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Augsburg Now Spring 2001: Studying the Art of Place
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Letters to the editor
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Letters to the editor
Learning by
doing rrr
A
t the very core of an Augsburg education
Ìs the belief that learning takes many
forms and happens in many places outsicle ol
the classroom. Lealning through experience
teaches us that there rs lransformative power in
walklng the path of a person in another culture
or in trying out a job instead o[ "book
learning" how to do it.
In thÌs issue, we feature three courses that
take students out of the classroom. fwo are
travel courses held cluringJanuary lnterim; the
third is an education course, funcled by a
national grant, that trains future teachers to
incorporate new lechnology in their students'
learning. All three classes involved both day
and Weekend College siudents, whose jobs
and family commitments of[en prevent them
from taking part in travel or experiential
More comments on the new
Augshurg Now
M
ay I add my word o[
apprecratron for the new Now
It is not only the fine new format,
yor-r
and your staff are doing very well
with the editorial conlent. Much
could be saicl. May I express
appreciation lor two features. I like
very much the "Chapeltalk" page. I
trust yorl intend that as a regular
feature. I c1o not think you will have
difficr-rlty findlng good selections for
each issue. This leaLure gives yoLr
a
good opportunity to lntroduce new
laculty members.
f
hor-rgh not an Augsbr-rrg alum, I've
the last two of your Augsburg
I r.".
to linity Lutheìan
Church as the new office secretary
there. Compliments to you on both of
them-which l've lound interesting
and well done-so much so that thls
non-Auggie has reacl lhem cover to
cover. The photos (even of groups)
are clear and well-captioned (so one
knows what's being shown). The
layout is very attractive. I like the mix
of current happenings, alumni focus,
campus histor¡ and the thematic
thread of focus on Augsburg as a
church school.
Nor,vs aclclressed
Gisselquist,
-Orloue
ProJessor
Em¿ritus oJ History
-lune
Prange
learning.
Whether these students are in Cuba,
France, or Minneapolis, their stories describe
\
the learning that engages them and pushes
them beyond their cultural and educational
comfort levels to new insÌghts.
The Auggìe Thoughts page also crosses
cultural boundaries. PresÌdent Frame reflects
on dÌscussions he and other Minnesota private
college presidents had with Chinese higher
educatÌon offÌcials when the Minnesota
delegation traveled to China last fa11.
We hope you enjoy these glimpses into
Augsburg learning. As always, we welcome and
encourage your comments.
Ww
Betsey Norgard
Editor
We welcome your letters!
Please
write to:
Editor
AugsburgNow
2211 Riverside Ave., CB 145
Minneapolis, MN 55454
E¡nail:
norv@augsburg.edu
Fax: ó12-330-1780
Phone: 612-330-I181
Letters lor publication must be signed and
include your name, class year, and daytime
telephone number. They may be edited for
length, claritl', and style.
Lindell Library is now connected to Sverdrup Hall (left) via
new skyway link. See page 3.
a
I
At¿csBuRG Now
Vol.63, No.3
Spring 200f
Features
Augsburg Now is published
quarterþ by Augsburg College,
22lI Riverside Ave., Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55454.
Editor
Experiencing CubaMeeting the People, Tracking
the Numbers
Lynn Mena
compiled by Cass Dalglish
,{ssistant Editor
-[wenty-one journalism
students spent 10 days in
Betsey Norgard
Kathy Rumpza
Cuba, interviewing Cuban gowrnment and cultural
Graphic Designer
Ieaders, researching statistical data, and meeting
the people.
President
Dan Jorgensen
Director of Public Relations and
Communication
Nancy Toedt '94
Director of Alumni and Parent
Têaching the Teachers
Technology
Relations
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
by Dan Jorgensen
official College policy
Education students øre Learning ways to
incorporate technology into curricula to englge
students in actiye learning.
rssN 1058-1545
Postmaster: Send correspondence,
name changes, and address
corrections to: Augsburg N ow,
Office of Public Relations and
Communication, 221 I Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454.
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: (612) 330-1 lBl
Fax: (6I2) 330-1780
Augsburg College, as affirmed
in its mission, does not
discriminate on the basis oJ race,
color, creeil, religion, national or
ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual
orientation, marital status, stdtus
with regard to public assistønce,
or disøbility in its education
p oli cie s, admissions p olicie s,
scholar ship anil lo øn pr o gr ams,
athletic anill or
scho ol
administereil pro gram1 except
in those instances where religion
is a bona fide occupdtional
qualiJication. Augsburg C ollege
is committed to pro\tiding
r e as onable accommo d ation s to
its employees and its students.
Family Ministry around
the World
14
Departments
2
nt"Artist's Book:
Provence to Paris
Around the Quad
Faculty Notes
Sports
19
Alumni News
21
Class Notes
28
Auggie Thoughts
inside
back
cover
Calendar
On the cover:
Eze, a picturesque, medieval village
in Provence, has charmed artists
and tourists and provided
inspir ation
www.augsburg.edu
for Augsburg students.
See story on pdge 14. Photo by
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-cot'rsumer waste)
Heather Sweeney'02.
NE@Eil!
Jeanne Boeh, economics, serves on the
ln print
Introduction to Critical Thinking
By Bruce Reichenbach, philosophy
McGraw-Hill, 2000
Bruce
Reichenbach,
Board of Economists for the Minneapolis
Star kibune. The panel meets periodically
to discuss economic trends and make
philosophy, decided
to take matters into
his own hands
when he couldn't
fìnd a book that
forecasts.
Professor Ragnhild Collin-Hansen,
from Sør Tiøndelag College in
Tiondheim, Norway, co-taught an Interim
social work course with Tony Bibus.
There are currentþ l0 students from
Norway studying in the undergraduate
social work program, and two in the
M.S.\M program. Also from Tiondheim is
education professor Br¡t Hauger, who is
teaching at Augsburg this spring while
Augsburg professor Susan O'Connor
teaches at Sør Tiøndelag College.
Garry Hesser, sociology and merrourban studies, was chosen by the
American Association for Higher
Education and Campus Compact to serve
as a consultant to institutions across the
country interested in service leaming and
social and civic engagement. He was
noted as a "pioneer" in service leaming.
Norman Holen,
art, created a L2foot stainless steel
sculpture titled
'Arbor Image" for
the new Kirchbak
Sculpture Garden
complemented the
critical thinking
Bruce R. Reichenbach
with comprehension and aheady
Nin
By Cass Dalglish, English
Spinsters Ink, 2000
Cass Dalglish is
fascinated by the
oldest and ne\Mest
forms of writing. In
her translations of
Sumerian cuneiform
Holen also
won Best of Show
for his graphite drawing, "Winter I," in
the Extremely Minnesota competition,
sponsored by the Hennepin Artists of
Robbin Gallery in Robbinsdale.
"Arbor lmage"
writing ftom2350
BCE, she finds that
Nin, by Cass Dalglish
three-year term on the Council of the
American Sociological Association Section
on Undergraduate Education.
4
,4UGSBURG
Now
possess
the sophisticated critical thinking skills the
texts are designed to enhance," he said.
Reichenbach includes numerous
exercises in his book, taken from media
sources, such as newspapers. magazines,
and advertisements.
to be dedicated in
the spring.
sociology, was elected to a
class offered at
Augsburg College.
Last summer, McGraw-Hill publlshed his
Introductíon to Cntical Thinhing.
The book is designed for the critical
thinking class that all Augsburg freshmen
must take if they cannot pass the entry level
skills test in this subject. Reichenbach said
he tried using several different books in the
course, but found that they did not address
the students at their level.
"The writing level and approach of
many of the critical thinking books
available presuppose readers who can read
in Richfield, Minn.,
Diane Pike,
Dalglish's second novel, Niir, provides
a connection for the reader to this ancient
she uses many of
the same metaphors
and comparisons as
she does when discussing and teaching the
newest language environment-hypertext.
Both require "reading" in a way that sorts
through layers of text and jumps from
image to understanding.
world of women who wrote four millennia
ago. Nin is a mystical, mythical, magical
fable set in the high-tech, modern-day
world of air travel, telephones, computers,
and the World Wide Web. Nin Creed is a
feminist poet who sets off to recover the
lost writings of her mother, who died the
day she was born. On the way, she
encounters a legion of women writers who
lived and wrote centuries ago and whose
work, too, was lost to future generations of
writers and readers.
When Children Pay: U.S. Welfare
Reform and its lmplications for
U.K. Policy
By RosemaryJ. Link and Anthony A.
Bibus, social work
Child Poverty Action Group (London),
2000
For a number of
years the Child
Poverty Action
Group (CPAG),
a
British agency
similar to the U.S.
Children's Defense
Fund, has paid a
great deal of
attention to the
lmpact of welfare reform initiatives in the
U.S. and whether similar reforms could be
adapted as policy in the U.K.
In their book, When Children Pay,
social work professors Rosemary Link
and Anthony Bibus study some of the
American policies that have influenced
British poiicy and the lmplications for
chlldren in poverty The authors seek a
critical understanding of the ways
countries exchange pollcy ideas and the
dangers as well as the opportunities of
such transplanting. The book is a policy
analysis which also helps students to
understand the useful insighrs into
domestic policies which come with
international comparisons.
The book reaches members of the
British Parliament as parr of the Child
Poverty Action Group's legislative package.
Link and Bibus' combined inrerests in
issues related to child poverty stem from
rheir longtime work in the
field-Link
was
Spring 2O0t
worker, and Bibus served
for many years as a child protection
a school social
worker.
Ave Eva: A Norwegian Tragedy
By Edvard Hoem; translated by Frankie
Shackelford, modern languages
Xenos Books,2000
Aye Eva: A
Nor'wegian kagedy,
an award-winning
novei from 20thcentury Norwegian
writer Edvard
Hoem, is now
Frankie Shackelford
available to the
English-speaking
community in the
translatlon by
Frankie Shackelford, professor of
Norwegian.
The novel, descrlbed on its bookjacket
as "powerful", "dark", and "brooding" is
charactertzed by Shackelford as "a complex
murder mystery/intertextual dialogue with
Milton's Paradise Lost.'' Despite its
complexity, she says, it has recently
captivated readers as diverse as an B6-yearo1d Wisconsin birdwatcher and a23-yearold actress from Zimbabwe.
The novel's hero returns to his
ancestral farm ancl finds culturai,
economic, and political changes. His
struggles to confronl the resulting
difficulties echo the universal theme of
regaining paradise.
The translation was commissioned by
the National Endowment for the Arts and
supported by the Office for NorwegÌan
Literature Abroad.
Presenti n g/Pe rform
in
g
Dan Hanson, speech, communication,
and theatre arts, wrote a chapter in the
book, 12 Step Wisdom atWorh, released by
Hazelden and Kogan Page.
Norm Holen, art, has two sculpted
pieces-a terra cotta figure titled "Bethe"
and a glazed guinea hen-featured in a
book on contemporary artísts, Mahing
Ceramic Sculpture, by Raul Acero.
Bradley Holt, religion, wrote a chapter,
"The Twentieth Century" in the book, The
Story oJ Chnstian Spirituality, by Gordon
Mursell, published by Fortress Press.
Rolf Jacobsoñ, religion, published "The
Costly Loss of Praise" in the October 2000
issue of Theology Today.
Janet Gottschall Fried and Bradley
Greenwald, musì.c, played leading roles in
the re-staging of the Theatre de la Jeune
Lune's production of The Magtc Flute.
Greenwald played the character Papageno,
whlle Fried was the Queen of the Night.
Doug Green, English, delivered the
closing lecture on "Shakespeare in Love:
Sexuality, Cinema, and the Literature
Classroom," at the Carleton-St. Olaf College
undergraduate Shakespeare conference.
His
essay, "Preposterous Pleasures:
Queer Theories and'A Midsummer Night's
Dream'," has just been re-released in A
Midsummer Night's Dream: Cñtical Essays,
edited by Dorothea Kehler and published
Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, Center for
Global Education/Cuernavaca, Mexico,
facilitated workshops on cross-cultural and
experiential learning at a conference
"Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed,"
at the University of St. Thomas, and at the
Annual International Conference of the
Association of Academic Programs in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
She also presented a paper on the
Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe at the
IV International Congress of the Americas
in Cholula, Mexico, and a paper, "Violence
within Protestanl Churches and Theological
concepts that Foment Voilence agalnst
Women," at the Catholics for Free Choice
meeting in Mexico City
by Routledge.
Kathy Schwalbe,
Steven LaFave,
business
administration/Mls, presented
"Supplemental lnstruction and Academrc
Outcomes in a Second Accounting
Principles Course" at the annual meeting ol
the North American Accounting Society.
Dallas Liddle, English, presented "in one
Guise or Another: Voice, Profession, and the
Dilemma of the Victorian Woman
journaiist" at the North American
Conference on British Studies.
Spring 2001
business
administration/MIs, gave a kep-rote talk,
"The Magic of lS Project Management:
Revealing the Masters' Secrets," to the
Project Management Institute's lnformation
Systems Specific Interest Group (PMlISSIG). She is also editor of the quarterly
Newsletter, "ISSIG Review," and member of
a team to develop a new certificatron exam
for people managing technology projects.
Mark Tranvik, religion, presented a paper,
"Seventy Time Seven? Preachrng
Forgiveness in the Lutheran Reformatron,"
Merilee Klemp and Jill Dawe, music,
area featured performers on a new CD of
chamber music by Stephen Paulus, A
Chamber Fantasy, on the Innova label.
Esther G. McLaughlin, biology,
collaborated with David J. Mclaughlin and
PA. Lemke to edit an extensive volume,
The Mycota, vol. 7: Systematics and Evolution,
that is part of an encyclopedic series on
different aspects of fungal biology.
Bev Stratton, religion, published
"Ideologr" in the Handbook of Postmodem
Biblical Interpretation
to the American Society of Church History
meeting.
Joe Young, Pan-Afrikan Student Serwices,
and Garry Hesser, sociology and metrourban studies, presented a workshop, "A
Civil Rights Immersion: Experiencing and
Learning from History" at the National
Society for Expenential Education.
Also presenting at that same conference
were Ann Lutterman-Agu¡lar and Mary
Laurel True about the Center for Global
Education, and Tim Pippert, socÌology, and
Garry Hessef on service learning.
,4ucssunc
fr¡ow
5
The "Ernie Anderson Couftrr is dedicated
by Don Stoner
!r'nìe Anclerson csehcwcd pclsonaì
L Instcad. he cclcbrntecl his gi[t:
glory.
through the accomplishments of the
students who learned under his guidance
and the athletes r.vho showcased their
talents on the basketball conrt.
So it was fitting that, when Andelson
was asked to speak at a luncheon in his
honor, alter the College that was so much
part ol his lile nrmed thcu gymnrsiunr
floor for him, his response was simple.
"l really should just say 'thanks' and
'Amen.' That would be appropriate," said
Anderson at the Feb. 17 luncheon, lvhere
more than 150 former players, lellow
coaches, and friends gathered to celebrate
Augsburg's dedication ol the Melby Ha11
christened as AndersonNelson Field. The tielcl
will be rededlcated in
Nelson's honor
-õ
in lali
2001.
U
Several former
a
"Ernie had ø way of nnhhry us feel
confident andpreparecl to play our
gantes."
Meyers '65
-Dan
players returned to
camprls to join in the
celebration of
Anderson's
accomplÌshments, ancl
most said their lives
were changed from the
lessons learned on the
court from the gentle
r:oar:h.
'Ernie had r way of
making us feel confident
and prepared to play our
games," sard Dan Meyers
A plaque honoring Ernie Anderson's long service to Augsburg will
hang in Melby Hall. (L to R) Ed Saugestad '59, professor emeritus
and retired men's hockey coach; President Frame; Ernie Anderson
'37; Edor Nelson '38, professor emeritus and retired football coach
'65, who played for
Ar-rderson's teams from 1961-65. "Ernie
made learning the game fr-rn and easy I
center court in hls honor. Later that
allernoon, during the halftrme of the men's
basketball game against Gustavus
Adolphus College, the court was officially
dedicated as the "Ernie \ùl Anderson
never heard harsh or cruel words from
Ernie. He has been a Christian example of
living life in a quiet wa;r He does not bring
Court."
the greatest players in school history, said
that his coach was a true role model and
mentor.
Ernie Anderson has been a member of
the Augsburg community since the 1930s,
when he attended the Augsburg Academy
âs a prep student. He played basketball
and baseball at Augsburg, graduating lrom
the College with a history degree in 1937.
Mariþ Florian'76, women's athletic
director, said that as a young coach early in
her career, Anderson gave her a chance to
retum to her alma mater. Florian served
the College as volleyball coach for 18
"l need to thank all ofyou and
remember all the wonderful things these
young men did while they were here," said
Anderson, deflecting the honors from
himself to his players.
However, others were quick ro point
out the true man of honor in the
celebration.
"This College stands today on the
shoulders of giants, and those shoulders
include yours," said President William
Frarne at the luncheon.
Anclerson served the College as men's
basketball coach for 23 seasons and as
athletic director for 34 years, in addition to
teaching in the heaith and physical
educatÌon department lor nearll' four
decades.
The College originalll, honored
Anclerson, along with fellou, athletic
clepartrlent legend Edor Nelson, in 1984,
u'hen the outdoor athletic held rnas
6
,+UGSBURG NOW
attention to himself."
Dan Anderson '65, considered one of
seasons.
"Emie role-modeled leadership,
integrity, commitment, and caring. He had
a long-lasting influence on Augsburg
stuclents, faculty, and staff," Florian said.
"l have a personal thank-1'eu to gi\¡e
Ernie," said Florian. Jr¡,enty-one )¡ears ago,
in her seconcl year teaching and coaching,
Anclerson called to encourage her to apply
for LaVonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson's position
when she retired. "Without that call,"
Florian sald, "I wouldn't be here today"
Chris Kimball, vice president for
academic and learning services, noted that
of the many reflections on the impact
Anderson had on the College and its
community, records and accomplishments
are rarely mentioned.
"This has not been about wins and
Iosses," Kimball said. "But it's about values,
commitment, and personal integritythings that make Augsburg such a
wonderful place and have made Ernie a
wonderful example to all the people who
have been aflected by him.
Ás for Anderson, after the numerous
standing ovations in his honor were
concluded, with his family and friends
surrounding him, his thank-yous were as
simple and direct as his lifetime of service
to Augsburg College.
"I would just say thank you. I
appreciate what has been said, and I hope I
can live the rest ol my life as an example to
others," he saicl. I
Don Stoner is sports irformatiort coordinator.
Spring 2001
Augsburg to host the Lutheran
Music program
Lutheran World
lrom June 24 Lhrough July 22, more
I than 220 high school students lrom
Federation.
will take up residence on
Augsburg's campus. They wiil be joined by
across the U.S.
an additional 60 faculty and staff members.
This national gathering, Lutheran Summer
Music (LSM), will be hosted for the first
time by Augsburg College.
LSM is a four-week summer camp for
student musicians in grades 8-12. Founded
by a group of visionary Lutheran educators
and musicians in 1982, LSM has been
hosted by seven Lutheran colleges or
universities. It is a program committed to
excellence in music. "LSM encourages
youth of high school age to develop their
God-given talents. The goal of LSM is to
extend the Christian tradition of fine
musical performance in worship,"
explained the Rev Dr. Victor E. Gebauer,
LSM executive director.
Even though this is the first time LSM
has been to Augsburg, the program has an
Augsburg connection in Melissa Olson,
director of admissions and financial aid.
Olson, a 1989 Augsburg graduate with a
degree in English and communication,
began at LSM in 1996 alter working for
Augsburg Fortress Publishing and serving
in Switzerland and Ethiopia with the
Olson credits her
career choices and
service to the church
to Augsburg.
"Augsburg literally
opened the world to
me," she said. "It
Melissa Olson '89
exposed me to
ideas and an environment I never knew
existed. I have enormous respect for small,
Lutheran liberal arts colleges."
ln talking with LSM students, Olson is
quick to point out Augsburg's advantagesthe best of both worlds, offering a tight-
knit community within
aLarge
metropolitan area. This Ìs echoed by Ruth
Hook'03, a current Augsburg student and
LSM alum from 1996-99, who described
Augsburg as a hometown in a big citli
This is the first time LSM will be ln a
major metropolitan area, and ú will benefit
from the Twin Cities' extraordinary culture
for the fine arts. Such an atmosphere is the
perfect setting for the more than 50
concerts and recitals that LSM will produce
during iLs lour-week duration.
It is this aspect of the summer camp
that most excites Augsburg music professor
and former LSM faculty member (198294) Merilee Klemp.
"LSM will bring a vibrant,
comprehensive, musical community during
¡þs 5¡mrn¿¡-not just to Augsburg, but to
the whole West Bank community," Klemp
said.
However, the most important part of
LSM is not the musical knowledge, Iocal
culture, or outstanding facult¡ but the
close spiritual community that LSM and
Augsburg will foster. The daily schedule
includes morning and evening prayer; it is
this characteristic that most defines LSM
and is what Hook and many other LSM
alumni most remember.
For more information regarding
Lutheran Summer Music 2001 or for a
listing of LSM 2001 concerts and recitals,
call toll free, 1-888-635-6583, or visit
LSM's Web site at <LMP@lutheranmusic
program.org>. For admission and financial
aid information, contact Melissa Olson at
the above number or Web site.
'Little Auggies' take center court
Æ
;ïJ,ffi
::i::,ffff
î:,nåîi"
-.
and visiting teams that are introduced, but
a third team as well-the Little Auggies.
Girls'basketball teams in the Twin
Cities are invited to come to an Auggies'
home game and get some special lreatment
from the women hoopsters. Before the
game begins, the Little Auggies sit on the
team bench and listen to advice from Lauri
Ludeman, Augsburg's women's team coach.
Then the women Auggies line up, and each
ol the Little Auggies, as they are
introduced, runs through the line, getting
"high-fives" along the wa;r During the
halftime, the Little Auggies take over the
Spring 2001
fioor and show their stuff for the
home-team crowd.
One basketball team that signed
up as Little Auggies is a slxth- and
seventh-grade traveling team from
South St. Paul High School, coached
by Augsburg junior Kelly Manly, an
elementary education major. "They
thought it was really cool, going into
the locker room and getting to play
on the g;.'m floor," saÌd Manly about
her team's visit as Little Auggies.
Each of the visiting girls received
team
photo; and then, Manly said,
a
rush
was on to get autographs
the
lrom the Auggie women.
Women's basketball coach Lauri Ludeman gives
advice to the Little Auggies, from South St. Paul, with
their coach, Augsburg junior Kelly Manly (back),
looking on.
,4ucsnunc
ruow
7
FAMILY MINISTRYARoUN
by Betsey Norgard
Rev Thor Somrlerscth, pastor ln
resiclence, from Bergen, Nolway.
"The messrgc rs tlrat il you want
to make a church, yor,r l-rave to malie
it in every family, not only in a
chapei," said Sommersetl-r. "[The
T:il:',i'j'.i:.îiîï;åli,Läi'äLi'
and Family lnstitute (YFl) have taken it to
evely state in the U.S. and norv are literaLly
taking it around the u.orlcl.
During the past year, Dick Harclel,
cxecuiive director, and David Anderson,
clilector of laith formation education, have
travelecl to Canacla, Norway, and Alrstraha.
institntel research
Tanzanía, ancl U gancla.
A message and a paradigm
What the Youth and Family lnstitute
olfers and what chnrches across
denominations and around tl-Le lvorld are
seeking is a vision and r.vorkable modeis l'or
a nelv paradigrn in ministry with chrlclren,
yor-rtlr, and thcir [ar¡jlics.
YFI's message was ar[iculated recently
to the Augsbr"rrg commnni[y rn chapel by
t1-re
influence of laith comes from
lami1les."
Around that conccpt YFI has
cleveloped a range of Lesources-
Jn Canacla a1one, the rnstitr-rte's activities
have inclucled two r.vorkshops, lbr-rr
bÌshops' theological conferences, and plans
lor l'our more trlps.
Both Harclel ancl Anderson wili retnrn
Lo Ausiralla lor three weel<s in the spring to
present r.vorkshops ancl train church
lcaders. Ancl, ìn Lhe summer, Hardel will
lead a group, as part ol a new lamily wellbeing program, to Poland, East German¡
and the Czech Republic.
This is not to mention the service
reqllests tha¡ YFI has received from church
leaders in Malaysia, India, South Afrlca,
shor,vs tl-rat
consultations, wolkshops, prlniecl
materials, a peer mÌnistry program,
internships for the youth and family
ministry rnajor at the College, ancl a
sLlmmer leadershÌp conference.
Specialties to Norway
Augsburg's Youth and Family lnstitute provides
resources for congregations, organizations, and
individuals to help strengthen faith Iife in the
home. (Front row) Sarah Gustafson, Ross Murray,
Marilyn Sharpe, and Regina Pekarek, (Back row)
Richard Jefferson, David Anderson, Steve Lundell
Not pictured are Dick Hardel and Lyle Griner.
Sommerseth's r,rsit to Augsbr-rrg
is part of a special reiationship that has
developed over the past eight years between
YFI ancl the Chr,rrch of Norway In 1999,
Anderson and Hardel enjoyed a rare
opporiunrty to leac1 a tr.vo-day conference in
Oslo with more than 100 c1-rurch leaclers in
the Lutheran and other Christian
communities. Each year, Anderson teaches
a course al the Norwegran Têacher
Acaclemy in Bergen for Augsburg students,
and YFI is now exploring a partnership
witl-r this academy to help them begin
trainrng Norwegian students in youth and
lamrly mrnlstry.
Begrnnrng in the fal1, Kari Burke, an
Ar-rgsburg stndent graduating wìth a
double major in youth and family
ministry and Norwegian, r,vill begin
youth ministry r.vork with
Sonrmerseth xl lwo e ongregsl ions in
Bergen.
Tripp Trapp, tl-ie Chulc}r of
Norway's sr-rbscription series of
resources for the home, became the
model lor YFI's Fairhlile in rhe
Home resource guide ancl cenler.
Offering materials from more than
50 publishÌng sollrcres, the guide
makes available books, Bibles, CDs,
Augsburg senior Kari Burke (left) and the Rev.
Thor Sommerseth (right), YFI'S pastor in
residence, begin planning Burke's youth and
family ministry in Bergen, Norway, with his
congregation,
8
,+UGSBURG NoW
WöRLD
vrcleos, games, puzzles, ancl toys to
lamilies in passing the falth
rom gcncratiurì lo P,cncmti()n.
assrst
f
Resources and conferences
Resource centers have been placed ln
over 200 churches across Lhe country; and
many ol these churcl-res have established
partnerships with the institr¡te and provide
internships for the nlore than 40 Ar-rgsburg
studen[s majonng in youth and family
ministry
YFI's popular Child in Our Hands tlvoday conference series has also traveled
around the world. In acldition to the three
conferences that Hardel and Anderson will
lead in Australia, 11 are scheduled arouncl
the U.S. during 2001.
The ecumenical and internatÌonal
Summer Leadership Conference brings
together pastors, youth directors, Chrlstian
educators, and church leaders lrom around
the world, The fourth annual conference,
"Worship and the Spiritual Life," lvill take
place on the Augsburg campus lrom July
3O-August 3, 200f , and feature Dr. Martin
Marty among others.
The Youth and Family Institute rvas
louncled rn 1987 by Mertoll S¡rommen '42,
in memory of his son, David '83. Over its
14 years, the insLitute has provtcled the
spark lor lxany new progrellts ìn c1-rurch
groups ancl congregations.
"We've created a vision of horv to
crcate a new paracligm to pass on the
liit1-r," Harclel said. "You can't own a
visiclt't-;,ott have ttl give it ar,vay," I
Spring 2001
EXPERI
Photos by students in the class
-J
NÁI
;gÅ
PULAR
IDIR P,.
MeETING THE
PEOPLE, TRACKING
nûl
THE NUMBERS
uring Interin-r 2001, Augsburg
clay
and lveekencl stnclents u'hcr
enrolled in Quantrtatn,e
Journalism left their complÌters behind
ancl spent l0 clays handllng data and
stories in Cr,rba. They interviewed people
in schools and cloctors'offices, in hospitals
and orphanages, in cigar factories and on
farms, in homes, community centers and
churches-Ìn
spaces that reminded them
of the 1950s and bore little resemblance
to the cyber-age classroom they lelt behrnd
in Lindell Library.
The Cuba journallsm course was built
on a drearn of going to Cuba that began
lor me in 1968, when I was a Peace Corps
volunteer, living in a cement-block house
rn a slum-clearance project halfway down
the erodrng edges of a Colombian hill.
Often, in the evening wher-r I linished
teaching a literacy class or came back lrom
a neighborhood meeting, I turned on my
short r.vave radio ancl sat down to read one
o[ the Hernlngway stories that came in my
governmeni-issued book locker'. Most of
the trme, rhe only freqr,rency I coulcl pull
in was Radio Havana and the only voÌce
.that came droning across the rnountains
into my house was that ol Fic1e1, I've never
been able to lorget that souncl, Fidel's
voice used to question my rntent: What
was I
dorng-a
Yankee
velun¡ss¡-in
Augsburg's Quantitative Journalism class poses in front of the Cuban National Assembly.
Colombra? Drcln't I know how Cuba was
dorng thrngs?
From that ûloment on, I've rvanted to
travel to Cuba, to see it for myself, but
l1'avel restrictions made it almost
rrnpossible. So, when I realized Augsbr-rrg's
Center for Global Edncation cor-rld help
turn the Cuba dream into reality for me
ancl lor my students, I began working witl-r
the center on a cor-lrse that would give day
and weeliend journalism sluclents a chance
to learn about a place lvl-rerc few U.S.
citizens havc been able to stuciy Or-rl goals
were thc same as tl-rey ah.vays are for
QuantiLative Journalism: to evaluate ancl
analyze inf orn'ratior-r botl-r nr,rmerìcally ancl
verball;', to communlcate ql-rantltatirre clala,
ancl to r,vrite reaclable storlcs that
Y
Professor Cass Dalglish says good-bye at
an orphanage for special needs children
in Havana,
Spring 2001
demonstratc an ability to gatl-rer, l-rarrdle ,
ancl present quantitative inlorrnatron.
Once in Cuba, the studenl
journalists' observations tilted easì1y to the
quantitatrve sic1e, as they rnterviervecl
economists, met government officials,
travelecl to co-op larms and country
chr-rrchcs, ancl spent tirne wlth doctols and
teachers. They spoke wlth an adviser to
the Cr-rban National Assembl¡ the
equivalent of a Cuban Congress, and with
cliplomats in the U.S. lnterests Section, the
equivalent of a consulate. They talked and
sang ancl dancecl rvith mernbers of the
Commlttee for the Delense of tl-re
Revolution and ll-re Women's Fecleration ol
Cul¡a. All the whÌ1e thcy were learning
about the Cuban economy ancl tl-re gains
and challenges politics have brought to
Cuban people.
What dicl rhc srudents lind? ln some
cases, the student journalists observecl what
they cxpectecl. In some cascs, they came
bacl< to the U.S. surpnsed by what t1-Lc data
sho,,vecl. hr many ceses, the stuclent
jor-rrnalists learned whai Malia Lopcz Vigiì
prcclictcc'l in the booli we usccl es oLrr tcxt:
Cttbu wcts N¿i¿hcr Ilc¿¿v¿r Nor Hcll.
lnlcrspersecl here with pl-rotogr:ap1-rs ol
the Ar,rgsburg stuclcnts arrcl the peoplc they
met in Cuba are samples ol thr: stuclents'
writing.
¿¿ss¿rci¿rlc
-Cuss
Dalglish.
profirssor ry' English
,4ucsnuRc
n¡ow
9
EDUCATION
Sara Thedinga '01 is a day student whose
report compares literacy rates and student
teacher ratios in Cuba and Minneapolis.
Th. teacher rold us that it is hard for them to find basic
I school supplies like maps, paper, pens, and pencils.
Although these supplies are scarce, teachers always find
way to get by
a
also r,rsited the School of the Arts, which is a school devoted
to music, theater, art, and creative writlng. Students from
seven schools come here one day a week to learn the arts. ...
The enthusÌasm of the students and teachers makes it apparent
that they do not feel deprived in any way ... Parents are highly
J
I
A grant from
the Student
Coalition for Action in Literacy
Education, provided a focus on
literacy in the Quantitative
Joumalìsm course. While in Cuba,
the students studied literacy rates,
leamed about human elements of
literacy, and visited the National
Literacy Museum. Mary Laurel
True and Merrie Benasutti, from
Augsburg's Center for Service,
Work, and Learning, joined the
students on this trip.
Two other English courses will
also include service-learning
components around literacy In the
"Share a Story with Me" project,
children at the Cedar-Riverside
Community School will write
down family stories with the help
of Augsburg English student tuiors
and then share them with the
larger community
10
,4ucssunc f{ow
involved with the school. They
help make costumes and plan
and attend fiestas at the school.
... Some students sat down to
talk to us. They told me about
their dreams to become lawyers,
singers, interpreters, science
researchers, and biolech nìcians.
These elementary school students
are obviously proud ol their
abllÌties and excited about their
education. ln the school hangs a
banner which reads, "Those who
say educate also say love." It is
obvious that the children are very
loved by their lamilies and
teachers, and they are encouraged
to use their intellectual talents to
help other peopie.
(¡
Sen¡ TH¡orNcR
Luisa Campos, director of the National Literacy Museum,
the only such museum in the world, tells of Fidel's
sending 100,000 young people into the countryside to
teach €ubans to read and write.
-J- h. most impressive
I purt of Cuban
education is the special
attention each student
recelves due to small ciass
size. In Cuba, there is one
teacher for every 10
students. This is the best
student-teacher ratÌo in
the world."
"Those who say educate
also say love," Students at
the School of the Arts are
now corresponding with
students ât Adams School
in St. Paul.
Spring 2001
AGRICT]LTURE
Kellen Bredesen '03 is a c1a;,
rr ho rlitl íì c()nìpaì¡'al ive
studclli
study ef lamring
ar.rcl tl're
cooperative moveûÌelll rn cuba
nncl \\'isconsin
.
KrllpN Bn¡orsrN
uhas plivnLizccl c(roperative larmtng \,vas part of agrarian reform
lcgishLion prssecl ln 1994 to revive a chokecl cconomy. ... The là11 ol tl-ie
Communist block in 1989 ancl the ensuing rencging of Soviet slrppolt lelt tl-rc
islancl natiorr with only two percent olits lormer fueL sr-rpply, l5 pcrcenl olits
raw materiais, ar-rcl 25 percenl ol its fc¡od. .. . Cubans have a name lol thcii
time o[ dilfrculty: the SpcclaÌ Perioc].
f
\--,
l-hc Spccirl Pcriocl has forcecl far-nrs througl-rout Cr,rba to beccrme more fuelI clf i.iurrr lncì cxplon rllr'r'nrt iv,'llrnrirrg mul lrod5. Tllc Nitcto Pr'tiz L,,-r,¡r
A Cuban woman makes cigars by hand in the factory
at Piñar del Rio, Travelers to Cuba on a state
department license (like this class) are allowed to
bring 25 Cuban cigars back to the U.S.
is runnrr-rg at 70 perccnt of iis lormer luel consumption. Teams of orcn clo somc
ol tl-re plowing these days. GonzaÌcz saicl, "We har.e used worms in the
plocluctron ol humus ancl we also nsc companion plantrng-the association ol
crops. ... We mix corn with a 1ot ol cliflèrcnt crops, liÌ<c squash and beans and
sweet potatoes."
E
E
'J"lrt Rcr. HLuììlì('r't() AlgLttlrrr. l)iì>l{rt ()[
tr thc l\4rrrgt I Pt ntUt osl.ìl LlrLUi ll in
(J
Puclto Esperanza along CuLrr's wcstcrn
:Ã
i
his palisl-rioncrs. "Thc r,verlthicst jn Cuba
toclay arc tl-rc pcasants-Lhc oncs who livc
lvith thc llcst conclitions." l-rc saicl.
coest, says hc is ¡r lirmcl ancl so arc all ol
Ê4
Kellen Bredesen 'O3 visited the Niceto
Perez Cooperative Farm, about an hour
outside of Havana and spoke with Carlos
Enrique Gonzalez, the head of
production.
Spring 200f
,4r;csguRc
luow
11
POVERTY
Camilo Power '03 is a day student u,ho c1ic1 a comparati\¡e
str-rdy of povelty in Nìcaragua
and Cuba. He said he comparecl "srnall facts" about the tu'o colrntries ancl found that in
Nlcaragua, the life expectancy ¿rt bìrth is 68.4 ¿rncl in Cuba it is 7ó.1. The mortaliry rate for
clrilclren under live in Nicar:rgua Ìs 47 per 1,000 ancl in Cuba it rs 8 per 1,000. There are 7.4
pl-r1'sicians per 10,000 people in Nicaragua, 52.9 per 10,000 ir-r Cuba.
in Nicnrgr-ra, bnt I r.rou.go to school
at Augsburg College. I participatecl in a trip tcr
citizens, ancl onl;'a fen'l-racl lteen to ¿r
Thircl \\/orld colìntr): \'h' IìrsL reaction uùen I got to Cr-Ìira \\'as orle ol snr¡trise , ltccause ol the
level ol ccluc¡ttiot-t of t"t'ti-rsL oltire peopÌc n.ith n'htrm l spoke. ... lt nas anrazir.rg The ltovertr'
lcvcl tl'rat I san'ir-r Cuba uas rlot corrl)aråble to thc l)overt)'fr¡nncl u.r the stlcets of ì\'lanagua, thc
ca¡rital ol NrcaragurL. I clicl r.rot scc a singlc chìlcl bcggir-rg lol fìrocl rn thc silccts ol-Har'¿rr¿l, r-rnlikc
thc lhousancls LhaL cach clar, in to sluvivc rn thc strccts o1 \,lanagua.
u'rrs lrlsecl
f
ICubr u'rth thc grrrul) that n'as macle r-rp olrnostl;'U.S.
TOI]RISM
Clvnlo Pow¡n
INDT]STRY
Kathy Kayser is a Weehend
Collcgc studcnt wl-lo wrote
about tourism and
prostilLltlon rn Cuba.
Knruy Keyssn
-fI
Jill Mintz
'O1
joins the musicians in a square in OId Havana.
hose ir-rvoivcrl in the tourism business who get tippecl ln clollars
rrc clchniLcly bcLLer off than the people whose incorne is strlctly
in pesos. ... An example ol the economic schism ls seen thlough an
exan-rple of a basl<et ol one pound ol pork chops, rice ancl black
beans, two pounds of tomatoes, three limes and one heacl ol garlic,
The bashet cost 43 40 pesos in Havana rn August 2000. It wourld
take the economist 3.8 days to pay fbr thrs basliet, a cloctor 1.9 clays,
and a prostitr-rte who teceives $20 U.S. a clay,2.3 hours. Where is
the incentivc to spencl long years str,rclyìng to malie a low salary in
dillìcult conclitions r,vhen a person coulcl easily go into thc tor-rlism
lrusiness ancl makc casy moncy?
-T- hr )¡olìrlgcr gùrlcr.ìrior1 ihat has r.ìot had to make agonizing saclilices for the re\¡olLltion,
1llie their parielÌts, erc the most encouragecl by
lilcstylc of th.-'tollrists. Stuclcnts have bcen clropping out olschool Lo talic.jobs surror-rncling lourism. Belwcen 1990 ancl 1998,46
percent of stuclents clropped ont ol seconclary schools ancl from those who continuecl thcit stuclies, belweeu l9Bg ancl 1998, 28 percenl
I
Lhc
of gracluate stuclcnts lelt therr stuches.
12
,4UCSSUnC fr¡OW
Spring
2O01
RACE AND CLASS
-Þ
Desman Oakley '01 is a day stuclent who rvrote about hou'
he found life in a country witir a majorit)' o[ -t".0 .u..
people (Cuba), r'ersus his experiences in a country u'ith a
wl-rite majority (USA).
Ë
(j
s
Ë
A
I
ca
r. Eduar.do Hernandez, a Cuban politician, said classification oI racial
rnnketrp is not in the traclition ol his counlr;: Both bhcl<s olcl rrhitcs
strugglecì together for nationalism and a strong bor-rd stemmecl fiorn ¡he
f-\
IJ
ir-rclepenclence figl-rt "
I
-'.tj-
Drsnnx ORxlsv
! il
E
Economist Gladys Hernandez stands in front of the Martin Luther King
Center in Havana, a partner with the Center for Global Education where the
class stayed,
\ T /hcn rshccl rl r.acial separation hacl anything to do wrth a class
VV ,yr,.,.r. cconoi¡jst Giedys Llernanclez qr-rickly answerecl, "No, t-to
.rvay. Tl-rc rcvolutrorr was crealecl lor social justìcc. Dlffercnt races harrc
their own cultulcs ancl tcnclencics, but iL doesn't mattcr, it's thc
rcvolution." Ms. Hcmanclcz also spokc ol some raciaL stcreotypes about
blacli Cubans tl-rat lccl nre to bclievc I was gciting thc runarouncl.
ccansc of thls, I clecicled to hit thc strcet,looking krr somcone who
cor-rld best breali it clor,rm for nlc. ... My ncw lricncl Jose Antonlo, a
clcfiniLe "blacli" Cuban ancl an Amcrican-influcncecl onc, bcgan to ask mc
aboLrt }rip-hop music. . .. J tmmecliately stertccl lhc Llr,ìcstionlllg frLrecss
B
Desman Oakley '01 visits the prehistoric mural in Viñales
Valley, designed by Leovigildo Gonzalez, a Cuban artist
who was a pupil of Diego Rivera. In f 959, Cuban farmers
hanging from parachute harnesses eight hours a day
completed the painting of the mural. The mural depicts
the "pre-history" of Cuba.
whcrc l-ris mr-rslcal ir-rfLuenccs camc lrom. "From lricncls," hc saicl.
lìrom blecli lricncls? I askecL. "Ycah, fron-r blacl< lricncls, fron-r whrtc liiends,
firom all ol rrry l'rienc1s." . I askecl, "Do yor-r have problems hcrc becausc ol
thc color of yor-rr sliin?" ,Josc pu1lccl clown the headphones ancl snicl<erecl.
"Llh, no. No, r.vc clo not hn,c e colllltry likc yor-us. I hcar it in your music,
hor.v l¡rcl iL is. We havc a cliflerent l'rÌstor;r thar.r you. In yor-tr colÌntry, you
arc blach. ancl that ls bacl. lìere, you arc t1-Lc pcrlcct color. Yolt are a pelfect
While in Cuba, the ciass met with Ann
Cuban."
Havana since last June.
esliir.rg
Spring 2001
AUGGIES IN CUBA
Gabrielson '84. She is a foreign service officer
r,vith the U.S. Departrnent of State and has
been posted to the U.S. Interesis Section in
,4ucssuRc
^Iow
13
T'S BOOK:
to
Provence
Paris
An interdisciplinary course
in art and French
For three weeks in January, 15 Augsburg students
and 10 students from other Upper Midwest
campuses traveled through France with Augsburg
professors Tara Christopherson and Pary Pezechkian.
They followed the paths of six masters from the
last century: Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh,
Cezanne, and Picasso, visiting studios, sites, sources
of inspiration, and museum collections from
to
Provence
Paris. An exhibition of the resulting artists' books
was installed in Lindell Library during February
documenting those incredible sensory experiences in
words and images.
Excerpts from the books and photos are
published here with permission of the artists.
N
Õ
"õ'
q
L
s
E
EZE
Enchanting, Cobbiestone
Winding, Medieval, Village
Blankets of fog biilow down,
HOBBIT
Art professor Tara Christopherson (second from left)
and French professor Pary Pezechkian (right) look
through the artists' books on display with Augsburg
students Ariann Russ'04 (left) and Michael Murray
'02 (second from right).
1q
,Aucsnunc now
Gustavus
-Wendy
Adolphus
Bryanr,
College
The quaint village of Eze, France, attracts
tourists and inspires artists.
Spring 2001
-''E*¡såSsåcwtu*
I left my solid foundation at home,
and now I am losing my footing.
It's my trip ... my time to explore
the world ...
But as the homesickness sets in, I
find that the only thing that
comforts me
is your smile, which is what I see
whenever I close my eyes ...
-Heather
Top left: Adam Vorderbruggen, Weekend College. Above: Each student created a book,
documenting their inspiration in text and images. Michael Murray's book is pictured here.
Right: A watercolor sketch by Ariann Russ '04.
Bottom right: Lydia Noggle'01 and
Heather Sweeney'02.
Let it Go ...
Words can not express
how much I have grown,
we have grown.
F
s
Õ
i
have learned to
relax, "chill" and
"let it go" but most
important enjoy
EVERYTH]NG
-Michael
Spring 2001
Murray'02
Sweeney'02
MruE@
.Joseph Ericksor-r ancl l-iis collcagr-rcs in
Augsbr-rrg College's Echrcatron Departmcnt
¿ìre on a missior-l lo changc how stuclcnls
are preparecl to become teacl-rers in
Minnesota's schools.
"We need to lrain tomorrow's teachers
not only how to effcctively r-rse technology
but so that they go into the classroom
For hids today, computer
rvanting to do so, and not having to be
dragged klcking and screarning inLo the
technologt is a natural; but for
process," the Augsbr"rrg associate prolessor
remarked. "To stay current, teachers need
their teachers, technology in the
to both understand the 'big picture' of
technology use in schools and how to
think creatively abor-rt new ways things can
classroom can be unfamiliar
be done ln their classrooms."
Erìckson said his department
recognizes that it's going to be vely hard to
change the profession because most
and daunting.
inherently slow abont adapting
to new ideas. "l hate to say ir, but the
process is sort of like trylng to change a
tire while the car ls still rolling."
sc1-Lools are
A new program at Augsburg
is
training its education faculty
and its students-future
teacher
s-how to incorp
or ate
new, high-tech learning into
their classrooms. The aim is to
engctge children
in hands-on
learning with computers, digital
cclmeras, video equipment, and
other media, rathet" than letting
them passively watch their
teachers use them.
16
,4ucs¡uRc lr¡ow
And, he aclcled, "Wl-ule 1-Lardly anyone
thinks we shonlcln't be doing this, the brg
question is holv? Many teachers and
parents lavor trying new thlngs 'br-lt not
with my chilclren.' They clon't r.vanl theit
kids to be the 'expeliment.'We need lo
engage in a discussion on what lve think
teaching and learnÌng rs al1 about and
embrace the possibilities that technolog;'
provides; lo think creatively about neu'
ways lhal things can be done in our
the tcachrng lvorlcl.
The Ar,rgsburg program-Millennium
Teachers Technology proJect (MT2, lor
short)-features a r-tnique collaboratron ol
the College, a number of urban pr-rb1ic and
charter schools, ancl private technology
businesses lbcused on cleveloplng a model
lor technology training for teachers.
The prolect is being directed by a
team made up of project leacler Sonla
Schmieder; Education Department faculty
mernbers Erickson ancl Gretchen lrvine;
ancl Bili Bierclen, a technology specialist
,
ancl acl.lunct professor. Schmieder came
over to run the project lrom a nonplolit
school chslrict cooperative ca11ec1 TIES
(Têchnology and Inlonnation Educational
Services), a consortium of 36 school
districts headquartered in Roseville, Minn.,
that rvas created to aid edlttcators in
infusing techr-Lology into therr schools and
into lnstruction.
TiES firsr approached Augsburg about
taking or-r this project and helped secure a
pilot planning grant to explore the
leasibilrty of such an ambitious proJect.
"Augsburg has clevelopecl a repr-rtation
classrooms."
Torvard that encl, the Augsburg
Eclucetion Department has receivecl a
three-year, $,750,000 grant from the U.S.
Departmeni of EclucatÌon's "Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers to Use lechnology"
(or PT3) program to immerse rts faculty
members and stuclents rr-r both learning
ancl applyìng "cr-rtting edge" technology to
Spring 2001
U
\
B
-l
both innovative and as a center for
teacher education. We are among the
largest teacher education programs in the
state (more than 500 students are
currently seeking licensure)," Erlckson
said. "But, even though the College is'big'
in that regard, it also has the reputation of
being 'small' in terms of the close
relationships between faculty and
as
students-something we thought would
be important if this was going to succeed."
Augsburg also has a reputation of
being an advocate for all teacher programs
in the state. Toward that end, the College
is planning to sponsor an event for
prospective teachers and their faculties
from all of Minnesota's teacher preparation
institutions sometime yet this spring.
Schmieder said it was is a natural
thing to do. "We must think beyond our
Education professor Joe Erickson and Jade Wanzeck '02 work together on a new computer
program in the education lab.
being to train and deepen the skill level of
the education department's faculty By the
end of the first semester, each faculty
member had learned how to develop his or
her own Web page and had taken training
"A teacher of the 27st cuttury mustbe well enough prepared so
that they are not intimidated or oyerwhelmedby new technologlt."
-Karla
M. Juetten, Weehend College student
own grant and look for ways to present a
united voice to insure that we prepare
technology-proficient [uture teachers," she
sald.
Erickson noted that much of the
credit for securing the grant also goes to
the College's lnstitutional Technology (IT)
Department, which had been staying on
top of the newest technologÌcal trends and
investing in a campus-wide network to
glve faculty and students something to
which to connect. The lT Department also
has been actively involved in helping put a
new high-powered, yet sn-rall, laboratory in
place where the students enrolled in
teacher education will have the
opportunity to experiment with the latest
equÌpment-ranglng from laptop
computers to digital scanners, computers,
and digital cameras.
The project got underway at [he start
of the academic year with the lirst step
Spring 2001
on use of other technology as well.
Step two this semester involves
rntensive work with 20
teacher education
students, recruited
advocate with their professors in their own
training. We see Augsburg as a learning
community and we want this to go both
ways with the students belng both
supported and supportive."
Karla M. Juetten, Plymouth, a
Weekend College student, said she
volunteered to be one of the 20 students
because, "A teacher of the 2lst century
must be well enough prepared so that they
are not intimldated or overwhelmed by
new technology The tools available to the
classroom teacher are changing at such a
fast pace that we honestly can't know what
from both the clay
and weekend
(J
s
"\J
¡
programs.
"We will take
what we learn with
these 20 studentswhom we're calling
Student Technology
Advocates-and
spread it across all the
students in our
program during years
two and three,"
Erickson said. "We
want to have them
not only learn for
themselves but also to
Bill Bierden, a technology specialist with the Augsburg's Millennium
Teachers Technology (MT2) project, discusses a class assignment
Weekend College student Karla Juetten.
4ucssuRc
with
Now
17
will be posslble five years from now. We
to enhance and communicate wrth people
need to consider technology a lifelong
subject and work to prepare teachers to be
open to the changes ahead."
Once the students are comfortable
wlth this new model, they will do their
community "service learning" in one of the
"partner" schools where they wlll be given
the opportunity to both teach and help
implement the use of technology wherever
possible. Eventually, it is hoped that in
addition to an ever-growing number of
in their community about what they are
doing in the classroom. Others might use
digital still or video cameras.
"And, we definitely want to geÍ away
U
'\s
-r
from the o1d model where students are
taught about technology by taking a
course on the subject. Our goal is to
embed technology across the curriculum.
We don't teach students how to use chalk.
They just see how it works by watching
how others use it and then use it
curriculum. We don't
teach students how to use chalh. They just see how it works by
watchinghow others use it and then use it themselves."
Joseph Erichson, associate professor of education
"OLLr goal is to embed technologt across the
-
teachers trained ln this manner, these
schools can serve as models for other
schools in the state and beyond.
"If you think of technology as a 'tool'
it
that can be used in many dlfferent ways,
becomes a new way of thinking," Erickson
noted. "And, technology is more than just
computers. It's any advance in materials
and information that helps accomplish a
task. It's a continuum from spoken/written
language to the use of satellites. Some
kids, for example, might use fax machines
themselves. The same needs to be true for
technology-on an advanced level. We
want teachers to avoid the trap of
everybody having to do the same thing,
the same way, af the same time; avoid the
standard way of thinking and embrace the
possibilities.
"Some students might be using
computers, others digitai cameras, and
others VCRs-all at the same t¡me-as
they use different methods to solve a
Sonja Schmiedel MT2 project leadet came to
Augsburg from TIES, a 36-school consortium
aimed at helping teachers infuse technology
into their classrooms.
problem or accomplish a meaningful
learning task. That's why we need to get
past the o1d way of thinking and think
creatively about new ways things can be
done.
"And, of course, it'IÌ be an evermoving target, because as technology
grows and deveLops, so musl our training
and how it is used in educatlon." I
Education students Ryan Dehnel '02 (left) and Shannon Moen-Fjeld'01 (right) experiment
with the possibilities on a digital camera.
18
,4UCSBUnC ruOW
Spring 2001
I
A
/
ll I
-
From the Alumni Board
president's desk ,¡,
Fl o you remember what the Augsburg
lJ.u*pu, was like when you *-u" ustudent? I was a student from 1966 to
1970, and I recall being quite proud of
our new facilities: the College Center [now
Christensen Centerl and Urness Tower.
Before that, students used to hang out in
the basement of Memorial Hall, where the
cafeteria was located. The bookstore was
in the basement of Sverdrup Hall, and
there was a Fort Knox-tpe arca for paying
tuition and seeing the registrar. Chapel
was held in Melby Hall. Football games
were played in downtown Minneapolis at
Parade Stadium. Hockey was played at
various arenas around the Twin Cities.
Many students, like myself, lived in the
older houses around campus. On the
average, we were all pretty similar looking:
white, Anglo-Saxon (if not Norwegian),
Lutheran kids, fresh from Luther Leagues
all over Minnesota. Augsburg was an
enclave in the midst of the big city of
Minneapolis.
Well, it isn't that way any more.
The Augsburg campus has been
improved many times over and continues
to get better each year. A wide variety of
students now attend our College: young
people, adults, working people, nonLutherans (even non-Norwegians!), and a
great cross-section of nationalities,
ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. The
physical facilities continue to improve,
with the latest addition being a skyway
link between the new Lindell Library and
Sverdrup Hall. At one end of the link is
the newly remodeled Enrollment Center, a
one-stop visit for students with financial
needs and registrar questions.
I realize that many of our alumni live
in other parts of the country and can't get
back to Augsburg to see these changes.
Not to worry Soon you will be able to log
onto the Internet, go to
<www.augsburg.edu>, and get an online
campus tour (on the welcome page).
While you are on our Web site, go to the
alumni page, click on "keeping in touch,"
and give us your latest news. The best way
to keep track of what's going on is right
before your eyes-the AugsburgNow. Your
news will be listed in this magazine and
readby thousands of interested alumni.
One of the roles of the Alumni Board
is to find \Mays to keep Auggies connected
to each other and to the school. We are
trying many different ways of doing this,
from Internet news to alumni chapter
meetings. Keeping you in touch, in the
know, and in the spirit of Augsburg
College-you'll be surprised at what we
can do togetherl
Qrrr,,eWþL,
Paul Mikelson'70
President, Alumni Board
Alumni chapter program establ¡shed
I
I
t used to be that the only way non-local
aiumni couici remain active with the
College and fellow Auggies was to plan a
special visit to attend Homecoming or
other events. But now, thanks to a
program established by the Alumni
Association, it's possible to keep ties from
anywhere in the world.
The Alumni Chapter Program was
developed to encourage alumni to organize
themselves, either around a geographic
basis or an emplo;'rnent basis, to
reestablish ties, promote the interests of
the College, and to be of service to its
alumni.
Spring 2001
"Historically, the Augsburg Alumni
Association has counted on local
involvement," says Paul Mikelson'70,
president of the A.lumni Board. "If you
lived in other places, it was difficult to
remain actively involved." But Mikelson
the chapter program as a new,
important extension of the Alumni
Association, enabling alumni to stay
sees
connected.
Alumni chapters are beneficial ro the
College in many ways, such as career
networking, event plannin g and/ or
publicit¡ resource development, keeping
track of Auggies, and studenr recruitmenr.
Chapters can be established with any
number of interested people. It is expected
that the chapters be self-governing and
operate without ongoing assistance from
the College. The Alumni Board suggests
that chapters have volunteer leadership
identified and that an annual plan of
chapter activity is developed and
communicated to the board.
For more information about alumni
chapters, please contact the AlumniÆarent
Relations Office at I-800-260-6590, or
e-mail <alumni@augsburg. edu>.
.Æucssunc
Now t9
Alumni news
Two Auggies at the longest-running
wedding in town
byBerseyNorsard
I
J
anet Paone '83 was the mother o[ the
Uria. for five and a half years, and
heard her daughter say "I do" 1,785 times.
She was one of the original cast members
of Tony n'Tina'sWedding, a comedy at the
Hey City Theater in Minneapolis that set
records as the city's longest-running
theatrical production before finally closing
inJanuary.
Augsburg senior Kathn¡n Koch also
had a hand in the nuptials. She joined the
crew in 1998, and then became stage
manager last October-all while still a
full-time student. During that time, she
was a swing caterer and trained ne\¡/ actors
into the show.
Paone, a theater major and music
minor at Augsburg, came to the
production from a stage career in opera
and musicals, including the New York City
Opera, the Minnesota Opera, and two
years in Nunsense. To clinch the role as
Tina's mother, Paone had to return for
callbacks that included improvisational
skills and interacting with "audiences."
It was just these qualities that Paone
believes made Tony n'Tina so appealingit was interactive and pailicipatory
depending on the comfort level of the
audìence.
The play's run came to an end amid
sold-out performances. Koch describes
how difficult the farewells were amongst
crew members, and says it felt like
graduation with everyone then going off
on their own.
Koch, a theater major and music
minor who will graduate from Augsburg
next year, will stay on as stage manager for
the next production.
"l'm committed to Hey City Theater,"
Koch says. "It's an amazingcompany to
work with, and they have taught me a lot."
Paone had no time off as she
immediately began rehearsals for S¿r¿ef
Scene af The Minnesota Opera. Since
1984, she has also been the theater
director at Irondale High School and does
voice-over work.
And, she has not been to a real
wedding since before Tony n' Tina.
Janet Paone '83 (right) is shown here as
mother-of-the-bride Josephine Vitale in
the long-running musical Tony n'TinaT
WeddÍng at the Hey City Theater. Senior
Kathryn Koch (left) was stage manager.
Alumni
Gatherings
fo RSVP and get directions, please call
I the AlumniÆarent Relations Oflice at
1-800-260-6590.
First alumni job fair planned
n April, Augsburg will host its first
alumni job fair in an effort to bring
together Augsburg alumni (and their
employers) with Augsburg seniors and
I
recent grads.
Sponsored by the Augsburg College
Alumni Board of Directors, the
AlumniÆarent Relations Office, and the
Center for Service, Work, and Learning,
the goal of the job fair is to match the
talents and experience ofAugsburg
graduates with the needs of employers.
"I think it's often the case that
Augsburg students dont really realize how
many successful alumni are out there,"
says Colleen Watson '91, past president of
20
4ucsnuncruow
the Alumni Board. "The job fair will allow
students to meet and connect with these
alums. It's good for students to see that
their education has value-it's a chance for
alumni and their firms to say'we have
hiring needs, you're good, we \Mant you,
and we value your Augsburg education."'
The AlumniJob Fair takes place on
April 10, 5-8 p.m., in the Christensen
Center. For more information or to reserye
table space for your firm, call the alumni
office at 6I2-330-IL7B or send an e-mail
to <alumni@augsburg.edu>.
Los Angeles, California
March 29, 5:30-7 p.m.
Hilton Universal City and Töwers
Sierra Suite, Mezzanine level
555 Universal Terrace Parkway
Universal City, Califomia
DeKalb, illinois
April4, 7:30 p.m.
Augsburg Choi.r performance
;
alumni reception following
First Lutheran Church
324 North 3rd Street
Dekalb,Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
April5, 5:30-7 p.m.
Rivers restaurant
30 South Wacker, Mercantile Exchange
Chicago, Illinois
Spring 2O0l
)
¡¡
o
(t
1945
1957
1
Marguerite (Greguson)
Beverly (Olson) Flanigan,
Larry Scholla, Willmar, Minn.,
Larsen, Fargo, N.Dak., and her
husband, the Rev. Mart¡n D.
Larsen '43, celebrated their 50th
Athens, Ohio, has taught
linguistics and English as a second
language at Ohio Universiry since
1980. She received her M.A. from
Saint Louis University and her
Ph.D. from Indiana University She
has one son, Patrick, who is an IT
consultant in Europe.
retired from teaching math; he is
self-employed as a carpenter. His
wedding anniversary in October.
Both enjoy spending the winter
months in Mesa, Ariz.
1954
Erling Huglen,
Roseau, Minn.,
r 959
and his wife, Rhoda (Monseth)
'59, celebrated their 40th
wedding anniversary in October.
served Moe Lutheran Church
Roseau for 35 years.
in
1956
John Thompson, Benson,
Minn., was ¡e-elected in
November for a third teûn on the
Swift County Board of
Commissioners. This election was
his ninth consecutive election to
local public office.
1964
M
granddaughter, Mara.
ike Walgren, Plymouth,
Minn., became chief operating
officer of the Children's Hospital
Foundation.
Pa., was elected to the
Institute of
Medicine of the National
Academies. He is medical director
of the March of Dimes Birth
Defects Foundation in New York.
1970
Nikki Rajala, Rockville, Minn.,
celebrated the publication
ofher
first book, Some Lìhe it Hot The
Sauna, its Lore and Stones. To
complete it, she intewiewed
Sergei Khrushchev (son of Nikita)
about his basement "banya"; a
Finnish general whose NATO
troops built saunas in Kosovo;
Tucson community
mourns w¡th Lute
Olson
;jjäï¡:r::',,ï"i"X,1il'".T:fi:lìii:lflfï:;
of Arizona Basketball"' died of cancer on Jan, 1,2OO1.
her
coach since 1983. She accompanied
husband on nearly all road trips and speaking
engagements, and was populai u-orlg th"
t.ã-
"No. I wit'e , No' 7 mother, and No.
grandmother-always No.,1 ."
1
Bobbi Olson was also active in the Tucson
community Her two-hour memorial sen'rce was broadcast ovet Fox Sports Network there, demonstrating the
popularity respect, and affection rn Arizona for this family
in remembering his grandmother. "She died today,
grandmother-always No. 1," he sald.
The Anzona Datly Star quotes Olson's grandson, Mattherv Brase,
Spring
2OO1
mother, and No.
Rob Engelson, Clinton, Iowa,
returned to Augsburg in October
as one of the guest conductors at
the millennium choir reunion
during Homecoming 2000. He
also recently wrote an article, 'J.S.
Bach's Final Joumey to St.
Thomas," which was published in
the November issue of The Choral
Journal (the official publication of
the American Cho¡al Directors
Association).
Jim Grossman, B¡ainerd, Minn.,
is director o[ Hidden Mountain
Center, LLC, which he owns with
his wife. The organization
provides spirituaì direction and
corporate and individual
development. He is also assistant.
editor of the Braínerd Daily
Dispatch newspaper, and writes for
spiritual publications such as
Cistercian Quarteþ. In addition,
he completed course work on a
master's degree in theology with a
certificate in spiritual direction
from the College of St. Catherine.
olish - E ast G er man Relations 1 9 4 5 1962 (Westview Press). After a
two-year leave from Miami
P
Lute Olson '56, with his arm around his wife, Bobbi,
Bobbi olson acrivery shared inherhusband,s
career and became known as the "first lady of
NCAA men's basketball national championship ¡n 1997,
Bobbi Olson, affectionately known as the "First Lady
Arizona basketball" where Olson has been a
I
contributions ( 1-800-476-8599)
Sheldon Anderson,
grandchildren.
wife, No.
anecdotes for a
second book, and welcomes
Minneapolis, published his second
book, .A ColdWar ín the Soyiet Bloc:
The Olsons were married in 1953, while Lute
was a sophomore at Augsburg. They have five
chlldren and 14
0l/0V01-No. t
to collect
1973
Unlversity of Arizona men's basketball coach
Lute Olson '56 lost his wife of 47 years,
'Bobbi,
to cancer onJan. l.
playersandrecruirs.
she is continuing
1972
966
Donald Mattison, Pittsburgh,
Rev. Joe Nystuen, Richmond,
Minn., and his wife, Nancy, were
the subject of an article in the 5t.
Cloud Times newspaper. The article
profiled rhe couple and rheir
decision to tum their longtime
cabin into a rustic lakehome after
they retired in August 1999. Joe is
a retired Lutheran minister; Nancy
is a retired registered nurse.
Erling, a retired ELCA pastor,
wife, Muriel (Berg) '67, is a
Title I instructor fo¡ Willmar
Public Schools. They both enjoy
spending time with their first
1
and dozens of
other enthusiasts.
The process was
so much fun that
965
I
University (Ohio) (during which
time he filled in for Professor
Emeritus Richard Nelson in the
Augsburg history department), he
is retuming to his tenured
position at Miami, where he is
associate professor of history
1976
Larry Morgañ, Denver, Colo.,
moved to Denver to assume the
role ol director oI compensation
and benefits for J.D. Edwards and
,4ucssuRc
t¡ow
21
Class Notes
Compan¡ an eCommerce
organization. He lives near the
foothills of the RockÍe Mountains
with his wife, Beth, and their two
children.
1977
splits his time between the High
Sierras and the central coast of
CaÌifornia. When he's in the
mountains, he does personal
fitness training and massage
therapy. When he's on the coast,
he enjoys surfing at Pismo Beach.
Ron Housley, Arnold, Calif.,
198.2
Diane (Peterson) Kachel,
Woodbury Minn., started a
company in Woodbury called
Wood Wonders, which specializes
in fine woodworking/furnishings.
She co-owns the business with her
husband, Jim, who has been
ffi
working in the buiìding and
cabinetry industry for more than
20 years.
1
983
Roy Carlton, Bumsville, Minn.,
was promoted to the rank of major
in the Army Reserves. He is also a
full-time accountant with Ban-Koe
Systems in Bloomington. He and
his wife, Mary have a 4-year-old
son, Bryan.
Jim Bernstein:
Joining the "body politic"
Christopher W. Nelson,
Woodbury Minn., was named
by Maggie Weller'01
associate managing partner for the
LeNeave Group, part of New
England Financial.
Augsburg graduate Jim Bernstein '78 traded a c leeÍ in the private sector
for one in the political arena, and is now commissioner of the Mlnnesota
Department of Commerce in Governor Jesse Ventura's cabinet.
1984
Nila Neumiller, Minnetonka,
According to Bernstein, becoming commissioner was "sort of an accident,"
because he actually "started off as deputy commissioner in a department
that no longer exists." Now he is commissioner of a department which "is
the chief regulating agency in the areas of telecommunicatrons, energy, and
financial services."
He first became involved with Ventura's cabinet in March 1999 when
friend and colleague Steve Minn asked Bernstein to serve as deputy
commissioner of the Departmenr of Public Service. At the time, Minn was
serving as the department's commissioner.
Minn., is the founder and
executive director of Reaching
Jim Bernstein '78 was
appointed commissioner of
Bernsteln accepted Minn's offer because, "I supported the governor, and I
the Minnesota Department
thought the idea of working for him was very appealing." Bernstein also
of Commerce by Governor
admltted that he thought working for Ventura was going to be "quite a ride." Jesse Ventura.
He served as deputy commissioner until September 1999, when the
department was merged into the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Then,
when the Minnesota Senate failed to confirm Steve Minn as commissioner of
the newly merged department, Bernstein was asked to stay on as the acting
commissioner. He served in that capacity until last July when he was
appointed commissioner.
"Augsburg extended nry
yision andhorizons
in away Ihad
never imaglned."
PrÌor to his involvement in public service, Bernsteln spent most of his career
in marketing, public relations, and advertising. Most recently, he was vice
president and research manager at Colle 6c McVoy Advertising and Public Relations.
Bernstein admits he sometimes misses his former career and coworkers. However, he said, "I thought
not do rhis, I would spend the rest of my career in advertising, public relations, and marketing."
il I did
Staying in one career for his entire working life was something he wanted to avoid. "Too many people settle
into their career and wish to do other things and just do not do it," he said.
Bernstein attributes much of his success to what he calls the wonderful education he recerved al Augsburg. In
fact, he said, "The Air Force taught me confidence and made me grow up; Augsburg extended my vision and
honzons in a way I had never imagined."
The education and experience Bernstein received at Augsburg have kept him involved with the College as a
member of the Augsburg College Alumnl Board. "I wish more alums would do that. I strongly believe you
need to serve youÍ community, and I also think you have an ethical obligatlon to give something back to your
col1ege," he said.
Bernstein graduated lrom Augsburg wlth a B.A. in political science. He is a program advisor for St. Cloud
Têchnical College, a member of the Minnesota State College and UniversÌty Trustee Candidate Council, and
has served on the State Board of TechnÌcal Colleges.
Arms International, an
international adoption agency and
ministry outreach located in New
Hope, Minn. To date, Reaching
Arms has placed nearly 400
children in loving homes. Last
April her agency opened an
orphanage in Kieg Ukraine, called
Cradle of Children's Hope. The
first privately-run orphanage in
Ukraine, the facility is currently
home to eight toddlers, and will
soon be able to accommodate up
to'10 children. Neumiller became
an ordained minister in 1997 and
was recently honored as one of
three recipients for the 2000
Women of Achievement by Trin
West Chamber of Commerce.
1987
Patricia A. Lee, Minneapolis, was
accepted into the master of
divinity progrâm at Luther
Seminary in St. Paul last fall. She
also serves as a medical social
worke¡ for Fairview University
Medical Center and Minneapolis
Children's Hospital.
1989
Devoney Looser, Tempe, Ariz.
celebrated the publication of her
new book, Bntish Women Witers
andtheWitingoJ History
I 67 0-1820, by Johns Hopkins
University Press. Looser
22
,4UCSrunCruOW
Spring 2OOf
)
Paul last fall. She also serves as an
events strategist at Augsburg.
tflanll¡rmrz
E
DISCOVER NORWEGIAN TREASURES AND HERITAGE
a
Karen Schachtschneider,
Sarasota, Fla., was promoted to
Join PresÌdent and Mrs. William V Frame and Professor Frankie
Shackelford on a journey through Norway rn the summer of 2002
senior marketing speciallst at
Speedcom Wireless CorporatÍon.
2000
Norway tour information meeting
Guest speaker: Frankie Shackelford, associate professor of modern languages
Christiaan Simmons, Brookþ,
"The New Norway"
N.Y., is a production coordinator at
Thomas Publishing in Manhattan;
his fiance, Susan Spector'00, is
an editorial assistant at Dennis
Publishing (also in Manhattan).
Sunday, Apr|I22, at 2 p.m.
Marshall Room, Christensen Center, Augsburg College
byAprll 20 to the alumni office: 612-330-Il78 or 1-800-260-6590
RSVP
This l2-day tour program features five nights on the world-famous Norwegian coastal voyage,
sailing south from the "top of Norway" to Bergen.
If you are unable to attend the information meeting, call the alurnni offlce to be included on
a special mailing list with fi-rrther tour details.
ù
1992
Larry John Anderson,
W
N
MNI¡
ffi
Star Ttibune, the Pioneer Press, and
the Ci¿y Pages {or his production of
Eagan,
Minn., completed his master's
degree in biblical studies at
Andersonville Baptist Seminary
where he is now enroÌled in a
doctorate program.
Noya J. Woodrich, ('94 MSW),
MinneapoÌis, was appointed
executive director of the Division
of Indian Work in Minneapolis.
She has been on the staff since
I991, serving most recently
The Elephant Man,
Cedar Riverside Peopleb Center in
Minneapolis. The Star Ttlbune
wrote that "Curtis directs with
restraint, pace, and a fine
understanding of the mirth of lthe
author'sl language."
Hutchinson, lady Mary Wortley
Montagu, Charlotte Lennox,
Catharine Macaulay, Hester L1,nch
Piozzi, andJane Austen, and shows
how "each o[ their contributions to
historical discourse differed greatly
as a result of political, historical,
religlous, class, and generic
affiliations. Adding their
contributions to accounts of earþ
modem writing refutes the
assumption that historiography
was an exclusive men's club and
that fiction was the only prose
genre open to women." Looser is a
visiting assistant professor of
EnglÍsh at Anzona State University
She is the editor o[ Jane Austen and
Díscourses oJ Feminísm and coeditor
of G eneratíons: Academic F emínists
in Dialogue.
member for social work at.
Metropolitan State University
1
993
Stottler,
1
Valley,
Minn., is a chaplain assistant in the
Army stationed in Heidelberg,
Germany
1
996
Football game vs.
Macalaster CollegeSaturday, October 13
Reunion celebrationsClasses of 1951, 1961,
1976,1991, and 1996
998
Minn., completed her master's
degree in special education at
Bethel College inJanuary She
ffi
teaches special education to grades
7, B, and 9 in Prior l¿ke, Minn.
1
A gifi from the Augsburg
Bookstore goes to Helen
999
Gordon R. Flanders, Inver Grove
Amy Covington,
Heights, Minn., became a new
grandfather to twin boys, Derek
Calif., moved to San Diego last
(Nichols) Quanbeck'44 and
Phrl Helland'42, who both
correcrly identified rhe ice
Aprii, where she work at Academic
skaters pictr-rred
and Jarrod.
Press and writes for several
1997
newspapers.
archlve photo ln the winter
issuc as Dick McCuigan '45
and Laville (Henjr"rm)
Larson'44.
Zach Curtis, Minneapolis,
received glowing reviews from the
Spring 2001
dinner-
Amy Michele Reid, Savage,
995
Gary Munson, Apple
Forest
Buchanan, Smith
& FrederÍck, PA.,
as an associate attome)¿ He pians
to concentrate his practice in the
area of business law.
1
October 11-14
Saturday, October 13
l¿ke, Minn.,
joined the law
firm Fryberger,
Robert Berg, St. Paul, gor
married in September.
HOMECOMING 2OO1:
AUGSBURG ON PARADE
Homecoming
Travis D.
as
also sen'es as a community faculty
tiI.rùtl{-'.rùt¡Iùr.-rlraÍ
which ran
November 3O-December 16 at the
associate executive director. She
investigates the careers of Lucy
Christopher N. Wahl,
Indianapolis, Ind., married Kelly
Harley in Chicago in November.
Wahl is a law student at Indiana
University
San Diego,
Deb Hutterer, Hudson, Wis., was
accepted into the master of divinity
program at Luther Seminary in St.
ln the
,4ucs¡unc ruow
23
Class Notes
ffi
Lessons in culture
program rn hrgher education
administration. He completed the
program in one year and one
by Lynn Mena
summer.
Amid the sunny
tourist destination
Having passed through Key West
once before, he relished the
rhought of its easy-going
personality It seemed the perfect
place to lay low and observe
humanity The region, which
attracts visitors of diverse faiths,
cuÌtures, and ethnic backgrounds,
Matt Milless
in
fascinated Mil1ess.
graduated from
immediarely upon
beaches of Key
West, F1a., Matt
Milless tended bar
and fished in the
wann, lroprcal
waters. He had
fled to the popr,rlar
Augsburg in 1998
1999,
"Culture plays such a huge role in
Milless (right) with a coworker in Key West, FIa.,
my life," he says. "I've always had
where he lived for one year after completing his
a desire to learn and understand
master's degree in 1999 at Ball State University,
other cultures." He found himsell
picklng up bits and pieces o[
sense of accomplishment." He helped raise
several languages-Spanish, German,
thousands of dollars to bring in such
French, and more. The experience served as
nationâl figures as Chuck D, activist and
a real-1ife extension of Milless's academic
member of rap group Public Enemy, and
studies in multicult ural al^lairs.
actlvist Jane E11iott.
receiving hrs
master's degree at
with a student-
designed B.A. in
Ball State
University in
Muncle, ind.
multicultural
studies.
"I lived in Key West for a year," says Mi11ess.
"First I worked as a cook for Marrlott
Hotels, but a couple monrhs later I left to
work a[ a locaì restaurant as a waiter,
"My major at Augsburg was a self-designed
major in multicultural studies, with an
emphasis ln sociolog¡" says Mi1less. "My
degree alìowed me the opporlunrty lo
bartender, and occasional cook." He also
helped a friend open a coffee and sandwich
shop.
explore other ideas and different cultures."
The jor"rrney south serued as a much-needed
hiaius from acaciemia. After receiving his
bachelor's degree from Augsburg in 1998, he
was accepted into Ball State's graduate
"I've
I
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Milless
chose Augsbr-rrg because it was one of very
few sma1l, private colleges situated in a
major metropolitan
alwøys^had a desire to learn and
area. "I'm Augsburg's
biggest fan," he says.
under stand other cultures. "
"Augsburg recognizes
the value of
il BF
ffi
H
E
ffi
m
þrui
I
E¡l
H
ü
ã
Ë
w HË
24
4UCSSUnC NOW
ü
ffi
Milless (bottom right) poses with a local youth and a
group of orientation students at Union College in
Schenectady, N.Y,, where he is assistant director of
student activites.
the value of its
location in an urban
area. I walked away
appreciating my
education; 1t
provlded me with a
great foundalion to
enter grad school and
the professional
G
E
multiculturalism and
wor1d."
While an undergrad
at Augsburg, Milless
co-chairecl the first
[wo annual Diverslty
Weeks. "It was a li[eshaping experience,"
he says. "I rea11y felt a
In addition, while attending Ball State, he
worked as a grad assistant in the college's
multicultural affairs office. He also
compieted an internship at Butler University
in lndianapohs as an advisor in the office of
student activilies.
Today, Mllless is assistant director of student
activities at Union Co11ege, a smal1, pdvate,
nondenominational college in Schenectady,
N.Y. 'lt's great to be working on a small
campus. Because ol my experience at
Augsburg, i knew that I wanted to lind a iob
at a similar college," he says.
He accepted the position last August, feeling
the itch to bid farewell to Key West and
return to academia. "I advise students and
support their ideas and programming. It's
really been a good experience, with
opportunities to meet interesting students of
diflerent backgrounds. Right now I'm
developing Respect Day, and putting
together a commitlee of students to wnte a
stâtement or 'code of respect' for students to
sign and support."
Ultinately, Milless would llke to get his
Ph.D. and become a dean of students at
smal1, private college-somewhere like
a
Augsburg.
"Mrnneapolis and Augsburg are where I have
felt most at home-I loved it there."
Spring 20Ol
)
Births
Karin (Sabo) '86, and Nicholas
Mantor, Burnsville,
Minn.-a
John Bjorn, inJanuary
son,
He joins
sister, Emily, and brother, Thomas
Kimberly (Kopitski) '86 and
David Spoerner, Lake in the Hills,
Ill.-a
daughter, Lauren Nicole,
in August.
Marc McElyea '92 and his wife,
Jenny, Shoreview, Minn.a daughter, lsabelle Marie, ìn
August. She joìns sister, Elizabeth.
Molly
(Fochtman)
'92 and
Greg
The Alumni/Parent Relations Office invites you
Schnagl'91,
to become an act¡ve member of the Alumni
Assocation! For information about
Blaine,
opportunities, contact the the alumni office at
Minn.a daughter,
Megan, in
August. She joins brother Thomas,
3. Greg received his master's degree
in education from the University o[
St. Mary's; he is teaching 4th grade
1-8OO-26G659O or e-mail <alumni@augsburg.edu>.
Pictured (clockwise from top) is Laura Cichocke
(administrative assistant), Jeff Krengel '93
(assistant director), and Nancy (Carlson) Ioedt
'94 (director).
Julie Sabo'88 and her father, Martin Olav
Sabo'59, were both sworn in as legislators
on the same day in January-but 1,500 miles
apart. Julie is serving her first term in the
Minnesota Senate representing part of south
Minneapolis, and Martin began his f2th term
representing Minnesota's Fifth District in the
U.5. House of Representatives.
at Rice Lake Elementary in the
CentenniaÌ School District.
Terry Okonek '93 and his wife,
Angeia, Woodbury Minn.-a boy,
Ryan, in October. Terry is an
engineer for 3M.
Julie Lynn (Holmquist)'93 and
Ted Sellers, Hamel,
a daughter,
Mirr.-
Katie Lynn, in
September.
Tiffany (Crawford) '94 and
Chris Klett, Apple Valley,
á son,
Minn.-
Jordan Christopher, in
October.
Stacy (Harmon)'95 and
Christian Johnson, Pll.mouth,
Minn.-a boy, Benjamin Emory,
in October.
Daniel Lideen '96 and his wife,
Jessrca, Dundas,
Minn.-a
son,
Wesley Daniel, in October.
Jim South '96 and his wrfe,
Robin, Cottage Grove,
daughter,
Minn.-a
Holly Lynn.
Jennifer Ringeisen '97 and Mau
Berg, Inver Grove Heights,
Minn.-a
boy,
in September.
Noah Matthew,
AN AUGGIE WEDDING
Sarah Ginkel '99 and Damion Spilman were married in December in New Ulm, Minn., where there
was no shortage of Auggies in attendance!
to R) ROW I (front): Erica Bryan 'o1, Sarah (Ginkel) Spilman '99, Damion Spilman. ROW 2: Sara
Luce '01, Meg Schmidt'01, Mark Peterson '01, Jason wegner'ol, Robyn Kahle ,99, Adrianne Rieger
'OO Katie Kolles '01. ROW 3: Jason Van Houten '0Q Lee Sprouts 'O1, Erin Peterson '00, Carrie Blau.
Row 4: Todd Boerboom '01, Jim Peterson '99, cassi van Ausdall 'ol. Row 5 (back): scott
(L
Hvistendahl '99, Angie Rieger'01, Mary Carlson ,00.
SprinE 2O01
,4ucssuRc
ñtow
2s
I
Gerald Thorson, alumnus and former
English professo[ dies at 79
erald Thorson,
a former
English professor
G
'43
from the 1957
Augsburgian
and chair of both
the English and
humanities
departments, died in January of congestive
heart failure at his daughter's home in
Knoxville, Ti:nn.
Thorson graduated from Augsburg in
1943 and returned ín1946 to teach
English. He played an important role in
building the Augsburg English
department, and served as department
chair from 1952 ro 1964.In 1959, he was
named chair of the humanities division,
Geratd Thorson
where he became a leader in broadening
programs in foreign languages, drama, and
arr. He resigned in 1964 and finished his
career at St. Olaf College, where in
addition to heading the English department,
he chaired the language and literature
division and was acting chairman of the
German department. He retired in 1986.
Rick Smith, vice president of admissions
and enrollment services at Augsburg,
remembers fondly the courses he took from
Thorson as an undergaduate English
student at St. Olaf. "Professor Thorson was
rigorous in his expectations of students, but
he was also a kind, thoughtful, and gentle
soul who provided that addi.tionai word of
encouragement and support you sometimes
needed," says Smith.
"He will be deeply missed by many,
not just me," continues Smith. "But, more
importantl¡ I hope his legacy as a scholar,
teacher, supporter, and friend will
continue to serve us ali as an example of
what involvement in Lutheran higher
education should always be about."
Thorson also published over 125
reviews, poems, articles, and translations. '
He had just completed an English
translation of the Norwegian book, Thø
Saloonheeper\ Daughter, to be published by
Johns Hopkins Press later this year.
M¡m¡ Johnson, who encouraged seniors to
continue to learh, dies at age 74
by Kavita Kumar, Star Ttibune staff writer (reprinted by permission of the Star l?ibune)
or 25 years,
F thousands of
senior citizens have
gathered in
churches and
community centers
to discuss topics
ranging from
Minnesota politics
Mary Elizabeth to stained glass as
(,,Mimi,,) Johnson part of an Augsburg
College outreach program.
That's because of Mary Elizabeth
(Mimi) Johnson's vision.
Johnson, of Plymouth, founder of
Augsburg's College of the Third Age and
professor emerita of modern languages,
died of liver cancer [January 23rd] at
North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.
She was 74.
She was a strong believer that even in
a person's "third age," the retirement years,
the learning should not stop.
"Everyone talks about lifelong
education, but no one does much about
it," said her son, Eric Johnson of Eden
Prairie. But "she really tried to keep people
26
,,,IUCS¡UnC ruOW
active and learning."
A New York native, Johnson was the
dean of \Momen at Luther College in
Decorah, lowa, before comìng to Augsburg
in 1962.
She taught French and was an
international student adviser at Augsburg.
It was during a sabbatical in the early
1970s at the University of Toulouse in
France thatJohnson came upon the idea
Today there are almost 250 liberal arts
programs a year in the College of the
Third Age in Twin Cities neighborhoods.
An enthusiastic traveler, Johnson
organized many trips abroad for senior
for the education program for seniors.
She met a sociologist there who
studied the desire of the elderþ to leam.
With a group of graduate students he
helped create a curriculum for them at the
university
Johnson took this idea back with her
to .{ugsburg and within a few years had a
similar program in Minneapolis, one of the
firsr of its kind in the area.
"lt was always Mimi's and my belief
that people who keep learning put back
many hours into the community through
service," said Karen Lindesmith, director
of the College of the Third Age. "It makes
people more alive and alert ... keeping the
mind supple and excited about living."
lifelong student," Lindesmith said. "She
had such a wonder at the world and a
desire to keep learning."
Johnson retired from teaching about a
decade ago, but "retired badl¡" Eric
Johnson said. She continued to stay
involved in the school and related
programs before her death.
In addition to her son, survivors
include three grandchildren.
Editor\ note: Mimi Johnson was preceded
in deathby her husband oJ 47 years, Einar
citizens through a local credit union. She
also was heavily involved in Minnesota's
Elderhostel, which offers short-term
learning programs for senior citizens.
"She was a teacher, but she was also a
Johnson, proJessor ementus oJ education. Both
Mimi and Einar are deeply míssed by the
Augsburg communíty.
Spring 2001
John Harold Luther Hanson
schoÌarship. The scholarshiP
'33, Golden Valley, Minn., died in
April 2000; he was BB. A retired
established in their name was the
largest gh'en in bÌology and is
awarded annually to a biology
buyer/merchandiser, he was a 43year employee of Gamble Skogmo.
He sen ed four years in the Air
Force during WWII. In I989, he
was inducted into the Augsburg
College Athletic Hall of Fame.
student, preferably studying plant
pathology. Fridlund was honored
by Augsburg as a Distinguished
Alumnus in 1980.
Marvin C. Sulzdorf '44,
Ariz., died inJanuary; he was 78.
died in December at
LyngbÌomsten Care Center. She
was a missionary teacher in
Madagascar for 32 years.
He was a teacher and a coach
before joining 3M, where he
worked for 32 years.
included a number of
opportunitìes in international
work as a consultant in
horticuÌture, with research
Send us your news
J.
Augustine'51,
Sandstone,
Minn., died in December after a
brief battle with cancer; he was
72. After being ordained in 1955,
he served parishes in St. Hilaire,
with genuine ca¡e and patience.
unexpectedly
in February of
apparent heart failure; she was 75.
She was a great friend o[ the
College, her husband Milt Kleven's
('46) alma mater. She was a
member of the Augsburg
Associates and was a generous
supporter of the College. She is
survived by her husband, lour
chiÌdren, eight grandchildren, and
many other loved ones.
Other deaths:
Doris (Howe) Hartwig'45,
Shell Lake, Wis., died in August.
Stan R. Magnuson'67,
Burnsville, Minn., died in
November; he was 56. He spent
32 years with the Burnsville
School District, where he spent
most o[ those years as a counselor
and retired as dean of students at
Burnsvìlle High School.
Evanelle (Johnson) Lackie '46,
Richfield, Minn., died in October;
she was 75.
Frank Edward Petersen'50,
Wayz^ta, Minn., died in
December.
Robert S. Carlson, Edina, Minn.,
Thomas C. Grindberg'79,
He also served as a missionary
wrth the Lutheran Church in
Tanzania, East Africa. Upon his
retirement in 1987, he embarked
on a new career with his son,
died in December. He was a
football coach at Augsburg Ín
1940,'4I, and'46, and later at the
University of Wichita.
Blaine, Minn., died in November;
he was 43.
Full name
PLease tell us aboul the news in
your 1i[e, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don't forget
to send photos!
Street address
Maiden name
ls
State
this a new address?
n Yes n
ls spouse also a
died in ocrober.
year or last year attended
zip
No
Home telephone
Employer
Cla¡on Sordahl
Class
city
For news ol a derth, wrillcn n( )li( c
ls recluired, e.g. an obituar¡ funeral
a
Minn., died
Monticeilo, and Sandstone, Minn.
and photos!
nolice, or program from
memorial service.
Anchorage,
Ore. He touched lives of alÌ ages
company unril his retirement in
1986 as manager of the broadcast
transmitting equipment
department.
The Rev. Douglas
The Rev. Bruce Alan
Engebretson'65,
centered around the prevention
and treatment o[ viral dÍseases in
deciduous fruit trees. In 1987 he
retired from the graduate faculty
at the Research and Extension
Center at Washington State
University. In 1999, Fridiund and
his wrfe, Maxine, helped the
Augsburg biology department
build a plant sciences program by
creating a laboratory in his name
dedicated to that area of study,
and through an endowed
products company in Eden
Prairie, Minn. He had a passion
for music and was involved in
numerous bands and an orchestra
in Minnesota and Arizona.
Alaska, died in December at his
home of cardiac arrest; he was 57.
He moved to Alaska in 1967 and
served as pastor in seven Lutheran
churches; he also served at
Bethseda Lutheran ln Eugene,
Verne Mattison'46, Berqm,
Pa., died in October; he was 76.
In I95I he joined RCA in New
Jersey and remained with the
(Lijsing)
Kleven, Edina,
Augustine Medical lnc., a medical
Peoria,
Evelyn R. Lovaas'40, St. Paul,
Paul R. Fridlund '41, Prosser,
Wash., died in November. His
distinguished career in research
Dorothy
Marie
Scott, co-inventing and
developlng several medical
products. He also co-founded
Position
graduate of Augsburg College?
E-mail
Work telephone
n Yes n No
lf yes, class year_
Send your news items, photos, or
change of acldress by ma11 to:
AugsburgNow Class Notes,
Augsburg College, CB 146,
221I Rlverside Ave., Minneapolis,
MN, 55454, or e-ma11 to
<alumm@au gsbr-rrg. edu>.
Spouse name
Maiden name
Your news:
We want you to stay connected to
Augsburg!
Spring 200f
4ucs¡unc ruow
27
I
A
o
o
¡-
o
O
Thoughts from China
ñ,
by President William V. Frame
de\egation of Minnesota private college
!{prr,ornts,
Doara mem*ers, ana rocaL
business leaders traveled to China
last
eight days, hostedby the
Chinese Ministry of Education, aiming to
strengthen relations b etw een higher e ducatíon
systems in both countnes.
November
for
November 7,2000
I write the morning of election day in the
U.S., and the day after our most extensive
conversation with the Ministry of
Education concerning the utility of
America's version of private higher
education for China.
At the moment, our hosts doubt the
relevance of our tradition to their
situation, but they are fascinated by our
description of it and wish to continue the
interchange. Part of the reason for their
skepticism is revealed, I think, by our
difficulty in explaining how one founds or
starts a private college of the sort we
represent. They want to know what
economic interest in our kind of education
"lthas
President Frame confers with Haidian
University president Fu Zhengtai (right),
who will visit Augsburg this year.
forces is hard to articulate, let alone
discuss.
November 8, 2000
The ancient artifacts lat the archeological
museum of the imperial regime in Xianxi
are stunning for their refinement in form
and proportion, and the narrat-ive
arrangement of them indicate the grand
trends in cultural development.
dfficult for us to explain the dedication of our institutions to
the training of men ond women for life in a free society ..."
been
WilliamV Frame, speahing about díscussion at a meeting of Minnesota private
-President
college presidents and Chinese higher education
fficials
is strong enough to draw investors who
require an attractive return and how the
government can make sure that such
institutions can help keep economic
development moving.
It
has been difflcult for us to explaln
the dedication of our institutions to the
training of men and women for life in a
free society; to the preservation and
cultivation of particular cultural
This great museum does no better
than any other we've visited in pointing
out the grand ideas that reorient society
The 5,000 years of Chinese history are
presented without reference to anything
like the trial of Socrates, the
Enlightenment, the Reformation, or even
the founding of the Communist Party of
China. I wonder if our current moment is
as utterly disconnected from our past as it
appears to be here?
The private colleges and unlversities
Íhar arc springing up across the country
are faulted for the quality of thelr faculties,
facilities, and the size of their
enroilments-but admired for their
popularity, iheir success in attractÍng
investors, and (perhaps) feared for their
potential ability to move forward wlthout
the need of official control.
The one check against this latter
possibllity appears to be accreditation.
Only one of the proprietary institutions
has lreceived] the right to grant four-year
B.A. and B.S. degrees; all the others grant
associate or three-year diplomas. Even as
the largest and oldest of the private
institutions await the ultimate level of
accreditation, they claim that their
graduates are winning immedj.ate and
rewarding employment.
The management both of the
proprietary institutions with whom we
have met and of the provincial and city
governments overseeing higher education
express strong lnterest in continuing the
conversation which has been occurring
with us over the past week. I think we
should continue our interest in it; we are,
after all, in touch at very high levels with
perhaps the greatest educational challenge
ever faced in the modern period. We
might be able to help, and we will
certainly learn new things about our owrr
challenge in the process.
Toda¡ we are off to the tomb of Chin
Shih Huang Ti. Tomorrow Shanghai. I
dispensations even as students are
prepared for full participation in the
proloundly
pl ural istic society.
The oldest proprietary university in
China is entirely focused on workforce
conslderations, and lts misslon is entirely
determined by industrial trends and
employment demand. The institution
seems to be in service to social forces
rather than to the liberation of the student;
the idea of education correcting social
28
,AUCS¡URC nOW
Spring 2001
¡¡
tt
I
a,
tt
Music
Theatre
For more inJormation on any of these eyents,
call 612-330-1265
For theatre tíchet reservations call
612-330,1257
Apr. 3-B
Ap r. 2A-29
g
Augsburg Choir Midwest Tour,
"lmages"
Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois,
Visiting Scientist Lecture:
"From Antarctica to Mars and Europa:
The Search for Life"
Dr. Christopher McKay,
planetary scientist,
Space Science Division,
2001 Sverdrup
Iowa, Minnesota
NW
Apr.
B
Augsburg Choir Tour home concert
7 PM., Hoversten Chapel
Apr.20
"Trout Quintet" by Franz Schubert
Jill Dawe and Paul Ousley perform with
members of the Audubon String Quartet
7:30 cH¡., Sal"eren Auditorium
May I
Jazz Ensemble Concert
7 eu., Hoversten Chapel
lB-22
June
Theatre Arts Summer lnstitute
Darcey Engen at 612-330-1549 to'r
Gage
Family Gallery hours: Mon.-Fn. 9
Sat. 9
e.v.-6
p.l¿.,Sun.
p.ttt.
Chamber Music Recital
4 nv., Sateren Auditorium and Foss
May 19-20
ll
COMMENCEMENT WEEKEND
May 19
Concert Band Tour Kickoff Concert
7 PM., Central Lutheran Church
May 2l-June 5
Other Events
April 10
For i.nformation call 612-330-1178
.Atrium
Concert Band Tour
Ireland and England
May L2
"Eye to the Future" Conference
Alumni Job Fair
5-B ervr., Christensen Center
B
Mav 19
For information, call
612-330-r lB0
For information, call 612-330-155I
Hoversten Chapel
Commencement Concert
7:30 pv., Hoversten Chapel
Chapel
April l0-Noon talk, Hoversten Chapel
For gallery information call 612-330-1524
noon-7)
May
p.v., Public
Lecture, Hoversten
Exhibits
Masterworks Chorale concert
May
Center
Apri19-8
8 ¿.tvt.-12:30 nr,r.
Young women have the opportunÍty to try
different math and science careers and
work closely with professionals on related
activities.
Ca11
more information
t.u.-10 en.,
p.tr¿.,
NA.SA Ames Research
The Conference of the Birds
ByJean-Claude Carrière and Peter Brook,
based on the poem of Farid Uddi Attar
Directed by Darcey Engen
Performances: April 20, 2I,26,27,28 at
7 r.u.; April 22 and 29 at 2 p.x,t .
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater, Foss Center
May 6
7
Seminars,
Lectures, and
Films
Commencement Dinner
5:30 nv., Christensen Center
Mar. 23-May 20
"Textiles from the Silk Road"
Explore the exotic world of the Silk Road
through the colorful textiles of its people.
Gage Family Galler¡ Lindell Library
Opening reception, March 23, 6-9 ev.
l\/[n',
At-L\)
la\
Lv Lay
Augsburg All Students Juried Art
Exhibition
Alumni Gallery, Christensen Center
Opening reception, May 4,4-6 ev.
Commencement Concert
7:30 eu., Hoversten Chapel
lr{ay 20
Baccalaureate Service
10 nlr¿., Hoversten Chapel
Commencement Ceremony
1:30 p.tu., Si Melby Hall
Seating begins at 12:30 err¿.
Tlckets required
President's Reception
3 r.u. Murphy Square
\?
4.
()
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Augsburg Now Summer 2006
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A
P U B L I C AT I O N
F O R
A U G S B U R G
C O L L E G E
A L U M N I
Summer 2006
&
F R I E N D S
Vol. 68, No. 4
A SMOOTH TRANSITION
page 2
FEATURES
17
The Frame years—
a journey toward vision
by Betsey Norgard
22
Augsburg’s original MBAs:
The Class of 2006
by Bethany Bierma...
Show more
A
P U B L I C AT I O N
F O R
A U G S B U R G
C O L L E G E
A L U M N I
Summer 2006
&
F R I E N D S
Vol. 68, No. 4
A SMOOTH TRANSITION
page 2
FEATURES
17
The Frame years—
a journey toward vision
by Betsey Norgard
22
Augsburg’s original MBAs:
The Class of 2006
by Bethany Bierman
27
On tour with the Augsburg Choir
by Judy Petree
30
Those Lutheran Ladies
by Betsey Norgard
DEPARTMENTS
2 Around the Quad
7 Sports
8 Commencement 2006
12 Sixth Annual International
Programs Photo Contest
14 Supporting Augsburg
Access to Excellence:
The Campaign for Augsburg College
35 Alumni news
37 Class notes
TABLE OF CONTENTS
40 Auggie Thoughts
Summer 2006
Vol 68, No. 4
A college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Augsburg College is an equal education/employment institution.
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Graphic Designer
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg edu
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Staff Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Media Relations Manager
Judy Petree
petree@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing and
Communications
Christopher Moquist
moquist@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni Relations
Heidi Breen
breen@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
On the cover:
Augsburg Now is published quarterly by Augsburg
Augsburg President William Frame (right)
and President-elect Paul Pribbenow (left)
have enthusiastically worked together for a
smooth administrative transition.
College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota
55454. Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not
necessarily reflect official College policy. ISSN 1058–1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
Augsburg College, CB 142
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste)
AROUND
QUAD
Around THE
the Quad
From one president to the next—
in smooth transition
I
n what President William Frame calls a
rather remarkable and unusual
occurrence in higher education, both he
and President-elect Paul Pribbenow
jointly spoke to the spring gathering of
faculty and staff in March.
Frame explained what he understands
as a complex relationship between
continuity and change, as both he and
the incoming president individually and
jointly continue to increase the “clarity of
the College’s self-definition” as well as
“the speed at which it is being realized”
during the transition period.
(In a gesture to ease at least the visual
transition, Frame turned just before
introducing Pribbenow and donned a
bow tie, calling reference to the incoming
president’s signature accessory.)
Pribbenow lauded and affirmed the
defining work that has been carried out
by the Augsburg community in
articulating its vision. “I would not be
here,” he commented, “if I did not find
your aspirations inspiring and
compelling.”
Pribbenow takes office on July 1, and
his inauguration has been set for Oct. 20.
The next issue of Augsburg Now will
outline his administration’s priorities and
introduce his leadership team.
William Frame donned a bow tie to signal his
“profound regard” for his successor.
Both retiring president William Frame (left)
and incoming president Paul Pribbenow
(right) spoke to faculty and staff in March.
Chris Kimball will be chief academic
officer at California Lutheran University
C
hristopher Kimball, provost and vice
president for academic affairs, left
Augsburg May 31 to assume the same
position at California Lutheran
University in Thousand Oaks, Calif.,
beginning in July.
Kimball, a member of the history
faculty since 1991, was appointed dean
in 2000 and provost in 2004 when that
position was created. His impact at
Augsburg is seen in the areas of
curricular reform, calendar changes,
teaching loads, several new programs,
and the “internationalization” of the
campus.
“I have been blessed to work at
Augsburg during a time of great change,
2
especially in the articulation of our
mission and vision,” said Kimball.
“California Lutheran University, located
in an economically vibrant and culturally
diverse region, offers a wonderful
opportunity to continue that work.”
President William Frame stated,
“… Chris’ gifts, some of which were
shaped in the process of giving our
College new vitality and sharp direction,
have been acknowledged by a fine
institution in current need of them.”
In May, the Department of Business
Administration presented Kimball with a
plaque recognizing his support of business
studies and his “entrepreneurial spirit.”
Summer 2006
Farewell to the Frames—a ‘gentle roast’ and
a proper tribute
1
2
3
O
n April 21, more than 300 faculty and
staff gathered to honor and show
appreciation to Bill and Anne Frame, and
to entertain them with some ‘gentle’
roasting. Augsburg’s Gospel Praise
provided music, with returning special
guest artist Jennifer Grimm ’99.
Gift presentations were made and the
Frames offered an Augsburg rendition of
Woody Guthrie’s song, “So Long, It’s Been
Good to Know You.”
Frame reflected on his time at
Augsburg. “These years have been a great
gift to us … because they’ve given us the
possibility for growth … And new
understanding about this great business of
education—where it comes from, what it
changes, why it’s crucial for the salvation
of humankind. …
“This place gave us a chance to think
through [a great calling] more deeply and
better than ever we would have had a
chance to do otherwise. So, we’re grateful.
We’re grateful to you and we’re grateful to
Summer 2006
this place and its great lineage in history.”
When asked by Augsburg Echo about
his plans for retirement, he mentioned one
specific project—an old boat with “at least
a year’s worth of work before it’s ready for
the water.”
On April 30, a more proper
“Celebration of Music and Worship for the
Presidency of Bill and Anne Frame at
Augsburg College” was held at Central
Lutheran Church.
ELCA presiding bishop Mark Hanson
’68 presented the keynote address. Three
music groups—Augsburg’s Gospel Praise,
Masterworks Chorale, and the Augsburg
Centennial Singers—each sang several
pieces.
Campus pastor David Wold read a
series of tributes received honoring the
Frames, including an ode written by
Wartburg College president Jack Ohle and
his wife, Kristy, and a proclamation from
the City of Minneapolis declaring this day
to be “Bill and Anne Frame Day.”
4
1 Bill and Anne Frame enjoy some of the
lighter minutes of the “roast” in their
honor.
2 Campus pastor David Wold reads the
proclamation from Mayor R.T. Rybak
declaring April 30 “Bill and Anne Frame
Day” in the City of Minneapolis.
3 President Frame picked up his guitar to
join Gospel Praise in “I Saw the Light” at
Central Lutheran Church.
4 Assistant director of alumni relations and
former football coach Jack Osberg ’62
leans in close to extend his greetings
above the jazz and gospel music.
3
Campus News
Honors for distinguished
teaching and learning
Association, and the American
Association of School Administrators.
Selection to the network, part of ECS’
National Center for Learning and
Citizenship (NCLC), commits its
members to further service to promote
civic engagement for all students.
Erickson serves as chair of the
Minneapolis School Board.
Hannah Dietrich’s research
paper wins national award
Dietrich visited the sex offender
treatment program at the Lino Lakes
Correctional Facility and learned about
the pre-release transition program. She
became interested in finding out if
offenders really understood the
registration process and if they became
more compliant and submitted better
verification after completing the
program.
Together with Steblay, she crafted a
research plan that became her senior
honors project.
Dietrich is now in the master’s program
in experimental psychology at the
University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
Orientation leaders
receive awards
Congratulations to the faculty and staff
who received awards for Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and Learning
from the Center for Teaching and
Learning and the Office of the Provost
and Dean of the College:
Teaching—Phil Adamo (standing, left),
history
Mentoring—Dixie Shafer (seated,
center), Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity (URGO)
Service to Students—Heather Feehan
(standing, right), Chris Pegg (seated,
right), Scott Krajewski (seated, left),
Robert Bill (standing, center)—all from
Information Technology.
Joe Erickson selected for
national network
Joseph Erickson, education, has been
named to the “100 District Leaders for
Citizenship and Service-Learning
Network.” The network includes school
board members and district
superintendents across the country
selected by a panel representing the
Education Commission of the States
(ECS), the National School Boards
4
Hannah Dietrich’s honor project research
with Professor Nancy Steblay was named
Best Undergraduate Paper.
Hannah Dietrich, a 2005 psychology
graduate, has received the American
Psychology-Law Society’s 2006 Award for
Best Undergraduate Paper. She presented
her research and received the award at
the AP-LS meeting in March in St.
Petersburg, Fla.
Her paper, “Predatory Sexual
Offenders: Post-Treatment Registration
Compliance and Recidivism” is the result
of research she did in collaboration with
psychology professor Nancy Steblay.
Dietrich became interested in
studying disorders after taking an
abnormal psychology class. She landed
an internship at the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension, working in the
Predatory Offender Registration Unit,
and connected with a supervisor who
included her in many areas of the work.
Augsburg’s student orientation leaders
participated in the National Orientation
Directors Association Regional
Conference in Minneapolis.
In the Undergraduate Case Study
competition, Greg Hildebrandt ’08 won
the Best Problem Solving Award, and
Sarah Black ’09 received the Best
Communication Award. Student
Activities director Marc Skjervem
presented on the changing culture of
college students using online
communities and the consequences
students face with the misuse of
websites.
Wrestlers are second in nation
in academics
For the ninth year in a row, Augsburg
finished in the top 10 in the National
Wrestling Coaches Association’s Scholar
All-America team program, finishing
second among more than 100 NCAA
Division III wrestling institutions, with a
3.42 team grade point average. The top
team, Messiah College (Pa.), had a team
GPA of 3.47.
Augsburg is the only school in NCAA
Division III wrestling to finish in the top
10 both in competition on the mat and
in the academic team competition in
each of the nine years that the NWCA
has awarded an academic team national
championship. ■
Summer 2006
‘Zyzzogeton’—
the last word
A
ugsburg launched a new tradition this year with
“Zyzzogeton,” a four-day celebration of student
and faculty work—from artistic performances to
student research posters.
Taking its name from the last entry in Webster’s
Third New International dictionary, the celebration is
meant to wrap up and highlight the breadth and depth
of scholarship at Augsburg. Art exhibits, faculty and
student recitals, faculty research roundtables, student
research posters, film projects, theatre productions,
museum installations, and more filled the calendar
of events.
(In the dictionary, “zyzzogeton” is defined as a
genus of South American leaf hoppers.)
Visitors to campus during this time included high
school students who came on Drama Day to learn
more about the theatre arts program, and middle
school students with developmental disabilities and
peers taking part in the annual Metro Arts Festival
with Augsburg’s music therapy students.
A lighter highlight of the celebration was a
vigorous debate, Lefse vs. Lutefisk, in which four
scholars—President Frame (political science), Lori
Brandt Hale (religion), Joan Griffin (English), and Ken
Kaminsky (mathematics)—took sides to argue and
defend the Norwegian delicacies from the viewpoints
of their academic disciplines. The judges were
Norwegian bunad-clad members of the Augsburg
Associates, and guests were treated to the delicacies of
each, including their aromas. (And, yes, the lutefisk
side was declared the winner.)
Top left: The spring theatre production, Metamorphoses,
by Mary Zimmerman, uses contemporary language and
imagery to explore ancient myths.
Center: Biology major Ben Sonquist explains his research
to physics professor Ben Stottrup.
Bottom left: Physics professor Mark Engebretson shared
his research on geomagnetic pulsations in Earth’s space
environment.
Summer 2006
5
Larry Ragland retires after
21 years
P
rofessor Larry Ragland was
one of the founding
members of the Computer
Science Department and retired
in May after 21 years teaching
in both that department and
mathematics.
He has stayed at Augsburg,
he says, for the same reason he
tells prospective students they
should come—to be in a
supportive environment where
students and faculty work
closely together.
While computing has
changed greatly over two
Professor Larry Ragland served as one of the founding
decades, he says, the discipline
faculty of the computer science department and retired
of computer science has not.
after 21 years at Augsburg.
“When I started, we showed
students the ‘on’ switch and
unmanned flights.
how to use a mouse … We operated in
Ragland recalls his first assignment at
an entirely different way then,” Ragland
Augsburg
as chair of the Academic
says. Now, with a comprehensive campus
Computing
Committee, with a goal to
network and the global Internet, “we
hire
a
full-time
academic computing
have changed how we relate to the
director.
That
finally
happened in 1990.
world.”
At
Ragland’
s
retirement
celebration,
Ragland reflects on the fact that he
Professor
Karen
Sutherland
said the
has spent his entire career working in a
department
will
miss
his
“advice,
cool
discipline that didn’t exist when he went
ideas,
ability
to
keep
them
calm,
and
to college. His first degrees were in
sense of humor.” Junior Cory Nathan
mathematics, and he started out teaching
spoke
for students, thanking Ragland for
in public schools.
“putting
up with us and teaching us a
His interest in computer science
thing
or
two
along the way.”
developed while he worked in the Apollo
Ragland
has
no definite plans yet for
Space Program in Houston. During the
retirement.
He
says
he has room for one
period in which the manned program
big
“yes”
for
a
project,
but has no idea
recovered from its tragic fire, Ragland
yet
of
what
that
project
will be.
worked on computer displays for
Joy Bartlett leaves Education Department
E
ducation professor Joy Bartlett retired
from Augsburg in December 2005
and moved to Las Vegas. Since 2001 she
has taught orientation to education,
reading methods, and technology in the
classroom.
6
She fondly recalls the warmth of the
Augsburg community and the
enthusiasm of her students. Also, she
enjoyed helping students in the McNair
program and the Undergraduate Research
and Graduate Opportunity office with
their research.
Sandi Lallak
leaves Augsburg
for Arizona
A
fter 23 years at
Augsburg
working with
students in the
CLASS program,
Sandi Lallak retired
in May and moved
with her husband to
Mesa, Ariz.
When Lallak began working in the
Center for Learning and Adaptive Student
Services (CLASS), she recalls, CLASS had
one computer, little technology, and
mostly provided advocacy for students
with disabilities—about 10 of them.
An endowment from the Groves
Family in 1988 enabled the program to
grow and make the commitment to
become a premier program. Lallak
researched the field to learn about
available adaptive technology, traveled to
visit programs, and helped create a small
lab on campus. She and colleague Sadie
Curtis began to tape textbooks.
Within three years, the program grew
to provide services and accommodations
to over 100 students. Lallak and Curtis
spent nearly a decade developing the
systems, databases, and procedures for
CLASS as it is today, including its student
workers. “I’m so honored to have been
able to make this happen,” she says.
With new technology, Lallak says,
“students are reading better, retaining, and
comprehending better.”
Lallak became the first
accommodations specialist she knows
about; Curtis is now a physical disabilities
specialist in the ACCESS program.
While CLASS currently serves about
190 students, past students remain an
important part of Lallak’s life. A double
bulletin board jammed with photos of past
students—weddings, babies, vacations—
covered a corner of her office.
Lallak has no definite plans in
retirement, but many ideas for volunteer
opportunities in Arizona.
Summer 2006
Sports
For current sports information, scores, and schedules go to <www.augsburg.edu/athletics>.
Carol Enke retires from coaching
by Don Stoner
I
“ ’ve never looked at any part of my job as
a ‘job’,” said Carol Enke, who has
coached Augsburg’s softball team for 21
seasons and taught in the Health and
Physical Education Department for 19
years. “I always say that I’m going to
‘school.’ I never say that I’m going to
‘work.’
“I’ve looked at this as fun. I get paid to
come in here and do this—interact with
students and interact with studentathletes.”
Enke left her coaching position at the
end of the 2006 season, while continuing
to work in the HPE department. In 21
seasons at Augsburg, Enke has compiled
302 career victories, while coaching six
players who have earned National
Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III
All-American honors and 28 players who
have earned all-region honors (entering
the 2006 season).
Along the way, Enke has touched the
lives of hundreds of softball players, along
with hundreds of HPE majors who are
continuing her legacy in classrooms all
over the region. In 2001, the senior class
selected her as one of three Honored
Faculty.
“I’ve enjoyed watching the students
grow,” Enke said. “I have them in a 200level class in their first or second years,
and I ask myself, ‘Are they really going to
make it in the teaching profession?’ Then
when they are in the 300-level classes their
junior and senior years, you see that these
kids have made a lot of progress and
they’ll be OK.”
Enke was a standout athlete in
multiple sports in her hometown of
Janesville, Wis.—she was inducted into
her hometown’s Athletic Hall of Fame in
1995—and played collegiate softball at the
University of Minnesota. She coached for
three seasons, two as head coach, at
Minneapolis Roosevelt High School before
coaching her first season at Augsburg
in 1986.
Enke initially worked part time at
Augsburg, while completing her master’s
degree at Minnesota. And in her early
Summer 2006
Softball coach Carol Enke, flanked by players (left to right) Sarah Mueller ’09, Sarah Green ’09,
and Katie Johnson ’08, cheers on the team in her last game as coach after 21 seasons. Enke will
continue teaching in the health and physical education department.
years, she felt that Division III Augsburg
would be just a step in her career to bigger
goals.
“Way back when, I thought that
someday I’d move up to coach Division II
or Division I softball. Then, it happened
that I started to teach more courses in the
[HPE] major and I really enjoyed that
along with coaching. After that, I never
thought about moving up to Division II or
Division I.”
Do I remember very many
games? Heck, no. Do I remember
the fun we had? Absolutely.
—Carol Enke, softball coach
Enke has developed a close-knit, family
atmosphere with her softball teams,
encouraging the players’ families to be
active in the program during the short
spring season. In the past, she has taken
the players on off-season adventures and
team-building activities, such as crosscountry skiing, winter camping, snow
tubing, and rock climbing.
She has also encouraged her studentathletes to be active in multiple activities
on campus. Several of her players compete
in multiple sports at Augsburg, while also
serving as members of clubs and
organizations on campus.
“With the softball teams, our athletes
aren’t one-dimensional,” Enke said. “We’ve
got them going in all directions, more than
ever before. That’s just how well-rounded
they are, and we encourage that. We tell
them that they have four years here, and
they should ‘bite off as much as they can
chew.’ If you want to play two or three
sports, do it. If you want to be active in
campus activities, do it. Take advantage of
what you’re getting for your tuition.”
There have been many changes in
college softball during the 21 years of
Enke’s tenure, including in bat technology.
“When I started here, a bat was $29.95.
Now bats can cost over $200,” she said.
But what hasn’t changed with Enke’s
Auggie teams is the fun atmosphere she
encourages, along with the life skills she
teaches, both in the classroom and on the
softball diamond.
“It keeps me young,” she said. “Just
the relationships with the students and
student-athletes, getting involved in their
lives. Letting them know that you are
someone they can come to. I really like
that, and I like to watch them grow in all
areas of their lives—not just as student,
not just as an athlete, but as the person as
a whole.
“I’ve loved the people, the teammates
and the coaches, all the relationships
we’ve had. Do I remember very many
games? Heck, no. Do I remember the fun
we had? Absolutely.” ■
7
COMMENCEMENT
2006
The 137TH YEAR of Augsburg College
PAUL CUMINGS RECEIVES
MARINA CHRISTENSEN
JUSTICE AWARD
Faculty and students grab one more farewell in Augsburg’s longtime tradition
of faculty cheering on their students as they process to the ceremony.
Libby Henslin, admissions and operations
coordinator for Augsburg’s Rochester
program, graduated with a major in
religion and shared the day’s excitement
with her daughter, Rebecca, who earned
a degree in social work.
Paul Cumings, an international relations
major and student body president, was
selected as the 2006 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.”
Cumings came to Augsburg from
AmeriCorps, serving at the Brian Coyle
Center on the West Bank in Minneapolis.
He worked two years in the college readiness
program, helping junior high and high
school students first consider going to
college and then helping them prepare the
skills to gain acceptance.
On campus he served in numerous
service and leadership roles—as resident
adviser, as director of food and clothing
drives, as a co-sponsor of the “get out the
vote” efforts, and as a leader in neighborhood Somali programs.
As a Sabo Scholar, Cumings helped
Augsburg make connections between public
policy and service, laying groundwork for
future Sabo Scholars.
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.
President William Frame congratulates
student body president and Sabo Scholar Paul
Cumings, who was awarded the 2006
Marina Christensen Justice Award.
8
Summer 2006
EXCERPTS FROM THE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
“An Augsburg Education: Vocation and the Social Good”
—Peter Agre ’70, M.D.
I would like to use this occasion to reflect on my life and share some of the lessons I have
learned. While an Augsburg student I became a die-hard advocate for the liberal arts
tradition …
Proud chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg (left)
straightens the hood of his former student,
Dr. Peter Agre ’70, who was the Commencement
speaker and received an honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters degree. The accolade was read by
Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, a student of Agre’s at
the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
The Honorable Walter F. Mondale reads the
accolade for the honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree awarded to James A. Johnson,
former executive assistant to Mondale and
CEO of Fannie Mae.
Lisa Prytula ’04, ’06 MAN, who completed
a bachelor’s degree in nursing and
finished a master’s degree, spoke on
behalf of the graduate students.
I was a student here in the 1960s—an era notable for extreme turmoil in our country.
During my years in high school and as an undergraduate, I lived through the assassinations
of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy. My years here
coincided with unprecedented social disturbances resulting from conflicts between white
supremacists and civil rights workers, between supporters of the war in Vietnam and antiwar protesters. Despite the consternation experienced elsewhere, those of us at Augsburg
enjoyed an island of tranquility where issues and events such as these could be discussed
with respect and civility.
Augsburg College has never been a school for privileged members of the establishment.
Augsburg recognized the importance of inclusion at a very early time and has long been a
leader in providing educational opportunities for the Native Americans and other ethnic
minorities. Augsburg’s commitment to students with physical disabilities had just begun in
the 1960s. Similar to previous generations of Augsburg students, many of my classmates
were from the working class, often the first members of their families to attend college. …
But this is not the tradition prevailing at the so-called “prestige” colleges and
universities in the United States where it is rare to have first generation students or
students with parents holding blue-collar jobs. Clearly the working class of America is
being excluded from many institutions of higher education. This makes me even prouder
of the modest roots of Augsburg students, for as the late Kirby Puckett reflected, “It doesn’t
matter where you come from. It only matters how you play the game.”
And I always felt that my classmates at Augsburg learned to play the game extremely
well. This was due in part to the splendid Augsburg faculty—perhaps most outspoken
among them was my father, Courtland Agre, whose unbridled enthusiasm and exuberant
encouragement directed many of us into professional and graduate schools. …
While my generation, the “Baby Boomers,” has achieved unprecedented prosperity, I
sincerely feel that we have failed to improve the world to a state better than it was when
we received it from our parents. In fact, I fear that the world is in worse shape now. If
this continues, we will be the first generation in memory to fail in such an important
endeavor. We all know what the problems are: damage to the environment, continued
war, prevalence of famine and untreated disease in the developing world, violent crime
and poverty in our inner cities, the epidemic of drug abuse, failure to provide adequate
health care to all Americans, and the staggering $9 trillion national debt which will fall
on your generation.
Education has never been more important than in the current time of growing antiintellectualism in America. It is really shocking when you think that less than half of all
Americans read a single book last year.
As Mark Twain informed us, “The man who doesn’t read good books has no
advantage over the man who can’t read them.”
I fear the emphasis in our country has now become one of fixing the blame rather
than fixing the problem. The polarized special interests have caused gridlock in our
national government where the two major parties can seemingly agree on nothing. Let
me suggest that the hour is late and we must stop the face-slapping and join hands and
concentrate all of our attention on fixing the problems. It is often said that “the genius
of this immigrant nation is that we have always found our center,” and I believe that we
need to do so urgently. …
Thank you and congratulations.
The full Commencement Address is at <www.augsburg.edu/president/commencement06.html>.
Summer 2006
9
COMMENCEMENT
2006
BACCALAUREATE HOMILY (EXCERPTS)
WILLIAM V. FRAME, PRESIDENT
Physician assistant graduate Tara Rick is the center of attention as she receives her
master's hood from PA director Dawn Ludwig.
“Separating Together”
[I]n John’s Gospel and the Book of Acts, Jesus is preparing the disciples for
their new assignment—dispersal, one by one, each on his own, into the
world for the sake of the great commission. He suggests that they can
sustain themselves in the midst of their independence only if they remember
before leaving that they were transformed from a motley crew of fishermen,
tax collectors, and other workaday professionals into a “community.” But
this recollection will strengthen them for the independent journeys just
ahead only if they repair the terrible rip in the fabric of their collegium
caused by Judas’ betrayal. Hence, before the reprise of community can be
undertaken, Judas’ empty position must be filled. And it is, by one Mattias,
who is called up from the apostolic bench (which appears to have been
deeper than that of the Timberwolves) by a drawing of lots. …
You and I are separating—together—and the good news is that we’re
separating from a place that gave each of us something to be separated from. …
[from] a community of learning, in which ideas of the transforming kind,
experiences (sometimes of the embarrassing kind—some, entailing success,
and some, failure and frustration), gave us new life and, therefore, identity. …
Like us, in the hands of the College, the disciples had been molded into
something new by their particular course of study, faculty, and classmates.
Their capstone course culminated in the resurrection. Yours came to a more
conventional conclusion a week ago. But neither we now, nor the disciples
then, are yet prepared for separation.
Until we recognize that we were transformed by our time together; until
we confess that each of us is now becoming someone—not the realization of
some persona prescribed at or even before birth—but a self created by a
million incidents of concourse, a thousand recollections of experience,
a hundred moments of revelation. Until we begin becoming ourselves, we
shall lack the independence of the world that vocation requires. To stand in
the midst of the life each of us is about to undertake—either of a job search,
employment, or retirement—and to render service to our neighbor, we must
know who we are and how we got that way. That knowledge is of identity; it
constitutes the protective suit, even though not fully woven, that allows us
to live in and serve the world without being wholly fused with it. …
But what we have learned here—about ourselves, the world, and God;
what the disciples learned about themselves—remains beyond our grasp and
theirs without the great final examination known as saying goodbye!
Until we address our separation—seriously; until we face the fact that we
are leaving people who have meant the world to us—teachers, friends,
10
Sunny Olise receives his master’s hood from director Robert
Kramarczuk in Augsburg’s first MBA class.
parents (that you now realize you didn’t leave four years
ago but are now, finally going to leave—today!)—we are
not tempered for the new immersion in the world. Until
we know who and what we have become, we cannot
maintain our independence in the world when we are out
there in it, on our own.
Goodbyes force us each to meet ourselves face to face,
as Achilles did in The Iliad. That means that we have put
our affairs in order—so that they may be abandoned; we
have to repair the rents in the fabric we knit in the
College cocoon in order that we might be released from
it—a beautiful butterfly capable of flying into the
maelstrom of life without danger to bring a glimpse of
beauty to a dour and broken world. …
And so—let us, to each other, both now and this
afternoon, say, “Goodbye!” And in so doing, we shall
each bear the College with us, out into the world—a
shield and a buckler of the vocational life that fulfills the
requirements of the great commission in the kingdom on
the left.
That last great goodbye gives us the capacity and even
the need for reunion. If done right, it allows us to soon
again say—here, at the intersection of Riverside and
22nd—“Hello! It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you!”
To read the full Baccalaureate Homily, go to
<www.augsburg.edu/president/baccalaureate06.html>.
Summer 2006
THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE CLASS
OF 2006
3,420
Attended the ceremony
3,600
Cookies and petit fours served at the reception
752
Class of 2006—346 traditional day students, 162 weekend
students, 39 students in the Rochester program, 13
from United Hospital, 1 from 3M; and 191 graduate students
in six programs
580
Graduates marching
490
Enjoyed Commencement Brunch
350
Attended Commencement Dinner
125
Faculty marching in the procession
58
Age of the oldest graduate
20
Age of the youngest graduates
14
Flags representing countries of international graduates
2
Honorary degrees conferred
1
Retiring presidential couple—many thanks to Bill and Anne!
countless Smiles and tears of happiness, gratitude, and appreciation
Audra Johnson, a studio art graduate, has a
jubilant smile on graduation day.
The sociology department faculty take a moment to get photos of their graduates.
Summer 2006
11
SIXTH ANNUAL International Programs Photo Contest
1
2
3
7
1
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT
AUGSBURG, second place.
“Melting Pot.” Kamilla T. Fossem,
Norway.
2
PEOPLE PORTRAITS, first place. “Yo
confío.” Kathryn Jones ’08. San
Salvador, El Salvador.
3
PEOPLE PORTRAITS, third place.
“Begging Musicians.” Richard
Garnett ’08. Cuernavaca, Mexico.
4
5
LOCAL PEOPLE, second place.
“Video Games vs. the Acropolis.”
Katharine Mahon ’06. Athens,
Greece.
LOCAL PEOPLE, third place. “A
Journey through an African Desert.”
Therese DeMay ’06. Swakopmund,
Namibia.
12
8
6
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT AUGSBURG,
first place. “The Old and the New
Minneapolis.” Martin Garnes, Norway.
7
CITYSCAPES, third place. “Untitled.” Britta
Boyum ’06. Lofoten Islands, Norway.
9
8
LOCAL PEOPLE, first place. “Bearing the Load.”
Kelsey Nolan ’06. Sontule, Nicaragua.
9
PEOPLE PORTRAITS, second place. “Familia.”
Megan L. Schiller ’06. Nicaragua.
10 CITYSCAPES, second place. “Cusco by Night.”
Joelle Bickel ’07. Cusco, Peru.
11 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT
AUGSBURG, third place. “A Frozen
Falls.” Martin Garnes, Norway.
12 CITYSCAPES, first place. “Fishing
Industry.” Britta Boyum ’06.
Harstad, Norway.
13 BEST OF SHOW. “Waca Wasi
Wardrobe.” Joelle Bickel ’07.
Waca Wasi, Peru.
Summer 2006
4
5
6
10
11
12
Summer 2006
13
13
Supporting Augsburg
Gift of $4 million gives green light
to Gateway
by Betsey Norgard
A
$4 million naming gift from Donald
’53 and Beverly (Halling) Oren ’55
has provided the funding needed for
Augsburg to proceed with the $18.5
million Gateway Building.
On May 5 the Augsburg Board of
Regents granted approval for the College
to pursue the financing needed to begin
construction this summer. A ceremonial
groundbreaking is scheduled for Sept. 8,
with building completion in fall 2007.
Donald Oren ’53, an Augsburg regent
emeritus, is chairman of the board of Dart
Transit Company, founded by his father in
1934. The trucking and logistics company
ranks 53rd of the Top 100 Carriers
nationwide.
Beverly (Halling) Oren ’55 has taught
school and worked as vice president of
human resources at Dart Transit. She
remains a principal and adviser to the
company, and currently serves on
Augsburg’s Board of Regents.
Three of their children are involved
with Dart Transit—David, president;
Daniel, vice president; and Bradley, general
manager. Daughter Angela Anderson is
mother to one-year-old Samuel.
“We are pleased and honored to
participate in Augsburg’s growth by being
part of the Gateway project,” says Beverly
Oren. “The business school is of special
interest as it offers an opportunity for
students to experience the entrepreneurial
Donald ’53 and Beverly (Halling) Oren ’55
spirit. Also, Augsburg’s commitment to
promoting vocation provides a very
worthy goal.”
The Gateway Building will be
Augsburg’s link to its surrounding
community and city, and a distinctive
“front door” on Riverside Ave. It will easily
connect the College with the CedarRiverside area, the University of
Minnesota’s West Bank, and the FairviewUniversity Medical Center across the
street.
The building is a four-story combined
administrative, commercial, and residential
center. It will provide new homes for the
Alumni Conference Center, the StepUP
Program, the Master of Business
Administration program, the Gage Family
Art Gallery, and offices for Institutional
Advancement. Community residents and
organizations will be encouraged to use
meeting space in the new Gateway.
On the first floor, retail stores such as
Barnes and Noble will serve not only the
campus community, but staff and patients
of the hospital across the street and the
West Bank and Cedar-Riverside
communities as well.
The top three floors will provide
student housing—upperclass students on
the second floor and StepUP students on
floors three and four.
From Riverside Ave., a central Gateway
plaza welcomes visitors to campus.
Circling the plaza are Hoversten Chapel,
Lindell Library, and the Gateway Building,
representing the College's commitments to
faith, reason, and service.
For Augsburg’s StepUP program, which
provides students in addiction recovery the
support and skills they need to succeed in
college, the Gateway Building will
centralize their office, counseling, and
residential space.
It’s about “having a home where we’re
all together,” says StepUP director Patrice
Salmeri, and will give students who
complete the program the “ability to stay
longer and mentor younger students.”
In eight years, StepUP has grown to
over 50 students, and they have
maintained an 83% abstinence rate while
in the program and a grade point average
of 3.0. Augsburg is a national leader in the
recovery school movement; Salmeri
currently serves as president of the
national organization.
The Augsburg MBA program, which
after only two years is now the state’s
third largest, will gain much needed and
more suitable classroom, technology, and
study space in Gateway for its small-class
learning.
Save the date!
GATEWAY BUILDING
CEREMONIAL GROUNDBREAKING
Friday, September 8
Noon
14
Summer 2006
Gateway’s ground floor will welcome
alumni and visitors, and provide a
gathering space to meet over coffee and
enjoy exhibits in the Gage Family Art
Gallery, which will move from Lindell
Library to a more accessible location in the
new building.
“[T]he connection to the wider
community will be greater than ever
before,” says Kerry Morgan,
coordinator of galleries and exhibits.
“The easy access from Riverside will be
welcoming to off-campus visitors; and
Augsburg students, staff, and faculty
will continue to find inspiring and
thought-provoking art where they
work, live, and study.”
Planning for the Gateway Building
has been carried out in conjunction
with the Riverside Corridor Project
development, funded partially with an
early campaign gift from James A.
Johnson, former banking administrator
and public servant. The project brings
together West Bank partners—the
Cedar-Riverside Business Association,
the West Bank Community
Development Corporation, the
University of Minnesota, Augsburg,
Fairview-University Medical Center, and
others—to envision a thriving urban
village that links to the light rail system.
The City of Minneapolis has begun to
develop a small area plan for the entire
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
“One issue the plan will consider is
how to make Riverside more comfortable
for pedestrians and bicyclists,” says Beth
Elliott, principal city planner. “More retail
stores and outdoor seating opportunities
will also help in adding vibrancy to that
section of the corridor.” She says the
Gateway Building can be “an example that
others can follow if they are thinking
about redevelopment.”
Honoring a graduate by honoring the College
A
s a nontraditional
student past the
usual graduation
age, Matt Van Zant
seemed just a bit
too old for the
traditional card
with a money
pocket. So Frank
McKinney, a close
family friend,
Matt Van Zant ’06
called Augsburg
and asked how he could make a gift to the
College instead, in honor of Van Zant.
Van Zant came to know McKinney, a
corporate lawyer, in Ohio where Van
Zant grew up. “He encouraged me and
stressed the importance of ethics,”
Summer 2006
Van Zant says. “[He] is a believer in
education and encouraged me to remain
in school and do well.”
McKinney said he was proud of Van
Zant, that after many years he would
return to school for his degree.
Van Zant works as an operations
analyst in the healthcare field. He
enrolled in Weekend College in fall 2001
to begin a major in management
information systems (MIS).
One of the common themes he found
in his classes fits right in with what he
remembers learning from McKinney.
“People who work with data, who
manage sensitive and confidential
information,” says Van Zant, “are and
should be held to higher standards of
performance and integrity.”
Juggling full-time employment with
full-time study was difficult, and Van
Zant says he tried to take it just one term
at a time. “It helped to work on
coursework almost every day and try to
remain current with the material.”
His strategy worked, so much so that
he will begin an MBA degree in the fall,
looking forward to “the opportunity to
develop strategic decision-making skills.”
McKinney says he enjoyed making the
gift to Augsburg in Van Zant’s name and
that Van Zant also enjoyed it. To
McKinney, “it just seemed the appropriate
thing to do.”
He says now he’ll just wait for Van
Zant’s master’s degree.
15
Construction begins on Melby Hall addition
by Betsey Norgard
n a chilly, cloudy May 5, a crowd
gathered on the south side of Melby
O
Hall to ceremonially mark the
groundbreaking for the $6.1 million new
south wing, named the Kennedy Sports
and Recreation Complex.
Augsburg regent and emcee Mike
Freeman, in describing the expansion,
called it “lots of much-needed space to
show our Auggie pride.” He drew
attention to the efforts that had made the
project possible, especially noting that
every coach had put together a plan to
reach former students and athletes.
He read a statement from lead naming
donors Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy, who
Kennedys. “Your gift is exciting, and we
so appreciate it.”
The Kennedy Sports and Recreation
Complex includes the Alan and Gloria
Rice Wrestling Center and the James and
Katherine Haglund Fitness and
Recreation Center, as well as other named
spaces: the Lavonne (Johnson) Peterson
’50 Conference Suite; Lute Olson ’56 Hall
of Champions; “Doc” Johnson ’52 A-Club
Office; and the Gamma House
Hospitality/Classroom.
Work has already begun on the new
south wing; construction is expected to
be completed in spring 2007, with the
official opening in fall 2007.
weren’t able to be in attendance, saying
that their “family is proud and excited to
be part of this [project].” Kennedy was an
All-American wrestler and, as co-captain
of the team, led Augsburg to a runner-up
spot at the NAIA national finals, marking
the beginning of Augsburg’s longtime
dominance in small-college wrestling.
President William Frame drew
attention to Augsburg student-athletes
and the leadership they bring to the life
of the campus.
Football linebacker Michael Matson
’06, speaking on behalf of studentathletes, directed his remarks to lead
donors Alan Rice, Jim Haglund, and the
Front row (L to R): Major gifts director Donna McLean; regent and lead donor Jim Haglund; Board of Regents chair Jean Taylor '85; assistant dean
and head wrestling coach Jeff Swenson ’79; lead donor Alan Rice; regent Mike Freeman; and President William Frame.
Melby groundbreaking—twice!
When Rev. Clifford M. Johnson, ’34 (’30
Acad, ’39 Sem) received his invitation to
attend the May 5 ceremonial
groundbreaking for the expansion of
Melby Hall, he remembered that he still
16
had a 46-year-old photo from the day he
held a shovel to break ground for the new
Melby Hall.
Johnson, age 95, has been part of the
Augsburg community since 1926 when he
entered the Augsburg Academy. He has
been a fundraising leader, a regent and
board chair, and a director of development
over the years. In 1993 he was honored as
a Distinguished Alumnus.
He recalls the excitement in 1960 of
constructing the first athletic facility for
Augsburg. Until then, he says, the
basketball team played on the court in the
basement of Old Main. He also remembers
that the invocation that day was given by
Lutheran Free Church president Rev. T. O.
Burntvedt ’12.
Johnson was thrilled to be part of this
new excitement this year and to see that
earlier photo at the ceremony, enlarged to
poster size and sitting on an easel.
Just announced …
$1 million gift has been received
A
from Norman and Vangie Hagfors for
the renovation of the chapel in Old Main
and the creation of a home for Augsburg’s
Center for Faith and Learning. Read more
in the next issue.
Summer 2006
The
FRAME
years
a journey toward vision
BY BETSEY NORGARD
W
William Frame, the 10th president of Augsburg, is not typical of his nine
predecessors. He is not a Midwesterner, nor is he of Norwegian background or an
ordained Lutheran minister.
From his nine-year tenure, he leaves a long litany of new programs, partnerships,
and much-needed capital improvements. But, much more significant is that he leaves
an Augsburg that has renewed its self-identity, and that has crafted and refined a
vision representing the deepest thinking any college could undertake about its own
mission or “institutional vocation.”
In the foreword to Augsburg’s revised vision document, The Augsburg Vocation:
Access and Excellence, Frame describes this vision not as his, but as “drawn from the
soul of the College.” It is an idea—vocation—that “has been calling Augsburg to its
work since the founding.”
Frame points to his time at Augsburg as the continuation of a vocational journey
that began as a young instructor at Kenyon College, that immersed him in the urban
life of corporate banking and finance, and then took him back into academia. All
along, the work he did served to shape, nurture, and refine a strong, personal sense
of vocation. At Pacific Lutheran University, he came to understand Martin Luther’s
two-dimensional world of faith and reason, one in which students explored vocation
as both learning through faith to understand themselves and learning through reason
to prepare for careers and service in the world.
Top, left: President Frame (right) and ELCA presiding bishop Mark
Hanson ’68 (left) find a moment for conversation at
Commencement. Staff photo
Middle, left: Bill and Anne Frame enjoy talking with passersby at
Augsburg’s State Fair booth. Staff photo
Bottom, left: President Frame occasionally joins the Augsburg Jazz
Ensemble with his guitar.
Summer 2006
17
At Augsburg Frame discovered the
theology of Luther’s close colleague,
Philip Melancthon, who authored the
Augsburg Confession and advocated the
participation of Christians in civic
affairs. This German theological duo
became the basis for Frame’s model of
education and the hallmarks of
Augsburg’s vision: vocation, service,
civility, diversity, and community.
Remarkably, in retrospect, the agenda
for the Frame years seemed set even
before he became president. In summer
1997, shortly before taking office, he was
interviewed for Augsburg Now, and was
asked to identify the three most important
agenda items for Augsburg College as it
prepared for the 21st century.
Nine years later, his responses at that
time seemed predestined:
1. finding “communal clarity about our
purpose”—who we are and what
we do;
2. determining “how we adapt what
we’re up to, to what properly serves
the world” … i.e., what we must do
to carry out our mission;
3. figuring out “how we do all that” …
finding “a form of life on campus that
allows us to do all this thinking in a
fully civil, candid, ingenious,
participative way.”
Clarifying the vision
In the first two years of Frame’s
presidency the entire campus engaged
itself in a highly collaborative process,
which included commissions charged
with producing working papers around
issues that would form the groundwork
for a vision document.
English professor Joan Griffin,
describes that period:
“When Bill Frame became president
of Augsburg, the College suddenly
became Lutheran. I’m exaggerating, of
course, but despite the required religion
courses and daily chapel, our Lutheran
identity was something that we took for
granted: we did not always connect it
with how we go about doing our work.
18
“But then Bill arrived, and even the
least theologically sophisticated among
us became familiar with the kingdom on
the right and the kingdom on the left,
freedom, paradox, and of course, most of
all, vocation. Bill changed the Augsburg
lexicon.”
Griffin and physics professor Mark
Engebretson were charged with shaping
the 250 pages of discussion into the
College’s first vision document, Augsburg
2004: Extending the Vision, approved by
the Board of Regents in 1999.
Five years later, as 2004 approached,
Frame again called the campus
community into discussion about
updates to the vision. Again, Griffin and
Engebretson compiled a revised vision
document, The Augsburg Vocation: Access
and Excellence, that succeeds in bringing
vision and practice closer together.
Tracy Elftmann ’81, vice president for
institutional advancement and former
regent, commented, “The leadership Bill
brought to our visioning work is nothing
short of extraordinary. The clarity of
purpose in Augsburg’s vision provides
balance, meaning, and motivation to our
daily work. We know who we are and
what we are here to do.
“Let’s be clear,” she continued, “this
is not Bill’s vision for Augsburg—it’s our
vision. We wrote it, we work it, we live
it. The collaborative effort to bring this
work to full fruition was laborious but
well worth the effort.”
Tom Morgan, vice president for
planning and market development,
added additional context. “Through Bill’s
leadership we have rediscovered who we
are and clarified where we need to go.
More than simply words on a page, we
have been inspired to rededicate
ourselves to a course that was charted at
the time of the College’s founding.”
Carrying out the vision
The most significant result of the
revisioning process was the launching of
a new general education curriculum to
imprint the core values of the vision.
Griffin led a faculty team that crafted a
new Core Curriculum. Combined with
the depth of study in a major, this would
prepare students for careers and service
in the world.
Ideas of vocation, citizenship, and
engagement are reflected in the signature
elements of the Core Curriculum—
Search for Meaning courses to explore
vocation; the first-year program that
Summer 2006
Staff photo
The LEGACY of WILLIAM FRAME’S
YEARS at AUGSBURG (1997-2006)
New programs
• New general education—Core Curriculum
• Scholastic/Corporate Connections
• New master’s degrees—education, nursing, physician
assistant, and business administration
• Youth and family ministry major
• Finalizing and naming first endowed chair—Christensen
Chair in Religion
• Growth of StepUP program
• Degree programs in Rochester
Community partnerships/collaborations:
• Nursing degree programs at United Hospital and Rochester
• Augsburg-Capella innovative“brick-click” courses
• Faith in the City—plus the spin-off Augsburg Academy for
Health Careers
• Clinical Lab Science program with Fairview
Capital buildings/improvements:
• New Hall—apartment-style residence hall
• Groundbreaking for Melby Hall expansion
includes learning about and connecting with the city; experience
gained through internships, research, community service, and
global study; and a keystone summative seminar. Combined with a
liberal arts foundation and skills development, students prepare to
become effective, informed, and ethical citizens.
Important to Augsburg’s vision are a number of new programs that
provide access to education for students who lack it for various
reasons: Scholastic Connections, a scholarship program that matches
students of color with alumni of color in mentoring relationships;
StepUP, a nationally-recognized program that provides support to
students in addiction recovery to help them succeed academically; and
graduate programs to help students understand the world through a
lens of vocation.
Augsburg’s vision has taken the College into many new and
innovative partnerships. A program in Rochester now serves 300
students, mostly from Mayo Clinic and IBM, who wish to complete
baccalaureate and some graduate degrees. An unusual partnership
with Capella University involves Augsburg faculty developing and
teaching online courses.
One of Frame’s key leadership roles was helping to found Faith in
the City, a collaboration of seven urban Lutheran institutions in
Minneapolis that together seek to improve the quality of life in the
community. Included is the year-old Augsburg Academy for Health
• Link between Library and Sverdrup/Memorial— Sverdrup
renovation, new atrium
• Christensen Center renovation—welcome and gathering
area, coffee shop, gallery space
• Purchase and renovation of Augsburg House
• New signage on Mortensen Hall and on I-94
• Upgrading of residence halls
• Replacement of Edor Nelson Field turf
• Overall beautification of grounds
• Sale of Ice Arena to gain lease-back arrangement
and capital
• Added two new parking lots and upgraded security
• Purchased additional perimeter properties
around campus
Administrative
• Creation of Enrollment Center as one-stop shop
• Creation/consolidation of Center for Service, Work,
and Learning
• Creation of Undergraduate Research and Graduate
Opportunity (URGO) from McNair program
Awards/Recognition
• 2006—Augsburg Medal
Left: President Frame poses for a moment with the directors of the ethnic
programs at the annual Scholastic Connections dinner in October 2005.
(L to R) Bao Thao, Cindy Peterson, Frame, Emiliano Chagil, and Trena
Bolden Fields.
• 2006—award from Lutheran Educational Council of North
America
Top: First-year students hear from the president on City Service Projects
day during their Augsburg Seminar.
• 2004-05 chair of Minnesota Private College Council
Summer 2006
• Project director for Council of Independent Colleges’
19
Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission seminars
• 2006—Toby LaBelle award from StepUP to Anne
and Bill Frame
• 2003-04 president of the ELCA Council of College
Presidents
Careers, a joint charter school with
Fairview Health Services that prepares
high school students for careers and
vocations in health care.
Augsburg, under Frame’s leadership,
has gained considerable recognition for its
visioning work. Elftmann stated, “College
presidents across the country consistently
ask Bill how Augsburg was able to capture
its essence, its purpose, its wholeness so
well. Bill’s contributions have established
Augsburg as a national leader in terms of
strategic direction and future focus. “
The College was recognized by The
Princeton Review and Campus Compact as
a “college with a conscience.” It
consistently ranks high for service-learning
programs and is one of 12 colleges selected
for excellence in first-year programs.
Frame has served as president of the
ELCA Council of College Presidents, as
chair of the Minnesota Private College
Council (MPCC), and as project director
for the Council on Independent Colleges
(CIC) seminars reflecting on vocation
and institutional mission. He also has
received awards from the Lutheran
Educational Conference of North
America (LECNA) and Augsburg’s
StepUP program, who selected Anne and
Bill Frame for the 2006 Toby LaBelle
Award for support of its ideals.
Changing the culture
Frame’s third agenda item from his 1997
interview was the creation of a campus
culture that would support and model the
mission and vision. His first task was
confronting what he called “militant
modesty,” the difficulty of the College to
“toot its own horn.” He immediately put a
great deal of attention on both tangible
improvements—fixing up and painting
residence halls, landscaping, new
facilities—and more deep-seated changes,
such as making Augsburg salaries more
competitive.
Griffin says that Frame has been able
to get Augsburg to “think big about
ourselves”—in both small ways, like the
campus improvements, as well as bigger
ways, with new programs and initiatives.
“I think we’re becoming more willing to
20
embrace our complexity—and also our
promise,” she said.
The Frame presidency has been one
very much shared by both Bill and Anne
Frame. Anne has been active in a number
of Augsburg programs, contributing her
business expertise, hospitality, and much
volunteer time.
She told faculty and staff that after long
consideration of how to describe her role
at Augsburg, she had recently been
introduced in a way that seemed very
comfortable to her—“this is Anne Frame,
she’s a member of the Augsburg
community and happens to be married to
our president.”
Hospitality, from the theological sense
to a simple friendly welcome, has become
a hallmark of the vision—and one in
which Anne has played a significant role.
Their sharing of Augsburg House as a
center for college hospitality has opened
new dimensions in how community
members relate to each other.
In March Bill Frame articulated
Augsburg’s vision of hospitality: “[Our
college] welcomes the stranger as a gift to
a learning community composed of
students, many in the guise of faculty and
staff colleagues, who cannot proceed in
their own quests for vitality and hope
without constant contact with a diverse
array of learning styles and even learning
capacities, each one at least beginning to
feel that deep and absorbing hunger
to know.”
In an interview with Augsburg Echo,
Frame recently reflected on what he
considers his proudest moment—“having
our envisioning work recognized as
distinctive by candidates and their
sponsors for the 11th presidency of the
College.”
And, indeed, President-elect Paul
Pribbenow told faculty and staff in March,
“I would not be here if I did not find your
aspirations inspiring and compelling.”
Griffin offered an Augsburg
community perspective: “I think at least
part of the excitement of the approaching
Pribbenow era is that Bill brought us to a
point where we can imagine how much
farther we can go.”
Since February, when Pribbenow was
chosen by Augsburg regents, an unusual
The Frame years in print
William Frame has published a collection
of writings and speeches from his years
as president at Augsburg College. He says
it intends to both “provide a record of
the principal stops on the faith and
reason journey on which I was sent when
elected as Augsburg’s 10th president,”
and to share his connection with Martin
Luther and Philip Melanchthon.
The book’s preface was written by the
Rev. Mark Hanson ’68, presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.
Published by Lutheran University Press in
Minneapolis, the book is available in
bookstores, online, and at <www.
lutheranUpress.org>. Proceeds from sales
of the book will be donated to
Augsburg’s annual fund.
collaboration has developed. Frame invited
Pribbenow to share the podium with him
in March at the College’s all-faculty and
all-staff meeting.
Mark Hanson ’68, presiding bishop of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), summarizes the impact
of the Frame years, “… Bill draws upon
the great themes of the Lutheran
Reformation and weaves them into the
mission of a Lutheran urban college in the
21st century. When Bill Frame speaks, I
want to ask him to stop after each
sentence so that we can ponder the depth
of his wisdom.”
In every way, the Frame presidency has
been one of introspection and distinction,
even to his legendary eloquence and
penchant to speak long. Quipped student
body president Paul Cumings, “He will be
missed. Even his dry humor and lengthy
lectures.” ■
Summer 2006
At Augsburg House—since 1998
Frequency of events: about twice a week
Events held: 430
In 1998, the Augsburg Board of Regents authorized the purchase of a house for
the home of the president and a gathering place for campus events. In January
2006 Anne Frame talked to the Board of Regents about hospitality at Augsburg
House. Following are excerpts of her talk.
People who have attended: 8,600
Catering by Augsburg-Sodexho staff
(as of January 2006)
Staff photo
HOSPITALITY
and the House
BY ANNE FRAME
I
I’ve been asked to think about some of
the ways my work with Augsburg is
applied to implementing the idea of
hospitality. The Augsburg Vocation, our
vision document, talks about
community and intentional diversity–
language that conceived of this College
as a welcoming place, where persons are
accepted, perhaps because of their
differences, and where a community is
developed that contributes to the
learning for all of us.
Much of my work takes place away
from this Riverside campus. From the
beginning, Bill and I—ironically, as the
newcomers—took as our job helping the
various constituents of the campus feel at
home here. We have visited alumni and
friends of the College in many locations
to let them know what is going on now
at Augsburg, and specifically to
emphasize that they are welcome here.
That they, as a part of Augsburg’s history,
therefore have a place in its present. And,
as we have learned much from their
stories and memories, we hope they have
strengthened or rekindled their bonds to
this place.
We have been privileged both to live
at Augsburg House and to use it
frequently for College events. A plaque
in the entry hall—carved by a Norwegian
in Iowa—states our purpose:
In this place we extend to our guests
the friendship and hospitality of the
Augsburg Community in loving
memory of Adeline Marie Rasmussen
Johnson ’31 and through the
Summer 2006
generosity of James and Kathleen
Haglund and Milton and Dorothy
Kleven.
So we are acting for the community and
have practiced that hospitality to student
groups, to faculty and staff, to the
regents, the parents and alumni and
friends of the College, to neighborhood
and community groups who may not
know Augsburg well. We have done this
in as many different forms as we can
think of: with receptions, breakfasts,
lunches, dinners, conversations. We
bring these groups together for food and
fellowship, for study and discussions. We
feel that getting to know each other
better, spending time together, and
talking about the College together helps
us to be a stronger community.
Frequent remarks I hear as people
learn how many groups and events are at
Augsburg House each year come in one
of two forms, the first being, “You must
get really tired of having so many people
at your house.” (The answer is a very
clear “no.”) The other comment is, “You
must really be a party person!” I don't
think that’s quite the case, either.
But these two questions have caused
me to try to express what it is that I do
like about using Augsburg House in this
way. What do I get out of it?
The answer is … getting to know the
wide and diverse constituency that is
Augsburg—learning histories and
connections, hearing staff and faculty
speak across their areas of expertise, and
listening and discussing ideas with
each other.
Bill and Anne Frame welcome the community
to Augsburg House.
What a rare privilege this is. It has
given me an appreciation of this place
that is deeper than I could have
discovered elsewhere. It has widened my
horizons, expanded my understandings,
and has made this College house truly
“home” to me.
What we do at the house is
intentional, and I believe it’s consistent
with trying to build our community, as
stated in The Augsburg Vocation, “the
development of a sense of connectedness
that leads to lasting relationships.”
The author of the Book of Hebrews
exhorts his readers: “Do not neglect to
show hospitality to strangers, for by
doing that some have entertained angels
without knowing it.” And I’m convinced
there are at least a few angels hanging
around Augsburg.
21
Augsburg’s original
MBAs
The Class of 2006
BY BETHANY BIERMAN
22
Summer 2006
The
AUGSBURG
MBA
Nathan Appel joined the army right out of high school in Colorado and spent several years in the
service. He eventually came to Minnesota to attend the university but “became tired of rollerblading
from Timbuktu to a class where another student taught us.” So he transferred to another college,
taking evening classes to finish his undergraduate degree in management. His campus? A hotel
conference room in the suburbs. His cohort? Number 327.
Later, with his career at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage well underway, Appel decided to return to school
for his Master of Business Administration degree. He was about to choose another program when he
received an MBA postcard from Augsburg. He came to an information session and was sold. His new
campus? A small, fully functioning campus in the heart of Minneapolis. His cohort? Number 1.
“It’s kind of cool … We are the original,” Appel says.
A JUMP-START LAUNCH
This May, Augsburg graduated the first four sections, or cohorts, of
its new Master of Business Administration program—a total of 84
students.
The 20-month program evolved from eight years of discussion,
research, and planning by members of the business department, with
Professor David Schwain serving as the chief designer.
“In the feasibility study, our researcher found that our business
program ranked third best business program in the state by those
students taking the GMAT,” says John Cerrito, chair of the
Department of Business Administration. “Of course, we did not have
a grad program at that time, which the two programs that ranked
higher did, so we felt we’d have good acceptance in the market.
When we introduced the MBA, we met with instant success.”
In fact, recruiting one group to start the program doubled into
two, as 44 students responded by the time the MBA began in fall
2004. The initial goal of four cohorts by the end of three years was
met within four months of launching the program. It was these
students who became Augsburg’s first MBAs in May.
THE CAPTAIN
Since its launch 20 months ago, under the direction of Robert
Kramarczuk, the MBA program has grown to over 300 students.
Kramarczuk’s international career had included teaching at the
International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in
Switzerland, running several successful businesses, and starting up
six other graduate educational programs. He was already enjoying
retirement, but the Augsburg call was too good to pass up.
He was attracted to Augsburg’s commitment to service-learning,
Top: MBA director Robert Kramarczuk places a hood on Kristen Schell, one of
84 in the first class of MBA graduates.
Bottom: Sarah Anton offers a comment to her classmates in Cohort 3.
Summer 2006
23
“In the real world, you don’t function on
your own. You rely upon other people.”
—CHRISTINE WAGGONER ’97, ’06 MBA
which became an integral component in
the MBA. “The program reflects very well
Augsburg’s mission—service to others,”
Kramarczuk says. “It’s a hallmark of our
program.”
One group of MBA students spends
time in the Somali community. All are
involved in field projects where, as a
team, students work with an organization
for 10 to 11 months. Kramarczuk says
that these sorts of experiences put
Augsburg’s MBA students “ten levels
above” those in other programs.
“The other key factor is that we
consider really good leaders to differ
from others by being able to think
critically … That’s woven into the entire
program.”
Even with six other successful
program starts, Kramarczuk considers
Augsburg’s unique. “We look at it from a
different perspective. We look at it as
your life’s purpose or vocation, with the
MBA being a critical leg in this life’s
journey… We tell our students, ‘After
you get this MBA, you’ll say this
is probably one of the most
important decisions you’ve made
in your life.’”
Jamie Schiller, MBA coordinator, and graduate
As a requirement for
Christine Waggoner pause from the action of an MBA
admission to the program, each
softball game.
applicant must personally
interview with Kramarczuk. “It’s
humbling to hear them share and discuss
THE CURRICULUM
their goals and aspirations and how the
The intense curriculum includes finance
MBA fits into this process. … I consider
and economics, local and global issues,
myself almost like a peer. I love my
organizational management, and
students, and I think they kind of like
leadership ethics. Through application
me.”
and research, students learn to
Like him they do, and at a recent
implement ideas and communicate vital
event they presented Kramarczuk with an
statistical, financial, and other critical
award. Accolades include these words
business-related data in an evolving work
from Babette Blumenauer of Cohort 4:
environment.
“He has started this program that will
The required field project, which
change my life course. … I am not just a
serves as the thesis for the MBA, often
number or an obscure student here. Dr.
responds to real-world requests that
Kramarczuk … gives me time, shows he
come to the program from business and
cares, and he knows my name. And that
industry.
has meant a lot to me.”
“Book learning is very different from
Announcing
•
•
•
•
•
•
NEW MBA
GRADUATE
CERTIFICATES
Finance
Financial planning
Human resource management
International business
Marketing management
Music business management
Graduate certificates provide applied, practical, graduate-level
training to enhance skills and advance careers. In addition, they
can later be applied toward a master’s degree. Certificates can be
earned in as few as six months with courses meeting one evening
per week for seven weeks. Cohorts will form beginning this fall.
For information, call 612-330-1390.
24
real-life experience,” says Christine
Waggoner of Cohort 2. “It’s that real-life
experience that is discussed and studied
in this program.”
Waggoner earned her bachelor’s
degree from Augsburg in 1997. “Given
my positive experience as an
undergraduate, I cannot tell you how
excited I was when I received the
postcard announcing that Augsburg was
starting an MBA program,” she says. “At
Augsburg, the professors know you.
They tailor their teaching methods to the
students in their class. They share their
personal stories … [and] successes and
failures they’ve gone through.”
“When you finish, you will be at a
higher level of leadership and decisionmaking,” Kramarczuk says. Additionally,
because of the liberal arts background, an
Summer 2006
Augsburg MBA graduate will be more of
a “cosmopolitan” thinker.
Waggoner confirms this. “I have a
new outlook on the way I view myself
and my career. I have a lot more
confidence in my ability to lead, manage,
and make strategic business decisions.”
A significant number of students have
been offered new jobs and promotions as
a result of what they have taken away
from the MBA program.
LIFE IN THE COHORT
The cohort model has been critical to the
success of the program. It allows
students to build relationships and
become almost like family to each other
as they travel together through the
sequence of courses.
“Taking classes as a member of a
cohort has really enriched my learning
experience,” says Waggoner. “Classes are
sequentially ordered so that students
build upon learned skills, and those
skills are continually reinforced
throughout the program. The program is
organized so students can focus on
learning.”
This even includes providing a warm
meal before each evening class.
“[Students] have an opportunity to sit
together,” says Kramarczuk. “They are
from different professions, different parts
of the Twin Cities. They sit down to
really communicate about class work,
personal life, professional life.”
“In the real world, you don’t function
on your own,” Waggoner says. “You rely
upon other people.”
“You learn a lot from the students,
too,” adds Appel. “There are people of
diverse backgrounds—professional
backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, age
groups…”
This group atmosphere extends
beyond the classroom to social events
and celebrations. Appel formed and
managed a softball team with players
representing multiple cohorts. They
ordered Augsburg caps and jerseys and
even won a game. “We were beyond
awful, but we had a lot of spirit!”
Waggoner says.
“When Cohorts 3 and 4 came on
board, we had a little party at
Kramarczuk’s Deli,” reminisces Appel.
“Bob [Kramarczuk] wrote a ‘Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer’ song and made
them sing it.” The parody was titled
“Auggie, the Adult Professional.” These
kick-off dinners have become a tradition,
with older cohorts welcoming new ones.
Other social events have included the
students’ families, giving them a chance
to meet classmates and professors.
Already, a graduation celebration is in
the planning, where awards will be
handed out and, in line with tradition,
Kramarczuk’s musical parodies will
probably be sung.
THE CAMPUS
MBA director Bob Kramarczuk (left) and Auggie Eagle (right) lead Cohorts 3 and 4 in their
“initiation” song.
The opportunity to study on a “real”
campus also attracts students to the
program.
“Here, you come to school,” Appel
says. “There’s people with laptops, people
studying, there’s the bookstore… When I
meet my cohort outside of class to study,
we meet at the library. You feel like you
“[My classmates are]
people I respect…
very smart people.
Just like family.”
—SUNNY OLISE ’06 MBA
MBA graduate Nathan Appel, originator of the
MBA softball team, strikes a pose.
Summer 2006
Nigerian-born Sunny Olise came to the U.S. to
study business and appreciates the small-group
atmosphere in Augsburg's MBA program.
25
are in school… Now, actually coming to
campus just feels more like I’m at an
institution of higher learning and all that
goes along with that.”
Nigerian-born Sunny Olise began
studying in Lindell Library while he was
an undergraduate business student at
another school because he found it to be
a more calming and productive place for
him to work.
So when he heard the ad for
Augsburg’s new MBA program on the
radio, he said to himself, “Yeah, it’s a
good school.” Olise called Kramarczuk
and told him the story of how he woke
up one day after working for the
Nigerian government for 21 years
wanting to “try something new.”
The two later met in the coffee center of
Christensen Center. At the end of their
visit, Kramarczuk said, “Congratulations,
Sunny. You’re in!”
“I didn’t even know he was
interviewing me,” Olise says, laughing.
From there, Kramarczuk took Olise to
the bookstore to purchase his books.
Less than two years later, Olise is one of
the Cohort 4 graduates. He describes his
group as “people I respect… very smart
people. Just like family.”
“In addition to the knowledge you get
from the MBA program, there’s a lot of
prestige attached to it,” says Olise. “I work
full time, I have a full-time family, I
attended school, and I’m a chess addict…
I have no regrets whatsoever. None.”
COMING OF AGE
Kramarczuk considers the number of
students pretty close to the maximum
the College can currently support,
although he sees a huge potential for
growth. In response to a particular need,
Augsburg now offers the full MBA
program at Thrivent Financial’s corporate
center in downtown Minneapolis. Several
students have transferred in from nearby
programs, and Kramarczuk anticipates an
eventual 100 students at the Thrivent
location alone.
Augsburg also launched its first MBA
cohort in Rochester in fall 2005, its second
last winter, and will add its third this fall.
26
“Augsburg is a very traditional
institution, while the MBA is a very
entrepreneurial effort. There’s continual
adjustment that’s had to happen on both
ends,” Kramarczuk says. “It’s seems to be
progressing well.”
“We want to continue to develop
graduate business programs geared
toward executives. We are also
developing MBA programs in specific
concentration areas such as international
business,” says Cerrito.
Putting their MBA
“It’s kind of scary being the first class
of MBAs, but Augsburg’s reputation in
the metro and in the region is solid,”
Appel says. “The undergraduate business
program has a really good reputation.
Hopefully we’ll piggyback off of that. …
I’m banking on Augsburg’s reputation
carrying weight. I think it will.” ■
For more information about the MBA
program, go to <www.augsburg.edu/mba>.
(L to R): Derek Zielin, Max Boller, David
Sandvig, Matthew Barrett, Sarah Anton,
Scott Kretzschmar
TO WORK
Many MBA students seek out the
program to help them advance in their
current positions. For some students in
Cohort 3, however, the program
provided the foundation for a new
business venture.
One particular group of students
began talking during breaks, after
class, and, of course, over the pre-class
dinners. At these dinners, student
Sarah Anton says, “We learn about our
families, our goals, our plans for the
future.”
These discussions led to the creation
of Minnesota Business Consultants, LLP
(MBC), a group of five men and Anton.
“Each member brings a different
expertise to the group that comes out
of our diverse career paths,” she says.
MBC specializes in strategic
planning and profit maximization for
small- to medium-size businesses.
“Guiding businesses that might wish to
re-evaluate their current financial
picture” is the mission, according to
Anton. “We see using the contacts
we’ve gained from Augsburg to
develop a client base and to develop a
niche in an industry where small
businesses are struggling. We believe
small businesses are an important part
of our Minnesota culture.”
MBC is starting out in rental office
space, and each consultant will
maintain his or her current job until
MBC is able to support them fully.
“It’s a natural progression of the
excellent talent pool that Kramarczuk
puts together,” says Anton. “It would
surprise me if there aren’t more
businesses formed out of the MBA
cohorts.”
Summer 2006
on tour with the
AUGSBURG
Choir
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JUDY PETREE
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW WROTE, “Music is the universal language of
mankind.” As the Augsburg Choir set out on its European concert tour they would come to
understand the meaning of Longfellow’s words.
From May 8-21, under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76, the choir toured Budapest,
Hungary; Prague and Kutna Hora, Czech Republic; and Dresden and Leipzig, Germany,
where the tour ended at the American Choral Festival.
The 66-voice choir sang in basilicas that took their breaths away, in churches that dated
back to the 1300s, and in one of the finest concert halls in Europe. Their audiences included
U. S. citizens living in Europe as well as people who could speak little or no English.
The choir learned that it wasn’t the words they sang, but rather the music they made that
touched hearts and brought smiles—and sometimes even tears—to the people who came to
hear them. They also learned how music is indeed a universal language, and that experiences
like these also create bonds among themselves that last across continents and time.
On the return trip home, tenor Hayes Kaufman ’09 said when he joined the choir his dad
expressed his hope that someday he, Hayes, would come to appreciate the opportunity he
was being given.
“I think I already have,” Kaufman told his fellow choir members. “Thanks to everyone
for this great trip, the memories, and opportunity.”
H U N G A R Y,
Summer 2006
C Z E C H
R E P U B L I C ,
A N D
G E R M A N Y
27
B U D A P E S T ,
K U T N A
H O R A ,
P R A G U E ,
D R E S D E N ,
L E I P Z I G
(1) The concert tour began at St. Stephen’s Basilica
in Budapest, Hungary, the city’s largest church. Not
only its beauty and magnificence awed the choir,
but also the sound of their voices. Tenor Tony
Wallin ’08 said he couldn’t believe that “we, the
Augsburg Choir, would ever have the opportunity
to sing in such a place.”
(2) In the small Czech town of Kutna Hora, once
famous for its silver mines, the choir sang at St.
Barbara’s Cathedral. Here, a few choir members
take a break at intermission to catch a view of the
town at night.
(Front row, L to R) Aleah Tebben, Mike
Schmit, Colin Callander, Kathryn Goerges (Back
row, L to R) Stacey Zeutenhorst, Miranda Nelson,
Eric Anderson, Adam Krumwiede, Tom Robinson
and Kent Bodurtha.
1
In Prague, the choir sang at St. Ignatius, an active
church run by Jesuit monks that was begun in
1665 and completed in 1671.
2
3
4
28
(3) At a stop in Krabcice, another small Czech
town, the choir performed for an audience of
senior citizens, most of whom knew no English. A
highlight of the tour for many of the students was
a song they sang in the Czech language, for which
they received a standing ovation and compliments
on their pronunciation.
“This by far has been the best part of the tour
for me,” said soprano Molly Shortall ’07, who
enjoyed talking with one of the senior citizens
after the concert.
“It was better than the larger concerts because
you could just feel that it meant so much to these
people. These are people who had their culture
taken away from them for so many years, and now
you can see how much it must mean to them to
get it back.”
(4) The audience was sparse but very appreciative
at Annen Kirche in Dresden, Germany, one of the
only churches there to escape bombing during
World War II. A woman in the front row was so
clearly moved by the choir’s singing, she would
direct along with Peter and, at times, smile broadly
and cry quietly.
Summer 2006
B U D A P E S T ,
K U T N A
H O R A ,
K R A B C I C E ,
D R E S D E N ,
L E I P Z I G
“It doesn’t always matter how many people are
in the audience, said bass Dave Czepa ’06. He
spoke for many of the choir members as he said,
“that one lady and what this obviously meant to
her made the whole concert worth it.”
(5) In Leipzig, Germany—home to such famous
composers as Bach and Handel—the choir visited
St. Thomaskirche, where Johann Sebastian Bach
was a cantor and where he is buried. They also
toured St. Nicholaskirche, founded in 1165.
6
(6) The choir teamed up with the Northwestern
College Choir of St. Paul to perform at the
Gewandhaus in Leipzig for the American Choral
Festival. They sang several songs as a massed
choir, plus each choir performed on its own.
Joining the choir was Augsburg alumna Nicole
(Warner) Simml ’01. Simml now lives in Germany
teaching voice and performing frequently.
Performing solos are (L to R) Nicole (Warner)
Simml; Krista Costin, Augsburg; Nathan Bird,
Northwestern; and Dave Czepa, Augsburg.
Directing is Northwestern choir director Timothy
Sawyer, with Augsburg director Peter
Hendrickson on piano.
What was the most memorable part of the trip—
the beautiful churches; the scenery; experiencing
different cultures, food, and languages? Not
according to many of the students. What they will
remember most are the bonds and friendships
they made with each other. Although the choir
has been singing together all year, they found that
sometimes it takes an experience such as this to
get to know each other really well. Alto Kellin
Pray ’08 said she really enjoyed being with others
who enjoy the same thing. The sad part, she
added, is now saying goodbye to the seniors
whom they were just starting to really know.
7
5
8
(7) (L to R) Kellin Pray, Bri’Ann Wright, and
Micah Erickson.
(8) (L to R) Emily Denstad, Emma Stensvaag, and
Adena Berg.
(9) Mother’s Day greetings from Prague were sent
home by Brian Halaas and Kari Aanestad.
9
Summer 2006
29
E
very week more than 2,000
people fill the Plymouth
Playhouse in the Twin Cities’
suburb for an afternoon or
evening of laughter, sharing
the lives of four women and their pastor
in the church basement of the East
Cornucopia Lutheran Church.
The play, Church Basement Ladies,
pays homage to the stalwart women who
cooked for and served every church
congregation. And it strikes a chord with
anyone who grew up in the 1950s and
’60s across the Midwest, whether they be
Lutheran, Methodist, or Presbyterian—it
was all part of their own experience.
Church Basement Ladies is based on
the Scandinavian humor books of Janet
Letnes Martin and Suzann (Johnson)
Nelson, both 1968 Augsburg graduates.
On stage the role of the church’s
matriarch, Mrs. Lars Snustad, is played
by Janet Paone ’83. For all three of them,
their Augsburg experiences play big.
Martin and Nelson came to Augsburg
in 1964 as freshmen, each attracted to
the big city and driven by the desire to
escape a future as a farm wife. When they
arrived, Augsburg was in the midst of
great change, reflecting new college
direction and leadership—the College
had just merged into the American
Lutheran Church after the demise of the
Lutheran Free Church, and Oscar
Anderson had just become president.
Students were pushed to explore and
understand the social and racial issues of
the city around them, forever changing
their worldviews.
Nelson aspired to be a home
economics teacher, but by the end of her
“God knew that if there were going
to be growing, self-sustaining, active
Lutheran Churches in America, he
would have to create a special
species of people, so He created the
Lutheran Church Basement Women.”
—Growing Up Lutheran,
Janet Letnes Martin and
Suzann (Johnson) Nelson, 1997
first semester had switched to political
science, and then in her sophomore year
to Scandinavian studies when the new
major was announced. She studied
Norwegian and was active in the
Norwegian Club, which led to many
opportunities, such as meeting the
visiting King Olav V of Norway.
Both Martin and Nelson felt
comfortable at Augsburg. They loved the
big city around them, but appreciated the
small-town comfort of the campus.
What they discovered was that smalltown Scandinavian Lutheran life was the
same everywhere. Nelson recalls the
many nights she and classmates from
small towns across the Upper Midwest
sat around in Gerda Mortensen Hall and
talked about their common backgrounds.
“We all grew up the same way,” Martin
confirms.
Students not from rural small towns
were commuter students, and Nelson
remembers stunning her city roommates
by talking about eating cream on bread.
So much so that she and others went
shopping and demonstrated how it was
made and eaten.
Paone arrived at Augsburg 15 years
later. By then Augsburg was less
THOSE
Lutheran
ladies
BY BETSEY NORGARD
30
Summer 2006
Top: Janet Letnes Martin ’68 began writing
down her experiences growing up in rural
North Dakota and calls herself a “NorwegianLutheran farm girl humorist.”
Suzann (Johnson) Nelson ’68 used her
Scandinavian studies to inspire the
characters of rural Norwegian
Minnesota in her books.
Janet Paone ’83 has made a career in
acting and voiceover work, and
brings her Augsburg experience to
the stage in Church Basement Ladies
Bottom: From The Augsburgian, 1968.
Bottom: From The Augsburgian, 1968.
Bottom: From The Augsburgian, 1981.
obviously Norwegian Lutheran and far
more diverse, but it was because of the
Lutheran church that Paone chose it. Her
mother was Lutheran and her father was
Catholic. She was raised in Abiding
Savior Lutheran Church, but within her
family she felt the stigma of being the
child of a parent who “turned,” i.e.,
married outside the Lutheran faith. She
feels her father’s family never really
accepted her Lutheran mother.
After applying to music schools in New
York, she decided to stay home for college
and chose Augsburg because she had
always respected and enjoyed the
Augsburg students who were counselors at
Lake Wapogassett Lutheran Bible Camp.
She had also considered the ministry, but
she ended up in the theatre program.
“There was definitely a Norwegian
Lutheran influence at Augsburg,” Paone
says. “There was a Scandinavian studies
major, and most people’s names ended in
–son, -sen, -gard, or –dal.” She also
remembers the aesthetic influence of the
“good” dinnerware with Scandinavian
design used for special dinners.
Martin and Nelson graduated in
1968, but neither returned to her small
town. On a Norwegian Club trip to
Decorah, Iowa, Nelson had met Ronald
E. Nelson ’67; in March 1967 they were
married in Mindekirken, the Norwegian
Lutheran Memorial Church in
Minneapolis. She studied Scandinavian
literature in graduate school and for 10
summers directed Skogfjorden, the
Norwegian Language Village.
Martin married shortly after college
and began raising a family. More than a
decade later, in 1983, while helping her
mother-in-law research family history,
she became frustrated at not finding
much information about life in rural
communities and decided to begin
writing down what it was like growing
up. Together with Allen Todnem ’64, also
an Augsburg graduate, she co-authored
Cream and Bread, and then Second
Helpings of Cream and Bread.
Martin and Nelson remained close
friends. In 1994, on a whim, Martin
suggested that Nelson should write a
book with her, and Nelson quit her job
the same day.
Sitting around the kitchen table in
their flannel nightgowns enjoying
Summer 2006
31
REMEMBERING
those
Lutheran
ladies
BY DAVE WOOD
IT WAS THE MID-1980S. I had recently been appointed
book review editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune after a lengthy
stint as English teacher at Augsburg and feature writer for the old
Tribune.
“Dave,” said the receptionist, “There’s an author out here in
the lobby who wants to see you.”
Wow. My first author. Who would it be? I trotted down to the
lobby to discover a woman who looked like a pert middle-aged
housewife from Hastings, Minn., which, in fact, she was.
“Hi,” she said, thrusting an enormous layer cake into my paws.
“I’m Janet Martin. I went to Augsburg back in the ’60s. I’ve
written a book and if you’ll review it the cake is yours.”
Looking back, I sincerely hope I wasn’t too condescending
when I explained to Janet Letnes Martin that Star Tribune policy
prohibited my taking gifts, blah blah blah.
“OK,” she said, unflappable. “I’ll take back the cake. You take
the book.”
So there I was with Janet Letnes Martin’s first literary effort,
Cream on Bread. I gave it a whirl. It was wonderful. As a minor
ethnician of the times, I had read lots of this stuff, like Howard
Mohr’s work, and I think I knew what was good. Janet Martin’s
was excellent. No cheap shots. There were no big yuks in Cream
on Bread, just lots of little ones. That’s because Janet Martin was
smart enough to know that there aren’t a lot of big yuks in
Lutherandom, but lots and lots of little ones. That’s why she
became one of Lutheran humor’s most honest purveyors.
Was I surprised? Yes. But I shouldn’t have been. I had taught
for 10 years at Augsburg, not too many years after she had
graduated. I had taught at four other schools before my arrival
there and was continually surprised at the little college’s vitality
and intellectuality. Sure, there was a streak of inferiority feeling
running through the student body. The University of Minnesota
students across Riverside Ave. called Augsburg “God’s Little Acre.”
We had great music, science, art, and poetry, but the steam heat
system in Old Main on a cold day sounded like the last 15 minutes
before the H.M.S. Titanic went down. Nevertheless we had great
32
Dave Wood is a past vice-president of the
National Book Critics Circle and former
book review editor of the Minneapolis Star
Tribune. He taught English and journalism
at Augsburg from 1969 to 1981.
poetry readings, students went off to good
graduate schools.
Best, we all had lots of fun, parked
right in the middle of a seedy old section
of Minneapolis.
But back to Janet Letnes Martin. Her
first book was a success followed by many
more, including one of my favorites, which
involved Hastings housewife/detective
Shirley Holmquist, a direct steal from Arthur Conan Doyle. In 1994,
her Auggie classmate, Suzann Nelson of Grand Rapids, Minn.,
joined her and their books tumbled out, books like their
monumental theological tract about Lutherans and Roman
Catholics entitled They Glorified Mary … We Glorified Rice. They
also performed two-woman shows, filling church basements across
the Midwest.
Ever since the Martin/Nelson success, I’ve been a bit jealous.
I’ve tried my hand with ethnic humor. Like Martin and Nelson I
grew up in a little Norwegian Lutheran town. But my stuff never
lit any fires. Why did theirs?
I’ve come to think that Augsburg College had a lot to do with
it. Augsburg was traditionally on the outer fringe of the Lutheran
establishment. Its supporting synod, the Lutheran Free Church,
was always suspicious of clericalism, authority, big shots. An
immigrant church, it had to survive by its wits. (Janet Letnes
Martin, you see, didn’t actually think her layer cake would
persuade me to review her book. It was just a way of tweaking my
self-satisfaction, cutting me and the Star Tribune down to size.)
And so the two pious girls from small farm towns came to God’s
Little Acre in the heart of the Sinful City and found out one could
love one’s church and have some fun with it, too.
I look back more than a quarter century at the students like
Martin and Nelson and wonder at their successes, many of which
have just a bit of orneriness in common. It’s a wonderful tradition
and the women who made church basements famous are
definitely part of it.
And so now the girls are moving out onto the national scene.
Martin and Nelson are no longer girls, but I can’t help thinking of
them in that way, for their girlish glee and for poking a little fun
at the basements where they both spent hundreds of hours
learning that certain concepts were “most certainly true.”
I have only one bit of advice and that’s for Janet Letnes
Martin. If and when you get to New York City, don’t bring a layer
cake to the offices of the New York Times Book Review.
The editor won’t get it.
Summer 2006
copious amounts of both coffee and
laughter, the two women began to
capture recollections and memories as
they spilled out. Nelson has said that it’s
her job to jog people’s memories and
their job to laugh. Their intention is
never to make fun of anyone or anything.
“There’s a fine line between making fun
of something and having fun with it,”
Martin told an interviewer. “Hopefully
we’ll never cross it.”
Three books came within the first six
months. So far, they’ve written nine
books together, the most popular being
Growing Up Lutheran: What Does This
Mean?, which won a Minnesota Book
Award for humor.
Requests for speaking engagements
also started coming, and for several years
Martin and Nelson crisscrossed each
others’ paths as they spoke to church
groups, women’s groups, and local
organizations. Then they devised a
comedy routine and began appearing
together as “Those Lutheran Ladies”—
nothing more than sharing their own
backgrounds.
An idea for a play came about when
TroupeAmerica’s president and executive
producer-director, Curt Wollan, hired
Those Lutheran Ladies to perform for
three weeks at the Medora Musical in
North Dakota. Wollan invited a
playwright-couple, Jim Stowell and
Jessica Zuehlke, to pen the script.
Wollan, who had grown up as
“Lutherans attending a Lutheran
college in the ’50s and ’60s did not
have to prepare themselves for any
big culture shock. Some of them
even shared the same last name—
but were not related.”
—Growing Up Lutheran,
Janet Letnes Martin and
Suzann (Johnson) Nelson, 1997
president of his Luther League and the
son of a dedicated church basement lady,
encouraged Paone to take the part of
matronly Vivian Snustad, the
unequivocal and uncompromising queen
of the church basement ladies in his
fictional East Cornucopia Lutheran
Church.
Paone, a veteran character actress seen
in Tony ’n Tina’s Wedding, pushed for
revisions to the script through a workshop
process in order to engage Mrs. Snustad
more with the audience. This character is a
curmudgeon, but works through her
issues and begins to understand why
things must eventually change—beginning
with her consternation over the hymnals
changing from black to red.
Church Basement Ladies previewed at
several locations before settling into its
long run at the Plymouth Playhouse.
Paone recalls opening in Fargo, where
the cast was extremely nervous about
how it would go over. Once the audience
started laughing and didn’t stop, Paone
remembers the “neat moment” between
acts when the cast suddenly realized that
“this thing is going to be huge.”
Audiences react differently to the
play, Paone says, and she can tell by what
they laugh at whether the crowd (often
comprised of large church groups) is
Lutheran or Catholic. And, if they react
most vividly to the physical comedy
aspect, they probably aren’t churchconnected at all.
Even if someone is not well versed in
the ways of Martin Luther, she says, the
play is still very accessible. “It’s about a
[small] country church … it’s the social
center, with many different layers.”
Paone would love to pull more
material from Martin and Nelson’s books
for the stage, and Martin and Nelson
would love to have the current actors
stay involved with the East Cornucopia
Lutheran Church.
What’s next for Those Lutheran
Ladies? When asked about it, Martin
quickly replies, “Oh, ya, there’s lots more
in it.” When they get together and start
laughing, she says, “We just run with it
… and sometimes we just blurt out the
same thing.”
And, to quote Martin Luther and the
church basement ladies, “This is most
certainly true.” ■
“If Scandinavian Lutherans could add one more feast day to the church
calendar, it would be the feast of fish and flatbread … Unlike the Catholics
who had to eat fish every Friday, Scandinavian Lutherans were only morally
obligated to eat it once a year, and that was at the annual Lutefisk supper.”
—Growing Up Lutheran,
Janet Letnes Martin and
Suzann (Johnson) Nelson, 1997
Summer 2006
33
CHURCH
Basement
Troupe America, Inc.
Ladies
—you bet it’s a big hit!
The cast of Church Basement Ladies (L to R): Janet Paone ’83 (Mrs. Lars Snustad—Vivian), Greta
Grosch (Mrs. Gilmer Gilmerson—Mavis), Tim Drake (Pastor E. L. Gunderson), Dorian Chalmers
(Mrs. Elroy Engelson-Karin) and Ruthie Baker (Signe Engelson—Karin’s daughter).
BY ANY MEASURE, Church Basement Ladies is a monster
hit. It has been running for more than 35 weeks at Plymouth
Playhouse (scheduled through the end of 2006) at 101%
occupancy. It now has a double cast and offers 10 or 11 shows per
week.
Curt Wollan, producer and director, found inspiration for the
play in his own mother. After she died, Wollan was asked if the
gift she left the church could be used for their greatest need, a
new stove for the kitchen. He agreed, and it was named Lorraine
in her honor, a seemingly fitting legacy.
“We’re honoring people who are never honored … and who
are under-appreciated,” says Wollan. “The play has been hugely
popular with women who have worked in church basements, and
with their daughters and granddaughters, who are remembering
mom and grandmother.”
He remembers being a Luther Leaguer in his own church when
they’d sing, “Come out, dear ladies, come out, come out” so the
women could be recognized, and they were always bashful about
it. “They were the unsung heroes of the church—they kept it
clean and fed, and the coffee going.”
He says the play is universal—it doesn’t matter where or what
church you’re in—every church has its basement ladies. The show
just happens to be Norwegian Lutheran because it’s based on
Nelson and Martin’s book, Growing Up Lutheran.
The play is important, he says, because this part of church life
is dying. “As women have started to work, there are fewer
basement ladies and there is more catering,” says Wollan. “This
34
celebrates the past and its heritage.”
Church Basement Ladies is preparing to embark on a ninestate, 50-city tour from January-March 2007, in mostly small towns
throughout the Upper Midwest, but reaching as far as New
Mexico, Colorado, and Montana. Then, they’ll wait a ye
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Page 1
Augsburg
Now
SUMMER ACTIVITIES P. 12
IMMERSED IN BOLCOM P. 18
SOCIAL WORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE P. 24
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
FA L L 2 0 0 7
VOL. 70, NO. 1
Making orchids
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Augsburg
Now
SUMMER ACTIVITIES P. 12
IMMERSED IN BOLCOM P. 18
SOCIAL WORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE P. 24
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
FA L L 2 0 0 7
VOL. 70, NO. 1
Making orchids
more affordable
page 14
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Page 2
Editor
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Collaborating with our sister colleges and universities
Y
ou’ll read in this issue about a special
program organized last spring to celebrate
the musical legacy of the American
composer, William Bolcom. The program,
called “Illuminating Bolcom,” is a fine
example of the sorts of remarkable opportunities our
students enjoy as a result of our collaborative
relationship with sister colleges and universities in the
Twin Cities. Organized with our partners in the
Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC)—
Augsburg, the College of St. Catherine, Hamline
University, Macalester College, and the University of St.
Thomas—this special program gave our students and
faculty unprecedented access to performances, master
classes, and informal experiences with a world-class
musical talent.
What a privilege it has been for me to experience the
many collegial and genuinely collaborative
relationships that exist between Augsburg and its
sister colleges and universities. Surely it is a sign of
abundance that we can partner with higher education
institutions that perhaps once were seen primarily as
competition for students. Today, I believe these same
institutions are modeling the sort of collaborative
efforts that lead to innovation, a careful use of
important resources, and a perspective on life in the
world that eschews the sort of scarcity thinking and
living that our culture promotes. We care deeply at
Augsburg about living with a sense of abundance, and
here are several collaborations I would like to lift up.
We participate with the other 27 colleges and
universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) in regular gatherings for administration
and faculty members. In addition, many of the ELCA
institutions participate together in insurance
partnerships, tuition savings programs for parents, and
tuition exchange programs for faculty and staff. Our
partnerships also are sources of good ideas and best
practices for our institutions, even as we celebrate our
common links to the Lutheran church and its abiding
commitment to vocation and education.
We are proud charter members of the Minnesota Private
College Council (MPCC), which serves as an advocacy,
fundraising, and public affairs partnership for 17 private
colleges and universities in Minnesota. Together we have
a significant impact on creating awareness of, and access
to, higher education in our state.
ACTC is an innovative partnership begun more than 35
years ago that allows our students to register for courses
on all five campuses; that organizes joint programs like
the “Illuminating Bolcom” series; and that has created
administrative partnerships that save our schools more
than $2 million annually on supplies and services.
Our athletic conference, the Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC), is one of the premier small
college conferences in the country and includes 13 of
Minnesota’s private colleges and universities.
There are several other national organizations in which
we proudly participate: Campus Compact, which brings
together colleges and universities dedicated to the public
and civic role of our institutions; the Council of
Independent Colleges (CIC), to which we turn for best
practices in teaching, learning, and administration, and
tuition exchange opportunities for our faculty and staff;
the National Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities (NAICU), our lobbying consortium in
Washington, DC; and the Association of American
Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), working with us to
promote the continuing relevance of liberal arts
education in the 21st century.
Surely these various partnerships and collaborative
relationships point to the remarkable opportunities we
have to enhance the Augsburg experience for all of our
students and to model a way of working together, across
institutional boundaries, to serve the public good.
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Class Notes Designer
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
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
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
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Page 3
10
Fall 2007
Contents
Features
12 Summer activities
Faculty and students take advantage of their summer time to pursue
diverse activities on and off campus.
18 Immersed in Bolcom
by Betsey Norgard
A two-week festival gave Augsburg musicians extraordinary access
to a renowned American composer.
22 Faith, vision, and a call to Guyana
by Betsey Norgard
Ruth Singh responded to a call 13 years ago to help the people in her homeland.
24 Social work for social justice
by Holley Locher, with Michele Braley and Nils Dybvig
18
A couple gives up their Twin Cities jobs to become peacemakers
amidst violence.
© 2006 Katryn Conlin for VocalEssence
Departments
On the Cover: Chemistry major Caryn Quist
experiments with chemical compounds, seeking
less-expensive ways to grow orchids.
2 Around the Quad
8 Sports
11 Supporting Augsburg
27 Alumni News
29 Class Notes
32 Views
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
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AROUND THE QUAD
Teaching and
learning awards
The Distinguished Contributions
to Teaching and Learning Awards
honor significant contributions to
teaching and learning at Augsburg
by faculty and staff in the areas of
teaching, mentoring and advising,
and services to students.
The 2007 awards went to: Doug
Green, professor of English, for
teaching; to Susan O’Connor
(center), associate professor of
education, for mentoring and
advising; and to Lois Olson (left),
director of the Center for Service,
Work, and Learning, for service to
students.
Congratulations,
faculty!
Tenure granted
Keith Gilsdorf, economics
Tenure granted and promotion
to associate professor
Phillip Adamo, history
Lori Brandt Hale, religion
Stella Hofrenning, economics
Barbara Lehmann, social work
David Matz, psychology
Scholarships awarded for 2007-08
by the ELCA Foundation. Junior
Reid Larson was named a first
alternate and received $3,000 for
academic expenses.
The Rossing Physics Scholarships
were established by gifts from
Dr. Thomas D. Rossing, who
taught at Northern Illinois
University and St. Olaf College.
They seek to encourage top
physics students to attend ELCA
colleges and universities, to help
ELCA schools recruit top physics
students, and to encourage
students at ELCA schools to
consider majoring in physics.
This is the third year they have
been awarded by the ELCA
Foundation.
Two students
participate in
international music
program
Meghan Sherer, who graduated
in May, and senior Krista Costin
were accepted to the
Festivalensemble Stuttgart, a
choir that is part of the
Internationale Bachakademie
Stuttgart, founded and directed
by conductor and artistic
director Helmuth Rilling. They
spent a month in Germany from
Aug. 17-Sept. 13, with all
expenses paid, together with a
worldwide group of about 100
selected musicians.
The performances included
Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem,
and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony
No. 5.The first two weeks, the
choir rehearsed in southern
Germany and then traveled for
two weeks, performing in
various festivals. In addition to
the European Music Festival
Stuttgart, they sang in the
Rheingau Music Festival,
Beethovenfest Bonn, and in
Dresden, Halle, and Berlin.
For several years, Augsburg has
been one of the 24 audition sites
around the world, and this is the
first time that any Augsburg
students have been accepted.
Sherer performed with
Augsburg’s Gospel Praise, and
was a soloist with the group at
the June Commencement. She
graduated cum laude in May
with a Bachelor of Music degree
in music performance.
Costin toured with the Augsburg
Choir last year to Germany and
the Czech Republic, and was a
soloist at their Leipzig concert.
2 AUGSBURG NOW
Darcey Engen leads
“The Mother Project”
A collaborative theatre project,
staged at the Open Eye Figure
Theatre in August, told the
stories of six mothers from
different ethnic backgrounds and
traditions, across generations,
who all tried to juggle their
identities as care-giver, teacher,
parent, worker, and leader.
Darcey Engen ’88, assistant
professor of theatre arts, led the
collaboration of mothers—Jeany
Parks, Nanci Olesen, Maria Asp,
Sonny Case, Erin Carlson Sutton
’03, and herself—who created
the work through writing
exercises, recounting their
individual journeys through
motherhood.
According to Engen, the women
were drawn to “The Mother
Project’ because each had grown
restless seeking a place where
their experiences could be told,
and not finding it in literature,
television, drama, or cinema.
Kent Bodurtha
receives Rossing
Physics Scholarship
Senior physics major Kent
Bodurtha was awarded one of the
two new $10,000 Rossing Physics
Theatre arts professor Darcey Engen ‘88
worked with five colleagues to stage a
presentation about their journeys and
experiences of being mothers.
Meghan Sherer ’07
Krista Costin ’08
ELCA News Service
NOTEWORTHY
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Page 5
Physician assistants
celebrate 10 years
Augsburg’s Physician Assistant
Studies program celebrated the
10th anniversary of its first
graduating class at a reception
and dinner on Sept. 15.
Members of the graduating
Class of 1997 attended, along
with other graduates and faculty.
“It was truly special to have so
many classmates and original
faculty join us to celebrate,” said
David Barlow, a graduate of the
Class of 1997 and current assistant
professor in the program. “We’re
fortunate to be part of a fabulous
profession that makes a difference
in so many lives.”
One of the program’s early faculty
members who couldn’t attend
wrote, “In general terms, [the 1997]
class most likely recently passed the
one million mark in patients seen.”
The 1997 physician assistant class, shown here as they graduated from Augsburg’s new program, reunited for a
10th-anniversary celebration in September, after treating probably more than one million patients during the decade.
ELCA News Service
Mark Hanson
re-elected presiding
bishop
Rev. Mark Hanson ’68 was
solidly re-elected presiding
bishop of the ELCA for a second
six-year term on Aug. 7, at the
2007 ELCA Churchwide
Assembly in Chicago. He is the
third presiding bishop of the
ELCA, is the second to be reelected, and is the second
Augsburg graduate to serve in
the ELCA’s highest elected office.
“Six years ago I said that I do not
view this as an election won but
a call received,” Hanson told the
assembly. “I view what you have
done today [as] the affirming of
that call to which I continue to
hold with great humility and
deep gratitude.”
Prior to his election as presiding
bishop in 2001, he and his wife,
Ione (Agrimson) ’68, lived in the
Twin Cities where he was bishop
of the Saint Paul Area Synod.
Several of their children have
attended Augsburg.
tration. She also served on the
Institutional Review Board and
was its chair for over a number
of years.
Sharon Patten, social
work, is mourned
The Augsburg community
mourns the death of Sharon
Patten, associate professor of
social work at Augsburg for 16
years, who died from cancer in
hospice care on Aug. 25.
She was instrumental in the
development of the Master of
Social Work program,
particularly in creating the
Program Development, Policy,
and Administration concen-
Sharon Patten
Bishop Mark Hanson ‘68
FALL 2007 3
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AROUND THE QUAD
Star Tribune/Minneapolis-St. Paul 2007
Dan Schueller ’83
Coping with the
bridge collapse
Dan Schueller ’83 was on his
normal bike commute from work
along West River Parkway on
August 1, when fate placed him
as one of the first persons on the
scene of the monumental
collapse of the I-35W bridge over
the Mississippi River, just a mile
from Augsburg’s campus.
Tragically, Sherry Engebretsen,
who worked for Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans and is the
mother of Augsburg first-year
student Jessica Engebretsen, was
one of the 13 people killed in the
bridge collapse. Several Augsburg
staff were near the bridge when it
fell, and at least one of them
helped rescuers with victims on
the wreckage.
In the week that followed,
Augsburg provided space on
campus for the American Red
Cross to set up a Family
Courtesy photo
After hearing a crack and seeing a
cloud of dust in front of him,
from the rubble he began to hear
crying and moaning. “That’s what
kicked me into gear,” he told the
Star Tribune in an audio slide
show. “I knew I had to climb up
there and see if I could help
somebody.” He left his bike, and
was able to assist a number of
people out of their cars and onto
safe ground.
One of the first persons on the scene of the bridge collapse, Dan Schueller ’83
helped people out of their cars to safe ground.
Assistance Center, in partnership
with the City of Minneapolis, for
families and friends waiting for
news about their loved ones.
During that same week, a public
meeting of area and neighborhood business owners, with state,
local, and federal officials was
held at Augsburg to discuss how
to help the local businesses cope
with the effects of restricted
traffic and detours.
Retirees gave more
than a century of
teaching years
Three long-time Augsburg
faculty members, whose
combined years of service
amount to more than a century
and a decade, retired in June.
All of them have served under
four Augsburg presidents, and
two of them spent virtually their
entire classroom careers at
Augsburg.
Robert S. Herforth, biology professor, set a high example for his students of the
importance and quality of research.
4 AUGSBURG NOW
Robert S. Herforth, professor of
biology, came to Augsburg in
1967, from graduate work at
the University of Nebraska. His
research there focused on
hereditary disease in fruit flies.
Discoveries that he made
The effects of the bridge collapse
will endure long beyond the
clearing of the wreckage
spanning the river. Schueller said
that when he attended a meeting
of the weekly support group of
bridge survivors, he was “very
saddened to see so many people
with bad backs and still having a
hard time dealing with what
happened.”
— Betsey Norgard
pointed out errors by leading
scientists in existing scholarship,
for which he received university
honors.
Over the years, Herforth taught
animal physiology, developmental
biology, genetics, and molecular
biology; and he always stressed
research.
As a freshman at Augsburg,
associate biology professor Dale
Pederson ’70 was in Herforth’s
classes. At Herforth’s retirement
celebration, Pederson recalled
Herforth’s fly lab, especially
noting the quality of the technical
drawings done by art professor
Phil Thompson. Pederson called
Herforth’s scholarship
“exemplary.”
Courtesy photo
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Retired colleague Esther
McLaughlin spoke about teamteaching general biology with
Herforth and remarked about his
patience.
For enjoyment in his retirement,
Herforth’s colleagues and friends
presented him with an iPod filled
with recordings of bird songs.
7:19 PM
Page 7
how one should be in the
world.”
Griffin ascribed an “epic
quality” to Kingsley’s career, and
noted that Augsburg presidents
have sometimes recognized her
as quite an “adversary.”
Colleague Don Steinmetz
mentioned that
Al Kloppen, health and physical education, connected with students both in the
classroom and on the playing field as a football coach.
Mary A. Kingsley retired after 43 years of teaching Spanish and sharing her passion
for social justice issues.
Mary A. Kingsley, associate
professor of modern languages,
came to Augsburg in 1964 and
has taught Spanish here since.
She served many terms as
department chair, taking
occasional breaks when it was
held by a colleague.
Former English faculty professor
Joan Griffin commented on
Kingsley's “passion for justice,
especially if it’s an underdog that
has been wronged.” She said that
Kingsley “has engaged
generations of students about
department faculty have always
preferred to have Kingsley on
their side.
In the early days of the Center
for Global Education, Kingsley
and her husband donated a
house in Cuernavaca, Mexico,
to Augsburg, which was used as
the center’s base of operation
for some time.
Kingsley is enjoying her time in
retirement at their cabin in the
Apostle Islands.
Alvin L. Kloppen, assistant
professor of health and physical
education, came to Augsburg in
1976 from Augustana College in
Rock Island, Ill., where he had
been defensive football
coordinator. He served both as
Augsburg’s head football coach
and HPE faculty member for 10
seasons. He later served as an
assistant football coach while still
teaching.
Assistant athletic director Paul
Grauer commented on Kloppen’s
tenure at Augsburg. “Al Kloppen
had a ready smile and a funny
story for everyone he
encountered during his days at
Augsburg. As a coach, Al was a
tireless worker who always
looked for innovative strategies
and techniques which would
give his team the greatest chance
for success.
In 1977, he was named
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) “Co-Coach
of the Year” when the Auggies
finished the season with an upset
win over powerful Concordia
College (Moorhead).
“In the classroom, Al had an
engaging approach which
enabled him to connect with his
students. He was there to give
support and encouragement to
all his students and especially to
those who may have taken ‘the
road less traveled’.”
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Medieval Minnesota:
Summer camp at Augsburg College
This summer, from August 5 to
11, 10 students from across the
country flocked to Augsburg to
learn about and, above all,
experience the Middle Ages.
They came for Medieval
Minnesota, the weeklong summer
camp for students ages 14 to 17
that encourages them to reimagine medieval life.
For seven days, students worked
and played together, learning
everything from swordsmanship
to Renaissance dancing, from
calligraphy to bookbinding, from
period music to storytelling. By
the end of the week, they had
researched and created medieval
characters and built period
costumes that they wore to a
graduation performance at the
famed Minnesota Renaissance
Festival.
Edward Peterson, 14, a student
from Wilmington, Del.,
performed the rousing “Saint
Crispin’s Day” soliloquy from
Shakespeare’s Henry V. Other
students, coached by music
professor Merilee Klemp,
performed a French love song
about Robin Hood and Maid
Marian, written by the 13th
century troubadour Adam de la
Halle. With the help of theatre
professor Darcey Engen, the
entire group wrote and performed
in its own version of a Robin
Hood play.
The students also got a taste of
college life. In addition to many
of the classes being taught by
Augsburg professors, they stayed
in Urness Hall, were guided in
research by Lindell reference
librarian Bill Wittenbreer, and ate
all their meals in the cafeteria.
6 AUGSBURG NOW
Photos courtesy of Phil Adamo
AROUND THE QUAD
Every day they went to classes
and workshops, from eight in the
morning until eight at night. Just
before bed they would unwind
playing medieval board games—
not Dungeons and Dragons, but
Hnefatafl, a strategy game played
by the Vikings! They also
watched Augsburg’s first-ever
Robin Hood Film Festival.
Medieval Minnesota was recently
featured in Renaissance magazine
(vol.12 #2, issue 54), a national
publication that features articles
on history, as well as news from
Renaissance festivals across the
country. The story brought
students to the camp from a
number of states, including
Delaware, Kentucky, Wisconsin,
and Iowa. Two of the students
who attended the 2006 camp are
now enrolled as first-year
students at Augsburg. Even the
youngest students at this year’s
camp have Augsburg on their list
of possible colleges for the future.
“The camp is meant to be
educational and fun, in and of
itself. But it’s also part of our
recruitment plan for the major
here at Augsburg,” said Phil
Adamo, associate professor of
history and director of the
College’s Medieval Studies
program. “We hope to have more
students at the camp next year.
Some of these will be returning
students, and others will be their
friends,” Adamo said.
Medieval Minnesota held a soldout benefit on October 5 to
From around the country, 10 high school students spent a week at Augsburg
immersed in the history, culture, and customs of the Middle Ages—all part of
Augsburg’s Medieval Studies program. (Back row, L to R) Joe Piper, Jack Randleman,
Edward Peterson. (Middle row, L to R) Alyssa Perra, Kelly Ryan, Ben Davidson,
Liz Ryan, Cambria Rosales. (Seated, L to R) Kayla Fratt, Jessica Larson.
provide scholarships for the camp.
That’s when former Monty Python
member Terry Jones, who is also a
well-respected medieval scholar,
presented “Medieval Lives.” His
presentation attempts to combat
the image of the Middle Ages as a
time of ignorance, misery, and
superstition. Jones’ talk surprises
and provokes, and makes you
think, and leaves you smiling.
At the end of the “medieval
camp,” e-mail addresses were
exchanged, as well as hugs. The
students had only one question
for each other: “Are you coming
back next year?” There may be
new students next year, and
different students, but Medieval
Minnesota will still inspire them
in their love of history.
For information on Medieval
Minnesota, go to www.augsburg.
edu/medievalstudies
— Bethany Locke ’11
Bethany Locke is a Medieval
Minnesota alumna, assistant
counselor, and now is a first-year
Medieval Studies major.
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Photos courtesy of Phil Adamo
Second-year physician assistant
.
a
11/20/07
studies student Kate McKenzie spent
time with a couple at Augustana
Apartments as part of a graduate
course that trains physician
assistants, social workers, and nurses
to become better skilled in meeting
the various needs of older adults.
Preparing for the
‘age wave’
In a new five-week summer
course, Augsburg physician
assistant (PA) students explored
issues of aging in preparation for
the anticipated needs of the
nation’s baby boomers as they
become senior citizens.
The new course, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on
Aging, focuses on building
geriatric skills for professional
social workers, nurses, and
physician assistants. The goal is
for older adults to be cared for by
teams of healthcare providers
working collaboratively to
address needs comprehensively
and holistically.
Meeting one-on-one with older
adults to learn about their needs
has been part of the PA study
curriculum for several years, but
this course is the first to consider
aging from an interdisciplinary
approach. In the future the
course will also include graduate
social work and nursing students,
and upper division psychology
students.
To shape the program, physician
assistant studies professor Beth
Alexander and social work
professor Christina Erickson
partnered with Augustana
Apartments and Health Care
Center, a nearby community of
senior apartments, assisted living,
and long-term care. Together
with Augsburg alumna Patty
Crawford, director of resident
services at Augustana, Alexander
and Erickson set up three sessions
at Augustana where students
could learn by directly interacting
with residents.
At a preliminary session, an
interdisciplinary panel broadly
looked at issues to offer an
appreciation of the diversity of
older adults’ lives.
At the second session, the PA
students spent the morning oneon-one with Augustana residents
who are living independently.
The students developed
interviewing, listening, and
relationship-building skills by
asking open-ended questions to
assess the residents’ social,
psychological, spiritual, and
medical needs.
Second-year PA student Kate
McKenzie met with a couple
begining to deal with health
issues. “This has been very
challenging … for the couple,”
says McKenzie. “Fortunately
[they} have wonderful and
supportive children who visit
often and help out a lot.”
In their final visit to Augustana,
students examined specific cases
of long-term care residents,
reviewing their medical charts
and discussing their needs.
For McKenzie the class made an
impact. “Combining social work,
nursing, and physician assistant
perspectives on older adult care
has helped create a balanced
picture of what geriatric care is
truly all about,” she says.
“There is so much more than
meets the eye!”
The course began as part of a
three-year, $50 million project
on gerontology funded by the
Hartford Foundation with the
Council on Social Work
Education (CSWE). Augsburg is
one of 72 social work programs
across the country selected to
prepare social workers to improve
the care and well-being of older
adults and their families.
adults and the growing need for
more specialized skills.
Augsburg added the interdisciplinary collaboration as part
of the College’s initiative to build
bridges across programs. The
opportunity to partner with
Augustana, within a mile of
campus, also engages these
programs with its neighbors in
the community.
“The course has changed my
opinion of geriatric care
altogether,“ McKenzie says. And,
meeting the residents of
Augustana was something that
will remain dear to her.
— Betsey Norgard
Alexander also recognized the
need to better train physician
assistant students in this area.
She also recognized how often
PAs, social workers, and nurses
work together in caring for older
Elizabeth Baker interviewed a resident
to help understand how the role of a
physician assistant fits into a
multidisciplinary team of health
providers caring for older adults.
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AROUND THE QUAD
2
A
SPORTS
Augsburg College
names 2006-07 Senior
Honor Athletes,
athletic award
winners
Seven Auggies earned Senior
Honor Athlete designation, the
highest honor the College gives
its senior student-athletes for
accomplishment, leadership, and
character on the playing field and
in the classroom. Three Auggie
student-athletes were named
Senior Athletes of the Year. The
awards were voted on by coaches
in Augsburg’s men’s and women’s
athletic departments.
2006-07 Senior
Honor Athletes
Emily Anderson, a biology major
and chemistry minor with a 3.39
grade-point average, finished her
career as one of the top forwards
in Augsburg women’s soccer
history. She earned All-MIAC
first-team honors in her
sophomore and junior seasons.
Anderson earned ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District
third-team honors in 2005 and
was an Academic All-MIAC
honoree in 2004. She has been a
Dean’s List honoree and was a
member of the Tri-Beta national
biology honor society.
8 AUGSBURG NOW
Jared Evans, a health and
physical education major with a
3.27 grade-point average, earned
All-American honors three times
as a 149-pound wrestler at
Augsburg, finishing seventh his
sophomore season, fourth his
junior season, and fourth in his
senior season. He was a part of
Augsburg teams that won
national titles in 2004-05 and
2006-07. He earned National
Wrestling Coaches Association
Scholar All-America honors in his
sophomore, junior, and senior
seasons.
Erik Helgerson, an accounting
and finance major with a 3.51
grade-point average, was a key
member of an Augsburg men’s
golf program that showed
tremendous growth during his
four seasons. Helgerson cut his
stroke average nearly five points
from his freshman to his senior
campaigns and earned All-MIAC
honors with top-10 finishes in
the league meet three times.
Andrew Johnson, a business
administration and economics
major with a 3.72 grade-point
average, was another key member
of the Augsburg men’s golf
program. He cut his stroke average
almost four points from his
freshman to his senior campaigns.
He earned All-MIAC honors this
season, finishing fourth at the 2006
conference meet. He was also a
Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar
last season.
Christopher (Critter) Nagurski,
a business management major with
a 3.30 grade-point average, was
one of the top scoring hockey
forwards in the MIAC throughout
his career, Nagurski earned AllMIAC first-team honors his
sophomore, junior, and senior
seasons. In 2006-07, Nagurski
finished second on the team in
scoring with 40 points, as the
Auggies returned to the
conference’s postseason playoffs
after a three-year absence. He also
earned Preseason All-USCHO
honors from U.S. College Hockey
Online twice.
Andrew Neumann, an elementary
education major with a 3.46
grade-point average, shined in
both football and wrestling. In
football, he was named to the AllMIAC first team in both 2005 and
2006 and was an all-region
selection by D3Football.com and
Football Gazette. In wrestling, he
competed twice at the NCAA
Division III national tournament
as a heavyweight, earning AllAmerican honors, among others.
He received National Wrestling
Coaches Association Scholar AllAmerican honors in both 2006
and 2007.
Shannon Olson, a marketing and
communications major (public
relations/advertising emphasis)
with a 3.66 grade-point average,
was a defender of an Augsburg
women’s soccer team that
qualified for the MIAC postseason
playoffs three straight seasons.
Olson earned All-MIAC first-team
honors her senior season and
Academic All-MIAC honors in
2005 and 2006. She was a
multiple Dean’s List honoree.
A
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2006-07 Senior
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Page 11
wrestler to win four individual
national championships and the
second college wrestler (with
Cael Sanderson at Iowa State) to
finish his career unbeaten and
untied, with a 155-0 career
record. He also played parts of
two seasons of football at
Augsburg as a quarterback, and
in 2004 he set all of the school’s
single-season rushing records.
Betsey Norgard
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Aaron Johnson, a health and
physical education major, was
one of the top forwards in
Augsburg men’s hockey history.
He earned All-American honors
twice, as a first-team selection his
junior and senior campaigns. This
season, he earned MIAC Player of
the Year honors and was one of
two NCAA Division III players
selected to compete in the 2007
NCAA Pontiac Frozen Four Skills
Challenge at the Division I men’s
hockey Frozen Four. He was also
named a Preseason All-USCHO
Division III West Region honoree
this season by U.S. College
Hockey Online.
On Sept. 8, the football jersey of Scott Hvistendahl ’98 was formally retired.
He is pictured here with the Gagliardi Trophy as outstanding NCAA Division III
player in 1998, and shown with Jostens representative John Abel [left] and coach
Mike Matson was one of the top
linebackers in the MIAC during
his football career, earning AllMIAC second-team honors in
2005 and first-team honors in
2006, while also earning AllMIAC Sportsmanship Team
honors his senior campaign. In
2006 he was named to the
Preseason All-Division III first
team by Lindy’s National College
Football Preview magazine, and in
both 2006 and 2007 he earned
D3Football.com and Football
Gazette honors.
For more about Auggie athletics
go to www.augsburg.edu/
athletics.
Scott Hvistendahl’s
jersey is retired
Jack Osberg [right].
At a halftime ceremony on Sept. 8 during the game against
Northwestern College (Roseville, Minn.), the No. 30 football jersey of
Scott Hvistendahl ’98 was formally retired.
Hvistendahl is one of the top Division III receivers in history, having
won, among many honors, the Gagliardi Trophy in 1998 as the
division’s outstanding player. In the last game of his career, he broke
NFL legend Jerry Rice’s record for receiving yardage with 285 passes for
4,696 yards received.
The ceremony marks the 10th anniversary of the 1997-98 football
season in which the Auggies captured the conference championship and
reached the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Hvistendahl’s honor was held during this Northwestern game because
he serves as an assistant coach at the school.
The Auggies went on to win the game, 31-26.
— Don Stoner
n
Marcus LeVesseur, a health and
physical education major, was
one of the top competitors in the
history of small-college wrestling.
He became the first Division III
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AROUND THE QUAD
Augsburg men’s
soccer team has the
trip of a lifetime in
Argentina
The soccer players trained at the
CEFAR Academy (Centro
Entrenamiento Futbol Alto
Rendimiento/Center for High
Performance Football Training),
a private training facility.
In addition, the Augsburg group
toured the city of Buenos Aires,
The Augsburg and CEFAR teams pose for a photo after the teamʼs first game in Argentina.
experience gained from the trip
was invaluable for the squad.
“This experience will be one that
will last a lifetime,” said Augsburg
head coach Greg Holker. “Our
guys played some of the best
The team also attended two
professional soccer matches in
Buenos Aires and experienced the
passion that Argentines hold for
the sport. They were lucky to
have the unique opportunity to
tour the training facilities of Boca
Juniors, one of the top teams in
Argentine professional soccer.
“Every day in Argentina is about
soccer—it is not just a way of life,
but a way to make a life,” Holker
said. “Generally speaking, if a
young boy growing up in Buenos
Aires does not make it in a club,
he is likely to fall victim to a life
of delinquency. When they play,
they are not only playing for
passion, but for their lives.”
To view daily stories from the
trip, along with student-athlete
diaries and more than 1,200
photos from the trip, go to
www.augsburg.edu/athletics/msoc
cer/2007argentina/index.html.
Former Argentine professional soccer player and coach Jorge “Coqui” Rafflo coaches
the Auggie players. Rafflo is the director of the CEFAR Academy, where the Auggies
stayed during their trip to Argentina.
often termed as the “Paris of
South America.”
The Auggies played four games
against strong club competition,
and though the team only scored
one goal in the four contests, the
10 AUGSBURG NOW
soccer they have ever played, and
faced opponents with qualities
they are unlikely to see again.
On top of this, they experienced
a culture that is not all that
different from our own in the
United States, with the exception
of its incredibly strong sporting
passion.”
James See (9) brings the ball forward
during Augsburg’s game against a River
Plate reserve team. David Long (6) trails
the play.
— Don Stoner
Photos by Don Stoner
Andrew Seidel plays the ball during
an Augsburg scrimmage against a
CEFAR squad.
Judy Petree
The Augsburg College men’s
soccer team had the experience
of a lifetime in August, traveling
to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for
an 11-day training and
competition trip. Twenty-seven
players, along with five Augsburg
staff members and several
parents and family members,
made the trip to Argentina.
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Making a gift to Augsburg
It’s easy to make a donation to Augsburg College.
All donations are tax-deductible.
SUPPORTING AUGSBURG
Putting your IRA to
work for Augsburg
Vera (Thorson) Benzel ’45 had
decided to establish a family
scholarship through her estate—
until she learned of the advantage
of gifting a portion of her IRA now.
She and her late husband, Jerold
’51, met at Augsburg. After she
graduated with a major in English,
Augsburg offered her a job
teaching secretarial studies in its
business department. After raising
her family, she also taught at the
Minnesota School of Business. At
Augsburg she graduated with a
minor in music, and for many
years enjoyed her time directing
church choirs.
Bob and their son, Loren, were
both photographers who
chronicled the life and culture of
Nordic cultures, both in the five
nations and among their
descendents in Minnesota. In
business together for many years,
they were the official
photographers for at least two
Norwegian royal visits. They were
also known for the colorful
calendar they produced annually
in Norwegian, Swedish, and
Finnish versions.
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 612-330-1619 or 1-800-273-0617.
Gifts by mail
You can mail your gift to:
Development Office, CB 142
Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454
Matching Gifts
Many employers and organizations have matching gift programs,
and if you are a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member, you are
eligible for additional matching opportunities through the
GivingPlus program.
For complete information about making a gift,
including the types of giving and giving programs,
go to www.augsburg.edu/giving.
After Loren’s death in November
2006, they established a fund in
loving memory of him for
students who are art majors
studying graphic arts and design.
In addition, they established a
second endowed scholarship in
Bob’s name to assist art students
interested in photography.
end of this calendar year. The law
allows individuals aged 70 1⁄2 or
older to make immediate gifts to
qualified charitable organizations,
including Augsburg, from funds
they transferred directly from
an IRA.
Making a gift using your IRA
The Pension Protection Act of
2006 presents a special giving
opportunity—but only until the
If you are interested in making a
gift like this, you will not have to
pay taxes on the amounts
transferred. You can transfer any
amount up to $100,000 on or
before Dec. 31, 2007.
The transfer counts toward your
minimum required distribution as
long as you have not yet received
your 2007 distribution. The
transfer generates neither taxable
income nor a tax deduction, so
you will receive the benefit even
if you do not itemize your tax
deductions.
The best part of a gift from an IRA
transfer is that you can witness the
difference your philanthropic
dollars make now for students at
Augsburg College.
Judy Petree
The recently established Benzel
Family Scholarship honors Jerold
and Vera and their children, David
’71 and Ann (Benzel) ’78 Rieck,
who both attended Augsburg.
Since all of their careers have
included business, their new
scholarship will assist students
who are studying business.
Robert ’50 and Ruth Ann Paulson
decided to use an IRA to fund a
new endowed scholarship, which
will provide encouragement and
financial assistance to students in
graphic design and photography.
For information, call the
Development Office at
612-330-1613 or 1-800-273-0617.
— Betsey Norgard
David Benzel ‘71 and Ann (Benzel) ‘78 Rieck (pictured here
when they visited campus in September) together with their
mother, Vera (Thorson) ‘45 Benzel, have established an
endowed scholarship honoring their family from the transfer
of funds from an IRA.
President Pribbenow enjoyed talking with Robert ‘50 and
Ruth Ann Paulson, as they established two endowed
scholarships, one that is in memory of their son, Loren.
FALL 2007 11
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Courtesy photo
SUMMER
activities
During the summer,
students and
faculty can be found in interesting and
varied activities—research, internships,
travel, summer jobs, and more... .
Here are just a few examples of where
Auggies spent their summer days this year.
12 AUGSBURG NOW
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Courtesy photo
COOKING UP
an internship
Senior Emily Johnson
used her summer job at
camp as an internship
to learn about the
business side of
running a camp and
understanding the
importance of
leadership skills.
This year she returned as head
cook, and everything just fell
into place.
For a number of
summers, Grand Rapids,
Minn., native Emily Johnson
and her friends spent time at
Camp Hiawatha, a Voyageurs
Lutheran Ministry (VLM) camp
in northern Minnesota. After
high school, she found a way
to keep returning to camp
while earning money for
college—working as an
assistant in the camp kitchen.
Last year, when spring
came around, she
received a call asking if
she would consider taking
over as head cook at
Camp Vermilion, VLM’s
other camp, following the
retirement of the longtime
cook. She accepted …
with trepidation.
Johnson is a business
management and economics
major, set to graduate next
May. She plans to use her
management experience,
combined with a love for the
outdoors, to own and manage
her own resort some day. After
“
“I made all the mistakes there
were,” Johnson says, as she
talks about what she
encountered in figuring out
what to serve, how to make it,
and how much food to order
each week.
It was good
for me to take
what I’ve learned
in my classes and
apply that
knowledge…
”
graduation she intends to seek
a job at a resort in the Pacific
Northwest. She'll bring added
expertise in scheduling events
from her student work on
campus in the Event Services
office.
Johnson decided to shape this
summer’s camp experience
into formal learning to fulfill her
required internship. She
learned and wrote about
aspects of business management in her work—how the
camp runs as a business; how
she could avoid unnecessary
costs in ordering food; and
how the kitchen staff manage
and communicate important
camper issues, like food
allergies.
“It was good for me to take
what I’ve learned in my classes
and apply that knowledge …
away from school,” Johnson
says. “It’s amazing how much
of it comes into view when
you’re in the midst of it. … I
also learned how difficult
being a good manager is.”
Her work involved long hours
and a lot of planning to feed
campers who vary in age from
kindergarten to ninth grade at
nearly a dozen different
sessions all summer. She was
usually in the kitchen by 6:30
each morning, enjoying a brief
calm before the day’s routine
began.
Figuring out what foods the
campers would relish, and how
much to make were among
Johnson’s greatest challenges.
Once she figured out some of
the tricks to adapt and
multiply recipes, she enjoyed
borrowing some of her
mother’s recipes to try out on
the campers. Most of the time
they worked well.
What she learned included
leadership training—values
such as patience, compassion,
and standing up for yourself—
as well as business savvy.
“I even felt I was able to
contribute to conversations
about business matters,”
Johnson concludes. “That was
a good feeling.”
–— Betsey Norgard
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OBSERVING
Orchids
Chemistry major Caryn
Quist partnered with a
local supplier to obtain
the orchid stems needed
to study chemical
reactions that would help
her understand how the
costs of growing orchids
might be reduced.
With a national
wholesale value of
$100 million, potted
orchids are second in
popularity only to poinsettias,
and the wholesale value is
much greater. Thus,
discovering how to best
propagate low-cost orchids
is big business.
of phenols (a class of chemical
compounds) produced in vitro
under varying light and
temperature conditions by
phalaenopsis, a genus of
approximately 60 species of
“
The orchid breeder of
Orchids Unlimited in Apple
Valley thought so as well, so
when junior chemistry major
Caryn Quist approached
him about sponsoring her
summer research project,
he jumped on board. In the
initial stages of her project,
beginning in January, Orchids
Unlimited was the sole provider
of orchid stems for research.
Quist’s research focused on
determining the total content
It’s really
exciting, taking
this risk and
knowing I
could make a
contribution.
”
orchids. Other student
researchers included Steve
Eichten, studying adjustments
with light quality in orchid
propagation, and Nick Nelson,
researching ways to
manipulate the germination
process of Ladyslippers. Mark
Strefeler, associate professor
and department chair of
biology, led the research
team.
“Research is about going into
the unknown,” Quist says. “It’s
really exciting, taking this risk
and knowing I could make a
contribution. … It has certainly
begun to change the way I
observe and formulate
questions about the natural
world around me, and has
given me a chance to see a
slightly different side of
academia. I feel really
fortunate to have had this
research opportunity.”
While the summer research
didn’t uncover any great
discoveries, Quist considers it
time well spent. “I learned how
to do tissue cultures, and
learning the process itself took
a lot of time. We also ran into
contamination issues, which
slowed things down. … This fall,
I expect more results.” Quist will
continue her research through
the coming year and
eventually pass it on to a
younger student.
Through its Summer Research
Program, Augsburg’s Office of
Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity (URGO)
students are given opportunities to explore theoretical
and practical questions in
depth under the mentorship of
Augsburg faculty.
For more information on
summer research projects
and URGO, go to
www.augsburg.edu/urgo/.
— Bethany Bierman
14 AUGSBURG NOW
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Page 17
MUSIC
to help the
brain
heal
Senior music therapy
major Holly Tapani
studied the importance
of multidisciplinary
support for students
with brain injuries to
give them the best
college experience.
inadequate to treat the
increasing numbers of survivors
in rehab centers. And not
many colleges are prepared to
support brain injury survivors
who want to pursue higher
education.
Last semester, in one of
Holly Tapani’s music therapy
courses, music and movement
were incorporated into the
learning of two Augsburg
students who are survivors of
traumatic brain injury. She
immediately saw the benefits
of music therapy to their
learning, and she began
imagining ways to also
improve their overall college
experience.
“
Tapani understands the
urgency of this work. More and
more young people are
recovering from brain injury,
which is coming to be known
as the “signature” injury of the
Iraq War. The holistic therapies
designed to go beyond the
medical needs and address
the social, emotional,
cognitive, and physical aspects
of brain injury are totally
This is just
the small
beginnings of
the program
”
Tapani sought funding through
Augsburg’s Undergraduate
Research and Graduate
Opportunity (URGO) program
to formally study the activities
of the music and movement
class—an opportunity to carry
out needed research that can
help future students.
She interviewed the two braininjured students who participated in the class—both of
whom have been successful
academically despite their
impairments from brain injury.
Tapani asked them about the
various types and levels of
support they’ve received from
campus resources, as well as
from families and friends.
The students reported general
satisfaction in addressing their
physical and cognitive needs,
but they felt they lacked many
of the social and emotional
experiences typical of college
students.
Tapani proposed a program
that pairs student survivors oneon-one with a student mentor
who can manage the multiple
aspects of support, beyond
classroom tutors, for the
survivors and help to make their
college experience more
normal.
“This is just the small beginnings
of the program,” Tapani says,
but it will help colleges
understand a need to develop
the staff and knowledge to
offer broader support to this
growing population of students.
In order to launch the mentor
program, a benefit concert in
September featured the trendy
pop-rock band, The Abdomen.
Next year, Tapani will complete
a six-month internship, hopefully
at a rehabilitation center, and
graduate. Her long-term goal is
to specialize in neurologic
music therapy, further pursuing
her interest and research in
working with brain injury
survivors.
— Betsey Norgard
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Page 18
AUGGIES
at
AMNICON
Courtesy photo
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(L to R) 2007 grads
Erik Hinderlie, Ted Fabel,
Brett Cease, and senior
David DeBlock spent the
summer as canoe and
backpacking guides at
Camp Amnicon.
Three recent Augsburg
graduates and one senior
spent their summer working as
guides for canoe and
backpacking trips around the
heartland of
Northern
Minnesota,
Michigan, and
Wisconsin.
“
adventure trips—kayaking,
backpacking, Voyageurcanoeing—and retreat
programs for youth and adults.
“What makes Amnicon so
foster agency programs,” says
Cease.
“Many of these kids have
never had the opportunity to
spend a week
of their lives
outside
before. … I
have never
seen such
profound
change and
positive
growth come
out of a week
of a young person’s life than
the work I get to take part in at
Amnicon,” Cease continued.
Many of these kids have
never had the opportunity to
spend a week of their lives
outside before …
Erik Hinderlie ’07,
Ted Fabel ’07,
Brett Cease ’07,
and David
DeBlock ’08 were
guides at Camp Amnicon, an
outreach of Central Lutheran
Church in downtown
Minneapolis. For 40 years,
Amnicon has offered both
”
unique is its strong commitment
to getting the majority of its
campers from at-risk groups
throughout the state, whether
from inner-city, reservation, or
The groups visit areas including
Lake Superior, the Brule and
Namekagon Rivers, the
Sylvania Wilderness, and the
Apostle Islands. On some trips,
campers paddle as a team in
34-foot Voyageur canoes on
Lake Superior or in Voyageurs
National Park.
“Being canoe guides is
undoubtedly one of the most
inspirational havens in our
lives,” says Cease of the
experience he and the others
have had. “It is because of
places like Amnicon that I am
continually reminded of the
importance of building an
intentional and caring,
supportive community, like
that which was modeled at
Augsburg.”
To read more about Camp
Amnicon, go to
www.amnicon.org.
— Bethany Bierman
16 AUGSBURG NOW
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Page 19
ADVENTURES IN
HAITIAN MUSIC
After teaching for years
about work songs in
various cultures, Stacke
traveled into the Haitian
hills and recorded sugar
Bob Stacke
cane workers playing a
This was Bob Stacke’s fifth
summer trip to Haiti as a
volunteer band director and
music teacher, but this year’s
adventure he calls one of the
most spectacular things he’s
ever done.
For Stacke, Augsburg’s band
director, associate professor,
and music department chair,
one big difference in this year’s
sojourn was the chance to
spend the first two weeks there
with his photographer
daughter, Sarah Stacke, who is
a staff photographer for the
Minnesota House of Representatives. Another was that
being with her also made it
easier for him to pursue his own
hobby, which also happens to
be photography.
Their first adventure, and
Sarah’s assignment, was a
week in Port Salut, where she
shot photos for a non-
governmental organization
providing health care in
southwestern Haiti.
Bob’s highlight was traveling
into the hills there and listening
to the call-and-response work
“
I think I
learned
more than
they did.
”
songs of the sugar cane
workers. He says for years he’s
been teaching about the
cultural role of work songs in
marking rhythm and giving
structure to tedious work, but
this was the first time he’s
heard it live in the field. He
documented the workers, their
instruments, and songs in both
photos and recordings.
variety of homemade
instruments.
Sarah’s second assignment was
photographing projects of Yéle
Haiti, an organization started
several years ago by GrammyAward winning Haitian
recording artist Wyclef Jean.
His foundation provides
resources and inspiration
targeted at Haitian youth, with
music infused throughout.
Yéle Haiti’s programs include
food distribution, health care,
education scholarships, films,
sports, and music programs,
which involve thousands of
people and reach far into the
poorest and most violent
Haitian neighborhoods.
But Bob’s primary reason for
being in Haiti was to teach
band and percussion at the
Holy Trinity Episcopal School
summer music program in Portau-Prince. Professional
musicians and music students
keep returning as volunteers to
teach in this summer program,
working with Haitians ranging
in age from elementary kids to
young people well into their
twenties.
“This experience was so much
fun,” Bob says. “I teach them
Western music all day, and all
night they teach me how to
play their music. I think I
learned more than they did.”
He describes their music as
incredibly complex and driving,
with meters that defy barlines,
and with countermelodies and
melodies laid on top.
Next year he’ll likely return to
Haiti. But before that, he’ll lead
a two-week study trip for
Augsburg students to Jamaica
to reconnect with the second
of his three favorite Caribbean
music traditions—Haitian,
Jamaican, and Cuban. ■
— Betsey Norgard
FALL 2007 17
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Page 20
© 2006
lEssence
for Voca
Conlin
Kathryn
Immersed in
Bolcom
by Betsey Norgard
Augsburg students Kristen Lueck and Bri’Ann Wright struggled for
weeks to feel comfortable with the four-hand piano piece they
would play in concert, with the composer in the audience. Little
did they know it would be a world premiere.
For several weeks in the spring, music students and faculty in the
five Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC)—Augsburg,
Hamline, Macalester, St. Catherine, and St. Thomas—enjoyed a
rare experience to explore and absorb the musical genius of a
single composer, William Bolcom, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and
four Grammy awards. Through master classes, concerts, and
coaching, they interacted collectively and one-on-one with this
most interesting and eclectic composer.
It was all part of the “Illuminating Bolcom” festival, organized by
18 AUGSBURG NOW
Brian
11/20/07
7:21 PM
Page 21
n
tt Holma
Brian Sco
The centerpiece of the Bolcom festival was a huge, multimedia concert,
including video images of William Blake’s illustrations for his poems,
showing here “The Tyger.”
Bolcom’s popularity is often attributed to the accessibility and
variety of his music, often an eclectic borrowing across
musical genres. Songs of Innocence and of Experience, for
example, includes a country western rendition of “The
Shepherd,” and ends with a raucous, Bob Marley-reggae
interpretation of “A Divine Image.”
Beyond composing, Bolcom keeps a busy performance
schedule accompanying his wife, Joan Morris, a versatile
mezzo-soprano cabaret singer. (Minnesotans may be
surprised to discover that Bolcom wrote “Lime Jell-O
Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise,” a cabaret tune
made popular by Morris and often played in the context
of Minnesota local culture.)
Ragtime music is another of Bolcom’s musical passions,
and the recordings he made in the 1970s of Scott
Joplin’s music are often considered the force behind
the revival of ragtime music and the inspiration for
the rags that Bolcom himself composed.
Exploringgenius
It was all part of the “Illuminataing Bolcom” festival, organized
by Philip Brunelle and his Twin Cities ensemble, VocalEssence,
and involving many of the area’s top performing arts
organizations. Star Tribune music critic Michael Anthony
predicted that this festival might prove to be the Twin Cities’
ACTC faculty and music students enjoyed more than a dozen
opportunities to connect with William Bolcom in lectures,
coaching sessions, and performances. For his consideration, they
prepared selections of his works for voice or instrument, for solo
performance or in ensembles, as in the following highlights:
“classical event of the year.”
Courtesy photo
s
705384_CATALOG:705384_CATALOG
Versatilecreativity
William Bolcom is a down-to-earth pianist, teacher, and
composer—and clearly was grateful and completely engaged
in the two-week attention to his work. A child prodigy pianist
by age 5, he began studying music at the University of
Washington at age 11, and went on to study with composers
Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. Since 1973, he has taught
at the University of Michigan.
“Illuminating Bolcom” presented a diversity of his gospel,
chamber, classical, and stage music. The festival
centerpiece was a multimedia concert at Orchestra Hall,
“Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” presenting the 46
poems of William Blake’s collection of the same name, set to
music by Bolcom. The 2005 recording of this work won four
Grammy awards.
May music graduate Bri’Ann Wright (right) and music therapy major Kristen
Lueck (left) played a 30-year-old piano piece by Bolcom (center) that turned
out to be a historic performance.
FALL 2007 19
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Page 22
Lecture/Recital—At the University of St. Thomas, Bolcom
The music has been called “monumental”—46 numbers, with
lectured about his own process for composing the music in
sound ranging from classical to ballad to gospel to country
Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The evening
western. Stacke, associate professor and chair of the music
recital, which he attended, focused on performances of the
department, called it “about the hardest music he had ever
same Blake poems set to music by a variety of other composers,
played, but just amazing.”
and included performances by Augsburg students—sopranos
Meghan Sherer, Kaila Frymire, and Evelyn Tsen; and tenors
Surprisepremiere
Andrew Kane and Brian Halaas; accompanied by Kirsten Bar
Schubert Club Courtroom Concert—Wright and classmate
(oboe), Melody Buhl (clarinet), and Jerusha Sunde (piano). The
Kristen Lueck had an even more amazing personal Bolcom
program also included faculty soprano Janet Gottshall Fried,
experience when they played in the concert sponsored by the
and Sonja Thompson, who provided accompaniments.
Schubert Club, featuring ACTC students.
Student Composer Master Class/Band Rehearsal—Senior music
For that concert, they had been given a four-hand Bolcom
performance pianist Bri’Ann Wright was a student in Carol
piece, called “Abendmusik,” which he had written for his piano
Barnett’s music composition class that Bolcom visited. She and
teacher, married to an astronomer.
classmate Adrian Moravec were writing and preparing a piano
film score accompaniment to the 1920s German silent film,
“It’s a cosmic, ethereal piece; very slow, with chords appearing
Pandora’s Box, being shown on campus. The task was
all over the piano, out of the air,” says Wright. It’s also “very
daunting—to compose, play, and improvise music to fit the film.
difficult, obscure, and abstract,” she continues, “and you can't
Playing their score for Bolcom proved invaluable, as he gave
wrap your ears around it easily.”
them tips for how to use the piano more effectively with film.
Lueck says that in practicing it, they counted for months just to
Faculty Chamber Music Concert—At Hamline University, in a
get the rhythm and timing in their brains. Only a few weeks
concert titled “A Little Night (Chamber) Music,” faculty from all
before the coaching session with Bolcom preceding the
five ACTC colleges, including Augsburg faculty Merilee Klemp
concert, she says, the piece had “just begun to gel in our
(oboe), Jill Dawe (piano), and Angela Wyatt (saxophone),
minds and fingers.”
performed a series of Bolcom’s chamber works all containing
night themes. Rebroadcasts of portions of this concert on
At the coaching session, Lueck says, Bolcom was very laid
Minnesota Public Radio extended its listening audience.
back. He made some random remarks and confirmed their
dynamics for portions of the piece. He also made a passing
Lecture in Music History Class—Just as Klemp’s music history
comment that in 30 years he hadn’t seen that piece again nor
class was completing a study of 20th-century music, they had a
heard it played.
visit from Bolcom, one of the composers they had been
studying. Roberta Kagin, associate professor of music and
Wright and Lueck opened the concert with “Abendmusik.”
director of the music therapy program, attended the class and
When Bolcom was asked to explain the piece to the audience,
observed that “Students opened their music history textbooks
he mentioned that it had never been performed.
and were reading about him, as he stood in front of them.”
“So,” declared emcee Randall Davidson, Augsburg’s fine arts
“Songs of Innocence and of Experience”—Three Augsburg
manager, “this is a world premiere!” Wright and Lueck were
faculty members—Klemp (oboe), Bob Stacke (percussion), and
then brought back on stage for accolades and hugs.
Matt Barber (percussion)—played for “Songs of Innocence and
of Experience,” the centerpiece concert at Orchestra Hall.
“It was an huge, overwhelming honor,” Lueck said of the
Faculty member Steve Lund was the orchestra contractor. It was
performance, “and a privilege to work with Bri and [Bolcom].
a gigantic performance, illuminating in vivid sight and sound the
… Playing for him was an affirmation of our work.” And a very
poetry of William Blake, with 13 soloists and three choirs,
lucky day for two unsuspecting college music students.
supported by an orchestra of 95 players. All through the
concert, striking video images based on Blake’s own illustrations
Students Tammy Smith (flute) and Nikki Lemire (harp) also
for his poems were projected on a huge screen.
played in that concert, performing two selections from
Bolcom’s “Celestial Dinner Music.”
20 AUGSBURG NOW
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Page 23
Kathryn Conlin for VocalEssence
Courtesy photo
Senior Tammy Smith received coaching from Bolcom, along with recent
grad Nikki Lemire on harp, for his piece they would play in concert.
May music graduate Bri’Ann Wright (left) and music therapy major Kristen Lueck (right)
walked off stage to applause, not yet realizing they had just performed a world premiere
by one of the country's leading composers.
Learnerstogether
A collaborative grant from ACTC, conceived by Davidson,
Bolcom’s settings to the Blake poetry. At Augsburg, this included
funded the various activities that aimed to involve faculty and
students in the Honors Program and British literature course who
students from at least three ACTC schools at each event.
explored the poetry from the perspectives of the music.
Klemp says that the ACTC collaboration afforded valuable
Davidson was thrilled with the impact of the Bolcom festival.
opportunities for everyone involved. Students and faculty were
“Rarely has an American composer been celebrated like this,”
learners together as they worked with a master teacher.
he says. “The festival has given our students extraordinary access
Students became music professionals as they worked side-by-
to Bill Bolcom, and will remain an important point of reference in
side with their own teachers to prepare Bolcom’s music for
their lives for years to come; there is no substitute for first-person
master classes and performance. And, student and faculty
experiences. Augsburg’s participation helped build deep and
from the five colleges collaborated to sample a wide variety of
lasting partnerships within the Twin Cities’ world-class arts
the musical genres that make up this composer’s life work.
community and a premier fine arts program at the College.” ■
The Bolcom festival and the ACTC grant also encouraged
To read more about the Bolcom festival, go to
students and faculty in disciplines outside of music to examine
www.illuminatingbolcom.org.
FALL 2007 21
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Page 24
Courtesy of Guyanese Outreach
705384_CATALOG:705384_CATALOG
substitute taught at vocational and
technical schools, eventually earning a
bachelor’s degree in industrial technical
education at the University of Minnesota
and securing a full-time teaching position
in apparel arts at Minneapolis Technical
College.
During this time, she began to dream of
going back home to help the Guyanese
people living in poverty, a vision she
planned to follow in her retirement.
Singh’s life changed, however, with auto
accidents that left her with long-term
disabilities, unable to continue teaching.
In 1993 she felt compelled to address the
vision and answer the call.
She made plans to return to Guyana,
together with two of her sons—John, who
graduated from Augsburg in 1983, and
Earl. “As long as this is what I am called to
do, they would support me,” she says.
Guyanese Outreach
Singh tells of feeling fearful that she had
nothing to offer the Guyanese officials,
whose help she needed to secure
resources and locations for her work.
founder Ruth Singh
helps a child learn
to read.
Faith, vision,
and a call to Guyana
by Betsey Norgard
Ruth Singh’s story
is about paying attention
to a vision. It’s about
answering a call. And it’s
about how life can bring
this about unexpectedly.
For the past 13 years, Singh has been
responding to a call she received from
the Lord to return to her native Guyana
to help her home country meet its basic
needs in poverty. As she has traveled
back and forth in these years, the vision
has been transformed from strictly
22 AUGSBURG NOW
providing humanitarian relief to creating
programs that help people escape
systemic poverty through education.
Singh first came to the U.S. from Guyana in
1957 with her husband, who was studying
on a scholarship. She studied home
economics at Augsburg, and has fond
memories of Dean Gerda Mortensen’s days
on campus. The Singhs returned to Guyana
in 1960, but stayed only three years. When
they came back to the Twin Cities in 1963,
Singh concentrated on raising her four sons.
In 1979, the Singhs divorced, and Ruth
decided to return to school. With good skills
in sewing and embroidery, she studied and
“Lord,” she recalls praying, “address my
fears … you could let me help You [in
Guyana] by helping me walk boldly into
those [government] offices.”
Three months later, she had plans to teach
women to sew. It was clear that she would
not move to Guyana but keep her house
in the Twin Cities and travel back and
forth, so that she could collect shipments
of materials to help meet basic needs in
her home country.
In 1995, her fledgling organization,
Guyanese Outreach (GO), sent its first
container of relief items—clothing, toys,
medical and dental supplies, and other
basic necessities. She recruited women for
her sewing classes, with the initial meetings
taking place in Hindu temples, and began
teaching and sharing the gospel with them
—without electricity, on pedal sewing
machines, and with many women who
couldn’t read or understand to sew with
patterns.
h
d
r
s
n
m
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Back home, GO found a home base at
Brooklyn Park Lutheran Church, and
partnered with several other
congregations, including Hope Lutheran
Church, to collect the materials and
money to begin expanding their work.
In 1997, GO secured an old building in
Guyana, without roof, windows, or doors.
Several spaghetti dinners later in
Minnesota, they had raised funds to
help repair and rehabilitate it as a
vocational center.
In the past decade, the work of
Guyanese Outreach has
exceeded all expectations.
Beginning with sewing and
computer classes in the two
rooms at this building, they have
added after-school reading
programs, additional sewing
and crafts classes for all ages,
Internet access for the
community, and a library of
more than 6,000 books. In
addition to teaching out of their
Vo-Tech building, they arrange
for a number of after-school
satellite locations, mostly in
churches.
Page 25
warm milk and some snacks when they
arrive. The program also gives monthly
basic food staples to the families of
participating children.
A second primary-level program, TOPS,
targets children who were not able to pass
the Grade 6 exam. GO teaches them
sewing and crafts to build their vocational
skills and self confidence for making a good
living. A future plan for GO is to address the
special needs of these TOPS students and
return them back to the normal track to
receive their school diplomas.
Teams of GO volunteers travel to
Guyana for short terms, and recently
more mission trips are being arranged,
mostly through STEM (Short Term
Evangelical Missions).
GO also partners in-country with NGOs,
and is working with both VSO and
Peace Corps volunteers to set up
classes, train teachers, and provide
some management.
Ruth Singh’s vision doesn't end here. GO's
space and resources are now stretched
to the limits, and for several
years they have been
negotiating with the government and searching for a new
location. GO’s ongoing
Gateway Project proposes a
new 17,000 sq. ft. architectdesigned center that offers
space for classes as well as for
mission groups, and is just
waiting for sufficient physical
and fiscal resources.
Guyanese Outreach
705384_CATALOG:705384_CATALOG
In the Twin Cities, Guyanese
Outreach has a volunteer
board, currently headed by
Teacher Olivia Phillips’ after-school reading class at the Streams of Power Church
John Olson. His first involvement
always begins with a warm cup of milk.
with GO was packing crates of
supplies to send to Guyana.
In the shift from humanitarian
Computer classes teach the basics of
Two years later, he joined the board, and
relief to job training classes and teaching,
now heads plans for the Gateway
it is Singh's firm belief that “the way to help computer literacy to all ages, and Singh
says there are few government offices there Project. On Oct. 7, a benefit concert
this generation and future generations is
that don't have workers who were past
featuring Christian music group
to help them through education.”
students in GO’s computer classes.
“downhere” was held.
In 2005, after-school classes were
One of GO’s newest programs teaches sex
Singh continues to travel back and forth
launched for primary students ages 6-11
education
to
teenagers,
using
the
to Guyana, more and more frequently
to build functional literacy through
abstinence curriculum developed by Dr.
dealing with various government offices
reading, writing, and spelling. They focus
James Dobson, in order to confront the high
as their program expands—something
on phonics, in cooperation with the local
rates of HIV/AIDS, the highest in the Western
that may now be easier than those first
school system. The goal is to help students
Hemisphere except for Haiti.
offices she tried to boldly enter 13
succeed on the Grade 6 examination,
years ago.
thus enabling more children to enter the
All of GO’s classes are offered at no cost to
secondary level track rather than
the participants, except for the higher level
“We’re small,” she asserts, “but the fruits
vocational education. So far the program
computer classes, which have a very
we yield are phenomenal.” ■
has served around 500 children, and
modest fee. The only paid employees at
continues to expand to other villages as
GO are the local staff in Guyana. The
funding becomes available.
teachers, for the most part, are untrained in
teaching. GO provides training in phonics,
Since the children come at the end of
reading, or their subject material, plus a
their school day, often hungry, Singh
small stipend.
forged a partnership with Food for the
Poor to provide the children a cup of
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SOCIAL
WORK
for
by Holley Locher, together with
Michele Braley ’96 MSW and
Nils Dybvig ’96 MSW
SOCIAL
justice
a
uthor Thomas
Friedman coined the phrase,
“the world is flat,” to describe
the process by which society
has become global and
interdependent. In this
context, social workers are
obligated to address social
injustices at every level and
be culturally competent and
responsive to people from all
corners of the world.
Two Minneapolis social
workers have traveled many
miles to do this. In 1996, after
graduating from Augsburgs
Master of Social Work
program, husband and wife
Nils Dybvig and Michele Braley
quit their jobs, moved to the
State of Washington, and
decided they would quit their
jobs again in 10 years. So, in
September 2006 they took a
year’s leave from their jobs
and left for Barrancabermeja,
Colombia, in the Magdalena
Medio region of oil
production, mining, and
agriculture.
24 AUGSBURG NOW
y
r
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Page 27
They are volunteers with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an
the role of U.S. tax dollars in Colombia and works through Congress
organization that devotes the same amount of discipline and
to convert this funding into social and economic development
self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking as armies devote to
funding. In June the U.S. House of Representatives passed a
war. CPT places violence-reduction teams in crisis situations and
revision to Plan Colombia that reduces military aid and increases
militarized areas around the world. To date, Braley and Dybvig
development aid; similar actions occurred in the Senate.
have been working primarily in rural areas with Colombians who
have been threatened with violence and feel more comfortable
Braley and Dybvig spend their days attending meetings and
with an international presence. And violence is definitely
visiting with people in rural areas. For instance, Braley tells of one
something that Colombians have lived with every day—for at
weekend that she and her husband spent in a small community
least 40 years.
on the Opón River.
In the early 1960s, amidst a climate of great social and economic
“This is a community that was violently forced off their land several
inequality, two left-wing guerrilla groups (the FARC and the ELN)
years ago,” she says. “CPT was invited to Colombia to assist this
formed, partly in response to the struggle for access to land rights
community in returning. Currently, a team from CPT takes the two-
on behalf of poor farmers. In the 1980s, large landowners and
hour canoe ride to the community every week to spend time with
drug traffickers privately funded paramilitary groups (still in
the people. Most of the time is spent in people’s homes, but we
existence) that oppose the guerrilla groups. While these
also stop to talk to any armed groups in the area to let them know
paramilitary groups often work in concert with the Colombian
who we are, and to ask them to respect the rights of the local
military, they are not officially affiliated with the government and
people.”
are, therefore, able to use aggressive—often horrifically cruel and
violent—tactics. The paramilitaries are responsible for 70% of the
The goal for a visit Dybvig made to an indigenous community was
human rights violations against civilians.
“to make them [the people] more visible by publicizing their
struggles in an area that has a strong presence of both the FARC
It is sad to note that many of the casualties in Colombia's war are
and the paramilitaries.”
not members of any armed group, but civilians. Guerrilla groups
accuse civilians of collaborating with the Colombian military and
On an 11-day trip in April, Braley and Dybvig traveled to Mina
paramilitaries and vice versa. It is a vicious cycle that claims the
Caribe, a rural mining village to bring an international presence to
lives of nearly 3,000 Colombians each year. In the last 20 years,
a five-day leadership training school, followed by a general
over 3.6 million people have been forcibly displaced by violence
assembly of more than 100 miners and farmers. Dybvig wrote, “we
or the threat of it-more than in any other country of the world
took a bus for three hours, then a taxi, then traveled an hour by
except Sudan.
boat, then another taxi, then two hours by four-wheel-drive truck,
and finally three more hours by mule.”
,
The United Nations now calls the situation in Colombia the worst
humanitarian catastrophe in our hemisphere. Through Plan
When Army soldiers showed up as the assembly was to start,
Colombia the U.S. has sent $4.7 billion to Colombia since 2000,
tension increased. The local residents had already been victims to
80% of that as military aid. CPT works to educate others about
harassment and detentions; and a mining federation leader had
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Courtesy photos
705384_CATALOG:705384_CATALOG
Much of Braley's time is spent getting to know community
members and attending their meetings, which often focus on
health and economic issues.
Michele Braley and Nils Dybvig apply their social work and
peacemaking skills to support rural communities in Colombia
threatened by the military presence and illegal armed groups.
been killed earlier by the same battalion. Several hours of
many death threats that the government was forced to drive
discussions that CPT and other organizations had with the Army
her around in an armored vehicle for her protection, as a human
sergeant, plus calls from the government’s human rights
rights issue.
ombudswoman to the battalion’s commanding officer, finally
resulted in orders for the Army to leave town.
Braley believes they are immersed in “what I think is some
valuable social justice work where we are definitely challenged
Braley and Dybvig have noted many similarities between the
to use our social work skills. … We are lucky to partner with great
work they do in Colombia and social work in the U.S. They assert
Colombian organizations, and it is interesting to learn how they
that while the violence in Colombia is motivated by different
provide social services to a rural population plagued by violence
reasons and while community organizers risk their lives nearly
and the legacy of 40 years of an armed conflict in this country.”
every day to bring about change in their communities, some of
the outcomes and struggles are analogous to those in
“The work of CPT is very much in line with our social work values;
Minneapolis. In one instance, after speaking with several young
we work in communities where we are invited, and our presence
men engaged in illegal fishing, Braley says “… these men
allows others to make changes in their lives.” Braley says. “We
reminded me so much of the men dealing drugs in Minneapolis.
don’t come in with answers. And, we work to change policies in
[They have] limited education, attraction to easy money, and
our own country that are impacting the situation here.”
the idea that their life could end by violence at any time. So
why bother to play by the rules?”
Dybvig and Braley were back in Minnesota for two months
during the summer, but decided to spend one more year with
They also see similar practices among women’s organizations in
CPT and returned to Colombia in early September.
both Colombia and the U.S. that move people from poverty to
self-sufficiency. According to Braley, “To walk into their offices or
To follow their work, go to www.nilsandmichele.blogspot.com.
talk with their staff, you could not tell the difference from one of
our programs in the U.S., if it weren’t for the language.” That is,
Holley Locher is program coordinator in the Master of Social
until she says that the director of the organization received so
Work program. Michele Braley has served as an adjunct
professor in the Social Work Department.
26 AUGSBURG NOW
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ALUMNI NEWS
From the
Alumni Board
president …
Greetings fellow
Auggies,
There is something special about
fall. While during summer we
typically take time away from
school and work, fall is when we
return to our routines and
reconnect with friends and
colleagues.
And so it is with the Augsburg Alumni Board. We enter fall with
high aspirations for achieving our strategic goals, which are
primarily centered on making connections with various campus
and affinity alumni groups, participating in campus events, and
ensuring that we tell the stories of our alumni.
In order to achieve these goals, we need your help!
• Become an Alumni Board volunteer for special projects or
participate in alumni-sponsored events
• Talk to your Augsburg friends and classmates about getting
involved in the greater alumni association
• Nominate special alumni or friends of the College for
Distinguished Alumni, First Decade, or Spirit of Augsburg awards
• Participate in the Career Networking event with current students
• Sign up for Augsburg’s online community at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni
• Become a member of the alumni association
The alumni association is not just a group of people who sit on
the board. It is about providing an avenue for expression of our
gifts and talents. It is about making a difference and conducting
“real work.” And, finally, it is about you!
So, are you interested in reconnecting with old friends and
making new ones? Do you need more information about what we
are doing and where we are going? If so, contact Heidi Breen, at
breen@augsburg.edu.
Welcome!
New members join Alumni Board
At the June meeting of the Augsburg Alumni Board, Buffie Blesi ’90,
’97 MAL, began her term as president. The other officers are: Joyce
Miller ’02, vice president; Carolyn Spargo ’80, secretary; Chad Darr
’04, treasurer; and Barry Vornbrock ’96 MAL, past president.
Three new members joined the Alumni Board at this meeting:
Daniel Hickle ’95 graduated with a major in journalism and a
minor in economics. At Augsburg, he wrote for the Echo and
interned with the Career Services Office, where he worked on a
monthly newsletter for graduating seniors. He also worked off
campus with autistic adults and children to help them develop
socialization skills.
Hickle owns and operates Fortis Agency, a full service insurance
brokerage, in Brooklyn Park. On the Alumni Board, he would like
to help further Augsburg’s mission in the community.
Jim Kline ’01 MAL, served as a student representative on the
Graduate School Committee. He received his bachelor’s degree from
Southwest College in Winfield, Kan.; he is a retired Marine Corps
colonel, and has 35 years of leadership and management
experience.
Kline is vice president of operations at SICO America Inc. in
Minneapolis, and is responsible for the operations of three factories
and product development. He is serving on the Alumni Board to
show his support for liberal arts education.
Lee Anne (Hanson) Lack ’67 had double majors in German and
English. While attending Augsburg, she wrote for the Echo, sang in
the Women’s Choir, was involved in theatre, and helped plan many
events, including the Honors Day Assembly, Religious Emphasis
Week, and the Spring arts event. Known as having a knack for
making people laugh, she values diversity, justice, and kindness.
Lack is an assistant financial associate in charge of financial
products and service sales at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in
Golden Valley. On the Alumni Board, she wants to remain
connected in a meaningful way and make a significant contribution
to the school she loves.
The mission of the Alumni Board is to support and serve Augsburg
College in its stated mission and to actively promote involvement of
alumni and their giving of time and resources to the College and
the Alumni Association.
Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97 MAL
President, Augsburg Alumni Board
FALL 2007 27
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ALUMNI NEWS
Experience Spain and
Portugal—March
2008
Visit Greece and
Turkey—October
2008
You are invited to join an
Augsburg alumni group to visit
Portugal, Morocco, and Spain,
from March 27–April 6, 2008.
Alumni and friends are invited to
join religion professors Phil
Quanbeck II, accompanied by
his wife, Augsburg regent Dr.
Ruth Johnson, and Mark Tranvik
for educational travel in October
to the cradle of western
civilization and early Christianity,
Greece and Turkey.
The 11-day tour begins and ends
in Lisbon, Portugal, and includes
two nights in Lisbon, two nights
in Madrid, two nights in Tangier,
two nights in Seville, and one
night in Granada. All along the
way stops will be made for site
visits.
The land portion of this trip is
$1499 each based on double
occupancy. A few single
supplements are available for an
additional $319. Airfare is
additional, and can be booked
by you or arranged for you.
Current airfare with Trafalgar Air
is approximately $995.
For further information and a
brochure, contact the alumni
office with your name and
address at alumni@augsburg.edu.
To reserve a place on the tour, a
$200 deposit is required; if you
choose Trafalgar Air for your
round-trip airfare, an additional
$100 is needed. Reservations
must be made by December 10
and space is limited.
This tour is sponsored by
Augsburg A-Club, and a portion
of the proceeds will benefit
Augsburg.
The tour begins in Istanbul, the
capital of the Roman, Byzantine,
and Ottoman Empires and
travels along the Aegean
coastline to the port of Kusadasi.
From there, a two-night cruise
through the Greek islands of
Patmos, Rhodes, and Santorini
arrives in Athens.
This study tour explores the
history, culture, and legacy of the
Greco-Roman world and cities
associated with the Apostle Paul
and the rise of early Christianity
in the Greek and Roman context.
The tour looks at the legacy of
the Byzantine Empire and
considers the rise of the Islamic
empire of the Ottoman Turks,
with some attention to modern
Turkey. The tour concludes with
Athens and Corinth, with a visit
to the Parthenon on the
Acropolis and Mars Hill.
Granada, Spain
Athens, Greece
The tour includes visits to
museums, open air archaeological
sites, and modern cities, with
expert local guides. The tour
leaders provide lectures and
insight from their previous travel
in this region and their fields of
study and expertise.
For further information contact
Phil Quanbeck II at 612-3301006 or quanbeck@augsburg.edu.
Santorini, Greece
28 AUGSBURG NOW
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CLASS NOTES
1951
1981
1989
1994
Rev. Leonard E. Dalberg,
Buellton, Calif., is a retired
pastor and was named
California’s Volunteer of the Year
by the California Association of
Homes and Services for the
Aged. His wife, Annabelle
(Hanson) ’52 continues to serve
as church organist. She began
playing the piano for Sunday
School as a teenager 65 years
ago. The photo shows them at
Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis
in August 2006.
Karla (Morken) Thompson,
Pine Island, Minn., is a physical
therapist at Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn. In June 2007
she was certified as a clinical
specialist in orthopaedic physical
therapy and celebrated 26 years
at Mayo Clinic. Her son, Danny,
is an Augsburg sophomore.
Jody K. Johnson earned a
master’s degree in community
counseling at University of
Wisconsin-River Falls and works
as a child protection social
worker. She and her husband,
Mike, have four children, ages 7
to 14. The two youngest are
adopted from India and Korea
and have special needs.
Carley (Miller) Stuber, and her
husband, William, Shakopee,
Minn., welcomed the birth of
their daughter, Carolyn Sophie,
on March 30, pictured here with
big sister Kirsten, 23 months.
1968
Gretchen (Strom) Schmidt,
Ventura, Calif., has retired and
began an 18-month road trip in
July with her husband in their
“fifth wheel.” At the end of the
trip, they’ll settle in South
Carolina.
1978
Julie Anne (Johnson)
Westlund, Duluth, Minn., has
been director of career services at
the University of MinnesotaDuluth since 1988. This year she
received the John Tate Award for
Excellence in Advising from the
University of Minnesota.
jwestlund@umm.edu
1982
Laura (Lam) Redding,
Samois-sur-Seine, France, has
published Late Blossom, a
chronicle of wartime Viet Nam,
and a memoir of life, loss, and
love. She is a refugee from Viet
Nam, who graduated with a
degree in business
administration.
Princeton University has
identified Late Blossom as
required reading for a new
graduate course on the Viet Nam
war era, and a university in
Japan is also interested in using
the book in their Southeast Asian
Studies Department. In Paris,
several book clubs have selected
it for reading, and a French
translation is expected soon.
1992
Heather (Wagner) Rand,
Duluth, Minn., was a candidate
for the District 3 Duluth City
Council seat. She works as
Duluth planning commissioner
and chair of the citizen
committee that developed the
Duluth Comprehensive Land Use
Plan. She is also a Duluth
heritage preservation
commissioner and a higher
education commissioner.
1997
Paul Cicmil, Minneapolis, began
in July as one of two
undergraduate representatives
(recruiters) for DeVry University
in the Twin Cities at its Edina
Center.
Read more about Laura and Late
Blossom at her blog,
http://lauraonvietnam.blogspot.com
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
FALL 2007 29
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CLASS NOTES
Carolyn Herman ’05 and Tessa Flynn ’05
1998
2004
Jamie Larkin married Kelli Leick
on Jan. 27, 2006; they live in
White Bear Lake, Minn. On April
18, they welcomed the birth of
their son, Jack Thomas.
Kerry Lynn (Keller) married
Cole Patrick Bryan ’03 on Aug.
25, 2006; and they live in St.
Michael, Minn. Cole is in
purchasing and sales with RoadRite Truck Sales.
klkeller82@yahoo.com
Carolyn Herman and Tessa Flynn, were honored June 22 by
Admission Possible as the AmeriCorps Members of the Year at
Admission Possible. AmeriCorps volunteers work with this program
to help economically disadvantaged students gain college admission.
Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak proclaimed June 22 as Carolyn
Herman Day in Minneapolis, and June 24 as Tessa Flynn Day, for
serving the citizens of Minneapolis admirably, with passion, pride,
and unending commitment to [their high schools] and to [their]
students.
Herman worked at Patrick Henry High School and helped 34 seniors
gain admission to college, and helped them raise nearly $175,000 in
scholarships. Currently she is at the University of Hyderabad in India
as a Rotary Ambassador Scholar studying literature.
Flynn, worked at North High School and also helped 34 seniors gain
admission to college, with nearly $250,000 in scholarships awarded.
1999
Rebecca Welle ‘04 and Laura Olson ‘89
Trudy Marie (Kueker) married
Michael Howard on May 26,
2006; they live in Woodbury,
Minn. She is an RN, CCRN for
Healthways and Healtheast.
tmhoward@mm.com
2000
Rev. Melissa (Moyle) Pohlman,
Minneapolis, was one of the
presiding ministers at the daily
worship on Aug. 7 at the ELCA
Churchwide Assembly in
Chicago. She is the presiding
minister at Christ English
Church in Minneapolis.
Rebecca Welle ’04 (left) and Laura (Henning) Olson ’89 (right)
took a break from volunteering around the city with Meals-onWheels to visit the Auggieasaurus in Murphy Square. They both
work at ING in downtown Minneapolis. Becky is also the women’s
assistant cross country coach at Augsburg.
30 AUGSBURG NOW
Harry Ford, Brooklyn Center,
Minn., is director of Emerge
Villages. Its program, Fathers
and Children Together (FACT),
which provides transitional
housing for custodial fathers and
their families, received a Family
Strengthening Award from the
United Neighborhood Centers of
America/Annie E. Casey
Foundation.
A
2005
Y
Sara Baufield ’05 married Justin
Sorby on May 5 at Holy Name of
Jesus Catholic Church in
Wayzata, Minn. Sara is currently
pursuing another bachelor’s
degree in early childhood
development at Minnesota State
University-Mankato. Justin
graduated in 2004 from North
Dakota State University and
works as a grain merchandiser
for Archer Daniels Midland.
They live in Mankato, Minn.
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Page 33
2006
In Memoriam
Emily Soeder, Washington,
D.C., has been appointed an
associate director in the White
House Office of Presidential
Speechwriting. For eight months,
she worked for the assistant
secretary in the Office of
Legislation and Congressional
Affairs at the U.S. Department of
Education. During the summer
she traveled to Haiti with a
group working at an orphanage.
Tungseth, Rev. Erling M. ’40,
Cambridge, Minn., age 89, on
July 21.
Correction:
In the summer issue’s note about
Lauren Falk ’06 and her new
business, Lauren B. Photography,
her e-mail contact was omitted.
You can reach her at
laurenbfalk@aol.com.
Waggoner, Sylvia (Haukeness)
’47, Seattle, Wash., on Oct. 3,
2006.
Johnson, Wilgard “Will” ’57,
Lexington, Ky., age 75, on
July 25.
Calderwood, David ’50,
Birchwood, Minn., age 81, on
Sept. 18, of cancer.
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
Schmidt, David Has ’85,
Phoenix, Ariz, age 47, on
Sept. 27.
Class year or last year attended
Street address
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Home telephone
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:
“Auggie is an action verb” t-shirts were worn by all
first-year students on City Service Day.
FALL 2007 31
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VIEWS
Auggie women who participated in
sports prior to 1988, when athletic
letters were first awarded to women,
were honored with framed “A” letters
at an event in September that
celebrated 35 years of varsity women’s
athletics at Augsburg.
A maroon-letter day for Auggie women athletes
by Augsburg News Service and Betsey Norgard
September 28 was a special day for 78 Auggie
women who competed in sports at Augsburg prior to
1988, the year in which the first athletic letters were
awarded to women. They finally received their letters
as well.
The dinner that evening celebrated 35 years of
varsity women’s athletics at Augsburg, as well as the
rich history of women’s athletics prior to the Title IX
era. In 1972 Augsburg’s varsity women’s basketball
and volleyball teams were started, along with
gymnastics and tennis.
The celebration event started in the LaVonne
Johnson Peterson Health and Physical Education
Center, named for “Mrs. Pete,” the longtime
instructor, women’s athletic director, and coach of the
famed “Auggiettes” basketball team of the mid-1950s.
Following dinner, current female student-athletes
led a Parade of Champions from Kennedy Center to
Hoversten Chapel, accompanied by a brass band. In
a ceremony there, the alumnae received framed
maroon A’s and a place in Augsburg’s sports history.
Though the varsity era of Auggie women’s
athletics began in 1972, there have been women’s
College dating to the mid-1920s. From the 1940s to
the 1970s, there were numerous intramural sports
sponsored for women, including the Auggiettes
basketball team. They competed in the Minneapolis
Park Board league and compiled a 125-5 record in
15 seasons from 1950 to 1965.
At Homecoming in October, the unbeaten
Auggiettes team of 1956-57, celebrating its 50th
anniversary, was honored with induction as a group
into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame.
In an article printed in the Star Tribune following
the celebration event, assistant athletic director
Marilyn Florian ’76 recounted how, on her first day
of classes at Augsburg, she asked then-athletic
director Joyce Pfaff ’65 when volleyball practice
would begin, assuming there was a team. Florian
said Pfaff then started and coached a team, learning
the sport as she went. “She knew we had talent and
desire,” Florian said. “We just needed the
opportunity and we’re all grateful we got it.” This
was a sentiment echoed throughout the evening’s
athletic festivities.
For more about women’s athletics, go to
www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
Current female student-athletes
led a Parade of Champions from
Kennedy Center to Hoversten
Chapel, where the alumnae
athletes were honored and
awarded athletic letters.
32 AUGSBURG NOW
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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
February 22–April 4
Augsburg Art Department
Faculty Exhibition
NOVEMBER
Gage Family Art Gallery,
Oren Gateway Center
Reception: Friday, Feb. 22,
5– 7 p.m.
Artist talk: March, TBA
November 30
Velkommen Jul Celebration
10:15 a.m.—Chapel Service,
Hoversten Chapel
11 a.m.—Scandinavian treats and
gifts, Christensen Center
January 20
2008 Convocation Series
20th Annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Convocation
Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, “Visions
of a Just Society: Dr. King’s Legacy”
1 p.m., Hoversten Chapel
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
JANUARY
February 28-29
2008 Convocation Series
FEBRUARY
February 1-10
The Visit
by Friedrich Durrenmatt; transl. by
Maurice Valency
Guest directed by Luverne Seifert ‘83
Feb. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 and 10 at 2 p.m.
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
January 11–February 22
Contemporary Native American Art
Christensen Center Art Gallery
Artist reception: Friday, Jan. 18
Artist presentation: TBA
January 16–February 1
Augsburg Art Club Exhibition
Student Art Gallery, Christensen
Center
February 29–April 4
Kelly Connole, Where the Sky
Meets the Earth
Ceramic installation
Artist Reception: Friday, Feb. 29,
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Artist Presentation: TBA
(group show)
Gage Family Art Gallery, Oren
Gateway Center
Reception: Friday, Jan. 18
Artist talk: TBA
Barbara Harman: Prints, MixedMedia Drawings, and Artist Books
Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics
“Reinhold Niebuhr for the 21st
Century”
Rev. Robin Lovin, Cary McGuire
University Professor of Ethics,
Southern Methodist University
Feb. 28—7:30 p.m.,
Hoversten Chapel
Feb. 29—10 a.m., Hoversten Chapel
February 15-16
2008 Convocation Series
Dr. Ned Hallowell
Feb. 15, “Worry”
3:30 p.m., Hoversten Chapel
Feb. 16, “CrazyBusy”
Noon, Hoversten Chapel
MARCH
March 11-14
The Exception and the Rule
by Bertolt Brecht,
transl. by Eric Bentley
Guest directed by Warren C. Bowles
March 11, 12, 13 and 14 at 7 p.m.
Foss Studio Theater
FALL 2007
705384_CATALOG:705384_CATALOG
11/20/07
7:22 PM
Page 36
Our college in the city
Augsburg has gone through dramatic changes over
the past three years, including new turf on the
football field and the addition of the Kennedy and
Oren Gateway Center buildings, which have given
the College a new look from the air.
Photograph by Stephe
Show less
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Title
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Augsburg Now Fall 2009: Making It Possible
-
Collection
-
Alumni Magazine Collection
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Search Result
-
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
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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)
+,
É
-(¡)
+)
-O
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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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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
.,ì.;i; .:iii:¡ l1 ;i;i ;,; i,,'r!i i ¡ f\l¡;:.;!
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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
I
youJ will evenlually learn to live life in the city at
iiq¡i'r'jr: i
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slreet level."
Fall
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
v
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
.fu1
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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
'Ëff'{
itr'¿
i
1
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 A
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Augsburg Now Spring 2009
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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:
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Augsburg College
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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
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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.
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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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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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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
23
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
ta
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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 ...
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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
Show less
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Title
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Augsburg Now Fall 2001
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¡a
/¡
Those last few lazy, hazy, crazy days
reparing ths lall issue brings home
the realiLy that summer is nearly
gone. Poet Elinor Wylie described thls
time of year as "summer, so much too
beautiful to stay"; and we also must
come to grips with the ephemerality of
lhe season, as hot and ...
Show more
¡a
/¡
Those last few lazy, hazy, crazy days
reparing ths lall issue brings home
the realiLy that summer is nearly
gone. Poet Elinor Wylie described thls
time of year as "summer, so much too
beautiful to stay"; and we also must
come to grips with the ephemerality of
lhe season, as hot and dry as this one
has been in Minneapolis.
Life is differenl on campus during
the summer. As most students and many
faculty depart for travel, research, work,
or vacatÌon, completely different
populations arrive to keep our residence
halls and buildings full.
In this issue, we look at life at
Augsburg during the summer, for a
couple of reasons. One is to illustrate
Augsburg's outreach to populations other
than our college-age students-junior
high and high school students, church
groups, educators, and other
þ
f
organizations. Photos from their campus
activities tell their stories.
PIus, many ol our own communit-y
who are not here these three months
miss the chance to see the campus at its
most beautiful, when flowers surround
the benches and the canopy of trees in
the quad offers a welcomed respite from
the ci.ty's heat.
After hearing a number of comments
on how especially beautifui the campus
looks this summer, we invited the
Augsburg community to wander around
with cameras and capture on film the
places or settings that were especially
appealing to them. See our feature called
"Home Sweet ... Campus."
Lest we bestow too much attentlon
on place, we are reminded on our
Auggie Thoughts page thal the real
future of this College is not in a splendid
campus, but in the "nurture of
distinctive attitudes toward truth and
life, toward God's good creation, and His
beloved human famÌ1y"
This was written by President
Emeritus Oscar A. Anderson tn a I976
column in which he eloquently discusses
the impact on Augsburg made by his
predecessor, Bernhard M. Christensen.
We reprint thls column as we mark
the t00th anniversary of the birth of
Christensen in October.
Enjoy the few remaining days of this
"too beautiful" season.
Ww
Betsey Norgard
Letters to
the editor
¡F ongratulations on your great innerL.ity involvemenl program, especially
on the Cedar-Riverside School and the
Tiinity Lutheran Church Wednesday Night
Out program. These are "textbook
examples" of the kinds of things that make
for real social change and lasting peace
and understanding in the world.
It was for the same reason that as an
Augsburg undergraduate my reaction to
the assassination of President Kennedy was
to start the Children's Groups program at
Augsburg. We went door to door in the
neighborhood signing up the children and
then met with them weekly in small
groups for crafts and games and social
interaction. I don't know how long the
program lasted after I left but I've kept up
my involvement with kids having taught
for 35 years (15 of them with gifted kids).
I'm also very involved in ecological causes,
supporl the Museum of Tolerance, and
have worked against the death penalty But
after reading the summer AugsburgNow,
I've never been so proud to be an alumna
of Augsburgl Carry on-the world needs
you. By the wa¡ what are you doing about
ecological issues?
Editor
-Cathenne
tr
(Wehner)
O sman'
65
Editor's note:
,s
We'll respond to Ms. Osman abour ecology
in our curriculum, but would also enjoy
hearing from alumni who are working
with ecology and environmental issues for
a future stor;r
s
o.
We welcome your letters!
Please
write to:
Editor
AugsburgNow
2211 Riverside Ave., CB 145
Minneapolis, MN 55+54
Many members of the Augsburg community, such as this in-line skate¿
take time out to enjoy summer's colors on the College câmpus. Turn to the
stor¡es on pages 1O and 12 to explore life at Augsburg during the summer.
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Fax: 612-330-1780
Phone: 612-330-llBI
Letters for publication must be signed and include
your name, class year, and da¡ime telephone number
They may be edited for length, clarity, and style.
I
AvcsBuRG Now
Vol.64 No. 1
Fall 2001
Features
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
22ll Riverside Ave., Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55454.
Summer in the City ...
at Augsburg
Betsey Norgard
Editor
Kids and teachers, wrestlers, and musicians
Lynn Mena
1
spent their time on campus this summer.
Assistant Editor
Kathy Rumpza
Graphic Designer
llllilliam V. Frâme
President
Dan Jorgensen
Director of Public Relations and
Communication
2
Nancy Toedt'94
Director of Alumni and Parenr
Relations
Opinions expressed h Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
I
rssN l058-1545
6
E
E
ü
official CoÌlege policy
Postmaster: Send correspondence,
name changes, and address
Augsburg
C olle ge, øs
ffirmed
in its mission, does not
iliscriminøte on the basis of race,
color, creed, religion, national or
ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual
orientation, mdrital status, status
with regard to public assistance,
or disability in its education
p olicie s, admissions p olicies,
scholarship ønil loan programs,
athletic andlor school
ailminis tere il pro gr ams, e xcep t
ín those instances where reli$on
is a bona fiile occupational
qualiJication. Augsburg Colle ge
is committed to providing
reøsonable accommo ilations to
its employees and íts stuilents.
www.augsburg.edu
the Augsburg campus.
The Apartment: Campus
Living for Today's Students
by Judy Petree
Campus liJe is changing as colleges seeh to heep
students on campus with new independent,
ap ar tment- style re sidenc e halls.
corrections ro: Augsburg N ow,
Office of Public Relations and
Communication, 221 I Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454.
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
TÞlephone: 612-330-1 181
Fax: 612-330-I780
Home Sweet ... Campus
Aphoto essay descnbes the sumnterbeauty on
1
9 trr" Legacy of Mayo Savold
Departments
2
Around the Quad
I
Sports
21
Alumni News
23
26
32
Homecoming Preview
inside
back
cover
Class Notes
Auggie Thoughts
Calendar
On the cover:
Ph o to gr aph
e
r
Er Lh
tenb ahh en
of
conversation on the Augsburg
quad. @2000
Stenb ahhen/
str:nbahhen.com
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste)
S
caught a quiet moment
t
a
I o
t ¡¡ I
Augsburg receives $500,000
from UlLM. Keck Foundation
A
a
O
The 2001
Christensen
Symposium
Augshurg College News Service
A;å::ä,1ä:.
a half
million-
dollar grant by the
WM
Keck
Foundation of Los
Angeles to support
the development of
statistical literacy
Prof'Miloschield
as an
interdisciplinary
curriculum in the liberal arts. This
interdiscipiinary project will help bridge
the gap between formal mathematical
statistics and informal critical thinking,
beiween experimental studies and
observational studies in the physical
sciences, and between the sociai sciences
and the humanities.
The goal of this project is to reform
the teachÌng of statistics to include the use
of observationaliy based statistics. Milo
Schield, business administration professor,
is the project leader and organizer of the
proposal.
This is the first time the WM. Keck
Foundation, one of the top national
science funding foundations, has awarded
a grant to Augsburg College.
John Knight, director of corporate and
foundation relations, calls this "groundbreaking" for the College. Guided and
driven by Augsburg 2004, Augsburg has the
opportunity to forward its vision through
this project, create a new dlscipline that
informs and is informed by orher academic
disciplines, and extend the value of this
work to instructors across the U.S.
During the three-year project, Schield
will be responsible for writing a statistical
iiteracy text that is useful to students and
usable by faculty in various disciplines.
There will also be a phase for training
teachers and testing materials. Elght other
faculty members will be team-teaching
wirh schield.
This project will introduce new ways
of thinking about age-old problems in
statistical education and ultimately in al1
ol undergraduate education,
Augsburg Concert Band tours lreland
StalJ photo
fhe 65-member Augsburg
I Con..tt Band toured ]reland
for 12 days in May, perlorming
aL
schools, churches, and pubs. Led
by Professor Robert Stacke'71,
the tour also included
performances by the Augsburg
JazzEnsemble and Gospel Praise.
The tour wasn't all
performances. "We really tried to
build the students not just in
performance, but educationally as
well," Stacke said. Guided
The Augsburg Concert Band performs at Colaiste
informational tours in Derry
Muire School, a secondary school for girls in Ennis,
Dublin, and Calway were just a
Augsburg student band members Brendan
few of the stops along the way
Anderson and Ben Duane were also played
This tour, "Music of the Americas,"
For photos of the Augsburg Concert
featured works by composers throughout
Band in lreland, r,rsit <www.augsburg.edu/
the Americas (including ArgentÌna, Mexico,
music/lreland>.
Cuba, and the U.S.). Compositions by
September 23-24,2001
"Global and Local Neighbors:
Christian Faith across Cultures"
o
o
T:i,13,:i,."
à
Symposium features
a leading scholar of
!
;l
Õ
U
world Chrlstianit¡
Dr. Lamin Sanneh,
the D. WillisJames .
Dr. Lamin Sanneh
Professor of
Missions and World
Christianity at Yale University
A naturalized U.S. citizen, he was
educated on four continents. He has been
actively involved in Yale's Council on
African Studies and is an editor-at-large of
the ecumenical weekl¡ The Christian
Century. His work includes more than
100 articles on religious and historical
subjects, and several books.
This year's Christensen Symposium
features a musical worship celebration on
Sunday, Sept. 23, with choirs from global
cultural traditions. Dr. Sanneh will
present the homily FollowÌng this service,
conversations about global Christianity
will continue in smaller groups.
Sunda¡ September,
23-
"Celebrating Christianity in Global Cultures"
3:30 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
Musical worshlp celebration with
choirs stemming from Liberia, lndia,
Oromia, Latin America, the Hmong
tradition, and the Agora Ministries
Choir. Homily by Dr. Lamin Sanneh.
5 p.m.-Foss Center
Group conversations, "Getting to Know
Our Neighbors: A New World to
Explore." Join discussion with
Christians from different parts of the
world.
6 p.m.-East Commons, Christensen Center
Light supper-RS\? to
Monda¡ September
6
l2-330-1 160.
24-
"Race, Culture, and Chrìstian Mission"
10 a.m., Convocation-Hoversten Chapel,
Foss Center
2
,+UGSBURG NoW
Fall 2001
.1
I
The Maroon & Silver Society leads the way
Aîi*tï.ffiïTffiiî:;::T'
In appreciation for their
leadership opponunity for Augsburg
alumni and friends to help current
students. Maroon 6¡ Silver Society donors
pledge to sponsor an Augsburg
scholarship for four years, with gifts
ranging from $1,000 to more than
$10,000 per yeat.
Augsburg College has steadfastly
maintained its commitment to keeping an
Augsburg education affordable for the
broadest range of diverse and talented
students. Toda¡ 81 percent of Augsburg
students receive some form of financial
assistance, made possible in part by the
generosity,
generous financial commitment of
Maroon 6¡ Silver Society members.
"The Maroon 6¡ Silver Society is the
College's highest fundraising priority,
needed to create a solid foundation of
annual financial suppoft essential to
attracting and retaining outstandi.ng
meet students
benefiting from
students," explains Donna Mclean,
director of The Augsburg Fund, the
College's annual fund. "Charter members
of the Maroon & Silver Society encourage
others to join them Ìn building the 'living
endowment' provided by an annual
Augsburg continues to provide students
with an academic and spiritual
foundation that not oniy prepares them
for their life's work, but also to lead as
thoughtful citizens," say Maroon 6¡ Silver
Society members Philip '79 and Julia
(Davis) '79 Styrlund. "We are committed
fund."
Maroon 6¡ Silver
Society members
will be invited to
special Maroon 6q
Silver events and
receive special
updates from the
president on the
College's
progress.
Members will
also have the
opportunity to
their support at
an annual event.
"As alums,
we are proud to
watch
President and Mrs. Frame hosted the Maroon & Silver Society
inaugural event in June at Augsburg House. (L to R) Mert Johnson
'59, JoAn Johnson, President Frame, Anne Frame, Normâ Hall, and
John Paulson.
as
to doing our part to insure that today's
dynamic and talented students have the
same opportunity we had to obtain an
outstanding education at Augsburg."
For information, call Donna Mclean,
director of The Augsburg Fund, at 612330-1179 or I-800-273-0617; or send
e-mail to <mclean@augsburg.edu>.
YFI hosts church leaders
F\r. Martrn Martv
lJ*u, one of the
o
o
s.
Þ
r^
featured speakers at
the Youth and
Family Institute's
fourth annual
Augsburg and the StepUP program volunteer advisory board
will recognize Tad and Cindy Piper for their leadership gift
toward an endowed position in the StepUP program at a
special event on Oct. 26, at7 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel. Earl
Hightower, noted authority on addiction intervention and
international
ecumenical
conference this
summer, which
brought 155 people
treatment coordination, will be the keynote speaker.
Augsburg's StepUP program is one of only three such
programs in the country and unique in several aspects. lt
assists Augsburg students in recovery from alcohol and drug
addiction in achieving academic success.
For ticket information, call Kara Malmgren after Sept. 1
612-330-1405.
from nine major
denominations,
representing six
countries.
at
The Rev. Martin Marty
Fall 200f
,4ucssunc
ñrow
3
Around the Quad
The 2001 -O2 Augsburg Convocation Series
Race: Dividing and Uniting
f
he lace and shapc ol American society
I is radically ehanging. While racinl
issues have and still do drvrde us and
deserve serious attention, we look for
ways to embrace racial diversity in one
socì.ety and internationally that champion
freedom, justice, compasslon, and
Monday, October 22, 200'l
"Counting incidents or Telling Tiagedies?
Writing the History of Worklng Class Race
Relations"
10 a.m., ConvocatÌon-Hoversten Chapel,
Foss Center
equality of opportunity.
November 15*16,2001
THE 2OO1 CHRISTENSEN SYMPOSIUM
"The Influence of Afro-American Culture
on American Music"
September 23-24,2001
"Global and Local Neighbors: ChrÌstian
Faith across Cultures"
Sunday, September,23
3:30 p.m., Musical worship, Hoversten
Thursda¡ November 15
7 p.*., AugsburgJazz Ensemble Concert
Frida¡ November
16
10 a.m., Convocation-Hoversten Chapel,
Chapel, Foss Center-"Celebrating
Foss Center
Christianity in Global Cultures"
Dr. William C. Banfield, Endowed Chair in
Humanities and Fine Arls, associate
professor of music, and director of the
American Cultural Studies Program at the
UniversÍty of St. Thomas. He will use the
Jazz Ensemble to illustrate the role of
Black music in shaping American identity.
5 p.m., Group conversations, Foss
Center-"Getring to Know Our
Neighbors: A New World to Explore"
6 p.-., Light supper, East Commons,
Christensen Center
Monday, September 24
10 a.m., Convocation, Hoversten Chapel,
Foss Center-"Race, Culture, and
Christian Missìon"
Dr. Lamin Sanneh, D. WlllisJames
Professor of Missions and World
Christianity and professor of hÌstory, Yale
University, with choirs represenLing
cultural groups from around the world.
Monday, October 8, 2001
"An Evening with Maya Angelou"
7:30 p.m.-Melby Cymnasium
Dr. Maya Angelou, award-winning poet,
educator, historian, actress, p1a1'wright,
civil rights activist, producer, and
director.
General admission tickets are available
Sept. 15 from TicketWorks at
<wwwticketworks.com> or 6L2-3433390. Free admission for Augsburg
students, faculty, and staff.
4
1+UGSBURG NOW
Monday, January 21, 20Oz
"HealÌng the Violence of Racism"
Chapel, Foss Center
Nontombi Naomi Tutu is program
coordinator, Race Relations Institute at
Fisk Unlversit¡ and instrucior in the
School of Education, University of
Connecticut-Storrs, and is the third
daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tìrtu
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
"The Changing Face of Minnesota and the
Twin Cities: The Contribution and
Consequences of RaceÆthnicity from the
Census 2000"
l0
Cultural Quest"
1 1: 15 a.m., MinÌ-convocation-Hoversten
Chapel, Foss Center
Theater Mu, the premier Asian American
theatre company in the Miclwest, will
present taího, the ancient Japanese
expression ol communal unÌt¡ and a
theatre piece explorÌng issues of Asian and
Asian American identity.
THE 2OO2 BATALDEN SEMINAR IN
APPLIED ETHICS
April4-5,2002
"Affirmative Action: Rethinking the
Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation:
I p.m.,-Hoversten
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
"Theater Mu: Drumming, Ritual, and
a.m., Convocation-Hoversten Chapel,
Foss Center
Claims olJustice"
Thursda¡ April4
"Affirmative Action: Solution or Problem?"
7
p.^., Public lecture-Hoversten
Chapel,
Foss Center
Friday,
April5
'Justice over Time: The Fathers Have
Eaten Sweet Grapes and Their Children's
Teeth Are Set on Edge"
10 a.m., Convocation-Hoversten Chapel,
Foss Center
ll
a.m., Panel discussion
Dr. Darryl Trimiew, dean of Black church
studies andJohn Price Crozer Professor of
Christian Social Ethics, Colgate Rochester
Divinity SchooV Crozer Theological
Seminary He will examine the changing
attitude toward affirmative action and why
justìce is best understood as an ongoing
process over
time.
I
Unless otherwise noted, all events are Jree
and open to the public.
F or
inf orntation, c all
6 1 2 -3 3 0 - 1 1
80.
l1
a.m., Panel discussion
Dr. Tom Giliaspy, Minnesota stâte
demographer
Fall 2OOf
I
Masterworks Chorale sings Martin Lutherthe opera
by Maria rhompson
and have worked with him. Plus, the opera
needs a good-size chorus."
Staglng the U.S. prerniere of Luther at
Central Lutheran Church is no accident.
The production was designed with Central
specifically in mind. "I have visited Central
many times while participating in past
Reformation Festivals," said Tikka. "The
congregational singing was tremendous. I
had never heard anything like it! From
1996 on I had visions of creating
something for Central. Lutlrcr ishighly
inspirecl by this wonderful church which is
at irs best when crowded with spirit-filled
1J*rongtlt to put the two together. But
spend a few minutes with Karì Tikka or
Gracia Grindal and you'll think differently.
Their passion for the Luther production lets
you know that this is something
extraordinary. lt highlights the remarkable
story of Martin Luther, his struggles, loves,
and all-out battles with Satan. The U.S.,
Englishlanguage premiere, wili be at
Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis,
Ocl25-27.
Kari Tikka, a conductor with the
Finnish National Opera, composed,
condr¡cts, and co-wrote the libretto for
Luther. Gracia Grindal '65, professor of
rhetoric at Luther Seminary, serves as the
.translator and artistic director for the U.S.
premiere. Composed originally in Finnish,
the production prerniered in Helsinki,
Finland, to sold-out performances and
excellent reviews in December 2000.
The six Finnish National Opera
prÌncipals lrom this production will
perform in Minneapolis, joined by
Augsburg's Masterworks Chorale and a
26-piece orchestra. For Masterworks,
Augsburg's choÌr of alumni, students, and
cclnrnrunrty lriends. Lhis is a rare
opportunity. "The connection with Gracia
and our Lutheran heritage makes this a
perfectly natural ht," says Peter
Hendrickson '76, director of Augsburg
choral activrties, "and I l<now Kari Tikka
Fall 2001
<www.luthersem. edu/Luther>.
Mana Thompson is director
oJ
I
cotnmunication
at Luther Seminary.
voices."
¡F\pera. Luther. You may have never
Luther Seminary's 2001 Reformation
Festival. It is presented by Luther
Seminary, Central Lutheran Church,
Augsburg College, the Finnish National
Opera, and Lutheran Brotherhood.
Tickets can be ordered through
TicketWorks-$ 12.50 for general
admission, and $10 for students and
seniors. Visit <www.tlcketworks.com> or
call 612-343 -3390. For additional
inlormation on Luf he r, visit
Tikka had been thinking about a
production on Martin Luther for quite
some time and is convinced that Luther
has a lot to say to those of us in the 2lst
century. "This theme-Luther-has been in
my mind for more than 20 years," he said.
"Luther's theology has been vitally
important to me. Salvation is 100 percent
God's gift. Faith, too, is a gift. After reading
much of Luther 7 realized I had gone
through similar tnals and tribulations. I
wrote thÌs opera so that many would hear,
see, and understand that God in his son
Jesus has gone through all of our battles
and won for us llberty."
Unlike most operas, the audience is
encouraged to sing along in Luther.
Between scenes the audiences sing
several of Luther's hymns.
Congregational choirs will be "planted"
throughout the sanctuary to lead the
singing.
Although Luther's theology and
life story have been in print for
nearly 400 hundred years, this is a
first in the form of an opera.
"Opera is a wonderlul way to tell
stories," said Tj.kka. "It's not only
music. It's also theater. It's visuallÌghts, costumes, sets-and it's llve.
Opera can touch the mind and
soul in ways that words alone
cannot. At its best, opera can be
psychoanalysis or pastoral care."
Luther is the centerpiece of
!
c
Martin and Katie Luther are portrayed by Finnish
National Opera singers in the production to be staged
at Central Lutheran Church in October,
,4ucsnunc
ruow
5
Women of action to speak at Augsburg
AUGSBURG COLLEGE WELCOMES
four dynamic women to camplls ¡his fall:
Sarah Weddington, the attorney who
snccessfully argued Roe y. Wade before the
U.S. Supreme Court; Dr. Maya Angelou,
accLaimed author, poet, actor, and activist;
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a psychosexual
therapist; and Judy Shepard, mother of
hate crime victim Matthew Shepard.
Built around issues of diversity, the
"Women in Action" speaker series is
sponsored by the Augsburg Student
Activities Councrl (ASAC), with support
"WOMEN IN ACTION"
For times and location, see the calendar on the inside back cover
Tuesda¡ September
l8
Sarah Weddington
"Some Leaders are Born Women"
I
from other campus departments and
Monda¡ October
Anthony Shane Florìst. The four women
bring messages of strength and action to
their presentations-Maya Angelou's
Dr. Maya Angelou
"An Evening with Maya Angelou"
Ticket info: www.ticketworks.com or 612-343-339O
creative gifts and experience, Judy
Shepard's message of tolerance, Sarah
Weddington's articulation of leadership
roles for women, and Dr. Ruth's humorous
treatment ol contemporary issues.
The events are free and open to the
public, with the exception of Angelou's
presentation. Tickets for "An Evening with
Maya Angelou" are available through
TicketWorks, 612-343 -3390 or
<www. ticketworks.com>.
o
o
Tuesda¡ November 6
Dr. Ruth Westheimer
"Sexually Speaking with Dr. Ruth"
Thursday, December 6
Judy Shepard
"The Legacy of Matthew Shepard"
Social Work
ñ
students visit
Slovenia
I
,c
Six Augsburg graduate and
undergraduate social work students
spent two weeks in Slovenia with
Professor Laura Boisen studying family
and child welfare services as compared to
those in the U,S. Next summer Slovenian
students will come to Augsburg as part
of the ongoing partnership with the
University of tjubljana.
Pictured in the dining room of Prof. Gabi
Cacinovic Vogrincic are: (back row, L to R)
Prof. Lea Bohinc, University of Ljubljana;
Prof, Laura Boisen; Erika Rosted; Tanja
Medvesek; Charley Price; Nin Sadovsky,
Simona Hrvatin; (front row, L to R) Kristy
Bleichner; Lyra Peterson; Prof, Vogrincic;
Tina Mihic; Dragana Kojic; Robin Hesser,'
(kneeling) Rachel Olson; V¡oleta Potocnik.
6
,+UGSBURG NoW
Fall 2001
-
A conversation with Maya Angelou
by Thomas B, Howard, tr,,'O2
RECENTLY HAD A CHANCE
to speak with Dr. Maya Angelou
in anlicipation ol her visil Lo
Augsburg. Excerpts lrom that
conversation follow.
TH: My first question ... what do you
leel is one o[ the most important issues
facing today's college student?
MA: There is a full length of issues and it
is hard to say which is most important. I
think we are in a kind ol moral crisis in
our countr)¿ Young men and women have
had a scarcity ol people to pattern after;
that is, role rnodels are few and far
between when 1t comes to morality I will
probably speak at length about heroes and
sheroes because I think people live in
direct relation to whom they have access.
And, I'm sorry to say, a number of young
people have chosen as their rnentors and
role models mega stars-a lot of people
who are featured in the tablords and on
the silver screen and so for¡h. Quite often
those are people who wouldn't give a fig if
those young people lived or died.
So, my encouragement is to look in
the family, look in the church, look in the
synagogue, in the temple; look around the
school, Iook in history for people who had
enough courage to live lives that mean
something ... [a lifel that 1s uplifting and
encouraging and healing. I think that that
'is one of the crises.
TH: Many students go to school
thinking "I am going to school so I can
get a job," not "I'm going to school to
learn a vocation." What are your
thoughts on vocation versus just getting
a job, and how have you defined your
vocation?
The young
man or woman
a
who follows her
passion or follows
his heart is more
likely to succeed
than the person
who follows the
paycheck. If you
find something
you love to do
and you stay in
school and you get the training in how to
do it, then it is likely you will succeed,
and in every way That is following the
passion. Reall¡ it is likely you will do well
financially and in other tangible ways il
you follow your heart and your passion.
That is when vocation really is your
calling-it is more than a 1ob.
fauna. So arnong human beings there is
diversity among looks and personality
and attitudes. It is wonderful to have
those, we are enrichecl. We are made to
see ourselves and others, rnade to see
ne\M things. To hear new ways of
describing the sunrise makes you see
the sunrise with a dilferent value.
We should have it in our lives and
understand that the tapestry of iife is
made up of many colors and threads.
No color is rnore valuable than the
other or less. No thread more precious
or less than the other. They all make up
the tapestry of life.
TH: Diversity has become al¡uzz t-errn
lately and in some ways may become a
cliché. How do you define diversity and
MA: My encouragement would be to
give out a song-a spirirual, which is
There is a BaIm in Gilead. It's wonderful.
(Singinþ There is abalm tn Gilead, to heal
s
s
what role does it play in a human being
becoming more tolerant?
MA: Just the use of the word has reduced
what it originally meant, much like love,
I'm sorry to say Love is the most powerful
condition on the planet and maybe in the
universe. I love those socks. I love that
sitcom. It is sad that diversity has fallen
prey l-o that as wel1.
The truth is, it is in diverslty that we
enrich our lives. That is true in one family,
it's true in a house. Il we had a house that
had one color, the interior one color, and
no rellef 1n sight, it would just run us
rnad. If we ate the same meals at breakfast,
dinner, and supper-I knoq I seem to be
reducing the large meaning to something
that is meaning less, but i am afraid it is
TH: What guidance would you offer
college-age students who are fearful
of change and yet have the desire to
help others and to make a difference?
the sin sich soul. There is a balm tn Gtlead,
to make the wounded whole, to mahe the
wounded whole. If vou cannot preachlihe
Jesus, and cannot singlihe Paul, you can
tell the world of Jesus and say he díed t'or
all. There is abalm ín Gilead.
I did not thrnk of the verse as
much as I thought ol the refrain-there
is a balm, the idea is in their coming to
a place where they can find the ba1m,
which can heal not only their sÌtuation,
but prepare them to heal the world. I
-Thomas
Howard'02 is a senior in
social worh and is the major events chair
the Augsburg Stu(lent Activities
Council, co-commissioner o.f Queer and
Straight in Unity, and a McNair Scholar.
for
not meaningless.
MA: I have many I am happy to say I am
writer, that's how I deline myselI, br-lt on
the other hand I am a teacher. I used to
think I was a writer who could teach, but
over the last few years I think I am a
teacher who writes. I do love to teach.
Fall 2001
a
We physÌcally and intellectually and
spintually need diversity. God has
For the complete interview, visit the Now
Ortline at <www augsburg. edu/now>.
provided us with the diversity of the
seasons and the diversity of flora and
,4ucs¡uRc
rr¡ow
7
Swenson earns top coach
honors, named to new
athlgtic position
byDon stoner
ïen to earn
Athletic Hall of
Fame honors
by Don Stoner
Chafles
fl
ugsburg College wrestling
AÏ3':ïif,".'J.i:i.l'iläî::ff ;:,,
Ar
r coach
,,,r, r-rr. Swenson has
Flheacl
Jell
the annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet.
Ten former Auggre student-athletes will be
inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame:
received both honors and a new
job this summer.
InJuly, Swenson, who has
coached the Auggie wrestling team
.
.
.
.
.
to seven NCAA Division III
national championships in the last
11 seasons, was named Lutheran
College Coach of the Year by the
Lutheran Brotherhood financial
services firm.
"While there are
a
lot of
Lutheran
rr
colleges' lew nave Deen aDle^to
matchJeff's team tradition of
winning champlonships while
Augsburg wrestling head coach Jeff Swenson (center)
watches the action, along with assistant coaches John
Pena, Dan Lewandowski (to swenson's left), and Scott
whiriey (to Swenson,s right) during the MtAc Team
Duals at Augsburg in February.
successful coaches at
maintaining academic success," said
Swenson was inducted into the Augsburg
David Angstadt, Lutheran Brotherhood's
cnrel marKetrng olïlcer, ln presentlng
-, --- - o tne
'
nonor to t*tttlt
^ ,, nameq
ln /î'ugust, tne LoLlege
5wenson to a newly-crealecl posrtron ol"
lnre'm asslsranr oean 1or arnle*cs ano
recreatron. In [nls posil"ron, >wenson will
.
super\nse tne mens ano womens atnletrc
departments, along with the athletic
.,1
.
,
lacrlrtres deparlmen[. He wlll retarn nrs
wresttlng nead-coacnrng responsrDrlrtres,
but wil give up responsibirities as assistan,
athletic direcLor and College
-o-strength
o and
conclltlonlng coacn
A,1979 Augsburg graduate, Swenson
was nameo wresllrng neact coacn rn 19öu,
and has coached at Augsburg lor 19
seasons (1980-84, l986-present). He
received his master's degree in health from
the university of Minnesota in 1982.
Collese AthLetic HalL ol Fame in 1999.
During his coaching tenure, Augsburg
has earned an NCAA-recorcl seven Division
national championships, and has
finished in the top lour in Lhe naLion 16
times. includins the last l3 seasons in a
row Aussburs has won the Minnesola
TII
Intercollegiate Athletic conference
wrestlinq title l8 times under Swenson, has
linished in the toD lour in the NCAA
Division iII national tournament in each of
the last I 3 seasons, and finished in the top
20 nationally every year since 1971. He
has earned National wrestiing coaches
.
.
.
.
.
Dick Bain'80 (men's hockey)
Jeff Blixt '77 (wrestling)
Greg Boone '81 (men's basketball)
John Fahlberg'68 (football, baseball)
Julie (Goldstein) Yeazle'83 (women's
basketball, softball)
Ronnie Henderson'Bl (men's basketball)
Wllliam Lundgren'73 (men's hockey,
footbali)
Phil Olson '76 (men's soccer)
Carolyn Ross '89 (women's track
and field)
Karen (Sterner) Engel'87 (women's
track and field)
The Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame
was established in 1973 to recognize male
athletes who made special contributions to
the Coliege's athletlc history In 1989,
female athletes were first inducted into the
hall. Recipients are chosen each year on the
basis of performance in Augsburg athletics,
service to the school, civic and professional
achievements, and leadership.
a
s.
Association (NWCA) Division lll National
coach of the Year honors five times (1983'
I
1991' 1995' 1998' and 2000)'
-Don
stoner is sports ínformation coordinator
Dedication of Edor Nelson Field o Sat., Sept. 22, at 1 p.m. r Augsburg v5. St. John's University
Pre-game brunch and program, 10 a.m., Christensen Center
For information, call Norm Okerctrom, 612-330-1616
8
4UGSBURG NoW
.
Dedication during game halftime
,',
Edor Nelson '39 in a baseball
coaching photo from the 1950s.
Fall 2001
Top student-athletes earn awards
I n May, live Auggies earned Honor Athlctc
I clcsignation, the highest honor the
pnrt ol three Division liI
national title tearns. A
College gives its senior student-athletes.
ln addition, Augsburg Leadership in
Women's Athletics awards were awarded to
seniors Brenda Selander and Cassi Van
Ausdall, and earning Augsburg Male
Athlete o[ the Year honors were Ben Bauer
management
ancl Ryan Mclntosh.
Athletic awards are voted on by
coaches in Augsburg's men's and women's
information systems
major with a 3.0 GPA,
Lewandowski earned
National Wrestling
Coaches Association
Scholar All-America honors twice, and was
team co-captain his junior and senior
seasons.
athletic departments.
2000-01 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Todd Boerboom-
vol1eybal1 and women's
hockey, Rieger earned
A11-MIAC honors twlce
A four-year starter
and Lutheran
1n
football, Boerboom was
a team co-captain his
senior year. A
marketing and
management double
major with a 3.652
grade-point-average, Boerboorn earned
MIAC Academic All-Conference honors
three times, and Verlzon Academic Al1District honors twice.
Jaime
Kingsley-
A team leader in
women's basketball and
cross country, KÌngsley
was a team co-captain
rn both sports her
senior year. In cross
country, she was the
team's consistent No. 4 runner, as well as a
rnember of the track and fieid team for two
years. ln basketball, Kingsley earned AllMIAC first-team honors. An Augsburg
President's Scholar and biology (pre-med)
major with a 3.8 GPA, Kingsley earned
MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor
Roll honors three times. She was a Verizon
Academlc All-District first-team selectÌon in
basketball this season.
Nik Lewandowski earned four AllAmerica honors and four MIAC individual
championshrps, a feat just three other
Auggies have ever accomplished. He was a
Fall 2001
Angie Rieger-An AllMIAC selection in both
Brotherhood Lutheran
College All-Amerlca
mention
honors her senior year.
honorable
hocke¡
Rieger holds every
In women's
single-season ancl career scoring record. She
earned All-Amerlca honors three times and
National Player ol the Year finalist honors
twÌce, in addition to being named MIAC
Player of the Year herjunior and senior
years. An international business major with
a 3.8 GPA, RÌeger earned MIAC Academic
All-Conference Honor Roll honors three
times in both volieyball and hockey, and
became the first Augsburg student-athlete to
earn Verizon Academic All-District firstteam honors in two sports in a single school
year, in volleyball and falVwinter at-large
(hockey) Ìn 1999-00.
byDonstoner
2000-01 Augsburg Leadership in
Women's Athlet¡cs Award Winners
Brenda Selander-Augsbtirg's only threesport âthlele (women's soccer, hocke¡ and
softball), Selander was the team's leading
scorer three seasons in women's soccer,
earning AII-MIAC first-team honors her
senior season. She was a lorward for
Augsburg's wornen's hockey team and a
two-year starting centerfielder for the
softball team. A health and physical
eclucatlon major with a 3.3 GPA, Selander
served as a student-athlete mentor.
Cassi Van Ausdall-A four-year starting
outside hitter for the vo11eyball team, Van
Ausdall earned All-MfAC second-team and
Lutheran Brotherhood Lutheran College AllArnerica second tearn honors her senior
season. A history major wrth a 3.8 GPA, Van
Ausdall earned Verizon Academic All-District
second-team honors in volleybail her senior
year, in addition to MIAC Academic AllConference Honor Roll honors three times.
She is active in Augsburg's FellowshÌp of
Christian Athletes chapter.
2000-01 Augsburg Male Athletes
of
the Year
Ben Bauer-Bauer excelled in both
wrestling and track and field at Augsburg. ln
wrestling, he won a second Division III
national title this year, finlshlng 36-3, and
MIAC individual tLtles at hear,yweight three
tlmes in his career. In track and field, Bauer
Mike Schwalen-
competed in three drfferent weight
A four-year starting
disciplines-shot put, drscus, ancl weight
throw He is an elementary education major.
infielder for Augsburg's
baseball team, Schwalen
earned AII-MIAC
honors in 1999. A
business administration
major with a3.7 grade-
point average, Schwalen has earned MIAC
Academic All-Conference Honor Roll
honors tl-iree times, as well as earning
Dean's List honors each semester. He has
earned Verizon Academic All-DistricL
honors his last two seasons, inclr-rding firstteam honors this year.
Ryan Mclntosh-A four-time AII-MIAC
first-team selection in men's hockey, he
earned All-America honors his fi"eshman
year; he was MIAC Player of the Week fÌve
times and U.S. College Hockey Onllne
National Player of the Week twice. He
made his prolessional debut in April wÌth
the Quad Clty Mallards of the Unired
Hockey League bclorc retulning to
Augsburg to finlsh his biology studies. I
,4ucssunc
Now
9
most stuclents and many
faculty are
^way
for the
surnmer, the Augsburg
campus is far frorn quiet. Many younger students
spend time here-learning how to build Lego
robots, how to wrestle, studying the life of
Monarch butterflies, and playing 1oß of music. A
number of conferences also take place that bring
GEMS (Girls
church groups, international church leaders, and
advanced placement teachers to campus. Here are
some snapshots from summer 2001:
SuUMER
in
Engineering, Mathematics,
and Science)-Augsburg's summer portion
of a Minneapolis Public Schools program
that brings 100 young girls, grades 4-12, to
campus to explore problem-solving projects,
opportunities to present their work, and
ongoing mentoring.
II\ THE CtrY...
AT AIJGSBI]RG
E'
.;t
WRESTLING CAMP-800 elementary through
high school wrestlers attended two week-long
clinics, taught by world and Olympic champion
wrestler John 5mith.
<::
:
ADVANCED PLACEMENT INSTITUTE-Over 100 high school,
middle school, and junior high teachers spent a week honing
their skills in teaching advanced placement courses.
=
'õ
I:-.,:
il
LUTHERAN SUMMER MUSIC CAMP-160 high
school students from across the U.S. spent four
weeks in a musical and spiritual community,
taught by more than 60 faculty and staff.
GET READY!-A week-long camp for 4th-6th graders
from families with little college background. to learn
computer-driven Lego robotics projects, hosted by
Augsburg's library and information technology
department.
SunnuER IN THE CITY...
=:iil:i:l
!
I
I
g
7
,
F
)'
ti
II
i i:::-=-:
j- ¡lú¡!a
ÞÉ!
¡fo
ugsburg College's 23-ocre compus is bordered by on interstote highwoy on one
fuA
ff
äside, ond o mojor city ovenue on the other. This enclosure, combined with the
presence of Murphy Squore, Minneopolis's oldest pork, gives the compus q smolhown
feel, despite ils urbon oddress. Collecied here ore imoges of Augsburg in the summer,
when the compus's beouty provides q colorful bockdrop for reflection qnd relqxotion.
Ë
o
o
h
s.
hs'
N
Mihe Habennantt
ew benches ond flowers provide o respite ond ploce for
reflection (quite literolly) on lhe new Poutz Plozo in front
of Melby Holl (below)
o
o
Fall 2001
6'
ts
o.
"1) O Elements," o sculpture by Henry Londe, wos o gift to the
LColl"g" from Honeywell, lnc. lt wos dedicoted in memory of
'-:+è;'>=--
Ronold K. Speed, vice president for public offoirs ot Honeywell
ond o regent ot Augsburg.
:
w)
Pcntl
Tallq
Êi
m
TTIR{G
D ll.t
H
o
N
kH
t
rom miles oround, the Augsburg logo is now visible on
F the top of Mortensen Holl, thonks to the generosity of
the Lelond Sundet fomily, the Closs of I 999, ond Chuck
Gobrielson'ZZ (deceosed).
l:ãltl¡rdr]
,4ucssunc
Now t5
THE APARTME
CAh4PLJS LTVI
FOR TODAY'S STI]DET\
S
by Judy
n
fl
o
s.
New Hall, which opened in 1999, establíshes
the western edge of Augsburg's campus and
is designed to complement the surrounding
neighborhood.
:
[-t emember what dorm room living was like 10, 20, 30 years
]</ ago-small, cramped rooms that you shared with a roommate
I\tJr two!), setting your alarm cloci< an hour earlier than everyone
eìse on the floor so you didn't have to wait in line to use the shower,
and eating every meal in the school cafeteria? While you still may see
the last remains of the old dorm room style of living, it is more likely
you will see a ne\M style of residence life on college campuses. Like the
legendary phoenix, student housing is risìng fresh and young from the
ashes of its former seif. Resident living on college campuses is evolving
to meet the changing life styles ol today's students, and Augsburg
College is at the cLrtting edge of this rebìrth.
The idea to build a new type ol housing at Augsburg in order to
:
:,
-
.ji
i:1il
drj'l'
r1l!i
iji
arrracr and retain students actually began back in I972-73 with the
construction of Mortensen Hall. Students were involved from the
planning stage on and said they did not want dormitory rooms. Rather,
they wanted apartment-style living, where they couÌd be more
independent. The building, a l5-story high rise, has 13 residential
floors, each with four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom
apartments-a total of 104 apartments housing 312 students.
Kari (Eklund) Logan, a 1982 graduate, said that one of ihe reasons
she chose to attend Augsburg was in part because of Mortensen.
"There were no other prìvâte colleges at that time with on-campus
apartments," Logan said.
In 1993, Augsburg went a step further i,vith the construction of
Anderson Hall, which contains one-person suites; four-person
apartments; eight-person, two-story townhouses, and l5-person
lloorhouses, which allow students in various interest groups or
academic majors to live together.
16
,4ucssuRcNow
Fall 2001
Norv, Augsbrtrg has gone )'er anorher
step i,vith the operring rwo )/ears ago of
Ner'r,Hall (not ¡'et nar.r.recl). This housrng
complex olfers studenrs state-of-the-art
heating and air conditionìng, plr-rs lull
secllnt)r It features
ba1' windor,vs, nìne-
foot ceillngs, kitchens, and nnclergrouncl
parking. The br,rilding is fr-rlly ri lred
throughor-rt lor present and anticipated
l
I
needs
in computel technology.
Sorne
apartments e\¡en come lurnished.
David Graham, prÌncipal partner of
Elness Slvenson Graharn Architects, Inc.,
and a national expert on trends in
student housing, is one ol the deslgners
ol this new hall. He said that neighbors
lir,ing nearby like the Ìdea ol a
residential building defining the edges of
campus.
Neli, Ha1l was placed at the campus
edge to gil'e a leeling of off-campus
living, yet stil1 be close enough so
students can participate in academic ar-rc1
extracurricular activities and part-time
jobs. They have the option to sign fullyear leases, rnaking them true residents
of the nelghborhood. The ph1'siç¿l le6L
for the neighborhood was kept in mincl
when choosing the building materials,
which include residentiall), scalecl
elements, such as brick, stucco, and
architectural nretal.
C(ìl¡
t(
Elness Sr,r'enson
Graharn (ESG)
Architects are also
responsible for the
renovation ol
Sverdrup Hall,
clesign of the ner,v
Paulson Atrium-
Link, and the
upclating of the
Augsburg Campus
It4aster Plan,
oi
lvhich housing Ìs a
key part.
ESG's goal is to
der,elop student
L
S
E'
Tim Elness'89 (right) and David Graham (left) were part of the
Elness Swenson Graham architectural team that designed New
Hall as an apartment-style residence hall to encourage juniors
and seniors to stay on campus.
housing that focuses
on creating an academic village and
url:an diversit;', ¡¡. strengths ol the
College. "We'r'e beer-r tracking Augsburg
College for slx to se\¡en years, and
Augsburg has consistently been
exploring how to get more iuniors and
seniors to sta)¡ on campus," Graharn
saicl. "The goal has been to increase this
number and continue creating a high
quality ol lile to make the campus a
Iiving/learning village.
"lti r unique experience to come to
school and at the same tìrne har,e access
to all the amenities the clties have to
offer," Graham continued. "Augsburg
uses the Ti,vin Cities as a classroom and
an extension of its academic programs."
He saìd the1, þ¿.'. been researching
national trends in student housing ar-rc1
Augsburg is at the leading edge.
Research proves that rvhen a student
lives on campus all four years, they
pârticipate more in extracurricular
activÌties, develop more lasting
iriendships with classmates,
consistently earn higher grades, and are
more llkely to complete their degrees
successfully. Older students become
mentors to underclassmen, whlch
ultirnately impror,es the over-all college
experience.
Obviousl;', this plan has worked at
Augsburg. Ann Klarner, director of
residence life, saÌd that about 50 to 60
percent of Augsburg's da1, popuiation
s\' ¡rl'ESG Ari hilr'r ts
Elness Swenson Graham Architects are working with
Augsburg to develop a long-range master plan for the
Augsburg campus. Here, the concept of a student residence
quad gives the atmosphere of a neighborhood square.
Fall 2001
.4ucsnunc uow
17
tIt
H
H
FTJTURE TRENDS åN
RNSTNEI\ CE LTFT:
According to Graham, a ke;' lactor in
higher eclucation cnrrently' shaping
calnpus planning is the need to replace
physicalll' ancl fr,rnctionally obsolete
resiclential strllctlrres. lr4uch of the
housing ri'as built in the 1950s ancl
1960s ancl sirnpll, no longer meets the
U
J
Some of the apartments in New Hall feature large corner windows and
spacious ceiling heights.
to a Ló percent higher
retention rate, partly due to the addition ol Ner,v Hall.
For Klamer, the value in residential lii,ing lies in the
opportunlties lo¡ students to siudy, plal', 11'e¡51-rip, and grou'
togelher. Augsburg Sen-rinar, the lreshman orientation
program, bases i¡s academic and extracurricular experiences
for lreshmen around the floor groups in Urness Hall.
nor,v ln'es on cal-rìpus, leading
Tim Elness, Elness Swenson Graham's director ol
development ancl a 1989 Augsburg graduate, r'vho was
invoh'ed in the planning oi New Hall, said that being an
alum has enabled him to brìng an rnsider's perspective into
the project.
"We wantecl to ìncrease a sense of place and encourage
junlor
the
and senior students to stay on campus," Elness
saicl. "Hower¡er, we don't wanl to do away with the
freshrnan experience ol dorm 1ife. That experience creates a
collegiate atmosphere."
Elness lived on camplls u'hen the "houses" lvere
still
a
part ol the living experience. For more than three clecades,
upperclass students could choose to live in a number of
residential houses on streets
surrounding the campus.
Manl' of the fondest alumni
memories and lifelong
lriendships developed as
students who livecl together
Happo
in the houses.
needs ol contelrporarl' sluclents.
Graham sees higher educatÌon
movir-rg tou'arcl increasÌr'rg the number
of resiclential students ancl a greater
\'.ìriet)' ol resitlential trppoltrrnities in
apartment-style living ollered to them
ftom lreshnlan through senior 1'earli,ithout the need [o commu[e. The
qualitl' oI r'esidential expcrience a
college or unir,ersity can offer r'i,ill be a
significant factor in student recruÌ[rng.
Features ol resiclential livrng that
Grahan-r envisions include stucly l-ralls
with a 24-hour "cyber café" r'vhere
laptops can be plugged in lrom any
location. The trend, he addecl, is lor
computer accessibility throughout
buildings, thus lessening the need lor
special computer 1abs. He also sees
more fitness centers, "grab and go" food
stores, and "lir,lng/learning" spaces. I
-Judy
Petree is n'tedie relatiotls nlanager.
G¡rls Drcam
Concerns for salety and
cost of maintenance were ihe
major factors that led to a
phasing out of house ìiving
as new residence halls u,ere
bui1t. N4an;' ol the l-rouses
have since been razecl to
make lvay for nerv College
buildings.
"The houses r,vorked r,vell
because they u'ere pliable,
ancl that is hou' the ner'r, hall
t:t"l
,:i.
works," sald Elness.
18
-,'IUCS¡URC ruOW
q
Homecoming was an opportunity for the various houses to compete for
decorating honors. Here, the Kappa House girls show off their Peanuts cartoon
motif at Homecoming festivities during the 1960s.
Fall
2O01
By Amy Funk'03
Testins
I
vocal abilitv is
'
stand"ard fn. ,.'.,
student interested ín
slnging in Augsburg's
choirs, but vocal skills
testing for a band
member? While his
students were often
surprised, it made sense
to Mayo Savold, who
first tested students'
vocal ability before
hearing their
instrumental skills in an
audition.
A. Mayo Savold,
director of the Augsburg
College Band from 1952
until 1973, believed
that singing helped
band performers
appreciate instrumental
tone and balance.
"It was part of his
music philosophy-if
you can't sing, you can't
play a musical
instrument,"
says
Stephen "Gabe"
Gabrielsen'63,
professor of music at
Augsburg who was a
student of Savold's and
also taught with him.
Audiences weten't surprised during
concerts when band members belted
out a song, using their vocal cords
rather than instruments. Mayo Savold's
group became widely known as "the
singing band."
Besides turning band members into
vocalists, Savold made numerous other
contributions in the field of music,
helping establish the instrumental
department at Augsburg. Teaching and
conducting led Savold to innovations in
training and placement of instruments
in concert setting-ideas that became
widely known for improving the clarity
and unity of sound.
Savoid was born in Maddock,
N.Dak., in 1915, and by 1937 he was
ready for college life at Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa. Savold majored in
history and music, he directed
numerous choir and bands while in
co11ege, a small preview of what was to
come.
Soon after graduating from Luther,
Savold married Melba Woyen and
served in the U.S. Army from 1942-46.
Even war \Masn't enough to stop Savold's
love for music. At one time, he was
assigned to General MacArthur's
headquarters and conducted the
Headquarters Chapel Choir. \n 1944,
Savold brought Christmas to those in
the war. Via radio, he presented a
concert that was broadcast to fighting
fronts across the world. Through a
bombing raid and combat conditions,
Savold directed the choir and continued
with the performance. MacArthur is
reported to have said that if all fighting
men had the courage of these singers,
there would be nothing to worry about
for the rest of the war.
After military service, Savold taught
and directed music in a safer work
environment at Glenwood High School.
His success with the band and choir
there led to hls recruitment by
Augsburg College ín 1952 to do the
same here.
During his first yeat at Augsburg,
Savold developed the band from 28
members to a 55-piece organization that
became recognized natì.onally as one of
the best. Especially noted by audiences
was the precise, professional quality of
playing-something quite unique for a
college band of that time. Savold also
served as associate professor of music
and director of the Augsburg Repertoire
Band.
at Augsburg, Mayo Savold built the
into a nationally-respected musical
Fall 200f
,4ucssuncNow
19
!
travel by bus ovcr the Alaskan Highway.
Anolher famons tollr was the Jol-rn
F Iiennedy memorial toLrr in 196'1, to
tl-re late presrclent who was a strong
slrpporter ol tl-re arts. Mayo Savolcl later
hacl the honor- ol prcsenting a recorcling
flon] thal tour lo altorncy general
Robcrt
F. I(ennccly.
Savolcl retlred
tn I977 alter
25
)'e¡rs ol servicc at Augsburg ancl
I983 after a lengthy illtress.
t )n ()l tohcl' I ì. dLrring
-,4 râ
Music students spoke about the ability of Mayo Savold to inspire musical
self-expression and encourage their leadership skills.
Robert Stacke '71, current
band director and c1-rair ol the
Augsburg music department, was a
stuclent of Savold's in the late '60s
and never envisioned that he
rvoulcl follow in his footsteps.
"I highly respected him,"
Stacke says. "He really did so
much for this coilege. He
motivated us and iet us come to
the foreground wher-r we had
something to offer."
Savold was careful not to 1et
his group prodr,rction be mass
production. His desire was that
playrng in the Augsburg College
Band should lnspire the greatest
ptrssible indivitlrral parl i( il)atiorì,
sel l-dìsciplinc. rnd sel l-ex¡ression.
Str"essing that individuals believe
1n iheir abilities and take
leadership roles allowed Stacke to
start lhe jazz program while still a
college sludent.
Colleagr"res of Savold say that
he could rnspire any student
displaying even the slightest abilÌty
to play. His charm and inlectious
sense of humor were enolÌgh io
captÌvate students lo jorn band. "He
always had a sparkle in his eye," says
Gabrielsen. "He was always telling
funny stories" and had a "marvelous
abrlity to lead students."
Savold was also
l<norvn for his
famous band tours
throughout the
Upper Midwest and
c1iccl
in
l{omecoming ancl Family Week 2001,
jazz ancl concert hand mcmbers from
the last 40 years are invitecl to gather at
a leunion and concert ln tribute to
Mayo Savold. Bring lnstruments for a
proglam ol continental breakfast,
rehearsal, ancl a concert to be presenled
et Ìl a.m. in Hoversten Chapel. For
adclitional information, see the
Homecomrng brochure clr call thc
alumni/parent relatlons office at
612-330-1178 or 1-800-260-6590
-Amy
Funh'03 is o jtu'tior majorLng
in
English.
a
l,
!
west. One "exotic"
trip came in 1960
when the Ar"rgsburg
College Band was
chosen as the official
bancl of the Alaskan
Music Festival.
After a sllmmer
tour throughout
Canada and Alaska,
the band presentecl
the opening concert
celebrating the first
year of Alaskan
statehood. This band
lvas also the first
college band to
After the band tour in memorial to John F. Kennedy, band director
Mayo Savold presented the tour recording to then-attorney general
Robert
F.
Kennedy.
Jazz and concert band al umni
Bring your ¡nstruments and play ¡n the tr¡bute concert to Mayo Savold at Homecoming on October 13;
see the Homecoming brochure for more detai¡s.
20
,4ucssunc f{ow
Fall 2001
tl I
From the Alumni Board president's desk ¡.,
I
I
recentlv
utr.,ld"d
o
memorial service
for a member of
our Alumni
Board, Chuck
(râbnelson '/ /
Among his many
accomplishments
were those that
supported and served Augsburg College. I
saw the impact one individual can have on
an institution and in people's lives.
However, I think Chuck would have been
the first to say that no one can do it alone.
This ìs the paradox for our Alumni
Association as we begin a new year: to
make a difference as individuals, yet
recognize we cannot do it alone.
Individually we can recruit ner.v students;
contribute resources to sustain the students,
faculty, staff, and facilities, and speak about
Augsbury to our neighbors across the
country so Augsburg's quality education is
no longer a well-kept secret.
The other side of the paradox prompts
us to join with others to nurture our alumni
community. Think about hosting a
gathering of Auggies in your town-we'll
help you with the event. Or plan now to
attend actir.ities on campus-such as
Homecoming-and bring along your
classmates from years ago.
As your new president, l'11 be working
Paul Mueller'84, Bill Vandenvall'93 WEC,
and Jan Marie Voelker '90.
I hold trvo degrees from Augsburg: a
bachelor's in education ('69) and a master's
in leadership ('94). The long-term value of
my degrees-and yours-is contingent on
Augsburç continued success and
reputation. Individually and together we
can support the College as iI continues to
ser\¡e us today through the degrees we
hold, and through alumni opportunities for
connecting with old and new friends.
with the board and staff to build
connections between aìumnì and the
Augsburg community, communicate with
new regional chapters, organize alumni
events, and recognize alumni
accomplishments. We have talented and
enthusiastic new members joining the
Ø+u-*
Jackie (Kniefel) Lind '69, '94 MAL
President, Alumni Board
board: Susan (Horning) Arntz '94, Paul
Fieldhammer'65, Lisa (Svac) Hawks '85,
Rob LaFleur'80, Terry Marquardt '98 WEC,
Strommen family honored w¡th new award
à uesburs announces the creation ol a
fl."* award, the Distinguished Service
Award, which will be given annually to the
College's "formative families"- families who
have made substantial and continuing
contributions to Augsburg.
This year, the ar'vard goes io the
$trommen family, and will be presentecl
during Homecoming festivities in October.
The Rev. Peter Andre'"v Sirommen
(a.k.a. PA.) was aûìong the first ol four
generations of Strommens to attencl
Augsburg. A graduate from Augsburg
Seminary in 1913, he rvas a parish minister
in a downtor,in-r Seattle church until 1934,
r,vhen his cleep love of the College brought
him and hìs wrfe, Nellie (Framstad), back to
Minnesota so ¡heir lour sons, Abner '38,
Lu¡her '39, Merlon '42, and Clair '46, couid
attend his alma mater. His clevotion to the
College didni end there. In the late 1930s he
took the only savings he had and gave it to
Augsburg.
To date, more than 30 rnernbers of the
extended Stromrnen famìly have attended.
This is a truly unique family Augsburgs
motto, "Education for Sen ice," defines the
grandchildren. The Strommen lamilies have
been major contributors to Augsburg in all
aspects, and what they have achieved
Strommen family-starting with PA.
Strommen and all the way down to his great-
through their vocations has affected
thousands of people.
U
\s
J
At Homecoming in October, Augsburg will present a new award, the Distinguished
Service Award, to the Strommen family, which has included more than 3O graduates.
Pictured, left to right: Gladys (Boxrud) '46 and Clair Strommen '46 (deceased, see page
3O); Merton '42 and A. trene (Huglen) '43 Strommen; and Helen and Luther'39
Strommen.
Fall 2001
,4ucssunc
Now
21
Alumni News
Seven alumni appointed to Alumni Board
by Lynn Mena
f
Paul Mueller'84
he Augsburg Alumni Board of
Dir..torr appointed seven new
members and elected Jackie (I(niefel) Lind
'69 ('94 MAL) as president and Andy
Morrison'73 as president-elect. The new
members are as follows:
I
Susan (Horning)
Paul Mueller
graduated from
Augsburg in 1984
with a B.A. in
chemistry. He is a
physician at the
Arntz'94
r
Mayo Clinic.
New ass¡stant
director joins
AIumni/Parent
Relations
Ia n lulv.t' Amanda
^' ...lornecl
I sumrnskl
Susan Arntz
graduated from
BillVanderwall'93 WEC
Augsburg in 1994
with
a B.A.
in
political science.
She is city manager
graduated from
Augsburg Weekend
for the City of
Waconia, Minn.
College in 1993
with a B.A. in
Lisa (Svac) Hawks'85
communication. He
is the social service
director at Lutheran
Lisa Hawks
graduated from
Augsburg in 1985
with a B.A. in
Social Services.
Jan Marie Voelker'90
Jan Marie Voelker
graduated from
Augsburg in 1990
with a B.A. in
Musicland/Best Buy.
communication.
She is a customer
Rob LaFleur'80
category manager at
Kraft Foods in
Eden Prairie, Minn.
Rob LaFleur
graduated from
Augsburg in 1980
with a B.A. in
business
specialist in
Augsburg's Office of Public Relations and
Communication, Suminski will oversee the
Class Agent Program, the Parents
Association, Homecoming planning and
other special event planning, and more.
Suminski received a B.A. in
communications from the University of
North Dakota in Grand Forks, where she
was a leader in student, alumni, and
parent programming. She has worked as
volunteer at several Augsburg alumni
a
events.
ñf.Tilr¡rtNZ
DISCOVER NORWEGIAN TREASURES AND HERITAGE
administration/
accounting. He is
an attorney at
Chestnut 6¡ Cambronne PA. in
Minneapolis.
Join President and Mrs. William V Frame and Professor Frankie Shackelford
on a journey through Norway in the summer of 2002. This l2-day tour
program features five nights on the world-famous Norwegian coastal voyage,
sailing south from the "top of Norway" to Bergen. The tour has very few spaces
remaining; call the alumnl office at 612-330-1178 or
t-800-260-6590 for more information.
Terry Marquardt'98 WEC
Terry Marquardt graduated from Augsburg
Weekend College in 1998 with a B.A. in
business administration/
management. She is manager of sales
and planning operations for 3M's
22,4UCSm¡nCruOW
assistant director.
Formerly a
communications
communication.
She is the
communications
director at
medical businesses.
the Office of
AlumniÆarent
Relations as its new
Bill Vanderwall
Upcoming Norway Tour Information Meeting "Are Norwegians Europeans?"
A look at the cultural and political situatlon of Norway in the context of the
European Union and the factors that unite and divide the citrzens of Norway
September 30, 2-4 p.m.
ù
.
Marshail Room, Christensen Center
RSVP required; please caII one of the numbers listed above.
Fall 2OOl
l-
AUGSBURG
""QPrå.dB.
Homecoming and Family Week 2001
Augsburg on Parade
I
Monday, Oct.8
Saturdav Oct. 13
.
.
.
.
An Evening with Maya Angelou
Wednesday, Oct. f 0
.
Augsburg Associates Annual Fall
Luncheon
Thursday, Oct. l1
.
.
Flamenco Dance Performance
International Student Alumni
-
Variety Show 6r Coronation
.
.
.
.
Gathering
.
.
Fridav, Oct. 12
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Class
of 1951 Registration 6r
Continental Breakfast
Homecoming Chapel 6l
Community Time, featuring the world
premiere ol The Word Became Flesh, a
new choral piece by Norwegian
composer Knut Nystedt
Class of 1951 Luncheon
The Living History of Augsburg (with
professors emeriti Carl Chrislock '37
and Philip Thompson)
Campus Tour
CLASS Program Homecoming Reunion
Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
Fall 20Of
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
5K Mississippi Run/Walk
Registration 6¡ Continental Breakfast
Concert Band &. Jazz Band Alumni
Reunion and Concert
Business Administration Department
Reunion
Open House at the Augsburg House
Campus Tour
The Living History of Augsburg
(with professors emeriti Carl Chrislock
'37 and Philip Thompson)
Nursing Alumni Brunch
SWAN (Social Work Alumni Network)
Brunch
Urness Hall Floor Reunions
Pan-Afrikan Alumni-Student Basketball
Game
Campus Tour
Picnic in the Park
Augsburg Parade
English Alumni Luncheon 6t Reading
Homecoming Football Game vs.
Macalester College
Lindell Library Tour
Campus Tour
Book Signing & Reading
(Bill Halverson'51, Edvard Gneg:
Diañes, Articles, and Speeches)
.
Homecoming Social
.
Dinner
Fifth Annual M. Anita Gay
6ø
Hawthorne Jazz 6z Poetry
.
.
.
.
Bash
Class of 1951 Reunion
Class of 1961 Reunion
ClasS
ol1976 Reunion
Class of 1991 Reunion
Sundav Oct. 14
.
.
Worship Service
Heritage Society
Recognition Brunch
Consult the Homecoming 200
1
for additional
information, or call
612-330-1178 or
1-800-260-6590.
brochure
,4ucsnunc
now
23
AUGSBURG
"" Q9TE.ETE
Four named as 20Ol Distinguished Alumni
by Lynn Mena
our alumni join 155 others as Distinguished Alumni of Augsburg College. Recipients are recognized for
significant achievement in their vocations and outstanding contributions to church and community,
through years of preparation, experience, dedication, exemplary character, and service.
!
f
George S. Dahlman'72
Burton R. Fosse'44
Kathleen D. Lake'76
Neal O. Thorpe'60
George Dahlman graduated
from Augsburg in 1972 with a
B.A. in mathematics.
He is a managing director
and a senior research anaþt at
U.S. Bancorp PiperJalfray in
Burton Fosse was educated at
Augsburg and the University
of Minnesota, where he
received his B.S. in
Neal Thorpe graduated from
Augsburg in 1960 with a B.A.
in chemistry and mathematics.
He earned his Ph.D. in
physiological chemistry from
the University of Wisconsin-
Minneapolis, specializing in
food and agribusiness.
Nationally recognized for his
perceptive anaþis, Dahlman
is a chartered financial analyst
and has been named a Wall
Street Journal All-Star Anaþt
in 1953 and served
Kathleen Lake graduated from
Augsburg in 1976 with a B.A.
in biology and chemistry. She
earned her B.S. and doctorate
degrees in pharmacy from the
University o[ Minnesota.
She is director of clinical
research and transplant
therapeutics at the University
of Michigan Medical Center;
senior associate research
scientist in the medicine and
surgery departments at the
University of Michlgan
Medical School; and clinical
professor at the University of
Michigan College of Pharmacy.
Actively involved in
numerous professional
organizations, Lake is an
extensively published author
who is sought to serve on
editorial boards and to act as
reviewer for professional
journals. She has received
been an active member of
several congregations and
professional organizations, and
has received many honors and
awards, including an Honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters
from Rocky Mountain College
four times.
At his congregation, Faith
Lutheran Church in Coon
Rapids, Minn., Dahlman is
dedicated to the work of its
Global Mission Committee,
and has served as president of
the congregation and on
numerous committees.
When the ELCA was
established, Dahlman was
elected to the first Augsburg
College Board of Governors
from the Minneapolis Area
Synod, sewing for four years.
He has also served as chair of
Augsburg's Heritage Society
Advisory Committee.
24,4UCSnUnCruOW
engineering.
He returned to Augsburg
as vice
president for business and
finance for more than 25
years. Driven by wide-rangrng
passion and vision, Fosse
played a major role in the
College's growth and
development. He supervised
the building of 13 projects and
was a significant contributor
and peacemaker in the
development of the CedarRiverside neighborhood.
Fosse served for several
years on the Burnsville School
Board, headed literacy
programs in Bonita Springs,
Fla., and has been an active
member in several
congregations. He is the owner
of Burton's Frame Shop and
president of Picture Framers of
America.
many awards and honors,
including the prestigious
Hallie Bruce Memorial Lecture
Award from the Minnesota
Society of Hospital
Pharmacists for her
contributions to the growth
and development of the
pharmacy practice.
Madison.
Following his
distinguished academic career,
which included22 years
as an
Augsburg biology professor,
Thorpe began a second career
in philanthropy at MJ.
Murdock Charitable Trust in
Vancouver, Wash. As executive
director and trustee, Thorpe
has advanced its reputation as
the leading private charitable
foundation in the Pacific
Northwest.
In addition to numerous
articles and papers, Thorpe is
the author of CellBiolog Qohn
Wiley and Sons, 1984). He has
in Billings, Mont.
Fall 2O01
Alumni and friends named as First Decade
and Spirit of Augsburg award recipients
bylynnMena
f, ugsburg is pleased to announce the 2001 recipients of the second annual First Decade and Spirit of Augsburg awards.
|ll fn. First Decade Award is presented to Augsburg graduates of the past l0 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. Graduates from the day, weekend, and graduate programs are eligible.
The Spirit of Augsburg Award honors alumni and friends of the College who have given exceptional service which contributes
substantially to the well being of Augsburg by furthering its purposes and programs.
DanielC. H¡ll'9f WEC
Lisa (Carlson) Sackreiter'95
As an IT
project leader
at GE Capital
Fleet Services
in Eden
After three
Prairie, Minn.,
service at the
Hill oversaw the company's
Y2K conversion for its systems
in North America and Mexico.
ln appreciation for his efforts,
he was awarded the company's
Circle of Excellence Award. He
has hosted four foreign
exchange students and donates
much of his time to hls church
and community.
Colleen K. Watson'91 MAL
involvement
Watson is cofounder and
CEO of Career
with
Professionals,
years of
community
Blake Upper School in
Minneapolis, Sackreiter was
selected as the school's first
PK-12 community service
coordinator. In addition to
expandrng the program, she
created and supervised service-
leaming activities with teachers
at all levels. She is co-class
agent for the Class of 1995.
an employment
placement service that has
established itself as the top
entry-level agency in the lvin
Cities area for recent college
graduates. She is a member of
the Alumni Board, past
president of the Alumni
Association, and a key player
behind both Augsburg's Career
Roundtable and the first
Kristin (Dragseth)
Wiersma'9f
Wiersma is
vice president
for marketing
and sales for
Seraphim
Communications, a media production
company Her passion to "pass
on the faith" is evident in her
extensive outreach endeavors,
aided by her remarkable talent
to connect with people of all
ages and backgrounds.
AlumniJob Fair.
Marolyn (Sortland)'51 and
William Halvorson'51
The
Halvorsons
have
developed
five
scholarships
in their
children's
The
Associates
The Augsburg Associates are made up of alumni, friends, faculty, and
staffwho generously donate their time and energlr to raise money for
the College. Contributions have included the organ in Hoversten
Chapel and renovation of Foss Center's Green Room and Christensen
Center's Marshall and Augsburg Rooms. They also raised money to
help build Lindell Library and established a scholarship for current
students. The photo above is from VelkommenJul, their popular
holiday event.
Fall 2001
names. In addition, it was
through their professional
contacts that the music
department was able to finally
is Scandinavian music
collection and acquire the
collected works of Grieg and
Kjerulf. MoreoveE they recently
commissioned a new work by
Iftrut Nystedt for the Augsburg
Choir to premiere at
Homecoming 2001.
evaluate
Marie McNeff
McNeff retired
last year after
completing 30
years of
service to the
College as a
professor of education,
ffi
director of faculty
development, dean of the
College, and academic master
planner. Her willingness to
think beyond traditional
boundaries and take calculated
risks serves well as a model for
the Augsburg community Her
commitment to the mission of
the College-even after
retirement-embodies the
spirit of Augsburg.
4ucsnuncnow
2s
-
a
o
1942
Merton
Volunteer
Service Award.
P.
Strommen,
Richfield,
Minn.,
published a new
book,
Th¿
Church €¡
H omo s exuality :
Se
ar ching
fo r a
Middle Ground (Kirk House
Publishers). The product of three
years' research, his book presents
a middle ground between
condemnatlon and rejection of
gays and lesbians in the church,
and adoption of what he terms the
The award
honors her
contributions to
Hennepin park
as a raptor
surveyor, deer watch interpreter,
blue bird monitor, and for her
service at a variety of nature center
programs and events.
1
968
The Rev. Mark
5. Hanson,
Minneapolìs,
was elected the
"militant gay agenda."
r
9s3
Rhoda Carlstedt, Kissimmee, Fla.,
retumed to the U.S. in December
1998, after living in Papua, New
Guinea, for 37 years. Before settling
in Kissimmee, she spent time
visiting fúends and family in
Australia and throughout the U.S.
third presiding
bishop of the
ELCA to
succeed retiring presiding bishop
George Anderson. Hanson will be
installed on Oct. 6.
Carolyn
(Hanson)
Schildgen,
Northbrook,
f 960
Ill., retired after
Judy (Johnson) Peterson,
32 years of
Bloomington, Minn., was one of
six recipients of the Hennepin Park
District's 2001 Distinguished
teachìng high
school Spanish at Highland Park
High School in suburban Chicago.
Her career included a Golden
A.pple Award nomination and
various district awards for
teaching excellence. Professional
development opportunities
allowed her to live and study in
Spain, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa
Rica, and Argentina.
1972
Calif., received his associate's
degree in computer and
informat ion sciences-network
administration from Solano
Community Junior College in
Fairfield. He also recently earned
certification as a Microsoft.
Certified Professional and a
Certified Novell Administrator. In
his spare time he is an avid
amateur bowler and within the
Iast year rolled his third
sanctioned 300 game and his first
800 three-game series. Both
accomplishments are listed in the
St. Louis Bowling Hall o[ Fame.
Awarded to Augsburg College alumni in recognitìon of slgnificant
achlevement in vocation, fo¡ outstanding contribution to church and
communit¡ and for a life that exemplifies the ideals and mission of
Augsburg College. Augsburg alumni (graduates and non-graduates)
are eligible.
eVau Ø **
Barbara (Shirley) Steinhauser,
Fine Arts in Writing for Children
degree from Vermont College in
Jul¡r She can be reached via e-mail
at <flamelin3T@aol.com>.
Jerome Rokke, Minneapolis,
received a master's degree in
management from the University
of St. Thomas in May; he works
for IBM Global Services.
1978
P.
Dawn (Heil) Taylor,
1979
Jeffrey
urLL
aú"rr,¿
Awarded to Augsburg College graduates of the past 10 years who have
made significant progress in their professional achievements and
contributions to the community, and in so dolng exemplify the
mission of the College: to nurture future leaders in service to
the world.
F.
Swenson,
Minneapolis,
Lutheran
East Lansdowne,
Brotherhood's
flight attendant
with Northwest Airlines since
1975. She and her husband,
2000-01
Lutheran College Coach of the
in identifying members of the Augsburg
t/aør/rt/.,,,f aø"'*r,¿
Honors Augsburg alumni and friends of the College who have given
exceptionaÌ service that contributes substantiaÌly to the well being of
the College by furthering its purposes and programs. Alumni, friends,
faculty, staff, and groups who have served the College are eligible.
Please take a few moments to consider
aøhn
Des
Moines, Iowa, received a doctorate
degree in education from Drake
University. She can be reached via
e-mail at <dawn@taylorball.com>.
was named
Pa., has been a
aryr¿.-r
-year-old
Parker, Colo., received a Master of
1975
Olando Smith,
7
1976
Dean C. Anderson, Fairfield,
The Augsburg College Alumni Association Awards and Recognition Committee seeks your assistance
community to be consìdered for recognition.
Ø^a^y"*Ll aøt/n¿r'o aøt".r,¿
Daniel Sweeney, have a
daughter, Narita.
from among your friends
those who might be honored for these awards. Your nominations and
build these important programs
to celebrate the accomplishments of the Augsburg community.
suggestions are critical in helping to
To make a
nomination online, go to:
www. augsburg. edu./alumni./nomfo¡m
To receive a nomination packet, contact:
Office of AlumniÆarent Relations . Phone: 612-330-1178 or 1-800-260-6590 . Fax: 612-330-1499
E-mail: alumni@augsburg.edu . Web site: www.augsburg.edu./alumni
The deadline Jor nominations Jor 2002 is March 15, 2002.
26
,4UCS¡URC ruOW
Fall 2001
)
m
Making history from history
bywendyErorson
o
e
ã'
Sisters Gracia Grindal '65 and LaRhae (Grindal) Knatterucl'70 have several sharecl interests: both
are Augsburg graduates rvho have ren-rained very connected to therr alma mater, both have a
tremendous faith as well as a great appreciatron for Lutheran traclition; and both love music.
s
û
with the prodr-tction of Luthtr, an
interactive musical that highlights the ex[raordinary life of Martin Lr-rther (see story on page 5 for
more rnformation).
These shared interests have resulted rn their clua1 involvement
In October, Luther wIlI make its North American, Engllsh-language premrere at Central Lutheran
Church in Minneapolis, ancl will leature Ar-rgsburg's Masterwor]<s Chorale and singers frorn the
Finnish National Opera. The musical is the centerpiece of Luther Seminary's Reformation Festival,
an annual event created by Gracia for the purpose of strengthenlng the connection between LuLheran Gracia Grindal '65 collaborated with
Kari Tikka, the director and composer
colleges and Lhe seminary.
o'f Luther, an interactive musical about
Gracia, a recipient of Augsburg's Disringuished Alumna Award, is a professor of rhetoric at Luther
Seminary She is also an accomplished poet and hymn translator. She had collaborated with Karl
Tikka, the clirector and composer onLuther, prior to hls compositron of this par[Ìcular opelâ.
the Iife of Martin Luthet which will
make its North American, Englishlanguage premiere at Central Lutheran
Church in Minneapolis in October,
The idea of doing the play emerged from one of Tikka's personal experiences. According to Gracia,
Tikka, like Lr-rther, "experienced the understanding of the unconditional love of God alter he had been troubled by his conscience." Interestingly,
Gracia encouraged Tikka to shape his idea of a play about Martin Luther's life into a reality She attended the premrere of Luther in Helsinki, and
eventr-rally helped Trkka translate the opera into an English vetsron.
LaRhae, a planning director for the Minnesota Departrnent of Human Services's aging inltiative, majored rn rnnsic at Augsburg ancl will showcase
her singing taler-rt in Luther as a member of the Augsburg Masterworks Chorale. The interactive aspect of the opera will consist of the
Mastenvorks Chorale and the Finnish National Opera prrncrpals leading the congregation in singing several Martin
Ltrther hyrnns, inclr-rdìng Out oJ thc Depths, Christ Lay in Death's StrongBands, and Dear Christians Onc and AIL
o
s.
à
with many other fanlily members, share a long history with Augsburg that clates back to
l868 rvhen their great-grandparents, Ole andJonettaJacobson, were married by the Rev Ole Paulson, an Augsburg
founder ancl early supporter. Both of Gracia and LaRhae's parents (now deceased), the Rev Harald Grindal'42 and
Jonette (Tinseth) Grinclal'41, and their brother, Ted Grlndal'76, are also Ar"rgsbr.rrg graduates. Ted is a current
Gracia ancl LaRhae, along
!
S
()o
ffi
member of the Augsburg Board of Regenis.
Both Gracia and LaRhae have loncl memories of thet years at Augsburg. For Gracia, one particularly memorable
aspect of her Ar.rgsburg experience was the extraordinary and talented leadership of such figureheads as Dr. Bernhard
Christensen and Dr. Warren Quanbeck.
LaRhae (Grindal)
Knatterud'70, sister
of Gracia Grindal '65,
will sing with the
Augsburg Masterworks
Chorale in the
production ol Luther.
"They knew how to give great speeches that rvere extremely funny and moving, and rvould make you die lar-rghing
and then rveep for ¡he sheer beauty of the language," says Gracia.
LaRhae says that "being ln the choir and beìng directed by Dr. Sateren rvas an experience that
duplicated. He was a greal rnan ancl lve made great music."
-Wcndy
Year. The Augsburg wrestling head
coach and interim assistant dean
for athletics and recreation led the
College to its seventh NCAA
Dir,ision III wrestling national
championship in the past I I
years, and its second national title
in a row (the most in Division 111
history).
See story, page B.
1984
Chris Dykstra, Minneapolis,
accepted a position as senior vice
Fall 2001
Elolson is an irrt'onnation specialist.for AtLgsbrrrg! ittstittttional advanccment of[ice
president with EPAM Systems,
custom soltrvare- and Webdevelopment [i¡m.
1
a
988
Connie (Wendland) Bouley,
Long l-ake, Minn., joined Len
Busch Roses in December as a stafl
accountant.
Todd Erickson, Maple Grove,
Minn., u'as named to Entrepreneur
magazine's top 100 for his
compan)', ì nternat ionel Logistics,
Inc., in Plymouth, Minn.
1
.
Scholars of English Associatìon
Faculty Teacher o[ the Year Ar,vard
989
Dawn Givans, Marina del
will never be
Arizona State Universit),. This
fall she joins the faculty of
Louisiana State University as
assistant professor of English; her
husband, GeorgeJustice, rvill be a
at.
Re1',
Calif., married Patrick Lander, a
British actor who has appeared in
the film Armagedclon and several
Shakespeare theatrical
productions, ìn December 1999.
The couple plans to remain in the
Los Angeles area and start a family.
Devoney Looser, Baton Rouge,
La., lvas ar.varded the Gracluate
visiting assistant professor oI
English at LSU during 2001-02.
Mary Saugestad, Brooklyn
Center, Minn., is a licensed in-
home childcare provider.
,4ucs¡uRc ruow
27
Class Notes
'IÍIITúI¡II¿II.IIf
|II
Eloisa Echávez:
Seizing La Oportunidad
c
à
:
!
U
o,
o-,
Funk,o3
"l hate it with all my guts," says Eloisa EcÌrávez with a chuckle, referring to Minnesota's co1c1 winter rveather. "Every
year I say it's my last year', but I fincl myself here again." Coming from Colombla, South America, this 1s no sttrptise.
But Echávez's involvement wrth the Latir-ro community ìn the Twin Cities ancl her passion for hel work keeps her
here, despite the rvinters.
Echâvez is executÌve director of La Oportunìdad, Inc., a local nonprofil organization seiwing more than 2,000 l¡tino
families each year that works to promote and strengthen peace rvithin the community Started in 1987, La Oportunidacl's
promoting transitronal sewices to ex-offenders. Under Echávez's leadership, the orgamzation has
lrrth a new vision for a stronget, more peacefu1 community Today, La Oportr-rnidad
focuses on peacemaking and many new programs inclucling violence prevention and Latino youth serwices.
n-rain focus was on
developecl a three-year strategic plan
Eloisa Echávez'94
('98 MEt) was recently
honored by INROADS for
her work with the Latino
community,
"I absolr-rtely love the peacemaklng aspect," says Ecl'rávez, who has been rvrth the organtzatton since 1998. "la
Oportunldad looks at making peace withrn the self, within the famlly, wrthin neighbors-even within a global
perspective. This work relates to my personal vahtes."
Echávez was an elementary school teacher lor three years rn Colornbia before coming ro the U.S. in l9BB. She hacl
wanted to study in the U.S. and heard about many co11eges, inclr,rdlng Augsburg's Weekend College program. Echâvez
attended one meetrng at Augsburg and left the r-neeting signed up for classes.
In1994, Echávez received a B.A in computer science and returned [o receive
a n-rasterb degree
in education and leadership ln 1998.
education-she also directed the College's Hispanic/Latino Student Services from 1993-98,
helping to develop ancl manage the program since its inception (she continnes to stay involved with the program). She also coordinated Augsburg's Têachers
of Color Program and served as the Collegeb muÌticultural coordinator from 1993-97.
Echávez's relatlonship with Augsburg doesnt end wrth her
In addition to her work, Echâvez somehow manages to frnd time to fLrlfill her love of motlvational/keJ'r-rote speaking at numerous conferences and special
events. Echávez's favorite audiences are high school and pre-college students.
"I like to lmpror,rse," says Echávez. "I never prepare a speech untìl I get on the stage." Talking to the audience beforehand gives Echávez an iclea of the
direction she'1l take during her speech.
For her work with the cornmunlty Echâvez has received several awards ancl certificates, incÌuding the Outstanding Community Sen'rce Award from the
State o[ Minnesora and the Educator of the Yeal Award from INROADS (a national organization that develops and places talented minority youth into
businesses to prepare them for corporate and community leadership). Echávez helped to develop Augsburg's partnership wrth INROADS through her'
various roles and actlr,.rties at the Co11ege.
"My best reward is seeing the students r.vho are taking advantage of INROADS' opportunities to be successful, and becoming those needed leaders in our
communities of coior," Echâvez said upon receivrng her award fiom INROADS.
-A^y
1
Funh'03 is a junior majorntg m English.
993
Steve
Kelly'94, Lisa Laehn'94,
Lonnie Laehn '94, Jennifer Olsen,
Jeff Krengel '93, Kurt Clark '94,
Marshall Johnson '95, and Erica
apprentice member of the Lakes
and Plains Carpenter's Union in
St. Paul, and works lor Pink
Business Interiors.
Bentley'95.
1
1994
Deb (Walstrom), Cottage Grove,
Minn., married Darren Riske in
Jeff Krengel,
St. Paul, Minn.,
married Jennifer Olsen in June at
Boe Chapel in Northfield, Minn,;
the couple hone)¡mooned in Banff
National Park. Krengel is an area
coordinator at the University of St.
Thomas. Pictured, left to right:
28,4UCS¡UnCruOW
June 1996. She has three children:
BriannaJoyce, 12; Helen Marie, 2;
and Zane
A¡thur,
I . She is a
government clai ms representative
at HealthEast's corporate offices in
St. Paul. She is also a member of
Minnesota Quilters and River
Valley Quilters. Her husband is an
995
Jon Olsen, Piedmont, S.Dak.,
and Leann (Freeberg)'96
celebrated their [ifth wedding
anniversary in August.
1
996
Susan (Conway) Jackson
moved to Aurora, Ill., in 1996 and
got married; she has a 3-year-oId
son. She has been a daycare
teacher for children aged 4 and 5;
fuil-time teacher of an autistic
third-grader; and a kindergarten
a
teacher.
Tracy (Mazion) Ose, Inver
Grove Heights, Minn., married
Drew Smith in August in Estes
Park, Colo.
1997
Liddy J. Howard, Golden
Valley,
Minn., received a Master of
Divinity degree from Luther
Seminary in May; she has accepted
a call to serve Ttinity Lutheran
Church in Bruning, Neb.
Fall 2001
)
l-
Jennifer Ringeisen, Inve¡ Grove
Heights, Minn., recently accepted
position as an employment
consuitant at Regions Hospital.
1
a
998
Dustin Froyum, New Brighton,
Minn., received his Juris Doctor
degree from Hamline University
School of Law in May.
Brent Grier, Walnur Creek,
Calif., was promoted to an
underwriting and sales position at
Aetna, an insurance compan¡ and
transferred to Walnut. Creek, near
San Francisco.
Mary Pennington,
Shakopee,
Minn., is a project manager for
Dakota Count¡ where her focus is
construction management and
facilities planning. In April, she
was appointed to the City of
Shakopee Envi¡onmental Advisory
Committee, which works to
presewe and protect natural
resources amid the area's
continuing growth and expansion.
She is a music therapy intern at
Northern Wisconsin Center for the
Deveìopmentally Disabled in
Chippewa Falls, Wis.
a son, Paul Charles, in March. He
joins older sister Kristi.
Births/Adoptions
lsaac Stephen, in May. He joins
oider sisters lGtie, 10, Megan, 6,
Diane (Reule) '84 and the Rev.
Steve Brandsrud'83, Huron,
S.Dak.-a daughter, Abigail
Kay, in March.
She
joins older
brothers Seth, 11, Sam, 9, and
Micah, 2. Diane received a
bachelor o[ science in nursing
degree from Huron University in
May; she has been a registered
nurse at Huron Regional Medical
Center for three years. The Rev.
Brandsrud is senior pastor at
American Lutheran in Huron.
Terry A. Claus'88 and his wife,
Lisa, Excelsior,
Minn.-a
son,
and Courtney, 4. Terry is senior
vice president for investment sales
at Miller Johnson Steichen Kinnerd,
and can be reached via e-mail at
<tclaus@mjksales. com>.
Donna (Zummach) Martin'90,
and her husband, Dean, Waconia,
Minn.-a son, Dawson Dean, in
May He joins oÌder brother Derek.
Donna is a field performance
business analyst for Luthe¡an
Brotherhood.
Kindwall '86, Seabrook, S.C.a son, Colin Worth Kindwall, in
Laura (Carlson)'92 and Patrick
Guemsey, St. Paul-a son, lan
Patrick, in March.
July He joins older siblings Ethan,
Kim (Swanson)'93 and Jeff
Lisa (Worth)'85 and Jim
B, Kaitlin, 6, and Allison, 5.
Meslow'92, Pll'rnouth, Minn.-
Karin (Sabo) Mantor'86 and
a daughter,
Jillian, inJune.
2001
her husband, NichoÌas, Bumsville,
Minn.-a son, John Bjorn, in
January He joins older siblings
Emiìy and Thomas.
Amy Leanne Stier,
Christopher Schulz'87 and his
Belle PÌaine,
Minn., marriedJeff Eppen inJune.
wife, Maureen, Omaha,
Neb.-
m
Devean George:
Two-time NBA world champion
C.J.
Beaurline '94
and his wife,
Christin, Coon Rapids,
a son,
Mlnn.-
Simeon John, in May. He
joins older sister Savanna, 2. CJ. is
a sales representative for Unique
TèchnoÌogies, Inc., a distributor of
semiconductors; his wife is a violin
teacher and a Creative Memories
consultant..
The Rev. Steven Dow'95 and
his wife, Sarah Schaffner, Elizabeth,
lll.-a son, lsaac Mark, in
January Steven graduated from
Wartburg Theological Seminary in
May, and was ordalned inJune; he
serves as pastor of St. John
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Elizabeth.
Jim South '96 and hÍs wife,
Robin, Cottage Grove,
a daughter,
Minn.-
Holly Lynn, in
January
Ally
@2000 NBA Photos.
Photos by Andrew D. Bemstein
Heidi(Wisner)
Staloch '93 and her
husband, Mark, St.
Paul-a son, Mac
Fels, in March.
¡v Don stoner
in professional basketball,
with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Devean George'99 hasjoined a unique fraternity In his first two seasons
he has been a member of two NBA world championship teams
The l¡kers finished thelr back-to-back championship nrn lnJune, rvhen they defeated the
Philadelphia 76ers in five games. After a slow start to the season, the Lnkers dorninated tl-uough the
playoffs, srveeping three series before losing just one gar.ne in the NBA Finals.
Many ol the game's greats have yet to w1n NBA charnpionships, rvhich has given George-arlc1 by
extension, hls Augsburg fans-a special sense of pride.
"I think about thaL stuff aÌl the time," George told the Minneapolis Star-Ttibune in a June 14 srory
dr.rring the NBA Fìnals. "Guys like [Charles] Barkley ancl lPatrick] Ewing never have r.von one . . l'm
just trylng to learn."
Devean George'99, here shooting a basket
during the 1999-01 season, became a tuvotime world champ¡on when the Los
Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals in June,
George sarv hls role on the clu'b increase in his second season, as he playecl rn 59 regular-season gatnes (one start), averaging
ln seven playofl galne appearances, he avelaged 2.0 points and 0.7 rebonnds per gatne.
3.I points and
1.9 rebouncls per
game.
He will enter the tl'rircl year of a guaranteed contlact with the Lakers in the 2001-02 season, a crucral year for him for his furture in prolessional basketball.
The Lakers hold the optlon on a lòurth season. This pâst snmmer, he excelled in a surnmer pro league for rookies and prospects, leading the L,rkers in
sconng (16,8 potnts per game) ancl rebouncling (7.4 per game), incÌuding two double-doubles in seven games
-Don
Fall 2001
SLow is spotts inlorm(tti.ott cootdhtatot.
4ucssunc Now 2s
ln MerncDriam
Clair Strommen, alumnus and long-time
friend of the College, dies at 77
byLynnMena
C*::-.",
1946 graduate of
Augsburg and past
member of the
Board of Regents,
died of cancer July
20 in his home in
Roseville, Minn., surrounded by his wife,
Gladys (Boxrud)'46, and family members.
"We have lost the advice, the energetic
support, and the profound affection of one
of the remarkable members of the College's
alumni," said Augsburg President William V
Frame.
As a student, Strommen was a member
of Augsburg's basketball and baseball
championship teams. After graduation, he
signed a contract wlth the St. Louis
Cardinals and pitched his way to â top
minor-league club.
Although his dream ol playing for the
major leagues was cut short after he contracted
tuberculosis, Strommen recovered and became a
success in the business world. In 195i, he
returned to Augsburg and served as its public
relations director. F¡om there, he worked as an
agent for Lutheran Brotherhood in Fargo, N.Dak.,
and Moorhead, Minn. In 1960, he founded
Strommen 6q Associates in St. Paul, and made it
Central Life of lowa's ieading agency.
Twenty years later, Strommen returned to
Lutheran Brotherhood in Minneapolis, taking over
as president, chief executive officer, and chairman.
From l9B0 to 1994, he helped build the
organization into one o[ the Ìargest fraternal
insurance companies in the nation.
For more than 50 years, Strommen and his
family have graciousiy contributed their time,
support, and resources to the College. Upon his
retirement in 1994, and in honor of his long and
remarkable sewice, the Lutheran Brotherhood
board designated a gift of $250,000 in his name.
Strommen, along with his wife, Giadys, decided to
give the gift to Augsburg. The Strommen FamiÌy
Business Endowment lvas started, which the
family has committed to fully endow This has
enabled Augsburg to establish a major in
marketing for both day and weekend students.
Clair Strommen Ìs a Distinguished
Alumnus, a former regent, and a member of the
Athletic Hall of Fame. He has received honorary
doctoral degrees lrom Wittenberg University
and St. Olaf College. In l9B2 he was honored
by the insurance industry with the G. Bennet
Serrill Awa¡d, the highest given to a member of
that profession in Minnesota. ln 1992 he
receìved the Wittenberg Award from the Luther
Institute for outstanding service to church and
society.
At Homecoming this October, the
Strommen family will be honored with the
Distinguished Service Award (see story on page
21). He is survived by his wife, Gladys'46;
daughter, Nancy'71 (John-Mark Stensvaag'69);
son, Robert'74 l{ndrea (Johnson)'75ì; and
eight grandchildren.
Chuck Gabrielson, dedicated Auggie and
youth advocate, dies at 45
bylynnMena
1ã
Fharles
lLr.
"Chuck"
cuun.lson, an
alumnus of the Class
1977 , dìed June l2
of colon cancer at. St..
Cloud Hospital in St.
ol
Cloud, Minn. He
was 45.
Gabrielson's passion for Augsburg was
honored during Homecoming 2000, where he
been known to provide special treats for the
choir members as they embarked on tours. He
presented a challenge gift to the 1999 senior
class gift project and also spearheaded the
Augsburg House Shower, which raised almost
$20,000 to purchase 50 place settings of china,
flatwa¡e, and stemware for the ColÌege official
presidentiai residence and gathering pÌace. He
also organized and hosted alumni gatherings in
Arizona, where he worked to establish an
was presented a Spirit of Augsburg Award. He
alumni chapter.
exemplified 'Augsburg spiril through his iongstanding commitment as an alumni volunteer
and faithful donor, by his innovative ideas,
Always active in musìc, Gabrielson
performed with the Dale Warland singers and
Augsburg's Masterworks Chorale and Centennial
Singers. He also performed as a sololst for
numerous weddings and funerals, and served as
and through his unwavering energy as he
continued to press Augsburg forward to realize
its full potential.
Gabrielson served on the Aìumni Board,
represented his cìass as cÌass agent, and
chaired the Class Agent Advisory Council. His
love of music kept him closely involved with
the music department; over the years he had
30
,4ucssunc f{ow
a
choir director and soloist at several churches.
Gabrielson had been active in Republican
Party politics for the past 35 years at the
count¡
state, and national levels, including managing
several successful campaigns
in Minnesota,
North Dakota, and Louisiana. He aÌso served on
the Republican State Central Committee.
From I9B2 to 2000, Gabrielson served as
executive director of Mid-American Baptist
Social Service Corporation (MABSSCO). Under
his leadership, MABSSCO enjoyed substantial
growth in faciÌities, staff, residents, and funding.
The lnitial facility, Gateway, doubled in size and
continued its mission of helping at-risk
adolescent boys. Another
facilit¡
STEP, was
added to heip at-risk teens develop independent
living skills. As recently as 2000, GabrieÌson
Iocated and was instrumental in starting another
group home for at-risk adolescent girls.
In addition, Cabrielson was an associate
member of the Carver County Sheriff's Mounted
Posse, commissioner of Corrections CARE
Advisory Committee, and board member of
Minnesotans for Improved Juvenile Justice. He
was also active ìn fostering and rehabilitating
abandoned and abused animals of all kinds
through his involvement with the Hennepin
Humane Society
Fall 20Ol
)
Harold
F.
Groth'36,
Edina,
Minn., died inJuly; he was 87. He
elementary school teacher and
social worker.
sewed as a lieutenant in the U.S.
Nary during WWII, and was a
3M executive from 1941 untii his
early retirement in 1975. That
same year, he was inducted into
the Augsburg College Athletic Hall
of Fame.
Myrna G. Liebers '67, Marine
on St. Croix, Minn., died of
cancer inJune; she was 56. She
was a library acquisitions assistant
at Augsburg in the 1970s and 'B0s
prior to establishing he¡ own
The Rev. Kenneth M. Englund
'52, Abbotsford, 8.C., Canada,
White, Inc., near Stillwater, Minn.
Her library colleagues and other
died inJune; he was 84. He was
long-time minister with the
Evangeìical Covenant Church.
Augsburg acquaintances especially
remember her keen wit, integrit¡
and compassion toward students.
Marvin W. Field'56,
a
McGregor,
market. research firm, Liebers
Harold'Crusher'
F.
&
Schliep
Minn., died inJuly; he was 73.
'67, Clarks Grove, Minn., died in
Before managing the Carlton
June; he was 55. He was a
member of the Army Reserves at
Fort Snelling from 1966-72, and
worked lor 7 -Up Bouling Co.,
County Electric Co-op from 1979he served in the Army in
Germany and also taught biology
and chemistry. He retired to his
farm in Rice River Township in
I99I. He was a former Golden
Glove Champion in St. Paul.
9I,
LeRoi T. Elias
'58,
Minneapolis,
died inJune; he
was 68. He was
a retired
Northland Beverage, Waste
Systems, and American Bottling
Co. He enjoyed practicaljokes,
hunting, sports, and treasured his
wi[e, kids, and grandchildren.
Patricia (McDonald) Fulton
'71, Bloomington, Minn., died in
JuÌy after a courageous battle with
Please
tell us about the news in
your 1ife, your new 1ob, move,
marriage, and births. Don't forget
lo send photosl
Send yor-rr news items, photos, or
change of address by r.nail to:
his parents, James and Gloria;
sister, Laurie; brothers, Mark and
Matt; his loving gulde dog, Jud;
and many other ìoved ones. He
will be deeply missed by the
Steven Carl Psihos'80,
Chaska, Minn., died inJune; he
was 43. He enjoyed horseback
Augsburg community.
riding; gardening; reading; tiedying clothing with his wife,
lfñriltr:füIîIllEf[lì
Mary; listening to classical music;
and especially spendìng time with
his family.
Jean G.
(Shillinglaw
Tigwell)
Mel Riley'80,
St. Paul, died of
cancer inJune; he was 55. A
highly respected Minnesota sports
figure, Riley was a college
basketball player at both
Augsburg and Concordia
College-St. Paul. He was head
basketball coach at Minneapolis
Community and Technical
College. An avid golfer, he most
recently worked at the Arbor Goìf
Course in Inver Grove Heights,
Minn. He was also a partner with
his wife, Peggy, in their consultant
firm. He hosted Mel Riley\ Sportson-the-Run show, a popular Ìocal
cable-TV sports show
Lindell,
Woodbury,
Mlnn., died in
July; she was
l. A great
friend of Augsburg
College, Jean, along with her
husband, James Llndell '46,
contributed the major gift that
made construction of the James
G. Lindell Library possible. She
was vefy ac[ive in attending
many Augsburg events; many of
her children and grandchildren
were Augsburg graduates. The
Augsburg community has been
very fortunate to knowJean and
will miss her deeply
B
Minneapolis, died unexpectedly in
Maiden name
Class
year or last year attended
Street address
City
ls
this a new address? D Yes
tr
No
E-mail
Home telephone
ls spouse also a
Spouse name
Your news:
zip
State
Employer
For news o[ a cleath, lvritten
nolice is required, e.g. an obituary,
funeral notlce, or program from a
memorial service.
July; he was 32. He is survived by
by sons Aaron,22, and Daniel,
lB, and many other loved ones.
Michael Gustavson'02,
cancer; she was 52. She was an
independent consultant for the
Full name
Send us your news
and photos!
Pampered Chef. She is survived
Position
graduate of Augsburg College?
!
Okay to publish your e-mail address
Work telephone
n Yes n No
lf yes, class yea
Maiden n
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Title
-
Augsburg Now Summer 2002
-
Collection
-
Alumni Magazine Collection
-
Search Result
-
\
i}*
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*
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j-Þ-
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ri
tn
Celebrating great achievement
rFhe
solash olcolor on Lhis cover
I uiuiåty displays the pomp and
clrcumstance of Commencement-this
year alI the more glorious under
beautiful spring sunshine with trees in a
late bloom from the cold early...
Show more
\
i}*
*fr"
"
4tr-
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*
,{rË.
$
j-Þ-
o
ri
tn
Celebrating great achievement
rFhe
solash olcolor on Lhis cover
I uiuiåty displays the pomp and
clrcumstance of Commencement-this
year alI the more glorious under
beautiful spring sunshine with trees in a
late bloom from the cold early spring.
May celebrations on campus are all
about achievement (yes, some senior
celebrating may stretch those
parameters). Foremost, we celebrate the
years of hard work and achievement of
the new graduates who are receiving
degrees. For many of Augsburg's
Weekend College graduates, that
achievement comes at a
steep price paid in time
spent away from
families on weekends, in
a schedule that included
Augsburg community-faculty and
staff-who celebrate the achievements
of long careers at the College. The
retiring professorial class of 2002
includes three men whose vision and
energy during the 1970s and'BOs
helped to build the campus facilities
and programs that enable Augsburg to
be a welcoming place today to all
students. Their legacies enable students
who were limited i.n educational choices
to achieve an Augsburg education,
especially students with physical and
learning disabilities, and students in
recovery from substance abuse.
Lìke the saying, "Tomorrow is the
first day of the rest of your life,"
Commencement Day (as it-s name
denotes) seems to focus on the
beginnÌng of a new stage in one's 1ife. I
suggest we linger for just a moment to
offer congratulations on today's great
achievemenl belore moving on.
Ww
Betsey Norgard
Editor
o
a
s.
hs
q
full-time work plus
extra-time study.
Sometimes the greatest
reward for them may
not be a diploma, but
the achievement of selfconfidence and
realization that a college
degree truly is possible.
We also join with
those members of the
We welcome your letters!
write to:
Please
Editor
AugsburgNow
22ll
Riverside Ave., CB 145
Minneapolis, MN 55454
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Fax: 612-330-1780
Phone: 612-330-1 181
Letters for publication must be signed and
include your name, class year, and daytime
telephone number. They may be edited for
As part of their European concert tour in May, the Augsburg Choir performed at the
Temppeliaukio Church (known as the "Rock Church") in Helsinki, Finland. The church is
carved into a granite hill and covered with a concave copper roof. On their two-week tourl
the choir performed at four cities in Finland, two in Estonia, and in St. Petersburg, Russia.
length, clarity, and style.
)
AI¿GSBLJRG Now
Augsburg Now is published
quarterþ by Augsburg College,
Vol. 64, No.4
Summer 2002
22I1 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55454.
Betsey Norgard
Features
Editor
Lynn Mena
Assistant Editor
Kathy Rumpza
Graphic Designer
Jess¡ca Brown
6
11
Bridging East and West:
A music teaching career
Shaped by the faith
and values of the
Christian church ...'
by Betsey Norgard
Class Notes Coordinator
' ...
Stephen Geffre
Contributing Photographer
William V. Frame
President
7
Making Augsburg
accessible: The legacy of
three professors
Dan Jorgensen
Director of Public Relations and
Communication
16
weekend College
16
cn¡t"nges, rewards,
and an A for my daughter
by Sue Kneen
by Betsey Norgard
18
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
nringing their experience
to class
official College policy.
by Joan Thompson
ISSN 1058-t545
ffi
Postmaster: Send conespondence,
name changes, and address
corrections to Augsburg N ow,
Office of Public Relations and
Communication, 221 I Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454.
þ'q*
athletic andlor school
ailministere il p ro gr ams, e xcept
in those instances where rcligion
is a bona Jide occupational
qualif icøtion. Au gsbur g C olle ge
is committed to provüling
r e as onable acc ommo dations to
its employees and its students.
www.augsburg.edu
f4
S".orrd Annual International
Photo Contest
21
Commencement 2oo2
,-.,^
Fax:612-330-1780
Augsburg College, as aJfirmeil
stgn language interpreter
makes the grade
by Deanna Constans
wÐ
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-I l8I
in its mission, does not
iliscriminate oi the basis ol race,
c'olor, creeil, religion, national or
ethnic origin, age, getder, sexual
orientation, marital status, status
with regard to public assista:nce,
or disability in its education
p olici e s, admissions p olicie s,
s cholar ship anil lo an pr o gr ams,
20
Departments
t?
2
4
25
26
32
inside
back
cover
Around the Quad
¡
9
*l
r
n
Sports
Alumni News
u
Class Notes
Auggie Thoughts
Homecoming Preview
On the cover:
Augsbur g f aculty, lining
b o th si d e s
street,honor and cheer on
the graduates as they process to the
oJ the
Commencement ceremony. Photo
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste)
by Stephen" GeJfre.
l
I - O
I o
Mary Laurel True is honored for commitment
to service-learning
È
¡
a
tt
O
!
M :üiJ:il *î:.ï:ïi::: *::i:'
and Learning and director of the
Community Service-Learning Program
was honored by Minnesota Campus
Compact in April as a 2002 recipient of
the Sister Pat Kowalski Leadership Award.
The award is given io honor her
commitment to building communitycampus partnerships locusing on servicelearning and civic engagement, and for
success in creating the institutional
change to build them.
Augsburg's Community Service-
Learning Program, embedding service
experiences into the curriculum, serves
a national model. Activities include
as
courses with service-learn i ng
components; a city service projects day
for all freshmen; tutoring children and
adults in schools, literacy centers, and
neighborhood organizations ; community
service scholarships, an annual
O
community servlce week;
and a student-run program
that organizes events on
ca1Ìlpus for neÌghborhood
children and projects for
s.
students. (See story in
Augsburg Now, summer
2001 issue, or online at
<www. au gsburg. edu/now>).
Minnesota Campus
Compact is a coalÌtion of
50 colleges and university
presidents committed to
strategic partnerships that
Mary Laurel True, director of community-service learning,
strengthen communities
holds up lhe Augsburg /llow, summer 2001 issue, that
and education for
contained an article on Augsburg's program. She was
informed and active
recently honored as a 2002 recipient of the Sister Pat
Kowalski award,
citizenship.
This award is named
for Pat Kowalski, O.S.M., who served as
years and is co-sponsored by the
director of community partnerships at the
Minnesota Private College Council,
University of St. Thomas from 1992 until
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities,
her death in 1999. lt is given every two
and the University o[ Minnesota.
Physician ass¡stant students win national writing
COmpgtitiOn Aussburs News service
I
aura Carìson, Larry Nilsson, and Paul
LTala.ico, stuáents ín the Physician
Assistant Program, co-authored the
winning paper in the J. Peter Nyquist
Student Writing Competition, a national
student physician assislanl, competiLion.
The paper titled "Polypharmacy: A
Prominent Yet Preventable Geriatric
Problem," began as a collaborative writing
assignment for a class, and after a little
"tweaking" the students submitted it to the
national coniest where it received first
place among the nearly 70 submissions
from across the nation.
The paper discussed how
poþharmacy, the use of many
medications, is a problem in geriatric
medicine. They also sited examples in
which adverse effects have resulted from
2
,4UGSBURG NOW
using too many medicines.
The purpose of the paper
was to increase awareness
of the importance to reevaluate a patient's profile
before prescribing more
medication.
"ltb nice when one's
hard work is recognized,
and fun to collaborate on
a paper
with
fl t
a
M
m
s.
hs'
FI
æ¡
E
classmates,"
Talarico said. "lt is even
more rewarding to be
recognized for our team
effort. l'm proud to
represent Augsburg College
and its PA Program."
(L to R) Larry Nilsson, Paul Talarico, and Laura Carlson won
the top award in a national student physician assistant
writing competition with a paper discussing use of
multiple medications for older people.
The students received cash prlzes and
funding to attend the American Academy
of Physician Assistants semiannual meeting
in Boston in
May, where they presented
their winning research project. Al1 three
students
will graduate in August.
Summer 2002
I
Augsburg Fund tops 5I50,OOO
record goal
ooi:.rìns
Aili:i:îï:äliJ'
DIALING
Fund
Augsburg Fund
gifts for the year
ending on May 31
came to $801,341, a
33 percent increase
2002 PA o[ the Year, at their spring
conference. The academy cited Ludwig for
her accomplishments in building
Augsburg's PA Program, for her continued
clinical practice, for her volunteer efforts in
church and communit¡ and for the balance
she is able to maintain with family life.
Augsburg's PA Program is graduating
degree.
gave nearly half of
these gifts, increasing
Nursing program accredited
their percentage of
participation over last
year's 15 percent.
Part of this year's
EIIa Howell (left), assistant director of The Augsburg Fund, and
growth can be
Donna McLean (right), d¡rectoí give a thumbs up to the
Phonathon successes and donor support that raised the annual
attributed to the
fund to record levels this fiscal year.
success of the new
Maroon 6¡ Silver
"It is difficult to fully express our
Society donors who pledge a four-year
gratitude
to the thousands of people who
commitment at a leadership levei.
participated
Ìn The Augsburg Fund this
Approximately $350,000 has been given
Achieving
year.
this goal during such a
by the 150 charter members. Also to be
for
difficult
year
our nation shows the
credited is the student Phonathon team,
strong
commitment
so many people have
who raised $134,000 in gifts and
to
Augsburg
and
its
mission," said John
matching gifts.
Knight, director of development.
Student harpist Emily Gerard
rece¡ves Hognander Award
lmily Gerard,
Lof Esko,
Minn., Ìs the
2002-03
recipient of the
Hognander
Award, the
College's most
prestigious
music award.
Gerard, a junior
majoring in
2OO2
o
its sixth class in August. All five classes to
date have achieved a 100 percent pass rate
on the national certification exam. In fall
2001, the PA Program became a graduate
program leading to a master of science
over last year. Alumni
Summer
Dawn Ludwig is PA of the Year
Physician Assistant Program director Dawn
Ludwig was honored by the Minnesota
Academy o[ Physician Assistants as the
s.
$750,000 goal for
fiscal year 2002-the
hÌghest goal ever set
for The Augsburg
Emily Gerard '03
Nn¡Etlilolr-Ililt
music, studies
harp with Minnesota Orchestra principal
harpist Kathy Kienzle and plays in the
Augsburg Concert Band.
The Orville C. and Gertrude O.
Hognander Family Fund was established
to recognize exceptional music
performance and achievement. The
scholarship is based on merit, specifically
to provicle encouragement to outstanding
music students. Requirements include a
résumé, essay, and an audition of two
musical selections.
Augsburg's Master o[ Arts in Nursing
Program had received initial accreditation
by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education (CCNE). A site visit was made
in November 2001, with final
accreditation granted in May.
Fourth Fulbright group grant received
Augsburg received $55,000 fo¡ a
Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad
Program for 12 faculty members to study
at the Center for Global Education's
Namibia site, July I to August 5.
"The purpose of this study trip is to
creâte a core of people lon campusl who
will have a common African experience to
heighten u*ur.r,ess of African issues on
campus," said Professor Bruce
Reichenbach, project coordinator.
While in Africa, the team will study
cultural issues, visit urban and rural
centers, and meet with people and leaders
in all segments of society
Augsburg joins
The Princeton Review
Augsburg has been chosen for inclusion in
The Pnnceton Revíew\ best colleges
publication and Web site. Especially
popular among high school students,
these guides include a "Students Say"
section that comments on all aspects o[
campus life.
Student comments about Augsburg
will be compiled f¡om a survey ¡hat The
Princeton R¿vi¿w encourages students to
complete, which includes academics,
campus life, and the student body.
,Aucsnunc
¡¡ow
3
2O0f -O2 Athletic year in revievlr
All-MIAC honors; three All-MiAC
second-team honors; I7 AII-MIAC
honorable mention team honors; three AllRegion honors; and an All-Region
honorable mention highlighted Auggie
athletÌcs this year.
lifteen
I
o,Donsroner
stands at 53-58 in his 1l-season career. The
53 wins are the second-most ever for an
Augsburg coach, only Edor Nelson's 58 wins
are grealer.
s
a
Ë
ts
Senior Matt Chappuis eamed the Stam
Award, given to the outstanding lineman in
the MIAC on a vote of conference coaches.
Wrestling
Augsburg won its third straight NCAA
Division III national championship and
eighth in the last L2 years, both NCAA
Division III records.
Under head coach Jeff Swenson, the
Auggies finished wirh a 16-0 dual-meer
record, extending its consecutive match
winning streak to 24.The Auggies won the
Division
lll
Volleyball
Augsburg's volleyball team continued to
improve despite a schedule that included
eight matches against teams invited to the
2000 or 2001 NCAA Division III national
playoffs. The team, whÌch had only two
seniors, finished 12-tB overali and 4-7 in
MIAC play
national tournament by six
poi.nts over Upper lowa and Wartburg.
Men's soccer
Augsburg has had 7l NWCA Scholar
All-Americans since 1983. In the five seasons
the National Wrestling Coaches Associatlon
Augsburg's men's soccer team continued [o
show improvement under third-year head
coach Mike Navarre. The Auggies finished
with a 5-11-1 overall record, matching last
has sponsored a DMsÌon III academic
national team championship, the Auggies
have finished in the top four every year.
year's
win total. All but four of the team's 26
goals were scored
Chrissy Baune crosses the finish line during
an Augsburg track and field meet.
Men's/Women's track and field
Senior Chrissy Baune earned a berth in the
NCAA Division III national championships
by freshmen or
sophomores.
for the first time in her career, qualifying
Men's hockey
Augsburg finished third in the M[AC, with a
l0-5-l mark (14-9-3 overall). More than half
of this year's team \Mere freshmen or
sophomores, with just eight seniors.
alter winning the MIAC title in the
women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Augsburg's men finished ninth and the
women llth in the MIAC.
Men's golf
Women's hockey
Augsburg finished one point sþ of
qualifying for the postseason playoffs, with a
9-13-2 overall record (8-9-1 MIAC).
Augsburg won seven of its final 12 games
with more than half of the team either
freshmen or sophomores.
Freshman Lauren Chezick was named
to the MIAC All-Rookie Tèam.
Matt Chappuis (right) is about to sack the
St, Olaf quarterback during an Augsburg win.
Men's/Women's cross country
Augsburg's men's squad recorded its best
finish ever in the NCAA Division
Football
Augsburg's football team finished the 2001
campaign with a 4-5 mark in the rugged
MIAC, which sent t\Mo teams to the NCAA
Division III national playoffs.
Head coach Jack Osberg earned his
50th career coaching victor¡ and now
4
,+UGSBURG
Now
lil
Central
Regional, placing l2th in the 22-team event.
All six runners placed in the top 106 in the
154-runner race. Augsburg's women's squad
recorded its best finish since 1996 with a
16th-place finish in the 22-team meer.
In the MIAC meet, the men placed
seventh while the Auggre women were lOth.
Augsburg finished the fall half of the men's
golf season with a fourth-place finish at
the very competitive MIAC championships, continuing a string of finishing in
the top four in the league meet every year
since 1994.
Woment golf
With just four golfers in the fal1 and six in the
spring, Augsburg finished ninth as a tearlrr at
the MIAC championships, led by junior
JanellJohnson, who eamed Most Improved
GoÌfer from coaches in the Minnesota
Womenb Collegrate Golf Association.
For the most complete informatlon on
Augsburg Auggie athletics, visit
<www au gsburg. edu/athletics>.
Don Stoner is sports information coordinator.
Summer 2002
I
Nine students earn top athletic awards
Conference Honor
Roll honors three
times, Verizon
Academic All-District
honors twlce and
Verizon Academic All-
N;ï,::î:;:iî11:iin",äiïî::l"'
year, voted by coaches in Augsburg's men's
and women's athletic departrnents.
Four AuggÌes earned Honor Athlete
designation, the highest honor the College
gives its senior student-athletes-female
athlete Kristi Brusletto and male athletes
Tony Abbott, Brent Peroutka, and Kevin
Brent Peroutka
starter on the defensive
physics-A two-time
All-American in
wrestling, Rasmussen
education double
All-American in
wrestling, Abbott won
the NCAA Division lll
national championship
Tony Abbott
at 165 pounds this
season, after finishing fourth in 2001. He
won MIAC Ìndividual titles twice and was
a part of three consecutive national
championship teams. With a 3.309 GPA,
he earned NWCA Scholar All-American
honors twi.ce.
Ifuisti Brusletto,
psychology-A four-
e
yeâr starter on defense
in women's hockey
with
a 3.2 GPA,
Brusletto earnecl Al1MIAC honors her
\:t
junior season and allKristi Brusletto
conference honorable
mentlon honors her senior year, and was a
part of hockcy terms that Iwice won
MIAC titles
Brent Peroutka, busÌness finance-A fouryear starter in the defenslve backfield in
football, Peroutka earned AÌI-MIAC
second-team honors his sophomore, junior,
and senior seasons. With a 3.780 GPA,
Peroutka earned MIAC Academic Al1-
and physical
education-A four-year
Earning Augsburg Senior Athlete of
the Year honors were male athletes Darin
Bertram, Matt Chappuis, and Nick Slack;
and female athletes Chrissy Baune and
major-A two-time
Matt Chappuis, health
200 1.
Rasmussen.
2OO1-02 Honor Athletes
Tony Abbott,
communication and
winnÌng the national trtle his junror year.
He was one of 10 wrestlers ever to win four
MIAC individual championships.
American honors in
Kevin Rasmussen,
Rachael Ekholm.
placed fifth in the
nation at 197 pounds
this season, after
linishing sixth
Kevin Rasmussen
nationaliy the year
before. He won the MIAC title his senior
season. With a 3.526 GPA, he earned
MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor
Roll honors twice and NWCA Scholar AllAmerican honors twice.
2OO1-02 Senior Athletes
line in football,
Chappuis earned AllMIAC honors three
times, eaming secondMatt Chappuis
team honors his
sophomore year and first-team honors his
junior and senior seasons. ln 2001, he
earned Football Gazette All-Region first-team
honors, and was voted by MIAC coaches as
winner of the Mike Stam Award, given to the
or-rtstanding lineman in the M[AC.
Rachael Ekholm,
physical education-A
four-year starter in
softbali and three-year
of the Year
Chrissy Baune,
business
management-A
leader on the Auggie
track and field and
cross country teams,
Baune earned All-
MIAC honors 16
times in her career,
three times in cross country and 13 times
in track. She qualified for the NCAA
Division III track and fleld national
championships in the women's 3,000Chrissy Baune
letterwinner in
basketball, Ekholm
was a significant part
of the record books in
Rachael Ekholm
both sports. Ekholm
holds school records for career and singleseason strikeouts, and she hold most of the
power-hitting school records. In basketball,
she holds the single-game and singleseason records for three-pointers. In her
sophomore and senior seasons she earned
All-Region honors.
Nick Slack,
marketing-One of the
meter steeplechase.
top upperweight
wrestlers in school
history, Slack earned
All-American honors
three times in his
Darin Bertram, health
and physical
I
t)
byDonstoner
education-One of the
most dominant
llghtweight wrestlers
in school history
Bertram earned A1lAmerÌcan honors three
Dar¡n Bertram
times in his career,
finishrng second in the NCAA Division III
national championships ar, I25 pounds his
lreshman and sophomore seasons and
Nick SIack
career, finishing
second in the NCAA
lli national champlonships aL I74
pounds his junior and senior seasons, while
winning the national title with a 3l-0 record
in 2000. He was one of 10 wrestlers ever to
win four MIAC lndividual championships.
Division
Don Stoner is sports information coordinator.
Sunrmer 2002
,4ucssunc
f{ow
5
mffiXffiffiKruffi
ffiA$f altd kVK$T: Å mltl$;t T,nAtl{lÍ,{ffi ffiÅnnfm
by Betsey Norgard
Robert Karlén's 43 years at Ar-rgsburg
inclucle teaching and research spanning
the globe lrom Scandlnavia to Greece ancl
Tùrkey and China. As he retires from the
College, he leaves a legacy that includes
close conneclions to a Chinese
conservatory of music and its faculty, an
archive of original music from
Scandinavia, and influences from these
experiences that impacted the education of
many, many music students he has taLlght.
Over a decade's time, Karlén taught
four semesters at the Sichuan Conservatory
of Music in Chengdu, China, initiated by
an invitation from the United Board of
Christlan Higher Education in Asia. What
he lound there was a dearth of Western
music-resulting from the purges of Mao's
collect scorcs, and lcarn,
Augsburg then became a
logical recipient of a r-rniqr-re
collection oI Scandinavian
music scores, recorclings, and
books that has recently been
È!
u
ù
caralogr"red in Lindell Library.
(See Augsburg Now, spring
2000 story.)
Karlén came to Augsburg
in 1959, initrally through a
commission for incidental
music for a play, Christ in the
Concrete City, directed by
theatre arts professor Ailene
Cole. He was attrâcted to
Augsburg by music chair
Leland Sateren, and chuckles
Cultural Revolution-and during his
in recalling the early days
teaching sojourns there was able to rewhen they sharecl an office and
ìntroduce music of the classics and his
between the two of them
own to the Chinese students.
tatrght almost all thc mLrsic
On one trip Karlén arranged for a vlsit
students. In lact, cnn-ent music
ofAugsburg Concert Band director Robert
department chair Bob Stacke,
Stacke to join Karlén as a guest concluctor.
as well as faculty members
This led to a yearlong residency at
Merilee Klemp, Peter
Augsburg by the conservatory's band
Hendrickson, Gabe Gabrielsen,
director. Sun Jin. Upon returning to
and Tiudl Anderson all studied
China, Sun started a non-milrtary
with Karlén cluring their
Robert Karlén's legacy at Augsburg includes music
community band in Chengdu.
student days at Augsburg.
influences from his teaching experiences in Europe and Asia.
Karlénb career at Augsburg has also
Karlén comments on the
Among his honors and commÌssions,
includecl exploration of Nordic music. As
openness for collaboration and
Karlén created a composition, For the Birds,
an American Scandinavian Foundation
experimentation as one of the most
basecl on the play by Aristophanes, for the
Felloq he spent a year visiting the five
rewarding aspects of his career hereopening concert of the Ordway Center for
Nordic countries to meet composers,
something not as possible at larger,
the Performing Arts
performance-based music
Karlén looks lorward to retirement as
programs where each faculty
a time to complete some unfinished
member is a specialist.
projects. One is a musical composition
An early pro¡ect brought
that was requested by the Havana Clarinet
Karlén and art professor Phil
Quintet, a grorlp whom he happened to
Augsburg honors and celebrates four
Thompson together for a
meet when they perlormed in China.
faculty and staff who retire in 2002:
series of six TV programs
Karlén would most enjoy a trip to Cuba
describing similarities in
for a premiere ol this composition.
visual arts and music. For
A scholarship honoring Robelt Karlén
another, Karlén collaborated
Vern Bloom, social work-37 years
was established by his friencls, family, and
with English professor John
alumni in recognition of his musical
Norman Holen, art-38 years
Mitchell on a unique short
nccomplishnrents and long service to
film where each frame was
Robert Karlén, music-43 years
Augsburg. I
hand-etched by Mitchell and
Don Warren, StepUP Program-24 years
for which Karlén created an
elecl ronic t¡ttsrc st ore.
6
,4UGSBURG NoW
Summer
2OO2
¡
r
[/lAl(
NG AUGSBIJRG ACCISSIBLI
TllE LEûACY OT TllREE PROFESSORS
by Betsey Norgard
Augsburg has long been recognized as a
leader in providing support for students
with physical disabilities.In 1971, before
federal legislation mandated access,
Augsburg began making its campus
accessible to everyone. By 1978, which was
the implementation deadline for Secrion 504
of the 1973 RehabiÌitation Act, Augsburg
aiready had more than a dozen physicallydisabled students living and studying on
campus, and had a college and community
task force on track with plans to make the
campus fully accessible by mid-1980.
Augsburg's programs are significant
because they began not solely as selvice
programs but as an aspect of "co-leaming."
In 1969 social work adjunct professor Cal
Appleby took his Crime and Community
class to visit Stillwater prison. Appleby then
Vern Bloom
suggested that the class meet there regularly
today-the combination of leaming and
and arranged to include not only Augsburg
students, but Stillwater inmates, and-to
satisfy the apprehensions of correctional
officials-prison guards. With this
succeeding, Appleby then took his
Introduction to Social Work class to meet at
Tievilla of Robbinsdale, a home for severely
physically-disabled adults.
In a paper written by Professor Vem
Bloom on the growth of programs like these
during the 1970s and'80s, Bloom quotes
Appleby, "lt was quite an experience for
everyone, including myself. We not only
studied social work principles and concepts
from books, we now had a rich
environment in which to leam from each
other. And we did!" This concept is the
heart and hallmark of Augsburg's education
experience.
Don Warren
Students from these diverse populations
then came to Augsburg and found a
welcoming community By the late 1990s,
Augsburg was aiready serving over 200
students with physical, learning, and
emotional disabilities.
The end of this academic year marks
the retirement of three longtime professors
and staff who played key roles in developing
these early programs and access for students
with few other educational opportunities,
especially students with physical disabilities.
These faculty members also led the way in
recognizing needs of other student
populations, including those with learning
disabilities and, most recently, students in
recovery from alcohol and drug abuse.
Norm Holen
Photos by Stephen Geffre
Summer
2OO2
4ucsnunc
ruow
7
V[|l[I
HLÜOU]:
F0lJ1ìl0ATl0il
ln I971, rvhen Augsbulg reccivecl
a srate
grånt to cìevelop the prison lealnir-rg
l)rograrll, social n,ork plolessol Vern Bkron-r
bccame cllrectol of Consen'ation o[ Humar-r
Rt'Sor il
cr': (CH R). t hc .:rrrI
pr rs ()l
lltltIt:rti(
ìlr
that ach-r"rir.ristelecl the prrtgraÌn. Soon its
classes expanclecl to inclucle other
populations u,ith little access to an
erlLrtnrrtrn -nrcrrrrll¡ ill Prlicrrts ilì statc
institutions, the elcletly., and resrcler"rts in
other state lacilities.
''The it-rtelesting thing is that every
place n'e \\¡ent," Bloom continues, "everyone
in charge-allnost all n,ith r.aryrng degrees
ol intensitl'-saÌcì that it n,ouldn't u'ork and
tl.rat the;, clicln't think tl-reir people 1i'onlcl l¡e
very,goocl students. Ancl it'uvasn't tn¡e.
Man;' u'e re just '"i onclerfi-rl stuclents."
CHR received no clirect lunds ftorn tl're
College, ancl its classes u,ere kept alive ìt1,
Augsbr-rrg students
u'ho held fi-u'rdraisers. ln
1973, registration fol the classes u'as
extenclecl to the ACTC schools (Hamline,
lvlacalester, St. Tl-ror-nas, St. Catirerine).
In 1975, Augsburg
teceivecl a granr
from the Minnesota Departmer.rt ol
Vocational Rehabilitation ro pror.icle oncamplls eclucatlon [or clisablecl students,
n-ran1' of lvhom \\¡ere ahead;' stud;'i1g q'Lth
Augsburg stuclents ar-rcl facult;r It r,i'as the
determination ol these stuclents lor a chance
at a college eciucation that helpecl u.in rhe
sLlpport of PresiclenL Oscar Anclerson ancl
the College communill,, Bloom recalls.
"lt u'as a goocl idea, but it createcl a
mess, because nobocll, kneu, u4rat to clcr
u,ith lthe stuclents] rvl.ren rhey gor here ."
The barriers \\¡ere nor only'pl.r1'sical; Bloor.n
relates hor,r, tl're stucler-rts organizecl
"Disability \\¡eel<" in lall 1975 u'irh u.rsenice trair-ring sessior-rs and the
encolrragenlent ol everl,gne to "aclopt" a
disabihq' lol a clayi "Tl.re message to us \\'as
clear. Lile is clifficult-bur clon'r rnake ir an1.
u'orse b;' ignoring or feeli.g so'1' for us,"
u,rites
8
Bloor.r.r.
,+UGSBURG NoW
The efforts in the 1970s of social work professor Vern Bloom and others helped Augsburg create
a barrier-free campus to welcome students with physical disabilities.
Another large obstacle for rhe disabled
students rvas lack ol afforclable
transportation to and fion] campus. Solution
to tl-ris problem câtre ir-r the petson ol
\Va¡rre 'lrlo" l\loldelrhalre¡'. a plisorr innrarc
uùo stucliecl in the initial classes ar
Stillwater Prison. Upor-r I'ris release, Bloom
hirecl him as a clriver, and cliscor,erecl a
tremendous commitment ancl energl' for
helping Augsburg build its prograrn. ln
197ó, Molclenhauer becarne the director ol
the Center lor Non-ti-aditional Students
(CENTS). an ACTC eonsortiunì prograln tL)
take over the sen'rces lor CHR, but not the
acadenric classes. B¡ rlris tirne.
75 percent ol disablecì srudents supported
b1, CENTS u'ere choosing to attend
Augsburg. The transportation program thar
N,loldenhaue¡ created sened as a training
r.r-roclel lor the Metlc.r N4obility prograrn later
tleri lopcrl b¡ ltlerro Tlansjr.
Bloom n'as also part ol the task lorce
establishecl b1' President Oscar Anderson ir-r
1976 rl'ith cormrr:nity ancl student leaders
to cleterr.nrne the feasibility, o[ campus
accessÌbilit)' to llersons r,i.iLh dÌsabilities. A
r.r.rajor funchaising eflorr u.ould be requirecl
[() tùtn(r\'('art llitcet rilnl l'rrr.l icrs on cltììpus.
ln 1977, with rhe help ol a film, Mahing
n Wny, proclucecl by English prolessor Jo}rn
Mitchell, Anderson recmlted several facult;,
and stafl r.nenbers, including Bloom, ¡o visit
Lutheran congregations lor fundraisrng. Tl"re
campaign r,r'orkecl, ancl or,er $750,000 rvas
raised lo help construct tunnels, rau-tps,
sk;r,r'a1,s, and oulfit the campr-rs lor clisabled
studer-its.
B),the time federal legislation requirecl
accessibillt;' at al1 instltutions, Ar-rgsburg ri as
aìread;, uncleru'ay with reno'ation. At that
time, there was not one pnr,ate college in
Minnesota that rvas barrier-hee. In 1979.
Augsburg created a special prograrn lor
sen-rng students u'ith clisabilities that took
over the role thar CHR had plal'ecl.
Ar,rgsburg coniinued to oller classes
ser,eral academic disciplines of[
ir-r
canpus-at
Trevilla, Shakopee rvomen's prison, ancl
Stillrvater. Bloom continued to teach in
correciional institutions; althor-rgh begir.rning
in the earll, 1980s, classes \\,ere restrictecl to
prison inr-nates ancl guards, excludir.rg
Arrgsburg stuclents rluc tr, sccu|lt)
consicleratior-rs.
To read Bloom's recollectior-rs about the
cleveloprnent ol Ar,rgsburgs progrâms, llo ro
<n'u.mangsbur g.eclu/nori'>.
Summer
2OO2
I
I
I
Ìln 1978, when he came to Augsburg to
interview for the half-time position of
academic enrichment director, Don
Warren was impressed that the campus
abeady had ramps for people with
physical disabilities. He was also
impressed with the welcoming atmosphere
he felt for diverse student populations on
campus.
A
year laler, a student
in the learning
center told Warren about his diagnosed
learning disabiliqr Warren realized a need
to understand this area and spent a
summer at Berkeley learning from experts
in the field and becoming immersed in the
literature and services for students.
"This is something that Augsburg by
law was required to do and yet we had no
specific services," Warren recalls
concluding. Nor did any other college in
the Midwest at that time.
His proposal to the College
administration for a program to serve
these students was accepted, and the
Office for Disabled Students (ODS) was
born, initially serving three students,
which Warren directed along with the
learning center and tutor center. At that
time, he also proposed that ODS take over
ihe services at Augsburg that had been
provided by CENTS, the ACTC program.
By 1984, \¡/ith the rapid growth of
these programs, Warren returned to
College administrators, requesting the
hiring of a learning disabilities specialist.
In 1989, the program was renamed
the Center for Learning and Adaptive
Student Services (Cf.{SS Program), and by
1990 it served 9I students with leaming
disabilities and 29 with physical
disabilities. Helping to firm the program's
foundation was an endowment received in
1988 from the Groves family to purchase
adaptive technology for leaming
disabilities.
The CLASS Program continued its
Summer 2002
Under Don Warren's leadership, Augsburg programs have grown for students with learning and
physical disabilities and students in recovery from chemical abuse.
growth to a population in 1999 of 125
learning-disabled students, 45 physicallydisabled students, and29 students with
psychiatric disabilities
In 1997, however, Warren was faced
with another challenge. One of his students
told him that it was tough at Augsburg for
students in recovery. Warren understood
that recovery for this student meant
recovery from alcohol and other drug
abuse and realized that a support program
was needed on campus for these students.
Again, Warren proposed to the
administration-this time to academic dean
Marie McNeff and associate dean Earl
Alton-an innovative plan to support the
academic success of students in recovery
from substance abuse. Both McNeff and
Alton were immediately supportive, and
the StepUP Program was created. Two floor
houses in Anderson Hall became a sober
home for 23 students. By living together,
by signing a contract to remain sober and
to advance toward a degree, and by
attending weekly meetings with Warren,
the program achi.eved a relapse rate of only
eight percent, as compared to the national
rate of 82 percent.
After three years, Warren chose to
leave the academic enrichment program,
including CLASS, to direct the StepUP
Program full time, then having grown to
45 students.
Recently completing its fifth year,
StepUP has served 152 students in
recovery and is the only program of its
kind in the country that focuses on
traditional-age college students. StepUP
students have consistently earned a 3.1
grade point average; in its five years, the
program has maintained an average relapse
rate of 15 percent.
In May, Warren was presented with a
certificate of "Special Congressional
Recognition" signed by U.S. Rep. Jim
Ramstad for pioneering work in this area.
Warren plans to remain connected to
StepUP by serving on the StepUP Advisory
Board and working with the StepUP staff
as leaders in a nationwide effort to create a
national association of recovery programs
in high schools and colleges.
4ucssuRc
f{ow 9
ln
1976, an professor Norm Holen was
asked by someone from the registrarb office if
he would be willing to work with a
physically-dÌsabled student in one of his art
classes. "As I started to walk away" recounts
Holen, "this staff person said, 'I should just
menrion that he can only move his left foot.' "
Holen decided to make a tool for
sculpture that would fit between the
student's first two toes, trying it out first on
hls own foot. From there, Holen evoived the
concept to a kind of wooden sandal, using
old belts for straps. The student adapted
well to ìt, and Holen further outfitted the
"shoe" with changeable tools and a gummed
sole to prevent slippage.
"Sculpture was ideal, because if you did
anything other than clay, you needed two
hands," explains Holen. "If you did pottery
you'd have to do the inside. So sculpture
was a natural, because you only needed to
do the outside."
Holen's next challenge was with
students who couldn't iift their arms. He
developed a canvas bag with sand as a
counterbalance, eliminating the need for
strength to lift.
"[The student] said that he really
enjoyed being in class, because for the first
time he could lift his arm. And it was fun,
enjoyable, something we take for granted.
But it was something he could now do,"
recalls Holen.
For one student, Holen's tool was too
efficient. The student had regained strength
through rehab and wanted to push his
capacity, so Holen created a lighter tool that
didn't need a counterbalance. Not being able
to find anything thin enough, Holen had to
laminate his own wood, about 3/16 inch
thick, weighing only l0 oz. when finished.
While each of the splints he made took
as long as some of his sculptures, Holen
never charged students or the College for
his work. "All I did was to solve the
1o
,4ucs¡unc ruow
problem so that they had the tools
to work with. I jusr wanred ro
make it more consistent, for them
to have lhe same opportunities as
I
I
everyone else."
Holen also created a headpiece
for a student who was very
immobiie, who had only head
movement and used a breathing
apparatus. He designed an
adjustable head splint with Velcro
and canvas straps for tools that
would eliminate the need to hold
tools in the mouth-making it
easier on the jaws and teeth, and
permitting the student to talk
during class.
Holen has kept in touch over
the years with a number of his
students with disabilities. He still
talks weekly withJon Leverenu, a
student who suffered brain damage
in a car accident. Leverentz needed
help opening the caps of his paint
tubes, and Holen made a ribbed
receptacle that allowed the cap to
d
be held while the tube tumed.
Norm Holen's hand-made devices have made art possible
In 1990, Holen received the
for students with disabilities.
Govemor's Award on Têchnolory to
Assist Individuals with Disabilities.
When asked about his life work, Holen
In 1995, Holen was honored with an
reports at least 2l one-person shows, 92
Alumni Achievement Award by his alma
group shows, and I 16 competitive
mater, Concordia College-Moorhead.
exhibitions, including a group show at the
Holen's legacy to Augsburg, however,
National Gallery of Art. He says he now
far exceeds his innovative tools. A number
concentrates on national or intemational
of his sculptures in clay, welded steel, and
shows. His achievement includes 16
part of the community and
cast bronze
^re"Buming
national and two intemational awards.
Bush" in front of
campus-the
Holen intends to enjoy his retirement
Christensen Center to honor Bemhard
time working on his own prqects full time.
Christensen, the Augsburg Seminary seal on
The tools and splints he made will still be
the brick wall next to the entrance to
available to students who may need them.
Hoversten Chapel, the Hoversten Chapel
Holen and his wife, Ilene, have established
cross and the bas relief in Sverdrup Hall
an endowed scholarship in his name to
called "The Promulgation of Leaming and
support art and art history students at
Culture."
Augsburg. I
Summer 2002
r
Shaped by th
OF THE
h and values
TIAN CHURCH
I
aaa
EDITOR/S NOTE:
From time to time questions are asked about how the above
portion of Augsburg's mission statement is lived out in daily
life on campus-in the education students receive, in lhe
faculty and staff who teach, in daily engagement with the
community Questions are asked about the nature of Augsburg
as a Christian coliege and as a college of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, especiaily as it relates to a
commitment to intentional diversity.
AugsburgNow invites discussion in this area to form the
basis of occasional articles about the College's mission, its
founding tenets, and the legacy of its alumni, facult¡ and staff
of 133 years.
We begin with questions posed in a recenr letrer, followed
by excerpts from comments made on campus this spring that
speak to the issues raised.
DEAR ED¡TOR,
"I felt led to wrÍte you after taking the time to read the
Spring 2002 edition of your publicatlon. ... My husband
and I have been working as youth leaders since September
I97B at Grace Baptist Church and have numerous
experÌences watching souls come to knowJesus.
Throughout your publication, I see very little mention of
Jesus. Is Augsburg still a ChrÌstian school? I see a pastor's
name mentioned from time to time and Juliana Martinez
briefly mentioned Jesus who started her out to be a 'leader,'
but even she did not give Him continuing credit for where
she is. Has Augsburg changed to be a diversified school,
separated from the Christian faith?
"I need to know where you stand, as I need to know
how to pray for all of you, and what to tell others who are
looking for a Christian college."
-LuAnn
(Ludewig) Lindquist'78
FROM AUGSBURG 2004: EXTENDING THE VISION
"Augsburg is the only ELCA college to be located in the center
of an urban area. As part of its life in urban socÌet¡ as well as
because of its Christian traditions, Augsburg remalns
committed to intentional diversity among its students, staff,
and faculty. Augsburg's commitment to diversity is a function
not only of the gospel, but also of Luther's notion of vocation.
Because God's love extends to all, those who would be faithful
Summer
2OO2
to the gospel cannot preserve non-essential disLinctions
between person, and in fact are called to extend special
attention to those pushed to the fringes of society. Further, an
institution that takes seriously the future of Ìts students cannot
avoid preparing those students ro work in the diverse
communities that make up the modern world."
.Aucssunc
Now
11
EXCERPTS FROM REMARKS BY REV. MARK S.
a
a
HANSON '68,
s.
PRES|DTNG BTSHOB EICA
AT THE COMMENCEMENT LUNCHEON
r^
AND CEREMONY-MAY 19,2002
"As presiding bishop, I'm deeply committed to the vocation of this church to be a church in
higher education, and as I look at the 28 colleges of this church, Augsburg stands unique, not
only in its location, but in its vocation-of preparing people to live in a diverse world, grounded
in the faith, but as global citizens.
"lt was in this hall when we'd gather for chapel that I remember as a first-year student
hearing Oscar Anderson, our president, cry out for the Holy Spirit to stir up within each of us
that faith which so many of us had been benefited by planting in our hearts from parents and
grandparents, so it mlght be for us a iiving faith ... Augsburg College, where reason and faith are
held in lively tension, where we are sent into the world with a passion for building communlties
of justice and mercy"
REMARKS By pHrUp QUANBECK
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson'68
il, ASSTSTANT PROFESSOR OF REilGION
ATTHE lOOTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OFTHE BIRTH OF AUGSBURG PRESIDENT EMERITUS BERNHARD
CHR|STENSEN-APR|t 1 6, 2OO2
o
o
s.
"I've been asked to
describe how the
legacy of Bernhard
Christensen
continues toda)¿
Let me address
hs'
how Christian faith
remains
Prof. Philip Quanbeck ll
a
distinctive and
essentiai part of
Augsburg's mission.
This is the Christensen legacy
"During Christensen's tenure
as
president of the seminary and the College,
the collegiate division became a true liberal
arts college. Christensen built programs in
arts, music, sciences, and humanities. He
did that by identifpng people whom he
wanted to be teachers in those programs.
In religion he found people who were then
fresh out of graduate schools, such as John
Stensvaag, Paul Sonnack, and Philip
Quanbeck, to name only a few. These, like
others, would become fondly remembered
by students and, dare I say, legends. In
matters of Bible and theologr, Christensen
brought in the challenges of modern
historical and critical approaches. At the
same time there was a concern for teaching
the faith.
"Augsburg is still a college with a
Christian mlssion. In the tradition of
Bernhard Christensen, we continue Lo
combine the scholaf and critlcal
12
4UCS¡UnC ruOW
approaches to Bible and theologr with a
concern for an encounter with Christian
faith. Every student at Augsburg is required
to take three religion courses. This threecourse requirement includes a course in
Bible, a course in Christian theology, and a
third course which may be in world
religions, ethics, philosophy of religion, or
an additional course in Bible or theologr
Many students exceed this minimum and
go on to take five courses for a minor.
"The ful1-time faculty who teach in our
religion department are all people of faith.
As academics, certainly, we have been
trained to be able to step outside of our
tradition and look critically at it. On the
other hand, we are not dispassionate
observers simply interested in historical
curiosity No, we are people concerned with
the claims the gospel makes on individuals
and the world. This constant engagement of
faith and learning or faith and reason, as
President Frame likes to say, is at the core
of our mission as a department and our
mission as a college.
"A Lutheran college like Augsburg has
a unique role in the life and mission of the
church. A college classroom is not, nor
should it be, Sunday School or
confi.rmation. lt is a place of open and free
inquiry There is, however, a providential
irony We have the opportunity in our
classrooms and on this campus to meet,
teach, and engage students and others who
may be unlikely to enter a church. We have
the opportunì,ty to teach some who have
little or no knowledge of the Christian
tradition. The Christensen tradition, and
the Augsburg tradition, have always
emphasized freedom over compulsion, This
college provides a place where students can
encounter the Christian faith and its claims
in an atmosphere of freedom. I hope the
wider church and its congregations
appreciate the importance of a place like
Augsburg and how the church's mission is
served here.
"Augsburg is among an ever-decreasing
number of colleges that still has daily
chapel. It is significant that the College
continues to devote space in the dally
schedule as a testimony to its commitment.
"We're willing to take big risks here,
but they're the risks the church needs to
take in order to speak and teach the gospel
message. We risk asking difficult questions
with no simple answers. We risk finding
new ways to translate the Christian message
into contemporarylanguage. We walk the
difficult line between the partlcularity of the
gospel and the necessity to adapt to the
needs of diversity in modern society Those
are the kinds of intellectual and faith risks
that were Bernhard Christensen's legacy to
this school. His willingness Lo venture inlo
new territory however, also refLected a deep
confidence that the gospel would survive
the test."
Summer 2002
-l
EXCERPTS FROM "PENTECOST'S CTEAR CALL TO pOLypHONy"
BY WILUAM V. FRAME, pREStDENI AUGSBURc COLLECE
THE BACCALAUREATE SERMON_MAY
"[On Pentecost] , at the very momenr in
which the disciples are empowered to
proclaim rhe gospel to all people
regardless of natÌonal origin or religious
tradition, Peter turns back ro [oe1] calling
his people to repentance in advance of the
Judgement Day And the sharpest point of
the irony lies in the line wirh which Joel
ends his panegyric on rhe Lasr Day: 'And
those who call upon the name of the Lord
will be saved.'
"What of the others? Why doesn't
Peter ask this obvious question? Today we
naturally ask about 'the others'-the ones
who don't, or don't yet 'call upon rhe
name of the Lord.' Perhaps we're better
instructed now than Peter was then. He
and his successors have since published
the gospel, and we've heard its central
message-that we love one another and
our nerghbors as ourselves. Those
neighbors surely weren't expected to be
Christian, were they, nor even and
exclusively of the three great traditions
borne of the sons of Abraham?
"But the largest reason for the
difference between Peter and us concerns
our experience with diversit;r We've been
trying for some time to create here, on this
campus, both a distrnctive Lutheran,
Christian community that is thereforenot 'also' or 'by the way,' but thereforewarmly hospitable to a wide array of
.diversit;r We have mr-rch yet to achieve in
this effort, but Peter and his colleagues
have been preparing for therr foray into a
cliverse world frorn a relatlvely
homogenous cultural confine. They
haven't yet faced, to the degree we have,
the Ìmmense challenge of managing the
tension between community and diversit¡
betrveen unity and plurallty, between the
one and the many
"Apparently, they don't sense (as we
certainly do) that Joel's exclusivityespecially as an original qualifier of those
to whom they pr-rblish the gospel-wou1d
compromise their work in the world
beyond Galilee or our work either in this
College or in vocation in the worlcl
Summer
2OO2
1
s, 2002
beyond this College. After all, we have
invited a fair number of folk who do not
'call upon the name of the Lord' to join
our learning community and to bring their
various religions and cultures with them.
"A community is more than a
mutually advantageous'deal' among
privately-interested individuals formed
into parties. But what is this 'more than,'
thìs unifying thing? Here ls
a question of central
importance on which we
might make a fair trade
with the gospel: While we
rneans of our exchanges, toward called
lives of service that can be lived out,
¡oyously, in a world more surprised by
these virtues than welcoming of them?
"Diversity and communiry are easy;
diverse community is real hard, but trying
lt
offers the best life possible."
For the full text, see <www.augsburg.
edu/commencement2OO2>. I
o
ù
Ê
may have news for Peter
and the disciples on
diversity-and I don't
thinl< that's an impious
claim-they surely have
news for us on lhe
constituting elements of the
ChrÌstian communÌt;r The
12th chapter oI Paul's First
Letter to the Corinthians
contains a brilliant
exposition, '... the body is
one and has many
members,'he says, 'and
all the members of the body, though man¡
President William V. Frame,
Baccalaureate service 2002
are one body'
"This theme that creates the
polyphony among the parts, on the one
hand, and between each part and ¡he
whole identifies eight very carefully chosen
talents or human capabilities. They are:
the utterance of wisdom and knowledge,
healing and the working of miracles,
prophecy and the discernment of spirits,
the lÌstening and rherorical capacitles that
enable us to understand and be
understood, and faith.
"Are not these nine the very talents
that rnake for communal life, that weave a
dlsparate batch of people rhrough their
very vocations into that peculiar ne[work
of relationships and hope that warrants the
name'community'? Have we not used the
wonderful opportunity of our time
together here to bring these to greater life
in each other-and to draw us each, by
,4ucsnunc ruow t3
ver 100 entries were submitted in the
second annual Photo contest for
international and off-campus studies.
Winners were selected in three categories:
scenic landscapes, local people in a cross-
cultural setting, and Augsburg students in
a
host setting. All winning photos were displayed
in Christensen Center.
To see all the winners, visil"
<www augsburg. edu/internationay
photocontest02>.
Top right: Scenic
landscapes. First place.
"Gondola on the
Canal Grande," Becky
Perrotti '03. Venice,
Italy, January 2002.
Bottom left: Scenic
landscapes. Third
place. "The Church
and Social Change,"
Adam Nugent'04.
Tepotzlán, Mexico,
January 2002.
Bottom right:
Augsburg students in
a cross-cultural
setting. Second place.
"Scottish Kiss," Kristi
Eisenreich '02.
Scotland, spring 2001
14
,AUCS¡URC ruOW
summer 2002
)
a.t-.
r
:l
{lr
{
T
:' .,Ðt4
'ü.'
,¡
i:;
Top left: Augsburg students in
a
"New Friendship," Ariann Russ '04.
-
Pattaya, Thailand, January 2002.
Top right: Local people in a crosscultural setting. First place. "Man in
Marketplace," Solveig Grafstrom'02
Bergen, Norway, June 1999.
ttrt
*
ffi
Í
Summer 2002
.4ucseuRc
r{ow ts
wï","ff*"_:
,!
b
BALANCING LIFE AND LEARNING
r^
U
s
At 4 p.m. on Fridays, class activities
ì
wind down on most campuses. But
t,
at Augsburg, a shift occurs, as
parking lots start filling with
Weel<end College students coming
for their 6 p.m. classes.
Students choose to spend every
other weekend on campus for
various reasons-completion of
a
degree or teaching licensure, job
Sue Kneen began Weekend College four years ago and has found rewards for herself and her
family that far exceed the required course readings.
promotion, or personal interest. Most
have full-time jobs and families, so
the commitment is strong and the
motivation to succeed is high.
Faculty choose to teach in
Weekend College also for different
reasons, among them the joy of
teaching students who bring years of
life experience to class discussion.
16
.4ucsnunc now
f
I
I
remember my lirst night of class four
years ago as
il it were just
yesLerday.
Prolessor Kathy Swanson asked each
student to introduce him/herself and to
share a little something. At first chance I
said eagerly, "My name ls Sue Kneen. I
have four daughters, and i'm so happy to
be here, I could just cry" The guy from the
day program sitting directly in front of me
whipped his head around and looked at
me in utter disgust as his face implied,
"Are you for real?"
IniLially. Augsburg was attractive to me
because I iearned that WEC offers the
same degree as the tradìtional program;
the same material is covered, the same
work is expected of us, and we have the
same professors-the only difference is
our schedules. With the commirment
WEC requires of a non-traditÌonal
student, I wouldn't waste my lime on
anything less.
As I proceeded further into the
program, however, what became equally
attractive to me was the quality of
professors at Augsburg. Many
conversations with my WEC colleagues
seemed to end with the same conclusion:
the professors are great at what they doteach. Difficult material is brought down
to an undergraduate level and presented
in a manner that makes it both interesting
Summer
2OO2
I
Weekend College
MAJORS
and exciting to learn. It is quite something
how consistently this seems to happen
from class to class, and I am sr-rrprised at
the lengths most professors will go to help
I
,
us succeed.
I have been challenged in many ways
at Augsburg. Let me share with you just
two: I have learned through my religion
classes an unbiased understanding of other
religions. The Hindu and Buddhist faiths,
for example, have been intriguing to me,
but I had never quite received an unbiased
view previously; I hacl no idea of the depth
and beauty of these faiths. I look forward
the community sulrouncling Augsburg.
Dean Chris Kimball says it well in one of
his letters to students: "1 hope your
achievemenls will encourage yor-r to be of
service to others."
Attending WEC has been one of the
best decisions in my 1ife. Previousl¡ I had
not thought of myself as college material,
so success at Augsbllrg brìngs with it more
and more confidence. I wÌli be the first in
my family of origln to graduate from
college, and I know this is the beginning of
many good thrngs. And it seems most
WEC stuclents have their own stories.
"I
HAD NOT THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS COLLECE MATERIAI, SO
AUGSBURC BRINGS WITH IT MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE."
I
l
!
to learnlng more about the Buddhist's
message of peace.
It is also okay to be a Chnstian at
Augsburg. Funny âs that may sound,
considering that our mission statement
reads, "... shaped by the faith and values ol
the Christian church ...," it seems Ìt is not
politically correct in many circles today to
admit one is a Christian I find the climate
at Augsburg to be tolerant ancl respectful,
where faith and rdeas are expressed and
shared openly
Secondl¡ my Augsburg education has
shattered the stereotype I had ol inner-city
lile from my grolvlng up in a little,
Caucasian, southern Wisconsin hometown
of 3,500. I dicln't know about the large
. class of people termed the "working
poor"-urban dwellers r.vhose harcl r.vork
lor minimum pay only ekes out a meager
existence. Life ls tough ancl Lltter poverty ls
usually one paycheck arvay for more
people than I l-Lad realized. I am proud that
Augsburg is committed to lhese urban
issues, both via dialogue in classrootn
scllings anrl lhrottgh îclive comnritlllcnl to
Summer 20O2
SUCCESS AT
Some are here for job advancement or a
pay increase, and that's line; but for many
of us, it's much more. As one colleague
whispered to me in class, "l come to class
feeling lÌke the most grateful student."
A thrilling benefit of attending
Augsburg is the example my college
experience gives to my daughters.
Discussion about college abounds in our
home; we are all in this together. Every
other weekend, their smiling little moon
faces peer through the front door and wave
rne off to school; and my six-year-old asks
me after each class, "Mom, did you get an
A toclay?" It ls true, as one prolessor told
me. thíìt one neccls e very sLrpportivc
lamily
ACCOUNTINC
Public accounting
Managerial accounting
BUSI N ESS ADMI N ISTRATION
Marketing
Management
Fi
nance
lnternational business
COMMUNICATION
COMPUTER SCIENCE
COMPUTATIONAL ECONOMICS
ECONOMICS
EDUCATION
Elementary and secondary
licensure
Emotional/behavioral
d isabilities
ENCLISH
HISTORY
MANAC EMENT
I
N
FORMATION
SYSTEMS
MARKETINC
NURSINC (BSN completion)
PSYCHOLOGY
RELICION
So, although I have now learned to
no longer wear my mom's heart on my
SOCIAL WORK
sleeve amidst academia, I still very much
STUDIO ART
just like I did that lirst night ol class
four years ago.
YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRY
feel
CERTIFICATE PROCRAMS IN
Suc l{nccn
Ls
aWcchutd Collcge stuclutL
mcrjortngin English.
I
:
nformation technology
Business management
Business finance
.Aucs¡unc
ruow
17
n8 n t)CI their
lr
Br
)
s I walk into O1cl Main 13 at
on a Saturday afiernoon, my
are already deep in
l:10
conversation on Toni Morrison's Beloved.
When I break into their discussion to start
class, the stndents immediately start to tell
me about their responses to the week's
reading. Their enthusiastic interest makes
the three-and-a half hours we will spend
together fly by When class meets every
other weekend, the hours always seem too
short for the lecture and discussion that
need to fit into the afternoon.
I have taught in Weekend College for
the past four years and find adult
returning students a joy to teach. My
sLuclents demonst rate strong molivation to
keep up with assignments and attend
class. Additionally, they bring their life
experience to the classroom, which serves
to enrlch discussion. In my Women and
Fiction class, which meets evenings and
has both day and Weekend College
students, the weekend students' voices add
a much-needed perspective to the
discussion. While most tradltional
students read about women's life stages
with the eyes of daughters, the weekend
students add the perspective of mothers
and sometimes grandmothers to the
classroom. Thelr voices enrich discussion
by helping the day students to undersrand
character motivation that may have
Ê
:J
O
È
E
ilt
Ë
E
É
il
Adult students also tend to teserve
judgment while reading, which allows
them to become fully engaged in the
characters they meet in fiction and the
/WHI[E MOST TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
READ ABOUT WOMEN'S tIFE STAGES
WITH THE
EYES
OT DAUGHTERS, THE WEEKEND STUDENTS ADD THE
PERSPECTIVE OF MOTHERS
TO THE CIASSROOM."
18
,4ucssuRc Now
ff
English professor Joan Thompson finds that many weekend students enroll in her literature
classes to fulfill requirements, but end up engaged in the class community and find an
unexpected enrichment from discussion of the readings.
arguments they encounter ln essays. Of
course weekend students come with as
wide an array of personal, political, and
religious beliefs as any group of students
does, but they also have encountered more
people with other beliefs ln both their
work and daily lives. Because of this,
weekend students generally acknowledge
the ways in which their own experience
has informed their ideas. Rather than
puzzled them initially.
F
AND SOMETIMES GRANDMOTHERS
offering peer comments that simply
disregard the position another student has
taken when writlng an essay, the weekend
student tends to write, "You have a
different opinion on this topic than I do.
You could make your point more
convinclng by considering
counterarguments." As I look at the
comments the students write for each
other, I always appreciate rhis willingness
to consider others' viewpoints.
Many Weekend College students take
literature classes for the purpose of
fullilling general education requirements.
Oftentimes students mention this as their
Summer 2002
7
What students say ab out
WEEKEN
LLECE:
C
primary reason for taking my class in the
letter I ask them to write on the first day
of class. Yet, despite signing up for the
class primarily to fill a requirement, these
students generally turn out to be as
motivated as the Enghsh majors in the
classroom. Most o{ the students take notes
and ask questions about American
transcendentalism or the elements of
fictÌon just as if they were majoring in
English instead of planning on furthering
their career at 3M, Medtronic, or American
Express. By the end of the course, I find
students writlng that they enjoyed reading
the fiction and plan on making more time
to read when they finish college. Others
write of a theme the course emphasized,
such as American pastoralism, and
mention that they will continue to look for
this theme when they read on their own.
My students' interest in learning about
other views of culture and acquiring
knowledge simply because it enriches
one's life adds to my enjoyment in
teaching Weekend College. As the
discussion of Beloved ends because we
have run out of time rather than running
out of topics [o explore, a student remarks
that the afternoon has been like going to a
book club. I know that the students are
walking away with new knowledge about
literary allusion, narrative technique, and
African American culture and hlstory My
student's remark also makes me realize
that they are leaving with a sense of a
'community built through engagemenl in
reading and studylng books. I
Joan Thompson is an assistant prot'essor ín the
English Department who teaches it't both the
day progrant andWeehend College.
"THE WEEKEND COLLECE
SCHEDULE is so flexible. You can
make up your own course schedule
based on what works for you and
your family, and pace yourself so you
can keep up with your school work."
Kundan '02, Minneapolis
-Jit
Public
Schools
"JOY AND I MET in one of our
Weekend College classes. After the
class was over, we kept in touch and
she became my good friend and
moral support. Earning a degree at
Weekend College has helped me in
so many ways-l'm much more
assertive and disciplined. Plus I
gained a lifelong friend in the
process."
Walterbach '00, Wells Fargo,
-Kathy
speaking about Joy Scheck'00,
Ceneral Mills
"I HAVE A VERY DEMANDINC
JOB
and a young child at home, so going
back to school presented a major
challenge. The support of my wife
and the tuition reimbursement
provided by ty company were
instrumental in making it possible for
me to get my degree."
Litteken'01, Reliant Energy
-Luke
Minnegasco
"THE AUCSBURG CURRICULUM
has been extremely important for my
business career and professional
advancement. lt gave me the
roundedness that I needed, and I use
what I learned just about every day."
-Janice
Aune 'BB, Onvoy
From the Weekend College publication, "Balancing Life and Learning."
To Iearn more about Weekend College, visit <www.augsburg.edu/wec>,
e-mail <wecinfo@augsburg.edu>, or call 612-330-1
Summer
2OO2
101
.
,.4ucs¡unc
ruow
19
a
S r8 n
an UA e
N TE
watcl-ring him grow
"Television is a brarn killer," says
MAKES THE GRADE
Devereaux, w1-ro doesn't spencl much ol her
tinre watcl-ring it. "l only let Evan watch one
helf-honr program, Bluc.s Clucs." Perhaps thÌs
rs one of her secrets to balancing her 1tfe,
r.vork, ancl education-her time with her
son is precior-rs, ancl she mal<es cefiain their
by Deanna Constans
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Over 'l 50 students are currently taking
tinre togcrhcr rs r¡urlrty tinrc.
evening classes in Augsburg's Rochester
Program. Three undergraduate majors
are offered-busi ness adm
i
n
Another exciling lroment in her
istratior-r,
Constans.
r-rring the day, 36-year-old GaÌl
Devereaux of Rochester, Minn.,
works ftrl1 time at Mayo Clinic as a
sign language interpreter. She also Ìs a single
parent to her son, Evan, age l9 months. Ancl
this past 1a11, Devereaux aclcled college
classes to her busy evenings by enrolling in
Augsburg College at rheir Rochesrer campus.
Devereaux is one ofnearly 200
nontraditional students who attencl the
Rochester program held at Rochester Central
Lutheran School. Convenlent evening classes
meet on an alternate week schedule.
Devereaux typifies the studenr body at
Augsbr.rrg-Rochester, most of rvhom work
part or lull tirne, have families, and have
declded to pursue an undergraduate or
graduate degree. The average age ol enrolled
students last year r.vas 38, according to Rtck
Thoni, director of the Rochester Program.
Even though she was a full-trrne
employee and mother, Devereaux deciclecl
that she needed to fulfill her goal of
achieving a fòur-year college degree
"l diclnt \van[ to be telling my son he
needed to get a college degree, rvhen I cliclnt
have one mysell," she stated. Although this
graduate from Henry Sibley High SchooÌ
(West St. Paul) had previously auended the
,.rfucs¡unc ruow
1lfe
was when Devereaux hacl the opportunity to
sign duling a Mayo Graduate School lecture
for Archblshop Desmoncl Tutr-r. "He was
computer science, and nursing (for
RNs), plus a master of arts in
transcultural community health nursing.
During winter trimester, journalisrn
class stuclents interviewed other
students and wrote profiles. Here, meet
Cail Devereaux, as profiled by Deanna
20
because I was tolcl by my doctor that I was
infertile," she stated. She ts a devoted
lnother ancl enloys plapng with Evan and
Gail Devereaux is a sign language ¡nterpreter
at Mayo Clinic and an Augsburg-Rochester
student.
very kind and shook my hand," Devereaux
says ol the South Af ican religious leacler
whose efforts to pronlote lacial jr-rstice
eamed hirn the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984
ln her role as sign langurge interpreler
at Mayo Clinic, Devereaux enloys meeting
and connecting with people lrom all over
rhe wor'ld. At trmes she saicl it can be
emotÌonally challenging, especially r.vhen
interpreting dismal medical dlagnoses.
Hclwever, the satisfactlon she gets lrom
helping peopie olrtweighs the drfficulr
moments.
Medical signing is nor for the fainrheartecl. She accompanies deaf patients
cluring their medical tests and procedures,
so is lrequently asked by medical staff il she
might laint. Luckily, Devereaux has never
had this problem in her nine years sigr-ring
at Mayo.
Devereaux also uses her sign language
for the benefit of the greater Rochester
sl<l11s
College of St. Catherine, she was still one
year short of completing her degree.
For Devereaux, lall 2001 was the nght
time to retLlrn to school; and she is nor,v
enrolled at Augsbr"rrg and pursulng her
degree rn communication wrth emphasis on
public relarions. She hopes to finish ir-t
2005. Her career goal is to contrnue
working r.vi¡h cleaf people, but she isn't sure
community, by slgning for the theater (her
great passlon), as rvell as graduation
ceremonies, church services, and other
social functions.
The Augsburg-Rochester campus is
providing a r,rable means for Devereaux to
fi"r1[r11 her dt"eam of obtatnlng a bachelor's
degree, while still allowing her to enjoy the
little, and big, things in life. I
in what realm.
One aspect that the Rochester Program
promotes is "balance in life and learning."
When speaking of her son, Evan,
Devereauxb face lights up. "For me, the
most exciting moment ol my life was when
For inforrnation on the Rochester Program,
visit <w-vr,r,v.ar:gsburg.eclu/rochester>.
Deanna Constans is an Augsbtn'g-Rochcst¿r'
student nnj
o
rmg
in
contn'Lunicatiotts.
my son was bom. Evan is a'miracle'baby
Summer
2OO2
-
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H
COMMENCEMENT2OO2
n
"You will be judged not by whom you know, not by what you know but by
who you are-by the commitments you keep, the dreams you realize, the
love you give, the journey you take. Don't be afraid to steer far off course. .
The only way you can really fail is by failing to try."
A. Johnson
-James
Å
E
.S
n
O
a7
James A. Johnson, vice chairman
of Perseus,
banking and private
equity firm, spoke to the 2002 graduating
class, which included his cousin,
lan Anfinson.
L.L.C,, a merchant
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È
MARK HANSON AWARDED HONORARY DEGREE
o
ù
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1, l l l (,
1
Rev, Mark S. Hanson '68 (right) received an
honorary doctorate degree, conferred by
President William Frame (left) as Rev. Dr.
Herbert Chilstrom '54 looked on (center).
HONORED FACULTY AND STAFF
Augsburg alumnus Rev Mark S. Hanson '68 , presidìng bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
(Honoris Causa) at Commencement on May 19. This is the second honorary degree
awarded by the College; the first was awarded to U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo '59 in 2000.
Hanson is a native of St. Paul and the immediate past bishop of the St. Paul Area
Synod. He earned his master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New
York, and studied at Luther Seminary and Harvard Divinity School.
"Mark has exemplified Augsburg's educationai misslon ln his pastoral work and in
his leadership of the church," commented President Wllliam Frame upon conferring the
degree. "He has brought a profound theology to the service of the city and a graceful
courage to the inclusion of wide diversity in the Christian communion."
Hanson was elected presiding bishop in 2001 and is the second Augsburg graduate in
that office, following the ELCAb first bishop, Rev Dr. Herbert Chiistrom '54.
In his remarks, Hanson told the graduates, "I believe the winds of the Holy Spirit
continue to blow. They have given every one of you graduates gifts that you will use in
your vocations, in the building up of communities for the common good, in the sharing
of the wonder of God's love for us in Christ ]esus."
I
Rolf A. Jacobson, assistant professor of
religion (Divislon of Humanities)
I
Dale C. Pederson '70, associate professor
and department chair of biology (Division
of Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
I
Summer 2002
I
Lori L. Lohman, associate professor of
business administration (Division of
Social and Behavioral Sciences)
I
Rebecca A. Frestedt'01, academic
coordinator, Weekend College
Ronald W: Petrich, assistant professor of
education (DivisÌon of Professional Studies)
,4ucs¡uRcruow
21
È
.L
u
O
s
s
s,
Brandon Hofstedt, a sociology major and McNair Scholar,
received the 2002 Marina Christensen Justice Award for his
commitment to community issues and involvement in student
organizations.
BRANDON HOFSTEDT RECEIVES MARINA CHRISTENSEN JUSTICE AWARD
Brandon Hofstedt, a senior sociology major and McNair Scholar, was selected as the
2002 recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award.
Each year this award is presented to the graduatÌng senior whose community
service work best exemplifies Augsburg's motto "Education for Service." This also
characterized the personal and professional life ol Marina ChristensenJustice, who
courageously and effectively reached out to disadvantaged people and communities.
Hofstedt, from Cannon Falls, Minn., has consistently demonstrated his leadership
skills and commitment in the areas of service, justice, and global understanding.
Throughout hÌs years at Augsburg, he remaÌned committed to a broad public agenda,
including work through organizations such as the Minnesota Public Interest Research
Group (MPIRG), the Coalition for Student Activism, LINK, and the AmeriCorps Youth
Works/Get Ready Program.
As one of his professors commented, "Brandon has demonstrated a strong
commltment to social issues, a great ability as an organizer, and has the rare
combination of someone who has both a positive vision for his community and the
skill and dedication to make that vision a reality"
ùt
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È
o
N
Beautiful weather, inspiring speeches, pride in
achievement hard earned, and the extra special
rewards-all part of Commencement Day.
Religion professor Rolf Jacobson (left)
takes a moment to chat with students
before the ceremony,
22
,4ucssunc Now
Taher Omar, physics graduate and McNair Scholar,
celebrates with family and friends during the
reception.
Summer
2OO2
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Ìi
U
\)
s
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ù
V)
Amy Maheswaran (left) adds a master's hood to her
academic garb, as she receives her master of social
work diploma and degree from program director
Lois Bosch,
Speech/communication major and McNair Scholar Darryl Sellers enjoys a moment with
fellow grads before the ceremony.
I BELIEVE PREMIERES WITH THE CHOIR AND CONCERT BAND
b
()
Brendan Anderson, senior muslc major and 2001 Hognander Scholar, led the
Augsburg Choir and Concert Band in the premiere performance of his work,
I Belíeve, an lnterpretation of the Apostle's Creed in word and music.
"I Believe is the culmination of my four years of composition study at Augsburg
Coilege," says Anderson, who graduated wirh distinction, received Music
Department honors, and was part of Augsburg's Honors Program. The piece is
structured in three general sections, as is the creed. The Concert Band introduces
and carries musical statements, intertwined with the choir's recitation of the creed,
heightened by illustrations of the themes in Latin.
"It is my hope and prayor that through this remarkable texr and this
remarkable story the spark of faith will be ignited in all who hear rhis piece, and
that the convictions we all believe in will be strengrhened by God's awesome
power," explains Anderson.
s
ù
I
Graduating musician Brendan Anderson conducted
his composition, I Believe, for the Augsburg concert
Band and Choir at the Commencement Concert on
May 18.
Graduates in the Class oÍ 1952 wear gold caps with their gowns as they join
the Class of 2002 at the Commencement Ceremony. The 5O-year class will be
back on campus to celebrate at their reunion during Homecoming,
Summer
2OO2
,4ucsnunc n¡ow 2z
o
o
È
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hs
The Class of 2002 begins their graduation day in Hoversten Chapel at the
Baccalaureate service, led by Augsburg campus pastors, Rev. David Wold (left) and Rev.
Sonja Hagander (right).
Social work graduate and McNair Scholar Leslie Howard
(left) poses with visiting Norwegian social work student
Kristine Dyrnes (right).
o
a
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ù
h,
s
ra
THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE CLASS OF 2OO2
54I
¡ 318
t 148
a 44
a
I 3l
I 1l
Candidates for graduation
Day program graduates
Weekend College graduates
Graduate students (22 Master of
Social Work, 1 Master of Arts in Nurslng,
20 Master of Arts in Leadership, and I
Master of Arts in Education-Leadership)
Rochester Program graduates
Countries of graduates-China, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Laos, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, Venezuela, and
Vietnam.
I
20-58 Age range of graduates in the Class ol 2002
24
,4UCSSURC n¡OW
GRADUATION
DAY-A
CONTINENT AWAY
Three sets of parents at Commencement this year came from Norway to Minnesota to
see their daughters graduate, Five Norwegian students from the Oslo University
College, who have been studying in Augsburg's lnternational Partners Program, were
unable to take part in their own graduation because of the academic schedule here.
They received special permission to take part in Augsburg's Commencement. The front
row students are (L to R): Una Sveen, Kristine Dyrnes, Rikke Nielsen, and Sylvi Nilsen.
Not pictured is Erik Moen.
Summer
2OO2
/-.
A
/
I
tt
I
¡-
^
From the Alumni Board president's desk...
¡lhe
I
Alumni
sourd
organized
w
activities this
year with four
outcomes in
mind. As I
report on these,
join me in
applauding the
board and the Office of AlumniÆarent
Relations on their accomplishments.
Outcome : Friend-raising
Many events connected alumni to the
College, including Auggre Hour gatherings
that brought 130 alumni together after
work to meet and hear stories from
Augsburg professors. There were 3,500
participants at Homecoming events. The
alumni nights at the State Fair, the MAL
l5th anniversary dinner, and
Commencement weekend events brought
together still more friends of Augsburg.
Alumni events did not happen only in
the Twin Cities. Regional chapters in
Chicago; New York City; Washington,
D.C.; Los Angeles; Boulder, Colo.; Naples,
Fla.; Sun City and Tucson, Ariz.; Rochester
and Willmar, Minn.; and 3M Company in
St. Paul also held alumni gatherings.
And can there be any better way to
Outcome: Communication
If you have computer access or a mailbox,
you can always be in touch with
The ultimate measure of our Alumni
Association's effectiveness is increased
talent and resources supporting the
mission of Augsburg. Board members led
by example, donating time, expertise,
financial grfts, and Maroon 6¡ Silver
scholarships. Thank youl
Our new Alumni Board president,
Andy Morrison'73, is well prepared to lead
us into another successful year. Our new
board members-Greg Boone '81, Barry
connect with students than serving treats
during finals week?
Outcome: Effectiveness
Augsburg. Board members helped to
enhance the alumni Web site, the Augsburg
Now magazine, and the Class Agent lerters.
They communicated with leaders of the
regional chapters. They also searched for
First Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and
Distinguished Alumni award recipients.
Outcome: Connections
Alumni gave valuable contributions to
current students, faculty, and staff. We
were advisors to the Board of Regents,
Development Committee, and'Science
Advisory Board. Alumni from 25
businesses held ajob fair for over 100
students, preceded by a session onjobsearch skills. We surveyed faculty to match
alumni with their needs, e.g. intemships,
mentors, speakers, and research funding.
Vornbrock'96 MAL, and Jennifer Tome
'gg-will add to our spirit of fun and
responsibility Would you like to join us?
e4+
Jackie ltuiefel Lind'69, '94 MAL
President, Alumni Board
Lute Olson '56 elected to Naism¡th Memorial
Baskgtball Hall of Fame
AussbursNewsservice
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o
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5
{9
A
ugsburg
College
alumnus and
Olson, previously a finalist for the
Hall of Fame in 2000 and 2001, will be
joined in the Hall of Fame by players
currenI
University of
Arizona men's
Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Drazen
Petrovic, coaches Larry Brown and Kay
Yow, and the Harlem Globetrotters. The
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame's Class of 2002 will be enshrined on
September 27 in Springfield, Mass.
basketball head
coach Lute
Olson'56 was
among five
individuals and
one team
selected for
enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame, officials
announcedJune 5.
Summer 2002
"I think it ranks right up there with
the NCAA Championship and rhe 1986
World Championship," said Olson. "This
is definitely one of the special things that
has happened in my career. I am very
thankful for the recognition and
opportunity for enshrinement."
A native of Mayville, N.Dak., Olson
was an Augsburg student from 1952-56,
plapng three sports (football, basketball,
baseball) while earning a double major in
history and physical education. Olson was
Augsburg's Honor Athlete, the highest
honor given to a senior student-athlete, in
1956. He was inducted into Augsburg's
Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.
Olson earned his piece of basketball
immortality with a coaching career that
spans 43 seasons and includes nearly
1,000 career victories. He has won more
than 70 percent of his games on the high
school, junior college, and NCAA
Division I level.
4ucsruncruow
2s
Albuquerque. He is the author o[
1948
several books.
Reynold Skotte, Long
Beach,
Calif., ¡etired lastJune from
teaching at Peninsula Christian
School in Carson, Calif.
1
¡a
O
tt
1957
for 25 years.
Marshall
Ellen (Stenberg) Erickson,
Ham Lake, Minn., was recently
named president ol Free to Be
Community Coalition, an
organization in Anoka County
that helps financially stressed
famìlies.
1
956
The Rev. Dr. Russell C. Lee,
Albuquerque, N.Mex., was guest
preacher at St. Paul's Lutheran
Church in Crookston, Minn., in
February. From 196'l to his
retirement in 1997 he served
Faith Lutheran Church in
1964
Minneapolis,
recently
published Mahing
Phebe (Dale) Hanson, St. Paul,
1951
D.
Johnson,
950
recently rvorked with artist
Rebecca Alm and poet Kathleen
Heideman to create timeuponOnce
a book o[ poems that seek to
"deconstruct" and reconfigure old
fairy tales, mostly those of the
Brothers Grimm and Hans
Christian Andersen.
Sense
rnù¡d rlFr
u¡ri,..¡-¡
U nder standíng
mathematics department, and
taught high school math at Cook
County SchooÌs in Grand Marais
of the Bible:
Ltteraty typ(
as
an Approach to
(Eerdman's
Publishing Co.).
r 961
The Rev. Daniel J. Carlson,
CharÌestown, R.I., has been an
ELCA regionaÌ gift planner for the
ELCA Foundation sinceJuly 1999
he previously devoted 34 years to
parish ministry in New England.
r 963
Dean Gulden, Grand Marais,
Minn., recently returned from a
dog sledding expedition to the
North Slope in Alaska, t50 miles
above the Arctic Circle. He has
also competed in the lditarod, the
Yukon Quest, plus numerous races
in the continentaì United States. In
addition, he worked in the space
industr¡ spent nine years at
Augsburg as head of the
Ann
L. (Johnson) Wollman,
Beaver Falls, Pa., and her
husband, Dave, retired from
Geneva College. Ann was
registrar, and Dave was a professor
o[ history and chair of his
department. They plan to travel to
Lithuania to teach and counsel at
Lithuanìan Christian College.
1
Luncheon in March. She has coauthored seven books and
recently published her eighth, Just
How Much Scrap.Wood Does a Man
Need to Sav¿? The audio book of
her award-winning book, Grcwing
Up Lutheran, is under
consideration for a Grammy
nomination.
1970
Ray Hanson, Denton, Md.,
St. Paul, recentìy
continues to help teach Children's
Church a[ Talbot Evangelistic
Church. He recently completed
serving three years on the church
board, during which time a new
Christian ministry center was
constructed and opened.
published a book
of poetry called
1977
96s
Gracia Grindal,
Lise LungeLarsen, Duluth,
won her second
ARevelry oJ
Harv¿st, which
features several
poems about
Auggies. She is currently professor
o[ rhetorÍc at Luther Seminary in
Minnesota Book
Award for her
children's book,
The Race of the
St. Paul.
1968
Birhebeíners,
UMC-M Auxiliary 50th
illustrated by Mary Azarian. The
book, based upon an account
written in 1264 by Sturla Tordsson,
explores the origin of Norway's
national ski championship-the
Anniversary Membership
Race o[ the
Suzann (Johnson) Nelson,
Grand Rapids, Minn., was the
guest speaker for the Fairview
ffi
c
Birkebeiners-and tells
the story of the cross country
escape that kept the nation's infant
king safe from an invading army.
Rod Skoe, Clearbrook, Minn.,
recently announced he will seek
election to the Senate in District 2;
he is currently serving his second
terrn âs state representative (DFL)
in DÍstrict 28. He also farms in
northem Minnesota. Prior to his
election to the Minnesota House in
1998, he was a member of the
CÌearwater County Board of
Commissioners. He also served on
the Clearbrook-Gonvick School
o
s.
ã'
o
U
Board. He and his wife, Sarah
Hoagberg, have two children.
1978
Gladys (Boxrud) Strommen '46 and Anne Frame hosted an Augsburg alumni
luncheon in Naples, Fla., this past March. Front row, L to R: Donna Mclean; Gladys
(Boxrud) Strommen '46; Anne Frame; Louise Sundet; Helen Smith. Back row, L to R:
Lois Wattman '76; Carole Skaar; Marilyn Fogdall; Nancy (Strommen) Stensvaag'71;
Jan Grinde; Grace (Forss) Herr'57; Marion Anderson; and Lorraine Carlson.
26
,4UCSSUnC NOW
Steve Hoffmeyer, Mendora
Heights, Minn., joined the State
Bureau o[ Mediation Services as
mediator in April.
a
Summer 2O02
d
m
Tim Wolter '78: Baseball historian and
'battlebot' chal lenger
o
c
s-
æ
à'
5
(J
by Lynn Mena
During the Second Worid War, nearly I30,000 American soldiers and 19,000 crvilians were captr-tred
and held in prisoner of war camps. While the conditions under which they were held varied enormously,
baseball, in various forms, was a common activity among the prisoners. Not just Americans, but
Canaclians, Britìsh, Australians, and New Zealanders palticipatecl, as well asJapanese and even some
Germans.
Augsburg alumnus Tim Wolter wrote a book on this toplc, which was published last year by McFarland
6c Company. POW Baseball inWorldWar II: The National Pastime Behind Barbed V/irz is the story of POW
baseball. The book is dÌvided into the various prison camps and describes the types of prisoners held
there and the degree to which baseball was played.
Tim Wolter'78 recently
published a book about the
history of PoW baseball in
World War Il.
"I've been a history lan for a number of years, Ìn fact, my minor at
Augsburg was history," says Wolter. "l kind of drlfted into this aspect
of baseball hrstory-one thing led to another."
ñ
L
S
o
Q
Wolter, a practicing physician who has written articles on the history of baseball ar-rd the philosophy of
mediclne, first investigated I9th-century war baseball. He discovered that even during the Clvil War, POW
baseball was playecl on maneuvers.
Wolter received so many lnteresting clues and information from various calls ancl letters about WWII POW
basebal1, that what first appeared to be an Ìnteresting magazine article soon turned lnto a book.
"The book turned out pretty weli, althor-rgh I can of coLlrse see a hundrecl ways I cou1c1 have done it better,"
for a first book, it's not too bad." Wolter is especìally glad to see the book published rvhile
some of the people he wrote about are stlll living.
says Wolter. "But
During the course of Wolter's research and writing, ESPN, the cable-TV sports network, heard about the
project and asked him to help with a documentary on WWII and sports for the networl<'s Outside the Lincs
While writing POW Baseball
in World l/l/ar ll, Wolter also
contributed to an ESPN
documentary about llllWll
and sports.
program. The episode, "Fields of Battle, Fielcls of Play," premieled last December on Pearl Harbor Day.
"They filmed me at Fort Snelling Ìn a l9th-century limestone jail cell," says Wolter. He came away from the
collaboration in awe of the enormous resources the writers at ESPN have at their disposal. "What would
have taken me years to research took them months or jr-rst weeks."
Wolter, who has lived in Chippewa Falls, Wis,, since 1985 with his
wife, Laura (KasdorÐ'81, and their three sons, Matt, Karl, and
Gus, is also a frequent guest speaker. He recently spoke at the
Baseball Hall of Fame on Memorial Da¡ ancl olten speaks lo
veterans' gloups.
a
a
à
L
,e
ln addition to baseball ancl histor¡ Wolter recently cliscoverecl a
new passion that he shares with his son, Karl-robotic combat.
"We first got interestecl rn robotic combat a couple yeals ago on a
trip to London," says Wolter. "While watchlng BBC we discovered
RobotWars, a program that had not yet crossed the Atlantic. 'How
cool is thisl'we exclaimed, and started to discr-tss ways to create
or11' own killer robots."
Since then, they have built several 'battlebots' (as they are known
in the U.S.) and have cornpeted 1n various competitions. Their
robots have featured garden gr-romes, fruitcake, and bowling balls.
New clesign ideas include the use of other cultural icons, sttch as
rhe Teletubbies, a disco ball, or perhaps even lava lamps or E1vis.
ln addition to baseball history, Wolter also enioys building
'battlebots' for robotic combat competitions with his son' Karl
Summer 20O2
Sometimes, robóts come home h'om competitions in pieces, "Bnt
that is part" of the fun," says Wolter. "Then it's back to the shop to
build something new."
4ucs¡unc ruow
27
Class Notes
W
W
1979
Sharon Lakin Upton,
Congratulations
and WELCOME,
Class
Â
of
20021
s a member o[ the
A^ugrourg Lottege Alumnr
AssociatÌon, you are a very
important part of the College
community and are welcome
VISIT THE AUGSBURG BOOTH AT THE
MINNESOTA STATE FAIR!
Hellertown, Pa., is the new
director oI development research
at Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pa. (not at North
Carolina State University, as was
mistakenly printed in the previous
issue of Augsburg Now).
1
980
Stacy Lee (Stephans)
Hutchens, Indianapolis, Ind., is
to receive various benefits
including:
men's work-release counselor at
.
Corporation.
Augsburg Now, the quarterly
Coilege publication
. Bi-annual letters from your
class agent,
who wilÌ keep
you updated on news
.
.
Invitations to Homecoming,
reunions, and other special
events on campus
Access to the
library and
[itness facilities
.
Access to Career Services'
resources
. A special tuition discount for
alumni
. An alumni directory
containing complete
information on classmates
that is available for purchase
. Volunteer opportunities on
leadership boards and
committees
. Opportunities to participate
in alumni tours around the
world
.
Legacy scholarships for
family members of students
and alumni to study toward
a degree at Augsburg
ATUMNI
Blomkest, Minn., recentÌy accepted
the pastorate position at Roseau
Baptist Church in Roseau, Minn.
He previously served the Blomkest
Baptist Church near Willmar.
1992
Larry John
Anderson,
Eagan, Minn.,
received
N.Y, received a $40,000 Houle
preaches
Sandra (Voss) Wollschlager,
Cannon Falls, Minn., recently
announced her candidacy for state
representative (DFL) from Distrlct
28,{. She has worked for 3M
Company lor 22 years, beginning
as a lactory worker and advancing
to her current position in research
and development. She is in her
second term on the Cannon Falls
Schooi Board. She and her
husband, Joe, have two children.
occasionally-most
He can be e-mailed at
<drljanderson@msn.con>.
988
Timothy Todd, El Sobranre,
Calif., relocated from France to
CalifomÍa last year after obtainÍng
a finance manager position at BioRad l-ab. He and his wife, Helene,
have three children: Natalie
Caroþ, and Christoph.
has
Jim Weninger, Prior Lake,
Minn., is the facilities and
maintenance manager at the Toro
manufacturing plant in Shakopee,
Minn. He has served on the Prior
l-ake Planning Commission, as well
as on the Metropolitan Council's
Water Advisory Board and on the
Minnesota River Assessment
Project, a position to which he was
lived in England and worked at
investment banks for the last few
years. Michiel can be e-mailed at
appointed by former Gov. Arne
Carlson. He and his wife, Liz
(Wolffl '92,have
99f
a daughter,
Ginny
is
a technical coordinator for Peace
Corps MalawiS training programs.
His wife, Stacia, is the coordinator
1994
doctorate degree
recently at Bethany Baptist Church.
N.Y.
candidacy for a seat in the
Minnesota House of
Representatives. She will run for
the District 638 (DFL) seat, now
held by Mark Gleason. She is an
independent consultant in the area
of corporate citizenship and
philanthropy management.
in biblical studies
Andersonville Baptist Seminary in
March 200I. He is an emplol.rnent
developer for Ramsey Action
Programs and also works with the
Filipino American Christian
Church of RoseviÌleb Social
Concerns Ministry In addition, he
America, and the United States.
She is currently an assistant
professor of adult education at
Buffalo State CoÌlege in Buffalo,
1
a
from
Scholar Grant for Emerging
Scholars in Adult Education,
which is sponsored by ihe WK.
Kellogg Foundation and is given
to scholars in Africa, Latin
Kristof Nordin, Malawi, Africa,
,4UCSSURC NOW
years.
Lisa M. Baumgartner, Amherst,
1
2A
lnterested in volunteering? Contacl the alumni offlce at
6L2-330-I 17 B or I -800-260-6590
f986
<mYbema@hotmail. com>.
ÀSSOCIATION
Visit rvith alumni, get a peek into Homecoming activitres, find out
how you can get involved, ancl don't forget to enter the gleat
'alumni only' drawings.
for Peace Corps Malawi's crisis
corps program. They have been
living in Africa for more than five
The Rev. Patr¡ck Krause,
ASSOCTATTON
ALUMNI
a
98f
Michiel Ybema, London,
Augsburg College
Speclal nights dedicated to alumm are Tlesday, Ar-rgust 27, ancl
Thursda¡ Ar-rgust 29, lrom 5-9 p.m.
Check out the full schedule of booth events on1ìne at
<wwwarrgsbrr rg.ed rr/strte lai r>
Riverside Community Correct ions
1
August 22-September 3, 2002
1993
Doris Rubenstein, RichfieÌd,
Minn., recently announced her
ElIil[INII:rõtlf¡ftl
2002-2003 Alumni Board
meeting schedule
June 18
August 20
November 19
February 18
April
15
Meetings are open to the
public and all alumni are
invlted to attend. Each
meetrng features a guest
speaker from the College
community For more
inlorrnrtion, visit lhe alumni
Web site at <www.augsburg.
edu/alumni>.
Summer 2O02
)
F
W
The Augsburg alumni
chapter at 3M held a
iuncheon May 6.
Augsburg College staff
and faculty joined
alumni and current
Augsburg students who
work at 3M for a lunch
and leadership program.
Diane Pike, professor and
department chair of
sociology, presented
"Confounded by
LeadershÌp." Augsburg is
planning future events at
3M, American Express,
We11s Fargo, and LBIAAL.
1
1997
995
a
Matthew A. Gooding,
Lori (Mosher) Claussen,
s
Goodyear, ArÞ., has lived in
Arvona since he began working
wirh rhe Litchfield Elementary
Rosemount, Minn., received her
master's degree in special education
from the University of St. Thomas
a
s.
School District
in 2000.
1996
John R. Burt, Fargo, N.Dak.,
married Kara Miller in December.
He works at Scheels All-Spons.
Teresa (MacNabb)
Barbara Kaufmann, manager of 3M
education contr¡butions, presented
the 3M scholarsh¡p and 3M
match¡ng gift checks to Ron Nelson
'68, vice pres¡dent and controller at
3M and member of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents,
Kysylyczyn, Roseville, Minn.,
passed the Certified Public
Accountant Exam in February; she
is a staff accountant at John A.
Knutson & Co., PLLB and can be
in December. She is teaching in
Independent School District 196,
working with students with
specific leaming needs, at
Rosemount High School.
Michele McNaughton,
Mahtomedi, Minn., joined the staff
of Catalyst Medical Clinic, PA., in
Watertown, Minn. She will focus
on women's health care, pediatrics,
and diabetes.
a
e-mailed at <tck@Knutsoncpa.corïÞ.
S"
A.
L
s
(_)
m
Ami Nafzger
'94:. Finding
cultural connections
by Cherie Christ
Aml Nafzger beheves the Augsburg College Pan-Asian Association changed her life. A native of Chun Ju,
Korea, Nafzger was adopted by an American famrþ in 1975 at the age of four. Growing up in Minong, Wis.,
and a later move to Willmar, Minn., left Nafzger with very few AsÌan connections.
Determined to keep a promise to her dying mother that she would graduate from Augsburg, Nafzger worked
three parr-rime jobs to pay for school and living expenses, leaving little time for involvement with the campus
community But. it was an encounter her freshman year with Lee Hoon Wong Benson, then Pan-Asian Services
director, that changed Nafzger's life.
Ami Nafzger '94 established
G.O.A,t,, an organization
committed to providing
knowledge about Korean
culture to Korean adoptees.
Frightened and hesitant to approach other Asians, Nafzger remembers, "I had never even talked to an AsÌan before." Benson not oniy encouraged
Nafzger to ger involved in varÌous campus events and organlzations, including Pan-Asian Services, but to build friendships within the Asian
community Her connection to Benson provided Nafzger a sense of pride ln herself as an Aslan, and also as an individual.
In 1994 Nafzger completed her social work degree, and now has built her career around 1t. With a need to better undersknd her heritage and with
few concrete reasons to stay in the United States, Nafzger returned to her native home, Korea, in 1996.
In 1998, after extensive research on Korean adoptees, Nafzger established G.O.A.L. (Global Overseas Adoptees Link), an organization committed to
providing knowledge about Korean cuiture. G.O.A.L. acts as a voice for many Korean adoptees by providing positive links to their Korean culture.
Developed specifically for these adoprees, G.O.A.L. provides a variety of resources such as translators, guides, home stays, and birth search
depar[ments to those who wish to learn more about their culture. Nafzger says, "Afier so many decades I felt there needed to be something
established in Korea for adult adoptees as they return to their birth country"
I
Although on occasion frustrated by a lack of support from the Korean government, Nafzger believes there are many benefits. HelpÌng adoptees
understand where they come from is the most rewarding part of her job.
work connected her to addirional associations around the world. in addition to her work with GOACC (Give Orphans a Chance to
Choose), which helps provide hands-on assistance to adult orphans in Asia, she is also a member of an international planning committee working
with sister adult adoptee organizations in Europe and America
Nafzger's
Nafzger believes that her work is "helping to break down the prejudlce and misunderstanding thal separates Koreans from adoptees and adoptees
from each other."
For additional information, vislt G.O.A.L. online at <www.goa1.or.kr>.
Chene Chnst is ø communication speciølist in the Ot'Jice
Summer
2OO2
oJ
Public Relations and Contmunication.
4ucsnunc ruow
29
Class Notes
ffi
Births/Adoptions
Auggie Conversations
Jeannie (Shaughnessy)'88
al fresco
and Joseph Hodges, Alexandria,
Dine ancl converse with fellow
Augsburg alumni and friends
on some of the Twin Cities' best
ontdool patlos for Auggie
Josie, in February.
Va.-a daughtea Campbell
Amy (Johnson) '89
Conversations al fiesco.
Rernaining sunìmer dates are:
Tuesda¡July 16, 5:30 p.m.
Jennifer (Ohlin) '91 and
and Patrick
952-47r-8513
An Augsburg alum will lead a
'sporty' conversation-j oin the
team!
Please RSVP
lor the above
events to the Alumni./Parent
Relations offÌce, ó I2-330- I I 78,
or e-mail <alumni@
augsbr,rrg.edu>. Particlpants are
responsible for the cost of thelr
meals and dlinks. Visit the
alumni Web site for more
information at
<www.augsburg.edu/
alumni,/gatherings.html>.
daughter, Alexis
Leigh, inJanuary
Kenndy D.
(Bade)'00 and
Kirk Lewis-a
son, Owen, in
January.
lan Quello'38 correctly
identified Olive Berg'38
(far Ieft) in this photo
from the'Remember
When' contest in the
spring issue. An Augsburg
t-shirt is on the way!
Laura
ahrmna, will lead the
conversation.
on Lake Minnetonka
3746 Sunset Dr., Spring Park
Minn.-a
Dan
(Carlson)'92
Lold Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge
Stefanie (tindell) '98 and
Falk, Sauk Rapids, Minn.-a
daughter, Olivia Joan, in March.
She joins older siste¡ Emily, 3.
stage ancl screen and Augsbr-rrg
Tuesday, August 13, 5:30 p.m.
Denmark-a son, Christopher,
in February.
Bruce Lender'98, Coon Rapids,
and John
Hanson, Falcon Heights, Minn.a son, Noah John, in December.
Hejoins older brother, Bennett.
WA. Frost & Cornpany
374 Selby Ave., St. Paul
651-224-57r5
Carolyn Pool'91, actress of
Louise L. (Andersen)'97 and
Jacob Karlstad '97, Lyngby,
N
E
F-!
LI ro
Guernsey
'86, St. Paula son, lan
Patrick, in
March.
Pictured,
clock
Show less
-
-
Title
-
Augsburg Now Winter 2001-2002
-
Collection
-
Alumni Magazine Collection
-
Search Result
-
A season of hope and expectation
f,
dvent ... the time of antÌcipation,
Ap..pu.ution,
hope, and longing.
During this time we tend to focus on the
joyful preparation for the birth of Christ.
We don't often spend time considering the
other side of Advent, the second comlng
of the Lord, wj....
Show more
A season of hope and expectation
f,
dvent ... the time of antÌcipation,
Ap..pu.ution,
hope, and longing.
During this time we tend to focus on the
joyful preparation for the birth of Christ.
We don't often spend time considering the
other side of Advent, the second comlng
of the Lord, wj.th its promÌse of
judgement, but also deliverance and
redemption from despair.
As we reel from the events of Sept. I I
that turned our safe and secure world
topsy-turuy, this second advent offers
good news for us. As difficult as it may be
We welcome your letters!
write to:
Please
Editor
AugsburgNow
22ll
Riverside Ave., CB 145
Minneapolis, MN 55454
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Fax: 612-330-1780
Phone: 612-330-Il8I
Letters for publication must be
sþed
and
to ignore the decorations, music, buying,
and trappings of the season, these few
weeks also offer us the chance to
anticlpate and envision the renewed
presence of the Lord and the world
promised and possible through this
presence.
In this
issue we see a repetition in the
theme of Advent candles. The same
candlelight that brought light to a dark
sanctuary during the Advent Vespers
procession also consoled us through
September from a place of vigil in the
front of Hoversten Chapel. The quiet,
soothing illumÌnation of candles is aiso
central to the Taizé worship that came to
Augsburg at the end of October. Farther
on, you'll read about the intriguing way
some Augsburg students found to recreate
this special atmosphere.
This issue's feature article,
"Remembering September" examines how
Augsburg, as a iearning communit¡ has
engaged its faculty, staff, and students in
discussion of the difficult issues facing it
since Sept. ll, and how the College's 132year-old mission provided the grounding
to frame these discussions.
Also in this winter issue, anticipating
the coming Winter Olympic games, we
feature stories of Auggies who have gone
for the gold-speedskater Johnny Werket,
who found in his "golden" career both
Olympic medals and a partner for 1lfe;
and the 1928 men's hockey team, whose
golden Olymplc dreams were shattered on
the very eve of the games.
This issue also shares the spirit of
Homecoming through photos from the
events and class reunions. As we note on
the back cover, the rains may have
canceled plans for "Auggies on Parade,"
but the festivities brought alumni and
friends together Ìn a celebratÌon of
Augsburg community-and a big
football win.
As this calendar year closes, Augsburg
Now extends to readers the best wishes for
a holiday season ol hope, anticipat"¡on,
celebration, and peace.
WW
Betsey Norgard
Editor
include your name, class year, and daytime
teìephone number. They may
be edited for length, clarity,
and style.
o
o
si
h,
s
r^
Family and friends
gathered to remember Jean
Lindell (see Augshurg Now,
summer issue, ln
Memoriam) with the
dedication of the Lindell
Garden in front of Lindell
Library. Victoria Grunseth
spoke on behalf of the
family about her mother as
an avid gardener.
-
At¿csBrJRG Now
Winter
Vol.64 No.2
2OO1-O2
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
22ll Riverside Ave., Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55454.
Features
Betsey Norgard
Editor
Lynn Mena
Assistant Editor
Remembering September
Kathy Rumpza
by Betsey Norgard
Graphic Designer
Jessica Brown
Class Notes Coordinator
William V. Frame
Following the events oJ September 77, how could
and would Augsburg CoIIege, as a learning
community, respond?
President
Dan Jorgensen
Director of Public Relations and
Communication
Nancy Toedt'94
Director of Alumni and Parent
Relations
Johnny Werket's
golden career by Don stoner
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
official College policy.
Inhis youth, speedshater lohnny Werhet'49 won
ISSN t058-I545
Olympic goldmedals and the heart of aNonueglan
Postmaster: Send conespondence,
name changes, and address
corrections to: Augsburg Now,
Office of Public Relations and
Communication, 221 I Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454.
girl; they now celebrate their golden marnage.
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: ó12-330-l 18I
Fax: 612-330-1780
16
The Rev. Mark Hanson '68ELCAs new presiding bishop
Horr"rrten chapel gets dressed
up in 'stained glass'
Departments
Augsburg College, as alfirmed
in its mission, doesnot
ilßcnminate on the bøsis of race,
color, creed, religion, national or
ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual
orientation, marital status, status
with regar¿l to public assßtance,
or disability in its education
p oliaes, ailmissions policies,
scholar ship and loan pro gr ams,
athletic anill or school
ailministered pro grams, except
in those ínstances where reli$on
is a bonø fiile occupational
quølification. Augsburg C ollege
is committed to providing
reasonable accommodatíons to
its employees and its stuilents.
www.augsburg.edu
2
Around the Quad
5
Sports
7
Chapeltalk
17
Alumni News
22
28
Class Notes
Auggie Thoughts
inside
Calendar
back
cover
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste)
On the cover:
Augsburg students Çront to bach)
Renzo Amaya Torres, Kerri
Sjoblom, len Falhman, and Adam
Dehnel prepare for the Advent
Vespers procession, as it lights up
the advent season. Photo by
Linda Cullen.
I
a
I
o
Augsburg ranks again in top tier
Augsburg College
once again is
ffiffi
ranked in the top
tier of its category
in the U.S. News
€t World Report
2001 ratings-up three places from last
year. A new classification by tl.:'e magazine
puts Augsburg in the "Midwestern
¡¡
O
Conor Tobin w¡ns Fulbright
Scholarship to Norway
Fonor
Augsburg in the news-a busy fall
Tobin. who
academic yeat on the Oslo Year Program.
Lg.nduut.d in May
with
a double major
in
A course in Middle Eastern politics at that
time led to research on the role of Norway
political science and
in the Middle
Norwegian, was
Tobin's current study continues that
interest, with a heightened focus on the
ethics of war and peace in time of
terrorism. On returning to the U.S., he
plans to combine law school and graduate
awarded a Fulbright
Scholarship and is now
Universities-Master's" category, because
the College offers graduate-ievel programs.
Augsburg is ranked second in the
"Reputation" category among the other
Minnesota private colleges in that tier.
Reputation is determined by surveying the
presidents, provosts, and deans of
admissions at i.nstitutions in that tier.
For campus diversity, Augsburg is
ranked first among the other Minnesota
private colleges in that tier.
o
(a
studying in Norway at
the University of Oslo.
As a junior, Tobin spent the fall
semester at the University of Oslo on the
HECUA urban studies term and then
extended his studies through the
Conor Tobin
East peace process.
study in Ìnternational law and neggtiation.
Tobin graduated from Augsburg "with .
distinction" and received departmental
honors in political science.
Hoyt Messerer Fitness Center
is dedicated in Melby Hall
Scholastic Connections program:
.
.
.
.
.
WCCO radio interview of Syl Jones '73
Star hbune and Pioneer Prøss articles
on the program
Star Tribune editorial about the creation
of the program
Chronícle of Higher Education article
Associated Press national article
Events surrounding terrorism:
.
.
.
.
.
Prof. Amin Kader was interviewed
widely on radio and TV
Prof. Joseph Underhill-Cady was
interviewed on KSTP-TV
Prof. James Vela-McConnell was
interviewed on KARE-I1 TV
Admissions counselor Heidi Breen was
interviewed on WCCO radio
Augsburg was part of a national article
from Collegiate News Service
Other activities/interests
.
.
.
2
:
Student LINK Halloween Safe Block
party featured on Fox-29 TV
Prof. Norma Noonan was interviewed
on Wisconsin Public RadÌo in
connection wlth Russian president
Putin's visit to the U.S.;she was also
featured in an article fromLiberation,
a news magazíne
in
Paris
Adapted physical education sports day
was featured on KSTP-TV
,4UGSBURG NoW
Lucille Messerer spoke at the opening of the newly-expanded Fitness Center dedicated
to her husband, the late Hoyt Messerer'39. President Frame presided as both the
Fitness Center and the Gertrude and Richard Pautz Plaza were dedicated at Melby Hall,
lrom belore dawn to late at night, one
I of the most active places on campus is
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
during the renovatlons of Melby Hall in
Conference.
The center is named for Hoyt
Messerer '39, a football, basketball, and
baseball athlete at Augsburg and one of
the four founders of the A-Club, who died
2000, making it one of the largest in the
in May
the Fitness Center. Open to all members of
the Augsburg community, includÌng
alumni, the center was doubled in size
(see In Memoriam,
p.26).
llUinter 2001-02
I
Good, Martin
ioin Augsburg's
board
Four regents retire after two
terms of service
StafJ photo
M;Ti:,ii.î::i]:Jiji,"#:lï,T,-,
on the Board of Regents at Augsburg's
annual meeting in October.
Michael R. Good
A l97l Augsburg
graduate, Good is
executive vice
president of NRT, a
residential real estate
brokerage company A
Michael R. Good 24-year veteran in the
real estate industry Good worked for 20
years in the Coldwell Banker division of
NRT, beginning as a regional manager in
St. PauL/Minneapolis, and subsequently in
Florida, rising to NRT's senior vice
president for the southeastern region.
At Augsburg, Good was twice an Al1American in wrestling. ln1972 he was
Augsburg's head wrestling coach. In 1991,
he was inducted into Augsburg's Athletic
Hall of Fame.
Good earned a master's degree at the
University of St. Thomas. He lives in
Bridgewater, NJ., with his wife, Ann, and
children Matthew and Mandy Mandy is a
student at Augsburg.
Jennifer H. Martin
Jennifer Martin is
tr
senior vice president of
corporate and human
resources for Lutheran
Brotherhood. After 15
years in public
Jennifer H. Martin education, she became
a personnel training specialist with Sperry
Corporation, later Unisys Corporation,
where she held executive positions. She
joined Lutheran Brotherhood in 1995.
Her undergraduate degree in education
was earned at Southern Illinois University
WhÌle teaching in Minneapolis, she earned
a doctorate in education at the University of
Minnesota.
She and her husband, Richard, have
seven children and live in Minneapolis.
Winter 2001-02
Three regents were honored at Augsburg House as they retired from Augsburg's board.
Pictured with President and Mrs. Frame (t to R) Jean and Allen Housh, Evangeline and
Norman Hagfors, and Cheryl and Michael Thompson, Not present was Curtis Sampson.
Four
resents. who each served two terms
office, were honored and thanked as
they retired from the board.
l'of
Norman Hagfors served as vice-chair of the
board, vice-chair of the Regents Committee,
and a member of the Development, Finance,
Govemment and Community Relations, and
Marketing Committees.
Allen Housh
served not only on the
Development Committee as a regent, but
aiso twice served as Augsburg's interim vice
president for institutional advancement.
Curtis Sampson sewed on the Finance
Commi.ttee.
Michael Thompson was also
a
member of
the Finance Committee.
Kathy Tunheim elected to the board of
the governing boards association
A:ffi,ï:å:f
Tunhei.m was elected
to the Board of
Directors of the
national Association
of Governing Boards
of Universities and
Colleges (AGB) for a
Kathryn Tunheim two-year term.
AGB is dedicated to strengthening the
performance of boards of public and
private higher education. AGB provides
leadership in supporting the American
higher education system of citizen
trusteeship and a diverse system of higher
education.
The organization serves as
a
continuing education resource to trustees
and boards and contributes to effective
working relationships between boards and
lt advises on matters
affecting institutional oversight
responsibilities, promotes wider
understanding of citizen leadership and
lay governance, and identifies public
chief executives.
policy issues of concern to hlgher
education.
,4ucssunc
ruow
3
Around the Quad
Thanksgiving to donors
and scholars
Ã
Thankssivins brunch was the
lloppor,uniry lor over 200 donors to
meet the students who are reciplents of their
scholarshlps-and for the College to
recognlze and thank donors for their support.
President Frame told them, 'A1l of you
here today are here by virtue of some kind
of calling-on one hand to provide support;
on the other to be students. Each of you is a
constituent element of what Augsburg
College is-no less important than the
faculty and staff who are here to provide this
education. We are grateful for your
support."
Kyle Kuusisto'03
spoke for students: "Here
at Augsburg, one can really
be immersed ìn the strong
fabric that is called
community It is a
community that gives us
the chance to not only
dream, but to fulfill those
Fun stuff
kids in the dome
o
the future is to continue to spread that value
of community that I experienced here at
Augsburg."
Clnthia Balley'02, a weekend student
who has majored in religion while worhng
full time, also spoke for students. Last
summer, she traveled to Poland and Eastern
Germany with Herb Brokering and Youth
and Family Institute director Dick Hardel.
"It was lÌsted as a pilgrimage and that's
the experience I had," she said. "After that
trip, I felt even more called to ministry
particularly social ministry ... Thank you,
all of you, who have helped me reach my
goal of ministry to God."
sS.B'
r^
Auggie junior Emily Bushey and one of
the participating teachers help unfurl the
colorful parachutes in Augsburg's air
structure at the adapted physical
education sports day.
a
o
population. ... Students
\^
area schools had some fun at the third
Junior Kyle Kuusisto expressed thanks on behalf of students
for the financial support they receive. He is pictured here
(center) with E. Milton Kleven 'a5 (left), the donor of the
Magnus and Krostofa Kleven Scholarship Kuusisto has
received, and Kleven's sister, lvadell Rice.
Dialing for dollars
aF tudent Phonathon callers have been
fall-and
gifts
to The Augsburg Fund has risen seven
percent compared to last year in the same
period.
Most significant is the increase in giving
from Weekend College alumni-$3,206 this
year, compared to $2,2451ast year.
However, similar to the experience of
many charitable organizations, the total
amounts from September gifts were
ÐUury
on the telephone this
their results prove it. The number of
4
4UGSBURG NoW
200 chiLdren with developmental
s.
"I plan on teaching
need to feel a sense ofplace
and belonglng. My plan for
¡F\ver
lLJan¿ physical disabiiities lrom merro
dreams.
adaptlve physical education
in the Minneapolis Schools.
I am confident that my
education here is preparing
me to work effectively with
a diverse student
for
annual sports extravaganza in Augsburgb
air structure.
Augsburg health and physical
education students, as well as students
from the Cedar-Riverside School, teamed
up with the third- to sixth-graders for
games, or just spent time one-on-one.
Activities included soccer, dancing,
parachutes, jump rope, races and relays,
balloon volleyball, and cage ball. All of the
partlcipants received ribbons at the end of
the day
ffi
At press time, word was received that
dramatically down, as donors focused
their support to help the victims of
terrorism.
The Augsburg Fund, Augsburg's
annual fund, is the College's "living
endowment" that provides the foundation
of annual financial support needed to
attract and retain its talented and diverse
student body. For addltional information,
contact Donna Mclean, director of The
Augsburg Fund, at I-800-273-06L7 or
Augsburg has been awarded $2
million over five years from the lilly
Endowment as part of the initiative,
"Programs for the Theological
Exploration of Vocation."
ln Minnesota, grants were awarded to
Augsburg, Concordia College
(Moorhead), and the University of
St. Thomas.
More about Augsburgb grant will
appear in the next issue.
<mclean@augsburg.edu>.
W¡nter 2001-02
r
The Edor Nelson Field is dedicated
rFhe skies ooened and a constant rain
I f.ll on the artificial turl all aliernoon.
The visitors from St. John's University
further dampened spirits by beating
Augsburg, +B-14. And the guest ofhonor
rvas on crutches, as the result of knee
replacement surger)¿
But nothing was going to stop
Augsburg from honoring coaching legend
Edor Nelson '38. The College rededicated
the outdoor athletic field in Nelson's honor
at a halftime ceremony during the Sept.22
football game.
"To you, Edor, we owe a great debt of
gratitude," President William V Frame told
Nelson. "We appreciate your gifts; as they
are mar,y and manifold, and we are glad to
rededicate this stadium for you toda;r"
in 1984, the College named its newlyconstructed outdoor athletic field as
Anderson-Nelson Field, in honor of
Nelson and longtime athletic director and
men's basketball coach Ernie Anderson. in
February the College dedicated the court
at Melby Hall in Anderson's honor.
"You have truly been a champion of
the athletic program, and a champion of
byDonstoner
.è
all the student-athletes
whose lives you have
touched," said Paul Grauer,
men's athletic director,
during the halftime
ceremony
Nelson said that much
È
s!
(J
of the credit for the field
should be attributed to the
donors who gave time and
money to make the field a
reality-men like Carl
Benson'51, Ray Grinde
'57, andJeroy Carlson '48.
He chose to honor the
donors, along with all the
athletes he coached and
taught during his four
f:
Edor Nelson '38 stands under umbrellas as Augsburg's athletic
field is rededicated in his name. Norm Okerstrom'85 (left), Office
of lnstitutional Advancement, holds the plaque to be placed in
Melby Hall.
decades at Augsburg.
A special luncheon was held before
the game, where more than 150 guests
pald tribute to Nelson. Fans also had a
chance to pay trlbute to Nelson during a
post-game reception in the Melby Hall
Iobby
During his four decades of service to
Augsburg, Nelson served the College in
variety of roles, most notably as the
longtime coach of the football and baseball
teams. He was also an associate professor
in Augsburg's health and physical
education department for 32 years, retiring
in 1978.
-Don
Stoner is sports inJormation
coordinator.
a
Dozens of children from central Minneapolis prepared for
their winter hockey this year by learning the basics at the
Augsburg-Sheehy Hockey Camps held in August at the
Augsburg lce Arena,
Organized by NHt player agent Neil Sheehy, Augsburg
men's hockey coach Mike Schwartz'85 (pictured at right
without hat), and Auggie alumnus John Evans'82, the two
camps were held in conjunction with the Minneapolis Park
and Recreation Board. At the end of each week-long camp,
the youngsters got a chance to get autographs from several
professional hockey players, including Minnesota Wild star
Darby Hendrickson and Auggie alums Martin Hlinka'00 and
Ryan Mclntosh '01, who were attending Sheehy3 pro
hockey development camp also taking place at the
Augsburg lce Arena.
Winter
2OO1-O2
,4ucsnunc
ruow
s
'scholastic Connections' pairs minority
students with alumn i mentors
Aussburs News service
Æ;Tüåî.iX1'#"::îiiil;J:ï?
and believed to be the first of ìts kind in
the nation, uses proceeds from a $500,000
endowment to pair students of color with
alumni of color in mentoring relationships.
Five students have received $5,000
renewable scholarships in this first year,
with a goal to increase that number to 20
students as the endowment grows.
"The commitment to diversity is a
long-standing commitment on the part of
the College," President William Frame
said. "It is rooted in the Lutheran
proposition that colleges and universities
must sweep into modern society to
provide the education which the
management of our world requires."
The program was developed in
response to the resolution of a lawsuit filed
by Elroy Stock'49, who sued Augsburg for
breach of contract, relating to a 1986
campaign gift of $500,000. Shortly after
thls gift, upon learning that Stock was the
author of thousands of mailings urging
"racial" purity sent to interracial couples
and adoptive families, the College decided
it would not put Stock's name on a college
building in return for the donation.
Due to charitable donation regulations,
the College could not return the
6
,+UGSBURG
Now
s.
E
money
The lawsuit was dismissed due to
the expiration of the statute of
limitations.
The sch olarship-mentorin g
program asslsts achievement-oriented
high school and post-secondary
students of color andJor mixed race to
succeed at Augsburg. Scholarship
criteria include leadership ability and
an interest" in communiLy service.
"The conneclion piece is to put
leaders of today in touch with leaders of
lomorrow" Frame said. "The scholarships
announcing today are named for
the mentors, for our graduates who have
achieved distincrion in rheir fields. [The
recipientsl will be receiving the advice and
counsel of those men and women of
\Me are
co1or."
The program also aims to strengthen
the College's role as a progressive and
welcoming institution for communities of
color, said Kathy Tunhelm, chair of the
students of color received scholarships in Scholastic Connections, a program that pairs them
(L to R) President Frame, Xia Xiong '05; KMSP-TV news anchor
and luncheon host Robyne Robinson; Eloisa Echavez'94,'98 MEL; Matthew Shannon'04; Murry
Kelly, Jr. '71;9yl Jones'73; €amilo Power'03; Gianna Sorrell '03; Jackie Cherryhomes'76;
Jennifer Boswell '05; F. €layton Tyler '72; and Noya Woodrich '92, '94 MSW
F¡ve
with alumni of color as mentors.
o
a
KMSP-TV news anchor and luncheon host
Robyne Robinson (left) talked with Gianna
Sorrell '03, one of the five new scholarship
winners, at the luncheon honoring the students
and alumni mentors.
Board of Regents.
"While it is true that we have always
attempted to be responsive to the disparate
needs of the communities that we serve, 1t
is also true that we have not always been
successful in doing so ... with the
announcement ol today's initiative, we
seek to change that," Tunheim said.
Jones said that by virtue of Augsburg's
location and mission, it can play a major
role in helping to increase the number of
students of color who graduate from
college, a number which has been
decreasing. "But," he added, "only if the
campus is prepared to welcome those who
are different."
Frame said that approximately I7
percent of the College's 3,000 students are
students of color, putting Augsburg second
among Minnesota's private colleges in that
category
Inter-Race, a diversity think-tank
based at Augsburg that was co-founded
and headed by Vivian Jenkins-Nelsen, will
administer the Scholastic Connections
program.
Augsburg graduate Rev Rufus
Campbell'75 presented the homily in
chapel (see next page). A luncheon, hosted
by KMSP-TV news anchor Robyne
Robinson, honored the scholarship
recipients and mentors.
I
Winter 2001-02
r
by the Reverend Rufus Campbell '75, Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church
-following the
announcement of the Scholastic
Oct. 8, 200f
Connections scholarsh¡p program
wffi
llth
I
l
l
I
I
:iå,ffi î,i:,1äi-,ä,ember
the
we looked into the face of evil. It
hurt us, it angered us. We have not yet
recovered.
This institution has had its own
version of looking into the face of evil. I
just returned from the press conference
over in Christensen Center where there
was an announcement that scholarships
are being created for people of color as a
result of one of our alumni, brother Elroy
Stock.
I know brother Stock. I received my
flrst letter in 1991 shortly after I had
performed an interracial marriage. ...He
senr a lerrer that was filled with hate ...
and this institution, as a result of his
lawsuit, also has looked into the face of
evil.
I'm careful never to think that evil is
embodied in a person. I think all of us can
be overcome by evil, and so I'm always
careful to make that distinction. ... So
what does one do when looking into the
face of evil?
s
evil is by overcoming evil "Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
U
s
good."
I reviewed the mission statement of
this great institution. ... [It] was called,
through its educational process, to prepare
leaders and servants in the community.
"\J
-J
That is a high and a holy call, my sisters
and brothers. And it fits with the Gospel,
because we are a1l called to be servants. To
pattern our lives after the one who was the
greatest of servants, Jesus. ... As servants
\Me are called to face each day, and each
day that we live and face eyil, we are
ca1led to overcome that evil by doing
good.
I think it was a remarkable stroke of
grace, President Frame, to take a proposal
to the Board of Regents saying, 'Let's take
this request from someone who was
overcome with evil ... [and] make some
good come out of it.' I thlnk there was an
extraordinary act of grace on God's part to
see that and to be able to respond
accordingly. So you've done just what our
God commands. You looked into the face
of evil and you have responded by doing
good.
We aii know that we can do much
better as we walk the road to diversity. We
"As servants we are called to face each day, and each day that we l¡ve and
face evil, we are called to overcome that evil by doing good."
Rev. Rufus Campbell '75
good and faithful servant.'
And so I say to you, this great student
body at this great instil,ut"ion, as you
prepare to be leaders and servants in
whatever community God places you in,
remember this day ... Because this is the
day when this institution can celebrate the
fact that it looked into the face of evil and
brought out good.
The God we serve is a great and
mighty God. God gives us the resources to
turn evil to good. Sometimes it's just small
acts, sometimes it's mighty acts. Al1 of
In the text that was read earlier-in
Romans, Paul's letter to the church in
Rome-the beginning and the first trvo
verses of chapter 12 set the context.
Paul said, "I appeal to you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your
know that there is much more that needs
to be done. And God has given us the gift
spiritual worship."
And he goes on to say lhat we ought
not to be conformed by this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of our
of people to help to get us where we need
to be. And so, I didn't come here to beat
you up about your past record; I came to
encourage you as you walk the road you
are walking now I came to say to you that
the God \Me serve is pleased every time we
look into the face of evil and then
transform that by doing something good.
And so, to this institution, I say to
you, Godspeed. I don't know what the
minds. So, Paul talks about how we
respond as Christians in a world that is
extraordinarily good and extraordinarily
evil. Paul says finally, in verse 21, that the
way God calls the church to respond to
reporters wiil be writing ... but I can
imagine, in the annals of heaven, this date
is to be recorded. And I can imagine that
words like this have been recorded with
respect to this institution-'Well done, my
Winter 2001-02
them are important.
And so I say to you this day that God
is pleased, and the very angels in heaven
are rejoicing. And to the Elroy Stocks of
the world, we are ca11ed to pray for you.
And we pray that maybe lf not our
witness, somebody else's witness will be
able to break into his mind, and he, too,
will be able to look into the face of God
and see God's goodness, which will
transform him, also. And so I say, grace
and peace to you this day, my sisters and
brothers, and may the God of heaven and
earth guide you in your journey as you
walk the road of diversity, as you walk the
road of peace, as you walk the road that
produces goodness. God bless you. I
,4ucssuRc
t¡ow
7
The Rev. Mark Hanson '68 is installed as the
ELCA'S
third presiding bishop
fln
a master of dìvinÌty degree
lJHunron,
1972. He continued with
further study at Luther
Theologlcal Seminary and
Harvard Divinity School.
Hanson served several
churches in the Twin CiLies
area, most recently spending
October 6. the Rev. Mark S.
bisúop of the St. Paul
Synod and Augsburg graduate of 1968,
was installed as the ELCA3 third presiding
bishop.
He was elected to the six-year term at
the ELCAb churchwide assembly in
Indianapolis in August. His new duties
began on Nov I at ELCA headquarters in
Chicago. He succeeds the Rev. George
Anderson, who served one term.
Of the ELCAb three presiding bishops
since its inception in I987, Hanson is the
second Augsburg graduate to serve.
Bishop Herbert Chilstrom '54 was elected
as the ELCAb first presiding bishop and
served two terms before retiring.
"I couldn't be more proud and
grateful than to have Mark Hanson, a
fellow Augsburg graduate, as a successor
in the office of presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,"
said Chilstrom. "Mark brings to the office
a wealth of experience, the heart of a
pastor, and the passion to make the
Gospel relevant to the times in which we
live."
After graduating from Augsburg with
a degree in sociology, Hanson attended
Union Theological Seminary in New York
as a Rockefeller Fellow, and was awarded
in
seven years at University
Lutheran Church of Hope,
Minneapolis. ln 1995, he was
elected bishop of the St. Paul
Area Synod, and was re-elected
in spring 2001.
He has aiso served on
numerous inter-church boards
and committees, especially
dealing with affordable housing
programs.
Hanson has been an ex
offrcio member of the Augsburg
Board of Regents for the past
two years, representing the St.
Paul synod.
In announcing Hanson's
election to the Augsburg
community, President William
Frame said that Hanson has been
"a steady friend of Augsburg and
especially of its unique mission as
a college of the church in the
ELCA ecumenical partners and Lutheran bishops from
other continents symbolically extend their hands as
ELCA presiding bishop George Anderson (left, front)
installs St. Paul Synod Bishop Mark S. Hanson '68
(kneeling) as third presiding bishop of the ELCA on
October 6 in Chicago.
modern city
Presiding bishop-elect Mark S. Hanson '68 and his wife,
lone (Agrimson) Hanson '68, greeted visitors after the
installation service.
8
-4UGSBURG NoW
byBetseyNorsard
"He is a great admirer of
Augsburg 2004 and has been
especially dedicated to
helping the College widen
accessibility for underserved
populations in the Twin
Cities," Frame continued.
Hanson's electlon to
leadership comes at a time
when not only the world, but
also the denomination, is
divided by social and
theologÌcal Ìssues. Hanson
referred to this in a
Minneapolis Star Tribune
article upon his election:
"One of my most important
iasks will be to define and
claim the mission to which God cails and
which unites us, while continuing to tend
to the divisions that divide us."
Hanson is married to lone
(Agrimson) Hanson'68, who has served
as director of social work at Minneapolì.s
and St. Paul Children's Hospitals. Their
children are Aaron, Alyssa, Rachel, Ezra,
Isaac, and Elizabeth. They also have one
grandchild.
President and Mrs. Frame
represented Augsburg College at the
installation service, which was held in
Rockefeller Chapel at the University of
Chicago. The organist for the service was
David Cherwien'79. I
Photos by GeolJ Scheerer, courtesy oJ ELCA
News and
Inlornltiotr
llUinter 2001-O2
j¡rËA$!iþ?:"T¡¿i
ffi
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t
I
1
by Betsey Norgard
Assøssing the irnpact
September 77, 2001. It's clear that the world
changed profoundly
... and probably in ways not yet
building. (See In Memoriam, p.26.)
imagined.
Though not affected
in the søme degree as
colleges on the East Coast, the Augsburg community
deeply
felt the impøct, both on cilnpus
neighborhood, with
Only one Augsburg alumnus/a is known to have died in the terrorist
attacks. Lt. Col. Dean E. Mattson '66 was a career mihtary officer,
scheduled for retirement in December, who was sitting at his desk
in the Pentagon when the h¡acked plane destroyed his area of the
and
ø lørge population of
in its
Somali
immigrants.
How could and would Augsburg-a leørning
community of faculty, staff , ønd students-cope with
Augsburg regent Dean Kopperud was in his office at
Oppenhelmer Funds, lnc., on the 33rd floor of the World Tiade
Center south tower when the north tower was hit. He and
Oppenheimer's nearly 600 employees quickly and judiciously
evacuated and were on the street when their tower was hit.
Memories of fire, explosion, and dying people stick in his mind.
Kopperud reported to the Stdr hbune that the only questì.on he
continually asks himself is "Did I do everything I could for everyone
I saw in trouble along the way?"
In Washington, Les Heen'83, communlcations and publÌc
affairs director for the Minnesota Farmers UnÌon, was standing
across the street from the Capitol, preparing for Congressional
meetings, when panicked people began evacuating the building. A
few minutes later they saw a large, white plane banking low toward
the Capitol, which they soon learned passed them by and crashed
into the Pentagon.
this unprecedented tragedy, seeh understønding of
its complex issuøs, and respond to its own and the
community's needs?
Above: Throughout the days and weeks following the terrorist
attacks, the candles in Hoversten Chapel were constant reminders
of the terrorist victims and those in need of consolation and prayer.
Winter
2OOf -O2
"l remember seeing the smoke, feeling sj.ck, and then hearing
sirens from all around us," Heen said. ... "It's hard to describe how
lr-rlnerable you feel when your only defense is to run from a target
before a jumbo jet hits it."
Messages from Auggies abroad were also quick in coming. From
London, Adam Olson '92 wrote to Norm Okerstrom '85 in the
development office: "I found a pub with the news on and sat with
my mouth on the floor for about two and a half hours ... It was
packed with people in stunned silence."
Reactions on campus to the stunning and horrifying news
,.4ucsnunc
ruow
9
a
O
Concerned faculty and staff sought
ways to assess the impact on students,
especially freshmen, many of whom were
away from home for the flrst time. Ann
Klamer, director of residence life, compiled
a list of reports on various topics that
helped student life personnel deal with
aspects of the tragedy The student life
office posted a message board to gauge
\s
ñ
!
IJ
empowerment in the face of this awful
sense of powerlessness," Underhill-Cady
continued, "and certainly one of the best
sources for that is in the polis, the public
forum."
Students also sought discussion
among themselves. The Coalltion for
Student Activism, that had formed earlier
as a small group of a dozen or so, began
"As much as I want reyenge lor ablatant dttdch on nry home, I want the'war' to
stop. Essentialþ I don't hnow what I wanq dnd I believe America reflects thøt
sense oÍ uncertainty."
-Jdmes
P,
a
junior, from his journal
Adam Olson '92 happened to be at the
American Embassy in London when Lady
Margaret Thatcher paid her respects, shortly
student reactions to the events.
to meet weekly and swelled its ranks.
Political science professor Joseph
Underhill-Cady said, "They have no context
Discussion issues became focused on the
after Sept.
for what's happening. The classroom
provides a safe environment where they can
air views, discuss, and share comments." lt's
also a supportive environment.
Journaling has been another means
that Underhill-Cady has used to help his
students find expression for their
uncertainties and fears. He describes the
unstructured thinking as being therapeutic,
helpful, and positive.
1
1.
began even as the events were unfolding.
The morning chapel service became a time
for people to gather, some still anxiously
awaiting news of family and friends who
might have been in the targeted areas. An
afternoon prayer service continued the
,rigil.
Classes continued as scheduled, with
some faculty turning over class discusslon
to impilcations of the tragedy.
Several Augsburg colleagues and
friends from around the world took time
to share their grief and concern. From
Catholic University in Lublin, Poland,
faculty exchange colleagues of Augsburg's
business administration department wrote,
"We hope none of our friends in
Minneapolis and St. Pau1, none of the
employees or students from Augsburg
College has suffered directly due to those
unprecedented acts of terrorism."
Deøling with the
emotional irnpøct
As elsewhere in the country initial
responses to the attacks brought people
together in unusual community and uniqz
Augsburg Echo writer and sophomore
Deanne McDonald wrote in the Sept. 28
issue, "ls there anything that could have
brought the students together as quickly as
the events of September I lth's 'Attack on
America' did? It already feels as if we have
been here for months."
fo
4ucssunc Now
Augsburg's call to mission
On Sept. 28, President William Frame
set the direction for campus discussion.
In a letter to students. Frame asserted
that the College's appropriate response
lies squarely in its I32-year-old mission:
"The greatest favor we can render to this
world is today what it has always
been-to
search through the discipiines
of learning for an understanding of both
the world and ourselves that will guide
us to the work for which we are best fit
and to which we are called," Frame
wrote.
Underhill-Cady took a lead in
proposing campus conversation. In
an op-ed piece for the Echo on
Oct. 5, he suggested that the first
response to the violence should be
dialogue. "Part of our job as students
and instructors is to try to make the
public discussion of these events as
constructlve and well-informed as
possible.
"We need to look for sources of
terrorist events. This group has arranged'
to join other student groups in
discussion at the 2002 Peace Prize
Forum at Augustana College in March.
Students also began a letter-writing
campaign to elected officials, urging
patience in declaring and supporting
a
\Mar.
Listening to others
A first glimpse at understandlng came as if
by fate. The 2001 Christensen Symposium
speaker on Sept. 24, scheduled months
earller, was Prof. Lamin Sanneh, an African
Muslim who is a professor of missions and
world Christianity at Yale University. With
his personal and scholarly experience in
Islam, he provided some insight as to why
he thought Muslim fundamentalism had
targeted America-because of the U.S.
policy of adamant separation of church
and state. "Muslims are feeling a need to
respond with religious fundamentalism,"
he said. "Muslims are helping us
understand that our secularism has gone
too far."
Speakers and experts on campus helped bring
understanding to difficult issues, (Left to right) Mine
Ener, history professor at Villanova University; Amin
Kader, Augsburg business administration department;
Arvonne Fraser, ¡nternational women's rights advocate.
Winter 2001-O2
T
l
:
o
His message was to urge ail Muslim
nat¡ons to deal with their own
fundamentalists, so as not to relegate the
avenging of Sept. l1 to the U.S.
Another speaker invited to campus in
the following weeks was Arvonne Fraser,
director of the lnternational Women's
Rights Action Watch Project and senior
fellow emerita at the Hubert H. Humphrey
lnstitute of Public Affairs. She shared her
expertise on women's rights in Muslim
countries, especially in Afghanistan under
the Taliban.
"The solution is not with bombs, but
with the changing of minds," was her
message to students, faculty, and staff.
"And this takes time."
Helping the community
understand
Business administration professor Amin
Kader emerged as a community
spokesman about Islam, appearing on
.
I
E
and Psychology of U.S.
Leaders DuringWar,
contrasts the ways that
terrorist extremists
embrace death and that
U.S. political and military
leaders fear it.
Supporting
Somøli students
and neighbors
Augsburg students have
An interfaith service was held in Hoversten Chapel, with six
participated in several
religious traditions represented by Augsburg staff and faculty'
Above, Benjy Kent, academic advising, and Barbara Lehmann,
vlgils in the Cedarsocial work, recite the Jewish Mourner's Kaddish.
Riverside neighborhood,
organtzed to support the
Somali communitv.
participants assuring them of stability in
The governmênt's shutdown of
those countries.
businesses that wire money to Somalia
"Now more than ever it is essential to
directly impacted students at Augsburg.
develop an understanding of the causes of
Several Somali students reported to the
violence and in¡ustice and to develop
local television and radio programs and at
area events. He urged listeners to educate
themselves about lslam, to learn about its
common roots to Christianity and its
similar tenets deploring violence and
"... I find myself feeling vulnerable ønd scared. What has happened is the
scariest thing to tahe pløce in the lifetime of mry generation-ønd I can't heþ
but feel there is more to come. Listening to some of the people øround me with
their view on what'justice' is scares me."
D., afreshman, fromher journal
ki1ling.
Echo that they fear for their families, who
Lamenting many deaths among
Muslims who worked at the World Tiade
Center and Pentagon, Kader said, "This
attack is an attack against al1 Americans of
all kinds. if those terrorists are successful
in turning us against each other, this will,
indeed, lead to the destruction of our
nation. ... We have to learn to understand
each other and to accept each other."
Underhill-Cady has also been
interviewed by the media and spoken to
local community groups, especially about
the hÌstorical context and alternatives to
war. His recently- and tìmely-published
book, Deqth and the Statesman: The Culture
depend on the money sent to them. The
money-wiring businesses serve as banks,
which are not common in Somalia.
-Emiþ
Moving on
President Frame's call to the Augsburg
community to search for understanding of
both the world and themselves is
rej.nforced by the work of Augsburg's
Center for Global Education (CGE).
Anticipating a drop in study abroad by
students afraid to travel, the directors of
in Mexico, Nicaragua, and
Namibia wrote to prospective program
CGE's centers
intercultural awareness that can help us
build the culture of peace, which we so
desperately need at this time," the
directors told students.
In concludingher Echo article,
sophomore Deanne McDonald went
straight to the heart of the matter: "It is
difficult to remember to see ourselves,
members of the Augsburg community, as
members of the world community; but if
nothing else, this disastrous attack ...
serves as an abrupt wake-up call to all
individuals-reminding us that nothing is
permanent and that we all make up one
fragile part of the whole." I
four gald medals and a 5ü-y*ü{ rr}ånlage ffiüLMTN CARËËR:
At f irst glane e around Johnny and
Vesla Werket's home irr Sun City
West, Ariz., \¡ou wouldn't realize
that you were sitting in the horne
of o¡re of the best speedskaters in
,American history.
A few black-and-whi¡e photos
1-Lang on the wall 1n a r-rtility roorn.
Otre cryst rl vasc trolìhy sits on :r
mantel in the kitchen ol the
Werkets' retlrement home rr-r the
Sonoran Desert.
But the remainder ol the
memorabllla ol his speedskating
career-numerous world titles, three
WÌnter Olympic Games
appearances, his Hall of Fame
citation from the Amateur Skating
Union of the United States-are out
in the garage. Deep inside
a drawer
and a storage locker.
"411 my stuff is dumped in the
garage," Johnny jokes, hÌs everpresenL smile beaming.
And that's just fine with him.
For the 1949 Augsburg
nlumnus. hìs speedskrtìng tareer is
but one moment 1n a long and
fulfilling life. But the career led to
love and a marnage that has lasted
for a half-century. The career gave
him the opportunity to coach many
American skaters who became
by Don Stoner
l-rouseholcl nemes wrth tl-rerr Olympic
triurnphs And tl-re career gave him a
chance to see the lvorld.
Not bad lor a smal1, slender guy
who never believecl that all ol Lhis
would happen to l-rim.
Werket, wbo grew r-rp in south
Minneapolis, began skating when he
was 7. At age 14, he ancl a friend
"The Powderhorn Skatlng Club was
the dominant club in the United Srares
at the time," Werket said. "lt was a ways
away from Longfellow Field by
streetcar, or you had to walk to the
park."
The Powderhorn club was an
American powerhouse, producrng
numerolls world champions and
OlympÌans. Werket, and three of his
Longfellow mates, ended up qualifying
Ior the team.
He progressed through the ranks,
even though his smrll size was I major
hÌndrance. "I was always the smallest,
the lightest, the thÌnnest. I was too
llttle. lf you bump me, I go down," he
said. "l never had a unrlorm, the whole
time I skatecl, that ever fit me correctly.
Never. Everything was too buggy "
L
lnternational acclaim, lifelong love
È'
q
b
He lelt the sport, like many other young
American men at the time, to serve his
country as a paratrooper dunng World
War Il. But he returned to the
Powderhorn club following the lvar, and
eventually garned a spot at the \947
Olympic trials, his first national
competition.
a'
L
S
U
q
'åt å;
decidecl to try out for a speedskating
tearn in Polvderhorn Park, on the south
slde of Minneapohs.
{Ð
Ê
t
I'
\\\\
At the 1948 Olympics in Saint Moritz,
Switzerland, Werket finished sixth in the
1,500-meter event.
He won the 1,500-meter race and
qualified for the U.S. team to compete
at the 1948 Olympics in St. Moritz,
Switzerland, finishing sixth in [he event
at the games.
A Norwegian newspaper funded a
trÌp for Werket-a full-bioodecl
Nonvegian-lo compete at the
European championships in Helsinki,
Finland.
"At that time, they had allolved
Americans to compete in the European
championships," he said. "Right olf the
bat, I was one of the leading
competitors in the world.
"l was second in the 500 (meters)
and the winner was Krudacheq a
Russian guy. The first- and second-place
skaters from the 500 automatically
qualÌfied for the 1,500 (meters), and
they skated together. The Finns hated
the Russians, since this was when the
Cold War was mighty cold.
"l beat this Russian guy badly in
Left: Johnny Werket 'a9 (left) began his speedskating career with a coveted spot he won on the
renowned Powderhorn Skating Club in Minneapolis.
12
,4ucssunc Now
Winter 2001-02
6,
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t
s
Right: The 1948 Augsburgian yearbook dedicated a page to
welcome home Johnny Werket from his Olympic victory'
Þ
a
the 1,500. The Finnish people were
patting me on the back so long and
so
hard that I wasn't sure I was going to be
abie to compete in the next race."
After the 1948 championships-part
of a stretch where he won four world
gold medals and four silver medals-he
was invited [o compete as part of an
American team in a challenge meet
against a Norwegian team in Hamar, in a
nation that adored speedskaters and all
winter sports athletes.
A l6-year-oId girl named Arnhild
"Vesla" Bekkevoll was part of that
practice my English. I had seen this guy
skate in Hamar, and I decided that he
was goÌng to be my victim," Vesla said.
"I wrote to him in Minneapolis. I think
the address was Johnny Werket,
Minneapolis, USA.'
"This was after the season, he had
gotten back to the U.S., and I really
hadn't expected to get a reply. But he
replied and we started writing back and
forth.
anywhere without a chaperone," Vesla
said. "Those were the strict o1d days."
She watched the meet, and took
particular notice of the small American
Minneapolis.
An Auggie world traveler
races
against the larger competition. When she
got back to her hometown, she returned
to her school and faced an assignment of
Along the way, while competing on a
national and international level, Johnny
found time to complete his studies at
wrlting a letter to a famous person.
"Everyone else chose to write to
Norwegian athletes. But I wanted to
Augsburg. He graduated in 1949, and
like many Auggies at the iime, Iearning
Norwegian was a way of life. It was also
a necessity for
S
Johnn¡ who was
competing often in Scandinavia.
"The Norwegians had a book on
Þ
training for speedskating, but it was in
o
o
à,
Norwegian. So in order to learn what
was 1n the book, I had to learn the
language. In three weeks, I learned the
language," Johnny said.
In addition to his speedskatlng
days, he also competed on Augsburg's
fledgling track and field and cross
country teams. The cross country team
was a conference title competitor during
the early days of the sport, and he
credits the training he needed to
compete as an Auggie as a big part of
L
U
U.
t
OlYñPk
16ñ
"
speedskating season, and the two
arranged a meeting.
The meering developed into a
friendship, the friendship developed
into a romance, and the romance
developed into marriage. Johnny and
Vesla were married in 1951 in
È
t
id¡,
Eventuall¡ one of Johnny's replies
mentioned that he would return to
Hamar to compete in the winter
adoring crowd. She had traveled from
her hometown of Rena, Norwa¡ across
the mountains to Oslo. She was the
chaperone for her older sister and her
boyfriend.
"I went because they were engaged
to be married and you didnt go
competing-and winning-the
ñ
his success
as a speedskater.
"We've been close and
remained close to Augsburg
because, in our days, Augsburg was
a famil¡" said Johnn¡ crediting
then-athletic director Dick Pautz
'37 lor much of his Augsburg
success. "There's a gteat group of
people at Augsburg."
"Augsburg is weil known in
Norwa¡" Vesla said. "The first time
I came to the United States, I came
by ship, a I}-day trip. I got to
know a group of Norwegian
fishermen who were headquartered
out east. They had just been back
to Norway. and were returning to
America for the season. I was 19
years old, all by myself, and some
of the older fellows were
concerned about me.
"They knew my destinaLion
was Minneapolis, and they told me
that Ìf things didn't work out when
I got there, to go and see Gerda
Mortensen at Augsburg College. I
had only known Augsburg because
it was Johnny's school. But they
knew of Augsburg quite well, and
they were concerned about me."
Johnny qualified for the 1952
Olympic team for the Oslo games,
Left: Werket shows off one of the speedskating trophies from his Olympic career.
W¡nter 2001-02
,4ucssunc f\¡ow t3
and the newlyweds again boarded a
ship to cross the Atlantic. The
captain of the ship, who was a big
speedskating fan, recognized Johnny
and moved them from steerage class
to a first-class cabin.
He placed sixth again in
competition at the 1952 games,
after suffering from a severe case of
bronchitis. Three years 1ater, Johnny
was parl of a team that competed in
Moscoq as the world
championships were held behind
the lron Curtain for the first time.
"We were some of the first
Americans to compete in Russia,"
said
Johnn¡ who took along
a
camera for NBC's Today show wlth
Dave Garroway.
By 1956, when he qualifÌed for
an Olympic team for the third time
and competed in Cortina, Ital¡
Johnny could tell that his
competitive career was nearing the
end. Though he qualified for the
American team for the 1960 games
in Squaw Val1ey, Idaho, he withdrew
from the team. He was beginning
his career at Northern States Power
and Johnny and Vesla were starting
a family; the stress had become too
much.
Coaching career
Though his body was unable to
compeie at an Olympic level,
Johnny \¡/as still able to remain close
to the sport he loved. He began
"The Norwegians had a book on training for speedskating, but it was in Norwegian.
So in order to learn what \ruas in the book, I had to learn the language."
-Johnny
coaching young speedskaters, flrst at the
Richfield Speedskating C1ub, and later as
a coach of various junior national teams
and Oiympic teams.
He coached several athletes who
later became greats ln the sport. ln
1967 ,he was the coach of the American
world championship team, where Mary
Meyers won a gold medal. He guided
Dianne Holum to a gold medal in the
1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
Johnny coached Eric Heiden to
medals in the I97 5 junior world meet,
and was a force behind his ascent to
become a five-time gold medalist at the
Lake PlacÌd Olympics in 1980. Later, he
was introduced to a young skater named
DanJansen; he was a friend of Jansen's
father. He coached Jansen as a junior
skater; Iater, Jansen provided some of
the greatest drama in Winter Olympic
histor¡ when he competed on four
Olympic teams and finally won a gold
medal in 1994, after severai tragic fa1ls
in previous competition.
"I guess I'd rather coach," said
Johnny of his preference between
coaching and competing.
Along the way, he built a 3l-year
career at Northern States Power, starting
as a commercial lighting business
representative and eventually working
his way into an executive position as a
trainer for the company. He retired in
1
983.
Tennis Talent
L
È.
Now, Johnny prefers to 1et his wife's
athletic career take center stage. Vesla
began playing tennis with Johnny and
his frÌends 40 years ago, but back then,
o
à
o
Q
Werket'49
it was a hobb¡ she said.
"I had never played before, but I
really liked it," she said. "I've played
ever since. Today, if I'm without a
o
o
s,
B'
Johnny and Vesla Werket recently celebrated
their golden anniversary in a marriage that
began with a 16-year-old Norwegian girl's fan
letter to a far-off American skater.
racquel and without shoes, I'm in bad
shape. "
The two moved from Minneapolis
in the mid-'80s, afterJohnny
retired from NSP and Vesla retired after
working for l2 years in Christian
education at Diamond Lake Lutheran
Church Ín Minneapolis.
She began to play tennis with
friends in the Phoenix and Sun City
area, eventually joining the "Anything
Over 50 Senior Tennis" club. She has
become one ol the Lop senior tennis
players in the area, competing in
several Senior Olympic events. Her
tennls has taken them across the
country, from CalifornÌa to Florida, for
competitions, and she has earned
dozens of medals and awards for her
r.o Arizona
talent.
"I'm blessed with good health, and I
really enjoy tennis," Vesia said. "Between
our church and our tennis group, that's
our social life. The phone rings and we
go out and play. We could play seven
days a week if we wanted to."
Right: Werket coached U.S. speedskater Dianne Holum to a
gold medal in 1972 at Sapporo, Japan.
14
,4UCSBURC NOW
Winter
2OO1-O2
5
'-!
On a ratrng system from 2.5 to 5.0,
Vesla is currently competing at a 4.0
1eve1,
two spots uncler
t1-re
highest
ranking possible.
Their two sor-rs, John Jr. and Jim, are
grown and work in the Twln Cities, They
have four granclchilclren, one ol whom
may fo1low in his grandfat1-rer's Olympic
footsteps. Youngest grandson Eric is
cLÌrrently a senior soccer player at
Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wis., and
has competed on youth Olympic
development teams in the sport.
hoekey feam
ú
'19;8
The Werkets llve by the mantra that
berng actir,e is the key to belng trlliy
alive
Ê
=
o
.
"We're both goocl lrrovers, and that's
what it talics. We'r'e never been laid up
r,vith illness or sickness," Jol-Lnny saicl
"Berng active is the best thing for
everybody. When yor-r can be actrve, you
can beat almost anybody."
à'
(-)
Right: johnny's wife, Vesla, is now the
winning athlete in the family, enjoying her
successful tennis conrpetition in Arizona.
ALh/OST.OLYMIPIC
by Don Stoner
Twenty years before Johnny Werket's
Olympic victories, Auggie hockey
players were on their way to 5t. Moritz
for the winter games. But, something
happened along the way to
Switzerland...
ln 1926-27 , Augsburg started its
men's ice hockey program, officialll',
though the Auggies had already
dominated local hockey as an unalfiliated
team lor several years.
The 1927 team won the state college
championship ancl repeatecl the feat the
next )/ear, behind the play ol the Hansen
.brotl-rers-Oscar, Emil, Julìus, Joe, ancl
t.
l
Louis-along r.vith goalie Joe "Moose"
Su'anson. ln fact, the 1927-28 team,
coached by future U.S. Hockey Hall oI
Famer Nick Kal-rler, rvas considerecl the
mythical "national chan.rpìons" in the
sport.
The Ar-rgsburg teaÌ11 rvas selectecl
from an impressive group oi canclidaLesir-rcludir-rg Harr,ard, the Ur-rir,ersiLy Clr-rb ol
Boston, and Evele¡h Jr:nior College-br,
the Amateul Athletic Ur.rion's Ice Hockey
Committee to represent the Ur-rited States
in the 1928 Wir-rter O11,r¡1r1.t ,t t,
\4oritz,
Su'itzerlar-rcl.
The onl1, conditior-r that the AAU set
for the Auggie team to be American
Winter
2OO1-O2
representati\¡es to the Olympics was that
the leam woulcl have to raise $4,500half of the cost of sending the team to
was \¡ery upset as u'ell."
The reasons for the sudden
Europe. Kahler organized a furrdraising
efiort, and along rvith friends of ihe
school and the Mrnneapolis Southsicle
Commercial C1ub, easily raised the
money to send the Ar"rggies to the
Olymprcs.
But, just clays beiore the team was to
ciepart for Europe, the Uniteci States
Ol1,¡10i. Comrnittee pulled the rug out
lrom under the local boys, abrr-rptly
cancellrrrg the Olympic plans.
rejection ol the Auggie squad remaln
unclear. Perhaps it was because the
Hansen brothers grew up in Alberta,
Canada, belore moving io the Tivln
Cities. Or the Oly,mpic conrmittee
was influenced by a protest from a
Boston amateur hockey group that
rvantecl to lace Airgsburg in a
challenge match. Whatever the case,
despite the best eflorts of Augsburg
fans lr4ro protested the cancellation,
MacArthur's decision s¡ood.
Oscar, Emll, ancl another
brother, Emory', went on to play
professional hocke;'. Oscar u'as a
charter inductee in¡o the Augsburg
"After r-nuch internal r,r'rangling rvith
the United States Ol1'rlpic Committee,
General Douglas \¡lacAr¡hur, r.l'ho serl'ec1
as the committees chairman, came out
and termed the Auggies'not
representative of Aurerican hocke),,' and
r,etoecl them as theìr choice," u,rote local
author Ross Bernsteìn in hls book, Froz¿n
"i¡4enrtries:
Celebraturg a Ccnttrrv of
\4ínne sota Hoch.ey.
"As a resull, rro U.S. terr'ìl \\'as sent
to the Olyrnpics that year and a dalk
cloucl loomed c'rver âmâteur hockey ln
America. For the bo1,5 f.or.r-r Augsburg,
the nei.r.s was devastatir-rg. The;'hacl been
deprived of tl-reir greatest opportunity lot
international far.ne, and the community
A¡hletic Hall of Fame ìn I973, and
Louis r.l'as selectecl in 1985.
livo ;'s¿¡5 ago, Kahler's
grandson, Jerrl' Regan, donatecl
Kahler's U.S. Hockey Hall of Farne
p¡,lon, rvhich u'as removecl u'hen the
Hall of Fame lvas renovated, to
Augsburg, r.l'here it was placed on
display in the Ar-rgsburg lce Arena
maln rink.
Sfoner is spor.fs
-Don
infor nntion coordinator
,4ucs¡unc ruow t5
a
o
Hoversten Chapel dresses up tn
s.
s'
'öT'fllNe9 GL'"flöö'
by Betsey Norgard
n October, Augsburg participaied in the
month-long visrL [o Minnesota ol Lwo
brolhers from the Taizé community in
pv¿nçs-¿¡ international, ecumenical
community that invites young people from
around the world [o share in experiences
oI living together and serving in
community.
The two brothers fromTaizê visited a
dozen colleges and churches in Minnesota,
leading worship and workshops.
To prepare for this visit, Pastor Dave
Wold and two Augsburg sophomores,
Carolina Chiesa and Maja Lisa
FritzHuspen spent a week in August at the
Taizé community. Students from other
Minnesota colleges had also visited Taizé.
The Tatzê experience is one of
simplicity and meditation. Each week of
the summer, some 3,000-6,000 young
people visit Taizé for a week of daily
prayers (three times a day), discussion
sessions, and communal activitlesserving food, cleanlng, and daily tasks.
The power ol the Taizê experience is
in worship-"a meditative common prayer
I
I
with,
as its high point, singing that never
ends and that continues in the silence of
one's heart when one is alone again," as
the Web site describes it. Worship consists
only of singing, scripture readings, and
the Lord's Prayer.
During daily prayers, the church is
filled with young people sitting on the
floor, holding candles, and singing the
plaintive songs of worship. The rosy light
that filters through stained glass windows,
and the illumination of the candles lend a
soothing, calming, and healing presence,
worshipers attest.
It is rhis atmosphere the Augsburg
to complete.
The painted "windows" were
mounted in the center of lightweight
frames, with pink and orange fabrics on
either side, constructed byJim Usselman.
worship-"a med¡tat¡ve common
prayer with, as its high point, singing that never ends and that continues ¡n
the silence of one's heart when one is alone again."
students sought to replicate for Augsburg's
Taizé visit.
"The difficulty was the sun coming in,
it was too bright," expiained
Chiesa,
thinking of worship planned for
a
o
s.
q
transparencies. With an
overhead projector
For Augsburg's visit from the Taizé Community in France, "stained
glass" windows resembling those of the Taizé church were painted
by campus ministry students. (L to R) Carolina Chiesa, Mary Jo
Zamorâ, Maja Lisa FritzHuspen, Gurayn Sylte, and Naomi Sveom.
Not pictured are Nate Grant and staff member Val Usselman'
,4UCSBURC n¡OW
Taizé.
The power of the Taizé experience is in
Hoversten Chapel.
So, they came up
with a way to replicate
the special light in the
Taizé church. They
returned home with
postcards of the stained
glass windows and
scanned them on
computer. The scans
\Mere then copied to
16
Sophomore Mary Jo Zamora explains the
details of her 1S-hour project to re-create
the St. Francis stained glass window from
displaying the images
onto paper taped to a
door, the students traced
the lines of the stained
glass and then painted
them after the postcard
images-some taking as
many as 15 hours
When fitted i.nto the arched windows of
Hoversten Chapel, indeed a rosy, warm,
dim light transformed the space.
The students were dellghted with the
results.
"It was cool to see the outcome," said
sophomore MaryJo Zamora, "and then
realize that you couldn't have done it
alone."
"Like beautiful icons, the work seems
done through God, instead of just our
own hands," Cheisa added.
Visitors to Augsburg's worship who
had been atTaizê were also visibly moved.
"It took me back to Taizê',I felt as if I were
there," one of the participants said.
The student project has made an
impact. The idea of creatlng a stained glass
look without the real thing was noticed by
a number of people who would like to try
something similar in their own churches.
For these students, however, the
essence oL Taizé came to Augsburg
through its art and song-"Ubi Caritas,
where charity and love are, there is
God also." I
Winter 2001-02
t'
I
l
i
tt
From the Alumni Board president's desk
I
like this iob.
I b.i,',g
president of the
Alumni Board. It
gives me an
excuse to walk
up to Auggieswhether friends
or strangersand ask what
memories they have of this place. Usually I
don't even have to ask, since their
memories quickly spill out.
I went to a seminar for alumni of the
Master of Arts in Leadership program. My
former colleagues were reminiscing about
nights when class would end but they
would continue their discussion, not
wanting the challenging verbal and mental
exercises to end.
The evening Maya Angelou spoke in a
packed Melby Hall, I was walking through
Foss Center with an alumna who paused to
point out her picture on the wall near the
Green Room. Her memories of Augsburg's
theatre productions glimmered in her smile.
I drove to Rochester one Sunday to
hear Augsburg's Gospel Praise perform at
Bethel Lutheran Church. I asked one of our
gifted musicians what he liked best about
Augsburg. Without hesitarion, he
mentioned the names of faculty members.
He told me they care, they like ro teach,
and they do it well.
I listened to Neal Thorpe'60 when he
received a Distlnguished Alumnus Award ar
Homecoming in October. He remembered
Peter (PA.) Strommen 'I3, the first of more
than 30 Strommen famiþ members to
attend Augsburg. Thorpe shared how his
life and career were influenced by
Strommen's dedication to Augsburg.
My own memories of student teaching
flooded back to me as I congratulated Marie
McNeff at Homecoming for receiving a
Spirit of Augsburg Award. She was my
student teaching adviser-and I needed all
the advising she could give.
r¡¡
The Augsburg experience has left us
with powerful memories that can seem as
real today as when we first lived them.
However, let's not forget that our alma mater
is still creating memorable experiencer-and
notjust for current students. There are
opportunities for alumni to build new
memories through Augsburgb music,
theatre, exhibits, sports, and seminars. See
the calendar on the back page or look at our
Web site. When you're in the Twin Cities,
attend an event. Ifyou now live far from
here, help us bring Augsburg to you
through a regional alumni gathering.
I like my old Auggre merriories, but the
new ones I'm creating today at Augsburg
are pretty good, too. Please join me.
eru+
Jackie (Ituiefel) Lind'69,'94 MAL
President, Alumni Board
Three alumni honored for outstanding
professional contributions
Augsburg alumni were recentþ
honored for their extraordinary
fhree
I
professional
contributions.
MichaelW. Walgren'64
t
received a Philanthropy
Day Award ìn November
from the Minnesota
Chapter of the
Association of
Fundraising Professionals
(AFP). Honored for outstanding professional
fundraising, Walgren's 37-year career spans
public service as a fundraiser and
administrator in a variety of community
organ2ations, he is currentþ at Children's
Hospitals and Clinics Foundation. He was
also a staff member at Augsburg for 16
years, serving in various roles, including
both director of the annual fund and
director of public relations.
Winter
2OO1-O2
byLynnMena
Walgren's nomination was supported
by several professional fundraisers and AFP
members attesting to his generous gifts of
time, talent, and treasures, as well as to the
funds he has raised to benefit his current
and past employers in pursuit of building a
better community
The Rev. Roger Gordon'61 received a
2001 Tempe Human Relations Commission
Diversity Award from the City of Tèmpe
(Ariz.). Since founding Tèmpe's King of
Glory Lutheran Church in 1969, Gordon
has preached and modeled a life of
acceptance, honoring diversity, embracing
inclusiveness, and respecting all people.
Because
ofhis conscious
awareness of
community issues, Gordon has led King of
Glory's involvement in many outreach
prqects that aid diverse populations,
including Habitat for Humanity, La Mesira
Famiþ Shelter, andPaz de Cristo Homeless
Shelter.
The Rev. James S. Hamre '53 of Forest
City, Iowa, received a Concordia Historical
lnstitute Award of Commendation for his
piece, "George Sverdrup's Expression of a
Lutheran Restoration in America," which
appeared in the spring 2000 issue of
Lutheran Quarterþ.
A professor emeritus at Waldorf
College, Hamre's piece was selected on the
basis of specific criteria. Of the great
number of nominations, only 12 were
chosen for awards. The committee grants
awards to congregations, agencies, boards,
or individuals for a historical publication,
unique contributions to Lutheran
literature, or for personal service in the
field of Lutheran archival and historical
work and support.
.,,lucsnunc
ruow
fl
Augsburg on Parade
o
a
H
F
Joe Young, director of Augsburg's Pan-Afrikan Student Services (far right), brought together
students and alumni for the first Pan-Afrikan alumni-student basketball game.
o
Ê
s.
(J
a
s
Jane Vogler'95 (L) and Ari McKee'92 (both
recent fec¡p¡ents of The Loft creative
Nonfiction Mentorship Award) attended the
English alumni luncheon and reading.
Junior Jamie Smith, Auggie wide receive¡;
helped lead Augsburg to a 50-14 victory over
Macalaster College.
Augsburg alumni gathered with their
instruments for the Concert Band and Jazz
Band reunion and alumni concert.
ss
*J
s
.J
two Auggie fans enjoyed the
Homecoming football game against
These
The Augsburg Spirit Squad pumped up the crowd at the annual pre-game picnic.
18
4UCSSURC f{OW
Macalaster.
Winter 2001-02
(J
6
E
-l
Mike Savold '72, son of Mayo Savold, was invited as guest
conductor for the Augsburg Concert Band and alumni concert,
which paid tribute to Mayo, director of the Augsburg College Band
Four alumni were honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, which
was presented by President William V. Frame. Pictured, L to R: George 5.
Dahlman '72, Kathleen D. Lake'76, President Frame, Neal O. Thorpe'60,
and Burton R. Fosse'44.
from 1952-1973.
a
o
o
a
s.
q-r
!
q
Vt
s'
The business administration faculty greeted alumni at the business
department reunion.
s'
Alumni enjoyed the misty autumn scenery at the¡r own pace during the
first Homecoming 5K Mississippi run/walk along the r¡ver.
(J
(J
B
s
ss
.t
\s
J
_l
U
r
Students showed their Auggie spirit at the
Homecoming game.
Bill Halverson '51 signed copies of his book,
Edvard Grieg: Diaries, Articles, and Speeches,
in the Alumni Gallery; he generously donated
the proceeds of 100 copies to Augsburg. He
Students celebrated the Auggies'victory over
Macalaster.
and his wife, Marolyn (Sortland)'51, received
a Spirit of Augsburg Award at the
Homecoming Dinner,
Winter 2001-02
,4ucs¡uRc ¡rlow
19
Homecoming and Family Week 200f
Augsburg on Parade
t
E
m
Recipients of Augsburg's
new Distinguished Service Award
to R) RoW 1 (children): Max
Strommen family
Strommen, Lauren Smith, Eric Smith, Jeffrey Smith,
Peter Strommen. ROW 2: Dean Olson, Nancy
(Strommen) Stensvaag. Gladys (Boxrud) Strommen,
Helen Strommen, Luther O. Strommen, Timothy R.
Strommen, Judy (Knudson) Strommen, Merton
Strommen. ROW 3: Marsha Olson, Chynne Strommen,
Becky Stensvaag, Lisa Smith. Mary Ellen (Strommen)
Liebers, Heidi Strommen, lrene (Huglen) Strommen.
ROW 4: Steve Strommen, Bob Strommen, Andrea
(Johnson) Strommen, Paul Strommen. Dave Smith,
Peter Strommen, James Strommen, John Strommen.
ROW 5: Hans Strommen, Jude Leimer, Bjorn
Strommen, Kate Liebers, Erik Strommen, Annelise
lrene Strommen, Dawn (Hofstad) Strommen.
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Golden Anniversary Class of 1951
(L to R) ROW 'l (seated): Doris Frojen
Bretheim, Gloria Johnson Johnson,
James E. Christopherson, Herbert C,
Svendsen, Elly Ewert Hutchinson.
Marolyn Sortland Halverson, Bill
Halverson, John Eliason. ROW 2:
Quentin Johnson, Kathryn Thorsgard
Erickson, Ellen Stenberg Erickson,
Marvel Moe Anderson, Dolores Flaa
Bjerga, Joan Baxter Larson, Dorothy
Swanson Ryan, Alice Berg Wilcox,
Audrey Nagel Sander, Calvin Storley,
Shirley Larson Goplerud. ROW 3: Leola
Ekblad Johnson, Dan Pearson, Lillian
Ysteboe Ose, Jerry Peterson, Glen
Hendrickson, A. Richard Petersen,
James Bergeland, Trygve F. Dahle. ROW
4: Harland Nelson, Herbert C. Hanson,
Dick Myhre, John Garland, Jennings
Thompson, Hubert Carl Hanson,
Kerman Benson, Arden Ramlo.
Winter 2001-02
À
of 1961 (L to R) ROW 1 (seated): Glenna
Shogren Briant, Curt Haney, Pat Swanson
Kreuziger, Lloyd Bakke, Marilyn Saure
Breckenridge, Marie Gjerde Schlink, Winnie
Nordlund Anderson, Bruce M. Westphal, ROW
2: Jim Holden, Phyllis Acker, Verna Stokke
Tweiten, Judy Fosse Snider, Carol Oversvee
Johnson, Leola Dyrud Furman, Pat Nordlund
Toussaint. ROW 3: Rolf Peterson, Keith Leiseth,
George Larson, Larry Gallagher, Ted Botten,
Arlan Johnson, Dennis Kalpin.
class
G@
class of 1976 (L to R) ROW 1 (seated):
Randy Casper, Sheryl Lium Wilhelm, Sharon
Follingstad, Joyce Larson Brown, Deb
Thomson Grant, Jane Litzau Stritesky, Janet
Nelson Anderson, Steve Olson. ROW 2:
Minda Grist Squadroni, Peggy Pepper
Casper, Diane Forsberg Anderson, Belvin
Doebbert, Janice Sedgwick Larson, Wendy
Hoversten Larson, Susan Donart, ROW 3:
Warren Hawkins, Gary J. Andersen, Joel
Squadroni, Steve Reinarz, Debbie
Harshman Forsythe, Doug Nelson. ROW 4:
Tim Peterson, Timm "Titus" Peterson,
Randy Lundell, Dean Myers, Ken Larsen,
David Halaas.
of 1991 (Lto R) ROW 1 (seated): Phillip Smith, Greg Schnagel, Mark
Brodin, Tomm Hanson, David L. Johnson, Agbeko Agbenyiga. ROW 2:
Margaret Buczynski, Tasha Topka Kallal, Kristin Dragseth Wiersma,
Kristen Hirsch, Carla Asleson, Darbi Worley, Cathy Springhorn.
Class
W
photo of your reunion class, contact the
Alumni/Parent Relations office at 612-330-1178 or 1-800-260-6590.
To order a 5x7
Cost is $7.SO/photo.
Winter 2001-02
,4ucs¡unc ruow
21
1
m
Saving the real "Private Ryan"
939
The Rev. Palmer Wold and Ruth
(Gudim)'41, Mankato, Minn.,
recentiy celebrated their óOth
wedding anniversary They have five
children, 10 grandchildren, and
1999, Chester Brooks'42 attencled a paratrooper reunion in
Green Bay, Wis., where he learned he had parricipated in a World
War lI n-rissron that 1ed to the recovery of soldrer Fritz Niland-the
real "Private Ryan" from the film SavingPrivate Ryan.
Wolds retired to Mankato after 51
years of active ministry in the
Lu¡heran Church, and spend their
winters in Mesa, Ariz.
Philip Horne, Palo Aho, Calif.,
and his wife, Eveiyn, returned to
Minnesota this past summer to
visit his sister, Thea (Horne)
1945
B. R. Quanbeck and Helen N.
London.
1954
"l volunteered
Lloyd E. Peterson, Pewaukee,
Wis., retired in 19BB after 3I years
Lorraine
(Osberg)
Stickney,
becanse
it was something different," Brooks
and Jean
22
Lutheran Church.
4UCS¡URC ruOW
ñ
Chester Brooks'42, pictured
here with his bride, Ebba
(Johnson) '42, participated in a
WWll mission that Ied to the
of the real "Private
says.
"I thor-rght if I was going to be in the Army,
While waiting to return to England rn July, a declaration to avoìd the
wipeout of an entire family during war was made. Sergeant Nlland,
one of four children, was approached by Chaplain Sampson and
inlormed that two of his brothers had been killed and the third taken
prisoner. Niland would be returning home. Niland insisted that he
wanted to stay, that hls family was with the paratroopers. As Brooks
describes it, ln the paratroopers, you depend strongly on one another.
a
L)
(Amland)'65, Willmar, Minn.,
aL Calvary
tr'¡
grounds, Brooks' men discovered that other American troops, the 506th regiment, were nearby This
regrment, which included Sergeant Fritz Niland, returned to the farm with Brool<s and his men. For several
days, listening to BBC Broadcast radio, the men soon learned that
o
o
Carentan had been taken over by ally troops. It was then that they
sr
knew it was safe to cross back to their unit.
à
1964
is the director of Christian education
8T:
Hlding his troops in the hedge of a church graveyard, Brooks sneakecl into a nearby town to determine
their location. A priest at a local church instructecl Brooks to take his troops north where the Germans had
flooded the fields. Hlding out until dark, Brooks and his troops crossed the open fields and were soon met
by the captain of the French underground, who then took the men to hrs farm. During a patrol of the
Standish, Maine,
er¡oyed spending time with family
when they led a group of 20
relatives to Norway inJune. Andrew
is director of social work at Willmar
Regional Tieatment Center and Jean
ru
Brooks, responsible for training new paratroopers, was assigned with his 50lst regiment to parachute into
Normandy the night before the ìnfamous invasion. Because their jump occurred in the mlddle of the night,
their intended target, just north of the Douve River in France, became obsolete, when the brigade landed
25 miles south of the Douve. Not aware of therr physìcal location, Brooks recalls leading his 14 men south
on the river-the opposite direction of their unit headquarters located in Carentan, France.
958
Andrew M. Berg
I
I wanted to clo something new."
of teaching and coaching at Custer
High School in Milwaukee.
Southem Maine Excellence in
TeachingAward, and in 1999 she
was named teacher of the year by
the southern Maine Sam's
Wholesale CIub.
L
U
A history major from Augsburg, Brooks deferred the clraft inJanuary lttï:tt
of 1942 to finish his degree . After graduating in June of that same
year, he enhsted in the Army and completed 13 weel<s of training in Camp Wheeler, Ga. He volunteered to
become a paratrooper and jolned the 501st Parachute Regiment of the lOlst Arrborne Division, which
required an addltional month of training.
(Nichols) '44 recently moved to
Monticello, Minn., from New
years as a high
schobl librarian and occasional
English teacher. In 1989 she was
presented the University of
e'
After the reunlon, Blooks began researching \ÀNIL Hls research
culminated in a book, The Last'Good' War. Althor-rgh not pr-rblished,
his book tncludes his personal experiences during the war, and was
written primarlly for his family
Carpenter'39.
retired in June
1999 afrer 4I
S.
NÌlancl's dar.rghter, who had traveled to the rellnion from
Anchorage, Alaska, talked to the paratroopers about her father's
experience. The youngest of lour brothers from New York, trvo of
Niland's brothers were ki1led on D-Day, r.vhile another went
n-rissing rn action in Burma and rvas presumed dead, althor-rgh he
actually survived. As dictated by a last-sr"rrviving sibllng 1aw, both
the fictional Ryan and the real Niland were ordered rescued and
taken out of the combat zone.
1940
æ
bycheriechrist
ln
seven great-grandchildren. The
1
¡¡
o
(t
Chester '42 and Ebba (Johnson)
'42 Brooks recently celebrated
their 55th wedding
anniversary,
Brooks, an Augsburg Distingulshed Alun.rnus, retired in l9B3 after
33 years with the National Park Service. He and his wife, Ebba
Çohnson) '42, recently celebrated their 55th wedding enniversary.
They live ln Duluth, Wis., and have four children (two of whom
attended Augsburg), 12 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
-Cherie
Chríst is a communiccttion specialist in the
public rtlations olfice
W¡nter 2001-O2
,-t
1
956
1
983
Sandra (Edstrom) Hamberg,
Dave Meslow,
Carlsbad, N.Mex., was selected as
officiated the Arena Football
League Championship semi-finaÌ
game played on nationâl TV; he
also officiates Division I coilege
football in the Atlantic Coast
the new administrator for St.
Edwards School in Carlsbad.
1
968
Diane Tiedeman, Richfield,
Minn., recently completed her
33rd year of teaching for
Bloomington Public Schoois.
1970
Dave Mikelson recently moved
his home and office to GaÌena, Ill.,
where he is an associate with
Burger, Carroll and Associates (a
management and information
technology consulting services
firm). He will be concentrating on
human services and WIC
consulting.
1974
Ward
C.
Schendel,
TaÌlahassee, Fla.,
Conference. ln addition, he is a
senior govemment sales
representative for 3M, where he
was previously a college reìations
recruiter and helped develop the
cooperative education program.
Douglas Nakari, Finland,
Minn., is business mânager at
Wolf Ridge Environmental
Learning Center; his wife, the
Jean Taylor, Eagan, Minn., was
1984
named president of Täylor
Corporation in October; she was
previously the company's
executive vice president. She is
also a member of Augsburg's
Board of Regents, where she
serves as chair o[ the Marketing
Committee.
Beth A. Zeilinger, Lino Lakes,
Minn., was invited to share her
personal refìections on how her
faith has provided a foundation
for her life and her life's work in
the October issue of Lutheran
'Woman Today.
She is vice
president of operations at the
Upcoming reg¡onal alumni gatherings
son, Christopher.
Êq
L
Green ValleyÆucson, Arizona . March 14,2002
At the home of Herb '54 and Corrine Chilstrom
Cit¡ Arizona. March
L5,2002
11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the home of Borgie Rhol1 Gabrielson'47
Chicago, Illinois
. March 16,2002
follow.
Naples, Florida
. March
alumni
24,2002
NT!]IIIIIMTZ
Discover Norwegian
Treasures and Heritage
The Augsburg Coliege Alumni Association Awards and Recognition
Committee seeks your assistance in identifying members of the
Augsburg community to be considered lor recognirron for the
following awards:
Join President and Mrs.
William V Frame and
Minn., was named executive
director o[ Schools for Equity in
Education (SEE) in August. For
Professor Frankie Shackelford
Jnne L3-24,2002. Ca1l the
First Decade Award
the past 1I years, Lundell has
provided policy development and
Iobbpng servìces for a variety of
education-related organ izations,
alumni office at 612-330ì ì78 or .t-800-2ó0-o590 for
more information.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
1979
Sharon Lak¡n Upton, Raleigh,
N.C., is the new director of
development research at North
Ca¡oÌina State University
Winter 2001-O2
will be a dinner
CaII 1-800-260-6590 Jor more details on these events.
1975
SEE.
Augsburg âlums gathered
at the Oyster Bar in New
York city in september'
The Augsburg Concert Band will perform at Emmanuel Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. There
for band members, alumni, and friends prior to the concert.
Brad Lundell, Minnetonka,
including
9\
Gospel Praise, Augsburg's jazz and gospel ensemble, will perform during
the 10:45 a.m. worship servlce at Vrnje Lutheran Church followed by a
luncheon for Augsburg alumni and friends.
The Augsburg Orchestra wlll perform, lollowed by a reception for
and friends. More details on locatlon will
Iicensed attorney, Schendel also
holds the CPCU designation. He
and his wife, Catherine, have one
o
3
o
Willmar, Minnesota . February 24,2002
formation of The
Integrity Têam, a
Federation, the Institute for
Global Ethics, and hosts the radio
program Commentary Friday. A
985
1
Zion Lutheran Church.
Sun
active ìn the International Coach
Rev.
Lynda Hadley, serves as pastor of
Roseville, Minn.,
recently
announced the
professional coaching and business
ethics consulting practice. He is
National lnstitute on Media and
the Family in Minneapolis.
on a journey through Norway
Upcoming Norway Tour
Information Meeting
February ì0, 2002, 2 p.m
Marshall Room
Christensen Center
RSVP required; please call one
oJ the numbers
listed
above
.
Distinguished Alumni Award
To rnake a nomination online or to view the description/criteria for
each award, go to <www.augsbr"rrg.edu/a1umni,/nomform>.
To recieve a nomlna[ion packet, contact:
Office of AlumniÆarent Relations
Phone: 612-330-1 t78 or I-800-260-6590
E-mail: alumni@ar-rgsburg. edr-r
The deadline for nominations for 2002 is March 15,2002
4ucs¡unc n¡ow
23
Class Notes
m
Geoffrey Carlson Gage:
Creating his own path by Lynn Mena
Two years ago, Geoffrey Carlson Gage '89 fulfilled a llfelong dream and started his own advertising agency, Geoffrey
Carlson Gage LLC. Located on the edge of Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior, Mìnn., GCG is a cozy and whimsical suite
of offices, housing Gage and three other employees.
linn as a "traditronal advertising agency with an In[ernet twist." He prides his agency wrth offering
uniquely personable, strategically creative, print and electronlc sen.rce combrnation. "Itb our goal to become as
seamless and integrated with our client as possible, in essence becoming their brand advertising department or a
complementary extension of their existing internal department," Gage says.
Gage describes his
a
Geoffrey Carlson Gage '89
Prior to starting CGC, Gage was corporate communications manager at his father's company, Gage Marketing Group.
Before rhat he was a copyr,vriter for Campbell Mrthun Esty.
Growing up, Gage lvas blessed with strong mentors, inclr,rding his grandfather, Carlson Companies founder Curt
Carlson, and his mom and dad, Barbara and Edwin "Skip" Gage. As a student at Augsburg in the 1980s, Gage's entrepreneurial spirit was clearly evrdent
He sold, developed, and created advertising for the student-run newspaper, the Augsburg Echo, and also developed a campaign to increase attendance at
Augsburg hockey games. In addition, he landed an internship durÌng his junlor year at a small Minneapolis agency ca11ed Grant and Palombo
Advertising, which secured his love for advertising.
Today, Gage continues to stay actively involved
with the College, generously donating both his time and resources. He most recently sewed on the
Augsburg N ow Alumni Advisory Committee.
Gage fulfilled another lifelong dream when, along with his father and his brothers Rick and Scott, jolned the ownership pool of the Minnesota Wild
hockey team. "lt has been really fulfilllng to be part of bringing NHL hockey back to Minnesota where I'm completely convinced it belongs," Gage says.
Gage and his wife, Kelly, a successful art historian and co-owner of CGC, have a son and a daughter-6-year-o1d twrns. He credits fatherhood
with
adding perspective to his life . "As adults, 1 think we frequently overcomplicate things ... seeing the world through the eyes of our kids rea11y helps me
clearly focus on the essence of life." For Gage and his family this "essence of life" is a motivating factor for their extenslve involvement with the
community, including their church, St. Therese of Deephaven, and numerous charities.
he'11 be able to look back and feel that he made a difference in people's lives "The most satisfylng aspect of what I'm dolng is
spending the hours God has blessed me with each day dolng something that I love and am glfied at," Gage says. "If I can look back at our buslness and
know it made a positive difference in my 1ife, the lives o[ our employees, and the lives of our clients, then the time and effort it took startlng and
building this business will have been worth rt."
Ultimatel¡ Gage hopes
To contact Geofftey Gage,
1
or to learn more abouthis comp(uly, go online to <www.gcgage .com>.
988
Mark Cummings, Belle Mead,
NJ., is vice president of sales for
NaviSys, an insurance software
compâny He previously held
several positions at Prudential.
Michael F. Larson, Bosron,
accepted a position as a clinical
instructor in the child and
adolescent psychiatry department
at Haward Medical School. He also
serves as an attending psychiatrist
at Somerville Hospital and has
been elected to a three-year term
on the Board of Directo¡s of the
New England Council on Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry He has
pubÌished several book chapters,
which appear in a comprehensive
series of online medical texts at
<eMedicine.com>.
a
,4ucsnunc n¡ow
1
990
1991
f 993
Karen J. Reed,
Patricia (Noren) Enderson, Elk
Dana Ryding, Coon Rapids,
Atascadero,
Calif., was a
presenter at. the
River, Minn., accepted a position
as marketing coordinator
Minn., married Jeff Martin in
June. She and her husband teach
in the Mounds View Schooi
National
America Music
Therapy
conference in October (held in
Pasadena). A music therapist at
Atascadero State Hospital, she
spoke on the use of gospel music
with the forensic psychiatric
population.
Velda Stohr, White
Bear
Township, Minn., received a
Master of Arts in Human Resource
Development with a certÍfÍcate in
instructional design from the
University of St.Thomas.
for
Dealers Group, Inc., in Brooklyn
Park. She is also working toward
master's degree in business
communication at the University
of St. Thomas.
a
1992
Matthew L. Maunu, St. Cloud,
Minn., received his doctorate in
medicine from the University of
Minnesota School of Medicine,
and completed a five-year surgical
residency at the University of
South Alabama College of
Medìcine in Mobile. He is a
general surgeon with CentraCare
Clinic in St. Cloud.
District at Bel Air Elementary.
1994
Amber (Meier) Tarnowski
reports that'Augsburg prepared
me weli" for postgraduate studies
at Queen's University in Canada.
She is in her first year in the art
conservation master's program,
speciaÌizing in archaeological
artifacts.
Sara Trumm, Minneapolis,
recently became program
coordinator for Luther Seminaryb
Global Mission Institute.
Winter 2001-02
M
Meet the Augsburg Class of
2002 and recent grads at the
second annual
Augsburg Alumni Job Fair
Tuesda¡ March 12, 2002
5-8 p.m.
Christensen Center Lobby
Täke advantage of this
opportunity to match the talents
and experience of Augsburg
graduates
with the needs of
your compan)¿ Call Alumni
Relations at 612-330-117 B to
reserve your table space.
f995
Dawn C. Van Tassel, Richfield,
Minn., recently became an
associate at the law firm Maslon
Edelman Borman 6¡ Brand, LLP
She is a member of the firm's
litigation team, specializing in
complex commercial disputes and
business to¡ts.
1
Laura (Paul), Minneapolis,
married Andrew Newton in
September 1999; she is an urban
tribal representative and Indian
child welfare social worker for the
Mille l¿cs Band of Ojibwe.
Jeanne Nicole Ramacher,
September 2000.
1997
Laura Schreifels, Minneapolis, is
an athletic t"rainer [or Visitation
High School, she also works at
United Hospital.
998
Ânn (Rohrig) Bainter,
Stow,
Ohio, accepted a position as rhe
foster home developer for the Bair
Foundation, a Christian
therapeutic loster care agency She
and her husband celebrated their
second wedding anniversary in
August.
Heather (Larsen), Brooklyn
Park, Minn., married Wayne
Johnson in November 2000.
August "Auggie" Negele,
Goose Creek, SC, married Lisa
(Daniels) '99 in August 2000. He
is an officer in the Navy and is
finishing training ro become a
nuclear engineer on a submarine.
Winter 2001-02
grandmother Gwen (Johnson)
George Ho '91 and his wife,
Krapf '58.
Beryl, Greenbelt,
Sue (Moenck) '90 and Jerry
Troutman, Minnetonka, Minn.a daughter, Renee, in November
2000. She joins older sister Elsie.
Joelle (Audette) '91 and Tom
Hilfers, Colorado Springs,
Victoria Sadek, W
Colo.-
Joshua Thomas, in
August. He joins older brother
Cameron, 2. Joelle and Tom own
a son,
Top Dog Daycare.
Md.-a
son,
Gregory, inJuly Ho received his
Ph.D. in space physics from the
University of Maryland in l99B;
he is a research scientist at Johns
Hopkins University's Applied
Physics Laboratory
Rebecca (Leininger)'99 and
Jason Walters, St. Michael,
Minn.-a
daughter, Madelyn
Diane, in September.
She
joins
older siste¡ Samantha, 2.
Minneapolis, is a health educator at
the University of St. Thomas.
tItrltif.ilfTt
Sr. Paul, is
pursuing a graduate degree in
teaching at St. Mary's in Winona.
She married Craig Berre in October
2000 and work as an English
teache¡ and department chair at
Minnesota Business Academy
2000
Augsburg Athletics
Alumni can now hear live coverage of Augsburg athletics from anywhere
in the world through the lntemet!
On game days, fans can go to Augsburgb athleûc Web site at
<www.augsburg.edu/athletics> and click on the live audio link to find
the link to the live spofiing event broadcast that day Future cybercasts
will include numerous winter and spring sporting events.
Carrie D.
Nelson,
Sr.
Louis Park,
Minn., is
director of
996
Lynnel (Wakef ield), Eagan,
Minn., married Ian Taylor in
1
He graduated from the Naval
Nuclear Power Tiaining Command
in April, and graduated f¡om the
Naval Nuclear Prolotype Training
Unit in November.
therapeutic
recreation at
Bloomington
Health Ca¡e and Rehabilitation
(pictured above, Carrie Nelson'00
and her fiancé, Cory Bock'98).
Chris Steffen, Andover, Minn., is
pursuing a graduate degree at the
University of Minnesota School of
Public Health, and has spent the
last year conducting neuroscience
research at the University of
Minnesota.
TUESDAY. IANUARY 15
DIXIE'S CALHOUN, 2730W. L¿ke St., Minneapoiis, 612-9205000
Auggie Hour, 5-6:30 p.m. Faculty host: Tom Morgan, interim vice
president for admissions and enrollment services.
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 12
VINE PARK BREWING CO.,242 West Seventh St., St. Paul,
651-228-1358
Auggie Hour, 5-ó:30 p.m.
Auggie Conversations, 6:30 p.m., featuring Chris Kimball, dean of
the College, and Kristin Anderson, associate professor of art.
MARCH
II
200r
SHERLOCK'S HOME, 11000 Red Ci¡cle Dr., Minnetonka,
Cassandra Herold, Fargo,
952-931-0203
N.Dak., was appointed to the
Minnesota String and Orchestra
Auggie Hour, 5-6:30 p.m.
Teachers Association; she is an
Auggie Conversations, 6:30 p.m., featuring Cass Dalglish,
elementary orchestra teacher in the
Willmar School District.
associate professor of English.
APRIL 23
AUGSBURG COLLEGE, Minneapolis Room
Births/Adoptions
Caroline (Krapf ) '87 and Brian
Clifford, Hellertown, P¿.-¿ 5en,
Curtis William, in March. He
joins older brother HaydenJoseph
and is welcomed by his
Auggie Conversations, noon luncheon featuring John Cerrito,
assistant professor of business administration/MIS.
SATURDAY, MAY
II
AUGSBURG DAY AT COMO PARK, wrap up a grear year of fun
and conversation; watch your mail for more information.
4ucssuRcirow
25
I
Carl Chrislock, alumnus and
professor emeritus, dies at 84
t
Cälå".u,,
1937 Augsburg
graduate and
professor emeritus
EE
of history died in
September after a
courageous battle
with cancer.
Chrislock joined the history
department in 1952, where he remained for
34 years. In addition to teaching and
research, Chrislock served as department
chair. In the 1960s, he played a key role in
restructuring the history program, reducing
its emphasis on European history in favor of
the non-Western world and seeking to
provide history students with a variety of
seminar opportunities.
ln addition to numerous scholarly
articles, Chrislock's published materials
include From Fjord to Freeway , a centennial
history of Augsburg College, and The
Progressíve Era in Minnesota, for which he
received a Merit Award from the State and Local
Association of American Historians.
Chrislock is a two-tlme recipient o[ the
Minnesota Historical Society's SolonJ. Buck Award
for articles inMinnesotaHistory, and is a 1986
Distinguished Alumnus of Augsburg. He was also
most of his life. He was president of the First
National Bank of Cedar Falls (now
Norwest/Wells Fargo) until his retirement in
1979. He was also founder, and president for
two years, of the Midway Bank (now Union
Planters Bank)
in Cedar Falls.
Messerer was inducted into the Augsburg
Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975. As a student,
he was a member of the College's football,
basketball, and baseball teams. In 1937,he
and two classmates founded a student-run
athletic support group that later evolved into
the Alumni A-Club, now one of the largest
athletic alumni organizations in Minnesota.
Both Messerer and his wife, Lucille, have
been active supporters of the College,
26.4UCSSUnCNOW
victim of the
September 11
terrorist attacks,
dies at 57
I
named the Augsburg Distinguished Faculty
Membe¡ of the Year by the 1971 graduating class,
and was included on the University of Minnesota's
1994 roster of Alumni of Notable Achievement. In
addition, he was chosen as one of the Outstanding
Educators of America, selected for his exceptional
service, achievements, and leadership in the field
t. Col. Dean E.
LMattson
died
September 11, a victim
of the terrorist attack at
the Pentagon in
Washington, D.C. A
1966 graduate o[
of education.
Chrislock was frequently consulted by the
media for his expertise on issues relating to
Minnesota history and politics. He was a member
of the American Historical Association, the
Augsburg, family
members and friends
describe Mattson as a
devoted family man who never liked to boast
about his position as an Army officer at the
Organization of American Historians, the
Minnesota Historical Society, and the NorwegianAmerican Historical Society. After his retirement in
1986, he was active as a teacher with Augsburg's
College of the Third Age.
Pentagon.
Hoyt Messerer, alumnus and
active supporter of the College,
dies at 83
lJ on Messerer, Class of 1939, died in May
I lin Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he had spent
Dean Mattsotl,
endowing scholarships for musicians and
physical education students. In addition to
support for his alma mater, Messerer also
supported the University of Northem lowa's
Athletic Club, which he helped originate in
1963. He was also instrumental in UNI's
building of the UNI-Dome a quarter-century ago.
Messerer was past president of the Cedar
Falls Chamber of Commerce, a founder of the
Industrial Development Association (now Cedar
Falls Industrial ParÐ, and a charter and
founding member of the Cedar Falls Country
Club. He was also a well-known football and
basketball official in northern lowa.
In June, Augsburg posthumousþ honored
Messerer at a ceremony that included the official
The Rev. Mark E. lHall'77 officiated at a
memorial service for Mattson Sept. 29 at Luck
Lutheran Church in Luck, Wis. Major General
Anders Aadland presented posthumous U.S.
Army awards, including the Purple Heart.
Senior Executive Services OfficerJoel Hudson
spoke on behalf of the Pentagon staff. A
military honor guard, legion gun salute, taps,
and U.S. Army Ilag presentation followed the
service.
Mattson was born March 30, 1944, in
Laketown Township, rural Luck. He graduated
from Luck High School in 1962 and went on to
study religion and education at Augsburg. After
graduating in 1966, he was drafted into the
Army and served in German¡ Japan, and
Vietnam, but was sent back to the United States
after becoming ill with malaria. After
recuperating, he continued to work with the
govemment, and served in the Pentagon for 15
years. At the end of December 2001, Mattson
would have retired from the Army after serving
his country for 35 years and achieving the rank
of lieutenant colonel.
Although most recently a resident of
Alexandria, Va., Mattson kept in close contact
with family members in his hometown. "He
was dedicated to his family and regularly
visited his home and relatives," said Rev Hall.
dedication of the Hoyt Messerer Fitness Center
in Melby Hall (see p. 2).
Winter 2OO142
,)
Fritjof "Fritz" E. Christensen
'28, Northfield, Minn., died in
October; he was 94. He began his
academic career teaching high
school physics, and later taught at
Augsburg, where he helped
establish the physics deparrment.
In 1953, he joined the St. Olaf
College physics faculty, serving
until his retiremenr in 1972. He
also served as a physicist at
Honeywell, the Veterans
Administration Hospital, and
served as director o[ the Center for
Educational Apparatus in Physics
ât the American Institute of Physics
in New York.
The Rev. C. Rodney
Rosengren'44, Duiuth, Minn.,
died in October; he was 87. He
most. recently served at. First
Covenant Church in Virginia,
Minn., where he retired in 1979.
He also served parishes in Cokato,
Minn., and Ripon, Calif. After
retirement he served as an interim
pastor in various congregations.
Arnold H. Huus'48,
Richfield,
Minn., died in October; he was
80. A decorated World War II
veteran, he .joined Gamble-
Skogmo Company in 1928 as an
accountant, and eventually ran the
entire computer department. He
also worked as an accountant and
controller for Sweden-House,
Country Kitchen, and Magnetic
Data, where he became their first
retiree.
Carl K. Benson '51, Willmar,
Minn., died inJune; he was 71.
He was instrumental
in
developing the Anderson-Nelson
Athletic Field in the I9B0s,
serving as co-chairman on the
development and [undraising
committee. He was also active in
the county and state Democratic
Party and was named 1992 Grass
Roots Volunteer of the Year
Talvryn Tischer'59, Eau Claire,
Wis., died in October; he was 64.
He was a high school physical
education teacher and coach for
30 years, retiring in 1993. He was
an avid woodworker, gardener,
and reader; he especÍalìy loved
spending time with his family at
Lake Superior.
Donald D. Ronning'65,
Stiìlwater, Minn., died in March
2000; he was 56. He retired from
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Augsburg Now Spring 2003
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From the editor
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ast year, Augsburg established
a
college-wide program dedicated to
fulfilling its mission of "education for
service" and making the Christian
concep...
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From the editor
I
L
ast year, Augsburg established
a
college-wide program dedicated to
fulfilling its mission of "education for
service" and making the Christian
concept of vocation a vital part of its
classrooms and co-curricular activities.
Minneapolis illustrates how nursing
students learn that healing can begin
with the gift of a smile or a
compassionate, listening ear.
The Kleven family's gift of an
endowed scholarship honors Dorothy
"True vocation joins self and service ... as'the place where
your deep gladness meets the world's deep need."'
J. Palmen author of leú Your Life Speak (Jossey-Bass, 2000),
-Parker
and upcoming guest speaker (see calendar on back cover)
This program, Exploring Our Gifts, was
funded by a grant from the Lilly
Endowment, and encourages the
Augsburg community to look at the "big
picture" and think about where our gifts
intersect with faith and service.
Indeed, exploring our gifts is about
much more than just choosing the right
major or finding a "fit" in a job.
Ultimatel¡ we can discover and share
our gifts-ou¡ y6ç¿1is¡-in many
different ways.
Our story on page 10 about the
Augsburg Central Nursing Center at
Central Lutheran Church in downtown
Lijsing Kleven '47 , who spent her life
sharing her passion for choral music
(page 8). This annual President's
Scholarship, the first one to provide full
tuition, fees, room and board, will enable
future students to nurture their talents
for choral music.
In Februar¡ Augsburg celebrated the
success of Devean George '99, who
returned to campus for ceremonies
that officially retired his Augsburg
No. 40 basketball jersey (page 7).
George, a member of the NBA
world champion Los Angeles
Lakers, recently shared a gift with
his hometown community, and
sponsored eight children from the "Why
Can't I Go?" program for special
education students in Minneapolis and
flew them to a game in Los Angeles.
Finally, on page 12, our feature story
introduces the Lilly-funded Exploring
Our Gifts program, sharing the many and
varied ways the grant has allowed the
Augsburg community to tackle some of
Iife's big questions: What are my gifts?
Why am I here? What ought I to do with,
my life? Where are my gifts and talents
most needed?
/1,* ll"^^
Lynn Mena
Assistant Editor
o
c'
Orono Elementary School students sang songs based on the international peace efforts by
Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan. with African drums to honor his heritage, during the Eighth
Annual Nobel Peace Prize Festival.
Students from Gatewood Elementary School paused
at the base of the huge, inflatable globe that
welcomed visitors to the Peace Prize Festival.
o
EI
ù'
Augsburg Now is publishecì
quarterl¡' b1'
Oflice of Public Relatior.rs ancl
Communicatior.r
2211 Riverside Åve.
ìvlinneapohs, ì\4N 5545+
6t 2,330-1 181
nos'@augsburg.edu
AI¿GSBI;RG
Now
Vol. 65, No.
Spring 2003
3
Features
Editor
Betsey Norgarcl
Assistant Editor
Lynn lvlena
1 O i"",ï#lIlT""*;Ji*n'
by Judy Petree
Graphic Designer
Kathy Rurnpza
CIass Notes Coordinator
Sara Karnl.rolz
r
At the Augsburg Central Nursing Center, nursing stuclents
learn that healÌng sornetimes can begin with a listening ear
ancl a smile as well as wlth a pil1.
:''
\=l
Contributing Photographer
Stephen Gef[r-e
President
\\¡illiam
\i
Frarnc
Director of Alumni and
Parent Relations
Ar.r.r¡'Sutton
8
Director of Public Relations
and Communication
First endowed President's
Scholarship honors
Dan Jorgensen
Dorothy Lijsing Kleven'47
Opinions expressecl in Augsburg
Now clo not necessarill'reflect
by Dan Jorgensen
official College polìcyr
rssN 1058-15.15
Sencl address corrections to:
Ach'ancement Sen'ices
Ar-rgsburg College, CB I42
221 I Riverside Ave.
ìr4inr-reapolis, ì\'{N 5 5454
6t 2-330- I 687
nori'@angsburg.eclu
Augsburg College, as alJirnrcd
in ifs rníssion, does not
å.iscrínúnate on the basis oJ rcrce,
colot', creed, religiotr, nntíonal or
etlnríc origitt, age, gender, sexual
orientation, mcrìt4l str¡fus, stdtus
with regard to publíc assístance,
or disability ín íts eclucatíott
policies, a¿lrnissions policies,
sclnlarship and loan program1
atlúe tíc an dl o r sclto oI
adminístered pïogranß, except
í,1 lhosc insfr¡nccs rvfierc rclígiorr
ís a bona Jicle occupational
qualif
í
catío n. Au gsbu rg C oll e ge
is conmútted to provicling
re aso nable acco mtno datí ons to
ifs clrrployecs nnd its students.
12
Exploring Our Gifts: Reconnecting faith, life, and vocation
by Lynn Mena With the help ol a granr from the Lilly Endowment, Augsburg students,
faculty, and stalf are engagecl in finding ways to unclerstand how their
lives, work, ancl caleers car-r be guided by a sense of inner calling.
Departments
2
Around the Quad
4
Faculty/Staff Notes
7
Sports
19
20
28
Alumni News
inside
back
cover
Calendar
Class Notes
Auggie Thor,rghts
On the cover:
Harbo Mcclitation Chttpt:) in
Cfirisicnscn Ct:ntcr, grttct:d with th¿
bt:atrLy and warnúh o.[ thc stautctl
glass " hrccr r t'tctti.on " b_y Arrgusf
www.augsburg.edu
M.r/,/. r: o//, rs rr t¡ltit
50 ltcrccnL lec,yclcr/ pa¡tcr (10 pcrc(:t1t
posL-con sLrnrt:r r,va.slc)
l
¡rf¡¡¡ c./p¡'
reflt:ctiott in thc heat t of thc
can'tpLts. Photo bv Erih Stt:nbcthl¿cn
A20 0 0 S tt nb althcn/ stcnb thhut. cont
I
A
O
I
o
I
ln Brief
Augsburg has announced plans to open
a charter high school in 2004 focused on
health careers. As part of the "Faith in the
City" collaboration with five other Twin
Cities Lutheran-based organizations, the
Augsburg Academy for Health Careers will
be funded through start-up grants from
the Gates Foundation.
Augsburg will administer the school
and provide courses and tutors, while the
other groups will add acrivities relating to
their expertise. For instance, FairviewUniversity Hospital will match students
with mentors and provide internships.
The new academy hopes to attract
students from urban, underserved areas to
pursue careers in health caÍe to address
workforce shortages and to better serve the
Twin Cities populat ions.
Faith in the City also includes
Fairview Health Services, Centrai Lutheran
Church, Lutheran Social Services, Luther
Seminar¡ and Thrivent Financial for
college honors programs.
Created by Honors Program director
(a
o
Larry Crockett, the Honors
Program pages acquaint
viewers and inform
prospectÌve students about
curriculum and seminars, as
à
L
U
well
as the fall and spring
Monday Fon¡m series, open to
the public.
Readers can access the
online journal, Ah-zine, and
the annual Honors Revíew,
featuring outstanding student
writing selected and edited by
Honors Program students.
To see the Honors
Program page, go to
<www. augsburg. edu/honors>.
to R) StepUP program director Patrice Salmeri, StepUP
student Katie Moore, and Rick Francis listened to testimony
by U,S. Rep, Jim Ramstad criticizing Christian Dior's
advertising campaign.
(L
Augsburg has received two grants from
the lmproving Teacher Quality program
for teachers to participate in Gourses
this summer at Augsburg. Part of the
No Child Left Behind Act, the grants are:
.
Lutherans.
Augsburg's Honors Program Web page,
"honors.org", is rated by search engine
Google as the number one page among
I
¡¡
.
Thirty education paraprofessionals in
the MinneapolÌs, St. Paul, and Roseville
school districLs wilì participate in a twoweek intensive summer course with
additional follow-up in mathematics
content and teaching techniques.
Twenty-five middle and high school
social studies teachers from Minneapolis
Public Schools will attend the summer
Paideia lnstitute, JuIy 2I-25.
StepUP students testify at
state legislature
StepUP director Patrice Salmeri and two
students from Augsburg attended a special
hearing at the Minnesota House of
Representatives as part of a worldwide
protest against the advertising campaign of
cosmetic giant Christian Dior for their new
perfume, "Addict." The edgy ads used
images and language that seemed to glorify
addition.
Junior Katie Moore read from a paper
she had written for a class on the campaign
U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad presented testimony
both in Minnesota and the U.S. Congress.
In response to the protests, the Dior
company revised the ad scripts and
changed the name to "Dior Addict."
o
o
Augsburg3 chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national
leadership honor society for cotlege students, faculty, and
staff, initiated eight new members at its meet¡ng in February.
Prof. Lori Lohman, faculty adviser, and Colleen Junnila, faculty
secretary have reactivated Augsburg3 ODK chapter, which
was chartered in 1987 but has been inactive for the past
several years,
to R) Prof. Keith Gilsdorf, economirs; Colleen Junnila, ODK
secretary; Erika Benson; Jennife¡ Holm, president Jana Skrien;
T.J. Bramwell, treasurer; Sarah Haberkorn; Heather Wessling,
vice presidenü lindsay Ruliffson; Norm Okerstrom '85,
Development Office; and Prof. Lori Lohman, business
administration and faculty adviser.
(L
2
,+UGSBURG NOW
Spring 2003
I
Speech team novices are
top-notch in tournaments
o
I ugsburg's speech
!{t.utrl novices
s.
à
surprised their coach,
and even themselves, as
they carried home a fifth
place sweepstakes award
in the largest and most
L
Junior Victor
Acosta wins
Goldwater
Scholarship
Õ
=
U
lunior
Jphyslcs
major Victor
Acosta is one
of 300
competitive division at
the 2lst Annual Novice
National Speech
Tournament, held Feb.
28-March 3. They
competed in I I
recognized events and
categories
against hundreds of
students fiom teams
across the country.
two debate
students
nationwide in
Back row (L to R): Dan Sweet, Kirstin Kuchler, Becky Tellin, Nick
Carpenter, Kyle Loven, Ryan Sobolik, Coach Bob Groven (Front
row): Heather Nystrom, Gretchen Hemmingsen, Crystal Harles,
Robert Jones
finish in Impromptu Speaking.
"This award represents a
breakthrough for the team," said
Robert
Groven, coach and speech professor. "We
had assumed that competing in Division
One would prevent us from winning a
sweepstakes award, but the team's
performance exceeded my expectations."
Freshman Kyle Loven took top
honors with a second place in
Informative Speaking and a semifinal
The team had also competed well in
local and state tournaments. At the
Minnesota College Forensic Association
state tournament they garnered a third
place sweepstakes award.
Freshman Heather Nystrom placed
sixth at thls tournament in Informative
speaking as she used her own experience
with diabetes to speak about a new
tïeatment to help orhers.
Successfu I'Connect¡ons'
/Fonnections: A Women's
LLeadership Event,"
sponsored by Augsburg and
Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans, brought together
130 students, alumni, faculty,
and staff to discuss issues of
financial freedom, vocation,
and life balance.
Speakers included
to R) Kathi A. Tunheim, Pamela Moksnes'79, Shelby
Gimse Andress '56, Andry Andriambololona Jurcich '98,
Anne Frame, and Connie Evingson'76.
(L
Andress'56, training and
development consultant Kathi
A. Tunheim, vocalist Connie Evingson'76,
Spring 2003
Victor Acosta
win
a
prestigious
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for
2003-0+. The scholarship covers costs of
tuition, fees, books, and room and board
up to $7,500.
Acosta, a native of New York City, is
in the
StepUP program, where he is chair of
a McNair Scholar and active
the governing board.
For the past two years, Acosta has
carried out independent and team
research on thin magnetic films in the
solid state physics lab with Prof.
Ambrose Wolf. He worked on a summer
internship at the U.S. Department of
Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator
Center last year; this summer he will be
at University of California-Berkeley
working on condensed matter and
atomic physics contributions to
quantum computation.
Acosta is the fifth Augsburg
Goldwater Scholar in the past seven
years and is one of eight recipients from
Minnesota colleges and universities. The
scholarship winners are selected by the
Thrivent's Lutheran
Community Services manager
Pamela Moksnes'79,
consultant l. Shelby Gimse
the fields of
mathematics,
science, and
engineering to
and The Augsburg Fund assistant director
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Foundation
from nearly 1,100 nominees by college
and university faculties. Goldwater
Scholarships are considered the premier
undergraduate awards in these fields of
science and math.
Andry Andriambololona Jurcich'98.
,4ucsnunc
ruow
3
E¡tt*t+wrytlrflllst¡tm
Margaret Anderson and Adrienne
A coral reef aq uanum for
neighborhood kids
Kaufmann, Center for Global Education,
presented "Crossing Borders, Challenging
Boundaries" at the ELCAb Global Mission
event in Minneapolis last summer.
tlack in 1999. when biology
a
o
Lapman
Orv Gingerich, international programs,
set up the two coral reef
h,
and Michael O'Neal, sociolog¡ presented
"Developing a Global Perspective through
Faculty Development" at the Association
of Lutheran College Faculty in October.
Gingerich also co-presented
"Transformative Learning and Critical
Pedagogy: A Collaborative Workshop
Approach to Theory-Building for Study
Abroad" at the annual conference of the
Council for International Educational
Exchange (CIEE), in Atlanta in October.
aquaria in the biology
department, he probably had
no idea where this project
Þpror.rro, wlrram
Jeanine Gregoire, education and NASA
Space Grant program, presented "Make and
Take Space Science Activities for the K-6
Curriculum" at the 2003 Space Science
Across the Curriculum Conference at the
Science Museum of Minnesota in March.
She also presented "Girls Solving Real
Life Problems Using Science Technolog¡r
and Math" at the National Science Têacher
Association Conference.
Stella Koutroumanes Hofrenning,
economics, presented "Greek Orthodox
Perspectives on Economics," at Baylor
University's Lilly-funded conference on
Christianity and economics in November.
She also teaches modem Greek
language to school-aged children at St.
George Greek Orthodox Church in St. Paul.
Thirty students and staff from residence life
attended the Area Twin Cities College
Housing Association (ATCCHA) conference
in February Nancy Holmblad, residence
life, presented a workshop, "The Augsburg
Challenge: Getting First-year Studens
Involved." Christine Olstad, residence life,
and StepUP students Torin Kelly and
Mitch Lyle presented about campus
drinking and drug use. Studens Amy
Jones and Bekah Cahill presented a
workshop on ice breakers and teambuilders.
s,
ra
would lead.
One direction
it led was
right into the neighborhood,
to the Seward Montessori
School, where he has worked
with staff to build aquaria for
their science classrooms. The
first project was a small, lowbudget tank furnished with
spare parts from Augsburg's
Biology professor Bill Capman helped build a coral reef
aquarium at the Seward Montessori School, with its
biology department.
colorful habitat of corals, marine plants, and fish.
Over the pastyeaÍ,
however, he has helped
Capman was able to supplement their
construct and populate a reef system
grant funds with donations of both
containing live corals in a much larger
money and livestock from Augsburg and
70-gallon, four-foot long tank.
other reefkeepers to outfit the school's
"We had our share of problems for a
system.
while-the water was pea soup green
In March Capman led a day-long
with algae lor six months before we
workshop at Augsburg on marine aquaria
figured out what the problem was," said
for grammar school, middle school, and
Capman, "but we did a'transfusion' of
high school teachers. Six teachers
sorts from our tanks at Augsburg ... and
attended, with one bringing a student
we fixed a problem with their water
along, and received continuing education
purifier." Since last fall, he said, the tank
credit for their participation. Among
has been "beautiful and healthy."
attendees was John Roper-Batker from
The Web site that Capman created
Seward Montessori, who spoke about his
for the biology department's aquaria has
use of the new aquarium in teaching
attracted attention from an active
middle school science.
community of reefkeepers who share
To see more about Augsburg's
their knowledge and ideas, as well as
aquarium, go to <www.augsburg.edu/
offer materials and funding where
biology>.
needed. For Seward Montessori School,
Looking closely at Shakespeare
nglish professor Doug Green joined
Lejeune Lockett, Center for Global
Education-Mexico, presented a poster
session "Black Mexicans? A Non-traditional
Cultural Perspective in Mexico" at CIEE.
Continued on p.6
4
.4UGSBURG NOW
E teachers and researchers from
across
the country at the annual meeting of the
Shakespeare Association of America in
April.
There, he participated in a workshop
to examine small portions of texts in
Shakespeare's plays, not for understanding
of the play, but for the language itself, in
isolation from the play's meaning.
The workshop was led by Professor
Stephen Booth, a Shakespearean sonnet
expert from University of CaliforniaBerkeley
Spring 2003
Learning to read the numbers
rFwo
I
vears aso. business administration
proí.rro, rtÏ¡to s.t i.t¿ received
a
a
s.
S
a
$500,000 grant from the \ùlM. Keck
Foundation to develop statistical literacy
as an interdisciplinary curriculum in the
E
s
O
liberal arts.
In terms of student learning,
becoming statistically literate means
gaining understanding of the use of
statistics as evidence in an argument. In an
age of numbers and technical information,
it means helping students to develop a
comfort level in the use of statistics in
much the same way they become
comlortable using words.
As part of the Keck grant, Joel Best,
author oï DamnedLíes and S¿a¿isúícs visited
Augsburg in November to meet with
faculty and students in several
departments and give an invited talk.
Students reported that while Best's
book takes a somewhat cynical look at the
use of statistics, it helped them become
Business professor Milo Schield (left) hosted the visit of author and statistician Joel Best as part
of the Keck Stat¡stical Literacy grant. Best lectured in classes on the need to th¡nk critically about
numbers and statistics.
more aware of what they read.
"Within 24 hours of reading the book,
I found myself questioning statistics being
thrown around by the current crop of
lpolitical] candidates," said student Jim
Humbert.
Schield is collaborating with faculty in
several departments to develop teaching
materials to include a greater focus in the
statistics curriculum on reading and
interpreting data.
Schield has also collaborated with the
Royal Statistical Centre for Statistical
Education at the University of
Nottingham-Tient. Peter Holmes, a senior
researcher there, visited Augsburg in late
March to review Augsburg's curriculum.
NfornWOnil'
Sally Daniels '79, undergraduate
admissions, is president-elect of the
Minnesota Association for College
Admission Counseling (MACAC).
Mark Engebretson, physics, served on the
Decadal Survey of Solar and Space Physics,
an l8-month planning effort of the National
Academy of Science. He was vice chair of the
Panel on Education and Society, which
prioritized scientific and education effors in
U.S. solar and space physics research for the
decade 2003 through 2013.
He was invited to present. a paper at the
NASA Earth Science Institute at the Science
Museum of Minnesota in November.
With Augsburg students, including
Jesse Woodroffe'03 and Jeremiah Knabe'04,
he made presentations at the fall meeting of
the American Geophysical Union in San
Francisco.
Engebreson also had papers published
Series of the
American Geophysical Union and the
Journal of Geophysical Research.
in the Geophysical Monograph
members of the Minneapolis school board.
He was also quoted in an article about
state legislative initiatives in education in the
Dec. 4 issue of EducationWeeh.
Garry Hesser, sociolog¡ received the2OO2
Distinguished Sociologist Award from the
Sociologists of Minnesota, at the association's
fall meeting in St. Cloud.
He presented "Rebuilding communities:
A Comparison Between the Annie E. Casey
Rebuilding Communities Initiative and the
Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization
Program" at the Urban Affairs Association, in
Cleveland in March.
He also served as a retreat leader at
"Worthy Questions," at the College of
Wooster in January, and served as an
evaluator for service-learning and urban
studies programs aÍ, Aztza Pacific University
and Messiah College in February.
Norm Okerstrom '85, development,
coordinates the Lutheran College Advocates
and serves as the council president at Peace
Luthe¡an Church in Pl).rynouth.
Joseph Erickson, education, was elected
to a four-year term as one of the seven
Spring 2003
Timothy Pippert,
sociology, was named
president-elect of the Sociologiss of
Minnesota at their fall meeting in St. Cloud.
Glenda Dewberry Rooney, social work,
was re-appointed to the Association of
Social Work Boards (ASWB) Examination
Committee, which reviews, edits, and
approves questions for the social work
licensing examination used in 48 states.
John Shockley, political science,
participated in a national study funded by
Pew Charitable Trusts that examined I5
close Congressional ¡aces. He analyzed how
Minnesota's Second District race between
Bill Luther andJohn Kline was covered
poorly by media.
Jim Trelstad-Porter, international student
advising, passed both phases of the Spanish
Interpreter Proficiency Exam and is now a
Minnesota certified court interpreter.
The travel seminar that he led in 2001,
"Cultural Immersion at Tirrtle Mountain
Indian Reservation," was selected for
inclusion in the 2003 model program list by
NAFSA: Association of Intemational
Educators.
,4ucssunc
n¡ow
5
Faculty/Staff Notes
Taf*Tilrff{ùf{JFilFrílÐ
Steven LaFave, business administration,
presented "The Effect ofEuro Conversion
on Price Stability in the French Economy:
A Market Basket Study" at the annual
meeting of the Midwest Academy of
International Business in March. It was
nominated for a manuscript award.
Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, Center for
Global Education-Mexico, presented a
workshop, "So You Want to Change the
World? Educating for Responsible Global
Citizenship" for the National Society for
Experiential Education in l-as Vegas.
Kathryn Swanson, English,
presented
"Now I Become Myself: Power and Peace
in Aging Sleuths," at the Popular Culture
Conference in New Orleans in April.
She completed two site accreditation
visits this year for the Higher Learning
Commission and was elected to serve on
their review board. With Norma Noonan,
political science, she presented "Lessons
Learned from Years of Reviewing SelfStudy Reports: Advice on Writing and
Editing the Self-Study" at the Higher
Learning Commission's annual meeting.
Doug Green, English, published an
on Shakespeare and film in R¿el
essay
Shahespeare (2002), and a scholarly
review in Shahespeare Bulletin of the
Guthrie's production of A Comedy of
Errors.
He also presented "Desperately
Seeking Desdemona: Ideologies of
Gender in Shakespearean Tragedy" at
the Renaissance Society of America
meeting in Toronto in March.
Bruce Reichenbach, philosophy, coauthored the third edition oÏ Reason and
Religious Belief (Oxlord University Press),
an introductory text in the philosophy of
religion.
He also published "Genesis I as a
Theological-Political Narrative of
Kingdom Establishment" in the Bulletin of
Biblical Research, 2003.
From card catalogs to art
catalogs
Flill Wittenbreer. reference librarian at
Þ,-r'oa,, Lr'rary, worKs atl clay wrtn
words, but it's visual images that occupy
much of his free time-especially
Minnesota landscapes.
Wittenbreer is co-curator o[ the
current exhibit at the Minnesota
Museum of American Art, "An Artist's
Paradise: Minnesota Landscapes 1840-
l9+0." This exhibit, for which he
researched and located works, contains
some images painted by visìting artists
seeking the "exotic" on the mid-l9th
century northern plains, as well as
commissioned works portraying the
growing prosperity of Minnesota's
cultural centers.
This is Wittenbreer's first adventure
in Midwest
histor¡ culture, and politics for many
years was focused in literature, perusing
old diaries and items of literary historical
interest. About a decade ago, however, at
the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, he saw
an exhibit about art and life of the Upper
as an art curator. His interest
Mississippi, and began appreciating and
seeking Minnesota landscapes, especially
those depicting Minnehaha Falls.
He was drawn to works at the
Minnesota Museum of American Art in
St. Paul, and became a volunteer in the
library and a docent, and more recently
technology project published two
monographs with JDL Technologies:
Nowhere in Technology: All Children Left
Behind and Talhin' Tall: Voices for
Millennium Teachers.
Fìrofessor Amin Kader was honored
l'vu..h
11 by the Department
of
on
in
serving
for 16 years as the department's first
chair. ln his honor and to his surprise,
an Amin E. Kader Business Scholarship
Business Administration for his role
was established by his faculty colleagues,
friends, and alumni.
Department of Business
Administration chairJohn Cerrito
6
,+UGSBURG NOW
has worked with the museum's curator,
who invited him to collaborate on the
current exhibit.
He began this project by considering
attitudes held by Minnesotans toward
their landscape over a century, and how
national trends played into the state's
artistic history. He sought to discover
how deep and how strong the influences
were-in other words, how they played
out here, he said. He then researched
catalogs and vendors to find works for
the exhibit.
His own collection includes seven or
eight images of Minnehaha Falls, from a
small, romantic Currier and Ives print to
a more contemporary wood block print.
The exhibit runs through June 22.
Professor Amin Kader honored
by his department
founding the department and in
The Augsburg PT3 education
Reference librarian Bill Wittenbreer cocurated an exhibit on Minnesota landscapes
spoke
about the significant role Kader played in
building the foundation and leaáing the
growth of the department over the past
two decades, and of the atmosphere of
respect and dignity that he fostered
among faculty and students.
Kader's leadership as chair, followed
by that of Milo Schield and John Cerrito,
has helped the department grow to be
the largest major at Augsburg College,
currently with 716 majors.
Spring 2003
Auggies place second at NCAA nationals
byDonstoner
a
o
ven though Augsburg's wrestling
E team accomplished nearly all the
s.
E
goals they set for the NCAA Division III
wrestling national championships, they
ended up with a second-place trophy,
breaking their three-year string of
national titles.
Augsburg nearly finished with more
team points (84.5) than its 2001-02
championship performance (87). They
finished with six All-Americans and one
individual national champion, matching
last year's total. And it took a recordsetting performance by Wartburg
(Iowa), with 166.5 points and 10 AllAmericans, to break Augsburg's
stranglehold on the national
championship.
The Auggies continued their
dominance in small-college wrestling,
however, with the runner-up finish.
They have finished either first or second
nationally l2 times in the last 13 years,
winning eight titles, and have finished
in the top 20 every year since 1971.
The Auggies were paced by Marcus
The Auggie wrestlers' second-place finish this year was only three po¡nts shy of last year's
national title points as they were topped by record-setting Wartburg College in the NCAA
national championships,
an individual season unbeaten. He
With six All-Americans, it marked
15th
the
straight year that Augsburg has
had at least five wrestling All-Americans.
finished 44-0 to win the 157-pound
individual national championship.
Don Stoner is sports int'ormatron coordinator.
LeVesseur, who became only the second
wrestler in school history to go through
Augsburg ret¡res Devean George's jerseV o,Donstoner
D ;"ï,î".:,i: .:ii:Ti:i,lî
"r,.,uo
his Augsburg No. 40
to formally retire
'basketball jersey
George, a small forward with the
three-time NBA world champion Los
Angeles Lakers, was honored in public
6¿¡srn6¡is5-once for students, faculty,
and staff and also during Augsburg's men's
basketball game against Hamline.
"I want to thank the school for doing
this for me. This is real special for me and
I will always remember it," said George. "I
want to thank my family, my teammates,
and friends, for being there for me. My
success is because of them. I've had good
people around me."
George's family, friends, and former
teammates and coaches were a prominent
part of the celebration events. George,is
Spring 2003
s
the only player
from an NCAA
s
a
s
Division III
institution
currently in the
ts
NBA. His No.40
joined the No.
50 jersey of Dan
Anderson'65
the only two
as
numbers retired
any Augsburg
sports team.
by
During the
weekend,
Men's athletic director Paul Grauer (right) congratulates Los Angeles Laker
Devean George '99 as his Augsburg jersey was retired at a celebration in
February.
Augsburg also
unveiled a
banner to honor Lute Olson'56, men's
basketball coach at the University of
Arízona, who was inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame in September.
Don Stoner
rs sports
ntformatron coordtnator
,4ucsnunc
ruow
7
Around the Quad
First endowed President's Scholarship honors
Dorothy L¡¡sing Klgvgn '47
byDanrorsensen
D;i:
:?,
:ËTf .i:î
;li,:
îti:î.
lb
O
:T
world, and in her memory her husband,
and her four children and spouses have
s
s
created Augsburg's first endowed
President's Scholarship to be given
annually to an entering student in
choral music.
On March 23 the Kleven family
members gathered with the family of the
first recipient of the award, Carl Gruhlke
of Kelley, lowa, to both honor Dorothy
and the student who received the award.
"My family and I are pleased to
present this first annual scholarship for
choral music," Said E. Milton Kleven'46
"It seems a fitting tribute to Dorothy
because, in addition to her family and
her Christian faith, choral music was
very important to her. From an early age
when her parents discovered that she had
beautiful talent, she took voice lessons
and was active and involved in church
and school choirs.
"While a student here at Augsburg in
the mid-40s, she was a member of the
Augsburg Choir, and throughout our 53
years of married life, while busy raising a
family, running a busy household, and
helping me run our flooring business,
Dot remained an active member of the
church choir."
Kleven said that over the years
Augsburg has never been far from his
thoughts. He also said he was pleased
that his children and their spouses joined
him in giving their emotional and
financial support to the scholarship
because they understand the importance
of maintaining Augsburg's strong musical
heritage and attracting talented students
to the College. Gruhlke displayed that
talent by performing two songs,
accompanied by his future choir director,
Peter Hendrickson'76, music professor
and director oI choral activities.
Joining with their father in funding
the endowment were Bruce and Maren
Kleven, David and Barbara Kleven, Zane
8
.,+UGSBURG NoW
Milton Kleven '46, with his sister and his four children and their spouses, have endowed a
President's Scholarship in choral music in the memory of his wife, Dorothy Lijsing Kleven '47. The
first recipient is entering freshman €arl Gruhlke. (L to R) Maren Kleven, lvadell Kleven Rice. Bruce
Kleven, Carl Gruhlke, Zane Birky, Milt Kleven '46, Philip Larson, Barbara Kleven Birky, David
Kleven, Barbara Kleven, and Diane Kleven Larson.
E.
and Barbara Kleven Birky, and Philip and
Diane Kleven Larson.
"It's our family's hope that the
recipients of this scholarship will find an
Augsburg College community where
their love and talent for choral music can
be nurtured and developed and bring
them to a lifetime of happiness," Kleven
said.
Sue Klaseus, vice president for
institutional advancement, both
welcomed the participants and spoke
about the prestige of the scholarship
itself. "The President's Scholarship is the
most prestigious and highly competitive
scholarship, recognizing the most
academically qualified freshmen entering
Augsburg College each year," she said.
"This particular scholarship sets a model
for future endowments that will help
build our reputation and recruit the kind
of talent that Carl Gruhlke represents."
While President's Scholarships have
been awarded annually since the fall of
1982, this is the first one to provide full
tuition, fees, room and board thanks to
the Kleven Endowment. Ninety students
competed for the award with five others
receiving the traditional scholarships
covering tuition and fees. Gruhlke, who
is a student at Ballard High School, plans
to major in youth and family ministry.
Hendrickson spoke about the
transformation that occurs when
students come to the College, noting that
he came to Augsburg to prepare for
medicine and left to live his life in choral
music. "This is a place where we want
you to be you," he said to Gruhlke, "and
if you can do that through choral music,
that's fabulous."
And Herald Johnson'68, assistant
vice president for enrollment and market
development, spoke about the impact
that scholarships make on the life of the
institution.
"Augsburg always has been an access
place," he said, "and gifts such as this
show an ongoing confidence in the
College and its mission. Fundamentall¡
it's a commitment to an individual
student, but it's also commit"ment" to
Augsburg College, what we stand for and
are trying to perpetuate into the future.
"When you endow something you
are creating something for posterit¡" he
said. "You've given us a wonderful
vehicle to carry things into the future."
Spring 2003
'1
I
I
A t¡me for celelcration and thanks
Ol,ï¿'"1,1"""*'
u
faculty, and staff
gathered on campus
to celebrate the
generosity of one
generation to
another. The annual
Scholarship Têa
brought together
students who have
received
scholarships and the
donors and their
families who have
made them possible.
Senior student
body president and
physics/math major
Brad Motl spoke
about the
È
President and Mrs. Frame hosted four of the President's Scholars at
(L to R) Jean Johnson '04, President Frame,
Alexis Johnson '05, Andrea Carlson '04, Anne Frame, and Adam
their table for conversation.
Nugent'03.
importance of
scholarships to his studies.
''Scholarship money is
important-it
I don't have to focus on working
to go to school here, but allows me to
means
focus on other things, such as my
research with Prof. Ambrose Wolf in
physics."
Motl's sister, Melissa, a freshman at
Augsburg, told donors that her
5
t)
È
scholarships allow her the time to
become involved in student activities and
campus ministry.
Junior music performance major
Jennifer Holm and donorJonathon Nye
were thrilled to meet each other. Hohn,
an oboeist, is the recipient of the Lois
Oberhammer Nye Scholarship that Nye
established in memory of his wife, who
was also an oboeist.
During the 2002-03 academic year,
over $750,000 was
available to fund 247
endowed
scholarships.
In additlon,
another $3.9 million
provided President's,
Regents', Tiansfer
Regents', and Legacy
Scholarships. This
aid, much of which
t
'{
Student body president Brad Motl '03 and his sister, Melissa, a
freshman. enjoy being at Augsburg together and spoke about how
their scholarships have allowed them to grow while here.
Spring 2003
by Betsey Norgard
comes from the
College's operating
budget, is especially
critical at a time when
state ând federal
funding for education
is facing considerable
reduction.
Senior Yvonne Andert Wilken '03, who is
studying with a Transfer Regents'
Scholarship, stops to chat with a donor.
Sue Klaseus, vice president for
institutional advancement,
acknowledged and expressed gratitude
for the growing support to The
Augsburg Fund, the College's annual
fund.
"We set some very aggressive annual
fund goals," she said. "The good news is
that in this difficult time and in this
economy we are achieving those goals,
and many of you in this room are
responsible for making that possible."
Development director John Knight
summarized the thoughts of many.
"Augsburg is not a building stuck in
the middle of Minneapolis. It's about all
the people who have attended here, who
have taught here, who have come to
campus ministry here, who have played
athletics here, who have donated here,
who have sent their children here-all
for different reasons, but the same place.
It's a remarkable place."
.Aucsnunc
ruow
g
w
the value
¡.
e, respec
byJudy Pát"""
È
t:
YOU CAN TALK ABOUT LOVE and compassion all day, but if you really want to
experience
it first hand, spend a few hours at the Augsburg Central Nursing Center
at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. The Nursing Center, a
collaboration of Augsburg College, Central Lutheran Church, and the Urban
Communities of Minneapolis, offers people from the community of Minneapolis and
from the congregation of Central Lutheran Church an opportunity to meet with a
nurse, discuss their health concerns, and get linked to other resources if needed.
As an educational endeavor, the center offers nursing students unique
opportunities to learn about the needs and strengths of homeless people who are
often invisible in society and marginalized in health care.
The center, which recently celebrated its lOth anniversary, is based on a nursing
model, which teaches health promotion and helps people take control of their own
lives, rather than a medical model, which is focused on diseases and curing.
Professor emerita Bev Nilsson, retired chair of the Nursing Department and Rev Dr.
Bill Miller, retired associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church, worked closely in
establishing the center, but it wasn't an easy task
Above: At Augsburg Central Nursing Center at Central Lutheran Church. nursing students
learn that healing sometimes can begin with a listening ear and a smile as well as with a pill
Photo by Stephen Geffre.
10
,4ucs¡uRc ltow
The Beginning
In the early 1980s, nursing centers,
which are independent nursing
practices, were just starting to get press.
Nilsson, then chair of the nursing
department, was looking for a different
clinical site where Augsburg nursing
students could practice, to see what a
difference nursing in itself can make.
She spent a lot of time searching for
an ideal location for a nursing center,
looking at places from rooms in the
nursing department at Augsburg to
various sites in the neighborhood.
Nilsson said she even considered at one
time buying a bus and having a mobile
nursing center, but there was always a
glitch.
While students and faculty were
excited about the potential of a new
type of practice and educational
experience, Nilsson said she was about
Spring 2003
it was known that they were
going to hand out hygiene
supplies, items were left in
shopping bags-full outside the
door. With that and a $15,000
start-up grant from Fairview
Foundation, they were ready to
open.
"Another miracle," Nilsson
said, "is that we have never run
out of everything, thanks to
generous donations. And some
Nursing professor emerita Bev Nilsson and the Rev. Bill
days," she added, "we give
Miller. retired associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church,
away
as many as 100 pairs of
celebrated the 1oth anniversary of their collaboration in
socks."
providing health counseling and resources for the innercity community.
As word of the center
spreads, the demand for
ready to give up because she couldn't
service is increasing. "The good news
find a location.
is," Nilsson said, "many people use the
That's when Miller entered the
center. The bad news, many people must
picture.
use the center."
One of the greatest gifts the nurses
and volunteers give to the people who
come to the center, is the gift of
listening. Miller said the nurses accept
the people as they are, they always listen
"lt was almost a miraculous turn of
and never turn their backs on anyone.
events," Nilsson said. "It was like Gocl
"You don't have to have anything
was saying you need to be in that
physically wrong with you to go to the
place. "
center," Miller said. "To some, it's just a
place to go where someone wiÌl listen to
That place was Central Lutheran
them, which is a rare commodity,
Church. Several factors came together to
especially in today's world."
make the Nursing Center a reality.
Nilsson added that they, too, receive
MilÌer and Rev Steve Cornils, then
a gift from the people who come to the
pastor at Central Lutheran, were talking
center-the gift of trust. It takes a while
about the "visions" they had for the
to build that trust to the point where
church, and Cornils ancl Charles
people who come wili open up to the
Anderson, president of Augsburg, were
center'.s staff.
having discussions about ways the
church and College could work more
closely together. This discussion lecl to
a
Nilsson's search for a nursing center site,
and as they say, the rest is history. Miiler
got in touch with Nilsson, ancl the two
worked closely in establishing the center
Nilsson said she hopes the nursing
at Central Lutheran.
students come away with a heightened
As Nilsson recently saicl at the lOth
appreciation for nursing-that clifferent
nursing practices can make a difference
anniversary celebration, "As people were
lecl to Bethlehem, we were 1ed here, and
in people's lives, and that you clon't
aÌways need a pill to heal. As a matier of
are delighted to be here."
Nilsson said word spreacl about the
fact, they do not give out medications or
prescriptions, rather vouchers, which
nursing center and "the abundance
can be turned in at a clesignated local
flowed down." Equipment and supplies
drugstore. These vouchers are very
started showing up at the center. When
Miraculous turn
of events
'
specifically written out, Nilsson said. The
nlrrses never prescribe an over-thecounter medication, rather write down
the symptoms and leave it to the
pharmacist to recolnmend a proper
treatment.
She said she also hopes the stuclents
come away with a greater appreciation
and understanding for what it is like to
live in poverty, what it takes to survive
on the streets, and for the hopes, dreams,
and fears these people also have.
Students see the opportunity to work
at the center as a valuable addition to
their education. Nilsson said it can be "a
big eye opener" to many students.
Eric Eggler, second year nursing
student in the Augsburg Rochester
program, said his experience in working
at the Nursing Center has given him a
"better understanding of life, and how
much he, as an individual, can do to
change things for others."
"I feel like a better nurse for my
experiences," Eggler said. "I can honestly
say that it really is the simple things we
do as nurses that patients remember. Just
offering a warm smile and a polite hello
without judging can make the difference
in someone's day."
I
Judy Petree is media relations manager.
Students making
difference
Spring 2003
Linda Ackerman, a student in the Master of
Arts in Nursing program, measures the blood
pressure of a visitor to the Nursing Center.
,4ucs¡unc n¡ow
11
a
-..i:.;:i3
RECONNEC ING FAIT
LIFE, AND VOCATION
by Lynn Mena
those of Martin Luther when she writes: "Ministry is not
a minister is
anyone who chooses to use our resources to tend to the
wounded heart of the world. Anything we do can be a
just for ministers: In the new spirituality,
ministry, from menial labor to the highest professional
endeavor. It is our ministry if it is an activity we use to
spread peace and forgiveness and love."
lndeed, as defined by Exploring Our Gifts: "In its
broadest sense, vocation is the thing that you were
created to be and do, whether that means being a
student, a parent, a doctor, a teacheq a businesspersonanything you can imagine. A vocation is both personal
and communal; it serves to bring you true happiness, but
it also serves the greater community."
¡Æ<ploring Our Gifts, funded by a grant from the Lilly
I-Endowment. Inc., is a college-wide program dedicated to
Lufulf'll'ng
the mission of Augsburg and making the Christian
concept of vocation a vital part of Augsburg's classrooms and cocurricular activities.
This article serves as an overview of Exploring Our Gifts,
introducing its inspired and varied programs and celebrating those
whose lives are enriched by vocation. In upcoming issues of the
AugsburgNow, we'Il continue to showcase these and other Lilly
programs and their influence upon the Augsburg community
Wht b
u.ut^|;'aø)
In her book Everyday Gracø (Riverhead Books, 2002), Marianne
Williamson challenges the reader by asking: "If life is to have
deeper meaning, can our work be something we merely do to
make money? Or can work itself become sacred, a channel
through which we shine our light and extend our love?"
Williamson gets to the heart of vocation, and her words echo
The above photo, taken by sociology assistant professor Tim Pippert, is
part of a photographic essay he completed during an intensive Exploring
Our Gifts seminar on vocation for faculty and staff (see p. 14).
A t"r,,/;,t;* al u,æaf;ø,n
Augsburg College has deep roots in the Christian tradition.
Founded as a seminary in I869 to train pastors for immigrant
Norwegian Lutheran congregations, it is now a liberal arts
college that continues a significant engagement with the
Christian faith land a commitment to vocationl.
The word vocation is derived from the Latinverb vocare,
which means, "to call." Exploring Our Gifts, with a deep debt
to the Lutheran tradition, understands vocation in a dual
sense. First, people are called by God to particular roles and
responsibilities in daily life. These include being a student,
professor, friend, parent, and family member. Second, within
these callings, people are called to the love and service of God's
creation. Thus, faith in God and love toward the neighbor may
be distinguished but never separated. By insisting on the
importance of vocation, Augsburg is seeking to reconnect faith
with daily life.
What might all of this have to do with you? It means that
Augsburg is dedicated to helping students ask and find
answers to some of life's big questions: What are my gifts?
Why am I here? What ought I to do with my life? Where are
my gifts and talents most needed? We firmly believe that life
means much more than a job and a salary. By entering into the
world of vocation we are inviting you to look at the "big
picture" and think about where God, faith, and service fit into
your life.
Tranvih, director of Erploring Our
proJessor of religion
-Marh
Gifts and qssociate
A
"a..¡r.t-u&.
Augsburg's Lilly-funded
o?¿'u^'v.uL
profit agencies, apply for
prograrn
focuses primarily on stuclents, but
also provides numerous
opportunities for faculty,
staff, and alurnni. The
progrâms are assembled
under four themes: l)
vocation as a life approach;
2) vocation as a curricular
focus; 3) vocation as
education for service; and 4)
stipends to intern at local non-
it
scholarships for international
Ar^ylt-rú /'r,¿
Ë: ï
ã,
ç
t
uæ¡,,trÅ¿.¡
by Daniel S. Hanson'86
When I think about vocation and what it means for me, I
think about Augsburg College. My experiences at
Augsburg shaped my life's work and gave it new meaning.
I arn a graduate of Augsburg's Weekend College
program.
I returned to complete my degree after a 15awareness.
year
absence.
Returning to college was not easy for me. I
While Exploring Our
still
recall
long
weekends cramming for an exam or
Gifts is grounded in a
struggling
to
complete
an assignment. I often studied late
Lutheran perspective, its
at
night
so
that
I
would
have time to play with my
Daniel S. Hanson'86, a Distinguished
cloors are open to people of
Alumnus and assistant professor in the
children
before
they
went
to
bed.
More
than
once
I
all faiths and beliefs. Many
Department of Speech/Communication
wondered whether getting my degree was worth all the
points of view are needed to
and Theatre Arts, says Augsburg
effort. But I also remember how good it made me feel
Weekend College "shaped my life's
create a full, honest, fruitful
when
I did well on an exam or when I grasped a new
work and gave it new meaning."
discussion aboui vocation.
concept
or
theory
as
if
I
was
learning
it
for
the
first
time.
The opportunities for
I remember, too, the special people who were part of my learning experience, both students and
involvement are rnany:
teachers, and how good it felt to be part of a learning community.
students can take vocation
Because of my experiences at Augsburg, I fell in love with the adult learning experience.
courses, participate in
After
graduation I applied and was accepted to graduate school at the University o[ Minnesota.
mentoring groups and
My
intent
was that some day I would teach in a program like the one at Augsburg, which had
vocation retreats, receive
impacted
me
in so many positive ways. Years later, when I learned of an opening to teach at
Lilly Scholar grants to
Augsburg,
the
decision to apply was, as my son would say, a no-brainer.
explore seminary, receive
I often say that Augsburg Weekend College changed my
life. But what do I really mean by that? I suppose I could say
that Weekend College helped me achieve success in my career.
The evidence seems clear on the surface. After graduating from
Augsburg, I became an officer of a Fortune 500 company, and
eventually president of a major division. I finished my master's
degree, had four books published, and was honored by
Augsburg as a Distinguished Alumnus. But I don't think that
these accomplishments by themselves capture the significance
of what the Augsburg experience did for me. My experiences
at Augsburg helped me believe in myself, if I applied my
energy to a task or a cause, I could indeed make a difference.
It also gave me a new vision for what I could be, perhaps a
calling. I was given a taste of a learning environment that
made me hungry for more.
In a way I never left Weekend College. As a teacher, I am
blessed to be a part of the ongoing Augsburg Weekend College
experience. And every time I watch a student exceed his or her
own expectations I am reminded of how I felt, and I am
Sonja Hagander, associate campus pastor (left), and coralyn Bryan
(right), Campus Ministry associate, help oversee several programs
renewed, once again, in my own sense of what work should be
under the Exploring Our Gifts umbrella, including a vocation
mentoring program, a summer vocation institute for high school-aged
Daniel S. Hanson is an assistqnt professor in the Department of
church youth leaders, and more.
Speech/Communication and Theatre Arts.
developing vocational
l.:f'
s)
u
L
Hagander, associate
campus pastor. "It crosses
the students who are
wondering, 'What do I
want to do when I grow
up?' to us as faculty, staff,
and alumni who are all in
a
work situation for
various reasons. It crosses
over all of that and brings
Liz Pushing '93 has participated in a series of vocation
us closer together,
mentoring meetings that join students, faculty, staff, and
because vocation is all
alumni.
about life-what you love
to do in life, what you
travel seminars, and much more.
want
to
share
with
the world-these are
Staff and faculty can develop
the
things
that
cross
religious grains and
vocation courses, participate in
us
together."
bring
professional development activities,
Liz Pushing '93, director of financial
and become mentors. Alumni are also
services
at Providence Place in
invited to get involved as mentors,
Minneapolis,
has enjoyed her
attend vocation convocation
participation
in
the group. "I wanted to
activities, and help lead international
my
knowledge
and experiences,"
share
travel seminars.
"and
Pushing,
I've
says
also learned a lot
Since last fall, students, alumni,
myself
in
about
talking
with everyone."
facult¡ and staff have gathered for a
Likewise.
Augsburg
com m unication
series o[ vocation mentoring
Baweka,
senior,
Melissa
credits
the
meetings. This mentoring program,
mentoring
group
with
opening
overseen by Campus Ministry and the
Center for Service, Work, and
Learning, joins two students with two
alumni and one member of the
faculty or staff.
"l think the mentoring
group
crosses everybody," says Sonja
ways of using the concept in both
communal and personal projects, such
as revising a course to include vocation,
or re-conceiving how to incorporate
vocation into work with students. In
January the group gathered for a final
meeting, where they shared their
experiences and project abstracts.
"This project was designed to force
me, and ultimately my students, to
examine how we visualize the
fulfillment of our vocation," wrote Tim
Pippert, assistant professor of sociology,
in his project abstract. "While reflecting
on my vocation ... I turned to
photographlz
"I chose a beach as the location to
capture these images ... a young child
Ð..rnbolizes the experiences my students
gain before they reach my classroom
(see p. 12), a college-aged woman
represents the brief timeframe I have to
work with, and a middle-aged woman
represents the experiences of my
students after they leave college. ... lt is
my calling to ensure that what I select to
her eyes to different
u
perspectives and possibilities.
"l've been increasingly curious
about vocation-I'm looking
for more than just a job," says
Baweka. "Itìs been so
wonderful to hear how alumni
experienced Augsburg and
where their journeys have
taken them after graduation."
In Januar¡ one of the first
Exploring Our Gifts programs,
a seminar for faculty and staff,
completed a six-month study
of faith and vocation. Last
summer, Mark Tranvik and
s.
q
Philip Quanbeck II, associate
professors of religion, led
participants in a two-day
workshop to study the concept
The Rev. Oliver Johnson '50 returned to
campus in October to present the homily
at a mini-convocation on vocation. Since
September, Campus Ministry has held
monthly Exploring Our Gifts worship
services that embrace varying themes of
vocation.
of Christian vocation from
a
biblical and theological point of
view. Participants then spent the
ensuing months reflecting uPon
their vocation and considering
È!
Melissa Baweka, a communication senior (left), credits
her participation in a Lilly-funded vocation mentoring
group with opening her eyes to different perspectives
and possibilities.
()
teach them about their social
environment is relevant to their lives
in the hope that it will impact their
life beyond Augsburg.
"The second component involved
how first-year students envisioned
vocation," continued Pippert.
"Students in my Introduction to
Human Society course were given the
extra-credit opportlrnity to représent
their concept ofvocation through ... a
single photographic image" (see p. 18).
A ¡"
"This job has proven to be a wonderful fit with my own gifts. I have the
opportunity not only to help administer a prograrn with an important
rnessage and purpose, but also to exercise my research and writing abilities
and to interact with a lively college community."
-Juliana
Exploring Our Gifts is funded by a
two-million dollar grant from the Lilly
Endowment, a private philanthropic
foundation based in lndianapolis, Ind.
Founded by the Lilly family in 1937, it
supports the causes of religion,
education, and community
Sedgley, progrclrn assistønt Jor Exploring Our Gifts (pictured øbove
wíth Professor Mqrh Trøtn¡ih, clirector of Exploring Our Gifts)
Ex+!^4;^ú uu¡^il'o¡ h^
il¿ ;,¡lt¿¿"al;^'t¿l
Since 1982, Augsburg's Center for
Global Education has been a
national leader in providing crosscultural travel programs, serving
nearly 10,000 people. As part of
Exploring Our Gifts, CGE will
oversee nine different student travel
gr',t^"" Lo h,r4^
seminars led by Augsburg faculty
and staff in collaboration with
CGE's adjunct faculty in Mexico,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, El
Salvador, and Namibia. Each
seminar will offer $1,000 grants
for up to 15 students.
"We've rnade it an open
competition for faculty and staff to
propose seminars that could be
done either as part o[ an existing
course taught internationally, or as
development, and is interested in
initiatives that benefit youth, foster
p
È
U
s
leadership education among nonprofit
institutions, and promote the causes of
philanthropy and volunteerism.
Two years ago, the foundation
called for grant proposals from
religiously rooted colleges and
universities outlining a theology-based
exploration of vocation. Augsburg's
proposal, "Exploring Our Gifts:
Connecting Faith, Vocation, and
Work," was written by philosophy
professor Bruce Reichenbach and
Carol Forbes, director of sponsored
programs in Academic and Learning
Services. In addition to Reichenbach
and Forbes, a committee of faculty and
Regina McGoff, associate director of Augsburg's Center for Global Education, helped
develop an international travel component of Exploring Our Gifts, which provides
$1,000 grants for students to participate in vocation-themed travel seminars to
Mexico, Central America, and Africa.
staff helped define and plan the grant
proposal's contents.
Mark Tranvik, associate professor
of religion, serves as director of
Exploring Our Gifts. Juliana Sedgley,
previously an assistant to the
Department of Worship and Sacred
Arts at the Basilica of St. Mary in
Minneapolis, was recruited as program
assistant. The program's offices and its
resource center are located in
Memorial Hall.
Iillel
Fa;nla"*û¿'9t
'A nn^^'o u'*t'h Lo ko øu'yír,at^'
by Cherie Christ
X
o
Leland Fairbanks grew up in a poverty-stricken
home in Harmony, Minn. during the depression-era
years and has since applied this experience to his
life's work. Helping others has become his passion,
his trademark, and his calling-and through this he
has learned that "life is more than just earning a
À
o
E
o
'6
a
Êa
living."
F
o
Although he yearned to be
A 1953 graduate of Augsburg with bachelor's
degrees in sociology and chemistry, Fairbanks went
on to receive his medical training from the
a
missionary 1953 alumnus L"Fnq.
..
Fairbanks' decision to enter the field
of medicine forever .¡""glj;ìr'iit"] university of Minnesota Medical school and his
leading him to discover tñat a careei master's degree in public health from the University
in public health could be his mission. of Oklahoma.
Although he yearned to be a missionar¡
Fairbanks' decision to enter the field of medicine forever changed his life, leading him to
discover that service to others could be his mission. For this he credits Augsburg, and
says, "service to others was always portrayed as the reason Augsburg College existed."
Fairbanks spent more than 30 years working on Indian reservations for the U.S.
Public Health Service, and continued his dedication to a life in public health by
promoting the hospice movement and campaigning to lower the D.U.I. limits in
Arizona.
However, Fairbanks is best known for his work to ban smoking in hospitals. He
remembers that in the 1950s, "workplaces and hospitals were like smoke-filled
dungeons. No one else seemed willing to stand up for those most affected because of a
risk of offending someone." Fairbanks added, "I started the movement because someone
needed to do it."
It has been this fight against the tobacco and liquor industries that Fairbanks has
found to be the most challenging-yet most rewarding-part of his career. For his work,
Fairbanks has earned several awards and honors, including an appointment in the early
1980s by then-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to expand the ban on smoking to
include all public facilities.
Although retired in 2000 from Cigna HealthCare where he worked as a family
physician, Fairbanks has continued his involvement in public health service. He
currently serves as president of Arizonans Concerned About Smoking, and also serves as
ex-officío member of the Executive Committee for International Network Towards
Smoke-Free Hospitals, a London-based organization that works to promote smoke-free
hospitals around the world.
Reflecting upon his career, Fairbanks embraces Martin Luther's quote, "a manb
work is his mission," and concludes, "my work has been my mission and continues
to be."
Cherie Christ is content webmaster
in
Augsburg's infonnation technologlt departrnent
part of a new course that they
could develop,' says Regina
McGoff, associate clirector of CGE.
"In the case of staff, they might
propose something that could be
developed as a non-credit
'Augsburg Experience.'
"The goal oI these seminars is
to look at themes o[ vocation in a
global context-which is already
part of many of our programsbut this grant gives us an
opportunity to really fine-tune and
develop a stronger model for
incorporating faith ancl vocation
aspects," says McGoff.
Last year, CGE recruitedJeni
Falkman as an intern for their
Lilly program. Falkman, who
graduated from Augsburg last year
with a major in religion,
participated in two of CGE's
programs as a student, and had a
transforming experience as a result
of her travels.
"Jeni is helping us develop a
faculty guide, because the goal is
to use these nine seminars to
develop a model that Augsburg
can use for faculty-led, studyabroad programs that help
students reflect on faith and
vocation," says McGoll.
"She'll also help us pull
together an independent study
journal that can be used by
Augsburg students on nonAugsburg programs, provlding an
imprint for all study-abroad
programs, so that students will
more intentionally think about
their faith experiences and their
vocation."
In addition to faculty and
staff, CGE hopes to include
alurnni in the seminars. "Ideally,
we'd be interested in individuals
involved in a vocation related to
the discipline," says McGoff. "For
instance, it would be great to have
an educator go along on an
education seminar, and really be
a
:J
()
Ê
part of that learning experience
publications and
alongside the faculty, staff, and
students." While there are no
scholarships available for alumni, the
experience would certainly serve as a
unique and possibly transforming
learning and teaching opportunity.
"It's really exciting to work on
developing something that can create
more of a framework for Augsburg
students," says McGoff. "Most studyabroad programs don't incorporate
faith elements, and we're trying to
build a stronger model for doing so."
editor of Augsburg
Now, will lead the
Center for Global
Education's first
Exploring Our
Gifts travel
seminar. The
seminar, entitled
"Namibia:
International
Education," will
spend three
weeks in this
African countr)¿
Students will visit
schools in the
capital city of
Tr/,r/,;^t: A +<^1,wul
u&,atrfu1
On May 21, Augsburg education
professor Gretchen Kranz Irvine and
Betsey Norgard, director of
s
È
()P
Augsburg education professor Gretchen lrvine (above), along with
Betsey Norgard, director of publications in the Office of Public
Relations and Communication, will lead the Center for Global
Education's first Exploring Our Gifts travel seminar to Namibia this
spring.
Windhoek as well as several other areas
to explore differences in the educational
a teachers'college, an early childhood
development center, and
experiences of students and teachers in
Namibia.
Students will be encouraged to
foster enduring relationships with
Namibian teachers and students. They
will learn how to develop culturally
appropriate educational materials and
methods, and how to become a better
educator about Namibia and Africa.
Furthermore, students will explore the
vocation of teaching as a call that
integrates faith and profession.
"Têaching is such a natural vocation
and connection to the Lilly
opportunities to appreciate Namibia's
Endowment," says Irvine, who in 2000
led in a five-week Fulbright-Hays
educators' travel seminar to Namibia.
"At that time, we did similar things to
what we'll do now, and I can see our
students as really understanding the
Namibian educational system."
To Jind out more about Exploring Our
Gifts, vísit <www.augsburg. edu/lilþ>
and see the vqríous ways that vocation
Students will have a
chance to rneet with school
two days in a second-grade classroom,
where she took this photo of the teacher
and a group of her students using bottle
caps for a math lesson.
minister of education and
culture. They'll also gather with
members of the Namibia National
Têachers'Union, and
with leaders of the
Sexuality Education
Research Project. In
park, Etosha.
"For me personally, when you go
on a trip such as this the first time,
there's that first meeting of that
culture, and that first thinking about
all of it," says lrvine. "So noq on this
trip, I'm in a different place in my
thinking about Namibia; I hope to
take myself to a nelv level in my
understanding of Namibia." I
is being integrated into the life of
Augsburg.
,AUCSBURG COLIÆGE
directors and Namibia's
During her first visit to Namibia in 2000 as
part of a Fulbright-Hayes educators'travel
seminar, Professor Gretchen lrvine spent
culturally rich heritage, majestic
scenery, as well as the largest game
Exnlorins
Ou'r
Giftí
Reconnecting Faith, Life, and Vocation
addition, their stay will include visits to
WM /"r^ I ca,Iful rô /ô7
A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION OF VOCATION
In collaboration with a six-month vocation seminar for faculty and staff, Tim Pippert, assistant professor of sociology,
invited students in his Introduction to Human Society course to participate in an extra-credit assignment. Pippert
challenged the students to represent their concept of vocation through a single photographic image and a brief description.
Following are samples of the students' images and excerpts of their descriptions.
o
o
s.
òr
o
t_)
'r>
(.
A PASSION FOR CHILDREN
I believe that my vocation is to work with children. I am not exactly
sure how I will end up helping children, but I know that I will
definitely incorporate it into my life. ... I gravitate toward children,
and many people have told me that I look happiest when I am
helping them. ... [My passion for] children has grown over the
years into real enjoyment. ... I think this is my vocation because I
get such satisfaction out of it.
Wien, elementary education freshman
AN ALTRUISTIC VOCATION
My vocation in life is to help individuals. I think
my purpose in life is to make a difference in
[people's lives] and to touch their hearts. I am here
to [helpl people find their potential and guide them
back to where they [belongl . I am here as a friend, a
confidant, and as an extra person to love, in case
someone doesn't feel love.
Yang, psychology and
-Michelle
o
-Seese
communication freshman
NURTURING A
VOCATION
o
.:3
L
I have come to
s-
U
the realization
a
s.
õ.
o
õ'
!
that my
vocation is as an
(J
educator and
nurturer of kids.
...When I got
out of high
school, the first
job available to
teacher's aid at a Catholic elementary school. ... My first three
months were pure hell ... someone then advised me to attend
teacher's training college ... from then on it was great. ... I was
nominated Têacher of the Year and received an award for best
teacher/student relationship. ... When I came to America, I found
myself in the same role as a live-in nanny, taking care o[ four
kids, ages 3 through 7 . ... I think I have now accepted that my
vocation meets the needs of those parents who don't have lextra]
time to [spendì with their children, which is very important to a
child's maturity and self-esteem.
Jones, marketing sophomore
-O'Fay
A CALL TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
First and foremost, I wanted to be a cop since age 5. ...
lThenì all through high school, I dreamt of nothing but
the FBI as my vocation. ... ll¿terl, I got sidetracked by
my path to the FBI ... and vowed that the Navy was a
great choice. ... Now guess what-I want to be a cop
again. So now I'm making calls, having interviews,
going on ride-alongs, researching internships,
volunteering, etc. At least one thing is lcertain]-I
know I want to be involved in law enforcement.
Brunzell, sociology freshman
-Sara
/
^
tl I
¡-
From the Alumni Board president's desk...
Tlåi:,"ï:l,
part of a cold
January in Russia
behind the lron
Curtain with a
group of
Augsburg and St.
Olaf students.
The trip was led
by Professor Norma Noonan, and this was a
part of my education that I will never forget.
Recently, I spent an enlightened Auggie
Hour with Professor Noonan and a group of
Augsburg alumni discussing the current
status of Russia. We ate Russian food and
leamed a lot-without the fear of a final
examl
This calls to mind two facts: we should
never stop leaming, and we should maintain
our relationship with Augsburg colleagues
and alumni. However, in our busy lives,
getting together with old friends and
retuming to campus can be difficult.
The Augsburg Alumni Board represents
you, and we would like to hear from you so
we can keep alumni connections open. Email us at <alumni@augsburg.edu> and let
us know who you are, what you are doing,
and how you would like to be involved with
the College and fellow alumni. We value
your input!
Becoming involved can be as simple as
updating your e-mail address so we can
contact you about upcoming events in your
area, or joining us for some geat
conversations at an upcoming Auggie Hour
listed on p. 25 of this issue of the Augsburg
Now. We welcome your ideas for building
connections between Augsburg and our
alumni and providing events and services
that are valuable to you.
Paul Batalden '63 receives
Alfred l. duPont Award
llaul
B.
Itgatalden,
M.D., was
honored in
September as the
recipient of the
2002 Alfred I.
duPont Award for
Excellence in
Paul Batalden'63
was
Children's Health
Care. The award
honored in September recognizes his
for excellence in
childrent health care. early and ongoing
efforts in
developing innovative, high-quality
systems to advance health care worldwide.
Batalden's Health Care Improvement
Leadership Development program at
Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover,
N.H., has as its main goal the
development of knowledge and leadership
that will result in cost-effective, patientcentered, quality health care both
Spring 2003
nationally and internationally. Batalden is a
professor of pediatrics and of community
and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical
School, and program co-director of the
Veterans Affairs National Quality Scholars
Fellowship.
In accepting the award, Batalden
remarked, "My hope for the future is that
we will recognize the importance of
understanding and improving those small,
living systems where children, families,
and health care meet. We also need to
rccogrize the challenges facing us as we
try to integrate cognitive knowledge,
technical skills, and values. Through this
connection, others who share these
concerns
will be energized, encouraged,
and make connections with each other."
The Alfred I. duPont Award, which
includes a $50,000 pnze and original
crystal award, is granted annually by
Nemours, one of the nation's largest
pediatric health care providers.
Many interesting things are happening
at the College, and alumni involvement is
on the rise. Watch for upcoming
opportunities to get involved-such as those
Iike the vocation mentoring program, which
be recruiting alumni for the 2003-'04
school year who can share a little of their
time and talents with students.
Mark your calendar for this summer's
alumni picnic onJune2S at Como Park in
St. Paul (see p. 2l for more information).
Family and friends are welcome, and we're
hoping for better weather this year!
will
Andrew Morrison'73
President, Alumni Board
Gene Hugoson'67
appo¡nted
commissioner of
agr¡culture
¡F
overnor Tim Pawlenty appointed Gene
'ó7 commissioner o[ the
|\IHugoron
Minnesota Department of Agriculture in
January A south-central Minnesota farmer
from the East Chain area, Hugoson was first
appointed agriculture commissioner in July
1995 by Gov. Ame Carlson, and was
reappointed in 1999 by Gov. Jesse Ventura.
Hugoson also served five terms in the
Minnesota House of Representatives, having
been first elected in 1986, and served four
years as assistant minority leader.
Pawlenty said he looked "far and wide"
for an agriculture commissioner and
real:zed Hugoson was the best person for
the job. He cited some of Hugoson's
accomplishments, including the creation of
an online licensing system for people or
companies who hold certificates, licenses, or
permits required by state law Pawlenty also
said Hugoson has followed up on numerous
trade missions over the years.
4ucs¡unc ruow
19
1
Books). In making its selection,
the award jury commented: "A
953
Dean Lapham, Bloomington,
Minn., is one of the authors of
new book on Freemasonry in
Songfor Nettie lohnson is
a
Minnesota, entitÌed, The Scottish
Minnesota1867-2001. Sales of the book go to
support the Scouish Rite Clinic
for Childhood Disorders in
Duluth. Dean can be ¡eached via
Rite oJ Freemasonry in
e-mail at <lapham2@mac.com>.
Gloria Sawai,
Edmonton,
Alberta, received
the Canadian
Governor
General's Literary
Award for Fiction
for her book, A
Songfor Nettíe lohnson (Coteau
/rrllll
¡a
o
tt
rv¡
III
a
profoundly light-tilled collection
of short stories set on the prairies
and peopled with holy sinners,
visionaries, children, and socalled ordinary folk. The power
of grace illuminates her world."
Her book also won two awards at
the 2002 Alberta Book Awards:
the Henry Kreisel Award for Best
First Book and the Howard
O'Hagan Award for Short Fiction.
In addition, she was the lirstprize winner of the Writers'
Union of Canada's Danuta Gleed
Literary Award. An author,
playwright, and teacher, Gloria
has been
publishing individual
Nettíe lohnson is her firsr booklength publication. Her plays
have been produced by Alberta
Theatre Projects and the
Edmonton Fringe Festival.
|
¡
f.I
ù/ |
fi..!
ù/ | I
¡
tctlùr}l
HOMECOMING 2OO3
October 3 and 4
Football game vs.
Carleton College
1957
SaLurda¡ October
Marshall D.
Johnson,
Minneapolis,
recently received
news thât his
,,.¡ry,Fr book. Mal¿ins
-Á!,@r*D.rú,ún (Eerdmans,
2002), was named to the
"Outstanding Academic Title" list
for 20O2by Choice magazine,
published by the American
Library Association.
stories [o¡ many yeârs; A SongJor
4. I
p.m.
Homecoming dinner
Friday, October 3, 5:30 p.m.
Reunion celebrations
Classes of 1953, 1963, 1978,
and Ì993
Psychology department allclass reunion
& 40th
anniversary celebration
Saturday, October 4
Contact the alumni olJrce at 612-
330-1178
iJ
you are interested in
serving on a reunion planning
committee.
I I il.-r I I I I
Dean Gulden '63: From Augsburg professor
dOgsled mUSh€f
¡v
to pr¡ze-winning
ressica Brown and Lynn Mena
Imagine beginning your day with the sun on your face and the wind rr-rshing against you, traveling at high speeds through the woods, stopping
for breakfast only after you've reached the top of a hÌll so high you can see Lake Superior and its stunning vistas. This is a solitary adventurewell, almost-just you, nature, and a pack of canine companions leading the way.
For Dean Gulden, a prizewinning dogsled musher, this has become a way of life. In 1985, he and a friend started a summer mountain program
for area youth in Grand Marais, Minn., taking a busload of l<ids to Wyoming to experience the thrill of mountain climbing. ln continulng the
program into the winter, he was introduced to the sport of dogsled raclng. Having a great love of the outdoors, the sport quickly grew on Gulden,
who now owns l7 Alaskan Huskies and participates in up to slx races per year.
Sometimes, Gulden's competition includes his wife, Jean. "[In 200tL we were competing and I was
having a good run," recalls Gulden. "i was out first and Jean was five or six teams behind me. I was
cruising along this river and looÌ<ing at the blue sk¡ when all of a sudden I heard, 'trail!' which race
etiquette dlctates you must relinquish the trail and let the competitor by. We1l, I look around and here it's
a
o
\
õ
s
a
\J
Jean passing me!
"It's a tough sport, there's both competition and camaraderie
need help, they're there for you,"
... mushers are fiercly competitive, but if you
One of the most enjoyable aspects for Gulden is the ability to share his dogs with others. "I go to high
schools and senior centers so they can see the dogs and pet them and learn about them," says Gulden.
"It's a vehicle I can use to share myself and what I've done ... I've been very blessed and I like to share
that blessing with other people."
Tiaining the dogs is both challenging and fulfilling. "Finding what the strength of each dog is and helping
them to maximize that potential is a lot like teaching," says Gulden, a longtime leacher. "I'm not
comparing students to dogs-though most people who know dogs would not be offended."
Dean Gulden '63, former Augsburg
math department chair and
professor, now participates in up to
six dogsled races per year.
20
4ucs¡uRc lr¡ow
Both an Augsbr"rrg alumnus and a former Augsburg math department chair and professor, Gulden left the
College in 1975 for Grand Marais, where he taught at Cook County High School. Prior to Cook County and
Augsburg, Gulden served in the Air Force and also worked in the space industry He and his wife now split
their time between Grand Marais and Fairbanks, Alaska, where he teaches rn the summer monthsJessíca
Brown is a communication speciøList in the OlJice of Public Relations and Communication.
Spring 2003
t
I
i
l1964
Lloyd A. Pearson, Holmen, Wis.,
retired in November after 30 years
of airline flying, most recently as a
captain with Northwest Airlines.
He began his airline career with
North Central Airlines, which
became Republic Airlines, and later
merged with Northwest. Prior to
airline flying, he taught high school
math and then spent five years in
the Air Force, including a year in
Vietnam, during which he flew
365 combat missions.
1967
George Lillquist, Golden
Valley,
Minn., was featured in an article in
the Crystal-Robbinsdale Sun-Post,
after he was named interim artistic
director at the FAIR fine arts
magnet school in Crystal. George
had retired in the spring ol2002
as principal of the TÞchnology
Learning Campus and Robbinsdale
Spanish Immersion School, after a
35 -year education career.
Gail(Stromsmoe) Dow,
Denver, Colo., was presented with
the Career Achievement Award by
the Colorado Library Association
in recognition of her many years
of dedicated sewice to the library
profession. In 1999, she was
named Librarian o[ the Year,
honoring her efforts with the
Colorado Legislature. She has
since retired, but remains an
active part of the Denver library
system and also volunteers at her
.church library
f968
Minn., was the featured speaker at
the Lac qui Parle Prairie
t
Inbune, after she spoke at
a
Community Leaders Breakfast in
November in St. Paul. LaRhae is
pÌanning director for the Project
2030 Aging Initiative in the
Minnesota Department of Human
Services.
Donald Q. Smith, Monticello,
Minn., was featured in an article
in
Preservation's annual meeting in
November. Janet, who calls herself
Augsburg alumnÌ, friends, facult¡ and staff are invited to jorn
academic dean Chris Kimball and associate professor Kristin
Anderson on a trip to explore the great American pastime o[
baseball. Travel by bus to Chicago and visit the Field Museum's
"Baseball as America" exhibit, as well as check out some great
baseball:
the Monticello Times, after his
selection for the Monticello High
School (MHS) Wall of Fame, in
recognition of his civic activism.
Wednesda¡ June 18, 7:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox
Richard J. Seime, Rochester,
Minn., presented a forum in
Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox
US Ceilular Field (Comisky)
February on "Interpersonal
Psychotherapy for Depression" at
Metropolitan State University's
First Friday Forum Series.
1973
Syl Jones, St. Louis Park, Minn.,
was the topic of a recent interview
in the Puls¿ of the'Iwin Cities
weekly newspaper, entitled "A
discussion of race relations and
other matters with Syl Jones." Syl
is an editorial writer for the
Minneapolis Stør Tnbune and a
consultant to corporations on
topics of diversity and quality He
also collaborated with Augsburg
to form the Scholastic
Connections program.
US Ce11ular Field (Comisky)
Thursda¡June 19, l:05 p.m.
Frida¡ June 20
Field Museum Exhibit: "Baseball as America"
Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox
Wrigley Field, 2:20 p.m.
Saturday, June 21, 6:05 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins
Mi11er Park
Sunday,June 22, l:05 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins
Miller Park
Cost of trip is $595 per person based on double occupancy For
complete details, contact Thorpe Tours at l-866-553-8687 or
<thorpe@wwt.net>, and contact <alumni@augsburg.edu> so we can
add you to our line-up!
Jan (Weum) Ph¡l¡bert,
Minneapolis, is a business
applications anaþt at Guidant
Corporation.
1975
Minn., is co-author and ilÌustrator
of a book of childhood games,
entitled Sally B's Games for Good
HomeMøde Fun. She owns
speaking engagements a year and
has authored, co-âuthored, and
created I3 books, two audio
tapes, and various novelty
products.
Mark Sedio,
girl
humorist," does about 100
1970
nflrdsrr'lTrcIt[f1
a
computer consulting firm, Hakes
Consulting Inc., and also trains
and shows horses. She and her
husband, Steve Hawrysh, Iive on a
12O-acre farm.
a "Norwegian-Lutheran farm
Join Augsburg for a special "Baseball as America" trip!
JUNE 18-22, 2003
Jennie A. Hakes, Monticello,
Janet Letnes Martin, Hastings,
l
St. Paul, was quoted in a recent
issue o[ the MinneapoÌis Stør
1976
Ar<¡y
Dz-1
al 0â"*
ÞÁr,1,
June 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Join us at Como Park in St. Paul for this annual event and visit with
Augsburg alumni, friends, faculty, and staff. Bring a picnlc lunch
(BBQ grills are available) and Augsburg wlll provide beverages and
brownies. There will be fun activitres for kids and great door prizes!
St. Paul, was
featured in the CrossingBorders
newsletter, Crossings, after he led
For more information, please contact the alumni office at
612-330 -II7 B or <alumni@augsbr"rrg.edu>.
LaRhae (Grindal) Knatterud,
Spring
2OO3
4ucsnuncuow
21
Class Notes
choir concerts during a toul to the
1979
Czech Republic, Poland, and
Slovakia. Mark is director ol
The Rev. Mark R. Aune,
Mendota Heights, Minn., was
installed as senior pastor o[
Augustana Lutheran Church. He
ancl his rvife, Janis (Blomgren)
music at Central Lutheran Church
in Minneapolis.
1977
'81, have two children: Stefan and
Roselyn Nordaune, Plymouth,
Minn., rvas featured in the "Who's
Who in Family Law" resource
guide to Minnesota attorneys in
nonprofit organizations. She can
Shorewoocl, Minn.
John Popham, Washington,
Susan Lyback-Dahl, Wahkon,
Minn., is a staff writer for the
1
980
Sarah Parker ('89 MAL), Edina,
for 15 years.
Minn., recently returned to
1978
Minnesota after spending nearly
l0 years in the Pacific Northwest.
She owns a busìness providìng
marketing, media relations, and
communications services to small
and mid-sized businesses and
The Rev. Mark Christoffersen,
Fairfield, Conn., is pasror at Our
Savior's Lutheran Church.
7lI
Daniel J. Carlson rvas promored
to chief of police in the City oi
Eden Prairie. He and his wife,
Camilla (Knudsen) '81, live in
Ingrid.
D.C., received a Master o[ Science
in Information Systems from
Shippensburg Universit),.
a
recent iss