebrates
25 years
As Weekend College celebrated 25
years in May, the program’s
founder, Rick Thoni, prepared to
retire from the College in June,
after 35 years of service.
Mia Bothun, WEC student body
president, spoke at the 25th anniversary
celebration on behalf of WEC students,
urging them to become more involved
in building greater community.
Rick Thoni, with his wife, Linda, listened
as President Pribbenow announced the
creation of the Richard J. Thoni Award
for a graduating WEC student that
Thoni joined Augsburg in
1972 as a part-time psychology
professor and counselor in the
Student Affairs Office and went on
to fill such roles as associate dean
of students, acting vice president
of student affairs, vice president
for research and development,
director of Weekend College, and
vice president for enrollment
management.
On May 17, students, faculty,
staff, and alumni of Weekend
College gathered to look back on
a quarter century. President
Pribbenow commented that the
number of stories from faculty and
staff of being asked to help
students get an education clearly
demonstrates the organic nature of
how WEC grew, beginning with
the student at the center.
He also commented on the
commitment of Rick Thoni and
others in WEC who didn’t merely
launch the program, but threw
themselves into the work of
meeting students’ needs.
would honor him “in an abiding way.”
Don Gustafson, professor of
history, applauded WEC students
and described the rewards of
teaching in WEC—meeting
students who bring different
experiences, perspectives, and
commitment to class.
In Thoni’s honor, President
Pribbenow announced the
creation of the Richard J. Thoni
Award, which will be given
annually to a graduating WEC
student whose actions,
commitments, and future
aspirations most profoundly
demonstrate a commitment to
Augsburg’s motto, “Education for
Service.”
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SUPPORTING AUGSBURG
The Kennedy Center—
filled with Auggie spirit
On May 4, the dedication of the Kennedy Center, the three-story
addition to Melby Hall, brought together Augsburg alumni, donors,
regents, faculty, staff, and students in celebration of Augsburg
athletics, fitness, and health and physical education.
Greco-wrestling champion Alan Rice
President Pribbenow expressed gratitude to
was greeted by President Pribbenow
the family of former regent James Haglund
in front of the Alan and Gloria Rice
and his wife, Kathleen, whose gifts provided
Wrestling Center, a state-of-the-art
the spacious, new fitness center bearing their
training facility for Augsburg’s
family name.
championship team and GrecoRoman wrestling.
President Pribbenow (second from left), together with President Emeritus William
Frame (left) and lead donors Dean ‘75 and Terry Kennedy, cut the ribbon to showcase
the new training, fitness, locker, classroom, and hospitality facilities.
The Lute Olson Hall of Champions highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of
The open entryway provided a great gathering place for
the many Auggie student-athletes across 18 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports.
the Augsburg community to celebrate the dedication.
SUMMER 2007 3
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2007 International Programs Photo Contest
FIRST PLACE
“Mysterious Ireland”
Anthony Porter ‘07, Wicklow, Ireland
SECOND PLACE
“Cliffside: Bonsai Overlooking Tea Hills”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Munnar, Kerala, India
THIRD PLACE
“Beneath African Skies”
Krista Costin ‘08, Ada-Foah, Ghana
LANDSCAPE
4 AUGSBURG NOW
HONORABLE
MENTION
“Eiffel Tower“
Laura Henry ‘07,
Paris, France
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PHOTOJOURNALISM
SECOND PLACE
“Untitled”
Jennifer Oliver ‘07, Chiang Mai, Thailand
FIRST PLACE AND BEST IN SHOW
“Pilgrims and Three Oceans Converge at Sunrise”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India
THIRD PLACE
PORTRAITS
“The Boat Keeper”
Allison Hutterer ‘07, Rabat, Morocco
SECOND PLACE
“Lumbini Woman”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Bijapur,
Northern Karnataka, India
FIRST PLACE
“Las Hermanitas” (“The Little Sisters”)
Megan Schiller ‘07,
San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala
SUMMER 2007 5
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ugsburg senior Jen Janda has
been “Diggin’ Dinos” this
summer—not on an
archeological dig in Egypt, but
in downtown St. Paul. It’s part
of the “Diggin’ Dinos” summer celebration
honoring the 100th anniversary of the
Science Museum of Minnesota. Beginning
Memorial Day weekend, 53 dinosaurs were
placed around the streets of St. Paul, mostly
downtown, and seven in the parks of
Minneapolis as part of their 150th
anniversary celebration.
Much like the Snoopy statues a few years
ago, these dinosaurs have been painted by
local artists. Until Labor Day, Janda’s 4.5 feet
tall by 8 feet long, 80 lb. dinosaur will live in
Murphy Square, Minneapolis’s oldest park,
located in the heart of Augsburg’s campus.
When the College joined the project,
Janda was selected as Augsburg’s designer by
the art faculty. In keeping with the overall
theme, she named the dinosaur
“Auggieasaurus.” All the statues were painted
during the Diggin’ Dinos Paint-Off at
RiverCentre in St. Paul, just before Memorial
Day weekend.
“My idea for the Auggieasaurus was to
incorporate Murphy Square’s history
into a ‘map’ of the various
activities that go on in the
Page 8
park each spring and fall because of its
location in Augsburg College’s campus,”
Janda says. Around the base of the statue,
she inscribed:
Murphy Square Celebrating 150 Years,
1857-2007 “From cow pasture to
community center” The Dinosaur
of Minneapolis Parks
The activities she depicts on the
Auggieasaurus are:
• Runners—The Auggie cross-country team
runs around Murphy Square every fall.
• A biker—Minneapolis has many biking
commuters who travel through the park
area every day.
• A picnic scene
• A student reading Murphy Square, the
College’s literary and arts journal
• Kayaks, representing Minnesotans’ love of
the outdoors
The four legs of the Auggieasaurus are
designed to represent the Minneapolis
skyline, Augsburg campus, Seward
neighborhood, and the University of
Minnesota.
On Sept. 9, all the statues will be
auctioned off to benefit the work of the
Science Museum of Minnesota in its next
century.
Janda is a senior in the Honors Program,
with an art studio major. During the summer
she is working on a project to illustrate a
book for children in hospitals to help them
understand medical treatments
and surgery. She also works as
a graphic designer in the
Marketing and
Communication Office.
• A Somali family, representing the rich
cultural diversity of our neighborhood
• Frisbee players
• The Campus Kitchen van that delivers
meals in the neighborhood
A
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an
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lives in murphy square
by Betsey Norgard
and Judy Petree
page design by Jen Janda ’08
A Paint-Off took place in downtown St. Paul
as local artists created dinosaurs to be placed
around the city, all in honor of the Science
6 AUGSBURG NOW
Museum of Minnesota.
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traditional day undergraduates and master’s program in physician assistant studies
commencement
Jeanette Clark receives Marina Christensen
Justice Award
Jeanette Clark, a senior graduating with a double major in metrourban studies and youth and family ministry, was selected as the 2007
recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award. Each year, this
honor is presented to the graduating senior who best exemplifies
Augsburg’s motto, “Education for Service.”
Clark, a President’s Scholar, participated in the Honors Program as
well as Concert Band. At Augsburg, she held numerous leadership
roles, including serving as a campus ministry commissioner, resident
adviser, and leadership team member for the Campus Kitchen at
Augsburg College.
As a Spanish minor, Clark spent a semester in Cuernavaca,
Mexico, through Augsburg’s Center for Global Education, where she
worked for a pre-school and after-school program.
This past year, Clark created a spring break opportunity for
students staying in Minneapolis, called “Go Away Here.” In order to
show students opportunities in the city, it included service projects,
visits to neighborhood organizations such as the Sierra Club and East
African Women’s Center, and social outings.
The award recipient must have demonstrated a dedication to
community involvement as characterized by the personal and
professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who reached out to
disadvantaged people and communities.
— Jen Winter ’07
Senior Jeanette Clark was honored with the Marina Christensen Justice award from
President Pribbenow for her work in the community and on campus.
May
2007
SUMMER 2007 7
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Eboo Patel, founder of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth
Core, in his Commencement speech, described the “faith line”
that separates religious pluralists, who seek tolerance and
cooperation, from the religious totalitarians.
excerpts
from the
commencement address
“The Faith Line: On Building the Cathedrals of Pluralism”
Eboo Patel
… In his new book, Peace Be upon You,
Zachary Karabell writes: “If we
emphasize hate, scorn, war, and
conquest, we are unlikely to perceive
that any other path is viable … ”.
Hate, scorn, war, and conquest
sounds like a pretty good summary of
our newscasts; it certainly seems like
the dominant narrative of our times.
And the soundtrack of violence these
days appears to be prayer—in Arabic,
in Hebrew, in Hindi, in various
inflections of English.
There are many who are eager to
divide humanity along a faith line:
Sunnis vs. Shias, Catholics vs.
Protestants, Hindus vs. Buddhists.
I believe there is something else
going on. I believe that the faith line is
indeed the challenge of our century,
but it does not divide people of
different religious backgrounds. The
faith line does not separate Muslims
and Christians or Hindus and Jews.
The faith line separates religious
totalitarians and religious pluralists.
A religious totalitarian is someone
who seeks to suffocate those who are
different. Their weapons range from
suicide bombs to media empires. There
are Christian totalitarians and Hindu
totalitarians and Jewish totalitarians
and Muslim totalitarians. They are on
the same side of the faith line: arm in
arm against the dream of a common
life together.
A pluralist is someone who seeks to
live with people who are different, be
enriched by them, help them thrive.
Pluralists resonate with the Qur’annic
line, “God made us different nations
and tribes that we may come to know
one another.” Pluralists are moved by
the image of the Reverend Martin
Luther King Jr. marching together with
the Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in
Selma. Pluralists love the words of the
poet Gwendolyn Brooks:
We are each other’s business
We are each other’s harvest
We are each other’s magnitude
and bond…
We pluralists far outnumber the
totalitarians. What if we let ourselves
imagine? What if we began building?
What if every city block were a
cathedral of pluralism; every university
campus; every summer camp and day
care. There would not be enough
bombs in the world to destroy all of
our cathedrals.
Read the full Commencement Address at
www.augsburg.edu/commencement/
patel.pdf
President Emeritus Charles S. Anderson (right), who led the
College from 1980-1997 during a period of significant growth,
received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Maria Belen Power is the third in her family to
graduate from Augsburg. She poses here with
sister and brother Ana Gabriela ’05 and Camilo
Jose ’02, and their uncle, Dennis Power, from
White Plains, N.Y. The three grads are from
Managua, Nicaragua, where their mother,
Kathleen McBride, is the Center for Global
Education regional co-director for Central
America and adjunct professor.
8 AUGSBURG NOW
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As the graduates process down the street lined with faculty, hands are shaken, hugs exchanged, and high-fives given.
m”
Theatre arts professors Darcey Engen ’88
Physician Assistant program director Dawn
(second from left) and Martha Johnson (second
Ludwig places the master’s hood on Huong
from right) pose with grads James Lekatz (left)
Timp, one of the 31 newly-graduated PA
and Justin Hooper (right).
students.
President Emeritus William V. Frame, who retired last year from
Augsburg, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree, and was lauded for his work in sharpening the mission
of the College.
SUMMER 2007 9
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The flags of the Commencement procession represent the countries of Augsburg’s graduating students.
A
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weekend, evening, and graduate programs
commencement
Faculty line both sides of the street as
graduates march through them on their
way to the ceremony.
June
Nursing Department chair Cheryl Leuning takes a photo of instructor
Pauline Utesch ’05 MAN (right) with graduates in the Bachelor of
Science nursing completion degree program.
Roberta Kagin, associate professor and director of the
music therapy program, shares a graduation moment
with her daughter, Julia (Metzler) Mensing ‘00, who
serves on Augsburg’s Alumni Board and received her
10 AUGSBURG NOW
MBA degree.
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Angela Brand receives first
Richard J. Thoni Award
In honor of his retirement from Augsburg,
the Richard J. Thoni Award was established
earlier this year. It was awarded for the first
time on June 24 to Angela Brand, a social
work major.
Beyond the required 240 hours of public
service volunteer work Brand completed for
her major, she also provided parenting
instruction and visitation supervision to a
working mother in Chisago County. She
facilitated and organized meetings to ensure
that the transportation needs of clients at
the Chisago County Social Services office
were met.
Additionally, Brand developed an
evaluation of the youth-oriented services
provided by Chisago County Social Services.
The county is currently following up on her
recommendations to ensure that youth are
better prepared for their transition into
adulthood.
During his or her time at Augsburg, the
award recipient must have demonstrated a
dedication to the kind of community
involvement characterized by the personal
and professional life of Richard J. Thoni,
who until his retirement in June 2007,
served as a tireless advocate for higher
education at Augsburg.
— Jen Winter ’07
Social work major Angela Brand is the first recipient of the Richard J. Thoni Award, established in honor of the
retiring Weekend College founder and given to a weekend student committed to service in the community.
Dean Barbara Edwards Farley places a doctoral hood on
Srividya Raman, who received her master’s
Martin Marty, retired University of Chicago professor and
degree in social work, spoke on behalf of the
historian of religion, who was awarded an honorary Doctor
Class of 2007 and told how, after receiving a
of Humane Letters degree. In his Commencement speech,
business degree in India, she realized her
he gave suggestions about learning to live life as a process,
passion was in “doing something different that
not a product, continually questioning and testing.
was closer to [her] heart.”
A future college coed straightens the tassel of her mom’s
mortar board following Commencement.
More than 50 graduating students and their families from Rochester were able to leave the driving to
Augsburg and relax on their way to and from the Commencement ceremony.
SUMMER 2007 11
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Going to college with your mom
With more classes than ever offered in Weekend College, more
students are finding out what it’s like to attend college with their
parents. The Clark and the Spargo families are two who have had
more than one generation attend Augsburg simultaneously. Jeanette
Clark and her mother, Mary Simonson Clark, both graduated in the
spring. The Spargos have three family members graduating from
Augsburg this year and next. According to Clark, “Augsburg’s
graduate programs and Weekend College facilitate adult learning and,
therefore, increase the prevalence of multi-generational students in
families.”
The Clark family went through four commencements this past
spring. There were so many that Mary referred to their graduation
schedule as: “It’s a weekend, who needs a robe?” Jeanette graduated
from Augsburg with a Bachelor of Arts degree in youth and family
ministry and metro-urban studies on May 5. Mary graduated from
Luther Seminary with a Master of Arts in theology on May 27. Mary’s
other daughter, Marie, graduated from the New School of
Architecture and Design in San Diego, Calif., with a Master of
Architecture on June 16, and Mary received the other half of her dual
degree, a Master of Social Work, from Augsburg, on June 24.
Concerning being coeds together, Mary said, “I needed to learn
how to be on the same campus with my daughter without either of
us interfering with each other’s schedules.” Jeanette added, “To be
honest, I had some small anxieties when my mother started college at
Augsburg. It just doesn’t fit the norm to go to college with your
mother.” But both assert that not only did it work, but that the family
grew closer because of it. Jeanette claimed, “I think it was really good
for both of us to have others in our family who were going through
the stress of homework, tests, etc. at the same time. I think this really
promoted understanding.”
Jeanette Clark (left) who graduated in May, shares graduation joy with her mother,
Mary Simonson Clark, who completed dual master’s degrees at Luther Seminary and
Augsburg College. For more on Jeanette, see page 7.
The Spargos had three members attending Augsburg last year, and
all three participated in Advent Vespers. Antonio graduated in May
with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and secondary education.
Carolyn, mother to Annika and Antonio, graduated from Augsburg in
1980 and will complete the Master of Arts in Leadership program
next year. She says, “It’s been fun to have some of the same professors
my kids have.” Annika, who will graduate next year also, with a
Bachelor of Arts in music and education, adds, “Although there are
several of us on campus, we all have our separate programs which
allow us to maintain some individuality.” Continuing, she says, “I
think the neatest thing about being a family of Auggies is that I have
seen and met so many different people from different departments at
the school whom I normally would not know.”
— Jen Winter ’07
the class of 2007—956 graduates
May 5, 2007—semester programs
31 Master of Science, Physician Assistant Studies students
409 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science
440 Total graduating
June 24, 2007—trimester programs
234 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science
172 Weekend College
52 Rochester
10 United/Unity/Mercy Hospitals
20 Master of Arts, Education
26 Master of Arts, Leadership
15 Master of Arts, Nursing
178 Master of Business Administration
43 Master of Social Work
516 Total graduating
An MBA degree was also awarded posthumously to Shika Addo,
a student in the program, who died in April 2006.
12 AUGSBURG NOW
ALUMNI NEWS
From the
Alumni Board
president …
Greetings fellow
Auggies,
Well, a year has come and gone.
My time as president of the
Alumni Association is at an end.
My hat is off to all the wonderful
folks on the Alumni Board and
to the faculty and staff at
Augsburg. They’re a great group
dedicated to Augsburg and her mission.
As I handed off the president’s role to Buffie Blesi, we had a great
strategic planning retreat in June to define our new objectives.
I’m excited to report to you that our focus areas for 2007 include:
• Augsburg Stewards—Connect with the Augsburg Stewards and
build our Auggie Pride!
• Career Development Program—support Augsburg’s efforts
around Career Development for (soon to be) alumni;
• Gateway—participate in the opening of the Oren Gateway
Center and ongoing activities there
• Vespers—support the annual Advent Vespers programming
• Awards Committee—honor Auggies each year who have done
amazing things in service to the world and Augsburg’s mission
• Augsburg Now Advisory Committee—provide input and advice
to the great group of folks producing the Augsburg Now
• Affinity Groups—build connections with other groups at
Augsburg
• Fundraising—help build Augsburg’s strength through support
of the Annual Fund
Centennial
Singers perform in
the Twin Cities
The Centennial Singers, a male
chorus of Augsburg alumni and
friends, will present a series of
concerts this fall in the greater
Twin Cities area.
The chorus was formed in the
early 1990s of former Augsburg
Quartet members to revive and
continue singing the gospel
quartet tradition. Since then,
they have toured both to Norway
and the Southwest U.S. twice.
Fall Concerts/Appearances:
Fri., Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
Faith Lutheran Church,
Staples, Minn.
Sat., Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Salem Lutheran Church,
Deerwood, Minn.
Sun., Sept. 30, 4 p.m.
Cambridge Lutheran Church,
Cambridge, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
Christ the King Lutheran Church,
1900 7th St., New Brighton, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Calvary Lutheran Church of
Golden Valley,\
7520 Golden Valley Rd.,
Golden Valley, Minn.
Benefit—Wilderness Canoe Base
Sun., Oct. 21, 4 p.m.
Colonial Church of Edina,
6200 Colonial Way, Edina, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Community of the Cross
Lutheran Church,
10701 Bloomington Ferry Rd.,
Bloomington, Minn.
Sun., Oct. 28, 4 p.m.
King of Kings Lutheran Church,
1583 Radio Dr.,
Woodbury, Minn.
Sat., Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Minnetonka Lutheran Church,
16023 Minnetonka Blvd.,
Minnetonka, Minn.
Sun, Nov. 4, 4 p.m.
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church,
9201 Normandale Blvd.,
Bloomington, Minn.
You are invited and encouraged to participate. Please contact the
Alumni Relations office.
All my best to you and your family as the cycle turns and we
start another year.
Barry M. Vornbrock ’96 MAL
President, Alumni Board, 2006-07
SUMMER 2007 13
CLASS NOTES
1950
1969
Frank Ario, Minneapolis, was
featured on the Minnesota Public
Radio show, Midday on May 18,
in a program, “Two Minnesotans
Touched by WWII; Two
Strikingly Different Stories.”
Royce Helmbrecht, Austin,
Minn., is principal at Lyle
Community School in Lyle,
Minn., a small school of 240
students recently named by
Newsweek in the top five percent
of high schools in the nation.
1952
Robert R. Hage Sr., Hector,
Minn., was entered into the
Minnesota High School Football
Coaches Hall of Fame on April
21. He is the former football
coach at Hector High School.
Rev. Orville Olson and his wife,
Yvonne (Bagley), Excelsior,
Minn., celebrated the 50th
anniversary of his ordination. He
is currently a pastor at Mount
Calvary Lutheran Church in
Excelsior. Gifts will be given to
the Timothy Olson Memorial
Scholarship, honoring their son.
John R. Hubbling, St. Paul,
Minn., received the Max Hecht
Award from ASTM International
Committee D19 on Water. The
committee cited Hubbling for his
outstanding service and
advancing the study of water. He
is laboratory manager for
Metropolitan Council/
Environmental Services in St.
Paul, and also serves on ASTM
International’s international
committees on waste
management, and quality and
standards.
1970
1967
Gerrie Wall (Neff), Rapid City,
S. Dak., retired in May, after a
five-decade teaching career, from
Western Dakota Technical
Institute (WDTI) in Rapid City,
where she has taught in the
general education department for
the last 18 years. At this year’s
commencement ceremony, she
received the Distinguished
Service Award from the school,
and is the first faculty member to
be honored with its highest
award.
Mary (Tweeten) Gladwin,
Pocatello, Idaho, has retired after
21 years in education. She taught
in Cottage Grove, Minn., and
was the media specialist at Grace
Lutheran and Hawthorne Middle
School in Pocatello, Idaho.
physical education and aquatics
in the Glynn County (Ga.)
schools. She was also principal
horn with the Coastal Symphony
of Georgia and played in other
bands and small brass groups. At
Augsburg, she played in a brass
group named Neophonic Brass
with Mike Savold, Bob Stacke,
Johnny English, and others, and
would love to continue playing
brass music.
1982
Les Heen, Maynard, Minn., was
recently appointed president and
general manager of Pioneer
Public Television in Appleton.
He and his wife, Barbara
(Westerlund) ’89, have two
children, Chris, 9, and Erik, 6.
Barbara (Mattison) Lagrue,
Lamberton, Minn., has recently
moved back to the Midwest,
with her husband, Paul. For
many years, she taught adaptive
14 AUGSBURG NOW
John Sheehan, Lakeville, Minn.,
has been named boys varsity
basketball head coach in
Lakeville South High School. For
seven years he was an assistant
coach with the Lakeville North
girls team.
1997
Jasmina Besirevic-Regan,
Hamden, Conn., and her
husband, Matt, welcomed their
second daughter, Lejla, on June
14, 2006.
Rev. Scott M. Ludford, Hayward,
Wis., was installed as senior
pastor of First Lutheran Church
on January 21, after serving at
Concordia Lutheran Church in
Superior, Wis., for eight-and-ahalf years.
1987
Jody Abbott was recently named
senior vice president and chief
operating officer at North Kansas
City (Mo.) Hospital to provide
direction for upper management
in the areas of nursing services,
support services, and facilities.
Previously, she worked at
Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa,
Okla., in a similar position.
1992
1975
1993
Rev. Judith Bangsund, San Jose,
Calif., is pastor, along with her
husband, Rev. James Bangsund,
at Timothy’s Lutheran Church.
She graduated in nursing, served
with her husband in Tanzania for
several years, and became
ordained.
Join the Augsburg
Online Community
• Keep in touch with
classmates
• Find out what’s happening
on campus
• Change/update your address
and e-mail
www.augsburg.edu/alumni
CLASS NOTES
1999
Cheri Johnson, Minneapolis,
received a $25,000 McKnight
Artist Fellowship for Writers,
through the Loft Literary Center,
in creative prose. She has
graduate degrees in English from
Hollins College and the
University of Minnesota and is a
regular participant in the English
Department Homecoming
Reading and Career Night.
2000
Sara M. Quigley, St. Paul, Minn.,
graduated on May 27 from
Luther Seminary with a Master
of Divinity degree. She is the
youth director at St. Stephen
Lutheran Church in White Bear
Lake, Minn., and hopes to
become ordained in the ELCA.
Jennifer Rensenbrink, and her
husband, Adam Miller,
Minneapolis, welcomed twins, a
boy and a girl, at Fairview
Riverside Hospital on June 9.
Rowan Charles weighed 5 lbs., 2
oz.; and Anneke Rensenbrink
weighed 4 lbs., 14 oz.
certified nursing assistant/
environmental aide at Fairview
Southdale Hospital in Edina,
Minn.
2003
Natalia Pretelt, Roseville, Minn.,
was mentioned in the Money
and Business section of the Star
Tribune on April 15 for her role
as a loan specialist with the
Minneapolis Consortium of
Community Developers. She is
involved in microlending and
small loans to help immigrants
and others start businesses.
Jonathan Fahler, has studied
since 2004 in the Master of Arts
in Medical Sciences program at
Loyola University Chicago and
was recently admitted to medical
school at Des Moines University
College of Osteopathic Medicine.
John Tieben, St. Louis Park,
Minn., received his medical
degree from the University of
Minnesota on May 4. Tieben and
his wife, Danielle (Slack) ’04,
will live in Duluth, where he will
serve a three-year family practice
residency in the St. Mary’s/Duluth
Clinic Health System, St. Luke’s
Hospital, and the Duluth Family
Practice Center.
Options, a volunteer mentoring
program that connects with atrisk kids, ages 10-14, in the
Twin Cities through biking and
running. See blog photos at
bolderoptions.org.
2005
Brooke Dornbusch received a
Master of Arts in counseling
degree in May from the
Assemblies of God Theological
Seminary in Springfield, Mo.
Mark Simmonds, placed fourth
in the 120-kilogram GrecoRoman class at the 2007 USA
Wrestling Senior World Team
Trials. He is a damage
controlman third class (DC3) in
the U.S. Navy, operating out of
the Mayport, Fla., Naval Station
and is a member of the Navy’s
wrestling team.
2006
Lauren Falk, Eden Prairie,
Minn., has started her own
portrait/wedding photography
business, Lauren B. Photography,
with on-location photography of
weddings, portraits, and events
in the Twin Cities metro area.
Graduate Programs
Jeff Falkingham ’95 MAL, Eden
Prairie, Minn., donated his
services to author a 2007
commemorative edition of his
earlier book, The County
Courthouse Caper, recounting the
history of his native Browns
Valley, Minn. The publisher,
Beaver’s Pond Press, has donated
1000 copies for the city to sell as
a fundraiser for its Long-Term
Flood Recovery Fund.
Dietrich-Swanson Wedding
2004
2001
Emily Waldon, Salem, Mass.,
recently joined the Harvard
Vanguard Medical Associates at
its Cambridge internal medicine
practice as a physician assistant.
She received a master’s degree
from Northeastern University in
Boston. Formerly she was a
Max Langaard, Oakland, Calif.,
was recently featured in an
article titled, “Teaching
Leadership through Coaching.”
The article is focused on the
Sports-4-Kids program centered
in the Bay area inner city
schools. The program attempts
to help children become not only
healthier but also to learn what it
takes to lead.
Laura Simones, St. Paul, has
biked from Boulder, Colo., to
Minneapolis with Bolder
Hannah Dietrich and Nathan Swanson ’05,, Lincoln, Neb., were
married on June 8, in Luverne, Minn. The wedding included several
Auggie students and staff, including Sadie Dietrich ’09, Lynde
Kuipers ’08, cross-country and track coach Dennis Barker, Marcia
Gunz ’05, Anna (Ferguson) Rendell ’05, Kyla Rice ’05, Tim
Stowe, and Janeece (Adams) Oatmann ’05. Jeremiah Knabe ’05
also served as an officiant at the wedding. Hannah is a doctoral
student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and Nathan is
pursuing a job with Lincoln Public Schools.
SUMMER 2007 15
CLASS NOTES
SEND US YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the Augsburg
Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
Street address
City, State, Zip
In Memoriam
Larsen, Norman ’34,
Morristown, Minn., age 97, on
June 12. He was a member of the
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Woolson, Gladys (Oudal) ’34,
Minneapolis, age 92, on May 9.
Knudsen, Rev. Richard I. ’37
Sem, Minneapolis, age 95, on
July 10.
Gilseth, Margaret (Chrislock)
’40, St. Charles, Minn., age 88,
on June 10. She was a
Distinguished Alumna.
Framstad, Rev. Waldemar ’41,
Marinette, Wis., age 87, on June
14, after a lengthy illness.
Ahlberg, Rev. G. Harold ’42,
Valparaiso, Ind., age 86, on June 4.
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Home telephone
Stolee, Magdalene (Gronseth)
’42, Kenyon, Minn., age 87, on
June 11.
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Employer
Position
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
Your news:
16 AUGSBURG NOW
Estness, Borghild ’43,
Minneapolis, age 92, on July 8.
She served as a recorder in
Augsburg’s Office of the Registrar.
Gronseth, Luther C., Sr., ’43,
Apple Valley, Minn., age 86, on
June 23.
Lindahl, Burton J. ’50, Wayzata,
Minn., age 82, on May 22.
Bakken, Rev. Hardis C. ’52, San
Pablo, Calif., age 97, on May 5.
Thompson, Robert D. ’52,
Bloomington, Minn., age 81, on
June 29.
Pundy, Eileen “Dolly” ’59,
Minneapolis, age 69, on May 4.
Peterson, Rolf ’61, University
Place, Wash., on April 24.
Heimbigner, Marlene (Hanggi)
’65, Olympia, Wash., on Jan. 15.
Timmons, Peter ’74, St. Paul,
age 63, on June 16, from
pancreatic cancer.
Ness, Sheela Jo ’86, Plymouth,
Minn., on July 4, of injuries from
an auto accident.
Galland, John H. ’93, Durango,
Colo., age 56, on May 18, in an
auto accident.
Hope, Jared ’00, West Concord,
Minn., age 28, on May 8 of
injuries from an auto accident.
Neitzel, Daniel Kurt ’06, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 27, on
June 11.
Ward, Sister Agnes, CSJ, on
April 10. She taught classical
languages at Augsburg in the
1960s.
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CALENDAR
For music information, call 612-330-1265
For theatre ticket information, call 612-330-1257
For art gallery information, call 612-330-1524
SEPTEMBER
September 10
Seventh Annual Scholastic
Connections Gala and Dinner
Celebrating the scholarship/
mentorship program and the four
ethnic services programs
Free and open to the public
6:30–8:30 p.m.—East Commons,
Christensen Center
Info and reservations: 612-359-6480
or scholar@augsburg.edu
September 24-25
2007 Christensen Symposium
Everyday Life in the Light of the
Gospel
Rolf A. Jacobson, associate professor of
Old Testament, Luther Seminary.
Free and open to the public.
September 24, “Why Do You Weep?
Sadness, Grief, and the Gospel”
7 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel
September 25, “How Can I Keep
from Singing? Laughter, Joy, and the
Gospel”
11 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
September 27
Theatre Artist Series
From Augsburg to the Guthrie
Theater
Katie Koch ’06, stage manager and
executive assistant to Joe Dowling,
Guthrie Theater
9:40–11:10 a.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson
Theater
September 14–October 26
Glass from the American-Swedish
Institute and Its Local Influence
Gage Family Art Gallery, Oren
Gateway Center
Opening reception: Friday, Sept. 14,
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Artist Presentation: To be announced
September 14–October 26
Reweaving a Life
Prints by Alejandro González Aranda
and baskets by women weavers of
Tlamacazapa, Guerrero, Mexico
Christensen Center Art Gallery
Artist Printmaking Demonstration:
Friday, Oct. 12, 8:30–10:10 a.m.
Artist Presentation and Reception:
Friday, Oct. 12, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
September 18
Theatre Artist Series
Technical Direction at the
Guthrie Theater
Craig Pettigrew, assistant
technical director
9:40–11:10 a.m.—
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
September 20
Featured Artist Presentation
A Life in the Theatre
Peter C. Brocius, artistic director,
Children’s Theatre Company
7 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
October 17
Many Voices: Bold Visions
Convocation Series
Peter Bisanz, film director,
documentary One
10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
NOVEMBER
November 2–11
Life is a Dream (La vida es sueño)
by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Directed by Martha Johnson
Nov. 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m.
Nov. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
OCTOBER
October 8
Theatre Artist Series
Working in the Theatre
Buffy Sedlacheck, literary manager,
Jungle Theatre
12:10–1:10 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson
Theater
October 8–13
Homecoming 2007
See www.augsburg.edu/alumni for
information
October 11
Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
November 14
2007 Koryne Horbal Lecture
Anne Pedersen Women’s
Resource Center
Jane Fonda
“My Life’s Lessons about Sex and
Gender”
10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
November 30
Velkommen Jul Celebration
10:15 a.m.—Chapel Service,
Hoversten Chapel
11 a.m.—Scandinavian treats and
gifts, Christensen Center
October 12
1957 50th Anniversary
Celebration
Homecoming Convocation
Homecoming Luncheon
Campaign Completion
Celebration and Oren Gateway
Center Dedication
Dept. of Sociology 60th
Anniversary Celebration
November 30–December 1
That All May Have Light
28th Annual Advent Vespers:
A service of music and liturgy
5 and 8 p.m. each night
Central Lutheran Church,
Minneapolis
For seating envelopes,
612-330-1265
English Alumni/ae Reunion
and Reading
October 13
1967 40-Year Reunion
Picnic in the Park
Football game vs.
University of St. Thomas
Auggie Block Party
SUMMER 2007
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Page 16
An Augsburg Mural
Augsburg’s history is celebrated in the mural across
the Barnes and Noble Augsburg Bookstore windows
at the new Oren Gateway Center. Artwork by
photographer Stephen Geffre.
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
Augsburg
Now
KEYSTONE CONNECTIONS
URBAN LEGENDS
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SPRING 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 3
Martin Sabo retires
The ending of an era
page 16
P. 21
A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
P. 12
P. 26
Editor
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Being a ... Show more
Augsburg
Now
KEYSTONE CONNECTIONS
URBAN LEGENDS
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SPRING 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 3
Martin Sabo retires
The ending of an era
page 16
P. 21
A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
P. 12
P. 26
Editor
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Being a college in the city
B
ut seek the welfare of the city where I have
sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on
its behalf, for in its welfare will you find
your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7, RSV)
One particular afternoon last fall, I was shepherded
through the nearby Cedar-Riverside neighborhood
by our legendary community ambassador Mary
Laurel True. She introduced me to good people
whose lives and work intersect with the College. We
sat in one of the four mosques in the neighborhood
and spoke with the elders about peace and the God
of Abraham, about our lives here together, about our
children, and about the world and how frightening
it can be to live with strangers. In other words, we
spoke as fellow humans living together in the city.
I love the city (despite my rural upbringing) and
my recent experiences in our neighborhood lead me
to revisit some of the historical themes that fascinate
me about city life.
My first thoughts go to the role that neighborhoods play in a strong urban life. Though we are a
city, we live our lives in neighborhoods. It is in the
neighborhood where I come face to face with the
challenges and joys of negotiating my life with others. I think of Jane Addams, who made the west side
Chicago neighborhood near Hull-House the sphere
of action for her efforts in the late 19th and early
20th centuries to build a stronger democracy. There
are many of us who still believe her settlement
house idea has relevance for the 21st century. It is
not a philosophical exercise—it is the daily living
with, abiding with, meeting the needs and sharing
the aspirations of neighbors that defined the work of
Miss Addams and her colleagues, and that needs to
define our lives in cities as well.
A second theme about cities is the ways in
which they reflect our abiding pursuit of civilization.
Sir Peter Hall in Cities in Civilization suggests that
great cities have been at the center of artistic growth,
technological progress, the marriage of culture and
technology, and solutions to evolving social problems. Cities are places “for people who can stand the
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Design Manager
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Class Notes Designer
heat of the kitchen: places where the adrenaline
pumps through the bodies of the people and
through the streets on which they walk; messy
places, sordid places sometimes, but places nevertheless superbly worth living in, long to be remembered and long to be celebrated.”
Finally, I think of the late Jane Jacobs, the legendary urban theorist, whose The Death and Life of
Great American Cities was a clarion call to arms for
all those who loved the diversity and energy of cities
that was being ravaged by trends in architecture and
city planning. One of Jacobs’ main points was that
the well-being of cities is defined primarily by common, ordinary things, like sidewalks, parks, defined
neighborhoods, and a diversity of architecture styles
and buildings of different ages. These common,
ordinary things, when thought about with the needs
and aspirations of citizens in mind, will create
healthy, sustainable, and vital urban centers. It is not
about spending a huge amount of money, but rather
about a reflective practice of city life—the genuine
work of urban planning.
During my short time here at Augsburg, I have
been challenged to think again about the role of colleges and universities in an urban setting. I am committed to the mutual dependency of colleges and the
city. The paradigm for the relationships between
cities and higher education must be less about
extracting benefits from each other, less dependent
on incidental impact, and more focused on the various resources that can be shared in the pursuit of a
more robust, healthy, and meaningful urban life. I
look forward to our efforts at Augsburg to give substance to this new (but not really so new!) paradigm
of urban citizenship.
Yours,
Signe Peterson
petersos@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Media Relations Manager
Judy Petree
petree@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Interim Assistant
Vice President of Marketing
and Communications
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni Relations
Heidi Breen
breen@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, Minn., 55454.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
official College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services,
CB 142,
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
Paul C. Pribbenow, president
Spring 2007
21
Contents
Features
11
The Kitchen Connection
by Betsey Norgard
Weekend College student Tom Gouras uses his food service experience to feel
more connected on campus and provide service in the community.
12
Fitting the Pieces Together
by Betsey Norgard
In their keystone courses seniors synthesize all their Augsburg experiences in
preparing for the next step.
16
The Ending of an Era
Photos and text by Stephen Geffre
The boxes are packed and farewells said as Martin Olav Sabo retires from a
28-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
21
Urban Legends
by Bethany Bierman
Augsburg’s metro-urban studies alumni are making their marks as leaders
in public service and city planning.
16
26
A Place of Their Own
by Betsey Norgard
The East African Women’s Center bustles with activity as mothers, children,
grandmothers, and girls learn skills for living in a new community.
On the Cover: Congressman Martin Olav
Sabo, Class of 1959, retires from a lifelong
career serving his constituents in Minneapolis
and earning high respect from colleagues on
both sides of the aisle.
Departments
2 Around the Quad
6 Supporting Augsburg
8 Sports
29 Alumni News
36 Views
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
AROUND THE QUAD
Brian Krohn awarded
a Goldwater
Scholarship
NOTEWORTHY
A team of Augsburg and University of St. Thomas students received honorable men-
Junior Brian
Krohn, who is
majoring in
chemistry
with a biology
minor, was
awarded a
Barry M.
Goldwater
Scholarship for the 2007-08 academic year. A total of 317 schol-
arships were awarded from the
more than 1,000 nominations
made by college faculty in the
fields of natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Krohn will join a research
group this summer at the Graz
Technical Institute in Austria,
funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Two other Augsburg students
received honorable mentions—
Kent Bodurtha and Reid Larson,
both in physics.
tion at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York in March.
Model UN team
wins award
A team of Augsburg and
University of St. Thomas students
received honorable mention at the
National Model United Nations
Conference in New York in
March—Augsburg’s first award in
nine years of competition.
More than 4,000 students
from the U.S. and 31 countries
participated, with opening and
closing ceremonies held in the
UN General Assembly Great Hall.
The student team represented
the interests of India in the conference and met with the Indian
Mission to the UN during the
week in New York.
Matt Broughton
named a Fulbright
Scholar
Matt
Broughton’06,
who graduated summa
cum laude
with dual
degrees in
English and
2 AUGSBURG NOW
physics, has been named a
Fulbright Scholar to Germany
during 2007-08. He will spend
the year at the Technical
University of Braunschweig,
working in space physics
research.
It was during an internship
with the National Academies’
Space Studies Board that
Broughton began to see how
research he had been doing fits
into the larger context of national and international physics
research, studying the relationship between the sun and earth.
At the Technical University,
he will study ultra-low frequency
(ULF) waves in the magnetosphere, using data gathered from
four satellites in the Cluster mission. He will be able to analyze
the data with use of a wave telescope, a multi-spacecraft analysis
tool, using techniques that scientists there developed. He already
has a working relationship with
the scientists and has received
some training on the wave
telescope.
This summer Broughton will
spend 10 weeks in Washington,
D.C., in an intensive German
language program.
Coach and athletic director
Ernie Anderson dies
Ernie Anderson ’37, who served Augsburg College
as its men’s basketball coach for 23 seasons and as
its athletic director for 34 years, died on March 18
at the age of 90.
Anderson was a part of the Augsburg community for more than 40 years. He attended the
Augsburg Academy as a prep student in the early
1930s. He played basketball and baseball at
Augsburg, graduating from the College with a hisErnie Anderson ’37
tory degree in 1937.
Anderson served as men’s
basketball coach for the
Auggies from 1947-70, and as
the school’s athletic director
from 1947-80. He was inducted into the College’s Athletic
Hall of Fame in 1975.
In 1984, Augsburg named
its outdoor athletic field
Anderson-Nelson Field, in
honor of Anderson and fellow
longtime coach Edor Nelson
’38. In 2001, the center competition court at Melby Hall was
named Ernie Anderson Court
in his honor, while the outdoor
athletic field was rechristened
as Edor Nelson Field.
Men’s basketball coach Ernie Anderson is
lifted in the air as the team celebrates its
conference championship in 1963.
PA students excel on
certifying exam
Physics students
receive award
All 28 of Augsburg physician
assistant 2006 graduates passed
the National Commission on
Certification of Physician
Assistants (NCCPA) exam,
required for physician assistants
to practice in most states.
While the mean score for all
new grads nationally was 506,
Augsburg’s mean score was 581,
which put the program in the
91st percentile in comparison to
other programs.
Augsburg’s chapter of the Society
of Physics Students (SPS) was
selected as an Outstanding
Chapter for 2005-06. This is the
fourth time in the last five years
the chapter has been recognized
among the top 10 percent of
chapters nationally.
Recognition is given for the
breadth of SPS activities in
research, public science outreach, physics tutoring programs, and interaction among its
members. Brian Wood ’08 serves
Students and money—dollar/sense
Sophomore Cody Warren (left) and financial aid counselor Carly Eichhorst (right)
teamed to teach students about financial literacy.
Studies show that more than half
of all college students acquire
their first credit card during
their first year in college. Nearly
half of all college students have
credit card debt, with the average debt over $3,000.
Combine that with the fact
that most parents feel they are
neither prepared to talk to their
kids about personal finances, nor
do they feel they are good role
models concerning financial
planning and decisions. And few
high schools offer courses on
financial matters.
Last year, Augsburg’s
Financial Aid Office decided to
do something about this and
provide resources for students to
as chapter president and
Professor Mark Engebretson is
faculty adviser.
Best Workplace for
Commuters
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the U.S.
Department of Transportation
become more fiscally literate and
learn to make responsible money
choices. “Does Your Money
Matter?” was offered as a series
of formal presentations.
This year, financial aid counselor Carly Eichhorst and sophomore student worker Cody
Warren teamed up to revamp the
program and ratchet up the level
of conversation and participation.
“I knew my peers didn’t have
the [financial] information,”
Warren said, as they planned a
new program they called “dollar/sense.”
Five sessions (three of which
were repeated) were offered on
weekday evenings:
• Embark: Begin the Financial
Journey
• Build: Establish Credit.
Maintain Credit
• Plan: Chart Your Course
• Renew: Financial Aid Springs
Anew
• Share: Time. Talent. Gifts
included Augsburg among the
Best Workplaces for Commuters
in Minneapolis. It was recognized as an employer offering
good benefits to employees for
alternatives to driving alone to
work every day. Augsburg faculty, staff, and students can buy
discounted travel on buses and
light rail, can make teleworking
arrangements, and use carpools.
Augsburg also hosts an
HOURCAR hub in the CedarRiverside community, making a
hybrid-fuel vehicle available for
hourly rent by qualified drivers on
campus and in the community.
Lots of audience response and
visuals in a relaxed atmosphere,
plus some food, brought home
the message to 20 to 40 students
who came to each session of
“dollar/sense.”
Eichhorst was delighted at
the response. “[A student who]
attended last night’s event on
credit scores … came to me this
morning and told me he pulled
his credit report right away last
night and wanted to talk about a
discrepancy,” she said. “[Another
attendee] was a student who
experienced financial problems
last year … and he attended
every single session of
‘dollar/sense’.”
The word reached parents as
well. One mother e-mailed, “It is
really a shame that you don’t get
more students attending those
sessions since they are truly REAL
LIFE and kids so often complain
about learning things they think
they will never use. Thanks to
everyone in the Enrollment
Center who put them on.”
—Betsey Norgard
SPRING 2007 3
AROUND THE QUAD
Japanese artists visit
Augsburg
For two days in late February,
Ayomi Yoshida and Bidou
Yamaguchi engaged the
Augsburg community with their
talents and art.
Yoshida is a printmaker,
installation artist, and designer,
whose work ranges from a colorful gift wrap line designed for
Target to multi-story installation
art. She is a fourth generation
member of the illustrious Yoshida
family of printmakers, which also
included Toshi Yoshida, who
taught at Augsburg during two
summers in the early 1970s.
For an exhibit at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
(MIA) in 2002 featuring her family, she created a large installation
of wood grain panels. The installation was purchased by Target
Corporation and re-installed in
their corporate executive suites
in downtown Minneapolis.
“Reverberation Ad Infinitum”
is made up of four columns and
a wall, each running three stories
high, flanking a stairway. Out of
each red column, Yoshida carved
repeated lines of oval chips with
a scoop chisel. The red chips
were then glued to the white
wall, creating positive and negative polka dots. Over 60,000
chips were carved, with three
people working on it for three
months.
MIA curator Matthew Welch
led a group of Augsburg students
to Target Corporation to view
Yoshida’s installation—an opportunity for the students to see the
artwork in this restricted, nonpublic area. They appreciated the
centuries-old, handcrafted nature
of the installation, says Kerry
Morgan, Augsburg’s coordinator
of galleries, and were captured
by “the physical process, the
amount of work, and the time
and dedication needed for it.”
Morgan recounts that as people walk through the installation,
“fascinating things happen to the
eye, the grid becomes diagonal
and casts shadows.”
Bidou Yamaguchi demonstrates his master skills in carving masks from cypress wood
for Japanese Noh drama.
4 AUGSBURG NOW
Students explore the panels of a multi-story art installation created by Ayomi Yoshida
at Target Corporation headquarters.
Bob Ulrich, chairman and
CEO of Target Corporation,
greeted the group and told them
that Target employees prefer
walking the stairs through the
installation to taking the elevator.
Yoshida also is a designer for
Target. Her gift wrap line, with
polka-dot-and-lined patterns,
has been described as making
packages “too pretty to open.”
Yoshida’s husband, Bidou
Yamaguchi, is a master carver of
masks for Noh drama. He is
trained as a graphic designer, but
became enchanted with the
ancient craft of carving masks
and their long history as part of
an ancient art form.
Carved and smoothed from a
block of cypress wood by knives
and chisels with three layers of
steel, the masks are lacquer coated many times and then stressed
to show age and wear.
Yamaguchi tried his own
hand at carving, and sought out
a master carver with whom he
could apprentice. After five years
of study—only half the normal
time—he was awarded the master carver status. He was also
given his artist’s name, Bidou, a
combination of words meaning
the “god of war” and “a stack of
wood.”
Yamaguchi has lectured and
demonstrated his craft at numerous institutions in Japan and
other countries. His masks are
part of the permanent collections
of Target Corporation (which the
students also were able to view
on the tour) and the MIA.
Bringing Yoshida and
Yamaguchi to campus was a collaborative effort among the art
galleries, Art Department,
Theatre Arts Department, Art
Club, Pan-Asian Student
Services, and professor emeritus
Eugene Skibbe, a friend of the
Yoshida family. The presentations
made by the artists were open to
the public, and scheduled to
involve classes in AsianAmerican theatre, sculpture, art
history, and design.
— Betsey Norgard
Augsburg Stewards:
Preserving history,
keeping traditions
alive
The Augsburg Stewards have
been involved in nearly every
recent Augsburg event, and they
are not much more than a year
old. The 14-member group has
already participated in
Homecoming, orientation, an
event honoring the Augsburg
Associates, the annual
Scholarship Brunch, and other
events with alumni.
Augsburg students can’t help
but notice the Stewards, but
many wonder, “Who are they?”
If you refer to the group’s
official statement, the Augsburg
Stewards’ mission is “to engage
students in the mission of
Augsburg College in order to
cultivate pride in place and
purpose.”
Lead Steward Solveig Mebust
says, “We combine three important aspects of the College: we
look at the history, the present
traditions, and the future of the
College and then try to make it
all something to which students
can relate. We basically provide
the link between the students
and the alumni.
“We make connections with
people whom you might not otherwise have met, and these are
powerful people,” she says. “They
make the difference between having an Oren Gateway Center or
not, having a scholarship to go to
college or not.”
The Stewards don’t just make
connections with alumni, but
also focus on students. In an
interview in spring 2006,
Augsburg Stewards’ founder,
Paul Cumings ’06, said,
“Students are trying to find ways
to connect with Augsburg, to
The Augsburg Stewards seek ways to engage students in the history and traditions of the College and create links with alumni.
(L to R) Rikki Starich ’07, Marie Sager ’09, lead Steward Solveig Mebust ’08, Sarah Valasek ’09, Cody Warren ’09.
create meaning behind the
school.”
“That’s exactly what we try to
do,” Mebust confirms. “We want
students to be invested in this
school, to take pride in our rich
history, be involved in present
traditions, and to help sculpt the
future of the College.”
The Stewards have already
started working toward that goal.
Each Steward receives a copy of
the late professor emeritus Carl
Chrislock’s Fjord to Freeway, a
centennial history of Augsburg
College. They then share the
College’s history with the student
body.
For example, during Auggie
Days, an orientation program for
first-year Augsburg students,
Steward Chris Kuhn presented a
brief history from Chrislock’s
book.
The Stewards began in
December 2005 when Cumings,
the student body president, came
up with the idea. “It’s important
to learn the history of the
College, to open up our past.
That helps us learn why deci-
sions have been made,” he said.
Cumings asked a few students to join, wrote a constitution, and submitted the constitution to student government. In
January 2006 the Augsburg
Stewards became an official student organization.
Currently the organization is
structured into three main committees: the History Committee,
the Present Committee, and the
Future Committee, each led by a
Steward member and focusing
on one of the three main components. However, Mebust plans
changes to the structure to make
it easier for students to participate more fully. Formal recruiting for new Stewards has taken
place during spring semester.
In December the Stewards
hosted an event called “What is
an Auggie, anyway?” With information tables in Christensen
Center, the group focused on
what it means to identify as an
Auggie and provided students
with information, food, presentations, and a documentary about
the College’s history.
“There’s something unique
about Augsburg. It’s always been
the odd child out of the
Lutheran colleges because we’ve
never felt the need to compete,”
says Mebust. “We produce amazing alumni who are leaders of
both the political and religious
realms, and their children are
now attending Augsburg.”
Mebust hopes to learn more
about why Augsburg is so
unique. She assigned the
Stewards a long-term goal of discovering the personal history of
the College. “Fjord [to Freeway] is
a great history based on institutional life, but not [its] personal
life.”
Even while still evolving, the
Augsburg Stewards are working
hard to reach their goals. Mebust
says, “We do our best to be
involved … and to be the best
representation of the College.”
—Kari Aanestad ’08
Kari Aanestad is a junior, with double majors in English/writing and
political science.
SPRING 2007 5
AROUND THE QUAD
SUPPORTING
AUGSBURG
Sabo Scholars …
‘Walking the talk’
One year after he graduated from
Augsburg, 22-year-old Martin
Olav Sabo was elected to the
Minnesota House of
Representatives in 1960 as its
youngest member. In 1978 he
was elected to the first of 14
terms in the U.S. House of
Representatives and served as one
of its most liberal members.
Throughout his entire career, he
has exemplified Augsburg’s motto,
“Education for Service,” and he
leaves a legacy as one of the most
fair-minded and principled legislators.
In 1990, his friends, family,
and alumni established the Martin
Olav and Sylvia A. Sabo
Scholarship in recognition of
Sabo’s distinguished record. The
scholarship is awarded to students who study political science
and/or have engaged in public
service, and aspire to careers in
public policy.
In 1994, fundraising began to
build the Sabo Endowment for
Leadership in Public and
Community Service. In addition
to the Sabo Scholarships, a summer leadership program for high
school students, a lecture series,
and academic support to public
service are envisioned.
Since 1995, nearly 50 students have been named Sabo
Scholars, and some served internships in Sabo’s Washington office.
A number have since chosen
careers in public service.
Garry Hesser, professor of
sociology and director of the
metro-urban studies program,
says, “What we’re trying to lift up
with the Sabo initiative is that
graduates in urban studies walk
the talk … . They stand for elected office and grapple with the
complexities of public issues and
The Sabo Scholarship
The Martin Olav and Sylvia A. Sabo Scholarship, established in 1990
by friends, alumni, and family is awarded to students with demonstrated financial need and academic achievement who study political
science and/or have engaged in public service or have interest in
public policy.
“I hope your college experience has taught you to listen, and that you
will continue to listen. … I hope you will develop your convictions
and your beliefs. I hope that you will pursue your passions. And I
hope you do get involved and choose your causes. But always remember to listen. And remember—you may not be absolutely right.”
— Martin Olav Sabo ’59
Augsburg Commencement address, 1983
6 AUGSBURG NOW
public policies.”
Here are four Sabo Scholars
whose lives are centered around
walking the talk of public service.
For Minneapolis native
Breanne Dalnes ’03, it took a
year at another Lutheran college
to realize she was an urbanite at
heart.
Once at Augsburg, a metrourban studies major became an
instant fit. “I knew as soon as I
discovered there was such a thing
as neighborhood organizations
that I wanted to get involved on
such a grassroots level,” she says.
While at Augsburg, Dalnes
spent one semester with HECUA’s
Metro-Urban Studies Term
(MUST), which she says opened
her eyes to a new way of thinking. She also served as a planning
Junior Kari Aanestad’s internship teaching
a recent immigrant to write has brought
to life issues around community needs
that her classes in political science have
introduced.
intern for the City of St. Paul.
Her last semester, she spent a
week in Washington D.C., where
her group visited various nonprofits and Sabo’s office. “It was
the perfect send-off to graduate
school.”
She received a Master of
Urban/Regional Planning degree
at the University of Minnesota’s
Humphrey Institute in 2005 and
currently serves as an associate
planner for the City of Ramsey.
“I’m putting my passions to
good work and watching out for
people who are too busy making
ends meet to get involved in their
communities or politics.”
Erica Champer ‘04 chose
Augsburg “for its integration into
a world-class city.” She also chose
metro-urban studies because, in
Making a gift to Augsburg
It’s easy to make a donation to Augsburg College.
All donations are tax-deductible.
her words, “it intertwined all of
the areas I was interested in—
history, economics, sociology, and
politics, all with a focus on making the city a better place.”
She now serves as an associate
director of quality and compliance at Heartland Alliance for
Human Needs and Human Rights
in Chicago. Champer climbed the
ladder in a short period of time,
becoming the youngest director
in a company of 800.
“At Augsburg I learned about
public housing in Chicago and
what a disaster it was, and now
I’m here two years later working
on a real solution!” says Champer.
“I am working on issues that are
meaningful to me—affordable
housing, human rights, and
more.”
Kari Aanestad graduates next
year with double majors in political science and English with a
writing concentration. During her
time at Augsburg, she has taken
advantage of many opportunities
to reflect on vocation, community
service, and building democracy.
“I love helping people and
being a servant of the people,”
Aanestad says. Her Honors Junior
Colloquium, taught by President
Pribbenow, focused on humanitarian Jane Addams, and what
Aanestad took away was a deep
appreciation of Addams’ belief
that in serving people she did not
expect to teach them, but to learn
from them.
Aanestad says her four classes
during spring semester all seemed
to synthesize around public serv-
Ana Chilingarishvili’s international
interest in children’s rights stem
from her own experience growing
up in the post-Soviet Union
Republic of Georgia.
Gifts online
Go to www.augsburg.edu/giving to make a secure credit card
donation. You can use the form to make a one-time donation or
to set up recurring gifts.
Gifts by phone
To make a donation by phone, call Kevin Healy, director of
advancement services, at 612-338-6537 or 800-273-0617.
Gifts by mail
You can mail your gift to:
Development Office, CB 142
Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454
For complete information about making a gift,
including the types of giving and giving programs,
go to www.augsburg.edu/giving.
ice. In political science theory, she
studied what it means to be a
civil leader and servant of the
people. A statistics course taught
her how knowledge is used and
how public policy is translated for
the general public. An internship
gave her the chance to work oneon-one with a 46-year-old East
African man, teaching him to
write. She learned how education
is empowerment, and how leaders have a responsibility to
empower their people. Lastly, in
American literature, she studied
what it means to have a voice,
and how in poverty people do
not have any voice.
Her thoughts after graduation
include work with the Lutheran
Volunteer Corps or AmeriCorps,
giving her chances to offer community service and better understand the role of civic associations
in a democracy.
Ana Chilingarishvili graduates this year with a major in
international relations and will
begin law school in the fall. Her
sights are set worldwide, beyond
local and national boundaries. A
native of the Republic of Georgia,
she was 6 years old when the
Soviet Union came to an end and
independence was declared. Her
family endured the civil war that
followed and were fortunate to
receive help from a number of
international organizations.
Chilingarishvili’s interest is in
human rights law, especially children’s rights, so that she can help
others in the same way. She
doesn’t yet know exactly what
that will be, but feels that
Augsburg’s focus on vocation has
helped her prepare for whatever
may develop.
When the Sabo Scholars had
the opportunity to meet Martin
Sabo on campus this spring,
Chilingarishvili was amazed to
hear about the roots of this legislator who has traveled the
world—a tiny North Dakota community and a high school graduating class of three.
— Bethany Bierman and
Betsey Norgard
SPRING 2007 7
AROUND THE QUAD
SPORTS
Auggies win 10th
national title, claim
nine All-Americans
Claiming three individual national
titles and making collegiate
wrestling history for one of its
wrestlers in the process, the
Augsburg wrestling team won its
record-10th NCAA Division III
national championship in the last
17 seasons with a dominating
performance in the tournament,
held in March in Dubuque, Iowa.
With nine All-Americans,
including three titlists and two
runners-up, Augsburg finished
with 135.5 points, 36 points
ahead of second-place Wartburg
(Iowa), the defending national
champion, with 99.5 points.
Wisconsin-La Crosse finished in
third with 92.5 points, Luther
(Iowa) finished fourth with 86.0
points and the College of New
Jersey finished fifth with 46.5
points.
Augsburg head coach Jeff
Swenson ’79 was named National
Coach of the Year by the National
Wrestling Coaches Association,
the sixth time he has earned the
honor in his 25-season career.
After the championships,
Swenson announced his resignation from his coaching position,
in order to focus on his responsibilities as the school’s assistant
dean for athletics and recreation.
Sam Barber, who has served as an
assistant on the Auggie staff for
six seasons, was named the team’s
new head coach.
“We had a lot of ups, mostly,
and a few downs,” said Swenson.
“It’s hard for me when the year
comes to an end because of the
great seniors, but the bottom line
is I’m proud of them as a group.
They really came together in the
last month of the season.”
Augsburg has finished among
the top two teams in national
competition 19 times since 1975,
has finished among the top four
Wrestling head coach Jeff Swenson steps
down after 25 seasons.
Auggie coaches Jeff Swenson (lower) and Sam Barber (upper) watch their team
With a commanding win, Auggie wrestlers captured their 10th national championship in March, with nine All-Americans.
nationally the last 19 seasons in a
row (the only NCAA school in
any division that can make that
claim), and has finished in the
top 20 nationally every season
since 1971 (NCAA from 1983 to
present, NAIA pre-1983).
Augsburg’s Marcus LeVesseur,
a senior from Minneapolis,
became the first Division III
wrestler ever to win four national
titles, and the second college
wrestler ever to finish his career
unbeaten and untied. LeVesseur,
who won Division III national
titles at 157 pounds three times
(2003, 2004, 2005), finished his
senior season at 31-0, and his collegiate career at 155-0, the second-longest winning streak in
college wrestling history. Cael
Sanderson went 159-0 during his
career at Iowa State from 19982002, winning four Division I
national titles.
“It’s unbelievable,” Swenson
said of LeVesseur’s accomplishment, “… no one had ever won
four titles (at the Division III
level), and only two guys have
ever gone through their careers
undefeated. He’s in great company with Cael [Sanderson].”
Junior Quincy Osborn
claimed his first national championship at 141 pounds. Osborn
finished his first season as an
Auggie with a 44-3 record, completing his third national tournament appearance. As a Division I
wrestler at the University of
Minnesota, he competed in
national tournaments in both
2004 and 2005. Osborn is now
104-35 in his college career.
Junior Jeremy Anderson also
earned his first national championship, completing his second
All-American season with a win in
the 157-pound class. Anderson,
who was a national runner-up last
season, finished his junior campaign at 39-2 overall and his 83-5
in his two seasons as an Auggie.
At 133, junior Jafari Vanier
repeated his second-place finish
from a year ago, and sophomore
Seth Flodeen claimed national
runner-up honors in his first
national finals appearance at 125
pounds.
Senior Jared Evans, a threetime All-American, closed out his
career with his second straight
fourth-place finish, and junior
Robbie Gotreau finished his campaign at 41-6 overall. Heavyweight senior Andrew Neumann,
in his second national tournament, finished fifth overall. At
197, junior Wally O’Connor finished eighth.
Augsburg finished with an
11-1 dual-meet record this season. For the third time in the sixyear history of the event,
Augsburg claimed the championship at the National Wrestling
Coaches Association/Cliff Keen
Division III National Duals in
January.
Academically, Augsburg finished 11th among Division III
programs in the NWCA’s academic national rankings, with a 3.283
team gradepoint average. Five
Auggies earned NWCA Scholar
All-American honors—Evans,
Neumann, Paul Bjorkstrand, Josh
Hansen, and Brandon Klukow.
wrestle to a national title.
8 AUGSBURG NOW
—Don Stoner
Jeff Swenson resigns
as wrestling coach
Augsburg wrestling head coach
Jeff Swenson announced in March
that he is resigning his coaching
post in order to focus on his
responsibilities as the school’s
assistant dean for athletics and
recreation.
Swenson, a 1979 Augsburg
graduate, served as head coach of
the Auggies for 25 seasons (198084, 1986-2007), building the
squad into a national small-college
wrestling powerhouse. Under
Swenson’s leadership, Augsburg
won a record-10 NCAA Division
III national championships and
produced a career dual-meet
record of 321-44.
Associate head coach Sam Barber takes
over as head coach.
Sam Barber, who served as an
assistant coach on Swenson’s staff
for six seasons, is taking over head
coaching duties for the Auggies.
Barber has served as associate
head coach for the last two seasons. A 1995 Upper Iowa
University graduate, he served as
head coach for the Peacocks in the
1999-2000 season.
During his Augsburg tenure,
Barber has been a part of three
national championship squads
and two national runner-up
squads, and has coached 46 AllAmericans and 13 individual
Jeff Swenson ’79 retires after 25 seasons, with a national title and Division III Coach
of the Year honors. He shares the moment with his nearly-two-year-old son, Brady.
national champions. He was
named Division III Co-National
Assistant Coach of the Year by the
National Wrestling Coaches
Association in 2006.
In his role as assistant dean for
athletics and recreation as a member of President Pribbenow’s staff,
Swenson supervises the 18-sport
intercollegiate athletics program,
the athletic facilities department,
and the College’s intramural athletic program. Swenson was
named to the position on an interim basis in 2001, and his posting
was made permanent in 2004.
“I look forward to working
with Coach Swenson in the years
ahead,” Pribbenow said, as “we
partner to make Augsburg one of
the finest examples of NCAA
Division III athletics in the country—a college that honors the
connections between academics
and athletics, that celebrates both
sportsmanship and competition,
and that helps our students to
grow as individuals and teammates … I can think of no one
better than Jeff Swenson to lead us
in this vision for intercollegiate
athletics at Augsburg College. His
track record speaks for itself. His
love for the College is unparalleled. And he has the passion,
commitment, and skills to guide
our athletics programs into a
bright future.”
Swenson has been a member
of the Augsburg community for
more than 30 years—as a student,
coach, and administrator. A
national champion wrestler at
Augsburg in his senior year of
1979 with a career record of 10217, Swenson began his coaching
career in his first year out of college, as an assistant coach on John
Grygelko’s Auggie staff. Grygelko
retired in 1980, and Swenson was
named head coach.
Swenson said that two years
ago, he made the decision that he
would step down from his coaching post this year. He said that
focusing on his role in athletic
administration will help him in
his goals to improve every aspect
of Augsburg’s athletic program
among schools in the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
and NCAA Division III.
“For me, this is a cause for celebration. It’s not a sad day. It’s a
great day. I’m able to listen to my
vocational calling and lead the
entire athletic department without
having the coaching demands,”
Swenson said.
As an administrator, Swenson
has led the Augsburg program
through a period of unprecedented growth and improvement. This
year, construction was completed
on the new Kennedy Center addition to Melby Hall, which
includes expanded classroom,
meeting, and locker room space,
along with a new fitness facility
and a new wrestling training facility. Two years ago, a new
SprinTurf surface was installed at
Edor Nelson Field, and a new
seasonal air-supported dome was
installed for the first time this
year over the field.
“I’ve been around Augsburg
since the fall of 1975, over 30
years,” Swenson said. “Augsburg
has shaped me. Augsburg has
made me who I am, and it’s
allowed me to pursue my passion
to be a coach. Now, I have a
greater passion to lead the entire
athletic department as a full-time
administrator. I’ve learned a lot
about leading and coaching by
being the head wrestling coach
here for 25 years. That’s going to
help me as I lead Augsburg athletics into the future.”
“I am proud to know Jeff
Swenson and to be able to honor
his remarkable career as our head
wrestling coach at Augsburg,”
Pribbenow said. “He has accomplished great things with his
wrestling teams—10 national
championships, countless individual titles, team academic achievements, and so on. But perhaps
more than anything, I am proud
of Jeff’s commitment and passion
for that individual student who
needs the guidance, support, and
challenge to be the best he or she
can be—as an athlete, as a student, as a person. Jeff exemplifies
what makes Augsburg the special
and rare place that it is—putting
students first and helping them to
grow to be successful, responsible,
and good people.
“Jeff Swenson leaves a remarkable legacy as the Augsburg
wrestling coach. He has built a
program that will endure as a
shining example of quality and
achievement. Now he has made
the remarkable decision to bring
his skills and passion to bear on
moving Augsburg’s intercollegiate
athletics programs to the next
level of excellence. Surely there is
no one better than Jeff to lead our
athletics programs—both to the
benefit of our student-athletes and
the reputation of the College.”
—Don Stoner
SPRING 2007 9
Augsburg
men’s hockey
head coach
Chris Brown
was named
Minnesota
Intercollegiate
Athletic
Conference
Chris Brown
Coach of the
Year. In his first year as the
Auggies head coach, Brown led
the Auggies to a 12-10-4 record
and third-place conference finish
(9-3-4), as the Auggies clinched
a berth in the MIAC playoffs for
the first time since the 2002-03
season.
Brown returned to Augsburg
last season as an assistant coach
under Mike Schwartz, a position
in which he also served during
the 1996-97 season. After leaving Augsburg in 1997, he was an
assistant coach at Division I
Alaska-Anchorage for three
years, then served as head coach
at Marian (Wis.) for four seasons
(2000-04) and at Hamline for
one season (2004-05).
Brown was also named as
one of 12 finalists for the
Edward Jeremiah Award as the
NCAA Division III National
Coach of the Year by the
American Hockey Coaches
Association.
Aaron Johnson
named MIAC Player
of the Year
Senior forward Aaron Johnson
was selected by MIAC as the
conference Player of the Year in
men’s hockey. A three-time AllMIAC honoree, he also was
10 AUGSBURG NOW
named for the
second year in
a row as a
first-team
selection on
the AHCA/
RBK Hockey
Division III
All-American
Aaron Johnson ’07
squad.
In April, he was selected as
one of two Division III players to
compete in the NCAA Pontiac
Frozen Four Skills Challenge
during Division I men’s hockey
Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo. He
was also one of eight finalists for
the Sid Watson Award, given by
the AHCA to the Division III
National Player of the Year.
Ed Saugestad
receives Hobey Baker
Legends of Hockey
Award
Former
Augsburg
men’s hockey
coach Ed
Saugestad ’59
was recognized for his
lengthy and
outstanding
service to college hockey with
the 2007 Hobey Baker Legends
of Hockey Award. The award
was presented by the Hobey
Baker Memorial Award
Foundation on May 3 in St. Paul.
Saugestad coached Augsburg
to a 503-354-21 record in a
career that spanned 37 seasons.
Only two other Division III
coaches have amassed more than
500 career victories.
In his 37 years of coaching,
Saugestad took teams to national
postseason play on 10 occasions
(nine NAIA and one NCAA),
winning NAIA national championships in 1978, 1981, and
1982. He was named NAIA
National Coach of the Year after
each of the national championships. He coached 22 AllAmericans at Augsburg.
Saugestad and his Auggies
won Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season titles six years in a
row (1976-77 to 1981-82), and
Saugestad was MlAC Coach of
the Year six times. In 1998, the
MIAC’s playoff championship
trophy was christened as the Ed
Saugestad Trophy.
Saugestad began his Auggie
coaching career while still a student at Augsburg, in 1958. He
graduated with a double major
in physical education and biology in 1959 and went on to earn
his master’s degree from the
University of Minnesota in 1964.
In addition to coaching hockey
for parts of five decades, he also
served on the Augsburg football
coaching staff from 1959-84
(head coach in the 1970-71 seasons); men’s athletic director
from 1981-87; and during his
entire Augsburg career served as
an instructor in the Health and
Physical Education Department.
Saugestad was named the
2002 recipient of the John
MacInnes Award from the
American Hockey Coaches
Association for his contributions
to the growth of amateur hockey
in the United States. In 1996,
the state of Minnesota declared
Feb. 17 as Ed Saugestad Day, in
recognition of his career accomplishments.
Archive photo
Chris Brown named
MIAC Men’s Hockey
Coach of the Year
Sophomore Ed Saugestad (back row, second from left) played on the 1956-57 Auggie
hockey team.
Coach Saugestad studies a hockey pro-
Saugestad’s hockey team captured a
gram during the 1961-62 season.
national championship in 1981.
Weekend College student Tom Gouras uses his food service background as a volunteer in Augsburg’s
Campus Kitchen, a great way for him to meet other students and feel more connected to Augsburg.
The kitchen connection
by Betsey Norgard
“I can begin to see
it take shape.”
Tom Gouras, the Monday
night shift leader at Augsburg’s
Campus Kitchen, is looking at
several pans of fried rice and vegetables, surplus food donated by a
local restaurant through the
Emergency Foodshelf Network.
Alongside them sit other pans of
pork riblets, wax beans and carrots, potatoes, and some melons.
From the donations they
receive, the Campus Kitchen volunteer crew transforms the various components into healthy
meals to be heated, delivered, and
served the next day—to the Brian
Coyle Community Center and
Trinity Lutheran’s Safe Place tutoring program in the CedarRiverside neighborhood, and at
the Minnesota Indian Women’s
Resource Center.
“I call this Chinese medley,”
Gouras says, as he combines several pans of rice and vegetables.
It can be a challenge, as the crew
never knows exactly what foods
they’ll find when they arrive for
the cooking shift. Sometimes, he
says, “what goes into the soup is
interesting.”
Since Augsburg students are
on break, Gouras’ crew tonight is
a group of four students from
Fridley High School with their
teacher, a father with his middle
school son who is doing community service, and Augsburg alum
Bill Ogren ’73. All of them have
become regular Monday night volunteers. Tonight, they cook the
potatoes, chop the melons, and
check out all the boxes of food to
make sure everything is still fresh.
Finally, pans are labeled—protein,
starch, vegetable, and fruit—and
everything is cleaned up to finish
the evening shift.
Gouras is a Weekend College
student who has been volunteering at the Campus Kitchen at
Augsburg since January. His 15
years of experience as a cook and
chef are valuable in the kitchen to
lead the crews of students and
community volunteers.
He entered Weekend College
last spring after two years at
Rasmussen College studying criminal justice. A native of St. Paul’s
East Side, Gouras recites a litany
of blue-collar jobs he’s held—furniture delivery, food service
cook/chef, garbage truck driver,
loading dock worker, chemical
dependency technician, greenhouse hand, and, currently, delivery truck driver for the New
French Bakery.
While at Rasmussen, Gouras
realized that in order to advance
much higher than where he is and
has been, he needs a four-year
degree. He hopes his courses in
psychology and sociology will prepare him for probation work with
the county or state. He’s also open
to possibilities that may develop
during his studies. “I’ve been
asked if I know my calling,” he
says, “and I hope I find it. I’m
open to it.”
After two trimesters in WEC,
Gouras began to understand how
much of the college experience
involves social interaction, and he
wasn’t feeling very connected to
Augsburg. Campus Kitchen
appealed to him because he could
use his food service experience,
and he liked the program’s mission of reaching out to others less
fortunate, making sure they have
hot meals.
Gouras is old enough to be
father to most of the student volunteers, but he enjoys their
enthusiasm, as well as sharing
with them some of his “street
smart” wisdom and common
sense.
Rachel Vallens, Campus
Kitchen coordinator, recognizes
what this does for the program.
“Tom’s cooking experience and
maturity really bring an added
dimension to his cooking shifts,”
she says. “The students look up
to him as someone who knows
what he’s doing and has done a
lot in life.”
Recently, Gouras took on an
additional task. Three days a
week, sandwiches and deli items
are donated from the University of
Minnesota, and when no one else
could pick them up on
Thursdays, he volunteered. It’s all
part of giving back, which is why
Gouras says he’s in the kitchen
every week. Ⅵ
For more information about
Augsburg’s Campus Kitchen, go to
www.campuskitchens.org.
SPRING 2007 11
keystone
courses
Fitting the pieces together
by Betsey Norgard
In architecture, a keystone sits at the top
of the arch and provides the shape and
support to the curved pieces rising to it.
In the Augsburg Core
Curriculum, the keystone is the
final piece that integrates what
students have learned in their
required general education
courses and their chosen major
with everything else they have
done at Augsburg—co-curricular experiences, leadership
development, service-learning,
study abroad, and other areas
of their Augsburg experience.
12 AUGSBURG NOW
First-year day students begin
their Augsburg education with
Augsburg Seminar, a semester
that includes orientation to residence life; development of skills
and strategies they need for success in college; introduction to
the themes of an Augsburg education, including vocation, service, community; and learning
about Augsburg’s neighborhood
and the city. It’s all about transition to college, integration into
Augsburg’s learning community,
and reflection on how they
become responsible learners.
Students learn that a hallmark of an Augsburg education
is intentional reflection on vocation, or what they call the “v”
word. All students study two
semesters of “Search for
Meaning,” which includes critical
conversations on understanding
and discovering one’s own gifts.
The senior-year keystone
course becomes the other bookend. Students synthesize all their
in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences as they focus
on transition from college to the
community, integration of what
they’ve learned, and reflection on
how they will use their gifts and
knowledge—again, transition,
integration, reflection.
What does it mean to be a
professional in their major? What
does it mean to be a biologist,
accountant, social worker, English
teacher, actor, or whatever?
Because conversations about
vocation are revisited during the
keystone, faculty need to feel
comfortable and confident in
discussing issues of faith and
vocation in this context. A grant
from the Wabash Center for
Teaching and Learning in
Theology and Religion,
“Common Vocation, Distinctive
Callings,” provides funding for
keystone faculty to partner with
religion faculty members.
Together they strategize on content and methods for these crucial conversations.
The vocation focus and other
signature elements of the Core
Curriculum—diversity, the city,
service and service-learning—
distinguish Augsburg’s keystone
from other senior “capstone”
courses. Russell Kleckley, associate professor of religion and
coordinator of keystone seminars, explains that Augsburg’s
keystones are “more intentional
about the educational experience
as a whole, to see how the general education experience has
informed the [major] discipline
and vice versa.”
Diane Pike, sociology professor and director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning, says that
keystones “take the time, with
guidance, to help students figure
out how the pieces fit together
for them.” She says, “We’re
equally serious about the transition from college outward as we
are about the transition to college from high school.”
From the College’s point of
view, the keystones measure how
well Augsburg fulfills its promise
to students. Are they satisfied
with their experience, and do
they feel well prepared and confident in what they know and
will take away with them?
keystone
Psychology majors (clockwise from bottom) Rebecca Lewis, Tiah Colacci, Nghi Ngan, and Peter Chea played a version of the Game
of Life in which the cards required players to discuss some of the bigger questions in life.
the keystone
variations
Most students take the keystone
in their senior year, and most
often in connection with their
major. This past academic year
was the first time all students
have had access to a keystone
course. With a fair amount of
flexibility, departments have created or modified existing courses, or collaborated across departments or divisions to create
classes.
psychology:
the game of life
The psychology keystone is a
good example of a department
capstone course that evolved into
a keystone. All psychology
majors have completed capstone
internship semesters that includ-
ed time on the internship site,
plus time in class, plus papers,
portfolios, etc.
This year, the course changed
to be one-half internship and
one-half keystone, with about
one-third of the total time devoted to issues around vocation. As
part of the Wabash grant, Bridget
Robinson-Reigler, associate professor of psychology, was paired
with Mary Lowe, assistant professor of religion. RobinsonReigler says that she and Lowe
had five or six conversations
about vocation, and that Lowe
helped her plan new activities to
engage her students.
“I was pleasantly surprised
how unbelievably well the students have gotten into [the discussion of vocation],” says
Robinson-Reigler. Early in the
seminar, she offered her own
model of vocation, and by opening herself to them, she set a
comfortable tone for class
discussion.
In what became a popular
activity, Robinson-Reigler introduced an adapted version of the
Game of Life, in which a number
of the play cards were rewritten
with questions relating to vocation. Given this context, students
felt comfortable first answering
the questions themselves, then
opening the conversation to
everyone.
In another session, students
were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their required liberal
arts courses. Did they work?
Why did Augsburg want them to
study those courses? Some students responded by saying that
without the keystone they never
would have thought about these
SPRING 2007 13
business and
vocation
John Knight, Center for Faith and Learning, encourages business majors to consider how their skills, beliefs, and values will
influence decisions they make every day in the business world.
questions, and this assignment
helped them figure out what
they had learned.
Robinson-Reigler’s psychology keystone is a mix of day and
weekend students, giving the
class a combination of ages and
experiences. While all students
were in the same situation of finishing college and figuring out
what was next to come, some
interesting conversations were
launched in the multigenerational class. One WEC student
said that these discussions
helped her understand her own
daughter better. Some said it
helped them understand and
appreciate the younger day
school population.
Robinson-Reigler confirms
that students are not getting any
less psychology in the new capstone-keystone with the addition
of the vocation conversation;
14 AUGSBURG NOW
they’re just getting it differently.
“I’ve taught this class before,
but I love teaching it now,” she
says. “I enjoy grading the papers!”
keystone-capable
english courses
In their new curriculum, the
English Department doesn’t have
a separate keystone course, but
rather several advanced courses
designed as “keystone-capable.”
Students are required to take one
of these courses as a keystone, for
which extra work is indicated.
Much of that work is selfreflection, and requires students
to consider, for example, their
function as readers and to think
about what is happening when
they read. The nature and depth
of their commitment to reading,
and what, if any, responsibilities
their reading entails.
This reflection is more seamless in some courses than others.
When Professor Doug Green
teaches Advanced Studies in
Language, Theory, and Method,
he integrates reflection and vocation throughout the course, even
for the non-keystone students.
Last year he taught Criticism
and Theory as a pilot keystone
course. Students read Azar
Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran
and wrote about how they
viewed the place of literature in
their own lives and cultures.
They had to respond to questions like, “How has my understanding of ‘self’ (who I am as a
reader, writer, student, English
major, woman or man, and
human being) evolved as a result
of my experiences at Augsburg?”
John Knight, associate director of
the Center for Faith and Learning,
has taught several sections of the
keystone course for the Business
Administration Department, the
College’s largest department. The
course is a collaboration between
the business and religion departments, and he co-taught the day
section with religion professor
Hans Wiersma.
Titled Vocation and the
Meaning of Success, the keystone
objectives include reflecting upon
the ways students have been
transformed by their college experiences, especially in their business major; reflecting critically on
beliefs and values they use in a
diverse world; and reflecting on
Augsburg’s understanding of vocation and a comparison to their
own vocation.
Knight finds that the feel of
the class depends significantly on
the class makeup—the day or
weekend student mix, the mix of
males and females, etc. Weekend
College students, he says, who
bring wider job skills and life
experience to class, showed a
“deep willingness to engage in the
material … and really wrapped
themselves around the [vocation]
issues by the second class.”
Some students are suspicious of
the keystone as being a religion
class and question its relevance to
their future. Knight asks them to
consider the bigger picture of
meaning and purpose in their lives.
What does it mean to be a business
professional? How does he or she
behave? He believes that somewhere down the road students will
understand why they had to take
this course and see the benefits
from it.
creating a life in
the fine arts
Students in music, visual art, and
theatre share a cross-disciplinary
keystone course, Creating a Life
in the Fine Arts.
The syllabus states that the
course will “synthesize recurring
powerful concepts of vocation
with practical tools and realities.”
Students will balance the “development of entrepreneurial skills
with ‘intrapreneurial’ knowledge
and awareness” while preparing
for professional life in the community.
The idea of shared courses
across the arts is not new—several short-term courses have
taken place over the past few
years. What’s new is the infusion
of the larger issues integrating
liberal arts and vocation.
Merilee Klemp ’75, associate
professor of music, led the conversations among arts faculty
around the new Core
Curriculum.
Anticipating the need to create a keystone course, she sought
a Lilly Endowment grant for the
music faculty to explore topics in
music and vocation with a consultant, Janis Weller.
Extending this conversation
to art and theatre faculty formed
the nucleus for the new keystone. It also promoted the
building of a fine arts community among both faculty and students on campus. Weller taught
the course, along with Klemp
(music), Darcey Engen (theatre),
and Tara Sweeney (art).
Critical conversations about
vocation began and ended the
course. These included visiting
guest artists, who spoke about
their roles in the community and
world.
In conjunction with the
Wabash grant, Sweeney was
paired with Lori Brandt Hale,
assistant professor of religion.
They met frequently, and Sweeney
describes the experience, “What I
am discussing in the service of
teaching the keystone is inseparable from what I am learning about
my own vocation and practice as
an artist at the same time.”
Their discussions included
how their religious upbringing or
belief systems affected what and
how they teach, and how they
could challenge and support students to discover their own
authentic voices.
The keystone seniors across
art, music, and theatre were
encouraged to find common
ground. In one exercise, teams of
students were given ordinary
objects, like a chair, and together
asked to consider it from a number of perspectives—how the
object could move or be used
with their bodies, what the visual
elements of the object were, what
kinds of sounds the object could
make.
Practical sessions about being
an artist were also included.
Students practiced networking
with introductions and business
cards, and they had to prepare
artist’s statements and professional
résumés.
Several break-out sessions separated the students into their
respective departments for discussions specific to their fields.
For the most, students resonated with the cross-disciplinary
focus of the keystone. “I think
working alongside artists in
another genre is a rare gift in the
college setting,” said music performance major Nikki Lemire.
Still, she enjoyed working with
her music classmates, however,
and would have enjoyed more
break-out time within her own
department and less full-group
time.
Theatre major James Lekatz
appreciated the practical elements
of the course. Hearing from guest
speakers—practicing artists,
teachers, grants administrators—
made him aware of their involvement in the community and the
different styles they use. He said
the course helped students deal
with removal of the “safety net of
Augsburg,” and taught them how
to use specific skills, e.g., to get
gallery space, to plan a show, etc.
Over the next couple of
years, the keystone courses will
all be evaluated and revisions
made where needed. But no matter what the form or content the
senior keystone courses take,
they will all continue to help students complete an Augsburg
education as effective, informed,
and ethical citizens. And to
become adaptable and resilient—
elements needed for success on
whatever path they choose.
Studio art major Rachel Nelson (top), theatre arts major James Lekatz (middle), and
music performance major Catherine DeVoe (right) explore the properties and possibilities of a stool.
SPRING 2007 15
Above: Martin Sabo smiles to greet a judge as he stands in the
imposing Capitol Rotunda, 96 feet in diameter.
Left (top): In their suburban Virginia home, Sylvia Sabo, Martin’s wife
and college sweetheart, works on a crossword puzzle; her husband
usually tackles Sudoku. According to Sylvia, playing the puzzles is
part of their morning ritual.
Left (below): Leaving Congress means many farewells, in this case to
Pennsylvania’s 12th District congressman John Murtha, as the doors
close in the Rayburn Building elevator.
Right: The transition in leadership begins to seem more real as Sabo
sits in a nearly barren office watching Rep. Nancy Pelosi read the
results for the new Democratic leadership in the House.
16 AUGSBURG NOW
The
ending of an
era
CONGRESSMAN MARTIN OLAV SABO,
Augsburg College Class of 1959, represented
Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the
U.S. House of Representatives for 28 years and
became a fixture in the Democratic party. In
2006 he made the decision to retire from
Congress and return to life as a private citizen.
Augsburg staff photographer Stephen Geffre
tagged along on the day Sabo and his staff
vacated the corner office in the Rayburn
House Office Building he had earned through
seniority. Sabo actually spent the last month
of his term in a basement cubicle in Rayburn
HOB, with room enough for him and only one
staff member.
SPRING 2007 17
18 AUGSBURG NOW
Olav
Martin
Sabo
THE ENDING OF AN ERA
Above: Martin Sabo takes a moment to read through the
mail delivered to his desk.
Left (top): After a rainy day, the sun finally breaks
through to illuminate the dome of the United States
Capitol, a stately presence in the nation’s capital city.
Far left: Bonnie Gottwald, Sabo’s scheduler, packs up her
small portion of the D.C. office. She is one of only two
schedulers Sabo has had throughout his 28-year tenure in
Washington, and she echoes the entire staff in saying that
Sabo was always a joy to have as a boss.
Middle left: Each departing representative receives a
lengthy final checklist, to ensure as smooth a transition
as possible.
Left: Martin Sabo’s staff poses on the Capitol steps for
their last official photo.
SPRING 2007 19
THE ENDING OF AN ERA
Above (top): Sabo chats with Kevin Bonderud, who served as his first communications
director, during the office-closing party. Scattered across Sabo’s desk are mementos of
more than two decades in the House of Representatives, including mock baseball cards
with Sabo’s stats on them, photos, ashtrays, and T-shirts.
Above: Back in his Minneapolis office, Sabo takes a few minutes to go through the mail.
The plaques, hanging outside the door, are just a small sample of the honors and awards
that mark the achievements of a long legislative career.
Right: Each successive file drawer marked “empty” means that staffers are getting closer
to having all files reviewed and sorted.
20 AUGSBURG NOW
Auggies at the forefront
General civil unrest swelled across the nation. Detroit was
rioting, and downtown Minneapolis was starting to empty.
College students demanded social change, and colleges
responded with programs centering on the urban crisis.
And, Augsburg College was at the forefront.
Thirty-five years later, thanks to a visionary professor, an
enterprising faculty, and a supportive administration,
Augsburg’s metro-urban studies program graduates leaders
who are making decisions about current issues and future
needs, and planning for livable and sustainable neighborhoods and cities.
Urban legends
by Bethany Bierman
in city planning
It was the late sixties, and American cities were in crisis.
Joel Torstenson’s vision laid the foundation for an urban studies program. His wife,
Garry Hesser is professor of sociology and chairs the metro-urban studies program.
Fran, joins him here.
A program is born
Joel Torstenson came to Augsburg as a history major from west central Minnesota. After graduating in 1938, he worked in education for
Farmer’s Co-ops, earned a master’s degree in history and sociology,
and began teaching part time at Augsburg.
During the war years he joined the peace movement and community organizing. In 1947, he returned to Augsburg to develop its
social work and sociology programs while completing his PhD in
sociology. These programs provided a natural foundation for urban
studies 20 years later.
Torstenson writes in his memoirs, “The more [Augsburg] became
involved in urban affairs, the more we began to ask the question—
what is the appropriate role of a liberal arts college located at the center of an exploding metropolis?”
In 1966, Torstenson used his sabbatical to explore this question.
He visited urban studies programs at East Coast schools. Upon
returning, he wrote a position paper with the rationale and proposal
for a metro-urban studies program at Augsburg.
In order to set this in motion, courses centering on the city were
needed. Torstenson, Miles Stenshoel of the political science department, Orloue Gisselquist in history, Ed Sabella in economics, Ron
Palosaari in English, and other faculty embraced this concept.
In 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, the director of
youth programs for the American Lutheran Church, Rev Ewald Bash,
wanted to address the cultural challenges head on. Colleagues
encouraged him to contact Torstenson, who had a reputation for his
pursuit of racial justice and human rights.
“The Crisis Colony” was born from their conversation. Students
lived on the north side of Minneapolis, first in public housing and
later in an abandoned synagogue, while learning from people who
lived and worked in the community. Led by Torstenson, Bash, and
Stenshoel, it grew from an intense summer program, to a semester
program, to the Metro Urban Studies Term, or “MUST,” the first academic program of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban
Affairs (HECUA). Today, MUST is a key element for all urban studies
majors and is one of the premier interdisciplinary experiential education programs in the nation.
Torstenson took his second sabbatical in Scandinavia in order to
explore how to build cities without crisis. Out of this came the
Scandinavian Urban Studies Term, or “SUST,” the second program of
22 AUGSBURG NOW
HECUA. Based at the University of Oslo, students attend seminars,
go on field excursions, and volunteer with various community and
governmental organizations.
“Two unique ingredients contributed to the success of the [metrourban studies] program: commitments from faculty … and the programs offered through HECUA, which became catalysts and capstones for the major,” says Garry Hesser, professor of sociology and
chair of the metro-urban studies program, who was hired in 1977 to
succeed Torstenson.
While the University of Minnesota and other private colleges
established urban studies programs in response to the mid-’60s urban
crisis, most have not survived.
“Augsburg’s is one of the few that has retained faculty and administrative commitment,” Hesser says. “Over the past 35 years there has
been a steady stream of graduates who have become professional
planners, city administrators, elected officials, and citizens serving on
planning commissions, hearkening to the call to public service.”
With monies from the Lilly [Endowment] grant, a spring break
trip to Washington, D.C., has run the past five years, exposing students to vocations in community development and public service. Up
until this year, the group visited Martin Sabo at his office. This year
they met with newly-elected congressman Keith Ellison and his staff.
Many students decide on metro-urban studies majors after the trip.
Here are several stories of careers that have been shaped by the
metro-urban studies program.
Allan Torstenson ’75
Transforming neighborhoods
One of the first graduates of the metro-urban studies program was
Allan Torstenson.
In his first semester at Augsburg, the Dawson, Minn., native took
his Uncle Joel Torstenson’s “Man in Modern Metropolis” course (now
called “Community and the Modern Metropolis”) because it fulfilled a
graduation requirement. “I tried my best not to disappoint him, and
found it to be a fascinating subject,” says Allan.
As a sophomore, he took an Interim course on new towns, which
included meeting with architects and city planners and visiting HUD
officials in Washington, D.C., and Columbia, Maryland. He loved the
trip, but was still unsure of a major. He considered taking a break
Allan Torstenson ’75 speaks to a metro-urban studies class about community
Paula Pentel’s life experiences have informed her work in urban studies at the
development.
University of Minnesota and with her City Council seat.
from school, but when he shared this with his uncle, Joel suggested
the new SUST program, which was being offered for the first time in
1973. That cross-cultural experience was the eye opener he needed
to decide on metro-urban studies.
Today, Allan is a senior planner for the City of St. Paul, where he
has worked since 1980. One of his most challenging and gratifying
projects has been the Phalen Village Plan and redevelopment project.
Through strategic vision, neighborhood involvement, and hard work,
a run-down, auto-oriented area surrounding a failed shopping center
was transformed into a more pedestrian- and neighborhood-oriented
“urban village” with new housing, new jobs, a restructured neighborhood commercial area, a restored wetland, and a new sense of community.
More than just “the guy who wrote the plan,” Allan researched solutions and wrote grants addressing the larger issues. In 1993 he authored
the Phalen Corridor Redevelopment Proposal, leading to the Phalen
Corridor Initiative and affecting much of St. Paul’s East Side.
“The transformation in only a few years has been amazing,”
Torstenson shared with one of Hesser’s classes recently. “A lot of what
I did in this effort was influenced by the urban studies program at
Augsburg. It’s not just about design, but addresses the real problems
neighborhoods deal with to build and sustain socially and economically viable communities.” He also credits the SUST program as a
foundation for many of the project concepts he considered.
Washington Avenue down through the scrap yards … up through
Cedar-Riverside, which in the early ’70s was very vibrant—it was a
fascinating trip through time that I took every day.”
A course she took from Joel Torstensen really resonated with her,
and she abandoned the biology major.
While at Augsburg, Pentel got involved in collective decisionmaking as one of the volunteer coordinators of North Country
Co-op. Pentel also participated in SUST the fall of her junior year.
“What I took back was planning for versus planning with the public.”
Between Augsburg and graduate school in geography at the
University of Minnesota, Pentel interned for the City of Richfield and
became involved in her neighborhood organization. In 1985 she and
her husband moved to Golden Valley, where she continued volunteering in the community, serving 12 years on the Planning
Commission, seven years as chair.
In 2004 there was a vacant seat on the Golden Valley City
Council. Pentel was appointed to fill out the term and was reelected
in 2005. During her tenure, she’s seen considerable improvements in
regard to environmental stewardship, construction of the Luce Line
bike trail, and creation of a vibrant downtown area.
Pentel stays connected to her North Minneapolis roots by serving
as a board member on the West Broadway Area Coalition and being
active at the Hollywood Studio of Dance, a non-profit, parent-managed endeavor.
“To be effective in what I do in my public life, I have to be articulate, informed, accepting, and open. A lot of that I developed at
Augsburg,” she says.
In her professional work, Pentel serves as undergraduate advisor
for the urban studies program at the university. “I help students find
their calling and what interests them.” She is particularly proud of
mentoring Patricia Torres Rey, who became the first Latina woman
elected to the Senate in the State of Minnesota.
Pentel developed and now teaches a course on the urban environment, which examines the urban effects on air, water, and soil. “All
environmental issues have a local component,” Pentel says. “I tell my
students to look at Augsburg’s new low-impact parking lot [on the
east edge of campus]. It’s a great example of a very innovative way to
mitigate pollution from storm water runoff.”
Pentel also continues the Torstenson legacy of hosting an annual
open house for her advisees—about 80 of them. “I tell them, ‘This is
your private college experience.’”
Paula (Brookins) Pentel ’78
Teaching the next generation
It was at Minneapolis North High School that Paula (Brookins) Pentel
’78 began her life-long interest in civic engagement. She witnessed
the unequal distribution of resources while visiting various
Minneapolis high schools with the debate and cheerleading teams,
and also watched “white flight” from her north-side neighborhood. “I
became interested in social justice and wanted to understand and
affect change in how the city works.”
Pentel chose Augsburg because it offered a biology major and
allowed her to commute.
“I rode the bus to and from campus for four years,” she recalls.
“That’s how I really became interested in urban studies—riding down
SPRING 2007 23
Tammera (Ericson) Diehm ’93
Giving citizens a voice
Growing up in Coon Rapids, Minn., Tami Diehm was fascinated by the
“inner city.” Her plan to be a social studies teacher changed when she
took a metro-urban studies class from Andy Aoki her freshman year.
“For me, the program was the perfect way to combine my interests in
people, government, and the urban environment.”
In the spring of her junior and senior years, Diehm interned with
Anoka County, and during her senior year, she examined multicultural
education in Minneapolis public schools for her senior honors project.
Following graduation from Augsburg in 1993, Diehm spent several
years raising three children but kept in touch with her interests through
her appointments to the Columbia Heights Charter and Planning
Commissions. She also kept in touch with Aoki, her adviser.
While discussing her graduate school plans with him over lunch
one day, he asked her if she could do anything, what it would be. Her
answer? Law school, although she thought her three young children
prevented her from pursuing it. Aoki said she owed it to herself to
check it out.
Three years later, in 2003, Diehm graduated summa cum laude
from William Mitchell College of Law, which she attended on full scholarship. She clerked for Justice Russell Anderson of the Minnesota
Supreme Court for one year and currently is an attorney at Winthrop &
Weinstine, P.A. Her practice focuses primarily on land use and real
estate, assisting clients as they seek development approvals from local
government. She also serves as the city attorney for Mendota Heights.
In addition to her legal work, Diehm is serving her second term on
the Columbia Heights City Council, and was elected as council president in 2006. She is also a member of the Economic Development
Authority and the chair of the city’s Housing Redevelopment Authority.
“There was a strong sense that Augsburg students should not only
be an active part of the College community, but also an active part of
the larger community in which the College is located,” says Diehm.
“This desire to ‘give back’ has stayed with me and directly impacted my
decision to run for my position on the City Council. I saw a need in our
community—the need for young families to have a voice in the decision-making process of the city.”
The desire to give back that Tami Diehm ’93 learned at Augsburg has influenced her
decisions to serve in public office.
24 AUGSBURG NOW
“Through my experiences at Augsburg, I realized that I could use
my gifts to serve a need in the world, and thus follow the Christian concept of vocation,” says Diehm. “I have incorporated my ‘call to serve’
into my work—not only by adhering to the highest ethical standard in
the way in which I practice law—but also through a commitment to
providing pro bono legal services to those who would otherwise have
only limited access to legal representation, and by serving my community on the city council.”
These pro bono projects include representing women and children
in domestic abuse cases, volunteering at a legal clinic where she advises
people who are starting new businesses, and assisting with the formation of new non-profit organizations as they work to obtain tax exempt
status from the IRS.
“In both my legal work and my public service I feel I am using my
gifts to serve a need in the world.”
Diehm was named a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law and Politics in
2007 and one of 15 “Up and Coming Attorneys” in 2006 by Minnesota
Lawyer.
Susan (Horning) Arntz ’94
Managing suburban growth
Susan (Horning) Arntz decided in ninth grade civics that she would run
for president in 2020, with her slogan being “A Clearer Vision.” Her
love of government grew, and she came to Augsburg to major in political science. She learned of the metro-urban studies program in her second year and focused her electives around metro-urban studies courses.
At a rally on campus her sophomore year, Arntz introduced herself
to Hennepin County commissioner Peter McLaughlin, hoping to secure
a summer job. His aide, fellow Auggie Mike Matson ’79, insisted she
begin earlier, and she spent one-and-a-half years working for him.
After graduation, she interned for the City of Shoreview and then
began her professional career in assistant city administrator positions in
Chaska and New Brighton, before becoming the youngest person ever
hired as city administrator in the City of Waconia, where she has
worked since 2001.
“It’s a growing community, so much of what we do requires look-
Susan Arntz ’94 leads the City of Waconia through its growth spurt.
Today’s Students
ing to the future on a daily basis,” says Arntz. “The people having
these conversations may never be here to see these things happen, just
as those before us made decisions that affect us today.”
Arntz says the biggest challenge she deals with is how to manage
the growth of the city, which has increased 25% in six years and
shows no sign of slowing. This requires communication and cooperation with developers, the school board, property owners, and elected
officials.
“I think one of the best things that Augsburg taught me, both from
a faith perspective and also from an educational perspective, was how
to be receptive to all of those ideas and to have a guide for what I
believe to be right.”
As far as running for president, Arntz says, “The longer I serve in
the capacity I am in, the less I’m intrigued by elected office. I can
make an immediate impact on 10,000 people. We can make huge,
positive improvements or small incremental improvements that will
have a greater outcome down the road.”
Arntz earned a master’s degree in public administration from
Hamline University in 1999. In 2004, Augsburg awarded her the First
Decade Award, and she has served on the Alumni Board.
Rebecca Brown ’00
Promoting community development
While her mother, Barbara (Anderson) ’66, is an alumna, it was the
call of the city that lured Rebecca Brown of Appleton, Minn., to
Augsburg.
While at Augsburg, Brown completed five different internships
and off-campus work-study opportunities, from working with a summer youth peace garden for the Seward Neighborhood Group, to
teaching English for the South American arm of the YMCA in Quito,
Ecuador.
After her sophomore year, Brown took a year off to serve with
AmeriCorps in order to truly live in the city. She took the bus every
day from South Minneapolis to her work at an alternative high school
in North Minneapolis.
Brown also participated in HECUA her senior year, teaching
Tomorrow’s Leaders
Sarah Pesola ’07 of Wadena, Minn., chose metro-urban studies because,
“It meant that I could study history, sociology, economics, political science,
and other disciplines as well.”
Pesola participated in SUST and recalls, “My semester in Norway was
amazing. It had a huge impact on me, ultimately changing the way I view
the world.” Pesola will begin to volunteer at a youth homeless shelter in
Berkeley, Calif., through Lutheran Volunteer Corps.
Since a mission trip to Detroit in junior high, Greg Hildebrandt ’08
has felt the pull to work with people living in the inner city. He went on
the D.C. trip with Hesser last year and will participate in the MUST
semester in the fall.
“Students who are in [metro-urban studies] are very passionate about
what they are doing,” Hildebrandt says. “They’ll carry this passion with
them the rest of their lives, whether professionally or through volunteering.”
Plans for the future include using his second major in mathematics to help
with statistics and budgeting within a non-profit as well as tutoring students.
Jeanette Clark ’07 felt a calling into urban ministry even as a student
at Hopkins High School. She chose Augsburg for its metro-urban studies
and youth and family ministry programs.
At Augsburg, Clark served as a campus ministry commissioner and
leadership team member for the Campus Kitchen. In March Clark created a spring-break opportunity, “Go Away Here,” which included service
projects in the local community, visits to neighborhood organizations,
and social outings.
She will begin work at City South Cluster Ministries in South
Minneapolis through Lutheran Volunteer Corps, then plans to begin
Seminary with the hope of serving in an urban congregation.
English and learning about community organizing, agriculture, and
the economy in Ecuador and South America. She spent an additional
seven months in Ecuador on her own, working with rural youth in
agriculture.
“Traveling abroad definitely makes me a better city planner,”
Brown says. “It has opened my mind to varied ways of thinking and
behaving in community. As a city planner, understanding and validating different points of view, opinions, and experiences is critical.”
After graduating from Augsburg, Brown served over three years as
code enforcement and neighborhood coordinator for the City of
Crystal. She earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning
with a specialization in economic development from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2006.
She now serves as project coordinator for the City of Minneapolis’
Department of Community Planning and Economic Development.
She works in neighborhoods to coordinate commercial redevelopment projects that incorporate public assistance.
As for her future, Brown says, “I see myself in a life of public
service, involved in state-level economic and tax policy in 15-20
years and perhaps an elected office.” Ⅵ
For more information about programs mentioned, go to:
www.augsburg.edu/sociology and www.hecua.org
Travel abroad and internships prepared Rebecca Brown ’00 for city planning.
SPRING 2007 25
T
place
A
of
their
own
Doroth Mayer
by Betsey Norgard
East African women spend time at the East African Women’s Center, established two
he East African Women’s Center in Riverside Plaza near
Augsburg’s campus is a busy place on a weekday morning.
In this two-year-old program of the Confederation of
Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM), several East
African women sit at sewing machines, practicing sewing
seams in bright fabrics. Others are pressing their fabrics or talking with
a center volunteer. In the next room, behind a glass window, six or
seven small children play actively under the watchful eyes of mothers
and the center’s caregiver in the family childcare room.
In the middle of the activity is center coordinator Doroth Mayer,
often juggling a baby on her hip as she goes about her work. Rarely are
there quiet moments for her in this center she co-created with CSCM’s
executive director, Saeed Fahia.
Since 1994 CSCM has served more than 18,000 Somali immigrants who have settled in Minnesota—the largest concentration in the
country. CSCM provides resources and services to assist Somalis in
navigating American systems and making the transition to living life in
a new culture, while still preserving their traditions. CSCM is funded
by county, state, and federal agencies, as well as a number of
Minnesota foundations. The Women’s Center’s funding has come from
the Office of Refugee Resettlement and local foundations including the
Bush Foundation, the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation,
Sheltering Arms Foundation, and Wells Fargo.
Within the East African refugee community, young mothers with
children and elderly women who have arrived in the last few years
remain especially isolated, some rarely leaving their apartments to take
English classes, to meet American women, or to learn how to cook and
prepare American food. When CSCM was offered a 2,000-square-foot
location right in the middle of the Riverside Plaza housing complex, it
secured grant money and opened the Women’s Center in February
2005. From the beginning, a family childcare center was an integral
part of CSCM’s plan so mothers would have a safe place to leave their
children and take English language classes, learn to sew, or simply to
do their laundry and daily tasks.
The Women’s Center currently serves 85-100 women and children
every week. Different levels of sewing classes meet three days, morning
and afternoon, with two teachers and six or seven women in each
class. Fabric is provided, and the women learn the basics of how to
sew and how to use sewing machines to make simple items, like
aprons and bags. Some women’s skills are now advanced enough to
make clothing for themselves and their children.
years ago in Cedar-Riverside, for sewing classes, the family childcare center, and other
activities.
A partnership
grows
Augsburg’s partnership with the East African Women’s Center is relatively new. During President Pribbenow’s inauguration week last fall, a
service group from Augsburg spent a morning painting at the center.
One person in the group that day was Augsburg junior Kristen Hoyles,
a youth and family ministry major. After hearing Mayer talk about renovation of the center and how much painting was still needed, Hoyles
made a commitment not only to paint, but to teach two or three of the
26 AUGSBURG NOW
Doroth Mayer
adolescent girls in Girls’ Group
how to paint, so together they
could get the job done. She’s
there on Friday afternoons and
feels she is living out her theology by using her painting experience to help where it’s needed.
“I’m in awe of how grateful
the center has been for something I feel is no big deal,”
Hoyles says.
Mayer adds, “Kristen has no
clue how much she means to us.
She has finished the painting,
and we’ve negotiated a new job
for her—she is becoming our
‘handy person.’ She is starting by
taking on the task of repairing
the center’s tricycles so the little
kids have trikes to use.”
The group that visited the
center also took great interest in
the textile weavings hanging on
the walls, made by Somali
women from yarn donated to the
center.
The weavings represent the
thousand-year-old tradition of
East African “twine weaving,”
originally using grasses and vines
to make wall coverings, horse
blankets, and bags used in their
nomadic cultures. When
President Pribbenow furnished
his new office at Augsburg, he
sought out Somali art, and now
has samples of these weavings
hanging both in his office and in
his home.
The Somali weavings will
Kristen Hoyles, an Augsburg junior majoring in youth and family ministry, volunteers at the Women’s Center, teaching adolescent Somali girls to paint with her.
also be featured on campus as
the inaugural exhibit in the new
Gage Family Gallery, scheduled
to open in August in the Oren
Gateway Center.
A kitchen shower
Mayer, who has worked for
many years in community-based
activities, would love to see more
opportunities for the East African
women to spend time with
American women—she knows
how much the women want to
develop friendships with
American women, learn from
them how to live within
American culture, and share East
African culture with their new
friends.
Mayer sometimes takes
women from the center with her
when she buys groceries for center activities. The women ask
about things they don’t know or
understand and foods they’ve
never seen before.
“Last week at the supermarket, we saw some asparagus,”
Mayer says. “We brought back
several bunches and steamed it.
It was a big hit. Even some of
the little kids in the family child-
care center tried it—cautiously,
but they tried it!”
When the Women’s Center
space was renovated (with the
support of the Bush and Phillips
Foundations and the apartment
complex managers, Sherman and
Associates) a full kitchen was
added at Mayer’s suggestion—
and it has proven to be popular
and very well used. She learned
that giving the women recipes to
try at home was not useful, since
many of them don’t read or
know how to follow recipes. But
learning by observing and then
trying it themselves was the way
to go.
“Once in a while we make
quick bread to give the kids for
snacks,” Mayer says. “We learned
that women wanted to watch us
make it. Then, after we make it
together they tell us they feel
comfortable trying it themselves
at home.”
The popularity of cooking
led to another project initiated
by Augsburg community services
director Mary Laurel True. For
Professor Bev Stratton’s religion
class, in which students carry
out projects that benefit the
community, True suggested the
idea of a kitchen shower for the
Women’s Center.
With a wish list provided by
the Women’s Center to adequately equip their kitchen, the class
sought donations from faculty,
SPRING 2007 27
Doroth Mayer
The Somali yarn weaving hanging in President Pribbenow’s office
East African women enjoyed opening gifts for their kitchen from Augsburg faculty, students,
symbolizes the partnership between Augsburg and the East African
and staff at a “kitchen shower” initiated by Professor Bev Stratton’s religion class.
staff, students, and friends.
Fifteen women from Augsburg
met nearly 20 East African
women at the center, shared
desserts and Somali tea, and gave
them “presents” to open. In addition, cash gifts and Target and
IKEA gift cards were given, to
involve the East African women
in shopping for their kitchen.
Mayer was delighted and
called it a great event. “Mary
Laurel came up with the most
creative way to bring women
together that I’ve seen yet. She is
giving women an opportunity to
share their cultures in a respectful and joyous way.”
Learning to lead
Mayer recognizes that new leadership must grow from the
women at the center. She is
encouraging them to actively
engage in whatever learning
28 AUGSBURG NOW
opportunities are appropriate to
their personal situations and to
develop their leadership skills so
that some day they have the
capacity to run the center that
they call their “home away from
home. “In addition,” she says,
“we need partners in the community who try to understand
what we’re doing … partners
who really get to know the
women and plan together with
them.”
For Augsburg’s part, this
kind of partnership wouldn’t be
possible without its Center for
Service, Work, and Learning,
which establishes and nurtures a
myriad of connections between
the College and its surrounding
neighbors—for tutoring, health
education and fitness, sports
clinics, music lessons, science
teaching in the school, meals
programs, use of campus facili-
Doroth Mayer
Women’s Center.
ties, college preparation sessions,
and so on.
Augsburg partners with
CSCM for two tutoring programs, one of which brings
Somali high school students
directly to campus twice a week
for homework help from students in Augsburg’s Honors
Program. The other program targets elementary and middle
school students for tutoring and
receives snacks from the Campus
Kitchen at Augsburg College
Monday through Thursday.
Already True has ideas for
new projects, especially between
the Women’s Center and
Augsburg’s Women’s Resource
Center.
“We are so fortunate to have
this new center in our neighborhood,” True says. “There is so
much we can learn from each
other, and so many ways we can
work together to enhance the lives
of women in this community.”
Hoyles confirms this, saying
that during her time at the center
she is gaining a stronger sense of
community, and “understanding
that our world isn’t so big.
“I think students who do not
learn about our community are
really missing out,” she says. Ⅵ
ALUMNI NEWS
From the Alumni Board president …
Greetings fellow Auggies,
As I’m sure you’re experiencing, the circle and cycle of life continues unabated this year. It is
particularly noticeable to me this year because of the differences which reinforce the sameness
(apologies and thanks to Dr. Palosaari—you helped me improve my writing skills tremendously and
ensured that the poet in me remains untrammeled, too!). Let me explain …
I’m both a student of and practitioner in the field of human systems dynamics. One way we model the
world is through containers, differences, and exchanges. A container, like Augsburg College, is
described by its differences which make a difference in the world. Then, as critical friends, we can
exchange thoughts about those differences in our mutual container.
One difference at Augsburg I want to bring to your attention relates to Commencement:
• The school year is ending with graduation again—a common experience we alumni share and a tremendously important difference,
that makes a difference in the lives of our alumni-to-be. Please join me in welcoming them into new stages of life as Auggie alumni by
taking a moment to think warm, welcoming thoughts or remember them in your prayers.
• Augsburg has two Commencement ceremonies for the first time in its history—one on May 5 aligns the cycle of life of
traditional day students and physician assistant students on semesters, and one on June 24 aligns with WEC and graduate program
students on trimesters. Please join me in saluting Augsburg’s leadership for recognizing the differences in the cycle of life for different
parts of the student body and responding to provide a better graduation experience.
Another difference I want to encourage you to check out is our Online Community. Go to www.augsburg.edu and click on the Alumni
and Friends link:
• To see up-to-date information on Alumni Relations
• To check out the benefits available to you as alumni (did you know that as alumni you can use Lindell Library? Check out the Alumni
Benefits link!). Read about it on the next page.
• Log in to the Augsburg Online Community where you can search for fellow Auggies, keep the College up to date on contacting you,
make a donation to support Augsburg, or read about fellow alumni. You can even read the minutes of the Alumni Association and its
committees (log in to the Online Community, then select the Alumni Leadership>Alumni Board path).
And finally, as you make a difference in the world, remember to stay in touch. We want to hear from you and we want to be able to
contact you.
• Let us know how you are and what you are doing through the Alumni Relations Office (alumni@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1181).
• Register and visit our Online Community (www.augsburg.edu, click on Alumni and Friends, then Augsburg Online Community). Then
update your profile and search for your fellow classmates.
Go Auggies!
Barry Vornbrock, ’96 MAL
President, Augsburg Alumni Association
We’re off to the races!
Auggie Night at the Races
Canterbury Park, Shakopee
Thursday, August 2
5:30 p.m., picnic • 7 p.m., first race
Complimentary entrance fee; fun for all ages. Space is limited.
RSVP to rsvp@augsburg.edu by July 26.
Alumni Board meetings
Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m.—location to be confirmed
SPRING 2007 29
ALUMNI NEWS
Take advantage of Auggie alumni benefits
Augsburg Legacy
Award
The Augsburg Legacy Award is
available to full-time day
students working toward their
first bachelor’s degree, who are
children or spouses of Augsburg
graduates; siblings of current
Augsburg students; or children
or spouses of current ELCA
pastors. No scholarship
application is required. Students
who qualify for both the Legacy
Award and Regents’ Scholarship
or Transfer Regents’ Scholarship
will receive only one award,
whichever is higher. Renewal is
based on maintaining a
minimum cumulative grade
point average of 2.0, measured at
the end of spring term.
Amount: Minimum $4,000
per year
Deadline: Accepted for
admission by May 1 for fall
enrollment; or Dec. 1 for spring
enrollment
www.augsburg.edu/day/finaid/
scholarships.html
Discount on tuition
for classes
Alumni are offered up to four
courses—one course per
term—at 50% off the current
part-time tuition rate (day or
weekend programs). This benefit
does not apply to alumni whose
enrollment qualifies them for
full-time comprehensive tuition.
Tuition discount must be applied
for in the same academic year as
the course is taken.
The following courses do not
count for the benefits noted:
directed study, independent
study, internships, Summer
School, graduate programs,
study abroad, continuing
education. The following do
meet the requirements for the
benefits noted: fall, winter, or
spring term courses; student
teaching; and partial courses (.50
and .25 education courses use
one of the four benefits). NOTE:
The tuition discount cannot be
applied until after the 10th day
of classes in the specified term.
Book privileges in
Lindell Library
Free Augsburg library cards with
limited services are available to
alumni. Check with the
circulation or reference desks for
further information on how to
obtain a library card.
Augsburg License
Plate
Join the Augsburg Online Community
It’s designed just for you—
• Keep in touch with classmates
• Find out what’s happening on campus
• Send class notes about what you’re doing
• Change/update your address and e-mail
• Update your profile so others can find you
• Make an online gift to Augsburg
It’s fast and easy. Already, more than 500 alumni have registered.
Simply go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni—have you signed up?
If you have questions, e-mail healyk@augsburg.edu.
30 AUGSBURG NOW
Display your Augsburg
connection! Available through
the Minnesota Department of
Transportation
www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/
PlBrochure/CollegiatePlates.htm
Athletic facilities
Augsburg’s athletic facilities are
available to alumni when they
are not in use for special events,
classes, or other activities. If you
plan to come, it’s best to check
first with the athletic facilities
office at 612-330-1504,
especially during the summer.
Schedules are posted outside
of ice rinks A and B (neither rink
is available during the summer),
the gym, and the fitness centers.
Note: Use of the fitness centers is
available only to graduates of the
College. Alumni may use the
racquetball court by signing up
on the posted sheets at the court.
Reservations must be made in
person—no phone reservations
are accepted.
Alumni will be asked for
identification when using the
facilities. An Augsburg ID card
(available in the Enrollment
Center) or an A-Club pass will
expedite your admission.
Alumni using the facilities are
allowed one guest each.
CLASS NOTES
1950
1968
Roger “Bud” Leak, Excelsior,
Minn., was named the 2007
recipient of the Cliff Thompson
Award by the Minnesota Hockey
Coaches Association, at its
banquet in March. The award is
given annually for “long-term
outstanding contributions to the
sport of hockey in Minnesota.”
He helped start the Minnetonka
boys’ hockey program in 1952.
Lois (Hallcock) and Bruce
Johnson, Plymouth, Minn., were
featured in a Minneapolis Star
Tribune article in March about
how families finance education.
All three of their children—Leah,
Thomas, and current senior
Aaron—have attended Augsburg.
1964
Dennis J. Erickson, Los Alamos,
N.M., was awarded the
Distinguished Service to Safety
Award, the highest honor
bestowed by the National Safety
Council, in recognition of
outstanding service in the field
of safety. He has worked for 35
years at Los Alamos National
Laboratory and is scientific
advisor in the New Mexico
governor’s office.
1967
Loren Dunham, Fairmont,
Minn., is retiring from public
school teaching in Fairmont after
39 years in the classroom. He
taught economics, psychology,
American history, and
International Baccalaureate
courses, as well as coaching
tennis and Economics Challenge
and Knowledge Bowl. A former
editor of Augsburg Echo, he says
he feels he was “well-prepared
academically for the many and
various teaching assignments” he
received. dunfritz@charter.net
1969
Matty (Janis) Mathison,
Shawano, Wis., was honored
with the Women’s Sports
Advocates of Wisconsin Lifetime
Achievement Award for 2007. In
1998 she retired from 35 years
of teaching and 25 years of
coaching volleyball at Shawano
High School.
1970
Susan Pursch, Philadelphia, Pa.,
received the 2007 Tom Hunstad
Award (known as the “Tommy”)
at the ELCA Youth Ministry
Network Extravaganza. She has
served as a youth minister and
has coordinated and run
programs for at-risk youth.
Currently she is vice president
for church and community
partnerships at Liberty Lutheran
Services in Philadelphia.
Donald Q. Smith, Portland,
Ore., retired as the publisher and
editor of the weekly Monticello
Times. In October he was
honored with the James O. Amos
Award by the National
Newspaper Association, one of
the highest tributes in
community journalism.
1976
James Moen, Carrollton, Texas,
retired last year from 27 years of
serving as band director in the
Carrollton-Farmers Branch
school district. To honor his
legacy the district named the
new fine arts wing at R.L. Turner
High School after him.
In addition to spending
retirement time with his family,
he works with computers, is a
substitute teacher, and
accompanies students in music
competitions. JLJAMS@msn.com
1977
Rev. Dr. Mark Braaten, Bullard,
Texas, is senior pastor of Our
Saviour’s Lutheran Church in
Tyler, Texas. His first book Come,
Lord Jesus: A Study of Revelation,
was published by Liturgical Press
in January. His second book, on
prayer, is scheduled for
publication in fall 2008.
James M. Strommen,
Minnetonka, Minn., was recently
re-elected president of the
Minneapolis law firm of Kennedy
& Graven, a firm of 36 lawyers
located in downtown
Minneapolis and St. Cloud. He
practices in the area of municipal
franchise, construction, and
utility law.
1978
Rev. Guy Redfield was installed
in November as senior pastor at
Chetek Lutheran Church in
Chetek, Wis.
1980
Carol (Kenyon) Dekker,
Sheboygan, Wis., began as an
administrative and operations
assistant in marketing and public
relations roles at BurkartHeisdorf Insurance in
Sheboygan.
Gary Tangwall, Lake Elmo,
Minn., a senior financial
consultant for the Landmark
Group of Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans in Lake Elmo, has
been honored as the second
highest performer in 2006
among the organization’s 2,500
financial representatives. He is
one of 25 Thrivent representatives
invited to attend the Pinnacle
Leadership Retreat in September
in New York.
1985
Jean Taylor, Eagan, Minn., is
president of Taylor Corporation
in North Mankato, Minn., and
has recently assumed additional
responsibilities as chief executive
officer.
Denise (Rolloff) Tewes,
Lincoln, Neb., announces the
release of her first original CD,
Apple of Your Eye, contemporary
Christian music drawing from
the psalms and reflecting on
some of life’s experiences. She is
choral director at Messiah
Lutheran Church.
denise@denisetewes.com
James Rongstad, Pine Island,
Minn., was appointed in January
to a three-year term on the Van
Horn Library Board. This is the
public library serving Pine
Island. In February he was
appointed treasurer of the Board
of Directors of the Girl Scout
Council of River Trails, serving
southeast Minnesota.
SPRING 2007 31
CLASS NOTES
Responsibility as an adjunct
professor at William Mitchell
College of Law.
1987
Scott L. Anderson married
Susie Wilkey of Coon Rapids on
April 8, 2006. He joined Farmers
Insurance Group and Farmers
Financial Solutions in March.
They live in Minneapolis.
ScottLAnderson38@msn.com.
1998
Brandon Reichel and Shannon
Geiger were married Aug. 28,
2004. They welcomed a baby
girl, Finley Vada, on Jan. 17,
who was 8 lbs., 5 oz., and 21.5
inches long.
1992
Stacy (Shiltz) Abraham and her
husband, Chris, in Milwaukee,
Wis., announce the birth of
Elijah James, on Jan. 26. Stacy
is a teacher in the Milwaukee
Public Schools.
mrs.abraham@earthlink.net
1989
Thomas Stutsman, St. Louis
Park, Minn., founded Stutsman
Realty, Inc. in 1992 and is
celebrating 15 years of business
this year.
1991
Mark Keating and his wife,
Amy, of Edina, Minn., announce
the birth of their third son,
Aidan Howard, on March 14,
2006. He joins brothers Owen,
5, and Carson, 3. Mark is an
account executive at Symantec.
Sharol Tyra, of Life
Illuminations Presentations &
Coaching has qualified for
professional membership and
joined the National Speakers
Association.
1993
Kim (Swanson) Meslow and her
husband, Jeff ’92, in White Bear
Township, Minn., announce the
birth of their third daughter, Hanna
Rose, born on July 7. She joins
big sisters Ally (5) and Kayla (3).
kmeslow@swansonyoungdale.com
Michelle Kay (Wincell) Nielsen
and her husband, William,
welcome the arrival of a
daughter, Lena Kay, on Dec. 10.
They were married in September
2005 and live in St. Paul.
32 AUGSBURG NOW
1996
Scott Magelssen, Rock Island,
Ill., saw publication of his book
Living History Museums: Undoing
History through Performance, by
Scarecrow Press in February. It
treats performance practices and
historiography at living museums
in the U.S. and Europe. He and
his wife, Theresa (Hoar) ’95,
and two-year-old son, Trygg, will
move to Ohio where Scott will
teach theatre history at Bowling
Green State University, starting
in August.
Heidi (Geyer) Ostrander is a
physical education teacher at
Valley View Elementary School
in Columbia Heights, Minn.,
where she teaches the Dance,
Dance, Revolution curriculum.
She was featured on the Fox
Morning Show in February.
Brooke (Manisto) and her
husband, Erik Reseland ’98, in
St. Anthony, Minn., welcomed a
daughter, Adeline, born on Feb. 3.
She joins big sister Elsa, 3.
1994
1997
Will Stute has joined the
Minneapolis law firm office of
Faegre & Benson as a partner in
the Business Litigation Group,
focusing on litigation matters,
particularly commercial fraud.
He also teaches Professional
Astrid Larssen, of Oslo,
Norway, is currently living in
Sydney, Australia, where she is in
the process of finishing up a PhD
in computer science. She has
also lived and worked in Norway
and Ghana since leaving the U.S.
Wendy (Shields) and her
husband, Bradley Reiners ’99
PA, in Prairie Farm, Wis.,
welcomed a son, Jackson
Patrick, their first child, on Aug. 10.
Brad works as a physician
assistant at Luther MidelfortPrairie Farm Clinic.
1999
Aaron Smith and Jill (Pintens)
are proud to announce the birth
of Wyatt Douglas, born May 20,
2006. They currently live in
Tucson, Ariz., where Aaron is a
surgery resident and Jill is a
physician assistant.
With an internship at the White
House, Emily Soeder carried out a
dream and has stayed in
Washington to gain the experince
it has to offer for her future
career choices.
Inside the White House
Emily Soeder didn’t realize how
many statements she would be
researching and fact checking, or
how many definitions of
ordinary words she would be
looking up. But she did know
that she had always wanted to
work at the White House, and
that is exactly where she landed
during her last semester, before
graduating summa cum laude
from Augsburg in December.
She had known for some
time about internships available
at the White House, and during
her senior year worked with Lois
Olson in the Center for Service,
Work, and Learning to complete
and submit the online
application. Several months later,
she was living what was for her
an “amazing experience” as one
of about 70 interns selected for
fall 2006, and one of three in the
Office of Presidential Speechwriting.
“One of the most memorable
projects I worked on was
annotating a version of the
speech the president was going
to deliver to the UN,” Soeder
says. It meant going through it
line by line, ensuring the
factuality of every word and
statement.
When asked how the real
West Wing compared to that of
the TV show of the same name,
Soeder notes that in reality the
West Wing is very small—not
the huge area it seems to be on
TV. In fact, nearly all of the
administration’s staff offices are
not located there, but next door
in the Eisenhower Executive
Office Building.
Beyond her specific duties,
Soeder has learned a great deal
from the contacts with executive
branch staff, as the interns
listened to speakers such as Karl
Rove, assistant to the president,
deputy chief of staff and senior
adviser, and Harriet Miers,
counsel to the president. Her
most exciting “Washington
moment,” she says, came in
November when she met
President Bush the day after
election results came in.
Once her internship ended
in December, Soeder was
fortunate to be appointed as a
confidential assistant to the
assistant secretary in the Office
of Legislation and Congressional
Affairs at the U.S. Department of
Education. Here, she works on
projects, scheduling, and briefing
materials.
Outside of work, Soeder
volunteers as a tutor with
Horton’s Kids, a non-profit
agency that provides services to
children from nearby, lowincome Ward 8 in D.C. The kids
are bused to the Department of
Education once a week for oneon-one tutoring by the
employees.
While at Augsburg, Soeder
was involved with College
Republicans, and has now
become active with Young
Republicans in D.C. To be hired
for political or legislative jobs,
she says, candidates generally
need to show loyalty to a party
or candidate. Campaigning at the
grass roots is a great way to start
building that experience, and she
got a taste of it last fall by
traveling to Ohio and Tennessee
to work on local campaigns.
At this point, Soeder doesn’t
see herself staying in
Washington, D.C., for a long
time. She believes her career
decisions will keep coming back
to a basic question students at
Augsburg are asked to
consider—how am I going to
impact the world in what I do?
She appreciates the grounding
she received in her communications
courses, such as Persuasion, and
the analytical skills and
experience from participating on
the Forensics Team.
For now, she’s enjoying all
Washington has to offer—
politics, history, culture, and the
excitement of being at the center
of it all.
SPRING 2007 33
CLASS NOTES
Wendy (Hoekstra) Vogelgesang
and her husband, David, in
Litchfield, Minn., welcomed twin
boys, August and Ewan, born
three months early on Aug. 1.
They spent three months
growing at St. Cloud Hospital
and Fairview Riverside Hospital
neo-natal intensive care units.
Read their journey at
www.caringbridge.com/visit/wen
dyandboys. They are doing well
now, but everyone has gone
through a lot. Wendy went back
to work as a kindergarten
teacher at Litchfield Public
Schools in January, while David
is a stay-at-home dad.
and 21 inches long. Holly
graduates in June with an MBA
from Augsburg.
hknutson04@yahoo.com
2003
2000
Julia Mensing works at Event
Lab, an event-planning company,
which was recognized for the
second year in a row by the
International Special Events
Society (ISES) with a 2007
Minnesota Star Award in the
“Best Event Design and Décor”
category.
2006
2002
Brendan Anderson, Phoenix,
Ariz., was commissioned by the
Concordia Wind Orchestra in
Irvine, Calif., to write a large
concert piece, The Gift and the
Wise Men, around the theme of
Epiphany, for their orchestra and
guest organist. It premiered in
Phoenix while the orchestra was
on tour in January.
Matthew Chappuis and
Jennifer (Lemke), Apple Valley,
Minn., welcomed their first
child, a daughter, Hattie Romae,
on Aug. 18, weighing 8 lbs., 3
oz., and 21 inches long. He is a
middle school physical education
and health teacher in the
Burnsville School District, and
she is an eighth-grade science
teacher in the Inver Grove
Heights School District.
2004
Rick Dzurik was featured in
March on KARE-11 TV news as a
music therapist working with
hospice patients. With his guitar,
he makes house calls or visits
hospice units to sing music
requested by the patients and
families—one of only a few
certified music therapists in the
Twin Cities who do this.
Anna Warnes and Nathan
Erickson ’03 were married in
August and live in Eugene, Ore.
Both are students at the
University of Oregon; Nathan is
pursuing a doctorate in
sociology, and Anna is studying
for a post-baccalaureate degree
in nursing.
2001
Amy (Stier) Eppen and her
husband, Jeff, in Belle Plaine,
Minn., are proud to announce
the birth of their son, Caleb
Todd, born on Nov. 28. He was
welcomed home by big sister
Courtney, 22 mos. Amy is a
therapeutic recreation
coordinator at The Lutheran
Home: Hope Residence.
34 AUGSBURG NOW
Holly (Ebnet) Knutson and her
husband, Jeremy, in Hugo,
Minn., are the proud parents of a
baby girl, Adelei Marie, born
Nov. 28, weighing 8 lbs., 0 oz.,
India, beginning in the fall. She
is currently employed at
Admission Possible, through
AmeriCorps, where she works
with 34 low-income, first
generation students, encouraging
them to stay in school and
helping them apply to college.
Her work with Admission
Possible was featured in a Star
Tribune article.
2005
Carolyn Herman is a Rotary
Ambassador Scholar and will
continue study of literature at
the University of Hyderabad,
Katie Koch began a new
position in April as the executive
assistant to Joe Dowling, artistic
director of the Guthrie Theater
in Minneapolis.
Graduate Programs
Doris Rubenstein ’93 MAL is
the new director for membership
and development at the Resource
Center of the Americas and
draws on her background in
Spanish, Peace Corps experience,
and living in Puerto Rico and
Ecuador. Her thesis focused on
nonprofit organizations serving
Minnesota’s Latin population.
Jill Boike ’03 MSW joined
Family Innovations in 2005. She
has developed a new
employee/intern training
program and is also working as
an outpatient therapist and
clinical supervisor.
jsalome@comcast.net
Nick Thomley ’06 MBA was
featured in the business section
of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
with a profile of the company,
Pinnacle Services, that he
founded while a sophomore in
college. His high school job of
working with disabled residents
in assisted living led him to start
a company that provides
vocational, residential, and
financial management services to
the elderly and people with
disabilities. In seven years, the
company has reached $7.2
million in revenue.
In Memoriam
Ernest (“Ernie”) W. Anderson
’37, Edina, Minn., age 90, on
March 18, unexpectedly. See
story on page 2.
Henry Erickson Chapman ’40,
Coon Rapids, Minn., age 91, in
Dec. 2006. He was a retired
coach and athletic director from
Proctor (Minn.) Public Schools
and a member of Augsburg’s
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Delbert Rhodes ’41, Renville,
Minn., age 89, in Nov. 2006.
Chester L. Brooks ’42, Duluth,
Minn., age 89, on March 5. He
was a Distinguished Alumnus and
husband of Ebba (Johnson)
Brooks ’42.
The Rev. Robert Erickson
Warren ’46, Edina, Minn., age
82, on Feb. 27.
Fabian C. Carlson ’49, Detroit
Lakes, Minn., age 82, on July 21,
2006.
SEND US YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS
The Rev. Oliver S. Solberg ’49,
Appleton, Wis., age 87, on Jan.
10. Husband of Viola (Nelson)
Solberg ’50.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the Augsburg
Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Rachel M. Stennes ’49,
Minneapolis, age 86, on Feb. 10.
Full name
Arlene Larsen ’49, Tacoma,
Wash., age 75, on Dec. 13. Wife
of Harold Larsen.
Robert Hofflander ’51,
Clitherall, Minn., age 79, on Jan.
29, of myelodysplastic
syndrome. Husband of Dorothy
(Gramling) Hofflander ’50.
Maiden name
John E. Seaver, Sr. ’54,
Edgerton, Wis., age 74, on
Feb. 2, after a long illness.
City, State, Zip
The Rev. James Glasoe Sr. ’57,
Statesboro, Ga., on March 17, of
lung cancer. Husband of Nicole
(Jacobson) Glasoe ’62.
Home telephone
Class year or last year attended
Street address
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Regie S. Huber ’74, Maple
Grove, Minn., on Nov. 1.
Employer
Marlin (“Mike”) Kloster ’53, of
Willmar, Minn., age 77, on
Jan. 20.
Position
Timothy W. Hanson ’88,
Ogilvie, Minn., age 40, on March
18, of injuries from a car
accident.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Work telephone
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
Your news:
SPRING 2007 35
VIEWS
Celebrating 20 years of leadership
by Kathy Rumpza, ’05 MAL
On the evening of Sat., January 27, approximately
110 alumni, students, and guests gathered to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Master of Arts
in Leadership program at Augsburg College. The
keynote address was given by Ryan LaHurd,
president and executive director of the James S.
Kemper Foundation, and former vice president of
academic affairs at Augsburg. His presence was
appropriate because of the significant role he played
in the MAL Program’s inception.
More than 20 years ago, LaHurd was key in
launching a task force to explore graduate options
at the College. After much research and discussion
with business leaders it became apparent that there
was a need in the market for a different type of
program than was currently being offered—the kind
of program that would provide students with the
crucial broad-based knowledge and skills needed
for success.
Enter the era of an exciting program,
differentiated from others by a liberal arts focus
specifically on leadership. It offers solid content with
academic rigor as opposed to a workshop format. The
Master of Arts in Leadership program, started in
January 1987, marked an important turning point for
Augsburg and its entrance into the graduate market.
During its 20-year history, the program has
gone through transformation. While content,
schedules, and support staff have changed, the
signature “leadership model” that forms the basis for
the program remains steadfast. Feedback from
students and faculty has helped to hone and refine
course offerings, and relevant courses such as
Women and Leadership have been introduced.
Another constant is the faculty. Norma Noonan,
professor and director of the MAL program since
1993, notes that although the program has grown,
she and instructors Diane Pike, Tom Morgan, and
Garry Hesser have been teaching in the program
since its inception. She says such loyalty comes
from a simple idea—“faculty just love teaching in
the program.”
Noonan credits much of the recent program
growth to the addition of professional graduate
recruiters, and the fact that the program caters to
“students who seek personal development and
challenge.” The classes are “exiting and very
stimulating,” she says. “We’ve had pinnacle
36 AUGSBURG NOW
Norma Noonan is professor of political science and
director of the MAL program.
experiences in class … students are almost
electrified by some of the discussions.”
As far as alumni and students go, many have
had life-changing experiences. Students often say
that the program has changed their career paths,
and many experience a personal metamorphosis as
well. “People use it to define a turning point in
their lives,” says Noonan. Individuals have been
inspired to start their own businesses, and have
been promoted to vice president or CEO positions.
While it is true that completing the program
has changed personal and professional lives,
Noonan says that “completion is not the greatest
indicator of success.” She quickly adds, “it
emboldens you to take more risks, and brings a
maturity in judgment.” And that seems to be the
more important point.
Although some aspects of the program have
changed over time, it will remain a quality program
that “tries to live the leadership model,” under the
passionate direction of Norma Noonan. Her only
regret: “That I didn’t have the knowledge—what we
read, what we study—earlier in life.”
For information on the MAL Program,
go to www.augsburg.edu/mal
MAL… by the numbers
203
21
22
56
MAL degrees conferred since 1989
MAL graduating class in 2006—the largest yet!
Current MAL faculty and adjuncts
Number of new MAL students in 2006-07
The Oren Gateway Center is coming
Construction on the Oren Gateway Center is
proceeding extremely well. The building should be
ready for occupancy in the beginning of August,
with departments and programs starting to move
in during the middle of August.
Watch for more updates—and mark your calendars
for a grand celebration on October 12!
SPRING 2007
John 14: 1-3
A group of Augsburg students
traveled by train to New
Orleans to spend their spring
break working for Lutheran
Disaster Relief. Students spent
five days gutting and rebuilding
houses affected by Hurricane
Katrina. Here, workers find a
plaque from the Gospel of John
that fell from the attic of the
house in which they were
working. The verse offered a
great source for reflection by
the students.
— Photo by Rachel Olson ’08
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
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